Tag Archives: Action

#50: Inception (2010)

04 Thursday Dec 2014

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Extractor Dom Cobb has an interesting job,
To steal people’s secrets through dreams.
On one inner outing, the target starts doubting
And knows all is not as it seems.
 
This Saito solicits their service illicit
To plant an idea in one’s brain.
With just one exception, attempting inception
Has always been ventured in vain.
 
Cobb gathers a team to invade someone’s dream,
The rich Robert Fischer, an heir,
But the image and strife of Mal, his dead wife,
Lurks still in his mind’s inner lair.
 
They enter the dream with a qualified scheme
That’s more hazardous than designed.
Each resolute sleeper goes deeper and deeper
Through levels of Fischer’s taut mind.
 
As deep as Cobb goes, there is guilt to expose,
And he must let go of his wife.
The mission complete, the rewards for the feat
Allow Cobb’s return to his life?
____________________
 

Even with his prior success with The Prestige and two popular Batman movies, Christopher Nolan’s Inception was a bolt from the blue, a film so startlingly original in plot and scope that it cemented him as a truly brilliant director. It also is the only film I’ve seen (or wanted to) that allows me to see Leonardo DiCaprio as anything but Jack from Titanic. On top of that, it’s the only film that so blew my mind that I was left with a thunderstruck “Whoa” at the end.

There is so much going on in this movie that anyone who left to get popcorn surely missed something. Nearly every scene held meaning, whether to understanding the mission, Nolan’s rules of the dream world, or the relationships between Cobb and Mal or Fischer and his father. One thing my VC does not enjoy is not knowing what’s going on in a movie without some quickly forthcoming answers. Mystery is one thing; it’s another to give a strange, random train riddle in the first hour and then not explain its significance until almost the end. While it was all too much for her, I was impressed that everything did have significance. Nothing was thrown in without a reason, a reason I felt was worth waiting for. The mazes and time differentials and dreams within dreams and dreams within memories within dreams can get confusing on the first viewing (or the fourth), but the audacious complexity lends itself to watching over and over with new appreciation.

I mentioned way back in my review for Entrapment that I’m no fan of heist films, due to their convincing audiences to root for those committing an illegal act, which they typically get away with. While that concern is still present, Inception has so much else involved—visually, emotionally, artistically, technologically—that the morality of the central plot falls to the wayside, for good or ill. Cobb’s ultimate reason for taking the job, to be reunited with his kids, does raise the emotional stakes, but considering the unforeseen results of his previous success at inception, I can’t help but wonder what will happen to Fischer.

The cast, composed of many Christopher Nolan favorites, fill their roles admirably, with the standouts being (of course) DiCaprio as Cobb, Ellen Page as Ariadne, Marion Cotillard as Mal, and Ken Watanabe as Saito. Despite not having much screen time or deep personality, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Dileep Rao, and Cillian Murphy do an outstanding job with their supporting roles. My VC did comment on the film’s lack of character development for these minor players, a reason to care for them, but such a deficiency need not detract from the ensemble and the awesomeness of their mission. Besides, the pathos of Cobb and Fischer is surprisingly well-realized considering how swiftly the plot moves along.

With its philosophical discussion of dreams and the frustratingly dubious conclusion, Inception was sure to spark conversations. There are plenty of theories as to the meaning of totems and what scenes might or might not have been dreams. Did the top fall or keep spinning? Was Cobb’s totem really his wedding ring, which he only wore in his dreams with Mal and was not wearing in the final scene? Was Mal right, and Cobb was in limbo the whole time? Was it all perhaps an inception on Cobb to rid him of his obsession with his dead wife? I tend to accept the straightforward, happy ending, but few films have garnered such consistent mind-boggling debate.

The film as a whole was rewarded with Oscars for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects, as well as several other well-deserved nominations. With some astoundingly memorable visuals (that gravity-shifting fight with Gordon-Levitt is stupefying), a climax that is extremely fast-paced and layered, and an emotional payoff that left me satisfied despite that darn top, Inception is a modern cinematic wonder.

Best line: (Cobb) “Listen, there’s something you should know about me… about inception. An idea is like a virus, resilient, highly contagious. The smallest seed of an idea can grow. It can grow to define or destroy you.”

 
Rank: 57 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

264 Followers and Counting

#56: Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

28 Friday Nov 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 
Rank: 57 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

259 Followers and Counting

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

25 Tuesday Nov 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 
Rank: 56 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

255 Followers and Counting

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

22 Saturday Nov 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 
Rank: 56 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

255 Followers and Counting

#71: Jumanji (1995)

13 Thursday Nov 2014

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Son of a shoe mogul, young Alan Parrish
Finds a board game
With the power to maim,
Jumanji its name.
Sucked into jungles with no one to cherish,
He disappears
And meets his worst fears
For twenty-six years.
 
Peter and Judy, two modern-day youths,
Start playing as well,
And the game raises hell
They cannot dispel.
Alan is freed and must face the hard truths:
His family did fade;
The town has decayed,
But the game must be played.
 
Finding his old playmate Sarah, they try
To finish the game,
And dangers untame
Distract from their aim.
Perils abound, which they cannot defy,
Hunters, stampedes,
And overgrown weeds,
But no one concedes.
 
Nearing the end, Alan rolls the last dice.
He wins as a man,
And according to plan,
All is as it began.
Jumanji must go, that unbearable vice,
But Alan’s set right,
And his future is bright,
Yet the game’s not done quite.
_________________
 

Jumanji was one of my favorite family films while growing up. Based on Chris Van Allsburg’s picture book with a much simpler story, it succeeds in summoning the same magic that highlights Van Allsburg’s books, namely the “what if” quality of fantasy. What if a giant locomotive stops in the middle of the street outside one’s door on Christmas Eve? What if one’s house were transported into outer space? What if monkeys and stampedes were to suddenly appear in one’s home? Yet Jumanji also boasts an entertaining story to accompany the images, with much more enjoyable characters than its science fiction follow-up Zathura.

Of course, in light of his recent death, all Robin Williams films now hold a touch of sadness, but Jumanji allowed him a (mostly) serious role that was still accessible to the child audience. Though the idea of being sucked into a board game has a silly quality that is touched on, Williams depicts the realistic loss and loneliness which someone in that position would necessarily endure. Bonnie Hunt is also endearing as his traumatized friend Sarah, while a young Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce play Judy and Peter, the only players from the original book. Just as Hans Conried voiced both Mr. Darling and Captain Hook in Disney’s Peter Pan, Jonathan Hyde plays both Alan’s father and his confrontational hunter Van Pelt, with a much more obvious parental parallel between the two. David Alan Grier is also hilarious as Officer Carl, whose reactions to the ever-increasing damage to his car are priceless.

The computer-generated imagery was still cutting-edge for 1995 but sadly hasn’t completely aged well. Though the jungle mayhem is still impressive and entertaining, it’s all clearly effects, particularly the monkeys and the giant spider puppets. Even so, children are more forgiving of such things; as a kid and adult, I still enjoyed every minute of this film (except that spider part—ugghhh).

Offering excitement, humor, and a bearded Robin Williams for all ages, Jumanji is a rollicking good time. As the chaos piles up, so does the danger, as well as the fun for those of us not experiencing it. And aside from the endorsement of child/parent harmony, the film also teaches an important moral: never play with strange items found buried and locked in an ancient chest. Lesson learned.

Best line: (gun store owner, when the pith-helmeted Van Pelt is eagerly purchasing a replacement weapon) “You’re not a postal worker, are you?”

 
Rank: 55 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

245 Followers and Counting

#73: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

11 Tuesday Nov 2014

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James Kirk’s now an admiral, doling out tests,
And rests in the comfort and peace he detests.
He’s told that he should not have taken promotions
That left him too high up to ply the space oceans.
 
Meanwhile, pal Chekhov is helping to seek
A dead planet needed for mankind to tweak.
The Genesis project could give it new life,
But he just finds Khan, who is mourning his wife.
 
The vengeful space criminal has one intent:
To murder Jim Kirk, who marooned him and went.
He brainwashes Chekhov and lures Enterprise,
But Kirk’s ingenuity staves off demise.
 
Kirk finds Carol Marcus and David (his son!),
The founders of Genesis and its dry run.
Though Khan believes he has entrapped his old foe,
Kirk’s one step ahead, as he was years ago.
 
Their final showdown in a nebula, blind,
Sees Kirk supersede Khan’s superior mind,
But desperate revenge is a dangerous threat,
And only Spock’s sacrifice saves, with regret.
 
The Genesis process creates a new sphere,
And Kirk sees his friend to the final frontier.
They bid him farewell to the Genesis planet.
The franchise can’t possibly carry on, can it?
_________________
 

Some people measure the success of a Star Trek film by how memorable the villain is (which doesn’t work for The Voyage Home, incidentally), but The Wrath of Khan is easily the best on that scale. Ricardo Montalban’s fusion of menace and intelligence is the highlight of the film, and not even Benedict Cumberbatch could quite match his vengeful charisma.

Revenge is one of the best motivators for a villain, but it’s difficult to pull off effectively. The setup that fuels the villain’s rage is typically either rushed through or else merely implied, but Star Trek’s status as a television series put its films in a unique position to revisit old adversaries already long-established. Like Kirk, audiences hadn’t seen Khan for fifteen years, and it was easy to imagine how his hatred for his forsaker must have grown over the years, especially with the death of his wife (I assume, Lieutenant McGivers from “Space Seed”). Though he and Kirk never actually meet face to face, their tense exchanges, calling each other “my old friend,” far surpass any other hero/villain relationship from the franchise.

Of course, the other game-changer that Wrath of Khan threw at audiences (other than the revelation of Kirk’s son) was the death of a main cast member, and not just any member, but Mr. Spock himself. Leonard Nimoy actually wanted his character to die, and though it seemed like it could have been the end of Star Trek, the filmmakers set up little clues that a sequel was certainly feasible. Luckily, the promise of the director’s chair lured Nimoy back to his pointy-eared persona, and so far he’s the only original cast member to still be playing his alter ego by appearing in J. J. Abrams’s reboot. (By the way, I had totally forgotten that the 2009 Star Trek’s inclusion of the Kobayashi Maru test and Kirk’s cheating was drawn straight from Wrath of Khan; now that’s how to please your fan base.)

True, the special effects aren’t all that impressive, even with a groundbreaking CGI sequence detailing the Genesis effect, but The Wrath of Khan was such a huge improvement over the dreadfully plodding first film that it effectively re-energized the entire Star Trek empire. If not for this film, there probably would have been no more films, no Next Generation, no Deep Space Nine, no Voyager! For Trek fans everywhere, Khan’s rancor served as a reminder of just how entertaining and indelible Star Trek could be.

Best line (which is echoed in his death scene): (Spock) “In any case, were I to invoke logic, logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”
(Kirk) “Or the one.”
(Spock) “You are my superior officer. You are also my friend. I have been and always shall be yours.”
 
Rank: 55 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

243 Followers and Counting

#75: Speed (1994)

09 Sunday Nov 2014

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An elevator stranded by a greedy bomber’s bomb
Attracts the LA SWAT team that must keep the riders calm.
Jack Traven and his partner Harry follow Traven’s gut
And rescue all the passengers before they meet the nut.
 
They think the wacko killed himself, but he has other plans.
He still wants ransom money in his trigger-pushing hands.
He poses Jack a challenge in a bomb-conveying bus,
Which cannot dare to slow down once it reaches 50+.
 
Jack rushes to the bus, which went too fast and now is armed,
And anxious Annie has to drive lest everyone be harmed.
Through traffic jams, unfinished roads, and skittish passengers,
They reach the airport and outsmart this worst of saboteurs.
 
They set a trap for Howard Payne, the ex-cop with a grudge,
But he holds Annie wired, daring Jack to give a nudge.
The subway takes the villain out, but Jack is forced to choose
To stay with Annie through a crash (until she takes a cruise).
__________________
 

Speed could have been a low point for action movies, a one-trick pony predicated on a single unlikely gimmick: a bus can’t drop below 50 mph or it explodes. Instead, it became one of the staples of the genre, one that milked its hair-raising scenario for all it was worth and joined the likes of Die Hard and the Terminator films as one of the great actioners. Though some of the set pieces lean on the outlandish side, there’s also a gripping reality to the circumstances, and it never lapses into the deadened routine of some films, as if no one is in any true danger. From the opening nightmare of an elevator collapse to the many close calls aboard Bus 2525, Speed is still a white-knuckle thrill ride that never gets old.

One of the film’s best points is the strong casting of the main three: Keanu Reeves as fearless bomb squad hero Jack, Sandra Bullock as vulnerable Wildcat Annie, and Dennis Hopper as disgruntled nutcase Howard Payne. The characters of Jack and Annie could have been flat and banal (like the leads in Speed 2), but Reeves and Bullock inject the right amount of perceptive humor and improvisational heroism to carry the film alone. Add in Hopper, an excellent “crazy” actor, as a seemingly omniscient antagonist, and the entire bombastic package is thrilling from beginning to end. Most of the passengers aren’t big names (the elderly Oriental man, now 100 years old, was actually an animator for some of Walt Disney’s early films), but I can’t resist saying, “Look, there’s Cameron” at Alan Ruck’s presence.

Between the stunts and the riveting Mark Mancina score, Speed is still just as entertaining as it was twenty years ago, minus the frequent profanity and the villain’s gruesome end. (As a minor point, the final line ends the film on a flat note for me, since I don’t think sex alone is any more reliable a foundation for a relationship than an intense situation. No wonder it didn’t last long.) The film spawned a much-maligned sequel aboard a ship that wasn’t that bad but couldn’t match the intensity of the original, especially minus Reeves. Most action films lately try to go over-the-top with the violent energy, but few even come close to the joy ride of Speed.

Best line: (Jack, to Annie) “Miss, can you handle this bus?” (Annie) “Oh, sure. It’s just like driving a really big Pinto.”

 
Rank: 55 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

243 Followers and Counting

#82: Aladdin (1992)

02 Sunday Nov 2014

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(Best sung to “Arabian Nights”)
 
In a kingdom long past, in the great Agrabah,
The vizier has a villainous plan.
In the rarest of caves,
There’s a lamp that he craves,
But Jafar first requires a young man.
 
This Aladdin is poor, but he meets the princess;
Jasmine’s drawn to his freedom and charm.
He is tricked by Jafar
To dare where wonders are,
And one slip nearly brings him to harm.
 
Though trapped in the cave,
The agreeable tramp
Obtains wishes three
From a joking Genie
When he brushes his lamp.
 
Becoming a prince,
Al deceives everyone.
He wins Jasmine’s heart
And reveals Jafar’s art
Of deception he’s spun.
 
When Jafar gets the lamp
And indulges his greed,
He is tricked into jail,
Al and Jasmine prevail,
And the Genie is freed.
_______________
 

Created during the upswing of Disney’s animation Renaissance, Aladdin continued the high quality of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. For a while, I considered it rather overrated, but recent viewings have proven that it is indeed a diamond in Disney’s collection. Much of the film’s success goes to the late, great Robin Williams as the frenetic Genie. For my generation, Aladdin was the first introduction to Williams’s delirious brand of humor, so fast-paced and jammed with impressions, puns, and comedic asides that re-watches are a must. The animation complements his frenzied personality, allowing the character to transform and dart around with abandon. His “all-powerful” status also allows for countless anachronisms, including Middle Eastern cliché revisions (“Wake up and smell the hummus”) and references to The Little Mermaid and Pinocchio. (Interestingly, some locations that Aladdin and Jasmine visit during “A Whole New World” foreshadowed upcoming Disney releases, like Hercules and Mulan.)

Of course, the soundtrack was also very well-received, earning Aladdin two Oscars for Best Score and Best Song for ”A Whole New World,” one of Disney’s best romantic duets. The Genie’s frenzied appeal highlights “A Friend Like Me” and “Prince Ali,” and “Arabian Nights” lived on as the theme song of the Aladdin TV series. While not my favorite of the Disney soundtracks, it is nevertheless fun and engaging.

Though none of the characters are as colorful as Genie, most are well-drawn and complex. As a male protagonist, Aladdin himself changes up Disney’s usual princess model, and Jasmine is a worthy addition to the roster of strong princesses. Sounding not unlike Vincent Price, Jonathan Freeman’s Jafar is also a formidable villain, able to make the word “boo boo” into something sinister. Aladdin also boasts one of the greatest number of individual sidekicks that I’ve counted: besides Genie, there’s Abu and the magic carpet for Aladdin, Raja the tiger for Jasmine, and Iago (a priceless Gilbert Gottfried) for Jafar.

Between the music, character dynamics, and brisk comedy, Aladdin deserves its reputation as one of Disney’s great successes; even this year, it spawned a Broadway musical. Oh, that Disney could return to these glory days!

Best line: (Genie, when first awakened) “Oy! Ten thousand years will give you such a crick in the neck!”

 
Rank: 54 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

237 Followers and Counting

 

#83: Saints and Soldiers (2003)

01 Saturday Nov 2014

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At Malmedy, the prisoners
Were massacred among the firs.
Survivors fled, though only four,
Content to hide and nothing more
Behind the German lines adverse,
 
Until a Brit convinces all
To risk their lives through snowy pall,
More lives to save from waning war
In snowy squall.
 
Camaraderie begins to grow
Among the outfit, lying low.
Through losses testing faith and nerve,
They carry on, like all who serve,
And gain perspective on the foe
From those who fall.
_______________
 

Who knew that a war movie made by Mormons would become one of my favorites of the whole genre? I watched Saints and Soldiers with low, if any, expectations and was completely enthralled by its powerful story. Set around real-life events, like the Malmedy massacre and the Battle of the Bulge, the film incorporates several true anecdotes into its tale of five soldiers behind enemy lines.

Though none of the actors are well-known stars, the entire film centers on its character development and excels at it: faithful but traumatized Deacon, coolheaded Gunderson, cigarette-craving Kendrick, suspicious doctor Gould, and swaggering Brit Winley. Every exchange provides either insights into their characters or humorous incidents that endear them to the audience and to each other. The writers throw in deftly written dialogue cues about each character’s “secret” and backstory that work even better than flashbacks would. By the time some of them give “their last full measure of devotion,” we feel as if we know most of them and are shaken by the loss as much as their fellow soldiers. Many movies have attempted such emotional direction, but Saints and Soldiers succeeds, at least for me.

For a low-budget production, the film boasts surprisingly genuine performances; stunning winter cinematography; a stirring, patriotic score; and a number of period details, from military costumes to antique vehicles, which add to its overall authenticity. One well-handled aspect is its Christian message; yes, it features somewhat of an evangelistic subplot, but it is never preachy and could have indeed happened out on the battlefield. Deacon is written as a Mormon from Snowflake, Arizona (“Doesn’t drink. Doesn’t smoke. He doesn’t even like coffee.”), but the only explicit elements of his faith are his reading of a small book (probably a Bible) and a brief, interrupted prayer. His faith acts as a complement to the story rather than the main focus and in the end is affirmed in a satisfying and realistic way.

Of course, there are also the usual explosions and battle scenes necessary in a war movie, and though many die and it is certainly intense, the violence is brief and restrained. Modern war films too often delve into the overly gritty, gory details that make war hell, claiming truthfully that it is “realistic,” but Saints and Soldiers achieves the same impact and emotion without profanity and without depicting heads blown off and blood spurting.

A lesser-known classic, Saints and Soldiers is a powerful, character-driven fight for survival that doesn’t demonize the enemy nor idealize the heroes and ought to be a model for other war films.

 
Rank: 54 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

237 Followers and Counting

 

#84: Aliens (1986)

31 Friday Oct 2014

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When Ripley and her dormant cat are woken from their sleep,
She learns that decades have elapsed while she was counting sheep.
The Company through Burke assures her everything is fine;
The hostile sphere she visited shows no unfriendly sign.
Though she insists an alien originated there,
Burke tells her that a colony was founded with no scare.
 
But when contact is lost with it, Burke wants to check it out,
Convincing Ripley to advise, despite initial doubt.
She meets some swaggering marines, all eager for offense,
And android Bishop, whom she hates from past experience.
The colony is empty, though there clearly was a fight,
And only Newt, a shaken girl, survived the violent fright.
 
Their search for captured colonists in dark and sticky halls
Soon threatens their survival as the creatures climb the walls.
Their numbers are diminished, and when they attempt to leave,
Their landing ship is totaled; it’s game over, they believe.
Retreating to the building where they hole up to prepare,
They learn that Burke had other plans he did not want to share.
 
He tries to salvage his whole plan and traps Ripley and Newt
With two facehuggers in a room with nothing they can shoot.
The two are rescued just in time for everything they feared,
Which thins the herd to only three when Newt is commandeered.
The complex is about to blow, but Ripley follows Newt,
Retrieving her and ticking off the alien queen to boot.
 
Though Bishop swoops in just in time to clear them of the blast,
The queen appears on board the ship to menace to the last.
Within a power loader, Ripley fights the ugly face
Until she blows the giant nightmare into outer space.
The few survivors settle down for travel stasis then,
And Ripley’s free of aliens…until she wakes again.
_________________
 

How convenient that a sci-fi horror should fall on Halloween! Just as James Cameron turned his unnerving The Terminator into a slam-bang actioner, he traded the ominous chills of Ridley Scott’s Alien for all-out combat (and added an s) for its sequel.  In doing so, he created one of the best of all three genres: action, horror, and science fiction. Aliens has reckless gun fights, punk Marines, and giant explosions, coupled with claustrophobic interiors, spidery stalkers, and a terrifying addition to the lineup of giant movie monsters. All of it combines to keep hearts racing in every scene (and perhaps a little the following night as well).

In films like this, most of the characters are mere afterthoughts meant to be exterminated, but Cameron succeeds in creating memorable individuals amid all the hysteria. Bill Paxton’s panicky Hudson, Paul Reiser’s weasely Burke, Jenette Goldstein’s brawny Vasquez, and Michael Biehn’s level-headed Hicks feel like real characters amid all the action, even though they lack the mundane setup of the first film’s victims. Lance Henriksen’s Bishop tows the line between creepy and reliable, thankfully offering the opposite of the original’s Ash. Above all, Sigourney Weaver continues her compelling role of Ripley and gets an opportunity to display motherly tenacity as she bonds with the traumatized Newt. Her fierce performance even gained her an unforeseen Oscar nomination.

For still being a fairly new director at the time, James Cameron brilliantly recaptures the mood of the original while intensifying it in some ways. How do you enhance a creature feature? Answer: by turning one monstrosity into hundreds. What’s more affecting for an audience than a cat in danger? Answer: a child in danger. Although it’s much more fast-paced than the original, there’s still plenty of nightmare fodder, particularly some now iconic scenes, like the aliens crawling through the ceiling or one rising up behind Newt.

Aliens also stands in my memory as the first film in which I heard the F-word. That could have been cause for me to dislike it, but ignoring the profanity, the chest-bursting, and the character being torn in half, the movie’s thrilling entertainment value makes up for these negative aspects and leaves the first film in the dust. My VC also loves the film, even though she had to check under her bed after first viewing it. This was the Alien franchise’s high point (don’t bother with the other sequels) and a high point in multiple genres.

Best line: (Hudson) “That’s it, man. Game over, man! Game over!”

 
Rank: 54 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

236 Followers and Counting