Tag Archives: Romance

#23: Pirates of the Caribbean (2003, 2006, 2007)

13 Tuesday Jan 2015

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(Spoilers ahoy!)
 
Elizabeth Swann was a girl when there came
A boy from the ocean, Will Turner by name.
She feared him a pirate and took a gold coin
And hid it for years to protect him from shame.
When both are now grown with a love they won’t share,
The Commodore Norrington tries to declare
An offer of marriage she’s not quick to join,
Till Captain Jack Sparrow arrives debonair.
 
Locked up for his crimes, he’s surprised at the sight
Of his former ship, the Black Pearl, in the night.
Attracted by gold, the fiends capture Miss Swann,
Who lies to convince them to shove off forthright.
The Captain Barbossa abducts the lass too,
Revealing the curse on himself and his crew.
As they sail away, Will is adamant on
Releasing Jack Sparrow to hotly pursue.
 
Collecting a crew in Tortuga, Jack sails
For Isla de Muerta, where lies and betrayals
Come out and succeed in imprisoning Will,
While Jack and Miss Swann are marooned by details.
With Norrington’s aid, they return to save Will,
And swordfights galore offer many a thrill.
Barbossa is slain, and true love they fulfill,
While Jack takes the Black Pearl to roam the seas still.
_______________
 
When Lord Cutler Beckett, for whom business reigns,
Desires Jack’s compass, he goes to great pains,
Convincing first Will, then Elizabeth too,
To find Jack or else be committed to chains.
While Jack’s being Jack, he is shocked at a guest,
Old Bootstrap Bill Turner, Will’s father oppressed,
Who says Jack must pay up the debt that is due;
For now Davy Jones wants his soul on request.
 
Jack flees to an island, which Will also finds,
Where cannibals threaten with changeable minds.
Escaping the danger, they take a detour,
And witch Tia Dalma lends help of all kinds.
Jack haggles with Jones for the sake of his soul
And buys three more days at a difficult toll.
Tortuga yields souls, since they needn’t be pure,
While Will gives his father a promise and goal.
 
Jack finds Norrington and Elizabeth Swann,
Both desperate but willing to quickly move on,
For Jones’s live heart beats within a locked chest,
And he who should find it could make him a pawn.
The chest is discovered, but fighting begins
‘Twixt Norrington, Jack, and Will, none of whom wins.
As Jones’s own crew arrives at his behest,
The heart’s snatched to make up for Norrington’s sins.
 
As Jack tries to run, Jones awakens his pet,
The Kraken, to finally settle the debt.
His crew fleeing, Jack has no choice but to stay;
His unwilling sacrifice might end the threat.
With Jack and the Black Pearl devoured away,
The heart is Lord Beckett’s, to Jones’s dismay.
A plan to bring Jack back is soon underway,
With help from an old foe, whom death could not stay.
_________________
 
As Beckett is wiping out all buccaneers,
Assisted by Jones and his heart-involved fears,
Barbossa and friends are in far Singapore
In search of a map to the final frontiers.
With help from Sao Feng, one of nine pirate lords,
They head for the edge, after drawing their swords.
In Davy Jones’ Locker, they find Jack ashore,
Where he is kept company by crabby hordes.
 
So, one green flash later, there’re lies and betrayal
With Sao Feng and Beckett and all who set sail.
They learn that Calypso was Davy Jones’ lover,
A sea god imprisoned with flesh as her jail;
Barbossa will free her to aid in their plight.
Elizabeth’s made pirate lord in the night.
To Shipwreck Cove, all of the pirates take cover,
Debating on whether to lie low or fight.
 
Elizabeth’s named as the new Pirate King,
Deciding their one hope is swashbuckling.
They set free Calypso, who’s in a bad mood,
For Jones once betrayed her, a deep-seated sting.
The Pearl and the Dutchman engage in a storm,
A gift from Calypso, now back in true form.
Jack goes for the heart, that the fight may conclude,
Though he who kills Jones must his duties perform.
 
The maelstrom keeps raging amid the bloodshed.
While fighting, both Will and Elizabeth wed.
Though Jack had intended to finish the heart,
Another has more need for Davy Jones dead.
The tables are turned as the cannons restart,
And Lord Cutler Beckett’s own plans fall apart.
While true love endures, Sparrow’s shipmates depart,
But Jack’s well-prepared for a new course to chart.
____________________
 

With all the uninspired movies reading “based on a video game,” who could have foreseen that a series of swashbuckling greatness could be derived from a theme park ride? Pirates of the Caribbean was certainly a surprise when The Curse of the Black Pearl came out over a decade ago, but subsequent viewings have only raised my opinion of this action-packed, often convoluted franchise. Don’t bother with On Stranger Tides, though; it’s just not the same.

The Curse of the Black Pearl is the one that started it all, one of the few modern films to effectively introduce an instantly iconic character, Captain Jack Sparrow. Johnny Depp has always been drawn to the weird and eccentric, and his career has fluctuated wildly because of it; but here he hit his ideal stride and earned a Best Actor nomination for it. Sparrow is dashing, cunning, a bit creepy and disgusting, yet strangely alluring in a grimy sort of way, usually one step ahead of the rest, full of comic bravado and a latent good heart. He steals every scene while complementing all the other actors, like Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner and Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann, semi-iconic characters in their own right. Their love story has its predictable ups and downs but also possesses that epic romantic quality that eludes many other films. A good villain always improves a film, and Geoffrey Rush is one heck of a pirate. His sneering negotiations and ruthlessness make him a memorable antagonist, and the creepy but incredible skeleton curse just augments the menace of him and his crew. Add in some powdered wigs, wondrous sword fights, clever dialogue, Oscar-nominated special effects, and one of the greatest scores of all time by Klaus Badelt (seriously, no other score captures and enhances the spirit of the film itself as this rip-roaring soundtrack, taken over by Hans Zimmer for the sequels), and Disney had a winner on their hands.

I don’t know how the filmmakers did it, but Dead Man’s Chest ups the ante in every way and remains the only Pirates film to win an Oscar, for Best Visual Effects. It introduces yet another historic villain in the form of Bill Nighy’s squid-faced Davy Jones and, to a lesser extent, Tom Hollander’s Godfather-like Lord Cutler Beckett with his obsession with “business.” This second film is the king of set pieces, varied, outlandish, and absolutely awesome! From the swinging cages on Pelegosto to the Kraken’s attacks to the astonishing three-way water-wheel duel, Dead Man’s Chest is replete with some of the best action sequences I’ve seen. As pure entertainment, it’s a twisting, crowd-pleasing thrill ride with a jaw-dropping surprise ending that left everyone in the theater clamoring for more.

When they finally got more, some may not have been entirely satisfied. Shot back-to-back with its predecessor, At World’s End has much of what made the first two great (the characterizations, breathtaking action on an even larger scale) but mixed with an unfortunate bloatedness. Even after several viewings, the film can seem like an overstuffed mess, with loads of conflicting motivations, changing allegiances, mythic plot devices, and ship-hopping. It all evens out by the finale, but the middle of the film is unnecessarily confusing. Plus, Jack’s eccentricities are morphed into full-fledged bizarreness, with strange visions of the afterlife adding nothing to the plot and scenes of multiple Jack Sparrows thrown in seemingly just for the sake of spending the film’s colossal budget. In addition, the expansion of Tia Dalma’s role brought out the fact that her Jamaican accent is incomprehensible at times; as with Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, my VC couldn’t understand her the first time out. All that being said, ongoing viewings have increased my overall opinion of the film, including its bittersweet ending. The most impressive scene is easily the long final battle amidst a raging whirlpool that would put Charybdis to shame. As a stand-alone film, At World’s End is rather weak, but as an epic conclusion to the trilogy, it’s better than it seemed at first.

Though Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is being shot now for a 2017 release, I doubt that Jerry Bruckheimer’s lightning will strike again, as it did with the original films, especially the first and second. Rarely have action, characters, music, and romance been combined into such an entertaining package. This year’s Tomorrowland seems to be Disney’s next shot at adapting one of their attractions, but it’s unlikely to compare to one of Disney’s most surprisingly successful franchises.

Best line from The Curse of the Black Pearl: (Captain Barbossa) “You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner.  You’re in one!”

Best line from Dead Man’s Chest: (Elizabeth) “There will come a time when you have a chance to do the right thing.”  (Jack) “I love those moments. I like to wave at them as they pass by.”

Best line from At World’s End: (Barbossa) “Aye… we’re good and lost now.”   (Elizabeth) “Lost?”   (Barbossa) “For sure, you have to be lost to find a place that can’t be found, elseways everyone would know where it was.”

 
Rank: 59 out of 60
 

© 2015 S. G. Liput

281 Followers and Counting

#24: Tarzan (1999)

10 Saturday Jan 2015

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(Best sung to “Son of Man”)
 
To the jungle, humans come
And are challenged to survive;
Soon only a babe is left alive.
 
Then adopted by gorillas,
He is raised stalwart and strong,
Strong to face the jungle’s killers
And labor to belong.
 
Son of man and of primate,
Tarzan is amazed to see
Strangers like him who await
Sightings of gorillas roaming free.
 
When one is soon in danger,
He swoops in and rescues Jane,
Who’s enamored of this stranger,
This lord of his domain.
 
Tarzan is forbidden to
Put his family in harm’s way,
But he learns so much that’s new
That he sneaks away to Jane each day.
 
In trying to delight her,
The gorillas he reveals,
And wicked Clayton follows on their heels.
 
Though he thought to leave his homeland,
Tarzan returns to fight
And defend his friends and withstand
The poachers in the night.
 
Son of man and of primate,
Tarzan then is joined by Jane;
Ruler of the jungle great,
Tarzan will remain to yell and reign.
__________________
 

Sometimes cited as the last great film of the Disney Renaissance, Tarzan is indeed one of the most beautifully created animated films I’ve seen. It came out right when I was getting old enough to enjoy movies as more than just a juvenile distraction and was one of the first Disney films I fully understood. Oh, and it made me cry at the end. That’s always list-worthy.

Adapted from the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan puts the Disney spin on its source material, with funny animal sidekicks and musical accompaniment, but it doesn’t feel as potentially incongruous as The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Rosie O’Donnell and Wayne Knight are ideal comic reliefs as Terk and Tantor, while the resonant voice of Brian Blessed adds an ingratiating menace to Clayton, who meets an unusually horrific end. (Then again, this is the studio that has smashed, dropped, disintegrated, eaten, shattered, dragged to hell, and shish-kebobed their other villains, so perhaps it’s not unusual.) Tony Goldwyn is rather average as Tarzan, aside from an outstanding yell, but Minnie Driver’s voice fits Jane perfectly, bookish and British. Not to mention, there’s Lance Henriksen as stern Kerchak and Glenn Close as Kala, who provides a touching example of adoption and maternal love.

No other Disney film matches the lush imagery of the African jungle, created with a pioneering and award-winning animation technology called Deep Canvas. As Tarzan swoops effortlessly through the trees, the bright foliage provides an incomparable living environment, put to good use in the often spectacular action scenes. Even the water has a uniquely fluid appearance.

Of course, I must mention Phil Collins’ remarkable soundtrack, one of my favorites of any Disney film. Though The Lion King had a couple songs performed by background singers, Tarzan stepped out of the box in having most of the music not sung by the characters. Phil Collins provides the vocals for the brisk and memorable montages, such as “Two Worlds,” “Son of Man,” and “Strangers Like Me.” The tender lullaby “You’ll Be in My Heart” won the Oscar for Best Original Song, and I was once temporarily obsessed with the percussion-filled “Trashin’ the Camp.” As kids, my cousin and I would play it over and over and over, just jamming and rewinding with glee.

Tarzan relies heavily on montages, but they are among its finest moments, allowing for much humor, heart, and character development in a short time. Unlike Atlantis: The Lost Empire, the language barrier is not simply written away but gradually lowered over time, and the believable romance between Jane and Tarzan is handled with particular skill and beauty. I know that Burroughs’ book is substantially different, but this adaptation carries all the emotion and grandeur of Disney’s best, including a bittersweet happy ending.

Best line: (Tantor, finally standing up to Terk) “That’s it! I’ve had it with you and your emotional constipation! Tarzan needs us, and we’re gonna help him! You got that? Now pipe down, and hang on tight! We’ve got a boat to catch.”

  
Rank: 59 out of 60
 

© 2015 S. G. Liput

279 Followers and Counting

#25: Les Misérables (2012)

10 Saturday Jan 2015

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(Best sung to “At the End of the Day”)
 
At the end of his sentence Valjean had grown bitter.
Nineteen years of unkindness had done him no good,
But a bishop understood
And presented Valjean with a blessing,
An example to do the right thing, whene’er he could,
With the faith he’s professing.
 
At the end of eight years, Valjean, never a quitter,
Has broken parole and become a town mayor.
Though a worker is dismissed,
He is much too distracted by tension
From the new chief of police Inspector Javert,
Who displays condescension.
 
At the end of a spiraling time of degrading,
The desperate Fantine’s at the end of her rope.
Though Javert shows no concern,
It’s Valjean who attempts to repair her,
But he too lets the world learn
Of the truth all because of an error.
But a promise he must obey
At the end of the day.
 
At the end of the day, Fantine’s daughter is lonely,
So Valjean becomes father to little Cosette.
Then in Paris they both hide, but Javert isn’t one to forget,
And Valjean’s always aware of this old threat,
As the years are progressing.
 
When Cosette is of age, per Valjean’s resolution,
A glance captures the heart of one Marius, who
Is devoted to fight in the new revolution,
As planned by his young and impractical crew.
 
When the fight starts to break out,
Amid jealousy, love, and betrayal,
Jean Valjean rescues the lad, ever devout,
With Javert on his trail.
 
At the end of the battle, Valjean is confronted
By the merciless man to whom mercy he showed.
Though Javert does what is right,
He can’t live with the law he has broken;
When Valjean makes his last flight
And his final goodbyes have been spoken,
In peace his soul will stay
At the end of the day.
______________________
 

As much as I love musicals, I truthfully have had little exposure to those productions restricted to the stage, and until Les Miserables was adapted to film, I had never heard its music, aside from “I Dreamed a Dream.” I was definitely missing out. The fantastic music alone is enough to make Les Mis list-worthy, but director Tom Hooper’s dramatization has all the artistry and exceptional acting to make it one of the greatest musicals ever.

I’m a bit puzzled that Les Miserables received mixed reviews upon release, with some viewers lauding its production values and acting while others could only complain. Staunch fans of the stage musical claimed the actors’ voices couldn’t compare to the great singers of past productions, and some cynical critics decried its melodrama and the gimmick of having the actors sing live, as opposed to relying on the usual pre-recorded tracks. One reviewer grumbled about a first half of actors who can’t sing and a second half of singers who can’t act. Open your eyes, people! Are a few flat notes really enough to overshadow such a powerful story of forgiveness, love, and triumph?

When my family and I saw Les Mis on Christmas Day, we had nothing to compare it to. Having since taken an interest in the music and having watched the 25th Anniversary Concert with Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean, I will admit that some of the voices are not up to the high standard set by the stage. Yet Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe still excel with Oscar-worthy performances, and even if they’re straining during “Bring Him Home” or “Stars,” they both are entirely pleasant to the ear. Amanda Seyfried certainly hits the high notes for Cosette, and Eddie Redmayne is perfect in voice and emotion for the role of torn lover/revolutionary Marius. Samantha Barks had played Eponine in the 25th Anniversary Concert, and her performance here is just as excellent. Anne Hathaway earned a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her brief but incredibly moving role as Fantine, and though she was the target of some inexplicable hate, I think anyone who watches her rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” again will remember why she deserved that Oscar.

As for the songs and lyrics, there’s not much I can say other than they are awe-inspiring. “At the End of the Day,” “Who Am I?,” “Red and Black,” “On My Own,” and “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” are exquisite beyond words, and “Do You Hear the People Sing?” ends the film on an unparalleled note of magnificence. Even the Oscar-nominated new song for the film “Suddenly” fits in beautifully, fleshing out Valjean’s early relationship with Cosette in a way to which all parents can relate. My main complaint for the soundtrack and the film in general is the Thenardiers and their tavern showstopper “Master of the House,” which is unnecessarily profane in an otherwise devout story. As comic relief, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter do well, but I feel their characters’ presence is sadly degrading to the film for the most part. Yet even they play a role in creating my favorite song of the film “One Day More,” the culmination of all prior melodies. Every character takes part in making it truly glorious, one of the high points of musical cinema, period.

The story of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables was excellent enough to already earn placement on my list in the form of the 1998 non-musical version with Liam Neeson, and the music is grand, sumptuous, and classic. Putting them together with some talented actors at their best created, in my opinion, the best film of 2012. Oh, that more musicals would reach the screen so majestically!

Best line:  (the Bishop, played by Colm Wilkinson, the original Jean Valjean) “But remember this, my brother, see in this some higher plan. You must use this precious silver to become an honest man. By the witness of the martyrs, by the Passion and the Blood, God has raised you out of darkness; I have bought your soul for God!”

 
Rank: 59 out of 60
 

© 2015 S. G. Liput

279 Followers and Counting

#30: The Family Man (2000)

04 Sunday Jan 2015

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Remember, Kate, when we were at the airport years ago?
How stupidly I left you for what job and wealth could bring?
I grew to be a true success, a businessman, a pro,
And never would have thought that I was missing anything.
 
But then a glimpse was given me, and much to my chagrin,
I found my happy, wealthy life replaced with kids and you.
I saw ourselves together, as what would or might have been,
But hated the suburban life I barely never knew.
 
Yet as I started seeing past the lack of cash and clout,
I saw the truer joys that I had not perceived before.
I wasn’t getting anywhere with how I’d whine and pout,
So I embraced this other life, despite my being poor.
 
Although I tried improving it, the truth I didn’t see
Is we indeed were happy in our own suburban way.
That’s when the precious, fleeting glimpse was taken back from me,
And left me now regretful of that dim departing day.
 
Please reconsider life and love and all that we could be;
Don’t make the same mistake I did; but hear, believe, and stay.
____________________
 

Sorry for the week-long hiatus. A family hospitalization called me away, but I’m back to finish the list!

My family received The Family Man on DVD as an unwanted gift, and it was some time before we finally got around to seeing it. I’m glad we did. Whereas It’s a Wonderful Life presented a terrible alternate reality to encourage George Bailey, The Family Man hinges on another “what if” situation that causes Jack Campbell to realize the importance of marriage and family.

Nicolas Cage is at his best playing Jack as both confident businessman and sullen dad/husband, and most of the humor comes from his reactions to the sudden change forced upon him. Likewise, Tea Leoni is perfect as his could-be wife Kate; her performance spans the expansive range of spousal emotions, from insistent anger to glum disappointment, all surpassed by a familial give-and-take warmth. Don Cheadle also has a low-key role as “Cash Money,” the unexplained angel(?)/representative that gives Jack the glimpse. Also, (Lost alert) the Chinese guy in the convenience store early on is Ken Leung, known to Lost fans as ghost hunter Miles Straume.

It’s amazing that a film that depicts all the headaches of married suburban life turns out to be a tribute and endorsement of such, insisting that truer happiness can be found in a kid-harassed New Jersey home rather than an expensive but lonely apartment suite. Some critics didn’t consider the film an affirmation of middle-class suburban joy, pointing to Jack’s constant dissatisfaction with his situation, even near the end. Yes, his former/real life had its delights, which he understandably misses, yet it is just as he recognizes the preferred pleasure of this “glimpse” that it is taken from him.

That’s another sticking point for some viewers: Whereas George Bailey was shown his alternate reality to cheer him about his own accomplishments and worth, “Cash Money” plucks Jack from his ignorant bliss with a glimpse he neither wanted nor seemingly needed, only to return him to a comparatively dismal life made empty by his supernatural intervention. To be honest, I see how that view could turn people off, yet Cash Money’s motivations seem benevolent (a cross in the background implies he might be angelic), and his presence is ultimately just a plot device to initiate Jack’s change. Even if Jack thought he was happy, the reemergence of Kate reopened the door he closed thirteen years prior and made a better life possible if only he would jump on the opportunity; the glimpse was the catalyst. Such is how I see the film, and such is how I believe it was intended to be interpreted.

(Clear spoilers in this paragraph) I would have only changed one thing, the very end. While Jack’s final plea is wonderful, not unlike Billy Crystal’s in When Harry Met Sally…, the open-ended conclusion bears wistful potential rather than complete satisfaction. There was a 2010 remake with Kevin Sorbo and John Ratzenberger entitled What If…, which strengthened the Christian resonances in the story but was clearly borrowed material. The one improved point was the final scene, in which a home video the main character had seen earlier was recreated, indicating that the life and children he glimpsed did indeed become reality. Such a scene may have been overly clear for a sometimes ambiguous film like The Family Man, but it would have been more satisfying.

Excellent modern Christmas fare, The Family Man is also the best film from director Brett Ratner (whom I have never forgiven for ruining X-Men: The Last Stand, which coincidentally also featured Ken Leung). The Family Man is a celebration of the fulfillment found in family, and a bittersweet reminder of what could be lost down the path not taken.

Best line: (Jack, at the end) “I don’t know, maybe it was just all a dream. Maybe I went to bed one lonely night in December, and I imagined it all. But I swear, nothing has ever felt more real. And if you get on that plane right now, it’ll disappear forever. I know we could both go on with our lives and we’d both be fine, but I’ve seen what we could be like together. And I choose us.”

 
Rank: 58 out of 60
 

© 2015 S. G. Liput

275 Followers and Counting

#31: The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001)

26 Friday Dec 2014

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Many centuries ago, upon the hot Egyptian sands,
Imhotep betrayed his pharaoh, who was murdered at his hands.
He and love Anck-su-Namun suffered death for what they did,
And the priest was mummified and cursed and vigilantly hid.
 
1926 or so is when a brave librarian,
Evelyn, with Jonathan, her brother, come to carry in
A map of sorts to Rick O’Connell, who discovered it and knows
Where the fabled treasure city Hamunaptra once arose.
 
Leading them, the dashing rogue encounters Beni, once a friend,
Who is leading treasure seekers to the city and their end.
Medjai warriors attempt to stop the bold adventurers,
Who discover Imhotep and resurrect this worst of curs.
 
As the mummy desiccates the bodies of a chosen few,
He then kidnaps Evelyn, his former lover to renew.
Rick and Jonathan, as well as Medjai leader Ardeth Bay,
Follow back to Hamunaptra, where a book can save the day.
 
Evelyn is very nearly sacrificed by Imhotep,
Till Rick fights while Jonathan is reading symbols step by step.
When the mummy is defeated and the just desserts are served,
Evelyn and Rick O’Connell leave in triumph well-deserved.
________________
 
Evelyn and Rick O’Connell, married now and with a son,
Take along the spunky Alex to dark crypts for family fun.
They unearth a golden bracelet, and when Alex tries it on,
He sees visions meant to guide him ere a coming lethal dawn.
 
He must head for an oasis, where the Scorpion King now lies,
Who will waken for destruction if not handed his demise.
Imhotep is resurrected by a cult with dark intentions,
Which includes his reincarnate lover and her interventions.
 
When the cult starts kidnapping, it’s clear that Imhotep intends
To defeat the Scorpion King and take his army for his ends.
Alex is abducted soon and guides them all to the oasis,
The O’Connells following upon a blimp to distant places.
 
Pygmies cause them further trouble as the deadly dawn arrives,
And as Imhotep approaches, not quite everyone survives.
When the Scorpion King awakens, he is mighty (like a Rock),
And his wicked jackal army causes Ardeth Bay a shock.
 
Rick and Imhotep face off against the evil hybrid king,
And at last when he is vanquished, everything starts crumbling.
Danger proves the truer romance, and as the O’Connells flee,
Wealth and global preservation lend them happy victory.
___________________
 

Critical reception for The Mummy and its sequel may not have been universally positive, but I consider both films quintessential actioners, with dashing characters and awesome set pieces recalling the excitement of Indiana Jones. I’m not much for horror comedies, mainly because the horror often manifests as gore, but the genre can be quite entertaining when the focus is on the comedy (Ghostbusters) or on the action, as in The Mummy.

My VC and I have always loved Brendan Fraser; he has the perfect adventure hero charisma for these movies, including that making-things-up-as-he-goes element that made Harrison Ford so likable. Pair him with Rachel Weisz as Evelyn, looking as beautiful as any actress ever has, and a modern classic romance is born. John Hannah is excellent comic relief as Evie’s con man brother Jonathan, and even if he’s CGI much of the time, Arnold Vosloo is effectively frightening as the reanimated mummy Imhotep. Ardeth Bay (which was the name taken by Imhotep in the original 1932 The Mummy) is played by Oded Fehr, whom my VC has always found dark, handsome, and hunky, even with the face tattoos.

As for the second film, despite changing directors, all the same actors returned, supplemented by Freddie Boath as Alex, who is not the most annoying of child actors and serves as a plucky addition to the O’Connell family. Oh, yeah, the Rock (a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson) had his big film debut as the Scorpion King, but considering he never speaks anything in English and is basically just a CGI tough guy most of the time, there’s not much I can say for his “performance.” Also, (Lost alert) Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who played Mr. Eko on my favorite show, plays a much less sympathetic killer as the villain Lock-Nah.

I was not impressed by Boris Karloff’s original The Mummy, hailed as a classic horror film yet exceptionally boring, at least to me. Retooling the basic plot points into a shoot-‘em-up pulp adventure was an inspired idea, complete with booby traps, ancient curses, killer beetles, and some then-advanced CGI. The first film is more foreboding in its build-up to the mummy’s resurrection, while the second veers into occasionally cartoonish territory, like racing sunrises and Alex’s childish high jinks. Even so, I think I like the second a little better, thanks to some outstanding action scenes, especially an awesome chase scene with a double-decker bus and the pyramid finale. I also liked how, aside from a few gruesome scenes, objectionable content was kept to a minimum, making both films the kind of Saturday night fare a family can enjoy, provided the kids’ eyes are covered every now and then. There’s some talk of reincarnation, and I don’t know how or why a mummy can recreate the plagues of Egypt, which came from God, but none of the spiritual mumbo jumbo is to be taken seriously anyway.

Neither film is Oscar material, but both are so spectacularly entertaining that Imhotep’s stereotypical romance and some unrealistic moments are easily forgiven. Such is not always the case: The third film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, thanks mainly to the loss of chemistry from the recasting of Rachel Weisz, just didn’t have the same magic, nor did director Stephen Sommers’ other monster movie rehash Van Helsing. With these films, it’s the full package that makes them something special: the thrilling score by Jerry Goldsmith (The Mummy) and Alan Silvestri (The Mummy Returns), funny and dynamic performances from most of the cast, and the perfect blend of humor, horror, and action.

Best line from The Mummy: (Evelyn) “You were actually at Hamunaptra?”
(Rick) “Yeah, I was there.”
(Evelyn) “You swear?”
(Rick) “Every damn day.”
 
Best line from The Mummy Returns: (Ardeth Bay, concerning Alex’s putting on the Bracelet of Anubis) “By putting this on, you have started a chain reaction that could bring about the next apocalypse.”
[Alex gasps]
(Rick, to Ardeth) “You, lighten up.” (to Alex) “You, big trouble.” (to Jonathan) “You, get in the car.”
 
 
Rank: 58 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

275 Followers and Counting

#35: Spider-Man Trilogy (2002, 2004, 2007)

22 Monday Dec 2014

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(Spoilers ahead)
 
Poor Peter Parker, a nerdy outsider,
Is bitten by one super-modified spider,
Which grants him the power of webbing defense,
As well as a precognitive “spider sense.”
His crush Mary Jane Watson lives just next door,
And yet he has not tried to make friendship more.
 
Although Peter’s uncle attempts to explain,
His nephew tries using his powers for gain.
His bitterness costs him his dear Uncle Ben,
So Peter does hero work time and again.
Meanwhile, his friend Harry Osborn’s own dad
Attempts an experiment, which then goes bad.
 
As Peter fights criminal thugs and prevails,
The newspaper calls him a menace for sales,
But when the Green Goblin arrives on his glider,
He proves a formidable foe for the spider.
It’s Norman Osborn, with whom Pete has connections
And who likes to argue with his own reflections.
 
When Osborn learns Spider-Man’s identity,
He goes for the heart with his villainous glee.
Brave Peter saves MJ and others in danger
And learns that the Green Goblin isn’t a stranger.
When Osborn is killed, Spider-Man gets the blame,
And Harry wants vengeance on Spider-Man’s name.
________________
 
Although New York’s safe under Spider-Man’s guard,
Pete’s personal life is continually hard.
His best friend still wishes his hero self dead,
And Mary Jane soon has a spaceman to wed.
Although money’s tight, Peter’s thrilled he can meet
Doc Otto Octavius, a genius to Pete.
 
Another experiment Oscorp is backing
Goes horribly wrong when stability’s lacking,
And Otto is fused with mechanical arms,
Which turn him to crime and don’t care whom he harms.
He plans to remake the experiment new,
Bigger and better, more dangerous too.
 
Meanwhile, ol’ Peter, affected by stress,
Is losing his powers, though not from bad press.
Deciding that all of his cares can be solved,
He lives as a man, with no spider involved.
His job and his schoolwork improve every day,
But he doubles back when Doc Ock takes MJ.
 
He fights his old mentor on tower and train
And ends up abducted with no Mary Jane.
Pete’s taken to Harry, who made Doc a deal
And is taken aback by the shocking reveal.
Pete learns from his friend of the doctor’s new crime
And swings to the harbor to stop him in time.
 
Octavius puts up a fight once again,
But Peter convinces him, like Uncle Ben,
To give up his dreams and to stop all the strife,
And Doctor Octavius pays with his life.
His secret revealed to both MJ and Harry,
Pete now has his love and a new villain scary.
_________________
 
All seems to be going well for Peter Parker,
But now his persona’s about to get darker.
He has Mary Jane and romantic contentment,
But Harry attacks him in growing resentment.
The newest Green Goblin, he battles his friend
But suffers amnesia they did not intend.
 
Meanwhile, Flint Marko, a crook close at hand,
Falls into a hole and is turned into sand.
Meanwhile again, Peter’s peer Eddie Brock
Upstages him till he is shown as a crock.
Meanwhile once more, a black symbiote slime
Attaches to Spider-Man’s suit in no time.
 
The black stuff from space changes him for the worst;
Since Flint killed his uncle, he bears a blood thirst.
His attitude’s changed, Mary Jane notices,
And Peter despises what everyone says.
When Harry remembers, Pete causes more pain
And even is jerkish to poor Mary Jane.
 
At last, he decides that enough is enough
And goes to a church to peel off the black stuff.
Once Venom’s created when Eddie’s infected,
He teams up with Flint that revenge be perfected.
They take Mary Jane (she is captured a lot)
And call Spider-Man that their fight may be fought.
 
Appealing to Harry to help him save her,
Pete gains back his friend and a super partner.
The battle is rough, full of Venom and sand,
But Peter and Harry prevail and withstand.
It comes at a price, but once evil’s subdued,
Pete’s reconciled romance is slowly renewed.
________________
 

Before Iron Man and Captain America began setting box-office records, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films set new highs for the superhero genre. Typically, the first two are lauded and the third decried, but I find all three enormously entertaining and pitch-perfect in spirit and tone for their source material.

The first Spider-Man is among the best and most faithful comic book adaptations around, nailing who Peter Parker is and how he becomes everyone’s favorite webslinger. The casting is exceptional; while not everyone’s a Toby Maguire fan, he captures Peter’s innate lovable geekiness to a tee and effortlessly shows a much wider range of emotion than Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man reboot. While the first movie skips Gwen Stacy in favor of Pete’s inevitable love Mary Jane Watson, Kirsten Dunst is a beautiful girl-next-door love interest who shares that iconic upside-down kiss with Spidey. Their romance is sweet and heart-felt, pure and innocent, though not immune to the typical bumps along the road of love. On top of them, there’s Cliff Robertson as wise Uncle Ben, Rosemary Harris as equally wise Aunt May, and J. K. Simmons as antagonistic J. Jonah Jameson, all superbly owning their roles, especially Simmons who couldn’t be replaced for the reboot. While the Green Goblin’s mask is rather hokey, Willem Dafoe is an effectively creepy villain with his intentionally devilish voice. So many scenes are simply untouchable that the reboot was forced to avoid some of the best and most essential aspects of the story, such as the whole “With great power…” conversation, and changed much of what it could for the worse. Not to say The Amazing Spider-Man is a bad film, but it simply cannot compare with the original, particularly Toby Maguire as my ideal Peter Parker.

As good as the first is, though, the second surpassed it to become one of the best superhero films ever. With all returning actors, including James Franco as Harry Osborn, the relationships are deepened, secrets revealed, and cliffhangers formed; in short, it does everything a successful sequel ought to do. It also introduced Alfred Molina as another favorite villain Doctor Octopus, turning the consistently villainous comic book character into a tragic role both dangerous and sympathetic. The train battle is one of the most exciting and awesome superhero fights I’ve seen, and Peter’s temporary departure from being Spider-Man further develops his struggle with his hero identity. One thing I’ve noticed about these films is that there are different perspectives from the people he defends. Superman is universally lauded by everyone, while the X-Men are mostly feared and hated for their mutations. Even with the Avengers, most opinions are debated among high-profile leaders, except for a few brief scenes. Spider-Man is applauded by most of the everyday New Yorkers, but certain non-fans (police and mainly Jameson) inexplicably see him as a menace and have the power to sway others’ views against him. It’s a balanced approach that makes hero work into a tricky public image nightmare, though even Jameson misses Spidey when he disappears.

The third film has its detractors, who often dislike it for its over-packed plot and those scenes with the “dark” Peter dancing stupidly. Yet, in many ways, it delivers a purely enjoyable comic book mish-mash of villains and subplots. The action scenes are amazing, from Peter’s mid-air battle with Harry to his face-off with Sandman among subway trains to the big climax which is as close to an epic villain team-up as we may get outside of the comics. As stuffed as the plot is with concurrent storylines and coincidences, nothing is overly random and the various subplots do tie together smoothly; Flint Marko’s reappearance and the vindictive wiles of Harry Osborn spark Peter’s desire for revenge, which is aggravated by the symbiote-soon-to-be-known-as-Venom. I can even defend the silly dance scenes since the symbiote increases Peter’s aggression and confidence but doesn’t necessarily diminish his inherent geekiness; such is the result. I do wish that the Venom symbiote had had a better introduction than a convenient meteorite landing near Peter and MJ, and that the film had ended on a happier note, considering it would be the last of the original series. It would have been nice for Raimi and company to collaborate on one more film, though it was not to be. They seemed to be setting up the Lizard storyline that was ultimately used in the reboot; notice that Peter’s college professor Curt Connors only had one arm, and in one scene in the third film, there were lizards he was studying in the background. Oh, well.

While the animated TV shows (especially The Spectacular Spider-Man) often do the characters justice and the reboot has at least expanded on Gwen Stacy, all three Raimi films are such excellent comic book adaptations that no other Spider-Man movie could add anything to their chosen storylines but additional special effects and more villains (I’m sure they’ll get to the rest of the rogues gallery, like Vulture, Kraven, Black Cat, Scorpion, and maybe Hydro-man or Carnage one of these days). Tobey Maguire will always be Peter Parker for me, and these films will remain comic book classics.

Best line from Spider-Man: (Peter, at the end) “Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: “With great power comes great responsibility.” This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I’m Spider-Man.”

Best line from Spider-Man 2: (a witness, after pizza-delivery boy Peter changes into Spider-Man) “He just stole that guy’s pizza!”

Best line from Spider-Man 3: (Peter, at the end) “Whatever comes our way, whatever battle we have raging inside us, we always have a choice. My friend Harry taught me that. He chose to be the best of himself. It’s the choices that make us who we are, and we can always choose to do what’s right.”

 
Rank: 58 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

270 Followers and Counting

#37: Doctor Zhivago (1965)

19 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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When Yuri Zhivago was orphaned still young,
The friendly Gromekos arrived and agreed
To take him in, care for, and raise him among
The wealthy of Moscow, a life guaranteed.
 
Becoming a poet and doctor, he grew
To love his stepsister, dear Tonya by name.
Meanwhile, a young woman out of his view
Is drawn from her innocence into deep shame.
 
Victor Komarovsky takes Lara to bed,
Which causes the girl to attempt execution.
Escaping from Moscow, she chooses to wed
Her loyal friend Pasha, who craves revolution.
 
The first great World War comes to ravage the land,
And doctoring Yuri meets Lara by fate.
The Bolsheviks see their best chances, as planned,
And war soon gives way to a Communist State.
 
His life back in Moscow has changed for the worse,
And scarcity reigns as starvation takes hold.
His half-brother Yevgraf suggests they traverse
The far western Urals, which are less controlled.
 
He meets Lara’s husband while on his way there,
A violent guerrilla now called Strelnikov.
His family soon settles, until an affair
With Lara splits Yuri’s attention and love.
 
He’s captured to serve with the army for years,
Before he returns home, his wife and son gone.
He hides out with Lara till Victor appears,
To take Lara for her own safety at dawn.
 
He wanders henceforth, without lover or wife,
And leaves this pained world in a pitiful way,
And yet his poems live on beyond his short life,
As does daughter Tonya and her gift to play.
_______________
 

I’m not much of a fan of David Lean’s epics; as critically lauded as they are, Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai simply don’t appeal to me. I find both overblown and often boring but for a few impressive action sequences.  Though both of them won Best Picture, I prefer his adaptation that was only nominated, Doctor Zhivago. Based on Boris Pasternak’s long novel set before, during, and after the Russian Revolution, Lean’s film bridges the gap between sweeping storytelling and intimate romance, allowing for credible human drama amid the epic coursing of history.

Omar Sharif is at his very best playing the title character, and my VC has mentioned (many times) how she finds him utterly attractive with his trademark mustache. Though he is a flawed protagonist and some of his sorrows are due to his own moral decline, his naïve desire to live and love without the weight of politics and war is entirely sympathetic. By the heartbreaking end, his life has become a definitive tragedy of how lives are swallowed by mankind’s most degrading ideologies. The same goes for his secret lover Lara, played with resilient beauty by Julie Christie; her desire for a simple life is undermined by her husband’s dedication to supposedly justified violence, and she is ultimately lost to everyone who loved or knew her. Supporting players are consistently masterful: the slimy allure of Rod Steiger’s Komarovsky, the stoic interest of Alec Guinness’s Yevgraf, the gentle faithfulness of Geraldine Chaplin’s Tonya (that’s Charlie Chaplin’s daughter), the wide-eyed apprehension of Rita Tushingham’s Tonya, the allegiance-turned-zealotry of Tom Courtenay’s Pasha/Strelnikov.

I haven’t read Pasternak’s novel, but my VC has and considers the film an improvement, better plotted and more restrained in objectionable content. The film doesn’t carry quite as many plot points as the book, such as Komarovsky’s involvement in Yuri’s father’s death, but it’s complex and extensive enough and manages to still focus on smaller details, such as a skeletal branch tapping on Yuri’s window after his mother’s funeral.

The lilting violins of Maurice Jarre’s effervescent score make Doctor Zhivago memorable to the ear, just as the scopious mountain cinematography does to the eye. (The 2002 miniseries has its good points as well, including closer adherence to the book in certain instances, but, as good as he and Keira Knightley are, Hans Matheson can’t compare with Sharif.) Though some critics accused it of glossing over history, the story is meant to be from the perspectives of Yuri and Lara. Their firsthand experiences of war, destitution, and desperation are vividly portrayed, even if the ambitions and nuances creating them are not spelled out in documentary fashion, though there’s some of that too. Despite (or due to) its length, Dr. Zhivago is a pillar of Russian literature, and its film version a tribute to what is personal and an exemplar of tragic, epic filmmaking.

Best line: (Yuri) “It seems you’ve burnt the wrong village.”  (Strelnikov) “They always say that, and what does it matter? A village betrays us, a village is burned. The point’s made.”  (Yuri) “Your point—their village.”

  
Rank: 58 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

270 Followers and Counting

#51: When Harry Met Sally… (1989)

03 Wednesday Dec 2014

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When Harry met Sally,
They hated each other;
He acted the typical know-it-all man.
He said men and women
Who dated each other
Could never be friends without sex as the plan.
 
The next time they met
They were both still at odds,
Involved in relationships separate and sure.
The time after that,
They are mournful facades
Whose romance has sputtered and failed to endure.
 
At last they endeavor
To simply be friends
And talk to each other with humor and ease,
Supporting each other
Wherever life wends,
Upon a relationship’s changeable seas.
 
When sex enters in,
Their whole friendship’s in danger,
For petulant words are not backpedaled fast;
But Harry tells Sally
He never would change her
And realizes theirs is a love meant to last.
______________
 

Few movies can boast a screenplay in which nearly every line could be a best line. I consider Elizabethtown and Airplane! to be such films, but perhaps the best example is the immortal rom com When Harry Met Sally…. Born from the experiences and insights of Nora Ephron and director Rob Reiner, as well as the comedy of Billy Crystal, the entire film is essentially a treatise on dating in the ‘80s, which is surprisingly as entertaining now as it was when it earned a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination.

Quirk is not always easy to pull off. At times, it becomes uncomfortable or weird rather than endearing, and even when it tows the line, some realism is often lost amid the characters’ eccentricities. When Harry Met Sally… possesses the best balance I’ve seen between charming idiosyncrasy and realistic character development. Harry especially may be a caricature of smug male self-confidence, but who hasn’t encountered the “high maintenance” girl or a romance that didn’t necessarily start on the best of terms?

Meg Ryan is gorgeous as Sally, the kind of woman to request every meal just so. (I’ve been a cashier so I know those people are out there.) Ryan has, or had, a unique talent for amazing chemistry with her male co-stars: as great as she was with Tom Hanks (and to a lesser extent Dennis Quaid, Kevin Kline, and Hugh Jackman), her first memorable cinematic connection was with Billy Crystal. Crystal’s Harry is irresistible, he thinks, and manages to make spitting grape seeds hilarious. So much of the film’s humor relies on Crystal’s delivery (the “pepper in my paprikash” exchange, his depressed moaning in bed, his silly attempts at karaoke) that no one could have taken his place. Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher also fill strong supporting roles as the titular couple’s friends.

Famous scenes and lines abound, not least of which is the restaurant scene concluded by a laugh-out-loud one-liner from Rob Reiner’s own mother. Another interesting element is the brief true-story interviews with happily married couples throughout the film, who serve as the hopeful reminder of a relationship’s potential success and where Harry and Sally may and do end up.

While there’s some language and much frank sexual dialogue, When Harry Met Sally… is tame by today’s standards, and as lecherous as Harry is, the film does imply that sex can ruin a relationship just as much as deepen it. Harry’s speech at the end is one of the best cinematic professions of love, capping off an endlessly watchable standard for the genre.

Best lines (not the obvious): (Harry, leaving a voice message for Sally) “The fact that you’re not answering leads me to believe you’re either (a) not at home, (b) home but don’t want to talk to me, or (c) home, desperately want to talk to me, but trapped under something heavy. If it’s either (a) or (c), please call me back.”
 
(Sally, to Harry) “It’s amazing. You look like a normal person, but actually you are the angel of death.”
 
(Harry’s friend Jess) “You made a woman meow?”
 
VC’s best line: (Sally’s friend Marie, when told a fact she ignores) “You’re right, you’re right. I know you’re right.”
Rank: 57 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

262 Followers and Counting

#52: Elizabethtown (2005)

02 Tuesday Dec 2014

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Awful days come and awful days go,
But none quite compare with Drew’s big fiasco.
Spasmotica shoes were his golden brainchild,
Until they lost millions. On him was blame piled,
And soon the whole shoe-wearing planet will know.
 
Death’s seeming attractive until someone dies,
His dad from Kentucky, beloved and wise.
Drew heads to Elizabethtown, as he must,
And on the plane there minor facts are discussed
With Claire, the attendant who talks when she flies.
 
Drew’s own distant relatives warmly welcome,
Although they can’t handle which state he is from.
While waiting for requisite grief to sink in,
He phone-chats with Claire of what is and has been,
And into the morning their ramblings come.
 
While everyone copes in their personal way,
Drew bonds more with Claire when she chooses to stay,
Yet he is too haunted by failure, it seems,
To move past the shoe and to chase other dreams,
Like family and romance he should not delay.
 
An off-beat memorial honors Drew’s dad,
So they take the road trip the two never had.
With lessons, directions, and music from Claire,
He spreads his dad’s memory all the way there
And finds life’s surprises too great to stay sad.
________________
 

I first viewed Elizabethtown simply on the impulse to check out a movie most critics disliked, but I was pleasantly surprised that it instead became one of my favorites (so much so that my family visited the town on one of our road trips). A romantic comedy with some unusually dark overtones, Elizabethtown contains almost as much wit, heart, and romance as When Harry Met Sally…; in fact, I wouldn’t hesitate to call it the best rom com of the new millennium (so far).

Directed and written by Cameron Crowe, the film stars Orlando Bloom as depressed prodigal Drew Baylor and Kirsten Dunst as his garrulous romantic interest Claire. Bloom is at the top of his game, evoking a blend of sullen discomfort and awkward grief, like someone having such a bad week that he doesn’t know how to cope anymore. He doesn’t have any resentment toward his dad or the clichéd parental issues that he must resolve; instead, his father’s death serves as an opportunity to rekindle hope and conquer his own personal demons before they consume him. Another catalyst for this renewal is Dunst’s Claire, who was criticized for her superficial eccentricity and prompted the creation of the term “Manic Pixie Dream Girl.” While that stereotype pretty much sums her up, I fail to see why that’s a defect on the film’s part. She’s not nearly as pushy or insolent as Barbra Streisand in What’s Up, Doc?, and as angelic as she seems, her unrealistic outreaches never come off as contrived. It’s a movie; I’d like to believe that two people can fall in love over the phone!

Like When Harry Met Sally…, there are so many underrated scenes and lines that I find exceptionally classic: Drew’s insightful narration, his life-saving ringtone, his loss of direction trying to find town, the phone tag with three separate calls, his bizarrely emotional hallway exchange with Chuck the newlywed, the equally bizarre rendition of “Free Bird” at his dad’s memorial, his ramblings with Claire about the pronunciation of Louisville and “substitute people” and “the inimitable ‘them,’” and especially that epic educational video he shows his cousin’s out-of-control son. The many relatives he meets are the very definition of quirk (or perhaps the word is “whimsical”), including Paul Schneider as said cousin Jessie and famed Southern cook Paula Deen as Aunt Dora (in her only film role to date). Other great performances come from Susan Sarandon as Drew’s overwrought mother, Judy Greer as his ineffective sister, and Alec Baldwin as an unsympathetic shoe CEO.

One more reason to love Elizabethtown is the music. In addition to a folksy score by Cameron’s then-wife Nancy Wilson of the band Heart, it boasts one of my favorite soundtracks (which I had to buy), with tunes from Lindsey Buckingham, Elton John, Tom Petty, U2, and more, all of which complement each of their respective scenes (for example, “In the Name of Love” when Drew visits the motel where Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot). The result is a perfect example of editing and music placement.

Though the film yields to the cliché of romance inevitably leading to premarital sex and includes an unnecessary vulgar comedy sketch from Sarandon, the overall film is a beautiful and poignant reflection on success, failure, life, death, family, and the interplay among them all. The repeated symbolism of a bird on fire is subtly used to imply a crash-and-burn fiasco and perhaps a resurgent phoenix. Elizabethtown is a film for anyone who has ever lost a loved one, taken a nostalgic road trip, or met with defeat and risen again.

Best lines: (Ellen, Drew’s ex-girlfriend with a farewell line I’ve recycled myself) “Drew, it was real, and it was great, and it was really great.”
 
(Claire) “I’m impossible to forget, but I’m hard to remember.”
 
(Claire) “You want to be really great? Then have the courage to fail big and stick around. Make ’em wonder why you’re still smiling. That’s true greatness to me.”
 
VC’s best line: (Claire) “I will miss your lips and everything attached to them.”
 
Rank: 57 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

262 Followers and Counting

#58: Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

27 Thursday Nov 2014

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(Can be sung to the title song)
 
The 1920s saw
The cinematic draw
Of talking motion pictures
That filled the folks with awe.
Don Lockwood, a star,
And Lina Lamont
Are shocked by the change
And a young debutante.
 
Although Lina is shrill,
They both try talkies still.
Don and his friend think
Kathy’s voice fits the bill.
Don’s love will begin
To sing and fill in
For Lina,
To Lina’s own chagrin.
 
The film they revise
Will soon be their prize,
But Lina’s deceit
Fills the public with lies.
The curtain reveals
The truth she conceals,
And Kathy
And Don’s romance appeals.
_______________
 

The period between the 1930s and 1950s was full of musicals, most of which are wholly forgettable (save for perhaps one song) or else simply not my cup of tea. Yet the culmination of these assembly-line studio productions is still acclaimed to this day, namely Gene Kelly’s Singin’ in the Rain, the finest film about Hollywood’s favorite subject, itself.

Many of the songs in Singin’ in the Rain, including the title one, had been written for prior films, with the common bond for most being lyricist and producer Arthur Freed. They’re catchy little ditties typical of the era, yet certain scenes are so utterly classic that the songs themselves were propelled to much greater fame than any previous film’s usage. Coupled with Gene Kelly’s incomparably energetic choreography, tunes like “Fit as a Fiddle,” “Moses Supposes,” and “Good Morning” are just plain fun to watch, while “Singin’ in the Rain” attains a time-honored status few sequences can match. The film also succeeds as a comedy, and Donald O’Connor’s “Make ‘Em Laugh” is hilarious, incredible, and exhausting to watch. The “Broadway Melody” dream sequence is classic too, with Kelly’s cavorting with Cyd Charisse and her skillfully blown scarf, though I personally think it’s overly long and disconnected from the supposed French Revolution film into which it is meant to fit.

Easily Kelly’s best film, Singin’ in the Rain gave Debbie Reynolds her first major role and immortalized Freed’s greatest songs. The lip-syncing conspiracy at the film’s climax is still imitated nowadays, and the film’s most memorable moments have been parodied to no end. Even award-winning films like The Artist have drawn inspiration from this original talkie-conversion romance. Comedy musicals don’t get much better than Singin’ in the Rain.

Best line: (Don Lockwood, as he is being hounded by fans) “Cosmo, call me a cab.”  (Cosmo, smiling) “OK, you’re a cab.”

 
Rank: 57 out of 60
 

© 2014 S. G. Liput

256 Followers and Counting