Tag Archives: Drama

Unbreakable (2000)

17 Saturday May 2014

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When David Dunn is on a train,
Which crashes, all aboard are slain,
But David walks away unharmed,
Which leaves him puzzled and alarmed
How he alone survived the wreck.
 
He finds a simple note, concise,
From comic fan Elijah Price,
That questions David to explore
If he’s been ever sick before.
This irks and pushes him to check.
 
He meets with Price, whose bones, alas,
Are broken easily, like glass.
Price then suggests that Dunn may be
A superhuman possibly.
 
Price watched the news: a crashing plane,
A hotel fire, and then the train.
And Dunn alone has cheated death,
But David says to save his breath.
 
Through tests of instinct and his might,
He starts to think Price may be right.
His past confirms what Price has known;
Dunn’s never had a broken bone.
 
His failing marriage lacks romance,
But Dunn’s wife grants a second chance.
His son insists that Price is right
And tries to prove it with a fright.
 
At last when David thinks it’s true,
He tries to see what he can do.
He stops an evil home invader
As a hooded night crusader.
 
He feels at last he’s found it all,
His purpose, thanks to Price’s call,
But David senses through his skill
That “Mr. Glass” has secrets still.
__________________
 

Before M. Night Shyamalan’s reputation went down the tubes, he created Unbreakable, an amazingly nuanced take on the superhero film, which had high expectations coming right on the heels of his smash hit The Sixth Sense. Bringing back Bruce Willis as the star and James Newton Howard as composer, Shyamalan’s artistry is out of this world. The film is replete with framed shots meant to look like comic book panels, a much more effective and subtle technique than Ang Lee’s attempt at the same thing in Hulk. Repeated use of upside-down shots, mirrored shots, and Shyamalan’s distinctive application of bright colors in a drab world make repeated watchings worthwhile, if only to notice them all like Easter eggs, and, of course, there’s the surprise ending, which may not be as mind-blowing as in The Sixth Sense but definitely comes as a game-changing surprise on the first viewing.

Bruce Willis is at his subdued best as David Dunn, and Robin Wright Penn as his wife Audrey and Spencer Treat Clark as son Joseph are likewise exemplary. Samuel L. Jackson steals every scene he’s in, and it’s not just because of his hairdo. His role may be very different from his more recent comic book films (Nick Fury), but he manages great vulnerability as well as potential psychosis.

Although Unbreakable is considered a superhero film, it doesn’t even attempt the unfettered entertainment of movies like Spider-Man, Iron Man, or The Avengers. David’s one stab at heroism is too horrific to be really enjoyable, though it remains timely in light of the Ariel Castro kidnappings that recently came to light in Cleveland. Plus, while The Sixth Sense ended on a bittersweet but hopeful note, Unbreakable’s twist ending is more dismal and depressing.

There are no explosions, no jaw-dropping stunts, just exceptional acting, skillful cinematography, and some genuinely tense scenes. I love the attention to little details, such as the brief scene of The Powerpuff Girls episode “Mommy Fearest,” which features both breaking glass and a plot analogous to the film’s. Unbreakable isn’t the kind of film I like to watch often, but it’s certainly worth watching and perhaps even studying.

Best line: (Elijah Price) “Do you know what the scariest thing is? To not know your place in this world, to not know why you’re here.”

 
Artistry: 10
Characters/Actors: 9
Entertainment: 5
Visual Effects: 6
Originality: 8
Watchability: 5
Other (language and a bloodless but brutal death scene): -5
 
TOTAL: 38 out of 60
 

Next: #236 – Wuthering Heights (1970)

© 2014 S. G. Liput

106 Followers and Counting

 

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

14 Wednesday May 2014

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Spock is dead; I’m sure you’ve heard.
He gave his life to save the ship.
His crew sent him to Genesis
And started on their homeward trip.
 
But Kirk and friends regret their loss,
Until McCoy starts acting weird.
It seems he has Spock’s “katra” (soul),
And loss of sanity is feared.
 
Spock’s father says Kirk needs to find
Spock’s body, both of them to save.
So Kirk and faithful crew hijack
The Enterprise, their futures grave.
 
Meanwhile, David, Kirk’s own son,
And Vulcan Saavik both explore
The planet Genesis produced,
Which isn’t perfect anymore.
 
They locate Spock, alive and young
And aging with the fluxing sphere,
But hostile Klingons blow their ship
And take the trio hostage here.
 
Kirk arrives and has a standoff
With the Klingon captain, bad.
The villain then has David killed,
And Kirk is saddened, shocked, and mad.
 
He leaves the damaged Enterprise
To let the Klingon party board
But lets his favorite ship explode
To kill most of the Klingon horde.
 
Kirk’s crew gets on the enemy’s ship
While Kirk and Klingon duke it out.
When Kirk has had enough of him,
Incineration ends the bout.
 
Escaping on the Klingon vessel,
Kirk and Spock and all their friends
See the planet blow up too,
And Project Genesis thus ends.
 
They take McCoy and Spock at last
To Vulcan for a mystic rite.
Spock remembers little, but
His friends are glad he’s back now, quite.
__________________
 

As the first Star Trek film on my list, Search for Spock is certainly not the worst of the original franchise. Two worse installments didn’t make the cut (those who have seen them will know which two), but, of the Trek movies commonly regarded as good, this one is the least impressive. That’s not to say that it is a poor film; it’s a great adventure that brings back one of the most beloved ensembles of all time for an answer to the question “What happens when you kill off the second most important character?” Answer: You resurrect him through an unexplained experiment and alien mumbo-jumbo.

It’s not just a way to continue the series by backstepping on a fateful move (to kill off Spock), it also is the tragic conclusion of Kirk’s meeting his son in Wrath of Khan. David’s death has got to be the second most poignant moment for the original series crew and continued to haunt Kirk right up to their last film. Search for Spock also marked the first time the Enterprise itself met its demise. When my mother originally saw it in the theater, during the scene where the ship starts dipping into the atmosphere, she overheard a nearby fanboy utter a devastated “Nooo.” At least they built a new one, right?

Aside from the main cast, Christopher Lloyd turns in an uncharacteristically villainous role as Kruge, the Klingon captain, who is pretty generic, to be honest, lacking a master plan or a deep-seated motive like the villains in The Undiscovered Country or Wrath of Khan. He does manage surprising intensity that proves he could do much more than humorous or crazy roles.

My quibbles here may indicate that I dislike Search for Spock, but, if that was the case, I wouldn’t have it this high on the list. I love Star Trek, and, as Trek films go, it’s in the middle of the pack, so to speak. The visual effects range from mildly impressive explosions to realistic miniatures. It’s exciting and heart-tugging, and, though the Vulcan ceremony at the end drags, the line “Your name is…Jim” concludes the film on a high note. Leonard Nimoy can be proud of it as its director (but The Voyage Home is better. Just saying.)

Best line: (Scotty, after sabotaging a fancy new ship) “Aye, sir. The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.”

 
Artistry: 6
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 7
Visual Effects: 5
Originality: 7
Watchability: 6
 
TOTAL: 38 out of 60
 

Next: #238 – The Spiderwick Chronicles

© 2014 S. G. Liput

105 Followers and Counting

 

#240 – Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

13 Tuesday May 2014

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When Robin of Locksley returns as a team
With a Moor with a life debt to him named Azeem,
He finds England’s changed while he fought the Crusades.
He finds his home unsafe for children and maids.
 
He kills several bullies and lets a few scram,
Which angers the Sheriff who rules Nottingham.
When Robin finds out his estranged father’s dead,
He promises vengeance on this Sheriff’s head.
 
Azeem and a blind aide named Duncan attend
While Robin attempts to go visit a friend.
Maid Marian isn’t much pleased he’s alive,
Especially when Sheriff’s soldiers arrive.
 
To flee, Robin rides to the forest Sherwood,
A place that’s not haunted, just misunderstood.
He meets several bandits but doesn’t once quiver
And earns their respect with some dunks in the river.
 
He leads this small party of woodsmen to fight
And robs every wagon that comes within sight.
The Sheriff is shipping out many a bribe,
But all his gold’s stolen by Robin Hood’s tribe.
 
The outlaw gains friends and support for his pluck,
Including Maid Marian and Friar Tuck,
But Will Scarlet sends him derision galore,
While that evil Sheriff hates him ever more.
 
The Sheriff of Nottingham hires some Celts
To lay siege to Robin and everyone else.
He captures a number of men, even Will,
And plans out a nice public method to kill.
 
In order to marry Maid Marian too,
And merit the throne with her blood, which is blue,
He says he will spare a few bound for the noose
If she will soon wed him, despite his abuse.
 
The Sheriff sends Will, who he thinks is a traitor,
To find Robin’s whereabouts sooner or later,
But Will yields to Robin that he’s his half-brother,
The son of his father and some other mother.
 
While Robin is shocked, the two men make their peace
And plan the best way for the captives’ release.
Azeem gives them gunpowder; John gives them swords.
They infiltrate slyly the castle of lords.
 
Though there are some hiccups, they save everyone,
And Robin soon has Nottingham on the run.
The villain tries marrying Marian, while
Azeem and the archer are locked in the aisle.
 
When Robin breaks in, the two foes have their duel,
And Robin prevails o’er the Sheriff so cruel.
Azeem saves his life, thus repaying his debt,
And everyone’s rescued from Nottingham’s threat.
 
Once they are all done saving lives thrillingly,
Both Robin and Marian wed (willingly).
King Richard himself (someone very well-known)
Thanks Robin of Locksley for saving his throne.
___________________
 

Having seen it recently, I’d say Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves probably deserves a higher place on my list. It is not only a highly entertaining medieval romp but also my favorite cinematic version of the Robin Hood story. Removing King John entirely from the story and mixing up some relationships to make them tragically Shakespearean, the filmmakers created a film that is at once exciting, funny, romantic, and now and then stunning.

Kevin Costner is appropriately heroic and likable as Robin Hood, though his lack of English accent is a major inaccuracy to my mind, and Morgan Freeman turns in another spot-on performance as his Moorish companion Azeem. After spending so much time underwater in The Abyss, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio decided to go with an easier role as the lovely Maid Marian, who manages to be both a strong fighter and a damsel in distress. The most striking role goes to Alan Rickman, who perfectly embodies the villainy of the Sheriff of Nottingham, though, unlike Hans Gruber from Die Hard, most of Rickman’s scenes here carry a strange dichotomy of wickedness and humor. Also, you’ve got to love that cameo at the end.

I suppose a major reason I like Prince of Thieves is its balance. It doesn’t typecast its characters, or at least only minimally. The atrocities of the Muslims during the Crusades are shown during an early scene, but Azeem proves to be likable, loyal, and highly learned compared with the English. Similarly, the Bishop of Hereford is shown to be greedy and treacherous, but faithful Christianity is also extolled, though less strongly. Robin’s initial thanks to God upon returning home is a good example of this; Friar Tuck’s drunkenness, not so much.

Though Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is certainly violent, most acts of carnage are left offscreen or hidden with skillful cuts away from bloody wounds. Language is also minimal, though they threw in a lone F-bomb that surprised me greatly. Despite these elements, the film has able, if occasionally over-the-top acting; a number of good one-liners; gorgeous scenery; and a memorably majestic score by Michael Kamen. (If you’ve ever watched the opener for a Disney DVD, you’ve already heard it.) Also, Bryan Adams’s Oscar-nominated “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” surely deserves a place in my End Credits Song Hall of Fame. It’s a perfect romantic wrap-up to a great movie, one of my VC’s favorites.

Best line: (blind Duncan, not having seen Azeem) “Curse those Moors and Saracens. If it wasn’t for their ungodly ways, Master Robin would never have left. What manner of name is Azeem? Scottish, Cornish?”  (Azeem, up close) “Moorish.” (Duncan’s reaction is priceless!)

VC’s Best Line: (Azeem, after foiling an ambush) “No man controls my destiny… especially not one who attacks downwind and stinks of garlic.”

 
Artistry: 6
Characters/Actors: 8
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: 7
Originality: 5
Watchability: 8
Other (violence, languages, etc.): -4
 
TOTAL: 38 out of 60
 

Next: #239 – Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (I’m moving this week so I may be delayed)

© 2014 S. G. Liput

105 Followers and Counting

 

The Abyss (1989)

09 Friday May 2014

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When a nuclear submarine sinks to a perilous depth,
The U. S. decides to send down a SEAL team for rescue.
A hurricane is coming, so time is just not on their side;
Therefore, they commission an undersea oil rig crew.
 
The hard-nosed designer named Lindsey goes down with the SEALS
To keep tabs on them and Bud Brigman, her soon-to-be ex.
While Bud and his oil rig team don’t appreciate this,
They’ll all be paid well for this most dangerous of projects.
 
They move the rig close to a seemingly bottomless trench
With orders from Coffey, the SEALs’ leading pain in the neck.
They find the huge vessel with everyone in it deceased
When divers and subs journey out to examine the wreck.
 
One big guy named Jammer freaks out from the sub full of corpses
And falls in a coma as storm winds above start to blow.
Then Coffey gets orders to reclaim a nuke from the sub,
Which causes some unforeseen problems for all down below.
 
The hurricane destroys a large crane from a ship up above,
Which nearly drags down the whole oil rig into the pit.
They suffer some losses, but Lindsey believes that she saw
A strange glowing thing, yet everyone’s doubtful of it.
 
First Lindsey, then everyone gets a good look at these beings,
Which somehow control ocean water from deep in that void.
But Coffey, who’s suffering from pressure sickness, believes
They’re Russians or some hostile species that must be destroyed.
 
He arms the small nuke to send down to the yawning abyss
And locks down the rig, putting everyone into harm’s way.
When Jammer wakes up, he helps free all his friends from their jail,
And Bud and a pal try to stop Coffey’s mad power play.
 
They battle in subs, but the bomb swims away to the trench,
And Coffey soon follows, imploding while plummeting down.
When Lindsey and Bud are then stranded in their sinking sub,
Bud swims to the rig in a suit while poor Lindsey must drown.
 
Bud next resurrects her, and “drowns” in a way of his own.
To disarm the bomb, he must enter the endless abyss.
He has to breathe liquid with oxygen as he descends,
Which helps him adjust to the pressure, the worst part of this.
 
He sinks ever deeper and locates the bomb to disarm.
He does so, but knows he cannot make it back to the rig.
He types his goodbyes till an alien creature swims by
And carries him off to the mother ship, looming quite big.
 
They give him some air and then show him a TV of sorts,
Depicting the rumors of war on the surface above.
They have the control to destroy man with giant tsunamis,
But let us survive based on Bud’s show of unselfish love.
 
Bud contacts the rig, letting everyone know he’s alive,
And warns them to brace for their newest acquaintance from space.
The mother ship rises and lifts the whole rig to the surface,
Where Lindsey and Bud share a thrilled reuniting embrace.
_______________________
 

Coming on the heels of The Terminator and Aliens, James Cameron’s The Abyss was a much more ambitious project, with over half of the nearly three-hour film being shot underwater. For those who don’t know, my poem and review are for the extended version of The Abyss, which includes a half hour of additional scenes and a better-explained ending than the original 1989 version. These scenes give greater detail to various relationships and a more full understanding of the finale, which explains why the alternate version has largely replaced the original.

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio stars in what I consider her best role as the hardheaded rig designer Lindsey, and Ed Harris is similarly fantastic as her irritated husband Bud. Their relationship is the most intimate and personable, and little touches such as Bud’s wedding ring saving his life add a lot to their characters. Michael Biehn is increasingly wild-eyed as the impaired SEAL Coffey, but these three are the only fleshed-out characters in the film. While the extended version helps, the rest of the crew are pretty much just a collection of eccentricities. Their names don’t really stick like their actions or appearance, making them just “the tall coma guy,” “the black sub lady,” “the conspiracy guy with the rat,” and “the guy who looks like a truck driver.”

Regardless of the lack of secondary character development, the Oscar-winning special effects are often extraordinary, especially considering when it was released. The set pieces involving the crane and the submarine fight are truly impressive and kept me on the edge of my seat. The NTIs (Non-Terrestrial Intelligence) are also well-realized creatures that are kept out of sight for most of the film, and the grand score by the great Alan Silvestri creates tension and mystery, though less scarily than in Aliens.

Weak points include the language and the ending. Even with the extended climax, with an anti-war message foreshadowing that of Cameron’s Avatar, the end is overlong and rather convenient. The NTIs’ benevolence in light of Bud’s sacrifice carries an important and touching message, but it’s a tad hokey as well. Without the anti-war elements, the end made even less sense and drew the bulk of critics’ ire. Also, while the F-words are minimal, The Abyss has quite a bit of profanity and other bad language, plus some non-sexual nudity, so a cut version is definitely preferred in my house.

I’ve heard that, with all the safety issues and long shoots required, Cameron and the actors did not enjoy making The Abyss at all. It may have been hard on them, but it gave Cameron some experience shooting with water, preparing him for Titanic, and it gave us an excellent sci-fi thriller.

Best line: (Bud) “Hippy, you think everything is a conspiracy.” (Hippy) “Everything is.”

VC’s best line (one she has reused many times since): (Bud) “I’m comin’, I’m comin’. Geez, keep your pantyhose on.”

 
Artistry: 7
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: 9
Originality: 8
Watchability: 7
Other (language, nudity, and overlong ending): -8
 
TOTAL: 38 out of 60
 

Next: #241 – Sister Act

© 2014 S. G. Liput

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The Girl Who Leapt through Time (2006)

08 Thursday May 2014

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Young Makoto Konno is always behind.
It’s hard to make up all the time she can’t find.
She makes time, however, to play catch each day
With new friend Chiaki and old friend Kosuke.
 
One day in particular seems to run long;
From quizzes to accidents, all just goes wrong.
Then Makoto finds a small nut-shaped doodad,
Which gives a brief vision that scares her a tad.
 
Her journey back home then delivers a thrill
When her bike’s brakes go out riding down a steep hill.
She’s thrown from her bike at the end of the lane,
Right into the path of an oncoming train!
 
She sees the train hit her and hears the bell chime,
Then finds she’s gone backward a minute in time.
Alive but confused, she is told by her aunt
That she can time-leap; Makoto thinks she can’t.
 
Through tentative practice, she picks up the skill
Of leaping to past and to future at will.
She starts by improving that horrible day
And making up time that had once slipped away.
 
Enjoying her power, she doesn’t see straight
That her problems are passed to another schoolmate.
When this poor guy’s had it and finally snaps,
She sees that time travel can damage perhaps.
 
The labyrinth of love is another sore spot,
As Chiaki asks her if she’ll date him or not.
She flees from the question, which never occurs
And causes a rift that she only makes worse.
 
She also tries playing the matchmaker too
For Kosuke and one timid girl, who is new.
Then after she does this, she sees a tattoo
That shows she has one time-leap left on her cue.
 
She wastes it before she sees Kosuke’s mistake
Of taking his girl on her bike that won’t brake.
She sees them rush down that notorious hill
And strike the same rails with the same deadly spill.
 
Then time stops; Chiaki comes forth to impart
He came from the future in search of some art.
He used his last leap to save Kosuke, alone,
But now he must leave since his secret is known.
 
He leaves her, and Makoto weeps for her friend,
Until she takes note of a way she can mend.
The leap that he made canceled out her last one
So she cancels his out to prevent what’s been done.
 
At last, all is right, and there’s no accident,
But Chiaki must leave since his secret is spent.
Though sad, he tells Makoto he’ll wait for her,
And she is content with her waiting future.
___________________
 

I first saw The Girl Who Leapt through Time only last year, but it is apparently a very popular story in Japan, first published in novel form in 1967 and spawning multiple Japanese films since. Both well-received and author-approved, this anime version combines two of my favorite elements: animation and time travel. It isn’t a rip-roaring adventure or a laugh-out-loud comedy but instead a sensitive young adult drama (with some humor thrown in) that has the same kind of quiet tone as another favorite anime of mine, Studio Ghibli’s Whisper of the Heart.

The English dub is better than most anime dubs, as is the quality animation, which is somewhere between the more cartoonish anime and the beautiful artistry of Ghibli. Directed by Mamoru Hosoda, who later directed the previously reviewed Summer Wars, this tale has both charm and some interesting additions to the time travel genre. Regardless of quality, anime most excels at creating striking visuals, and this one is no exception. The scenes of Makoto’s weeping and the shots of characters flying in slow motion in front of a moving train have stuck in my mind long after seeing it.

As is typical of time travel films, you probably shouldn’t think about it too much, since there are a number of unexplained issues. Why did Chiaki laugh at Makoto after hearing her describe finding the time travel device? If he couldn’t return to his time, where did Chiaki have to go after using up his last time leap? In the book, the boy from the future is from the year 2660, so how far in the future did Chiaki come from? It’s from a time obviously after some kind of war and the extinction of baseball, so how can he wait for her or her for him?

It’s true that the logic of the ending falls apart, but it’s touching nonetheless. By the end of the film, with Makoto again playing catch, as she had periodically through the film, I stepped back and said “I liked that movie.” Maybe you will too.

Best line (a constant theme of the film): (Makoto) “Time waits for no one.”

 
Artistry: 7
Characters/Actors: 6
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: 6
Originality: 8
Watchability: 7
Other (time travel plot holes): -4
 
TOTAL: 38 out of 60
 

Next: #242 – The Abyss

© 2014 S. G. Liput

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Sheffey (1977)

07 Wednesday May 2014

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When Robert Sheffey was a lad,
He didn’t think himself that bad,
But a revival made him see
The sins he didn’t know he had.
 
He asks forgiveness offered free
And tells his household happily.
His aunt feels shamed at this report,
And he departs in enmity.
 
Both Sheffey and his horse cavort
Through mountain views of every sort.
He meets some folks who offer then
A teaching job with full support.
 
He takes it but is frightened when
He’s urged to preach in front of men.
It takes tough love to help him start,
But soon he’s worthy of “Amen!”
 
He prays a still be torn apart
And makes the old bootlegger smart.
He later learns his aunt is dead,
But she had had a change of heart.
 
Years pass, and, while he treks ahead,
Forever by the Spirit led,
He spreads the Gospel of the Lord,
His territory now widespread.
 
He always comes on room and board,
And by most folks he is adored,
Although official preachers deem
Him too peculiar to reward.
 
He likes camp meetings with the theme
Of drawing hundreds to redeem.
While Sheffey wants them to endure,
Some heads hold them in low esteem.
 
A girl from one preferred detour
Becomes his wife when they are sure.
Eliza helps his constant care
Of spreading God’s most perfect cure.
 
They have a son, although the pair
Love from afar, as they’re aware.
Yet they stay close, although his treks
Take Sheffey almost everywhere.
 
An injury serves to perplex
Since he can’t stick to his projects.
He cannot ride because of age
But stays engaged in most respects.
 
He still loves the revival stage,
And so its closure sparks his rage.
He works to bring it back for years,
At last succeeding to assuage.
 
The meet goes well when it premieres,
But soon he views his greatest fears.
A smoker sets the camp on fire,
And, in flames, it disappears.
 
As he’s distracted by the pyre,
Eliza, hoping he’ll retire,
Chases him but has a fall
And joins the Lord’s eternal choir.
 
Sheffey, having lost it all,
Is heartbroken and feels so small.
Eventually, he finds God’s peace
And settles down where friends can call.
 
A young man comes to seek release
For burning the camp on some caprice,
So Sheffey offers grace before
He sees the Heav’n he helped increase.
_________________
 

Most have probably never heard of Sheffey, and that’s quite understandable. It was a college film produced by the students and staff of Bob Jones University; thus, it is highly evangelical, particularly in the beginning. My early education was from fundamentalist Protestants, and I was shown this film as part of the lesson plan one day. While my denomination has changed, I still find the film a marvelous and underappreciated period piece. It made me cry the first time I saw it (around the age of 10), and, as you’ll see from the rest of my list, I’m very partial to films that have brought me to tears, even if they don’t anymore.

I will say that the second half is better than the first. The beginning has the usual Christian motif of a directionless sinner seeing the error of his ways and coming to the Lord. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with this, but it’s overused in Christian films, and Dwight Anderson, who plays the young Sheffey, isn’t really a skilled-enough actor to make it convincing. Much of the acting is rather unprofessional, sometimes obviously contrived, but the older Sheffey, played by Harold Kilpatrick, is the most believable character, and he’s the one that matters most. It also is a little irritating that some of the characters (the aunt, the elder that refuses Sheffey a preaching license) disapprove of Sheffey’s actions for no well-explained reason. Their vague complaints seem to make them unnecessarily at fault and Sheffey the obviously right saint.

All this aside, the film has some truly wonderful elements. The somewhat feigned acting, the hymn-inspired score, and the way it is shot might have made the film seem like some low-budget affair. Instead, though it was made in 1977, it just feels like an older film, perhaps from the ‘40s or ‘50s. As with such films of yesteryear, much effort obviously went into the costumes and period details, and the script is nicely woven together with characters coming and going or being mentioned having repented years later. These conversions may be predictable but are nonetheless touching, particularly the final one standing above Sheffey’s grave.

If you don’t like movies that preach at you (as I usually don’t), you may not like Sheffey, but I find it a very impressive film for such a small college effort. Though it embellishes Sheffey’s life a bit (he had six unmentioned kids with his first wife, and he did actually get a preaching license in real life), it presents a little-shown piece of history that shouldn’t be forgotten: the circuit riders of the 1800s. Between the gorgeous Appalachian scenery and the poignant character moments, Sheffey is well worth seeing, in my book.

Best line: (Robert Sheffey) “When I get to heaven, I’m going to ask the Lord why He made a woman’s head so hard.” (Eliza) “And He’ll tell you it’s to make up for your soft one.”

 
Artistry: 5
Characters/Actors: 5
Entertainment: 6
Visual Effects: 5
Originality: 7
Watchability: 5
Other (spiritual value, plus it made me cry): +4
 
TOTAL: 37 out of 60
 

Next: #243 – The Girl Who Leapt through Time (2006)

© 2014 S. G. Liput

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X-Men (2000)

06 Tuesday May 2014

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Mankind is evolving, I hear,
To mutants with powers unclear.
This world on the brink
Doesn’t know what to think,
But most are responding with fear.
 
Young Rogue is disturbed by the fact
That she cannot have human contact.
Those touching her skin
Are then sapped from within,
Often causing a harmful impact.
 
She flees to the North’s wilderness,
And watches a man have success
On the cage-fighting scene;
He is called Wolverine
And has long metal claws that impress.
 
The pair is attacked in the snow
By a Sabretooth man they don’t know.
They are rescued by two
Mutant patriots, who
Take them both far away from the foe.
 
Wolverine (also Logan) awakes
In a school built for mutant kids’ sakes.
He is urged by Jean Grey,
A smart psychic, to stay,
But flees until told of the stakes.
 
Professor Xavier founded
This school for young mutants, surrounded
By those who have banned
What they don’t understand,
Which may provoke hatred unbounded.
 
The metal-controlling kingpin
Magneto wants mutants to win.
He threatens mankind
With the team he’s combined;
His latest plan’s due to begin.
 
His shape-shifting henchgirl Mystique
Nabs Kelly, who’s known to critique.
A machine in a tower
Magneto can power
Mutates Kelly into a freak.
 
Magneto kidnaps Rogue as well,
For reasons they can’t at first tell.
Then, after debate,
They fear he’ll mutate
World leaders and their personnel.
 
Once Kelly is dead from the change,
A death both horrific and strange,
They fly to New York,
Where Magneto’s at work
To metamorphose all in range.
 
The Statue of Liberty sees
Some tense and hard-fought victories.
The good mutants halt
The bad mutants’ assault
Through metal claws, lasers, and breeze.
 
Though Rogue nearly dies from the load,
Magneto’s machine they explode.
He’s captured and jailed,
But Mystique escapes, veiled,
And Logan gets back on the road.
____________________
 

X-Men was one of the first superhero movies of the new millennium, and it reinvigorated the genre, leading to ever greater comic book films since. As the beginning of this new string of superhero blockbusters, it’s less spectacular and ambitious than more recent films but brought enough memorable characters to the screen to warrant three sequels, a prequel, and a reboot (see three posts ago).

Some characters are perfectly cast, including Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier and Ian McKellan as Magneto; others are respectable enough and given room to grow in sequels, such as Famke Janssen as Jean Grey, James Marsden as Cyclops, and Anna Paquin as Rogue; and, as typical of films stuffed with characters, some are just space fillers for fight scenes, namely Halle Berry as Storm and Magneto’s two lackeys Sabretooth and Toad. The best character, though, goes to Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, a role that continues to define his career to this year. My VC and I thought it would typecast him as the tough guy with claws, but his recent performance in Les Miserables showed how versatile an actor he is. (Cool fact: Russell Crowe, who starred with Jackman in Les Mis, was the original choice for Wolverine. That would have been…interesting.) Wolverine and Rogue offer the bulk of the character development, but the two old English actors do wonders with less central roles.

Having seen X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I wish there were some indication that Wolverine and Sabretooth knew each other and were in fact half-brothers. (I know Logan wouldn’t remember, but the most Sabretooth/Victor Creed does is pick up Logan’s dog tags. Also, since Sabretooth had Wolverine’s healing powers, his supposed demise shouldn’t really have killed him.)

The special effects are just good, not stupendous or awe-inspiring like other superhero films, and the writing ranges from thought-provoking to cheesy (Storm’s line upon beating Toad is one of the lamest I’ve ever heard). Joss Whedon wrote an initial script that was mostly rejected, but I think it’s notable that he was involved at the beginning of the superhero craze, as well as directing its culmination in The Avengers. X-Men offers a great ensemble, some inside jokes, and an ending wide open for more installments. Now, fourteen years later, we’re awaiting the hopefully awesome Days of Future Past so it’s only fair to give credit to the film that started it all.

Best line: (Rogue) “You know, you should wear your seat belt.” (Wolverine) “Now look, kid, I don’t need advice on auto…” (Boom—Logan’s truck crashes)

 
Artistry: 6
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 7
Visual Effects: 6
Originality: 8
Watchability: 6
Other (some language and violence): -3
 
TOTAL: 37 out of 60
 

Next: #244 – Sheffey

© 2014 S. G. Liput

100 Followers and Counting

 

Places in the Heart (1984)

02 Friday May 2014

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In Waxahachie, Texas, days are plodding in succession
As the white and black inhabitants survive the Great Depression.
Times are hard and money’s scarce, but life is stable as the Cross,
Till the Spaulding family suffers a debilitating loss.
 
Edna’s husband is the sheriff and is killed by accident,
Leaving her and her two children to attempt to pay the rent.
She is cautioned by the bank that if she cannot find the cash,
They will repossess her home, like many others since the Crash.
 
When a Negro man named Moses comes a-calling at her door,
She at first just gives him charity before requesting more.
Forgiving Moze of stealing, she agrees on raising cotton,
A task that he grew up with and has not at all forgotten.
 
In addition, she is urged to take a boarder in as well,
The bitter, blinded Will, who needs a quiet place to dwell.
As they work to bring a crop in, there are goings-on in town,
Like affairs and sudden storms that blow entire houses down.
 
As the price of cotton falters, Edna starts to realize
That she has to be the first to sell to win a needed prize.
She and Moze and several workers work for days and nights with speed,
As they pick the fluffy cotton till their aching fingers bleed.
 
They succeed in picking first, and Edna’s persevering nerve
Earns an even higher price than all her cotton may deserve.
Yet the buyer feels defrauded and he knows Moze is to blame,
So the Klan attempts to ambush him, to lynch him or to maim.
 
Although Will helps to save him, Moze is sure he has to leave,
And he bids farewell to Edna, knowing what he helped achieve.
With her debt for now all settled with the money she helped make,
Edna goes to church, relieved, and at communion, all partake.
_______________________
 

Places in the Heart gave us not only one of Sally Field’s best film performances but also the immortal misquote “You like me—you really like me” as she won her second Best Actress Oscar (the first being for Norma Rae). It’s a film that recreates the Great Depression quite convincingly, yet even in situations like a bank threatening repossession or a hungry vagabond begging for work, that lost chivalry of years gone by is ever present. It depicts both the relative helplessness of women at that time and their indomitable strength, combined in Field’s Edna Spalding, who evokes a deep sense of quiet desperation as she attempts to keep her family and home together. My grandfather grew up in that kind of environment, with cornbread, country music, and cotton picking day after day, and it’s interesting to see that lifestyle brought to the screen so realistically.

Danny Glover is perfect as Moze, and though Edna’s forgiveness for his stealing her silver is taken straight from Les Miserables, he donates his assistance in return, not always agreeing with her but supporting her endeavor through the whole film. Also, John Malkovich gives an impressive and understated performance as the blind Mr. Will, who is fairly persnickety at first and warms up throughout the film. He never really has a sudden moment of character change, but Mr. Will is nicely developed through brief moments or details, such as his doing things in the dark or the scene in which he asks Edna what she looks like.

The main thing I don’t like is the subplot involving Edna’s sister and two-timing brother-in-law, played by Lindsay Crouse and Ed Harris, respectively. Both are great actors and the drama is well-handled, but the entire plotline felt out of place to me since it has no bearing or effect on the main story of Edna that we all care about. I appreciate that the filmmakers didn’t go for the explicit nudity that so many think is necessary to be Oscar material, but it nonetheless seemed like filler. (Lost alert) That being said, it was nice to see Terry O’Quinn, who played the husband of Harris’s mistress, in an early role.

Stand-out scenes include the destructive storm, which reminded me of the beginning of Twister, and the sweet and quiet moments, such as young Frank asking his mother to dance. The KKK scene is both frightening and frustrating and perhaps a bit too easily resolved. The end is the true highlight, with the final church scene being a beautiful representation of the total, unbiased communion of heaven. That last shot almost brings me to tears.

For excellent acting and a touching story of perseverance, everyone ought to see Places in the Heart. It’s one of those inspiring downers, in which much goes wrong but much is set right as well.

Best line: (Edna Spalding, in the scene that most likely won Field the Oscar) “Now you listen to me. If we lose this place, and you’re going back to begging for every meal, and Mr. Will, they’re gonna put you in the state home, and I’m going to lose what’s left of my family. I’m not going to let that happen. I don’t care what it takes. I don’t care if it kills me. I don’t care if it kills you. I’m not going to give up.”

 
Artistry: 9
Characters/Actors: 9
Entertainment: 5
Visual Effects: 5
Originality: 5
Watchability: 7
Other (brief language, including several N-words): -3
 
TOTAL: 37 out of 60
 

Next: #248 – X-Men: First Class

© 2014 S. G. Liput

95 Followers and Counting

 

#250: Citizen Kane (1941)

01 Thursday May 2014

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Rich man Charles Foster Kane
May have gone a bit insane,
Building Xanadu, his mansion,
Product of his wealth’s expansion.
Looming large with doleful dread,
There he lived, but now he’s dead.
“Rosebud” was his dying word,
Which the papers overheard.
 
Some reporter seeks the news
Through diaries and interviews.
He learns that Kane was born in need
Until good luck did intercede.
He had to leave his home and sled
To gain what he inherited.
He grew to be a cocky youth,
Intent on passing on the truth.
 
He bought a newspaper for fun,
Becoming New York’s favorite son.
Soon he owned the choicest staff
And wasn’t shy to have a laugh.
He married well, but, as years passed,
Their nuptial bliss just did not last.
He met one Susan unaware
And soon began a veiled affair.
 
He ran for office to denounce
A crooked man he thought he’d trounce,
But his opponent did reveal
Kane’s lover, crushing his appeal.
His marriage ended through his pride,
But Susan soon became his bride.
He goaded her against her will
To sing in opera, low on skill.
 
Kane punished those he once commended;
Soon his every friendship ended.
He built for Susan Xanadu,
Complete with swimming pool and zoo.
He rarely ever left his ward,
And Susan got to be too bored.
She left him, prompting great distress,
And he decayed in loneliness.
 
His life was always full of stuff,
But it was never quite enough.
The news reporter doesn’t find
The “Rosebud” that was on his mind,
But we know ‘twas Kane’s boyhood sled,
A vestige of the life he led.
______________________
  

Here is yet another indicator that my list disagrees substantially with the critical community. Citizen Kane, like The Godfather, is considered one of the greatest films ever made and topped both AFI’s original and their revised top 100 list. It’s not the kind of movie I enjoy watching often, but I recognize its importance and influence on future filmmaking, as well as the reasons for its well-deserved accolades.

The brain child of first-time star and director Orson Welles, Citizen Kane is replete with flashbacks, indirect storytelling, and unique camera angles that made Welles a true pioneer for his time. The clarity he achieved with people or objects at various distances in the same shot, the placement of the camera on the floor or the ceiling, the way he told the whole story right at the beginning before going into it in further detail—all of these elements distinguish the film as an artistic masterpiece.

Commonly considered an unflattering fictionalized depiction of newspaperman William Randolph Hearst and others, Citizen Kane also holds an interest for me for Welles’s detailed yet ambiguous portrayal of a flawed man. Kane is at once sympathetic and unlikable, starting at the former and moving toward the latter as the film progresses, and it is this duality that I enjoy while my VC does not. I admire films that give a well-rounded if inconclusive look at that enigmatic thing we call life. Also, I’m always captivated by seemingly inconsequential features that take on greater emotional weight later in the story, in this case, the snow globe, Kane’s list of principles, the jigsaw puzzles, and of course the infamous sled, which embodies one of the early up-to-the-viewer endings utilized in more recent films like Inception. I enjoy the way this technique builds pathos and makes one care for the characters, whether in a film like Citizen Kane, a cartoon like Up, or a TV show like Lost.

For all its grand style, superb acting, fine script, and classic scenes, the film overall is rather depressing, and, as was typical of old black-and-white pictures, rather slow and sometimes overly dramatic as well. It may not be the most watchable movie, but Citizen Kane deserves its place on my list, as well as its much higher ranking on others.

Best line: (Thompson, the reporter, with a great metaphor at the very end) “Mr. Kane was a man who got everything he wanted and then lost it. Maybe Rosebud was something he couldn’t get, or something he lost. Anyway, it wouldn’t have explained anything… I don’t think any word can explain a man’s life. No, I guess Rosebud is just a… piece in a jigsaw puzzle… a missing piece.”

 
Artistry: 10
Characters/Actors: 9
Entertainment: 4
Visual Effects: N/A
Originality: 10
Watchability: 4
 
TOTAL: 37 out of 60
 

Next: #249 – Places in the Heart

© 2014 S. G. Liput

93 Followers and Counting

 

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)

29 Tuesday Apr 2014

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The young bulldog Chance tells us all in advance that he needs no home or owner.
He was lost and found and has been to the pound so he thinks himself a loner.
His family, though, which has started to grow with a stepdad for his kid,
Loves Chance a lot, even when he cannot help but do what they forbid.
 
There’s Shadow as well, a retriever by smell, who is tranquil, old and wise,
And Sassy the cat, who Chance likes to jeer at, though her skills catch him by surprise.
When Dad has to move, all the kids disapprove, for the animals must stay behind.
A family friend on whom they can depend agrees to keep all three confined.
 
The ranch where they’ll stay seems so far, far away that the children hate to leave,
And Shadow and Sassy, as faithful as Lassie, are sad to see them grieve.
They patiently wait and they both contemplate what could cause this sudden defection,
While Chance could care less, with too much to assess on the farm for introspection.
 
When Shadow feels strongly that something is wrong, he decides to depart for their home,
And Sassy and Chance, who are shy to advance, then join him to ramble and roam.
Naïve as they are, they believe it’s not far, but they soon are presented with trials:
The Sierra Nevadas, like wooded armadas, extending before them for miles.
 
From creepy night scares to giant brown bears to hunger they never have known,
These unseasoned pets are hounded by threats as they press over meadow and stone.
They suffer a loss at a river they cross as Sassy is carried away.
While watching birds soar, a man finds her on shore and gives her a warm place to stay.
 
The dogs are confronted and afterward hunted by some mountain cat that was spying.
A plan they devise takes the cat by surprise and sends the immense feline flying.
When Sassy is better and no longer wet, her desire for home makes her part.
She joins with her pals and improves their morales so the rest of their journey can start.
 
They find in the forest a girl at her poorest, alone for some reason and cold.
They stay with the child, so lost in the wild, and make sure a search party’s told.
Her parents are grateful, and this turns out fateful, for all three are quickly embraced.
Their owners are given the news and are driven to where their dear pets have been placed,
But Chance thinks they’ve found the deplorable pound so all of them flee and are chased.
 
Their kids are too late, for the pets couldn’t wait but keep on their homeward-bound trip.
When all that remains is a trek through some trains, poor Shadow then suffers a slip.
He falls in a pit, cannot climb out of it, and starts to act sad and morose,
But Sassy and Chance urge him still to advance, especially since they’re so close.
 
The kids that they’ve trekked a long way to protect are glad to hear barking and yell.
First Chance rushes there, though he claimed not to care, and Sassy then follows as well.
Though Shadow is hurt, he climbed out of the dirt and joins with his person to play.
Though Chance likes to roam, this new family and home are now where he’s happy to stay.
______________________
 

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is one of those perfect children’s movies that adults enjoy just as much as the kids. A remake of Disney’s 1963 adaptation of a Sheila Burnford novel, both entitled The Incredible Journey, this film is a must for dog and cat lovers. (I am the latter.) While the book and the previous version were set in Canada, this one is among the glorious vistas of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

While Homeward Bound has the three main animals speak to each other, their mouths do not move, whether for budget or believability reasons, but their conversations are just as good as other films that do have creatures literally speak, such as Babe or Charlotte’s Web. This is due to a clever script that pokes fun at common dog-and-cat behavior with a host of great lines, as well as the perfect voice acting. Michael J. Fox brings great energy as Chance, and Don Ameche is much more likable as Shadow than he was in Trading Places. My favorite, though, is Sally Field as Sassy, whose voice I can now hear coming from any snooty feline. How they trained the animals to do everything in this picture is astounding, particularly the very real-looking scene of a poor kitty swept away by a rushing river. Even when the animals messed up, such as some scenes in which Chance slips while running, they just included it as an extra joke in the voiceover. “I meant to do that.”

While the animals are spot-on, the human side of the coin sometimes feels like a TV movie, understandable considering that first-time director Duwayne Dunham went on to direct some respectable Disney Channel films like Halloweentown, The Thirteenth Year, and Now You See It…. Luckily the animals are the stars, and the audience can’t help but root for them, even though their journey was totally unnecessary. If they had just stayed, nothing bad would have happened. Dogs.

Full of breathtaking mountain scenery and touching reunions, Homeward Bound is a wonderful movie for any pet lover and a fond carryover from my childhood.

Best line (there are many): (Sassy) “Yes. I’ll get food by acting like I don’t want food.”
(Chance) “That’s stupid.”
(Sassy) “I’ll prove it.”
(Chance) “Oh, you don’t have to prove it. I believe you’re stupid.”

 

Artistry: 6
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 7
Visual Effects: 5
Originality: 5
Watchability: 7
 
TOTAL: 37 out of 60
 

Next: #251 – Brave

© 2014 S. G. Liput

89 Followers and Counting