My Kingdom review here.

A couple of things I left out.

The one part that I thought might be offensive to Saudis is Chris Cooper’s character’s condescending attitude when explaining to the Saudi police officers the proper way to handle a crime scene. Now, this is based in part on the assumption that the Saudi police force is competent enough to handle that sort of thing and doesn’t really need Chris Cooper’s help, thank you very much. Given the wide range of competence in police forces around the world (and especially in the U.S.), that’s not necessarily the correct assumption.

I’m not sure how to determine the accuracy of that assumption aside from eyewitness accounts, which aren’t exactly in abundance. So, my assumption as a screenwriter is to give the screenwriter the benefit of the doubt that he’s done his due diligence (and I have at least heard that Matthew Michael Carnahan did a helluva lot of research on the region and specifically terrorist activity there) and the depiction is sound.

On the other hand, the wide range of competence in screenwriters is pretty much the same as the wide range of competence in police forces so, we’re back where we started.

Also kind of annoying, Jennifer Garner’s character. I understand she probably didn’t want to play a riff on Syndey Bristow, but this is so far in the other direction that her character can seem kind of, well, unrealistically wussy.

And, as I mentioned in my review, the chain of evidence wouldn’t stand up on CSI. But what brings me back to the film is its ability to take all these disparate parts - the police procedural, the buddy cop film, the political drama, the action film - and while not doing any single one of them well (except the action film), bring them together to create something new that’s excellent.

And, finally, the Munich-ness of it; the devotion to the cyclical futility of violence of it sells it and sets it apart as a film of any one of these genres. For that part you’ll have to see the film to really know what I mean.

On the other hand, as of this writing, about half of the critics out there who did see it weren’t impressed.

29. North by Northwest - Crop Duster Attack

“That plane’s dusting crops where there ain’t no crops.”

Hitchcock once said, “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” Never has this been truer than of this sequence from his 1959 classic. I can think of no director working today who would have the patience to pull this off.

As the film’s screenwriter Ernest Lehman said, “Only a Hitchcock could direct a sequence in which nothing happens for almost eight minutes and it still holds your attention.” And that’s exactly what happens.

Lehman said that Hitchcock wanted a scene in which a man is standing in isolation. The camera could pan 360 degrees and there would be nothing. I think this explains the very wise choice to avoid music. If there was music, even that would be something to fill the void. But in this sequence, our hero, Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is completely alone.

Here Hitchcock plays on a primal uncertainty. Who hasn’t sat around waiting for somebody and wondered if every single car that pulled up was them? The air is pregnant with something, but we don’t know what. Hitchcock even foreshadows the crop duster and we still don’t see it coming. When the plane finally approaches, it’s almost like it takes Thornhill (and us) a moment to realize he’s in an action sequence.

But even then, Hitch won’t hit you with the phat beats. There’s no music until the very end of the sequence. That’s how dedicated he is to the scene. He knows it doesn’t need it.

This is, by the way, the very definition of a textbook action sequence. The storyboards were in a textbook I read in high school and the screenplay excerpt appears in Willaim Goldman’s Which Lie Did I Tell?

It’s in Spanish, and the first half of the waiting is missing, but you get the idea…

See also: The rest of North by Northwest, the anticipation of the bang throughout all of The Wages of Fear, Tom Cruise vs. a predator drone in Mission: Impossible III

Next: When lists collide.

I just can’t get enough of those super golden lists…

My top ten tracking shots list just got posted over at filmcritic.com.

Can you digg it?

30. Casino Royale - Fancy Footwork

“Stop touching your ear.”

The blistering chase sequence that opens Martin Campbell’s 2006 007 reboot found its inspiration in the 2003 documentary Jump London. Screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade were struck by the artistry of free running and its founder, Sebastien Foucan, who ended up being cast as the chasee, a bomb-maker named Mollaka.

(For those of you saying, “Hey, wait. I though David Belle founded free running,” first off, thanks for paying attention, all three of you. Second of all, technically speaking - which means, of course, Wikipedially speaking - David Belle founded parkour, while Sebastien Foucan founded free running. And for those of you saying “I thought free running and parkour were the same thing,” stop paying attention.)

This sequence, then, is the big budget progeny of #46. But more than just adding dollars, this also adds character. Where #37 reveals persona through swordfighting strategy, this chase reveals temperament through pursuit tactics. This is Bond as kind-of-a-dick, the Needlessly Destructive Bond. Is it really necessary to commandeer a digger to come after one guy?

Campbell gives us a nice contrast between the flow of Mollaka and the brute force of Bond. A lot of this sequence is Bond seeing Mollaka pull some crazy-ass move, saying “Fuck that,” and doing something just as effective that causes more property damage. There’s even a shout-out to the transom move from Banlieue 13 which Bond responds to by simply crashing through the wall.

Also note the lack of one-liners. Note the lack of dialogue in general. Once the chase begins, it’s all business. It’s not that this Bond is without wit, it’s that he saves it for the conversations.

The camerawork is stunning. Where Campbell seemed almost tied down in Goldeneye, he brings some balls to this effort, with glorious aerial shots and kinetic tracking.

Speaking of balls, Daniel Craig, Foucan and the stuntpeople were all actually up on those cranes, 200 feet in the air.

See also: The rest of Casino Royale, 007 vs. 006 in Goldeneye, Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh get chased by a helicopter in Tomorrow Never Dies

Next: The use of chemical weapons on ad executives has been banned by the Geneva Conventions.

3:10 to Yuma with Russell Crowe opens to $15mil. The Brave One with Jodie Foster opens to $14mil. Resident Evil: Extinction with Milla Jovovich and a shitload of zombies opens to $24mil. The lesson here is that it’s time to make a zombie Russell Crowe/Jodie Foster vehicle.

Meanwhile, in indieville, the movie that Sean Penn directed outperforms the movie that stars Brad Pitt. What an age we live in.

9/28

Wide

THE GAME PLAN

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Can you smell what the Rock is cooking…for the little girl he suddenly has to take care of?

WILL IT SUCK?
If it weren’t enough that this director is reteaming with The Rock (clearly looking to make those Ice Cube family dollars with this film) to do a Witch Mountain remake, he’s also remaking Fame (presumably not with The Rock, though that would be awesome). As for this film, I’m getting more of a Pacifier than a Mr. Mom vibe.

There is at least one good early review.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Seeker will target a not altogether different family audience the following week. $37mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Maybe when he makes that King Kamehameha movie.

THE KINGDOM

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Jamie Foxx takes his FBI team to Saudi Arabia to investigate a terrorist attack.

WILL IT SUCK?
Certainly not, though there’ll be plenty of people who claim (perhaps accurately) that it oversimplifies a complex conflict. But I loved it.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The Heartbreak Kid which, strangely, will have a similar demo might be an issue next week, but I think audiences are just now becoming prepared for some brutal depictions of life in the Middle East. $76mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Depending upon the reception of this and other Middle East/Iraq flicks this fall, you could see director Peter Berg getting some love along with screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan, and maybe a Supporting nod for Ashraf Barhom as the Saudi colonel who assists the team.

FEAST OF LOVE

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Ensemble romantic comedy.

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is sort of, well, harmless. Robert Benton is a more-than-decent director and the screenwriter did the recently critically acclaimed Resurrecting the Champ, so it’s got a shot. I’m not exactly lining up for Greg Kinnear, Selma Blair, Morgan Freeman, Missi Pyle, Radha Mitchell and Fred Ward (but I’m not running away, either).

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Heartbreak Kid is going to be a problem. But a bigger problem is that no one has heard of this. $23mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
“Harmless” movies usually only get nods if they make bank.

Limited

LUST, CAUTION

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Sex and intrigue in 1940’s Shanghai.

WILL IT SUCK?
First off, let’s get this straight. Ang Lee is a hella-filmmaker. I’ll watch almost anything he makes (even The Hulk). And here he’s re-teamed with his frequent writer/producer James Schamus and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon co-writer Hui-Ling Wang. And we get to see how he works with Wong Kar-Wai player Tony Leung. Bottom line, this is one of the most-anticipated indie releases of the fall.

Early buzz is good, but my favorite pull quote comes from Variety’s negative review: “Too much caution and too little lust.”

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
NC-17 and a lack of stars will be serious impediments, not to mention opening against Wes Anderson. $8mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
You bet your sweet bippy. Look for screenplay, director, foreign language and maybe some love for Leung, Joan Chen and newcomer Tang Wei in the sexy, sexy lead.

THE DARJEELING LIMITED

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Wes Anderson goes to India

WILL IT SUCK?
It’s Wes Anderson. ’nuff said. Interested to see what happens when he co-writes with Roman Coppola and Jason Schwarztman, though.

Early buzz is very mixed.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Heavy competition coming next week with Michael Clayton and Grace Is Gone, and I’m not sure why he’s releasing on a Saturday, but this should hold its own. $25mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
With Wes, I feel it’s always a possibility, though it’s only happened once before (a screenplay nod for Tenenbaums).

Next Week: The Return of John Cusack

31. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - Battle for Narnia

“I have no interest in prisoners. Kill them all.”

If T2 ushered in the era of CG action, then Andrew Adamson’s 2005 adaptation of the C.S. Lewis classic showed how far we’d come. It took three special effects companies, one of which didn’t even exist when T2 was made, to complete this sequence, in which mythical and real creatures on both sides go all sickhouse on each other.

Ironically, with all the CG, some real world fertilization took place to make all that brown grass green. But an adroit mix of practical and computer-generated artifice is part of what makes this sequence work.

Another key element is the boundless imagination of the concept. Magical powers and old school war strategy intertwine. A phoenix becomes the equivalent of napalm. And who doesn’t want to see what happens when a minotaur takes on a centaur or a tiger takes on a leopard?

Adamson conjures some truly unforgettable images out of this conceit. Where else are you going to see a beaver in battle armor? And when Otmin whips out those two swords, it’s a real “Narnia! Fuck, yeah!” moment.

Tranfer’s pretty crappy, but just to get a sense…

See also: Mutant battle royale in X3, Jedi & clones vs. droids in Attack of the Clones, Ash & friends vs. army of darkness in Army of Darkness

Next: Foucan, Sebastien Foucan.

From my latest review for filmcritic:

“But no matter how good the effects, a man fighting a giant rooster will always be one thing — hilarious.”

Enjoy.

Also, did a review of the considerably less sucky Eastern Promises for Blogcritics.

I promise, more top 50 is on its way.

In light ‘o unexpected delays with th’ top 50, I be just goin’ to celebrate th’ holiday by postin’ like a scurvy pirate usin’ this site.

(Note: It don’t man the sails with Firefox.)

By way of Cap’n Kevin Redstache, Arrrrr!

A short break from The 50 to talk about rolling.

I remember rolling down hills as a kid and again as an adult when I graduated college. Kevin and I went to Federal Hill in Baltimore and rolled down its deceptively steep incline, almost crashing into a million pieces on the street below. We don’t do that anymore.

A little while ago I found out about an event that combines my love of steep hills and my love of cheese.

A friend of mine who lives not far from there tells me there are ambulances standing by. And they get used frequently. In fact, one event had to be postponed while an ambulance returned from the hospital.

Also, I’ve come to know about this society, and their wonderful list.

(Cheese event via Justin) 

Again, hitting near $15mil will get you the gold this time of year, and The Brave One pulls it off, but the surprise is D-War, which I can’t even find in my neck of the woods, making it to #4. Meanwhile, Eastern Promises, which rocks, didn’t even make it into the top ten.

Also rocking: King of Kong.

9/21

Wide

RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
More zombies and shit.

WILL IT SUCK?
Just be thankful this is the last one.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
People love them some RE. $52mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No, but I would pay to watch Paul Thomas Anderson beat the shit out of Paul W.S. Anderson during half-time. If they had half-time.

GOOD LUCK CHUCK

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Okay, so if you sleep with Dane Cook, the next person you meet will be your true love. Dane tries to break this curse. (It’s true by the way. I slept with Dane the night before I met my wife. He’s a cuddler.)

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is actually pretty good. Yeah, I’m as surprised as you are.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Employee of the Month grosses indicate the Dane Train has left the station. $39mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No, but for the record, I actually think he’s funny as shit.

INTO THE WILD

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Emile Hirsch goes on walkabout.

WILL IT SUCK?
Dude, Eddie Vedder is totally doing the soundtrack! Oh, right, the film. A lot of people forget that Sean Penn is an acclaimed writer/director and he’s already up to his fourth feature with this one. Based on the true story of Christopher McCandless, who gave all he had to charity and headed for Alaska after graduating Emory in ‘92.

Early buzz is good.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
One of the reasons people forget that Penn is an acclaimed director is because his movies don’t make a lot of money. $20mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
The Academy has yet to figure out that he’s a triple threat.

SYDNEY WHITE

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
…and the seven dorks. Get it? Cos’ it’s in college and she meets some nerds, see?

WILL IT SUCK?
I don’t know which is sadder, that Joe Nussbaum has gone from George Lucas in Love to this, or that one of the dorks is Freaks and Geeks alum Samm Levine.

At least one good early review, though.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I actually think Across the Universe has a better shot. $17mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Which of the teen queens do you think will be the first to win an Oscar? I used to think it would be Lindsay (back during her Mean Girls days, just before the implosion). Now my money’s on Mandy Moore.

Limited

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
How long do they have to make the title before you know what it’s about?

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz has this as the result of a post-production nightmare as involved as the one that surrounded The Invasion. Explains why it was supposed to come out last year and still has the same trailer.

That having been said, early buzz is good, if a bit Malick-y.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Lust, Caution will be a bit of an issue the following week, but, c’mon, this has Brad Pitt. $35mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
If the buzz holds true, this is the type of moody western that could do quite well with the Academy.

THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Admit it. As soon as you saw “Jane Austen” you decided whether or not you wanted to keep reading.

WILL IT SUCK?
The fact that the writer/director scripted Memoirs of a Geisha does not fill me with confidence. On the other hand, early buzz is solid. By the way, do you think this exchange ever happened on the set of The Devil Wears Prada?

Emily Blunt: So, my next project is Jane Austen Book Club. I’m one of the members of the club. We read Jane Austen books.

Anne Hathaway: Oh, yeah? Well in my next project I AM Jane Austen, bitch!

And then they wrestled in low-fat Jello. I’m serious. That totally fucking happened.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Again, Lust, Caution. $8mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
The Academy likes actual Jane Austen adaptations, but not much else.

THE LAST WINTER

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Horror flick set against the backdrop of global warming. Seriously.

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is mixed, but it’s the best-rated flick yet from low-budget horror guru Larry Fessenden (Wendigo). Hey, anyone who can wrangle Friday Night Lights stars Connie Britton and Zach Gilford and throw in Ron Perelman and James LeGros in for good measure is all right in my book.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Waaay below the radar. $750,000.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Maybe eco-horror is a genre the Academy can get behind.

Next Week: Ang Lee and Wes Anderson return, but it’s Peter Berg you should be paying attention to.