#56: Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

28 Friday Nov 2014

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The Earth and all inhabitants
Remain a target for
The all-consuming Borg,
Who try to conquer it once more.
 
They travel back in time,
Where planet Earth stands little chance,
And Enterprise pursues them
And destroys them at first glance.
 
The captain leaves Will Riker
To ensure that all goes right
With Zefram Cochran’s rocket
And the premier trans-warp flight.
 
While Cochran’s disconcerted
By the weight of history,
Picard aboard the Enterprise
Finds Borg are running free.
 
Assimilation’s rampant,
And when Data too is seized,
Their tempting Queen cajoles him
With sensations; he is pleased.
 
Picard and crew impede them,
Yet despite revenge’s thirst,
Picard attempts their last resort
But must find Data first.
 
As Cochran’s making history,
Picard confronts the Queen,
And Data proves his loyalty
To man and not machine.
 
The Enterprise returns home,
Now that Cochran did attract
A survey ship of Vulcans,
With whom Earth makes first contact.
__________________
 

Here, at last, is the height of television-based Star Trek. Star Trek: First Contact (or Space Zombies from the Future, as it could be called) combines everything I love about the series into an action-packed plot that fully deserves its feature film status. What does it have? The Borg, the single most formidable, non-cosmic antagonist the Enterprise encountered; time travel, that most favorite of science fiction devices; a perfect balance of drama, tension, and humor that so eluded the subsequent two Next Gen films; impressive visuals, from the Borg’s pasty-faced make-up and prosthetics to well-defined action sequences; strong acting from Patrick Stewart as Picard, Alfre Woodard as uninitiate Lily, and James Cromwell as Zefram Cochran, plus everyone else; clever references to the series, such as Barclay’s hero worship of Cochran and a return to the Dixon Hill holonovels; and cameos from a series even closer to my heart, Star Trek: Voyager (Ethan Phillips as a holographic maître d’ and Robert Picardo as the EMH doctor). Talk about shooting high!

As a continuation of Picard’s assimilation story in the fan favorite episode “Best of Both Worlds,” the film brought to light Picard’s personal grudge against the Borg, comparing him to Captain Ahab and his quest for vengeance against Moby Dick. The filmmakers made full use of the Borg and their unique form of menace. Essentially, they’re zombies with vampire-like tubules to infect people with their individuality-draining nanoprobes, yet they’re thinking zombies (collectively speaking), which frighten on a different level from the mindless kind. This comparison is heightened by horror-inspired scenes in which they ambush “red shirts” and grab people to drag them away underneath doors. Alice Krige does a marvelously disquieting job as the Borg Queen, a creepy and seductive villainess, who returned for Voyager’s series finale.

Many found fault with Cromwell’s drunken portrayal of Zefram Cochran, who bore no resemblance to the young, cultured Cochran seen in The Original Series’ “Metamorphosis.” Considering that episode depicted a revived Cochran who was under the influence of an energy being, I didn’t mind the character’s reimagining and actually enjoyed Cromwell’s dynamic performance. Despite his unsavory behavior before, the actual first contact at film’s end does indeed feel like a moment of historical gravity that Cromwell nails, assisted by Jerry Goldsmith’s score.

A major issue of mine with other Next Gen films (and many episodes) is the continual focus on Picard and Data while the other characters are given little to do, especially Dr. Crusher. Insurrection was the worst offender, but First Contact balances its characters by splitting them up, with Picard, Data and Worf fighting Borg aboard the ship, while most of the others have their own mission on the planet. I especially loved certain character moments, like the epic launch to Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride” and Deanna’s drunkenness (paired with Riker’s reaction).

Surpassing all other Next Gen films and even those of Captain Kirk, First Contact is everything fans could desire in a Star Trek movie. And yes, it’s even-numbered.

Best line: (Deanna Troi, sloppy drunk from her meeting with Cochran) “I’m just trying to blend in.”   (Riker) “You’re blended all right.”

 
Rank: 57 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

259 Followers and Counting

#57: Glory (1989)

27 Thursday Nov 2014

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The Civil War was raging, and good Captain Robert Shaw
Wrote letters to his mother of the army that he saw.
Hurt and honored as a hero, he returned to Boston north
And was named the newest colonel of the Negro 54th.
 
He struggled with his station as a leader of recruits,
An officer of men who did not share his privileged roots.
He trained his infantry with all the harshness he felt right,
And, earning insult and respect, he taught them how to fight.
 
Nobody truly thought a colored regiment would see
The bloody badge of battle so their comrades could be free,
But Shaw and all his men insisted they should have their chance
To prove their love of freedom and their merit to advance.
 
When they at last met combat, Shaw then volunteered to lead
A charge against Fort Wagner, which they could not supersede.
The bravery, the glory of these honored soldiers strong
Ensured that color would not keep our country split for long.
__________________
 

Glory is a war movie that is not only thrilling and tragic but truly glorious. As hellish as battle is, there is a stirring admiration for those risking their lives for the sake of freedom, defense, patriotism, and duty. James Horner’s orchestral score with choral high points possesses a poignancy that captures the elusive “glory” of war itself and beautifies scenes like the final battle with an uplifting paean of majesty. (Strangely, the score wasn’t even nominated for an Oscar, though Horner’s other one that year for Field of Dreams was. Also, I noticed that one section of music sounded quite similar to Horner’s score of The Pagemaster five years later.)

In addition to the prestigious score, the cast is brilliant. Matthew Broderick sheds his Ferris Bueller persona for the role of Captain Shaw, a man caught under the weight of his own responsibility, forced to balance past friendships with expected protocol. Cary Elwes also turns in a serious performance as his friend Major Forbes, who urges him not go too far in his military rigidity. The black soldiers are diverse characters who are neither idealized nor derided. Andre Braugher as Shaw’s unprepared friend Thomas and Jihmi Kennedy as crack-shot Private Sharts provide the human weakness and improvement seen in other “boot camp” movies, while Denzel Washington won an Oscar for his potent portrayal of bitter Private Trip. The infamous “N word” is used frequently throughout the film, and though white characters say it too, Trip is the worst offender, prompting a brilliant reproach from Sergeant Major Rawlins (Morgan Freeman) that indicts not only the sayer of the word but the behavior that can prompt its use.

The period costumes and credible battle reenactments lend the film great realism, as do the repeated voiceovers of the real Shaw’s letters to home. This authenticity complements the film’s balanced storytelling, shifting between the viewpoints of white and black characters with great delicacy. It also points out historical details that many forget, such as the fact that slavery was also present in the Union (in the border states) and that prejudice and atrocities were not limited to the Confederates. Yet neither are whites demonized; even when Shaw is harsh to his recruits, he is attempting to prepare them seriously as few other commanders would and exhibits a keen sympathy despite his distance.

The battle scenes are fierce but not excessive, except for a shocking head shot five minutes in. Though the 54th Infantry’s sacrifice threatens to end the film on an overly depressing note, the intense battle at Fort Wagner (complete with Horner’s score and “bombs bursting in air”) is surprisingly inspiring, and the final scene speaks to the equality of death and what lies beyond. Glory depicts an early and lesser-known high point in African-American history. On this Thanksgiving Day, it seems appropriate to honor those who died to salvage a nation worthy thanking God for. (By the way, I was surprised that the film’s first day of training occurred on November 27, 1862, 152 years ago today.)

Best line: (Shaw, writing to his mother) “We fight for men and women whose poetry is not yet written but which will presently be as enviable and as renowned as any.”

 
Rank: 57 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

259 Followers and Counting

#58: Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

27 Thursday Nov 2014

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(Can be sung to the title song)
 
The 1920s saw
The cinematic draw
Of talking motion pictures
That filled the folks with awe.
Don Lockwood, a star,
And Lina Lamont
Are shocked by the change
And a young debutante.
 
Although Lina is shrill,
They both try talkies still.
Don and his friend think
Kathy’s voice fits the bill.
Don’s love will begin
To sing and fill in
For Lina,
To Lina’s own chagrin.
 
The film they revise
Will soon be their prize,
But Lina’s deceit
Fills the public with lies.
The curtain reveals
The truth she conceals,
And Kathy
And Don’s romance appeals.
_______________
 

The period between the 1930s and 1950s was full of musicals, most of which are wholly forgettable (save for perhaps one song) or else simply not my cup of tea. Yet the culmination of these assembly-line studio productions is still acclaimed to this day, namely Gene Kelly’s Singin’ in the Rain, the finest film about Hollywood’s favorite subject, itself.

Many of the songs in Singin’ in the Rain, including the title one, had been written for prior films, with the common bond for most being lyricist and producer Arthur Freed. They’re catchy little ditties typical of the era, yet certain scenes are so utterly classic that the songs themselves were propelled to much greater fame than any previous film’s usage. Coupled with Gene Kelly’s incomparably energetic choreography, tunes like “Fit as a Fiddle,” “Moses Supposes,” and “Good Morning” are just plain fun to watch, while “Singin’ in the Rain” attains a time-honored status few sequences can match. The film also succeeds as a comedy, and Donald O’Connor’s “Make ‘Em Laugh” is hilarious, incredible, and exhausting to watch. The “Broadway Melody” dream sequence is classic too, with Kelly’s cavorting with Cyd Charisse and her skillfully blown scarf, though I personally think it’s overly long and disconnected from the supposed French Revolution film into which it is meant to fit.

Easily Kelly’s best film, Singin’ in the Rain gave Debbie Reynolds her first major role and immortalized Freed’s greatest songs. The lip-syncing conspiracy at the film’s climax is still imitated nowadays, and the film’s most memorable moments have been parodied to no end. Even award-winning films like The Artist have drawn inspiration from this original talkie-conversion romance. Comedy musicals don’t get much better than Singin’ in the Rain.

Best line: (Don Lockwood, as he is being hounded by fans) “Cosmo, call me a cab.”  (Cosmo, smiling) “OK, you’re a cab.”

 
Rank: 57 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

256 Followers and Counting

#59: The Sixth Sense (1999)

25 Tuesday Nov 2014

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A patient troubled by his lot
Sneaks into Malcolm’s home, distraught
And furious that he forgot
His promise; Dr. Crowe is shot.
 
The next fall, Malcolm’s hoping he
Can fix his past mistake and free
The young Cole Sear, who tends to see
And hear dead people and their plea.
 
Cole’s mother worries for her son
And wishes he would speak, not shun.
Though Malcolm doubts like everyone,
Soon his acceptance Cole has won.
 
Though growing distant from his wife,
Crowe posits that the spirits rife
Want Cole’s assistance with their strife
To move on to the afterlife.
 
As Malcolm’s guesses recommend,
Cole finds out what the ghosts intend,
Confiding in his mom and friend.
Don’t worry; I won’t tell the end.
________________
 

The Sixth Sense was not only M. Night Shyamalan’s ticket to Hollywood fame but also remains one of the best horror movies ever made. So many horror films are preoccupied with blood, gore, the occult, and finding the most inventive way to deprive characters of their lives and/or limbs. Some are more tasteful than others, and some manage to combine their frights with comedy or action elements that still make for enjoyable entertainment. Yet few horror films reach the dramatic depths of The Sixth Sense.

The acting truly is phenomenal, from Bruce Willis’s tortured Dr. Crowe to Oscar nominee Toni Collette’s overwhelmed Lynn Sear. Yet Haley Joel Osment shines brighter than them all. Truly great child actors are rare; as much as I enjoy Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone, his comedic and dramatic antics are clearly those of a likable child who has simply memorized his lines. Nothing about Osment’s performance feels forced or artificial. He displays convincing anxiety, melancholy, mental distress, and phasmophobia, not just for selected scenes but throughout the entire film. If ever an under-12 actor deserved an Oscar, it was Haley Joel Osment for The Sixth Sense. (He lost to Michael Caine for The Cider House Rules.)

In addition to its famous quote (see below), the film is well-known for its infamous twist ending, which (along with Fight Club that same year) re-popularized such surprise conclusions. Sadly, the surprise was spoiled for me, thanks to a Ken Jennings trivia book, but in 1999, audiences were thoroughly blown away by Shyamalan’s clever tactics, which made The Sixth Sense a film to be studied rather than simply watched. The same effect has since been attempted with varying success by the likes of James Wan, Christopher Nolan, and Shyamalan himself, who has never quite reached the zenith of his first big hit.

Eschewing gore, The Sixth Sense still has the jump scares and tension that make for a good horror film, but everything is more subtle than usual scare fare, with a greater eye toward characters, clues, and color, such as the repeated presence of stark reds. Not everything is explained, such as the details of Cole’s first ghostly intervention, but the raw emotions and refined storytelling make up for any weaknesses. Another thing that sets this film apart from most horror films is its mostly positive outcome. There’s no evil triumphing, no unforeseen threat that might return for a sequel, just relieved reconciliation and bittersweet peace.

The Sixth Sense is Shymalan’s masterpiece. Unbreakable and Signs are Shyamalan’s only other films on my list, and it’s a shame that his reputation has fallen from such early heights. He seemed to do his best work with Bruce Willis, and they’re currently working together on Labor of Love for next year. Here’s hoping it will be a return to dramatic form for both of them.

Best line (the obvious): (Cole Sear) “I see dead people.”

 
Rank: 56 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

255 Followers and Counting

#60: Back to the Future Trilogy (1985, 1989, 1990)

25 Tuesday Nov 2014

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(Spoilers ahead)
 
Marty McFly is a likable guy
Who’s known as a slacker at Hill Valley High.
His dad is a nerd in each sense of the word,
Who often is bullied by Biff undeterred.
Emmet Brown is a doc, whom most people just mock;
He has an invention to turn back the clock.
 
The Doc has created a time machine dated,
A tricked-out DeLorean; Marty’s elated.
When Doc Brown is shot for the fuel that he got,
McFly speeds away for the sake of the plot.
When he goes too fast, Marty’s stuck in the past,
1955, where there’s quite the contrast.
 
He sees George McFly, still Biff’s least favorite guy,
And saves his own dad, who is painfully shy.
The blow he prevents Marty quickly laments,
For now he has changed the whole course of events.
His mother Lorraine now has him on the brain,
And his interference could be his own bane.
 
With Doc, still alive in 1955,
They plan for a carefully-engineered drive
To harness the spike of a timed lightning strike
And send Marty back to the time they all like.
Yet first he must try to conspire and lie
To pair up Lorraine and the proper McFly.
 
George steps up when needed, and Biff is defeated,
But even though Marty’s maneuvers succeeded,
He speeds down the block for the requisite shock
To send him back home to the still-living Doc.
It seems all is well, and the future will tell,
But why wait when there is a sequel I smell.
____________________
 
When Doc Brown returns with some pressing concerns,
He takes Marty back to the future. He learns
That mischief is done with McFly’s only son,
So Marty must stop it before it’s begun.
In 2015, Marty meets on the scene
Old Biff and his grandson, both terribly mean.
 
Their efforts succeed, but temptation toward greed
Lets Biff get away with a self-serving deed.
Unaware of the slime, they return to their time
And find ’85 full of sorrow and crime.
A sports almanac that the old Biff took back
Allowed his young self to grow rich from the track.
 
This present nightmare, full of death and despair,
Can only be changed by the time-travel pair.
They go back once more to the dance long before
To steal back the book and the future restore.
Both Marty and Doc do their best not to walk
Into their other selves, who must meet at the clock.
 
The book time demands several times changes hands,
And Marty gives chase ere Doc’s flying car lands.
The duo prevail, but the car in the gale
Is shocked to the past, as explained in the mail.
The Doc is alive in 1885,
And Marty needs past Doc to help him arrive.
___________________
 
With help from the Doc, who passed out at the clock,
Marty finds the DeLorean hid under rock.
He sees and is stressed that Doc in the Old West
Died days after writing his final request.
Doc doesn’t condone, but still Marty, alone,
Goes back to save Doc from his coming tombstone.
 
The time machine’s harmed, and soon Marty’s alarmed
When Biff Tannen’s ancestor threatens him armed.
Doc saves his young friend and endeavors to mend
The time machine ere his unfortunate end,
But they find, alas, that the car’s out of gas;
A train is the only way they can go fast.
 
A woman nearby nearly learns how to fly,
But Doc rescues Clara and catches her eye.
A hoedown that night deepens Marty’s new plight
When “Mad Dog” demands that they schedule a fight.
Now Marty’s in danger, and Doc the time-changer
Breaks up with his Clara with truths that estrange her.
 
Doc Brown is distraught, and Mad Dog wants a shot
At Marty, who learns when to fight and when not.
With this Tannen bested and swiftly arrested,
They hijack the train in which all is invested.
Clara comes on the scene as they push Doc’s machine,
And with her in danger, Doc must intervene.
 
He rescues his mate, but the car travels straight
And travels through time when it hits eighty-eight.
Though Marty makes it, the DeLorean’s hit,
And all’s back to normal, as time will permit,
And Doc on a train that he tricked out again
Tells Marty the future our lives will ordain.
_______________
 

What can I say about the Back to the Future films that hasn’t already been said? Robert Zemeckis hit a home run with this, the original convoluted paradox movie. Full of clever twists and turns, all three films interconnect in amazingly imaginative ways, with running jokes and scenarios repeated in different time periods. The situations are so pervasive that I forgot that Marty’s whole “chicken” hang-up was only introduced in the second film rather than the first.

Michael J. Fox as Marty and Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown were impeccably cast, creating for each of them their most iconic roles. Fox especially exhibits a wide range, from his cool 1985 self to his wimpy 2015 son to his wise 1885 ancestor to even his own daughter (I swear I just noticed that last one!). Lea Thompson as Lorraine/Maggie McFly and Thomas F. Wilson as Biff/Griff/Mad Dog Tannen also span several unique but similar identities throughout history. Supporting performances are also excellent, such as Crispin Glover’s geeky mannerisms as the first film’s George McFly. The role of Marty’s girlfriend Jennifer changed from Claudia Wells in the first film to Elizabeth Shue in the sequels; perhaps it’s simply because she has more screen time, but I think I prefer Shue.

I’ve always loved time travel, and though even more complex films have been made since, Back to the Future’s various paradoxes, alternate time lines, and potentially universe-destroying encounters boggle the mind while remaining altogether fun. The second film is particularly complex, yet it’s probably my favorite, with its visit to a positive but not idealized future and its more active time traveling. The first is the most classic; the second is the most breathlessly entertaining; and the third boasts the best action sequence, the train-hopping finale with a thrilling crash that is much more impressive and real-looking than the similar climax of The Lone Ranger.

The films are also famous for their humor, such as the irony of building a time machine out of a DeLorean. My favorite comedic moments are the reactions: Doc’s crazed gaze when Marty convinces him he’s from the future, Marty’s stunned expression when his younger mother kisses him, Jennifer’s shock at seeing herself older/younger, Doc’s “Great Scott!” when Marty says he’s “back from the future,” Doc’s reaction to the Wake-Up Juice, etc. By the time of the third film, much of the situations are too familiar, but even then the Wild West milieu offers a different lens for everything; I might compare the trilogy to the Disney show Phineas and Ferb, in which a highly predictable formula is altered in small clever ways to still be entertaining and funny.

Back to the Future was one of my dad’s favorite films, and though over time he has complained that it’s dated, each film boasts endless watchability. Even my most recent viewings have yielded new details I had never noticed, like how Twin Pines Mall becomes Lone Pine Mall after Marty runs over one of Mr. Peabody’s two trees in 1955. Though the company went out of business before the first movie was filmed, the DeLorean will always be remembered as Doc Brown’s time machine, and Fox and Lloyd will always be fondly known as Marty and Doc. With its thirty-year anniversary approaching, including a London musical (and a 2015 that unfortunately doesn’t quite possess all the conveniences shown in Part II), Back to the Future still remains as fun as ever.

Best line from Back to the Future: (George McFly) “Last night, Darth Vader came down from Planet Vulcan and told me that if I didn’t take Lorraine out, that he’d melt my brain.”

Best line from Part II: (Doc, as 1985 Jennifer is being taken to her 2015 home) “I foresee two possibilities. One, coming face to face with herself thirty years older would put her into shock, and she’d simply pass out. Or two, the encounter could create a time paradox, the results of which could cause a chain reaction that would unravel the very fabric of the space time continuum and destroy the entire universe! Granted, that’s a worse-case scenario. The destruction might, in fact, be very localized, limited to merely our own galaxy.”

Best line from Part III: (Marty) “Listen, you got a back door to this place?”  (bartender) “Yeah, it’s in the back.”

 
Rank: 56 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

255 Followers and Counting

#61: Life Is Beautiful (1997)

23 Sunday Nov 2014

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Guido’s a waiter, who lives a charmed life
And woos a “princess” as he just improvises.
His lovable antics obtain him a wife,
Who’s carried away by his crazy surprises.
 
Italy enters a much darker stage,
When Jews are reviled as some lower race.
So Guido convinces his son to engage
In one giant game in a frightening place.
 
The work camp is torment for its residents,
But young Joshua believes all his dad’s lies.
He keeps himself hidden from evil intents
And hopes for a genuine tank as his prize.
 
Though Guido encourages as he is able,
The darkness of war afflicts even charmed lives.
Call it a tragedy, call it a fable,
But Guido ensures that his young son survives.
_________________
 

Life Is Beautiful is essentially two films in one. There are typically comedies with dramatic elements or dramas with comedic elements, but rarely are the two combined so liberally. Roberto Benigni directed and wrote this Best Foreign Language Film of 1997 and excitedly received Best Actor for his alternately silly and heartrending performance as devoted father Guido Orefice. Life Is Beautiful certainly deserves its place as the only foreign-language film in my top 100.

The film starts out as a comedic romp, with much similarity to Miyazaki’s The Castle of Cagliostro, in which a pair of buddies are roaming the countryside (and must fix a flat tire) until the charming rogue of the duo pursues a “princess” who is engaged to a rich man against her will. Guido’s fast-paced, improvisational humor reminded me of Robin Williams, and his shenanigans are so hilarious that his stalker tendencies toward Dora (his real-life wife Nicoletta Braschi) hardly register in anyone’s mind. Though the first half is mostly carefree, there are intermittent clues that, though Guido’s world is all smiles and romance, the world at large is changing for the worse.

By the time Guido’s son (adorable Giorgio Cantarini) enters the picture, national policies and public sentiment have been so subverted by anti-semitism that Guido cannot simply ignore it. Yet politics are hardly even mentioned; instead, Guido shields his four-year-old son from racism and the horrors of the concentration camp with an elaborate hoax that expertly tows the line between funny for Joshua’s sake and distressingly somber for the situation’s. Guido obviously knows his son well, employing reverse psychology and every prudent trick he knows to keep him safe and unanxious. He’s probably the most admirable, selfless cinematic father I’ve ever seen, rivalled by Marlin from Finding Nemo and Chris Gardner from The Pursuit of Happyness.

The film was controversial at the time for its depiction of lightheartedness alongside the Holocaust. I can merely invoke the wisdom of “If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry”; Life Is Beautiful manages both. The horrors and grief of the Holocaust are still thoroughly felt, though not explicitly shown like in Schindler’s List, and it’s clear that Guido’s every upbeat action is for the sake of his son. Without his son and wife to live for, he might very well have succumbed to despondency; it was for his family’s sake that he smiled and laughed through the pain.

Best line: (Guido’s uncle, in an offhand remark that is true on many levels) “Nothing is more necessary than the unnecessary.”
 
VC’s best line: (fellow prisoner Bartolomeo) “They are looking for someone who speaks German to translate their instructions.”
(Guido) “Me! I’ll do it, I’ll translate!”
(Bartolomeo) “Do you speak German?”
(Guido) “No.” [introducing the film’s funniest scene]
 
 
Rank: 56 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

255 Followers and Counting

#62: Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

22 Saturday Nov 2014

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The game is afoot and seems quickly completed,
As Sherlock Holmes unmasks a villain, defeated.
The creepy Lord Blackwood, a serial killer
Who trusts the occult as his spiritual pillar,
Is hanged for his crimes with no fear or remorse,
And good Dr. Watson confirms it, of course.
 
Though Holmes is the master of facts and deduction,
He’s caught by surprise by a lover’s seduction.
Irene Adler challenges him with a case,
Employed by a man with an unrevealed face,
But Holmes is requested to visit instead
The grave where Lord Blackwood arose from the dead.
 
They follow the case to a dead ginger dwarf,
Whose lab provides clues and a fight near the wharf.
The heads of a secret society ask
The aid of the sleuth in the dubious task
Of thwarting the intrigues of Blackwood perverse,
Before he provokes the world’s ending or worse.
 
Holmes can’t stop the murders that Blackwood commits,
And Watson and he are almost blown to bits.
Deducing that Blackwood has plans to dispose
Of Parliament based on the clues that arose,
Holmes verifies this and then hastes to prevent
The fiend and his world-domination intent.
 
Both Adler and Holmes foil Blackwood’s designs,
And Holmes explains all of his mystical signs,
But there is a piece from the villain’s machine
That somehow was stolen by someone unseen.
The case is reopened, in need of more truth,
For now Moriarty will challenge the sleuth.
___________________
 
The game’s still afoot for the genius detective,
Who’s trying to gauge Moriarty’s objective.
This worthy opponent is clever and sly
And fond of explosions within public eye.
He kills a close friend; from behind college robe,
He has plotted and gathered across the whole globe.
 
When Holmes figures out his next target nearby,
He saves Madame Simza, a Gypsy ally.
He then assists Watson with what he’s been dreading,
His faithful companion’s unstoppable wedding.
When Holmes at last meets Moriarty, the fiend
Explains how more casualties still may be gleaned.
 
The honeymoon train ride is cut a bit short,
And Watson and Holmes then seek Simza’s support.
They find her in Paris and learn as they stay
That something’s not right with her brother Rene.
When Holmes thinks he knows where the villain will strike,
His guess is misled, so they head to the Reich.
 
It’s there Moriarty surprises his foe
And nearly defeats him for all that they know.
It seems Moriarty’s amassed more and more,
Intending to set off a fruitful world war.
His final attempt to precipitate this
Will be at a peace summit held by the Swiss.
 
Rene has been altered to be the assassin,
And Watson and Simza must find and unmask him.
Meanwhile, Holmes mentally duels with his rival
And comes out on top at the risk of survival.
Holmes clinches this as Moriarty’s last visit,
As well as his own last adventure. Or is it?
__________________
 

Robert Downey, Jr., is the king of charisma. After his star-making role as Iron Man in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, who would have thought he’d find such a similarly dynamic role as another literary hero, Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective? There’s no shortage of Sherlock Holmeses out there; all of them have their good points, from Basil Rathbone in the old black-and-white versions to Nicholas Rowe in Young Sherlock Holmes to Benedict Cumberbatch in the recent popular BBC series Sherlock. Yet while I very much enjoy Cumberbatch’s modern-day portrayal of the character, no one captures the intelligence and strangely appealing hubris of the 19th-century Holmes like Robert Downey, Jr. Thankfully, an equally engaging Watson was cast to round out the famous duo; Jude Law is not just a passive observer, but a much younger and more spirited companion than usual, able to match Holmes’s wit at least in their clever repartee.

Much of the credit should also go to director Guy Ritchie, who recreates Victorian England with a uniquely visual steampunk sensibility. Holmes’s famous powers of observation are also depicted with visual flair, usually in flashback, daring viewers to recognize all the details he does. Yet here Holmes is also a physical hero, able to employ his extensive knowledge to take out foes even before he engages them. Unlike the strictly cerebral quality of most traditional Holmes, Ritchie’s films are genuinely thrilling, with explosions, tense standoffs, life-and-death struggles, and a band-saw deathtrap worthy of a horror film, all of which is augmented by the droll humor of Downey and Law.

The first film is the better of the two, simply because of its unexpected enthusiasm, not unlike the awesome energy of J. J. Abrams’s Star Trek reboot that same year. Mark Strong is an effectively eerie challenger for Holmes, and though his satanic ritualism bothered me at first, I was glad that Holmes provided a practical explanation to Blackwood’s illusions. Rachel McAdams is also a strong point as Irene Adler, another ally who can match Holmes in certain situations.

As for A Game of Shadows, it was a worthy follow-up, with more resourceful deductions and a great battle aboard a train, though the film lacked something, perhaps more of Irene Adler. Jared Harris was ideally cast as the cunning and capable Professor Moriarty; but Noomi Rapace as Simza couldn’t quite fill McAdams’s shoes as the main female protagonist, and Stephen Fry was a bit overly odd as Sherlock’s brother Mycroft, with his nude disregard for domestic decency. Despite these weaker secondary characters and an overuse of slow-motion, A Game of Shadows possesses the same creative style, witty banter, and narrative ingenuity as the first, with a genius climax that pays homage to the source material and left me wishing for a third film, which may or may not happen.

The danger of mystery films is that, after unveiling the answers to all the burning questions, the story as a whole can fall apart or simply become less interesting on future viewing. Thus, the challenge for filmmakers is to make the plot as elaborate or convoluted as possible so that repeated watches are rewarded (Christopher Nolan and J. J. Abrams excel at this). Guy Ritchie also succeeds in that regard, with all the flashes of exposition creating a mystery well worth revisiting. Between Hans Zimmer’s outstanding tinny score, Downey’s astute magnetism, and the combination of mystery and action, Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes is definitely my favorite incarnation.

Best line from Sherlock Holmes: (Holmes) “You have the grand gift of silence, Watson; it makes you quite invaluable as a companion.” [followed by a punch from said companion]

Best line from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows: (Watson, reading a note from Holmes) “’Come at once if convenient.’”  [turns note over] “’If inconvenient, come all the same.’”

 
Rank: 56 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

255 Followers and Counting

#63: The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

21 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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(Best sung to the title song)
 
Within the opera’s walls,
He lurks unseen.
The Phantom softly calls
To dear Christine.
She sings, impressing all with splendid voice;
The Phantom of the Opera won’t leave
Her any choice.
 
She’s drawn to his allure,
This charming ghoul,
But soon is made unsure
By suave Raoul.
Between her singing coach and childhood friend,
Christine does not know whom she ought to love,
Till threats portend.
 
The opera owners won’t
Obey the ghost
And soon see, when they don’t,
He’s felt the most.
Christine believed she heard an angel sing,
But now she sees the Phantom’s just as mad
As ravishing.
 
The Phantom’s latest play
Is brought to stage;
His mask is torn away
To fear and rage.
He grasps the upper hand for passion’s sake,
But even he must recognize love’s truth,
Despite heartache.
_______________
 

Andrew Lloyd Webber is a master. His musicals have an immersive quality that has garnered multitudes of fans and myriads of awards. It’s one thing for a musical to have a few catchy songs spaced at opportune points throughout a play or film; it’s another to weave a soundtrack in which the songs flow together with such pervasive melody that listeners disregard where one ends and the next begins. Webber has pulled off such a feat several times over, and no film captures that lavish musicality like The Phantom of the Opera.

Joel Schumacher’s films are a mixed bag, and though Batman and Robin still lives in infamy, The Phantom of the Opera redeemed his skills as a director, at least to my mind. From the elaborate exploration of the labyrinthine opera house to the stark winter backdrops, the film has all the spectacle one would expect from a Broadway adaptation. Attention to colors is evident in the frequent combination of black, white, and red, similar to (though not quite as striking as) the red flourishes of The Sixth Sense, with red again representing the presence of the ghost. Though dancing takes a back seat to the glorious music itself, the pantomime choreography in certain scenes is outstanding, particularly during the pomp of “Masquerade.”

None of the acting is quite Oscar-worthy, but again it’s less important than the music. Emmy Rossum is lovely as Christine, though a few notes elude her efforts, such as the final scream of “The Phantom of the Opera.” She’s a talented singer, just not as trained as that of Sarah Brightman, the original Christine and Lloyd Webber’s former wife. Patrick Wilson as Raoul is a bland but handsome lover for her, and Minnie Driver is appropriately dreadful as arrogant diva Carlotta, but the best role is, of course, the Phantom, played with surprising power by Gerard Butler. Though he had no prior singing experience, Butler performs like a pro, with his voice alternating from soft and seductive to severe and monstrous. His is the emotional heart of the film, and though his actions are reprehensible, an Elephant Man-style flashback gives the audience clear reason to pity him and his desire for love, though Butler’s underwhelming make-up doesn’t seem to warrant all the cruelty endured by his character or being described as “hardly a face.” (On a side note for Pirates of the Caribbean fans, I was surprised to see that the Phantom’s onstage victim was played by a barely recognizable Kevin McNally, aka Mr. Gibbs, Jack Sparrow’s first mate.)

The haunting music possesses the rare ability to induce frequent goosebumps, particularly during the Phantom’s sensuous crooning of “The Music of the Night,” by which my VC was especially affected. Lloyd Webber’s venerable arias hold significance for me as well, for I learned to play several during my inconsequential stab at piano lessons, mainly “The Phantom of the Opera,” “All I Ask of You,” “The Music of the Night,” and “Masquerade” (my favorite to play with its staccato strokes). Even when the story itself drags at times, the music is so unforgettably dynamic and the production values so sumptuous that every scene has something to please the eye or ear.

Though the casting is only satisfactory, the human story also carries the film, whether in the colorful world of the opera house of years past to the faded, tragic present. The end brought me to tears the first time, though not for any other character’s loss but for a character’s death itself. My sense of sorrow was simpler back then. All in all, the romance, tragedy, and beauty of The Phantom of the Opera come extremely close to living up to its glorious music.

Best line: (Christine, to the Phantom) “This haunted face holds no horror for me now. It’s in your soul that the true distortion lies.”

 
Rank: 56 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

252 Followers and Counting

#64: Awakenings (1990)

20 Thursday Nov 2014

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Young Leonard Lowe became aware
His hands began to twitch and shake.
He soon could only sit and stare,
The same asleep as when awake.
 
For thirty years, this chronic sign
Could not be cured by constant care,
Until, in 1969,
There came self-conscious Dr. Sayer.
 
He noticed similarities
And had the courage to opine
That patients, though their bodies seize,
Could still be reached in their decline.
 
A drug administered to Lowe
Released him from eternal freeze.
To him, it was as years ago,
Before his thirty-year disease.
 
The other patients too were freed
And had the privilege to know
The joy of every self-done deed
And liberty to say hello.
 
And yet such freedom had to stall;
The drug wore off with daunting speed,
And Leonard was the first to fall,
Soon powerless to move or read.
 
Despite the agonizing cost,
Sayer still heard Leonard’s silent call.
‘Tis better to have lived and lost
Than never to have lived at all.
_______________
 

Before Robin Williams earned his Oscar for Good Will Hunting, he deserved one for Awakenings. Based off the true story of Dr. Oliver Sacks, Awakenings depicts the debilitating effects of a post-encephalitic brain disorder that left its victims with so many tics and tremors that they effectively froze, and the brief return to life that an experimental drug afforded them. With its subtly beautiful score and moving performances, Awakenings deserved so much more praise than it received in a year dominated by Dances with Wolves, Goodfellas, and Ghost.

Though slightly sentimental, the acting is phenomenal, not just for its nuance and realism but because of who was cast. This was not Robin Williams’s first dramatic role, but considering his proven comic energy, the level of control he exhibits to play a timid but impassioned neurologist is exceptional. Likewise, Robert De Niro sheds his tough-guy gangster persona (seen even that year in Goodfellas) for a sensitive portrayal of helplessness as Leonard Lowe. He, at least, was nominated for Best Actor and definitely deserved it. Other excellent roles include Julie Kavner (Marge Simpson) as supportive nurse Eleanor Costello and John Heard as nay-saying Dr. Kaufman, whose negativity is rebuffed with a communal donation similar to Rudy’s jersey scene.

Though he is fonder of plants than people, Dr. Sayer insists that there is still hope for the frozen chronic cases and relentlessly endeavors to reach them by any means possible, including an actually practical use for a Ouija board. I remember how my mom choked up a bit at the reunion of the awakened Leonard with his mother. The joy of the patients, including Anne Meara and Alice Drummond (the librarian from Ghostbusters), and their families is keenly felt as an almost literal resurrection from the dead. Their return to life and the realization of their lost decades are poignant and occasionally humorous as they adapt to their new circumstances and try to live as they could not, with “the freedom of life, the wonderment of life.” The loss of that freedom is heartbreaking as Leonard twitches and convulses like an advanced Parkinson’s patient. Such spasms could have become ridiculous with a lesser actor, but De Niro retains the human connection that holds the tragedy in his potentially grotesque performance.

Because of the helpless agony endured, one might wonder about the morality of letting such suffering continue. While such concerns are raised, the solutions luckily never veer toward euthanasia, even as the patients return to their vegetative states. Leonard’s mother knew he was aware of her presence, and his brain responded to his own name. Such details and the patients’ awakenings themselves proved that, however deep within, they were still alive and entitled to care and love.

Awakenings may not be as popular as their other films, but my VC and I consider it the best for Robin Williams, Robert De Niro, and director Penny Marshall. Compared with their others, it is also a thoroughly clean film, save for a lone, unnecessary F-word. It’s sobering, though, to consider that Williams’s knowledge of the effects of Parkinson’s from this film may have factored into his suicide when he learned he was in the early stages; I hope and pray that one day we will understand the human brain well enough to assist those still suffering from such chronic conditions.

Best line: (Anthony, an orderly, as all of the awakened patients are excitedly running around) “I think I liked ‘em better the other way.”

 
Rank: 56 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

251 Followers and Counting

#65: Fantasia (1940)

19 Wednesday Nov 2014

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The power of classical music is known,
And here now Walt Disney has made it his own
With images striking in color and tone.
 
The instruments hum to Bach’s ominous beat,
And fishes and flowers and fairies petite
All dance to Tchaikovsky’s own Nutcracker Suite.
 
Poor Mickey, apprentice to wizard Yen Sid,
Enlivens a broom that he cannot forbid,
And only his mage can undo what he did.
 
Stravinsky is next, as the earth is beginning,
And life conceives dinosaurs, fighting and grinning,
But even T. Rexes do not end up winning.
 
Then Beethoven yields us a pastoral spy
At amorous centaurs and cute pegasi
And thunderous parties that never run dry.
 
The animals prance through a fanciful day
Of hippos and elephants, who soon fall prey
To covetous gators, who love their buffet.
 
At last, evil Chernabog reigns o’er the night
And every last hellion, phantom, and fright,
Until they are banished by heavenly light.
__________________
 

If any animated film deserves a 10 for artistry, it’s Walt Disney’s masterpiece Fantasia. Possibly the most well-known experimental film of all time, Disney’s efforts to immortalize classical treasures in an animated framework were not particularly successful with audiences in 1940, but the intervening decades have proven its unique combination of potent music and images.

I’ll be honest: it’s an excellent film to fall asleep to, but also equally excellent to scrutinize. Touching on a wide range of subjects, it presents a compendious view of mythology, popular “science,” and the struggle of good versus evil. Even at its cutest and most child-centered, Fantasia oozes imaginative virtuosity, such as the giddy symbolism of Ponchielli’s Dance of the Hours.

On the one hand, most of the vignettes tell a core story that sticks in one’s mind, particularly those who viewed it as a child: the romance and storm of The Pastoral Symphony, the traumatic dinosaur fight of The Rite of Spring, and especially Mickey’s most memorable escapade in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. On the other hand, some more than others indulge in dancing colors and beautiful shenanigans that don’t really follow a linear narrative. (The occasionally psychedelic images led to the film’s newfound popularity in the drugged-up ‘60s.) I’m not always fond of “art for art’s sake,” but the ways in which Disney complemented the music with his fluid and captivating animation are nothing short of genius.

Though some early music critics objected to Disney’s additions to their favorite opuses, most of the pieces of music used owe much of their iconic status to the images Disney so expertly provided. Disney had wanted to continue Fantasia in subsequent years with further sequences set to various other works, and it’s a shame that the film’s initial unprofitability left that plan unfeasible (though several reissues over the years have propelled it to both considerable fame and revenue). I would have liked to have seen his take on Sibelius’s Finlandia, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Holst’s The Planets, or Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra (before Stanley Kubrick got his hands on it for 2001: A Space Odyssey).

There are a few images some parents might balk at, such as the Stegosaurus death, the centaur women’s nudity, and the frighteningly demonic Night on Bald Mountain, but nothing detracts from the overall majesty of Disney’s work. The final piece is probably the most effective, particularly the contrast between Bald Mountain and Ave Maria and the quiet but implacable dominance of the latter over the former. It may not be his most entertaining, but Fantasia is Disney at his most poetic.

 
Rank: 56 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

251 Followers and Counting