Tag Archives: Sci-fi

The Invisible Man (2020)

20 Monday Nov 2023

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Do you feel a chill that warns “Beware”?
Are you not alone when no one’s there?
To be a human is to err,
So surely I am wrong.

Do things just move all on their own?
Is every creak a new doubt sown?
It’s obvious that I’m alone,
So surely I am wrong.

Are muscles tightened like a spring?
Do you detect some unseen thing?
But no one else is noticing,
So surely I am wrong.

But there it is again, you hear?
The subtle sound of someone near.
I’m waiting like a staring deer
For someone, something to appear.
The eye will lie, but trust the ear;
It knows it when the coast’s not clear.
Am I unstable if I fear
What no one else confirms is here?
Am I to trust the ones who jeer
And say that I’m a fool to fear?
I’m not a fool! I know it’s near,
So what if you are wrong?!
___________________________

MPA rating:  R (for language and violence)

I’m a little disgusted with myself for having four different scary movies lined up for October and then not getting to review any of them before Halloween. But “better late than never” has become the new mantra for this blog. I had heard good things about The Invisible Man, a February 2020 release that managed to make a decent splash before COVID shut down Hollywood releases. The concept of invisibility has never had quite the punch of monsters like vampires and werewolves, but this film proves how nightmarish it can be in the wrong hands.

This latest incarnation of The Invisible Man makes some clever changes to the typical H.G. Wells story of a mad scientist creating an invisibility serum, instead focusing on one of his victims before he ever acquired such a power. Elizabeth Moss gives an outstanding and honestly Oscar-worthy performance as Cecilia Cass, the battered girlfriend of possessive optics genius Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). When she flees his clutches and goes into hiding, Cecilia is startled to learn of his apparent death, only to then be haunted by an increasingly violent invisible force that makes everyone around her question her sanity.

The voyeuristic nature of invisibility has precedents, such as in 2000’s Hollow Man, but this film puts Cecilia’s relationship trauma and the stalker-ish behavior of a vengeful lover front and center. The concept of gaslighting has become more prominent (and misused) in our Internet age of misinformation and manipulation, but its use here mirrors the origin of the word, the 1944 film Gaslight where a cruel husband psychologically torments his wife to make her go insane. Luckily, Elizabeth Moss is an expert at acting crazy and more than delivers in her arc from battered victim to helpless prey to empowered avenger. Aldis Hodge as Cecilia’s supportive friend and Michael Dorman as Adrian’s smarmy brother fill their roles well, but this is Moss’s film through and through. To match her, the villain is brilliantly depicted as a faceless aggressor before his “death,” only for that faceless aggression to take a new unseen form that threatens to make its presence known through violence at any moment. Not knowing where he is remains key to the film’s ever-present tension, making the moments when we do know stand out even more.

Between expert performances and Leigh Whannell’s stylish direction, The Invisible Man is an instant horror classic and possibly the best use of invisibility in the genre. That said, the villain’s choices start to break down near the end, and it does get a bit overlong, continuing beyond the expected climax to try gaslighting Cecilia, as well as the audience, even more. The actual ending still works, just taking a more uncomfortably personal turn than an action scuffle and leaving open a window for theorizing and sequel potential. In contrast to the gorefests I try to avoid (though this film does have its brutal moments), I subscribe to the horror principle that what you don’t see is often scarier than what you do, and The Invisible Man uses that rule to its advantage while applying it to an all-too-realistic scenario.

Best line: (recurring) “Surprise.”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
782 Followers and Counting

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

22 Saturday Jul 2023

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We all reach an age where a dream is our plan.
“I’ll live in a castle.” “I’ll marry that man.”
“I’ll dazzle that girl with an overpriced ring.”
But plans are a transient thing.

And little by little, our fantasies dim,
Our goals and ambitions grow cynically grim,
As reveries dwindle to traces.
It’s harder to hope in
Some window to open
With doors slamming shut in our faces.

We all have a trauma of dreams unfulfilled,
Of sand castles planned with no chances to build
Or rugs pulling out when we’re on the upswing,
For plans are a transient thing.

Although we all wish many things to undo,
All wishes aren’t false when they fail to come true.
Some comfort may be close at hand.
Where planning falls short,
We can find our support
In the good things we couldn’t have planned.
_____________________________

MPA rating: PG-13

Leave it to James Gunn to drop one of the best recent Marvel movies before jumping ship to rescue DC’s cinematic endeavors. The Guardians of the Galaxy have always seemed a little bit more separate from the main storyline of the MCU, even though the familial ties with Thanos brought them in league with the Avengers. As far as the three solo outings for the spacefaring team of Starlord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel), plus Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and others, they have gone about their intergalactic adventures without being overly tied to Marvel continuity, and many would say they are better for it. While Infinity War and Endgame may have thrown a wrench in Gunn’s initial plans for this threequel, he makes the most of his motley space crew to deliver a satisfying conclusion.

It’s easy to miss with all the cracking of skulls and jokes in the first two films, but perennial jerk Rocket Raccoon has remained a mystery up to this point, with a few hints at some traumatic past but little else. Finally, this third film gives him the spotlight, offering what might be the most tragic backstory of any Marvel character, along with an equally despicable villain in the High Evolutionary (the excellent Chukwudi Iwuji), a god-complexing scientist intent on perfecting life and society with little regard for the “lower life forms” he creates along the way. When this maniac sets his sights on capturing Rocket, the Guardians are forced into desperate measures to save his life.

First off, I was relieved that Vol. 3 actually built on the loose threads left in previous films, like the other Gamora left over after Endgame and the revenge plan of the Sovereign leader (Elizabeth Debicki) creating Adam Warlock (Will Poulter). It might have been nice if they weren’t secondary plotlines, but I’m glad they weren’t dropped the way Mordo’s villain buildup was ignored in the second Dr. Strange film. That is more of a concern the wider the MCU continuity spreads. In addition, it’s amazing how well-balanced the script is, giving every character their moment to shine, whether it’s the subtle bond between Rocket and Nebula (the only two Guardians who weren’t snapped away by Thanos) or Drax proving he can do more than fight and act dumb. Plus, it was nice to see Gunn favorite Nathan Fillion finally get a role in the MCU. In addition to the character work, there’s no shortage of outstanding, large-scale action, with better CGI than other recent Marvel entries and one tracking-shot fight scene that is a highlight of the whole franchise.

The question then is how this third film compares with its predecessors, and I’d probably consider it the best of the three. I wasn’t immediately a huge fan of the first film when it came out, but I’ve warmed up to it quite a bit, and the Vol. 2 was great fun, despite overemphasizing its own humor. In contrast to the lightweight Holiday Special on Disney+, this one takes itself much more seriously considering the grave stakes involved, and it boasts yet another fantastic soundtrack (I was ecstatic over the inclusion of Florence and the Machine). It manages to be funny without laughing at itself too much while also being the MCU film most likely to garner tears. Simply put, it’s a near-perfect capstone to the Guardians story and a satisfyingly emotional send-off for the characters and for Gunn’s involvement in the MCU. On the downside, its violence pushes the PG-13 rating, which also includes the MCU’s first needless F-bomb; while others online are rooting for the MCU’s shift into R-rated territory, I am staunchly in favor of it remaining at least somewhat family-friendly. Still, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 flies higher than any other Marvel movie in years. Time will tell if Gunn can deliver similar results for DC, but he certainly left a legacy at Marvel.

Best line: (Lylla the otter) “You still have a purpose here…. There are the hands that made us, and then there are the hands that guide their hands.”

Rank: List-Worthy (joining the other two)

© 2023 S.G. Liput
783 Followers and Counting

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

29 Saturday Apr 2023

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(For Day 29 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for a two-part poem focused on a food or meal, so I took the theme of sequels and wrote about that nagging desire for seconds.)

1.
You’ve had a good helping and just about full
But still feeling slightly insatiable.
The first round was marvelous, hitting the spot,
But are you appeased? No, you’re not.

There’s room in that stomach, an empty place,
That ought to be filled, just in case.
You cannot leave hunger to scratch and bide
When it’s only partially satisfied.

“It’s lonely in here,” your firsts assert;
Indulging in seconds would hardly hurt.
They’re begging for more, I must obey
This gastrointestinal power play.

Another undoubtedly will exceed.
It’s less of a want and more a need.
Seconds is seconds away, all right?
Coming to curb that appetite.

2.
Sure, I was hungry and now I’m not,
But did I desire the gut I’ve got?
I knew there was room and now it’s filled,
And now my duodenum’s less than thrilled.

I’m starting to wonder if I’m a slave
To all of the short-term whims I crave.
Some self-control could hardly hurt.
What’s that you say? Oh, boy… dessert!
______________________

MPA rating: PG-13

I have such mixed feelings about the Avatar franchise. James Cameron’s passion project seems to be widely acknowledged as an outlet for great visuals in service to a generic environmentalist story of alien natives versus colonizers, and it had become a joke to reference the extended delay between the 2009 original and its first of four sequels. Yet Cameron’s box office power remains undefeated, with The Way of Water silencing naysayers and skyrocketing to become the third highest-grossing film ever. I personally contributed to that revenue (I left for the theater saying “Time to go pay James Cameron’s salary”), mainly just to see the film’s admittedly impressive visuals on a big screen, something I skipped with the first one. And I’m glad I saw it, while also oddly feeling like I’m missing something to explain this series’ popularity.

Set sixteen years after the first film saw the victorious Na’vi send the encroaching humans packing, The Way of Water introduces audiences to another form of Na’vi culture, that of the ocean-dwelling Metkayina clan. When the humans return to colonize Pandora, not just plunder its resources, it also heralds the return of Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), the dead colonel whose memories now reside in a new Avatar-like body, enabling him to seek revenge on the traitorous Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who has been busy raising a family with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). Thus, Jake leads his family away from their forest home to seek refuge with the Metkayina, learn their ways, and employ their help if and when the big bad humans find them.

One point in this sequel’s favor is that it no longer feels like an outright rip-off of Dances with Wolves or Pocahontas. With his world and backstory already established, Cameron can play with more original ideas, like the mystery surrounding Kiri, the adopted daughter who was somehow born from the corpse of Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver, who also plays Kiri via motion capture). Except that seems to be a greater concern for future installments, and the time is instead spent exploring marine environments and rescuing kidnapped children. While the dialogue is generally weak, I will give credit to the film’s theme of fatherhood, with Jake and Quaritch both struggling with their military and paternal duties, which is much more characterization than Quaritch got in the first film.

While the film’s story has a little more heart to it, owing to Jake’s shift from space marine to family man, it has many of the same strengths and faults as the first. There’s much to see and little to care about, but the spectacle manages to overcome the flaws. The underwater world so carefully designed is indeed a wonder to behold, full of vibrant coral reefs and giants both gentle and fierce, all rendered with the characters in that thoroughly immersive motion-capture animation it’s taken years to perfect. Like its predecessor, the climactic battle at the end is long and thrilling, taking some cues from Cameron’s Titanic past with its large-scale water warfare.

I enjoyed The Way of Water but would be hard-pressed to say whether it’s better or worse than the first Avatar, and I still think it’s a bit hard to swallow that both were nominated for Best Picture when Avengers: Endgame wasn’t. When this much effort and detail are poured into something over three hours long, I feel like I should like it more than I do, but I’m left with mild admiration for the visual triumph of the product so far rather than a sense of excitement for more sequels to come. Even so, there are promising seeds and conflicts sown here that could develop into something special, and, as this sequel proves more than anything, I wouldn’t bet against James Cameron.

Best line: (Quaritch) “Why so blue?”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
785 Followers and Counting

Moonfall (2022)

14 Friday Apr 2023

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(For Day 14 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to write a satire based on a famous poem. I went back to my old habit of rewriting song lyrics and poked fun at this absurd disaster film. This one is best sung to the tune of Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore.”)

When the moon hits your eye,
That’s a rock from the sky,
So it’s fatal.
When the crust starts to crack
Like it’s under attack,
Oh, it’s fatal.

This event
And the moon’s descent
From the firmament
Will prevent your survival.
Meteors
(And the poison gas
That the earth will pass)
Will announce its arrival.

When the satellites fall
Like they’ve chugged alcohol,
Then it’s fatal.
When a big bolide arcs,
Aiming for our landmarks,
Then you’re dead.

If you think you can hide,
When disaster’s worldwide,
You’re unable.
Things that people live through
In the movies you view
Would be fatal!
____________________________

MPA rating: PG-13

To paraphrase Michael Caine’s Alfred in The Dark Knight, some men just want to watch the world burn or flood or freeze or get hit by the moon. Clearly Roland Emmerich is one of those people since he’s made a career off of different ways to cause cataclysmic damage to as much of the planet Earth as possible. Instead of the tectonic upheaval of 2012 or the climatic turmoil of The Day After Tomorrow, he looked up to imagine what would happen if the moon were to come crashing down to the earth, with an extraterrestrial threat as the catalyst. It’s pure turn-your-brain-off destruction with a huge cast of mostly expendable characters to witness it, and it might have been less of a box-office bomb if it didn’t feel like such a rehash of his previous films.

The story mainly centers on astronauts Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson) and Jocinda Fowler (Halle Berry), as well as K.C. Houseman (John Bradley), a megastructurist researcher with apparently crackpot theories about the moon that are inevitably proven right. The three of them become the driving force to go into space and use an EMP against the alien force degrading the moon’s orbit, even as CGI havoc is unleashed on the planet to plague Brian’s son (Charlie Plummer), Jocinda’s son, Jocinda’s son’s nanny, Jocinda’s ex-husband, Brian’s ex-wife, Brian’s ex-wife’s new husband (Michael Peña), and the rest of the humans unlucky enough to live in an Emmerich film.

No one should expect too much out of this kind of cheesy disaster film beyond cool, destructive visuals and a generic happy ending with at least someone surviving, and Moonfall delivers on that promise. Along with some neat sci-fi concepts, it has the familiar Emmerich absurdity of a car chase with mayhem affecting everything but the heroes’ car, as well as nonsensical moon danger where it doesn’t even seem to be orbiting the earth, just popping over the horizon to mess with gravity and then go away again. At over 2 hours, the film’s flimsy script and rickety logic overstay their welcome, and by the time the heroes are fleeing from the alien swarm in an alien spaceship, even the action had become strangely monotonous.

I like the production story of Emmerich saying “It’s just a movie” whenever the on-site astronaut advisor told him something wasn’t actually possible, which epitomizes Moonfall as a big-budget B-movie. While there’s nothing wrong with that brand of dumb fun, its final scene suggesting a sequel clearly thinks it’s better than it is.

Best line: (K.C.) “Are we dead?”  (Brian) “No, we’re just inside the moon.”  (K.C.) “That might be the greatest sentence anyone’s ever said.”

Rank: Honorable Mention

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

Infinitum: Subject Unknown (2021)

11 Tuesday Apr 2023

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(For Day 11 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to write something based on some overheard dialogue. For lack of time and inspiration, I went with a quick summation of a recent movie’s paranoia instead.)

They’re watching me now as they whisper
And guess what I’m bound to do next.
Am I coming or going?
I’m sick of not knowing,
Just one among countless subjects.

They’re prodding and setting my limits.
I only have so far to go,
A rat stuck complying
And gradually dying.
The maze is my new status quo.
______________________________

MPA rating: Not Rated (I guess R for some F words, nothing else objectionable)

You know how sometimes you try a random, obscure movie just because the name catches your interest and you stumble upon something great you never expected to find? That’s happened to me before, but not this time. Infinitum: Unknown Subject is an example of what happens when science fiction has its head too far up its butt to deliver an actual story.

Shot on an iPhone during the pandemic with mostly a single actress (Tori Butler-Hart), the film starts promisingly as the bewildered Jane awakens tied to a chair in a sealed attic, being watched by cameras. She escapes and explores the house and the deserted streets outside, but periodically resets, returning to her tied-up starting position while also getting glimpses of a war-torn landscape and echoes of her own past or future.

It reminded me somewhat of “White Bear,” one of the best episodes of Black Mirror, yet the plot for the film doesn’t ultimately go anywhere. There are interview snippets of scientists (including a barely-there Ian McKellen) talking about experiments and the “paraverse,” but there’s never any clarity on what is actually happening to Jane or why. With the repetitious loops and lack of other character interactions, Jane’s journey makes for a painfully dull 86 minutes. I feel I shouldn’t dunk on Infinitum too hard since they were experimenting with how to make a movie during a pandemic, but this failure is an example of what not to do.

Rank: Dishonorable Mention

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

10 Monday Apr 2023

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(For this Easter Sunday of NaPoWriMo, the Day 9 prompt was for a straightforward sonnet about love, which has plenty of room for exploration. I decided to explore one of the weightier themes from this superhero film with “Love” in the name.)

From modern film to Jesus on the cross,
‘Tis clear that sacrifice is love most plain,
For those who benefit feel more than loss
But flattered gratitude to ease the pain.
While many lovers may well entertain
A chance to prove their love to that extreme,
They must feel all their efforts are in vain
When death creeps in with no intent or scheme,
No bullet to prevent, no dark regime,
No clear and present danger to oppose.
What can one do when bladder, brain, bloodstream
Wreak sabotage where no mere hero goes?
Sometimes only our presence soothes the hour
When sacrifice is not within our power.
___________________________

MPA rating:  PG-13

I am very forgiving when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I would defend the likes of Thor: The Dark World or Eternals when people badmouth them, and while Marvel’s overall quality does vary, I consider the brand remarkably consistent in entertainment value. Perhaps my natural affection for the MCU delayed my actual feelings for Thor: Love and Thunder, because I remember calling it a good movie when walking out of the theater last year. Yet the more I thought of it and especially after watching it again, I have to admit it:  Thor: Love and Thunder is the first Marvel film I outright dislike. That’s not an especially unusual opinion, considering its generally poor fan reception, but it’s the first time I’ve agreed with the criticisms to this extent.

There’s nothing wrong with the basic plot of the film, which aimed to reunite Chris Hemsworth’s Thor with his old girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) after her nearly decade-long absence from the franchise. Jane is suffering from stage four cancer and seeks out the broken pieces of Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, which grants her the powers of Thor (as “Mighty Thor”) and heals her when in her superpowered state. The two Thors must then rescue Asgardian kids from Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), a deity-hating menace plotting to eliminate all gods.

There are traces of good ideas, notably in the action scenes with Gorr, one of which is a moon-wide slugfest with eldritch creatures all rendered in black and white. Bale is unrecognizable and downright creepy in the villainous role, yet he emotes all the grief and rage of a character whose faith was shattered beyond saving. Likewise, Portman handles her emotional moments well, even if it’s ultimately sad that her character was brought back just to deepen Thor’s sense of loss.

Those few positive points indicate the issue: the film is at its best in the serious moments, which are too much of a contrast with its otherwise silly atmosphere. Considering how many films and heartaches Thor has been through, writer-director Taika Waititi seems intent on keeping him a goofball, which worked well in Ragnarok, but the constant comedy isn’t as easily sustained here (though admittedly I chuckled at the screaming goats every time). From Thor’s first big scene “saving” an alien shrine by destroying it, he doesn’t act like the veteran hero he should be by this point. That’s just one example of the film’s lack of consistency, which also affects Jane’s story, as when Mjolnir, meant to help Jane fight off the cancer, somehow ends up hurting her instead. Plus, Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie is barely of use, while the role of stony sidekick Korg (Waititi himself) has been over-promoted to narrator status.

The film’s biggest misstep for me is the second-act visit to Omnipotence City, a realm of gods from across cultures and planets. Considering the first Thor was careful to clarify that Thor and the Asgardians were not actual gods but just wielders of alien powers and advanced technologies, this film muddies the waters enormously and begs the question “What is a god in the MCU?” We see the cowardly Zeus (a meh Russell Crowe), future threat Hercules (Brett Goldstein), and various other deities of all shapes and sizes, so it seems that all “gods” exist in this world except the one God of the Bible, the one that Captain America invoked in The Avengers. Then there’s the fight scene with Zeus’s guards, who leak an excessive amount of gold blood as Thor’s crew battle them. It would be a distressingly gory scene if the blood were red, but does that mean gold blood is a sign of a god? Thor and other Asgardians have shed red blood before, so are they somehow not gods like the others? The whole sequence adds little to the plot, sort of confirms Gorr’s negative opinion of gods in general, and irked me deeply with the questions it raises with no intention of answering them.

Thor: Love and Thunder is a decent superhero film on its own, so I’d probably watch it again, but it’s a glaring failure as a would-be conclusion to at least part of Thor’s story. Many revisions might have buffed out some of the plot flaws, improved the discordant tone, and found better uses for the characters, like the Guardians of the Galaxy who essentially are given a glorified cameo at the beginning, again contrasting with what the end of Endgame seemed to promise. I hope Hemsworth will return as Thor again with a tighter and more serious story, treating this as just a speedbump to something more satisfying. Even if I appreciate what they were going for with this film’s ending, Thor deserves better.

Best line: [Who am I kidding? Of course, it’s the screaming goats.]

Rank: Honorable Mention (barely)

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

I hope everyone had a happy Easter!

Vesper (2022)

01 Saturday Apr 2023

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(For Day 1 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt suggested taking inspiration from some old book covers here. Instead of the more fanciful options, I latched onto some mushrooms on the cover of Guillaume Sicard’s Histoire naturelle des champignons comestibles et vénéneux, apparently a guide to edible mushrooms, which brought to mind this fungus-heavy film.)

The old cliché “Life finds a way”
Omits the struggle and decay,
The mounds of death that pave that way
And grieve the sentient soul.

It would be nice if sacrifice
Were not the customary price,
If seeds could sprout without the vice
Of being buried in a hole.

We often can’t see what we plant,
But wishes do take time to grant.
Seeds that grow where hope is scant
Are always worth the toll.
________________________

MPA rating: Not Rated (right on the line between PG-13 and R, due to brief violence)

All science fiction films try to sell their world, whether it be some alternate history or futuristic metropolis, but few dystopias are as visually convincing as Vesper, a French-Lithuanian co-production made in English for wider appeal. Set in a ruined landscape where biotechnology fuels everything from lab-grown slaves to bacteria-powered electricity generators, this society is split between wealthy elite conclaves we never get to see and the rural desperation of subsistence colonies reliant on the supply of single-yield seeds for their food crops. Vesper (Raffiella Chapman) is a young teen with a knack for biotech, who finds a wounded girl (Rosy McEwen) from one of the elite Citadels and sees her as a chance to break out from the hardship into which she was born, much to the displeasure of her controlling uncle (Eddie Marsan).

Vesper excels in its realism in large part because so much of it is real, having shot in the misty forests of Lithuania rather than against Hollywood’s all-too-common green screen. It adds a lot to the atmosphere, a dirty and moist landscape rife with strange, blood-sucking plants and breathing trees. With its hopeful female protagonist and her private greenhouse of plants, the film definitely seems to draw inspiration from Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, but its story and visual aesthetic are its own. The extent of its plant-based future is also fascinating, such as a weapon that spreads a slime mold over every surface and then vaporizes it into poison gas.

While the film is praiseworthy, its plot doesn’t seem to know where to go by the end, settling for a symbolic conclusion rather than any kind of closure for its heroine. Chapman and McEwen are both promising talents, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they went on to buzzier roles as Anya Taylor-Joy or Thomasin McKenzie have. Marsan brings menace and a latent pathos to the villainous uncle, while Richard Brake has a unique gravitas as Vesper’s quadriplegic father Darius, who is able to speak and follow Vesper through a floating drone with a Wilson-style face drawn on it. While its visuals are more interesting than the largely depressing narrative, Vesper is a must-see for fans of unique dystopias.

Best line: (Darius) “Oh Vesper, you don’t know the cost of dreams.”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

2022 Blindspot Pick #12: Children of Men (2006)

26 Sunday Feb 2023

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While most of us were waiting for a whimper or a bang,
The world we knew withdrew instead of ending.
We thought that we would certainly bounce back or boomerang,
And still we watch and wait, uncomprehending.

No more are teens or children even deemed a demographic,
For all are grown with none to take their place.
No crying babies anymore, no more school zone traffic,
And no descendants for a dying race.

It’s funny how the future’s so dependent on the youth
Who’ll live it out and screw it up anew.
Without them, it’s the present that becomes the only truth,
No benefit of retrospect for you.
_____________________________

MPA rating: R (for violence, language, and a childbirth scene)

At long last, we are here at the end of last year’s Blindspots! It’s been like pulling teeth for some reason getting to these overdue reviews, but hopefully I can pick up the pace with new material for the year. Luckily, I ended this 2022 series with a winner. Based on the P.D. James novel, Children of Men is the scariest kind of dystopia, one that feels all too possible within its speculative what-if scenario. Even aspects that may have seemed less immediate in 2006 have taken on an uncomfortable prescience now, from the chaos of illegal immigration to government-sanctioned self-euthanasia.

Instead of some distant nuclear war or technological breakthrough, this world’s disaster is the slow and quiet death of infertility. Since 2009, women can no longer get pregnant, and now in 2027, children are a thing of the past, with hope being further corroded by England’s brutally suppressed influx of refugees. Bureaucrat Theo Faron (Clive Owen) sees little he can do in the face of the crisis until he is drawn into the effort of his activist ex-wife (Julianne Moore) to get a somehow pregnant refugee named Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) to safety.

Director Alfonso Cuaron outdid himself in making Children of Men a gripping and visceral experience. I was bordering on bored during the first twenty minutes, as the extreme despair of Theo’s London is presented, a world fumbling through a tunnel with no light at the end. Yet once the main quest of the plot is established, ferrying Kee out of England to a mysterious organization called the Human Project, it becomes a breathless chase as Theo and his allies must outmaneuver insurgents and government obstacles. Even the less bombastic moments have a suspenseful edge to them, like a “car chase” in which a stalling car rolls downhill with runners in close pursuit. (That actually sounds strangely comical written down, but it’s thrilling in context.) While it was nice seeing the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Caine, the performances don’t stand out as much as the technical excellence around them, but they build on the plot’s subtext as a modern Nativity story, with Owen’s everyman helping Ashitey’s Marian figure through dangers on all sides.

As I’ve mentioned many times before, I’m a sucker for long scenes with no (or hidden) cuts, which happen to be Cuaron’s specialty. I was familiar with a scene in which a car is assailed by an armed mob, which required an impressive camera rig to swing around the inside of a car with five people in it, but even more impressive was an over-six-minute shot in which Theo weaves through an urban warzone, into and out of a building under heavy fire. It’s hard for anything to top the feature length of 1917, but the sheer audacity of staging and shooting such a sequence has my immense respect and admiration.

Of course, I would have preferred it without the cursing and two brief scenes of nudity, but Children of Men deserves its critical acclaim. I’m honestly surprised that it wasn’t deemed worthy of Oscar nominations for Best Picture or Best Director (it did get a nod for Cinematography and Adapted Screenplay), but it’s not the first time the Academy snubbed a deserving film. I read that the film’s ending was intentionally left open-ended to allow for hope or despair depending on the viewer, and I’m rather glad that I found it hopeful, if bittersweet. It’s not always easy finding that light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s there.

Best line: (Michael Caine’s Jasper) “Everything is a mythical, cosmic battle between faith and chance.”

Rank:  List Runner-Up (close to List-Worthy)

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting

2022 Blindspot Pick #4: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

02 Wednesday Nov 2022

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

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There once was a castle perverse.
Its owner was evil and worse,
He’d break into song
While his friends sang along
Without any time to rehearse.

All visitors finding his lair
Were likely to join the nightmare,
And goody-two-shoes
Who had morals to lose
Would leave, having had an affair.

Beware then the castle debased,
If you’d choose being chaste over chased,
Unless you’re the type
Who exults in the hype
Of intentional absence of taste.
__________________________

MPA rating: R

I know this review is a little late for Halloween (and for only my fourth Blindspot), but I’ve been struggling to figure out how to review The Rocky Horror Picture Show. When a film is this iconic in its cult status, is it basically above criticism? To be clear, I did not enjoy this sex-crazed salute to campy horror, but I can see why others might. It’s the kind of over-the-top cheesefest that knows exactly what it wants to be and is so committed to it that it doesn’t matter whether I like it or not. It is what it is, and I guess it proves that a film can be both classic and atrocious at the same time.

The paper-thin story, narrated periodically by a genteel criminologist (Charles Gray), sees newly engaged couple Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon) being stranded when their car breaks down on a dark and stormy night, leading them to the castle of the eccentric transvestite Dr. Frank-N-Furter (a scenery-chewing Tim Curry). The straight-laced couple are soon drawn into a free-for-all of seduction, murder, and musical numbers, complete with a creepy butler named Riff Raff (Richard O’Brian, who also wrote the film and the original stage show), a newly created muscle man named Rocky (Peter Hinwood), and a machine that turns people into statues.

Objectively, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a mess, as reflected by its poor reception by critics upon initial release. Characters come and go randomly, notably Meatloaf as a half-brained motorcyclist who shows up for one chaotic song and is abruptly killed for no reason. And a big stage number near the end is a fever dream of trashy costume glitz that makes zero sense, followed by a swimming pool championing wish fulfillment. In short, once Brad and Janet entered the castle, I just alternated between appreciating the music, feeling uncomfortable, and wondering what the heck I was watching, which I suspect was the intent of the filmmakers all along.

Speaking of the music, the movie does have some catchy songs to its credit (all written by O’Brien), energetic bops like “The Time Warp” and “Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul” to match its tongue-in-cheek silliness. I generally love musicals, and, while I would consider this one of the exceptions, I will grant that the music is pretty much the only thing that makes it watchable, some chuckle-worthy jokes notwithstanding. Perhaps I’d buy into the film’s bizarre brand of fun more if I attended one of the midnight showings known for audience participation, and I’m tempted to. If only I had a better baseline opinion of it….

I’m well aware that The Rocky Horror Picture Show isn’t my kind of movie. I’m not a fan of watching two clean-cut kids be corrupted by an alien missionary of the sexual revolution and his motley array of perversions, even if it’s someone as charismatic as Tim Curry. I suppose that makes me a prude, but so be it; I prefer my musicals less hypersexualized. I do find it funny that my first exposure to both Curry and O’Brien was in kid-friendly cartoons where they played likable dads: Curry in The Wild Thornberrys and O’Brien in Phineas and Ferb, which were a far cry from their raucous younger days. I’m glad I’ve seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show at least once, if only to understand its iconic cult reputation, but it’s a cult I’d prefer to avoid.

Best line: (Dr. Frank-N-Furter) “It’s not easy having a good time.”

Rank: Dishonorable Mention

© 2022 S.G. Liput
780 Followers and Counting

Nope (2022)

09 Sunday Oct 2022

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Would a sane human being
Be intrigued by ever seeing
Odd phenomena beyond the knowledge of us mortal men,
Like a chair moved by air
Or a voice that bids beware
Or strange forces eating horses as first courses now and then?

Blood that drips down walls
Or peculiar moving dolls –
Who would choose to chase the clues of deadly mysteries and such?
We ought to run away,
But we’re curious and stay.
Curiosity, insanity – the difference isn’t much.
______________________

MPA rating: R (mainly for language)

If there was any doubt about Jordan Peele’s skill as a horror director (or director in general), Nope should dispel it. Get Out was an electrifying debut with its potent social commentary, and Us boasted highly impactful scares, even if its underlying mythology made zero sense. Yet I think I prefer Nope over either of them, an entertaining genre mish-mash that recalls Close Encounters of the Third Kind, if the UFOs were not secretly friendly. From the enigmatic trailers, it seemed that Peele wanted to make aliens scary again, and he did, while also subverting a few expectations to great effect.

Reteaming with Peele after Get Out, Daniel Kaluuya plays O.J. Haywood, a horse trainer for film projects, who struggles to maintain his family’s historic business after the bizarre death of his father (Keith David). His sister Em (Keke Palmer) is more interested in schmoozing talent seekers than saving the ranch, but they are both disturbed by the behavior and disappearance of their horses, eventually realizing something in the sky is preying on them. Soon the siblings are collaborating to get certified photographic proof of the dangerous UFO, which is easier said than done, even with the help of jaded electronics employee Angel (Brandon Perea) and grizzled filmmaker Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott).

Nope continues Peele’s winning blend of understated comedy and legit horror, injecting doses of humor among the growing anxiety, most notably the title response when situations are too risky to engage. Unlike so many horror films, the characters largely respond realistically to the strange events they face, though it’s notable that some of them lose that sense of self-preservation in pursuit of fame, strengthening the film’s theme of destructive celebrity. Considering how straight-faced and quiet he is throughout, Kaluuya once more proves his acting talent and is never wooden, while Palmer’s surplus of personality makes her a great familial foil for him. Both Steven Yeun as Jupe Park, the owner of a nearby Western theme park, and Perea as an everyman techie are also standouts, while Wincott’s character adds gravitas but also ends up a little underdeveloped.

Through most of the film, I couldn’t help but feel like the subplot with Yeun seemed out of place, a story of him as a child actor witnessing a violent episode involving a crazed chimp. Indeed, it doesn’t have much to do with the main UFO narrative. In retrospect, it does complement the motifs of spectacle and animal danger, and, going beyond survivor guilt, the idea of survivor confidence explains Park’s unwise actions later on. It’s ultimately another sign that Peele puts a good deal of thought into his film’s themes, down to the final scene, and that he’s interested in more than cheap scares. Of course, there are some expert moments of tension and shock as well (I especially liked how the flying saucer is kept out of view at first, darting between clouds and deadening electronics with the distant menace of the fin in Jaws), but it felt unique that the climax happens in broad daylight.

While Us showed that Peele is not above story missteps, Nope is an ambitious step forward that I look forward to watching again. It’s a creature feature that knows how to balance its looming terror with human foibles and a crowd-pleasing climax, complete with an Akira reference. Us was scarier and Get Out had more to say, but Nope is easily the most entertaining entry in Peele’s filmography so far.

Best line: (Holst) “This dream you’re chasing, where you end up at the top of the mountain, all eyes on you… it’s the dream you never wake up from.”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2022 S.G. Liput
781 Followers and Counting