Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/449336
JANUARY 21-27, 2015 UCW 17 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM My husband agreed to attend the movie with me, but once we arrived he spent the first five minutes whispering sar- castic observations into my ear. During the trailers and into the beginning of the movie he gleefully commented on the basic improbability of the story, made some extremely disrespectful remarks regarding the overall tone of the film, mocked the dialogue and actors, and had me doubled over with suppressed laughter. I was finally forced to leave the theater so I could finish giggling without disturb- ing the other patrons. When I returned he was completely unrepentant, and helpfully summarized the part I missed as "some kind of battle." He's lucky he's cute or I would have complained to a man- ager and had him thrown out. Of course, if the film hadn't been so laughable to begin with, he probably wouldn't have found it so easy to make me laugh. You can read more detailed commentary than mine regarding the whitewashed cast. However, I would like to comment on the ridiculousness of Sigourney Weaver playing Tuya, who doesn't seem to actually act at any point in her brief tenure on screen. She walks on set, throws a few lines down, metaphorically rolls her eyes, tosses her head and walks back off. I can only assume she's paying off a bar bet. She is not the only one phoning it in, either. John Turturro as Seti, the Unnaturally Thin Pharaoh, offers absolutely nothing of interest to the audience. His acting in the role is somewhere bet ween a Gas-X commercial and a Very, Very, Tired Man Waiting for a Bus. Meanwhile, Ben Kinsgley tries his best to bring some gravitas to his character, Nun, while everyone around him either bugs out their eyes and gesticulates wildly or naps. Perhaps it is true that two strong leads could carry an otherwise lousy picture, even with the limitations imposed by a substandard script and a complete lack of character development. Sadly, we can't tell from this picture. Christian Bale as Moses forgoes any semblance of real personhood in favor of being in a really bad mood. Meanwhile, Joel Edgerton as Ramses spends most of the movie with too much eye make-up and too little motivation. The only scene where either one does anything cool is that time that Moses walked in on Ramses playing with his snakes. It was quite the menacing scene, what with the poison spraying everywhere and Ramses mugging for the camera. Anyway, the script lays out the basic Moses in the basket narrative from the Bible. Moses and Ramses grow up side by side until Ramses finds out that Moses is the son of a slave, and reacts all out of proportion to the news by banishing him. At this point in the story Tuya decides she hates Moses and has always hated Moses, despite the fact that it hasn't really been mentioned as a plot point anywhere else in the film. Wacky hijinks ensue, and Moses heads out into the desert on a horse with no name, along with his fancy Egyptian sword. God personified as a mean little boy tells him to head back into Egypt and get Ramses to let his people go. Ramses, still suffering from an inferiority complex, does not comply. Then there are ten awesome plagues, and all the lead actors are covered in boils and f leabites, the end. Check Out Those Plagues Exodus: Gods and Kings (Rated PG-13) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. IN THE MORNING Weekdays 5:30AM to 10:00AM Enter for your chance to WIN tickets Enter for your chance to WIN tickets Name____________________________________________ Address__________________________________________ _________________________________________________ Phone Number_____________________________________ Email____________________________________________ Please send completed entry form to Up & Coming Weekly, 208 Rowan St., Fayetteville, NC 28301 or fax to 910.484.9218.