Tag Archives: Drama

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

22 Saturday Feb 2020

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

See the source image

The engines start,
The motors roar;
They tear apart
Their brief rapport.
Upon their tails
And on all sides,
The cause of fails
In patience rides.
The bends are aced,
And straightaways
See dust and haste
And sing their praise.
And time slows down
While speed ticks up,
The goal no crown,
Award, or cup.
Instead, the flag,
The finish line,
The right to brag,
The chance to shine,
And here it comes
The dream ahead,
As straight now as an arrowhead,
The end of a road of adrenaline dread,
To which all the hopes of a lifetime have led,
Victory, the alpha’s zed!
___________________________________-

MPA ranking: PG-13 (for language)

I have a confession to make: I have very close to zero interest in cars and racing, which seems like it would be a prerequisite to enjoy a movie about said topics. Yet Ford v Ferrari comes closer than I’d expected in making such subjects interesting to someone like me, who never even knew Ford and Ferrari had a rivalry.

See the source image

The story focuses on the efforts of two racing legends working toward creating a Ford that can compete with Ferrari and win the 24-hour race of Le Mans. (Another name for the film in Europe is Le Mans ’66.) Matt Damon plays Carroll Shelby, the first American to win Le Mans, whose racing days are behind him but who is recruited by Ford’s Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) to redesign the GT40. His first choice for a driver is Ken Miles (Christian Bale), whose volatile passion and lack of tact put him at odds with the Ford Motor Company’s executives.

Ford v Ferrari is an easy movie to like and has been called a destined favorite for many Father’s Days to come. Luckily, while racing itself is the climax, there’s a lot more going on than just racing. In particular, the engineering efforts by Shelby’s crew recall the problem-solving tone of Hidden Figures, and Shelby’s conflicts with Ford executives make a case for trusting the doers over the corporate meddlers. Then there’s the illuminating of a lesser-known slice of history regarding Ford’s attempted buyout of Ferrari, as well as the heartwarming bond between Miles and his son (Noah Jupe of A Quiet Place). All in all, it comes together quite nicely, and even non-racing fans like me had plenty to cheer for during the big race.

See the source image

I liked Ford v Ferrari more than I expected, but it’s still a film for which I don’t feel much passion. Its 2½-hour length could have benefited from editing, and the ultimate ending is more downbeat than the rest. It strikes me as a good film that probably wouldn’t have gotten a Best Picture nomination if the Academy had the old rules keeping it to five nominees, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Damon and especially Bale (getting to use his British accent) deliver excellent performances and standout scenes, especially when Shelby explains to Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) why he should let him continue on the project after an initial failure. The plot offers dream-chasing uplift and an easygoing sense of fun that made me forget I don’t care for racing movies. That, to me, makes it the best kind of racing movie.

Best line: (Shelby) “When I was 10 years old, my Pops said, ‘Son, it’s a truly lucky man who knows what he wants to do in this world. ‘Cause that man will never work a day in his life.’”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
661 Followers and Counting

 

Weathering with You (2019)

16 Sunday Feb 2020

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

See the source image

The greatest threats and greatest wonders have their source within the sky,
Tornados with their whistle cry
And rainbows ere the air is dry,
Yet next to you, the marvels there have barely even caught my eye.

The storm can crash, the thunder clap, attempting to arrest my view,
But, whether sky be black or blue,
The sun will part the clouds on cue.
The rain will never fall as hard as I have fallen now for you.
_____________________

MPAA rating: PG-13 (for peril and brief nudity)

Weathering with You was #4 on last year’s list of My Top Twelve 2019 Movies I Hope Are Good, so it killed me that I had to wait until 2020 to finally see it in the theater. Makoto Shinkai had one of the toughest directorial challenges of the year, creating a follow-up to Your Name, which is still the highest-grossing anime of all time. How could Weathering with You possibly match Shinkai’s last emotional, artful powerhouse? Well, it doesn’t quite, but, boy, does it comes closer than I would have thought possible, leaving little doubt that Shinkai is in a class of his own when it comes to anime.

See the source image

Shinkai’s films have been notable for their amazingly detailed depiction of rain, in The Garden of Words especially, and Weathering with You fits perfectly in his oeuvre as the most rain-centric film yet. Hodaka is a teenage runaway, fleeing to the bustling metropolis of Tokyo with little plan and finding himself homeless in the midst of an extended rainstorm. After finding employment with a small-time tabloid publisher, Hodaka investigates the legend of the “weather maiden” (or “sunshine girl” in the very good English dub), someone whose prayers can part the clouds and bring out the sun once more. He finds her in Hina, a girl who helped him when he was struggling, and together they turn her ability into a business, clearing the weather for events. However, Hodaka’s past and the secret behind Hina’s ability threaten them both and possibly the world as well.

As with all of Shinkai’s work, the hand-drawn visuals in Weathering with You are absolutely gorgeous, with an attention to detail that puts most other 2D animation to shame. One sequence of fireworks is awe-inspiring. Likewise, anyone who enjoyed the soundtrack of Your Name, provided by the Japanese band RADWIMPS, will be pleased at their second team-up for a Shinkai project. I’m now used to the director’s music-video-like interludes that felt a bit jarring in Your Name, and they serve to highlight the songs, which in turn complement the visuals. It’s a common conceit in anime openings for characters to be shown falling through the sky, often for no apparent reason; Weathering with You not only gives a good reason but makes the scene a brilliant climax of emotion and, backed by the song “Grand Escape,” gave me genuine goose bumps.

See the source image

Animation isn’t everything, though, right? There has to be a good story and likable characters as well, and Shinkai provides those too. Hodaka and Hina aren’t quite on the same level of star-crossed YA lovers as Taki and Mitsuha in Your Name, but they’re still a cute pair worth rooting for, while the rest of the cast are enjoyably colorful as well, from Hina’s Casanova younger brother to Hodaka’s pragmatic employer. The plot does borrow some elements from Your Name – desperate running, a climactic reunion, a sudden separation that doesn’t hit quite as hard this time, a supernatural cause based in Shintoism that isn’t explained as well as I’d like – yet it’s far from a lazy copy, more like a director in his thematic comfort zone. Shinkai has stated that the story was influenced by climate change fears, which are evident by the end even if the point being made about it isn’t exactly clear, but it’s interesting and gratifying how his characters make a case for the value of the individual over collective concerns, which he thought might be controversial.

Weathering with You’s biggest problem is that it will inevitably be compared to Your Name, and it’s true that it would probably be even more impressive than it is if it hadn’t been preceded by a record-smashing older brother. (Granted, Shinkai does lean into the comparison at times, like a wink to the fans, which made me and my fellow theater-goers giddy.) Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed Weathering with You and highly recommend it, even to non-anime fans. After Your Name was spurned for a Best Animated Feature nomination at the Oscars three years ago, it’s a similar travesty that Weathering with You was also unjustly overlooked. It may be Shinkai’s third best film in my estimation, but with charming characters, stunning animation, impactful music, and a poignant story, it’s further proof of his films’ greatest strengths.

See the source image

Best line: (Hodaka, to Hina) “Who cares if we can’t see any sunshine? I want you more than any blue sky.”

 

Rank: List-Worthy

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
660 Followers and Counting

 

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

13 Thursday Feb 2020

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

See the source image

A fairy tale, as you’re aware,
Can happen almost anywhere,
In magic kingdoms, foreign strands,
Or city streets in local lands.

It may be grim and end in tears,
To make more prudent those with ears,
But too much dark and dire can be
Too kindred to reality.

Imagination is the rule
For fairy tales, carefree or cruel,
And I, for one, prefer the kind
That plants a smile in my mind.
_____________________

MPA rating: R

I’ve never had much interest in Quentin Tarantino’s films. When a director is known for violence and cursing, I tend to steer clear, and if it weren’t for Regal Theatres’ deal for all the Best Picture nominees, I probably wouldn’t have bothered with Once upon a Time in Hollywood. In the case of Pulp Fiction, the only other Tarantino film I’ve seen, I came to the conclusion that I liked how he presented the content but not the content itself, and his latest film fits that description, though to a lesser degree. Pulp Fiction at least felt daring and inventive; Once upon a Time in Hollywood buries its lack of substance under charisma and polish, which just isn’t enough.

See the source image

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Rick Dalton, a washed-up TV actor whose big Western role in the show Bounty Law is behind him, leaving him in fear of a lackluster future of guest spots and Spaghetti Westerns. Brad Pitt is Cliff Booth, his easygoing friend/driver/stunt double who may or may not have killed his wife. (He’s the most likable character, so I guess we’re not supposed to care about the answer?) In 1969, Dalton lives next door to successful director Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha) and his wife Sharon Tate (a radiant Margot Robbie), while the Manson Family cult bides its time at nearby Spahn Ranch.

All of that information is simply the set-up, but the bulk of the film is made up of rambling vignettes that could have been episodes in a mini-series. Dalton puts his full effort into an important guest role, Booth makes an unnerving visit to Spahn Ranch, Tate enjoys her success as an actress, and much of it is good-natured and entertaining. I especially liked a few scenes between Dalton and a precocious young co-star who gives him the encouragement he needs, and the Oscar-winning production design certainly looks great, capturing the hippie presence and Hollywood glamour of L.A. in the 1960s. All the actors seem to comfortably fit their characters to a T, particularly Pitt, though I’m not sure what was so worthy of a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

See the source image

Yet for all its attention to capturing the period, the plot is annoyingly hollow. Tarantino rarely holds back on the profanity, but his trademark violence is thankfully restrained for most of the film. However, the “grand” finale, offering a what-if scenario of the Manson murders, is so over-the-top (flamethrower, anyone?) that I lost respect for much of what came before. By the end, nothing is resolved with Rick and Cliff’s relationship and the “What now?” feeling that preceded the climax, and the “happy” ending just felt weird, making me wonder what the point of all this was, except for an indulgent walk down memory lane.

As I said, I’m no Tarantino expert, but his historically based films seem to thrive on redirected violence. In the case of this film, the Manson Family were such horrible human beings that we’re supposed to get satisfaction at their own violence being perpetrated back at them, which is a morally repugnant idea. Glorifying others’ suffering, however deserved it may be, isn’t something to enjoy, and the film’s climax is a jarring set piece that ruined its entertainment value for me. I suspect that Tarantino is simply not for me, even if I can recognize the cinematic skill on display, though even his famed talent for dialogue seems uninspired for the most part. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the kind of film that has a few great scenes but is far from a great whole.

See the source image

Best line: (Narrator) “When you come to the end of the line, with a buddy who is more than a brother and a little less than a wife, getting blind drunk together is really the only way to say farewell.”

 

Rank: Dishonorable Mention

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
660 Followers and Counting

Little Women (2019)

09 Sunday Feb 2020

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

See the source image

(I may not have been able to review all the Best Picture nominees before the Oscars ceremony tonight, but I assure you they’re all coming down the pipeline.)

Men have always dominated
History and stories told.
In the meantime, women waited
For the day, ordained and fated,
That the whole world could behold
The stories they illuminated.

A new perspective, underrated,
Now has found its own foothold,
Different, same, and liberated,
Making man, a bit belated,
Wonder why he’d undersold
The tales that females had created.
___________________

MPA rating: PG

Confession time: I’ve never seen any of the seven film versions of Little Women, and I’ve only ever read an abridged version. Thus, I had little investment in Greta Gerwig’s latest adaptation of the famed Louisa May Alcott novel, no preconceptions or overly high expectations, and I must say that I found it an absolute delight. Greta Gerwig has cemented herself as one of the foremost female directors working today, and she brings the potentially dated material of a 151-year-old novel to invigorating life.

See the source image

The little women of the title are, of course, the March sisters, Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Amy (Florence Pugh), Meg (Emma Watson), and Beth (Eliza Scanlan), who gradually mature into womanhood over the span of seven years. Through familial joys and trials, petty disagreements, romantic pursuits, and the chasing of dreams, their stories carry something that everyone can relate to and never lose the sense of semi-autobiographical genuineness. (I always identify with struggling writer characters, so Jo was my favorite of the family.) Gerwig reinvents the plot with nonlinear flashbacks, jumping back and forth and making it sometimes unclear what’s happening when, but it is used effectively in contrasting the story’s happiest moment with its saddest.

In many ways, Little Women feels like the kind of movie Hollywood doesn’t make anymore. As the first PG-rated Best Picture nominee since Hidden Figures in 2016, it was refreshing to watch a completely clean entry in the Oscar race that deserves its place. (Why it was largely snubbed by the Golden Globes, I don’t know.) Its period detail and costumes are impeccable, and every actress is at the top of her game, Ronan especially. The difference of seven years isn’t always convincing, particularly with Watson and Scanlan who always looked the same to me, but Pugh manages to make her maturation the most convincing as her bratty behavior evolves with time.

See the source image

While I wish I had something to compare it to, it’s hard to imagine another version of Little Women surpassing this one in my eyes. It’s made me want to read the book (a measure of success for any novel adaptation), if only to see how much of the wonderful and insightful dialogue was from the book, or else embellished by Gerwig. The film manages to give voice to more modern feminist sentiments while remaining faithful and old-fashioned in the best way. By the end, it offered a sense of humor, joy, fullness, and satisfaction that few films engender these days. Little Women made me glad that such wholesome films can still be made today, without subversion or dark revisionism, and even if it has been overshadowed by the competition, it deserves every bit of praise.

Best lines: (Meg, to Jo) “Just because my dreams are not the same as yours doesn’t mean they’re unimportant.”

And

(Marmee) “But do you love him?”
(Jo, tearing up) “I know that I care more to be loved. I want to be loved.”
(Marmee) “That is not the same as loving.”

 

Rank: List-Worthy

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
659 Followers and Counting

 

1917 (2019)

05 Wednesday Feb 2020

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

See the source image

Two trenches crouched down in the dank and the mud,
Lest either lose more of their denizens’ blood.
The atmosphere over the land in between
Was thick with a rot that could not be washed clean.

And on either side, in the dirt corridors,
The weary ones wondered what worst case of wars
Their countries had sent them to, no thought at all
Of whether the winnings were worth their downfall.

They’d wait in their crack, being battered and mortared;
They’d shoot and attack as their higher-ups ordered;
They’d march into hell, knowing where but not why,
And let God decide who should live or else die.
_______________________

MPA rating:  R (for violence and profanity)

It’s funny that I’ve been watching the Best Picture nominees during the lead-up to the Oscars, yet I don’t seem to have much time to actually review them. But eventually, I’ll get to them all, starting with Sam Mendes’ World War I epic 1917. The last time I did this Best Picture Film Festival with Regal Cinemas was in 2016, and the last nominee I saw in the theater was my favorite, La La Land. This time, my favorite may well be the first I’ve seen because I’ll be very pleasantly surprised if anything manages to surpass Mendes’ cinematic achievement.

See the source image

I’m always astounded by the skill on display whenever a film or TV show tackles an extended tracking shot. I get this weird giddy thrill at watching the camera seamlessly dance around the action and wondering how long the filmmakers will be able to keep it up. While not the first to attempt it (I really ought to check out Birdman some time), 1917 boasts some of the most ambitious tracking shots of all time, allowing the audience to run and trudge and float across the battlefields of France, following two British soldiers (George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman) on an urgent mission. They must deliver a message across enemy territory to stop another battalion from advancing into a German trap, a unit that includes the brother of one of the young men.

Playing out in real time but for a single time skip, the story is simple but oh so effective. What Saving Private Ryan did for World War II, 1917 does for World War I, making it feel immediate and in-the-moment rather than some distant conflict in the annals of history. It also manages to be surprisingly comprehensive in its depiction, despite the apparent time limitation. We, the audience, accompany Lance Corporals Blake and Schofield every step of the way, from the teeming trenches to the body-strewn No Man’s Land to the ravaged countryside to the explosive danger of going “over the top” into battle. It’s an awesome journey, and, for me at least, the two friends’ quest seemed to echo that of Frodo and Sam in The Lord of the Rings – No Man’s Land certainly brought to mind their trek through Mordor or the Dead Marshes – which is something Tolkien tried to explicitly evoke in its World War I flashbacks with less success.

Some have complained that the continuous Steadicam choreography becomes too much of a distracting gimmick, but that’s a matter of opinion. It’s so seamless that I began to not notice it at all, every so often realizing, “Hey, there’s still been no cuts,” at which point my admiration for the film only increased. The presence of some celebrated actors in small roles was a treat too, including Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and Benedict Cumberbatch. Despite the R rating, it’s also not as violent as I had feared; it does have its brutal moments, focusing more on the aftermath of war rather than the mid-battle carnage of Saving Private Ryan or Hacksaw Ridge, but it was an easier watch for me.

See the source image

1917 is more than just a movie; it’s an experience, one worth taking on the big screen, where the tension and explosions and logistical wizardry and Roger Deakins’ poetic cinematography and Thomas Newman’s glorious score can best be appreciated. I still have three more nominees to see, but 1917 is my preference to win Best Picture. It’s a shoo-in for the technical awards, and I rather wish George MacKay could have gotten an acting nomination too. It deserves its place in cinema history.

Best line: (General Erinmore, quoting Rudyard Kipling’s “The Winners”) “Down to Gehenna or up to the Throne, he travels the fastest who travels alone.”

 

Rank:  List-Worthy

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
659 Followers and Counting

 

Yesterday (2019)

31 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

See the source image

Yesterday, I knew my worth,
Which wasn’t much, I must admit,
But now today, of all on Earth,
I see a hole in which I fit.

It seems that I alone can see,
Can know, can do what others can’t,
And filling such a role, for me,
Is quite a gift for God to grant.

I cannot help but feel at times
That I’m perhaps a hypocrite,
But won’t it be the worst of crimes
To take a gift and stifle it?
_____________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

I’m rarely the type of moviegoer who has to see a movie as soon as it comes out, unless it’s some hype-heavy series like Marvel or Star Wars, but I do wish I could have seen Yesterday in the theater, not because it’s that great and wonderful but because I could have seen it with my dad while he was still alive. Ever since the first trailer for Yesterday came out a year ago, I had high hopes for its brilliant premise of a musician waking up in a world where no one knows of the Beatles, especially since my dad was a huge Beatles fan. Yet as with most movies, we subconsciously decided to wait and see it on DVD, giving my dad’s cancer a chance to take him before he got the opportunity. “Yesterday came suddenly,” indeed.

See the source image

It’s hard for me not to associate this movie with the missed opportunity with my dad, but what of the film itself and its own merits? Well, it’s quite a decent charmer, made better by its celebrated soundtrack. There’s a popular Japanese genre called isekai, in which someone from our world is somehow transported to another, usually some fantasy realm with magic. In the case of struggling singer/songwriter Jack Malik (Himesh Patel), he awakens from a bike accident in an alternate world where significant bits of pop culture are missing, most notably the music of the Beatles. Seeing a morally gray opportunity, he passes off their songs as his own, becoming an overnight sensation and sparking mixed feelings in his long-time manager/crush Ellie (the always lovely Lily James).

Yesterday is pretty much exactly the British isekai that was promised in the trailers, but it didn’t exceed my expectations much or dive as deeply into its premise as it could have. Patel and James have good chemistry, and there are plenty of occasions for unexpected humor, such as the feedback from Jack’s producers about the more eccentric names from the Beatles’ discography. Ed Sheeran also puts in a good-natured cameo as himself, and there’s an unexpected moment toward the end that was surprisingly touching. There’s just something missing, and not just that they never play “Get Back” or “Drive My Car,” despite a good excuse to use the latter. It’s one of those puzzling films that feels like it should be better based on its brilliant premise, yet I can’t say I know how to improve it myself.

See the source image

One weakness is that the songs suffer somewhat from Patel’s solo covers. He’s a proper singer, but without the four-person harmonies and multiple instruments, it’s harder to see the strength of the songs alone rocketing Jack to the status of an overnight sensation. Nevertheless, I feel like my dad would have really enjoyed Yesterday. The strength of its core idea, likable actors and classic music are enough to make it an enjoyable, feel-good watch. There’s just a lingering sense that it could have been more.

Best line: “You want a good life? It’s not complicated. Tell the girl you love that you love her. And tell the truth to everyone whenever you can.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
659 Followers and Counting

 

Marriage Story (2019)

24 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

See the source image

Marriage is a second skin
That settles overtop the first,
And those who’ve worn it many years
Would hate it if reversed.

Yet many chafe beneath the weight
And wish their freedom to obtain,
And when their other half dissents,
The aftermath is pain.

To shed your skin, to slough it off,
Will sting regardless of rapport
And leave you feeling raw and naked,
Two-in-one no more.

When wholes made halves are commonplace,
Mere products of the great divorce,
We cannot help but be impressed
By those who stay the course.
________________________

MPAA rating: R (for much profanity)

It’s finally time to dive into the Oscar nominees for Best Picture! I plan to see most of them in the theater leading up to the ceremony on February 9, but luckily I was able to watch Marriage Story from the comfort of my couch. Thanks, Netflix! Marriage Story may be the most potent of films focusing on divorce, hard-hitting and honest about the strain it inflicts on two people who once loved each other and still may, if not for the divisiveness of the situation.

See the source image

Writer-director Noah Baumbach does something brilliant right from the start: from the very first sequence, he gets the audience to like both Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie Barber (Adam Driver), thanks to a counseling exercise where they describe the best aspects of each other. They both feel like real, kind, hard-working people and good parents to their son Henry (Azhy Robertson). Naturally, it goes downhill from there, since the two are already in the midst of a separation, Nicole taking Henry to L.A. for a TV role she landed while Charlie must divide his time between visits to L.A. and managing his Broadway play in New York. The introduction of lawyers (Laura Dern, Ray Liotta), who personify the “it’s not personal, it’s just business” mindset, only deepens the couple’s divide, sharpening their wills while breaking their hearts.

Like Fences back in 2016, Marriage Story is a film that I marveled at simply by the power of its acting, further strengthened by the incisiveness of Baumbach’s dialogue. Driver and Johansson prove they’re both masters of their craft, and it astounds me that they’re not the frontrunners in their respective award categories because I would just hand them the Oscar personally. The good will engendered for their characters right from the beginning goes a long way, especially since they both stoop to being petty and vindictive at times. The script does well to not choose sides, blaming the situation rather than only one party. At certain points, I felt more deeply for Charlie, yet he was the one who had an affair that led to all this. It’s a well-played balancing act and a heartrending one at that.

See the source image

I’ve never been through the pain of divorce, though the film made me think of when my parents had to live several states away from each other for a time and I’m grateful it didn’t lead to what Charlie and Nicole go through. Divorce is a messy business, and when neither side is a monster, it’s sad for everyone. Certain scenes are stand-outs, showcases for those eloquent emotional fireworks that earn Oscar buzz, including a surprising musical opportunity for Driver. The divorce themes also bring to mind 1979’s Kramer vs. Kramer, though with more focus on the adults rather than the father-son pair in that film. Marriage Story doesn’t offer much closure or a solution to its tale of relationship ruin, but it’s a candid, sometimes funny, often poignant story that many will find painfully relatable.

Best line: (Ted, a lawyer Charlie visits) “Criminal lawyers see bad people at their best. Divorce lawyers see good people at their worst.”

 

Rank: List-Worthy

 

© 2019 S.G. Liput
659 Followers and Counting

 

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

09 Thursday Jan 2020

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

See the source image

A long time ago, in a galaxy far,
A popular story began
Of sand-covered planets and creatures bizarre,
And ships that can travel from star unto star,
Of heroes and scoundrels who meet in a bar,
Of princesses, sages, and even Jar Jar,
And rebels who battle the way that things are.
Of such stories, I am a fan.

Yet stories must finish to make room for more.
All tales, great and small, say good-bye.
They thrill us with action and romance and war;
They shock and amaze with sights not seen before;
They spark controversy and trigger uproar;
They grant us new worlds with their mythos and lore
That lovers and haters alike can explore.
Their endings do not mean they die.
__________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

At long last! I had wanted to post this review before the New Year, but instead it gets to be my first review of 2020. Star Wars fans everywhere were eagerly anticipating the final installment in the Skywalker Saga, and the return of J.J. Abrams as director reassured many that it would be ended by a sure hand. Yet I was one of the few who really enjoyed Rian Johnson’s work on The Last Jedi and was hopeful that Abrams wouldn’t retcon it just because some fans were dissatisfied. Thus, I approached The Rise of Skywalker with hopeful but mixed feelings, and I walked away with satisfaction that has yielded somewhat to similarly mixed feelings.

See the source image

Since it was no secret in the trailers, posters, or the film’s opening crawl, I don’t mind revealing that Emperor Palpatine has returned. (Collective non-gasp!) With Supreme Leader Snoke dead and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) still wavering in his villainy, they had to bring back the original Big Bad, no matter how unlikely his survival seemed at the end of Return of the Jedi. Faced with an evil armada, Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe (Oscar Isaac) team up for the first time to track down a Sith planet and stop the un-dead Emperor.

The Rise of Skywalker is an unusual beast. I thoroughly enjoyed it in the theater and left satisfied, yet I knew then that I still liked The Last Jedi better. This latest film is an exercise in all things Star Wars – alien critters, good-at-heart criminals, explosive action, the redemption of bloodlines – all things I love, yet it also felt safe in a way The Last Jedi didn’t, with fewer laughs and impactful moments too. Not that I minded any of this while watching it, but as the Internet has since pointed out its flaws to me, somehow they annoy me more here than all the complaints over The Last Jedi did, perhaps because the previous film had the hope of a sequel making sense of things while this bears the weight of being a grand finale.

See the source image

I think J.J. Abrams was the right person for this job, but it sometimes felt like he was trying to “redeem” the previous film, for instance sidelining Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) almost completely. It was interesting, though, how it doubled down on the “new” things the Force was capable of; if you didn’t like that aspect of The Last Jedi, watch out. With Abrams at the helm, there’s much to appeal to fans, but every time something unexpected happens, it’s walked back to prevent offending those fans too much, you know, like that last movie. I am one of those fans, so I’m not sure if I should be relieved or bothered at being patronized like this. (However, Lost alert! I did appreciate a certain cameo from my favorite show.)

Boy, I sound like all those whiners over The Last Jedi. Yet unlike them, I can still say it was a great movie, warts and all, and a worthy conclusion to the Skywalker Saga. All the actors are in fine form, with the original cast (Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, etc.) provided a fitting send-off for their characters, including the late Carrie Fisher. It’s easily the messiest of the new trilogy, raising questions that are never answered and wearing its plot holes on its sleeve, and the storyline is all over the place. At one point, the main characters are searching for an object that has a clue to locate another object that will help them find a planet, yet the brisk pace and chemistry among the actors always sustain the fun of a good space adventure. There’s just something about Star Wars. It’s what made people turn out in droves for this movie despite the public disappointment in the previous one.

See the source image

I suppose the main problem with The Rise of Skywalker for me is how it changes the arc of the series as a whole, due to the return of the Emperor. The first two trilogies were about the fall and rise of Anakin Skywalker, but this trilogy makes it all seem more like the rise and fall of Palpatine. Perhaps that’s not so bad, but I doubt it’s what George Lucas had in mind. Even so, The Rise of Skywalker caps off an uneven but still thoroughly entertaining chapter of the Star Wars story, with impressive visuals and rousing action. Despite my gripes, I stand by my assertion that there has never been a Star Wars movie I haven’t enjoyed. Now we just need to wait twenty years or so for a new trilogy with an older Rey training a new generation of Jedi to fight another evil empire. In the meantime, may the Force be with you.

Best line: (Zorii Bliss, played by a masked Keri Russell) “That’s how they win… by making you think you’re alone.”

 

Rank: List-Worthy (joining The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi in my Top 100)

 

© 2019 S.G. Liput
659 Followers and Counting

 

2019 Blindspot Pick #12: Twenty Bucks (1993)

27 Friday Dec 2019

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

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

,

See the source image

The money that rolls from the printers of mints
Is not unlike people who leave fingerprints.
Each purchase takes part in a life barely known;
Each bill changing hands is a seed that is sown,
And what will grow from it, for good or for ill,
Depends on the spender, as always it will.
_____________________

MPAA rating: R (for language and an extended scene of nudity)

Despite repeatedly falling behind on my Blindspot list this year, I am officially caught up and finishing right on time! I don’t know how Twenty Bucks ended up being the last movie to watch, since I’ve had a curiosity about it for some time. As many of you might know, I’m quite partial to what I call Meet-‘Em-And-Move-On films, where we follow one person as others float in and out of their life (think Forrest Gump and Mr. Holland’s Opus). Twenty Bucks is exactly that kind of movie I so enjoy, with the difference of following an object, a $20 bill that is passed around through various people’s stories.

See the source image

There is no one main plot, but certain individuals matter more than others based on time spent with them and whether they pop up again later, including Brendan Fraser as an engaged man with poor judgment, Elizabeth Shue as an aspiring writer, Linda Hunt as a homeless lady desperate for a lotto ticket, and Christopher Lloyd and Steve Buscemi as a pair of small-time convenience store crooks. There’s a fun sense of chance, irony, and serendipity as the bill changes hands and incurs increasing damage from the surprisingly large and recognizable ensemble, which also includes Gladys Knight, William H. Macy, Matt Frewer, and David Schwimmer, all of whom do well with their limited screen time, especially Lloyd as a cool and professional criminal.

I must admit that, when it was over, I wasn’t instantly in love with Twenty Bucks. The circuitous plot and some characters’ strange decisions kept me appreciating the film at a distance, which wasn’t helped by an explicit and far too long nude scene. Given a couple days’ retrospect, though, my regard for the film has grown. At times, it wasn’t always clear how the stories would intersect or how the $20 bill would connect them, but that only served to hold my interest, and some of the connections weren’t made clear to me until the credits rolled. My natural appreciation for the genre has strengthened my fondness for this particular entry, and I liked how each story served as an example of what money could mean to different people: something to ruin relationships, something to threaten or kill for, something to pass on to your children, something to pin all your hopes and dreams on, and so forth.

See the source image

As described in a behind-the-scenes featurette I saw, the screenplay for Twenty Bucks apparently originated from writer Leslie Bohem’s father, who penned a version of it back in 1935, and this film was an effort to resurrect this kind of follow-the-object movie that had been popular back then. (I’ll have to check out some of those ‘30s films that I’d never heard about before.) It does make me wonder what this movie might have looked like if it were filmed at that time, minus the objectionable elements, but Twenty Bucks still proved to be a largely enjoyable incarnation of my favorite sub-genre and a good cap-off to this year’s Blindspot selections. It doesn’t match The Red Violin, which is still my favorite follow-the-object film I’ve seen, but it makes me wish more such movies would be made.

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2019 S.G. Liput
656 Followers and Counting

 

Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)

23 Monday Dec 2019

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

See the source image

When the world is collapsing, the nation on edge,
The whole of society out on a ledge,
The sky close to falling, disease at a high,
And dead people don’t even know when to die,
It only makes sense that, when fear’s on the rise,
The level heads left of us prioritize.

Sure, some go for water, and some hunt for food,
And some say we just need the right attitude,
But while these survivalists weigh their concerns
And plan for the worst to diminish returns,
A few must step up to remind all the rest
Of one thing emergencies need when distressed.

MUSIC! That’s right. It’s so often neglected,
But soundtracks do wonders for those not infected.
When life’s at a low, just compose your own cure
And let a good melody help you endure.
Just sing your heart out, out of range of the ghouls,
For songs are survival’s most critical tools.
______________________

MPAA rating: R

What a weird, catchy, sad, gruesome, delightful movie! I’m sure it was an interesting pitch when someone first described the plot of Anna and the Apocalypse, a Christmas musical zombie film that manages to nail all three aspects of its split personality. I normally shy away from zombie movies, but the prospect of an original musical convinced me to give this unique mish-mash a try.

See the source image

Due to my aversion to gore, I’m always very wary of the zombie genre, yet I know it can be done exceptionally well (Train to Busan and Gakkou Gurashi are two prime examples), so I wanted to give Anna and the Apocalypse a chance. Unsurprisingly, it had the inventive undead bloodshed so common to the genre and so off-putting to me, yet I must admit I loved just about everything else about this British experiment.

It starts out so innocent with its high school setting and teenage misfits and then veers into zombie action and some surprisingly touching moments by the end. And through it all is the magic of song and dance, at first fitting in a High School Musical sort of way and later used as an ironic contrast to the zombie apocalypse. And the music, courtesy of Scottish artists Roddy Hart and Tommy Reilly, is actually darn good! I wouldn’t have been surprised if it came from a Broadway musical or showed up on the radio, yet the fact that it’s all original gives me pure delight.

See the source imagePutting aside the feeling that I’ve seen versions of all of these characters in other movies many times before, the entire cast of mostly unknowns give their all, instilling a fresh and likable energy to their roles. Ella Hunt is especially good as the wistful Anna, whose zombie-killing weapon of choice is a giant candy cane, and Paul Kaye is a downright ham as the school’s power-mad vice principal. Despite the initial poking fun at how juvenile high-schoolers might actually react to zombies, the whole cast later prove their acting chops as things get more dire. And while dire is to be expected from a movie with Apocalypse in the title, it also sadly saps some of the earlier fun away. Not everyone I wanted to live does, and the half-hopeful ending can’t disguise the inescapable bleakness that almost always accompanies a zombie outbreak. One of the songs even says, “There’s no such thing as a Hollywood ending.”

So Anna and the Apocalypse left me with a strange mix of admiration and indecision. The musical numbers are a blast, and, while I wish I could say I loved every minute of it, I enjoyed far more minutes of it than I ever thought I would in a zombie film. Every actor is on point, and the audacity of its holiday spirit deserves appreciation, especially when it’s this darn likable. Yet it also earns its R rating with the blood-splattering violence and didn’t leave me with the smile I wore through much of it. Thus, I’m pulling out a ranking I’ve only used once: the Semi-Dishonorable List Runner-Up, which sums up my mixed feelings. I hesitate to recommend it, but if the gore and mixed tone don’t bother you, absolutely seek out this ebullient gem. Minus the violence, it would easily be List-Worthy for me. It will no doubt end up as a cult classic addition to the Christmas horror catalog, among which it certainly has the best soundtrack.See the source imageBest line: (Mr. Savage, after Lisa asks about her boyfriend’s sick grandmother) “Look around you, Miss Snow. What do you see?”
(Lisa, Anna’s friend) “Um…tables?”
(Mr. Savage) “I see civilization on the edge. And what does civilization do when it finds itself on the edge?”
(Lisa) “We help each other?”
(Mr. Savage) “We prioritize.”

 

Rank: Semi-Dishonorable List Runner-Up

 

© 2019 S.G. Liput
656 Followers and Counting