Review: MIRROR MIRROR

There is something delightful about a movie in which the handsome Prince insists that it must be him who saves the lovely damsel, and not vice-versa, because “it does well with carefully studied focus groups”. This comes right after the damsel, Snow White (Lily Collins, daughter of Phil Collins) exclaims that “it’s time to change that ending”. Mirror Mirror is the type of self-reflexive, sly in-joke fairytale within the tradition of the original - just the original and not the sequels - Shrek, and it carries a freshness we haven’t seen since. 

Ad Classics: TARSEM SINGH, JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF WRONG, COSMOPOLITAN LAS VEGAS

          Tarsem might have produced history’s most boring film with the Immortals, but it stands that visually; he is one of the boldest directors out there. Best remembered by his trippy visuals in The Cell, or the gorgeous use of geography in The Fall, Tarsem uses a much more whimsical aesthetic in this commercial than what is generally seen on his films. Perhaps this is what we can expect from his upcoming Snow White adaptation Mirror, Mirror.

            Not surpassingly this campaign raised plenty of eyebrows, when it was first aired during the season finale of Mad Men. Criticisms went as far as critiquing that the ad promoted the mistreatment of animals; baby animals that is. But like any good piece of fiction, and advertising, getting people talking is exactly what it intended. For me the ad works. And it is a great example of Tarsem’s visual extravaganza. I hope you agree; here it is:

Review: IMMORTALS

Not since the 1998 “Godzilla” monstrosity has a movie so brazenly promised a sequel that everyone immediately knows will absolutely not come to fruition. I loved “The Fall,” and at least appreciated “The Cell,” but Tarsem Singh’s latest film, “Immortals,” exhausted all my goodwill within ten minutes. And for the remaining hundred minutes in the auditorium, I found myself counting the virtues of this film’s spiritual predecessors: “Troy” and “300.” These last two films rank among my guilty-pleasures and I would have freely admitted as much for “Immortals” but, frankly, this may be a film with no redeeming qualities and, worse, no earnestly enjoyable moments.

Immortals Continues to Look More and More like 300

There are very few times when watching a trailer makes me what to see a movie less than before I had watched it. The first trailer of Tarsem's Immortals did just that. And the second trailer, released this weekend, managed to do it once again. Seriously, what was the need for this movie to look like a sequel to 300. Same color palette, same CGI effects, and it has pretty much the same feel. The only Tarsem-like part of it all are the ridiculous (and yet somewhat minimalist) costumes that were featured in both The Cell and The Fall. But even then 300 used similar costuming so that doesn't help.
Anyway, here is the new trailer for Immortals. I hope you enjoy more than I did:

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The Trailer for Tarsem's Immortals

Tarsem boasted that there was no-CGI in The Fall what so ever; there are a few shots where I have my doubts. But overall the film does carry a tangible elegance, like a classic black and white photograph, that is almost unachievable when using has CGI. The Cell was loaded with practical special effects but it was a bit too early a time for heavy use of CGI. Both where visual masterpieces (although if their stories lacked a little punch).
Unfortunately this looks a little bit more like 300 than The Fall. Not only in the use of CGI, but overall in the way it is shot and laid out. I'm still excited to it: Tarsem plus Snyder's producer should still equal awesome. But I am a bit disappointed. What do you guys think?

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Tarsem's Immortals Poster Surfaces

For those of you who didn't see Tarsem's The Fall (2006) you are missing one of the most (if not the most) visually stunning films of all time. His next film The Immortals, comes out late this year, here is the poster .

Click to see them full size.

 There is more: