Tag Archives: Fantasy

Barbie (2023)

10 Wednesday Apr 2024

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(For Day 10 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to take inspiration from the old newspaper clippings and headlines featured on the Yesterday’s Print website. What caught my eye was from The Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, 11/16/1909: “Hundred years hence, women will then run the government, be rich and reign generally.” No surprise then that this film felt like a perfect fit.)

Call her a doll, call her a dame,
Call her some other undignified name,
Call her a damsel or call her a lass,
Consign her to some subservient class
At your peril.

Call him an oaf, call him a jock,
Call him a chip off the barbarous block,
Call him a wanker or call him a stud,
Pigeonhole him as a chad or a chud
At your peril.

Down with the queens and up with the kings.
Down with the gods and up with the goddess.
Always we swing to such eager extremes,
Thinking so narrow we know not how broad is
Our peril.
__________________________

MPA rating:  PG-13 (for some sexual references)

It took longer than most of the planet, but I finally got around to watching Barbie, Greta Gerwig’s billion-dollar juggernaut that made up the pinker half of the Barbenheimer craze. (I really should try to review Oppenheimer, considering I actually saw that one in the theater.) I’ve heard all manner of opinions for Barbie, some decrying it as feminist trash while others hailed it as a masterpiece of franchise reinvention that brought many female audiences to tears. Well, as a man with no former interest in the famous doll brand, I can declare that I fall squarely in the middle, considering Barbie equal parts dumb, fun, and thematically interesting.

In near-perfect casting, Margot Robbie plays Stereotypical Barbie, the blond archetype who is just one of countless Barbies ruling the life-size toy world of Barbieland, while the second-class himbo Kens mainly focus on trying to impress their Barbies of choice. Robbie’s Barbie begins having “irrepressible thoughts of death” and cellulite, real-world problems shunned by Barbieland and forcing her to seek answers in, naturally, the real world, accompanied by her eager-to-please Ken (Ryan Gosling). There, she gets help from harried mother Gloria (America Ferrera) while Ken discovers the wonders of patriarchal society and plots to change Barbieland in ways beyond their ken (pun intended).

I should note that I watched this film, after much coaxing, with my dear Viewing Companion (VC), who was utterly against it at first. (I think Gosling’s stellar performance of “I’m Just Ken” at the Oscars might have convinced her to give it a try.) She has a very particular view of Barbie from when she was growing up, and the modern incarnation of the doll threatened to corrupt those happy memories. And while I found things to appreciate about the movie, she thought it was an altogether stupid waste of time with muddled messaging and overexaggerated acting. But at least she liked “I’m Just Ken”; that’s one thing even the haters seem to agree on.

The thing is that I don’t entirely disagree with my VC’s complaints. Barbie does have an annoyingly shallow view of the patriarchy and, despite giving voice to some downsides, seems to consider a similarly stratified matriarchy a better alternative, which may please girlbosses but is really no better. Yet the film also has fun playing with its various stereotypes and manages to mix in genuine laughs with the eyerolls, like Helen Mirren’s asides as the narrator or the awesome Pride and Prejudice joke. And while I didn’t find the cringy exaggerations of Barbieland particularly funny, I could see it appealing to other audiences’ sense of humor. I know everyone loves Gosling as Ken, but, despite his great song, I don’t really get his appeal, sorry.

While the pink production design and attention to brand detail and history deserve praise, I’m also mixed on the screenplay from Gerwig and Noah Baumbach. While it plays its excesses off for giggles, the plot is a mess, especially when Barbieland and the real world collide, not helped by the changing motivations of Will Ferrell as the CEO of Mattel (a caricature of corporatism that I’m surprised Mattel approved). Its treatment of what Barbie represents, how patriarchy shapes people, and the pros and cons of living in the real world all seems to play both sides of the argument. I loved her adaptation of Little Women, so, while some dismiss that duality as lazy writing, I have enough faith in Gerwig as a writer to believe it was all intentional to give the film more nuance than the simple narrative at its core would indicate. And the film’s climactic tearjerker scene that goes on a little too long at the end does a lot to deepen the film’s message into poignancy, despite being a drastic shift in tone.

Ultimately, Barbie is not as egregious as its detractors insist nor as innovative as its fans proclaim. It actually recycles quite a bit from The Lego Movie, complete with Will Ferrell as the real-world authority figure. While many decried the Oscar snubs of Gerwig’s direction and Robbie’s leading role, I can’t say I disagree with the Academy here, considering the competition. I will forever wish that “I’m Just Ken” had won Best Original Song over Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For,” which is also good but just not as iconic as the anthem for Kens everywhere. Barbie likely won’t become a favorite in my house, but its mixture of dumb fun and existential questions certainly left its mark on the cultural zeitgeist.

Best line: (Ruth Handler, creator of Barbie, with an absolute gem of a line) “We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back and see how far they’ve come.”

Rank:  Honorable Mention

© 2024 S.G. Liput
792 Followers and Counting

The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (2022)

09 Tuesday Apr 2024

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(For Day 9 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for an ode to an everyday object. While it may not be in everyone’s house, I’m sure many have a manuscript or poems or drawings they’re too nervous to share with the world, so I addressed this irregular sonnet to them.)

You mock me, you pile of papers,
You unread manuscript, hiding in the corner.
You say “Am I not fruit of all your labors?
Am I not worth another pair of eyes?
Is it better to be a cipher than a mourner,
Lest someone dare to share or criticize?
I’ll outlive you, your fear and blushing cheeks;
I’ll wait till someone else will spy my corner
And read what you had guarded from critiques
And grieve its author’s sad, unknown demise.”
I know that’s what you’re saying as time flies,
The time that’s killing me and stalling you.
The world can’t know what’s missing till it peeks,
Until the shy apply for their debut.
____________________

MPA rating: Not Rated (should be PG for some drama but quite clean)

While not every international run can be on the level of Your Name or The Boy and the Heron, I am quite glad that smaller anime films are getting at least a limited release in American theaters, even if it takes a year to get here. The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes may have a rather cumbersome title, but it’s one of the better under-the-radar anime movies, with appealing animation and a nice short runtime to deliver its poignant themes.

Kaoru is a high school student living in quiet grief with his abusive father, and he forms a bond with equally aloof transfer student Anzu, a budding manga artist unsure of her own talent (and inspiring the poem above). The two happen upon the fabled Urashima tunnel, which can supposedly grant a person’s greatest wish for a price. Mirroring the Urashima namesake, which is basically the equivalent of Rip Van Winkle in Japanese folklore, they discover that time passes differently inside the tunnel, where glowing trees line a watery path to their distant wish. After performing experiments on the tunnel’s strange properties, the duo must decide whether their wishes are worth giving up on their current life.

While there are plenty of films with this same romance-plus-supernatural storyline, I liked the natural progression of both, as the two main characters are actually smart about testing the temporal phenomenon, while also growing closer in the process. Though it can’t quite compare in scale or artistry, the film had some similarities to Your Name, and I suspect fans of one will also enjoy the other. It may be largely predictable, but The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes is a lovely little movie to satisfy fans of star-crossed romance.

Rank:  List Runner-Up

© 2024 S.G. Liput
792 Followers and Counting

2023 Blindspot Pick #5: The Wiz (1978)

19 Monday Feb 2024

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Are you new in Oz?
I bet so because
You’ve the look of someone lost,
Exhausted, star-crossed,
Like you’ve never seen a witch
Or a road of yellow brick
Or a beast with perfect pitch.
Plus, you strike me as homesick.

But that’s no big deal;
I know how you feel,
Like a friend I miss a lot,
Distraught, but fear not.
See, we’ve done this all before,
She got home still safe and sound.
If what’s past is what’s in store,
I’ve no doubt you’re homeward bound.
_________________________

MPA rating:  G (though PG fits better with some of the imagery and costumes)

Since 2024 marks the 85th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz and the first Broadway revival of The Wiz since its original 1970s run, it seemed like a good time to finally watch and review the film version of The Wiz. (We’ll ignore that this should have been done last year for my Blindspot list.) A modern retelling of L. Frank Baum’s classic story with an all-Black cast and different music, The Wiz was a definite Broadway hit, as its seven Tonys can attest, but I knew nothing about the film, beyond Michael Jackson playing the Scarecrow. So it was interesting going in blind to this version of Oz that has gone from a bomb to a cult classic in the 46 years since its release.

While the core isekai story remains the same, The Wiz is quite visually distinct from the Judy Garland classic, relocating from Kansas to urban Harlem and making the child Dorothy into an adult schoolteacher (Diana Ross) nervous to move away from her family neighborhood. When a freak snow twister (happens all the time in Harlem, I’m sure) transports her and her dog Toto to the dystopian land of Oz, the timid girl gathers companions (Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross) on her way to ask the Wizard (Richard Pryor) to send her back home.

The Wiz takes some time to find its footing because I was surprisingly bored through initial set-up, and Diana Ross’s affected diffidence was more annoying than sympathetic. It wasn’t until the arrival of Michael Jackson’s Scarecrow and especially Ted Ross’s Cowardly Lion that I began truly enjoying it as a musical. Jackson plays the Scarecrow as a bashful doormat, pulling quotes out of his stuffing like a burlap Mrs. Who from A Wrinkle in Time, while Nipsey Russell is an affable carny Tin Man with some repressed trauma. But Ross as the Lion truly steals the show, matching the mix of insecurity and self-puffery that Bert Lahr brought to the original film, so it’s no wonder he won a Tony for the same role on Broadway. He also proves to be the MVP of the journey, saving the whole group from a subway come to life, in one of several nightmare-fuel sequences that must have haunted some childhoods. Pryor is a decently mousy Wizard, though he doesn’t have enough screen time to make an impression and doesn’t even provide any insight to the other characters; in researching the Broadway production, I was mainly floored to learn that André De Shields of Hadestown fame played the same role on stage.

As for the music, “Ease on Down the Road” is the film’s most famous number, but “I’m a Mean Ole Lion” and “Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News” are fitting showstoppers for the Lion and the Wicked Witch of the West Evillene (Mabel King), respectively. The disco “Emerald City Sequence” also has some gobsmacking set and costume design that illustrates the Wizard’s power as a trendsetter and contrasts with the urban decay of much of the production design. But the true star of the soundtrack is “Everybody Rejoice/A Brand New Day,” Luther Vandross’s utterly catchy and joyful group dance number with the ensemble celebrating Evillene’s defeat, even if it’s made a tad weird by the freed Winkies cavorting in only their underwear.

The Wiz has zero chance of replacing the 1939 film as the definitive Wizard of Oz musical, but it gives the material a worthy spin. I found some of the exaggerated acting a bit strange or overly childish at first, but the 1939 film was guilty of the same and simply benefits from decades of nostalgia, so I can see why time has been kind to people’s perception of The Wiz. It’s certainly uneven but not a total trainwreck, and its high points are worth the price of admission to its strange urban odyssey.

Best line: (Scarecrow) “Success, fame, and fortune, they’re all illusions. All there is that is real is the friendship that two can share.”   (Dorothy) “That’s beautiful! Who said that?”   (Scarecrow, modestly) “I did.”

Rank:  List Runner-Up

© 2024 S.G. Liput
788 Followers and Counting

Spirited (2022)

17 Sunday Dec 2023

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The question has haunted mankind like a ghost:
Can somebody honestly change?
It seems that by thirty or forty at most,
They’re set in their ways
The way furniture stays,
The kind you don’t sell but at best rearrange.

And yet we hear tales of how others transform,
The hackneyed morality plays.
But those are anomalies, far from the norm,
For wishers and dopes
Who need fuel for their hopes
That common unkindness is only a phase.

But Grinches and Scrooges are likely short-term:
No heart changes shape when it melts.
You can’t shake foundations; they’re simply too firm.
It’s nice to believe,
But let’s not be naïve.
If I don’t plan to change, why should anyone else?
__________________________

MPA rating:  PG-13

I have long wished that there were more original movie musicals. Rather than waiting for stage musicals to become popular enough to warrant film adaptations, I think there are stories that are better served by getting the movie treatment up front, and Pasek and Paul are leading the way. The Greatest Showman was a mainstream hit, but it seemed like last year’s Spirited didn’t get nearly as much buzz; plus, being an Apple TV+ exclusive means it sadly won’t get the usual annual holiday reruns either.  So it seemed only right that I do my own small part to promote this modern retelling of A Christmas Carol, mixed in with meta Scrooged-style comedy milking the chemistry of stars Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds.

The twist to this version of the oft-oft-oft-adapted Dickens story is that it is from the ghosts’ perspective, turning the ghost quartet who once haunted Scrooge into a multi-generational corporation where the dead create personalized illusions to improve one terrible person each Christmas. The current Ghost of Christmas Present (Ferrell) is torn about just how much good they’re doing with these individual redemptions but finds a challenge in the form of cynical media manipulator Clint Briggs (Reynolds). While the supposedly “unredeemable” Clint insists he’s too savvy to undergo the usual moral awakening, both he and his ghostly guide must grapple with just how much someone can change.

Where Spirited shines most is what every musical strives for: fantastic musical numbers. Between the upbeat earworms of Pasek and Paul and the stunningly energetic choreography by Chloe Arnold, the big dance numbers go hard. There are good smaller songs too, but when they aim for a Broadway-level showstopper, every single one succeeds, making it truly mind-boggling to me that the soundtrack got no awards attention at all. I was glad when RRR’s “Naatu Naatu” won the Oscar for Best Original Song, but it’s a little galling when this film’s “Good Afternoon” or “Do a Little Good” are better than any of the other nominees. My personal favorite is “Ripple,” which was cut from the film itself (likely for time) but was clearly too good to not include and was thankfully added to the end credits.

As for the rest of the film, it’s a likable redemption story that doesn’t play out quite as predictably as the usual Christmas Carol adaptation. Ferrell’s Ghost of Christmas Present is the film’s heart as he showcases how the hardest person to forgive is oneself, while Reynolds’ Clint fits comfortably into his lovable jerk mold, wielding his self-proclaimed knowledge of human nature to stoke conflict and cancel culture without ever noticing the aftermath. I’ve never been a fan of either actor’s brand of comedy, but, while there are still moments here that don’t always land for me, I’d consider this some of their best work. This is especially because of how well they stretch their musical chops, despite not having much experience with song and dance, the same being true for Octavia Spencer as Clint’s self-loathing employee. The entire cast does a great job, from Broadway heavyweight Patrick Page as Jacob Marley to Sunita Mani and the voice of Tracy Morgan as the other two Christmas ghosts.

Spirited would be a good film with just its plot, but the music puts it into instant classic territory in my book and a film I plan to make part of my annual Christmas movie schedule. It can seem a bit overlong and overwhelming at times, but I enjoyed my second watch this year more than I did last year, when I added it to my top 365 list and then never reviewed it. If a movie can poke holes in cynicism, promote the idea that anyone can change for the better, and make me dance and sing along, that’s my kind of movie.

Best line: (Ferrell’s Ghost of Christmas Present, to a party guest dressed like Buddy the Elf) “You look stupid.”

Rank:  List-Worthy (tied with Scrooged)

© 2023 S.G. Liput
785 Followers and Counting

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

04 Monday Sep 2023

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

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

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

MPA rating: PG-13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
783 Followers and Counting

Disenchanted (2022)

30 Sunday Apr 2023

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(For Day 30, the last day of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to write a palinode, a poem that retracts a view from a previous poem or from earlier in the same poem. I sort of did that yesterday, but it seemed like a good way to reflect on both sequels and the temporary end of NaPoWriMo, until next year.)

When the villain is bested,
The henchmen arrested,
Then all of the heroes make merry.
When credits have rolled,
The story is told,
And endings are not temporary.

A glad ever after
Is sunshine and laughter;
What follows is better unsaid.
To many’s chagrin, you
Cannot just continue
When even the last page is read.

Just savor the story
That closed in its glory,
And you can imagine the rest.
Another adaptor
Might mar the next chapter.
It’s honestly probably best.

Although I’ll allow
That a “where are they now?”
Would probably earn some applause.
Finales are fleeting
And bear some repeating,
And endings are only a pause.
_____________________

MPA rating: PG

While Avatar: The Way of Water got ribbed for the extended delay between movies, it took Disney two years longer to finally deliver a second Enchanted, dropped half-heartedly on Disney+ late last year. It’s a prime example of a sequel many wanted and wanted to like yet ultimately can’t compete with its predecessor. In retrospect, we didn’t really need to know the details of how “happily ever after” fails to satisfy.

The first Enchanted was a breath of fresh air, a reverse isekai before that was even a term, with doe-eyed Giselle banished from her animated fantasy world to the streets of New York and injecting some much-needed sincerity into the lives of widower Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey). Years later, the family is seeking something more and moves out to the suburb of Monroeville, much to the chagrin of teenage Morgan (now played by Gabriella Baldacchino). After they struggle to integrate with the community, led by the imperious realtor Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph), Giselle uses a wish-granting wand to give them a more “fairy-tale” life, transforming the town into a literal magical land with all the delight and danger that entails.

Like the first film, the best thing about Disenchanted is Amy Adams, whose perky Giselle is progressively changed into an evil stepmother by her wish, since she is literally Morgan’s stepmother. She relishes playing with the caricature and trying to outdo Rudolph’s equally evil Malvina, even sharing a delightful song about their nasty rivalry called “Badder.” It’s a fun idea as the rest of the “real world” characters are brainwashed into fairy tale roles, complete with lavish costumes, but it can also run a bit thin, with Dempsey especially having very little to contribute. And the drama of the climax definitely feels forced, with the magic wand not being used effectively and the stroke of midnight somehow being delayed by jamming a clock tower’s gears.

Even if the plot falls short, it was admittedly nice seeing all the principal actors returning to these beloved characters, including James Marsden’s Edward and Idina Menzel’s Nancy. It was a crime that Menzel didn’t get a chance to sing in the original, and she does finally use her famous pipes with the anthemic “Love Power.” I was glad that Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz again teamed up for the sequel’s songs, though the lyrics can be lackluster and nothing comes close to the first film’s “That’s How You Know” dance number. Disenchanted does manage to capture at least part of the satirical charm and magic of the original, so it’s not a complete misfire, but it does show how special the first film was in balancing its real and fantastical elements. Even after so much time has passed, it’s still a tough act to follow.

Best line: (Morgan, in response to Edward and Nancy singing) “Does anyone in Andalasia ever just say stuff?”   (Giselle) “Not if we can help it!”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
785 Followers and Counting

Suzume (2022)

29 Saturday Apr 2023

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(For Day 28 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for an index-like poem, so I chose the word “door” as my index word for a pair of haikus, since doors are so prominent in this film.)

Opens and closes;
Keep in or keep out; slam it;
Lock it; lose the key.

Don’t dare to open;
Outside the gates; slipping through;
Miss the other side.
____________________

MPA rating: PG

In the same way cinephiles look forward to the next Christoper Nolan or Quentin Tarantino movie, anime fans eagerly await the advent of the next Makoto Shinkai film. I was excited to finally see his latest called Suzume in the theater, months after its Japanese premiere, and it had everything Shinkai does well: pouring rain, desperate running, eye-popping cataclysms, poignant reunions, all rendered in some of the most gorgeous animation this side of KyoAni. Yet it’s hard to forget that everything he creates will inevitably be compared to Your Name, the record-breaking blockbuster that put Shinkai on the international map. It’s a tough comparison, but Suzume still excels at the same kind of emotion-backed fantasy.

Suzume (Nanoka Hara), the title character, is a rural high school girl who directs an attractive visitor named Sota (Hokuto Matsumura) to some nearby ruins for which he is searching. When she follows out of curiosity, she discovers that a long-dormant evil has started breaking into our world to cause disasters, using doorways in abandoned areas as gateways that must be closed. When Sota is inexplicably cursed and transformed into… ahem, a chair, Suzume runs away from home to help him complete his mission, further complicated by a mischievous talking cat. (I loved a brief reference to Whisper of the Heart when the cat is spotted on a train.)

I’ll admit the chair part is a little hard to take seriously at first, especially since it forever labels this movie as “the one where a girl falls in love with a chair.” But if you roll with it, the object does take on greater meaning as a precious heirloom for Suzume, and there’s fun to be had with the absurdity of it. As the plot becomes a buddy road trip across Japan (a “meet-‘em-and-move-on” as I call them), it’s a little hard to believe how many people seem fine with supporting a runaway girl and letting her continue on her way. Yet it’s also an opportunity to take a peek into various lives she passes, which I always enjoy.

It’s interesting that two anime in the same year (this film and Drifting Home) both put a focus on the large number of abandoned areas throughout Japan, including a ferris wheel specifically, places that were once full of life and now have only echoes of what was. True to Shinkai form, the emotions grow with time, and even if Suzume and Sota ultimately just met, the bond and distress born from their relationship are highly affecting at the film’s emotional high points.

Even if I recognize the film’s faults, like the rather thin story fueled by contrivance, Shinkai just has a captivating style that is easy to get sucked into, aided by striking visuals and iconic music by the band Radwimps, his frequent collaborator. If Suzume had come out before Your Name and Weathering with You, I think I would love it more without the comparison, but I can’t quite say it’s better than them while sharing the same DNA. It did surpass Weathering with You to become the fourth highest-grossing Japanese film ever (right behind Your Name), so Shinkai still has enormous box office draw. It would be nice if he can step a little further out from under his own shadow, but I’m still very much a fan.

Rank: List Runner-Up (might go up with time)

© 2023 S.G. Liput
785 Followers and Counting

Drifting Home (2022)

23 Sunday Apr 2023

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

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

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

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

MPA rating: PG

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

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

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

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

21 Friday Apr 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MPA rating: PG-13

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

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

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

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

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

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

Matilda the Musical (2022)

19 Wednesday Apr 2023

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

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(Yes, I missed another day, but I’m back on the horse. For Day 18 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for an abecedarian poem that follows the alphabet. Considering this musical has its own alphabet-themed song, it seemed like a good match.)

Apparently, you shouldn’t
Be a
Cruel and callous
Devotee of over-
Eager punishment
For one
Good cause:
Humanity.
If everyone was
Just and
Kind and
Listened as they spoke their
Mind, then maybe
No one would
Opine the worst in
People, which they find. The
Qualms and quirks of
Roald Dahl exaggerate
Such sin and gall
To juxtapose the truly nice
Up against the common
Vice.
Would you prefer a genial and
Xenial largesse? Or
Yield to yet another yoke of
Zealous nastiness?
___________________________

MPA rating: PG

I feel blessed that, in the last few years, my awakening to a greater appreciation for musical theater has coincided with a surge in movie musicals. While 2021 had a glut of them, the more sparse 2022 ended with a long-awaited adaptation of Matilda the Musical, based on Roald Dahl’s classic book about a telekinetic girl pushing back on her abusive home and school life.

Alisha Weir plays the title character with a sweet, bookish earnestness to contrast her loud and self-absorbed parents (Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough). After years of self-learning, she is sent off to the infamous Crunchem Hall, where she catches the eye of both warmhearted Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch) and the tyrannical headmistress Agatha Trunchbull (Emma Thompson, acting through a masculine fat suit).

I vaguely remember the 1996 movie adaptation with Mara Wilson and Danny DeVito, but it’s been long enough that I was able to enjoy this version without worrying about comparisons to the other. Of course, this one is enlivened by musical numbers, which are a sure improvement in my book. The music and lyrics by Tim Minchin are a good match for Dahl’s cartoonish reality, presented here by swinging wildly between gaudy, energetic highs and oppressively bleak lows. Matilda’s playful solo “Naughty” is a perfect summation of her character looking for small ways to rebel against the unkindness around her, while the detached number “When I Grow Up” manages to be both buoyant for young viewers and wistfully nostalgic for their elders. While the clever alphabetics of “School Song” are an early highlight for the school-size ensemble of child singers, the real standout is near the end with the showstopping “Revolting Children,” which deservingly went viral with its exuberant choreography and earworm tune.

Yet for all its good points, Matilda falls short of being one of my new favorite musicals, for reasons I can’t quite pin down. Thompson as the villainous Trunchbull is over-the-top in her abusive villainy, with so-so songs and an underwhelming exit, though much of that is baked into the character from Dahl’s book. While I enjoyed the musical numbers, even the smaller ones like Miss Honey’s emotional “My House” which showcases Lynch’s acting talent, only “Revolting Children” stood out after the credits rolled. But I suppose the main drawback is that Dahl’s style of storytelling lends itself to an abundance of obnoxiousness for the hero or heroine to overcome, and the obnoxiousness of Matilda’s parents and Miss Trunchbull is more grating than entertaining.

Maybe time will improve my opinion, and maybe I would feel different seeing this as a kid since the story is clearly aimed at children, such as the imaginative tale Matilda spins about circus performers (which does at least tie in nicely to the plot, unlike, say, the storytelling in The Breadwinner). Even if it’s not quite up there with the best, Matilda the Musical is full of magical charm and clearly a quality production with lots of passion and talent behind it. Now I think I’ll go watch “Revolting Children” for the twentieth time.

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting