The Neverending Story (1984)

19 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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

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

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

Rating: PG

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2015 S. G. Liput

336 Followers and Counting

Argumentative August #36 – Separate But Equal (1991) – Rhyme and Reason

18 Tuesday Aug 2015

Posted by in Movies

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Here’s my third review for Argumentative August, the should-be-a-classic miniseries Separate But Equal.

movierob's avatarMovieRob

courtroom

Ryan and I would like to once again welcome you to another review for our Argumentative August Blogathon.

This next film, Separate But Equal (1991) is being reviewed by SG of Rhyme and Reason

Let’s see what SG thought of this movie….

____________________________________

sbe

“Separate but equal,”

They cited the law.

Separate but equal

And so it should stay.

Some called it fair

With no thought for its flaw,

Clear inequality

On full display.

“Separate but equal”

Could only be felled

By unequalled lawyers

Intent on the right.

Separate but equal,

To justice they held,

And “separate but equal”

Could not win the fight.

_________________

Rating: PG

Winner of the Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries, Separate but Equal is one of those historically significant miniseries that have nearly been forgotten by modern audiences. It follows the timeline of the historic court case Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka from its unassuming…

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My Top 50 Movie Scores — Full List

16 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by in Movies, Music, Reviews, Writing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):

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

The Hours (2002)

14 Friday Aug 2015

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

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

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

Rating: PG-13

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

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

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

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

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

Rank: Dishonorable Mention

© 2015 S. G. Liput

334 Followers and Counting

Opinion Battles Round 8 Best Remake

14 Friday Aug 2015

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Check out Round 8 of Opinion Battles over at Movie Reviews 101, where everyone has suggested their favorite remakes. Mine is the classic Hanks/Ryan pairing in You’ve Got Mail. For every ten bad remakes, there’s a true success, so vote for your favorite (but show the humble rom com some love).

Unknown's avatarMovie Reviews 101

opinion battles

Best Remakes

We have seen Hollywood run out of ideas over the years which has lead to many remakes, some are good because they bring technology unavailable at the time into the picture, while others are just terrible, today we are looking at the best.

If you want to take part in the next round of Opinion Battles which will be Adapted Novels email moviereviews101@yahoo.co.uk by 23rd August 2015.

Darren – Movie Reviews 101

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)apess

When this film get released it was after one of the biggest disasters in remake when Tim Burton got his hands on the franchise. The final product left us breathless with the stunning performances with Andy Serkis as Caesar the ape. We get to see how the saga started with small references to the very original start of the franchise. I have picked this because it surprised…

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Argumentative August #38 – Absence of Malice (1981) – Rhyme and Reason

12 Wednesday Aug 2015

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Here’s my second review for the Argumentative August Blogathon, celebrating the best in courtroom dramas (for the most part). This time, the courtroom-less Absence of Malice.

movierob's avatarMovieRob

courtroom

Ryan and I would like to once again welcome you to another review for our Argumentative August Blogathon.

This next film, Absence of Malice (1981) is being reviewed by SG of Rhyme and Reason

Let’s see what SG thought of this movie….

_________________________________

Absence of Malice (1981)

 aom

Does an interfering sleuth

Prefer the story that will sell?

Accuracy versus truth:

These are debates they can’t dispel.

The news can rule the fates of men

With just the power of the pen.

In the search for truth, one may

Cause damage they cannot control.

Will the printer blameless stay

If pain attends their stated goal?

Do people have a right to know,

No matter what the “truth” may show?

_______________

Absence of Malice is a film that I expected to like, simply because of its two leads. Casting Sally Field and Paul Newman together seems like a dream come true…

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Argumentative August #40 – A Soldier’s Story (1984) – Rhyme and Reason

11 Tuesday Aug 2015

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MovieRob and Ryan of Ten Stars or Less are hosting the Argumentative August Blogathon this month to review the best courtroom dramas. Here’s my first entry, 1984’s A Soldier’s Story.

movierob's avatarMovieRob

courtroom

Ryan and I would like to once again welcome you to another review for our Argumentative August Blogathon.

This next film, A Soldier’s Story (1984) is being reviewed by SG of Rhyme and Reason

Let’s see what SG thought of this movie….

________________________________________

A Soldier’s Story (1984)

1

Sergeant Waters now is dead.

Just how we do not know,

But any could have laid him low

Since grudges marked him as a foe.

Hear what all his men have said,

And judge what truth is there,

But judges very rarely share

Their beliefs on what is fair.

_______________

 

Rating: PG (ought to be PG-13, due to language)

Directed by Norman Jewison, who previously addressed themes of racism in 1967’s In the Heat of the Night, A Soldier’s Story plays out on and near a Louisiana army base in 1944, one of those based-on-a-play films that broadens its setting without…

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The Film Emotion Blogathon

10 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by in Blogathon, Movies, Reviews, Writing

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

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

Sadness: A film that sends tears streaming down your face

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

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

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

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

JOY: Elizabethtown (2005)

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

SADNESS: Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

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

FEAR:  Poltergeist (1982)

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

ANGER: Urban Cowboy (1980)

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

DISGUST: The Last Airbender (2010)

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

Thanks for a fun idea, Connor!

My Top 50 Movie Scores — Part 10

09 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by in Movies, Music, Reviews, Writing

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

_____________

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

Full list to come!

Predestination (2014)

07 Friday Aug 2015

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2015 S. G. Liput

329 Followers and Counting