Movie Review: Tristan + Isolde

I came across this rather hilarious post on IMDB, and just so you’re without a clue still on how to pronounce “Isolde”, it can be broken up to “Tristan + He’s Old”. Homophones make life a lot sillier, if you ask me.

Tristan + Isolde is very much Titanic/Romeo + Juliet set in 6th century Britain and Ireland. Looking at this latest adaptation starring James Franco and Sophia Myles, you may find it hard to believe in the number of other works based on the origin of this tragic love story. With a somewhat grayed out history of how the story came about – some speculate it being a single poem – previous adaptations have since seen many variations in plot and even in the spelling of characters’ names, this 2006 version included.

The story is as goes: Set in the unrest after the fall of the Roman Empire in Britain and Ireland during the Early Middle Ages, the film sees the first attempts of British settlements unifying under Lord Marke (Rufus Sewell) against attacks by Irish king Donnchadh (David O’Hara). Into the picture comes Tristan of Aragon (James Franco), British knight and worthy opponent of Morholt, Leader of Donnchadh’s army. The latter whose loyalty to Donnchadh has, in the meantime, won him the prize of the king’s daughter, Princess Isolde (Sophia Myles).

In the most predictable turn of events, an encounter between Tristan and Isolde blossoms into the same kind of forbidden love between two people coming from rival groups. But before you dismiss the film as a predictable if-I-can’t-have-you flick, give this one a chance. The question here isn’t really what happens in the end, but what happens during that’ll lead to the conclusion. I personally found it hard to sit and watch, knowing the dreaded direction a film with such a storyline would take.

In the love triangle between Tristan, Isolde and Lord Marke (whom Tristan first unknowingly wins Isolde on behalf of), some may find the romance between the leads pretentious and just a product of lust. This may be explained but not excused with the original version involving a love potion, though the “edited” good nature of Lord Marke as opposed to a less heroic one in the original gives the 2006 version the dramatic complication of betrayal and loyalty.

Sophia Myles gives a believable performance as the oppressed Princess Isolde, possession and prize of King Donnchadh whose life isn’t her own to navigate, though I can’t quite put my finger on the delivery of Tristan by James Franco, who seems to have put in a great effort in perfecting his role, perhaps too much so the character comes across a little rigid and rehearsed. A few chinks but nevertheless a performance that can be improved – I did like the subtly of his actions and lack of dialogue where his eyes did the talking.

Movie Review: The Ninth Gate

The Ninth Gate, for its supernatural-detective theme, largely reminded me of one of Aaron Kwok’s films, The Detective. Except instead of a haunting, The Ninth Gate wastes no time on insignificant apparitions but goes for the parent of supernatural beings: the Devil. Johnny Depp plays a corrupt book dealer who, in the process of validating the authenticity of three copies of demon text, is caught up in a conspiracy. Sins galore, the film doesn’t stop at blackmail and bribery, but also – you guessed it – cold-blooded murder.

Simply put, The Ninth Gate has all the elements of a detective or psychological thriller. It’s the play on curiosity that’ll keep us audiences in our seats – there’s a burning desire to discover the identities of both the murderer and the Devil, and what of Dean Corso (Johnny Depp). Polanski tells a mean story at the beginning and one has to read between the lines to understand what is going on, but in a like-it-or-hate-it finale, some may find the ending tragically unsatisfactory (I know I did).

Most enjoyable are the twists and dramatic irony – though to reveal what would be a waste for those who haven’t watched it. The pace of the film may slant towards the slow side, but that shouldn’t be a pain if you’re hooked, and you most likely will be. The subtle performances put up by Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin and Emmanuelle Seigner also makes the film one worth the DVD rental. This is an unconventional horror thriller that plays on silence instead of your random, ear-splitting, blood-spilling horror flick.

Movie Review: The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising

I watched this online with horrid quality and with a huge chunk missing because the video refused to load, but no matter. And that is saying a lot. The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising is simply, for lack of a better description, a cornfeast very much like Eragon. I shan’t say it was worse, because I cannot decide. And yeah, sue me for saying this, but Alexander Ludwig has potential, the way Jesse James (The Butterfly Effect) has potential. His acting isn’t all there yet, but given a chance, I’d say he’s of Oscar material. That is, before he succumbs to drugs and whatnot.

Why didn’t I like the film? Aside from the huge chunk I didn’t watch, the other parts that I did watch felt as though they were missing chunks themselves. Very disorientating and messy. I haven’t read the book, and I’m starting to feel a little thrown off by book adaptations because with such there’s always the “does it stay true” question, a great great inconvenience for those who haven’t read it and a possible disappointment for those who have, but the point is, the entire transition from book to film feels premature, even for someone who hasn’t read the book. That was how disconnected it was. I don’t even mean the kind of cluelessness in The Bourne series. The Dark Is Rising feels like something that shouldn’t have been made into a film (like Bridge to Terabithia), or something that could have done better in the hands of a more competent director and scriptwriter.

For those who don’t know the plot, you’re not missing much. There’s the same old prophecy waiting to be fulfilled, a Chosen One, a villian, and a group of mentors. Besides, the hero here is a teenager, so if you haven’t had enough of Superman, Eragon and Harry Potter, here’s another. What this film lacks is charm and structure. There are moments that make you go “haha” and “wow!”, so you think all hope isn’t lost and you really don’t mind seeing a different release of it, but those moments were few and outnumbered by the plotholes and cheesy scripting. C-.