‘Syriana’ goes a bit far afield; ‘Lion’ bewitches

A government agent’s covert mission goes awry. An oil analyst turned consultant to the son of a sheik fails to realize how dangerously close he is to death. Two friends are unwittingly recruited as suicide bombers. A scrupulous government investigator uncovers corruption involving an oil merger. Top executives of a leading American refinery destroy all who oppose their bid to secure more oil in the Middle East.

The writer and director of “Traffic,” a film involving covert drug deals, has created a new film, “Syriana,” about the world’s dwindling oil supply, the people involved with obtaining a bigger share of the shrinking reserve and the ruthless tactics they employ to win. “Syriana” features the plotting of distinct story lines, as was the case with “Traffic.” This political and business thriller looks promising, with a cast of leading stars: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, Chris Cooper, Amanda Peet and Christopher Plummer.

But for all the good reasons to see the movie, there are just as many reasons not to, starting with the characters.

The joy of watching movies that overflow with mystery and intrigue is in unraveling and solving the puzzle, figuring out who the characters are and what they are up to. “Syriana” fails to resolve key issues. Is Bob, played by Clooney, betrayed by his own country or by his own incompetence? As a covert operative, he is adept at saving lives as well as taking them, but his actions at the end of the movie belie his experience. Matt Damon as the analyst turned consultant may have gotten the job as payback for a family tragedy. On the other hand, perhaps he is simply a target of one of those countries fighting to win a bigger share of the shrinking oil supply. Moreover, a scrupulous investigator’s holier-than-thou attitude toward his estranged father takes a surprising turn without any apparent reason.

Guessing what is going on in a story creates tension in viewers. They stick around to find out how it ends. Unfortunately, “Syriana” lacks a clear-cut ending. It also fails to show two of the most anticipated subplots in the movie. A highly anticipated explosion that awaits viewers from act one, scene one, threatens more terror than it actually delivers. While there is an explosion, it is somewhat of a dud because the audience does not witness the blast or the extent of destruction. There is no way of knowing if the damage was great enough to shock the world, as is implied.

Characters and plots remain at arm’s length throughout the film, giving them a one-dimensional feel. Villains, including the one played by Chris Cooper (“American Beauty”), are so callous and brutal in their business dealings that they border on being sociopaths. That may be the director’s intent, but the result is that the villains, instead of the heroes, are the ones taking action and getting results. If that is the case, then the bad guys are the ones the audience should root for.

The confusion in “Syriana” extends even to location. The action takes place chiefly in America and the Middle East. Because many scenes occur indoors in modern buildings or outdoors in luxury hotel poolside settings, who the people are and where in the world they are is often unclear.

There are too many characters and subplots and too many questions left unanswered to warrant the full price of admission for “Syriana.” Wait for the DVD and watch the movie with the director’s commentary turned on.

* PEGGY J. ROGERS, 40, produces commercial videos and documentaries.

A bewitching tale of good versus evil

Given the mammoth undertakings initiated to bring their respective works to life, it is most interesting that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were in fact friends and taught at Oxford at the same time. Without the special effects wizardry available to filmmakers today, Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and Lewis’ “Chronicles of Narnia” series would probably be nothing more than admittedly significant literary mileposts of the fantasy genre.

Fortunately, these works can now be brought to life in a way that was unimaginable to their authors. Computer-generated imagery had to advance to the point where mythical creatures and talking animals can move and speak with a seamless realism. This is certainly the case with “The Chronicles of Narnia,” where much of the story is told by beavers, a faun and a lion, and the mythical world they inhabit is shared by centaurs, griffins, Cyclops and a Minotaur military commander.

The story begins in World War II England during the bombing of London. The horror of the nightly German bombing runs is extremely realistic, especially as it affects the Pevensie family. London is so dangerous that the two boys, Peter and Edmund, and the two girls, Lucy and Susan, are sent to live with the mysterious Professor Kirke (Jim Broadbent) at his musty country manor. Under the care of the professor’s housekeeper, Mrs. MacReady, the children are mostly left to their own devices.

All is well enough until young Lucy, played with winning charm by Georgie Henley, stumbles into a wardrobe while playing hide-and-seek. As she backs deeper and deeper into the cabinet, she eventually exits out the back into a forest resplendent with ice and snow. There she encounters a shy faun named Mr. Tumnus, who informs her she is kidnapped but lets her go later when he doesn’t have the heart to carry through.

Scampering back through the wardrobe into the house, Lucy soon realizes she has only been gone a few seconds. Her siblings consider her story just another example of her wild imagination. Later, when she goes back to explore the wardrobe, she is followed by her brother Edmund (Skandar Keynes), who encounters the White Witch, who promises to make him a prince and perhaps even a king. The Witch is able to buy his silence for a box of Turkish delights, and Edmund at first denies he too passed through the wardrobe.

Eventually all four children enter the wintry forest where they encounter a beaver (voice by Ray Winstone), who tells them they have entered a land called Narnia. The beaver goes on to tell them of a prophecy that speaks of the arrival of four humans, two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve, who will return Narnia to its rightful ruler and end the 100-year winter imposed by the White Witch. The beavers also say the true king of Narnia, Aslan, has returned and is looking for them.

What follows is a truly fantastic story of good versus evil, the power of forgiveness, the glory of redemption and the triumph of faith. The Christian overtones are at the heart of this story, as was intended by Lewis, a very devout man who wrote many treatises on religion. While this aspect of the story is not heavy-handed, the parallel to the story of Christ is inescapable and has been the subject of much discussion regarding both the film and the novel on which it is based.

Lewis once said he never wanted the Narnia books to be filmed. However, he said that in 1959 and could not have imagined the wonders of modern filmmaking. “The Chronicles of Narnia” is as big an epic as the “Rings” trilogy, but it is not as dark or as dependent on spells and magic. “The Chronicles of Narnia” instead depends more on the actions of its characters and their ability to overcome those of evil intent through their purity of spirit.

As the trailer for this picture reveals, Aslan is a talking lion (voice by Liam Neeson). The interaction between the fictional characters and the live-action stars is seamless enough that you accept such things as talking animals with little effort. All of the child actors are perfect, particularly Henley as Lucy and William Moseley as the oldest Pevensie sibling, Peter.

No film pitting good against evil could be effective without a memorable villain. In this case, the White Witch is played with a chilling malice by Tilda Swinton. The Witch is evil incarnate, clearly capable of anything, including annihilating those in her path as she fights to retain control of Narnia.

“The Chronicles of Narnia” has some frightening battle scenes and scary creatures and is rated PG. While a bit intense for very small children, the film is suitable for virtually everyone else, including adults. Hopefully, “The Chronicles of Narnia” will meet with commercial success commensurate with its artistic achievement.

* VAN NOVACK, 50, is the director of institutional research at Cal State Long Beach and lives in Huntington Beach with his wife Elizabeth.

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