FosterBreadford

Walt Whitman once wrote: "Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)"

The contradictions and complications of real people are often eschewed in films, hoping to create something more accessible, but perhaps at the cost of that humanity. Jim Fields, with Flyover Country, has made a movie about real people who are able to inhabit the contradictions of characters who haven't figured themselves out yet. Rather than resort of the clichés of a coming of age story, Fields has created a cast of characters starring Mike Mecek and Myles Dabbs that believably move from one conflict to another, solving some, and learning to live with the others. Shot beautifully by Matt Patterson and set to a vibrant soundtrack by Dereck Higgins, Omaha comes to life in a funny, poignant portrait of life in this perfectly titled flyover country.

Nearly a century ago, Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote the first of many John Carter novels. It's very much vintage science fiction; the novels went on to inspire minds like George Lucas and James Cameron, who created their own adventures with many throwbacks to Burroughs' work. Despite numerous efforts, John Carter did not make it to the big screen until 2012 under the direction of Finding Nemo director Andrew Stanton. It's Stanton's first live action film, and is clearly meant to be a huge event like Star Wars.

You've probably seen the confusing and rather stupid trailers. With this, you probably also have no idea whatsoever what this film is about. John Carter is a reluctant soldier in the Civil War who stumbles upon a strange cave and medallion that transports him to Mars. Mars is, in fact, inhabited by multiple races of Tharks (15 foot tall aliens) and humans, who are in the middle of planet spanning wars. Carter finds himself in the middle of this political controversy and ends up confronting the evil forces threatening to destroy the planet.

It's plain and simple cheesy vintage science fiction. That's really all this ever was and all it is. As someone who would lump Star Wars into that same category, don't think I'm saying that as a condemnation of the film. This is simply the genre we're dealing with here. If you're into this sort of thing, definitely go see John Carer because it's really not all that bad of a film. It has plenty of problems, but is entertaining enough for what it is. The largest differentiating factor between John Carter and Star Wars doesn't come from the direction or even the outlandish stories, but rather in the simple talent of casting.

Star Wars is fun not only because it has interesting special effects, but because there is a great cast that's clearly having a lot of fun together. The main reason why the prequels failed was because there was no one as charismatic and charming as Han Solo to keep things out of pure science fiction. This is a guilty pleasure genre that needs a charming lead to justify watching to the masses. John Carter is a character who could easily have combined the traits of a Luke Skywalker and a Han Solo, only we have Taylor Kitsch here playing it straight and lacking completely in the charm department. There's no real chemistry in the love story and he's rather wooden. This is a big problem, and keeps the film from really being fun. Basically, you need a Harrison Ford to carry a film like this, and Taylor Kitsch is no Harry Ford.

As it is, it's not necessarily fun, but it's an interesting two hours where you learn a lot of information about Burrough's universe. It's not anything that groundbreaking in the modern age where these stories are fairly common. The characters adequately serve the story while never really being anyone you root for. This keeps you at a distance, while not exactly turning you off completely. As I've said, there are plenty of problems that keep John Carter from being a successful epic, but it does not deserve the horrible reputation it currently holds.

So, you're left with a mixed bag that's interesting to look at. Is that enough for you? I can kind of appreciate the throwback to old science fiction as well as old Hollywood epics. That's enough for me for two hours, but you should take a lot more into consideration when you're making a $250 million investment on something like this.

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This film is simply jaw dropping-ly amazing. When I first saw Batman Begins, I was expecting something decent, something that would hopefully be better than Batman and Robin, and I came out of the theatre amazed. Batman Begins was the best comic book movie ever made. Was being the key element. It no longer is, The Dark Knight, without a doubt is the best comic book movie ever made, and in my opinion, one of the best movies ever made. Christopher Nolan never disappoints, and his follow up to Begins was The Prestige, also a favorite of mine. The Dark Knight destroys all his others, though. It is truly amazing, nothing lacking in it at all. Mr. Nolan seems incapable of doing a bad job writing or directing. Actually that's a horrid way of saying it. He seems incapable of writing or directing anything that isn't phenomenal, this being no exception. He wrote with his brother, Jonathon Nolan, and the pair seem a fantastic writing team, for the screenplay is Oscar-worthy. The acting. . .Of course when you have such amazing actors as Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and the late Heath Ledger, you can't really get your movie's acting compared to the acting of a Sci-Fi Channel original movie. All the actors are perfect for the roles, especially the replacement of Katie Holmes. I know I will probably get killed for saying so, but, I wouldn't exactly say it would be a crime not to nominate Ledger for an Oscar, I mean, yes, he WAS the Joker. No doubt about it, he was that man, and did a great job with it, but it his whole role wasn't really so jaw dropping that he needs to get the award or the Academy is just evil. All the music, cinematography, special effects, stunts, makeup, all were perfect. This is very near a perfect movie. I really don't have any problems with it at all. I fear that even with Nolan & company back, part three in the series will never be able to live up to The Dark Knight. With Nolan, of course, we won't be getting another X-Men: The Last Stand, but I don't know if they can top The Dark Knight. I loved this movie, and I loved everything about this movie. As with Batman Begins, but even more-so, when I walked out of the theatre, I couldn't stop smiling.