Category Archives: NaPoWriMo

Cabin in the Sky (1943)

08 Friday Apr 2016

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(I decided to forgo today’s NaPoWriMo prompt about flowers, because really, how many movies about flowers are there? At least one of the characters in this random choice is named Petunia.)

 

When your mind is debating on whether or not
You should go for that third piece of pie,
Or whether you’re better off tying the knot
With a sinner or saint worth a try,
You may not be able to see who is there
As they whisper advice you might take,
But angels and devils are rapt in midair,
Intent on your every mistake.

So next time you manage to fend off temptation
And choose to obey that red light,
Or when you hold in your off-color frustration
At stubbing your toe late at night,
Just know that, although you may not hear a sound,
Your good choices made someone upset,
And that someone is probably pounding the ground,
Because you just lost him a bet.
_________________

MPAA rating: might as well be G

One day not long ago, I decided to just watch this random old movie for no other reason than it was there. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, Cabin in the Sky is a notable film due to its entirely African-American cast, which was unheard-of back in 1943, and it surprised many by performing well with white audiences too, perhaps because the vices, virtues, and caricatures on display are not exclusively black.

Little Joe (Eddie “Rochester” Anderson) can’t seem to shake his gambling addiction, despite the insistence of his religious wife Petunia (excellent Ethel Waters, who reprised her role from the play from which the film was adapted). After his bad habit ends up killing him, Little Joe is confronted by demons eager to take him to hell, but his wife’s prayers earn him a temporary second chance to straighten out his life. Aside from the fact that the plot seems to have inspired a memorable Tom and Jerry cartoon (“Heavenly Puss” if I’m not mistaken), it was a rather fun dynamic watching literal versions of a shoulder angel and devil pulling the characters in different directions. Once Little Joe returns to life, he doesn’t remember or see the spirits, and watching the spiritual enemies vying for him to make right or wrong choices is like a lighthearted version of The Screwtape Letters.

Where Cabin in the Sky falls is in its status as a musical. A musical number is supposed to enhance emotions or be generally enjoyable, but the few songs here just drag the pace to an unnecessary standstill. “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe” is the only one worth hearing and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Song, but the rest are wholly forgettable, with one wince-inducing number confirming that Eddie Anderson’s scratchy voice was not meant for singing. Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong have small roles, but it was odd that Armstrong never even got to sing.

The music aside, Cabin in the Sky is a reasonably charming old movie with good work from its black cast, including Lena Horne as Little Joe’s worst temptation. If you’re looking for a random movie to watch, you could do worse.

Best line: (Georgia, played by Horne) “I’m just speaking my mind.”   (Petunia) “And I ain’t heard nothing yet.”

 

Rank: Honorable Mention

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput

376 Followers and Counting

 

Coraline (2009)

07 Thursday Apr 2016

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(Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt was a tritina, which has three set words to end each line in a pattern of ABC, CAB, BCA, and a final line with all three words in it. I decided to use the form for a creepy effect.)

 

Hark to the promise of pleasure and play.
Heed all the whispers that bid you come in.
Enter and leave your old world at the door.

Rest and don’t fret at the slow-closing door.
We’re glad that you had a good reason to play.
It’s been quite a while since a human came in.

I told you, don’t worry about the way in,
Or out for that matter; I’ve hidden the door.
It’s time that we all wear a smile and play.

I’m so glad the door brought in someone to play.
___________________

MPAA rating: PG

While I enjoy various kinds of animation, stop-motion isn’t my favorite. I love Chicken Run, but I’m less dazzled by the more macabre usages of this kind of puppetry, like The Nightmare before Christmas. That being said, stop-motion does lend itself to an unnatural movement perfect for creepiness, and Coraline utilizes this uncanny quality judiciously. From the first masterful shots of needle-composed fingers sewing up a little girl’s doll, it’s clear that experts of both animation and spookiness have put their craft on display.

Based on Neil Gaiman’s novel and with a Roald Dahl sensibility, Coraline first applies its technical finesse to the real world, as Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning) and her parents move into a ramshackle apartment building. Coraline explores the neglected gardens and meets the eccentric neighbors and ultimately becomes bored and disgruntled at her surroundings. Then she finds a mysterious door which leads to an alternate universe where everything dull and mundane in the old world is bright and colorful and fun. Her Other Mother (Teri Hatcher) and Other Father are everything she wishes her parents could be, except they have buttons for eyes, and she has second thoughts when they want to sew buttons on her eyes.

Coraline cleverly manifests how a dream can so easily segue into a nightmare. Everything is fun and innocent at first (although some cartoon nudity goes a bit far), but as soon as Coraline becomes wise to her Other Mother’s sinister plans, the wondrous quickly turns monstrous. This disquieting wonderland is a perfect outlet for the animation, and many of the stunts and deft camerawork make one wonder how the filmmakers accomplished so much fluidity within the confines of tiny detailed models.

Perhaps because Tim Burton wasn’t involved, Coraline’s dark fantasy won me over, making it probably my favorite of the creepy genre of stop-motion animation. Some of the characters are still unnecessarily weird for my taste, but the central adventure has a winning blend of awe and fright that will make children think twice about too-good-to-be-true reveries.

Best line: (Other Mother, to Coraline) “They say even the proudest spirit can be broken…with love.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput

375 Followers and Counting

 

The Last Sin Eater (2007)

06 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by in Christian, Movies, NaPoWriMo, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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(Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt was to write a poem about food. I had to stretch the topic a bit, but here it applies to a ritualistic meal.)

 

In olden days, when Death dropped by
To whisk away a willing soul,
The folk believed that sin’s control
Still clung to what was left.
And so one chosen with a sigh
Was tasked with eating bread and wine
That represented as a sign
The dead one’s every lie and theft.

How heavy was this obligation,
Living only for the dead!
The taste of wine and sin-soaked bread
Lay bitter on the tongue.
This ritual owed its foundation
To the oldest of traditions,
But the cure for superstitions
Lay in faith held by the young.
_________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

My VC has grown extremely fond of the works of Francine Rivers, a best-selling Christian author whose one hit to garner a film adaptation is The Last Sin Eater. One of the weaknesses of Christian films is that the evangelical message is often the only reason it exists, at the expense of a worthwhile story. Luckily, The Last Sin Eater, directed by Michael Landon, Jr., has a good story. Focusing on an obscure but fascinating 19th-century tradition of some Celtic immigrants of Appalachia, the film paints a compelling tale of guilt amid a rural community with a surprisingly dark secret.

Young Cadi Forbes (Liana Liberato) is overcome with guilt for the death of her sister and seeks out the village’s reclusive Sin Eater to take away her iniquity. The Sin Eater dresses in a black robe and is treated like the boogeyman of a horror movie, even though he’s merely a victim of an alienating tradition. When Cadi meets a man of God (a grown-up Henry Thomas from E.T.), she becomes dubious of the necessity of a sin eater in light of someone named Jesus. This Christian element is key to the story’s resolution, but the core mystery remains separate and interesting.

While the acting isn’t always entirely convincing, Liberato is an earnest Cadi, and Henry Thomas and Louise Fletcher add some star power to an otherwise lesser-known cast. The woodland cinematography is also charmingly picturesque and a step above other low-budget films, even if the special effects aren’t. While it may please mainly faith-based audiences, The Last Sin Eater is a quaint and positive tale of redemption which, according to my VC, is not quite as good as the book.

 

Rank: Honorable Mention

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput

373 Followers and Counting

 

Z for Zachariah (2015)

05 Tuesday Apr 2016

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

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(Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt was to write a poem inspired by an unusually named fruit or vegetable, and…I got nothing, at least as far as movies. So here’s a poem that mentions fruit.)

 

When Adam and Eve in the garden dwelt,
They had no sin to tempt their heart,
But even after the fruit was dealt,
One kind of vice had yet to start.

For jealousy to turn one green,
Another man must bear his glare,
And envy chanced to grow between
The sons of Adam, heir to heir.

As soon as two men shared the earth,
One’s jealousy did thin the herd,
And every day as more give birth,
More envy burgeons undeterred.
____________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

Post-apocalyptic stories are all the rage these days, as are films about isolation (Moon, The Martian, Room). Based loosely off a 1974 novel, Z for Zachariah combines these two trends into a slow but intriguing drama. After some unspecified nuclear disaster, Ann Burden (Margot Robbie) occupies a rare safe zone, where her family’s farm is protected by the natural valley. Into this valley comes John Loomis (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a scientist dependent till now on a radiation suit. Their relationship is respectful but restrained, since they both know that they would never be attracted if not for these dire circumstances. Despite their differences, such as their religious views, they seem to understand that a man and a woman alone will most likely go the way of Adam and Eve. However, potential bliss is hindered by the arrival of another survivor named Caleb (Chris Pine).

Z for Zachariah makes the most of its triad cast, with all three delivering excellent performances. The setting is also beyond reproach, with the briefly seen nuclear ruins outside the valley contrasting starkly with the lush greenery of Ann’s home. Where the film could easily lose viewers is in the pacing. On the one hand, the film’s leisurely pace is building up the bond between the characters and how it’s tested. On the other hand, you may be too bored to really care. I liked how the ending was a bit ambiguous, leaving room for some hope of a different outcome from the obvious. Strengthened mainly by its trio of fine actors, Z for Zachariah is a surprisingly restrained post-apocalyptic fable that illustrates how even the smallest of communities can turn “Adam and Eve” into “Cain and Abel.”

 

Rank: Honorable Mention

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput

373 Followers and Counting

 

Labor Day (2013)

04 Monday Apr 2016

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

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(Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt was to describe “the cruelest month.” While I wouldn’t go as far as cruel, I applied it to the month of a certain fateful holiday.)

 

Of all the months throughout the year,
September haunts my soul.
The summer wanes; its dying pains
Serenely take their toll.

The children mourn that school awaits
And wish that time would freeze.
It never does; so says the buzz
Of insects in the trees.

When Labor Day arrives once more
And time begins to slow,
My mind returns and softly yearns
For that time years ago—

When he was in my mother’s house
And shared his every skill
Till Labor Day was snatched away
And trembling hearts were still.

As long as we are incomplete,
September days are dim.
The luster waits to gild those dates
Until we welcome him.
___________________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

Labor Day is the most romantic movie you’ll ever see about an escaped murderer taking a mother and son hostage. What sounds like a horror movie set-up becomes heartfelt and touching instead. Frank Chambers (Josh Brolin) gives his keepers the slip and hitches a ride home with Adele (Kate Winslet) and her adolescent son Henry (Gattlin Griffith). Instead of threatening them in the basement or the like, Frank instead fixes doors and pipes, changes tires, and bakes pies, and when he ties up Adele strictly for show and then cooks for her and spoon-feeds her, it’s almost surreal. Quickly, it becomes clear that Frank is not dangerous, and Adele’s fragile need for intimacy becomes one more trouble Frank can fix. Of course, he’s a wanted man, and the police are closing in.

Labor Day excels in its warm atmosphere. The radiant summer and subtle quietude brought to mind the tone of some of Studio Ghibli’s calm films, and I could believe how a three-day weekend could have felt much longer to the characters. I did also like the thoughtful details, like hearing a snippet of a Jerry Lewis telethon that used to air every Labor Day weekend. Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin are darn near perfect and have instant chemistry together, although their relationship transitions from dubious to surreal to madly in love a bit too easily. By the end, the film could have become one of those bittersweet tearjerkers that tear me up inside (like Somewhere in Time), but it wasn’t quite involving enough to trigger the waterworks. I’m unsure why, but it was still a poignant romance/coming-of-age tale that touches the heart in all the right ways.

Best line: (Henry) “I don’t think losing my father broke my mother’s heart, but rather losing love itself.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput

373 Followers and Counting

 

Fanboys (2009)

03 Sunday Apr 2016

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(Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt was for a fan letter, and I knew just the film.)

 

Dear Mr. Lucas,
I thought I would write you a letter to say
That my miserable life was fulfilled on the day
That I first saw that brilliant creation of yours:
That glorious franchise you christened Star Wars.

I know every line, every creature and place.
I can name every extra-terrestrial face.
I love Figrin D’an, who played in Mos Eisley,
And ol’ Ponda Baba, who didn’t choose wisely,
And Porkins and Bossk and Salacious B. Crumb.
I know them all more than I know my own thumb.

In details and lore, I am masterfully versed,
And though you deny, I know Solo shot first.
I know set design secrets and last-minute edits
And every last name that goes by in the credits.
I quote every movie by heart easily;
I even like Episodes I, II, and III.

You must see that I am a passionate fan
Of the greatest of tales in the annals of man.
The Force is with me, as I know it’s with you,
So I ask only one little favor to do.
Would you cancel that order, as if I’m a threat,
That needlessly dictates how close I can get?
______________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

I’m not quite as big a Star Wars fan as the poem indicates, but I love it enough to enjoy a good comedy about it. Fanboys isn’t it. What could have been an enjoyable road movie poking fun at obsessive fan bases turned out to be a crude and unflattering dud.

When four sophomoric fans learn that one of their own will die of cancer before the release of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, they decide to travel to Skywalker Ranch and steal a copy of the film. Some of the jokes aimed at Star Wars are actually funny, but the rest languish in awkward silliness. Should I laugh at an Ewok humping someone’s leg? One running gag is the feud between fans of Star Wars and Star Trek, which is ramped up to ridiculous levels. (I’ve never really understood the rivalry there, since I like both franchises.) Ultimately, the best thing about Fanboys is some unexpected cameos.

Aside from much of the film just not being funny, its treatment of fans is actually rather insulting. The group of friends includes mostly immature nerds of the type who have no experience with the opposite gender. Their pathetic antics are rather desperate, and eventually fanboys are literally equated with sex-starved bums. Weren’t the filmmakers actually targeting Star Wars fans as their audience? I’m sure they didn’t mean all fans are like that, but the characterization remains. Fanboys has a decent concept but poor execution, so for a good fan-related comedy, watch Galaxy Quest instead.

Best line: (Zoe, as someone is talking to George Lucas on the phone) “I can hear his beard!”

 

Rank: Dishonorable Mention

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput

373 Followers and Counting

 

The Piano Lesson (1995)

02 Saturday Apr 2016

Posted by in Movies, NaPoWriMo, Poetry, Reviews, TV, Writing

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(Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt was to involve a family portrait. I went a little unorthodox and saw a movie heirloom as a different kind of portrait.)

 

Photographs fade with the passing of time.
Families usually settle for that.
But one family has a sturdier portrait:
A weathered piano where fathers have sat.

One gifted forefather made art from the wood
And carved images of his daughter and wife
And kept right on carving as long as he could,
Remembering many a long-faded life.

There that piano sits, solid as ever.
The faces hewn into its surface still stare,
And when someone plays on those ivory keys,
The faces almost seem to whisper a prayer.

Now some fail to see that piano as more
Than a heavy old relic with stale memories,
But portraits, pianos, and relics can store
Significance only their family sees.
____________________

MPAA rating: PG

The Piano Lesson is a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie adapted from the all-black Broadway play by August Wilson. Several of the actors from the play grace the screen as well, including Charles S. Dutton and Carl Gordon (who also co-starred on the ‘90s TV show Roc). Dutton plays Boy Willie, who visits his sister Berniece (Alfre Woodard) in Pittsburgh in order to sell her antique piano for land.

What The Piano Lesson has is a debate-worthy dilemma of the best kind. As I described in the poem, the piano is carved with images of their ancestors, dating back to slavery, the kind of keepsake that Berniece could never imagine parting with. Yet Boy Willie views its worth in monetary terms: if he can sell it (and the truckful of watermelons he brought along), he can return to the South and buy the very land their ancestors once worked as slaves. The piano is a gift, but is it one to be kept and admired, or used to benefit the family? Both Berniece and Boy Willie have good points, so who’s right?

The Piano Lesson is also a warm picture of African-Americans in the 1930s. At first glance, the politically correct might disapprove of the poor dialect and grammar spoken, names like Boy Willie or Wining Boy, or the sight of black people with watermelons. Yet August Wilson himself was black and included such elements for a reason. After all, Boy Willie is showing initiative and business savvy by selling the watermelons and seeks to keep on progressing away from slavery. Religion, superstition, and music are also elemental to the story, with an a cappella rendition of “Berta, Berta” being a highlight.

All of the actors give great performances, but the story itself doesn’t quite know how to resolve its provocative argument. The culmination of the dispute takes a supernatural turn that is not well visualized and ends up just confusing. Even so, I’m glad the playwright sided with my opinion on how the piano ought to be used. The Piano Lesson might have ended better, but it’s a thought-provoking portrait of African-American heritage.

 

Rank: Honorable Mention

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput

372 Followers and Counting

 

Broadcast News (1987)

01 Friday Apr 2016

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

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(Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt was for a lune, a haiku variant with a 5-3-5 syllable scheme, and I ended up stringing three together.)

 

What you see on screens
Is half of
What’s behind the scenes.

Each proud, polished face
On the news
Most fears their disgrace.

The best journalists
Never change
Truth as it exists.
________________________

MPAA rating: R (for language)

Broadcast News can be summed up in one word: professional. It’s a professionally created film about professionals. It’s also a good reminder that television news isn’t as simple as what we see, a few well-dressed anchors reading the headlines. There’s also toil and creativity and last-minute changes and sudden updates and delays and unbridled panic behind the scenes.

A love triangle forms our comprehensive tour of the news studio. Jane Craig (Holly Hunter) is an impassioned woman-on-the-edge producer and enjoys working with Aaron (Albert Brooks), whose encyclopedic knowledge and quick wit make him an ideal reporter. Then comes Tom Grunick (William Hurt) as a newly hired anchor who knows he’s unqualified but still presents well to the camera. Jane is first and foremost a career woman, but Tom attracts her even while testing her staunchly held opinions.

It’s prime acting across the board, with all three leads earning Oscar nominations, and Albert Brooks delivers some terrifically trenchant retorts. I also like how much is tested in the high-pressure news business – ethics, ambitions, competence, loyalty – and in believable, often amusing ways.

Broadcast News has plenty of strengths, but it couldn’t stick the landing. I suppose in trying to stand out from rom com clichés, the love triangle went in the one direction that leaves everyone unsatisfied. It’s an example of being unnecessarily sadder but wiser. What’s worse, as more time passes, I’ve come to realize just how forgettable the film overall is. With the exception of one funny epic fail scene, very little stands out in retrospect, which isn’t flattering for a Best Picture nominee. Broadcast News is as professional as the real TV news networks, but I’m unsure which I’d rather watch again. Probably the film; it’s less depressing.

Best line: (Aaron, to Jane) “I’ll meet you at the place near the thing where we went that time.”

 

Rank: Honorable Mention

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput

372 Followers and Counting

 

NaPoWriMo Begins!

31 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by in Movies, NaPoWriMo, Poetry, Writing

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Once again, April is about here, and it’s not just Jazz Appreciation Month or Mathematics Awareness Month. It’s National Poetry Writing Month, a.k.a. NaPoWriMo, and that means a challenge for poets to write a poem every day. My posts have gotten more and more infrequent lately, sometimes only two a week, but I’ll be doing just what I did last April. A poem a day means a movie review a day too, and that will help me catch up on some of the backlog of films I’ve seen but not reviewed. I’ve also noticed a few of my posts have been getting rather long, so I’ll be keeping these relatively short, which will help when I may not have much to say about some of them.

I may fall behind in my posts, but NaPoWriMo is supposed to be fun. The prompts for each day often test one’s creativity, and April’s the perfect month to celebrate poetry. Happy NaPoWriMo! 🙂

 

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 (2014)

30 Thursday Apr 2015

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In District 13, Katniss Everdeen waits,
Unsettled by District 12 citizens’ fates.
Deep under the ground with her saved family,
She worries for Peeta interminably.
Both Plutarch and resolute President Coin
Are eager for her to recover and join.
 
Insisting that Peeta be rescued someday,
Poor Katniss agrees to be their Mockingjay,
The hero for all districts, sure to inspire
The masses and light an unquenchable fire.
Since staged propaganda does not work as well,
She heads to the war zones to get mad as hell.
 
Her anger at Snow for the cruel devastation
Extends to the people who rise from privation.
Yet who should appear on the Capitol screens
But Peeta, denouncing the riotous scenes?
The boy’s brain seems washed, but he still tries to warn
The rebels of sudden barrages that morn.
 
When Capitol power is violently cut,
The rebels move in ere the window is shut.
The three captive tributes that Snow has been holding
Are surely a part of his scheme still unfolding.
Though Katniss is eager for Peeta’s return,
She’s shocked at the lesson Snow wants her to learn.
_________________
 

(Since this is the last day of NaPoWriMo, my reviews will probably be less frequent from now on, but I thought I’d go out on a more well-known film.)

This latest installment of the Hunger Games franchise wasn’t as well-received as its predecessors, and it does stand apart from those films in some crucial ways. For one thing, there are no actual Hunger Games, the televised blood sport that managed to thrill both the citizens of Panem and countless readers and viewers. Instead, the film chooses to focus on District 13 and its commissioning of everyone’s favorite grieving archer to lead the revolt against the Capitol and President Snow. They basically have her do what she’s done in the past: grieve for the fallen, land awesome arrow shots, and make rebellious statements against tyranny, just more forcefully than in the past and this time caught on camera. In this case, there’s quite a bit of Katniss grieving: for the decimated District 12, for Snow’s current victims, for her captive boyfriend Peeta (their love was real; who knew?), and the comparatively brief scenes of action and tension don’t exactly balance out her emotional turmoil. Every time Peeta came on screen and people either booed him or asked what Snow had done to him, I kept wondering why no one considered that he had been brainwashed. That seemed like the most obvious explanation. And of course, the film’s greatest weakness is the stigma of being Part 1, a film in which the first half of a relatively short book is dragged out and concluded on a far from satisfying note.

All that being said, Mockingjay — Part 1 is still an important piece of the franchise, however financially exploitative it may be. The events following Catching Fire are given greater emotional weight, and Jennifer Lawrence continues to project a compelling mix of strength, vulnerability, and concern for both friends and family. While it’s a bit jarring for her to go from fighting for survival to filming propaganda pieces, Katniss’s transition from tribute to freedom fighter feels well-earned and depicts the motivating power that revolutionary media can have on a volatile populace. The film’s best scene is the dam attack in which a haunting folk song (with lyrics drawn from Suzanne Collins’ book) is employed as an anthem of rebellion. “The Hanging Tree” is one of those unique aspects of this franchise that transcends the story itself (like the three-finger salute or that familiar whistle), and it stayed with this viewer much more than Lorde’s Globe-nominated “Yellow Flicker Beat.”

Thus, while it would have been better to film Mockingjay as one film, this one still has merit. We get to meet Julianne Moore as District 13’s President Coin and see more of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee. The few moments of tension certainly are thrilling, and that twist at the end surely took everyone who hadn’t read the books by surprise (even if that’s just me and five other people). While much of the film does feel unnecessarily prolonged, such as Katniss’s repetitive calls to Snow at the climax, I for one was still glad to spend more time with this story and these characters. Plus, the film fulfilled its main purpose; I’ll be there with countless others to see Part 2 this November.

By the way, here’s a musical version for those of you who could use a laugh. This is just one of three hilarious parody videos, all of which are well worth seeing. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am1tzttZ8Pc

Best line: (Effie Trinket, who apparently wasn’t much in the third book) “They’ll either want to kill you, kiss you, or be you.”

 
Rank: List-Worthy (joining the other two as one series)
 

© 2015 S. G. Liput

302 Followers and Counting