Category Archives: Writing

The Jungle Book (2016)

14 Sunday Aug 2016

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While man has moved on from the jungle to cities, committees, and ease,
There’s something intriguing and lavish about the deep green of the trees.

We look back at creatures and corners too fierce and exotic to tame,
Caught up in an ancient attraction too dark and uncharted to name.

The beauty of virginal wilderness and wonders no eye has beheld
Still haunt we who harness the future yet still to the past are impelled.

We gladly embrace what is modern, by comfort’s convenience beguiled,
Yet even a civilized person can fall to the call of the wild.
__________________

MPAA rating: PG

I had considered reviewing Disney’s live-action version of The Jungle Book as a Cartoon Comparison, but since I’ve already covered the original 1967 feature, a separate review seemed better. Ever since Disney started in on translating their classic animated films into live-action retellings, I’ve been skeptical. Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent weren’t content to just translate the story but added in dark subtexts that ruined every shred of the original that they incorporated. I was never that fond of the animated Alice in Wonderland or even Sleeping Beauty so it was a lesser form of sacrilege to me, but I’ve always had a soft spot for The Jungle Book. How could Disney possibly do it justice? Well, I’m relieved to say they did, as almost every other reviewer seems to agree. In a world where we’ve seen CGI conjure almost everything imaginable, Disney and director Jon Favreau still managed to impress.

I’m shocked to say it, but this version might actually be better than the original because of how it fleshes out the story with material from Rudyard Kipling’s book. After we’re introduced to Mowgli (very young but good Neel Sethi), his wolf family, and the wolves’ rhyming creed plucked straight from the book, a drought causes the Peace Rock in the riverbed to be revealed, effecting a Water Truce during which predators must cooperate with prey for the sake of water. Such is the Law of the Jungle. This clever rule allows Mowgli to meet the murderous tiger Shere Khan up front, whereas the animated Mowgli isn’t as aware of Shere Khan’s threat until the end. Actually showing the restrained antagonism at the river also gives a more immediate reason for the wolves’ decision to send him back to the human village for his own safety.

The cartoon is far more episodic than many Disney films, bouncing from Kaa the python to the elephants to Baloo to King Louie to Kaa again to those Beatles-style vultures before the end. Favreau’s film follows almost the same chronology (minus the vultures and Kaa’s second appearance), but provides far better connections to create a more cohesive story. Scarlett Johansson’s Kaa, for example, isn’t just a random danger but elucidates some of Mowgli’s history during her brief scene. Christopher Walken as a more menacing Gigantopithecus King Louie instills the idea of fire’s power in Mowgli, and that fire plays a far more significant and complex role in the climax than simply appearing in a flash of lightning and scaring off Shere Khan. I don’t mind how the animated version was told, but the new filmmakers found the perfect way to tell essentially the same tale (albeit with a different ending) in a uniquely well-rounded way for modern moviegoers.

Easily the best things about the original Disney cartoon were the voicework and music. Every voice actor embodies that character, and I wasn’t sure that new voices could pull it off. One of my coworkers has an issue with talking animal movies like Babe or The Jungle Book, seeing them as an abomination of nature, and hearing recognizable voices coming out of the mouths of CGI animals did take some getting used to. At the first listen, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera and Bill Murray as Baloo don’t seem to quite suit their roles, but the more I heard them, the better they fit. Even Walken does well as a more mobster-like King Louie in the film’s biggest action scene. Probably the weakest voice casting was Johansson as the honey-voiced Kaa, but that could be due to how briefly she’s heard; plus, I’m sure Sterling Holloway seemed like an odd choice in 1967. Likewise, Idris Elba is a more fierce-sounding Shere Khan, but there’s something so sleekly villainous about George Sanders’s voice in the cartoon. Bill Murray’s Baloo managed to surprise me the most, offering the best comic relief, and even if he doesn’t quite compare with Phil Harris in the cartoon, I won’t mind future generations growing up with these revised characters. Unfortunately, the songs don’t translate as well, and while “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wan’na Be Like You” work well enough, they could have been omitted and left to the superior cartoon versions.

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Much has been said of the film’s visual quality, and the CGI animators truly outdid themselves. Like Life of Pi, the interactions between the boy and the simulated animals are seamless; CGI hasn’t quite reached the point that I can’t tell it’s still CGI, but it’s well on its way. Also, even though this is a far darker adaptation of the story, with more peril and death than the cartoon, the color pallet wasn’t limited for the sake of keeping it dark. The jungle is a lush wonder, like a live-action version of the greenery that made Disney’s Tarzan so stunning. The mood of the forest morphs depending on the tone of the scene, but it’s always a beauty.

Succeeding as both a faithful retelling and a thrilling reimagining, this latest Jungle Book does almost everything right for a remake, even making Mowgli more industrious and clever than his animated counterpart. The voices take some getting used to, but they don’t hamper the gorgeous visuals and the flow of the story. Disney doesn’t seem to be slowing down with its live-action remakes, and even if I’m still concerned about what they might do to Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King, The Jungle Book reinforced the hope that Maleficent almost destroyed.

Best line: (Mowgli) “But I’m helping Baloo get ready for hibernation.”
(Bagheera) “Bears don’t hibernate in the jungle.”
(Baloo) “Not full hibernation, but I nap a lot.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up (on par with the original)

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput
404 Followers and Counting

 

Cartoon Comparisons: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) / The Dark Knight Returns (2012)

12 Friday Aug 2016

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Titans once clashed in the Greek myths of old,
When swords were the weapon of man sandal-soled.
Men marveled at stories of inhuman glories,
Which none had the privilege or chance to behold.

Now the world watches for titans once more,
For angels and devils to fear or adore,
And mythical quarrels with optional morals
Are thrills for mankind, as they were long before.
_________________

MPAA rating for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: PG-13
MPAA rating for The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 and Part 2: PG-13

Since my Cartoon Comparisons aren’t limited to just Disney and anime, I decided to compare the recent Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with the animated WB adaptation of Frank Miller’s comic book miniseries The Dark Knight Returns. Both follow their own storylines, but Batman v Superman does draw some inspiration from The Dark Knight Returns, most notably in how the famous comic ends with a battle between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel.

I should start out by saying that I am unapologetically a Marvel fan. Everyone has their preference, and I tend to think that those more drawn to DC or Marvel are more likely to forgive their movies’ faults. For example, one of my coworkers is a DC purist and loves to poke holes in Marvel movies while making excuses for films like Batman v Superman. One thing, though, that I find uncontestable (but I know many do contest) is that in recent years, Marvel films have taken the lead and DC is now struggling to keep up. Oddly, DC seems to be doing the opposite of Marvel; instead of introducing each hero in their own movie and bringing them together Avengers-style, DC is tossing in the likes of Wonder Woman and the Flash without much explanation and then providing a stand-alone film. I know DC is trying to differentiate itself from Marvel, but it’s a strange creative choice that doesn’t lend itself to a cohesive setup.

Honestly, I wasn’t too eager to see Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman. The trailers were meh, the reviews were worse, and Man of Steel didn’t exactly thrill me as the beginning of a new superhero universe. Yet, with all the other DC films planned to follow, I felt I should give it a try, if only to keep up with the curve. Was it terrible? No. Was it anywhere near good Marvel? No. It was certainly better than I expected, and I found it to be a solid serious take on the DC heroes, particularly Batman, played with surprising intensity by Ben Affleck. While watching it, my main complaints were simply facts of its existence: it’s very dark, very serious, and very long. It still kept my interest through its 181-minute runtime with its mostly sound acting, cleverly symbolic dialogue, and periodic bursts of action, but boy, are there flaws! It’s just that its flaws were more noticeable after the fact than during the movie, and I’m not sure if that’s to the film’s advantage or detriment.

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I suppose my biggest qualm going in was the very concept of Superman and Batman fighting each other, even though it has precedent in the comics. I loved Captain America: Civil War, but I don’t want the good guys to clash among themselves too much. Thankfully, that’s one thing that Batman v Superman does fairly well. Superman’s issues with Batman have to do with his shadowy vigilantism, but Batman’s objections to the Son of Krypton are more deep-seated, stemming from the rampant destruction that made Man of Steel notorious. One must keep in mind that these characters don’t know each other’s intentions, and I could understand Bruce Wayne’s distrust of a godlike alien. Even so, I felt that all of the anti-Superman rhetoric was rather narrow-minded. Most people wouldn’t blame a fireman for only being able to save half of the people in a fire, yet everyone seems to question Superman’s motivations, focusing on the one or two uncertain events instead of the countless lives he does save. No wonder Henry Cavill’s Superman acts so grim and depressed; note to the writers, Batman is supposed to be the brooding one.

There are smaller nitpicks too, such as Jesse Eisenberg’s youthful, God-haunted Lex Luthor, who seems more obviously crazy than the charisma of Gene Hackman’s original or even Kevin Spacey’s knock-off. A friend of mine said Eisenberg would have made a better Riddler, and I tend to agree. The film is also far from cohesive, with plot threads weaving all over the place, and a foreshadowing dream sequence has some unexpected predictive elements sure to confuse the uninitiated. As for the big brawl that may or may not have made DC fans geek out, it’s well set-up and well executed but ends with a semi-obvious plot twist that gets more stupid the more I think about it. Naturally, Batman and Superman couldn’t stay enemies for long, but the turnaround is sudden to the point of absurdity. At least, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman does make a nice if underused debut, and I’m actually more interested to see her movie than another Batman/Superman pairing. In trying so hard to set up the upcoming Justice League films, Batman v Superman offers much to appreciate and much to criticize, and it’s all a bit…much. I’m not saying Marvel is perfect either, but at least they’ve found a formula that works. DC is still struggling to find their feet, and, even if they have the spectacle, I’m dubious that they can reach the same level of entertainment.

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Now for The Dark Knight Returns, which was broken up into a Part 1 and Part 2, both of which are about the same length as Batman v Superman when combined. I used to watch the animated Justice League on TV, but I’m not as familiar with the more recent direct-to-video animated films that lean more on the mature side. The Dark Knight Returns was my first exposure to these, and I see why it has been acclaimed and, despite the different storylines of each film, recognize several similarities with Batman v Superman. Among the aspects it shares with Zack Snyder’s film are the Batman/Superman fight (of course) complete with kryptonite gas, a line from Bruce reminding someone that “We’re criminals. We always have been,” repeated news reports debating the legitimacy of unsupervised heroism, an unexpected televised massacre, a nuclear explosion with Superman high in the atmosphere, and an ending funeral scene, in which the two movies have the characters’ places switched.

Unlike Batman v Superman, where Superman is still a new hero for Earth and Batman is a somewhat older than usual version, having already assumedly beaten the rogues to be seen in Suicide Squad, The Dark Knight Returns features a much older Batman in the 80s, who has retired from hero work after the death of his second Robin named Jason. With Gotham City being terrorized by a violent gang called the Mutants and the return of a supposedly rehabilitated Two-Face, Bruce Wayne decides to “return” as the hero it needs and deserves. As his crusade continues in Part 2, he also battles the once-catatonic Joker and eventually Superman himself, aided by the young Carrie Kelley as the new Robin.

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Part of what sets The Dark Knight Returns above its live-action counterpart, in addition to its more focused narrative that still covers a lot of ground, is the sense of history among the characters without showing it all. Batman is haunted by the deaths he couldn’t prevent, even telling the Joker he blames himself for allowing his foe’s killing spree to last so long, but he acts with the sureness of experience. The police have a varying reaction to the Dark Knight; those like Commissioner Gordon who remember Batman’s past heroics welcome him with a hands-off policy, while the newer recruits and incoming Commissioner Ellen Yindel see him as merely one more violent influence on Gotham City. Debates rage on the news and talk shows over whether Batman should be admired or arrested, with one know-it-all psychiatrist especially criticizing him with some good points, but the mix of opinions is a bit more balanced than the backlash in Batman v Superman. We even get some cameos from much older Selina Kyle and a grizzled Oliver Queen/Green Arrow (who has one arm for some reason, reflecting that unseen history I mentioned earlier).

The Dark Knight Returns also boasts a stellar voice cast, led by Peter Weller of Robocop as Batman. Also (Lost alert!), Michael Emerson, who played such a great villain in Ben Linus, brings a similar ruthless sneer to the Joker. As for Batman’s climactic clash with Superman, it plays out rather similarly, but for entirely different reasons. It goes back to the history they have with each other in this post-Justice League world, and interestingly the reason is more like that in Captain America: Civil War than in Batman v Superman. Unlike Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, this Superman directly supports the U.S. government and its Reagan-esque President and is sent to put a stop to Batman’s vigilante brand of justice. They clearly disagree, but even in the heat of battle, their respect for each other causes them to hold back. And it doesn’t end with a silly twist so it’s arguably a better confrontation, which is more of a symbolic clash of ideals than the death battle in Batman v Superman.

Another point where The Dark Knight Returns has it over Batman v Superman is its depiction of Batman’s conscience. Both Batman and Superman are well-known for their refusal to kill their villains, which of course lets them come back repeatedly, but Zack Snyder seems to have ignored that fact. I didn’t notice at first, caught up in the impressive action sequences, but Affleck’s Batman doesn’t seem to mind smashing cars into people and general murder of the bad guys, perhaps owing to that “feeling of powerlessness that turns good men cruel,” as Jeremy Irons’s Alfred says. The Dark Knight Returns’s Batman, however, takes care to leave his baddies alive, only coming close to killing when pushed to his limit; one especially cool rampage in the tank-like Batmobile makes a point of using rubber bullets to incapacitate the Mutant gang without killing them.

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Despite the upheld ban on killing, there is quite a bit of violence and some nudity for a PG-13 cartoon. Some of the fistfights are vicious, and while the more gruesome scenes are left offscreen, it doesn’t shy away from blood, mainly in scenes with the Joker. Not to mention, the Joker has a Batarang sticking out of his eye for a while so I can’t help but think an R rating might have been more deserved. Likewise, Batman v Superman has its fair share of brutality, though comparatively little blood.

Both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and The Dark Knight Returns have their strengths and weaknesses. The former is gritty and well-acted for the most part with a jam-packed plot that will likely reward repeat viewings, but its overstuffed length and particularly drab treatment of Superman aren’t about to make it a classic either. The Dark Knight Returns is clearly a stronger film, though that’s owed to its acclaimed source material which didn’t have to set up a whole superhero universe through cameos. The animation is nothing special but it illustrates the story well; the older Batman is a wise and responsible version of the hero who is still susceptible to human weakness and grief yet manages to even rally the citizens of Gotham to his cause. Despite the violence, some weird unexplained slang, and several loose ends left open, such as the Cold War entanglements, The Dark Knight Returns is a strong Batman movie and proves why DC often seems so much more suited to the animated realm (and TV, like Arrow). I won’t begrudge DC fans the pleasure of seeing their favorite heroes in live action on the big screen, but Marvel does it so much better. Only time will tell if that holds true for DC’s future line-up.

Best line from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: (Lex Luthor, actually offering a good point) “You don’t need to use a silver bullet. But if you forge one, you don’t need to depend on the kindness of monsters.”

Best line from The Dark Knight Returns (the real best line is a spoiler but this one will do): (Alfred) “If it’s suicide you’re after, I have an old family recipe. It’s slow and painful. You’d like it.”

 

 

Rank for Batman v Superman: List Runner-Up

Rank for The Dark Knight Returns: List Runner-Up

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput
403 Followers and Counting

 

I Am David (2003)

09 Tuesday Aug 2016

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Many a time have I carelessly smiled
While others in tears are despised and exiled.
Many a time have I taken for granted
A thing that to some would seem rare and enchanted.

Many a time have I cursed my bad luck,
My vain trivialities running amok,
When many would beg for a life such as mine,
Where the greatest annoyance is no cause to whine.

I cannot know the pain others must bear,
Each has his own that he can’t always share.
Yet in the sharing, we gain a small taste
Of lives and laments that our brothers have faced.
_________________

MPAA rating: PG

I’m not entirely sure why I checked out I Am David from my local library, the diverse stock of which has provided me with an equal measure of gems and duds in recent months. There was nothing particularly intriguing about the DVD case, and its main featured actor was Jim Caviezel, who is typically good but not what I would consider A-list. Thus, I had the rare opportunity to experience a movie I’d never heard of with hardly any preconceptions, and it impressed me in a quiet, wholesome sort of way and made me now curious to read the 1963 Danish novel on which it is based.

The eleven-year-old David is played by Ben Tibber in his only film role, and the film begins with David’s escape from a Communist prison camp in Bulgaria, following the careful directions of an unseen voice. Bearing a sealed envelope, he is instructed to head for Italy and then north to Denmark, with the added caution to trust no one. David himself is a child devoid of joy. When a baker he meets asks him for a smile, he doesn’t seem to understand the concept, never having had any reason to smile back in the camp. He’s a profoundly serious boy, and Tibber plays him with earnest gravity as he encounters new people, places, and emotions along his route.

I Am David has received a good deal of criticism in addition to fond adulation. Both critics and my VC have commented on how unrealistic portions of David’s journey are; sometimes his passage seems too easy, while other times he’s met by stereotypes and dubious acting. I can’t completely argue with these points; I myself had some issue with the ending which seemed unexpectedly simple and rushed considering the slower rate of his previous travels.

Yet I Am David transcends most of these complaints by its unassuming nature. What it succeeds at is a look at the refugee experience through the eyes of an innocent. Everything that happens is through David’s eyes, eyes that have seen grief they cannot understand. Much of the dialogue is simple and straightforward, words David could easily understand. Likewise, I attributed the occasionally exaggerated acting to how David viewed things; one exchange with two friendly parents who push David when he refuses to tell them where he’s going leaves David cringing in fear, unable to comprehend any kind of discipline but cruelty. Disjointed flashbacks of David’s time in the camp and his last day with his friend Johannes (Caviezel) become more meaningful over time, as David’s guilt and fear of anyone in a uniform are both confirmed and relieved by his experiences on the outside. Despite the rushed ending, I appreciated how the connected threads of the flashbacks provided a fitting conclusion to an overall poignant film.

I was surprised to see after the fact that I Am David was the directorial debut of Paul Feig, who is much better known for directing comedies like Bridesmaids and the recent Ghostbusters remake; his beautifully-shot first feature shows a dramatic potential to which Feig is welcome to return. As I watched I Am David, I was also pleased to realize it fit into my favorite subgenre of Meet-‘em-and-Move-On movies, the type that follow a protagonist through the ups and downs of a journey and the varied acquaintances met along the way. These interactions range from a brief run-in with an ignorant American couple to an extended stay with a generous painter (Joan Plowright). Some of these meetings seem to validate David’s distrust of strangers; others challenge him to not view the world as he did in the camp. Treating its subject matter with subdued respect, I Am David seems like a perfect film to introduce young viewers to unpleasant subjects like refugees and forced labor camps, depicting their struggles but imbuing the end result with hope.

Best line: (Sophie, the painter) “David, most people are good. They have families and friends, and they just want to live their lives as happily as they can. Oh, there will always be bad people in this world, and you’ll usually know them when you meet them, or sometimes you won’t, but you can’t let that stop you from living your life fully and freely, and making friends, and seeing the goodness in people, because if you don’t do that, you’ll never find any happiness.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput
401 Followers and Counting

 

VC Pick: Minority Report (2002)

07 Sunday Aug 2016

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Some people insist that the future is written
In stone,
Worry-prone
And forever unknown.
For every mistake, we are twice shy once bitten,
Yet fate
Will dictate
Whether we are too late.

How grand it would be if the future were clearer,
To see
Finally
What we can’t guarantee.
If destiny was not a wall but a mirror,
Events
To lament
We perhaps could prevent.

Yet what if the future were actually written
In sand,
To expand
Or to change what is planned.
How could you know if the course that you fit in
Is still
To fulfill
Or to change if you will?
______________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

Since most of her movie choices thus far have been romantic comedies, my VC wanted to prove her interests do extend beyond, to science fiction, for example. Thus, she recommended Minority Report, Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of a Philip K. Dick story about a world where crime can be stopped through precognition. You can’t go wrong with Spielberg and sci-fi, and as with his later pairing with Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds, Minority Report is a darkly polished cautionary tale with no shortage of futuristic effects.

Cruise plays John Anderton, a PreCrime cop whose division prevents murders through the oracular visions of three medicated “precogs” who float in a vat of milky fluid. When you say it like that, it sounds rather, um, strange, but the technological methods and theoretical concepts employed are explained understandably enough and brought to life with all manner of futuristic gadgets, from jetpacks to hand-operated holographic screens that look suspiciously like those in Tony Stark’s garage. After dealing with the probing questions of DOJ agent Danny Witwer (Colin Farrell), Anderton finds himself on the wrong side of this supposedly flawless system when he is singled out as a would-be murderer, and as he says, “Everybody runs.”

Cruise himself delivers a solid performance as Anderton, one of his first sci-fi roles. Despite being a drug addict, Anderton is consistently sympathetic due to his grief over his son’s abduction, after which he threw himself into his Precrime work. He insists on the system’s infallibility, yet when he’s on the receiving end of the accusation of murder, he proves to have the strength and intelligence to evade capture and dig deeper into how the system works. It’s a credit to the story that, even after an apparent breakthrough moment, the plot still has more twists up its sleeve. The secrets Anderton uncovers also open up philosophical quandaries he had chosen to ignore, from the humanity of the seemingly braindead precogs to whether the future is really set in stone, particularly when that future can be foreseen.

One thing seems certain: 2054 will be a problematic year. I find it curious that at least three different dystopian sci-fi films take place in that year, Surrogates, Harrison Bergeron, and this one. I suppose it’s a year that seems close enough to still be recognizable to our current lifestyle but distant enough to hold guessable technological advances. Those advances are some of Minority Report’s greatest strengths, of which we see more as Anderton’s journey continues. Autopilot cars and vertical highways? That’s cool. Spider drones that scout out entire buildings? That’s even cooler. The practical advantages of seeing the future? That too. Eventually, these cool moments add up to an all-around cool movie with some food for thought at its heart.

In addition to the moral issue of punishing people for crimes not yet committed, the tech side of things also offers questions to consider. As convenient as it would be for cars to drive themselves or public ads to be instantly customized to you based on an eye scan, such advances are only harmless for as long as you remain in the good graces of the powers that be. Those conveniences become liabilities and dangers once Anderton goes on the run. One could say that good, law-abiding people have nothing to worry about, but what is good or law-abiding can change depending on who is in power.

Minority Report is a thought-provoking mystery and one more credit to Spielberg’s sci-fi filmography. The dark cinematography makes every source of light glow, often placing an aura or halo around people, suggesting perhaps, like many dystopian films, that this shining future is only bright on its edges with shadier secrets below. The film’s one negative, aside from an unanswered question or two, was an uncomfortable scene of an eye transplant. My VC is especially squeamish about such scenes and didn’t even want me to look.

Nonetheless, Minority Report’s style and futuristic creativity made for an entertaining what-if scenario with ethical debates that will only grow as 2054 gets closer.

Best line: (Dr. Hineman, co-founder of Precrime) “Sometimes, in order to see the light, you have to risk the dark.”

 

Rank: List-Worthy

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput
401 Followers and Counting

 

Monsters University (2013)

03 Wednesday Aug 2016

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“When I was in college,” the old monster said,
“We didn’t use laughter but screaming instead
To power our civilization, and so
Each monster who scared was a public hero.

“And where did they go hone their scaring art,
To learn how to quicken a young child’s heart,
To grasp the best method of siphoning screams
While working alone or together as teams?

“Where did they practice their skulking and creeping
And sneaking for when their young target is sleeping
So when the time’s right for the roaring and leaping,
They know that it’s just the right scream that they’re reaping?

“Where did they go? But of course, you all know.
The campus of MU, where scarers went pro.
Those were the days,” sighed the monster named Ed.
“Yeah, what he said,” said his own second head.
____________________

MPAA rating: G

After the disappointment of Cars 2, I was wary of any further Pixar sequels, or prequels in the case of Monsters University, a recounting of Mike and Sully’s wild college days and how they became friends. Even though I enjoy Monsters, Inc., I skipped its prequel at the theater, and the college concept didn’t give me much desire to see it. When I finally did, I was pleasantly surprised. Of course, it’s Pixar. Shame on me for doubting Pixar. It may not be their very best, but it’s a rare spinoff film that surprisingly holds its own with the original. My VC, who isn’t too fond of the original, actually loved Monsters University more.

Monsters, Inc. ended with a more or less satisfying conclusion so I see why they opted for a prequel. First, we go all the way back to an elementary field trip where little Mike gets to visit the scare floor from the first film, reinforcing his hero worship and attracting him to MU, Monsters University, the premier place for the next generation of scarers. When he finally arrives to the colorful campus, there’s a pleasant wink-wink of nostalgia with the arrival of Randall and Sully; we know that Randall will end up the bad guy and Sully the devoted friend, but seeing them in opposite roles that change over time is both intriguing and entertaining. Friendships aren’t always as straightforward as “Hi, let’s be friends” and neither are enemyships (yes, it’s a fake word), and Monsters University develops both in believably gradual fashion.

Mike and Sully are polar opposites, it seems. Mike is the underdog, forced to study hard to keep up with the more natural scarers, while Sully is the carefree frat boy content to coast on his family name and obvious talent. After a disastrous run-in with Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren), the two are thrust together to reclaim their place at the school, which entails joining a loser fraternity called Oozma Kappa and competing in an intramural scaring competition.

Rarely does Pixar aim for the predictable, and this is no exception. Honestly, I highly doubt that the unexpected climax would have been the same had Dreamworks been in charge of production. All manner of animated and family films contain the message of believing in yourself and achieving your dreams with enough effort, and while Monsters University does too, there’s also the rare suggestion that not all dreams are feasible if your true talents lie elsewhere. In addition, it ignores the unspoken assumption that doing something good or impressive somehow washes away past transgressions; that’s a fairly common problem with many films (like how Captain Kirk from Star Trek has been in danger of court-martial more than once but always redeems himself with his heroics), and Monsters University doesn’t fall into it, making the result more realistic in the process.

I don’t know why I assumed Monsters University would be inferior. Perhaps the collegiate setting just didn’t interest me at the time, but it actually provided quite a bit of humor, from the various scaring studies to the madcap fraternity sports. Characters as lovable as Mike and Sully should only be revisited with a worthwhile story, and Pixar succeeded in that. It’s not a game-changer in animation like some of their best films, but it’s second-tier Pixar rather than third-tier. Compared with many of the animated movies out there, that’s certainly good enough for me.

Best line: (Art, mentioning his strengths) “I’ve got a third arm. Not with me, of course.”

 

Rank: List-Worthy (joining Monsters, Inc.)

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput
400 Followers and Counting

 

The End Credits Song Hall of Fame

31 Sunday Jul 2016

Posted by in Movies, Music, Reviews, Writing

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To celebrate my blog reaching 400 followers (which may not seem like a lot compared to other blogs but it’s a big deal to me), I decided to finally compile the list I’ve mentioned on and off since my third review ever: the End Credits Song Hall of Fame. That’s right, this is where great songs at a film’s conclusion will be honored, respected, liked, and maybe even listened to. Most movie credits roll with just the score playing as you wait to see if there’s an after-credits scene, but many others feature amazing songs that offer a perfect musical coda to everything that came before. This is their hall of fame.

Now, let me just say up front that this list is by no means comprehensive. It will undoubtedly grow as I watch and remember more worthy songs, and anyone is welcome to comment with suggestions to add. As I said before, these are actual songs with words rather than the film score. (For my top movie scores, check here.) I ranked my favorites as a Top Twelve list, but since this is a hall of fame instead of a countdown, I’ll count up from #1, with the rest of the list being in alphabetical order by film. I’ll also include my VC’s twelve favorites since they’re a bit different from mine. Enjoy the hall of fame!

 

  1. “When Can We Do This Again” from Wreck-It Ralph

 

Wreck-It Ralph is the only film to have three songs worthy of the hall of fame, two being the theme songs for the in-movie games Fix-It Felix, Jr., and Sugar Rush, and the best being Owl City’s utterly catchy “When Can We Do this Again.” I have played this song to death; not only is it an energetic conclusion to a fun and colorful movie, but it’s a fantastic song for walking or mowing the lawn.

 

  1. “May It Be” from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring / “Into the West” from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

 

Okay, so I’m fudging the top twelve with a tie, but I couldn’t choose between these two incredible songs. Sung by Enya, “May It Be” earned an Oscar nomination, while Annie Lennox’s “Into the West” actually won. Though “Gollum’s Song” at the end of Two Towers isn’t on the same level as these, both offer peaceful and beautiful conclusions to my favorite films.

  1. “Wunderkind” from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

 

Speaking of beautiful songs, Alanis Morissette’s haunting performance of “Wunderkind” put a special stamp of loveliness at the end of the first Narnia movie. While my VC doesn’t like to rank her picks, she’ll go so far as to say this is probably her #1.

  1. “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic

 

Celine Dion’s Oscar-winning super-hit will forever be linked with James Cameron’s Titanic. This bittersweet elegy to lost love was the perfect gut punch for me after that final scene.

  1. “I 2 I” from A Goofy Movie

 

Now for something completely different. This Michael Jackson-style pop song sung by sound-alike Tevin Campbell was cut short in the actual movie, but the full version was heard in the credits. If it hadn’t been part of a lesser Disney movie, I seriously think this would have been a radio hit.

  1. “I See Fire” and “The Last Goodbye” from The Hobbit trilogy

 

Middle-Earth strikes again. Peter Jackson definitely knows how to end his films well (when they do finally end), and all three Hobbit films end with some brilliant Celtic-sounding music. Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire” concludes The Desolation of Smaug with subtle intensity. And Billy Boyd’s singing of “The Last Goodbye” ended The Battle of the Five Armies and the whole Middle-Earth saga on an ideal note of farewell. My VC and I agree this last one was wrongly shunned for an Oscar nom.

  1. “Gotta Knock a Little Harder” from Cowboy Bebop: The Movie

 

The music is often cited as the best part of the classic anime series Cowboy Bebop, and its film spinoff ended with an equally awesome blend of jazzy coolness.

  1. “Let the River Run” from Working Girl

 

Carly Simon’s African-influenced Oscar-winner begins and ends Working Girl with uplifting hope and a soothing choir. There is a poignancy to the video too, seeing the Twin Towers as a part of the New York skyline.

  1. “Jailhouse Rock” from The Blues Brothers

 

I love movies that end by showing the actor’s name with their character. It’s just a visual courtesy to those who can’t remember every character’s name, but it’s even better when everyone is singing at the same time. As Jake, Elwood, and the band rock out in jail, all the various players and cameos sing right along.

  1. “Love Train” from The Martian

 

The same goes for The Martian’s credits, even if everyone’s not singing here. I love how they slip in one more ‘70s song that complements the theme of globally working together. Now whenever I hear this song, I think of this movie.

  1. “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” from Scrooged

 

And back to everyone singing together. Bill Murray ends his Christmas special and the film with one big feel-good sing-along, with a little breaking the fourth wall thrown in for good measure. I also associate this song with the beginning of Stuart Little 2, but it’s a great conclusion to this modern Christmas Carol.

  1. “Breath of Life” from Snow White and the Huntsman

 

I honestly didn’t notice this song when I first watched the movie, but after recently discovering Florence and the Machine and falling in love with several of their songs, I reevaluated this ending track for Snow White and the Huntsman. It has a building intensity reminiscent of the epic trailer music done by Two Steps from Hell. Definitely epic.

VC’s Top Twelve in no particular order:

 

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – “Wunderkind”
Titanic – “My Heart Will Go On”
Scrooged – “Put a Little Love in Your Heart”
A View to a Kill – “A View to a Kill”
The Breakfast Club – “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – “Oh Yeah”
Footloose – “Footloose”
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – “Into the West”
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – “The Last Goodbye”
School of Rock – “It’s a Long Way to the Top”
Same Time, Next Year – “The Last Time I Felt Like This”
To Sir, with Love – “To Sir, with Love”

 

 

And the rest…

 

(500) Days of Summer – “She’s Got You High”
9 to 5 – “9 to 5”
A Beautiful Mind – “All Love Can Be”
Anastasia – “At the Beginning”
An Extremely Goofy Movie – “Right Back Where We Started From”
Armageddon – “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”
Around the World in 80 Days (2004) – “Everybody All over the World”
A View to a Kill – “A View to a Kill”
Babe – “If I Had Words”
Batman and Robin – “Kiss from a Rose”

Big Hero 6 – “Immortals”
The Bodyguard – “I Will Always Love You”
Bolt – “I Thought I Lost You”
The Bourne Ultimatum – “Extreme Ways”
Brave – “Learn Me Right”
The Breakfast Club – “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”
Brother Bear – “No Way Out” reprise and “Look through My Eyes”
Children Who Chase Lost Voices – “Hello, Goodbye, and Hello”
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – “The Call”
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – “There’s a Place for Us”

Ella Enchanted – “It’s Not Just Make Believe”
Enchanted – “Ever Ever After”
Eragon – “Keep Holding On” and “Once in Every Lifetime”
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – “Oh Yeah”
Finding Nemo – “Beyond the Sea”
Footloose – “Footloose”
Frozen – “Let It Go”
Ghostbusters – “Ghostbusters”
Groundhog Day – “Weatherman”
Home Alone – “Somewhere in My Memory”

Inkheart – “My Declaration”
The Hunger Games – “Abraham’s Daughter” and “Safe & Sound”
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – “Atlas”
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 – “The Hanging Tree”
High School Musical 3 – “Just Getting Started” and “The Boys Are Back”
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – “The Song of the Lonely Mountain”
King of Thorn – “Edge of This World”
Laputa: Castle in the Sky – “Carrying You”
The Lion King – “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”
Live and Let Die – “Live and Let Die” (and most other Bond songs)
Mannequin – “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”

Meet the Robinsons – “The Future Has Arrived”
Millennium Actress – “Rotation”
Patema Inverted – “Patema Inverse”
The Polar Express – “Believe”
The Prince of Egypt – “When You Believe”
The Princess Bride – “Storybook Love”
The Road to El Dorado – “Someday Out of the Blue”
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”
Rocky III – “Eye of the Tiger”
Same Time, Next Year – “The Last Time I Felt Like This”

School of Rock – “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll)”
Song of the Sea – “Song of the Sea”
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron – “Don’t Let Go”
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams – “Isle of Dreams”
Stand by Me – “Stand by Me”
Stuart Little 2 – “I’m Alive”
Tangled – “Something That I Want”
Teachers – “Understanding”
To Sir, with Love – “To Sir, with Love”
Toy Story – “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 – “A Thousand Years Part 2”
Unbroken – “Miracles”
WALL-E – “Down to Earth”
Won’t Back Down – “I Won’t Back Down”
Zootopia – “Try Everything”

 

Version Variations: Adventures in Babysitting (1987, 2016)

27 Wednesday Jul 2016

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A night on the town can be thrilling or fun,
When you know what you’re doing and not on the run,
But if you’re unprepared for the city at night,
I’d highly advise that you do as I write.

Don’t chitchat with strangers or pull someone’s leg,
Unless you need money, in which case just beg.
Do not leave your car, unless you have no choice;
Don’t take a stage unless you have a good voice.

Don’t steal magazines or pet cats you can’t see
And try to avoid any known felony.
And whatever you do in your probable mess,
Don’t bring kids along, unless you like stress.
__________________________

MPAA rating for 1987 version: PG-13
Rating for 2016 version: G

Adventures in Babysitting is one of those movies that could have well been on my original list, but it took a more recent viewing to remind me of this fun ’80s classic and convince me to add it to my list, which I updated all the way back at the beginning of the year. I do want to review all the films I added last year, and the recent Disney Channel remake gave me the perfect opportunity to revisit this one as a Version Variation.

Released by Disney’s Touchstone label, the original Adventures in Babysitting from 1987 was the first lead role for Elizabeth Shue, who plays Chris the babysitter, and I dare say it wasn’t just Keith Coogan’s Brad who had a crush on her. Singing along to “Then He Kissed Me” in the opening credits, she’s the ideal girl next door, soon thrust into extraordinary circumstances when her friend Brenda (Penelope Ann Miller) begs for rescue from an ill-conceived attempt at running away. Forced to bring Brad, his sister Sara (Maia Brewton), and his friend Daryl (Anthony Rapp) along for the ride, Chris holds herself and her under-age entourage together surprisingly well as they ramble from one Chicago danger to the next.

A coworker of mine told me she doesn’t see what makes Adventures in Babysitting a classic, but while it isn’t on the level of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, it’s a film in which individual moments outshine the whole. There’s the scary hook story and its unexpected punchline, the gang confrontation on the L train, the tense climax high on a skyscraper, and the disarming payoff for Sara’s obsession with Thor, long before anyone thought Marvel would give him his own movie. (It’s still hard to believe that hunky mechanic was Vincent D’Onofrio, you know, the scuzzy bad guy in both Men in Black and Jurassic World. No wonder he’s known as a chameleon.) And of course, the film’s high point is its impromptu musical number where Chris and the kids sing their own babysitting blues on stage. Even if you don’t see the film as a classic, that scene certainly is. Through all their risky ordeals, the easily likable main characters ensure Adventures in Babysitting is likewise easy to enjoy.

Image result for adventures in babysitting

As for the remake…. Perhaps to capitalize on the boom in ’80s nostalgia and to give its 100th Disney Channel Original Movie some name recognition, Disney decided to give Adventures in Babysitting a kiddie makeover this year, and the results were mixed to say the least. The film features Disney Channel stars such as Sabrina Carpenter from Girl Meets World, Sofia Carson from Descendants, and Kevin Quinn from Bunk’d, and like their shows, it’s a juvenile mix of humor and heart that will appeal far more to tweens than to anyone much older. I used to watch and enjoy Disney Channel Original Movies while growing up (I still love the High School Musical series), but having drifted away from DCOMs and now watching this one, my older self can’t help but wonder if the quality has gone down or my perceptions have simply matured. Maybe both.

Either way, this new Adventures in Babysitting comes up way short of the original even as it seemingly tries to outdo it. Instead of one babysitter, we get two, one a deeply responsible good girl (Carpenter) and the other an unreliable sitter-impersonator (Carson). Instead of three kids, we get five from two different families, ranging from an aspiring chef to a would-be fashionista. Instead of a car-stealing ring with genuine danger implied, we get a couple of bumbling smugglers doing something illegal with a spray-painted ferret.

Yet for all its changes, it’s still recognizably the same general story, hitting the same beats and notable scenes, yet mirroring my main complaint about Maleficent, every scene from the original that they try to recreate is consistently worse. Most atrocious of all is the “musical number,” which has morphed from a blues anthem to a rap battle with dreadful lyrics like “we ain’t no quitters; we’re the babysitters.” It’s enough to make me gag.

Image result for adventures in babysitting 2016

Yet even with all the ways the newer version of Adventures in Babysitting falls short of the original, it’s hard to totally disparage. It’s likely far more engaging to its target age group than to me and, for them, probably captures some of the same fun that ’80s kids felt in 1987. For the most part, it’s decent; perhaps someone someday might consider it a classic, but I doubt it. The most the remake has going for it is its kid-friendliness (i.e., “Don’t mess with the babysitter!” as opposed to the original version), since the original was more intended for teens and up with its occasional language and talk of Playboy. If it has to exist, I suppose the latest version of Adventures in Babysitting can act as an introduction to younger audiences before they see the far better original. Now enough already with the lackluster remakes!

Best line (from the original): (Brad) “Where we gonna get 50 bucks?”   (Sarah) “We could sell Daryl. You think?”

 

Rank for 1987 version: List-Worthy
Rank for 2016 version: Dishonorable Mention

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput
399 Followers and Counting

 

Bottom-Dweller: Seize the Day (1986)

22 Friday Jul 2016

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“Seize the day,” the proverbs say,
But what if, trying to obey,
You find your hope
A slippery slope
That lets potential slip away.

Some days are high, while others die
In grief no matter how you try.
Your only hope
Those days, to cope,
Is that the next may dry your eye.

(If you don’t like this woeful rhyme,
You’ll find this film a waste of time.)
________________

MPAA Rating: Unrated (should be PG-13)

I’d almost forgotten about my Bottom-Dwellers, six films I personally loathe and wouldn’t mind forgetting entirely. Though I still have two left to excoriate eventually, it took the arrival of a seventh to get me to return to a truly negative review. This latest Bottom-Dweller worth despising is 1986’s Seize the Day, an early dramatic turn for Robin Williams before he made that line famous in Dead Poets Society. It was the presence of Williams that got me curious to see it, but even if he does well with the material, said material is not nearly worth his talent.

On the DVD case, Seize the Day is hailed as the only adaptation of respected author Saul Bellow’s works, and it doesn’t induce me to seek out the novel at all. Williams plays Tommy Wilhelm, a struggling salesman whose years of hard work for the same company resulted in his bitter unemployment. Having left his wife, he must pay alimony, even though she refuses to grant him a divorce, for which his girlfriend (Glenne Headly) is growing impatient. Tommy travels to the city, only to find a dearth of well-paying jobs, a reminder of how disdainful and unloving his father is (Joseph Wiseman), and a slight chance at pay dirt with the stock market advice of a poker buddy called Dr. Tamkin (Jerry Stiller). Things start out bad and then get worse and worse and worse, and then it ends.

I’m not necessarily opposed to depressing movies, but there’s usually some redeeming factor. Grave of the Fireflies makes me cry every time, but there are moments of light and sweetness sprinkled throughout. The Italian classic Bicycle Thieves is another example of a “worse and worse and then it ends” kind of movie, but at least there’s a potent social commentary at its heart. Seize the Day has nothing to recommend it, except Williams’ fine acting that makes you genuinely pity this poor man as his life is stamped into the dust of an uncaring world.

I suppose you could read a warning into it, like “Never fall for a con artist who eats like a pig,” but any lesson to be had pales next to just how pathetic Tommy becomes. Perhaps the point was for him to face up to his mistakes in life (not taking his father’s career advice, leaving his vindictive wife), but so much cold callousness piles on him that all he and the audience want is a tiny bit of relief that never comes. The author described Seize the Day almost as a dark comedy, but certainly nothing seems funny at the time. The closest thing to gallows humor is the final scene (which I’ll spoil since no one should waste their time on this movie), in which Tommy finds a funeral and uses the opportune setting to break down sobbing at his shattered hopes. And then it ends. Bad days happen; I had one just yesterday (which might explain why I’m going all medieval on this movie), but there are few things less appealing than watching someone else’s day and/or life ruined.

I’ve never read Saul Bellow’s novels, but if Seize the Day is any indication, it’s no wonder why others haven’t been adapted to film. As an old HBO movie, the quality of the filmmaking is also shabby, with choppy editing and uninspired direction. But beyond such practical complaints, Seize the Day is an oppressively bleak and dismal contrast to the American dream, a story whose only goal seems to be driving its main character to suicide, and considering what became of its star, this film’s purpose of hopelessness is in retroactive bad taste. Williams’ first scene in the film is of him giving another driver the finger, a sentiment also deserved by the film itself.

Best line: (a man in an elevator) “The truth is one parent can support ten children, but ten children can’t support one parent.”

 

Rank: Bottom-Dweller

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput
399 Followers and Counting

 

Paper Towns (2015)

21 Thursday Jul 2016

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A paper town stands as a dot on a map,
The mapmaker’s special distinguishing mark
To make it his own and to fool any sap
Who happens to visit the place on a lark.

You may well have hopes for that fake little dot,
Which only arrival can fully repeal.
When maps are affirmed by a town that is not,
The rest of the dots become all the more real.
_____________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

After John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars was translated into such a successful young-adult film in 2014, the same studio heads apparently hoped that lightning could strike again with a second Green adaptation, this time Paper Towns. Since Paper Towns was written in 2008 without all the hype of Fault in Our Stars, the film version was an understandably lesser release, and mixed reviews didn’t help. And yet…I enjoyed it a lot, perhaps not more than Fault but on something of a more personal level.

After playing Gus’s friend going blind in Fault, Nat Wolff steps up to lead character status as Quentin Jacobsen, or Q, one of those awkward, easily relatable high-schoolers that tend to be YA protagonists. As a kid, he befriended his adventurous neighbor Margo Roth Spiegelman (Cara Delevingne), but as the years passed, he settled into mundane normalcy while she became an ever more reckless local legend. His crush on Margo doesn’t diminish with their lack of contact, though, and when she unexpectedly asks for his assistance on a daring night of revenge, he tags along with sheepish compliance and has one of the best nights of his life. And then she vanishes, apparently to satisfy her wanderlust, but Q finds clues to her whereabouts and feels compelled to follow her.

Paper Towns has identifiable ingredients from other recent YA films, from The Fault in Our Stars (Green’s subtly profound dialogue, an urging to live life to the fullest) to Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (the sex-obsessed friend, the quirky family details). Whereas both of those dealt with the serious issue of cancer, Paper Towns keeps itself lighter, transitioning from enigmatic mystery to memory-making road trip, peppered with endearing character interactions. It was these small moments between the characters that left me with a smile more often than not. Q’s pals Radar and Ben are archetypal buddies, the former a slight nerd with girlfriend anxiety and the latter a swaggering goofball, but their conversations felt realistic and fun, like when they all segue into a Sean Connery accent. I do that myself sometimes! Probably my favorite moment came when a suggestion to sing leads the three to start in on the Pokémon theme song with growing exuberance. I know not everyone is into Pokémon (and I couldn’t care less about the recent Pokémon Go fad), but that original theme song is an ever appealing source of nostalgia for my generation. After all, how many people still remember the words to some show’s opening that they grew up watching? For me anyway, it was a terrific scene.

Despite the enjoyable moments, including a great little cameo, the end of the film’s journey is almost sure to disappoint the audience as much as it does the characters. It’s meant to be disappointing, and yet it still finds an uplifting message through it all. Q’s course seems analogous to that of Tom in (500) Days of Summer, keeping romantic hope alive until reality makes him recognize his target girl is someone not meant to be followed. It’s rather jarring, but the breaking of Q’s obsession helps him to see what he’s been missing and, as cliché as it may seem, to value the journey over the destination.

Paper Towns is by no means perfect or free of annoyances. I was frustrated, for instance, with how not one, but two characters bemoan how others see them when they themselves promote that very image. While the performances in Paper Towns are worthy all around, The Fault in Our Stars is probably the better film, if only for its more sober subject matter. Yet, as I said, I found myself enjoying Paper Towns more than its film predecessor, and since they’re both John Green adaptations, I don’t mind putting them on the same level in my esteem.

Best line: (Q) “What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person.”

 

Rank: List-Worthy (tied with The Fault in Our Stars)

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput
399 Followers and Counting

 

The Outsiders (1983)

15 Friday Jul 2016

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Youth are fools in their prime,
Adept at wasting time.
‘Tis not till age upsets,
They find time for regrets.
If grief will have its day
With innocence’ decay,
May fools find green and gold
Before they grow too old.
_______________

MPAA rating: PG-13

Francis Ford Coppola took a break from epics like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now with his far smaller and more personal adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. This tragic tale of rival gangs in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a prime example of a film that I can recognize as good without actually enjoying it. Gang movies have never been my cup of tea; I can appreciate parts of them, like the music in West Side Story, but it’s the kind of youth lifestyle I just can’t relate to in the slightest.

The best thing going for The Outsiders is the cast, a veritable who’s who of ‘80s rising stars. As friends Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade, C. Thomas Howell and Ralph Macchio are two likable kids, Greasers who follow Dallas (Matt Dillon) around as the older boy hits on the prettiest girl at the drive-in (Diane Lane). Patrick Swayze and Rob Lowe join in too as Ponyboy’s elder brothers, while Emilio Estevez and even a snaggletoothed Tom Cruise show up for a few scenes. Howell, Macchio, and Dillon are the only ones to stand out, but seeing all these stars-to-be together was the film’s main pleasure.

After a lethal run-in with members of the well-to-do rival gang called the Socs (pronounced “Soashes”), Ponyboy and Johnny must hide out in an old abandoned church until tensions die down. Despite the relative lack of activity, it is this waiting that forms the high point of the film. The boys bond and read Gone with the Wind, and in a scene I included in my top twelve list of poems in movies, Ponyboy recites Robert Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” applying its meaning to his own wish for permanence as the sunset recalls similarly staged scenes in Gone with the Wind. That grand scene is sadly fleeting as the boys must soon deal with sacrifice and gang pressures.

The rivalry between the Greasers and Socs is comparable to any gang rivalry, hinging on class warfare and revenge, but it just seems so pointless. I’m an easy-going, let’s-all-get-along kind of guy who just can’t understand the cyclical vengeance of gangs. I know that most conflicts are not easily resolved, but the small-scale scuffles on display here are the product of attitude and peer pressure and “getting even.” That’s what makes Ponyboy and Johnny so sympathetic; they’re tired of all the strife too, and though some descriptions I’ve read imply the gangs themselves are “the outsiders” of society, it’s really the two friends who stand apart from the petty rivalries into which they were more or less born and aspire to something more, something selfless.

There are glimmers of hope in The Outsiders, from the poem recitation to a scene of understanding between Ponyboy and one of the Socs, but the sad gang mentality remains. While one tragedy is given the respect it’s due, another seems like a total waste that could have been better reproved. I felt for Ponyboy and Johnny, but everyone else seemed to bring friction and violence on themselves, which is hardly something I enjoy watching.

Best line: (Johnny) “Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.”

 

Rank: Honorable Mention

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput
399 Followers and Counting