Cloak and Dagger (1984)

16 Wednesday Apr 2014

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Young Davey Osborne loves computer games,
Especially the exploits of Jack Flack,
A superspy who’s known by many names.
 
While on a “secret” escapade with Jack,
His own imagined friend who looks like Dad,
The boy observes a murderous attack.
 
The cops assume that Davey might be mad;
His mother died, and games are his escape.
Not even Davey’s father trusts the lad.
 
He gives his gamer friend Morris a tape,
A Cloak and Dagger game the victim gave
Him right before he got into this scrape.
 
This game is what the secret villains crave.
They kidnap Davey’s younger playmate Kim,
And urge a trade before they dig her grave.
 
He rescues her, but Morris, on a whim,
Finds hidden plans that cost the man his life,
And Davey learns the villain Rice shot him.
 
Rice has the cartridge, which could kindle strife,
But Davey manages to get the game,
Thanks to a helpful old man and his wife.
 
When Dave sees Rice and is chased by the same,
Jack’s help provokes the armed young boy to fire,
And Davey, sick of games, gives Jack the blame.
 
Once Jack fades out, unneeded like times prior,
The boy pursues the bad guys to their plane
And ends up as a hostage, not a liar.
 
His father joins him, as the spies ordain,
And helps to get him out ere things go bad.
A hidden bomb kills those spies that remain,
 
And Davey doesn’t need Jack Flack, just Dad.
_______________________
 

Cloak and Dagger is a film I fondly remember watching and loving every minute of as a child. Henry Thomas (in one of his few good roles after playing Elliott in E.T.) is highly believable as the imaginative but overwhelmed Davey, and Dabney Coleman turns in a great dual performance as both Davey’s father and his more dashing counterpart Jack Flack.

Jack’s invisible advice to Davey, totally unseen by everyone else, is reminiscent of similar themes in films such as Harvey and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and such imperceptible characters have been used since in other movies like Heart and Souls and Ghost Town. Yet, unlike most of these, Jack Flack is not a ghost but an imaginary friend that may not be imaginary. His sometimes physical assistance for Davey and his direct intervention near the end open the possibility that he was real, a theory heightened by his mention of Davey’s father outgrowing him too. While the film doesn’t go into this, I tend to think that Jack is the living embodiment of various children’s imaginations, assigned to certain kids until they “stop believing.” This seems very similar to the likewise age-and-belief-restricted status of fairies in Nickelodeon’s show Fairly OddParents. If Jack was alive, I do wonder what became of him; perhaps he went to live at Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. 🙂

The sight of those old computers and Atari game cartridges certainly dates the film overall, but the movie itself is enjoyably tense and intricate in its tribute to espionage and covert missions. A big reveal (which I won’t divulge) really took me by surprise, and the end is sure to keep anyone on the edge of their seat. Though several people are killed, the film manages to be mostly family friendly, with gunshots obviously muted and most deaths being bloodless or off-screen. Plus, the filmmakers must have been trying to appeal to younger audiences as well since they threw in hardly any language, which I applaud.

While these elements may have been used in earlier films I haven’t seen, I did think certain scenes may have inspired other spy films. For instance, Davey’s insistence about a murder that is cleaned up before authorities can find any evidence was reused in Whoopi Goldberg’s Jumpin’ Jack Flash two years later, and the part in which a wounded man fleeing bad guys bestows something important on the nearest unsuspecting bystander is akin to a similar scene in 1987’s Innerspace.

Part of a 1980s video-game trend that also included Tron, WarGames, and The Last Starfighter, Cloak and Dagger is a twisting spy film that can appeal to adults and children alike, combining intrigue, action, and a good moral (see below) into a highly entertaining adventure.

Best line: (Davey’s father Hal) “Heroes don’t just shoot bad guys. They put supper on the table, they fix bicycles, they do—they do boring things, real things, not make-believe. And you’ll understand that when you get a little bit older.”

 
Artistry: 5
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 9
Visual Effects: 5
Originality: 7
Watchability: 8
Other (I just like other films more): -6
 
TOTAL: 35 out of 60
 

Next: #264 – Amazing Grace

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

100th Poem! The Hunt for Red October (1990)

15 Tuesday Apr 2014

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Jack Ryan, a writer on tactics of war,
Gets word of a threat that he needs to explore.
He flies to his CIA boss to expound
On a new Russian sub of which photos were found.
 
More research reveals that the foe could arrive
Off the coast unbeknownst to us, due to a drive,
A unique “caterpillar” that keeps the sub quiet,
And government leaders are disheartened by it.
 
The captain named Ramius may be en route
To bomb us and trigger a worldwide dispute,
But analyst Ryan has come to suspect
That the great Marko Ramius wants to defect.
 
Indeed, Marko leaked to Moscow in a letter
That the sub Red October will go someplace better.
Though Ramius’ officers want to leave too,
They’re not necessarily sure of the crew.
 
So Russia’s fleet frantically searches the sea
For a trace of this sub they built so secretly,
But the USS Dallas is solo in knowing
Or having a clue where this covert sub’s going.
 
Meanwhile, ol’ Ramius soon is quite sure
That a sailor on board is a spy saboteur,
So his officers fake a bad nuclear leak
That gets the whole crew off, a clever technique.
 
When Ryan realizes the Dallas’s status,
He’s dropped from a chopper with some apparatus.
The Dallas’s crew helps to bring Jack aboard,
And Ryan soon proves that he won’t be ignored.
 
Though Captain Mancuso, still hot in pursuit,
Has orders to find Red October and shoot,
He listens to Ryan, who says they must talk,
And both steer a rescue sub over to dock.
 
On board Red October, Jack hunts down the spy
Before he can blow the whole vessel sky high.
A Russian sub also attempts to destroy
The renegade craft that has left its employ.
 
October’s maneuvering with not a flub
Diverts the torpedo to hit the bad sub.
The Russians believe that October was hit,
So Marko and Jack can relax for a bit.
______________________
 

I’ll be honest that I have not seen any of the other movies featuring Jack Ryan, Tom Clancy’s less-glamorous answer to James Bond, so I have no idea how successfully Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, or the recent Chris Pine have carried on the role that Alec Baldwin began in The Hunt for Red October. My VC, however, loves Red October with a passion and considers it to be the best role of Baldwin’s career; Rotten Tomatoes also indicates that it was the best of the Jack Ryan adaptations, with a significantly higher 95%.

It’s a taut thriller to be sure, though it does take a while for events to heat up. Much of the first hour is spent with guesswork about what the sub is, where Ramius is going, and what his intentions might be. Some cool underwater effects highlight the midsection, but once Ryan gets aboard the Dallas, things really get good. The finale featuring a sub battle and Ryan’s confrontation with the spy simultaneously is among the most gripping climaxes of any thriller.

There are also quite a few recognizable names I had forgotten in the credits. Aside from Baldwin and a brief cameo by Gates McFadden (Dr. Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation), we have Scott Glenn (The Right Stuff, The Silence of the Lambs)as Captain Mancuso of the Dallas; Jeffrey Jones (Principal Rooney in Ferris Bueller) as a bearded sub expert; James Earl Jones (Darth Vader) as Ryan’s boss; Tim Curry, Stellan Skarsgard, and Sam Neill as Russians with varying loyalties; and the ever-distinguished Sean Connery as Captain Ramius. Connery bestows a unique dignity to all of his films, proving himself a thespian of the highest order. Plus, my VC loves the scene in which he eats with his officers, claiming that he has “chewable lips,” which she read in a magazine some years ago. Women.

While many were skeptical how well the convoluted Clancy novel would fare on the big screen, The Hunt for Red October surpassed expectations and even won an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing. It certainly deserves a place on my list and any list of great political thrillers.

P.S. Today I am celebrating my 100th poem in this year-long challenge!!!!!!!!! While I’m a tad behind, I plan to catch up somewhere along the line. Thank you to all of you who have liked and followed my blog along the way, and I ask that you continue to push that “like” button whenever you can. Every “like” fills me with satisfaction that I’m doing something right anyway. Feel free to comment as well about any movies you enjoy or if you disagree with anything on my list so far. Here’s to the next 265!

Best line: (National Security Advisor Jeffrey Pelt, when the Russian ambassador says that they have lost contact with the sub sent to destroy Red October) “Andrei, you’ve lost another submarine?” (And he’s eating jelly beans!)

 
Artistry: 7
Characters/Actors: 8
Entertainment: 7
Visual Effects: 7
Originality: 7
Watchability: 6
Other (language): -7
 

TOTAL: 35 out of 60

 

Next: #265 – Cloak and Dagger (1984)

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

Hercules (1997)

14 Monday Apr 2014

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When Zeus and Hera have a boy,
They love their little pride and joy,
But Zeus’s brother Hades aims
To rule the heavens and destroy
His brother and the son he claims.
 
The evil god sends Panic and Pain,
His fearful minions, to obtain
The boy and give him every drop
Of a drink to let his godhood drain,
But just too soon they’re forced to stop.
 
Young Hercules is mortal now
But still has godlike strength somehow.
He’s raised by a human dad and mum.
His friendlessness spurs him to vow
To find out where he’s really from.
 
Zeus tells him that he is a god,
And Hercules is rather awed.
For Mount Olympus to be his,
He must be worthy of great laud
And find out what a hero is.
 
He seeks out Philoctetes (Phil),
A trainer who has gone downhill.
This satyr coaches Hercules
To master every hero skill
Until his ace can fight with ease.
 
While journeying to stop some hell,
He saves a girl named Meg as well.
He falls for her like any man,
But Hades owns this mademoiselle
And plots to use her in his plan.
 
In Thebes, Herc’s fandom is increased
When he destroys a Hydra beast.
Though Hades sends out fiends galore,
Though every monster is released,
Herc beats them, still prepared for more.
 
Then Hades shifts his strategy:
By offering to set Meg free,
He says to date Herc and infer
Whatever weakness there may be;
Herc’s only weakness, though, is her.
 
So Hades makes a deal with Herc:
If, for a single day, he’ll shirk
His hero duties, Meg goes free.
His diabolic plan does work
And leaves Herc one weak wannabe.
 
This day is part of Hades’ design,
For all the planets will align.
He frees the Titans from their jail
To strike his enemies divine,
And he is eager to prevail.
 
Though Hercules is badly thrashed,
He still leaves adversaries trashed.
His superhuman strength returns
When Meg saves him and ends up smashed.
The fire of vengeance in him burns.
 
When he arrives, the Titans flee,
And he defeats them easily.
He follows Hades to his pit
Once Zeus and all the gods are free,
And Herc is not afraid one bit.
 
He says he’ll stay there in Meg’s place.
While reaching for her cold embrace,
Herc’s heroism proves divine.
He punches Hades in the face
And leaves him in his ghastly brine.
 
Olympus’s gates are open wide;
Both Zeus and Phil are filled with pride.
The stars acclaim him overhead,
But lovely Meg makes him decide
To stay on earth with her instead.
_____________________
 

The first film on my list from Disney’s Renaissance of the 1990s, Hercules combines many of the elements that made The Little Mermaid and Aladdin such hits, just less successfully. It has a young protagonist trying to prove himself, a soundtrack from the great Alan Menken, funny sidekicks, and voice-acting star power; on the other hand, it has some obvious plot holes and less memorable characters and songs than other Disney classics.

My mom never cared for the animation, which has a Greek swirly aspect to it, so I didn’t watch Hercules much growing up. Seeing it more recently, I see that the film has both strong and weak points. Because it thankfully strays from the often less-than-savory Greek myth, the writers basically turned Hercules into a Superman story (separated from parents and raised by a human couple, grows up feeling different because of his powers, and leaves home to find his otherworldly origin), but whereas Jor-El was dead (Man of Steel blurred that point), Zeus knew exactly where his son was but didn’t help him one bit or tell him the truth until Hercules was “old enough.” For the king of the gods, he seems pretty powerless, making his declarations of love for his son rather unconvincing. Also, Zeus’s lightning bolts had no effect on the invading Titans at first; after Hercules frees him but before he really joins the fight, the Titans suddenly run for the hills from…Zeus and his lightning bolts? Not to mention, Hercules makes a deal with Hades to stay in the underworld in Meg’s place, but after he saves her and becomes a god, he just walks out, not holding up his end of the supposedly binding bargain.

On the positive side, I like most of the animation and the intentionally anachronistic humor, which ranges from hilarious (“Zeus-y, I’m home!”) to rather out of place, such as several Yiddish words like schlemiel and furshlugginer. The voice acting is a mixed bag: James Woods is at his villainous best as the wisecracking Hades, as is Danny DeVito as Louie De Palma—I mean Phil. However, Susan Egan is unnecessarily sultry as Meg and Tate Donovan’s boyish voice fits the young Hercules but not so much his buffed-up hero persona.

I’m likewise conflicted about the songs. Though Danny DeVito’s song is the only really forgettable one, the soulful vocalizing and gospel influences in most of the soundtrack seem more at home on an Aretha Franklin album than in ancient Greece. I do still love Meg’s song “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love)” and the Muses’ funny musical narration, and “Zero to Hero” is a toe-tapping showstopper and the best of the bunch. As for the mostly cartoonish action, the battle with the CGI hydra midway through is a most thrilling scene, though the head-slicing seemed unusually violent for a studio that typically leaves such gruesome things off-screen.

Hercules may be the weakest of 1990s Disney films, especially coming between greater films like The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mulan, but it’s still an entertaining musical tale of true heroism. It may not be divinity, but Hercules at least earns a spot on my list.

Best line: (Pain or Panic, disguised as trapped little boys) “Somebody call IX-I-I!”

 
Artistry: 4
Characters/Actors: 6
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: 7
Originality: 5
Watchability: 8
Other (aforementioned problems): -3
 
TOTAL: 35 out of 60
 

Next: #266 – The Hunt for Red October

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

13 Sunday Apr 2014

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Thirteen-year-old Kiki’s a young novice witch
Who eagerly begs both her parents for trust.
It’s time that she left to go find her own niche
By herself for a year, as all young witches must.
 
With her black cat named Jiji, she flies on her broom
Over beautiful country to find a new town.
She locates a fine seaside city quite soon
And startles the citizens as she floats down.
 
At first she cannot find a good place to stay
Until bakery owner Osono permits
The girl to stay with her for some work each day
And helps her to find a profession that fits.
 
Her one skill is flying so she makes a job
Out of flying deliveries for a small fee.
Delivering loads for both sweetheart and snob,
She flies high above this large town by the sea.
 
Though some people seem rather cold to the lass,
That’s untrue for Tombo, a boy who’s impressed.
At first she dislikes him and gives only sass
But warms up to him at Osono’s behest.
 
When Kiki begins to just feel out of place
Around Tombo’s rich friends, she feels sad and dejected.
She turns down a blimp tour and leaves in disgrace
But finds that her magic’s no longer connected.
 
She doesn’t know why, but she simply can’t fly
And can’t understand Jiji’s cat conversation.
A woman who paints has the sense to imply
That this block may mean Kiki must find inspiration.
 
When Kiki is shocked to see Tombo in danger,
Hanging down from the blimp, which is out of control,
She grabs up a broom from a neighboring stranger
And finally flies, drawing deep from her soul.
 
The blimp crashes into a nearby clock tower,
And she seizes Tombo at just the last minute.
Her business “takes off” since she has back her power;
She likes this new town and her newfound place in it.
_______________________
 

I have very mixed feelings about Kiki’s Delivery Service, another lovely film from animation master Hayao Miyazaki. Witchcraft is not something I am fond of in movies, and I will say right now that there are no Harry Potter films on my list. I don’t mind films in which witchcraft is seen as evil, such as Hocus Pocus or Sleeping Beauty, but any attempt at normalizing or promoting it seems wrong to me. That being said, Kiki’s Delivery Service has much to like, and its good points outweigh the problematic foundation.

While there are references to other witches making potions or fortunetelling, Kiki’s only skill is flying on her broomstick, and this being her one talent makes her pretty innocuous, like Glinda the Good Witch or Wendy the Good Little Witch. On top of that, she is kind, friendly, helpful, and respectful of her elders, in sharp contrast to a thankless teenage girl to whom she delivers a grandmother’s gift. Plus, upon seeing this witch flying overhead, most people are more awe-struck than fearful, and witches are spoken of in a universally positive light, as if this is an alternate world where witches are on the level of fairies.

Kiki’s Delivery Service was Disney’s first dub of a Studio Ghibli film, and though some dialogue was added or changed, I think they did a good job providing the characters with distinct voices, with Kirsten Dunst as Kiki, Matthew Lawrence as Tombo, Tress MacNeille as Osono, and Phil Hartman in one of his last roles as Jiji. The animation is lovely, especially the expansive vistas seen from Kiki’s birds-eye view. The climax is also exciting, making this the third film this past week to feature a balloon-related finale. The story is light on plot but has enough charm and likable characters to make it entertaining, and it boasts a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

While Kiki’s ”inspiration” isn’t really made clear, her discussion with Ursula, the painter, about figuring out your unique reason for doing something can apply to any young person finding their place in the world. Kiki’s loss of her flight ability may even have influenced Peter Parker’s similar lack of inspiration in Spider-Man 2, which again is only resolved when he has someone to rescue.

While I have tried to downplay the magical elements of the film, the fact remains that I do not approve of this witchcraft subtext. Nevertheless, Kiki’s Delivery Service is just one of those movies that I can’t help but enjoy.

Best line: (Ursula to Kiki) “We each need to find our own inspiration, Kiki. Sometimes it’s not easy.”

 
Artistry: 7
Characters/Actors: 8
Entertainment: 6
Visual Effects: 7
Originality: 6
Watchability: 6
Other (witchcraft element): -5
 
TOTAL: 35 out of 60
 

Next: #267: Hercules

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

12 Saturday Apr 2014

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The pains of the Second World War are not felt
By young German Bruno, who hasn’t been dealt
The cares of the world; all this lively lad knows
Is his soldier dad helps fight ambiguous foes.
 
They move from Berlin to a large country home,
But Bruno is strangely forbidden to roam.
He sees from his room an unusual farm
That causes his mother peculiar alarm.
 
Pajamas are all that these odd farmers wear;
They seem rather nice, but they’re filled with despair.
The one who assists at his house is abused
By a soldier named Kurt, leaving Bruno confused.
 
The boy sneaks away to the woods to explore
And locates a victim of bias and war.
Dressed up in pajamas behind the “farm’s” fence,
He meets little Schmuel, and discussions commence.
 
Although Bruno learns Jews are evil in school,
He sees no corruption in suffering Schmuel.
While Bruno’s own sister is rapt by the Reich,
The boy befriends someone he’s told to dislike.
 
His mother is shocked when she learns through a joke
Of the terrible cause of the nearby camp’s smoke.
The day that she plans to forsake her fell spouse,
Her son makes one last trip away from the house.
 
Schmuel’s father is missing so both boys decide
To search the camp’s cabins with Schmuel as their guide.
Their search is cut short as, in turbulent weather,
They’re taken with Jews for a “shower,” together.
_______________________
 

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas offers a different perspective of the Holocaust than the myriad other films that have covered the subject in much more graphic detail, that is, the perspective of a German child. As time goes on at his new home, Bruno notices things beyond his ken: a guarded “farm” full of sad people in “pajamas,” the Jews’ numbers that he assumes are part of a game, the foul smoke from the crematoriums. While we as the well-informed audience know what these things mean, he takes them at innocent face value, not understanding their horrific significance or the atrocities his father is committing as the camp’s commandant. Another trend he does not comprehend is the brainwashing of his sister, who, thanks to their personal tutor, goes from praying and playing with dolls to praising the Fatherland and cutting out good articles from propaganda magazines.

In some ways, the film is like a cross-section of Nazi Germany, featuring all the kinds of Germans during the war. Bruno’s grandmother disapproves of everything going on but is forced to stay silent; his father Ralf may not like it but has convinced himself that it’s right for his family and career; the mother dislikes Jews enough to accept her husband leading a work camp but draws the line at mass murder; Bruno’s sister Gretel may not understand everything but she supports the Fuhrer blindly; the soldier Kurt hates Jews with a passion and treats them as slaves; and then there’s Bruno, untainted by the evil around him and willing to befriend a supposed enemy.

The acting is wonderful, from Vera Farmiga as Bruno’s conflicted mother Elsa to Jack Scanlon as Schmuel and Asa Butterfield (Hugo) as Bruno. The performances make up for the slow pace of the story, which is like a Masterpiece Theatre tale. The end holds the emotional punch of the whole film; it is one of the most frustratingly sad, stop-what-are-you-thinking endings I’ve seen. While it left me depressed, my VC was more angry at the parents and almost glad in a strange way that the impact of the horrors they were ignoring was finally hitting home. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas may grieve and enrage its audience, but it’s a potent yet restrained look at the Holocaust through the eyes of an innocent.

Best line: (Gretel, summing up the disheartening view of so many people during the Holocaust) “It’s only horrible for them.”

 
Artistry: 9
Characters/Actors: 9
Entertainment: 5
Visual Effects: N/A
Originality: 8
Watchability: 4
 
TOTAL: 35 out of 60
 

Next: #268 – Kiki’s Delivery Service

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

#270: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

11 Friday Apr 2014

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In 1914, Milo Thatch
Has got a hare-brained scheme to hatch,
A trip to find an ancient book
To reach Atlantis, but the hook
Is none will pay him to dispatch
A team to reach this awesome catch.
 
But, led by one Helga Sinclair,
Thatch meets a quirky millionaire,
Who lost a very costly bet
To his granddad. To pay the debt,
He’s funded Milo’s whole affair
To find Atlantis deep somewhere.
 
Aboard the great sub (quite a feat),
The linguist has a chance to meet
Commander Rourke, who heads the mission;
Vinny, who likes demolition;
Mole, a burrower; and Sweet,
The kindly doctor for the fleet.
 
Deep underwater, soon they find
A monster that comes from behind.
This huge Leviathan attacks;
The sub is wrecked, but they make tracks
And reach a cave that is designed
To reach Atlantis, once it’s mined.
 
Once more is said of those with names,
Strange fireflies burst into flames.
The fire spreads; to flee from it,
They find an old volcano’s pit.
From there, within a couple frames,
They reach the truth of Milo’s claims.
 
They’re welcomed to Atlantis by
The Princess Kida, who’s not shy.
Impressed at what Milo can read,
She takes him to a sunken screed
That notes a crystal power supply,
But Rourke butts in as our bad guy.
 
He and the crew start acting rash;
They’ll sell the crystal just for cash.
Once Rourke has hurt Atlantis’ king,
He still locates that crystal thing.
It bonds with Kida in a flash,
And giant stones fall with a splash.
 
They pack up Kida to depart,
But Milo’s pleas to have a heart
Create misgivings in the many;
Rourke and Sinclair haven’t any.
Before the city falls apart,
They must bring Kida back, to start.
 
Thatch leads a team of those who stayed
On flying fish ships, unafraid.
They battle Rourke, who’ll get out soon
If he escapes in his balloon.
When Thatch flies in to Kida’s aid,
Rourke’s killed by his propeller blade.
 
That same volcano starts to wake,
So all our heroes make a break.
When Kida’s back, she forms a shield,
And soon the lava has congealed.
The crystal, which can give and take,
Lets Kida go for Milo’s sake.
 
Though most died in this enterprise,
We still have all the named good guys.
While Milo stays, his friends return,
Concealing what their group did learn.
The crystal on which life relies
Now floats above Atlantis’ skies.
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_____________________
 

Atlantis: The Lost Empire is an outlier among Disney movies. It has no princesses, no musical numbers, and no cute and funny animal sidekicks. Mole doesn’t count. It also has a different kind of animation, more angular and intentionally reminiscent of old pulp magazine tales. While there’s much humor throughout, Atlantis is more mature than most Disney films, with hundreds of people dying, albeit off-screen. This large number of redshirts makes it almost funny that only the good characters with names end up living.

The characters are actually what attracted the most criticism when Atlantis was released. The film is like Indiana Jones crossed with a caper film, and the latter’s habit of collecting a team of uniquely skilled individuals for the mission is well utilized. While I personally like all the characters, it’s true that most of their backstories, if any, are glossed over so quickly that any development is relegated to humorous character moments, like Cookie’s grease-based cooking or Dr. Sweet’s chiropractic assistance for Milo’s neck. The voice acting, though, is spot-on, with Michael J. Fox as Milo, James Garner as Rourke, Don Novello (“Fr. Guido Sarducci”) as Vinny, Phil Morris as Sweet (Disney’s first animated African American character), and Corey Burton as Mole being the stand-outs.

Watching it again, I was reminded of other films, particularly Prometheus. The scene in which Milo gives a presentation about their mission’s goal to the unimpressed crew, which was commissioned by an eccentric millionaire, is suspiciously similar to the same scene in the much later Ridley Scott film. As for the action scenes, they are extremely well-done, if implausible at times, and critic Roger Ebert wrote that the finale “stands by itself as one of the great animated action sequences.”

The main issue for me is the whole “explanation” for Atlantis itself. The advanced power source Milo seeks turns out to be a sentient New Age-y crystal thing that protected Atlantis against the flood, which its misuse supposedly caused. Using this New Age crystal as the film’s MacGuffin is just not as successful as, say, the Biblical ones of the first and third Indiana Jones movies.

There are many unanswered questions. Where did it come from? If it’s sentient, why would it allow itself to be misused so terribly? Why did it give Kida back but not her mother? On top of these questions, there are others. The crystal was under Atlantis, which was underground, so what provided daylight? Even if Atlantean was the root of every language, how could they speak perfect English, having not been exposed to its modern development? If Atlantis sank 10,000 years ago, how did Plato know about it?

Despite these problems, Atlantis: The Lost Empire was an entertaining new direction for Disney that sadly didn’t deliver as executives had hoped. It remains a cult classic and a worthy addition to my list.

Best line: (Packard, over the intercom, like something from MASH) “Attention: Tonight’s supper will be baked beans. Musical program to follow.”

 
Artistry: 5
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: 8
Originality: 6
Watchability: 8
Other (New Age themes) -8
 
TOTAL: 34 out of 60
 

Next: #269 – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

The Rocketeer (1991)

10 Thursday Apr 2014

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The year is 1938.
An L.A. airfield sees
The handsome pilot Cliff Secord
Take off into the breeze.
 
But down below two thieving thugs
Are fleeing from the feds.
They try protecting what they stole
As lead flies round their heads.
 
When Cliff’s new plane is shot and wrecked,
The feds simply maintain
The gear was trashed, but rather it was
Hidden in a plane.
 
Then Cliff and his pal Peevy learn
What every viewer knows:
They find that it’s a jet pack, which
Might solve their money woes.
 
An air show headed for a crash
Prompts Cliff to join the fray
By strapping on the rocket pack
To bravely save the day.
 
But Neville Sinclair, an acting star,
Desires that rocket pack
And tells his gangster henchmen to
Directly bring it back.
 
Unsure that they can do it,
Sinclair calls one of his staff
Named Lothar, who is very skilled
At folding men in half.
 
But Sinclair learns Cliff has the pack,
And, skilled at being fake,
He starts to woo Cliff’s girlfriend,
The most lovely Jenny Blake.
 
The FBI and Lothar start
To close in on the pair,
Who flee with their new rocket pack,
Which Peevy can repair.
 
While Cliff enjoys the jet pack,
Being dubbed the Rocketeer,
His friend insists the risks demand
They get it out of here.
 
Confronted by the mobster gang,
Cliff’s friends defend their chum.
He flies off with a bullet hole
Patched up with chewing gum.
 
He reaches Jenny, on a date
With ever suave Sinclair,
And warns her to escape posthaste
Before the mob gets there.
 
Cliff’s almost trapped but breaks away,
Yet Jenny’s caught nearby.
When she awakes, she’s shocked to learn
Sinclair’s a Nazi spy.
 
The feds take Cliff to Howard Hughes,
Who built the rocket pack,
But Cliff says he must save his girl
Before he gives it back.
 
The planned exchange, the girl for it,
Becomes an odd affair.
The gangsters dislike Nazi spies
And turn against Sinclair.
 
A shootout ends up with Sinclair
And Lothar in a blimp,
With Jenny as their captive still,
But Cliff Secord’s no wimp.
 
He flies aboard yet gives Sinclair
The rocket for his dame.
When Cliff takes off the chewing gum,
Sinclair bursts into flame.
 
The airship quickly burns away,
Erasing Sinclair’s crime,
But Hughes and Peevy hover in
To save them just in time.
 
Since Cliff and Jenny are both safe,
Hughes gives a new plane back,
And Peevy plans perhaps to build
Another rocket pack.
____________________
 

The Rocketeer is unique among superhero movies because it is also a period piece, complete with vintage art and antique cars and planes. Indeed, the only similarly retro superhero film I know of is the much more recent Captain America: The First Avenger, which coincidentally enough shares the same director, Joe Johnston. Basing the characters and several scenes off of The Rocketeer comic book, Johnston (who must like rockets, having also directed October Sky) managed to weave together the nostalgia of the 1930s with some interesting action scenes and a surprisingly complex plotline. The motives of Neville Sinclair, played by the ever sophisticated Timothy Dalton, are not immediately evident, and the final reveal does come somewhat as a surprise. The final showdown with the awesome destruction of the dirigible is the best set piece of them all, and the last action scene is truly breathtaking.

The acting is serviceable at best. While Billy Campbell as Cliff Secord, Jennifer Connolly as Jenny Blake, and Alan Arkin as Peevy do a decent job, the characters themselves are rather forgettable and don’t really measure up to those in Marvel’s films. That being said, (Lost alert!) I loved seeing Terry O’Quinn as Howard Hughes, having seen him as John Locke in all six seasons of Lost. Typical of comic book films, Dalton as the villain is the most memorable of the cast.

As with some other recent movies on my list, the pacing is a tad slow. Heck, Cliff doesn’t actually take off with the jet pack until 41 minutes into the film! The sheer number of characters also makes the plot hard to follow at times. I nevertheless applaud Disney for not filling the movie with unnecessary language or violence; their absence made it much more enjoyable to watch. While it certainly isn’t among the very best superhero movies, The Rocketeer has enough action, humorous moments and lines, and singular nostalgia for the old pulp serials of yesteryear to deserve a place on my list.

Best line: (Cliff, putting on his rather silly-looking helmet) “How do I look?” (Peevy) “Like a hood ornament.”

 
Artistry: 6
Characters/Actors: 4
Entertainment: 7
Visual Effects: 7
Originality: 7
Watchability: 7
Other (pacing): -4
 
TOTAL: 34 out of 60
 

Next: #270: Atlantis: The Lost Empire

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

U. S. Marshals (1998)

09 Wednesday Apr 2014

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When Mark gets in an accident,
His arm is hurt to some extent.
Police find that he had a gun
And is a killer on the run.
He must have killed two agents since
He has the culprit’s fingerprints.
 
Arrested and put on a plane
Of criminals (there is no train),
At last Mark’s captured by his past,
That is, till problems happen fast.
A shot at Mark flies past its goal
And opens up a gaping hole.
 
The pilots land, or rather crash
The plane, which settles with a splash.
As U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard
Removes the convicts under guard,
Mark sees his chance and swims away
Amid the messy disarray.
 
We know, as Richard Kimble lives,
That Sam Gerard loves fugitives.
Because he doesn’t have a choice,
He’s joined by Special Agent Royce
To find Mark quickly on a romp
Through some Louisiana swamp.
 
Gerard confronts their target guy,
Who doesn’t kill him (wonder why?),
But Mark escapes to New York City,
Where he soon is sitting pretty,
Spying on a diplomat
From China he is angry at.
 
Gerard and company explore
What Mark is being hounded for,
And soon they think that Mark’s offense
Just may have been in self-defense.
Though as a mole this man is blamed,
Sam thinks perhaps that he was framed.
 
A cemetery visit ends
With Mark pursued by Sam and friends.
When he’s alone with Mark, Royce shoots
A member of Gerard’s recruits.
Royce blames his death on Mark, their prey,
Who hops a train to get away.
 
When fleeing Mark makes one small slip,
Gerard tracks him back to a ship.
Sam nearly kills the fugitive
In vengeance, but he lets him live.
A shot from Royce, though, injures Mark
Before the ship can disembark.
 
As Mark recovers, caught, in bed,
Royce sneaks in his room to kill him dead,
But Sam prevents the agent’s goal;
He knows Royce is the secret mole.
Sam shoots Royce down with deadly aim,
And Mark is freed and cleared of blame.
____________________
 

While not as good as the original The Fugitive from 1993, U. S. Marshals is a worthy follow-up with some great action set pieces. Tommy Lee Jones’s Samuel Gerard is as lovably stoic as ever, and it was interesting to see Robert Downey, Jr. as the villain Royce, in light of his more recent heroic roles in Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes. Wesley Snipes as Mark Warren/Roberts/Sheridan does his best as the new fugitive, and the question of whether he’s guilty or not keeps the audience guessing, though following in the footsteps of Harrison Ford as Richard Kimble, Snipes lacks something. Irene Jacob as Marie, his girlfriend who helps him, does a credible job too, but ultimately the movie is called U. S. Marshals for a reason: Sam and his crew are the stars.

Unlike many of the recent films on my list, U. S. Marshals was not universally lauded by critics upon its release. Many felt it lacked character development, while others thought the plot was unnecessarily tortuous. One even claimed that he and any smart person could have seen the death of one of Sam’s men from a mile away, but the event truly came out of nowhere for me and heightened the tension and Sam’s resolve to catch this guy. Plus, the audience may suspect Royce for something at that point, but who could have foreseen that kind of betrayal happening so quickly? Yes, the plot is so convoluted that I probably couldn’t repeat what Mark was accused of and who accused him and why, and I was honestly lost during a mid-film sequence where Mark is incognito, but the film’s good points mostly make up for these faults.

The opening plane crash, which I tend to think inspired a similar-looking one in World War Z, is truly spectacular, one of the best and biggest-looking set pieces in which Tommy Lee Jones hangs upside down. Mark’s daring swing from a building to a nearby moving train also has that wow factor that other hero-on-the-run films often lack, like the Bourne films (they’re good but repetitive, and the car chase at the end of The Bourne Supremacy was the only scene that actually stuck out as impressive). As for the end, it’s not nearly as tense as that of The Fugitive and seems rather small for the climax of the whole movie.

The requisite foul language is unfortunately present, as usual, but U. S. Marshals serves up thrills and some well-paced and well-edited chase scenes. It may not be the best thriller, but it’s still pretty darn exciting.

Best line: (Royce, as Sam is cuffing him) “Is this guy crazy?” (Cosmo) “No, but he’s a carrier.”

 
Artistry: 4
Characters/Actors: 6
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: 9
Originality: 5
Watchability: 8
Other (language): -6
 
TOTAL: 34 out of 60
 

Next: #271 – The Rocketeer

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

Bambi (1942)

08 Tuesday Apr 2014

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(Because of Bambi’s naturalistic simplicity and personal time constraints, I have opted to try a different style for today’s poem, a series of haiku.)

 
Deep in the forest,
A fawn prince enters the world
With eyes of wonder.
 
All is new to him,
The flowers and butterflies,
Bright and exciting.
 
Young rabbit Thumper
Befriends the newborn, as does
Bashful skunk Flower.
 
The young trio plays
Together, and Bambi meets
Female fawn Faline.
 
The seasons march on.
Winter offers newfound joys,
But sorrow awaits.
 
As gunshots ring out,
Bambi flees the deadly sound,
But Mother is gone.
 
Bambi’s cries echo
Through the snow-shod trees until
His father helps him.
 
Years flow ever on,
And Bambi becomes a stag,
Grown but still naïve.
 
He and his old friends
Scoff at romance until it
Captures their young hearts.
 
Faline, now a doe,
Has more than one suitor, but
Bambi proves himself.
 
Man threatens the woods,
But Bambi defends his love
From the vicious dogs.
 
Careless Man’s fire spreads
To drive creatures from their homes.
All flee before it.
 
A strong, daring leap
Lets Bambi escape from death
To create new life.
 
Like Father, Bambi,
The new Prince of the Forest,
Watches o’er his fawns.
_______________
 

Who here saw Bambi as a child and didn’t cry? Anyone? I doubt it. Bambi starts out as one of the gentlest children’s films ever made with adorable woodland creatures but turns into one of the most traumatic as well. Every well-loved child’s worst fear is the loss of a parent, and Bambi’s pitiful search for his mother taps into that potential loneliness to make it one of the ultimate tearjerkers. Those who have seen it several times, like me, may not burst into tears anymore, but it’s still undeniably sad.

As for the rest of the film, the hand-drawn animation is gorgeous, possibly the artistic height of Disney’s original films; the characters are memorable (Any deer can be called Bambi, and any rabbit Thumper to this day.); and the climax is actually pretty exciting. Yet, as with other films like The Secret World of Arrietty, Bambi is so gentle and innocent at times that it becomes rather boring, especially during his saccharinely slow initial exploration of the forest.

Still, Disney managed a surprising balance to this pacing issue by including some almost shockingly realistic events, like Bambi’s aforementioned search for his mother and a scene in which a panicked pheasant flees from her hiding place only to be shot down. Seriously, this movie has probably turned off more people from hunting than any ASPCA ad ever could. Bambi is a naturalistic masterpiece, one of those skillfully made films that work well as both kiddie entertainment and an early introduction to the big, bad, but beautiful world in which we live.

Best line: (Friend Owl, to the grown Bambi) “I was talking to myself about you the other day; we were wondering what became of you.”

 
Artistry: 9
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 5
Visual Effects: 10
Originality: 7
Watchability: 4
Other (slow pacing): -8
 
TOTAL: 34 out of 60
 

Next: #272: U. S. Marshals

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

Hugo (2011)

07 Monday Apr 2014

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The Montparnasse station in Paris is home
To a lonely young fellow named Hugo Cabret.
He lives by himself and is quite free to roam
Through the walls and the clockwork he maintains each day.
 
Before Hugo’s father was killed in a fire,
He found an automaton up in an attic,
And Hugo’s continued to work and desire
The day it will function and be automatic.
 
Avoiding the vigilant Station Inspector,
He takes what he needs from the various stores.
One shop owner, Georges, acts like he’s seen a specter
When he views a notebook that Hugo adores.
 
The toymaker takes it and calls Hugo thief,
But Hugo then follows him back to his house.
The man seems unusually smitten by grief
And weeps with his knowing, compassionate spouse.
 
But Hugo meets Isabelle, Georges’s goddaughter,
Who uses fine speech that she learns when she reads.
A small, heart-shaped key that her godmother brought her
Turns out to be what the automaton needs.
 
The wound-up machine draws a scene Hugo knows
Of a ship in the eye of the man in the moon,
A shot from an old film that makes them suppose
That Georges used to be a filmmaking tycoon.
 
An expert on film says that Georges Melies
Produced hundreds of films ere the world war arrived.
Though sad for the end of his filmmaking days,
He’s gladdened by seeing one film that’s survived.
 
When Hugo learns that his mechanical man
Was built by Melies, the boy runs to bring back
The artist’s creation; the Inspector’s ban
On orphans, however, takes Hugo off track.
 
The automaton falls, but Melies doesn’t care;
He is touched by the boy and the efforts he’s made.
Adopting the lad who can fix and repair,
Melies finds renown as his films are displayed.
____________________
 

Hugo is an absolute feast for the eyes, especially for those who like gears. An oddity among the films of famed director Martin Scorsese, Hugo has none of the violence, profanity, and problematic content of his other films, such as Raging Bull, Gangs of New York, and the recent despicable The Wolf of Wall Street. Instead, he has replaced anything objectionable with an astounding sense of wonder and artistry, racking up at least as many Oscar nominations and wins as in the past. From the long, continuous opening shot to the similarly flowing final one, every scene has something interesting to absorb, and the whole film has a unique visually-enhanced look to it.

The acting is good for the most part, though, except for the always wonderful Asa Butterfield as young Hugo, I could have seen several other actors in each role. Sacha Baron Cohen brings some depth to the character of the Station Inspector Gustave, with his injured leg and hesitant romance with a flower shop girl, but his mannerisms are a tad distracting, if rather funny. Likewise, Ben Kingsley gives his usual nuance to the role of Georges Melies, but I found him unnecessarily mean-spirited at the beginning, making his mid-film declaration that Hugo was cruel frustratingly feeble.

My main issue with the film as a whole and the reason it is this low on my list is the pacing. I suppose Scorsese did the best he could, spicing up a relatively simple story with all the visual interest he could muster to drag it out to two hours, but I found it somewhat slow. I know I grew up when explosions and action became the norm in popular entertainment, but there are a number of slow movies on my list, so I don’t know if the fact that this one left me bored at times is my own fault or Scorsese’s. Considering that Hugo’s content is appropriate for children, I can’t help but think many kids would lose interest along the way too.

Part of this pacing problem is the fact that I thought the film was leading somewhere unexpected. With all the fantastic imagery with the automaton and Melies’s sketches flying around, I thought there might be some mystical secret to be revealed, but no, it was all just a metaphor for the magic of movies. Perhaps Hugo has some hidden power that can redirect trains?! No, it was just a cool effect in a dream. Perhaps Hugo is really an automaton himself?! No, it was just a dream within a dream. Did Scorsese see Inception? When the big “reveal” finally comes to explain Melies’s behavior, it’s because…people stopped liking his films. It’s understandable, I suppose, but, ultimately, as the explanation for this whole mystery and his bitter behavior, it’s a bit anticlimactic.

Nevertheless, Hugo is one of the most visually fascinating films out there, an homage to the original directors, like the real Georges Melies, who never could have imagined their work turning into billion-dollar blockbusters and special-effects extravaganzas. The end can’t help but make every viewer smile, and it’s enjoyable to see that a director like Scorsese can do something without constant shootings and F-words. If only he’d try it more often…

Best line: (Hugo) “Maybe that’s why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn’t able to do what it was meant to do… Maybe it’s the same with people. If you lose your purpose… it’s like you’re broken.”

 
Artistry: 10
Characters/Actors: 6
Entertainment: 6
Visual Effects: 10
Originality: 6
Watchability: 5
Other (aforementioned pacing issues): -9
 
TOTAL: 34 out of 60
 

Next: #273: Bambi

© 2014 S. G. Liput