Category Archives: Movies

The Letters (2014)

05 Tuesday Sep 2017

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Blessed are the selfless, though hidden they may be.
Blessed are the quiet; their thoughts the Lord will see.
Blessed are the pious, who do not seek renown.
Blessed are the few who suffer thorns their earthly crown.
Blessed are the holy ones, who rarer get each year,
For even in the darkest world, their light we will revere.
____________________

MPAA rating: PG

After watching The Letters last night, I figured it couldn’t be a coincidence that I happened to watch a movie about Mother Teresa on the one-year anniversary of her canonization as a saint. That’s why I hurried to write a review for today, the anniversary of her death, known in the Catholic Church as her Feast Day. A passion project of director William Riead, The Letters is one of the better faith-based films of recent years, a tribute to a woman of unparalleled holiness.

The Letters takes its inspiration and name from the many letters Mother Teresa wrote to her spiritual confidante Father Celeste Van Exem (Max von Sydow), who describes her story to Rutger Hauer as an investigator into Teresa’s cause for canonization. English actress Juliet Stevenson does a marvelous job (and feigns a convincing accent) as Mother Teresa herself, whose compassion for the poor outside her convent’s gates led her to petition for permission to leave the cloister and serve the unwashed masses of Calcutta, India. Over the years, despite her well-publicized sanctity, she also endured feelings of abandonment by God that have been called a “dark night of the soul,” a cross other saints have carried as well.

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The Letters has received mostly negative critical reviews, but I don’t find that surprising, considering how Christian films tend to be more appreciated by their target audience than by secular viewers. Yet The Letters doesn’t seem concerned with proselytizing, just as Mother Teresa didn’t approach the Indian communities to win converts. It’s a testimony of her commitment to God and to helping others, and while some have tried to cast aspersions on her motivations and methods, I find nothing wrong with a wholly positive view of a woman who dedicated her life to serving the poor. Perhaps some people wanted a darker, more challenging view instead of a shiny biopic of a saint at work. After all, most would probably prefer to watch the latest gruesome death on Game of Thrones than the inspiring rescue efforts to aid the Hurricane Harvey victims. Yet positivity and holiness deserve their day, and a movie like The Letters presents them as truly admirable.

That’s not to say that The Letters is perfect. It does have better acting and production values than some Christian films, but the beginning jumps about in time and place a bit confusingly. Plus, the initial confrontations with Indian Muslims urging Teresa to leave seemed rather half-hearted, rarely making it feel that she was actually in danger. Even with these caveats, The Letters is pure inspiration, revealing Mother Teresa’s spiritual turmoil that has only increased Christians’ veneration of her. With so much wrong in the world, sometimes just watching a selfless hero in action, an example to aspire to, is enough to stir the soul and make us want to serve where we can more faithfully.

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2017 S.G. Liput
506 Followers and Counting

 

Ink (2009)

03 Sunday Sep 2017

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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Dreams in the night
Carry darkness or light
Into minds at the height of their delicacy.
Deep in our slumber,
Charades without number
Parade through our heads, entertainment for free.

They charm us and threaten
With visions they let in,
But who holds the keys to such reveries sown?
What nightmare dimensions
With clashing intentions
Have displaced our thoughts with ideas of their own?
____________________

MPAA rating: Not Rated (should be R, mainly for language)

After ranking Ink at #11 on my Top Twelve Underrated Movies, I thought I should give this low-budget cult hit a full-fledged review. Written and directed by independent auteur Jamin Winans, Ink is so many things at once that it’s hard to classify it. It’s a fantasy about the clashes between invisible forces of good and evil. It’s a redemption tale of a father returning to his estranged daughter’s life. It’s a visually inventive head trip following a monster’s kidnapping of a girl’s soul. How it merges all these disparate components into a mostly cohesive and surprisingly meaningful whole is quite the experience, one that doesn’t let its budget limitations hinder it too much.

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Chris Kelly plays John Sullivan, the father I mentioned, whose wife’s death caused him to lose contact with his daughter Emma (Quinn Hunchar), whom he kept at arm’s length even when they were together. Bitter, he throws himself into his work, not even caring when she later falls into a coma. This side of the story is fairly down-to-earth, but the reason for Emma’s coma goes off into an ever more ambitious dark fantasy. For starters, there are Storytellers, invisible spirits who disseminate sweet dreams like the Sandman from Rise of the Guardians, and Incubi, creepy screen-faced baddies who plant disturbing nightmares. Amidst this nightly battle, a hulking creature named Ink dressed in black rags steals Emma, or rather her spirit, from her bed and plans to trade her to the Incubi.

On one hand, you can tell it’s a low-budget production. The camerawork lacks the Hollywood polish we’ve come to expect, and some of the effects look like they’re from a Disney Channel movie. Yet the film continually manages to impress where it counts. For example, Ink’s initial confrontation with the Storytellers trying to save Emma has some amazingly well-choreographed action, with the unique twist of time rewinding to return every smashed object to its original condition. This is the spirit world, after all. Likewise, the editing ranges from overly jerky at times to downright brilliant during an exceptional scene where an eccentric “Pathfinder” (Jeremy Make) creates an unforeseen chain reaction that ties in to an earlier scene. It reminded me a lot of that sequence from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button where the narrator describes all the little cause-and-effects that brought about an accident.

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Sadly, Ink is occasionally spoiled by some strong language, mostly from Chris Kelly (his first line is a tantrum of F-bombs), and I do feel it could earn a wider audience without it since the rest is grim but not overly objectionable. I also thought a few characters were trying too hard to be eccentric at times. Plus, a certain revelation might bend time and minds a bit too much to make total sense, but it’s a twist that has kept me thinking since and adds enormous layers to the film’s narrative.

I don’t know how Jamin Winans views God and religion since they’re never explicitly brought up here, though his next film The Frame seems to regard God as an absentee controller. Yet, there are several scenes in Ink that hold strong spiritual meaning, especially the Best Line below that seems to sum up how God sees his broken creation. The Storytellers are easily compared to angels as well, as the Incubi are to demons whispering hate and pride into people’s minds, and I loved a climactic scene toward the end that switches back and forth between the calm mortal world that John sees and an intense, invisible battle happening all around him. I wouldn’t doubt such unknown struggles happen every day between good and evil.

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Oh, yeah, how could I forget the reason I discovered Ink, namely its moving score by Winans himself, which I heard in a collection of movie soundtracks. It’s a perfect atmospheric accompaniment to the film and its emotion, and one notable track called “The City Surf” was even sampled as “Into the Fray” in the film The Grey. As I said, Ink’s plot has multiple layers to peel back, ranging from flashbacks to metaphors and symbols to varying the level of color depending on the world shown, all of which add up to a profound reflection on life, death, and regret. It’s a film that sticks in the mind long after it’s over, which has understandably earned it a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s clever and well-crafted proof of the potential of indie filmmaking, causing me to wish that it had the overall technical quality to match its ambition. I’ve said it before, but someone get Winans a bigger budget!

Best line: (Ink) “I am ruined, why can’t you see that?”   (Liev, a Storyteller) “Because I choose to see you for what you were intended to be, not what you’ve become.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2017 S.G. Liput
506 Followers and Counting

 

Genre Grandeur – The Painted Veil (2006) – Rhyme and Reason

01 Friday Sep 2017

Posted by in Movies

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Here’s my review of The Painted Veil for MovieRob’s August Genre Grandeur of revenge movies. This stately period piece may not be your typical revenge story, but it’s in there, along with some unique romantic themes.

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For this month’s first review for Genre Grandeur – Revenge Movies, here’s a review of The Painted Veil (2006) by SG of Rhyme and Reason

Thanks again to Gavin of Mini Media Reviews for choosing this month’s genre.

Next month’s Genre has been chosen by Robb of Red Bezzle and it is RemadeMovies.

Love or hate, compare and contrast, and dare to say they’re better. It could be a relocated remake a la The Magnificent Seven, an Animation to Live Action remake similar to The Jungle Book or straight forward reimagining such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. 

Please get me your submissions by the 25th of September by sending them to remaderobb@movierob.net

Try to think out of the box! Great choice Robb!

Let’s see what SG thought of this movie:

_________________________________

The Painted Veil (2006)

Blinded by bitterness,

Swallowed by spite,

Ruined by rancor,

I thought revenge right.

I…

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2017 Blindspot Pick #8: Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959)

29 Tuesday Aug 2017

Posted by in Blindspot, Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959) - Alternate Ending ...

That jolly ol’ Darby O’Gill
At the pub would be drinking his fill,
Earning chuckles and yawns
Telling of leprechauns,
Half-believed out of simple good will.

Not caring what doubters may think,
Darby’d go home at last with a wink,
To natter and sing
With the leprechaun king,
And together they too shared a drink.
_________________

MPAA rating: G

Live-action Disney movies tend to fall into two categories: childhood-shaping classics (Mary Poppins, Homeward Bound, Swiss Family Robinson) and severely lame duds (The Shaggy Dog, The Million Dollar Duck, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes). I wasn’t sure which one Darby O’Gill and the Little People would fit in, but I’d gladly place it in the first group, though I doubt this obscure little gem is shaping many childhoods nowadays.

Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959) Review |BasementRejects

Apparently based on two books by Herminie Templeton Kavanagh, Darby O’Gill feels as genuinely Irish as The Quiet Man but with a more fantastical basis in Irish folklore. Albert Sharpe is a folksy joy as Darby, a good ol’ boy and father of young Katie (Janet Munro of Swiss Family Robinson) in the town of Rathcullen, who loves to recount his stories of leprechaun interactions with everyone at the local pub. They may only half-believe him, but he’s still a beloved member of the community, which sticks up for him against the mocking of the local brute Pony Sugrue (Kieron Moore), who reminded me a lot of Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, just as Darby is like a more respected version of Maurice. After his job is handed off to a younger man (Sean Connery, so young he barely looks or sounds like the Connery I know), Darby has another run-in with the king of the leprechauns Brian Connors (Jimmy O’Dea) and finagles three wishes that might not turn out as he’d hoped.

Darby O’Gill and the Little People has a lot of the charm of other Disney movies from that era, just with a healthy Irish zest that makes you want to dance a jig and crave shepherd’s pie. At times, the Irish brogues are a little thick to fully understand without subtitles, but for the most part, it adds to the authenticity, as does the music, which consists only of a sweet little ballad and an epic but slightly overlong fiddle dance. The special effects, for the most part, are also well-done, consisting mostly of shrinking the leprechauns to be only as tall as Darby’s knees, a visual trick that reminded me of the miniaturized hobbits in The Lord of the Rings. Also effective is the more dated creation of a ghostly banshee and death-coach-driving dullahan; Disney movies have their fair share of nightmare fuel, but I can easily see one scene in particular terrifying the very young.

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Most people may not have seen or even heard of Darby O’Gill and the Little People, but that’s a bit of a shame. Where else can you get to see Sean Connery croon about his sweetheart? I especially liked the good-natured rivalry between Darby and Brian and the twist at the end that builds nicely on what came before and rounds it out for a satisfying end. If it were a modern movie, I’d say that Darby O’Gill doesn’t quite do enough with its fanciful concept, perhaps because the special effects could be better utilized, but as an Irish jaunt from yesteryear, it’s an underrated Disney classic that may well have earned placement on my List if I’d seen it as a kid.

Best line: (Darby, of his daughter Katie) “She should be the caretaker. She’s got a tongue would clip a hedge.”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2017 S.G. Liput
506 Followers and Counting

The Lego Batman Movie (2017)

27 Sunday Aug 2017

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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(Since Lego Batman describes himself as a “heavy metal rapping machine,” I wrote this so it’s rappable. Have fun!)

When Gotham City’s threatened by the Clown Prince of Crime
And it needs a Dark Knight to save it in the nick of time,
Who you gonna call? Not a boy scout with an S,
Or a greenie with a ring or a guy who’s all wet
(Although Wonder Woman’s cool and she could maybe work, I guess),
But there’s only one hero who looks great in silhouette!

You know his name and signal, and you know he’s gonna come
Whether rogues are plotting something that’s ingenious or dumb.
Who you gonna call? Not the fastest man alive,
Or a silly bunch of villains who do not know wrong from right.
No, you need BATMAN for your franchise to thrive,
‘Cause there’s only one hero who looks cooler at night!
_______________________

MPAA rating: PG

Everybody loves Batman. Seriously, the amount of Batman love among my coworkers alone is staggering. They can enjoy Marvel movies and complain about DC, as I do, but when it comes to Batman himself, he’s always the best. I’m not quite as big a fan, so you can imagine the nerd debates we engage in. And after years of increasingly dark movies to his name, along comes The Lego Batman Movie to widen an already huge fan base, because who doesn’t love Batman humor? There’s certainly no shortage of humor in this follow-up to The Lego Movie, a film whose unexpected popularity already ensured loads of good will toward its manic superhero spin-off. As good as The Lego Movie was (and most loved it more than I), I think I enjoyed The Lego Batman Movie just a smidgen more, thanks to its irreverent parody of everyone else’s favorite superhero.

Reprising his role from The Lego Movie, Will Arnett is the same self-absorbed Batman as before, writing his own theme songs and beating bad guys while generally reveling in his own awesomeness. When he’s alone in his Batcave, though, his life of solitude is starting to get lonely, as evidenced by all the weepy romantic comedies he watches regularly (and laughs at). After the Joker (Zach Galifianakis) is offended at not being considered Batman’s #1 archenemy, his plan to win Batman’s attention forces Batman to reconsider his loner attitude, maybe with the help of Dick Grayson (Michael Cera) and new commissioner Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson).

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As with The Lego Movie, the jokes come at a breakneck pace, with so many to react to that a rewatch is in order just to catch them all. Because of the constant gags, there’s always something to tickle your funny bone, whether it be the more ridiculous members of Batman’s rogues gallery (most played by barely used famous names) or Robin’s gung-ho geekiness or the callbacks to past Batman movies. Honestly, the denseness that keeps several people from deducing Batman’s identity, despite obvious evidence, made me think of similar stupidity surrounding Perry the Platypus in Phineas and Ferb. I do think they could have poked fun at DC’s current line-up a little more; for example, when Superman is interviewed about banishing Zod to the Phantom Zone, I would have loved it if he’d said something like, “Of course, I banished him. It’s not like I’m going to snap his neck or anything like that.” There is a nice subtle dig at Suicide Squad, though.

While The Lego Batman Movie doesn’t reference The Lego Movie or pay as much attention to keeping its Lego creations recreatable, it’s still very much Lego-inspired, with a climax that could only happen with Lego characters. Plus, despite not reeling about the multiverse like its predecessor, plenty of non-Batman characters pop up as the Joker musters the worst villains from other franchises to help him conquer Gotham. Honestly, seeing the likes of Sauron and the Kraken battling DC characters was my favorite nerdy pleasure to be had.

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The Lego Batman Movie is made for Batman fans by Batman fans, so certain jokes may fly over the heads of those with only a cursory knowledge of the Caped Crusader. Yet, though I enjoyed it and found the animation well-done and creative, there’s something about its frenetic, blocky appearance that hurts my eyes looking at it for too long. There’s just so much detail that it’s hard to keep up. Even so, Batman’s growth as a hero made The Lego Batman Movie better than just a mere string of jokes, and the near-constant humor left little time to be bored or disappointed. Like its forerunner, it’s not quite as funny as it thinks it is, but it’s consistently funny and self-aware enough to please Batman fans everywhere… and maybe recruit a few new ones too. After all, he’s Batman.

Best line: (Alfred, to Batman, with accompanying flashback images) “Sir, if you don’t mind my saying, I’m a little concerned. I’ve seen you go through similar phases in 2016 and 2012 and 2008 and 2005 and 1997 and 1995 and 1992 and 1989 and that weird one in 1966. Do you want to talk about how you’re feeling right now?”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2017 S.G. Liput
506 Followers and Counting

 

Opinion Battles Round 16 Favourite Musical Film

25 Friday Aug 2017

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Don’t forget to vote for your favorite movie musical in Round 16 of Opinion Battles! I just had to pick The Sound of Music, a classic among classics. When it comes to musicals, it doesn’t get much better, but there are plenty of other good ones to choose from as well.

Unknown's avatarMovie Reviews 101

Opinion Battles Round 16

Favourite Musical Film

Musicals have always left the audience split, we have seen plenty of different types of musical that enter into other genres, we’ve had high school, gangsters, love stories and horror as well as the big one from the 2017 Oscars. The question remains what is your favourite Musical?

If you want to join the next round of Opinion Battles we will be take on What is your Favourite Alfred Hitchcock Movie, to enter email your choice to moviereviews101@yahoo.co.ukby Saturday 18th August 2017.

Darren – Movie Reviews 101

La La Land

Yeah, I am still going to pick this film even with all the hate it seems to be getting now, it tells a wonderful love story that shows us just the correct amount of love as it isn’t all about the happy ending but those happy moments. The songs are great…

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Miss Congeniality (2000)

23 Wednesday Aug 2017

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There they all are! What beauty, what grace!
Behold the ideals of the whole human race!
They glide in their gowns and impress in each dress;
And every last round,
Swim-suited or gowned,
Is known to cause men’s hearts to beat in excess.

Some of you watching may think this all vain,
So snobbish and shallow it can’t entertain.
To all of those women so quick to complain,
You might as well tell us
You simply are jealous.
Why don’t you try wearing high heels while you reign?
___________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

I like Sandra Bullock. In fact, I have yet to find a role I haven’t liked of hers, from her Oscar-winning turn in The Blind Side to her classic action heroine in Speed. Miss Congeniality may be one of her older and more known movies, but I just now caught up with it, and yep, she’s darn likable here too, finding her humorous stride as a tomboy FBI agent pressed into the sickeningly glamorous world of beauty contests. It’s not exactly a comedy for the ages, but it’s easily enjoyed.

When tough-as-nails agent Gracie Hart is told she’s the FBI’s best option to infiltrate the terrorist-threatened Miss United States pageant (because apparently Miss America was already taken), she’s not exactly thrilled with the idea. To be quite honest, my opinion of beauty pageants has always been similar to hers, nothing but frou-frou exercises in vanity for the chronically gorgeous. Yet, in getting to know and trying to protect the other contestants, such as ditzy but earnest Miss Rhode Island (Heather Burns), she begins to recognize the more positive side of these competitions, view the other girls as people with their own hopes and dreams, and get a taste of the satisfaction that comes from advancing in such contests.

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Of course, the film also pokes fun at the shallow side of pageants, typified by Michael Caine’s gleefully haughty beauty coach who sees Gracie as a lost cause. By placing rough-and-ready Gracie into this world of glitter and swimsuits, we get plenty of fish-out-of-water moments where her less feminine behavior contrasts laughably with her surroundings. I loved her explanation for tackling an audience member during one of her performances. Miss Congeniality has a little mix of everything: absurd comedy, building romance with Gracie’s partner Eric (Benjamin Bratt); a mystery concerning who is behind the pageant threat, which plays out well even if the culprit’s motivations don’t make a lot of sense. In the end, Miss Congeniality isn’t amazing at any of these plot elements, but they mix well enough for an entertaining watch that coasts on its humor and its likable leading lady.

Best line: (Victor Melling, played by Caine, to Gracie) “If I’d ever had a daughter, I imagine she might have been something like you… which is perhaps why I’ve never reproduced.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2017 S.G. Liput
506 Followers and Counting

 

The Glenn Miller Story (1954)

20 Sunday Aug 2017

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(Best sung to “Little Brown Jug”)

Music once was full of brass;
Dance halls dripped with the sound of class.
Rock and roll had yet to grow,
But folks all knew Glenn Miller, though.

Ha, ha, ha, what a sound,
The kind to make Miller’s band renowned!
Ha, ha, ha, songs that stay,
The kind today’s elevators play!
__________________

MPAA rating: G

My mom has been urging me to check out more Jimmy Stewart movies lately, which I don’t mind since he’s one of my favorite actors, with a natural likability rivaling Tom Hanks. My latest exploration of his filmography is The Glenn Miller Story, which I hadn’t thought to see before because I didn’t know who Glenn Miller was. I’m sorry for my youthful ignorance now because it’s really an excellent role for Stewart and focuses on a style of music I rarely consider.

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For those like me who may recognize Glenn Miller’s name but don’t know who he was, he was a big band leader in the 1930s and ‘40s whose band’s famous recordings include “Moonlight Serenade,” “In the Mood,” and “Pennsylvania 6-5000.” I was familiar with almost all of these songs, especially “Little Brown Jug,” which I learned to play on piano as a kid, but because most of them don’t have lyrics, they’re typically relegated to background music, making them recognizable but not necessarily known. Yet before rock and roll got off the ground in the ‘50s, this jazzy orchestra music ruled the dance halls of America, and like Stewart’s Lindbergh biopic The Spirit of St. Louis, it was made at a time when people still remembered these pre-war events.

The film recounts Glenn’s early struggles, such as repeatedly pawning his trombone in between shows, and his eventual rise to stardom, always in search of “the sound” that would set his band apart. It also focuses on his romance with Helen Burger (June Allyson), whose initial wariness of Glenn’s rootless vocation melts into wholehearted support of his dream. Stewart is his usual lovable self, letting his charm overshadow his character’s frequent inconsiderate treatment of others, which is more out of preoccupation than malice. He also does a fine job pretending to play the trombone. Allyson, though, almost outshines him, bringing considerable warmth to the usual encouraging spouse role and making me like her as an actress even more than I already did from Good News. I was also surprised to see a young Harry Morgan of M*A*S*H fame, and an abundance of famous musicians who knew Miller cameo and perform, though due to that youthful ignorance I mentioned, I only recognized Louis Armstrong.

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What I especially liked about The Glenn Miller Story is that it didn’t fall into the problem I usually have with musical biopics. Most biographical films like this (think Ray, for instance) typically leave me with a more negative impression of its subject than I had before, exposing marital infidelity and drug use that taint their public image. It may be true, but it’s sad. Glenn Miller doesn’t do that, probably due to when it was made, instead depicting the music and romance of its title character without aiming to blemish his legacy. If I had a greater love for the big band style, this movie would easily make my list, but even if it just misses the cut, I greatly enjoyed its story and lead performances. My mom likes it even more, since she grew up with her parents listening to this kind of music, and it always puts a big, nostalgic smile on her face to hear it again. I feel bad now for putting off seeing it and not knowing of the talented Glenn Miller.

Best line: (Helen, several times) “Honestly!”  (I’ll think of this movie now every time I hear that.)

 

Rank: List Runner-Up (a very high one)

 

© 2017 S.G. Liput
506 Followers and Counting

 

The Founder (2016)

17 Thursday Aug 2017

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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The founders and dreamers and takers of risk
Are known for success
And their tirelessness
And refusal to heed the world’s stubborn “tsk, tsk.”

Yet no success came without stumbles and loss,
And when a dream bleeds,
It plants cynical seeds
Just waiting to sprout when the dreamer is boss.

When dreams do pay off and the struggle is won,
The dreamer may find,
As he glances behind,
Regret hanging over the great deeds he’s done.
___________________

MPAA rating:  PG-13 (for brief language, could otherwise be PG)

Based on its December release and strong central performance, The Founder was clearly aiming to be Oscar material, but even if that didn’t happen, it’s still a well-wrought peek into the history of an icon. McDonald’s is such a mainstay of American culture that it’s hard to imagine a time without those “Golden Arches” on every other corner, which is appropriately what Ray Kroc envisioned when he had the idea to revolutionize the food industry. Then again, did he revolutionize it or simply spread the change and reap the glory? The movie itself can’t quite decide on a definitive answer.

From the very beginning, it’s easy to sympathize with Kroc (Michael Keaton, in fine form), a washed-up milkshake machine salesman whose past attempts at scoring the next big thing have been nothing but fiascoes. After enduring the drawbacks of the drive-in (which I didn’t even know had such negatives back then), a visit to San Bernardino, California, introduces him to the very first McDonald’s, the immensely popular brainchild of Mac and Dick McDonald. It was strange watching Ray see fast-food conveniences that are commonplace today for the very first time, things like eating out of paper or receiving your order within minutes. It’s a reminder of just how game-changing the McDonald brothers’ idea was, and Ray recognizes its potential immediately and dives head first into his new goal of franchising the heck out of it.

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Because the title is The Founder and not The Founders, Ray’s eventual takeover of the company should come as no surprise. Yet, watching it with my VC, I was struck by how objectively the film presents Ray’s machinations and how differently my VC and I viewed his actions. We both empathized with Kroc’s early business failings and aspirations, especially when he convinces Dick and Mac to franchise and employs other down-and-out everymen like himself, giving them a chance that didn’t come as easily for him. It’s also hard to argue with his success, sprouting new McDonald’s locations throughout the Midwest, albeit with some bumps along the way.

Yet at some point, a line is crossed between admirable enterprise and predatory ambition, and it’s an ambiguous boundary that could be different for each viewer. I thought he was pushing a bit too far when he started going around Dick and Mac’s orders, frustrated at their constant negativity toward his big ideas. My VC, on the other hand, sympathized with Ray far longer and thought that the McDonalds were a little too naïve and standing in the way of expansion and profit, especially since they weren’t taking the risk Ray was. I can’t say she’s wrong since it comes down to how hard-hearted each of us thinks the world of business should be, though we both agree there’s still a point when Kroc’s cutthroat philosophy goes too far, even extending into his marriage and personal life. This dichotomy of runaway creative success and regrettable corporate backstabbing reminded me a lot of The Social Network, especially with its dubious but visionary real-life subject.

Image result for the founder filmDirected by The Blind Side’s John Lee Hancock, The Founder is an entertaining look at how a pioneering burger joint became an institution, made more unique by its moral ambivalence. Keaton excels as Kroc, with just the right amount of car salesman charisma to make him relatable and explain his marketing success, and the rest of the actors offer commendable support, especially Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch as Dick and Mac, respectively. It does make me wonder how the current McDonald’s Corporation felt about the film, since it doesn’t steer away from the ruthlessness of its self-proclaimed founder. The Founder is both a success story and a tale of loss, one that charted a new course for the restaurant industry and properly records what was lost along the way.

Best line: (Ray, quoting a motivational recording he listened to) “Nothing in this world can take the place of good old persistence. Talent won’t. Nothing’s more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius won’t. Unrecognized genius is practically a cliché. Education won’t. Why, the world is full of educated fools. Persistence and determination alone are all-powerful.”

 

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2017 S.G. Liput
505 Followers and Counting

 

My Top Twelve Underrated Movies

13 Sunday Aug 2017

Posted by in Movies, Writing

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After potentially ticking people off with my opinions on overrated movies, I thought I’d make it up to everyone by suggesting some perhaps unfamiliar films that deserve greater attention. I’m sure everyone out there has some obscure movies that they love and wish more people knew about. You know, the kind that you watch and then really want to talk about with others until you find out no one else has seen or even heard of it. Well, I’ve seen quite a few such films since starting this blog, and I want to give these criminally underseen films their due.

Just to clarify, these are not simply movies that got bad reviews. In fact, two of them have 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. With one exception, neither are these just movies that I like and others don’t; that kind of list would have to include Brother Bear, Spider-Man 3, and the Star Wars prequels. Rather, these are all movies that, for whatever reason, are not as widely known as they ought to be. You might also call it my Top Twelve Hidden Gems. To avoid listing my same old favorites, I’ve also chosen to exclude anything that’s in my Top 100 movies, so that leaves out the likes of Elizabethtown, Saints and Soldiers, and 84 Charing Cross Road. Their placement on that list already shows how I feel about them, but these other movies deserve mention too.

These aren’t even necessarily ranked by how much I like them, but by how much I think they deserve better recognition.  Thus, here are my Top Twelve Underrated Movies:

 

  1. Wrinkles (2011)

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This animated Spanish film was a pleasant surprise, tackling sensitive topics like aging and mental illness with a deft hand and compassionate attention to its characters. I’ve often mentioned that I enjoy mature animation that doesn’t wallow in mature subject matter, which is rare outside of anime, and Wrinkles fit that preference perfectly.

 

  1. Ink (2009)

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Someone get Jamin Winans a bigger budget. For a clearly low-budget production, there’s a lot going on in his cult film Ink: a battle between good and evil, dreams and nightmares; a long-nosed monster trying to steal a little girl’s soul; a distant father’s nearly broken relationship with his young daughter; and a strange and profound reflection on life, death, and regret. I’m still not quite sure what to make of this under-the-radar fantasy, but it’s definitely worth seeing, as evidenced by the 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. I’ll also mention Wynan’s next film, The Frame, which is also good but a bit too existential for me. Neither one is kid-friendly, due to language, but they’re a unique brand of filmmaking.

 

  1. Harrison Bergeron (1995)

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This Showtime movie from the ‘90s may not be well-known among dystopian cinema, but it should be. It stars Sean Astin as a young genius whose intellect is a source of shame in his egalitarian society where no one is allowed to be better than anyone else. At times, the extremes of this dystopia come off as laughably absurd, but it gets darker as it goes, with a hauntingly sad conclusion.

 

  1. Dominick and Eugene (1988)

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We’ve all heard of Rain Man, but what about the other movie that year about a pair of brothers, one of whom is mentally handicapped? While it has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, Dominick and Eugene suffers from the sad fact that no one remembers it. I only happened to catch it on an obscure movie channel. Though it’s already distinguished by outstanding performances from Ray Liotta and Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Hulce should have earned an Oscar nomination (not just a Golden Globe nod) for his performance as a mentally impaired garbageman helping his twin brother to work through medical school.

 

  1. Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)

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Everyone seemed to love Your Name last year, but I knew of Makoto Shinkai’s talents before that, thanks to this gorgeously animated adventure (also known as Journey to Agartha) that is every bit as magical as a Studio Ghibli film and feels very much like a tribute to Miyazaki’s fantasies. Following a schoolgirl’s journey into the mystical underground realm of Agartha, accompanied by an obsessed member of a secret organization, it’s a subtly emotional story of learning to say goodbye, even when the grief threatens to destroy you and others. As marvelous as Your Name is, this one holds an even more special place in my heart.

 

  1. Counterpoint (1967)

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The obscure nature of this Charlton Heston war film may make you think it’s a dud, but not so. In fact, I’d say Counterpoint is among Heston’s best films, casting him as the head of a touring orchestra whose entire ensemble is captured by Nazis during the close of World War II. A cultured Nazi general (Maximilian Schell) confines them to a castle and insists they play a recital for him, and what is to follow is threateningly vague. It’s a great battle of wills and egos between Heston and Schell, highlighted by an excellent collection of classical music.

 

  1. Hidden (2015)

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I’m not even sure where I first heard of this horror gem, but I’m glad I discovered it. After an outbreak of some disease, a family hides in an underground bunker from whatever lurks above them. Alexander Skarsgard and Andrea Riseborough play two wonderful parents, trying to encourage their daughter (Emily Alyn Lind) and keep her spirits up in this frightening situation. The family dynamic helped me care about the characters and made the tense moments all the more potent.

 

  1. Waterworld (1995)

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Don’t let Waterworld’s reputation as a notorious bomb deter you. It’s actually a surprisingly entertaining actioner, one with quite a bit in common with Mad Max: Fury Road, just with water instead of desert. I’m not really sure why it’s earned such a bad reputation. The acting may be over-the-top at times but no more than Mad Max, and the expansive maritime setting is still impressive proof of the film’s ambition.

 

  1. Surrogates (2009)

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I seem to be more forgiving of sci-fi than the critics. Another piece of good science fiction that somehow suffered from bad reviews, Surrogates is about a warily plausible world where people only interact with the world through robotic lookalikes. Bruce Willis investigates a rare instance of murder and is reminded just how sheltered the people of this dystopia have become. Most critics said it squandered a great premise, but I think it succeeded as both cool action and thought-provoking fiction.

 

  1. Shuffle (2011)

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Another low-budget movie that transcends its limitations with a brilliantly original story, this time-travel flick from writer/director Kurt Kuenne doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page! T.J. Thyne plays a man who jumps to a different day of his life every time he falls asleep, which is often, and the threads of his life are gradually revealed with every leap in time. Some say it gets too sentimental by the end, but Shuffle didn’t disappoint me at all.

 

  1. King of Thorn (2010)

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I have never seen this anime on a single list anywhere. It’s mostly unknown even in anime circles, which is a crying shame. When a collection of people awaken from stasis after a worldwide epidemic of a virus that turns people to stone, they are thrust into a fight for their lives against monsters and reality-bending dangers. This thrilling and atmospheric blend of Aliens, Inception, and Lost has loads of unguessable twists and turns to elevate its survival-horror premise. It can be violent and confusing, but it’s also awesome and vastly underrated.

 

  1. Cloud Atlas (2012)

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I debated what should be #1, since any of these could have been ranked higher, but Cloud Atlas won the day. This is a movie that could have won Oscars, perhaps Best Score, Best Makeup, and maybe even Best Picture, if the Academy had been a bit more adventurous. Covering six distinct stories separated by centuries yet somehow linked by cosmic connections, Cloud Atlas is a wildly ambitious film with an incredible cast, all of whom play multiple, very different roles. It’s also a polarizing story, and I can easily see people walking away either mind-blown or just confused and exasperated. It’s long, strange in its shifts in tone, and full of New Age-y  nonsense, but there’s so much to appreciate and take in that it’s an amazing ride worth taking all the same.

 

 

And here are some other films that deserve more awareness. If you haven’t seen these movies, I highly recommend widening those horizons.

 

About Time – Fantastic time travel romance with Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams.

Bright Star – Quietly poetic biopic of John Keats.

Cannery Row – Fun and funny Steinbeck adaptation.

Flightplan – A tense Jodie Foster thriller about a mother whose daughter disappears on a plane.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir – Excellent supernatural romance with Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison.

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In Time – Brilliant dystopian premise of the time of one’s lifespan becoming currency.

In Your Eyes – Peculiar romance between two people who see through each other’s eyes.

Labyrinth of Lies – This German film about remembering Nazi war crimes should have been a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee.

Lunopolis – Conspiracy-filled found-footage sci-fi with a great twist.

The Man Who Never Was – Historical story of how a dead man helped win World War II.

Millennium Actress – Uniquely told anime of an actress seeking the unattainable.

The One I Love – A relationship movie with a Twilight Zone twist.

The Quick and the Dead (1987) – Engaging western with Sam Elliot at his mustached best.

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Rabbit Hole – Affecting tale of parental grief every bit as emotional as Ordinary People.

Regarding Henry – Harrison Ford’s most underrated performance as a mentally damaged husband.

Right at Your Door – Terrifyingly real and down-to-earth disaster movie.

Secondhand Lions – Anecdotal charmer with great support from Michael Caine and Robert Duvall.

Sophie Scholl – The Final Days – Well-acted German tribute to an anti-Nazi martyr.

Strings – Very unique fantasy told completely with marionettes.

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Time of Eve – Understated anime about androids discovering their humanity.

Tomorrowland – I actually found this Disney bomb to be a surprisingly fun ride.

The Way Back – Emotional journey of escapees from a Russian gulag, who walk all the way to India.

Woman in Gold – Strong performances from Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds in this tale of reclaiming art stolen by the Nazis.

 

Thanks for checking out these lists to celebrate my 500 follower milestone. Many more poems, reviews, and lists will come, and I hope to discover many more underrated movies in the future. Feel free to leave any suggestions below. I’m always on the lookout for more hidden gems!