Review: 'The Saratov Approach'

Serving a mission is extremely life changing. I myself served an LDS (Latter-Day Saint) mission, albeit a four month service mission and not a two year proselyting mission. Nonetheless it was a time in my life that I will not be soon forgetting. The only thing is I was never kidnapped and held for ransom during that time.

This is based on a true story about two Mormon missionaries, Elder Propst and Elder Tuttle, who were one day kidnapped and held for ransom while serving in Russia. They were held hostage for five days when, without really spoiling anything, something short of a miracle occurs.

'The Saratov Approach' is a very well made film, with some really good performances and a convincing sense of dread and hopelessness. And how do the kidnapped missionaries get through it? They play it straight, going through simple, casual talk, debate about their favorite basketball teams, players and so on. Are they scared for their lives? Yes, but they try not to show it. They may not understand why they are in this situation, but they go along with it anyway, hoping they will find deliverance in the end.

Most of my life, I haven't been the most fond of 'Mormon Cinema', seeing how most of the movies seem to satirize Mormon culture and poke too much fun at it, giving little attempt at actually showing the world what the church really stands for. Not to say there aren't a few Mormon produced films that are actually good. In the tradition of 'Saints and Soldiers' (2003) and 'The Best Two Years' (2004), 'The Saratov Approach' is a smart, mature film that plays not only for Mormon audiences, but for audiences who are not of the faith as well. I believe it's a film that can resonate with anybody, whether religious or not.

It has discussions on the subject of religion, without getting too preachy. It debates the logic of human doubts and faith, yet never becomes too pretentious. Almost everything is balanced out real well, from being a tense thriller, to an inspirational drama. I do wish that the musical score could have been toned down a little bit in certain scenes, but that's one of the very few complaints I have about the movie.

The film is supposedly set for a nationwide release pretty soon. If that's indeed the case, I would very much recommend seeing 'The Saratov Approach'.

My rating: 3.5 / 4

Review: 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'

One of the things that both 'An Unexpected Journey' and 'The Desolation of Smaug' have gotten absolutely right is they've taken the most interesting scenes in the book and made sure they were the most interesting scenes in the film(s). Riddles in the Dark, in Gollum's cave, and, well, the Desolation of Smaug, inside the Lonely Mountain.

This film, 'The Desolation of Smaug', certainly was better than the first installment, 'An Unexpected Journey'. Yet only by a small amount. With it being set for yet another (final) movie after this one, film two still takes much time and drags on rather slowly, or for too long in fight/action sequences that really have no purpose in being there. That was mostly my main problem with the first film as well: The insistence that Peter Jackson should make these movies similar to, and even bigger, than 'The Lord of the Rings', when it really doesn't need to be. Sure it is very entertaining, but only in the moment and doesn't really stay with you long once the movie is finished.

The Story: 'Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, is taken upon a journey with a the wizard, Gandalf, and a group of dwarves, in order to reclaim a homeland and ancient treasure from the fiery keeping of the gigantic, ferocious dragon, Smaug.' Simple, right? One might think so, were it not for numberless additional subplots and characters that are being added to this quaint story. But, to the film's credit, the additional material does in fact make things more interesting than they ever were in the original book. The original story has always been a little too simple to be that interesting.

To me, what made 'The Lord of the Rings' movies so great and memorable was they took an equal amount of time developing its story and character relationships, along with it's action and special effects, balancing them evenly. With 'The Hobbit' films however, I remember the spectacles and effects a little more than I do the many characters and subplots in the films. Which seems very ironic, considering how much shorter the novel, 'The Hobbit', is than any of the Lord of the Rings books are.

The saving grace of this movie is Smaug, the dragon. Where do I even begin in describing this character? That's right, character. Not a mindless creature, or just another typical obstacle to defeat (albeit, an enormous one at that), but a magnificent beast with personality, voiced and even performed by the incredible Benedict Cumberbatch. His scenes, as the dragon, are golden; no pun intended. This has got to be one of the greatest dragons ever depicted in movie history. No doubt one of the largest of the dragons.

My rating: 3 / 4

Review: 'Saving Mr. Banks'

For as long as I can remember, I've always loved Walt Disney (no surprise there, as most of us do). And I love Tom Hanks as well. But when I first heard Mr. Hanks would be playing Mr. Disney in this film, I didn't really think he could pull off that sort of charismatic innocence that Disney himself could emanate. Thankfully, I was wrong and reminded why Tom Hanks is such a great actor. For the most part of the film, I could see Walt Disney himself brought back to life.

'Mary Poppins' is one of my favorite Disney films of all time, and yet it came very close to never seeing the light of day. P.L. Travers, played wonderfully by Emma Thompson, is the author of the 'Mary Poppins' books. Her books are loved and cherished by many around the world, including Walt Disney himself. So much so that he's committed himself to adapting the stories as one of his films. But Travers, being the eccentric, self-centered author she is, won't allow it.

People are calling the film 'aggressively sentimental' and too sweet. Well, frankly, we're missing that in films these days. What I don't understand is today's notion that if the world we live in is harsh and cruel, then most of the movies need to be that way as well. Hollywood feels they need to be edgy and gritty to get a wider audience. Wasn't there a time, long ago, when we entered a movie theatre expecting to leave all of our troubles behind us for a couple of hours? Or to feel a reassurance of the majesty that is still left out there in the world? Yes, it was the time when the events in this particular movie, 'Saving Mr. Banks', took place. What comes across on screen is a movie filled with wonderful gags and charms that only a Disney movie can pull off and not be looked down upon for it as much. The blending of both drama and light-hearted humor is also balanced really well in the film, with flashbacks to Travers's troubled childhood, and then the present whimsical times with Disney.

This film brought back many wonderful memories of being a kid again: Going to Disneyland for the first time at the age of 7, or hearing certain family members share their Disney memories (my uncle was a little boy when Walt Disney approached him and a group of kids to shake their hands at Disneyland). Or browsing through a book about Walt Disney for the first time and of me wanting to grow up and work in the movie business. Big memories, little memories, all memories worth cherishing.

I loved how this film, 'Saving Mr. Banks', emphasized how important the making of 'Mary Poppins' was to Walt Disney. Especially with making the author, P.L. Travers, pleased with what he has done for her life's work. Extra care and respect was laid upon the subject, despite how difficult it would get. In many respects, I'm sure that's why 'Mary Poppins' has stood out to many generations of audiences more than any other Live Action Disney films.

My rating: 3.5 / 4