Category Archives: Writing

The Book of Life (2014)

27 Wednesday Jan 2016

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

 

Life is full of love and song
For those with both within their hearts;
But why must death and sleep be different
From their former counterparts?

Grief will mark a soul’s departure
Here on earth where all lives cease;
But from grief comes celebration
In another life of peace.
__________________
 

MPAA rating: PG

 

While Pixar has been rumored to be working on a project called Coco about the Mexican Day of the Dead (supposedly for a 2017 release), Reel FX and 20th Century Fox Animation beat them to the punch with 2014’s The Book of Life. This inventively animated romance starts out with a frame story reminiscent of The Princess Bride, with a confident museum guide recounting a story to a collection of rowdy schoolkids, who interject their occasional thoughts and worries as the tale progresses.

While these kids have a more typical cartoon human appearance, the characters in the tale being told are intentionally modeled as wooden puppets, with visible joints but no strings. This aesthetic combines with the off-kilter animation to give the CGI film a stop-motion aspect, not unlike The Lego Movie. The story itself follows three childhood friends, Manolo Sanchez (Diego Luna), Maria (Zoe Saldana), and Joaquin (Channing Tatum), who are destined to grow up into a love triangle. Just as viewers often debate who will get the girl in any number of series, the trio attract the attention of the two rulers of the afterlife, the lovely La Muerte of the Land of the Remembered and the bitter Xibalba of the Land of the Forgotten. Ron Perlman as Xibalba seems knowingly reminiscent of Hades in Hercules as he makes a game-changing bet with his counterpart as to which boy will marry Maria.

The Book of Life has a lot of positives. The animation is frequently enchanting and the characters surprisingly personable. While the characterization sometimes falters, I liked how one suitor was clearly meant as Maria’s soul mate, but the other was still given a chance to be heroic rather than being turned into a villain. The film also offers a uniquely positive view of death, treating it not as the end but as a second stage to reunite with loved ones and join in one big fiesta.

On the other hand, these same themes of death strike me as problematic. The depiction of the afterlife rings with Mexican culture but is entirely irreligious, as is the notion that our departed loved ones live on in happiness only as long as we remember them. The film’s conflict makes a point of noting that, without anyone to remember them, the dead will pass into the hellish Land of the Forgotten, which makes me wonder why no one is bothered by the fact that this will happen anyway within a few generations. I don’t remember my great-great-great grandfather; that doesn’t mean he’s not in Heaven. This idea of the afterlife is meant as a secular comfort but not a lasting one.

The Book of Life is also marred by tired clichés about being oneself against an overbearing parent; some awkwardly out-of-left-field pop songs, as if it’s trying to emulate Shrek; and oddly by the same animation I praised earlier. When I first saw the animation style, it reminded me of the Nickelodeon show El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (picture below), and sure enough, director Jorge Gutierrez was also that show’s creator and apparently just translated the animation from 2D to 3D. While it works most of the time, certain scenes look strangely cheap with elaborate mustaches and protuberant noses that aren’t even trying for realism.

Here I go again, sounding all critical as if I dislike anything with flaws. Not so. The Book of Life rises as a delightful, energetic, and uniquely cultural change of pace from the usual stylings of Disney and DreamWorks while not coming off as low quality. Its themes of family and life and telling our own stories are commendable, and I enjoyed it, as I think most fans of animation will.

Best line: (one of the distraught schoolkids) “What is it with Mexicans and death?!”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput

360 Followers and Counting

 

Jurassic World (2015)

24 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, ,

 

“What have we learned?” they knowingly say.
“Life has evolved to show us the way.
Dangerous creatures and habits have filled
The past, and on them the near-future will build.”

“What have we learned?” they foolishly ask.
“Our forerunners clearly weren’t up to the task.
What they could not do we will better complete.
Mistakes of the past we will never repeat.”

“What have we learned?” they say, sure of their touch.
Those who see clearly say “Clearly, not much.”
________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

 

In many ways, 2015 was the year of the unexpected sequel/reboot. I’d bet that not too many people wanted or expected Hollywood to resurrect franchises like Jurassic Park, Mad Max, The Terminator, or Fantastic Four. (Lots of fans wanted another Star Wars so that doesn’t count.) Some of those turned out better than others, but the mammoth hit of the summer was Jurassic World.

The film starts out with two brothers, older punk Gray and younger whiz kid Zach, as their parents send them off to a theme park on none other than Isla Nublar. The audience’s nostalgia is tapped early on as we enter the famous giant gates and behold Jurassic World in all its glory. There’s a baby dinosaur petting zoo and a big glass hamster ball for safaris and a SeaWorld-style splash show with something a little bigger than a killer whale. Tourists and merchandise are everywhere, and there’s a certain satisfaction to seeing John Hammond’s dream so triumphantly realized.

By the looks of things, the creators of the park seem to have worked out all the bugs, with financing from owner Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan) and scientific guidance from Dr. Henry Wu (B. D. Wong, the only returning cast member from the original film). But as Ian Malcolm said in The Lost World, they’re not making the same mistakes twice, they’re “making all new ones.” Just as the whole frog DNA idea backfired for Hammond, the park runners do a little too much genetic manipulation to create an uber-dinosaur, the Indominus Rex. As the park’s operational manager, Zach and Gray’s Aunt Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) seems coldly confident that there’s nothing wrong with toying with nature. You can guess what happens next.

Like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Jurassic World seems to directly parallel the original film in order to balance the new with the familiar. There’s the gate entrance, a hands-on scene involving a sick/dying dinosaur, an intense glass scene that lets kids in danger look directly into a predator’s maw, a flare scene involving a T. Rex, and a vehicle being chased by a rogue dino. While I like The Force Awakens more, I have to admit that Jurassic World better differentiates those scenes from their original counterparts. It also nails the most important element of an effects-driven movie like this, the dinosaurs. Some creatures may be more obviously CGI than others, but the life-and-death action and dino duels are exhilarating to behold, if rather vicious in their body count.

Jurassic World is quite an improvement over the last two Jurassic Park sequels, but it’s a Procompsognathus next to Spielberg’s original. Its greatest weakness is its characters, who lack the appealing personalities of the first gang of ill-fated visitors. After Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt was the hot actor and the obvious choice for the hero in the latest addition to the Jurassic Park series. His role as Owen Grady is the most persuasive, acting as the practical conscience for the shocked park leaders and the personable trainer for the park’s four semi-trained Velociraptors. Pratt can’t carry the whole movie, though, and everyone else is rather interchangeable. Howard is your typical half-empowered damsel; the kids are your typical kids in danger, with a troubled home life that is left unresolved; and Vincent D’Onofrio is your typical dense, single-minded fool of a villain, who is convinced that the raptors can be used as weapons even after that very plan blows up in his face.

By the end, the human characters become almost irrelevant during a big dino brawl, dumbly running parallel to the fight and trying to just stay out of the way. The end almost reminded me of 2014’s Godzilla, in transforming a former monster into something of a hero who battles whatever rival to its superiority but leaves man alone since he’s too trivial to matter much. These last two paragraphs sound perhaps more critical than I mean to be. Jurassic World is an entertaining summer movie that revitalized the franchise; I just don’t know why it nearly became the highest grossing film of the year. Hopefully, the next installment will put a little more focus on the characters. I love a good dino flick; it just helps when I connect more to the people in danger.

Best line: (Masrani) “You created a monster!”   (Dr. Wu) “Monster is a relative term. To a canary, a cat is a monster. We’re just used to being the cat.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput

356 Followers and Counting

 

Armageddon (1998)

21 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

,

 

An asteroid with nothing to slow it
Will hit the earth unless we blow it.
Some experts, therefore,
Must destroy it before
The end of the world as we know it.

Don’t bother the National Guard,
The Navy Seals, or Scotland Yard.
What we need right now
Are the skilled and lowbrow
Who know how to dig and dig hard.

They’ve known ever since they began it
This mission needs real men to man it,
The tough and untried
With professional pride,
Emerging to save the whole planet.
_____________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

Armageddon has pretty much everything you could expect from a Michael Bay film: cocky and attractive hotshots, semi-serious life-and-death circumstances, underdogs rising up for their moment of truth, special effects up the wazoo, and explosions, lots and lots of explosions. It’s a film that can be both written off as scientifically inaccurate baloney and enjoyed as unreasonably entertaining baloney. Essentially, it’s a beautiful disaster.

It starts out a lot like Gravity, with a space shuttle spacewalk being cut short by a storm of debris, or in this case meteoroids. NASA quickly investigates the recent rash of destructive meteor showers and discovers that the big Texas-sized mama of them all is headed for a direct collision that will undoubtedly extinguish all life on Earth (except cockroaches, of course). Mankind’s only hope is to bring in a band of drilling experts, blue-collar ruffians who would normally be the last people called in during a disaster but who have the know-how to drill through the asteroid’s surface so NASA can blow it up with a nuke. There’s the leader Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis); self-confident A.J. (Ben Affleck), who is in love with Harry’s daughter (Liv Tyler) much to Harry’s chagrin; the unhinged genius (Steve Buscemi); the faithful sidekick with family issues (Will Patton); the big muscle (Michael Clarke Duncan); the fat guy (Ken Hudson Campbell); and that other guy (Owen Wilson). Throw in Billy Bob Thornton as a NASA scientist, William Fichtner as the military astronaut leader, and Peter Stormare as a semi-crazy Russian cosmonaut, and you’ve got a star-studded blowout of a movie.

Most of these actors have gone on to serious dramatic roles, but seeing them all together in a film like Armageddon brings to mind the big disaster films of the 1970s. Like some of those (Earthquake, for example), it’s certainly an open question as to whether this disaster is actually a good movie. The science is borderline silly, the editing choppy, the dialogue often corny, and plenty of unrealistic clichés abound, including not one but two down-to-the-last-second countdowns. I, for one, thought that the surface of the asteroid was absurdly crystalline in appearance, unlike any actual space surface I’ve seen, and the title shows an annoying lack of Biblical knowledge, since Armageddon isn’t the generic end of the world but an actual place where a battle of armies takes place in Revelation.

However, these complaints don’t really detract from what Armageddon the movie is: eye candy entertainment on a big, exciting, not-to-be-taken-too-seriously scale. The race against time is engrossing, not because we deeply care about these characters, but because the stakes are so high that suspension of disbelief goes out the airlock in favor of simply enjoying the ride. All the actors fill their roles well, particularly Willis as the experienced and heroic leader, and even if many of them come off as caricatures, they look like they had fun taking part. While the editing is erratic during some of the action scenes, Bay taps into that primal satisfaction of watching things blow up, whether it be New York streets or the surface of a space rock. The most thrilling scene takes place in the ISS, when a fire breaks out—wait, this reminds me of Gravity too.

Armageddon fits into that half-honored genre of popcorn blockbusters, the likes of which critics deride and ordinary moviegoers pay to see in droves. Its flaws are self-evident yet oddly insignificant in the face of the overall package. While end-of-the-world movies have become grim and somewhat more realistic over the years, Armageddon is an example of a big, long, funny, appealing disaster.

Best line: (one of Harry’s drillers, as Harry is trying to shoot A.J. for sleeping with his daughter) “This is illegal, man.” (Harry) “I’m temporarily insane, Rock. It’s all right.”

VC’s best line: (Harry, listing his drillers’ demands) “Yeah, one more thing. Um, none of them wanna pay taxes again…ever.”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2016 S. G. Liput
356 Followers and Counting

 

My Top Twelve Movie Corn

17 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by in Movies, Reviews, Writing

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Yellow Corn

 

After enjoying lots of wonderful holiday food at the tail end of 2015, I thought I’d make my first list of the new year deliciously random: corn! If you were expecting corny movies, as in “tiresomely simple and sentimental” (according to Merriam-Webster), this isn’t it. I’m talking actual corn, one of the most versatile of all vegetables.

Think of all the things you can do with corn. I’ll use my Bubba voice: corn on the cob, creamed corn, corn fritters, cornbread, corn dogs, corn chips, corn pudding, hominy, grits, polenta, corn meal, corn flakes, corn chowder, corn starch, corn oil, corn syrup, corn tortillas, corn nuts, corn maze, and…that’s about it. Wait, let’s not forget the use that most applies to film, everyone’s favorite movie-watching snack, popcorn! Heck, there’s probably corn in your gas tank as ethanol. Based on my Southern roots, I for one prefer my corn creamed and served over fried okra; nothing corn-related is better.

With so much corn at our disposal, it’s no wonder that it has cropped up in countless films, whether as food or still on the stalk. Still, I’m honestly surprised I had enough to make up the top twelve, let alone any honorable mentions. So without further ado, here are my favorite cinematic uses of corn:

 

  1. Wild Wild West (1999)

 

This movie has a lot of detractors, but I’ve always found its steampunk Western vibe to be goofy fun. One of the most memorable scenes involved Will Smith and Kevin Kline fleeing from giant flying blades through a corn field. Talk about mowin’ ‘em down.

 

  1. Pocahontas (1995)

 

Corn, or maize, is a uniquely American crop, and its origins in the New World explain how prevalent it was among Native American cultures. Disney’s Pocahontas uses corn harvesting as a backdrop for certain scenes, and when John Smith explains the concept of gold, Pocahontas offers the only shiny yellow thing around: a corn cob.

 

 

  1. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

 

“You are about to be crushed by a giant corn.” Enough said.

 

 

  1. Oklahoma! (1955)

 

What better way to start a Western musical than with a singing cowboy riding through a corn field? It’s always a beautiful morning where “the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye.”

 

 

  1. Troll 2 (1990)

 

I haven’t seen much of this notoriously awful “best worst movie,” but the corn scene is, well, something else. When some troll witch in disguise seduces an unsuspecting moron who admits he likes popcorn, it leads to possibly the most bizarre and corniest kiss(?) I’ve ever seen.

 

 

  1. TIE: Twister (1996) / Interstellar (2014)

 

There are several films that involve driving through a corn field, but these two scenes stick out the most for me. The big finale of Twister involves Bill and Jo driving toward and then running from a massive tornado as it rips through a defenseless field of corn. On the other hand, Interstellar’s corn chase is at the beginning, as Coop and his kids chase a solar-powered drone. It must be said that, despite all the corn Coop grows, Interstellar features one of the most nightmarish lines ever uttered: “They say it’s the last crop of okra…ever.” No! Corn without okra; now that is apocalyptic.

 

 

 

  1. Secondhand Lions (2003)

 

I love this underrated movie about a boy (Haley Joel Osment) staying with his two crotchety great-uncles on the Texas prairie. When he convinces them to buy from a traveling salesman, they plant various crops, only to find that it’s all “corn, corn, corn. Nothing but corn.”

 

 

  1. Field of Dreams (1989)

 

While this film isn’t as dear to me as it is to many people, there’s no denying the presence of corn. Kevin Costner is a farmer called to build a baseball diamond out of his corn field. The corn itself also serves as a magical gateway for former baseball players and other significant people.

 

 

  1. Witness (1985)

 

Death by corn! Who knew that one of the most dangerous weapons on an Amish farm is the corn silo? When Harrison Ford’s John Book lures a bad guy inside, we get a notorious example of grain engulfment.

 

  1. Signs (2002)

 

M. Night Shyamalan was not the first to make a corn field scary, but he did throw in the idea of aliens and crop circles. Mel Gibson obviously didn’t know that when he wanders into his corn field to ward off supposed pranksters. Never enter a corn field at night!

 

 

  1. WarGames (1983)

 

How is such a small and insignificant scene so memorable? Buttering corn on the cob can be more trouble than it’s worth, but this movie offered the answer. First, Matthew Broderick’s dad butters his bread heavily and then proceeds to roll his corn on the cob against the bread. Genius! Can anyone else think of a better way? I’m all ears.

 

 

  1. Big (1988)

 

Again, it may seem weird to give the number one spot to such a small scene, but it was watching Tom Hanks in Big recently that gave me the idea for this list. The suddenly grown-up Josh Baskin isn’t familiar with adult party food, like dip and caviar, and he’s obviously never seen how to ingest those little baby corn. Hanks is so awkwardly cute here, it’s no wonder Elizabeth Perkins fell for him.

 

Before the honorable mentions, I should include that the most obvious choice for this list should have been Stephen King’s Children of the Corn, but I’ve never seen it and don’t really want to. But it’s in the title so how can I not include it? I’m sure there are lots of other films with corn or corn fields that I’m not familiar with, such as a 1975 film called Cornbread, Earl and Me and a 2004 film actually titled Corn.

 

 

Here are my honorable mentions, though:

 

Big Fish (2003) – Remember the scene in that Tim Burton movie where Ewan McGregor sees his sweetheart for the first time and time freezes and he walks through popcorn hanging in midair? I didn’t, but now I do.

Chicken Little (2005) – Many Disney fans would like to forget this film exists, but there is a corn field chase that recalls both Signs and Wild Wild West.

Foul Play (1978) – I could use any movie that features popcorn, but somehow the scene where blood drips in Goldie Hawn’s popcorn sticks out in my mind. “Beware the dwarf!”

The Green Mile (1999) – Tom Hanks’s wife’s cornbread means a lot to Michael Clarke Duncan in this Stephen King prison drama.

Gremlins (1984) – Any scene in a movie theater probably has popcorn, but let’s not forget that Stripe survived that scene because he wanted more popcorn.

Joseph: King of Dreams (2000) – This second DreamWorks Bible story interprets Pharaoh’s famine-predicting dream about grain as seven healthy corn stalks being devoured by seven sickly ones.

The Last Stand (2013) – The car chase through a corn field in this Arnold Schwarzenegger actioner actually has corn cobs hitting the windshield.

Life Stinks (1991) – This Mel Brooks dramedy flopped, but there’s a scene in which a guy can’t seem to wipe some corn off his face.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) – Early in their quest, Sam and Frodo are joined by Merry and Pippin amid Farmer Maggot’s corn field.

The Lovely Bones (2009) – This film actually has two significant scenes set in a corn field. There’s the creepy underground lair that Stanley Tucci builds beneath a harvested field, as well as the scene in which he lures Mark Wahlberg into a corn-concealed trap.

The Maze Runner (2014) – This may be a weak example, but the Gladers do hide in a corn field when the Grievers attack. Plus, I can’t help but think this should have been called The Maize Runner.

Sleepwalkers (1992) –Haven’t seen this one either, except a scene where someone actually gets stabbed in the back with a corn cob. What is it with Stephen King and corn?

True Grit (1969) – Throughout this Western, John Wayne munches on corn dodgers, whatever those are.

What about Bob? (1991) – In one dinner scene, Bill Murray really enjoys the heck out of some corn on the cob. “Is this hand-shucked?”

The Wizard of Oz (1939) – When one of your characters is a scarecrow, it’s likely there will be a corn field somewhere.

 

Memento (2000)

13 Wednesday Jan 2016

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

 

(In honor of this film’s unique storyline, try reading this poem backwards too.)

 
“Where am I?”
You ask and wonder;
You are someplace yet unknown,
Lacking memories of your own.
Your life’s asunder;
Know not why.

Every scar
Helps you recall
The pain that drives you every day
Without a doubt as to your prey,
Assuming all,
Here you are.
_______________

MPAA rating: R (for much language and brief violence)

 

Since I’ve very much enjoyed Christopher Nolan’s other films, especially Inception and The Prestige, I thought I should check out Memento, his first studio-funded project, which was based on his brother Jonathan’s short story “Memento Mori.” I watched it and found it to be everything people said it was: confusing, daring, intricate, and mind-bending, adjectives that have come to be synonymous with Nolan’s brand of filmmaking. Non-linear storytelling can be a love-it or hate-it selling point. I was willing to be confused in the hope of a payoff, while I knew from the start that this was not a film my VC would enjoy. If you want a film to enjoy casually, Memento is not it. You can watch it all the way through and still may be lost; heaven help you if you miss a piece of this tightly edited puzzle.

Leonard (Guy Pearce) is a man with anterograde amnesia; unable to store recent memories, his brain resets every fifteen minutes or so to completely forget where he is, how he got there, and what happened since the event that caused the amnesia. To get his bearings, he keeps photographs and notes and, for very important facts, tattoos, most of which explain to him that his wife was raped and murdered by someone named John G. whom he must seek out to exact his revenge.

In order to replicate the disorienting effect of Leonard’s lapses in memory, everything is broken up into disjointed sections that begin in medias res, with each division explaining the part before it. The film starts with a picture of a murder; then you see the murder itself. Leonard wakes in a hotel room with a man tied up in the closet; two segments later, you understand how that came about, even if Leonard himself will never remember the details.

One of the first questions for me kicked in when I wondered just how he knew the murderer was named John G. and how he obtained John G.’s license plate, despite his seemingly debilitating handicap. Doubt like that is exactly the point. Leonard’s “condition” leaves him entirely at the mercy of his notes and the explanations of others, if he chooses to listen to them. An apparent friend named Teddy (Joe Pantoliano from The Matrix) seems to want to help Leonard, but Leonard doesn’t know who he is. He could be his closest friend or his mortal enemy, and all he has to go by is a picture through which he has told himself not to trust Teddy, advice completely dependent on Leonard’s mindset at the time he wrote it. The same goes for a woman named Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss, also from The Matrix), whose involvement with Leonard ranges from sympathetic to abusive depending on which piece of the puzzle we’re watching. Right when you think you know what’s going on, the next segment casts a new light on things.

This kind of storytelling is extremely fascinating, but confusion is unavoidable at times. It took me half the movie to realize that a series of intermixed black-and-white scenes of Leonard talking on the phone were happening chronologically in the past so that they would meet the scenes that were happening backwards. I’m still not sure I understand everything, and a second viewing is almost required.

Christopher Nolan’s first big mindbender is both his most puzzling and his most alienating work. While I was intrigued to find out what would happen (or rather what happened) and a perspective-changing tragedy tugged the mental heartstrings, the film felt cold overall. Most of Nolan’s work has some light to it, whether it be the dubiously heartwarming conclusions of Inception and Interstellar, the one-sided happy ending of The Prestige, or the humanity of the boat hostages in The Dark Knight. In Memento, there’s no satisfaction for anyone, no good will or unqualified concern. Brighter elements like these perhaps might seem out of place in a story about mental illness and revenge, but without them, Memento is not as emotionally engaging as it is mentally. Combine that with the fact that it features more foul language than all of Nolan’s later films combined, and it falls toward the bottom of his filmography for me, even if it is a riveting and wholly original piece of work.

Best line: (Leonard, to his wife while she’s re-reading a book) “I always thought the joy of reading a book is not knowing what happens next.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2016 S. G. Liput

356 Followers and Counting

 

Ant-Man (2015)

10 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

 

Smaller, better, faster, stronger—
Now the world must wait no longer.
Here comes Ant-Man, skilled at shrinking;
Watch and try to keep from blinking.

Armed with ants and talents stranger,
He won’t shrink from wicked danger.
Shrink or grow for each endeavor,
Tiny minds can still be clever.

Though the Ant-Man may seem minor,
No insect-sized man is finer.
Maximizing, minimizing,
Heroes don’t depend on sizing,
________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

 

While Ant-Man was given an understandably smaller reception upon release last year, my dad helped make it a bigger film for us. For some reason, he connected to Ant-Man on some deep cosmic level, having read the old Ant-Man comics with Hank Pym back in the day. He was singing the praises of both the character and the film long before we finally got to see it, and while this might have raised my expectations too high (like with Guardians of the Galaxy), it instead piqued my interest and enjoyment for one of the silliest Avengers yet.

It starts off in 1989, upholding the always cool Marvel continuity by mixing some familiar faces from past films with the latest S.H.I.E.L.D.-connected supergenius, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), a master of physics and entomology (since atoms and bugs just go together). Jump ahead to the present, and we find Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) getting out of jail and meeting up with his Latino ex-cellmate Luis (Michael Peña). However, Scott faces an uphill battle toward normalcy since his criminal record mars job opportunities, even as his ex-wife bars him from seeing his young daughter. Little does he know that he’s a potential pawn in the cold war between Pym and his former protégé, the power-hungry CEO Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), who has grown ruthless from years of turning life forms into tiny piles of goo in an effort to replicate Pym’s fabled shrinking technology. Got all that?

Ant-Man isn’t as jam-packed as Guardians, but its convoluted plotline does require attention and may not entirely make sense. Yet, according to Marvel’s prized strategy, it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Hank and his estranged daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly of Lost fame) may be wholly familiar with the concepts of quantum realms and communicating with ant armies, but Scott and Luis offer hilarious reactions to it all even as they embrace the role of hero over crook. Despite his history with raunchy comedies, Rudd manages to combine self-deprecating humor with relatable sincerity as he works to be with his daughter and, you know, save the world.

While on one level, Ant-Man may seem like just another brick in Marvel’s multimillion-dollar wall, it stands out in unexpected ways. For one thing, the origin story is more reminiscent of the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Phase 1 films like Iron Man, and features more of a Mission: Impossible-style heist tone, aided by Christophe Beck’s bombastic score. While the Avengers are present and even referenced, their involvement in Ant-Man’s covert operation isn’t as starkly missed as in The Winter Soldier or Thor 2, in which only one main Avenger seemed to care about the end of the world as we know it. Here, the fate of the world is at stake, since the propagation of Cross’s shrinking suits would change the balance of power and “the texture of reality,” but it’s on a much more personal level than just stopping the latest baddie from blowing up the world. These characters have history with each other, whether it be Cross’s resentment toward Hank or Hope’s need for reconciliation with her father, not to mention Scott’s concern for his daughter who becomes plot-relevant in the finale. Even Scott’s ex-con accomplices are different from the professional agents or warriors we’ve become used to; they’re his beer-and-waffle buddies who have useful skills but are still down-to-earth, like how Luis remembers to save the guy he just knocked out before the building is destroyed.

Another unique aspect is how Scott becomes Ant-Man. Rather than self-experimenting with newfound powers or tapping into latent heroism, he is actually trained by the previous wearer of the Ant-Man suit. I can’t recall seeing this different dynamic of passing the mantle from one generation of hero to the next since an aged Bruce Wayne did so in the futuristic Batman Beyond (and before that, The Mask of Zorro). It’s an advantage that most superheroes don’t get, and shows onscreen what the comic books have done for years in letting more than one character inhabit the super persona. I wouldn’t mind learning more about Hank Pym’s missions back in the ‘80s.

Technically, Ant-Man should have been in Marvel’s Phase 1, since Ant-Man and the Wasp were founding members of the original Avengers in the comics (along with Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk). Yet I suppose it’s hard to take seriously a tiny guy in a mask who controls bugs. Like Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man was a gamble that I think paid off. It offers a new hero, new history, new technology, and a new way of looking at things from an ant’s perspective, from a bathtub to a toy train set. The incredible special effects help to sell both the shrinking concept and the almost cute ants, and are just one strength in Marvel’s latest hit. I enjoyed Ant-Man. On a more muted level, my VC and my mom liked it too. But my dad loved it.

Best line: (Luis, about his girlfriend, in a line that my dad has made his own for anytime bad things pile up) “Ah, she left me. And my mom died too. And my dad got deported…. But I got the van!”

 

Rank: List-Worthy

 

© 2015 S. G. Liput

354 Followers and Counting

 

2nd Blogiversary and 2015 List Additions

31 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by in Movies, Reviews, Writing

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Well, I’ve officially been blogging for two years now! It all started on New Year’s Eve of 2013, after which I counted down my top 365 list of movies. It took longer than a year, but it gave me a sense of accomplishment. I’ve since been able to watch and review plenty more films and even take part in the occasional blogathon, and I believe my poems and reviews have improved with time and practice, especially since I don’t include so many spoilers like I did at first. While I’ve seen many movies (though not nearly as many as some people), the last year has introduced me to more new films than any other, some new releases and others I’ve just now caught up with.

For starters, this is not a best-of list for 2015 since I’ve only seen about seven movies from this year, and there are many more qualified bloggers reviewing all the Oscar-worthy stuff. (Heck, I just saw the Best Picture of 1991! I’m in no rush.) Throughout the year, I’ve been ranking each movie as List-Worthy, List Runner-Up, Honorable Mention, Dishonorable Mention, and the rare Bottom-Dweller. I’ve been liberal with the List-Worthies, and I think it doesn’t mean much if I don’t actually add these new favorites to my original list.

That’s what this post is all about. Before I post the updated list, this top twelve is dedicated to the movies that made it onto the list, based solely on my personal preferences. There were a lot of great films to choose from, including some close runners-up (Nebraska; Memento; Frozen River; Same Time, Next Year), but these are the best for me. While I have yet to review them all, I will get to each one eventually. I’ll start with the top twelve, then the fifty-five others that earned the rank of List-Worthy, followed by the original list-makers that were booted off this time (all of which I still love).

I’m struck especially by the diversity of the films that made it, including two horrors, six anime, three TV dramas, six superhero movies, and even a direct-to-video found-footage film. Any sequels, such as The Winter Soldier and Mockingjay: Part 1 and 2, will be grouped with their originals so they won’t actually have a separate place on the list. (There might be some additional grouping; Teachers, for example, will be listed with Won’t Back Down because of similar themes.) Most of these additions were new to me, though some I just needed a reminder of how good they were (such as Adventures in Babysitting and A View to a Kill).

A big thank-you to all who have followed and liked over the last two years. It’s been great fun, and I hope to see many more movies to add to my next list, while still working my way through college and writing my novel. So without further ado, here are my favorite additions to “THE LIST,” as of 2015.

 

 

  1. Ant-Man (2015) – Just as everyone else seemed instantly in love with Guardians of the Galaxy (I’ve warmed up to it), Ant-Man became a hit in my house. Harking back to the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe before the extinction of all mankind became a threat in practically every movie, the smaller and funnier tone of Ant-Man hit all the right notes for an origin story.

 

 

  1. Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011) – The best of the new anime films I’ve added to the list, this fantasy combines all the best elements of Studio Ghibli’s films to create something familiar yet unique, weird yet deeply poignant. Plus, the animation is second to none.

 

 

  1. Source Code (2011) – Clearly combining the likes of Quantum Leap and Groundhog Day, this Jake Gyllenhaal time-bender puts a soldier on a repeating time loop of sorts as he tries to uncover the terrorist behind a train bombing.

 

 

  1. United 93 (2006) – A fitting tribute to the heroic victims of the fourth plane on September 11, Paul Greengrass’s taut drama builds suspense while keeping everything highly realistic.

 

 

  1. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015) – I know I’m in the minority here, but I felt Mockingjay’s second half was the best of the series, a heartbreaking but satisfying conclusion to Katniss Everdeen’s story.

 

 

  1. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) – What can I say? I like superhero movies, and Bryan Singer’s return to the franchise redeemed the awful mistakes of The Last Stand while telling an entertaining time-travel tale of revenge and second chances.

 

 

  1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) – I’m still on the fence about this one. I enjoyed the balance of nostalgia and reinvention, but I’m placing it this high with faith that future viewings will smooth over my criticisms. Still, at this point, I can’t say I like it better than the prequels. (Sorry to all the prequel-haters who just fainted.) J.J. Abrams did well, though, and I look forward to the rest of this new chapter of Star Wars.

 

 

  1. Inside Out (2015) – Oh, Pixar, you did it again. The fittingly emotional tale of anthropomorphized emotions inside the head of a displaced young girl is a shoo-in for Best Animated Feature and a return to form for the celebrated studio.

 

 

  1. Big Hero 6 (2014) – Superheroes again, but this time paired with my other favorite genre, animation. Disney’s animation department has really improved over the last few years, and Big Hero 6 became an instant favorite with its lovable robot Baymax and the mix of vengeful action and heartfelt friendship.

 

 

  1. Taking Chance (2009) – One more thank-you to MovieRob for introducing me to this powerful HBO drama of a real-life soldier accompanying the body of a fallen comrade back home. It offers touching character moments and genuine military honor for those who have fallen in the line of duty. Only this and the next two were able to crack my Top 100.

 

 

  1. Serenity (2005) – Clever and fun yet dark and intelligent, Joss Whedon’s big-screen conclusion to his cancelled sci-fi TV show Firefly was everything I could have hoped in a series finale.

 

 

  1. The Truman Show (1998) – Jim Carrey’s first dramatic film was actually supposed to be on the original list but was skipped for some reason. This story of a sheltered man whose entire life has been a popular reality show offers paranoia, ethical questions, a bit of Jim Carrey’s trademark goofiness, and some outstanding acting from Carrey and Ed Harris.

 

 

And here are all of the other additions, in alphabetical order:

 

(500) Days of Summer (2009)

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Adventures in Babysitting (1987)

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Almost Famous (2000)

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

A View to a Kill (1985)

Being There (1979)

Cannery Row (1982)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

The China Syndrome (1979)

Coma (1978)

The Conjuring (2013)

The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)

Cross Creek (1983)

Die Hard 2 (1990)

Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

Ernest and Celestine (2012)

The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

Footloose (1984)

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Harrison Bergeron (1995)

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014)

Immediate Family (1989)

The Judge (2014)

La Bamba (1987)

Lunopolis (2011)

The Maze Runner (2014)

The Miracle Worker (1962)

Misery (1990)

My Name is Bill W. (1989)

The Naked Gun (1988)

Ordinary People (1980)

The Others (2001)

Patema Inverted (2013)

The Prestige (2006)

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Quiz Show (1994)

Roman Holiday (1953)

Separate But Equal (1991)

Seven Samurai (1954)

Soapdish (1991)

Song of the Sea (2014)

Soul Man (1986)

Teachers (1984)

Time after Time (1979)

The Towering Inferno (1974)

Vantage Point (2008)

Watership Down (1978)

The Way Back (2010)

The Wind Rises (2013)

Wolf Children (2012)

 

And here are a few unofficial “awards” to compliment the best aspects of these additions:

 

Best opening scene: Cowboy Bebop: The Movie

Best final scene: The Way Back

Coolest scene: Serenity

Biggest emotional impact: United 93

Oldest film: All Quiet on the Western Front

Most recent film: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best soundtrack: Almost Famous (followed by (500) Days of Summer)

Best score: The Truman Show (followed by A Beautiful Mind)

Best special effects: Guardians of the Galaxy

Most mind-bending: The Prestige

Most family-friendly: Ernest and Celestine

Most mature: Die Hard with a Vengeance

Scariest: The Conjuring

Funniest: The Naked Gun

Most controversial: Soul Man

Best VC Pick: Cannery Row

Best male performance: Peter Sellers in Being There

Best female performance: Kathy Bates in Misery

Most represented year: 2014, with eleven films

 

Farewell to these 57 films (in alphabetical order) that were part of the original list and have now been replaced. Most are from the very bottom of the original list, but they are still among my favorites. They shall not be forgotten.

 

The African Queen (1951)

A Goofy Movie (1995)

An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000)

Apollo 13 (1995)

A Walk to Remember (2002)

Balto (1995)

Cats Don’t Dance (1997)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

City of Ember (2008)

Despicable Me (2010)

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Dinosaur (2000)

Doctor Dolittle (1967)

Entrapment (1999)

Eragon (2006)

Fireproof (2008)

Gaslight (1944)

The Godfather (1972)

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Hitchcock (2012)

The Horse Whisperer (1998)

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

The Hunt for Red October (1990)

Ice Age (2002) and Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Inkheart (2008)

The Jungle Book (1967)

The Karate Kid (1984)

Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

The Killing Fields (1984)

King Kong (2005)

Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

Megamind (2010)

Millennium Actress (2001)

Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)

Moonstruck (1987)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

The Muppets (2011)

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)

The Pagemaster (1994)

Panic Room (2002)

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Puss in Boots (2011)

Rise of the Guardians (2012)

The Secret of Kells (2009)

The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)

The Spongebob SquarePants Movie (2004)

The Sword in the Stone (1963)

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

Thor (2011) (my first review)

We Are Marshall (2006)

Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

Willow (1988)

Witness (1985)

Working Girl (1988)

 

Here’s to another fun year of blogging!

 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

27 Sunday Dec 2015

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, ,

 

I recall the feeling still,
The fascination and the thrill
Of seeing something fresh and new,
Of satisfaction sown with skill.
I remember it; don’t you?

Over time, the feeling’s stayed.
The prize is praised; the piper’s paid,
And yet I wait for even more,
For further fun that will not fade,
Another epic to explore.

Waiting is rewarded, yes,
And yet I feel I must confess
I doubt if ever it will be
That future favorites and success
Will bear the same delight for me.
________________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

 

At last, I’ve seen the biggest movie of the year, combining two of my favorite things, Star Wars and J.J. Abrams’ directorial talent. Ever since I heard Abrams would direct the next entry in the Star Wars canon, I knew he was the right guy for the job. Lost is phenomenal, his Star Trek reboots were sheer fun, and he has a special talent for both visual storytelling and character-building. Here, he brings it all to George Lucas’s beloved space opera franchise, the continuation of the story last visited on film in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, the film that has been endlessly marketed and hyped for over a year now, and…I’m left divided.

Some spoiler-free reviews I’ve read have been the “oh-my-gosh-this-movie-is-just-so-great-and-wonderful-I-could-burst” type, but most seem to be the “this-is-a-really-good-movie-but…” kind of opinions. I wanted it to be the former, but sure enough, it’s the latter for me. Time to think it over has only deepened my ambivalence. On the other hand, my mom (with whom I saw it) has grown more displeased with it. She saw the original Star Wars in the theater eight-and-a-half times and, based on the reviews, had high hopes, which weren’t exactly dashed but at least unfulfilled.

Let me try to explain my feelings about Star Wars: Episode VII. I won’t get into specifics, but I’ll probably go into more detail than some reviews, so a warning for those like me who have tried to remain spoiler-free. First, the Light Side. Like so many critics have said, The Force Awakens does feel like the original trilogy, a little less polished than the prequels and with far more humor and natural dialogue. Abrams’ talent with ensembles comes through, balancing both the new characters and old with fresh concepts and proper nostalgia. Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Leia, Peter Mayhew as the apparently ageless Chewbacca, and (barely) Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker all make triumphant returns, and despite the thirty-two-year hiatus, it feels as if they never left. Of the new cast, Daisy Ridley’s heartfelt Rey and John Boyega’s excitable Finn are the standouts, dropping hints at guessable but unconfirmed backstories that will surely play a larger part in the inevitable sequels. The backstory we do get is that of Kylo Ren, the Darth Vader wannabe whose conflicted allegiance to the Dark Side keeps him interesting, even as the other villains are given little to do. While many have complained about the underuse of various actors, the most overlooked to me seemed to be Gwendoline Christie as Stormtrooper Captain Phasma; like in Mockingjay – Part 2, Christie oddly lands a role in a big-budget blockbuster and then has hardly any screen time. Those secondary players who do get screen time make the most of it, including Oscar Isaac’s daring pilot Poe Dameron and, of course, the cute beachball droid BB-8. I also enjoyed seeing Ken Leung (Miles from Lost) as a Resistance admiral, a token actor from Abrams’ past work.

There, I liked it, right? But then, the Dark Side makes itself felt. For one thing, it’s sad that, within thirty years, the galaxy is right back in the middle of tyrant-battling war, with the Republic barely present. In addition, with the exception of Episode III, which everyone knew would be dark and tragic, all the Star Wars movies end with a thrill, whether it be a smile of success or an urge to learn what’s next. While both types of thrill are attempted, they are overshadowed by a climactic blow to the childhood that hit my mom especially hard. When the credits had finished, we didn’t leave the theater reveling in the glow of a great movie; we left in silence, trying to digest what J.J. Abrams had done. It makes for potent drama, but it stings nonetheless.

In addition, the story itself becomes weak in its attempt to pay homage to the original Star Wars. Plot elements are recycled a bit too often, and the originality suffers. There’s a wanted droid with important hidden information; there’s a cantina full of exotic aliens; there’s a desert planet (Jakku, not Tatooine); there’s a planet-destroying weapon; there’s a black-masked villain reporting to a holographic uber-villain (head of the First Order, not the Empire); there’s a Jedi apprentice turning against his master; there’s a close shave with a tentacled creature; there’s the difficult scene I mentioned that recalls Darth Vader’s run-in with Ben Kenobi; and there’s a mission to blow up the enemy base, which is even cooler and less simple than the Death Star’s destruction. There’s also a deleted star system, a la Attack of the Clones. For all their faults, the prequels always presented something new, even if the new didn’t please fans. In trying to appeal to everyone’s nostalgia for the original trilogy, the writers made the story far too similar. I wonder if Episode VIII will feel like The Empire Strikes Back.

At this point, I can’t tell if I’m trying to be honest or overly critical. It’s still a fantastic action-packed movie, the one we’ve been waiting for for decades. Despite the overly familiar plot points, I love everything original in The Force Awakens, from the new protagonists to the impeccable visual effects and awesome action. I still can’t decide where it ranks next to the prequels (I like them; sue me), but it’s certainly worthy of the Star Wars name. My mom and I will still see it many more times, and our admiration will surely improve. (She didn’t like Forrest Gump the first time either, and now it’s a family favorite.) I doubt The Force Awakens will ever have the same appeal as the original trilogy, but just as I grew up with the prequels, this is the Star Wars of the next generation.

Best line: (Han, about the enemy weapon) “How do we blow it up? There’s always a way to do that.”

 

Rank: List-Worthy

 

© 2015 S. G. Liput

352 Followers and Counting

 

VC Pick: The Christmas Card (2006)

24 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

 

You speak a word or you write a card,
And think perhaps that they have no effect,
The same clichés by triteness marred
That lead to an “Aww,” then most likely neglect.

But none can know where their kindness ends
And where a larger design can begin,
Where welcomed strangers grow into friends
And holiday spirit makes room at the inn.

You might send a hundred clichés someone’s way.
A heartfelt word may brighten more than their day.
____________________

MPAA rating: Not Rated (definitely G)

 

I’m sorry I’m getting into the Christmas spirit a little late this year. I thought about compiling a top Christmas movie list, but it would be the same old popular favorites for the most part (A Christmas Story, Home Alone, etc.). Instead, I decided to turn over the holiday reins to my VC, who is fond of this little Hallmark movie that I gave her as a Christmas gift a couple years back.

While it’s perfect for the holidays, The Christmas Card is far from the best Hallmark has to offer. It starts out in Afghanistan, where Sgt. Cody Cullen (John Newton) receives an encouraging Christmas card from a woman out west. When a comrade is killed in action and Cody visits his widow on leave, it turns out that she lives conveniently in the same town as the woman who sent him the card. That would be Faith Spelman (Alice Evans), who conveniently has the same tastes as he does and attends the same church he visits. Conveniently, she has a father (Ed Asner) who takes an instant liking to the handsome soldier and would like nothing more than to fix him up with his daughter. Then, of course, there’s her jealous fiancé and split affections and, well, you see where this is going. While the plot is wholly predictable romantic novel stuff, it’s still rather sweet and enjoyable, though that’s largely due to the scenery.

The Christmas Card always fills my VC with drooling envy, thanks to its setting. The Spelmans live in the quaint mountain town of Nevada City, California, a beautiful hamlet brimming with holiday spirit and warm small-town hospitality. Not only is it the kind of town that could lure my earthquake-phobic VC to California, but the Spelman’s home looks like an HGTV dream house, a palatial but cozy log cabin with a roaring fireplace and a Christmas tree that stands above the rafters. Just looking at this snug residence is enough to put us in the Christmas spirit, perhaps to wrap in a blanket and sip hot chocolate. While the environment keeps my VC’s attention, Alice Evans keeps mine, with her sweatered loveliness and charm holding the affections of two jealous men, though I’m surprised half the town isn’t after her. It’s also cool to recognize her as the younger Eloise Hawking on Lost.

The Christmas Card is nothing deep. John Newton is particularly wooden as the stoic veteran, and neither the acting nor the script is great, though Ed Asner did get an Emmy nomination for his role as the buoyant matchmaker father. While its technical merit is low, it nevertheless rings with Christmas warmth and generosity and brings attention to the soldiers who are away from their families during the holidays. There are better Christmas movies out there, but we keep coming back to The Christmas Card. Merry Christmas to all!

Best line: (Cody, upon meeting Faith’s father Luke) “It’s a real honor to meet you, sir.”   (Luke Spelman) “Honor? I guess you haven’t caught wind of my reputation.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2015 S. G. Liput

352 Followers and Counting

 

Serenity (2005)

20 Sunday Dec 2015

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, ,

 

When we reach the distant future,
Full of ships traversing space,
What if life were not that different
With the same self-seeking race,
Governments with dark agendas,
And the sins we can’t replace?

How could anyone continue
In ideals that aren’t esteemed?
Only with a firm believing,
Truer than it ever seemed,
Can a world of lies and secrets
Be perhaps in part redeemed.
__________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

 

After my introduction to Joss Whedon’s cult classic TV show Firefly (and its inclusion on my Top Twelve TV Series list), I had to check out its big-screen conclusion Serenity, and it was a home run! In the same way that Firefly was criminally underrated when aired and was canceled after merely eleven episodes, I’ve seen Serenity in the bargain DVD bin for $3.99 when it deserves so much better. Putting all of Whedon’s considerable talent on display, Serenity offers an equally entertaining alternative to Star Wars and Star Trek.

Luckily, all of the main cast of the show returned to reprise their roles, a winning ensemble of mostly lesser-known TV actors, with the villain played by then-lesser-known Chiwetel Ejiofor. The crew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity aren’t freedom fighters against the imperialistic Alliance nor noble voyagers exploring the ‘verse; instead, they are simply in search of their next job, which typically entails smuggling or some other less-than-legal enterprise. Captained by hard-nosed Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion, who continues to reference the show in other roles since), Serenity includes his old war comrade Zoe (Gina Torres), her pilot husband Wash (Alan Tudyk), amusing cutthroat Jayne (Adam Baldwin), cute engineer Kaylee (Jewel Staite), and the Tam siblings Simon (Sean Maher) and River (Summer Glau), who are fugitives from the Alliance and grudgingly welcome guests aboard the ship. Also included are those who have left the ship, peaceful but secretive Shepherd Book (Ron Glass) and Mal’s unacknowledged love interest Inara (Morena Baccarin), a Companion or respectable prostitute.

With all that information and more previously established in the show, Serenity is an impressive balancing act, offering a conclusive episode for the fans hungry for more and a surprisingly accessible adventure that can still appeal to newbies. Such is Whedon’s talent with ensembles, whether it be his cult TV series or movies like The Avengers. In some ways, I might compare Serenity with Guardians of the Galaxy, another fast-paced space tale with an ensemble of potential unknowns. Like Guardians, Serenity throws out all the information viewers need to know along with ample humor and characterization and doesn’t waste time ensuring that the audience is keeping up. Instead of the pop culture references of Guardians, though, Serenity combines its sci-fi trappings with a western desperado style to craft a unique blend of East, West, and future.

Serenity also proved to be an outlet for Whedon’s creativity. Within the first fifteen minutes, there’s a dream within a holographic log and an ingenious four-and-a-half minute tracking shot that introduces us to the entire ship and crew. Likewise, the dialogue is another Whedon trademark, full of clever colloquialisms, Chinese exclamations, and so much breakneck wit that I wonder why it wasn’t nominated for Best Original Screenplay. I also admire that, despite his atheism, Whedon emphasized the presence of religion and belief in this space-faring future, something Star Trek only did with alien cultures. (No aliens here.) In the first few minutes, I even recognized a knockout gadget that Whedon reused in his Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series.

All this fawning over it, and I’ve hardly said anything about the actual plot. Throughout the series, River had acted consistently weird due to the government’s experiments on her, and brother Simon acted as her rescuer and advocate, though there were hints that she could take care of herself. While the actual explanation and solution for her behavior don’t make total sense, the film offers insights and resolutions for many elements that the show didn’t have time to conclude: River’s actual rescue, Kaylee’s crush on Simon, the Alliance’s reasons for wanting River back so adamantly, River’s untapped talents, and the nightmarish Reavers, the bands of space maniacs as mindless as zombies and ten times as ferocious. Mal is not only caught between the Alliance’s coolly murderous Operative (Ejiofor) and an unrecognized threat on board his ship; he’s also caught in a web of right and wrong, heroism and disillusionment, cynicism and belief. This futuristic world is unforgiving and sometimes painfully harsh, but Whedon keeps a masterful balance among the dramatic, comedic, and jaw-droppingly awesome. One scene toward the end is especially stunning and practically gave me goosebumps.

If you haven’t seen Firefly and happen to have fourteen hours to burn, watch it first, but there’s so much excellence evident in Serenity that I recommend everyone see it regardless. A few aspects of the end may not be ideal, but the film as a whole is an exciting success as both a standalone film and the finale Firefly never got. Like Firefly, it’s an underrated science fiction treat.

Best line: (Mal) “Half of writing history is hiding the truth.”

 

Rank: Top 100-Worthy

 

© 2015 S. G. Liput

350 Followers and Counting