By Dave Montalbano
http://cinemadave.livejournal.com
When Pan’s Labyrinth was released seven years ago, fairy tales were allowed to explore the dark side of metaphor if the film was successful. Some of Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales presented gruesome descriptions of a wicked step-sister who sliced off her toes to fit into Cinderella’s slipper.
Maleficent is Walt Disney’s attempt to interpret the dark side of Sleeping Beauty. Maleficent tells the story of a flying fairy. When she confronts the heart of darkness, she is betrayed by “true love’s first kiss.” Proving that hell hath no fury like a fairy scorned, Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) plots revenge upon her lost love, King Stephan (Sharlto Copley), who marries a Queen and has a daughter. When Princess Aurora is born, Maleficent places a curse upon the child.
From this point forward, the film creates a dead pan comedy showcase for Angelina Jolie. With excellent cinematography and artistic design, Jolie takes the underwritten material and creates a memorable character. Maleficent is not a great movie, but it’s a fun summer movie at a matinee price.
In the past nine years, it seems as if Tom Cruise, science fiction and summer are synonymous with the release of War of the Worlds, Oblivion and now Edge of Tomorrow. While Edge of Tomorrow has proven to be a box office disappointment, it will likely be remembered fondly as a DVD/Blu-ray release.
Tom Cruise plays a propaganda officer who is drafted to the front lines to combat an alien evil. He is killed in the field of battle. He comes back to life to fight again … and again … and again.
Things go slightly differently each time and the film takes on a similar tone to a Warner Bros. Road Runner cartoon, with Tom Cruise as Wile E. Coyote. Then Edge of Tomorrow tries to get serious again for a climactic moment, but one wonders if the climax is merely an illusion created from a well-intentioned dream.
For those seeking more grounded entertainment, Ida opens tomorrow. This Polish fi lm with English subtitles features a novice nun who learns that her family was a victim of Nazi war crimes. Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, Ida is a search for truth and identity.
