Take 4: By the Numbers
The Premise: Sure, all these movies have numbers in their titles. More importantly, though, I had to see two of them damn quick because their sequels are (or will soon be) in theaters.
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28 Days Later (2002)
What's Your Number?: The "28" in 28 Days Later signifies the number of days Sandra Bullock spends in rehab...wait...no...that's 28 Days (my bad, wrong movie). Actually, the "28" in 28 Days Later signifies the number of days after a deadly viral outbreak that our hero, Jim, wakes up from a coma. He stumbles out of his abandoned hospital to find himself in a deserted London, with newspaper headlines screaming "Evacuation!" Jim teams up with the few survivors he stumbles across, fighting to escape London and the infected, bloodlust-filled victims of the viral plague...but where will they escape to and what will they find there? The title also as a second significance, pointing to what happens happens 28 days after the first 28 days, but I'll keep that under my hat for now.
Familiar Faces: Being a British film, there weren't a whole lot of folks I recognized here...the exception being Cillian Murphy. He hasn't been in a lot of mainstream things over here in the U.S., but he did play Scarecrow in Batman Begins and was the creepy antagonist (opposite hero Rachel McAdams) in Wes Craven's Red Eye.
IMDB Plot Keywords: Soft Drink; Zombie; Credit Card; London; Vomiting
Random Facts: The filmmakers had the co-operation of councils and help from the police to clear streets (and a motorway) to help give London that nice, abandoned look and feel, but only for short periods...which would have been useless if not for the flexibility and speed provided by digital video cameras which were used to shoot the entire film.
And I Quote: Jim: "Do you know I was thinking?" Selena: "You were thinking that you'll never hear another piece of original music ever again. You'll never read a book that hasn't already been written or see a film that hasn't already been shot." Jim: "Um, that's what you were thinking."
Curt's Take - Worth Considering: This was damn close to getting a Must See rating, but I'm taking into consideration that it's quite graphic at some points, and that might turn a good chunk of folks away. This, however, was an interesting take on your classic zombie film. While the rage-filled victims of the viral infection aren't ever formally referred to as undead or zombies, they share all the same characteristics of your classic Night of the Living Dead creatures. If you're bitten by one, or get its blood in you somehow, you turn into one...and there's no known cure. The main difference here is that infection takes place in about ten or twenty seconds...so no more of the "was my buddy bitten or wasn't he" debates (you'll find out pretty damn quick). Also...those who are infected can move fast. They're sprinters...so bring your track shoes. Having said all of this, the plight of our heroes against the infected isn't really the main focus of the film. It's really more about how a group of survivors tries to adjust to a world where the normal rules you live by are thrown out the window. How do you get food? Get gasoline? Sleep? It's interesting watching the protagonists adjust to living in a mostly abandoned United Kingdom, and how ingenuity can get you through a lot.
------------------------------------------------
Stalag 17 (1953)
What's Your Number?: Here, the "17" refers to one of the many "stalags" (or prison camps) in World War II Germany that housed thousands of prisoners-of-war. So, yes, there is also a Stalag 15, Stalag 9, etc. This film focuses on the airmen housed in one of the barracks of Stalag 17. Early in the film, a couple of prisoners try to escape, but are stopped by German guards who seemed to know exactly what their plans were. Several other coincidental occurrences lead the prisoners to believe that there is a spy working within their barracks, feeding information to the Germans. Most of the POW's suspect Sergeant J.J. Sefton, largely because he trades cigarettes and other "black market" items with the guards in exchange for favors, but Sefton has his own suspicions, and sets out to clear his name and bring down the traitor.
Familiar Faces: Although the movie is pretty old, there are still several folks here you might recognize. William Holden (of such films as Sunset Boulevard and The Bridge on the River Kwai) stars as Sefton, while a young Peter Graves (of the old and new Mission: Impossible television series, as well as the Airplane! movies) has a major role as one of Sefton's co-prisoners.
IMDB Plot Keywords: Short Wave Radio; Telescope; Distillery; Combat Fatigue; Ocarina
Random Facts: The movie was shot in sequence (i.e., the scenes were filmed in the same order they're shown), so many of the actors did not know who the "spy" in their barracks was until the very end of the film, when the "unmasking" scene is shot.
And I Quote: [Opening narration] Cookie: "I don't know about you, but it always makes me sore when I see those war pictures...all about flying leathernecks and submarine patrols and frogmen and guerillas in the Philippines. What gets me is that there never w-was a movie about POWs...about prisoners of war. Now, my name is Clarence Harvey Cook: they call me Cookie. I was shot down over Magdeborg, Germany, back in '43; that's why I stammer a little once in a while, 'specially when I get excited. I spent two and a half years in Stalag 17. 'Stalag' is the German word for prison camp, and number 17 was somewhere on the Danube. There were about 40,000 POW's there, if you bothered to count the Russians, and the Poles, and the Czechs. In our compound there were about 630 of us, all American airmen: radio operators, gunners, and engineers. All sergeants. Now you put 630 sergeants together and, oh mother, you've got yourself a situation. There was more fireworks shooting off around that joint...take for instance the story about the spy we had in our barracks..."
Curt's Take - Must See: James, one of my co-workers, recommended this film to me a couple years back as one of several William Holden films I must check out. Having seen a couple other Holden flicks, I was expecting this to be a ratger serious film. I was very surprised, though, that this was much more of a comedy, with brief bursts of drama, than the other way around. For example, I loved the scene where the POW's run out, all excited, to see the new female Russian prisoners that arrived at the barracks next-door...and it's a bunch of frumpy women in large coats, who don't look at all amused. But coming so close on the heels of World War Two, Stalag 17 was one of the first films ever to tackle the topic of POW's (it was based on a play written by a couple prisoners-of-war, one of whom has a small part in the movie). And although the language and acting in the film is a little dated, you have to consider how ground-breaking and topical it was at the time of its release. After just ten minutes of watching, I was completely sucked in. In short, if you haven't seen this, you should...it's a classic.
------------------------------------------------
Fantastic Four (2005)
What's Your Number?: Um...that would be "four," which is the number of superheroes that get created when a space station gets hit by an odd space storm, exposing the quartet to DNA-altering radiation. You've got Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic), forward-thinking scientist, who can go all stretchy; Susan Storm (aka The Invisible Girl), researcher, who (in addition to becoming invisible), can create powerful force fields; Johnny Storm (aka The Human Torch), Susan's brother and part-time underwear model, who can engulf himself in flames and fly; and Ben Grimm (aka The Thing), who turned into an orange rock-like creature and is extremely strong. There was a fifth person on the space station...it's owner, Victor Von Doom. He got powers, too, but turned all evil and power-hungry, which is good since the Four need an enemy to fight.
Familiar Faces: Quite a few, including Jessica Alba (Sin City), Chris Evans (Not Another Teen Movie), Michael Chiklis (TV's The Shield), and Julian McMahon (TV's Nip/Tuck). The only one of the main stars I didn't recognize was Ioan Gruffudd, who played Mr. Fantastic. He's Welsh, and hasn't been in a whole lot...
IMDB Plot Keyboards: Nose Bleed; Brooklyn Bridge; Heroine; No Opening Credits; Invisible Woman
Random Facts: The folks who were cast weren't necessarily the first picks for their roles. George Clooney and Brendan Fraser were considered for the part of Mr. Fantastic; Julia Stiles and Rachel McAdams for The Invisible Girl; Paul Walker for the part of Johnny Storm; James Gandolfini for the role of The Thing; and Tim Robbins...as Dr. Doom.
And I Quote: Ben Grimm:[complaining about Johnny] "That underwear model washed out at NASA for bringing two Victoria's Secret wannabes into a flight simulator." Reed Richards: "Youthful high spirits." Ben Grimm: "They crashed it into a wall."
Curt's Take - Worth Considering: The acting and writing is very cheesy at times, but (like a lot of superhero films) it's still a fun little flick to sit down and enjoy with a tub of popcorn. Fun special effects, decent action sequences, etc. Not a lot of time spent on drama, it spends more time on getting to the next nifty fight or effect. This film got terrible box office reviews, and I think I might have been disappointed had I paid to see it in a theater, too...nothing stellar, but an entertaining way to lose yourself for a couple hours.
------------------------------------------------
2009 Lost Memories (2002)
What's Your Number?: 2009 refers to the year in which our story takes place...so not that far down the road. Set in Seoul, Korea, we see that history is a little different than what we remember it to be. It all traces back to an assassination attempt back in 1909. In our normal timeline, the attempt succeeded...but in this alt-history film, Japan entered World War II on the side of the United States, and the target of the atomic bomb was Berlin, not Hiroshima. In addition, Korea has become a territory now occupied by Japan. The story follows a Korean member of the Japanese Bureau of Investigations, who becomes wrapped up in investigating a group of freedom fighters who are striving to release Korea from the oppressive rule of Japan. Add in a mysterious artifact, a possible conspiracy between the police force and a major corporation and the possibility of time travel, and you have one strange film on your hands.
Familiar Faces: Not a Seoul...er...soul. See what I did there? Ha.
IMDB Plot Keywords: Exploding Car; Shot to Death; Escapism; Gun; Propaganda
Random Facts: As disenchanted as I was with this, it did win the South Korean Grand Bell Award for Best New Director, Best Sound Effects, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Visual Effects (I have to strongly disagree on that last count...)
And I Quote: Group of Children Walking to School: "Mama duck...quack! Quack! Mama duck...quack! Quack!" (Okay, there were few quotable lines here...the subtitles were very rough translations)
Curt's Take: Don't Bother - I don't remember at all how this ended up in my rental list. I think I saw its trailer during another film, and something about it intrigued me. Hrm. Anyway, it was over two hours long, poorly subtitled (but still preferable to the dubbing) and just didn't really "hook" me at any point. I though the whole premise of an alternate historical timeline was interesting...but when time travel comes into the picture (over an hour and a half into the film), that actually ruined it a little for me. Otherwise, it might have been a good action film (plenty of gunfight scenes that are well choreographed). I can see how this film would have been different had it been made in the United States. Time travel probably would have been brought up a lot sooner, and that possibility would have been explored much more deeply. As it was, it took me four tries to make it through this, and even then I was looking at the countdown timer I had set up on the VCR, watching the minutes descend until the closing credit sequence.
What's Your Number?: The "28" in 28 Days Later signifies the number of days Sandra Bullock spends in rehab...wait...no...that's 28 Days (my bad, wrong movie). Actually, the "28" in 28 Days Later signifies the number of days after a deadly viral outbreak that our hero, Jim, wakes up from a coma. He stumbles out of his abandoned hospital to find himself in a deserted London, with newspaper headlines screaming "Evacuation!" Jim teams up with the few survivors he stumbles across, fighting to escape London and the infected, bloodlust-filled victims of the viral plague...but where will they escape to and what will they find there? The title also as a second significance, pointing to what happens happens 28 days after the first 28 days, but I'll keep that under my hat for now.
Familiar Faces: Being a British film, there weren't a whole lot of folks I recognized here...the exception being Cillian Murphy. He hasn't been in a lot of mainstream things over here in the U.S., but he did play Scarecrow in Batman Begins and was the creepy antagonist (opposite hero Rachel McAdams) in Wes Craven's Red Eye.
IMDB Plot Keywords: Soft Drink; Zombie; Credit Card; London; Vomiting
Random Facts: The filmmakers had the co-operation of councils and help from the police to clear streets (and a motorway) to help give London that nice, abandoned look and feel, but only for short periods...which would have been useless if not for the flexibility and speed provided by digital video cameras which were used to shoot the entire film.
And I Quote: Jim: "Do you know I was thinking?" Selena: "You were thinking that you'll never hear another piece of original music ever again. You'll never read a book that hasn't already been written or see a film that hasn't already been shot." Jim: "Um, that's what you were thinking."Curt's Take - Worth Considering: This was damn close to getting a Must See rating, but I'm taking into consideration that it's quite graphic at some points, and that might turn a good chunk of folks away. This, however, was an interesting take on your classic zombie film. While the rage-filled victims of the viral infection aren't ever formally referred to as undead or zombies, they share all the same characteristics of your classic Night of the Living Dead creatures. If you're bitten by one, or get its blood in you somehow, you turn into one...and there's no known cure. The main difference here is that infection takes place in about ten or twenty seconds...so no more of the "was my buddy bitten or wasn't he" debates (you'll find out pretty damn quick). Also...those who are infected can move fast. They're sprinters...so bring your track shoes. Having said all of this, the plight of our heroes against the infected isn't really the main focus of the film. It's really more about how a group of survivors tries to adjust to a world where the normal rules you live by are thrown out the window. How do you get food? Get gasoline? Sleep? It's interesting watching the protagonists adjust to living in a mostly abandoned United Kingdom, and how ingenuity can get you through a lot.
------------------------------------------------
Stalag 17 (1953)
What's Your Number?: Here, the "17" refers to one of the many "stalags" (or prison camps) in World War II Germany that housed thousands of prisoners-of-war. So, yes, there is also a Stalag 15, Stalag 9, etc. This film focuses on the airmen housed in one of the barracks of Stalag 17. Early in the film, a couple of prisoners try to escape, but are stopped by German guards who seemed to know exactly what their plans were. Several other coincidental occurrences lead the prisoners to believe that there is a spy working within their barracks, feeding information to the Germans. Most of the POW's suspect Sergeant J.J. Sefton, largely because he trades cigarettes and other "black market" items with the guards in exchange for favors, but Sefton has his own suspicions, and sets out to clear his name and bring down the traitor.
Familiar Faces: Although the movie is pretty old, there are still several folks here you might recognize. William Holden (of such films as Sunset Boulevard and The Bridge on the River Kwai) stars as Sefton, while a young Peter Graves (of the old and new Mission: Impossible television series, as well as the Airplane! movies) has a major role as one of Sefton's co-prisoners.
IMDB Plot Keywords: Short Wave Radio; Telescope; Distillery; Combat Fatigue; Ocarina
Random Facts: The movie was shot in sequence (i.e., the scenes were filmed in the same order they're shown), so many of the actors did not know who the "spy" in their barracks was until the very end of the film, when the "unmasking" scene is shot.
And I Quote: [Opening narration] Cookie: "I don't know about you, but it always makes me sore when I see those war pictures...all about flying leathernecks and submarine patrols and frogmen and guerillas in the Philippines. What gets me is that there never w-was a movie about POWs...about prisoners of war. Now, my name is Clarence Harvey Cook: they call me Cookie. I was shot down over Magdeborg, Germany, back in '43; that's why I stammer a little once in a while, 'specially when I get excited. I spent two and a half years in Stalag 17. 'Stalag' is the German word for prison camp, and number 17 was somewhere on the Danube. There were about 40,000 POW's there, if you bothered to count the Russians, and the Poles, and the Czechs. In our compound there were about 630 of us, all American airmen: radio operators, gunners, and engineers. All sergeants. Now you put 630 sergeants together and, oh mother, you've got yourself a situation. There was more fireworks shooting off around that joint...take for instance the story about the spy we had in our barracks..."
Curt's Take - Must See: James, one of my co-workers, recommended this film to me a couple years back as one of several William Holden films I must check out. Having seen a couple other Holden flicks, I was expecting this to be a ratger serious film. I was very surprised, though, that this was much more of a comedy, with brief bursts of drama, than the other way around. For example, I loved the scene where the POW's run out, all excited, to see the new female Russian prisoners that arrived at the barracks next-door...and it's a bunch of frumpy women in large coats, who don't look at all amused. But coming so close on the heels of World War Two, Stalag 17 was one of the first films ever to tackle the topic of POW's (it was based on a play written by a couple prisoners-of-war, one of whom has a small part in the movie). And although the language and acting in the film is a little dated, you have to consider how ground-breaking and topical it was at the time of its release. After just ten minutes of watching, I was completely sucked in. In short, if you haven't seen this, you should...it's a classic.------------------------------------------------
Fantastic Four (2005)
What's Your Number?: Um...that would be "four," which is the number of superheroes that get created when a space station gets hit by an odd space storm, exposing the quartet to DNA-altering radiation. You've got Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic), forward-thinking scientist, who can go all stretchy; Susan Storm (aka The Invisible Girl), researcher, who (in addition to becoming invisible), can create powerful force fields; Johnny Storm (aka The Human Torch), Susan's brother and part-time underwear model, who can engulf himself in flames and fly; and Ben Grimm (aka The Thing), who turned into an orange rock-like creature and is extremely strong. There was a fifth person on the space station...it's owner, Victor Von Doom. He got powers, too, but turned all evil and power-hungry, which is good since the Four need an enemy to fight.
Familiar Faces: Quite a few, including Jessica Alba (Sin City), Chris Evans (Not Another Teen Movie), Michael Chiklis (TV's The Shield), and Julian McMahon (TV's Nip/Tuck). The only one of the main stars I didn't recognize was Ioan Gruffudd, who played Mr. Fantastic. He's Welsh, and hasn't been in a whole lot...
IMDB Plot Keyboards: Nose Bleed; Brooklyn Bridge; Heroine; No Opening Credits; Invisible Woman
Random Facts: The folks who were cast weren't necessarily the first picks for their roles. George Clooney and Brendan Fraser were considered for the part of Mr. Fantastic; Julia Stiles and Rachel McAdams for The Invisible Girl; Paul Walker for the part of Johnny Storm; James Gandolfini for the role of The Thing; and Tim Robbins...as Dr. Doom.
And I Quote: Ben Grimm:[complaining about Johnny] "That underwear model washed out at NASA for bringing two Victoria's Secret wannabes into a flight simulator." Reed Richards: "Youthful high spirits." Ben Grimm: "They crashed it into a wall."Curt's Take - Worth Considering: The acting and writing is very cheesy at times, but (like a lot of superhero films) it's still a fun little flick to sit down and enjoy with a tub of popcorn. Fun special effects, decent action sequences, etc. Not a lot of time spent on drama, it spends more time on getting to the next nifty fight or effect. This film got terrible box office reviews, and I think I might have been disappointed had I paid to see it in a theater, too...nothing stellar, but an entertaining way to lose yourself for a couple hours.
------------------------------------------------
2009 Lost Memories (2002)
What's Your Number?: 2009 refers to the year in which our story takes place...so not that far down the road. Set in Seoul, Korea, we see that history is a little different than what we remember it to be. It all traces back to an assassination attempt back in 1909. In our normal timeline, the attempt succeeded...but in this alt-history film, Japan entered World War II on the side of the United States, and the target of the atomic bomb was Berlin, not Hiroshima. In addition, Korea has become a territory now occupied by Japan. The story follows a Korean member of the Japanese Bureau of Investigations, who becomes wrapped up in investigating a group of freedom fighters who are striving to release Korea from the oppressive rule of Japan. Add in a mysterious artifact, a possible conspiracy between the police force and a major corporation and the possibility of time travel, and you have one strange film on your hands.
Familiar Faces: Not a Seoul...er...soul. See what I did there? Ha.
IMDB Plot Keywords: Exploding Car; Shot to Death; Escapism; Gun; Propaganda
Random Facts: As disenchanted as I was with this, it did win the South Korean Grand Bell Award for Best New Director, Best Sound Effects, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Visual Effects (I have to strongly disagree on that last count...)
And I Quote: Group of Children Walking to School: "Mama duck...quack! Quack! Mama duck...quack! Quack!" (Okay, there were few quotable lines here...the subtitles were very rough translations)
Curt's Take: Don't Bother - I don't remember at all how this ended up in my rental list. I think I saw its trailer during another film, and something about it intrigued me. Hrm. Anyway, it was over two hours long, poorly subtitled (but still preferable to the dubbing) and just didn't really "hook" me at any point. I though the whole premise of an alternate historical timeline was interesting...but when time travel comes into the picture (over an hour and a half into the film), that actually ruined it a little for me. Otherwise, it might have been a good action film (plenty of gunfight scenes that are well choreographed). I can see how this film would have been different had it been made in the United States. Time travel probably would have been brought up a lot sooner, and that possibility would have been explored much more deeply. As it was, it took me four tries to make it through this, and even then I was looking at the countdown timer I had set up on the VCR, watching the minutes descend until the closing credit sequence.
posted by Curt at 5:28 PM
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