Category Archives: Movies

#88: The Ten Commandments (1956)

27 Monday Oct 2014

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The land of Egypt built its wonders high
Upon the backs of Hebrew slaves of old,
Who prayed that God salvation would supply,
And so He did, His people to uphold.
A baby borne upon the Nile’s waves
To rescue him from edicts merciless
Proceeded from the desperate blood of slaves
But found a home in Pharaoh’s house to bless.
Though Moses prospered as a faithful prince,
He learned the truth, and crime forced banishment.
At last, with burning bush, God did convince
His chosen one to turn and represent.
Though Moses wielded power from the Lord,
His “brother” Rameses would not free his race.
The death of every firstborn by God’s sword
Allowed the Hebrews freedom from this place.
Through sundered sea and senseless sin, God led
His people with commandments all have read.
_________________
 

A TV favorite around Easter/Passover, Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments is undoubtedly dated but still retains the sense of grandeur that made it such an epic experience in 1956. While not his best role, Charlton Heston is a formidable Moses, exuding heroic dignity in every scene, even when he’s supposedly at the end of his rope. The eloquent voiceover narration and the jaw-dropping production values add to the overall grandiosity of the film.

Its biggest “flaw,” so to speak, is the overacting, with characters frequently looking off into the distance while spouting poetic dialogue about love, faith, or beauty. While this is at times unintentionally hammy, the melodramatic parlance has an archaic quality that is still somehow credible in the film’s antiquated setting. The story itself is well-formed, instituting simple yet complex character relationships among all the pomp and pageantry. The interplay among Moses, Rameses, and Nefretiri has a Shakespearean element that grounds the film in real, if exaggerated, emotion.

Anne Baxter as Nefretiri is the worst offender as far as magnified theatrics go, though her smug confidence about the power of her beauty adds to the interpersonal tension of the second act, even if Moses dismisses it. Likewise, Yul Brynner is stiffly arrogant at first, sharing with Baxter one of cinema’s truly awkward kisses, yet he grows into the role of Rameses until his lofty refusal to “let the people go” establishes him as a great Pharaoh in “de Nile.” (Get it?) The rest of the cast is large and adequate, with Edward G. Robinson as the standout naysayer Dathan, who’s the kind of guy everyone wants to punch now and then.

While The Ten Commandments is not completely accurate in the Biblical sense, it takes the source material seriously, applying it to an overall message of freedom and faith. It even transforms some Hollywood additions into clever speculations, such as a scorned lover causing the “hardening” of Pharaoh’s heart and his reversal after releasing the Hebrews. Above all, the film achieves scenes of visual vastness, from the labors of the slaves to their emancipation and immense leave-taking. The cast of thousands is stunning, and scenes like the parting of the Red Sea still hold an impressive power that can bring some, like my VC, to tears of awe. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore, not this long nor this extravagant, but The Ten Commandments stands as DeMille’s most successful accomplishment.

P.S. I don’t hold out much hope for Ridley Scott’s upcoming redux version Exodus: Gods and Kings, but we’ll see.

Best Biblical line: (Joshua) “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Best original line: (Moses) “There can be no freedom without the Law.”

 
Rank: 53 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

233 Followers and Counting

 

#89: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy (1999, 2002, 2005)

26 Sunday Oct 2014

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(Spoiler Alert)
 
The Trade Federation’s blockading Naboo,
So Jedi are sent to negotiate peace.
A battle with droids and evasion ensue
As Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan fight for release.
 
Below on Naboo, Qui-Gon rescues a twit,
A Gungan outcast who is called Jar Jar Binks.
In gratitude, Jar Jar assists them, to wit
He leads them to where he is branded a jinx.
 
The Gungans live deep underwater, they learn,
But don’t wish to help anyone in the least.
One dark shortcut later, the Jedi knights turn
To Queen Amidala, whose fears have increased.
 
The Jedi and queen flee the threatened Naboo,
But their ship is damaged by enemy snares.
With help from a droid known as R2-D2,
They land on the sphere Tatooine for repairs.
 
While searching for parts, Qui-Gon locates a slave
Named Anakin Skywalker, only a boy.
This Anakin may be “the One” meant to save,
To bring the Force balance and peace to enjoy.
 
A bet and a pod race free Ani at last,
But he’s forced to leave his own mother behind.
They fight off Darth Maul, like a Sith from the past,
And head back to Coruscant with their new find.
 
The queen’s handmaid Padmé is rather friendly
With Ani, who’s introduced by Qui-Gon Jin.
The whole Jedi Council is loath to agree
With Qui-Gon’s assertions about Anakin.
 
Soon, everyone’s on their way back to Naboo
And seeks out the Gungans to help intervene.
At last, they agree to do battle anew,
When Padmé reveals she is really the queen.
 
As Jar Jar leads Gungans against battle droids,
The Jedi and Padmé sneak into the base.
Through luck, little Anakin somehow avoids
The fight on the ground for a battle in space.
 
Young Obi-Wan steps up to deal a death blow
To Darth Maul, who duels and dispatches Qui-Gon.
The droids are defeated, and peace seems to grow,
As Anakin’s trained under wise Obi-Wan.
_______________
 
When Padmé, now senator rather than queen,
Still serving Naboo with unflinching resolve,
Returns back to Coruscant, death unforeseen
Fuels fears that the peace may yet further devolve.
 
In light of the recent attempts on her life,
The Chancellor Palpatine bids her lie low.
The Jedi assign her two guards against strife,
With whom she’s familiar from ten years ago.
 
Young Ani has grown, and he clearly is smitten
With Padmé, though Obi-Wan bids him resist.
Soon after, they save her before she is bitten
And race to catch up with this antagonist.
 
Their target is nixed, so they go separate ways.
While Anakin takes Padmé back to Naboo,
His master does research and doubtfully pays
A visit to cloners deleted from view.
 
There, Obi-Wan learns that an order’s been met
For countless clone troops the Republic can claim.
He’s introduced to the clone-ee Jango Fett,
A cold bounty hunter, who flees to hide blame.
 
On Geonosis, Obi-Wan is detained
By evil Count Dooku, who chose the dark side.
Meanwhile, Skywalker is thoroughly pained
By dreams of his mother he cannot abide.
 
Returning to Tatooine, Padmé in tow,
He learns Tusken raiders abducted his mom.
He finds her in time for her final death throe
And yields to revenge as a coldhearted balm.
 
Both Padmé and he learn of Obi-Wan’s plight
And on Geonosis are captured as well.
Confessing their love, they are driven to fight
Three monsters in front of a large clientele.
 
The Jedi come calling with armies of clones,
And Jango and droids are no match for them all.
As Dooku retreats with some escorting drones,
Our heroes pursue for a lightsaber brawl.
 
Though Dooku defeats Obi-Wan and his ward,
When Yoda arrives, Count is nearly outmatched
And flees with some top-secret blueprints on board
To where his dark master has plans to be hatched.
 
Though Anakin lost his arm due to Dooku,
Because of the clones, this one battle was won.
As Padmé and Anakin wed on Naboo,
An unforeseen clone war has swiftly begun.
__________________
 
When General Grievous, who’s mostly a droid,
Abducts Palpatine in a militant raid,
Two Jedi and hundreds of clones are employed
To rescue the chancellor from this crusade.
 
With some difficulty, they breach the lead ship,
And Anakin finishes Dooku in rage.
They crash-land, and Grievous then gives them the slip
To find some more trouble in which to engage.
 
When Anakin learns that his wife is expecting,
He’s eager to end all the secrets they hide,
But more dreams of death make him doubt his protecting
Will save Padmé’s life since they will not subside.
 
As Chancellor Palpatine builds up his ego
And asks that Skywalker speak on his behalf,
The Jedi are doubtful about his amigo
And don’t wish the dark side to have the last laugh.
 
While Obi-Wan executes Grievous in flame,
His Padawan learns Palpatine is a Sith,
But Palpatine’s pledge to save Padmé by name
Convinces Skywalker to serve him forthwith.
 
His turn to the dark side at last is complete:
He massacres younglings as he is directed.
The order goes out to the clones in deceit
To kill all the Jedi that they have protected.
 
Though Yoda and Obi-Wan cheat death, the rest
Are caught by surprise and are exterminated.
When they learn of Anakin, both are distressed,
And Padmé refuses to trust what is stated.
 
When Anakin heads to a volcanic sphere
To wipe out the Separatist leaders at last,
His wife follows him, and his worry and fear
Are changed into anger when she is aghast.
 
He clashes with Obi-Wan furiously
As Palpatine barely bests Yoda as well.
Disturbed at the “Chosen One’s” deviancy,
Kenobi disarms and leaves him where he fell.
 
The Chancellor/Emperor’s now in control.
As Padmé gives birth to her predestined twins,
Darth Vader is painfully somewhat made whole
And ready for when the next chapter begins.
 
Though Padmé is lost and two Jedi alone,
The twins are divided and safely will stay.
Both Leia and Luke will have tales of their own
One day in that galaxy far, far away.
__________________
 

Many will probably disagree with my placement of George Lucas’s three-part return to the Star Wars universe. I have heard all the scorn for this trilogy: Jake Lloyd is the worst child actor of all time. What’s with all this Midi-chlorian crap? Hayden Christensen is so whiny and insipid as Anakin. The romantic dialogue is as corny as a popping machine and less entertaining. The politics drag, and the acting is mediocre. Nothing is as good as it should have been. These films are an embarrassment to the originals. Jar Jar Binks must die!

With all these criticisms, how then did the Star Wars prequels earn a place in my top 100? Quite simply, it’s because they’re far better than most people give them credit for. Do they compare with the first three as a whole? No. Are they flawed? Yes. But amid the minor annoyances that have garnered so much loathing, there are genuine moments of brilliance, with the visuals especially, that do make them worthy of the Star Wars name.

Episode I: The Phantom Menace is the weakest of the three because of its two most hated elements: Jar Jar Binks and the young Anakin Skywalker. Neither one ever bothered me much. There are much worse child actors than Jake Lloyd out there, and Jar Jar’s comic relief is not totally without charm, though it’s overplayed compared with the Ewoks of Return of the Jedi (again, I don’t mind the teddy bears). I agree that Lucas should not have tried to explain the Force with inscrutable talk of Midi-chlorians, but to me, these minor frustrations are overshadowed by the exciting, effects-laden sequences and the otherwise solid casting. Liam Neeson and Samuel L. Jackson (the first time I’d seen either of them) lend respectable sobriety, which is needed next to Jar Jar, and Ewan McGregor plays an up-and-coming Obi-Wan Kenobi who grew to become my favorite character in the next two films. Though his demise was a bit shocking at the time, Darth Maul also proves to be a formidable adversary. The pod race is far from pointless, as some detractors claim; it’s meant to buy Ani’s freedom and to be tense, impressive, and above all fun, and in my opinion, it succeeds, as do the battle scenes at the end. And let’s not forget John Williams’s magnificent score, which truly qualifies the film for its genre of space opera; no score could come closer to matching his musical achievement with the original Star Wars.

The first film was certainly closest to deserving its opprobrium, but Episode II: Attack of the Clones is as close to perfect entertainment as the prequels get. Perhaps I’m biased by the fact that it was the first Star Wars film I viewed in the theater, but it’s easily my favorite of the prequels. From the speeder chase on Coruscant to Obi-Wan’s rain-drenched duel with Jango Fett, Attack of the Clones offers the most exciting plot, as well as several explanations to burning questions, such as “What do all those stormtroopers look like?” While I think the first film’s obvious age difference between Anakin and Padmé was written away with the casting of Christensen, their relationship is sufficiently progressive to make it believable, even if the dialogue is indeed shallow. Plus, Anakin’s return to Tatooine is certainly a plausible prelude to his descent to the dark side. Episode II also possesses what is probably my favorite sequence of the entire saga: the Coliseum battle and its combination of giant monsters, droids, clones, bounty hunters, Jedi, a few pithy lines, and hopelessly romantic epicness, not to mention a subsequent peek at Yoda’s latent lightsaber prowess. I, for one, did not leave that theater disappointed.

I enjoyed watching Genndy Tartakovsky’s animated Star Wars: Clone Wars, which was released between the second and third films and set the stage for Episode III; thus, I was excited for Star Wars’ supposedly final installment. Revenge of the Sith is not an obvious favorite, not because it is bad (it actually received the best reception of the three), but because it is a tragedy, one that is surprisingly well-told. It essentially explains how Darth Vader came to be and how his children were separated. Anakin’s fear for Padmé’s life, foreshadowed by his premonitions about his mother in Episode II, is an effective catalyst for his moral plunge, though his embracing of murder is no less shocking or frustrating. The special effects of Episode III far surpass any other Star Wars film, and from droid commander General Grievous to Yoda’s showdown with the Emperor, from breathtaking beginning to tragic end, it is truly a feast for the eyes. (I love how the Yoda fight turned the long-established setting of the Senate chamber into an extravagant set piece.) The lava duel finale at last achieves the visual and emotional awe that words like saga and space opera imply; plus, the Emperor’s political intrigue provides timely, if occasionally ponderous, insights into the clandestine machinations of dictators. As splendid as Revenge can be, it’s depressing as heck and “ended” Lucas’s films on a disheartening note sorely in need of A New Hope.

Haters and critics can ridicule and underrate these films all they want, but George Lucas’s complete vision of the Star Wars saga is an absolute spectacle that earned him an AFI Lifetime Achievement Award after Revenge of the Sith was released. Yes, the dialogue is its weakest point, but the actors do their best with the sometimes clunky lines, such as Darth Vader’s lame climactic “Noooo.” Quiddities aside, the entire story of Anakin Skywalker deserved a full telling, and the Star Wars prequels supplied a fantastically realized narrative and some of the finest action sequences of the modern CGI era. I’ll be interested to see what J. J. Abrams has in store for the continuation of the franchise. Considering what he’s already done with Star Trek, I have high hopes for Episode VII.

Best line from The Phantom Menace: (Jar Jar Binks) “How wude!”
More serious best line for The Phantom Menace: (Yoda, to Anakin) “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you.”
 
Best line from Attack of the Clones: (Anakin, as their coliseum execution begins) “What about Padmé?”  (Obi-Wan, as Padmé climbs onto a pillar) “She seems to be on top of things.”
More serious best line from Attack of the Clones: (Queen of Naboo) “We have to keep our faith in the Republic. The day we stop believing democracy can work is the day we lose it.”  (Padmé) “Let’s pray that day never comes.”
 
Best line from Revenge of the Sith: (Anakin, crash-landing Grievous’s ship) “We lost something.”   (Obi-Wan) “Not to worry. We’re still flying half a ship.”
More serious best line from Revenge of the Sith: (Padmé, as the Emperor takes over with full senatorial support) “So this is how liberty dies… with thunderous applause.”

 

Rank: 53 out of 60

 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

232 Followers and Counting

 

#90: Star Trek into Darkness (2013)

23 Thursday Oct 2014

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When Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise crew,
Decide to save Spock in a crisis that grew,
They break regulations no captain should break,
Which leaves Kirk demoted for one Vulcan’s sake.
 
Meanwhile, John Harrison, some renegade,
Employs terrorism that’s sadly well-played.
To the Klingon home world, he flees after his strike,
Which murdered Kirk’s advocate, Admiral Pike.
 
Intent on revenge, Kirk demands a pursuit,
And Marcus bestows some torpedoes to shoot.
A clash with the Klingons endangers their mission,
But Harrison helps, yielding no opposition.
 
His ship somehow stranded, Kirk speaks with his catch,
Who dares him to open his torpedo batch.
They find human popsicles, centuries old,
Through whom Harrison was discreetly controlled.
 
Explaining that Khan is his real name (who knew?)
And that all the sleepers are his ancient crew,
He tells them that Admiral Marcus had plans
To start a war with weapons safe in his hands.
 
The Admiral shows up to wipe evidence,
But sabotage spares them some time for offense.
When Khan and Kirk seize the ship, Khan takes control
Till Spock turns the tables on Khan’s vengeful goal.
 
Both ships are quite damaged, but one sacrifice
Gives Enterprise power but at a steep price.
Khan’s vessel, however, crash-lands on the earth,
And Spock threatens him till he learns of Khan’s worth.
 
Despite heavy losses, Kirk’s crew and ship make it;
A five-year assignment appears, and they take it.
With Marcus’s daughter as part of his crew,
Kirk boldly goes searching for ventures all new.
_________________
 

Since readers know that Lost is my favorite TV show, it should be no surprise that show creator J. J. Abrams would contribute films to my top 100. After his game-changing reboot of the Star Trek franchise in 2009, fans were eager for the next installment, and Star Trek into Darkness did not disappoint. Some accused its reworking of Wrath of Khan to be plagiarism rather than homage, but the film clearly possesses enough originality to offset the cries of its detractors.

While Sulu and Chekhov are underused, the rest of the Enterprise crew continue to be memorable revisions of The Original Series cast. Particularly, the relationship between Chris Pine’s rebellious Kirk and Zachary Quinto’s conformist-yet-cheeky Spock is a highlight of character-building, and Simon Pegg’s Scotty is given a chance to engage on a deeper level than the usual engineer role. Peter Weller’s villainous turn as Admiral Marcus is all right but pales in comparison with Benedict Cumberbatch’s potent, authoritative presence as Harrison/Khan. Being a fan of Cumberbatch in Sherlock and Amazing Grace, I believe his casting as Khan was genius (even if it was criticized as “whitewashing” Khan’s original ethnicity) and, along with The Hobbit, will forever cement him as a go-to villain.

If I had to criticize the film, I suppose it would be for its obvious attempts at a plot twist. We’re not supposed to see twists coming, but they’re not particularly well-hidden. For instance, Alice Eve’s portrayal of Carol Marcus is originally under the name Carol Wallace. Why? Fans of Star Trek could see that coming simply from Admiral Marcus’s inclusion, and for non-fans, the name Carol Marcus doesn’t hold any significant meaning. Khan’s fake identity makes a bit more sense in the plot but wasn’t all that necessary. While many have pointed out plot holes in the film, the only major discrepancies I noticed were the diminution of distances, with transporters and warp engines traversing great spans much faster than they should at this point in Star Trek history. Also, while a certain scene echoing Wrath of Khan is quite effective, its consequences are wrapped up far too quickly.

While the film’s action sequences don’t quite hit the zenith of the first film’s drill showdown or ice planet chase, the special effects are well-employed to create some awesome visuals, such as during the tense space jump. The Enterprise’s descent into the atmosphere is a particular wonder, with gravity shifting to turn the ship into a giant Tilt-A-Whirl. So many films sacrifice their intelligence in favor of spectacle; J. J. Abrams and Marvel seem to be the main ones able to balance the two to create entertaining films, worthy of multiple viewings. With clever references to The Original Series and the introduction of Klingons to this altered timeline, Star Trek into Darkness stands on its own and sets the stage for what I hope will be an even more impressive threequel.

Best line: (Dr. McCoy, after helping to save Kirk) “We synthesized a serum from his… super blood. Tell me, are you feeling homicidal, power-mad, despotic?”   (Kirk) “No more than usual.”
 
VC’s best line: (Kirk, speaking of Spock, to Uhura in turbolift) “Wait, are you guys… are you guys fighting?”
(Uhura) “I’d rather not talk about it, sir.”
(Kirk) “Oh my God, what is that even like?”
[Turbolift opens to reveal Spock, and Uhura walks by him coldly]
(Kirk, to Spock) “Ears burning?”

 

Rank: 54 out of 60
 

 © 2014 S. G. Liput

231 Followers and Counting

 

#91: October Sky (1999)

22 Wednesday Oct 2014

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In Coalwood, West Virginia,
Coal is undisputed king,
The mine the source of all the town can claim.
In 1957,
Sputnik I is orbiting
And elevates young Homer Hickham’s aim.
 
He takes a sudden interest
In the field of rocketry,
And three school friends assist his doubtful dream.
His father thinks it’s foolish,
And his brutal honesty
Discourages their unexampled dream.
 
As Homer’s group experiments
With rockets by the tens,
They finally achieve successful flight.
The town begins attending
Homer’s launches with his friends,
But Homer’s dad dismisses each invite.
 
A forest fire begins nearby,
A reckless rocket’s blamed,
And Homer’s forced to give up his pastime.
He goes into the coal mine
When his father’s nearly maimed,
Until he clears himself of any crime.
 
He wins the county science fair,
And nationals awaits.
Though his display is robbed to his chagrin,
His father still assists him,
Overcoming their debates,
So Homer and his Rocket Boys can win.
 
When scholarships are theirs,
They intend one final launch
In honor of their teacher, parents, friends.
John Hickham finally arrives,
The miner ever staunch,
To watch the rocket blaze as it ascends.
_______________
 

How many movies have we seen about a young upstart daring to follow his/her dreams, eliciting nothing but criticism from an autocratic parent? The Little Mermaid, How to Train Your Dragon, The Greatest Game Ever Played, and countless others have established this cliché as a favorite Hollywood source of familial tension. Why then is October Sky so fresh, so moving, so inspirational? Perhaps it’s the winsome appeal of Jake Gyllenhaal as Homer Hickham, exemplifying wide-eyed wonder long before his grittier, more adult roles of late. Perhaps it’s the complex relationship with his father (a stony Chris Cooper), which provides the tired tension with which we’re all familiar yet refuses to demonize him, even tempering his disparagement with intermittent heroism that depicts him as a misguided but admirable role model nonetheless. Perhaps it’s the film’s period soundtrack and soothing, hymn-like score or its Appalachian backdrop, at once comforting and oppressive, similar to “Butcher Holler” in Coal Miner’s Daughter. Perhaps it’s the inspiring accomplishment of “a bunch of hillbillies” through science rather than the usual sports or music, and the heartening support of the townsfolk and their schoolteacher (Laura Dern). Perhaps it’s all of the above.

Regardless, October Sky (an anagram of Rocket Boys) is a film that stands the test of time. I first viewed it as a kid before it fell off my radar, and when I saw it again years later, it was just as uplifting. Surely, many people like me can identify with Homer Hickham; I too have been galvanized by others’ works of creative genius to push myself to similar heights of ambition. Seeing such initiative rewarded is gratifying enough; seeing it win over even the harshest of critics qualifies October Sky as a personal favorite.

Best line: (Homer, to his dad, toward the end) “Look, I know you and me don’t exactly see eye to eye on certain things. I mean, yeah, we don’t see eye to eye on just about anything, but Dad, I come to believe that I got it in me to be somebody in this world. And it’s not because I’m so different from you either; it’s because I’m the same. I mean, I can be just as hard-headed and just as tough. I only hope I can be as good a man as you are. I mean, sure, Dr. von Braun is a great scientist, but he isn’t my hero.”

 
Rank: 54 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

231 Followers and Counting

 

#92: Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

22 Wednesday Oct 2014

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Before Mary Poppins
Met cinema screens,
The gruff P. L. Travers
Kept her by all means.
 
The magical nanny
Was family to her,
And Disney would never
Take her, she was sure.
 
But life’s money troubles
Convinced her at last
To see what the mouse king
Was planning so fast.
 
Disappointments built up,
And her fears were confirmed:
The script and song writers
Explained as she squirmed.
 
Their Poppins too frivolous,
Songs too carefree,
They just could not please her,
Nor could Walt Disney.
 
Their cruel Mr. Banks
Brought back pained memories
Of her drunken father
Who tried so to please.
 
Despite a stern aunt
Whipping all into shape,
The cares of this world
Travers could not escape.
 
It took some script changes
For her to begin
To see the film project
As more than a sin.
 
But when animation,
Which she could not stand,
Was still to be present,
She left for England.
 
When Disney himself
Made a sudden house call,
He calmly assured her
He would not appall;
 
He’d bring Mr. Banks
To life, a road paved
By all of her stories,
And he would be saved.
 
Her father was dead,
But there on the screen,
Both perfect and flawed,
His salvation was seen.
_______________
 

The most recent of my top 100 films, Saving Mr. Banks is not even a year old at the time of this post, yet its acting and insightful peek at a laborious creative process marked it as an instant classic. More and more films are resorting to the depiction of creating other films (think Hugo, The Artist, Hitchcock), yet such films continue to offer compelling stories and fascinating details that haven’t gotten old yet, and Saving Mr. Banks is no exception.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is known for infamous snubs, yet the fact that Saving Mr. Banks did not receive one acting nomination is unforgivable (Thomas Newman’s score was nominated—that’s it). Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson contribute astounding performances to their already distinguished careers; Walt Disney and P. L. Travers come to life in a powerful, character-driven way that spans every emotion, from joy to disgust to sorrow to utter frustration. Yet despite some weighty backstories for both, the entire film has the light, optimistic ambience of Disney World (the Disney World that kids see, minus all the lines and headaches). Thompson’s pomposity and rudeness don’t fit in this land where cartoons and songs are the norm, but every minute of her gradual easing into something like fulfillment (and I do mean gradual) is a pleasure to watch. Likewise, Hanks’s Disney is con man, big cheese, and lovable uncle all rolled into one familiar package, yet with astute glimpses into previously unseen aspects of the master entertainer.

I applaud films that bring little-known players to the fore, such as Mary Poppins co-scriptwriter Don DaGradi (Bradley Whitford) and the talented Sherman Brothers musical team (B. J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman), not to mention Paul Giamatti’s genial turn as Travers’s fictionalized chauffeur. Lovers of the Mary Poppins film are sure to enjoy the details that seem to be directly inspired by Travers and the development of a childhood classic. Like in Holes, flashbacks are woven through the narrative, revealing additional inspirations for the Mary Poppins characters and providing Colin Farrell a heart-breaking role as the author’s good-natured but alcoholic father.

Considering that Saving Mr. Banks was released at the height of the Christmas season, it was obvious Oscar fodder, and it deserved so many more accolades than it received. Was it because it was too clean? Was it because Tom Hanks’s performance, coupled with the one in Captain Phillips that year, was somehow overlooked in favor of non-Oscar winners? I don’t know, but Saving Mr. Banks is a worthy behind-the-scenes look at the beloved Mary Poppins, even if it Disney-fies proceedings that were even more problematic than the film depicts. Regardless of how much was fictionalized, it was one of the best films of 2013.

Best line: (Walt Disney, reassuring Travers toward the end) “George Banks and all he stands for will be saved. Maybe not in life, but in imagination. Because that’s what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again.”

 
Rank: 54 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

231 Followers and Counting

 

#93: Holes (2003)

20 Monday Oct 2014

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Stanley Yelnats is unlucky, always has been, always will be,
All because his great-great-granddad broke a promise long ago.
When a pair of famous shoes fall from the sky, he’s branded guilty
For their theft and sent away to pay the debt he’s said to owe.
 
Camp Green Lake is hardly green, a dried-up, dusty desert basin,
Full of juvenile delinquents boasting nicknames none can shake.
Everyone digs daily holes to “build their character” and chasten,
But they must beware of lizards, deadlier than any snake.
 
Mr. Sir and “Mom” Pendanski supervise the rowdy felons,
And when Stanley finds a trinket, Warden Walker joins the site.
Stanley also bonds with Zero, called the emptiest of melons,
And instructs the homeless boy on how to read and how to write.
 
In a moment of contention, Zero flees, to death most likely,
And soon after Stanley follows in the hopes of finding him.
They find refuge on a mountain, where the curse is broken rightly.
Feeling lucky, both sneak back to burrow further on a whim.
 
There, amid a swarm of lizards, they discover buried treasure,
Robbed from Stanley’s great-grandfather by a tortured femme fatale.
Though the warden hopes to claim it, Stanley clutches it with pleasure,
As his thriving family’s lawyer rescues him from this locale.
 
As he and Zero split the loot, with luck at last upon their side,
Camp Green Lake enjoys the change new management and rain provide.
___________________
 

Holes could easily have been another lame Disney Channel movie, but the filmmakers put surprising effort into adapting Louis Sachar’s award-winning novel into a mature and entertaining family film. Before Holes, Shia LaBeouf was only known as Louis Stevens on Disney Channel’s Even Stevens, for which he won an Emmy, but this film cemented him as an up-and-coming actor with real potential. Though The Greatest Game Ever Played is his best single performance, his quiet, agreeable role as Stanley Yelnats IV is the pillar upon which all the various plotlines of Holes are moored.

With disparate elements all converging with ingenious precision, Holes is storytelling at once intricate and coherent, like a kid-friendly Shawshank Redemption. Flashbacks range from Latvian curses to forbidden Old West love, and as long as viewers are paying attention, it never gets confusing. Aside from a few hasty transitions, this is how flashbacks should be done. So much is covered in just under two hours: poisonous lizards, kissing outlaws, hog growth, Eartha Kitt laughing, smelly shoes, peaches and onions, palindromic monikers, obsessed searches, punkish camaraderie, desert loneliness, false accusations, fate, love, destiny! Not many films touch on so many subjects and boast a similarly diverse and striking soundtrack.

While most of the young actors haven’t gone far in the movie biz, several notable thespians add star power, including Henry Winkler, Patricia Arquette, Tim Blake Nelson, a surly and hilarious Jon Voight as Mr. Sir, and an imposing Sigourney Weaver in the unusually shady role of Warden Walker. Her abrasive catchphrase is a small detail onto which my VC latched as a memorable character trait. As capable as the cast is, the true star is the story, which ends with a rewarding and smile-worthy conclusion that wraps up its sundry plot threads beautifully. Though not all of Shia LaBeouf’s film choices have been well-received, his first in Holes remains a high-point among book adaptations and family-friendly dramas.

Best line: (Sam, a kindly onion grower, as he woos a schoolteacher with his handiness) “I can fix that.”

VC’s best line: (the Warden, indignantly and repeatedly) “Excuse me?”

 
Rank: 54 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

229 Followers and Counting

 

#94: The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

19 Sunday Oct 2014

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Though Christopher Gardner desires success
And actively tries to pursue happiness,
He seems to be caught in a permanent rut;
The doors of reality always slam shut.
 
The debts and the taxes are piling up;
His wife’s irritation is dialing up.
He tries to sell bone scanners, plugging away,
Yet nothing pans out by the end of the day.
 
At last, his wife leaves and announces she’s done,
But Chris will not let her escape with his son.
Insisting he’ll care for him, Christopher starts
An internship in all the stockbroking arts.
 
Unfortunately, training there is unpaid;
For six months, he trusts in the scanner sales trade.
When IRS claims leave him suddenly broke,
He’s forced into lines with the destitute folk.
 
He’s forced to work harder than fellow interns,
Employing charisma and methods he learns.
Pursuit of his happiness ends in frustration;
It’s nowhere as easy as in the quotation.
 
Yet through all the heartache and difficult trials,
The proneness to tears and the fakeness of smiles,
He merits the job, chances twenty to one,
And “happyness” happens, for him and his son.
_________________
 

The American dream is a unique hope, a driving force of immigration to this country and an enduring promise to those harboring yet-unfulfilled ambitions. In most films, success comes fairly easily, through situations either comedic (The Secret of My Success) or dramatic (Citizen Kane). No film I’ve seen captures the true difficulty of success as powerfully as The Pursuit of Happyness.

Portraying real-life homeless-man-turned-success-story Chris Gardner, Oscar nominee Will Smith’s finest and most sensitive performance provides the heart of the film. His retrospective narration and recognition of mistakes add to the film’s structure, which is essentially one man’s efforts to survive between an unpaid job, fatherhood, and homelessness. Quite frankly, most of the film is intensely depressing. Many times when Chris seems to be on the verge of a turning point for improvement, circumstances decline even further; opportunities become disappointments, and hopes become letdowns. “Happyness” (a misspelling seen on his son’s daycare mural) seems always out of reach. Yet through all of these obstacles, Chris himself is an entirely admirable father, long-suffering and tenacious, the kind of guy the audience can root for without reservation. Smith’s on-screen relationship with his real son Jaden is genuine throughout, and there’s never any doubt about Chris’s paternal love.

At times, the film is reminiscent of Kramer vs. Kramer; there’s even an exchange in which the son wonders if Mommy left because of him, only to be reassured by Dad. Yet, whereas Ted Kramer had much to learn about fatherhood and needed to fight to keep his son, Chris Gardner was already an ideal father and was forced to fight for a bed, a meal, and a future. While Kramer’s happy ending was essentially an act of goodwill from his ex-wife, Chris’s final success was hard-fought and satisfying. The moment when he finally gets the well-paid stockbroker position for which he had only hoped for the last six months is a quiet, understated scene that pulls at the heartstrings in a legitimately deserved way, like when Rudy earns admission to Notre Dame in Rudy. It’s a brief realization of “happyness” that makes all the inordinate hardships and struggles he endured at last worthwhile. The Pursuit of Happyness depicts the highs and lows of the American dream, which, though elusive, is eminently gratifying when achieved.

Best line: (Mr. Frohm, when Chris is forced to show up to an interview underdressed) “What would you say if a man walked in here with no shirt, and I hired him? What would you say?” (Chris Gardner, after a moment of thought) “He must have had on some really nice pants.”

 
Rank: 53 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

229 Followers and Counting

 

#95: Signs (2002)

18 Saturday Oct 2014

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Crop circles appear in the field
Of Reverend Graham Hess, who’s not healed
From the loss of his wife,
Which has emptied his life
Of meaning and faith he can’t wield.
 
Both Merrill, his brother, and he
Know someone’s outside, who must flee.
Odd things start occurring;
Graham’s kids are concurring
An alien force it might be.
 
Graham’s sure that it must be a hoax,
Some puerile, fame-seeking jokes,
But when, in his scorn,
He goes out in the corn,
His calm rationality chokes.
 
He thinks of the sad accident
That left his wife pinned ere she went.
She spoke of nonsense,
Which left Graham in suspense
Till he realized what little it meant.
 
Afraid, Graham tries taking command
When he learns of the danger firsthand.
They don’t run away
But instead choose to stay
In the house as more aliens land.
 
The Hesses aren’t caught unawares
Yet flee to the shelter downstairs.
Graham’s asthmatic son
Needs a drug but has none,
And Graham still denies any prayers.
 
They get through the torturous night
And think that it might be all right.
They hear at the dawn
That the creatures are gone,
And venture out into the light.
 
With heart-stopping horror, they find
One last hostile guest left behind;
It’s then that Graham sees
The divine expertise
That saves them and comforts his mind.
_________________
 

Most filmmakers start off weak and improve with practice, but then there’s M. Night Shyamalan, whose artistry burst onto the movie screen with the flair of a virtuoso and has since diminished to an unfortunate nadir. Everyone hails The Sixth Sense as his greatest achievement, which it is, but forgets or downplays his second stroke of genius in Signs.

A cornfield used to be just another bucolic piece of acreage, but Steven King’s Children of the Corn and this film forever made it a foreboding lair to be feared. When James Newton Howard’s suspenseful score plays, the tension builds; when the score is nonexistent, the cinematography and quiet discussions of unnatural circumstances and potential invasion reinforce the tension even more strongly. In certain scenes, such as Graham’s cornfield exploration and some jump scares toward the end, the anxiety comes to a head with bloodless encounters from which other horror films could learn and which I and my VC certainly appreciated.

Amid all the suspense, there are examples of Shyamalan’s unique framing technique, subtle and profound performances from Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix, and unexpected moments of welcome humor. Above all, it boasts one of the most reserved yet God-affirming messages of any recent Hollywood flick. Graham’s loss of faith and anger at the Lord are understandable, for he sees his pain as meaningless; but, even at that time of greatest distress, God was sending him messages he had yet to interpret. There’s a moment near the end in which everything clicks: Merrill’s eagerness to swing in baseball, Bo’s water fixation, Morgan’s asthma, details that added to their characters but seemed like trivialities, even nuisances, in their day-to-day lives. It reminds me of the passage in Isaiah in which God explains how superior his ways and his plans are above our own, and when Graham recognizes this, he realizes he is not alone (in a good way). Note how Graham tells God “I hate you,” just as Morgan had to his dad, yet in the end both father/child relationships are restored.

A coworker of mine once decried Signs as among the worst movies she had ever seen, and I suppose its appreciation depends on the viewer. What I saw as contemplative, portending, compelling, and well-crafted, others viewed as self-important, tedious, implausible, and manipulative. Others have criticized the under-explained alien invasion and the invaders’ preposterous weakness, but I enjoyed the film’s more personal take on such a crisis and could compare the creature’s undoing to the aliens’ germy downfall in War of the Worlds. In many ways, Signs is the antithesis of Independence Day; everything is smaller, with no explosions, no bombastic victory, no clichéd relationships, and all for the better. It’s a tense, non-gory thriller with hardly any profanity and an uncommon theme of finding lost faith and recognizing God in what seems like coincidence.

I dare anyone to watch Signs and then enter a dark corn maze without being a little nervous.

Best line: (Graham Hess) “See, what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, that sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?”

Other best line: (young Bo, waking her father up one night) “There’s a monster outside my room, can I have a glass of water?”

 
Rank: 53 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

229 Followers and Counting

 

#96: Star Trek: Generations (1994)

17 Friday Oct 2014

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When Captain Kirk was witness to the christened Enterprise
Long after he had left the venerated captain’s chair,
An incident in space occurred, in which he clearly dies,
Yet he helped save El-Aurians from an interspatial snare.
 
Some decades later on the current Enterprise, Picard
Gets word of family losses that disturb him to the core.
They answer a distress call from a solar station scarred,
Where fervent Dr. Soran has experiments in store.
 
He swiftly kidnaps Geordi after shooting out a star
And makes his getaway when Klingon enemies arrive.
Picard is told by Guinan that the doctor will go far
To get back to the Nexus, where one’s joys can come alive.
 
Deducing his next move and his own murderous intent,
The Enterprise arrives where he will kill another sun.
Once Geordi is retrieved through trade, Picard asks to be sent
To Soran on the planet, who has very nearly won.
 
Deception gains the Klingons an advantage, which they seize
And harm the Enterprise before they’re blown away at last.
The crippled saucer crash-lands, just as Soran guarantees
The advent of the Nexus and resulting deadly blast.
 
Picard is swallowed up and finds the family of his dreams
But knows he must return in time, which luckily he can.
Yet someone else could help, because such threats require teams.
That someone is James Kirk, whom he persuades is just the man.
 
Returning to the planet ere the doctor’s plan succeeded,
They battle him together and prevent another win.
Kirk fell but made a difference, the one last time he was needed,
And though the ship was lost, Picard awaits its next of kin.
_________________
 

Yes, another Star Trek movie. Star Trek: Generations is not the most popular of Star Trek films, but I believe it broke the supposed “Star Trek curse,” an odd-numbered Trek film that actually lived up to the show’s standards. In combining the old and new Enterprise crews, specifically pairing Captain Kirk with Captain Picard, the film caters to Trekkers’ inner fanboy while continuing/wrapping up minor open threads from The Next Generation series, such as Data’s emotion chip and the Duras sisters. It even marks the first time a film relied on a website dedicated to its promotion.

Most of the Next Gen crew are rather under-utilized, though not to the extent of Insurrection; most of the good lines go to Data, while most of the drama goes to Picard. Patrick Stewart’s range of emotions and his characteristic attempts at suppressing them showcase his skill as an actor. The loss of his loved ones (seen in the poignant post-Borg episode “Family”) is not witnessed like the death of Kirk’s son in Search for Spock, but it somehow carries the same emotional weight, making Picard’s reluctance to leave the joys of the Nexus quite justifiable. As for Kirk, William Shatner steps into his role as if he never left (The Undiscovered Country was only three years earlier), and as daring as it was to kill off such an iconic character, the filmmakers did it right, allowing him proper heroics and a final genuine goodbye. Shatner does have a tendency to overact, but his death scene was flawless, even if they had to reshoot it to get it right. Malcolm McDowall also provides his usual splendid villainy as Dr. Tolian Soran, who has an unconventional motive—his own bliss in the Nexus, an underexplained but unique plot device that allowed the merging of time periods without the traditional time travel explanation.

Some critics have focused on the film’s flaws, such as the fact that if Kirk and Picard had failed to stop Soran, they could have just started over after entering the Nexus again, thus robbing the finale of true tension. Those critics were obviously thinking too much when they should have just been enjoying the action, but while they have a point, reentry into the Nexus might have been harder to resist or Soran might have killed them before it arrived. Either way, the climax works, even if it forever changed the Star Trek universe, marking the end of a beloved character and the destruction of yet another Enterprise (which was much more impressive visually than in Search for Spock). We’ll see if Shatner ever manages to finagle a cameo in one of Abrams’ films.

While the sailing ship scenes err on the silly side and there are other quibbles I could make, the opening with Scottie and Chekhov effortlessly captures the atmosphere and maturized humor of the original movies, while the rest features a cinematic translation of the Next Gen series that would continue for three more films. I’ll be honest: I like the Next Gen crew a bit more than the original, but seeing both in the same film is a joy to this Trek enthusiast.

Best line: (Data, after tasting a drink with his emotion chip installed) “I hate this! It is revolting!”
(Guinan) “More?”
(Data) “Please!”
 
Rank: 53 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

229 Followers and Counting

 

#97: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

16 Thursday Oct 2014

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Excelsior is hit with force,
A Klingon moon, Praxis, the source.
The race now lacks a prime resource
And can’t keep up with war.
So Kirk and friends are sent to space
To meet the Klingons face to face
And escort them to Earth with grace,
A task that they abhor.
 
Especially Kirk hates the foe;
They killed his son three films ago.
A dinner’s rather stiff and slow,
But nothing bad occurs.
But then the Klingons are attacked,
The ambassador is killed, in fact,
So Kirk surrenders with some tact
To not make matters worse.
 
Arresting both McCoy and Kirk,
Their justice system goes to work,
Condemning them where dangers lurk,
In Rura Penthe’s mines.
They don’t make friends, except for one,
A shapeshifter who helps them run,
But double-crosses ere they’re done,
According to designs.
 
Just in time, Spock saves the pair
But knows a traitor is somewhere.
They root out the deceiver there
And learn of the deceit.
The Federation’s President
Will soon be shot with fell intent;
As Kirk was set up, their descent
To war will be complete.
 
They first must conquer in some way
A hidden Klingon bird of prey.
After that, they save the day
And stop the homicide.
With that, Kirk’s anger finds release,
And regular aggressions cease.
Now that they’ve consummated peace,
They can retire with pride.
__________________
 

Star Trek V was a big disappointment, and I’m sure everyone is glad that it didn’t mark the end of the original series cast. When Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was released two years later, it breathed new life into movie prospects, even as The Next Generation kept the franchise alive on television. With a plot informed by contemporary tensions with Russia (the Berlin Wall was torn down the previous year), the sixth film focuses more on the Klingons, giving them more depth than the typically villainous stereotypes Kirk had encountered in Star Trek III, when his son was murdered. The filmmakers made an excellent decision in focusing on Kirk’s prejudice over his loss; such pain is not something easily forgotten. Star Trek: The Original Series was at its best with potent sci-fi social commentary; Star Trek VI returns to such themes, with Kirk’s coming to terms with his bias being a thoughtful challenge to all those bearing blind bigotry.

The political intrigue is surprisingly intricate, though at times specific characters’ motivations are less than clear. Christopher Plummer as main villain General Chang is an obvious follow-up to Khan, even quoting Shakespeare as he attacks the Enterprise with smug superiority. Other conspirators are less obviously villainous (I won’t include too many spoilers), but it’s interesting to note that one is played by Brock Peters, who portrayed Tom Robinson, a victim of prejudice, in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Other actors include David Warner as the assassinated ambassador Gorkon, Robocop’s Kurtwood Smith as the Federation President, and Kim Cattrall as Vulcan newbie Valeris, who doesn’t quite fit as well as Kirstie Alley’s Saavik from Star Trek II (or Robin Curtis in III), perhaps intentionally. As for the main cast, they don’t all get the moments of glory that The Voyage Home afforded, but each slips into their familiar roles like a glove, particularly Shatner and Nimoy as Kirk and Spock disagree over the Klingon issue. George Takei’s Sulu (now Captain) gets the most memorable scene when the film begins with a literal bang. (The explosion of Praxis was revisited in “Flashback,” a memorable episode of Star Trek: Voyager which guest-starred Takei.)

It’s more serious than The Voyage Home and features a violent zero-g attack complete with floating blood unlike anything in the previous films, but there are enough bits of self-referential comedy and character introspection to still embody the Star Trek we love. It’s unfortunate for any beloved franchise to meet its conclusion, but Star Trek VI ended the original series on a high note, with new peace with the Klingons (Michael Dorn even guest-starred as Worf’s ancestor) and a fitting sendoff for the esteemed crew of the Enterprise.

P.S. Notice that Uhura doesn’t know Klingon and is forced to hastily look up translations in books(?), conflicting with Zoe Saldana’s Uhura in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot, who already could speak some Klingon, even apart from the whole tampering-with-the-timeline thing.

Best line: (Gorkon’s daughter Azetbur, after Kirk saves the day) “What’s happened? What’s the meaning of all of this?”
(Kirk) “It’s about the future, Madame Chancellor. Some people think the future means the end of history. Well, we haven’t run out of history quite yet. Your father called the future ‘the undiscovered country.’ People can be very frightened of change.”
(Azetbur) “You’ve restored my father’s faith.”
(Kirk) “And you’ve restored my son’s.”
 
VC’s best line: (Federation President) “Let us redefine progress to mean that just because we can do a thing, it does not necessarily mean we must do that thing.”
 
Rank: 53 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

229 Followers and Counting