But let me start with Frozen. This is a suspense/horror movie about three college kids who accidentally get left behind on a ski lift. What's worse is that, though the prospect of facing one night on a lift is terrifying and deadly, they must face five days. Yep, that's right: it's Sunday evening and the resort won't be open again until Friday. A terrifying thought that has probably plagued the minds of height-frightened skiers, it has a promising potential. What will these three kids do when they realize their dire predicament? Freeze to death, starve to death? Help each other out, sacrifice themselves? Use their combined brain power to defeat the odds?
Well, that wouldn't make for a good horror movie, but it would make for a long one since these guys have the combined brain power of a pomeranian. Two dudes and a chick, all three - while they may have the casual, friendly, pop-media-ized banter down to a tee - not so rich in the common sense department. For instance, though obviously sitting in the lift for a week to die is out, who would think that jumping sixty (at least) feet to the hard, non-powdery ground below is a good idea? Well, dude number one does! And boy, does he ever learn his lesson quickly!
Now, by itself, this could be plausible: panicked teen, trying to act in the best interest of himself and the group, convinces himself that the jump can't hurt him that badly because he needs to propel himself into action in a situation over which he had no control. But then, the stupid happens: instead of hanging down from the lift, getting at least a few feet closer to the ground, he just slides off the end. Instead of trying to deflect his fall from his legs, he lands at probably a ninety-degree angle with the ground. To me, though he most certainly still would have been injured, it would seem a good idea to try to land on your bottom or your front. [As I say, this would probably still result in injury, and it may have been worse than the one he sustained, but the viewer knows before he even leaves the lift that landing straight on two legs will just result in disaster.]
Later on, the girl falls asleep on the lift with her ungloved hand resting on the metal safety bar. She awakens to find her hand frozen to the bar and must pry it painfully away. There are many instances of stupidity here, starting with the fact that she dropped her glove while lighting a cigarette. To me, sitting in a chair lift, not knowing whether you'll be alive in a few hours' or days' time, is not the time to light up. Furthermore, if I did decide I needed a smoke, I would have secured my glove first! Every bit of insulation is precious! Next, who just leaves their exposed hand out in the cold to go to sleep? It would be against my chest, under my jacket, keeping warm, not gripping the lift.
The only semi-intelligent decision made by any of these characters is the one made by dude number two: to scale the cable from which the lifts hang, in order to get to one of the poles, which have ladders to the ground. This proves difficult, not just because of the amount of upper body strength and concentration necessary, but because apparently the wire is razor sharp and cutting through his gloves and into his hands. Now, I've done a little bit of independent research, and this seems to be completely false: while the rope may be rough, it certainly wouldn't cut into your hands. Now, this may have been a mistake on the part of the writers, or a falsehood put in to heighten the stakes, but either way....it never really rang all that true in the first place.
Overall, though the characters' combined stupidity is distracting and gets them into a lot more trouble than they were already in, the movie was entertaining. Director Adam Green knows how to construct an extremely suspenseful and tense atmosphere, even if the obstacles or stunts seem contrived or idiotic.
C+
Now, onto the very good movie. The Adjustment Bureau is not the legal drama I'd expect it to be from the title, but actually a love story with some conspiracy and sci-fi thrown in for good measure. David Norris is a young man running for senate in New York. He happens across Elise, a free-spirited and charismatic individual with whom he has an instant connection. They happen across each other again by random chance, and again, they hit it off.
But that wasn't supposed to happen, according to the Bureau. I don't want to give too much away, but I'll just say that there is a force that is guiding Dave's life, and it does NOT want him with Elise!
The entire movie is shrouded in mystery and puzzles, new questions brought forth throughout, until the finale, when they are just about all answered. These enigmas throughout keep the viewer guessing and watching, not really understanding what's happening. And when we do get the story of the Who, we still don't know the Why. The movie is smart: one must make some conclusions on their own, but the movie gives you enough details to work it out for yourself.
Matt Damon and Emily Blunt have a remarkable chemistry together as Dave and Elise, which natural conversation and banter, and I never once doubted that Dave would do absolutely anything to ensure that he and Elise got to be together.
This movie deals with issues of self: what one needs to be truly happy; how material (if abstractly material) things can take the place of true fulfillment; how, despite all the odds, if two people are meant to be together, it doesn't matter what some higher-up has written in a notebook: it's meant to be. It also delves into the idea that one must fight in order to be allowed to use your free will. I had never considered this concept before: we assume that we have free will naturally, that our choices are ours innately. But what if we need to earn that choice? And from whom, and how? These are all fascinating lines of thinking that spring up around TAB.
A
I feel bad that I don't have more to write about TAB, but I don't want to give too much away and, after all, it is always easier to write vaguely about that which is bad than that which is good. So, I would recommend Frozen to anyone with a free afternoon, willing to suspend belief for a little bit, and ready for some primal suspense. I would recommend The Adjustment Bureau to everyone, especially those who want a tight, sharp, smart, romantic story with excitement and spunk.
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