Category Archives: Writing

VC Pick: My Bodyguard (1980)

21 Friday Aug 2015

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , ,

Schools have plenty, I suppose,
Of classmates easy to befriend,
The kind that never give you cause to fret,
But schools are also home to those
Who like to bully and pretend
That they’re the toughest kids they ever met.

If you are having troubled days
With greedy bullies on the prowl,
Get yourself a bodyguard to sturdily defend,
But difficulties still can faze
The biggest bodyguards that scowl,
And even they could use a caring friend.
___________________

Rating: PG

My VC has a habit of recommending films from the 70s and 80s I’ve never heard of, and this is only the most recent. My Bodyguard is a respectable high school film, sometimes cute and sometimes hard to watch.

After starting at a new school and antagonizing the local bully Moody (Matt Dillon), young Clifford (Chris Makepeace) sees a way out of this abuse by enlisting the local scary kid Ricky Linderman (Adam Baldwin) as his bodyguard. While Linderman is the subject of murderous gossip and does the least he possibly can for Cliff, Cliff recognizes him as a boy deeply in need of a friend and reaches out when no one will. Throughout the film, I kept thinking how much this reminded me of a feature length episode of Hey, Arnold!, the Nickelodeon show about a good city-dwelling kid who helps people. The movie shares certain similarities with the show such as the boy’s eccentric grandmother (Ruth Gordon in the film), his family’s business (a hotel in the film vs. a boarding house in the show), and a plot about bullies and misunderstood potential friends that easily could have been shortened to episode length. This comparison isn’t a complaint since I’ve always liked Hey, Arnold!, and it’s interesting to think how films like this might have influenced it.

Having had a little experience with them in the past, I personally can’t stand bullies, the kind who lord their toughness over the weak and ambush the helpless. My Bodyguard doesn’t show bullying at its worst, but there are still several scenes that made me angry at cruel intimidators whom no one will stop. Of course, this is meant to make their just desserts sweet for everyone else, and though the comeuppance was slow in coming, it was realistic enough to be satisfying and encourage viewers to fight their own battles.

My Bodyguard isn’t quite a high school classic, but it incorporates some realistic darker elements to make the friendship between Clifford and Linderman difficult but rewarding. It also serves as one of those before-they-were-famous films, with recognizable young faces like Dillon and Joan Cusack, as well as the debut for Jennifer Beals (in a very small role) and Adam Baldwin (known as Jayne Cobb to us Firefly fans). Baldwin is perhaps the best here, turning in a quietly damaged performance that anticipated good things to come.

Best line: (Moody) “You broke my nose!”   (Linderman) “It looks better that way!”

Ranking: List Runner-Up

© 2015 S. G. Liput

337 Followers and Counting

The Neverending Story (1984)

19 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

, ,

You think this story’s like the rest,
Like all the books you’ve read before?
It holds a secret none have guessed,
Real quests and dangers to explore.

Can any book draw you inside,
Where wonders wait on every page?
Can characters that there reside
Become dear friends at any age?

Perhaps, yes, any good book can,
But this is no mere written tale.
Just read wherever it began
And lift the word-begotten veil.
______________

Rating: PG

Anyone who’s looked closely at my Gravatar might have noticed that I’m holding Michael Ende’s The Neverending Story, one of my favorite books. I’ve loved this German-to-English fantasy since the first time I read it. I love how each of the twenty-six chapters begins with a different letter of the alphabet, how Uyulala the Oracle speaks only in rhyme, how the lines of fantasy and reality are blurred to draw Bastian and the reader into the land of Fantastica, how it questions the little things of adventure epics like why bathroom breaks are never mentioned, how extraordinary creatures and characters come and go, friends and foes. And of course, I adore how every minor character is given his own untold tale and dismissed with one of my favorite lines of this or any book: “But that is another story and shall be told another time.” No doubt, you’ll be seeing that line elsewhere on this blog.

So then, if I love the book so much, why has it taken me so long to write about the film adaptation from 1984? It’s hard to say; I grew up watching the movie version long before I had read the book, but once I’d been introduced to the novel, the film simply paled by comparison and dropped off my favorites list. It’s not that I dislike it; it captures some of the magic of the book and generally follows the book’s plot, though only the first half of it. Bastian (Barrett Oliver) is a dreamer, a lover of books who is compelled to steal a very special book and follow the adventures of Atreyu the warrior (Noah Hathaway) and Falkor the luckdragon and the Childlike Empress, even as he himself is drawn into the story to battle the Nothing. As a child’s film, it’s a bit darker than the usual fare, akin to Labyrinth or The Dark Crystal. Like those films, it utilizes detailed puppetry to bring many of the book’s characters to life, such as Falkor and Gmork the fearsome wolf and Morla the Aged One. I also like to think the gnomes Engywook and Urgl might have influenced the characters of Miracle Max and his wife in 1987’s The Princess Bride.

Yet while the similarities to the source material are recognizable, there are so many details that are changed. Some are understandable due to the limits of special effects at the time, such as leaving out Ygramul the spider or not making Cairon (Moses Gunn) a centaur, but others just beg the question “Why?” Why did the filmmakers change the name of the magical land from Fantastica to Fantasia (and why did Disney allow it)? Why did they call Atreyu’s necklace the AURYN when the book specifically leaves out the the? Why did they not let the Southern Oracle speak in rhyme? Why did they throw in nudity with the Sphinx gate, knowing this is supposed to be a kid’s tale? Why did they so poorly dub Deep Roy’s voice in the early scene and call him Teeny Weeny as opposed to a “tiny”? They even left out part of that favorite line of mine! All these differences do add up, making for a very inconsistent adaptation, one which displeased the author and prompted him to file an unsuccessful lawsuit.

The visual effects, like the adaptation, are hit-and-miss; while I’m sure they were astounding for the time, some hold up better than others. The Rock Biter (rock chewer in the book), Morla, and the destruction at the end are incredibly well-realized, considering the lack of computer assistance, but many of the puppets and blue-screen shots are very obvious by today’s standards. Likewise, the acting is satisfactory, even though some of it carries a hefty amount of 1980s/child actor cheesiness.

All in all, The Neverending Story is a film I’d recommend to any child who loves books and anyone who loves fantasy. It’s a childhood darling that halfway holds up with its message of imagination and hope, and I do still admire the score for the American version by Klaus Doldinger and Giorgio Moroder. Even so, to anyone who likes this film, I recommend you read the book and see the full scope of The Neverending Story (and ignore the film sequels). The novel is a classic that may someday get a more faithful adaptation, though I ought to check out the HBO miniseries, “but that is another story and shall be told [hopefully] another time.”

Best line: (since my line wasn’t included in its entirety, this is a decent runner-up) (Falkor) “Never give up, and good luck will find you.”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2015 S. G. Liput

336 Followers and Counting

My Top 50 Movie Scores — Full List

16 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by in Movies, Music, Reviews, Writing

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Now that I’ve counted down my top 50 film scores over ten weeks, here’s the full list for easy reference, counting down from #50 to #1. Each one has a link to the video used in the earlier posts. As prolific as film composers are, there will no doubt be additions to this list somewhere in the future; plus, the more films I see, the more exposure I’ll have to great movie music. If anyone has a recommendation, feel free to comment!

Being the list maniac I am, this is only the first (or technically, second) of many. As much as I love music and movies, a good countdown is inevitable, but that is another list and shall be told another time.

  Batman – Danny Elfman/ The Dark Knight Trilogy – Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard
  Sunshine – John Murphy
  Hoosiers – Jerry Goldsmith                                                         Part 1
  Gladiator – Hans Zimmer/Lisa Gerrard
  Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Jerry Goldsmith/ Star Trek – Michael Giacchino

  Glory – James Horner
  Requiem for a Dream – Clint Mansell
  Elizabeth: The Golden Age — Craig Armstrong/A.R. Rahman         Part 2
  Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey – Bruce Broughton
  Ruby Sparks – Nick Urata

  Backdraft – Hans Zimmer
  Schindler’s List – John Williams
  The Terminator – Brad Fiedel                                                      Part 3
  Rudy – Jerry Goldsmith
  The Last of the Mohicans – Trevor Jones/Randy Edelman

  Superman – John Williams
  Wuthering Heights – Michel Legrand                                            Part 4
  The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos – The Cinematic Orchestra
  The Hobbit Trilogy – Howard Shore
  Inception – Hans Zimmer

  Driving Miss Daisy – Hans Zimmer
  The Incredibles – Michael Giacchino
  The Mummy Returns – Jerry Goldsmith                                         Part 5
  The Avengers – Alan Silvestri
  Treasure Planet – James Newton Howard

  National Treasure 1 & 2 – Trevor Rabin
  Elizabethtown – Nancy Wilson
  Chariots of Fire – Vangelis                                                            Part 6
  Dinosaur – James Newton Howard
  Jane Eyre (1970) – John Williams

  E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – John Williams
  Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas – Harry Gregson-Williams
  Cast Away – Alan Silvestri                                                            Part 7
  Home Alone – John Williams
  Back to the Future –Alan Silvestri

  Out of Africa – John Barry
  Sherlock Holmes – Hans Zimmer
  Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – Michael Kamen                             Part 8
  The Piano – Michael Nyman
  Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind – Joe Hisaishi

  Titanic – James Horner
   Forrest Gump – Alan Silvestri
   Jurassic Park – John Williams                                                         Part 9
   How to Train Your Dragon – John Powell/Harry Gregson-Williams
   The Chronicles of Narnia – Harry Gregson-Williams

   Laputa: Castle in the Sky – Joe Hisaishi
   Indiana Jones films – John Williams
   Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy – Klaus Badelt/Hans Zimmer            Part 10
   Star Wars Saga – John Williams
   The Lord of the Rings Trilogy – Howard Shore

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):

A Beautiful Mind (James Horner)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Nick Cave/Warren Ellis)
Avatar (James Horner)
Braveheart (James Horner)
Chicken Run (John Powell/Harry Gregson-Williams)
The Cider House Rules (Rachel Portman)
Dances with Wolves (John Barry)
Doctor Zhivago (Maurice Jarre)
Gone with the Wind (Max Steiner)
The Great Escape (Elmer Bernstein)
Hook (John Williams)
The Horse Whisperer (Thomas Newman)
The Hours (Philip Glass)
The Hunger Games (James Newton Howard)
Like Crazy (Dustin O’Halloran)
The Neverending Story (Klaus Doldinger/Giorgio Moroder)
The Shawshank Redemption (Thomas Newman)
The Thin Red Line (Hans Zimmer)
Thor: The Dark World (Brian Tyler)
The Truman Show (Philip Glass)
The Village (James Newton Howard) (The more I listen to this one, the more I think it probably should have been #50.)
Up (Michael Giacchino)

The Hours (2002)

14 Friday Aug 2015

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

As the hours tick away,
Can you find
A peace of mind?
Ere the debt that all men pay,
Will you stress
For happiness?

Will you leave this earth too soon,
Slack to strive
And stay alive?
From life’s grief, none are immune,
And some begin
To give in.

I, for one, refuse, however,
To relent
To discontent.
Ties weren’t made for me to sever;
Life will grow,
Despite the woe.
_______________

Rating: PG-13

The Hours profoundly embodies that famous quote from Henry David Thoreau, asserting that “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” In the case of this film, that quiet desperation is the realm of women, whether it be an unstable author in 1923, a depressed housewife in 1951, or an overwhelmed hostess in 2001. There is little relief from this oppressive despair, yet the film has artistry to spare, with a superb score from Philip Glass, vivid cinematography from Seamus McGarvey, and poignant performances from three Oscar-winning actresses and Ed Harris.

On a purely superficial level, The Hours has a haunting allure as it eloquently jumps between timelines and slowly reveals their connections, but as I delve deeper into its messages, I find them more and more dubious, even appalling. Let’s start with the three storylines. In Plot 1, Virginia Woolf (Oscar winner Nicole Kidman in a false, uglifying nose) begins her novel Mrs. Dalloway, preparing for visitors and mourning her unsatisfying country existence. In Plot 2, Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) stumbles through the simplest activities and mourns her unsatisfying suburban existence. In Plot 3, bisexual Clarissa Vaughan (Meryl Streep) plans a party for her dying writer friend Richard (Ed Harris) and buckles under the weight of her unsatisfying urban existence. Obviously this is not a “happy” film, but even tearjerkers can offer some hope or peace or gratification in the midst of trials. Based on its three paragons of sorrow, The Hours seems to imply that life and society are inherently unsatisfying and can only be improved by abandonment of society, of responsibility, of life itself.

Setting aside moral qualms about the characters, I find Meryl Streep’s Plot 3 to be the only one that doesn’t deeply vex me, since it at least captures the sorrow and emptiness that this abandonment causes. Plots 1 and 2 are a different story. Both feature their heroines in clear social anguish, yet I find it hard to sympathize with either one since both of them share a galling selfishness. Mrs. Woolf goes out of her way to annoy the servants and complains about protective measures her husband did out of love, though her history of mental illness at least explains her behavior. Mrs. Brown of Plot 2 is the most perplexing of the three, since she acts as if daily life is an unbearable torture when there’s nothing particularly torturous going on. She doesn’t have a mental illness; she doesn’t have a friend dying. I kept asking, “What is your problem?” and as she decided on different forms of “escape,” I wanted her to just look at her little son and recognize that he alone, a gift of God and the envy of her neighbors, ought to be reason enough for her to bear whatever emotional constipation she was enduring.

I see why The Hours was so acclaimed. Between the acting, the haunting music, and the overall artistry, it’s a film to be studied rather than enjoyed. In particular, I liked the writer details, such as how Virginia Woolf decides to write her book based on the first sentence she develops or how she explains why a character must die. There is good, but as the film nears its end, there is an intellectual, venomous bad as well. The abandonment I mentioned earlier takes center-stage, and instead of being rebuked, it is sympathized and even admired. This mirrors the novel Mrs. Dalloway as well, and Woolf’s ideas in it have clearly affected the scholastic view of her own life and suicide. In watching a behind-the-scenes feature on the DVD, I was shocked at how critics and academics used words like “bold” and “courageous” in describing how she took her own life. I’m sorry, but I find nothing courageous or admirable about the tragedy of suicide nor the actions of several sufferers in The Hours. When one character attempts to explain those actions and comments that she had “no choice,” my feelings toward the movie were clinched. Woolf in the film mentions how we should “love [life] for what it is” but then “put it away”; I disagree. One doesn’t put life away; I could counter with one of the film’s own quotes: “You cannot find peace by avoiding life.”

Best line: (Woolf’s sister Vanessa, to her own daughter) “Your aunt is a very lucky woman, Angelica. She has two lives: the life she is living, and the book she is writing.”

Rank: Dishonorable Mention

© 2015 S. G. Liput

334 Followers and Counting

The Film Emotion Blogathon

10 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by in Blogathon, Movies, Reviews, Writing

≈ 13 Comments

Connor at Conman at the Movies has created a thought-provoking blogathon, one that calls movie fans to think of films that embody the emotions in Pixar’s instant classic Inside Out.

Joy: A film that always puts a smile on your face

Sadness: A film that sends tears streaming down your face

Fear: A film that made you want to cover your face (in fright)

Anger: A film that made you want to punch someone else’s face

Disgust: A film you wouldn’t want to face again (this one’s a bit more open-ended)

After much thought, I’ve come up with five choices that epitomize these emotions in me, so here goes:

JOY: Elizabethtown (2005)

While it’s sometimes more of a dark comedy, Elizabethtown is still a delight for me every time. It starts out with Orlando Bloom having the worst day imaginable (how could any of my bad days compare?), topped off by his being sent to Kentucky to bring home his dead father. If the small-town quirk doesn’t win you over, how about Kirsten Dunst’s Claire, who makes it her mission to raise this suicidal visitor out of his despair and into a new appreciation for life, complete with a fantastic soundtrack. “Freebird” has never made me smile so much.

SADNESS: Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

I cannot imagine a film more depressing, more heart-rending than Grave of the Fireflies…and it’s a cartoon! (Sorry, anime.) The story of two orphaned Japanese children during the last days of World War II is just so tragic, and the feelings of sorrow keep growing throughout until the inevitable, quiet, hopeless, gut-wrenching end. I hardly ever cry anymore, but this film does it every time.

FEAR:  Poltergeist (1982)

I haven’t seen many horror movies so my choice here may seem wussy compared with others, but seriously, this film traumatized me when I saw it as a kid. I can’t stand jump scares, and that clown still rules my greatest moment of cinematic fright. Not to mention that swimming pool full of corpses. *Shiver.*

ANGER: Urban Cowboy (1980)

I’ve already ranted about how much I despise this movie, but this gives me another opportunity. John Travolta and Debra Winger play such pitiful white trash, and Travolta’s character especially is so childish as he insists on proving his alpha-male status even as he flagrantly cheats on his wife to make her jealous. The country music cannot save this maddening “romance,” in which the characters think a mechanical bull ride can heal a marriage more than the words “I’m sorry.” Can you tell I don’t like this film?

DISGUST: The Last Airbender (2010)

While it doesn’t have the gore or raunch that would normally turn me off from a film, M. Night Shyamalan’s film version of Avatar: The Last Airbender is unfathomably, disgustingly bad, the kind of bad that makes you wonder why no one noticed while making it. Wooden acting, stilted dialogue, weak special effects, laughable action scenes—on its own, it may have been just a bad film, but as an adaptation of the beloved Nickelodeon series, it tramples on everything that made that series great. Is there anything so disgusting as a missed opportunity?

Thanks for a fun idea, Connor!

My Top 50 Movie Scores — Part 10

09 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by in Movies, Music, Reviews, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

At last, we have reached the end of this long list of marvelous movie scores. Except for #5, all of these are venerable franchises that needed memorable music to enchant listeners throughout the series, and each of their composers delivered in spades. All of these films hold a special place in my heart, and the music played a huge role in making them true favorites. Enjoy!

_____________

 

#5: Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986), no nomination – Joe Hisaishi

Words cannot describe the sense of peaceful grandeur this score gives me. Not only is this my favorite Miyazaki film, but it boasts the best music of all the Studio Ghibli movies. With this theme (and Nausicaä), Joe Hisaishi entered the club of my favorite composers. Ideally befitting a story of flying high amid ancient civilizations, this is one tune I hum on a regular basis.

 

#4: Indiana Jones franchise (1981-2008), Oscar nominee – John Williams

Action themes don’t get much better than that of famed archaeologist Indiana Jones. As much as I love the music in Chariots of Fire, I have no doubt that the score for Raiders of the Lost Ark should have won that year. The other three films borrow and build on Williams’ original masterpiece, which is a standard by which all other action movie composers are judged.

 

#3: Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy (2003, 2006, 2007), no nominations – Klaus Badelt/Hans Zimmer

Step aside, Sinbad. This will forever be the greatest pirate music, the kind of rip-roaring soundtracks that make listeners want to swashbuckle with the likes of Jack Sparrow and Will Turner. While Klaus Badelt isn’t as well-known as Zimmer, who collaborated for the first film and took over for the second and third films, Badelt will forever be remembered as the man credited for the first’s fantastic music. One of the most recent scores to be instantly iconic.

 

#2: Star Wars saga (1977-1983, 1999-2005), Oscar winner (only the first film) – John Williams

Do I really have to say anything? Can anything really trump the iconic strains of John Williams’ most famous work? Well, one thing can in my book, but for countless fans, including the AFI, this score reigns supreme. As unlikely as it seemed, Williams actually managed to match his own achievement with the operatic theme for The Phantom Menace, which I probably enjoy listening to even more than the original. With Williams returning to score The Force Awakens, I’m looking forward to hearing his continued brilliance this December.

 

#1: The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001, 2002, 2003), Oscar winner (first and third films) – Howard Shore

I suppose it’s not surprising that my favorite films would also feature my favorite scores. Unlike Pirates or The Piano, there isn’t just one track in this trilogy that I love to death; I adore the entire soundtrack, all three, from start to finish. The charming folksiness of the Shire, the medieval bombast of Khazad-dûm, the equestrian stateliness of Rohan, those ethereal vocals that heighten the splendor of each film’s climax—it’s all so perfect, whether for the film or for pleasure listening afterwards. Middle-earth would not be the same without Howard Shore.

 

Full list to come!

Predestination (2014)

07 Friday Aug 2015

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

Destiny knocks
On paradox
And grants the wise
A big surprise.
______________

Rating: R (for frequent obscenities and two scenes of nudity, which are easily anticipated)

Predestination is an Australian film that is hard to describe without spoilers, but I’ll do my best. It revolves completely around the secrets and connections of its characters, creating one of the most paradoxical stories imaginable, courtesy of Robert Heinlein’s short story “’—All You Zombies—.’”

Stating the early facts, there’s a mysterious time-traveling agent intent on stopping a mysterious bomber, which then segues into a conversation between said agent as a Bartender (Ethan Hawke) and a confession writer who writes under the pen name “The Unmarried Mother” (Sarah Snook). (I thought Loretta Modern might have been a good pseudonym too.) From this intriguing start, there are flashbacks and quantum leaps and some fascinatingly subtle time-jumping effects, which all lead to a conclusion that I sadly already knew going in. I’m sorry; I just usually like to know what I’m getting into instead of going into a film cold, but in this case, I wish I hadn’t known, if only to see how much I would have guessed as the story progressed.

Sarah Snook earned the most acclaim for her versatility in playing a highly malleable role, and both she and Ethan Hawke carry the film almost by themselves. As I said, the twists are everything. Whereas most films use them to progress the story, here they are the story, which makes for a compelling puzzle but not so much a satisfying conclusion. Even I who knew what would generally happen still had trouble wrapping my head around everything, and it’s a film that would certainly reward a second viewing. Compared with many blockbusters, Predestination is high science fiction, with an ambitious story that goes a bit too high for my middlebrow tastes.

Best line: (the Bartender) “Preparation is the key to successful, inconspicuous time travel. Luck is the residue of design.”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2015 S. G. Liput

329 Followers and Counting

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (2002)

05 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

How provincial is the province where no one has heard the name
Of Dumas or Dostoyevsky or the books that earned them fame!
Why are some so sadly eager to commit the page to flame?

Do not heed the narrow tyrant quick to outlaw and condemn.
Read the words or listen close, and you may find a worthy gem,
But beware that written words have ravished many, changing them.
_______________

Rating: G (should be PG for light language and a few mature themes)

Language: Chinese and French w/ English subtitles

Born in China and now settled in France, director Dai Sijie obviously has deep ties to the story of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, which he adapted himself from his first novel of the same name. Set during China’s Communist Cultural Revolution, it follows his own personal experience of spending three years in a rural re-education camp from 1971 to 1974.

From the very start, the film’s tone is clear. While the village’s devoted Communist Chief promptly burns a cookbook for mentioning chicken because it is too bourgeois, the new arrivals Ma and Luo convince him to preserve Ma’s violin by insisting that Mozart wrote music with Chairman Mao in mind. Like the film overall, the scene is a little pitiful and a little funny, but it clinches the role that music and Western civilization play in helping the oppressed feel human again. Love can do the same thing, and when a tailor visits with his beautiful granddaughter, this “Little Seamstress” wins the hearts of both young men. She, like most of these country folk, is sadly ignorant, and they commit themselves to transform her with their “reactionary” Western ideas.

Based on the mention of re-education camps, I might have thought that this was some dark, murderous picture of persecution like The Killing Fields, but it’s not. In fact, there’s a notable lack of life-or-death danger here. With their forbidden books, the three friends are always in danger of being found out by the semi-vigilant Chief. As an authority figure, though, he’s less like a severe commandant and more like an inattentive parent, who barely notices when his charges sneak behind him with banned ideas and hidden abortions and fibs that prey on his ignorance.

At the same time, these work camps are rather effective, forcing many into a mindset of fear and submission. Yet the stories and concepts that Ma and Luo and the Seamstress keep and slowly spread to others also disseminate a starry-eyed freedom. Can you imagine such a beautiful, exotic name as Ursule Mirouet? Can you imagine a poor man becoming a wealthy count like Edmond Dantes? It’s ironic that, at a time when burning a bra was seen as liberating to women in the U.S., its introduction had an empowering effect on the Little Seamstress, leading to a bittersweet choice.

There’s a “Hitler Reacts” YouTube video (parodying a famous scene from Downfall), in which he decries Balzac’s ending and questions the point of the entire story. However, the film overall has that romantic quality of someone reminiscing, perhaps not of the best years of their life but the most memorable. Like all memories, they are swallowed by the floods of time but not forgotten.

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2015 S. G. Liput

329 Followers and Counting

My Top 50 Movie Scores — Part 9

02 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by in Movies, Music, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Nearing the end of the Top 50 countdown, we have now entered my top ten film scores, which has actually been a long time coming since I’ve only done five a week. This week, I’ve included some widely regarded classics and some personal favorites, several with a decidedly Celtic sound, themes I regard so highly that they’re basically interchangeable on the list. Only one week to go for the top 5. Enjoy!

_______________

 

#10: Titanic (1997), Oscar winner – James Horner

My original cryfest, Titanic is a marvelous film on nearly every level, but nowhere does it excel so masterfully as in the music department, thanks to the late great James Horner. His soothing Celtic strains play much more to the romance rather than the disaster, but there’s a deep sadness to it that fits the tragedy to a capital T.

 

#9: Forrest Gump (1994), Oscar nominee – Alan Silvestri

Yet another emotional journey with a memorable rock soundtrack as well, Forrest Gump had to have a fittingly poignant theme, and frequent Robert Zemeckis collaborator Alan Silvestri was just the man for the job. The first few notes alone bring back all the feels from one of my favorite films, starting with that drifting feather, while the ending makes me feel like I could run across the country. I don’t know if I should smile or cry. I think it’s both.

 

#8: Jurassic Park (1993), no nomination – John Williams

Putting the awe in awesome, Jurassic Park would be incomplete without John Williams’ exquisite themes. Again, the music conjures the immense glory of reborn dinosaurs, as well as the fascinating terror when they run amok. While I haven’t seen Jurassic World yet, I’m glad to hear that apparently Michael Giacchino has both honored and complemented Williams’ achievement.

 

#7: How to Train Your Dragon (2010), Oscar nominee – John Powell

The more I listen to this score, the more I absolutely LOVE it! I enjoy almost any kind of Celtic music, but this film amps it up beautifully to nail the tension, the fun, the wonder—pretty much everything one would expect from riding on a dragon. I could listen to this music forever. DreamWorks knew they had something great; they recently used the action theme for their 20th anniversary ads.

 

#6: The Chronicles of Narnia (2005, 2008), no nominations – Harry Gregson-Williams

From my list, it’s clear that I’m fond of epic and majestic film scores, and the music for the current trilogy of Narnia adaptations certainly fits that description. I’m only including the first two films here, though, since the third, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, had a different composer and was generally not quite as good. I probably admire Prince Caspian’s score most of all, since it builds on the first film’s themes and gets even more epic. Someone hurry up and make The Silver Chair already!

 

The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

31 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

They say that pain demands to be felt,
And we’re the ones to feel it,
The ones to bear the cards we’re dealt,
Unable to conceal it.

But pain is not the only one
Demanding our attention,
Although it blinds us like the sun
From others’ intervention.

Yet if we look beyond the pain
To love without regret,
We’ll see that neither is in vain
If love’s demands are met.
_____________________

Rating: PG-13 (for language, sexuality, and some heavy themes)

The first time I heard about The Fault in Our Stars was when a female coworker of mine gushed over how much she loved it and how much she cried and how much she loved crying at it. Thus, I thought it was merely some weepy chick flick. Then I heard all kinds of buzz about the movie adaptation and its talented young stars. Then my VC read the book and was wholly unimpressed, finding the character of Hazel Grace Lancaster so ill-tempered and somber as to be irritating.

Thus, I didn’t know what my opinion would be once I finally saw the blockbuster tearjerker of 2014, and I must say that it deserved its praise. Shailene Woodley is indeed melancholy as Hazel Grace, but with good reason: riddled with cancer since the age of thirteen, she has few joys in life. All the normal teenage pleasures of friends and such have yielded to chemotherapy sessions and constant fears about those who fear for her. Her morbidity is understandable and, as my VC pointed out, off-putting, but that only makes the subsequent romance more surprising and heart-winning.

As Augustus Waters, Ansel Elgort is the nicest guy imaginable, able to keep his spirits high with life-affirming metaphors and willing to part with everything from trophies to wishes for the sake of his friends. Like me and Pat from Silver Linings Playbook, he can’t abide unsatisfying endings, and he won’t accept that life is meaningless. He’s “kind of awesome” and almost too good to be true, but therein lies his appeal. My VC and I both love Elizabethtown, and I pointed out to her that Orlando Bloom’s character in that film also starts out depressed and obsessed with death (with only good looks being a reason for anyone to be attracted to him), yet he is captivated and encouraged by Kirsten Dunst’s Claire, who seems to consider his happiness her mission. Augustus is the same way. When Hazel desires further information about her favorite book (which happens to be about cancer), his efforts on her behalf are more than enough to win her heart.

Based on what I’ve written so far, this may seem like a happy, uplifting story that starts low but keeps on getting better, “a rollercoaster that only goes up,” but such is not the case. Like life itself, there are ups and downs and a tear for every smile. The film is sometimes shockingly abrupt in ungilding the lily, but even then it achieves a touching balance of bitterness and humor, of cynicism and sentiment.

That’s not to say that it is without fault. I didn’t care for how the lone Christian character is mocked as a sincere but inept “Kumbaya” advocate. It’s easy for cynicism to slough off the assurances of religion, but I for one can’t imagine finding meaning in suffering without faith (Christianity, in my case). As convinced as Hazel is from the start, I don’t believe in oblivion, and it’s a bit sad that even the most buoyant character can only say he believes in a heavenly “something.”

Even so, The Fault in Our Stars treads the line between the two viewpoints, Hazel’s sarcastic pessimism and Gus’s vague optimism, and retains a unique intelligence within its familiar romantic storyline, acknowledging that one deep love can be life-affirming. While it’s essentially this generation’s Love Story, The Fault in Our Stars engages both mind and heart far better than the usual tearjerker, though it can still jerk the tears with the best of them.

Best line: (Augustus, to the mother of his friend’s ex-girlfriend) “Hello, ma’am. Your daughter, she’s done a great injustice, so we’ve come here seeking revenge. You see, we may not look like much, but between the three of us, we have five legs, four eyes, and two and a half pairs of working lungs, but we also have two dozen eggs, so if I were you, I would go back inside.”

Rank: List-Worthy

© 2015 S. G. Liput

328 Followers and Counting