Movie Review: War of the Worlds

Okay, lemme start with telling you about this book I'm in the process of reading. I know, I know, it may seem I'm all over the map with this one-but hear me out. See, I'm reading this book called the New Work of Dogs and it talks about how, in this ever-changing society, the responsibility of dogs has changed. And it doesn't mean, like, they have to change babies or things like that. It means, as society becomes more individually oriented and the definition of a family unit changes, the role of the dog takes on a different, if not more important part of our lives. There's nothing wrong with this and trust me, I'm abbreviating the concepts here to make a point.

In the book, the author, Katz, uses psychoanalytical theory of attachment and bonding to prove his points and supports his own thesis (the crux of the book, that dogs have different meanings in our lives) with quotes from Psychology Today, New England Journal of Medicine and Marriage and Family.

The creepy bit? I'm not a psychologist, but almost all of his examples of application, I recognize and can see either in myself in relation with my pup or with family members. I remember one family member, having survived a particularly brutal divorce, having a complete meltdown when her dog, the creature that helped her through the toughest experience in her life for that point, died. All of these theories, however complicated, made sense to me in their basic principles.

I mention all this because I'm going to use it to bash Tom Cruise. I'm glad he made a movie like War of the Worlds because, literally and metaphorically, he has found himself in the midst of a war. A war, like the the Bay of Pigs, that doesn't have a whole lot of hope.

No, really, I'm glad he made the movie. I, like most predators, have been looking for a reason to lamblast the schmuck for years. And I wanted to say thank you to him for giving me the opportunity to do so.

First off, we all pretty much know he is the biggest star around. But as I watched his recent antics, I began to realize that it was a show, both on and off screen. I lost some respect for him with sueing someone for calling him queer. I lost more when he had the word 'gay' exorcised from the movie Interview with a Vampire. Didn't see Brad Pitt flinch, just him.

But then there are those moments he brought me back into his respect. Like when he was nailed with water walking the red carpet at his London premiere. Deftly, he didn't get upset, he managed it like a true pro.

He then sank in the interview with Lauer on Today; his bizarre rants with Oprah and his strange marriage with Katie Holmes. And then, the coup de grace, his major fuck up--dissing psychology as a pseudoscience.

I know what you are thinking--when am I going to start talking about the movie? I hate to tell you this, dear reader, but I believe the cult of celebrity is part of the movie going experience, frankly. They go hand in hand, since the Golden Age. Just hang in there and see where I'm coming from.

Back to the Tom Cruise thing. His acting is strong, very much so. I still flinch at the Days of Thunder choice, but hey, I figured it a fluke. As of late, he's been playing the press like a fiddle. Why? Did he know the movie was bad already and knew he had to balance the crap with some talked about moments on television?

Like the psychological comments he made about Brooke Shields. Him. Saying it's a pseudoscience, and that he's read about it. I have too. The book I just mentioned. But I noticed it's profuse applications in my own life and others. How could he read about psychology and think it's not a help for those with need?

Unless, of course, he's a misguided idiot.

Thank you, thank you, Mr. Cruise, for finally giving me a reason to diss you.

The way I figure it, the only things he can make comment on would be acting. I've heard nothing else about his background, other then this penchant for calling the press mere moments after a life passage. Other then that, he needs to shut up and talk about his movies. See--if I become famous, I think I have the right to make comment about teaching as well as writing, Disney, acting and yes, education. I've worked with or in these fields. I like to think that I have the background in them.

And we all can make comments about politics.

The only background he had with psychology is that he needs to see a mental health professional, badly. If he had 'read about these things' he'd see, even from a cheap, small trade paperback like the New Work of Dogs that psychology does make sense on so many levels.

He uses his own church as the reason for this. Now let's step back for a moment and think about the relationship a church has with any science, shall we?

His using the church to prove a science wrong is becoming something of a joke these days. The church saying homosexuality is curable; the church saying creation is a theory. Ha!

Tom, your crediblity just got a bit smaller.

The movie? Man, oh man, his spotlight just got dimmer. Why on Earth did this remake happen? It's as if Mr. Cruise said, "crap, Steve? I gotta make a hit, I really do." And poof this was the result. A star vechile (or vanity project) if ever there was one.

First off, Cruise is something of an action hero. His characters and acting styles lend himself to punching bad guys. A family guy who reacts to a world gone haywire around him? Give that to someone more reflective. Where's Johnny Depp? Where's any European actor?

That failing permeats the feeling of the film. He just sorta stands around alot and looks like Tom Cruise with mud on his face. He starts out strong enough. But this leads to the second (or third, if you count Mr. Cruise's freaky outbursts in public) problem with this title. It's written weird. Not bad, but weird.

It has a terrific opener but even then, it has these gimmers of bad choices that show up more readily in the latter part of the film. For example, he loves his kids, right? That's why, when the aliens attack, he stands there. He doesn't go running to make sure his tykes are okay, he just stands there. Perhaps shock, but it just doesn't work with what was already established. This happens several times in the movie. He doesn't do anything. Repeatedly.

Other loopholes? How does a city, with water mains (they burst when the machines arrive after centuries underground major locales) and sewer systems not touch any of the martian robot tanks buried underground? Koepp, who I'm surprised wrote something this bad (must have been pressured by Tom), has done well before...like Jurassic Park. He even establishes Tom as hating his wife and his need for space--and then has the character spend the entire movie getting his kids back to her.

Huh?

And her location? She's at her mother's in Boston. And, from the looks of it, is perfectly intact, which is surprising with the alien tanks moving on the horizon. There are only a few branches here and there. Looks like it does around here after a hailstorm.

So, I guess the message here is that when aliens attack, move to Boston.

Dakota Fanning? Considering this is the first real movie I've seen in her in, I'm guessing, like this movie, she starts strong but then basically screams for an hour. She's ten folks. Can't expect more I guess.

I'm just surprised, really, that Speilberg, normally very good with kids in his pics, would just have her do that. But he seems totally uncomfortable to make the picture ( more pressure from Cruise?). When the movie slows down a bit, giving time to try to do something with the characters, he just sorta sits there. We have Tom and Dakota on a couch. The music surges and we're supposed to feel.....something. But I felt I needed more coffee to stay awake.

The only good I can see from this movie is the title. Really. And even that was stolen from a far superior book and 50's movie. See, the war mentioned in the title isn't the one between martians and humans. It's between Hollywood, with it's psycho superstar and tired director, and an apathetic audience (ANOTHER remake? Did originality die with election of Republicans? Oh wait, I guess the republicans wanted this nation to be a thrown back to more boring times...well, they have their results).

And Mr. Cruise? Lie low. Seriously. Or come out. Do an art film.