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Dune: Part Two (2024)

14 Sunday Apr 2024

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(For Day 13 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was both general and specific, a poem playing with rhyme and based on a “word bank” of various types of words. Taking inspiration from this recent sequel, my words included “glare,” “rumble,” “parched,” “reek,” “worm,” “divine,” and “save,” and I tried out an alternating rhyme scheme I found rather challenging. It’s imperfect but maybe that’s for the best.)

From space, the occupiers came
To reap what they had never sown,
Their every footfall laying claim
And conquering an empty throne.
Or so they thought and sought to tame
This planet, stark and harsh and parched,
But everywhere the jackboot trod,
The sands would cover where they marched.
Awaiting their crusading god,
The natives hid from wanton force.
Invaders rarely spare the rod
Nor care enough to alter course
Nor wait for saviors come to save,
And so they spread their tyrant reek
And swept the desert like a wave,
A deadly game of hide and seek.
Wherever eye could bear the glare,
They flaunted strength upon the weak
Who lived off prophecy and prayer.

But even worms will one day turn
When hatred hounds the hot and humble.
Can you feel their rancor burn,
Sense immense commencing rumble
Of the conquered, quick to learn
The ways by which a war is waged?
Plunderers, your plunder’s mine,
I’m the one at whom you’ve raged,
One who broke your sandy line,
Tore your plan for us to shreds.
Believe it human or divine,
I bring justice on your heads.
____________________________

MPA rating:  PG-13

As a huge fan of science fiction, I should love Dune. I rewatched Part One of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the famed Frank Herbert novel, and I was struck a few times by the thought “Maybe I ought to add this to my list of favorites.” The sheer magnitude and impeccable quality of the Dune universe is a marvel to behold, yet for some reason, the story still doesn’t fully connect with me. I was hopeful that Part Two might change that, providing a fitting conclusion to the epic journey of Paul Atreides.

Picking up directly where Part One ended, Paul (Timothee Chalamet) and his Bene Gesserit mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) are taken in by the desert-dwelling Fremen after the Atreides have been wiped out by a Harkonnen ambush. Soon, rumors spread through the Fremen that Paul might be the Lisan al Gaib, the promised messiah destined to lead them to prosperity and freedom, rumors lent credence by how easily Paul adapts to their lifestyle and the riding of the giant sandworms. As he falls in love with Fremen warrior Chani (Zendaya, finally getting more screentime), Paul must grapple with whether or not to embrace the mantle of messiah, if only to take revenge on the Harkonnens.

From Arrival to Blade Runner 2049, Denis Villeneuve has truly distinguished himself as the king of serious sci-fi and one of the finest directors working today. Dune: Part Two is further proof of his talents, continuing the same high quality of Part One and delving deeply into its themes of predestination, Machiavellian control, and religious fervor, which were mostly lost in translation in the 1984 David Lynch adaptation of Dune. (My VC is still very fond of that one for some reason.) That film presented Paul as the actual Fremen messiah, no questions asked, while Villeneuve’s version casts doubt by exploring how the Bene Gesserit have been manipulating such savior myths for centuries, now pushed onto Paul by his mother and unborn telepathic sister. It was interesting how the psychotic Harkonnen champion Feyd-Rautha (an unrecognizable Austin Butler) was shown to be part of these machinations, and quite a few details of the storyline and politics were definitely lost on me in the 1984 film’s speedrun through the plot while being properly fleshed out here and even diverging by the end.

There’s absolutely a place for Dune in the annals of top-tier sci-fi, but for all its deep world-building and desert spectacle, I still admire it more than I actually like the story. With Paul as its potential false prophet protagonist, it’s a subversion of the typical hero’s journey that leaves no one happy by the end, though I am still intrigued to see what the planned third film adapting Dune: Messiah would do, since I’m not at all familiar with what lies beyond the first book. With Oscar-worthy production values, excellent acting, battle scenes on a grand scale, and an ending that gives more finality than Part One while also leaving the door wide open for more, Dune: Part Two stands apart and above any recent film vying for the descriptor of “epic” and delivers exactly what its fans would want. I want to love it more and perhaps I will with time, but I can certainly praise its merits all the same.

Best line: (Paul Atreides) “He who can destroy the thing has the real control of it.”

Rank:  List Runner-Up

© 2024 S.G. Liput
792 Followers and Counting

Django Unchained (2012)

12 Friday Apr 2024

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(For Day 12 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for a poem related to a tall tale, so I borrowed a certain larger-than-life character from Tarantino.)

Now hear the tale of Django, who was once a lowly slave,
But given chance and some romance, he rose as from a grave.

His finger was born itchy, and his bullets ne’er ran dry,
And eye for eye meant nothing once his foe could not reply.

The white folks watched their words whenever Django wandered free,
And when an N was uttered, they were dead before the G.

The hooded ones who lived off fear, of Django were afraid;
And if a hundred gathered, ninety-nine would flee for aid.

They tried to hang him once, believing numbers were the key,
But Django fought and with one shot, felled them and then the tree.

He was villain to the villains; he was vengeance none would dare.
His story isn’t history, but Django wouldn’t care.
_________________________

MPA rating:  R (for very good reason)

This was definitely out of character for me. While I did previously review Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (because it was part of a 2019 Best Picture nominee marathon at Regal), I generally steer clear of Quentin Tarantino movies. His reputation for gratuitous violence and profanity is the kind of indulgence I prefer to avoid, but Django Unchained happened to come on TV at least somewhat “cut,” so I opted to give it a chance.

Set in the antebellum South and taking its hero’s name from the 1966 spaghetti western Django, the film follows its own Django (Jamie Foxx) as he grows from slave to avenger, thanks to the colorful intervention of Dr. King Schultz (Oscar-winning Christoph Waltz), a bounty hunter who trains him in the ways of killing bad guys for money. After some success at doling out bloody justice, the duo set their sights on the despicable Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), a gleeful plantation owner holding Django’s wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) and unlikely to part with her easily.

First, the good stuff. It’s obvious from his first scene why Waltz won his second Best Supporting Actor Oscar (following his previous win for Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds); Schultz boasts an undeniable charisma and charm to match his ruthlessness, and Waltz embodies the silver-tongued mercenary to a T. It’s a perfect case of a fine actor distinguished further by great dialogue, and, while Foxx and DiCaprio are also pitch perfect in their roles, the scenes that shine most are their interactions with Waltz. I can also appreciate Tarantino’s skill as director and storyteller, blending western and blaxploitation tropes into a compelling tale with an iconically anachronistic soundtrack.

Yet every R-rated movie for me is a balancing act between the laudable and the hard-to-watch, and which side has more weight by the end determines my opinion of it. Despite its good points, Django Unchained is excessive in multiple ways, from the cruelty of its slaveholders to the almost cartoonish amount of blood sprayed in the shootouts. (Watching on TV, I was spared the non-stop N-words and some brief nudity, but it certainly didn’t feel like a “cut” movie by most standards.)

Tarantino’s MO seems to be taking already hateful figures, whether Nazis, slaveholders, or the Manson family, and tweaking history to allow the heroes to slaughter their caricatures en masse with justifiable vengeance. Racism is terrible so why feel bad when Django shoots an unarmed woman? I get that it’s intended to be some form of catharsis, but it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth to make gory violence something cheer-worthy. The film was rightly controversial upon release as well, so even mainstream critics took some issue with its excesses. I suppose you could call it a mixed bag: entertaining and off-putting, well-made and ill-advised, impressive and nasty. I assume that was Tarantino’s intent, but, despite some masterful scenes, it’s not something I’m likely to revisit.

Best line: (Calvin Candie, after being given an exorbitant offer) “Gentlemen, you had my curiosity; now you have my attention.”

Rank:  Dishonorable Mention

© 2024 S.G. Liput
792 Followers and Counting

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

04 Thursday Apr 2024

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(For Day 4 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to draw inspiration from the quirky natural phenomena detailed in the 1958 book The Strangest Things in the World, such as “Uganda’s Miniature Dinosaur,” “Enigma of Evolution,” “The World’s Biggest Sneeze,” and “The Forest that Time Forgot.” What could be stranger than a dinosaur in the present day?)

We talk of chickens, geckos, gators
Like they’re mini-dinosaurs,
DNA perpetuators
Winning evolution’s wars.

Look at what they’ve lost, however,
Dwindling to humans’ scale.
Those survivors truly clever
Never would have grown so frail.

Something dodged the diminution,
Surely kept its ancient reign,
Some enigma evolution
Cannot fathom to explain.

The biggest teeth to leave man shaken,
Biggest sneeze and appetite,
The biggest ire none should waken,
Gorged on centuries of spite.

Where this scourge of sighs is lurking,
Deep where time itself forgot,
None can say; its guise is working.
Pray it never leaves the spot.
___________________________________

MPA rating:  PG-13

If someone had told me last year that one of my favorite films from 2023 would be a Godzilla movie, the 37th Godzilla movie at that, I would never have believed it. I’ve only seen a handful of the more modern versions of the beloved monster, including two of Legendary Pictures’ American films and Hideaki Anno’s Shin Godzilla. The latter film was praised by fans upon release, who indicated it was a step above the typical cheesy destruction of the older movies, and while it was good, it still had some cringey effects and lackluster scenes. So when similar rumbles of “dude, this is good” started to spread about Godzilla Minus One, I didn’t fully believe them. Yet as weeks passed, practically everyone who saw it seemed to be singing its praises until I finally relented and caught a late screening of the black-and-white rerelease, Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color. And I must admit, dudes, it is good.

In contrast to the worldwide monster-hunting organizations of other Godzilla movies, Minus One goes back to the creature’s roots, representing the threat of nuclear destruction in Japan shortly after the end of World War II. Yet allegory and disaster porn can only carry a film so far, and this film finally manages to tell a compelling human story in the shadow of its titan. That story belongs to Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), a kamikaze pilot who bears the shame of having survived what should have been glorious death for his country. After yet another close encounter saddling him with even greater survivor’s guilt, he returns to civilian life, trying to pick up the pieces of his hometown devastated by the war. With time, he finds a semblance of normalcy alongside a woman (Minami Hamabe) and a little girl (Sae Nagatani), lone survivors like him, yet his PTSD strains his relationships and self-worth. When he and a crew of mine disposal sailors encounter a certain overgrown lizard, the survival of both his nation and makeshift family are threatened.

It’s hard to pin down why Minus One succeeds where others are “just another Godzilla movie.” Usually, they throw in a threatened family to garner audience sympathy, but it never goes as deep as Shikishima’s trauma and the natural way he bonds with others while grappling with it. Beyond that, Godzilla himself is far from a zipper-backed suit, but a hulking CGI monstrosity that becomes genuinely scary as we see the scale of destruction he can muster, with innocent civilians utterly powerless beneath him. He’s truly a monster and a force of nature, hardly the benevolent protector from the American version. While I tend to think Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 deserved the prize a little more for the extent of its CGI, I was not upset when Godzilla Minus One managed to win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, a first for Japan reflecting how impressive the film is despite a piddling budget compared with Hollywood’s blockbusters.

If ever a film proved how a good story and characters can refresh a well-trodden franchise, Godzilla Minus One deserves that claim. Its themes of survival and endurance denounce the culture of death that Japan had become during the war, and put Shikishima’s struggle on a level beyond a single man’s battle. The ending even brought a tear to my eye, and I’ve heard stories from others who said they wept in the theater. A crowdpleaser to rival any American production, Minus One was the biggest pleasant surprise the cinema has given me in a while, and even if I consider it a fluke for the Godzilla series (please don’t let a sequel ruin things!), I’m grateful for it.

Best line: (Noriko) “Is your war finally over?”

Rank:  List-Worthy

© 2024 S.G. Liput
790 Followers and Counting

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

04 Monday Sep 2023

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Franchises and ruins share at least one thing in common,
And no, it’s not that both attest to how the best declined.
Whether we discuss the MCU or Tutankhamen,
It’s that they both give hope to those in search of more to find.

For ardent archaeologists, they know there’s always more,
Beneath the dirt, untapped, covert, and waiting to be found.
Likewise, the nerds of fandom herds will pray as they explore,
That patience be rewarded if they simply stick around.

While one digs in the future and the other in the past,
They live for tiny victories, discoveries to tout.
They can’t all be an ancient tomb or Endgame unsurpassed;
Sometimes it’s just a broken bust they can’t do much about.
________________________

MPA rating: PG-13

I realize my output has slowed of late, but, despite struggling with my writing schedule, I have not forgotten this blog. Besides, it’s not like I’m taking fifteen-year breaks between entries like a certain Harrison Ford series. Anyway, as my past reviews and rankings might indicate, I am pretty forgiving when it comes to franchise films that others lambaste. I still like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull more than anyone I know, and I can find plenty to enjoy from the supposed worst of Star Wars and the MCU. So I welcomed one final installment in the Indiana Jones franchise; Crystal Skull did have its issues, so perhaps one last adventure could end Indy’s cinematic journey on a high note. But though Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has some bright spots, it was more of a letdown than even I was expecting.

Set mostly in 1969, this truly final adventure for Indiana Jones involves the crotchety archaeologist being pulled into another race for a potentially magical Macguffin, pursued by a former Nazi scientist (the ever reliably villainous Mads Mikkelsen) and his CIA accomplices, as well as Indy’s goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) with unscrupulous motives of her own. The titular Dial of Destiny is the Antikythera mechanism, an actual ancient Greek artifact with gears that could predict astronomical events, though here it’s a simpler device with two halves that are believed to map time instead.

Say what you will about Crystal Skull but it did at least give Indy a happy ending with a son and marriage, and I do take issue with sequels like this that justify their existence by doing away with all that to make the main character miserable at the start. Nevertheless, director James Mangold proves to be a surprisingly effective stand-in for Spielberg, bringing a great sense of fun and adventure to the film’s opening sequence. It’s an extended chase back in 1944 with a perfectly de-aged Indy back in his Nazi-thwarting prime alongside his timid friend Basil (Toby Jones), Helena’s father. If the whole film had been as good as the opening, it would be a hit recalling the franchise at its best. It’s just not the same once we jump to older Indy at his glum retirement party.

I will give credit to the fast pacing that never lets too much time go by without a chase or a tense stand-off. One extended pursuit is a hoot as Indy, Helena, her young sidekick Teddy (Ethann Isidore), the bad guys, and vengeful mobsters all chase each other through the narrow streets of Tangier. I also appreciated some welcome cameos, including John Rhys-Davies returning as Sallah and Antonio Banderas as another old friend who helps with a Mediterranean dive. With all the action, it does take some suspension of disbelief to accept the now-octogenarian Ford’s ability to keep up. He doesn’t engage in the old-fashioned fisticuffs as much, but he still jumps from vehicles, climbs cliffs, endures injury, and falls out of planes with the best of them (or at least his body double does).

Despite the caveats above, I was still enjoying Dial of Destiny for the most part and was prepared to defend it against naysayers up until the ending. Obviously, I won’t spoil it, but it takes a supernatural turn that was hard to accept, with an unsatisfying villain defeat due to their own dumb decisions and a climax of historical passion that I just didn’t buy. It’s not the worst thing ever, but it felt like the first draft of a finale rather than the finished product, a neat idea that should have gone back to the drawing board. I was sort of hoping the time travel element might wrap back around to the opening sequence a la Back to the Future Part II, but I suppose that would be too supernatural. I was also underwhelmed by Helena’s character; Waller-Bridge has a winking charisma that’s easily likable, but her ideals are in direct opposition with Indy’s (complete with a smug barb about capitalism). Though they bond a bit, it’s not clear how much moral growth, if any, she’s had by the end.

I so wanted to like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, but this is a case where I can agree with the disgruntled crowd. I would still watch it again for its good moments proving the effort that went into making this a worthy sequel and the simple fact that I love Ford in the lead role. It didn’t deserve to be the massive financial bomb it was, but sadly it’s a prime example of ending a franchise with a whimper rather than a bang.

Best line: (Indiana Jones) “I don’t believe in magic, but a few times in my life, I’ve seen things. Things I can’t explain. And I’ve come to believe it’s not so much about what you believe; it’s how hard you believe it.”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
783 Followers and Counting

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

22 Saturday Jul 2023

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We all reach an age where a dream is our plan.
“I’ll live in a castle.” “I’ll marry that man.”
“I’ll dazzle that girl with an overpriced ring.”
But plans are a transient thing.

And little by little, our fantasies dim,
Our goals and ambitions grow cynically grim,
As reveries dwindle to traces.
It’s harder to hope in
Some window to open
With doors slamming shut in our faces.

We all have a trauma of dreams unfulfilled,
Of sand castles planned with no chances to build
Or rugs pulling out when we’re on the upswing,
For plans are a transient thing.

Although we all wish many things to undo,
All wishes aren’t false when they fail to come true.
Some comfort may be close at hand.
Where planning falls short,
We can find our support
In the good things we couldn’t have planned.
_____________________________

MPA rating: PG-13

Leave it to James Gunn to drop one of the best recent Marvel movies before jumping ship to rescue DC’s cinematic endeavors. The Guardians of the Galaxy have always seemed a little bit more separate from the main storyline of the MCU, even though the familial ties with Thanos brought them in league with the Avengers. As far as the three solo outings for the spacefaring team of Starlord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel), plus Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and others, they have gone about their intergalactic adventures without being overly tied to Marvel continuity, and many would say they are better for it. While Infinity War and Endgame may have thrown a wrench in Gunn’s initial plans for this threequel, he makes the most of his motley space crew to deliver a satisfying conclusion.

It’s easy to miss with all the cracking of skulls and jokes in the first two films, but perennial jerk Rocket Raccoon has remained a mystery up to this point, with a few hints at some traumatic past but little else. Finally, this third film gives him the spotlight, offering what might be the most tragic backstory of any Marvel character, along with an equally despicable villain in the High Evolutionary (the excellent Chukwudi Iwuji), a god-complexing scientist intent on perfecting life and society with little regard for the “lower life forms” he creates along the way. When this maniac sets his sights on capturing Rocket, the Guardians are forced into desperate measures to save his life.

First off, I was relieved that Vol. 3 actually built on the loose threads left in previous films, like the other Gamora left over after Endgame and the revenge plan of the Sovereign leader (Elizabeth Debicki) creating Adam Warlock (Will Poulter). It might have been nice if they weren’t secondary plotlines, but I’m glad they weren’t dropped the way Mordo’s villain buildup was ignored in the second Dr. Strange film. That is more of a concern the wider the MCU continuity spreads. In addition, it’s amazing how well-balanced the script is, giving every character their moment to shine, whether it’s the subtle bond between Rocket and Nebula (the only two Guardians who weren’t snapped away by Thanos) or Drax proving he can do more than fight and act dumb. Plus, it was nice to see Gunn favorite Nathan Fillion finally get a role in the MCU. In addition to the character work, there’s no shortage of outstanding, large-scale action, with better CGI than other recent Marvel entries and one tracking-shot fight scene that is a highlight of the whole franchise.

The question then is how this third film compares with its predecessors, and I’d probably consider it the best of the three. I wasn’t immediately a huge fan of the first film when it came out, but I’ve warmed up to it quite a bit, and the Vol. 2 was great fun, despite overemphasizing its own humor. In contrast to the lightweight Holiday Special on Disney+, this one takes itself much more seriously considering the grave stakes involved, and it boasts yet another fantastic soundtrack (I was ecstatic over the inclusion of Florence and the Machine). It manages to be funny without laughing at itself too much while also being the MCU film most likely to garner tears. Simply put, it’s a near-perfect capstone to the Guardians story and a satisfyingly emotional send-off for the characters and for Gunn’s involvement in the MCU. On the downside, its violence pushes the PG-13 rating, which also includes the MCU’s first needless F-bomb; while others online are rooting for the MCU’s shift into R-rated territory, I am staunchly in favor of it remaining at least somewhat family-friendly. Still, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 flies higher than any other Marvel movie in years. Time will tell if Gunn can deliver similar results for DC, but he certainly left a legacy at Marvel.

Best line: (Lylla the otter) “You still have a purpose here…. There are the hands that made us, and then there are the hands that guide their hands.”

Rank: List-Worthy (joining the other two)

© 2023 S.G. Liput
783 Followers and Counting

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

29 Saturday Apr 2023

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(For Day 29 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for a two-part poem focused on a food or meal, so I took the theme of sequels and wrote about that nagging desire for seconds.)

1.
You’ve had a good helping and just about full
But still feeling slightly insatiable.
The first round was marvelous, hitting the spot,
But are you appeased? No, you’re not.

There’s room in that stomach, an empty place,
That ought to be filled, just in case.
You cannot leave hunger to scratch and bide
When it’s only partially satisfied.

“It’s lonely in here,” your firsts assert;
Indulging in seconds would hardly hurt.
They’re begging for more, I must obey
This gastrointestinal power play.

Another undoubtedly will exceed.
It’s less of a want and more a need.
Seconds is seconds away, all right?
Coming to curb that appetite.

2.
Sure, I was hungry and now I’m not,
But did I desire the gut I’ve got?
I knew there was room and now it’s filled,
And now my duodenum’s less than thrilled.

I’m starting to wonder if I’m a slave
To all of the short-term whims I crave.
Some self-control could hardly hurt.
What’s that you say? Oh, boy… dessert!
______________________

MPA rating: PG-13

I have such mixed feelings about the Avatar franchise. James Cameron’s passion project seems to be widely acknowledged as an outlet for great visuals in service to a generic environmentalist story of alien natives versus colonizers, and it had become a joke to reference the extended delay between the 2009 original and its first of four sequels. Yet Cameron’s box office power remains undefeated, with The Way of Water silencing naysayers and skyrocketing to become the third highest-grossing film ever. I personally contributed to that revenue (I left for the theater saying “Time to go pay James Cameron’s salary”), mainly just to see the film’s admittedly impressive visuals on a big screen, something I skipped with the first one. And I’m glad I saw it, while also oddly feeling like I’m missing something to explain this series’ popularity.

Set sixteen years after the first film saw the victorious Na’vi send the encroaching humans packing, The Way of Water introduces audiences to another form of Na’vi culture, that of the ocean-dwelling Metkayina clan. When the humans return to colonize Pandora, not just plunder its resources, it also heralds the return of Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), the dead colonel whose memories now reside in a new Avatar-like body, enabling him to seek revenge on the traitorous Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who has been busy raising a family with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). Thus, Jake leads his family away from their forest home to seek refuge with the Metkayina, learn their ways, and employ their help if and when the big bad humans find them.

One point in this sequel’s favor is that it no longer feels like an outright rip-off of Dances with Wolves or Pocahontas. With his world and backstory already established, Cameron can play with more original ideas, like the mystery surrounding Kiri, the adopted daughter who was somehow born from the corpse of Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver, who also plays Kiri via motion capture). Except that seems to be a greater concern for future installments, and the time is instead spent exploring marine environments and rescuing kidnapped children. While the dialogue is generally weak, I will give credit to the film’s theme of fatherhood, with Jake and Quaritch both struggling with their military and paternal duties, which is much more characterization than Quaritch got in the first film.

While the film’s story has a little more heart to it, owing to Jake’s shift from space marine to family man, it has many of the same strengths and faults as the first. There’s much to see and little to care about, but the spectacle manages to overcome the flaws. The underwater world so carefully designed is indeed a wonder to behold, full of vibrant coral reefs and giants both gentle and fierce, all rendered with the characters in that thoroughly immersive motion-capture animation it’s taken years to perfect. Like its predecessor, the climactic battle at the end is long and thrilling, taking some cues from Cameron’s Titanic past with its large-scale water warfare.

I enjoyed The Way of Water but would be hard-pressed to say whether it’s better or worse than the first Avatar, and I still think it’s a bit hard to swallow that both were nominated for Best Picture when Avengers: Endgame wasn’t. When this much effort and detail are poured into something over three hours long, I feel like I should like it more than I do, but I’m left with mild admiration for the visual triumph of the product so far rather than a sense of excitement for more sequels to come. Even so, there are promising seeds and conflicts sown here that could develop into something special, and, as this sequel proves more than anything, I wouldn’t bet against James Cameron.

Best line: (Quaritch) “Why so blue?”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
785 Followers and Counting

Drifting Home (2022)

23 Sunday Apr 2023

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(For Day 23 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for a poem in numbered sections about a place I no longer visit as much. The best example I could think of was my old elementary school, so I imagined the various places abandoned and nostalgic.)

I
I remember they filed in one at a time,
Students alert to the school bell’s chime.
My classroom became their knowledge base,
And I kept them all safe in my walls’ embrace.
I was their path
To history, math,
The parts of the cell, and the subjective case.
Those who I held left smarter by far,
But now I do wonder where all of them are.

II
I remember they joined me at tables so long
That both ends could easily sing their own song.
They pulled out their lunches so lovingly packed
Or else I provided whatever they lacked.
I was their meal,
Their chance to be real,
To trade and upgrade and get caught in the act.
The hungry were happy and brought up to par,
But now I do wonder where all of them are.

III
I remember they ran with unparalleled glee
To climb on my monkey bars, wild and free.
My stretches of rubber mulch, bordered by sand,
Gave them their chances to fall and crash-land.
I was their play,
The peak of their day,
A time to recess from the teacher’s command.
I was the source of both smile and scar,
But now I do wonder where all of them are.
_____________________________________

MPA rating: PG

While Makoto Shinkai and Mamoru Hosoda are the biggest names in anime films, there are plenty of other studios in the mix, such as Studio Colorido, which has an ongoing partnership with Netflix. With films like A Whisker Away and Drifting Home, they bring some welcome Ghibli-esque fantasy to the streaming service. In Drifting Home, a group of children go exploring in the abandoned apartment building where Kosuke and his childhood friend Natsume used to live with Kosuke’s grandfather. After the two have an argument, the building somehow ends up floating in the middle of the ocean, forcing the kids to survive off what they can scavenge.

While the premise could have become mere escapism for the children, the story actually puts them in real danger, with limited resources and a crumbling structure as their only refuge from the sea. The characters themselves are not anything special and sometimes grating, though the conflict between Kosuke and Natsume carries weight as they both reacted differently to the death of Kosuke’s grandfather, a loss which haunts their relationship and perhaps the apartment itself.

Beyond the survival aspects and interpersonal drama, a prominent theme involves the inherent grief of buildings and structures that were once full of life and activity but have become abandoned over time. It’s an interesting concept of a place having its own form of sorrow and passing away. Drifting Home may not stand out as much as other anime films, but it’s a lovely smaller effort highlighting how we connect to the places we grow up.

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

RRR (2022)

22 Saturday Apr 2023

Posted by in Movies, NaPoWriMo, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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(I had a rough day yesterday and missed Day 21 of NaPoWriMo, but I thought I’d try doubling up this weekend instead. Yesterday’s prompt was for a poem describing an abstract noun, using short lines and a made-up word. I chose Strength.)

I am strong
Because
I cannot afford
To be weak.

The weight of
My people’s hopes,
The yoke
Of all my foes,
The burden of
Love to defend
Have tempered
Me
Like steel.

But still
I only wish
To wake to laughter
In the aftermorn,
To kiss with
No farewell,
To let my power
Be still.

Strength I bear
That I may not
Bear it forever.
__________________________

MPA rating:  Not Rated (should be R for violence, which is fitting, right?)

After recently watching Satyajit Ray’s Apu Trilogy, which marked a turning point in Indian cinema back in the 1950s, it was mind-blowing to see how far the country’s filmmaking has come with 2022’s RRR. I know Bollywood has a reputation for over-the-top spectacle, but this was my first introduction to the modern wow factor that Indian films have to offer. (Considering its wide distribution on Netflix, I doubt I’m alone there.) RRR follows two real-life Indian freedom fighters in the 1920s, telling a completely fictitious what-if story about them meeting and teaming up against the evil British empire. In American Revolution terms, I like to describe it as the Indian equivalent of “What if Ethan Allen and Francis Marion became bros and singlehandedly decimated the redcoats?”

Standing for Rise Roar Revolt (in English at least), RRR is the kind of epic that Hollywood just doesn’t make anymore, if it ever did, boasting an everything-goes narrative that makes it hard to classify. It’s heavy on the action but also has room to be a romance, a historical drama, a buddy film, and a musical. The supremely handsome Ram Charan plays A. Rama Raju, a member of the Delhi imperial police force trying to rise through the ranks. N.T. Rama Rao Jr. plays Komaram Bheem, a protector of the Gond tribe who goes undercover in Delhi after the British governor (Ray Stevenson) and his cruel wife (Alison Doody) abduct a young girl named Malli. Thus, the two initially meet and become good friends, not knowing they are on opposite sides, Bheem seeking to rescue Malli while Raju aims to capture him to earn favor with the British.

RRR is a lot. Boasting superhero-level stunts and CGI animals to rival Hollywood, the film looks amazing, albeit replete with slow-motion interludes to highlight the emotion or absurdity of the action. In that vein, it is also anything but subtle. The villainous Brits are cartoonishly evil without any nuance at all, save for the kind Jenny (Olivia Morris) who somehow becomes a love interest for Bheem despite neither of them understanding the other’s language. The film relishes in its own excess, from the rippling muscles of its often shirtless leads to the extravagant and lengthy action scenes that include one man taking on an entire angry mob and a free-for-all battle with tigers and deer invading a posh banquet. Honestly, some of the coolest moments almost feel like parody with how outrageous they are.

Yet there’s something refreshing about how RRR wears its cinematic heart on its sleeve, like the montage of Raju and Bheem bonding over their shared buffness, which brought to mind the ancient brotherhood of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. That kind of epic clash of good and evil with a cast of thousands was much more common in old Hollywood when epics were a common genre, so it’s interesting to see such large-scale heroics from a foreign perspective. And the film often uses its excess quite effectively, especially in the instantly iconic dance-off to the song “Naatu Naatu,” which won a deserved Oscar for Best Original Song and was one of the best movie moments of last year.

Aside from some brutal violence, the worst thing about RRR is its length. I was able to convince my VC to watch it (and she liked it), but only by breaking it up into three parts. At a little over three hours, it can feel more like a miniseries than a movie, so I would recommend that; basically, take a break whenever someone is caught by the British. RRR is epic in every sense of the word, and its mainstream success will likely open the door for more Americans, me included, to explore further what Indian cinema has to offer.

Best line: (Raju’s father) “He [the governor] said that an Indian’s life is not worth a bullet. So how will this bullet earn its value? When it comes out of your gun and pierces an Englishman’s heart.”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

21 Friday Apr 2023

Posted by in Movies, NaPoWriMo, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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(For Day 20 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to imagine how archaeologists might appraise us in the far future, so I considered how superhero films might be mistaken for historical records.)

Here at the Museum of Archaic History,
The Superhero Wing is our most popular display.
Not very much survived the EMPs of World War III,
But rigorous historians have come to save the day!

It seems that back in yesteryear, some humans wielded talents
Of fight or flight or laser eyes, with symbols on their chest.
They often rescued many lives and kept the world in balance,
As all these documentaries on ancient disks attest.

We think that they were unionized protectors of the peace,
Belonging to the rival leagues of Marvel or DC.
They dealt with larger dangers too destructive for police,
Like evil gods and aliens we now no longer see.

We’ve found that certain famous ones, like Bat- and Spider-Men
Could somehow change appearance over years of derring-do.
Some believe these new facades came time and time again,
Whenever they’d regenerate like noted Doctor Who.

Some records, though, can’t be retrieved from archives decades-plus.
We don’t know what became of many stories lost to time.
We may not know what happened to Shazam or Morbius,
But still we will preserve their tales, the Conquerors of Crime.
___________________________

MPA rating: PG-13

While I tend to favor Marvel movies much more than DC, I quite enjoyed the first Shazam! With teenage Billy Batson granted the powers and adult body of a hero, it was a gleeful example of wish fulfillment while tackling some poignant themes of family and belonging. So I was excited for the sequel, but apparently I was in the minority. Shazam! Fury of the Gods has been a regrettable flop in the face of James Gunn’s takeover of DC, with many citing the planned reboot of the DC universe as a reason to not care about films like this that are probably a mere dead end. It’s unfortunate because even if this sequel does fall short of its predecessor, it’s still an entertaining adventure.

Following the victory of Billy (Asher Angel) and his foster family of empowered kids in the first film, they have settled into an uneasy groove of half-successful heroics around Philadelphia. When two daughters of Atlas (Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu) steal the broken staff of the Wizard (Djimon Hounsou) who gifted Billy his powers, they invade Earth with plans to reclaim the power of the Greek gods and probably destroy our realm in the process.

Zachary Levi is too naturally likable to dislike in this role. Even if he acts more childlike than his character’s actual teen self and makes some annoyingly foolish mistakes, his charisma helps smooth out the disconnect. It’s nice to see older actresses like Mirren and Liu still get a chance to kick butt in movies like this, and Rachel Zegler as the love interest for Billy’s foster brother Freddy is a welcome addition to any cast. Along with its sense of humor, the action and effects are as good as ever with mythological beasts and super-powered beatdowns keeping my inner child happy.

Ultimately, there’s little I can say against the critics who point out the rote villain motivations or the blatant product placement or the literal deus ex machina ending. Those points are true, and the efforts at emotion aren’t as deeply felt as the first film, but I still think Shazam deserved a better reception.

Best line: (The Wizard) “Billy, anyone can be worthy, if given a chance. Now go fight for your family! Go fight for the world!”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

The Bad Guys (2022)

16 Sunday Apr 2023

Posted by in Movies, NaPoWriMo, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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(For Day 16 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for a poem of negation, describing something in terms of what it is not. Since the main characters of this film struggle in being reformed, I wrote up a list of what good guys don’t do.)

A good guy doesn’t rob a bank
Or overflow a septic tank
Or steal a precious, priceless gem
Or cause unwarranted mayhem.

They do not blow up oil rigs
Or feast on captive guinea pigs
Or lead police on reckless chases,
Fleeing to their secret bases.

A good guy would not live off lies
As a master of disguise,
And they should not win a game
Based on whom they kill or maim.

A truly good guy won’t consent
To hack the grid or government,
… Well, unless they have a good reason,
No, nevermind, that could be treason.

But most of all, a real good guy
Does not cheat or steal or lie,
Even if they’re unsuspected
(Not unless they’ve been elected).
____________________

MPA rating: PG

While Puss in Boots: The Last Wish got well-deserved acclaim last year, the other 2022 film from DreamWorks Animation was also a pleasant surprise. Based on an Aaron Blabey graphic novel series for children, The Bad Guys features the titular posse of menacing animals – Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Snake (Marc Maron), Piranha (Anthony Ramos), Tarantula (Awkwafina), and Shark (Craig Robinson) – whose crime spree is brought to an end after a botched heist. Yet the criminal gang is given a chance to prove they can be reformed into good guys with the help of a do-gooder guinea pig (Richard Ayoade) and a foxy governor (Zazie Beetz).

First off, as an animation fan, I thought this film’s visual style was an absolute treat! It partakes in the now-familiar fusion of 2D and 3D ushered in by Into the Spider-Verse yet uses it for a distinct comic-book look that has a delightful smoothness to it, both in character design and movement. It’s probably best not to think too hard about the world of mostly humans, a few sentient animals, and otherwise normal animals, but the main troop have a great dynamic as their unique skills complement each other during heists, particularly the inventive uses of Snake’s long body despite lacking limbs. Wolf and Governor Foxington have an amazing amount of chemistry between them, while a police chief (Alex Borstein) intent on capturing the Bad Guys has some clear parallels with Inspector Zenigata of the Lupin III series, especially during the opening car chase.

DreamWorks has made some questionable creative choices, like focusing way too much on The Boss Baby, but movies like this and Puss in Boots have reignited my interest in what they’ll do next. Puss had weightier themes, but The Bad Guys is suave, cartoonish fun, incorporating the plotting and intrigue of heist movies with a believable redemption arc that stresses responsibility and the difficulty of earning back trust. Add in a catchy song for Anthony Ramos and some thrilling action scenes, and it’s the kind of animated film I would have loved growing up. Considering DreamWorks put the main characters in their recent updated logo sequence, I’m hoping this will become a worthwhile series.

Best line: (Diane Foxington, when Wolf insists no one will accept them as good guys) “Maybe they will believe you, maybe they won’t. But it doesn’t matter. Don’t do it for them. Do it for you. This is a chance to write your own story, to find a better life for you and your friends. Come on, what have you got to lose?”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting