Category Archives: Reviews

#32: Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

25 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

When Miss Daisy’s car comes alive
And threatens her day to deprive,
Her son Boolie hires
The man she requires,
A black man named Hoke, who will drive.
 
Miss Daisy is opinionated
And wants things exactly as stated,
A faithful old Jew
Who resists what is new
And often leaves poor Hoke berated.
 
At last, she concedes to his aid,
For which Boolie sees he is paid.
As years pass away,
Hoke escorts her each day,
Ensuring that she is conveyed. 
 
Despite her pretentious reproach,
She bonds with the guide of her coach,
Who drives her about
And attempts to help out,
When old age and hatred encroach.
 
Her years leave Miss Daisy ablur,
And though Hoke no longer drives her,
He stays to attend
As her dearest best friend:
The old woman and her chauffeur.
_______________
 

Despite having several potentially Christmas-y films nearby on the list, none actually fell on December 25. Oh, well. Regardless, Driving Miss Daisy is a Triple A film (All About the Acting, though the AAA abbreviation is funny considering all the driving) if ever there was one, relying entirely on the amazing performances of Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman. Adapted from Alfred Uhry’s Off-Broadway play, the film retains Freeman from the original stage production and carries the same quiet, character-driven style and geriatric spotlight of another Triple A play adaptation On Golden Pond.

Jessica Tandy was 81 when she became the oldest Oscar winner, thanks to her portrayal of the uppity Miss Daisy, the kind of inflexible old woman who blames accidents on the car, freaks out over a missing can of salmon because it’s hers, and enjoys a nice home with a lifelong servant while taking offense at being called rich. She’s the kind of person who would, quite frankly, drive me nuts, but Morgan Freeman is the ideal companion for her, friendly, unassuming, and patient as Job. Though he lost Best Actor to Daniel Day-Lewis for My Left Foot, I do wish he had won. His folksy longsuffering becomes more and more sweet, as it progresses from just another job to a lifetime commitment on which Miss Daisy clearly relies, even if she would hate to admit it. By the end, the audience feels like they know these two dissimilar people far better than one might expect from a plot synopsis, and the film ends on a bittersweet but not morbid note, as if the writer was also too fond of the characters to let either go.

Dan Aykroyd found his best dramatic role and only Oscar nomination as Miss Daisy’s son Boolie, and Hans Zimmer’s score deserved a nomination it didn’t receive. If I had to criticize, I do wish that the progression of time had been made clearer, perhaps with subtitles explaining what year it is rather than small details, like a radio in the background, which are easy to miss. While Oliver! was the last G-rated Best Picture, Driving Miss Daisy was the last to be rated PG (though The Artist could have been rated such). While some have said it didn’t deserve to win Best Picture, I consider its simple, nuanced approach to characterization and unlikely lifelong friendships to be more than worthy.

Best line: (Idella, Miss Daisy’s maid) “I’m goin’, Miss Daisy.”
(Miss Daisy, from upstairs) “All right, Idella. See you tomorrow.”
(Hoke) “I’m goin’ too, Miss Daisy.”
(Miss Daisy) “Good!”
 
VC’s best line: (Idella, who gets some great lines, to Hoke) “I wouldn’t be in your shoes if the Sweet Lord Jesus come down and asked me himself.”
 
 
Rank: 58 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

275 Followers and Counting

P.S. Merry Christmas to all you readers out there! And for those who enjoy sketch comedy and poetry adaptations, here’s something I came across on YouTube. Have a laugh!

#33: Oliver! (1968)

24 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , ,

(Best sung to “Reviewing the Situation”)
 
Young Oliver Twist is a boy,
Orphanage-bound, just a boy,
Who one day attempts to step out and to beg for some more,
But all he receives from adults are insults and the door.
 
Then departing his situation,
He decides to make his way to London town,
Find his fortune and salvation,
And is welcomed gladly rather than put down.
He falls into the thieving crowd,
The drinking and deceiving crowd.
Old Fagin has been profiting
From all his boys’ pickpocketing.
Bill Sykes provides the bigger loot,
But Fagin fears the bigger brute.
Dear Oliver just tags along with them.
 
He’s caught by police for a crime,
But he’s released from the crime.
He is taken in by a rich man, his great-uncle in fact,
But Fagin and Bill will not risk the law he might attract.
 
They abduct him from his location,
And Bill’s girlfriend Nancy bears a guilty heart.
She tries risking Bill’s irritation
To return the boy before things fall apart.
Bill catches them before she can
And beats her, a remorseless man.
He knows police soon will arrive,
But they will not take Bill alive.
He takes the boy to see new heights,
But Bill’s undoing reunites
Young Oliver with happiness again.
_______________
 

As a lover of musicals, how could I not include one of the few to win the Best Picture Academy Award? I’ve enjoyed watching Oliver! since I was a kid, and I never tire of its alternately rousing and fun musical numbers and Onna White’s outstanding choreography, which was awarded a special Oscar as well. As an adaptation of a stage musical based on Dickens’s book Oliver Twist, the film hits all the right notes of the story while serving up memorable characters and some of my favorite stage songs.

Mark Lester is downright adorable as Oliver, and though his voice is weak (I’ve read he was actually dubbed by the musical director’s daughter), it captures his gentle fragility. Ron Moody originated the role of Fagin on stage, and he earned and deserved a Best Actor nomination for his sneaky yet strangely sympathetic performance. Jack Wild was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Artful Dodger; Harry Secombe is an excellent operatic Mr. Bumble; and Shani Wallis plays the lovely Nancy, emoting her inner conflict between doing the right thing for Oliver and submitting to her abusive man. Other adaptations have tried to make Bill Sikes intimidating, but Oliver Reed is the best, progressing from a stoic punk to a coldblooded murderer. Considering how fun most of the music is, the film’s climax is surprisingly tense (or maybe I’m just afraid of heights).

The Oscar- and Tony-winning score really is the best part. Because of it, Oliver! ranks among my VC’s top 20 movies; she once bought the soundtrack and the sheet music and even saw a dinner theater production. Most great musicals still have an occasional dud, but even the slower songs are excellent and further the story’s plot or emotional development. Some songs have the stage quality of being restricted to a single room, while others take full advantage of the space and freedom that musical cinema affords. The first song “Food, Glorious Food” begins the film on a somber high note, but the film’s grandeur truly begins with the sprawling welcome of “Consider Yourself,” which is a wonder of set design, choreography, and Oscar-winning direction. I always enjoy Fagin’s numbers, “You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two” and “Reviewing the Situation,” while my VC is partial to Nancy’s, particularly “It’s a Fine Life” and the euphemistic “Oom-Pah-Pah.” My favorite, though, would have to be “Who Will Buy?” at the beginning of the second half, a gradually building, layered song which becomes another stunningly choreographed spectacle and which I’ve caught myself singing a few times.

One of the last great Golden Age musicals and the last G-rated Best Picture winner, Oliver! captures the unfair cruelty that was the point of Dickens’s novel, while balancing humor, tension, Oscar-worthy sets and costumes, and amazing music to create one of the finest musical adaptations.

Best line: (Oliver Twist) “Please, sir, may I have some … more?” (followed by Mr. Bumble’s) “More?!”

VC’s best line:  (a drunk Mr. Sowerberry, when Oliver’s cruel foster family have trapped him in a coffin) “Well, having a rest, Mr. Bumble?”  (Noah) “He’s sitting on Oliver.”  (Mr. Sowerberry) “Quite right, we must all sit on Oliver.”

  
Rank: 58 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

272 Followers and Counting

#34: Whisper of the Heart (1995)

23 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Shizuku Tsukishima is a schoolgirl in Japan,
Forgetful and neglectful and without a long-term plan.
She whiles away the hours reading books and fairy tales
And writes her own song lyrics, which she timidly unveils.
She notices that all of her library books were read
By Seiji Amasawa, and she muses in her head
What kind of person he might be, this other rival reader
Who seems to share her tastes and always chances to precede her.
 
While junior high school drama causes aches of heart and head,
She meets a jerkish boy and is upset by what is said.
One day, a feline leads her to an antique shop nearby,
Where kindly old man Nishi and a statue catch her eye.
When Nishi’s grandson Seiji, whom she earlier had met,
Allows her in to see it, she forgets she was upset.
He plans to fashion violins and plays at her request,
A song that shows the talents with which both of them are blessed.
 
Though romance now is budding, Seiji leaves to show his stuff,
Which makes Shizuku wonder if, for him, she’s good enough.
She tries to prove herself and write a novel within weeks,
Inspired by the Baron statue found among antiques.
Her parents start to worry as her grades begin to fall,
And all her time is taken by the book she cannot stall.
At last, when she is finished and her gem has been revealed,
Her future’s seeming clearer, and their love at last is sealed.
_____________________
 

Does anyone out there have a movie with which they fondly relate on a deep, personal level? Whisper of the Heart is that film for me. I first saw this anime movie after being reintroduced to Studio Ghibli and holding a marathon of their films. I enjoyed almost all of them, but this one stayed in my mind and heart and is the only anime I own.

Shizuku is possibly the film character with whom I most identify: procrastinating, occasionally scatter-brained, devoted to her reading and writing sometimes at the expense of school and relationships, and deriving immense fear and pleasure from the appreciation of her work. I relate to her on multiple levels, whether it’s the adolescent uncertainty about the future, the apprehension of showing her creations to others, the way in which her inspirations seem to come to life, or the desire to prove herself as a writer. She even writes alternate lyrics to her favorite song, John Denver’s “Country Roads” (one of my favorites as well).

My VC joined me for this latest viewing at my insistence, and she found the film nice but “juvenile,” in her words, citing the soap opera-like crushes in the first half. I disagree; even if the characters are in junior high, they deal with life and familial issues that remain relatable. Indeed, the film’s greatest charm lies in its ordinariness, in everyday commutes to school, conversations among friends, the beautifully hand-drawn details of train rides and antique shops and sunrises. The film’s overall peaceful, mundane tone may be boring to many people, especially those who prefer the more exciting or fantastical anime, but I love this quiet, quotidian quality, which I’ve found in other favorite anime like The Girl Who Leapt through Time and Wolf Children. Yet, unlike these films which didn’t leave me wholly satisfied by the end, Whisper of the Heart offers hope for the future, at once corny and joyful, exactly the kind of hoped-for conclusion I enjoy.

That quiet mood isn’t everything, though; there are similar films that are just missing something and didn’t make my list, such as Ghibli’s own From Up on Poppy Hill. Perhaps it’s the use of “Country Roads,” which culminates in a stirringly quaint musical number midway through. Perhaps it’s the conversation with Shizuku’s parents (played by Jean Smart and James B. Sikking in the English version), in which they agree she should follow her heart but brilliantly buck that cliché with an important add-on so often omitted from other films. Most likely, it’s the role of writing in the plot; the second half, concerning Shizuku’s novel, features several conversations with wise Mr. Nishi, and I find his advice to her just as encouraging for myself. I’m also nursing a novel idea, and after watching this film, I always feel excited to write and to seek the “gems” within myself. What other movie has that effect?

The English dub is excellent throughout, particularly Harold Gould as Mr. Nishi and Brittany Snow as Shizuku. David Gallagher, Ashley Tisdale, and Cary Elwes are also featured as Seiji, Shizuku’s friend Yuko, and the Baron, respectively. Elwes later reprised his role in the lesser Ghibli film The Cat Returns, which really was juvenile at times but still only narrowly missed out on inclusion on my list. That film was essentially like a fantasy Shizuku would write, and I would have loved for perhaps an after-credits scene showing her finishing it as a successful writer married to Seiji; that would have been utterly satisfying and would have earned it a place on my list.

Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata get all the credit as the masterminds of Studio Ghibli (and Miyazaki did produce and write Whisper of the Heart), but this my favorite film was directed by Yoshifumi Kondō, and it truly is a shame that he died just a few years after its release. Though I must admit that other films are better and deserve a higher place on the list, Whisper of the Heart will always be one of my fondest inspirations.

Best line: (Shizuku’s father, who’s concerned about her) “All right, Shizuku, go ahead and do what your heart tells you. But it’s never easy when you do things differently from everyone else. If things don’t go well, you’ll only have yourself to blame.”

 
Rank: 58 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

271 Followers and Counting

#35: Spider-Man Trilogy (2002, 2004, 2007)

22 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,

(Spoilers ahead)
 
Poor Peter Parker, a nerdy outsider,
Is bitten by one super-modified spider,
Which grants him the power of webbing defense,
As well as a precognitive “spider sense.”
His crush Mary Jane Watson lives just next door,
And yet he has not tried to make friendship more.
 
Although Peter’s uncle attempts to explain,
His nephew tries using his powers for gain.
His bitterness costs him his dear Uncle Ben,
So Peter does hero work time and again.
Meanwhile, his friend Harry Osborn’s own dad
Attempts an experiment, which then goes bad.
 
As Peter fights criminal thugs and prevails,
The newspaper calls him a menace for sales,
But when the Green Goblin arrives on his glider,
He proves a formidable foe for the spider.
It’s Norman Osborn, with whom Pete has connections
And who likes to argue with his own reflections.
 
When Osborn learns Spider-Man’s identity,
He goes for the heart with his villainous glee.
Brave Peter saves MJ and others in danger
And learns that the Green Goblin isn’t a stranger.
When Osborn is killed, Spider-Man gets the blame,
And Harry wants vengeance on Spider-Man’s name.
________________
 
Although New York’s safe under Spider-Man’s guard,
Pete’s personal life is continually hard.
His best friend still wishes his hero self dead,
And Mary Jane soon has a spaceman to wed.
Although money’s tight, Peter’s thrilled he can meet
Doc Otto Octavius, a genius to Pete.
 
Another experiment Oscorp is backing
Goes horribly wrong when stability’s lacking,
And Otto is fused with mechanical arms,
Which turn him to crime and don’t care whom he harms.
He plans to remake the experiment new,
Bigger and better, more dangerous too.
 
Meanwhile, ol’ Peter, affected by stress,
Is losing his powers, though not from bad press.
Deciding that all of his cares can be solved,
He lives as a man, with no spider involved.
His job and his schoolwork improve every day,
But he doubles back when Doc Ock takes MJ.
 
He fights his old mentor on tower and train
And ends up abducted with no Mary Jane.
Pete’s taken to Harry, who made Doc a deal
And is taken aback by the shocking reveal.
Pete learns from his friend of the doctor’s new crime
And swings to the harbor to stop him in time.
 
Octavius puts up a fight once again,
But Peter convinces him, like Uncle Ben,
To give up his dreams and to stop all the strife,
And Doctor Octavius pays with his life.
His secret revealed to both MJ and Harry,
Pete now has his love and a new villain scary.
_________________
 
All seems to be going well for Peter Parker,
But now his persona’s about to get darker.
He has Mary Jane and romantic contentment,
But Harry attacks him in growing resentment.
The newest Green Goblin, he battles his friend
But suffers amnesia they did not intend.
 
Meanwhile, Flint Marko, a crook close at hand,
Falls into a hole and is turned into sand.
Meanwhile again, Peter’s peer Eddie Brock
Upstages him till he is shown as a crock.
Meanwhile once more, a black symbiote slime
Attaches to Spider-Man’s suit in no time.
 
The black stuff from space changes him for the worst;
Since Flint killed his uncle, he bears a blood thirst.
His attitude’s changed, Mary Jane notices,
And Peter despises what everyone says.
When Harry remembers, Pete causes more pain
And even is jerkish to poor Mary Jane.
 
At last, he decides that enough is enough
And goes to a church to peel off the black stuff.
Once Venom’s created when Eddie’s infected,
He teams up with Flint that revenge be perfected.
They take Mary Jane (she is captured a lot)
And call Spider-Man that their fight may be fought.
 
Appealing to Harry to help him save her,
Pete gains back his friend and a super partner.
The battle is rough, full of Venom and sand,
But Peter and Harry prevail and withstand.
It comes at a price, but once evil’s subdued,
Pete’s reconciled romance is slowly renewed.
________________
 

Before Iron Man and Captain America began setting box-office records, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films set new highs for the superhero genre. Typically, the first two are lauded and the third decried, but I find all three enormously entertaining and pitch-perfect in spirit and tone for their source material.

The first Spider-Man is among the best and most faithful comic book adaptations around, nailing who Peter Parker is and how he becomes everyone’s favorite webslinger. The casting is exceptional; while not everyone’s a Toby Maguire fan, he captures Peter’s innate lovable geekiness to a tee and effortlessly shows a much wider range of emotion than Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man reboot. While the first movie skips Gwen Stacy in favor of Pete’s inevitable love Mary Jane Watson, Kirsten Dunst is a beautiful girl-next-door love interest who shares that iconic upside-down kiss with Spidey. Their romance is sweet and heart-felt, pure and innocent, though not immune to the typical bumps along the road of love. On top of them, there’s Cliff Robertson as wise Uncle Ben, Rosemary Harris as equally wise Aunt May, and J. K. Simmons as antagonistic J. Jonah Jameson, all superbly owning their roles, especially Simmons who couldn’t be replaced for the reboot. While the Green Goblin’s mask is rather hokey, Willem Dafoe is an effectively creepy villain with his intentionally devilish voice. So many scenes are simply untouchable that the reboot was forced to avoid some of the best and most essential aspects of the story, such as the whole “With great power…” conversation, and changed much of what it could for the worse. Not to say The Amazing Spider-Man is a bad film, but it simply cannot compare with the original, particularly Toby Maguire as my ideal Peter Parker.

As good as the first is, though, the second surpassed it to become one of the best superhero films ever. With all returning actors, including James Franco as Harry Osborn, the relationships are deepened, secrets revealed, and cliffhangers formed; in short, it does everything a successful sequel ought to do. It also introduced Alfred Molina as another favorite villain Doctor Octopus, turning the consistently villainous comic book character into a tragic role both dangerous and sympathetic. The train battle is one of the most exciting and awesome superhero fights I’ve seen, and Peter’s temporary departure from being Spider-Man further develops his struggle with his hero identity. One thing I’ve noticed about these films is that there are different perspectives from the people he defends. Superman is universally lauded by everyone, while the X-Men are mostly feared and hated for their mutations. Even with the Avengers, most opinions are debated among high-profile leaders, except for a few brief scenes. Spider-Man is applauded by most of the everyday New Yorkers, but certain non-fans (police and mainly Jameson) inexplicably see him as a menace and have the power to sway others’ views against him. It’s a balanced approach that makes hero work into a tricky public image nightmare, though even Jameson misses Spidey when he disappears.

The third film has its detractors, who often dislike it for its over-packed plot and those scenes with the “dark” Peter dancing stupidly. Yet, in many ways, it delivers a purely enjoyable comic book mish-mash of villains and subplots. The action scenes are amazing, from Peter’s mid-air battle with Harry to his face-off with Sandman among subway trains to the big climax which is as close to an epic villain team-up as we may get outside of the comics. As stuffed as the plot is with concurrent storylines and coincidences, nothing is overly random and the various subplots do tie together smoothly; Flint Marko’s reappearance and the vindictive wiles of Harry Osborn spark Peter’s desire for revenge, which is aggravated by the symbiote-soon-to-be-known-as-Venom. I can even defend the silly dance scenes since the symbiote increases Peter’s aggression and confidence but doesn’t necessarily diminish his inherent geekiness; such is the result. I do wish that the Venom symbiote had had a better introduction than a convenient meteorite landing near Peter and MJ, and that the film had ended on a happier note, considering it would be the last of the original series. It would have been nice for Raimi and company to collaborate on one more film, though it was not to be. They seemed to be setting up the Lizard storyline that was ultimately used in the reboot; notice that Peter’s college professor Curt Connors only had one arm, and in one scene in the third film, there were lizards he was studying in the background. Oh, well.

While the animated TV shows (especially The Spectacular Spider-Man) often do the characters justice and the reboot has at least expanded on Gwen Stacy, all three Raimi films are such excellent comic book adaptations that no other Spider-Man movie could add anything to their chosen storylines but additional special effects and more villains (I’m sure they’ll get to the rest of the rogues gallery, like Vulture, Kraven, Black Cat, Scorpion, and maybe Hydro-man or Carnage one of these days). Tobey Maguire will always be Peter Parker for me, and these films will remain comic book classics.

Best line from Spider-Man: (Peter, at the end) “Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: “With great power comes great responsibility.” This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I’m Spider-Man.”

Best line from Spider-Man 2: (a witness, after pizza-delivery boy Peter changes into Spider-Man) “He just stole that guy’s pizza!”

Best line from Spider-Man 3: (Peter, at the end) “Whatever comes our way, whatever battle we have raging inside us, we always have a choice. My friend Harry taught me that. He chose to be the best of himself. It’s the choices that make us who we are, and we can always choose to do what’s right.”

 
Rank: 58 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

270 Followers and Counting

#36: The Five People You Meet in Heaven (2004)

20 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

Eddie worked at Ruby Pier,
Fixing rides year after year,
But Eddie is no longer here;
It seems he died today.
‘Twas on his birthday that he died
From some malfunction in a ride.
A final sacrifice he tried
Has left him with dismay.
 
In that big theme park in the sky,
He learns that, when all humans die,
Five people from their lives supply
The answers that they sought.
He learns the histories of those
Who shine a light upon his woes,
Mistakes, heartaches that they expose,
And lessons they’ve been taught.
 
He feels his life did not transcend,
A failure to the very end,
Till they help Eddie comprehend
The truth of good and ill.
In heaven, Eddie is aghast,
But makes amends for what is past,
And sees that, to the very last,
His life had purpose still.
________________
 

Here we go from Doctor Zhivago, one of the highest-grossing films ever made, to a Hallmark film that doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page. When I first saw this television movie, I had little idea how much it would touch me, and I soon read the same-titled novel for a school book report. Written by Mitch Albom (whose adapted work appeared previously on the list with Have a Little Faith), The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a “meet-‘em-and-move-on” film but in reverse, beginning with Eddie’s death and revealing his life story through flashbacks. The transitions are a bit sudden but deftly handled, often passing between timelines as if through doors. The three main periods differ primarily in their color palette: Eddie’s youthful past tends to have warm, full colors, while the present day before and after his passing is marked by gray bleakness.

The acting is of consistently higher quality than most television productions, particularly the Golden Globe-worthy lead performance by John Voight as Eddie. Playing different ages, he successfully navigates the full spectrum of emotions—despair, anger, confusion, grief, contentment—as his eyes are opened to how lives interconnect and sorrows become clear from a different perspective. Also excellent are Ellen Burstyn as the namesake of Ruby Pier, Michael Imperioli as his WWII army captain, and Jeff Daniels as a blue-skinned freak at the amusement park.

As that last credit would imply, there are some strange moments that border on surreal, and the scenes where Eddie moves on to his next person are somewhat confusing until they are explained. Still, the film doesn’t go overboard with bizarreness in its stabs at transcendence, like The Tree of Life or The Fountain. The Five People You Meet in Heaven remains grounded in human emotion and shouldn’t leave viewers scratching their heads by the end. On the contrary, the final scene exemplifies the power of the “meet ‘em and move on” genre, bringing every character to peace and fulfillment in a manner that, to my surprise, brought me and my VC both to tears upon this latest viewing, proving it can still happen.

As moving as it is, it’s a fantastical glimpse of what heaven could be like, such as What Dreams May Come, with little Christian or otherwise religious overtones. There’s some very brief talk of God but nothing on which to base one’s eschatological beliefs. In fact, I disagree with some points made, such as how those in heaven supposedly cannot view what happens on Earth, but there’s nothing anti-religious or morally objectionable.

For a television film, it’s a convoluted storyline but one that reveals the secrets of Eddie and his five people gradually with astutely depicted growth. Ruby Pier itself progresses from a prison to a heaven, at times a deathtrap, at others a place of ultimate fulfillment. Despite its religious liberties, I believe Mitch Albom was inspired when he wrote the book, as well as the screenplay. Full of wisdom and solace, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is my favorite television film, Hallmark or otherwise, one of the best and closest book adaptations, and a beautiful addition to the “meet-‘em-and-move-on” genre.

Best lines: (the Blue Man, to Eddie) “Strangers are family you have yet to come to know.”

(Marguerite, Eddie’s wife) “Life has to end, Eddie. Love doesn’t.”

 
Rank: 58 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

270 Followers and Counting

#37: Doctor Zhivago (1965)

19 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

When Yuri Zhivago was orphaned still young,
The friendly Gromekos arrived and agreed
To take him in, care for, and raise him among
The wealthy of Moscow, a life guaranteed.
 
Becoming a poet and doctor, he grew
To love his stepsister, dear Tonya by name.
Meanwhile, a young woman out of his view
Is drawn from her innocence into deep shame.
 
Victor Komarovsky takes Lara to bed,
Which causes the girl to attempt execution.
Escaping from Moscow, she chooses to wed
Her loyal friend Pasha, who craves revolution.
 
The first great World War comes to ravage the land,
And doctoring Yuri meets Lara by fate.
The Bolsheviks see their best chances, as planned,
And war soon gives way to a Communist State.
 
His life back in Moscow has changed for the worse,
And scarcity reigns as starvation takes hold.
His half-brother Yevgraf suggests they traverse
The far western Urals, which are less controlled.
 
He meets Lara’s husband while on his way there,
A violent guerrilla now called Strelnikov.
His family soon settles, until an affair
With Lara splits Yuri’s attention and love.
 
He’s captured to serve with the army for years,
Before he returns home, his wife and son gone.
He hides out with Lara till Victor appears,
To take Lara for her own safety at dawn.
 
He wanders henceforth, without lover or wife,
And leaves this pained world in a pitiful way,
And yet his poems live on beyond his short life,
As does daughter Tonya and her gift to play.
_______________
 

I’m not much of a fan of David Lean’s epics; as critically lauded as they are, Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai simply don’t appeal to me. I find both overblown and often boring but for a few impressive action sequences.  Though both of them won Best Picture, I prefer his adaptation that was only nominated, Doctor Zhivago. Based on Boris Pasternak’s long novel set before, during, and after the Russian Revolution, Lean’s film bridges the gap between sweeping storytelling and intimate romance, allowing for credible human drama amid the epic coursing of history.

Omar Sharif is at his very best playing the title character, and my VC has mentioned (many times) how she finds him utterly attractive with his trademark mustache. Though he is a flawed protagonist and some of his sorrows are due to his own moral decline, his naïve desire to live and love without the weight of politics and war is entirely sympathetic. By the heartbreaking end, his life has become a definitive tragedy of how lives are swallowed by mankind’s most degrading ideologies. The same goes for his secret lover Lara, played with resilient beauty by Julie Christie; her desire for a simple life is undermined by her husband’s dedication to supposedly justified violence, and she is ultimately lost to everyone who loved or knew her. Supporting players are consistently masterful: the slimy allure of Rod Steiger’s Komarovsky, the stoic interest of Alec Guinness’s Yevgraf, the gentle faithfulness of Geraldine Chaplin’s Tonya (that’s Charlie Chaplin’s daughter), the wide-eyed apprehension of Rita Tushingham’s Tonya, the allegiance-turned-zealotry of Tom Courtenay’s Pasha/Strelnikov.

I haven’t read Pasternak’s novel, but my VC has and considers the film an improvement, better plotted and more restrained in objectionable content. The film doesn’t carry quite as many plot points as the book, such as Komarovsky’s involvement in Yuri’s father’s death, but it’s complex and extensive enough and manages to still focus on smaller details, such as a skeletal branch tapping on Yuri’s window after his mother’s funeral.

The lilting violins of Maurice Jarre’s effervescent score make Doctor Zhivago memorable to the ear, just as the scopious mountain cinematography does to the eye. (The 2002 miniseries has its good points as well, including closer adherence to the book in certain instances, but, as good as he and Keira Knightley are, Hans Matheson can’t compare with Sharif.) Though some critics accused it of glossing over history, the story is meant to be from the perspectives of Yuri and Lara. Their firsthand experiences of war, destitution, and desperation are vividly portrayed, even if the ambitions and nuances creating them are not spelled out in documentary fashion, though there’s some of that too. Despite (or due to) its length, Dr. Zhivago is a pillar of Russian literature, and its film version a tribute to what is personal and an exemplar of tragic, epic filmmaking.

Best line: (Yuri) “It seems you’ve burnt the wrong village.”  (Strelnikov) “They always say that, and what does it matter? A village betrays us, a village is burned. The point’s made.”  (Yuri) “Your point—their village.”

  
Rank: 58 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

270 Followers and Counting

#38: Chariots of Fire (1981)

17 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

‘Twere many fine names
In the Olympic games,
The runners and sprinters who dashed for their fames.
With wings on their feet
That few others could beat,
They strove in 1924 to compete.
 
At Cambridge, a Jew
Who did not run but flew,
One Abrahams trained to be best in each queue.
He ran to resist
Those who were prejudiced,
And friends thought no faster young man could exist.
 
In Scotland, however,
One man would endeavor
To run to please God, but on Sundays, he’d never.
This brave Eric Liddell,
Whom none could belittle,
Held faith and resolve which a king could not whittle.
 
They all took their place
In the glorious race,
The high point of lives, formed by training and grace.
Each swift Englishman
Did their utmost and ran,
For medals, for country, for God, or for clan.
______________________
 

The Best Picture of 1981, Chariots of Fire captures not only two moving stories of talent and trial but also the thrill at the core of a race. The true accounts of Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell reveal their similar skills as athletes and disparate purposes in employing them.

Ian Charleson is eminently devout Eric Liddell, who balances his desire to run by dedicating his victories to God’s service. I love his assertion that he feels God’s pleasure as he utilizes his talents; I sometimes feel the same when writing. Whereas his sister in the film insists he focus solely on God, anything can be used to give our Creator glory, whether it be peeling a potato or running a foot race. As Liddell runs, flailing his arms about in a wholly unorthodox manner, at times it is as if the Lord takes hold of him, pushing him faster than any contender would expect. Even so, he remained solid in his convictions concerning his Sunday heat. Beyond running for God, his refusal to compromise was disseminated to the world as a faithful stand that was ultimately rewarded. Abrahams, on the other hand, played by Ben Cross, runs with all the determination of a man who dares never lose. His desire is not to please God, fans, or even himself, but to prove his merit in the face of discrete anti-Semitism. When he sees Liddell run firsthand, he strives even harder, unable to cope with not being the best. Yet even when he wins his victorious Olympic medal, he’s just as overwhelmed by the weight of victory as by the weight of defeat. Ian Holm is likewise outstanding as his trainer Sam Mussabini, looking considerably older than in Alien just two years prior. By depicting both of these runners, as well as their comrades who run more or less for the fun of it, the film serves as a well-rounded view of this promising generation of young athletes.

Chariots of Fire is exceptional in its Oscar-winning electronic score by Vangelis and its painterly cinematography. The film abounds with scenes worthy of being hung on the wall, not least of which is the opening jog along the beach with the man and boy watching from a distance. Though the film is rather slow overall, its artistry is wondrous to behold. Speaking of slow, it also is notable for the frequent use of slow motion, which realizes the suspension of time during a race and how a contest lasting mere seconds can become a deep-seated memory of joy or grief. In the case of Liddell, the protracted running seems to portray a miracle in progress, especially with the transcendent accompanying music.

A film that well-deserved its four Academy Awards, Chariots of Fire is the greatest film about track and one of the finest sports films ever made, choosing the contemplative furor of a race over the energetic action of a ball game. Also, for Star Trek fans, Ben Cross’s appearance with Alice Krige (as his fiancée Sybil) affords the unlikely sight of Sarek dating the Borg Queen. Implacable values like those of Eric Liddell are sadly harder to come by now than they were in 1924, but his stand for his beliefs continues to serve as an example to all who are called to compromise too far.

Best line: (Liddell, when accused of arrogance) “My arrogance, sir, extends just as far as my conscience demands.”

VC’s best lines: (Eric, to his sister) “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”

(Lord Cadogan, fed up with his decision not to run) “Don’t be impertinent, Liddell!”  (Eric) “The impertinence lies, sir, with those who seek to influence a man to deny his beliefs!”

 
Rank: 58 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

269 Followers and Counting

#39: The Blind Side (2009)

16 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

, ,

The young behemoth Michael Oher
Has led a life of silent woe.
For years he has been dumb and poor
With nowhere comforting to go.
 
But then one night, to his surprise,
A kind white woman lets him in,
Despite his color and his size,
And treats him like a next of kin.
 
He doesn’t know how to react
But still enjoys the change begun,
While Leigh Anne Tuohy can’t retract
The ever-growing kindness done.
 
Adopting Michael gradually,
She urges him to be a shield,
Protecting threatened family
And players on the football field.
 
Encouraged to perform defense,
Oher proves his talent with a block,
And soon the college heads commence
The offers that he join their flock.
 
He’s pushed by Leigh Anne toward Ole Miss,
Which raises questions of intentions.
Though Mike’s troubled by all this,
His trust in her subdues contentions.
 
Charity gave Michael Oher
A chance to play, prove, and protect.
When one looked harder than before,
There came a grace none would expect.
__________________
 

The Blind Side is the account of one “random act of kindness” that changed a life and a family forever. It’s also a film that seems to be loved or hated for different reasons.

I personally very much enjoy the uplifting true rags-to-riches tale, but others see what they want to see. Some view the narrative as a white savior story, an indictment on black communities which supposedly cannot rise from poverty without the intercession of benevolent white people. They see strong but mute Michael (played by Quentin Aaron) as an example of the pitiable street kid who can do nothing for himself until some altruistic white benefactor comes to his rescue. Others like me don’t interpret the film’s message as such. In addition to the main crux of the film, some can’t agree on the details too. Sandra Bullock’s performance as Leigh Anne Tuohy was lauded by most critics and earned her a Best Actress Academy Award, but my VC, who likes the rest of the movie, is irritated by her pushiness, audacity, and occasionally provocative attire, a personality type she finds abrasive.

As far as the first assertion, my opinion is as follows: Yes, Michael Oher’s story is conceivably a white savior tale, but those who see it as such are ignoring his contributions to the Tuohy family. As Leigh Anne says in the film, she’s not just changing his life; he’s changing hers, reminding her of what’s important and how blessings are meant to be shared. The film depicts the dangerous, gang-infused neighborhoods that claim so many youths, and as unfortunate as it is, such places do exist, hard-to-escape places that might have consumed Oher as well but for the kindness of strangers. While the Tuohys are shown as overall noble sponsors, their well-to-do world of Christian schools and over-priced restaurants does not escape some criticism for hypocrisy and discrimination. Rather, Leigh Anne’s contributions to Michael’s life open up her own views; she visits areas of town she’d never gone and feels unforeseen guilt at taking for granted the simple things that Michael has never possessed. The film even calls into question her potentially selfish reasoning for committing such a selfless act; like Dr. Treves in The Elephant Man, she wonders how good she truly is when she is clearly benefiting from her own charity. Though she is vindicated, it’s a fair point that other films might have glossed over.

For a film that endorses Christian charity, the acting and production values are top-notch, including cameos from multiple real-life university football coaches like Nick Saban and Lou Holtz. I admire Bullock’s brash, bold, and bossy performance as Mrs. Tuohy, even if it rubs my VC the wrong way. Tim McGraw impresses as a likable Mr. Tuohy, proving that not all singers are doomed to be poor actors, and Kathy Bates is excellent as always, playing Michael’s tutor Miss Sue. Quentin Aaron is perfect as Michael, though his one-note glumness makes me doubt his versatility in future roles. Also (Lost alert!), Kim Dickens, who played Sawyer’s girlfriend Cassidy on my favorite show, portrays Michael’s sympathetic teacher, who is nearly as admirable as Mrs. Tuohy in looking beyond her student’s apparent apathy to help him learn in his own way.

It may err on the controversial side, but The Blind Side is an inspirational family film that doesn’t skimp on the humor and sports action as well. (It wasn’t entirely clear to me, though, why Bullock’s narration connected Michael’s story to Lawrence Taylor; did anyone else understand that?) It’s also one of the few films with a heartwarming familial Thanksgiving scene that makes it ideal viewing for the last Thursday in November. Viewers often see what they want to see in certain films, and what I see in The Blind Side is a motivating challenge to assist and not give up on the underprivileged.

Best line: (Michael, in his end-of-school paper about “The Charge of the Light Brigade”) “But honor, that’s the real reason you either do something or you don’t. It’s who you are and maybe who you want to be. If you die trying for something important, then you have both honor and courage, and that’s pretty good. I think that’s what the writer was saying, that you should hope for courage and try for honor. And maybe even pray that the people telling you what to do have some, too.”

 
Rank: 58 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

268 Followers and Counting

#40: Babe (1995)

15 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

(Can be sung to “If I Had Words”)
 
A pig is chosen as a contest prize
And won by a farmer to his surprise.
On Hoggett’s farm, Babe’s taught so far
To stick to her place and the way things are.
 
Adopted by the boss’s sheepdog Fly,
Babe helps out a duck who dares not comply.
Befriending sheep with her heart of gold,
Babe learns how the dogs keep the sheep controlled.
 
When Hoggett gives the friendly runt a chance
To aid with the sheep, Babe bids them advance.
She finds asking is always preferred,
And Hoggett is floored by his ordered herd.
 
He enters Babe in a dog competition
To lead sheep with her cordial disposition.
Though Babe is shocked at what pigs are for,
She chooses to serve the boss, as before.
 
As Hoggett leads his entry on the field,
The crowds laugh and jeer at what he’s revealed,
But when his pig leads each willing ewe,
Babe’s satisfied that what she did will do.
_________________
 

Exuding simple charm, Babe is one of the few modern family films to earn and be worthy of an Oscar nomination for Best Picture (E.T., Beauty and the Beast, The Blind Side, Up, and Toy Story 3 are the only others I can think of). As straightforward and appealing a fable as any Hollywood has produced, the film has a unique ability to appeal to children and adults on the same level, rather than including kiddie stuff solely for the kids and mature jokes only their parents would get.

Babe is pleasingly whimsical with its sneezing ducks and bucolic Hobbiton-like location, but also surprisingly blunt in how it depicts the true “purpose” of pigs and the reality of death. Babe may not understand the meaning of a meat truck or a shotgun, but the audience does, even impressionable young viewers. In creating lovable characters out of edible farm animals, the film succeeded in guilting many into a vegetarian lifestyle, including star James Cromwell, and though I myself still enjoy a good steak, it’s a decision I can certainly understand and respect, having seen this film.

Even with the truth of “the way things are,” the film is replete with unabashedly sweet moments: Fly’s comforting of Babe when she misses her mother, Babe’s comforting of Fly when she misses her pups, Hoggett’s musical comforting of Babe when she falls ill. Roscoe Lee Browne’s sapient narration highlights the film’s storybook quality, along with the intermittent chapter headings provided by a trio of mice who are high on Alvin and the Chipmunks.

James Cromwell earned a Best Actor nomination for his understated portrayal of laconic Farmer Hoggett, and it’s amazing that he can play the father of robotics or warp travel with the same skill as an outdated farmer who can barely operate a fax machine. Magda Szubanski milks some laughs as his overbearing wife, while the rest of the cast is mostly the talking animals. In addition to Christine Cavanaugh (the original Dexter from Dexter’s Laboratory) as naïve and innocent Babe, the standout voice actors are Miriam Margolyes as Fly and Hugo Weaving as Rex, the two dogs who assist Babe in her rise to stardom.

Though Babe failed to win most of its nominations (‘twas the year of Braveheart and Sense and Sensibility), it beat out Apollo 13 for the Best Visual Effects Oscar. Unlike the usual spectacle that earns that award nowadays, it won for the seemingly simple feat of granting the animals speech, at times using puppets, other times replacing their lower jaws and partial faces with CGI to create mouth movement. The result is subtle but impressive, and the animals are significantly more realistic than the more recent all-CGI attempts, like Marmaduke or Scooby Doo. In addition, the film’s orchestral score is lovely, dominated by a piece of Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 in C Minor. Scott Fitzgerald recorded the tune as the 1977 pop song “If I Had Words,” which is also prominent in the film; in fact, the mice’s rendition at the end deserves a place in my End Credits Song Hall of Fame.

Babe is the most notable proof that a G-rated family film can still be Oscar-worthy without the objectionable material so many awards contenders feel is necessary. While it and another famous pig story Charlotte’s Web probably turned off half a generation from pork, Babe is a shining example of a family film done right.

Best line: (the narrator, as Fly is trying to figure out if Babe was guilty of a crime) “Fly decided to speak very slowly, for it was a cold fact of nature that sheep were stupid, and there was nothing that could convince her otherwise.”  (Fly) “Please, someone tell me… what happened this morning.”  (the narrator again) “The sheep decided to speak very slowly, for it was a cold fact of nature that wolves were ignorant, and there was nothing that could convince them otherwise.”

VC’s best line:  (Farmer Hoggett) “That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.”

  
Rank: 58 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

268 Followers and Counting

#41: The Blues Brothers (1980)

15 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

Fresh out of jail but in need of reform,
“Joliet” Jake, for whom odd is the norm,
Pairs up with his brother, one Elwood by name.
The orphanage where they grew up to such shame
Is led by a nun, who can’t pay a tax claim.
 
A visit to church has them both see the light:
They’ll rebuild the band to gain funds in the right.
From hotel bar has-beens who croon empty chairs
To one harried husband whose woman declares
He ought not to leave her, all members are theirs.
 
Their first gig does not go exactly as planned,
But soon they book just the right hall for their band.
The trouble is, as they’ve been driving around,
They’ve gained enemies who harass, hate, and hound,
Like Nazis and cowboys and cops, who surround.
 
They earn enough money so Elwood and Jake
Take off with a chaotic mess in their wake.
They flee through Chicago with foes on their tail,
And, due to their mission from God, they prevail.
Although luck runs out, the two still rock the jail.
_______________________
 

Based on the Saturday Night Live skit with a screenplay by Dan Aykroyd and director John Landis, The Blues Brothers is a one-of-a-kind comedy that never gets old. John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd are at the top of their games as the titular siblings, boasting an iconic suited presence and an unflappable demeanor, like the Men in Black without Agent J’s reactions. The two are absolutely hilarious as they endure being chased, shot at, and blown up with cool nonchalance, as if it’s all just another day in the life of a blues musician on the run.

Despite its simple storyline, the film contains many marvelous elements that work together to create a unique musical comedy. There’s the music, with plenty of blues, yes, but also tastes of gospel, soul, scat, rock, and even country/western (I still don’t understand the difference). There’s the comedy, with Belushi and Aykroyd shifting from laconic assurance to con-man determination and seeming to enjoy the ride just as much as we the audience. The film starts at a slow, measured pace, such as showing the inner mechanisms of a rising bridge rather than just the bridge, but builds in action and absurdity as villains, jokes, and vehicles begin to pile up with abandon. There are the car chases, long stretches of zealous mayhem that impart the same strange destructive satisfaction of a demolition derby. There are the cameos, with big musical names like James Brown, Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, and Cab Calloway, who don’t simply appear but contribute energetic performances and mostly serve a purpose in the plot as well. Other scene-stealing stars include Carrie Fisher as a scorned hit woman with an affinity for weaponry, John Candy as a police chief, and Henry Gibson as an Illinois Nazi with an over-the-top final scene, as well as other appearances by Twiggy, Chaka Khan, Frank Oz, and even Steven Spielberg. By the way, that kid that tries to steal the guitar in Ray Charles’ shop went on to play Argyle, the limousine driver in Die Hard.

All these elements that could potentially work on their own are only enhanced by their fun overlapping. My favorite parts would have to be Aretha Franklin’s “Think” and the excessive, car-ravaging climax, which is the definition of overkill. The film’s classic plotline has gone on to inspire many imitators, including The Muppets in 2011 and the best episode of Phineas and Ferb entitled “Dude, We’re Getting the Band Back Together.” It’s a shame that John Belushi met his end only two years after this, his most iconic role. Minus the frequent language, it remains his best film, a cult classic, and one of the funniest comedies of the ‘80s.

Best line: (Elwood Blues) “We’re on a mission from God.”

VC’s best line: (Jake, with fake accent, causing trouble in a fancy restaurant) “How much for the little girl? How much for the women?”  (father at next table) “What?”  (Jake) “Your women. I want to buy your women. The little girl, your daughters… sell them to me. Sell me your children!”

 
Rank: 58 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

268 Followers and Counting