FlixFeature

WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS (2010)

 

STORYLINE:

When a former Wall Street “wheeler-dealer” leaves Otis Federal Correctional Institution (prison) and returns to the scene of the crime, the Big Apple, he promptly begins to arrange a reconciliation with his estranged daughter, unexpectedly aided by and using her Wall Street hotshot boyfriend, after the fashion of a slick Miles Standish, to gain her consent. Although his pretext seemed to be that of a lonely, beaten-down father reaching out for his beloved daughter, there were 100 million reasons in Switzerland to be suspicious about his motivations. Indeed, he finds his daughter to be suspicious of his intentions, but, being betrothed and swelling, her youthful disdain for materialism mellows, and she follows the advice of the men in her life. Generations come to terms. Life will find a way. Place your bets; wolves on your mark; and sheep – protect yourself at all times.

PLOT DETAILS:

 The film opened inside a prison where Gordon Gekko, being released after eight years, was receiving items stored for him at the time of his initial incarceration in upstate New York. Finally he was given a check for $1810, which he probably earned working in prison. He also was given a one-way ticket to New York City.

During this opening period a narrator talked about the Cambrian Explosion which witnessed the advent of many forms of life some of which were precedent stems of modern life-forms, such as humans. Evolution was apparently doing some quantum leaping.

The narrator continued: “Some say by chance; others say by design. Who knows?”

At this time the sung words “When the world was just beginning…” began, ending in the thematic “Home.”

From this edgy opening the camera cut to Winnie Gekko at her computer. She is a young “shlock star” in not-for-profit blogging, getting 200 thousand “hits” a day. She is progressive, green and committed, according to Brandeis University standards.

She leaves her computer and walks upstairs to a bed and gets in with her boyfriend. “Get up,” she demands obscurely. He whines “not yet.”

Her boyfriend was Jacob Moore. He worked at the investment house of Keller Zabel on Wall Street.

The television was on, and a “talking head” announced that her guest had spent 8 years in prison. Now he had written a tell-all book – and what a book! Then she asked her audience to welcome “Gordon Gekko.”

Winnie snapped to Jake, “Turn it off.” It’s the estrangement, doncha know?

The estrangement, viewers will learn, involved the death of her brother Rudy, as well as juvenile disdain for money obsession by Daddy.

There was a camera cut to Jake riding his cycle to work. When he got to his office in a Wall Street high-rise, things were getting tense. Keller Zabel’s stock price was taking a beating. At first Jacob Moore took the “long view,” supposing that Keller Zabel was still a fundamentally sound company. Sure, rumors were floating around Wall Street smearing Keller Zabel, but – so what? Everyone has enemies.

Jake visited with his revered mentor, Louis Zabel. Lou seemed equivocal, talking, however, as if modern investments were puzzling. He seemed to be almost dazed – shell-shocked by the pounding his company was receiving. They chatted. He did give Jake a bonus check for $1.45 million which was not due. Could their mentor-protégé relationship be a factor? Hmmnnnn! There was no indication that others were picking up bonus checks.

The camera cuts to Jake at Bulgari’s checking out diamond engagement rings. Lou had advised him to marry the Gekko daughter, settle down and have kids. It sounded like a plan to him.

The camera cuts to night life among upscale yuppies. Jake showed his engagement ring to pals. They kidded him. Gordon Gekko’s name came up, as he had been lately warning of a big crash in the mortgage-based market.

The camera cut to the following day at Keller Zabel, where the trading room was in turmoil as the stock dropped into single digits. Jake catches up with Lou in a city park, walking the dog. He blurts out, “15,000 jobs are on the line. Lou, are we going under?”

The detached, dazed Lou replied, “You’re asking the wrong question – who isn’t?”

The camera cut to a conference room at the Federal Reserve of New York, where Louis Zabel begged for more funds to see his company through the crisis. No way, Jose!

Bretton James, CEO at Churchill Schwartz, acted as a spokesman for the others, denying Keller Zabel any more money. However, Churchill Schwartz would buy Lou’s firm for $2/share. Humiliated, Lou asked for at least $6/share. Bretton made a final offer of $3/share. Lou was facing bankruptcy and liquidation of Keller Zabel or participating in a “fire sale” to Churchill Schwartz and the “vindictive” Bretton James. “You’re out, Lou. One way or another.” He accepted the latter option.

The next day Louis Zabel went to the subway, purchased a bag of potato chips, and as he waited for the subway train, he ate the bag of chips. When his chips were gone, he walked forward to the oncoming train and dropped himself in front.

The camera cut to Jake and Winnie in their apartment unit. The television reports that Louis Zabel committed suicide at the subway. Further, it reported that Keller Zabel had been purchased by Churchill Schwartz. Jake became teary-eyed.

Under the circumstances he had nowhere to go but the “altar” so he proposed to Winnie. She dithered a bit, and then agreed. “He told her, “I’m out of a job.” She replied, “Awesome.” Winnie didn’t like the Wall Street mindset anyway.

There was a cut to a lecture and book-selling gig featuring Gordon Gekko. Jake was in the audience with a few pals. Gordon regaled the gathered (mostly young & affluent) by observations such as “I once said that ‘Greed is good’; now it’s legal.”

After Gordon had concluded with his best piece of advice, “Buy my book,” he left the forum. Jake caught up with him, introduced himself, and announced that he was “going to marry your daughter.” They chatted.

“Sorry about Lou. Toughest man on the Street. Suicide is honorable.” More chatting. Gordon wanted Jake to arrange for him to see Winnie. Gordon told Jake, “Money’s not the prime asset; time is – and your time is up.”

The next day Jake began to investigate the Keller Zabel debacle. He learned of a Cayman Island company called the Locust Fund that had been selling short.

Further, the viewer learned that Jake had been involved in his role at Keller Zabel with the alternate energy firm, United Fusion, which was operating at the cutting edge of this form of energy production but was in need of lots of money – like $100 million.

On a revenge for Lou and Keller Zabel mission, Jake went after a little oil play in which Churchill Schwartz was involved. The company, Hydra Offshore, appeared to have some good oil property off the coast of Africa. Jake started the rumor that the dictator of the country which had a claim on the oil resource planned to nationalize Hydra Offshore. This started short-selling. Wall Street rumor-spreading generated broad short-selling, and Churchill Schwartz’s stock took an 8% plunge.

Bretton James and the other top officials at Churchill Schwartz analyzed the event, and they were able to zero in on Jake. At a gala fund-raiser he inquired of Jake, “Do you like to stain people?” Jake wasn’t timid about his reasons. He virtually accused Bretton James and Churchill Schwartz of causing Lou to commit suicide. Bretton denied guilt in the matter. As for the losses recorded due to the Hydra Offshore affair, he wasn’t too angry. “It’s not much money,” he observed. He liked what it showed about Jacob Moore. He offered him a job at Churchill Schwartz, running their “Alternate Energy” department, which would be their entry into this investment area. Jake accepted.

Meanwhile, he took Winnie out house-shopping on Long Island. His mother, Sylvia, guided them to some possibilities. She hits him with a request for money. She dabbles in real estate – who doesn’t? – and has been caught in a squeeze caused by mortgages and a tanking market. He helped. She wanted $200. By interpretation this viewer thought that she was talking about $200,000. At any rate she got a check. Maybe she knew about the $1.45 million her boy got from Keller Zabel. At one time she had been a nurse. Jake noted, “You helped people.”

People might wonder if that was a natural statement from “a Wall Street guy.”

The camera cut to a Gordon Gekko powwow. He was a tragic actor on the stage. “The best memory I know is hurt,” he proclaimed. He made a reference to the Bud Fox affair. But it was Bretton James whom he suspects of providing the Feds with crucial information that got him eight years in prison. This angle drew Jake and Gordon closer than had Jake’s engagement to the difficult child, Winnie. “A fisherman always sees another fisherman from afar,” noted Gordon to Jake.

During their powwows Gordon had shared some revealing aspects with Jake. He talked about the “tulip mania” in Holland [Rotterdam was and is an important Jewish financial center.] He alluded to Switzerland and an account there apparently controlled by him but also related to Winnie. He also referred to the Locust Fund, which was a mysterious investment account operating out of the Cayman Islands. His friends in Switzerland had suggested its connection to Bretton James.

The camera cut to Jake taking Winnie to a restaurant where they would meet Gordon Gekko. This meeting occurred. Winnie was a bit frosty. When the waiter arrived for orders, Gordon suggested Ginger Garlic Lobster, which had been a favorite of Winnie’s during better family times. However, this promising moment was burnt by an impulsive salute to a passing prominent-looking gent. “Same old Dad,” thought Winnie. “Money was always first.” She left, followed by Jake. She scolded Jake, “He’ll only hurt you.”

There was a meeting at Churchill Schwartz at which hotshot employees tried to interest Chinese investors in some likely stocks. A Bretton James’ female “ace” made a pitch for a solar energy company that had developed a super-thin solar film that promised big returns. The Chinese investors were leery of high-tech developments that would be superseded in a few years. They were curious about some new company that might be around a hundred years from now. Was this the influence of Warren Buffet? Were they looking for the next McDonald’s? Hard to say.

Bretton James leaped in with some chatter about “Babaco,” or some such.

Suddenly, a voice blurted out, “What about fusion?” It was Jake. He then gave a spiel in behalf of his pet company, United Fusion, whose lead scientist had told him of promising developments the pursuit of which required a prompt $100 million. The Chinese were respectful, but one noted that fusion energy research had been going on for quite a time without results. Perhaps a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue whiskey offered to the Chinese by Jake was the irresistible touch, or maybe the citation of a Chinese adage – in Chinese – by Jake (“Good things take time”) won the day, but later, Bretton James told Jake that the Chinese were interested.

 At a red-carpeted, gala affair staged at a museum to raise funds for a “Conservancy” the viewers were treated to more swell people in posh surroundings. Bretton James was the nominal host. A somewhat intoxicated Gordon Gekko stopped by Bretton’s table and he quipped, “If they took this place out tonight, there’d be no one left to rule the world.” The camera had some fun capturing the “War of the Earrings” waged by 50% of the party-goers.

Gordon and Winnie stepped outside, and they talked about family, prison, Rudy’s death and Switzerland. Their relationship seemed to turn for the better.

Meanwhile, Jake was encouraging Doctor X at United Fusion that money would be sent – be patient.

The camera cut to a “Carnage on Wall Street” headline. Assorted images of media and trading floors cut rapidly before the viewer. It’s the worst real estate market in decades.

There was a high-level meeting of Treasury officials, Federal Reserve officials, and representatives of the biggest banks and investment houses. The G-Men were told by Bretton James that there would have to be a “bail-out” of the major banks. They wondered what Congress would say. James advised, “Scare ‘em.” The Treasury official looked at the man to James’ left and inquired, “Julie?” The antique financial legend opined, “1929…it’s going to be the end of the world.”

The camera cut to Jake in his lofty condo. It was late at night. The television was flashing gloom. Winnie joined him. He told her it could be the end of their dream. She told him it couldn’t be the end, “I’m pregnant.”

The camera cut to Jake grabbing a helicopter ride from the roof of his office building. He was flown to a wooded area where Bretton James awaited him. There were two motorcycles. “I thought we were going to meet in your office.” James replied, “This is my other office.” Both men were avid bike fans. Now they would see who was best. They raced along a 2-lane country road winding through the trees. Jake wins.

“I may have given you the faster bike,” said Bretton. He then broke the news that the funding by Churchill Schwartz would go to Babaco rather than United Fusion. Jake was angered. “You raided Keller Zabel. You killed Lou.” He accused Bretton of being a moral hazard. “Is that a threat?” demanded James. “You bet!” replied Jake. “Consider the bike your severance pay.”

The camera cut to Gordon Gekko. He informed Jake that Bretton started the rumors about Keller Zabel. Bretton sold Keller Zabel stock short, using his Locust Fund in the Cayman’s. Churchill Schwartz also sold the Keller Zabel stock short. Two year prior to the present crash, they began hedging the real estate balloon, while touting securities linked to real estate.

He also alluded to Winnie’s wealth. Gekko had set up an account in Switzerland, which he and Winnie mutually controlled. He suggested to Jake that he and Winnie “take a little trip to Switzerland.” Gekko stressed to Jake the legal hazard that this account represented to Winnie. He led Jake to believe that if he had Winnie sign the proper documents, then Gekko would see that United Fusion received the $100 million it needed. The funds would come from some discreet account.

They go to Switzerland, and Winnie signed the necessary documents at the Zurich bank. “We’ll have your father co-sign and wire the money to you,” they indicated.

Actually, the money never arrived, and the nervous scientist at United Fusion called Jake. Jake tried to assure him that it would show up soon in United Fusion’s account.

When it began to dawn on Jake that Gordon had pulled a fast one, he called the realtor, played by Sylvia Miles, to “get rid of everything.” This included his five-foot statue of Betty Boop.

His mother, Sylvia, dropped by to beg for money. He gave her a check for his last $30 thousand and told her he couldn’t give her any more. She was concerned about her mini-real estate empire. “It’s not enough!” “That’s all – that’s it!”

Jake went to Gordon’s pad. It was empty, save for a framed testimony to the folly of the tulip mania.

Jake and Winnie have a soul-searching talk about their relationship. She told him, “This is about you and me and we’re not good any more. We’re supposed to make each other feel safe…Go!”

The camera cut to Gordon Gekko lighting a cigar in his new office in London. “tell them that Gordon Gekko’s back.”

Jacob discovered his whereabouts and showed up at his office. “Every thief has an excuse,” he observed.

“When I got out of prison, guess who was waiting? No one!” said Gordon. “It’s not about the money; it’s about the game.” Thus, Gordon provided Jake the required excuse.

“Give back the principal,” demanded Jake. With that Jake showed him images of his grandson in the uterus, struggling to live and thrive. “This is time,” he says to Gordon.

“This is a deal I cannot make,” replied Gordon.

“You are a sad man,” replied Jacob.

The camera cut to Winnie at her computer, finishing a blog on fusion energy and her son which mentioned United Fusion favorably.

There was a camera cut to Jake, who was completing an “for your eyes only” document for Winnie. It was an expose of a Wall Street rip-off. There were included accusations of illegal trading by Bretton James, the Locust Fund, and Churchill Schwartz. It included the charge of running false rumors on Keller Zabel.

When Winnie and Jake meet so that he could give her the document, she accepted it, as he pitched it at her Achilles Heel. “I miss you.” “I miss you too.” (Hmmnnn!) Winnie blogged the data (with commentary) in her highly successful website.

This sparked a high-level meeting at Churchill Schwartz. Bretton James was accused of being greedy. “We all double-dip,” he pleaded. Bretton looked at Julie Steinhardt, and, noting his age, asked him to be the “fall guy.” Julie indicated contempt for the proposal. Then he made his signature “bird whistle with fluttery fingers.” It was like a death sentence for Bretton James.

Later, the camera catches the media frenzy as Bretton James was hounded by news people.

Meanwhile, Gordon Gekko met with the bigwigs (minus Bretton James) at Churchill Schwartz to discuss business together. Julie Steinhardt indicated the general approval of the top people by once again giving his somewhat enigmatic “bird twitter with fluttery fingers.” Churchill Schwartz and Gekko and Company would work together.

Bretton James was shown to be in trouble with the Feds who had a lot of questions that needed answering.

Jake told Winnie that Dr. X was grateful for her blog, which renewed interest. They glance deeply, meaningfully at one another. “I miss you.” “I miss you too.” “Good night.”

Suddenly, as they were about to part, Gordon Gekko’s voice was heard. “Where are you two going?” Having gained their attention, he told them “I deposited $100 million from an offshore account to the account of United Fusion.” He looked at Winnie and said, “Human beings – we have to give them a break. Maybe you will let me be a father again.”

Three sets of eyes searched one another.

A narrator again referenced the Cambrian Explosion and the bursting bubble of life that set things rolling.

The music and song, “Home” began.

As the credits roll, the scene of a first birthday on a balcony of a high-rise was shown. There were many people, celebrating “Lou’s first birthday,” including Jake, Winnie, Gordon and Sylvia.

The flick ends with soap bubbles from the playing children at the party rising high into the air.

COMMENTARY:

This film is basically a study of Jewish resilience in the face of life’s vicissitudes. It is not about right and wrong so much as generational continuity and “evolution.” Risks were taken, and sometimes they didn’t pay off. It is a world where suicide is commended as “a noble thing” in certain contexts. It is a world where – to preserve a fortune, jeopardizing one’s daughter’s reputation – indeed freedom – is worth the risk.

The movie does not specifically define Gordon Gekko as a “Jewish Wall Street operator.” At one point in the earlier film, WALL STREET, Gekko informed Bud Fox, “WASPs don’t like people; they like animals.” This statement may seem the work of a sage to some, but I viewed it as racist and religiously intolerant, since I viewed the comment as untrue. The comment did not mean automatically that Gekko was a Jew. However, overwhelmingly the primary “biggies” in the “Mergers and Acquisitions” arena were Jews [see DEN OF THIEVES, et al]. Clearly, in the 1987 film that was the area in which Gordon Gekko gained his reputation and his wealth. Throughout that film he was interested in the M & A arena. I don’t believe that he was modeled on Michael Milken, who was the Junk Bond King, but Gekko was surely meant to be a peer operator to Milken.

Jacob Moore does not have a specifically Jewish name, but he declared at one point that he was a “Wall Street guy.” He was a protégé of Lou Zabel, who was surely Jewish. Lou had reminded Jake that when Jake was first at Keller Zabel, he had “the hunger.” I could not help thinking about the David Bowie vampire film, THE HUNGER. The East European association of Jews and vampires in this respect was disquieting. His friend made a reference to “bar mitzvahs,” which in context would not be a term non-Jews would be likely to employ. Susan Sarandon’s portrayal of Sylvia Moore seemed almost stereotypically Jewish. Viewers might compare her to Sylvia Miles’ portrayal of a realtor, which was a reprise of her portrayal in the 1987 film and which lent continuity to the two WALL STREET films. In the 1987 film her character was a humorous scene-stealer and a classically Jewish operator. It was also interesting that Sarandon’s character had the same first name as Sylvia Miles.

Incidentally, Bretton James appeared to be the only non-Jew among the major characters. He was also the primary villain.

These were some of the reasons I formed my opinion of the religio-ethnic background of the key characters.

The writing in this movie is above average and sometimes very good, but good writing and well-reasoned writing are not the same.

The film looked “jazzy” with lots of cuts and angles of the Manhattan and Wall Street arenas. There were glamorous locales – restaurants and a museum gala – filled with well-heeled people. The fast crowd of people was seen in their mutually stalking mode. Large diamond rings flashed. At the museum fund-raising gala the women quietly engaged in an earring war.

However, wealth has attributes similar to mercury; it can slip through one’s fingers.

The Keller Zabel Investment firm was the fictionalized Bear Stearns investment house that went out of business. Around March 15, 2008 JPMorganChase & Company offered a “bail-out” of Bear Stearns at $2.00 per share at a meeting that included officials from the New York Federal Reserve. Later, the price was revised to $10/share. The name “Bear Stearns” ceased to exist except as Wall Street history. Survival of the fittest on Wall Street keeps the number of dominant predators in line. Once again, evolution assures us that “money will find a way.”

Incidentally, the Churchill Schwartz firm that bought Keller Zabel for $3/share in this film was a fictionalized blend of JPMorganChase & Company and Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

There appeared to be some playfulness in the name of “Churchill Schwartz.” In real life Alan Schwartz had been CEO of Bear Stearns. Also, Winston Churchill appeared to be in desperate straits financially around 1929, and Bernard Baruch took him under his wing. No doubt, the future Prime Minister of Great Britain would be beholden to his friend(s) on Wall Street from that time period onward.

I thought that Louis Zabel’s behavior during the film’s first meeting between him and Jake unconvincingly plotted. He seemed to be “over his head” by the complexities of the newer investment schemes. That was difficult to believe of a founding member of his firm who was still active. Mortgaged-based derivatives were generally understood, so he well-knew the risks that were being taken for maximum gain. He was not a “victim” of the times; he was a victim of greed.

Further, the fact that he gave Jake an “out of time” bonus check of $1.45 million seemed to say “the end is near; you’re my protégé, take the money and run.” Frankly, this smelled foul.

Parenthetically, although Shia La Beouf gave a professional performance as Jake Moore, he looked like a boy among men. Frank Langella, Josh Brolin and Michael Douglas all seemed to tower over him. Even Carey Mulligan was about equal to him. His role as the connecting figure between Douglas, Mulligan and Brolin was not written and executed satisfactorily, so that he appeared to be mismatched, damp or reverential.

During a small number of intensely emotional moments, the viewer was forced to watch Carey Mulligan “struggle” to keep her composure. These moments were depicted by an assortment of spasms on and about her lips that were overlong and esthetically unacceptable. She appeared to be trying to create a unique style to be dubbed “The Mulligan Torment.” This critic calls for a “mulligan” so that she can swing for a better depiction.

Furthermore, she doesn’t resemble Michael Douglas’ character, Gordon Gekko, nor Sean Young, Douglas’ film wife, Kate. This was a casting error in my opinion. While her parents bore resemblances to barracudas, she looked more like a short-eared bunny. You almost expect her to “hop.”

Eli Wallach played Julie Steinhardt, who was a long-time bigwig at Churchill Schwartz. On two or three occasions he used a birdlike twittering sound – sort of a whistle, which was accompanied by fluttery finger movements. This signature communication was somewhat obscure. It might have been a dismissal gesture, as in “fly away.” Or it might have referenced rumors, as in “I heard it from a little birdie.” There was the possibility that it had no avian connection at all but referenced a musical instrument, such as “taps.” There may be more than one meaning. To Lou Zabel it meant “taps.” To Gordon Gekko it may have meant “Birds of a feather flock together.” It was curious to me.

Incidentally, Eli Wallach looked so antique that he might have walked into the board room at Churchill Schwartz from a break in the filming of The Mummy.

Gordon Gekko’s reference to a Swiss account was interesting. The pressure brought to bear on Switzerland by officials in the U.S.A. in regard to “secret accounts” seemed to have brought about an era of less-secret accounts. Tax dodging and criminally connected accounts impelled American Treasury and Justice Officials to increasingly demand that “books be open.” Threats were made on the Swiss officials. I personally believe that the reason this pressure was suddenly brought fruitfully to bear was the development of Israeli banking and the secrecy these banks afforded, which were more politically safe for offshore funds than Switzerland. No American politician would go up against the Zionist machinery that has been established in America.

Gekko mentioned that the account was mutually controlled by Winnie and him, but the fact that she knew little about the account other than it provided her with a nice income and believed it was a “trust” fund suggested that it was actually a Gekko dodge, while in prison. Now that he was out, he wanted that money, but he needed her signature to free it. Once signed, the $100 million vanished, and, almost simultaneously, Gekko had waxed rich, operating in London, England at his ancient and preferred occupation.

When Jake stated to Gordon, “This is time,” he indicated wisdom not yet reached by Gordon. Jake in fact touched on a main motif in the film – generational continuity. Whether rich or poor, the baton of life endlessly passed from generation to generation. The baton carried a duty: strive.

I believe that Lou Zabel’s suicide in this film could not have happened before he handed the baton ($1.45 million) to Jake, his institutional “son” in this film.

Parenthetically, at the museum gala in which Bud Fox briefly appeared and chatted with a somewhat hostile Gordon Gekko, one was struck by the aging to Charles Sheen that had occurred in the eight year period.

I did not think this version of WALL STREET was as “tight,” or focused, as the 1987 version, which was the best attempt to depict a Wall Street drama that I’ve seen. In this version there were three thematic lines that had to be handled: 1) the second coming of Gordon Gekko, 2) the romance between Jacob and Winnie, and 3) the reconciliation of Gordon and Winnie. The Wall Street Crash of 2008 served as the stage. I thought that the resolutions were a bit contrived, improbable and sentimental. The music helped cover the pancake.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Oliver Stone – director, Allan Loeb/Stephen Schiff – writers, Craig Armstrong – original music, Rodrigo Prieto – cinematographer, David Brenner/Julie Monroe – film editing

CAST KEYS:

Michael Douglas (Gordon Gekko), Carey Mulligan (Winnie Gekko), Shia LaBeouf (Jake Moore), Frank Langella (Louis Zabel), Josh Brolin (Bretton James), Eli Wallach (Julie Steinhardt), Susan Sarandon (Sylvia Moore), Sylvia Miles (realtor), Nan Lu (Chinese Executive), John Bedford Lloyd (Treasury Secretary), Jason Clarke (New York Fed Chief), Charlie Sheen (Bud Fox), Oliver Stone (investor)

WALL STREET (1987)

 

STORYLINE:

When an ambitious young man from a working class family got a job with a respected Wall Street brokerage company, he sought business from a famous Wall Street merger & acquisition mogul. Persistence, a birthday, and a box of choice Cuban cigars seemed to have landed him an opportunity, but his big chance involved him ultimately in a Faustian deal. From this experience he came to better understand the expression, “Every dog has its day,” and its corollary, “Bad dogs may go to the pound.” However, in the end the young man had at least learned how to make a deal. 

PLOT DETAILS:

This film opened to an early morning shot of the Brooklyn Bridge, followed by a close-up of a fish’s head at the Fulton Fish Market. Frank Sinatra’s voice began to sing “Fly Me To The Moon,” as the camera panned the skyscrapers. There were brief cuts to commuter trains, crowds in subways, crowds walking sidewalks, crowds in elevators, as the figure of Charlie Sheen’s character, Bud Fox, could be picked out on his way to work at Jackson Steinem & Company. It’s just another day on Wall Street.

As Bud Fox entered the office proper several minutes prior to the opening bell for trading, he was greeted by the receptionists and other co-workers. He particularly interacted with Marvin, a neighboring account executive. There were exchanges with Lou Mannheim, a rather dour superior who was much-given to Graham-approved nuggets of advice. Lynch, another superior, loomed now and then – generally suggesting mild disapproval of Bud. It was Lynch who pushed the relatively “new kid on the block,” Bud, to “cold calls” from a list of six figure investors. The viewer got to witness a few failed efforts by Bud that suggested the tough road represented by this way to wealth.

Bud had been working on an investor goliath, Gordon Gekko, whose notorious trading company, Gekko & Company, moved a lot of stock in and out of selected targets. If Bud could land even a small part of Gekko’s business, his money problem days would be history.

There was a brief cut that allowed viewers to meet Bud’s “old man,” Carl from whom he had to ask for a few hundred dollars to help cover an adverse client situation at Jackson Steinem. This afforded an interesting look at two men heading in different directions. As a matter of fact, Carl was jibed at one point by Bud as always preaching “workers of the world…”

Bud got his five-minute chance with Gordon Gekko. After apparently failing to interest Gekko with stock suggestions, he made the fateful decision to share privileged information about Blue Star Transportation, a small airline, which he had just learned at his meeting with his father, Carl. It was insider information, and that was just the sort of fare that piqued the interest of Gekko.

The meeting ended without evidence that Bud had “scored” with Gekko. However, back at Jackson Steinem, he discovered orders coming in and directions given by Gordon Gekko & Company.

Not only did Bud score with his new goliath investor, but – out of the blue – a beautiful blonde named Darien Taylor invites him out on the town. They had barely gotten into a taxi before she was sharing cocaine and opening his zipper. He had entered the fast lane.

The film provided a number of vignettes that were snapshots of a young man enjoying the material rewards attendant on nearly instant success.

While Gekko’s companies (including off-shore) took possession of a large chunk of Blue Star stock, he began to inquire of Bud where another Blue Star opportunity was for him to consider. Bud had none to give. This led to Gekko making him an offer to proceed in a fashion that Bud had considered unethical and in violation of stock market rules. For the good life Bud decided to “cross the Rubicon” and become Gekko’s man.

Bud Fox was told to pursue an investment rival of Gordon Gekko by the name of Sir Larry Wildman, who had come to America on some obvious mission. Gekko told Bud to find out all that could be discovered discreetly – or otherwise.

When Bud discovered that Sir Harry was flying to Eire, Pennsylvania, he realized, as did Gekko when informed, that Sir Harry was after Anacott Steel. Gordon Gekko immediately put out the order to his chief trader to start buying Anacott Steel at certain prices. Further, he told Bud that at a certain price, he was to call a contact at the Chronicle and say that “Blue Horse Shoe loves Anacott Steel.” The churning of the stock had begun.

Now, at some point of the movie about now, there was a brief indication that official stock-watching authorities had noticed some possibly suspicious trading activity in stocks handled by Bud.

Meanwhile, Bud had really gotten tight with Gordon who proclaimed “I’m going to make you a very rich man.” Bud met Gordon’s wife, Kate, and some of his crowd at his home. Darien Taylor was there, too. They made an informal date arrangement. To jazz up the gathering, Sir Larry Wildman dropped by to request a private meeting, at which he expressed his indignation at Gekko’s manipulation of the stock of Anacott Steel. They reached a Wall Street bandito’s agreement that made Gordon a ton of money. He was elated.

He, Bud and Gekko’s attorney met to arrange for Bud to have a power-of-attorney discretion in all Gekko & Company stock transactions. After signing, Bud would assume all responsibility for Gordon’s stock dealings with him. Gordon would not necessarily know anything about a given deal.

Well, as ‘tis said, “What goes around, come around.”

Bud had lured a Wall Street lawyer he had known in college to cooperate with him in some offshore stock transactions of a dubious kind. Once again the sound of easy money – big money – was music to an ambitious ear. But the day came when this lawyer got a call from a man at the SEC.

Meanwhile, Blue Star Transportation was having financial problems, and there was speculation that it was headed for bankruptcy. If it went through bankruptcy, the workers in the three main unions would get shafted. There was a lot of pressure placed on Carl to protect his men.

Bud thought he could save Blue Star. He went to Gordon Gekko to request that he be allowed to handle this deal as a principal. Apparently approved, Bud set about arranging the pieces so that a Blue Star deal could be made to save the airline. He called a meeting of the heads of the three unions to propose a wage cut of 20% across the board. Gordon was there to outline his vision. Two of the labor union heads agreed tentatively, but to Bud’s embarrassment, his father denounced Gekko and his deal.

Under all the pressure – possibly helped along by cigarette smoking, Carl had a heart attack. At a meeting with his son, he agreed to at least let his men hear Bud and Gordon’s pitch and decide for themselves.

Bud was acting with the good intention of saving Blue Star. In short order he learned that Gordon was not. Gekko’s intention was to break up and destroy Blue Star for the maximum profit available, ripping off pension funds and selling any valuable part. This sobering perception led Bud to a fateful conference with Sir Harry Wildman.

Eager to punish Gordon Gekko for driving up the price of the Anacott Steel deal, Sir Harry entered into a plot with Bud to save Blue Star and force Gordon to sell his shares at a steep loss.

Meanwhile, the feds were closing in on the stock manipulation.

Things went according to the plan, propelled by an adroit series of maneuvers initiated by Bud Fox. He was able to save Blue Star, which was a gift to his father. However, he was not able to save himself from the consequences of earlier maneuvers. Yet, even here he was able to make a deal.

Sir Harry enjoyed his revenge.

The fate of Gordon Gekko would depend upon the skill of his lawyer. One can only speculate as the film fades into black.

 

COMMENTARY:

This movie concentrated a Wall Street way of life for “movers and shakers” so that it was readily understandable to the average viewer. Gordon Gekko’s “Sermon on the Board of Directors” was an unparalleled justification for a parasitic life. In CABERET we were informed that “money makes the world go around.” In this movie we were told that “greed makes the world go round.” There were examples across the board from the successful mighty to the failed and fired.

In contrast to the greedy strivings of the Wall Street crowd, a group of working-class people were shown in their work environment, as well as its union leaders getting involved with the machinations of “angels” and “takeover artists.”

The bridge between the two groups was Bud Fox, the young ambitious Account Executive at Jackson Steinem & Company.

Incidentally, Bud’s father, Carl, may have had his name intentionally selected by the writers to pay homage to Karl Marx, as the film suggested that Carl had sympathy for Communism. Be that as it may, as a labor leader at his company, Carl was entirely of, by, and for the workers. He was the antithesis of Gordon Gekko, who was surely a “capitalist pig.”

When Carl had his heart attack, it symbolized the grief he felt at the course of action taken by his son to become “rich & famous.”

Michael Douglas was very good indeed as Gordon Gekko, and the others in the cast provided solid-to-good performances. One character who appeared briefly was Dolores the Realtor, played by Sylvia Miles. She was a scene stealer.

Films of this type don’t come along too often. Oliver Stone did a remarkable job. It is a very good production well worth seeing.

 

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Oliver Stone – director/writer, Stanley Weiser – writer, Stewart Copeland – original music, Robert Richardson – cinematography, Claire Simpson – film editing

CAST KEYS:

Charlie Sheen (Bud Fox), Michael Douglas (Gordon Gekko), Martin Sheen (Carl Fox), Daryl Hannah (Darien Taylor), Terence Stamp (Sir Larry Wildman), John C. McGinley (Marvin), Hal Holbrook (Lou Mannheim), James Karen (Lynch), Sean Young (Kate Gekko), Sylvia Miles (Dolores the Realtor), Pat Skipper (Postal Inspector), John Deyle (U.S. Attorney), John Galateo (SEC Man)

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (2004)

STORYLINE/PLOT:

During the last years of the corrupt Tang Dynasty, a peoples’ rebellion began, led by people skilled in martial arts. These skilled fighters called themselves the House of Flying Daggers, and they attacked Tang officials, sharing any wealth obtained with the people. Being champions of the people, their power grew as a legitimate political alternative to the oppressive Tang rule. This fact was recognized by the Tang ruler, and he ordered the extermination of the House of flying Daggers.

The story picks up in 859 A.D. The local deputies had gotten word that the House of Flying Daggers had infiltrated an upscale brothel named the Peony Pavilion, and they have decided to trap her. Their plan was to allow her to escape and lead them to the new leader of the House of Flying Daggers.

Leo, the leader of the local deputies, assigned a younger officer, Jin, to trap the suspected woman, known to be new to the Peony Pavilion, because his good looks and rakish ways would prove to be the perfect undercover guise.

The plan went according to Leo’s design, and Jin and Mei, the new dancing girl, escaped together. Carefully, Leo followed his young officer and Mei, who was blind, as she led them north to “friends.”

Complications arose when Jin’s pretense turned into real feelings for Mei. Further, he learned from Leo that the General was now in control of the ruse, and the General’s soldiers did not know Jin. If they saw him, they would try to kill him. The movie took on the character of a real chase film.

Another severe twist occurred after the House of Flying Daggers rescued Jin and Mei from “tree-walking” soldiers. Although the romantic relationship between Jin and Mei was recognized, the “Leader” of the House of Flying Daggers (met in disguise earlier at the Peony Pavilion) had a certain obligation to another surprise undercover agent who had a longtime love for Mei.

“Oh, what tangled webs we weave, when first we practise to deceive!”

With such passions and such cause converging, could violence all around be avoided? Nia, the real leader of the House of Flying Daggers emerged. She commanded the planned trap of the General’s men. As for the hopes of love facing desperate times, it was better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.

This film opened with a shot of a sword rack and swords being removed by soldiers. They were about to go on a mission. Remaining behind were their superior officers, Leo and Jin, who were discussing the new leader of the Flying Daggers. They had ten days to search out and destroy this leader.

The stage was set for deceit, betrayal, generosity (even beau geste), courage, love and death. These weren’t bad aspects for a film to embrace.

COMMENTARY

This was a film of epic scope, and, as is often the case with such films, it was a bit long – or seemed to be. It was a historical fiction, and some may find the sets and costumes interesting. The Peony Pavilion was a prism of colors.

There were a number of visually striking scenes, such as Mei’s dance scenes. Another was the “tree-walking” soldiers.

The fight scenes were well-choreographed, but much of what was shone had lost its magic since CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

The “flying daggers” were a trip, as they seemed to defy physics. Too, they were almost animal-like in their determination to strike the object at which they were tossed.

The character twists were surprising – hence, well done. I thought the acting of the main characters was solid, helping the surprises bloom successfully.

The special effects were good.

The overall theme of an oppressed people rising up to rid themselves of the yoke of impoverishment and police-state tyranny is rather timely.

PRODUCTION KEYS

Yimou Zhang – director/writer, Bin Wang – writer, Shigeru Umebayashi – music director, Ziaoding Zhao – cinematography, Long Cheng – film editing, Emi Wada – costume design

CAST KEYS

Takeshi Kaneshiro (Jin), Andy Lau (Leo), Ziyi Zhang (Xiao Mei)

13 ASSASSINS (2010)

STORYLINE/PLOT:

In 1844 during the period of the last shogunate, Lord Naritsugu Matsudaira, half-brother of the Atashi clan shogun, had ruled with singular arrogance and cruelty. If he should be appointed to the shogun’s council, his reign of terror would only widen and deepen. Therefore, Sir Doi, a respected official and leader of a lesser clan, clandestinely arranged for his personal samurai, Shinzaemon Shimada, to assassinate Lord Naritsugu before he could travel to the shogun’s Atashi capital. Sir Doi was not to be implicated. Hearing and seeing examples of Lord Naritsugu’s cruelty, Shinzaemon vows to accomplish the mission.

There followed a period of gathering “a few good men” to help him. Originally, there were twelve samurai to set forth for the mission, including Shinzaemon and his nephews, Shinrouko, but a thirteenth was added when a forest guide proved to have the “right stuff.” Lord Naritsugu was protected by “top gun” samurai, Hanbei Kitou, who had studied, trained and fought with Shinzaemon when they were young fellows.

Needless to say, the Lord Naritsugu had a battalion or two of lesser samurai and other fighting men to help their lord run amok. Shinzaemon devised a plan to cut the Atashi men off at the pass. At a village along the route Lord Naritsugu was likely to travel, the thirteen assassins set up many cleverly devised traps that were calculated to cut down the odds against them. It was there that they would kill Lord Naritsugu. Unexpected re-enforcements for Lord Naritsugu evened the field. The arrogant Lord Naritsugu was not about to stop in fear of a handful or two of ruffians and entered into the trap. The fight to the death was on. Devil takes the hind part!

COMMENTARY:

This well-directed action film proved to have a lot of similarity to a good-quality American Western. The filming and framing of shots on horseback and in the village fight seemed very familiar to me, as I had watched a ton of Westerns growing up. I thought the fight in the village was exciting, clever and well-choreographed. Throughout the movie the framing of the shots was very natural. Inevitably, there are degrees of confusion during the melee.

There were many examples of violence, as one might expect from my outline.

The motivations of the key players were complex, including diametrically opposed views about the rights of ruler and ruled, about the duty of a samurai, and about the right to “preventive strikes” to eliminate a likely evil leader, or adviser to same, from attaining power. Revenge for all the wronged people also has a play. There is a certain kinship with the plot to kill Caesar, perceived by some senators as a tyrant.

For some movie-viewers the period costume designs might prove interesting, although viewers of Japanese samurai flicks will at once be at home.

The terrain covered by the two sides as they converged at the village was verdant and occasionally very lush. Hence, as with the John Ford Westerns, the beautiful landscape made a quiet counterpoint to the violence intermittently occurring.

I recommend this film to anyone who likes a good action movie with an exciting denouement in the form of a terrific battle between opposed forces, each believing that their way of life was threatened by the other.

Right on!

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Takashi Miike – director, Kaneo Ikegami/Daisuke Tengan – writers, Music – Koji Endo, Nobuyasu Kita – Cinematography, Kenji Yamashida – film editing, Kazuhiro Sawataishi – costume design

CAST KEYS:

Koji Yakusho (Shinzaemon Shimada), Takayuki Yamada – (Shinrouko), Goro Inagaki (Lord Naritsugu Matsudaira), Masachika Ichimura (Hanbei Kitou), Mikijiro Hira (Sir Doi), Hiroki Matsukata (Kuranaga), Seiji Rokkaku (Otake), Sosuki Takaoka (Hioki)

 

CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT (2009)

 

STORYLINE/PLOT:

When a high school student, Steve, and his oddball friend, Darren, who felt that he might be a vampire, were drawn into the milieu of a circus playing their town, they discovered more than freaks and showmanship.

 Two denizens of the circus, Larten Crepsley and Gavner Purl, turned out to be vampires.

Further, there was a powerful, enigmatic man, Mr. Tiny, driving around in a limousine within which sat Murlaugh, his enforcer zombie. Pressures of life and teen angst propelled Steve to seek work at the Circus as Larten’s assistant. Much to the envy of Darren, Steve agreed to become a vampire. This required staging his death to smoothly exit the middle class home provided by Mom and Dad. Changing lifestyles meant new conflicts, and prominent opposition existed in the persons of Mr. Tiny, Murlaugh, and gang. A higher authority, the Vampaneze, for the sake of vampire decorum, might well have to cool the dispute.

COMMENTARY:

This movie contained a large number of colorful characters. One of the most intriguing was Mr. Tall, who was a deep-throated eight-foot (?) Asian gent. He seemed to be the Ring-Master at Cirque Du Freak. Salma Hayek provided some romantic interest and pulchritude.

This movie is stylized. There wasn’t excessive violence. It is not up-tempo. There was a leisured approach throughout. For all the oddity encountered, there was something rather routine about life in the circus.

The movie opened with Steve in his coffin at his funeral, operating his smart phone. Narration and flashbacks were used to clarify and inform.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Paul Weitz – director/writer, Brian Helgeland – writer, Stephen Trask – original music, J.Michael Muro – cinematography, Leslie Jones – film editing

CAST KEYS:

John C. Reilly (Larten Crepsley), Josh Hutcherson (Steve),Chris Massoglia (Darren Shan), Jessica Carlson (Rebecca), Ken Watanabe (Mr. Tall), Salma Hayek (Madame Truska), Willem Dafoe (Gavner Purl), Michael Cerveris (Mr. Tiny), Ray Stevenson (Murlaugh), Patrick Fugit (Evra the Snake Boy), Tom Woodruff Jr. (Wolfman),  Shaun Grant (Vampaneze)

 

FIGHT CLUB (1999)

STORYLINE

When a young office worker tried to overcome his standardized and predictable lifestyle by “surfing” self-help group meetings, he found himself mildly addicted to participating in other people’s miseries. Surprisingly, he discovered a young woman, Marla Singer, doing exactly the same thing. He found himself relating to her in a semi-ambivalent “spikes” of attraction and “crashes” of ennui. There was this problem of having two sides to his personality. Her quirky ways masked his more profoundly dysfunctional paralysis of will. He managed to become his own doctor on a plane flight, creating the means by which to cure what ills him. Enter Tyler Durden. He offered the Ed Norton character a cloaked Faustian deal whereby Norton would tender his workaday soul to become a small-time operator’s apprentice, an office bum, and finally a company parasite. Since Marla Singer came along, apparently to satisfy herself with Tyler, even Ed Norton’s character was a bit surprised when he got the girl.

He shouldn’t have been, as many women are attracted to a bad man. For “icing on the cake” Ed would become the eventual king of a fight club franchise predicated upon the notion that violent anarchy and atavistic instincts lurked just below the surface of the laboring masses. He appeared to be a revered cult figure amid his club members. His Mephistopheles, Tyler, vanished, when he got his act together. The king is dead, long live the king!

COMMENTARY

This rather odd and ugly film may appeal to those viewers attracted to psychologically oriented themes. It may also appeal to certain political elements that may find support for their “black-flag” orientation. Further, there is enough shedding of blood in physical fights to appeal to the “bear-baiting” crowd. However, the casual exploitation of troubled people may not appeal to everyone.

An example of the sort of self-help group that the Ed Norton character attended was one where men who had testicular cancer – many castrated – gathered to comfort one another. Here, the Ed Norton character encountered Bob Paulson (Meatloaf), who suffered an enlargement of his breasts. I got the impression that someone thought this was amusing – possibly a riot. In another meeting there was a woman who was struggling with brain cancer. She was contemptibly exploited by mocking her through humor based on sex and pornography.

At best this film is an excursion into barbarism.

PRODUCTION KEYS

David Fincher – director, Chuck Palahniuk – writer (novel), Jim Uhls – writer (screenplay), Dust Brothers (John King/Michael Simpson) – original music, Jeff Cronenweth – cinematography, James Haygood – editing, David Leitch – stunt double, Brad Pitt

CAST KEYS

Edward Norton (The Narrator), Brad Pitt (Tyler Durden), Helena Bonham Carter (Marla Singer), Meatloaf (Robert “Bob” Paulson), Zach Grenier (Richard Chesler, office boss)

 

RANGO (2011)

 

STORYLINE AND PLOT

When a fantasizing chameleon in an aquarium in a SUV got accidentally “bumped” from his travel plans, he discovered that the adjacent desert was hot, dangerous, and desperate for a man with a plan. Guided by the vision of Roadkill, a philosophizing armadillo, who alluded to a “Spirit of the West,” he began his quest of discovery by following his shadow toward the town of Dirt, meeting Ms. Beans, the last homesteader, along the way. The downtrodden town-folks of Dirt thirsted for a wellspring of hope. Before you could “shoot seven Jenkins boys with one bullet,” the stage name “Rango” was adduced, a savaging hawk dispatched, and the stranger was introduced to the mayor, who decided to make Rango the town’s new sheriff. Before he could spit shine his new badge, Ms. Beans had learned that the Bank of Dirt had almost no water on deposit. What’s going on and what can be done about it? “Everybody’s without water but the Mayor,” she grumbled suspiciously. Immediately, there was a stampeding “run” on the bank.

 

Unperturbed, Rango patrolled Dirt in dude duds, and he stumbled upon three moles, led by Balthazar, “prospecting without a permit” in the middle of Dirt’s main street. Surfacing from below, they enquired where would be a good place to deposit their diggings. Sheriff Rango proudly pointed out the Bank of Dirt. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Merrimack, the banker, reported the bank had been robbed and the great water jug was missing. Sheriff Rango formed a “possum,” and they rode out of Dirt, seeking to overtake the robbers.

 

Soon enough, the hideout of Balthazar and his gang was discovered, and a plan hatched by Rango to “get the drop on the bank robbers.” “The play’s the thing to capture the conscience of the” robbers. Rango’s plan worked well enough; but he hadn’t planned on Balthazar’s extended family surfacing at an awkward moment. Ms. Beans, who had ridden with the “possum,” and the others took advantage of a distraction to seize the wagon with the great water jug and make a run for it. No quitters, the moles pursued them on the back of bats. A thrilling chase scene resulted in a crash of the wagon and the dislodging of the jug, which revealed it to be empty.

 

Since Rango, Ms. Beans and the others in the “possum” had discovered the empty aquifer early on, and they had seen the underground pipe, they suspected someone was stealing Dirt’s water. According to a legend, said Ms. Beans to Rango late one moonlit night, the Walking Cactus would seek out water.

 

Rango visited the Mayor, who was playing golf with “rollypolly” bugs acting as balls. The Mayor spoke of the people’s need to believe in something. He told Rango that things were changing. He showed him new construction going on. He noted that “we’re getting civilized.” He suggested that those that didn’t climb aboard the “progress train” would be left behind – thirsty and wanting. When Rango left, the Mayor ordered his flunky, Bad Bill, to get Rattlesnake Jake. Dirt would need a new sheriff.

 

The film came to a turning point when Rattlesnake Jake humiliated Sheriff Rango before the town folks, and Rango dejectedly departed into the desert. Almost without hope or concern, he walked across the highway, barely escaping the racing trucks and cars. He found his plastic fish. He again encountered the wandering Roadkill who again speaks cryptically, metaphorically, and rather banally. Rango fainted, and, in the dark, he was rolled on a sheet of “rollypolly” bugs to an “audience.”

There, in a blaze of white hot desert, he stumbled across a white alabaster carriage protected by yellow guardians (Oscars). Then, a little away on a dune, he saw the “Spirit of the West” in the person of a Clint Eastwood character, No-Name, from THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY, who wielded a metal-detector. “You came a long way to find something that’s not here. No man can walk out of his own story,” Eastwood growled.

Rango hears the voice of Roadkill. “Many years ago this whole valley was filled with water. Now, the only question is – where did it go?”

In the blazing sun the cactus were “seen” to walk in one direction. Rango followed, and on a ridge, beheld a plush, verdant, well-watered urban landscape. There was also a water pipe visible with a shutoff valve. “I’m going back,” said Rango.

 

Before returning to Dirt, Rango paid a call on the mole family, whose pappy, Balthazar, was awaiting his own hanging. He found them unfriendly at first, but after Rango advised them that “your pappy’s about to hang for something he didn’t do,” they joined him, cooperating with his plan.

Meantime, the Mayor was pressuring Ms. Beans to sell out to him. Just as Rattlesnake Jake was putting the squeeze on her, Rango called him out to the main street of Dirt for a showdown. Rattlesnake Jake was initially spooked by a shadow that seemed to be that of his old nemesis, the hawk. When he realized that it was only bats flying in a formation suggesting the hawk, he returned his attention to the cheeky chameleon, Rango.

They faced off at high-noon. Rango was able to zap a dragonfly to strengthen himself, as they closed. Jake was lured to a boarded area in the street, where the moles had first surfaced prior to the bank robbery.

Wounded Bird made an attempt on Jake, but was shot down by the fierce Rattlesnake. The brave raven’s last words to Priscilla were, “That was a bad idea.”

Suddenly, the water pipe was opened and a water geyser swept Jake high above Dirt. By the time Jake hits the ground, the Mayor, using Ms. Beans as a hostage, has got the “drop” on Rango. The Mayor has Rango and Ms. Beans sealed in a giant water jug. Then, aiming his gun at Rattlesnake Jake, the Mayor intoned that it’s a “new West, Jake; we don’t need gunmen anymore.”

Inside the jug, Ms. Beans and Rango kiss. The bullet that Rango had hidden in his mouth was swallowed by Ms. Bean. Rango began to squeeze her to help expel the bullet. This worked and the bullet shot out, hitting the inside of the glass jug, cracking it. The glass gave way, as the cracks spread, and the water, Rango and Ms. Beans all gushed out.

All the water upended the Mayor. Jake took note, greeted Rango as his equal, and then took venomous revenge on the Mayor.

Now, all the town folks proclaimed Rango to be the hero of Dirt, having once again “done it all with one bullet.”

In the end it looked as if Rango would stay put in his story. 

COMMENTARY

I thought this was one of the best modern animated films that I’ve seen. All of the animal characters looked to be very well-executed. The worst rendering of a physical character was the Clint Eastwood knock-off, “No-Name,” and it was certainly not badly done.

“If you want water, you must first find Dirt,” counsels Roadkill to the chameleon early in the film.

 

RANGO was a “quest movie” that would have brought a smile to the late Joseph Campbell. The viewers got to witness an imaginative, immature personality grow through the film as he faced adversity, ordeals, and the “jungle within.” Interestingly, a nameless chameleon was selected to embody the character that viewers would come to know by the stage name of “Rango.” “Who am I?” asked Rango at one point. In the end the town folks provided him with their answer to this question.

There was quite a bit of humor employed in the dialogues. These were not the cheap “one-liners” of television sitcoms and contrived reality shows. Wit was evident in their conception. There were also small comical touches, such as Ms. Beans’ “spells” and the “talking cloud” signal of Wounded Bird. Also, the town clock spelled time as “thyme.”

The body of the film was full of allusions to well-known films of the past, especially Westerns. To give a few obvious examples, there were the allusions to HIGH NOON, SHANE, HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, CAT BALLOU, APPOCALYPSE NOW, and THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY.

There were allusions to historical curiosities, such as “Aces & 8s” – the “dead man’s hand,” made famous as Wild Bill Hickok’s cards on the day he was shot dead.

At one point I thought I heard Rango give a spiel to the town folks that bore kinship to Robert Preston’s warnings about a pool hall in River City in THE MUSIC MAN.

I was fascinated by the rendering of Rattlesnake Jake which was the best, most natural rendering of a snake that I’ve seen.

Incidentally, the animals that some of the key characters represented were: Beans (desert iguana), Mayor (desert tortoise), Merrimack (prairie dog), Priscilla

 

(cactus mouse), Balthazar (broad-footed mole), Bad Bill (gila monster), Wounded Bird (raven), and the Mariachi band (desert owls). Incidentally, the Mariachi band functioned as a Greek chorus and appeared at several different points in the film, including its opening and close.

There was a brief scene in the film that appeared to mock religious faith generally and Christianity in particular, suggesting that it amounted to “humbug.” At one point a town folk accused Rango of being a “witch” and shouted, “Burn him!”

“Many years ago this whole valley was filled with water. Now, the only question is: Where did it go?” asks the armadillo Roadkill at another point in the story.

There also seemed to be a hardly veiled criticism of the misuse of the natural environment by vain humans at the expense of their “fellow critters.”

Also, the relationships between the animals seemed typically to reflect their relationships in the wild. Thus, the hawk ruled, followed by the rattlesnake, followed by the gila monster.

If this was so, the reader might ask, why did the tortoise control Dirt? As the Mayor commented, “Control the water and you control everything.” The billionaire Texan, T. Boone Pickens, couldn’t have said it better, and he may well have been a clever inspiration for the tortoise.

In some instances the precise rationale of the director is unknown, but the scene was very suggestive of well-known films in the Horror genre. I thought the chase scene in which Rango was chased through the streets of Dirt by the hawk reflected similar scenes with Godzilla, et al. The mole family erupting from the ground called to my mind similar eruptions of zombies.

I certainly recommend this film. Also, it should be safe for children.

 

PRODUCTION KEYS

Gore Verbinski – director, John Logan – writer, HJans Zimmer – music, Craig Wood – film editing, John Bell – art direction, supervisor

CAST KEYS (Voices)

Johnny Depp (Rango),Isla Fisher (Beans), Ned Beatty (Mayor), Alfred Molina (Roadkill), Bill Nighy (Rattlesnake Jake), Stephen Root (Merrimack/Doc), Abigail Breslin (Priscilla), Timothy Olyphant (Spirit of the West), Harry Dean Stanton (Balthazar), Ray Winstone (Bad Bill), Gil Birmingham (Wounded Bird), Gore Verbinski (Lupe, Mariachi violin), George DelHoya (Senor Flan, Mariachi accordion)

 

GOOD HAIR (2009)

 

COMMENTARY

This was a fascinating and well-conceived study of the Hair Business, which is international in scale, raking in hundreds of millions of dollars every year in the United States alone. It was hosting by Chris Rock. He set a perfect example of the curious, non-intrusive guide. He did not “steal” any scenes. Rather, he executed his part with a fine deference to the issue at hand, allowing experts and participants to reveal this story. The various aspects of the industry were visited and commented upon by those most involved. Naturally, Chris Rock posed questions.

For non-African Americans this video trip was to a world few perceived.

The viewer will learn that Chris Rock has two daughters. Therefore, he has a vested interest in this important area of African American beauty preparation.

After a brief set-up, this documentary quickly got into its subject with a trip to Atlanta, Georgia, where there was an annual Beautiful Hair forum hosted by the Bronner brothers each year. This documentary was framed by the Bronner Brothers’ annual meeting. Chris Rock used it as the jump-off point for various aspects of his exploration of this international business. It also included a hairstyling contest, and major figures in the African American hair-styling category were on hand to vie for first place.

 

Each year there is a champion selected in regard to hair style. Jason Griggers, a white hair stylist for black women, won the previous year and hoped to repeat. He has some stiff competition from Kevin Kirk, Tanya Crumel, and others. Showmanship was an important element.

One of the first secrets learned is that the stylists use a chemical named sodium hydroxide to relax the hair. It is strong stuff. It apparently breaks down protein. When it is applied, it induces a very noticeable burning sensation.

At this Bronner occasion Chris Rock seized the opportunity to investigate some of the companies that catered to this niche in the billion-dollar women’s hair market. (I am referencing all products and services offered in this field of endeavor.) He took a trip from Atlanta to the company grounds of an African American bottler of this hair-care relaxer. A tour of the facility was given to Rock and the viewer. It’s all interesting.

 

A scientist was introduced to discuss sodium hydroxide. This proved to be educational indeed.

The viewer was also provided information why so few companies in this field were actually owned by African Americans.

A variety of well-known African Americans were introduced all along the way, and they provided insights, opinions and some humor as well.

Periodically, Chris Rock returned to the Bronner brothers Atlanta forum to check on the contestants in the beautiful hair contest.

 

Having completed the exploration of the chemical warfare for “good hair,” Chris Rock turned his curious eye to another huge area within the African American culture. This was the use of partial and full hairpieces. He visited some of the companies that marketed finished hairpieces, after which Rock proceeded to fly over to India, which was the most important source of raw hair for hairpieces. There he talked to some of the major wholesale outlets’ owners/managers.

This also led to interviews with noteworthy African American women on this very subject. One cannot help but to be impressed with female involvement here.

Chris Rock concluded this trip into “Good Hair”-dom by returning to his daughters. He decided that he would advise them that “it’s not so important what’s on their heads, as what’s in their heads.”

All in all this was a very informative and entertaining documentary. I recommend it.

PRODUCTION KEYS

Jeff Stilton – director, Chris Rock/Lance Crowther - writers

CAST KEYS

Chris Rock (host),Tanya Crumel (hair battle contest),Kevin Kirk (hair battle contestant), Jason Griggers (hair battle contestant), Maya Angelou (as herself), Bronner brothers (as themselves), Al Sharpton (as himself), Ice-T (as himself), Marvet Britto (as herself), Eve (as herself), Melyssa Ford (as herself)

THE RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2011)

 

STORYLINE & PLOT:

The top lab scientist at a bio-engineering firm in San Francisco discovered a potentially successful treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. However, treating lab chimps, and also clandestinely treating his father, resulted in a mixed, bifurcated set of results which over time unleashed the Id & Ego in Genus Homo/Hominid. As the prophet Amos stated in presenting the view of the Most High: If we do not think alike, can we long walk together?

Chimp nabbers in Africa sell a band of prospects to Gen-Sys for experimentation in their San Francisco Bay-area locale, including a bright-eyed female who was pregnant. Gen-Sys hoped to market a virus-based treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, and it gave doses of its experimental drug (112-ALZ) to chimps. Only Bright-Eyes responded. She exhibited remarkable intellectual skills, suggesting the drug treatment might also aid cognitive capacity in humans.

When side effects force Gen-Sys to “put away” the chimps involved in the 112-ALZ experiments, lab-keeper Franklin discovered that Bright-Eyes had given birth to a son. The lab team leader, Will Rodman, agreed to take him home to rear him. He believed that it would be good for his father, Charles, who was suffering from advancing Alzheimer’s disease. When Will saw that Baby Caesar had the bright-eyes of mom plus the green tones indicative of 112-ALZ, he concluded that she had passed the positive effects of the treatment to her son by means of a genetic trait and that it resulted in a much brighter chimp, exhibiting no negative side effects. But would it work on humans? He decided to experiment on Dad.

The results were mixed, but Will was encouraged enough to approach Gen-Sys’s CEO, Steven Jacobs, to proceed with an improved version he called 113-ALZ. He got the “green light” and continued to experiment on chimps and, of course, Dad, who had a second attack of Alzheimer’s disease. Caesar was taken to a near-by Redwood forest, which was awesome for him. It also seemed to ring some primeval bells.

Caesar became fond of Dad, and, when a neighbor, Hunsiker, went “postal” over Dad’s joy-ride in the neighbor’s car, the brainy ape came to the rescue. That “road-rage” resulted in Caesar being consigned to an animal prison that had a spacious, “feel-good” enclosure to fool citizens in regard to the care provided their beloved pets.

 

Impressed with the façade, Will felt that it was for the best to leave Caesar. He was legally compelled to do so at any rate. Further, his young veterinarian “squeeze,” Caroline, occupied much of his thoughts – at least those not focused on 113-ALZ. However, for Caesar the new environment proved to be a “school for gladiators.” Out of this crucible a Spartacus arose, and his name was Caesar. With the aid of his superior wit, an orangutan (Maurice), a gorilla (Buck), and the fumes of 113-ALZ, Caesar Spartacus forged an army of apes.

 

They liberated the Gen-Sys lab chimps and the San Francisco Zoo apes. There was a final judgment of Steven Jacobs of Gen-Sys, and they offered him a deal he couldn’t refuse. Then Caesar’s army march through San Francisco in route to the Golden Gate Bridge and the Muir Park beyond, and they bashed any “hu-mies” that got in their way. Caesar Spartacus led his forces in a rout of the SFPD and CHPS forces at a rampart amid bridge.

 

At the edge of the Redwood forest he had a touching “break” with his youthful “daddy” – Will. Then, he scampered with his army up the Redwoods to view from on high the distant Golden Gate Bridge and, beyond it, San Francisco. There, in the distance, Caesar Spartacus saw “the land of milk and honey” beckoning, and he sensed a New World Order waiting to be born. Would he lead his people there?

COMMENTARY:

I liked the film, although it absolutely compelled a sequel to provide a plausible bridge to the “Planet of the Apes.” As an after-the-fact production of a successful film sci-fi, it presented an acceptable sci-fi genesis. The viewer is asked to go along with the fun of it without too much carping.

Nevertheless, some may feel a bit uneasy about the opening in which a gang of African trappers ensnared a band of chimps and then shipped them off to America, where they were soon exploited by “men in white” employed at neo-plantations, such as Gen-Sys, which sought to wring profits from disease.

Naturally, “signing” was employed in the education of Caesar. A number of them were introduced along the way. I had observed in nature films chimp clans using gestures, especially regarding dominance. However, the ape sign for “submission” or “approval” in this film was an over-and-under hands movement, and I could not help recalling my ‘teen years when “cool” kids did similar movements while saying, “give me some skin.” I kid you not!

The teen angst of Caesar was almost a parody of scores of movies.

When the enlightened Caesar is tossed into a bay-area prison for unruly primates, he quickly learned that his new companions were ignorant and quarrelsome. Most didn’t even know signing. By keeping his wits he stumbled upon a means (113-ALZ) of improving his new homies’ collective brain power. With elevated intelligence the confined chimps just might understand and accept Caesar’s vision.

I must say that the implied universality and potential brotherhood of apes, whether orangutan, gorilla or chimp, seemed a stretch. This is especially so when one considers that in The Planet of the Apes, the gorillas had ousted the chimps from power, and they ruled in a rather brutal fashion. Perhaps the effect of 113-ALZ had worn off over the centuries, or there were unfortunate side effects. The apes had learned nothing from their subjugation by humans; instead, they treated humans as brutally as they had been treated by the humans. Well, it’s a jungle out there, I guess.

Caesar’s view that the Redwood forest was his natural home was curious, since he was reared in a middle class San Francisco Bay-area home. Are the film makers trying to say that you can’t take the jungle out of the chimp? Or, is Caesar a chimp version of Henry David Thoreau? Exactly who was the role model for the baby chimp as he matured? Was his name meant to be an important clue? If so, it seems to be less appropriate than “Spartacus,” while his future “all-conquering” son (in a sequel) might be fittingly named “Caesar.”

I thought the special effects were well done.

I thought the story was reasonably constructed, and it led to the climactic “Battle of the Golden Gate Bridge,” which was interestingly packaged. The story sequence was basically: 1) African jungle, 2) Gen-Sys Lab, 3) Will Rodman’s home, 4) unruly pet prison, 5) the Caesar Spartacus revolt, and 5) the West Coast jungle.

 

Not surprisingly, the writers worked into the film an ignorant, blond-haired “jailer” (Dodge Landon) of the chimps at the animal enclosure where the young adult Caesar was confined. He functioned like Hollywood’s stereotypical racists do.

The bottom line is this: It’s no piece of cake being a lab animal. Still, there are limits not even an ape can endure without rage.

This movie should be considered a children-friendly movie.

 

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Rupert Wyatt – director, Rick Jaffa/Amanda Silver – writers, Patrick Doyle – original music, Andrew Lesnie – cinematographer, Conrad Buff IV/Mark Goldblatt – film editing, Mike Desabrais – stunt double for John Lithgow, Christopher Gordon – stunt double for David Hewlett, Jon Kralt – stunt double for Tom Felton

 

CAST KEYS:

James Franco (Will Rodman),Andy Serkis (Caesar), Frieda Pinto (Caroline Aranha), John Lithgow (Charles Rodman), Tom Felton (Dodge Landon), David Oyelowo (Steven Jacobs), Tyler Labine (Robert Franklin), Jay Caputo (Alpha), Richard Riddings (Buck), Karin Konoval (Maurice), Terry Notary (Bright-Eyes/Rocket),David Hewlett (Hunsiker), Ty Olsson (Chief John Hamil), Brian Cox (John Landon)

 

THE WOLFMAN (2010)

 

STORYLINE & PLOT:

When an urgent plea from Gwen Conliffe, fiancé of his brother, Ben, reached thespian Lawrence Talbot in London, he responded by journeying to his ancestral home, Talbot Hall, at Blackmoor, where he learned that his brother had been found dead, apparently killed by some kind of lunatic or beast. Lawrence met Gwen and his father, Sir John, and he vowed to investigate this strange event further. This was a fateful decision the consequences of which were life-changing. The Talbots became the central attraction in a three-ring circus featuring villagers, gypsies, and Scotland Yard.

The movie opened with a shot of a tombstone and a female narrator reciting the lines chiseled on it, to wit:

Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf, when the wolfbane blooms and the moon is full at night.

The time period was shown to be about 1890. There was a camera cut to a foggy woodland at night.

 

A man was seen carrying a lantern, while simultaneously his voice sounded, “Who’s there? I know you’re out there! Show yourself!” The movie viewer briefly saw his face. Although he was unknown to viewers at this time, the face was that of Ben Talbot. Soon, a flash of shadow was glimpsed. Then, a slashing wound occurred to Ben’s abdomen. He tried to flee but succumbed to the continuing attacks of the “beast.”

There was a cut to a young woman writing a letter to Lawrence Talbot in regard to her fiancé and his brother, Ben. She alluded to his career as a dramatic actor, and there was a brief cut to Lawrence on stage performing the role of Hamlet in the scene at the grave pit involving the skull of Yorick. The woman pled for Lawrence to return to Talbot Hall to help her discover his missing brother. She signed off as Gwen Conliffe. Her letter is revealed through her narration.

Presented the letter by courier in London, Lawrence decided to accept her plea, and he journeyed to Blackmoor and to the nearby Talbot Hall estate. He found his way inside the large structure. The interior was filled with the emblems of a man’s man: elephant tusks, mounted tiger head, firearms, swords, etc.

He encountered his father, Sir John, who greeted him, citing the Biblical verse involving the prodigal son’s return to the house of his father. The greeting was proper but not markedly warm.

He stated his interest in finding his brother’s whereabouts. Sir John replied that “unfortunately your brother died. His body was found.”

At that point they were interrupted by Singh, who said loudly, “Master John!” Sir John noted him and advised his son, Lawrence, “Singh, my servant.” The viewer might initially think having a Sikh valet at a British country estate odd, but Sir John had a singular trait that had first become evident in India/Kashmir, of which Singh had knowledge, as well as an awareness of the proper method for its treatment. Further, Singh was loyal.

 

Lawrence also made a brief visit to see Gwen Conliffe, who was still lodging at Talbot Hall.

He also entered the old bedroom which he and Ben had shared. He has a flashback of that night when Ben awakened him to express fear that someone was inside, and Lawrence set forth to investigate. He walked outside and along rows of huge bushes, trimmed like giraffe, elephant, etc., until, at the far end of a reflecting pool, in the luminance of the full moon he saw his father cradling his dead mother. A large pool of dark red flowed from her body. In her outstretched hand he saw a straight razor. Her neck gaped in a raw, red scream.

“It is well that you are here for the funeral service,” Sir John declared.

“I want to see Ben,” replied Lawrence. Learning where he could find the remains of his brother, he rode into town. The body of Ben was being kept at a butcher’s meat house. Lawrence arrived and inspected the ghastly, shocking remains. [The overuse of darkening pencil/mascara along the prominent bone structures of Del Toro was equally shocking.] He removed an odd medal from his brother’s neck. It appeared to be a bust of a saint with wolves circling on the outer rings. The central, patron saint was a gypsy.

From the meat house Lawrence visited the local pub, where he took a seat at a table to the rear. A group of townsmen were talking about the recent killings, which now numbered three. One declared that the killed were torn apart. They debated if a beast or a lunatic might have done it. Another ventured that the killings didn’t begin until the Gypsies came to Blackmoor a couple of weeks back. Another speculated that Ben Talbot had gone out to have his way with a Gypsy woman. He noted that the Gypsies had a dancing bear that could have killed Ben Talbot. All of the Blackmoor slain might have met their fates at the tooth and claw of the bear. A parson was also present, and he raised the issue of something evil and devilish. The townsmen booted the issue here and there, clearly heated, excited and fearful. Finally, one mentioned an event of some twenty years past in which an individual was torn up. A relative was so shaken by it that he melted down the family silver plate to make bullets, and he locked himself in his house on a full moon and refused to go out.

Lawrence listened but said nothing. He went back to Talbot Hall. He spoke to Gwen again. There was an attraction. Upon hearing of his father’s desire to have him near, he alluded to the fact that he had been sent to an asylum soon after his mother’s death. He indicated that it was an aunt’s home in America.

Meeting thereafter with Sir John, he enquired if he thought the Gypsies might be involved in Ben’s death. Sir John did not seem to put much credence in their involvement. “Perhaps it was as you suggested Lawrence,” mused Sir John. “Maybe it was a madman or lunatic roaming the moor.”

That night he visited briefly with Singh, finding him cleaning his firearm and sharpening his knife. “A Sikh is a warrior of God,” noted Singh. After viewing Singh’s shotgun shells that appeared to be silver shot, Lawrence said, “I didn’t know that you hunted monsters.” Singh responded, “Sometimes monsters hunt you.”

 

Concluding his visit, Lawrence decided to ride to the Gypsy encampment. He showed one of the Gypsy people the medal he had removed from Ben. He was advised to see Maleva. About the same time Blackmoor villagers rode toward the encampment, seeking the dancing bear. There was also glimpsed streaking about the foggy, moonlit night a low-profile creature.

About the time Lawrence left his audience with Maleva, the first casualty occurred. He was clearly the victim of a beast. Quickly, there were several more, and the nature of the beast was fairly apparent. A lad ran from the encampment into the foggy woodland. Lawrence spotted him and fired several shots at the fleet wolf-like creature that appeared to be tracking the lad. Pursuing, Lawrence finds himself alone amid large, stone stele. Warily eyeing the terrain for boy or beast, he was jumped upon by the beast lurking atop a stone. The beast seriously wounded Lawrence’s neck, before armed Gypsies drove the beast away. 

Maleva overruled her daughter, who thought Lawrence should be left to die, and had the wounded Talbot returned to her wagon, where she treated his wound. Tellingly, her daughter warned that, if he lived, he would be doomed by his bite to a lycanthropic curse. Maleva stared at her daughter, “Where does the man end and the beast begin?” She sewed his wound closed.

Lawrence was retrieved to Talbot Hall by Sir John, where he recuperated. A Dr. Lloyd was called upon to treat him. He thought Lawrence was in need of a lengthy period of healing. By the next day he was well enough to get up from bed. His wound was well-healed.

Lawrence himself knew that something strange had entered his “space” – something that caused him fear for Gwen. He noted horses shying from him, and dogs growling – then turning tail. Distraught, worried by bad dreams, and bewildered by his physical changes, he interrupts Gwen in her bed chamber at night to demand that she leave Talbot Hall at once. “You are not safe here!” It was clear to her that Lawrence’s concern was heartfelt. “I could not forgive myself if anything should happen to you,” he continued. She indicated that the hour was not fit, but her eyes made clear that her attitude toward Lawrence was different, as a spark had been kindled within her, intriguing and lushly warm with promise for the future.

The next day they walk to a spot where he and Ben had skipped rocks and played. He taught Gwen to skip rocks too, and it was clear that they were drawing romantically closer. Suddenly, Lawrence stopped and seemed to hear an unsounded sound. “Horses!”

Soon, villagers rode up to Talbot Hall and attempted to seize Lawrence. He was known to have been bitten by the beast. They thought that maybe he had killed all the dead villagers of Blackmoor. They wanted to hold him so that they could view any change during the full moon that night. While Lawrence struggled with a gaggle of villagers with surprising success, Sir John entered the fray, firing a shot and demanding that they leave Talbot Hall at once. He bluffed that his man Singh was a crack shot hiding on the overlooking roof and that he would kill them all, if ordered. The bluff worked.

Alluding to his son’s career, Sir John quipped, “you are not the only actor in the family.”

 

Father and son returned to their home, chatting about events. Suddenly, an unexpected visitor knocked at the door. It was Abberline of Scotland Yard. He wanted to speak to Lawrence about his late brother and the violence at the Gypsy camp – and certain related Blackmoor murders. “There are no beasts still living in England capable of inflicting these injuries.” Given to direct, frank talk, Abberline alluded to Lawrence’s boyhood stay at an asylum, at which time he had terrible fantasies of a beast killing his mother, as well as his career on stage where he was known to have acted Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Richard III, etc. “I’m just wondering what others might be in that head of yours.” Lawrence expressed indignation. Abberline would have none of it, but did retreat under the urging of Sir John. There would need to be an examination of Lawrence’s neck wound in Blackmoor by his specialist.

 

There was a chance for Lawrence and Gwen to get together again. They kissed. He suddenly found himself captured by her neck. It was the pounding life-force rushing just beneath the surface that drew him so strongly. He put her aside and abruptly went into the night.

He saw light coming from the mausoleum where generations of Talbots had been laid. He found his father in a candle-lit chamber where his wife had been buried. “When she died, I died, Lawrence. Look into my eyes. You can see that I’m quite dead.” He advised his son to be free. As the moon climbed the sky, Sir John closed the iron-grated door and locked it. “The beast will have its day; the beast will out.”

As Lawrence tried to exit the mausoleum, changes began to occur to his body. He became a beast. He became a werewolf.

 

During the day villagers had gone through the woodland near Talbot Hall, setting traps of rope nets and deep camouflaged pits. That night, they captured a beast. Somehow, it managed to kill most of them. It was Lawrence, whose transformed body killed.

Near dawn the following day, Sir John discovered his son sleeping in a hollow of a tree. His son’s clothes were ripped and bloody, as was his face. “Lawrence, wake up! You’ve done terrible things.” Suddenly, villagers on horses rode up, led by Abberline. They arrested Lawrence. “Be strong, Lawrence,” said Sir John encouragingly.

 

The camera cut to Lambeth Asylum, where Lawrence was seen to be strapped to a heavy chair. The chair was rigged so that it could be submerged under icy water in a small pool. A shrink talked to Lawrence, expressing regret that his prior treatment had not produced a complete cure of his delusions that his father was a monster who had killed Lawrence’s mother. However, advised the precise Dr. Hoenneger, psychiatric treatment had advanced a great deal since then, and he was confident that the new series of treatments would produce a complete cure. With that he singled his creepy orderly to lower the gagged Lawrence into the icy water. Other treatments such as injections in the neck and electric shock soon followed.

There were many brief flashbacks and images composed in a rapid editing that in toto suggested a montage. The “feral boy” image - almost devilish – was a constantly recurring image for Lawrence in this film.

Lawrence had visitors. While providing additional information to him regarding lycanthropy, Gwen Conliffe came by to comfort and support. She had a shop in London apparently not far from the asylum.

Sir John also had a long visit with Lawrence. It was in this visit that Sir John shared with his son a story of his adventure in the Himalayan Kush. There had been local rumors of a strange creature that lived high on a mountain in a cave. He wanted to see it. Alone, he climbed to the location where the cave was said to be. He found it, and inside, there was the strangest “feral boy” he had ever seen. Suddenly, the “feral boy” attacked Sir John. The strength of the “feral boy” was amazing. Sir John paused to recall to Lawrence’s mind that he was quite a strong man himself and a champion bare-knuckle fighter in San Francisco for a period. Continuing with his story, he stated that the creature had bitten his forearm. Freeing himself, he fled the cave and returned to his fellow adventurers as soon as possible.

 

“You killed my mother!” blurted out Lawrence.

“Yes, I suppose I did,” replied Sir John, rather at one with his situation. He then related that Ben had been determined to leave Talbot Hall with Gwen. Sir John stated he was not happy to hear that. It angered him. In a mood he knocked out Singh with one blow. Now, with no one to lock him up, he ran free. He killed Ben that night.

“It’s a sin to lock up the beast, Lawrence. I should have let it run free,” mused Sir John.

There was a camera cut to the asylum. Dr. Hoenneger was lecturing a gallery of “shrink sages” about the case of Lawrence Talbot. After providing them with a history, he discussed the success that his modern treatments had produced. Meanwhile, as the full moon rose over London, Lawrence screamed at them that he would kill them all that night. They chuckled. A few latent delusions, perhaps. Dr. Hoenneger was in rare form that night. His creepy orderly guffawed.

“The Luna has its mysterious power,” mused Sir John early in the film. Indeed! Things got really crazy. Lawrence transformed as the doctor, his back to Lawrence, lectured an increasingly amazed and terrified audience. Easily breaking free of his bonds, the wolfman killed orderlies, Dr. Hoenneger, and sundry witnesses, escaping through a window onto the roof.

As Abberline and Scotland Yards were at hand, an extended chase through London occurred.

Dawn found Lawrence under a bridge near the Towers of London spanning the Thames River. He’s coated with blood, and his clothes were torn. He managed to get to Gwen’s shop, seeking help. He found a way inside, where Gwen, arriving at work, discovered him.

“What have they done to you?” she wondered.

“They were right. I’m a monster. So is my father. He killed my mom. And Ben, too,” Lawrence howled.

Trying to comfort him, Gwen said that if such things happen, then everything is magick – and God. I can find an answer,” she assured him. “Lawrence, please let me help you.”

He replied, “You already have.” They kissed.

 

Suddenly, Abberline and a few bobbies appeared. Lawrence was able to flee. However, before leaving the shop, Abberline made a thorough check of the shop. At one point he stood before a tall floor mirror. He thought he saw Lawrence Talbot standing behind it. He demanded that Talbot step out. When he did not, Abberline fired. The floor mirror broke, and its glass came crashing down. Behind it was revealed a statue of Pan. A bobbie passed by, paused, and observed, “Now, there’s some bad luck, sir.”

The camera cut to Gwen seeking Maleva among the Gypsy campers. She hoped to find an answer for Lawrence. When they meet, Maleva can only speak of his fate, which can’t be undone. Still, she offered a Gypsy blessing for Gwen’s sake and safety.

The camera cut to Abberline and a stout body of Scotland Yards’ finest arriving at Blackmoor.

“Shoot him on sight!” ordered Abberline.

Meanwhile, Lawrence Talbot had found his way to Talbot Hall. Inside, he found the body of Singh. He secured a few of Singh’s shotgun shells with the silver shot. [“The monster killed my Mom,” he’s probably thinking.] He continued his search inside the house. He spied a lit room, a study, where Sir John liked to play the piano on occasion. Entering, he saw his father at the piana, playing, and each ivory key his fingers sounded left a bloody print. Sir John looked up. “The Prodigal Son,” he noted in welcome. To Lawrence’s side by the blazing hearth was an inspector, assigned by Abberline to guard Talbot Hall, dead in a chair.

“The beast is the beast. Let it run free,” Sir John advised.

Rising from his seat at the piano, Sir John confronts Lawrence. Lawrence leveled his shotgun at his father’s chest. It won’t fire.  “I removed the gun powder years ago,” chuckled Dad. He then commenced to cane and kick Lawrence. Finally, they both transformed into werewolves for an “Alpha male” thing. Sir John got kicked into the fiery hearth and promptly exploded in fire. When Lawrence tore his head off with a single blow, the heir of Talbot Hall – now ablaze – was at hand to claim his den.

At that moment both Ms. Conliffe and Abberline arrived at the study and were shocked by the scene. Seizing a handgun with silver bullets, she fled, and the werewolf followed. Following the pack, Abberline pursued.

After jumping the pursuing Abberline and giving him a neck bite, leaving him as the Scotland Yard pack closed on them, the wolfman sought the woman he savored.

Things came to a head at the falls area where Lawrence had played as a boy. The trapped Gwen looked at Lawrence and pleaded, “Lawrence! You know me!” He stared intently at her, as if remembering vaguely – something. Abberline and his men were drawing close to the spot (he’s holding a neckerchief to his neck wound). Suddenly, the wolfman turned beast again and renewed his attack on Gwen. She aimed her pistol at his chest and fired. It was magick. The heart of the werewolf melted before the mystical power of silver. He transformed again to Lawrence.

Resting in Gwen’s embracive arms, Lawrence said his last words, “Gwen, it had to end this way. Thank you.” She cradled him.

The Blackmoor villagers watched quietly.

 

Abberline clutched Singh’s silver-headed wolf cane-sword with one hand and his kerchief with the other. He had been gazing at the unbelievable denouement, as were the others. Slowly, his eyes turned upward to his left at the moon.

There was an epilog narration given by the voice of Maleva, “There is no sin in killing a beast, only in killing a man; but where does one end and the other begin?”

COMMENTARY:

I liked this film quite a lot. It was a generally faithful adaptation of the classic Wolfman flick, starring Lon Chaney, Jr. Its tones and textures were very good. Danny Elfman is good at handling the musical support for this sort of film story. I thought that the story elements were well-packaged. Anthony Hopkins brought a lot of amusing nuances to his role as Sir John Talbot and was at times a “howl.” Del Toro was very good at transitioning from a somewhat jaded sybarite to an engaged human investigating an increasingly daunting, disturbing revelation involving murky Talbot family secrets amid ghastly external events. The contributions of Hugo Weaver as the dour, blunt Abberline of Scotland Yard cannot be over stated. Also, Geraldine Chaplin’s Gypsy, Maleva, was surprisingly effective, although not the equal of Maria Ouspenskaya’s rendering in the Lon Chaney, Jr. version.

The overall presentation of Gwen Conliffe by Emily Blunt was proper and solid, but she was able to be alluring as well – with a little help from the cinematographer.

Blackmoor, Talbot Hall and London all seemed well-captured set designs. However, the use of “big game” imagery was a bit overdone.

The final rendering of the Wolfman, whether Sir John or Lawrence, was true to the original style in the Lon Chaney Jr. version, but I thought it was better done by far. Hence, the trend of modern renderings of Wolfmen, where excessive elongation of snout occurs, was avoided. This allowed the “man part” to still be suggested. Although the special effects involved with the excessive elongation of snout were initially interesting to see, I found this version to be the best approach to the transformation.

Parenthetically, I did not care for the rendering of the “feral boy” as the sire – so to speak – of the Talbot wolfmen, but I suppose that it was justified by the fact that a boy is not typically very hairy. His lurking in dreams/halluci- nations of Lawrence is decidedly curious, and it suggested that the “seed” (virus?) of the “feral boy” imagery can pass through the “infection” of a wolfman’s bite.

The rendering of the Blackmoor villagers was a familiar but satisfying study of the making of a mob. The Gypsies, while denigrated by outsiders throughout the movie, were actually presented as strangely bland – almost middle-class. Of course, they dressed a little “funny.”

To show how non-contemporary this film is in terms of the Horror genre, the village pastor, Reverend Fisk, while contextually exaggerated, is not blatantly mocked. His Biblical citations aren’t ludicrous. This film is rooted in the classic concepts of “evil” and fate.

This might be contrasted with the psychiatric approaches in the Lambeth Asylum, in which both para-campy doctors and orderlies labored using crudely modern technologies of torture to “help” the patients. The asylum appeared to be medically led by a Dr. Hoenneger, who appeared to be a stereotypically Jewish shrink. By means of him and his creepy guard assistant, the “science” of mental health was gloriously lampooned.

There were no characters in this film that were clearly outré, but Singh, Maleva, and the asylum “creepy guard” collectively achieved this Horror film constant.

Most transitions came out of blackness. This was handy, as much of the film occurred at night or within gloomy buildings. Nevertheless, the action was not difficult to see and follow. Some credit is due to the cinematographer here.

 

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Joe Johnston – director, Andrew Kevin Walker/David Self – screenplay, Danny Elfman – music director, Shelly Johnson – cinematographer, Walter Murch/Dennis Virkler – film editing, Priscilla John – casting, Christopher Gordon – stunt double (Anthony Hopkins), Gabor Hortobagyi/Spencer Wilding/Bruce Cain (Benicio Del Toro), Richard Bradshaw/Curtis Rivers (Hugo Weaving)

CAST KEYS:

Benicio Del Toro (Lawrence Talbot), Emily Blunt (Gwen Conliffe), Anthony Hopkins (Sir John Talbot), Hugo Weaving (Abberline), Art Malik (Singh), Simon Merrells (Ben Talbot), Geraldine Chaplin (Maleva), Cristina Contes (Solana Talbot), Roger Frost (Reverend Fisk), Anthony Sher (Dr. Hoenneger), Ian Peck (creepy guard)

 

CHILDREN OF HEAVEN (1997)

 

STORYLINE/PLOT:

When a boy misplaced his sister’s only pair of shoes, he drew her into a conspiracy to stay quiet about the lost shoes, while he searched for them. As they both attended school, they were forced to share the boy’s sneakers. This created a lot of awkward situations which went unnoticed by the struggling parents as they worried about rent and work. However, opportunity knocked for father and son in the gardens of wealthy people. It knocked again when the boy, Ali, got an opportunity to run in a race in which 3^rd prize was a pair of sporty sneakers. Would guilty feet undo Ali’s dream? Did Santa Claus ride a bicycle? Would Heaven wipe away their tears? In the end a gathering of goldfish in a pool near Ali’s blistered feet suggested that good luck would attend him.

The son of a struggling Iranian family was assigned a few errands, including stopping by a cobbler’s shop to have his kid sister’s pink shoes repaired for school. Taking the repaired shoes in a bag, he stopped by a greengrocer, where he gleaned some potatoes for his mother. Discovering the bag containing his sister’s shoes was now missing, having been gathered by a trash collector, Ali made a frantic but fruitless search. He was forced to return home and tell his sister. Here the viewer got to meet the father and mother, who discussed the landlord’s demands and other troubles. Ali received some stern words from his father for running out, when his mother requested that he help with house work. They were unaware that he wasn’t playing, as he and Zahra, his sister, had not mentioned the lost shoes nor Ali’s search that day for them. Forthrightness might have led to punishment, which kids uniformly prefer to avoid.

Much of the middle part of this film dealt with the two kids’ participation with school, homework, and taking turns wearing Ali’s sneakers. The two had somewhat different time schedules, allowing for “just-in-time” sneaker switches. Nevertheless, some “dropping the baton” occurred, as well as other minor events that still caused them, especially Ali, problems with school authorities. It was at school that Ali excelled, and the support of his teacher proved crucial, as he might have been sent home. His father would then be brought into knowledge about the shoes. Not good!

It was at school that Ali learned of a race for boys with a nice prize of sports sneakers for third place. He hurried to enlist. Due to his tardiness at entering the race, it took a lot of begging and tears to earn a chance. Ali could run.

Ali’s father was able to borrow a tree-spraying apparatus from a friend and announced that he would try to earn some extra money as a gardener. He got out his bike and took Ali along to help him. His trek was long and hard, and it was slow to bear fruit. At one of the houses of the wealthy a boy took a friendly attitude toward Ali. His grandfather, urged by the boy, employed them. While Ali’s Dad labored as a gardener, Ali played with the lonesome kid. The day bore fruit for them.

Dad talked about his prospects and how he’d buy his family some nice things. Ali volunteered that Zahra needed some new shoes.

The day of the race proved exciting and a determined Ali found himself approaching the finish line in a near “photo-finish” with three other boys. To his dismay, he had won first place. He had virtually promised Zahra that he’d win 3^rd place. He had planned to exchange the shoes for a girl’s pair suitable for Zahra. Now he would have to break the news to her.

There was a camera cut to Ali’s father pedaling home. His recent good fortune would serve his little family well.

The camera cut back to Ali. He was tired. At the pond within the court at which his home stood, he gazed at the tempting water. He removed his sneakers that now bore holes. His feet were sore and blistered. He sat at the pool edge and dangled his feet in the water. As he did, he attracted the notice of a small school of goldfish.

The story faded to black.

COMMENTARY:

The film is leisurely paced for much of the film. That is my view notwithstanding a daily race to and from school by Ali and Zahra. The story developed a loop in the first half, and there was no certain way out of it. In short, for the movie to proceed, it needed a pair of shoes.

By chance Zahra noticed her old pink shoes on the feet of another student. This led to a bit of snooping by Zahra. She also enlisted the help of Ali. She may have had thoughts of claiming them, but, after following the other girl home, Zahra noticed that her father was blind. From that point I believe that she stopped thinking about getting them back. In fact the two girls became friends. By chance the little girl had gotten Zahra’s shoes from a trash-collector/peddler. I thought that the film was able to show an instance of compassion by Zahra, developed after seeing that the father of the little girl she had been spying on was blind.

The cooperation of Ali and Zahra and their determination to “keep things normal” made for an amusing series of tests for them to overcome.

Now, in the center court at which their home was one of a surrounding cluster, there was a small pool. Swimming in the pool was a gaggle of goldfish. The choice of this fish was no accident. Goldfish are a symbol of good luck and good health.

I found the solution to the children’s dilemma acceptable from that point of view – good luck. It was also acceptable on the basis: “It is written.”

Ali’s father was ambitious but stuck in a wage barely sufficient to care for his family. Borrowing a garden spray device, he took it and Ali into a wealthier area of town, where he hoped to earn extra money tending gardens. Rich people are not “soft touches,” and the father was getting nowhere. However, by chance one of the houses was home to a lonely boy who wanted a friend to play with. He saw Ali with his father. It was that bit of luck that allowed Ali’s father to make some good money, after his hard gardening was done. Had he not brought Ali, he would have failed. Had that rich little boy not been in the yard and seen Ali, he would have failed. Had that rich little boy not been lonely for a friend, he would have failed.

On the other hand a chance race promoted for schoolboys and offering good prizes for the first three finishers presented Ali another way to get Zahra a pair of shoes. He discovered that when you’re bred to win, coming in third is hard to do. Or was it written?

Ari went home thinking that you can’t always get what you want, but at least he tried. For the moment Zahra had no shoes.

This film had aspects that called to mind O’Henry short stories. Viewers will get a sense of that when viewing Ali’s father on a bicycle at the end of the film, after having made some purchases for the family.

 

This film opened with a close-up of some very interesting hands. They belonged to the cobbler who was repairing Zahra’s pink shoes for the coming school year.

I thought that Ali’s father was well-rendered by Mohammad Amir Naji. Ali’s mother was solidly, albeit stoically, rendered by Fereshte Sarabandi. The children did well, but really good acting from a child is uncommon, and there was no exception to that situation here.

Generally speaking, the supporting actors were acceptable, and sometimes interesting, film assets.

American viewers that choose to watch this film will find it altogether wholesome, and that might create a certain culture shock for them.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Majid Majidi – director, Keivan Jahanshahi – original music, Parviz Malekzaade – cinematographer, Hassan Hassandoost – film editing

CAST KEYS:

Amir Farrokh Hashemian (Ali), Bahare Seddiqi (Zahra), Mohammad Amir Naji (Ali’s father), Fereshte Sarabandi (Ali’s mother), Dariush Mokhtari (Ali’s teacher), Abbas-Ali Roomandi (shoemaker)

 

LEON THE PROFESSIONAL (1994)

STORYLINE/PLOT:

When an illiterate, professional killer, possessed of childlike wonder when in a cinema house, met a pre-Lolita, attitudinal truant, suspiciousness on all sides was quickly formed. However, lodged inside the suspiciousness of the truant was a curiosity about the stranger at the end of the hall. When the D.E.A. caused tragedy to strike her family, and she was endangered, she turned to the stranger who provided her a sanctuary. Thus began an awkward love story. With the lunatic head of a strike force within the D.E.A. on their trail, the hitman and his protégé have little chance of discovering a “dream home” far from the violent world they now called “home.” When the hitman sacrificed all in colloquy with the lunatic G-man, it could only mean a stretch at Spencer School for his truant protégé. As the hitman might have put it, “A mine is a terrible thing to waste.” (Or was it grenade?)

This film opened with a bird’s eye view of the top of trees that turned out to be Central Park. The camera view flowed toward mid-Manhattan, and then followed the streets to “Little Italy.” A restaurant is focused upon as the establishing shot which will be a periodic setting for much of this film’s cause for action. Inside it, a professional hitman is discussing an assignment with the owner, Tony. The assignment was agreed to.

There followed an example of the prowess of Leon in a sort of thematic prologue to much of the violence that characterizes this film.

At the apartment building in which Leon rented a unit, there lived a family that included three children. One of those children was the 12-years-old Mathilda. She had noticed the interesting stranger, Leon.  Her mind must have already turned to landing a man, as Mathilda became instantly flirty, according to body-language, when Leon returned to his unit.

Her parents had pre-paid for Mathilda to attend a New Jersey school for “difficult” students, but Mathilda had not attended for two weeks or so. She may have felt that a woman’s progress was retarded by education.

Leon largely ignored Mathilda. At his abode he spent much of his time maintaining his weaponry, exercising and tending to his only love, a plant similar to a peace lily. He would observe outside disturbances in the hall through a blind peephole. Occasionally, he would go to a movie. On one occasion the viewer watched him watching SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952). His reaction to this movie was meant to be revealing about Leon’s personality and indicative of an otherwise submerged trend of character.

Further, after the tragedy to Mathilda’s family, Leon, who had allowed the frantic, frightened Mathilda to enter his unit, allowed her to stay. At one occasion they played a “Guess Who?” game that related to entertainment and film. Here, inferentially, other movie characters that impressed Leon were revealed.

The tragic event was engendered by a visit from Stansfield and a gaggle of D.E.A. narcotics cops to Mathilda’s father. They could easily have been mistaken for a ruthless drug gang. The father was accused of skimming, or allowing someone else to skim, 10% of the narcotics left in his care by this D.E.A. squad. He was given 24-hours to come up with the remaining 10%.

When the hour arrived, the father hadn’t produced the missing narcotics, and Stansfield and his D.E.A. bros commenced to execute the family. Mathilda had been to the grocery store, and when she returned, she discovered members of her family lying dead, and she saw blood splattered everywhere. Naturally, her thoughts turned to the stranger living at the end of the hallway.

A relationship developed. At Mathilda’s urgings, Leon agreed to train her to be an assassin and junior member of his team. In the back of her mind was revenge against Stansfield, apparently.

As their situation became dicier, Leon made a trip to see Tony. He told him that if anything should happen to him, he wanted Tony to give his money to Mathilda. When push came to shove, Mathilda learned what sort of banker Tony really was. It was C-note now, and maybe C-note later.

This subsequent period was divided into the growing relationship between the lonely assassin and the family-assassinated girl, as well as the lunatic Stansfield’s desire to “leave the plate clean” by killing Mathilda. Naturally, a denouement at the film’s end would bring the two lines together for a final judgment. The verdict: Those who live by the sword, die by the sword.

There was a brief epilog involving The Spencer School and reconciliation.

COMMENTARY:

Besson used very tight close-ups of the men who were discussing the “hit” in the restaurant at the outset, so that identifying who was who from the facial body parts was difficult. The curious glass of milk one of them drank would serve as a clue.

I found the proposition that Leon was both illiterate and very skillful in advanced weaponry usage, very skillful in ninja-like stealth and very skillful in understanding the engineering design of hit locations challenging. I don’t believe that the term “street-smart” is quite sufficient to the task of explaining it. Granted, Tony may have helped him get false IDs and the tools of his trade. Yet, Leon was virtually a self-taught equal of a Navy Seal.

Besson apparently tried to hide this curiosity by the gimmick of having Tony act as a bank for Leon. Every dollar Leon earned for his professional assignments remained with Tony. When Leon needed money, Tony would peel off several hundred dollars which he would give him. What a friendly banker! Whatever money Leon agreed to for a hit, he never saw more that a fraction. What’s more, he had no idea exactly how much money “Tony the Banker” was holding. Leon only knew that he had a “lot of money.” Yet, he didn’t really seem to be too interested in money. One is reminded of the adage: A fool and his money are soon parted.

The repeated instances of violence that course through this movie were undoubtedly a strong source of its popularity. The violence was sometimes cleverly choreographed. Besides the violence that flowed naturally from the very nature of Leon’s work, Besson found time to work in domestic violence.

The character Stansfield, played by Gary Oldman, was so improbably lunatic that no one would have worked for him – or with him. Yet, Besson conceived of him leading a tactical section at the D.E.A., and operating with the disturbing brio of a super villain in BATMAN movies. Not only was Stansfield lunatic, he appeared to be dishonest as well. It was certainly true that the D.E.A. had earned a reputation for “wild-west cowboyism” in the early days of the “War on Drugs” (prior to the dawning perception that the C.I.A. and the Bush family might be the real Drug Lords). Gary Oldman’s character seemed to blend the worst elements of Hannibal Lector, Scarface (Al Pacino’s), and American Psycho (Christian Bale’s). It is almost worth taking in this movie to view this curiosity.

With Mathilda Besson seemed to be inspired by the possibilities issuing from Jody Foster’s teenybopper prostitute in THE TAXI DRIVER and the young teen, femme fatale of the book LOLITA.

Mathilda apparently wanted to grow up quickly, possibly to be able to leave her home as soon as possible. She smoked, fought with her older sister, and got smacked by her father. Her mother was a sexy-looking woman, but she was a tad “street-walker” in her style.

I felt a bit uneasy about the love that developed between Leon and Mathilda. Sure, rock-a-billy star Jerry Lee Lewis married his 14-year-old cousin back in the sixties. Why is 12-years-old wrong and 14-years-old okay? Hard to put your finger on it. Maturity can’t be the deciding criterion in this comparison. Nor was there anything that would pass for romantic doings and certainly no carnal knowledge implied between Leon and Mathilda. The love that developed may have had a father-daughter aspect, but it seemed headed for at least a common law marriage. Near the end Leon told her emotionally that he wanted a home and to put down roots.

Part of the popularity of this film involved the tragedy, so to speak, of Leon’s effort to be like everyone else. The law would not have it. Destiny abhors violence.

Incidentally, the name Mathilda means “might” or “power” and is Germanic in derivation, and the name Leon means “lion” and is Latin in derivation. Since the attributes of a lion would certainly be “power” and “might,” it does suggest that Leon and Mathilda were “soul mates” hewn from the same stone. Small wonder that were attracted to each other.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Luc Besson – director/writer, Eric Serra – director of music, Thierry Arbogast – cinematography, Sylvie Landra – film editing

CAST KEYS:

Jean Reno (Leon), Natalie Portman (Mathilda), Danny Aiello (Tony), Michael Badalucco (Mathilda’s father), Ellen Greene (Mathilda’s mother)

 

127 HOURS (2010)

STORYLINE/PLOT:

When a young man takes a weekend off to commune with Mother Nature at a remote, beloved trysting place, he finds that love can be a rocky road, indeed. A bold move on his part angered Mother Nature, and she smote him. As his precise hiking location had been given to no one, he found himself alone, low on water & food, and stuck on nature. What could an experienced hiker/climber do to free himself from his “bad date?” Caught between a rock and a hard place, the lad Aron realized that “necessity is the mother of invention.” Later, older and wiser, he came to understand that love hurts. The film opens with triple framed examples of people going about their work routines, sporting routines and dining routines. The camera cuts to a young man, Aron Ralston, who was preparing for a trip.

Still using a triple frame, the camera used the central frame to reveal Aron driving to his remote destination at some western national park, such as Yellowstone. The frames to the right and left revealed sights along the way or focused on other people who were also on the road for various reasons. The mood was light-hearted. Aron was seen to be alone, and he was filming himself and chatting to the camera as he went along. Clearly, he wanted to create a documentary of his trip. In time he arrived at a campsite where he parked and slept.

The next morning, Saturday, he removed his dirt bike from his SUV and began to pedal toward the wilderness of jejune outcroppings and narrow washes that dominated this terrain. He fixed his camera on his bike handle so that his documentary could continue cross-country. His mood was jaunty.

Coming to an increasingly rough terrain, he tethered his bike to a dried stump of tree, gathered his gear and supplies (water & food) in his backpack, and set forth hiking. He had been to this area a number of times and was very confident in himself.

Along the rocky path Aron encountered two young women who were confused about the direction of a noteworthy sight. He offered to guide them. Although they may have thought him a little “loose” and odd at first, they accepted his offer. In time they grew to have more confidence. Indeed, he guided them to a pool where they could all plash about. One of the women got a little “crush” on Aron, and they invited him to come to a “Scoobydoo” party they were throwing that night at a nearby motel. He agreed, and they parted company.

The camera followed Aron as he confidently scampered about the rock outcroppings. Ooops! He managed to dislodge a small boulder on which he had put his weight, and down they went in a very narrow wash similar to a dry crevasse. The small boulder – perhaps two feet in diameter – trapped Aron’s right hand and lower forearm. He could not escape its weight.

Patiently, Aron removed his gear, set up his camera, water, food, etc., so that they were fairly secure and easily reached by him. He jerry-rigged a means of safely sleeping. All in all, he behaved commendably at rationally approaching an insanity-inducing situation. After a few minutes of yelling for help, he planned his scheme for releasing his arm.

 

This concluded Saturday, Day One.

All the remaining days of his 127 total hours of bondage were spent in futile efforts at releasing his arm. The viewers are treated to numerous flashbacks, visions, hallucinations and “pithy” declarations to his camera, as he never forgot his documentary. As days passed, he wondered if it would not be his last will and testament.

His situation was dire. He had to drink his own urine. He was saved and then threatened by rain. Fortunately, no cougar, wolf or rattlesnake showed up. Still, there were ants.

After his situation had become “do or die,” Aron summoned the nerve to “cut to the chase” of the matter. Freed at last, he stumbled out of bondage into a broader, familiar wash whereat he spied three hikers. They helped him. Soon, authorities were on the way.

There was an epilog. Back in the hum-drum world of work, he took a renewed interest in others, married, and settled down. However, he still enjoys the dangerous charms of Mother Nature from time to time.

COMMENTARY:

This movie was based on an actual event.

This event should never have been made into a movie. The basic tale is thin. The director and writer had to fill it to the gills with flashbacks, et al, that frankly became tedious. The main character was a bit quirky. His conversations and observations ranged from pedestrian to curious, but they were rarely entertaining. The highlights, other than natural beauty, were basically repellant, horrifying or not germane to the situation.

Even the ill-selected use of triple frames at the outset created a tempo totally at odds with the basic story. Although it did suggest the fractured “remembrances” that would erupt from Aron’s mind during his ordeal, those very visions were tiresome.

There is a good possibility that Aron’s documentary was more interesting than Danny Boyle’s.

 

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Danny Boyle – director/writer, Simon Beaufoy – writer, A.R. Rahman – original music, Enrique Chediak/Anthony Dod Mantle – cinematography, Jon Harris – film editing, Stanton Barrett (James Franco stunt double), Nicola C. Hindshaw (Amber Tamblyn stunt double), Anna Mercedes Morris (Kate Mara)

CAST KEYS:

James Franco (Aron Ralston), Kate Mara (Kristi), Amber Tamblyn (Megan), Sean Bott (Aron’s friend), Lizzy Caplan (Sonja Ralston), Kate Burton (Aron’s Mom)

 

SPIRITED AWAY (2001)

STORYLINE/PLOT:

A petulant, little girl of about ten years of age travelled with her parents to their new house, but she discovered a new, unexpected world, when her parents ventured into a “ghost town” along the way. To complicate matters, her parents stumbled across a restaurant that seemed opened, if unmanned, and filled with a variety of tasty foods. While Dad and Mom gorged, daughter Chihiro nosed about. She encountered some strange sights but became confused when she discovered that her parents were nowhere to be seen at the restaurant. In their place were two large pigs gobbling away. To her rescue came a youngster name Haku, who seemed to be a confident and commanding boy. He advised her not to be seen; later, he would help her find her parents, release them from their pighood, and return them to the world of humans. In the meantime he advised her to seek out a certain boiler-room boss for work. She thanked Haku. Later, by chance, she saw a dragon flying through the air on some misson and realized that it must be Haku.

The remainder of the film was that of a “stranger in a strange place.” There were twin sisters of different temperament and magical powers whose favor had to be courted at one point or another. However, as a hardworking girl, Chihiro earned respect, and her sympathetic nature grew as she dwelled in her ghost town. As her heart turned to Haku, she became less selfish. Toward the end, as she fought for the seriously wounded dragon (Haku) and for her parents (pigs), Chihiro demonstrated that she had matured during her fantastic ordeal. In the end, helped by Haku, she was able to lead her parents across the bridge that separated the work-a-day world of humans from the “hellsapoppin” world of the spirits. Maybe one day she would stand on the bridge again and speak to Haku.

COMMENTARY:

This was a well executed animated film out of Nipon. It has kinship with THROUGH A LOOKING GLASS and NARDIA. Allusions to Greek literature might be offered as evidence of a story with something for everyone.

The writer seemed to have a notion that refuse and foul odor were universally humorous, as he made some episodic use of this human liability. While there may be some supporting evidence to adduce in certain American and French films, I believe that it is misplaced in a movie basically focused on an adolescent audience.

There was nevertheless a Horror genre aspect, as the bulk of the movie involved a phantom world in which humans were not welcomed.

The film introduced an imaginative cast of other-worldly creature.

PRODUCTION KEY:

Hayao Miyazaki – director/writer, Joe Hisaishi – original music, Atsushi Okui – cinematography, Takeshi Seyama – film editing

CAST KEYS (VOICES):

Daveigh Chase (Chihiro), Jason Marsden (Haku), Suzanne Pleshette (Yubaba/Zeniba), David Ogden Stiers (Kamajii), Lauren Holly (Chihiro’s mother), Michael Chiklis (Chihiro’s father), Bob Berger (No-Face/Frog)

 

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART ONE (2010)

 

STORYLINE

 

The wanderful trio gathered with kindred warlocks and witches to develop a strategy for survival against the waxing powers of Lord Voldemort and his band of mordant miens. Destiny calls Harry to thwart his arch enemy, but the wand between them is hard to overcome. Can the Fable of the Deathly Hallows provide Harry a clue? Only if Hermione reasons well the meaning of the sign on the book that Dumbledore left her.

 

 The sword must be seized, and Dumbledore’s amulet, both of which are part of the sign. Although they were wands apart, Harry hurried, but Lord Voldemort hastened as if harried by his own ambitions. The race belongs to the swift. Against all odds, Lord Voldemort wins by a nose.

 

COMENTARY

I thought this film was tedious. All the special effects associated with this series are no longer “charming.” A large portion of this film was dreary-looking and unappealing. The trio has long aged beyond their former cuteness and appeal.

Although I found Snape amusing still, there were no others in the whole coven that merited comment.

A half-hearted effort was made to suggest a possible romantic competition between Harry and Ron for Hermione’s heart. Harry was seen dancing with Hermione. A misunderstanding arose between Ron and his pals. However, they soon enough lift their wands, as if to shout “One for all and all for one.”

Death-Eaters were flying about threatening decent warlocks and witches.

 

The Minister Rufus Scrimgeour had warned of dangers to their community but he had vowed to defend it. He soon died mysteriously. The political reins were then seized by a lieutenant of Lord Voldemort, and a totalitarian regime seemed to materialize with NKVD/KBG-type brutes ready to seize and torture, as circumstances required.

In short the Blue Meanies were in control. Lord Voldemort was the bluest and meanest.

What could the orphan of destiny, Harry Potter, do?

When you are a character created by a writer who should have wound up the series a few books back, if only fame and money hadn’t driven her to burdensome typing, you can only hope that wand thing will lead to another - and then it’s all over.

The best of Harry Potter is now a distant memory, and the viewer slogs on – more out of tradition (inertia?) than belief that something good will come of it.

The film opened with a tight close-up of eyes, belonging to Minister Rufus Scrimgeour who pronounced that these were “dark times.”

PRODUCTION KEYS

David Yates – director, Steve Kloves – screenplay, J.K. Rowling – book, Alexandre Desplat – original music, Eduardo Serra – cinematographer, Mark Day – Film Editing, David Holmes/Marc Mailley – stunt doubles for Daniel Radcliffe

CAST KEYS

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Bill Nighy (Minister Rufus Scrimgeour), Alan Rickman (Prof. Severus Snape), Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Robbie Coltrane (Rubeus Hagid), Michael Gambon (Prof. Albus Dumbledore), Brendan Gleeson (Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody), Miranda Richardson (Rita Skeeter)

 

 

THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010)

 

 STORYLINE

The brilliant computer programming student, Mark Zuckerberg, due to some local celebrity at Harvard University with an “either/or” facebook program, gains the attention of the Winklevoss twins and their partner, Divya Narendra, and the latter invite him to be their programmer for a new facebook concept. “I’m in,” replied Zuckerberg. Along the way, he decided that the idea was too good for the twins and Narendra, created his own program, while stringing his student employers along, and with the aid of “best friend,” Eduardo, goes online with his new program. His success snowballed, allowing him to expand and expand, until lawsuits temporarily slowed the bandwagon. And – oh, yeah – he hasn’t forgotten Erica.

 

COMMENTARY

This is a very well-done film that I believe has more merit than the Oscar-winning THE KING’S SPEECH. It is skillfully directed. Its pacing was excellent. The acting was convincing. One quibble is that I did not always understand well what the Zuckerberg character was saying, as he is often rapidly expressing himself, especially at the outset when he was conversing with Erica in a crowded environment. Since this relationship ran throughout the movie as a shadowy aspect of the Mark Zuckerberg imagination, it would have been better to hear each exchange that sort of ignited the Zuckerberg blitzkrieg.

The portrayal of Zuckerberg was that of a super-nerd. However, he was clearly depicted as also socially conscious and ambitious. He was aware that he was not automatically eligible to associate with certain elite peers. He seemed at the outset determined to elevate his status. Further, he seemed to assume that anyone with merit would also want to ascend the social scale at Harvard University – and beyond.

This attitude of mind was exhibited during the initial minutes of the movie, when he was seen on a date with Erica. He uses a strange “carrot-and-stick” approach toward Erica. He clearly denigrates her university (“Boston University”) and her current social status. Still, he offered her the opportunity to meet socially elevated Harvard students, clearly casting her present social standing as hoi polloi. She took offense, stating that they would not be dating in the future.

For Zuckerberg, this was unjustified, as he himself was presently just “another 1600 SAT” student at Harvard University, where everyone was 1600 SAT - at least everyone you might want to say “Hello” to. 

 

I thought that the conflict between the Winklevoss twins and Mark Zuckerberg rather precisely capsuled the relationship over many centuries between the Germanic people and the Jews. While neither of the sides won absolutely, certainly one of the sides clearly got ahead in this competition. It must have been a bitter learning experience for Divya Narendra, who probably didn’t have practical experience, especially as it was not a listed Harvard University course.

 

Other interesting aspects of this film involved the depiction of the Sean Parker character. While undoubtedly a brilliant cyber-denizen, he appeared to be a hustling enfant terrible prowling around Babylon West. He cashed-in on Zuckerberg’s “The FaceBook,” suggesting at the outset of their relationship that the “the” be dropped, and eventually walking away with his 7% solution.

 

Another interesting dynamic in this film was the relationship between Mark Zuckerberg and his only friend at Harvard, Eduardo Saverin. While Zuckerberg was parlaying his FaceBook into a “social network Godzilla,” he was also acquiescing in the attempted “royal screwing” of Eduardo. Also, Sean Parker was a player in the event, making it a sort of involuntary “gang-bang.”

Incidentally, Eduardo was the student financier, whose initial venture-capital of $1000 for the Zuckerberg program was followed with $18,000. By the time Zuckerberg had transferred to California, where he could hobnob with Sean Parker and Silicon Valley cyber-stars, he had gotten the attention of professional venture capitalists, and the preparation to oust Eduardo had gained fatal force.

This story is “bi-coastal.” It is related in an uneven three-act fashion. There is a rendering of the Harvard University milieu and of the primary East Coast participants in the “FaceBook Dispute,” who are introduced, as well as the basic facts underlying the Dispute.

This is followed by a lengthy middle, which may be divided into flashbacks involving the East Coast participants exclusively and flashbacks involving the West Coast participants, many of whom also appeared initially in the East Coast flashbacks. These flashbacks mostly occurred as major participants and their lawyers joust at an inquiry/deposition. The film wraps up with the dispute apparently settled, which the film-viewer inferred from printed statements. The viewer is informed that Mark Zuckerberg is the richest young billionaire in the world. There is a final little epilog in which Mark Zuckerberg’s thoughts focus on Erica and her FaceBook news. He seemed to be thinking, “What Erica needs is a good Zuck.”

PRODUCTION KEYS

David Fincher – director, Aaron Sorkin – screenplay, Ben Mezrich – book, Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross – original music, Jeff Cronenweth – cinematography

CAST KEYS

Jesse Eisenberg (Mark Zuckerberg), Andrew Garfield (Eduardo Saverin), Justin Timberlake (Sean Parker), Rooney Mara (Erica Albright), Max Minghella (Divya Narendra), Armie Hammer (Cameron/Tyler Winklevoss), Josh Pence (Tyler Winklevoss)

 

SLEEPERS (1996)

 
 

STORYLINE:

Growing up in Hell’s Kitchen, four “street-smart” boys imagine themselves to be a force to be reckoned with by anyone entering their turf. However, after a prank turned into a felony, they found themselves incarcerated in a penal institution for boys, where they became the prey of sado-homosexual guards. This experience altered their psychological morphology, and each had to deal with the new “me” as best they could. A vision from the past spurred the now adult foursome to finally resolve their dark haunting with the help of a blindfolded, hermaphroditic figure carrying a scale. Even so, an accursed menace stalked them, and half of them would succumb to the ways of darkness.

 

COMMENTARY:

This unlikely but possible disaster to youths was presented somewhat akin to the fate of young zebras or other ruminants on the Serengeti plains when suddenly they find themselves at the mercy of lions or hyenas. Initially, the four boys involved may have perceived of themselves as “at the top of the food chain.” The mischief they did on the streets faintly prefigured the crimes done against them. The moral of the story seemed captured in a sort of infinite loop by the expression “What goes around, comes around.”

In this case the thought wasn’t entirely comforting.

The story was related by an ensemble cast that did a decent job. If one believed in human evil, then this film might prove to be an affirmation. If one believed in the interconnectivity of human depravity, then this film might prove to be an affirmation. If one believed that the “good die young,” then one’s faith may be shaken.

De Niro’s priest was finagled by the writer into making the important decision to “cross the Rubicon” and commit perjury at a court trial. Here, a greater-good pretext was presented to the viewer. Or perhaps it was a lesser evil. You, the viewer, are the jury.

 

Strictly from the point of view of the effectiveness of a policy that sets up a penal institution into which individuals are involuntarily maintained for a mandated period of time as punishment for crimes committed against individuals in society, one might object to the de facto permission to inflict non-prescribed, additional punishment on one or more inmates by penal staff or other inmates. In short is it moral to sentence a law-breaker to incarceration in a lawless environment? The concept of rehabilitation is mocked where crime is the unofficial rule of the institution. If time incarcerated is the sentence meted out to a law-breaker, then crimes against his person in that institution – either by staff or inmate - amount to “cruel and unusual punishment.”

 

 

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Barry Levinson – director/screenplay, Lorenzo Carcaterra – book, John Williams – original music, Michael Ballhaus – cinematographer, Stu Linder - editing

CAST:

Kevin Bacon – Sean Nokes, Billy Crudup – Tommy Marcano, Robert De Niro – Father Bobby, Ron Eldard – John Reilly, Minnie Driver – Carol Martinez, Vittorio Gassman – King Benny, Dustin Hoffman – Danny Snyder, Jason Patric – Lorenzo “Shakes” Carcaterra, Brad Pitt – Michael Sullivan

 

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (2006)

 

STORYLINE:

Pretty, Wal-Mart-casual egghead desperately seeking work in New York City landed a job answering phones and goforring for an imperial arbiter of fashion who ruled fashion from her perch atop RUNWAY magazine. Ms. Andy Sachs discovered that the demanding Amanda Priestly and her fashion conscious staff were experiences far more involved than her prior assumptions anticipated. She may not have outgrown her old pals, but she did seem to outgrow her old self.

STORY CAPSULE:

The film opened with a shot of Andy brushing her teeth. This was followed by a series of quick cuts of slender, pretty women in various stages of dress. Clearly, the women dressing were very stylish sorts. By this means the convergence of different cultural streams were projected. Andy represented the pretty American girl who was only vaguely aware of “dress as Art.”

 

Andy was seeking a job and preparing for an interview. Clearly, she did not measure up to the typical employee of RUNWAY, as she was uniformly observed – according to her own choices of clothing – as “not interested in fashion.” However, a series of disappointments with previous selections led Amanda Priestly herself to take a chance on Andy, based mostly on her intelligence and a brief show of moxie.

 

Thereafter, the fashion education of Andy was slowly tutored – mostly by Nigel, while she was sorely tested as a gofor by her demanding boss. Her “education” was almost too much, but Andy found support from her boyfriend and close chums. She vowed to stick it out.

 

In the process Andy met some famous figures and an up-and-coming writer. The latter offered to read her writings and introduce her to influential figures in publishing (other than Amanda). Clearly, he was something of a rue` who had ulterior motives that eventually would bear fruit. That’s because of pleasant attributes, opportunity and the fact that he was able to obtain a copy of the latest but unpublished Harry Potter book to enable Andy to keep her job.

Andy’s interactions with Amanda provoked in my mind Shakespeare’s line: “Heavy rests the head that bears the crown.” Amanda did not suffer fools gladly, but the movie revealed enough of her personal life to soften and deepen one’s perception of her. Although she saw something of herself in Andy, the viewer will strain mightily to achieve the same perception.

Andy’s determination to survive in Amanda Priestly’s world strained her relations with both her boyfriend and her close chums. Even her father “scratched his head” in regard to her decision. As he observed, his daughter turned down Stanford Law to be a journalist, but she had not written a single line. She “wised” her father up on the influence of RUNWAY and Amanda Priestly.

This new world that Andy entered was almost bi-polar, as the twin towers of fashion were New York and Paris; little else remained for the fashion conscious to dwell upon.

In the end Andy had to make a decision where she wanted to go and with whom. Also, in the end she found that Amanda was solid reference (except perhaps to her boyfriend).

 

COMMENTARY:

I thought this film looked really good. The editing was first rate.

It was also an interesting idea, as the viewer was led into a seldom seen world. This in itself was a worthwhile trip for the devoted moviegoer.

The writing in the film’s screenplay was above average, and seemed even better by skillful interpretations provided by Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt. Anne Hathaway should be credited as well but not at the same level.

The cameos of fashion nabobs presented the worst moments of acting in the film.

I thought the actress that played fashion priestess Jacqueline Follet was singular, as her hair style appeared to be 1970 Jane Fonda. Go figure!

The boyfriend of Andy Sachs was a likeable sort at certain levels. He was friendly and had an Adam Sandler-like disdain for style. However, he appeared to be an effete version of Robby Benson. To overcome this problem, throughout the movie he sported a 4-5 days growth of beard. You wondered how it could always be at the same length. Only at the last scene approximately was about 1/16^th or so shaved off.

Surely this film will challenge one’s notion of stylish and appropriate. Although the crowd at RUNWAY were presumably at the forefront of style, in more than a few instances “scratching of the head” might be the reaction to clothing choices.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

David Frankel – director, Aline Brosh McKenna – screenplay, Lauren Weisberger – novel, Theodore Shapiro – original music, Florian Ballhaus – cinematography, Mark Livolsi – film editing, Ellen Lewis - casting

CASTS:

Meryl Streep – Miranda Priestly, Anne Hathaway – Andy Sachs, Emily Blunt – Emily, Stanley Tucci – Nigel, Simon Baker – Christian Thompson, Adrian Grenier – Nate, Tracie Thoms – Lily, Rich Sommer – Doug, Daniel Sunjata – James Holt, David Marshall Grant – Richard Sachs, Tibor Feldman – Irv Ravitz, James Naughton – Stephen, Rebecca Mader – Jocelyn, Stephanie Szostak – Jacqueline Follet, John Rothman – editor (N.Y. Mirror), Colleen & Suzanne Dengel – Caroline & Cassidy Priestly, Eric Seltzer – Roy, Valentino Garavani – as himself in cameo, Davide Callegati - Massimo

 

 

THE WARRIORS (1979)

 
 

STORY CAPSULE:

Cyrus, leader of the Gramercy Riffs, which was the largest street gang in New York City, called for all the gangs in the city that were connected to his network to send nine representatives to a meeting, where he planned to make a revolutionary political statement: The streets are ours, suckers! Make them pay us tribute! Can you dig it? The Warriors of Coney Island decided to attend this summons. Arriving at the meeting, they gazed at the throng of gang members in their “colors” and listened to Cyrus as he began his pitch. Then a shot rang out, and Cyrus fell dead from the elevated podium at which he addressed the gang members. In the confusion Cleon, leader of the Warriors, was accused of being the shooter by the head of the Rogues gang, who was the actual shooter. Separated from the rest of the Warriors, Cleon was overcome by angry Riff gang members. Police quickly arrived in force to break up the meeting. Unaware of the accusation, the remaining Warriors began the trip home. At first they feared problems with the cops. Soon, learning that they had been fingered as the assassins of Cyrus, they realized that they might have to fight their way back to Coney Island. The Riffs had put out the word: “Nowhere To Hide, Baby! Nowhere To Run,” compliments of their DJ agent.

 

COMMENTARY:

The assassination of the Gramercy Riffs leader, Cyrus, who had a dream of ruling the streets of NYC and forcing everyone else to pay tribute, called to mind the several political assassinations and attempted assassinations from the ‘60s forward. Once again, a great leader was cut down before he had a chance to do at least a part of what he dreamed and shared with others. I’ve no doubt that this was an intended parallel.

In this case the assassin was played by Joel Weiss, who endowed his character with a loony quality that called to mind some early Sean Penn movies. At the film’s denouement at Coney Beach, he taunted the Warriors with an annoying: “Warriors, come out and pla-ya-ya.” Weiss’ Rogue leader stood out amid a number of colorful movie characters.

This was a fascinating film to watch in terms of the camera work, lighting and choice of shots in moving the film along. The initial establishing shot was of colored lights against a dark background, which soon ordered into lighting on a ferris wheel and other amusement rides. The shots of the subway itself prefigured the event which was to occur in the great Riff meeting. The various shots of the City were typically empty of humans, suggesting the lonely, isolated condition of the Warriors. The vast majority of this film took place at night, where lighting and imagination could have a field day. It was only at the end of the film when the Warriors had returned to Coney Island that daylight shone. Here, they made their final stand on the beach by the ocean. In the light of day truth and justice prevailed, as the gathered Riffs turned from the Warrior remnant and fell upon the Rogues, who had thought to kill those they fingered, lest the finger turn on them.

This film was interesting also in how it chose to depict the various gangs. They were highly stylized – even bizarre – in their attire (including face-paint). It might be thought a bit avant-garde, as one of the most diabolical, lethal gangs was the Lizzies, which was all female.

One gang operated on roller skates. Another group ran around in a bus and called to mind the Australian Wild Ones in Mad Max. Another wore baseball uniforms, wielded bats and sported various face-paints. Still another gang was not part of the Gramercy Riffs network. They were suitably named the Orphans.

Speaking of which, the Warrior encounter with the Orphans introduced the Mercy character, who added a welcome jolt of saucy femininity to a hitherto exclusively posturing, young male milieu. Mercy abandoned the Orphan setting and tagged along – sometimes almost stalking – the Warriors, especially Swan.

Let us be frank: there was an incident in the park with a flatfoot-floozy on the flight back that snared the snarly Ajax. The latter was campy – whether intended or not.

Prior to his getting his steely embrace, Ajax had butted heads with Swan over who should be the war leader in the absence of Cleon. The other Warriors supported Swan, so Ajax made a snarly back step.

Now, if anyone senses a homage to and tie-in with Homer’s Odyssey, they surely aren’t imaging things. Any consideration of the names and events, or episodes, in this picaresque flick would support the notion. “Swan” might seem rather lame for a Warrior, but one can recall that Zeus disguised himself as a swan in the Leda & the Swan tale. Zeus, of course, was king of the gods of Olympus. Mercy sounds a bit like Mars. That might not sound too fitting for a young woman. Still, the first awareness the viewer has of her was when she made the “cheep-cheep-cheep” chicken sound at the Orphan leader for allowing the Warriors to pass through Orphan turf.

Other Warrior names such as “Cochise,” “Snow,” and “Cowboy” may not so obviously fit the Greek scenario, although cowboy may suggest a centaur. I believe there is an Odyssey connection in terms of names and episodes. See what you think.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Walter Hill – director, Sol Yurick – novel, David Shaber – screenplay, Barry De Vorzon – original music, Andrew Laszlo - cinematographer 

CAST:

Michael Beck – Swan, James Remar – Ajax, Dorsey Wright – Cleon, Brian Tyler – Snow, David Harris – Cochise, Tom McKitterick – Cowboy, Marcelino Sanchez – Rembrandt, Terry Michos – Vermin, Deborah Van Valkenburgh – Mercy, Roger Hill – Cyrus, David Patrick Kelly – Luther, Lynne Thigpen – D.J., Joel Weiss – Rogue leader, Paul Greco – Orphan leader

 

FRANKENSTEIN'S CASTLE OF FREAKS (1974)

                                                                                   

STORYLINE:

Count Frankenstein’s scientific genius was challenged by a dismissed hireling’s machinations and the latter’s uncontrolled, perverse libido. Two beautiful women had visited Castle Frankenstein, and the rarefied air was bringing ogling to fever pitch. With cavemen and villagers running amok, Prefect Ewing has his hands full.

 

STORY CAPSULE:

In his castle atop a ridge Count Frankenstein welcomed the arrival of a recently killed caveman that had been brought to him by his gaggle of “freaks,” led by his valet Hans. With his accumulators ready to harness electricity Frankenstein urged his underlings to find another fresh body from the cemetery. They dug up and seized a casket bearing a young woman and removed it to Castle Frankenstein’s “high-tech” chamber, where the intense Count awaited. By using part of the woman’s brain, apparently, Frankenstein hoped to create a kinder, gentler caveman. Evidence of his success might be the progression to two eyebrows on the caveman, rather than one. Be that as it may, the rarefied air about Castle Frankenstein allowed his accumulators ample opportunity to “juice up.” By planting electrodes on either side of the giant, whom Frankenstein named “Goliath,” life-giving electricity surged into the body of the giant. Frankenstein had restored life to the dead (and slightly modified) caveman. About this time Castle Frankenstein was visited by the Count’s daughter, Mary, her fiancée, Eric, and her girlfriend Krista Lauder, and he had to break away from his science to play the cordial host. At dinner he entertained his daughter and guests by conjecturing about the possibility of cavemen still lurking about the remote highlands with their network of caves and tunnels. Upon learning that Krista was a professor interested in anthropology, the Count mused about such beauty adorning her learned self. They spoke about his work, which had gained fame, and Frankenstein invited her to see some of his work.

However, one of his freak assistants, the dwarf Genz, had some psychological issues of a perverse sort. Hans had deliberately left one of Genz’s shoe prints at the grave robbery of the young woman. Now the Prefect Ewing was investigating the robbery. Alerted by Hans, the furious Count Frankenstein tossed Genz out of Castle Frankenstein, and he was told that he could never return. This unfortunate turn of affairs for the isolated Genz had a silver lining, as he encountered a caveman, and, after a brief period of adjustment, the two became friends, living in the caveman’s pad (cave). Genz called his new friend “Ook.” Meanwhile, the Count was ogling the pretty professor and showing her his work, including Goliath. She was awed by his astounding work, and also Goliath seemed to be developing “puppy love” for her, too.

The treacherous Genz sneaked back into Castle Frankenstein and managed to enter the high-tech chamber where the giant slept. He freed him. When Kreegin the hunchback discovered them, he attacked Genz. Goliath went to the defense of Genz. Igor showed up and fought with the giant. Genz had opened Pandora’s box.

After the giant nearly annihilated Frankenstein’s freaks, Genz led him to meet Ook in their cave-dwelling.

Unknown to everyone else, Ook had discovered Krista in a salt bath in a nearby cave, and he shanghaied her to his cave before she could disrobe to bathe. Genz had taught him the ways of the world by allowing the caveman to watch, and then repeat, what he did to a luckless young maiden that they had shanghaied the night before. The lass did not survive the ordeal. Now, it appeared as if Krista might have the same fate as she.

However, after a last ditch effort by Count Frankenstein to save his “work” from the harm done by Genz’s interference, he himself fell gravely wounded by the wrathful giant. Genz led Goliath to the cave he shared with Ook. There they found the tethered Krista and Ook. This soon developed into a World Wrestling Federation type battle between Goliath, who was sweet on Krista and meant to protect her, and Ook, who had just been turned on to woman by Genz and who meant to have Krista. Goliath prevailed.

Meanwhile, word had gotten back to the Prefect that “Frankenstein’s monster” was loose. This was overheard by the villagers, and soon a mob of torch and pitchfork-bearing villagers were headed for the caves. At the cave of Genz and Ook both Prefect and villagers confront the “monster” that, though partly protected by the now free Krista and the Prefect, was pelted with stones and the like, and finally he was set afire.

As he writhed under the horrible fire, Krista and Genz embraced in fear and insecurity. This last part seemed strikingly odd.

Finally, a reflective moment by the Prefect Ewing summed up the lesson for that night:

“There’s a bit of the monster in all of us, - especially where there’s fear.”

COMMENTARY:

This odd variation on the Frankenstein tale was surprisingly memorable. It brought together things that you might not anticipate from the title. For example the employment of cavemen in the story was not one’s first thought about how it might play out. The idea that cavemen might still lurk in caves in mountainous areas of Germany was surely a dig at the Germans. Still, the first Neanderthal WAS discovered there.

The identification of the “freaks” at Castle Frankenstein was hardly hyped. As far as I could see, the freakiest of them was Genz the dwarf and Kreegin the hunchback. The others really weren’t too exceptional. So, the freak aspect was a bit of a dud.

Michael Dunn was effective as a lecherous, revengeful Genz. He was also given a perverted and cruel side. He was the closest thing in the movie to a monster. He called to mind the protagonist in THE DWARF, which was written by a Nobel-Prize-winning, Swedish novelist.

Lechery was not limited to Genz. Kreegin was slipping off with Valda, Han’s wife, at every opportunity. Further, Mary and Eric weren’t waiting for the solemn “I dos” to get seriously romantic. Furthermore, Count Frankenstein was also quickly smooching on Krista.

The film also included soft-core pornography and nudity. The women were shapely, pretty and young. I don’t think anyone would be offended by the nudity – but you never know. Hence, a caveat is proffered to that point.

However, molesting the dead and rape-murders went a bit beyond what I considered appropriate here. Further, peeping-tom scenes occurred several times. The problem here is that all movies make the audiences witnesses to what’s happening on the bid screen. If it is sexual, then the audience is turned into voyeurs en passant.

The acting wasn’t noteworthy but certainly acceptable for a B-grade movie. Rosanno Brazzi looked acceptable as Frankenstein and that’s half the battle. He was sufficiently debonair to play the Count. His pronunciation of “storage” utilizing a German accent was amusing. His suppressed mania created what I considered to be a proper tension in his avant-garde scientist role.

The writing was not strongly executed. Eric told the Count that he could not stay as his mother was ill. “She not really sick, but I should be with her.” If she’s not really sick, then there should be no rush. He seemed to be a weak mother’s boy.

There was more than a tad of humor that inadvertently found a home in this flick.

I thought the lighting was sometimes rather effective in creating a proper mood for a Horror genre film. Yet, sometimes the viewer might suppose that s/he was watching two different films that had been edited together.

The film opened with a group of men in a sort of rock-fight with a caveman. It didn’t take long to go from there to Castle Frankenstein.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Robert H. Oliver – producer/director, Dick Randall – director, William Rose/Mario Francini – writers, Mario Mancini – cinematography, Marcello Gigante - Music

CAST:                 

Rosano Brazzi – Count Frankenstein, Simonetta Vitelli – Mary, Christiane Royce – Krista Lauder, Michael Dunn – Genz, Edmund Purdom – Prefect Ewing, Luciano Piqozzi – Hans, Lauren Ewing – Goliath, Eric Mann – Eric, Boris Lugosi – Ook, Gordon Mitchell – Igor, Xiro Papas – Kreegin, Laura De Benedittis – Valda, Robert Marx – Detective Koerner

 

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (2009)

 

STORYLINE:

A little girl from a happy, working-class home dreamed of having her own restaurant, featuring her special New Orleans-style cuisine, but her dream became jeopardized by conniving rental agents, the appearance of a dashing prince, and the machinations of a voodoo man.

 

STORY CAPSULE:

The story opened with establishment shots of the New Orleans area. The viewer was escorted into the large abode of a sugar magnate, where a seamstress, Eudora, was working on dresses for the magnate’s daughter, Charlotte. She had brought along her own daughter, Tiana, who was playing with Charlotte.  The subject of kissing a frog who would then turn into a handsome prince came up. Charlotte was enthusiastic about this prospect, as being a rich little girl was not as prestigious as being a rich, royal little girl. The viewer noted her character thusly. Tiana – on the other hand – declared absolutely that she would never kiss a frog.  “Big Daddy” La Bouff, Charlotte’s father arrived. He extolled the seamstress work of Eudora, and the folks from the “other side of town” called it a day and went back to their modest, happy home. 

 
 

At home Eudora and Tiana enjoyed the loving attention of the man of the house, James. The viewer noted a happy family, as the domestic scene revealed various aspects of it.

 

Time passed and Tiana had become a pretty young woman, who worked at a small restaurant owned by another. She had mastered New Orleans-style cuisine, and her admirers, such as “Big Daddy,” would stop by to stuff their “pie hole.” 

 

She still dreamed of one day having her own restaurant and saved as much of her money as possible to do so. In fact the dream restaurant was more like a fine night club. She had a place picked out. She had even spoken to its leasing agents, the Fenner brothers.

 

Her childhood friend, Charlotte, had also grown into a pretty woman, but her character had not grown apace. This was made manifest when news spread around New Orleans that a Prince Naveen was going to visit New Orleans.

 

A grand ball was planned to honor him. Charlotte immediately began to scheme how she could win herself a prince.

New Orleans, of course, was not strictly the habitat of rich folks and worthy working folks. There was a dark side. Most prominent among the dwellers there was Dr. Facilier, aka, Shadowman. He was the “king of the voodoo” and hobnobbed with evil spirits. He was able to make a Faustian deal with a valet of the prince. In the deal Dr. Facilier would turn the valet into the prince (in appearance), and he would turn Prince Naveen into a frog.  Things went as the master of dark crafts planned.

The valet, who bore a certain resemblance to a frog in real life, became the dashing prince. It was ironic that Charlotte should plot to achieve marital status with him.

As an unhappy frog, the real Prince Naveen sought a way out. When he spotted Tiana, who appeared to be a princess, as she had attended the ball in her capacity as a cook but wore a gown and small tiara, “wheels began to turn.” He talked her into a kiss, promising to become a prince. Reluctantly and almost by chance, she kissed him. To her horror, she became a frog. What to do?

 

As frogs, Prince Naveen and Tiana discovered that things, such as alligators, wanted to eat them. Bummer! However, after a brief period of “misunderstanding,” an alligator named Louis, who always wanted to play jazz trumpet, became their friend in the swamp.  When the two frogs explained their difficulty to Louis, he suggested that Mama Ode might help. She was a swamp shaman, storied for her magical powers. They began a journey to seek her help.

 

Along the way, they encountered a lightning bug, Ray, who volunteered to “show them the way.” He had lots of buddies to lend a “lightbulb.”

When they finally meet Mama Ode, they met a character who knew a thing or two about voodoo.

Meantime, Dr. Facilier felt threatened. He consulted with the devil, and the devil agreed to provide a cadre of evil spirits to assist him. Well, one thing led to another and a whole lot of magic was going down.

The story came to a head not long after the ball. The valet, as Prince Naveen, had agreed to marry Charlotte. However, his enchantment depended on his wearing a magic amulet that contained the blood of Prince Naveen. When this was lost, strange changes back into his old self began.

Meanwhile, possession of this same amulet by the frog (Prince Naveen) would change him back to his old self, as well.

Dr. Facilier and the demon spirits put up a vigorous struggle for control, but in the end “good” conquered. The Prince was restored, as was Tiana. Further, during their “frog days,” they had fallen in love. Their restoration did not change that, as love was a pretty strong magic itself.

 

Not only do they get hitched, but they open up the dream restaurant of Tiana, and the dashing Prince became a dancing Prince. Further, the fine club featured the jazz trumpet of a kool alligator named Louis.

 

Charlotte and the valet, Lawrence, learned that you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

 

COMMENTARY:

This was an animated musical consistent with all recent Disney projects. I thought that the choreography of the figures was also consistent with recent animated projects and not exceptional. It was a pleasant audio-visual experience, but it was not more than that.

I thought that a sort of reverse racial stereotype was employed. The African-American side of the equation, including Tiana, Eudora, James and Dr. Facilier, were better considered and realized, leaving the white folks looking rather one-dimensional, or flat. I believe that the African American side of the equation was lovingly evoked. That was not the case by any means with the white folks, who were largely depicted as vain-conniving, gluttonous or duplicitous-conniving. Even the beasts were more affectionately presented than the poor white folks of New Orleans. Hence, I view this film as slightly racist.

 

Nevertheless, there was good humor to be found in the flick. For instance, Ray, the lightning bug, bore an amusing resemblance to Leon Spinks.

Dr. Facilier and his evil spirits in one rousing scene called to mind Scar, the hyenas and their “evil-looking” shadows from The Lion King.

Further, when the two frogs, the ‘gator and the lightning bug decided to journey to Mama Ode for help, it called to mind the foursome headed to see the wizard in The Wizard of Oz.

 

Prince Naveen was drawn as a brown-complected figure, who was closer to Tiana than Charlotte in appearance. However, otherwise he was drawn as a standard European prince. The viewer was apparently supposed to infer he was from some Mediterranean kingdom, where darker-complected royalty might reside. This depiction seemed consistent with a racial twist that undergirds the whole film production.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Ron Clements/ John Musker – directors/writers

CAST (voices):

Anika Noni Rose – Tiana, Bruno Campos – Prince Naveen, Keith David – Dr. Facilier, Michael-Leon Wooley – Louis, Jennifer Cody – Charlotte LaBouff, Jim Cummings – Ray, Peter Bartlett – Lawrence, Jennifer Lewis – Mama Ode, Ophrah Winfrey – Eudora, Terrence Howard – James, John Goodman – “Big Daddy” LaBouff

 

JOHNNY DANGEROUSLY (1984)

 
 

STORYLINE:

By means of story-telling a retail store owner tried to “wise up” a young shoplifter about the dangers ahead for youths who thought that the road of crime was the path for money, fame and power.

STORY CAPSULE:

The movie opened with establishment shots of a neighborhood in New York. By CG the viewer was advised that the time period was 1935. The camera panned, tilted and focused on a few shops, including a pet shop. Inside, Johnny Kelly was busying himself, while talking on the phone. A lad entered the store. He was about 14 years old. He nosed about and finally tucked a black puppy inside his coat. As he tried to walk out of the store, alarms went off. Johnny Kelly, having concluded his telephone conversation about the same time, sprang into action.

The startled lad was halted and the puppy removed. Then Kelly began to lecture the lad on “going wrong.” He invited him to have a seat and listen to a story featuring himself at about the same age as the lad.

This was the story of two brothers and their beloved mother struggling to make ends meet on the Lower East Side. The boys’ father had been electrocuted for his criminal deeds. Ma Kelly was working hard, trying to keep her boys from going the same route. The older brother, Johnny, had a job as a newspaper boy, hustling papers on a prime corner. The younger brother, Tommy, was studying law books.

While Johnny was diverted, a new kid strolled up and began to sell his newspapers at Johnny’s corner. The two boys got into a fight. Johnny won. The other kid said that this wasn’t the last time he’d run into Danny Vermin.

Observing the fight from his posh vehicle was Jocko Dundee, one of the two biggest crime bosses in town. He called the boy over and said he liked what he saw and said, “Any time you want to make $50, stop by my office and I’ll give you a job.”

Johnny replied, “I wouldn’t have to do anything illegal, would I? It’d break my mother’s heart.” Dundee chuckled and indicated the offer stood anytime he wanted the work.

As Ma Kelly had one body organ after the next failing, there was a need in the Kelly household for quick cash. Johnny remembered Jocko Dundee’s offer and made the fateful decision. Circumstances urged his selection of the path leading to a career in crime.

From this early point in life young Johnny Kelly began to live a double life: to his family he was still Johnny Kelly, to Jocko Dundee, the underworld, and media he was Johnny Dangerously.

 

The remaining core of this story related Johnny D’s rapid rise to the top of the Dundee family. The Dundee crime family jousted with the crime family of Roman Troy Moronie in an ongoing war. It also introduced his love interest, the club singer Lil.

It also related the story of Johnny K and his brother, Tommy, as well as Ma K. This part of the story related the continuing struggle of Ma to keep her health, while taking in laundry and the like. Brother Tommy graduated as a lawyer from college, helped along financially by Johnny. Although his brother had planned for him to become a partner in a “big shot” law firm, Tommy opted to go to work with the City’s Attorney’s office, under the corrupt leadership of Burr. Tommy never noticed anything. Other than his beloved girlfriend, Sally, his sole focus was fighting crime. This was a rather awkward state of affairs for Johnny, as brother Tommy was going on the radio to lambast crime in the city.

Tommy brought Roman Troy Moronie to court. Now, he was going after Johnny Dangerously.

Johnny got framed for a murder by Danny Vermin and was sent to prison. His brother was convinced of his innocents and vowed to overturn his conviction. It took a cleaning lady to do it. And Ma helped!

First, Johnny had to break out of jail. Why? He had to stop an assassination attempt at the movies. A Vermin was behind it!  It was nick-of-time daring-do, and Johnny was living dangerously. He foiled the assassination attempt, and the governor cleared Johnny for good.

“See! Do the right thing and you get rewarded!”

That just about wrapped up Johnny Kelly’s story to the lad who tried to “pocket” the pouch. He was wiser now. Pleased, Johnny Kelly sent the lad off with a brand new pet cat, also black. Then he shut down his shop and went to his posh limousine, where babe Lil awaited. He grinned sheepishly to the camera, “Well, I saved a little.”

COMMENTARY:

This was an amusing, light, tongue-in-cheek sort of movie. It had a contagiously snappy presence in Keaton’s Johnny Dangerously. The movie has a large number of fairly well-known actors from stage, big screen and television. Although the humor was sometimes stale or silly, I nevertheless laughed out loud more than once. It spoofed any number of films, both gangster and musical genres, and I believed it was successful at it.

Joe Piscopo played his character, Danny Vermin, with an admirable control, as it might have been a distraction if he played his character with the same hyperbole that Richard Dimitri employed for his role. Nevertheless, as the film’s premier antagonist to Johnny, exaggeration was in the cards he was dealt.

It was helped immensely by its capable cast, including the likes of Maureen Stapleton and Ray Walston. It appeared to me that he did his own stunts, and if so, performed admirably in brief pratfalls that had the quality of Ray Bolger-like dance techniques, as witnessed in the Wizard Of Oz. In short there was a very professional and athletic choreography involved in his “falls.”

The award for best over-acting went hands down to Richard Dimitri as the malaprop prone Roman Troy Moronie.

One of the Dundee gangsters was Arthur, played by Dick Butkus, who was the former middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears. I thought he was surprisingly competent.

Perhaps the surprising “scene stealer” of the movie was Sudie Bond, as the cleaning woman.

Marilu Henner, as Lil, was a suitable siren, capturing Johnny’s attention right away, and she certainly performed her other duties, but I did not really embrace the idea of her and Keaton together as boyfriend-girlfriend. It may have been because Michael Keaton wore at least as much eye make-up as Marilu did.

Finally, I thought the young actor who played the boy Johnny Kelly was very good. The whole preparation for the adult Johnny was well done.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Amy Heckerling – director, Harry Colomby/Jeff Harris/Bernie Kukoff/Norman Steinberg – writers, John Morris – original music, David Walsh – cinematography, Pembroke J. Herring – film editing

CAST:

Michael Keaton – Johnny Kelly (aka Johnny Dangerously), Joe Piscopo – Danny Vermin, Marilu Henner – Lil, Maureen Stapleton – Ma Kelly, Peter Boyle – Jocko Dundee, Griffin Dunne – Tommy Kelly, Glynnis O’Connor – Sally, Dom Deluise – the Pope, Richard Dimitri – Roman Troy Moronie, Danny DeVito – Burr, Ron Carey – Pat, Ray Walston – newspaper vendor, Dick Butkis – Arthur, Sudie Bond – cleaning lady

THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE (1994)

 

STORYLINE:

The reigning king of England, George III, after suffering the loss of his American colonies, experienced the loss of his good health temporarily. This loss was expressed by behavioral singularities that engendered questions about the soundness of his mind. Doctors were called in by the king’s minister, Mr. Pitt, who was keenly aware that his position of power depended on the reigning king continuing to reign. All sorts of intrigues developed. Further, Mr. Fox, who led the loyal opposition in Parliament, worked diligently to replace the king with his son, the Prince of Wales, who would become “regent.” The queen, Charlotte, worked to save the king, helped by her loyal Lady Pembroke. It was this lady who provided Mr. Pitt with the name of a doctor, Willis, who had treated mentally unbalanced people with some success. Mr. Willis was hired by Mr. Pitt. A former vicar, Dr. Willis appeared to be the first doctor to develop a form of behavior modification using “tough love.” A battle of wills ensued. The movie developed into a converging of all the diverse elements to the day and hour when intrigue either succeeded or failed at the steps of Parliament House.

CAPSULE:

In the year 1788 George III ruled as king of England. The film opened with a shot of a red-coated arm knocking at a darkly stained door. After a seemly pause, the arm opened the door. As it opened, the viewer could see a gaggle of royal personages, including Queen Charlotte Sophie, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, along with their entourage. The camera briefly cut away from this body of people to a smaller group that appeared to be dressing the king, who was not visible except from the rear. When one growled “crown” to another, the supposition seemed confirmed.

With all the bustling about in the larger area, one of the royal helpers inflicted a glancing blow to a toy horse being played with by a small but royal little girl. Upset, she ran crying for her father, King George, who joyously greeted, picked up and comforted the princess.

Then, full of energy he led the royals to their meeting with Parliament at which he would make a suitable speech, consigning the practical running of government to Mr. Pitt, as Prime Minister.

During the attendance of this speech, Mr. Fox goaded Mr. Pitt about how England should be able to rid itself of George III, if a few ragged American colonies could.

After the speech, King George III received letters praying for some help or other. The third lady who presented her plea also pulled out a blade and stabbed the king. He spun back from her attack, as his men subdued the woman. The worried queen was reassured by the quickly recovering king. The woman had used a letter-opener to stab at the king. The king noted that she was not of sound mind. He lightly and rather good-humoredly upbraided the woman for her choice of blade. He had ordered his men not to hurt the woman.

There followed herein some scenes depicting his domestic life with Queen Charlotte, his sons – the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, musical entertainment, and the royal household generally.

The Prince of Wales complained that he wasn’t given anything to do. The king urged him to follow in his father’s footsteps. This might have alluded to having children, as George sired fifteen off Charlotte. The Prince of Wales had married a Roman Catholic woman without the king’s consent, and therefore, the legality of the marriage depended on the good-will of the king.

In the end the Prince of Wales was forced to set her aside. Then he really had nothing to do!

 

In bed with the queen, whom he referenced playfully as “Mrs. King,” his good humor – and hers – was interrupted by some sharp pain. This was the signal, or cue, that a wholly different sort of king was about to emerge, or be born.

There followed episodes of aberrant behavior that had all the royal household and Mr. Pitt increasingly concerned. Was the king in good health?

 

At one point the king assured those around him that “I make the weather by means of mental power.”

Doctors were called to observe and offer opinions. Between sessions of soft-core torture the doctors considered purge techniques, the king’s stool and like elements of the doctoring craft. The fact that the king’s urine was blue in color was dismissed as of trivial concern.

Mr. Pitt was trying to fend off opposition in Parliament, led by Mr. Fox, who wanted to enact a bill declaring the king incapacitated and appointing the Prince of Wales to act in his place as “regent” (“king” in everything but name).

The queen was trying to protect the king, but she found herself temporarily barred from the presence of the virtually quarantined king. With the assistance of Lady Pembroke, Charlotte provided Mr. Pitt with the name of a doctor who worked on mentally unstable cases with some success. This doctor was named Willis.

This passage of the note bearing the name “Willis” (“will is,” doncha know?) was the signal of another important change in the king.

Removed to a farm area (the king appeared to be fond of farms) where Dr. Willis had his facility, the king was introduced to the forceful personality with whom he would soon lock horns. When “push came to shove,” the king discovered that the doctor ruled. On any occasion that he “acted up,” he was restrained by burly assistants of the doctor. Parenthetically, at their first meeting, the king’s royal attendants and the doctor’s orderlies indulged in a brawl, as they chased down the king and secured him.

The king in this film was appealing, even when he was a bit “flighty.” Therefore, it was not a pleasant experience seeing him reduced to a rather pitiful state. However, Dr. Willis’ victory in the battle of wills did seem to bring positive results. But was it his treatment that improved the king’s state of mind, or was it an inherent cyclical return to status quo ante? In other words was the repair an inevitable reversal from the aberrant to the normal, due to a natural, internal healing?

At one point while still confined, George enjoyed participating in a “play within a play,” which seemed to be a signal of yet another transition in this story. He brushed up his Shakespeare by reading with companions King Lear. The viewers got to share certain apropos lines there from.

There was a “nick of time” aspect to this story, as Mr. Fox had succeeded in placing a bill before Parliament for vote, which would appoint George’s son, the Prince of Wales, as regent. If passed, the son would gain complete control over the father. George III would become “history” before his time. The Prince of Wales, now regent, would ask Mr. Fox to form a government as the regent’s Prime Minister, and Mr. Pitt would become “history” as Prime Minister.

Naturally, Mr. Pitt was pressuring “his doctor,” Mr. Willis, to heal the king. When the king was given the bill by stealth conceived by the queen, he quickly grasped its import. With Dr. Willis’ “eyes on him,” the king was put in order to go kingly forth to Parliament to fly the royal flag, proving that he was himself en passant.

“Son, wave at them! That’s what we do,” urged George III to the Prince of Wales.

Incidentally, the king’s “water” was no longer blue. Was it an issue of “blue blood” leaking into the bladder? The final comments in print presented in this film related to “porphyria,” which affects the nervous system, which was unpredictable and which was hereditary.

 

COMMENTARY:

The period film might be interesting to some on the basis of costumes and sets. I believe that filmmakers make a good effort at achieving the “look” of a historical period. Therefore, this would be a good film for the history lovers.

I was fascinated by the wigs that were employed. The Duke of York’s gave him an appearance comparable with Stan Laurel of Laurel & Hardy fame.

The characters depicted by Nigel Hawthorne and Helen Mirren were fascinating. I was very impressed with their acting. It can’t be easy to display the range of temperament required for depicting a man now sane, now wildly unstable, but Nigel Hawthorne was amazing to watch doing just that. Helen Mirren was unbeatable as Charlotte Sophie. She may be the best actress alive. Ian Holm perfectly conveyed a man of humble background who had within the imperial qualities to match any opponent to the kingship born. Generally, the supporting cast was up to the task. Hence, one wasn’t distracted by odd notes.

The film looked very much like a play. Other than the landscape, it might have all happened on stage. Small wonder! The playwright whose work for the stage was the basis of this film was also the screenwriter. One can honestly suppose the film to be “true” to the piece upon which it was based.

This film has an anti-monarchical strand running through it. By having a likeable George III the screenwriter could sugarcoat his message: Dump the kings! The insanity issue was made to heighten the issue of danger to society by this form of government. In this case even a healthy Parliament was made to echo the giddy behavior of the king.

Additionally, the playwright on a couple of occasions has the king and/or queen urge the royal family to “wave at the subjects,” as “that’s what we do.” Further, the Prince of Wales complained to his father that he “didn’t have anything to do.” It all began to suggest a costly, useless vanity that England did not need. There was no support for the idea of the king being a carnal image of the people/nation. Perhaps, in fact, that was the real target.

The attacking unbalanced woman in some way prefigured his looming malady. “I’m not mad – I just can’t see,” George told Mr. Pitt. Later, his reading King Lear signaled his “awakening” from his malady.

 

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Nicholas Hytner-director, Alan Bennett-play & screenplay, Andrew Dunn-cinematographer, Tariq Anwar-film editing, Celestia Fox-casting, Christopher Ackland-supervising sound editor

CAST:

Nigel Hawthorne – King George III, Helen Mirren – Queen Charlotte, Ian Holm – Dr. Willis, Rupert Graves – Greville, Rupert Everett – Prince of Wales, Amanda Donohoe – Lady Pembroke, Julian Rhind-Tutt – Duke of York, Anthony Calf – Capt. Fitzroy, Julian Wadham – Pitt, Jim Carter - Fox

THE BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET (1984)

STORYLINE:

An illegal immigrant from outer space crashed his space ship near the Statue of Liberty, spent the night in an abandon facility for processing immigrants, and found his way to Harlem. He was soon pursued by extraterrestrial cops/bounty hunters who chased him to Earth. He apparently was an escaped slave from outer space. As the film developed in episodic fashion, the viewer saw that he wasn’t alone, as others had come before him. The “cat-n-mouse” game that developed between the chasers and the chased took a “U-turn” toward the end, when love of freedom motivated the mice to scat the cats back to their extraterrestrial plantation.

STORY CAPSULE:

The film opened with a few garish lights doing their thing in darkness. Then suitably outer space-like music joined the light show. Then the viewer saw a pilot. He was attempting to set coordinates to land on Earth. There followed a splashdown near Ellis Island not far from the Statue of Liberty. The apparent pilot was seen struggling to pull himself out of the water onto the shore. He finds himself outside the old Ellis Island Immigration Center building.

Although he seemed to have lost the bottom part of his right leg below the knee, he was able to hop his way into the building, where he would spend the night. Once inside the building, he could sense the presence of many people, as he could hear the accumulated, random snatches of comments and cries that were made by many hundreds of people who passed through this facility to become Americans. He heard quick comments from mothers and fathers, as well as cries of children and babies. It was confusing and a little terrifying.

This was an immigrant with some special gifts. He had the appearance of a man, although his feet were a bit irregular. He seemed to have the power to regenerate and self-heal. At any rate he awoke with two feet attached. He had one shoe on and fished another from a trash can on the street.

Although his gait was a bit odd, probably due to adjusting to a newly generated leg (which may not have grown back quite perfectly), he was able to make his way to Harlem via tugboat. He was still wearing his spaceship duds, which were now disheveled, and more than a few of the folks on the sidewalks would stare, assuming he was crazy or a “wino.” As he walked in his semi-dazed manner, he saw vignettes of contemporary Harlem and heard the voices of humans that were uttered in the past.

He is the proverbial stranger in a strange place. He does not or cannot speak, so communication problems hinder his assimilation into Harlem society.

His first meaningful attempt at interacting with humans was engendered by his decision to eat a pear nestled among others outside a Korean-run grocery store. He didn’t understand the peculiar American habit of exchanging paper for produce. Soon, his mouth full of pear, he found himself confronted by an angry woman. She removed what remained of the pear, scolded him, and reentered her shop. He watched, noticed that cash was involved in pear-purchase, and tried again.

At this time the viewer became aware that he could manipulate the inner-workings of machinery, as he placed his hand on the closed cash register, closed his eyes, focused his telekinetic powers, and opened the money till. The brother had talent. The cash register opened, and he grabbed some cash and a couple of pears. He offered the cash he had taken, but the woman ran outside screaming for police. The brother saw the cop, his uniform, and his gun, and he set down the pear and cash on a table and split. The cop raced after him. The brother took a vertical leap straight up about twelve feet and evaded the cop.

The story continued with various episodes in which the brother learned more about humans and survival in Harlem, while allowing the viewer to better understand this extraterrestrial visitor.

As there was a scene in which the brother saw a depiction of Yhshua, crucified on the cross, which this stranger puzzled over, almost immediately followed by the stranger turning to see across the street a “crime” vignette in which a police officer was ordering a young black man to spread his arms against his car in a fashion that seemed to echo the spread arms of the Messiah of Israel, suggesting that black folks were being “crucified” by the American society in which they dwelled. Further, the stranger seemed to have “magical” powers, including healing the afflicted. Hence, there seemed to be good reason to suppose that John Sayles was trying to draw a parallel between black people in America and Christ in the Land of Milk and Honey.

He found his way into a bar and took a seat. This bar and its habitués would become a center for the stranger. It was owned by a tall, young man named Odell. He dressed in a casually dashing manner. Typically, he was serving and chatting with regulars such as Walter and Smokey, while Fly was playing the video game. At some point Sam would show up. He worked for the city government.

After the brother found his way into the bar, he was viewed with considerable interest. What he be? He didn’t talk. He dressed funny. He looked confused. However, he did fix the malfunctioning video game, which really impressed the regulars. “How did he do that?”

Walter was the most prone to state an odd view, such as that the brother was probably a Haitian and was afflicted with voodoo diseases. He allowed that that wasn’t as bad as Polynesian diseases. Leprosy ruled with them. Walter stated that the first thing that happened after you got leprosy was that your penis fell off.

Smokey wasn’t too far removed from Walter in stating an opinion. These were not, however, delivered in as ponderously a Delphic manner as Walter’s.

Urged by the regulars, Sam got the brother a place to live at the apartment of a woman, Randy Sue, who received help from the city to provide care for her five-year-old boy, Little Earl. Her husband had fled to California and to a new woman. However, he left his mother to stay in his place and keep an eye out for him.

An interesting little relationship developed between the brother and the boy, as the latter accepted the brother’s indication that he came from “the sky” by means of his thumbs up communication. At one point they go to a museum that featured some of the heroes of African-American history in America. At this time the brother pointed out a picture of a slave fleeing dogs and horsemen, and he indicated to the boy that that happened to him.

Sam was also able to get the brother some piecemeal-type work fixing some video games. The brother was good at it and word would no doubt “get around.”

Along the way the brother found romance. In a rather delightful fashion the viewer witnessed the brother “struck by lightning” at the image of a female singer named Malverne Davis. Fortunately, her image seemed to be well distributed on the streets of Harlem. He persisted in attempts at seeing her entertain. On the occasion that he did see her sing, she sat at his table by chance, as she was trying to avoid the amorous owner of the joint. One thing led to another.

Now, by this time two white men in black (“MIB”) had arrived on Earth. Right away, the viewer was made aware that they were looking for the brother. There were a couple of scenes of them at Odell’s bar. The first was a bit funny, and the second developed into a brawl, as the regulars attempted to defend the brother.

There was a brief homage to Dante’s Inferno, when a Jamaican Virgil led the brother into the circles of Harlem’s hell.

There were other episodes involving junkies, drug-dealing, and the like. There were also attempted episodes of humor that involved in the first instance a card “magician” on a subway, and in the second a couple of Midwesterners who had come to New York for a meeting on some variety of meditation and who had gotten lost in Harlem.

The line involving drugs was prominent. The brother traced it back to a company named AdVance that was located in one of the twin towers of the late World Trade Center. The CEO played dumb, but when the brother put his eyeball in the man’s hand, then the kingpin could not deny what he “saw.”

However, soon after punishing the kingpin, the brother was nabbed by the MIB. They plugged in a controlling device into the female receiving unit implanted in his abdomen. Thus controlled, he looked like he was going back to the extraterrestrial plantation. However, he saw signs written in his own language indicating where he could go to find safety. He had seen them earlier and even left his own in blood.

Heartened, he knocked the controlling unit from the MIB and fled, ripping out his own newly plugged in unit as he ran. Naturally, he was pursued by the MIB. In an alley the issue of freedom or slavery was resolved – at least for a time. Viewers who are interested in the denouement might consult their Netflix or other source for a DVD.

COMMENTARY:

Writer/director John Sayles made good use of the Sci-Fi genre to make social commentary that hasn’t lost its currency. The film was amusing enough to laugh out loud at times. Nevertheless, it deals with serious matters. The satire is not too subtle. This production was done on an obviously restricted budget. It is worth seeing.

I thought the cast did a decent, flavorful characterization of a fairly desperate group of Harlemites.

The bar scenes tend to be lessons in communication problems, human curiosity, and the typical misinterpretations that occur when humans are in the dark and groping for understanding.

The ultimate conclusion reached in this film seemed to be that, whatever human society was - bottom line, it’s better than anything “out there” in space. However, keeping it may require a determined fight at times.

It was interesting to see a film whose main character spoke not a word. Joe Morton was very satisfying as the brother.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

John Sayles (writer-director-film editor), Martin Brody/Mason Daring (original music), Ernest R. Dickerson (cinematography), Barbara Shapiro (casting)

CAST:

Joe Morton (The Brother), Daryl Edwards (Fly), Steve James (Odell), Leonard Jackson (Smokey), Bill Cobbs (Walter), John Sayles (Man in Black), David Strathairn (Man in Black), Rosetta LeNoire (Mama), Dee Dee Bridgewater (Malverne Davis), Edward Baran (Mr. Vance), Herbert Newsome (Little Earl), Caroline Aaron (Randy Sue Carter), Jaime Tirelli (Hector), Sidney Sheriff Jr. (Virgil), Yves Rene (Haitian man), Ray Ramirez (Hispanic man)

EAT PRAY LOVE (2010)

STORYLINE:

When a married woman who has had relationships with men since she was fifteen years old decided that she wanted to be “unmarried,” her default lifestyle kicked-in and she began to entertain new relationships. Not infrequently remonstrated that a woman needed a husband and introduced by her current relationship, the aspiring actor, to Eastern Meditation, she decided to flee her unfulfilled, Big Apple-state-of-mind, flee the bonking on her self-esteem, and “get away from it all” – first to Rome, then to India and finally to Bali. She vowed to take a ruminative, meditative “walk on the wide side,” exploding first her flesh and then her inner self in a “Grand Tutto Il Mio Amore” to the world, while discovering that familia began on Bali with a Brazilian import/export businessman into buono amore. What had that Texan in India counseled? What is a station without a train? Get a ticket!

STORY CAPSULE/COMMENTARY:

Opening with Liz in Bali on assignment, the viewer noted the lush Pacific Island perhaps without noting a certain fleeting presence. Did Filipe just briefly cross the scene, as the camera followed Liz? That would have been a very satisfying directorial touch. At any rate Liz isn’t too impressive. She had been provided the name of a shaman to see, Ketut, who would read her fortune and otherwise mystify. He appeared to be a dentally-challenged, little-old conman. Not to worry! Liz has faith, and his divination of her palm was attended to with reverence. He told her that she had two love lines: one was short and one was long. As she was a married gal, she had to wonder if she was in the short one. The shaman and Liz agreed to a second coming at which time she would teach him English and he would teach her all that he knew. I had the feeling that he was getting the better deal.

Back in the Big Apple, Liz got to play wife to David. They didn’t seem to be a sizzling duo, as marriage has tamed the savage beast of love. She also took time to schmooze her magazine peers and seek the valued opinion of married pal, Delia. Naturally, “love” was on the docket. When it came to “love,” women were prosecutors, judges and juries. One trial was seldom enough, as issues were weighed in the balance.

Speaking of which, “balance” was precisely what Liz hoped to find in her “great escape.”

After working the matter over in her head, Liz crawled into bed with her husband, gazed at his sleeping face, and, when he stirred and saw her, told him she wanted to be “unmarried.” He struggled briefly against this wound to his “macho,” and then gave her a divorce.

Meanwhile, she had taken up with an actor whose performance she and Delia had taken in. He was “into” Eastern meditation, and decorated his abode with Ganesha statues and the like. He seemed a bit spaced out, but that may be the way of actors, as they await a fulfilling role. At any rate, Liz was feeling a bit empty herself, and the concept seemed intriguing. Meditation! Say it softly and it was almost like praying. India! Wheels began to turn.

Parenthetically, Stephen, the young actor from Yonkers, seemed to live in rather pricey-looking digs. For an actor who was trying to break into Broadway, aka, Heartbreak Highway, he seemed to be living upscale, while appearing to be almost indolent and unambitious. I guess that was one of those Eastern Mysteries that eternally elude the occidental mind.

Abandoning the “Kicked-Back Kid,” Liz headed for Rome, where she will be a divorced woman. She wanted to get in touch with via Italiano. She wanted to fall in love with life – with eating abbondanza with gusto – and with much shaking of the hands to and fro. Downer! She continued you run into that phrase: “A woman needs a husband.” And familia!

The underlying theme in this film seemed to be that the fundamental things applied, as time went by. Family was what continued and lasted. Grand buildings only come to ruin in time, because they have no life. The family lives.

Renewed by good food and friends in Italy, Liz’s “moveable feast” now departed for India. She was going to the ashram of her actor-friend’s guru. There, she hoped to meditate herself into – well, another Liz. She needed to rise to a higher state of being. The first step would be to scrub the ashram floors as a “selfless act.” The viewer might infer a certain scam going on here (the guru also had an ashram in Manhattan).

At any rate Liz met a young India maiden whose family had arranged an “advantageous” marriage for her. This afforded the ladies an opportunity to talk about their male relationships.

Liz also met Richard, who was from Texas, divorced, shattered, and seeking to rebuild himself through meditation at the ashram. He urged her to keep trying to meditate – let go! He wanted to help her to improve herself. He used a lot of profane expressions to help her to understand: “Life’s a bitch; then you die.” “Meditation can help,” mofo bitch.

After sharing, caring, and meditating, Liz had to say “farewell” to her ashram, and she passed through its gated gardens into an overpowering mass of wretched poverty that dwelled just outside Liz’s pleasant Lotus blossom retreat.

Fortunately, the viewers were also spared unpleasantness generally.

Now, it was time for Liz to return to Bali and have her reunion with her trusty shaman. When the moment came, he didn’t initially remember her. Bummer! She attended a cocktail party thrown by an Argentine woman whom she met at an herbalist’s shop. There she met Filipe, a slightly grizzled man, who undoubtedly wanted to make amends for the accident, which had sent Liz to the herbalist for a cure.

She had been bicycling on a country road, when he nearly ran over her in his SUV. Had he blindsided her? Or had love? The viewer may interpret this according to disposition.

This meeting at the party tended to heal her wounds. Her consciousness was raised; she could forgive. They do get acquainted. Those who suspect that she has a love boat in her future may not be far wrong.

CONCLUSION:

Julia Roberts can sell spaghetti.

PRODUCTION KEY:

Ryan Murphy – director/writer, Jennifer Salt – screenplay, Elizabeth Gilbert – book, Robert Richardson – cinematography, Bradley Buecker – film editing, Dario Marianelli - original music

CAST:

Julia Roberts – Liz Gilbert, Javier Bardem – Filepe, James Franco – David Piccolo, Richard Jenkins – Richard from Texas, Viola Davis – Delia Shiraz, Billy Crudup – Stephen, Mike O’Malley – Andy Shiraz, Hadi Subiyanto – Ketut, I. Gusti Ayu Puspawati – Nyomo, Lucia Guzzardi – Landlady, Luca Argentero – Giovanni, Giuseppe Gandini – Luca Spaghetti, Anakia Lapae – Tutti, Myke Schwartz – stunt double for Javier Bardem

PRECIOUS (2009)

STORYLINE:

Overweight, impoverished and abused, a sixteen-year-old mother of a retarded child, expecting a second child from her sexually exploiting father, struggled to “make a life,” and she found reason for hope in a special school where she was able to make some friends, including her teacher, who directed her attention toward an education which would set her free. She saw a window of opportunity that would remove her from her only escape – fantasies – to a brave new world of self-esteem as a productive member of society. Innocent, she could not entirely escape the consequences of evil.

STORY CAPSULE:

It was 1987 in Harlem near a bridge overhang. Therefore, from the outset a symbol of escape over troubled waters was suggested. Underneath the overhang was a lamp post with an orange scarf gently wrapped and waving. It flutters loose and flows away. This was followed by a fantasy in which a fairy godmother, dressed in an orange gown, approached Clarice, who was dressed in a black-n-white patterned dress and awaited her. The fairy godmother then wrapped an orange scarf around the neck of Clarice. It therefore became an emblem of protection and talisman of hope.

This orange scarf was a constantly reappearing element of Clarice’s dress throughout the real part of her life.

The camera picked up Clarice as she attended her junior high school. It followed her into her math class, which was taught by a Mr. Wicher. Throughout this introduction to Clarice’s life there was a narration by her that provided insight into her present state of mind. While in Mr. Wicher’s class, she commented upon her “waiting for something to happen.” She professed a liking for Mr. Wicher and fantasized that he liked her too and would take her to live in Westchester. When Mr. Wicher “offended” a couple of students by using the word “boys” while remonstrating them, one of the boys started to “mouth off.” Clarice got out of her seat and smacked the offending lad. She said in her mind that she wanted Mr. Wicher to know that she had his back covered.

Mr. Wicher called Clarice to his desk and informed her that she needed to go to the principal’s office and discuss some issue.

Clarice went. There she encountered Mrs. Lichtenstein. Clarice was asked if she were pregnant. When she acknowledged this, Mrs. Lichtenstein began to shake her head and bemoan the fact that she had one child, was pregnant with a second, and was only in junior high school. She told Clarice she was suspended, which Clarice objected to by stating “I got good grades.” She insisted on having a parent-teacher sort of meeting with Clarice’s parents. Clarice discouraged this. The meeting ended on a vague note, as Clarice was not willing to commit to it, knowing her mom, Mary.

Now, there were several flashbacks to Clarice’s home-life in this film, often employing close-up images suggestive of a state-of-mind, as well as the actual environment. During this session at the principal’s office the viewer was “treated” to the first of two audio-visual allusions to her father’s sexual abuse of her. Mom could be seen in the background in this one, unwilling to interfere.

There followed a connected scene in which was seen at home washing dishes and discussing purchases, such as “playing my numbers.” The doorbell buzzes, and Clarice was ordered to the door intercom to stop the buzzing. Clarice imagined that it was “crack heads” again ringing their door. She grumbles about hating “crack heads.” Initially, she merely yelled through the intercom to stop it, using colorful lingo. Mom told her to “push the listen button, stupid.” When Clarice does, she discovered it was Mrs. Lichtenstein from the principal’s office. Clarice warned her away, threatening to “kill your ass.” Mrs. Lichtenstein persisted long enough to tell her she should attend an alternate school on 125^th St. called “Each One-Teach One.”

Mom thought the whole idea stupid, since Clarice was too dumb to learn anything. “Why don’t you get your ass down to the welfare office and get a check,” she demanded. When she was angry, Mom often threw things at Clarice.

The next morning, Clarice went off to her new school. It was on the eleventh floor of a hotel/former hotel. She here met Cornrows who was the clerk who processed students and had to take a test to find the correct level for her classroom. She saw in her test images of her home life, lamenting that they were ugly spots of grease that should be erased away.

It was hardly surprising then that she escaped into a fantasy world where she was a “beautiful star” who was the center of attention for adoring fans. These might be called her “Oprah Fantasies.”

At home that night Clarice was again upbraided by her Mom, who was still steamed about Clarice having brought “that white bitch to ring at my door.”

The next morning, Clarice went to her new alternate school. Having no breakfast or money, she was hungry. She scammed a shop selling “Southern Fried Chicken,” running out the door with a bucket filled with three or four pieces, which she ate as she ran. “Get that fat bitch!” cried the waitress.

Arriving at her school, she took the elevator up, sat on a chair, got nauseated from “morning sickness” and puked.

Shortly thereafter, she was invited into her assigned class by a slender young woman named Ms. Rain. Almost reluctantly, Clarice followed her. Her entrance was presented in the characteristic mode of the beginning of one of her fantasies. This seemed to occur at points of fear and loathing by Clarice. Surely, she was apprehensive about entering her new class, and she experienced an urge to escape. Furthermore, there was a sense that Ms. Rain was perceived as a sort of beautiful fairy goddess to some degree by Clarice. Since I believe this to be true, I see an irony at work here as well.

The class was small. Including Clarice, there were about six young women. At first they checked each other out. A pecking order began to be created. Here the viewer was introduced to Joann, Consuelo, Rita, Rhonda, Chyna and Jermaine. Over time, they would form a support group for Clarice, and, along with Ms. Rain and her “significant other,” Katherine, form an alternate family during some really rough times for Clarice.

That night, Clarice was again chastised by Mom, who, besides grumbling over her schooling and unwillingness to go to the welfare office, demanded that Clarice cook her dinner. When Clarice presented the pig-foot dinner, she was roundly criticized by Mom for not preparing collard greens, too. “How do you expect me to eat this without collard greens?” she demanded to know. She made Clarice eat it and then fix her a proper meal. While Clarice ate, she watched an Italian movie on television and fantasized about being one of the women in the film. Her Mom played the mother. Even escape can be an illusion.

Badgered by her Mom, Clarice went to the welfare department, where she eventually spoke to Mrs. Weiss. Clarice was reluctant to respond to her probing questions. The matter was temporarily dropped. Mrs. Weiss’ parting comment was that she would have to answer the questions – whether to Mrs. Weiss or to someone else, if she wanted the checks. Of course, it was Mom that wanted the check.

After the meeting at the welfare offices, Clarice made her trip to school. There, the gang was asked by Ms. Rain to recite a fairy tale which each had individually created. When Clarice’s turn came, she began but had to stop, as her baby had demanded its birthday. She was rushed to the hospital, where Abdul Jamal Jones was born.

While at the hospital, she had some time to think about her situation. The viewer could see that she was thinking to improve her situation for the sake of her children. She was befriended at the hospital by Nurse John, who fascinated all of the girls from Clarice’s school. He would later at a party give her a Christmas card with a twenty dollar bill inside.

There were positive things happening in Clarice’s life.

However, when she finally went home with her baby, she found Mom watching television. Although she greeted her daughter quietly and unenthusiastically, Mom was soon in high rage over the usual issues, as well as accusing Clarice of trying to steal her boyfriend, Carl. This fight became intense. The women wrestled and fought. Eventually, Clarice grabbed her baby boy and left the apartment. As she scampered down the stairs, she fell onto the floor below. Mom tried to drop a television on her. Now, Clarice escaped horror for homelessness.

It was cold and night-time. She had to find a place for her baby. She went to the only sanctuary she knew; she went to her alternate school. She apparently broke into the school, as Cornrows and Ms. Rain found the glass on the window near the lock broken. Inside they discovered the Harlem Madonna and child.

After failing to find her temporary shelter in government or charitable facilities, Ms. Rain took Clarice and baby Abdul to her own apartment, which she shared with Katherine. This was a very positive thing for Clarice, although she was initially surprised that Ms. Rain and Katherine were lesbians. Comparing her experiences with Mary and Carl, as well as the street scourges of Harlem life, with those she had experienced with Ms. Rain and Katherine, Clarice delivered a narrative defense of the latter. If evil existed in the latter, she certainly perceived it as the lesser by a long shot.

Clarice had had a second meeting with Mrs. Weiss some time back, and she had let slip that her father “gave her babies.” Say what!? Ms. Weiss dropped her customary cool. This would lead to a telling meeting.

There was a meeting between Mom and Clarice during this approximate area of the film in which she told Clarice that her father had died of AIDs. This forced Clarice to go to an AIDs clinic to be tested.

On the day of the meeting at which Mom hoped to lure Clarice back home, Mary, Clarice and Mrs. Weiss sat down. This scene developed into one of the most memorable scenes in film. Mary provided revelatory information. When it was done, Clarice gathered her baby boy and Mongo, turned to her Mom and said, “I never saw what you were until now. You ain’t going to see me no more.” As she leaves, she saw a neighbor girl, paused and tied her orange scarf around her neck. Then she went out into a new life. That was what she planned. However, if the past is prologue, Clarice may find the future a bitch.

COMMENTARY:

For this viewer this movie proved to be entrapping. The subject matter could not be more depressing and raw. Clarice seemed to have too many things against her for her to overcome them all. That she almost did it seemed heroic and cathartic.

Some might criticize this film for loading her plate with so many repellant items that the story took on a certain excess, contributing to the view that this was a sort of condensed caricature of ghetto life. From this perspective Clarice’s real-life story was no more real than her fantasies.

There was an interesting use of Ebonics (with translation) to provide opening credits.

In this movie there were a few fantasy sequences that suggested that Clarice had a secret wish to be white and live in the white world, which she apparently thought was something akin to a “Neverland.”

I thought that the acting was noteworthy. Mo`Nique was sensational as Clarice’s mother. Gabourey Sidibe portrayed Clarice as a somewhat withdrawn, long-suffering teenager who was strengthened by her ordeal, which I thought was well-done and made for a good contrast with her smoldering mom, Mary. I thought that some of the supporting cast was especially helpful. Among these were Xosha Roquemore (Joann), Angelic Zambrana (Consuelo), and Paula Patton (Mrs. Rain).

This movie could have some very funny elements, although the subject treatment was anywhere from insensitive to shocking. There was a sort of ghetto Archie Bunker quality to Mary as she voiced her opinions.

One such episode involved a visit by a social worker. Mary was on her best behavior – sort of. Mongo, who was Clarice’s first child and who was a Down’s Syndrome child, was used as a prop, sitting in the lap of Mary. This scene is funny, as the actress Mary and the real Mary vie for control of the situation, as they tried to project a “good home” or sabotage it, as the case might.

There was an interesting allusion to two other women in this film by means of a televised Italian movie with English subscript. This movie was the Italian version of Two Women, starring Sophia Loren. In that film, which took place during World War II, Allied troops (Moroccan) went wild, raping many Italian women. Both Sophia Loren’s character and her daughter were raped by them in the movie. It was a storied event in Italy, although rarely mentioned in America.

Although this movie wasn’t flawless, I believe that it was one of the most remarkable film stories that I’ve experienced and certainly recommend it to movie-lovers. I’m a Netflixer, and it can be found among its offerings.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Lee Daniels – director, Geoffrey Fletcher – screenplay, Sapphire – novel, Mario Grigorov – original music. Andrew Dunn – cinematography, Joe Klotz – film editing, Billy Hopkins & Jessica Kelly – casting

CAST:

Gabourey Sidibe – Precious (Clarice), Mo`Nique – Mary (Clarice’s mother), Paola Patton – Ms. Rain, Mariah Carey – Mrs. Weiss, Sherri Shepherd – Cornrows, Lenny Kravitz – Nurse John, Stephanie Andujar – Rita, Chyna Layne – Rhonda, Amina Robinson – Jermaine, Xosha Roquemore – Joann, Angelic Zambrana – Consuelo, Aunt Dot – Tootsie, Nealla Gordon – Mrs. Lichtenstein, Tom Cruise – Barret Helms, Kimberly Russell – Katherine, Grace Hightower – Social Worker, Sapphire – Day Care Woman, Quishay Powell – Mongo, Rodney “Bear” Jackson – Carl, Susan Taylor – Fairy Godmother, Bill Sage – Mr. Wicher, Rochelle McNaughton – AIDs Clerk, Derrick Simmons – stunt double Precious, Jwaundace Candece – stunt double Mary

Destination: (Enter city, airport or landmark) : Check-in:   Check-out:   Rooms: Adults: 1 2 3 4+ 1 2 3 4 5 6

SIN NOMBRE ( 2009 )

COMMENTARY:

The translation of this film's title is "Without Name." It seemed to reference the identity problems that faced a gang member, as well as those facing the illegal immigrants of Mexico and Central America, generally. The film is in Spanish with translations provided. It isn't hard to follow.

The locale of this film was south Mexico. However, it did touch on Honduras and Guatemala. There were references to El Salvador and America, especially New Jersey. It provided a stark picture of those parts of Mexico, et al, from which one set of film protagonists sought escape and another set of protagonists sought to survive within. The latter set were involved in a dominant but challenged gang, and one tried to "fly over the coo-coo's nest." Eventually, the two strands of the story converge, bringing with them hope for a new life, budding romantic love, and murderously avenging foes.

Life in the Mara was similar to life in the Hotel California: you can "check in" but you can't "check out." That sort of insubordination typically resulted in a death sentence. Nor were the large Mara associations invisible. They tended to stake territorial claims and advertised their presence.

 

    The Devil's Pitchfork signage (above)

Although the hierarchical structure of Mara Salvatrucha appeared to be loose, the Los Angeles MS-13 members usually were deferred to by others. Otherwise, each local unit seemed to choose its own leaders, based typically on reputation for violence, power and respect. Parenthetically, although Mara Salvatrucha was originally an El Salvadoran gang, as the gang expanded, other Central American nationals formed associated Maras. Even southern Mexico became a hotbed of Mara Salvatrucha organizations. MS-13 was allied with the Mexican Mafia, originally a California prison gang, which provided the Salvadorans some protection when they first started to be thrown in jails. The number "13" was added to "MS" to signal this obedience. The structural relationship in this regard bears a resemblance to Masonic Lodges, which are typically obedient to a sponsor. The United Grand Lodge of England claimed to be the "mother ship" of the "grand" lodges. One might look at the Mexican Mafia as the "mother ship" for a vast array of loosely obedient Maras.

The name "Mara" seemed to reference the Spanish word for "gang." However, "Salvatrucha" appeared to be born of an argot that contained elements of slang, or even coded or veiled terminology. One hypothesis was that it referenced El Salvadoran Army Ants, implicitly comparing Mara members to these fierce and determined "soldiers." Another hypothesis was that the term referenced the El Salvadoran peasant guerrillas, who had been trained and organized under the leftist-Marxist banner, FMNL (Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front). Parenthetically, one of the organizers of the FMNL was a young American woman, whose parents were East Coast academic types.

Although this movie has no direct link or association with either Masons or Marxists, I believe that it is well to keep a wider view of the rise of such organizations and their spreading influence and power. Since ordinarily a state, province or large city should have more lethal power than a gang, when a gang is left free to establish itself, what does that say about the power equation in that jurisdiction? Remember this: two jurisdictions cannot long occupy the same place at the same time. One must achieve hegemony over the other.

Readers who have not seen this movie cannot appreciate the very unpromising lifestyles that this largely impoverished area held for its native sons and daughters. In so much as American transnational corporations have exploited this area and people in the name of maximum profits and "shareholders," a debt was, and is, owed by them. Only over the last generation have ordinary American citizens begun to perceive that they will have to atone, as it were, for the crimes of their locally-domiciled, transnational corporations. The Federal Reserve may "bail out" great corporations, as rape is not a crime to the rich, but no one will "bail out" ordinary Americans.

The movie opened with a camera shot of rather colorful foilage on trees growing from a pleasant-looking meadow. I was initially reminded of Fall in eastern America, where the leaves changed colors so appealingly. The locale is a town in Chiapas, Mexico. The moviegoer was almost promptly forced to consider what life might have been like in this land had it experienced positive development. Then the protagonist, El Caspar, was seen waking up and getting his act together. One noticed the tattoos on his body. Not good!

 

Tattoo ("the Devil's Pitchfork", above) is only an example of Mara signs.

 

STORY CAPSULE:

El Caspar awakened, got dressed for the day, including a sidearm, and ambled out. He looked a bit sullen. As he walked into town, he greeted a few young men, who were apparently gang members. He had a swagger about him. As a member of Mara Salvatrucha, he had standing, was respected, and was feared. However, as another mara, or gang, was exerting more pressure on MS-13, El Caspar had to keep his eyes opened. A state of war basically existed between the two maras. [Although this movie didn't identify the new competitor as related to, or a branch of, another powerful Mexican gang, the 18th Street Mara, which, like MS-13, originated in California, I believe that that would be a reasonable surmise.] 

Stopping by a house where a matron was visible, he called for Benito. She began to verbally castigate El Caspar as a hoodum.  When the lad came out, he appeared to be a young man of about 12 years old. El Caspar greeted him and gathered him up . He had a shock of black wavy hair and appeared to be stagecast material for the role of an altar boy. However, today would be the day that he lost his name and would become someone else. Today he would be initiated into Mara Salvatrucha. El Caspar would sponsor him, so to speak. Soon, they'd be calling each other "homie."

As the day was early, El Caspar decided to stop by his girlfriend's house. Her name was Martha Marlen. She was a pretty young woman, who appeared to be 16 or 17 years old. El Caspar had purchased a small bunch of flowers along the way. Bidding Benito to wait outside, El Caspar slipped through a window. Martha Marlen was sleeping peacefully. Softly calling her name, he found her a little resistant to being awakened. Then he brought out his reenforcements in the form of the flowers, which he drew close to her face where their fragance would be better noted. She responded. She obliged her boyfriend romantically.

 

The camera cut to Benito. Apparently bored, he peeked into the window and got an eyeful. Later, after El Caspar had said good-bye to Martha Marlen, Benito asked him if she had a sister or girlfriend that looked like her for him. El Caspar laughed and advised him that first he'd have to worry about killing a chuvallo ( or some such), which was to say a member of the rival gang trying to muscle in on Mara Salvatrucha.

They entered the Mara compound, which appeared to be a rambling collection of rooms and attached sheds. There were graffiti signage of the Mara on most walls, as well as on all the members who were met and greeted by El Caspar.  In turn El Caspar greeted El Scarface, El Peluquin, and  El Smokey.

 
Representative Mara tattooing on members (above) 

All the Mara members looked curiously at Bernito, who stayed close to El Caspar. Soon, El Caspar stopped. He now was before Lil Mago, who was second in command. The latter was extensively tattooed both on body and face. He had been a sort of mentor to El Caspar, and he possibly had sponsored him into the Mara. Benito was introduced. Lil Mago would know that he wanted to be iniated and that El Caspar was his sponsor. The head of this Mara was El Sol. He, too, would be present.

Lil Mago brought up a recent "search out and kill" mission in La Bombilla in Chiapas, where the Mara's rivals were thought to be. There were discrepancies between El Caspar's report and that of another Mara member who had been sent. Where did the truth lie? Lil Mago wondered outloud. Lying to the Mara was a capital offense. El Caspar remained cool and defended his report. Maybe the other hombre got it wrong, he suggested. Lil Mago wondered if El Caspar had even gone. These were very serious charges being "aired." Lying and insubordination toward the Mara was not tolerated. For the time there was no clear understanding of what happened, but El Caspar knew that he would be carefully watched from then on. He would be on an undeclared, probationary "watchlist."

For reasons best known to her, Martha Marlen showed up at the compound gate, looking for El Caspar, who surely must have warned her not to go to the compound looking for him. El Caspar and Benito were being led outside to the front grounds of the compound, where Benito would be initiated. Suddenly, Lil Mago noticed Martha Marlen. He grinned to El Caspar that he now understood where he had been spending his time. He led her away to the back, where they were alone. There was nothing El Caspar could do. She resisted when it was evident what Lil Mago was going to do. He threw her to the ground, where she struck her head and died. They got rid of the body.

When Lil Mago returned, he apologized to El Caspar. There was an accident. She fell and hit her head. She's no good now.

As El Sol was present and ready to get on with the initiation, the signal was given to Benito's sponsor, El Caspar, to begin the ritual. In these Mara Salvatrucha initiations, a candidate is beaten for 13 seconds. El Caspar led Benito into a rough ring made by Mara members. El Sol began to count. With each number blows would rain upon Benito. Finally, he fell to the ground. The count continued and members repeatedly kicked the candidate, who was trying to protect himself a bit while on the ground. Finally, the last number was sounded by El Sol and the last blows delivered. Benito had passed the test. He was now a Mara Salvatrucha member. Benito broke into a big smile, even though bloody-mouthed and battered. El Sol was impressed. He immediately dubbed Benito as "Smiley." The boy had been reborn now. He had a new name and a new family.

This beating wasn't limited to Benito, as El Caspar also had to go through the 13 count for not fulfilling his mission at La Bombilla.

About this time another set of characters was introduced. This was a Honduran family. One of its members, Horacio,  had been in the United States illegally and had been recently deported.  His second wife, Yessenia still lived in New Jersey with her children. He had two children by a first marriage that he wanted to take to America. They were Orlando and Sayra. The latter was not enthusiastic about going. She consulted with an old woman reputed to be a seer about this matter. She was advised that she would not enter America with the help of an angel but by the help of a devil. Little wonder, then, that Sayra viewed the matter with misgivings. However, Horacio was persistent and Orlando supported his father. Sayra agreed.

Their trek overland to the nearest railroad track running north into Mexico allowed Horacio to drill into the heads of the siblings the telephone number of Yessenia in New Jersey. Knowing this number might prove crucial to their success. Eventually, they got to the tracks. There were lots of others camped near them awaiting a train. These people rode for free, as they rode illegally on the top of the train cars. They had to prepare for rain and other eventualities. A train might not prove to be suitable, as it wasn't going further.

Finally, they got aboard a train that moved northward. It would stop at La Bombilla in Chiapas, Mexico, along the way.

Meanwhile, the newly initiated El Smiley, along with El Caspar, was brought before Lil Mago. The time had come for El Smiley to prove himself a true Mara warrior by killing an enemy. He was provided an improvised gun, basically a variety of "zip gun." Because of doubts about his behavior during the mission to La Bombilla, El Caspar had been forced to return his handgun to the Mara. However, he went with El Smiley to kill the enemy, who was being held captive. Lil Mago read him the sentence to be meted out, but the man denied being a gang member. He pled that he had "quit all that gang stuff." Lil Mago replied that "once a chuvallo, always one." He then ordered El Smiley to kill the enemy. When the littlest Mara member had a little difficulty in operating the gun, El Caspar helped him. Together, they fired the bullet that killed the enemy. El Smiley had killed his first man. Perhaps he had just "made his bones." He could also get his first MS-13 tattoo. He opted for an inside-the-lip job.

Lil Mago informed El Caspar that he would lead a little mission to La Bombilla, and he wanted El Caspar to be there. The mission appeared to be a combination of "search and kill" and plain, old robbery of migrants on the trains.

When they got there, they found a train at rest temporaily. Perhaps due to rain, many of the migrants atop the train were huddled under protective canvas, etc., which they had brought along. Lil Mago climbed atop and began to uncover potential victims, demanding money. El Caspar was with him. Not far away was El Smiley. El Caspar didn't seem to have his heart into this work. Inwardly, he undoubtedly bore a grudge against Lil Mago for what he did to Martha Marlen. When Lil Mago uncovered Horacio, Orlando and Sayra, he demanded money. When they pled that they had none, Lil Mago directed El Caspar to put his machete to violent use. El Caspar raised his blade as if to strike one of the three migrants. Instead, he wacked Lil Mago's neck, killing him. El Smiley witnessed this.

Knowing that he was now a man marked for death by all members of MS-13, wherever they might be, he stoically accepted "what it is," and continued riding on the top of the train with the others.

All the other train-top riders knew that he was MS-13 and both feared him and wanted to get rid of him. He could only mean trouble. El Caspar picked a spot away from the others, held his machete at the ready on his lap, and tried to stay awake. At one point two others began to creep toward him with their own machetes. Sayra shouted "police" to try to abort the attack on the now-dozing El Caspar. He was roused and perceived the danger but did not counterattack. He let it drop. Later, she herself would edge nearer. She gave him her name and offered him a "wrapped & rolled" item of food, which he accepted and promptly began to eat. She asked him what his name was. He said nothing at first. Discouraged, she turned to go back where her family rested. As she did, he turned and said: "Willy." She smiled and continued back.

From this point forward the film depicted the drawing together romantically of Sayra and Willy. She was on his side. At this point he really needed that. He viewed the future no further than the day he lived in. There were too many blades drawn against him. Their trip was perilous. Along the way she lost both her father and brother. Mexican authorities of every stripe were opposed to the train-top riders. While some kids might throw them food, others would throw rocks and curse them. Nevertheless, they were drawing closer to America. Willy had promised to get her into America. Whether he would go there too, or remain to face his future as Hemingway's boxer did, was uncertain. As there was hope in the air, the moviegoer might guess that he would go with Sayra, even though MS-13 had spread into the East Coast. He knew he couldn't hide his tattoos.

After much excitement, Willy led Sayra to a Mexican who made a living taking illegals across the Rio Grande river.  A deal was struck. Sayra was to go first. Large inner-tubes were employed to provide floating support. Sayra was asked to strip for reasons not perfectly clear to me. She started the trip wearing her underwear, basically a bikini,  bearing another name. Neither apparently could swim. Willy stood guard as she journeyed across. Unfortunately, El Sol and Mara friends, including El Smiley, who felt that he had something to prove, since he had had nothing to do with Lil Mago's death, were fast converging on the river crossing. They had been "hot" on Willy's trail for some time. Now they had him pinned. He began to run, screaming at Sayra as he did to continue. "Go to New Jersey!" She was trying to return to the Mexican side and was considerably stressed.

As Willy reached a spot on the river that was not too wide, he seemed to be ready to risk it. Before he could, he encountered that mighty little Mara, El Smiley. Willy spoke his name. El Smiley said words to the effect that "the Mara forever, homie." Then he shot the man he had known as El Caspar. About this time El Sol and the others arrived. They each fired bullets into the body of Willy.

From the distant shore Sayra realised that Willy was gone. She managed to make her way to a warehouse section of some town, find a telephone booth, and call the number that Horacio had pounded into her head.

Did she remember the correct number? Did Yessenia answer the phone? Interested moviegoers may want to Netflix this movie to find out more.

CONCLUSION:

This movie provided viewers with a quasi-documentary of the migrant road from Honduras to South Texas. It also provided the viewer with a sense of life in a Mara in Central America. Either, alone, would have been interesting. Combining them with credible characters who were well-acted strengthened the experience. Weaving into it romantic interests, escape, chase, and mortal danger really elevated this movie into the top ranks of films to see.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Gary Fukunaga - director, Adriano Goldman - cinematography, Marcelo Zarvos - original music, Lynn Fainchtein - supervisor, music

CAST:

Edgar Flores - El Caspar/Willy, Paulino Gaitan - Sayra, Kristyan Ferrer - El Smiley/Benito, Luis Fernando Pena - El Sol, Tenoch Huerta Mejia - Lil Mago, Diana Garcia - Martha Marlen(e), Guillermo Villegas - Orlando, Gerardo Taraceno - Horacio, Marco Antonio Aguerre - Big Lips, Gabino Rodriguez - El Scarface, Emir Meza - Peluquin, David Serrano - El Smokey

January 29, 2010. EbonyStar.

NATURAL BORN KILLERS (1994)

 

This curious specimen of film was directed by Oliver Stone. The screenplay was based on a Quentin Tarantino story. With such parentage how could it not be misbegotten?

STORYLINE:

Two young folks “hook up” and initiate a mobile honeymoon of love & carnage along Route 666, meeting briefly an array of citizens, while being chased by the authorities, a bounty-hunter author & former lawman, and a TV action-journalist whose career is now pinned on the gathering notoriety of the murdering lovers, Mickey & Mallory. As the world watches, the celebrity killers are arrested, tried, imprisoned (in the same prison!), have an opportunity to “go live” from prison after the Super Bowl, and end up participating in a prison riot,  in a prison break-out, and in beginning a new life. There is an epilog.

BIG CAPSULE:

The film opened with images and music that tended to be echoed throughout the movie, either as such or as variations. The viewer sees a diner in a dusty stretch of land. Inside that diner is seated a man partially visible from the rear and right side. Manning the counter is a young woman. The two are discussing a suitable dessert. A woman appears and is clearly with the man in white. The girlfriend is asked if she’ll also have the same pie that her friend ordered. She dismissed the woman as “Rosy” and left for the juke box. She had retaliated for the woman’s flirting with the man in white. The waitress had corrected her, stating that her name was “Mabel,” even as she pointed at a series of three name tags she wore near her collar like chevrons. Mabel was a bit “ticked off.” Soon she would be dead.

While Mallory is dancing to the jukebox music, a pick-up truck drove up. Out popped a couple of “good ole boys” who enter the diner. They immediately notice Mallory. The older of the two told his companion: “Take a run at that.” The tall, lean companion did just that. While his pal grabbed a couple of beers, the young guy was trying to dance with Mallory, while being down right lewd in the bargain. Mallory then said: “Why, I think you’re trying to flirt with me.”

By this time the other man had clearly “ticked off” the man in white, which was cinematically demonstrated by a unique image of the man in white inserted into the movie moment.  Soon, while Mallory was fist-fighting successfully with the tall dude, the man in white, Mickey, was gutting the other man with his knife. They killed the tall man. They killed Mabel. They killed the diner’s short-order cook, as well. They also killed the driver of the pick-up who had stayed outside working on an overheated engine. Then they drove away. It had been a good day so far. So it went.

By means of a flashback that is stylistically rendered as a 1950’s sitcom with canned laughter, the dysfunctional family into which Mallory was born is demonstrated. The “banality of evil” is empowered by using Rodney Dangerfield as Mallory’s father. This comedian who is known to the public as a victimized mensch in this film plays a sexually predacious Dad Wilson. Mallory is preyed upon regularly from her girlhood by her father, who seemed to believe that it was a right of the “man of the house.” Inside, Mallory is plenty steamed about it.

Then she met Mickey, who arrived at the Wilson house bearing a fifty pound bag of oozing red meat. He saw Mallory, who was decked out for a “punk shindig,” and the two were drawn to one another, as by “fate.” They go off in Dad’s car, and Mr. Wilson has them arrested. Mickey gets a year in prison for his “joy ride.”

While in prison, Mickey is visited by Mallory, whose gestures assured Mickey that he was number one with her. She confided that her Dad was planning to move to keep Mickey from finding Mallory. He told her that “it don’t make difference.” He would find her anyway. They were fated to be together.

Indeed, when he gets out, he heads directly to the Wilson home, where he and Mallory murder Mom and Dad. The little brother is granted his “freedom.” He’s about ten years old.

Mickey and Mallory set forth through southwest America in an episodic road-trip of wanton carnage. Along the way, Mickey asked Mallory to marry him. The proposal was made as they parked their car on a bridge span. Mallory quickly agreed but wondered where they’d find a church. Mickey pointed to the vista and sky above and said “this is my church.”

Being au courant, they made up their vows in an impromptu ceremony, which included cutting each other’s palms with a knife and “becoming one blood.” A truck load of workers drove by and hooted at them. Mickey told Mallory, “I won’t kill anyone on my wedding day.” Although she didn’t have a bouquet, Mallory “lost” her colorful scarf. It fluttered toward a river far below the bridge. It amounted to her bouquet flung to the next wild children of love.

About this time the Robert Downey, Jr. character, Wayne Gale, is introduced. He is the “host” of a shock-schlock television program entitled American Maniac. The program features sensational killers and crimes. Although married to the daughter of the network’s president, he seemed to be in a fight to save his program. He was putting his entire hope of regaining popularity by relentlessly focusing on Mickey and Mallory Knox. To that end he covered their trail of death along Route 666.

However, author and bounty-hunter (and former detective) Jack Scagnetti has decided to take Mickey & Mallory dead or alive. He strangled an escort in a motel room to prove the depth of his antagonism toward crime. Now, he was closing in on the violent lovers.

Mickey, Mallory, Wayne, and Fate converged at a television broadcast from Warden Dwight McCluskey's prison where both Mickey and Mallory were inmates. Things deteriorated into prison riot, deaths and escape for the young lovers.

Will they become  model American citizens? Could be.

COMMENTARY:

We see in this film a blend of comic book action and symbolic demonology utilized to illustrate the idea that violence is as American as Key Lime pie, ordered at a diner. Both Mickey and Mallory are children of familial terrorism. As the seedling is bent, so grows the tree. That is to say that overt references are made to environmental influences as major factors in Mickey and Mallory Knox’s anti-social behavior. Yet, Mickey raised the possibility of a genetic factor – at least in his case. Further, the imagery, especially of snakes, related to the metaphysical twins – Good & Evil. Notions of rebirth, or infinity, vie with those of suffering and death. There are people such as the Old Indian, who speak of “demons” as easily as a tour guide informing the untutored. Mickey also speaks of a “demon” in him. If one took this seriously, then one would have to dwell on “demons” indwelling in genes, which touched upon Mickey’s other explanation of his character. Since he also stated that only Mallory’s love could save him from the “demon,” he had implied that God had given man love to save himself – if he could. Well, this isn’t all that alien an idea either. Although this film is quirky, speculative and sometimes specious, it could hardly be otherwise with a Quinton Tarantino story driving it. Director Oliver Stone got into the “spirit” of the film, using every imaging technique he could muster, including animated figures straight out of a Marvel Comics book. It is this contrived visual image, changing rapidly before the eye like clouds and “speeded-up” camera shots of nature, wedded to thick layers of rock and pop rock songs & music, that give this film an eccentric appeal. The terrain through which the two lovers drive is often vast, mostly flat, but occasionally broken by a mesa or weathered outcrop. It has an immovable, ancient quality that is a remarkable contrast to that stream of images and sounds that Stone used to overlay it. One sensed that Mickey and Mallory are out of sync with nature. Oddly, this love story is about their “getting back into nature’s groove.”

Juliette Lewis was noteworthy in this film. Harrelson “owned” the Mickey character. Otherwise, there were stellar examples of overacting by Jones, Sizemore and Downey.  Played with admirable energy, I thought Downey gave his most permanent character portrayal in this film. He definitely has a flare for exaggerated characters.

Overacting tends to make some films very memorable in a positive way. It tended - in a perverse and bloody film such as this - to minimize the reality by accentuating human vanity & foibles.  Bottom line: there’s a whole lot of evil doings in this flick.

PROPAGANDA

MAJOR PRODUCTION/CAST FIGURES

Oliver Stone – director

Quentin Tarantino – story

David Veloz – screenplay

Robert Richardson – cinematography

Brent Lewis – original music

CAST

Woody Harrelson – Mickey Knox

Juliette Lewis – Mallory Wilson Knox

Tommy Lee Jones – Warden Dwight McClusky

Tom Sizemore – Det. Jack Scagnetti

Rodney Dangerfield – Ed Wilson

Robert Downey, Jr. – Wayne Gale

Everett Quinton – Deputy Warden Wurlitzer

Pruitt Taylor Vince – Deputy Warden Kavanaugh

Edie McClurg – Mallory’s Mom

Russell Means – Old Indian

Steven Wright – Dr. Emil Reingold

O-Lan Jones – Mabel

Ed White – pinball cowboy

Melinda Renna – Antonia Chavez

Saemi Nakamura – Japanese girl #1/Japanese reporter

Balthazar Getty – gas station attendant

Brian Barker – young Mickey

Jeremiah Bitsui – young Indian boy

 

QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008)

 

COMMENTARY:

 

A good actor should be worth his Bond – his James Bond. My valuation of Mr. Daniel Craig‘s version of Bond goes up each time I take in his movies. He looks to be a tougher man than Connery or Moore. He also manages to connote restrained violence, as well as some potpourri of emotions and thoughts one best let be. He appears to be more compact than Connery but a better athlete overall. In terms of athleticism and the external suggestion of violence, Mr. Moore lags considerably behind Craig and Connery. Perhaps having the letter “C” beginning one’s last name helps in this regard as opposed to Moore’s “M.”

 

Speaking of the letter “M,” we find Judi Drench figuring a bit more prominently in this film than in most of the earlier versions. Her M proves to be a handy device as a sort of film pivot separating, connecting and filling-in areas of action. No one is irreplaceable in films, as the roll of actors in the role of James Bond emphatically testifies. Still, moviegoers are very comfortable with Judi Drench’s version and would miss her presence.

 

The primary action/romance role for a female in this Bond film is Olga Kurylenko, as Camille. Whether or not the producer, Barbara Broccoli, is a fan of opera, or even French Romantic novels, this role by this young Russian actress seems to fit with the broad outlines of  Verdi’s La triviata, which is based on Dumas’ La femme de la camellias,  especially when tied to the romantic complex lurking  in the background of the James Bond character in this episode. Folks, it’s on his mind to such an extent that at least two other characters warn him away from the poisonous mood it has spawned within him.

 

This movie series may follow a formula, which has proved to be successful over the years, but with the Craig series a moviegoer experiences a tighter, better choreographed set of chase scenes, fights and group actions. It is well edited. This is a very good action flick.

 

I thought the stuntmen and stunt drivers were outstanding throughout this film. Mr. Craig’s stunt double was Kai Martin. Whether or not Daniel Craig does any of his own stunts I cannot say, but his most exciting and dangerous action scenes were probably done by Mr. Martin. He (Martin) is certainly not the only stuntman doing “yeoman duty” in this flick. Given the nature of Bond films, they are sine qua non to the visual success of these films.

 

The opening of this film has a characteristically interesting and appealing introduction by means of the primary credits and players. The visual effects are quite appealing and at first seem to be setting the mood for a Lawrence of Arabia or Lion in Winter variety of film. By this I mean that the overwhelming visual theme, other than James Bond stalking about with drawn Beretta, is SAND. There are tons of dark, camel-colored terrains with dunes that hide shapely women (or interesting parts thereof), who are suddenly seen  “arising” from the blowy brew. Since I had absolutely no notion about this film prior to viewing it, other than it was a Bond movie, it was an unexpected signal. It took some time for the desert motif to make any sense to me.

 

There happen to be two connections. This film is written primarily by Paul Haggis and Neal Purvis, and they cleverly introduced a “Green Theme” story line, which dovetails with the destruction of our forests and grasslands globally (desertification), as well as placing Bolivia as a central local of at least sixty percent of the film. In Bolivia, it seems, there are some very jejune stretches of barren land. I’m not referencing tops of mountains, either.

 

STORY CAPSULE:

 

The body of this film begins with a rushing convergence of boat and vehicles at a point on a coastal road in Italy. The camera cuts from boat perspective to that of racing cars on a winding, two lane road. The road is fairly heavily traveled by both cars and trucks. The perspective from the speeding boat gives way to an emerging, fast-paced, chase scene, involving James Bond and unknown enemies, who are shooting at him with automatic weapons. This is an fine example of stunt drivers executing a complex and no doubt dangerous series of maneuvers, which also involve wrecks along the route. The chase gives way within old Siena, Italy, where the locals are ritually parading around a course which will soon be used as a horse-racing track. Bond ducks into a tunnel which leads to an area where other people await. Among these is M.

 

Inside the trunk of the vehicle which opens is a VIP from the point of view of British intelligence. He is a VIP because he is the only known link to an otherwise completely invisible and unknown organization. This organization is “Quantum,” and it has sinister and criminal designs afoot. Annoyingly to M, it seems to have people well-placed but it has not been detected by MI5. The man in the car trunk is rather clearly threatened with torture, if he doesn’t talk. He laughs it off. He has some reason to laugh. M’s personal bodyguard is one of them. He draws a firearm and shoots a number of people, including M.

 

Certainly, the British are not strangers to treason, but this mal geste must really irk the insiders at MI5. After this Brito-fiasco, the shooter flees, and James Bond promptly pursues him. Unfortunately for M and for the shooter, amid pageantry and horse-racing, Bond finally runs down the shooter and takes no prisoner. Hence, MI5’s only known human links to Quantum are dead.

 

Parenthetically, Bond has been in a bad mood ever since Vesper, his British intelligence comrade and lover, betrayed him and was also murdered. This is the primary aspect that engenders in this film an operatic overtone of tragic melodrama. Daniel Craig is good at suggesting a violent, brooding mood. Tellingly, a scene in Bregenz, Austria took place at an opera house during the rendering of a production of Tosca. The Kurylenko character tends to reinforce that melodramatic tone.

 

At MI5 there is a view that the death of Vesper may have been due to her knowledge of or relationship to Quantum. After chiding Bond for his “take no prisoner” approach, M packs him off to Haiti, pursuing a Mr. Slate. The unenvious lifestyle of Haiti is glimpsed by the moviegoer, as the camera focuses on Port-au-Prince, as Bond checks into the scene.

 

He does not take long to find and enter the Slate unit, nor does it take long for Bond to be attacked by a knife-wielding Slate. Although Bond appears to have received a wound in the upper-right arm, which he subsequently appears to be “treating” with a tourniquet, he never is seen entering a hospital or otherwise caring for the wound. Fast healer?  As for Slate, he is another “notch” carved on Bond’s Beretta.

Clever operator that he is, he stops by the desk clerk’s station and, assuming the guise of the renter of room #152, he checks for mail. There is none, but the clerk mentions an attaché case, which Bond pleasantly accepts.

 

Leaving the hotel with the case, Bond is promptly “hailed” by a young woman in a small car. It is Camille, and she tells him to get in. She’s pretty but no nonsense, according to tone. They are promptly pursued by a man on a motorbike. After a rather exciting and clever chase, ending near the docks, Camille is deposited with the briefcase. Bond watches her enter a secure zone, patrolled by armed Haitians.

 

It is at this point that the premier villain of the flick appears. He is Dominic Greene. Matthieu Amalric, who plays the role, has prominent, dark eyes and pale skin, giving him something of a distinct and not altogether pleasant quality. This is in keeping with Bond-movie tradition. He is slightly reptilian. He has a right-hand man around, who is entirely vertical and odd. Later in the film, the moviegoer will learn that he wears a toupee.

 

Mr. Greene operates a global enterprise of the same name, which is ostensibly involved in “green economics” and, thus, is a responsible member of the “world community.” 

 

Although the company may be profit-oriented, it appears to operate significantly on the basis of donations. That is why Dominic went to Bregenz, Austria, and his contributors appeared to have deep pockets. On the other hand many of his contributors clearly were involved with Greene in projects which were not calculated to benefit the “common man.”

 

Further, in our brief visit with him on Haiti at his dock location, he is clearly participating in toppling governments, gaining a quid pro quo from all he “assisted into office.” Hence, if Dominic was not a “king-maker,” he worked within an invisible syndicate that had that capacity and would use it. They were highly placed and everywhere, according to the “man in the trunk” at the film outset.

 

Furthermore, Dominic behaved toward Camille in a fashion consistent with that of a procurer, or pimp. He is actually seen at the dock “giving” Camille to a General Medrano, whose yacht is anchored a few hundred feet out and bristling with armed men. This was the “sugar” that he was throwing toward the man he intended to help place atop the Bolivian government, conditioned on the General allowing the Greene Company to have control of a barren stretch of land – and whatever was beneath it. No problemo! The General affirms.

 

Meanwhile, observing the events at Dominic’s dock, Bond snaps some photos and uploads them to London. Using impressively “kool” technology – sort of akin to a giant, horizontal Blackberry Storm with a transparent face, British intelligence was able to identify Dominic Greene and the general. This made it necessary for M to make a courtesy call to the C.I.A., inquiring if that organization had any “interest” in Mr. Greene.

 

A Mr. Gregg Beam was contacted by Langley. He stated that the C.I.A. had no interest in that man. M thanked him and hanged up. Knowingly, she informed her group that the C.I.A. was closely watching Greene, because they had patched her through to the Langley “desk” for all of South America.

Whatever Greene’s group was doing, it was closely involved in Bolivia.

 

When the events surrounding the clandestine conference at Bregenz, Austria, transpired, Bond attended. There he was able to break into the conference, using audio-visual methods, take pictures of certain members, get into a fire-fight, and kill a member of the British Special Service force. One of the men he photographed was a close adviser to the British Prime Minister. All the photos and data were beamed up by the same slick “high-tech” apparatus in London.

M is steamed at Bond for killing the Special Service Agent, and Bond is temporarily relieved of all duty and all privileges, and he becomes basically unemployed.

 

He hunts up an old intelligence comrade in Italy, who is one of the few men who can and will help him. Although MI5 has defrocked him, Bond has not forgotten his vows and mission in life. He talks this old chum into going to Bolivia with him. It’s not long before they are landing at the La Paz airport.

 

Once there, they are promptly interdicted by a representative of the British Embassy. This is a tall, pretty woman whose red hair helps to “color” her name, Strawberry Fields. She is properly dignified and dutifully authoritative, but too callow for the worldly wise James Bond. Her lecture that he is to fly out of La Paz on the first plane is met amiably by Bond, who suggests that, as the next flight out is in the morning, they should try to enjoy this night. The official weakens before Bond’s charm, and a romantic adventure ensues. This is unfortunate for Strawberry, as Bond’s enemies aren’t too focused. They saw a red door, and they wanted to paint it black. Well, nothing is forever.

 

To Bond’s good fortune, Camille shows up in the nick of time in another rescue mission. By now the moviegoer knows through Bond that she, too, is with an intelligence agency. She’s with Bolivian Intelligence. As with Bond, she is a person on a mission. The traumatic events of her “baby-girlhood” involved General Medrano, who had killed her father and “done things” to her mother and sister before killing them. She wasn’t harmed, due to her very tender age. Infuriatingly, at Haiti he had looked her in the eyes and expressed sympathy for her loss, stating that he was probably the last person to see them alive. Now, to abort his junta’s success, she would gladly combine duty and familial revenge in killing the general.

 

Also in La Paz are C.I.A. Agent Beam and his assistant, Felix Leiter. It seems very clear in this film that intelligence agencies and foreign affairs ministries regularly deal with unsavory characters. It is excused in all cases by noting that the world has so many villains and corrupt individuals in high places that operating foreign embassies would be impossible without dealing with them. Our alleged “good guys” can’t operate in national monasteries “closed off” from the rest of the world. We trade with “bad guys” because they sometimes have things we must have to operate. Among these are oil.

 

NOTE:  Now, it is not my intention as a mere citizen to advise the politically mighty, whether real or filmland fictions, on how to proceed. I will merely recall to the reader’s attention the sage comment: “Choose your enemies well, for you will become your enemy.”

 

Be that as it may, the C.I.A.’s Greg Beam was not troubled by dealing with what some cops call “dirty people.” His scowling assistant, Felix, had become cynical. The film suggests that this is because he doesn’t like supporting people who should be hanged. At the end of the movie he gets a nod of approval.

Therefore, the agents of the U.S. government are not planning to interfere with either Dominic Greene, with whom a modus Vivendi had been temporarily cobbled together, or with General Medrano’s new junta. Things change; things remain the same.

 

This is emphatically not the road taken by James Bond and Camille. They visit Greene’s barren land which had been accumulated. Inside, they find an underground reservoir of fresh water. Above ground the moviegoer is witness to thirsty Bolivian people trying to coax a drop of fresh water from a cask-like container. [It may be that the character Greene was inspired by the American billionaire oilman and American aquifer accumulator, T. Boone Pickens, who hopes to make a very satisfying profit from the sale of water to thirsty Americans in the not too distant future.]

 

Therefore, Dominic Greene’s company intends to use the disguise of an environmentally responsible firm to hide the fact that it actually wants to exploit natural resources, such as water, to make exaggerated profits.

 

The knowledge that one of Quantum’s members is Mathis, who Bond believes “swept Vesper off her feet,” so to say, only to later kill her, helps keep Bond focused in a violent sort of way. Hence, when James Bond and Camille crash the compound of Greene, which is suitably designed for the environment, there was a fiery conclusion.

 

 

Assuming that the devil gets his due, his “hothouse” welcomed a new general and a new “Greenie” soon thereafter.

 

There is also a bit of cleaning up for Bond to do in Russia, where Mathis was sporting with a woman from Canadian Intelligence. Well, the intelligence community is a chummy club, when they aren’t “whacking” each other. In these matters of settling scores, Bond is given to loyalty to Talion’s Law. So it goes.

 

This movie concludes with an epilog, which provides M and James Bond with an opportunity to patch-up their misunderstandings. For James his word is his bond.

 

“I trust him,” said M.

 

CONCLUSION:

 

This film is worth seeing. It is a well-done action movie. Dramatic motivation is woven into the story unobtrusively, so that the film is more than clever action scenes stitched together. Daniel Craig does well as James Bond, and the remaining cast put in a sound Bondian- flick performance. It has good direction and editing, and it is accompanied by the usual catchy, Bondian music. There are fine stunts and stunt driving scenes to awe the moviegoer.

 

PRODUCTION KEYS:

 

Barbara Broccoli - producer

Marc Forster – director

Paul Haggis

Neal Purvis – writers

R. Schaefer – cinematographer

David Arnold – original music

Monty Norman – Bond theme composer

Jack White – Another Way To Die writer/producer

Jack White & Alicia Keys – performers, Another Way To Die

 

STARS:

 

Daniel Craig – James Bond

Olga Kurylenko – Camille

Matthieu Amalric – Dominic Greene

Judi Drench – M

Giancarlo Giannini – Mathis

Gemma Arterton – Strawberry Fields

Jeffrey Wright – Felix Leiter

Rory Kinnear – Tanner

Tim Pigott-Smith – Foreign Secretary

Joaquin Cosio – General Medrano

Davis Harbour – Gregg Beam

Neil Jackson – Mr. Slate

 

INCEPTION (2010)

STORY CAPSULE:

The movie opened with Cobb, Arthur, and team on a mission to break into the mind of a Japanese tycoon, Saito, to steal secret data. The mission failed. However, the target of the mission may have been the secret instigator of the mission, as a test of Cobb’s usefulness.

At any rate Saito was interested not so much in data retrieval as in data implantation. To be brief he wanted to plant the idea in the brain of Robert, the son of an ill business rival (Maurice Fischer) that he should break up his father’s dominant enterprise in the energy field, after he inherited it.

Cobb convinced the skeptical Saito that he could do it. Cobb’s motivation was that the powerful Saito could straighten out some unpleasant business in the United States involving the alleged murder of his wife, Mal. Cobb sets about gathering the team of experts that he’ll need to carry out the mission. These included his trusted associate, Arthur, Eames (a counterfeiter extraordinaire), Ariadne (a dream labyrinth architectural student of Cobb’s father-in-law Miles), and Yusuf (a drug magician). What Cobb kept secret from his crew was that he had para-psychotic “memories” of his Dream Girl, Mal.

The real Mal committed suicide. Cobb kept her alive as an internal “projection.” In that guise Mal constantly sought to kill Cobb, thwart his “dream work” and/or seduce him into “staying” in his dream “love-nest.” After Cobb had gotten his team, including Saito, organized and game-plan ready, he let slip to Ariadne that there was another member, Mal, whose insane possessiveness jeopardized all.

Ariadne immediately realized that Cobb had to terminate this awkward shadow member. Here she had to confront a love affair that did not want to end – even when one of the lovers was dead. The fact that Cobb had two children in the States that he dearly wanted to see helped him to resist ultimately the siren-song of his dearly departed wife. The “bad trip” ultimately ended on a thoroughly satisfying note for Cobb and team.

COMMENTARY:

This was a layered, confusing complex of memories, dreams, and “reality” that provided the milieu by which a self-exiled American, Cobb, could rejoin his children. It was a lengthy movie and many will probably find it disagreeable.

There was plenty of violence for the “red-meat” patrons.

The shadow lover, Mal, seemed well-named, as she was a typically negative force in Cobb’s dream world, although not without seductive qualities. She reminded me of an addiction. The problem is almost entirely within the mind, as the addict must overcome the arguments of his own mind, if he is to prevail.

Both DiCaprio and Cotillard were strong performers in this flick. DiCaprio’s recent performance in SHUTTER ISLAND probably commended him to Nolan for the lead in this film. Nolan and his production team put together a complex movie very professionally. Nolan wrote and directed MEMENTO, and he seems to be partial to layered, convoluted, looping platforms onto which he tosses actors and audience, making the stage a memorable experience.

Lastly, Christopher Nolan may be issuing a caveat about intelligence agencies, whether governmental or private. The CIA’s MK-Ultra program during the 1960s (and earlier), which was exposed in the early 1970s, as I recall, was an infrequent warning about the diabolical attacks intelligence organizations are capable of perpetrating under the cloak of national security. Private companies undoubtedly have their own pretexts for mind-management.

On the other hand Christopher Nolan may be a tool of intelligence agencies experimenting on audiences. What may be tested is the reaction to audio-visual confusion by people in an audience created by special stimuli they have experienced for over two hours. This same sort of thing has been done in abstract art. The reaction to confused images/messages by ordinary people provides behavioral scientists with useful data by which intelligence agencies may devise tools, tactics and strategies. It is not necessary to study more than a sampling to determine if an approach is likely to bear fruit.  

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Christopher Nolan – writer/director, Hans Zimmer – director of music, Wally Pfister – director of photography, Lee Smith – film editing, John Papsidera – casting

CAST:

Leonardo DiCaprio – Cobb, Joseph Gordon-Levitt – Arthur, Ellen Page – Ariadne, Tom Hardy – Eames, Ken Watanabe – Saito, Dileep Rao – Yusuf, Cillian Murphy – Robert Fischer, Tom Berenger – Peter Browning, Marion Cotillard – Mal, Pete Postlewaite – Maurice Fischer, Michael Caine – Miles, Tracey Ruggiero – Marion Cotillard stunt double, Mark Fichera – Leonardo DiCaprio stunt double, Stephen Izzi – Cillian Murphy stunt double, Danny Le Boyer – Ken Watanabe stunt double, Andy Pilgrim – Tom Hardy stunt double, Andy Bradshaw – Joseph Gordon-Levitt stunt double

VALKYRIE (2008)

STORYLINE:

By 1943 disparate individuals and groups were markedly disenchanted with the Hitler regime and National Socialism. Some of these had manifested themselves earlier in failed assassination attempts on Adolph Hitler. No one knew precisely how many disgruntled associations had been formed. This story described one such association which developed around General Henning von Tresckow, Helmuth James Graf von Moltke, Carl Goerdeler, General Beck, General Friedrich Olbricht, and Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. They plotted and carried through the attempted assassination of Adolph Hitler at the “Wolf’s Lair” near Rastenburg. Colonel von Stauffenberg was the agent of death in the form of explosives. Having set off the explosives, von Stauffenberg, Olbricht and company tried to commandeer military communications and establish a “peace regime” – before it was too late. This interesting failure (Hitler survived) at one point seemed to have “legs.” However, as Adolph Hitler interpreted matters, Providence upended the plot.

 

STORY CAPSULE

The film opened in North Africa, where Colonel von Stauffenberg virtually straightway made clear to a semi-sympathetic general his defection from the policies of Hitler’s regime. He clearly believed that the war was lost and that the only course that would spare Germany imminent devastation was to seek a peace on as honorable terms as was possible. At that point the war was still outside recent German borders.

An Allied air attack left von Stauffenberg seriously injured. After on location medical treatment, he was flown back to Germany. Nevertheless, he had to leave an arm and an eye in North Africa.

He was soon reunited with his family and reassigned to a staff position in Berlin. The comfort of family and thoughts of his children’s future were demonstrated. These steeled his resolve to oppose Adolph Hitler.

This assignment put von Stauffenberg amid a gaggle of seriously disaffected peers, including General Beck, who was presenting a civilian image, and General Olbricht, who held a key position at the Reserve Army Headquarters in Berlin under General Friedrich Fromm. The latter was a very calculating, lukewarm plotter.

Colonel von Stauffenberg had no illusion about the character of what he wanted to do. It was clearly to commit an act of treason, which was justified on the basis of “Germany’s greater good.”

For the conspirators human nature itself propelled them to demonize and denigrate the German leader. However, as movies go, the antagonistic comments were mild. In short they were obliged to “pat themselves on the back” implicitly as noble Germans selflessly doing whatever was required to preserve Germany from homeland annihilation.

By using a standing Reserve Army set of orders, the plotters hoped to “tweak it” enough to further their plot without appearing suspicious to Hitler. The operational code-name was “Valkyrie.” By putting it into action after the successful assassination of Hitler, they would begin the process of decapitating Goebbels and his SS units and securing their provisional government under the leadership of Carl Goerdeler.

Tension mounted as Claus von Stauffenberg made his way to Berlin, after the assassination attempt that he thought had succeeded. General Fromm refused to decisively act with the conspirators and was arrested by General Olbricht’s clique of conspirators. The story allowed von Stauffenberg to come forward not merely as “point man” but as virtually the CEO of the cabal. General Olbricht had become almost an aid to Colonel von Stauffenberg. Here the story surely became “loosely based.”

The Valkyrie plot appeared to be going the blitzkrieg route under the commanding eye of von Stauffenberg. However, the “best laid plans of mouse and men oft go agley.” So it was with the Valkyrie plot.

Adolph Hitler had survived with only minor injury. Apprised of the Berlin irregularities, he issued the counter-orders which defused the coup d’état. After a period of confusion in Berlin, especially, the Valkyrie cabal was arrested and status quo ante restored. The arrested conspirators were not given leniency.

As the story came to its conclusion, Colonel von Stauffenberg was bathed in the shadows of night. With his last breath he shouted “long live sacred Germany!” God have mercy on his soul.

COMMENTARY:

This was a visually pleasing film. I believe that the generally shaded and somber lighting was well-suited to the theme. Incidentally, it began in bright light and ended in rather dark tones, more or less catching by means of light the course of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg’s destiny.

Tom Cruise was effective as von Stauffenberg, and he has a general resemblance to the actual man, although lacking von Stauffenberg’s fine aristocratic set of features. Most of his supporting players were quite good.

The character, Adolph Hitler, was played as a weary, almost unsteady sort of man. Well he might be, as he had witnessed order after order that he issued, especially on the East Front, “misunderstood” or simply not fulfilled. He realized that there were more than a few traitors around him who were sabotaging his directives. These were generals. They were more numerous than the ones shown in this film. Paranoia isn’t paranoia when its parameters are real. Adolph Hitler is a man seldom fairly weighed in the balance.

This was and is a pity. He was and is the sort of man quietly copied, while at the same time denounced viciously. Why would anyone copy him? He was a visionary whose efforts were undone by vain minds. He offered effective leadership to Germany. His vision outran the resource of suitable aides required to accomplish them. He sought to build a classless German society, where wealth might be broadly shared. He sought a Germany that was of, by and for Germans.

That was declared racist by people who wanted into Germany but who were not Germans.

There is hardly any surprise that most of the conspirators in this film came from the Prussian aristocracy. They surely were incapable of perceiving a Bohemian corporal as a suitable leader. Only initial Hitlerian successes stilled the vanity of Prussian classism. When difficult times arose, they expressed their treason as “for the Fatherland.”

Consider the words of the original Claus von Stauffenberg, while in Poland in 1939, framed in a letter home that suggested the problem: “The people here are unbelievable rabble, a great many Jews, and a lot of mixed race. A people that is only comfortable under the lash. The thousands of POWs will serve our agriculture well.” [The Barnes Review, May/June 2009, page 50]

People who seek serf/slaves cannot long tolerate someone as a leader that they believe actually belonged to, or was close to, the lesser order of men. It won’t do.

The other group that operated as traitors in Hitler’s Germany was intelligence officials, such as Admiral Canaris. Intelligence agencies in every country tend to be “laws unto themselves” and may be reasonably fingered for most assassinations of political figures and many “terrorist” events. They, themselves, finger “odd loners” (the odder the better).

Admiral Canaris didn’t figure overtly in this film, but he was certainly part of the military working to overthrow Adolph Hitler. Consider:

“…By 1942, Adm. Canaris, head of the Abwehr, had even met with his British counterpart, Sir Stewart Graham Menzies, in Spain and Mallorca for tete-a-tete talks. Somewhat later (1943) Canaris also met with OSS boss Bill Donovan in Spain and Istanbul to discuss the ways in which certain traitorous German commanders were prepared to help ensure the success of the impending invasion. Allen Dulles, OSS agent in Bern, Switzerland, was also involved in discussions with the conspirators….In November 1943 Moltke, with the approval of Canaris, traveled to Turkey, where he had several messages delivered to Oss boss Bill Donovan. The first was the so-called Herman Plan in which he informed Donovan of the readiness of a powerful German group to help prepare and support Allied military operations against Nazi Germany…” [Supra]

Why anyone in his right mind would trust “perfidious Albion” is a separate issue. Here, I allude to the royal, aristocratic, Masonic and Jewish leadership presently in charge of that land.

There was a moment in this film where Hitler lingeringly grasps the good hand of von Stauffenberg. This lasted so long that even Tom Cruise’s character flashed mild distaste. It could not have been an accident. Goring was depicted at Wolf’s Lair as a rather perverted-looking gentleman.

Were the film writers able to introduce intimations of Nazi mass murders attributable to Adolph Hitler? Yes, the sincere Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg made veiled reference to his guilt. How did he know in 1943 while serving in North Africa? A little birdie told him, I guess. Can you trust a bird? Not a song bird.

 

PRODUCTION/CAST

Bryan Singer - director, Christopher McQuarrie/Nathan Alexander - writers, John Ottman - original music and film editing, Newton Thomas Sigel - cinematography

 

Tom Cruise - Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, Kenneth Branagh - Major-General Henning von Tresckow, Bill Nighy - General Friedrich Olbricht, Tom Wilkinson - General Friedrich Fromm, Carice van Houten - Nina von Stauffenberg, Terence Stamp - Ludwig Beck, Kevin McNally - Dr. Carl Goerdeler, David Bamber - Adolf Hitler, David Schofield - Erwin von Witzleben, Kenneth Cranham - Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Harvey Friedman - Dr. Joseph Goebbels, Gerhard Haase-Hindenberg - Reich Marshal Herman Goring

 

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (2009)

STORY CAPSULE:

An American death squad, led by Aldo Raine and composed mostly of Jewish volunteers, was organized in 1941 by U.S. intelligence and clandestinely released in France to "take scalps" and to generally terrorize Nazis in an effort at psychological warfare and demoralization. Separately, a Nazi S.S. Colonel Landa was terrorizing Jews in France, as well as their French friends. These two lines converged in 1944 at a primiere of Joseph Goebbels film masterpiece, Nation's Pride, which extolled the heroism of Pvt. Frederick Zoller, who killed 300 American soldiers from a tower in Italy. The hero was present for the premiere inwhich he starred in his own exploits. To buck up flagging German morale, Adolph Hitler decided to attend at the last moment. Naturally, all the high command of Germany would be there. Winston Churchill and British intelligence learned from double-agent Bridget von Hammersmark, a famed German actress, that this gala event would take place, and they promptly instituted an assassination plot, using film guru, Lt. Archie Hicox, as the point man in their scheme, as he spoke "fluent" German. Things didn't go smoothly. Furthermore, there was a private plot to annihilate the German high command by a closet Jewess, Shosanna Dreyfus, operating a movie house selected for the film premiere. It amounted to a second chance, although neither realised another plot was afoot. The agile Colonel Landa proved that among intelligence folks, it's all in the family. Lt. Aldo Raine found time to cut his own deal.

COMMENTARY:

This was a typical Tarantino-associated film. It was a homage to a B-grade forerunner, Inglorious Bastards (1978). The latter film was directed by Enzo G. Castellari and starred Bo Svenson, as an American colonel, who found himself leading a group of misfit soldiers through Nazi-occupied turf. Both Castellari and Svenson had cameo roles in Tarantino's film. 

There was quite a lot of film playfulness as well. As an example, the Nazi S.S. Colonel Landa early in this film tells a French milk farmer, Perrier LaPadite, who was hiding the Jewish Dreyfus family, that he can "think like a Jew," which was why he was so successful as a "Jew-hunter." What made this playful was that the actor, Christoph Waltz, appeared to me to be possibly Jewish. He apparently was Austrian, but he has a son who is a rabbi in Israel. While it was possible that the Jewish inheritance of his son came from a former wife, the heritage may be Waltz's as well. Therefore, when he stated as Landa in the film, utilizing a delicious gusto, that he could "think like a Jew," the playfulness was apparent.

Oddities and ironies abound in this film. Although the period appeared to be 1944 at a time when the Germans still occupied the greater part France, Lt. Aldo Raine described the Nazis as "mass-murdering" animals. As he spoke, the viewer could see a liberal sprinkling of scalped, dead Nazis strewn about. Of course, there was no credible indication of mass-murders by Germans at this time, although some of that appeared to have occurred at the Eastern Front.

Ironically, the denouement of the film witnessed the slaughter and holocaust of the German high command at the triple hands of British intelligence, American intelligence (via "the Basterds"), and Emmanuelle Mimieux, nee Shosanna Dreyfus, and her significant other, Marcel. As her theater erupted in flames, a preplanned film played first on the screen and then on bellowing smoke the laughing image of Shosanna Dreyfus gloating, behold "the face of Jewish vengeance."

Incidentally, Adolph Hitler was machine-gunned by "Bear Jew" and the whole German high command perished. Therefore, this tale was mostly fiction set in a historically correct period of war in Europe. Wishful thinking?

The vengeance spoken of might be alluded to her family's massacre at the hands of Col. Landa, as they hid in LaPadite's floor space, except for the context of holocaust. Hence, it was a justification without reality. Unfortunately, this is a commonplace in America and Europe.

 

The character traits of Lt. Aldo Raine and all the Jewish soldiers in his command were brutal and cruel. War is hell! The closest examples of admirable soldiers that the viewer will encounter were a German that was taunted by Lt. Aldo Raine and murdered by "Bear Jew" with a baseball bat and an S.S. Major Hellstrom who wouldn't backdown to the masquerading Lt. Hicox. 

Joseph Goebbels was presented as a rather bon vivant sort with a peculiar manner of wiggling his fingers when shaking hands. Adolph Hitler was presented as a caricature of a Mel Brooks rendering of the dictator. Naturally, he finds the ceaseless shooting of American soldiers in the film Nation's Pride hilarious. He compliments Goebbels, who becomes tearful in his overwhelmiing sense of honor.

Forbidden love was worked into the story, as Nazi Pfc. Frederick Zoller took a shine toward Emanuelle Mimieux, who was the closet Jew, Shosanna Dreyfus. He kept "hitting on her" and she kept dodging. It was harder to hit this moving target than the warrior hero had imagined. Oddly, they both end up hitting each other in a surprise flash of emotion.

Although there was some effort at presenting the Nazis as anti-Jewish and racist toward "Negroes," the context was often at merry occasions, which tended to turn dark sins into light. Although the Dreyfus family was executed at the farmhouse of LaPadite, the viewer couldn't see it happening. On the other hand there were abundant examples of Jews cruelly murdering Germans, including taking scalps. Apologists for such behavior might assert that the only reason that the Jewish soldiers took scalps was because Lt. Aldo Raine, claiming to be part Indian, demanded 100 scalps from each Jewish soldier in his company. "I want my scalps!" he had emphasized.

Sgt. Stiglitz was reported to have murdered thirteen S.S. officers. They decided to "make an example of him" by putting him in prison instead of promptly blowing his head off. Nazis were made out to be similar to Americans in their fecklessness in the face of dangerous criminals.

I believe that the concept of "anti-hero" may be getting out of hand.

Zany moment: Winston Churchill and Lt. Hicox discussing Goebbels, Louis B. Mayer and David O. Selznick. 

Interesting scene: Major Hellstrom joining the table of Bridget von Hammersmark, the disguised Lt. Hicox, disguised Stiglitz and another. Everyone should watch the hands.

Quentin Tarantino gave Brad Pitt the honor of wearing a name that was obviously inspired by B-grade war-movie honcho, Aldo Ray.

One oddity about this film is the "missing snake." Quentin Tarantino has a track record of loading his films with serpent/dragon imagery. From Natural Born Killers through Kill Bill the viewer will see the liberal use of snake imagery, particularly. One might argue that the silver chain around the ankle of Bridget von Hammersmark accomplished the continuity. Too, the letter "S" has been typically associated with serpent at least in its alphabetical origins. In the S.S. officers Landa and Hellstrom (and others) it would be present. For me this was not enough. Therefore, I assumed that the snake was strictly inferred. Since the serpent cannot be easily associated with German culture, I would not look there. However, it was more commonly associated with Jewish culture. In fact I have a text that included an exposition by a rabbi about the Jewish serpent encircling Europe. He made omenous merriment about the fear engendered by those who saw its opening jaw.

This film was presented in "chapters." It began with a "Once upon a time..." and the song "It's so good to be younger." This was the chapter that opened in 1941 at the LaPadite milk farm. The film looked good and some praise should go to the cinematographer. At the farm during the discussion between Col. Landa and Monsieur LaPadite, the camera would cut from one to the other in snapshot techniques. Now, LaPadite was at the left, and Col. Landa on the right, then vice versa. Then the viewer would see both from below, where fearful blue eyes belonging to the Dreyfus family peered through floor board cracks, and then from another angle. The editiong in this film may have been challenging, as Tarantino seemed to also desire eccentric shots, such as prolonged (5 seconds) "black," as the camera presumably peered into the "cave" wherein lurked "Bear Jew" with his sounding bat.

The character Aldo Raine was originally from "Maynardville, Tennessee" and appeared to know something about the moonshine business. He told his Jewish recruits that he was descended from Jim Bridges and was, therefore, part Indian. This was the pretext for taking scalps in the movie, apparently. One might point out that Jim Bridges is usually associated with the Rockies. He was a "mountain man" in the vicinity of Colorado and Wyoming. He undoubtedly knew Indian maidens. How or why any of his descendants ended up in the Smokies section of Tennessee would be anybody's guess. This connection is suspect.

CONCLUSION:

If one approached this film as a sort of modern, campy version of a Grimm Brothers tale, one can relax and find amusement. Truth must give way to "fun & games" in any Quentin Taratino film.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Quentin Tarantino - director and writer, Robert Richardson - cinematography, Sally Menke - film editing, Mary Ramos - music supervision, Zoe Bell - stunt double for a Bridget & Shosanna, Alexandra Nazahn - stunt double for Shosanna

CAST:

Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent), Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), Sgt. Donny Donowitz (Eli Roth), Lt. Archie Hicox (Michael Fassbender), Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger), Pvt. Frederick Zoller (Daniel Bruhl), Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz (Til Schweiger), Cpl. Wilhelm Wicki (Gedeon Burkhard), Marcel (Jacky Ido), Pfc. Omar Ulmer (Omar Doom), Major Hellstrom (August Diehl), Perrier LaPadite (Denis Menochet), Joseph Goebbels (Sylvestor Groth), Adolph Hitler (Martin Wuttke), Master Sgt. Wilhelm (Alexander Fehling), Winston Churchill (Rod Taylor), American Colonel (Bo Svenson), Enzo G. Castellari as himself

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (2008)

 

STORY CAPSULE:

A young man, Jamal, from the slums of Mumbai, India found himself under arrest and being interrogated about his recent success answering questions on a popular television program, “Who Wants To Be A millionaire?” He was suspected of cheating, and the police were putting him through torture to induce a confession. The young man would not confess to cheating; indeed, he said he knew the answers. “How could an uneducated slum-boy know the answers?” inquired the officer in charge. By means of flashbacks and reported events that dissolved into the events themselves for purpose of illustration, the young man related a picaresque tale which provided the life experiences whereby he was able to answer the questions so far asked. Within the picaresque tale the young man revealed his love story, revealed his love-hate relationship with his brother, and revealed many of the conflicting aspects of Indian society. Finally, the officer confessed a belief in the truthfulness of the young man, who was returned to the studio to confront the last question. The curious fan may want to face the denouement with the uneducated lad and his lady-love, being, as it were, a third Musketeer.

COMMENTARY:

This film started out a bit confusingly for the uninformed viewer. There were several cuts to the studio where the young man, Jamal, sat opposite the host of the big money program and to flashback images. Questions were asked by police that dissolved into lengthy episodes in his life that provided the answer he needed for a questions on the “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” program. As his life in the slum predictably brought him into knowledge of and contact with criminal elements, he and his brother, Salim, were tempted to join this life of easy wealth and brutal power. His brother found its allure too attractive to shun. The boys were shown developing their “street smarts.” Along the way, they were joined by a young girl named Latika. She became the world and the reason to be for the lad. However, each had to endure separation, danger and degradation before their concluding embrace and hopefully permanent reunion.

It was enough to make you jump to your feet and dance.

This movie did not shirk its duty to “tell it like it is.” Religious conflict between Moslem and Hindu was shown. Criminal abuse of children was a central aspect of this tale. Dreadful poverty was illustrated without sentimentality. It was simply the way things were in the slum, and the ebullient spirit of the children for a time defeated its deadly reality.

The interaction of the “enterprising” children with Western tourists was interesting and amusing.

India – for all its flaws – was seen to be very “alive” and perhaps to be growing into the new status of the center of the world (if the Middle Kingdom doesn’t get there first).

CONCLUSION:

This movie was certainly worth seeing. Not everything that is written is worth noting, unless the writer has a big, big hand. This was not a great movie, but it was a good one.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Danny Boyle – co-director, Loveleen Tandan – co-director, Simon Beaufoy – screenplay, Vikas Swarup – novel, A.R. Rahman – original music, Anthony Dod Mantle – cinematography, Chris Dickens – film editing

CAST:

Dev Patel – Jamal K. Malik, Madhur Mittal – older Salim, Anil Kapoor – Prem Kapur, Freida Pinto – Latika, Irrfan Khan – Police Inspector, Saurabh Shukla – Sergeant Srinivas, Sanchita Choudhary – Jamal’s Mother, Ankur Vikal – Maman, Nahesh Manjrekar - Javed

UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS (2003)

 

STORYLINE:  

In the midst of a long-running war between Vampires and Lycans, a Vampire warrior-maiden found herself strangely attracted to a human. When she perceived that he was the object of special interest to the Lycans, she sets out to discover “why.” Her task was made more difficult by treason, office politics, unwanted amorous advances by the titular clan leader, battle duties, and a complex of strange love and “sleeper” cells.

THE BIG CAPSULE:

The movie opened with a gothic animation depicting the interior of a tower or steeple. The time of day appeared to be late afternoon or evening. It was raining. Accompanying the opening was a narrative sketch of history to bring the viewer up to speed. The voice belonged to Selene. Parenthetically, a printed rendering of her comments also appeared. As she recounted matters, the camera tilted and panned, seemingly disturbing a gaggle of pigeons. Through an arch the camera focused on a figure perched on the edge of a railing of a tower balcony. Her coat was rippling in the wind like a cape, seemingly outstretched to greet the slowly zooming-in camera “visitor.” The crouched figure was dressed in black, including tight pants, top, and vest. All appeared to be a polyurethane material. She was young, pretty and brooding.

Her narrative had spoken of a long-running war between Vampires and Lycans (werewolves). She spoke of a telling clash at which time Lucian, the most cunning and feared of the Lycan clan, was finally killed. In that night of fire and retribution, the Lycan hordes scattered across the lands in fear and dread. But the blood feud between Vampire and Lycan had not died with Lucian, but it continued over the next six hundred years under the direction of the great Vampire Elder, Viktor, who now partook of a well-deserved sleep, while his house was ruled by his appointed Lord pro tempore, Kraven. The narrator advised that, although the Lycans were fewer in number than before, the war against them had become more perilous. The older Lycans were no longer ruled by the moon, as they had developed the power to “change” at will. The weapons of war had become more lethal. The old command for the Vampire “Death Dealers” to hunt down the Lycans one-by-one and kill them still obtained. The narrator expressed relief that at least that had not changed. She was a “Death Dealer.” She said that she lived for it.

About this time, the animation and contrived set designs give way to reality, so to speak. Selene was not alone. Across the way a few tower balconies was Rigel. He also was a “Death Dealer.” He had been using binoculars to scan the people walking on a sidewalk leading toward a subway station entrance. He spied a couple of known, or likely, werewolves. Naturally, they were cunningly disguised as humans. Rigel glanced knowingly to Selene, who returned it. Meeting of the minds! Before you can say “bats in the belfry” the two have leaped down some seven stories to the ground and begun to walk toward the suspected Lycans. In the background the musical baseline with emphasis on drums quickened the heart.

These events led to a fire-fight in a subway between about equal numbers of Vampires and Lycans. Humans were ducking down and going fetal. After the fight, the only Lycan survivor was a prominent member named Raze. He had been on a mission, been wounded in the firefight by Selene, and was subsequently forced to report to Lucian that he had failed to capture (or drain) Michael Corvin, who was the object of their mission. “Must I do everything myself?” whined the Great Werewolf leader. Raze was frustrated that he had failed.

At this time Lycan scientist, Singe, appeared from behind his table of test tubes. Behind him were a couple of men hanging by their arms. One common element of the hanging men was the last name Corvin, or a phonetic equivalent. Singe was asked how the latest specimen had turned out by Lucian.

Employing his best Hungarian accent, he suggested that they test him. Plunging a hypodermic syringe into one human’s neck, Singe drew a few CC of blood. He discharged it into a flask, which contained colorless fluid, stirred it, gazed disapprovingly at it, and announced emphatically: “Negative!” “I really must see this Michael Corvin,” Singe declared.

Meanwhile, Selene had been thinking about her mission. First of all, she had seen Michael Corvin in the subway. Their eyes had met for a moment, as he was going to his subway car. She was scanning for Lycans, but, just for a second, the warrior Selene had felt warmth and had succumbed to "Need-Hug-Now" Syndrome. Then, all hell broke loose in the subway as Lycans realized “Bloods” were near and opened fire on them. Selene and Rigel returned fire, and soon Rigel lay slain. Selene watched him briefly, probably wondering what kind of rounds was being used by the werewolves. Later, she would shoot down a Lycan and confiscate his firearm’s clip of unspent rounds. She took these back to Viktor’s estate, as proof that Lycans were a re-emerging menace. However, before leaving the subway complex, she stumbled upon an apparent Lycan lair, where many unruly voices could be heard.

Selene hastened back to Viktor’s estate and marched straight for a powwow with Kraven and Kahn, who was a leader of the “Death Dealers.” She announced: "We have a problem." She presented her evidence in the form of bullets that carried ultraviolet radiation, or “liquid sunshine.”

Neither Kraven nor Kahn could believe that “mangy animals” could possess such technology. Selene said: "I don’t care where they got them. I heard dozens – maybe hundreds – of Lycans down there" (subway tunnel complex). "We should gather all the ‘Death Dealers' and go back in force."

Kraven cautioned her: Amelia will arrive in two days for the awakening (of Marcus, a sleeping Elder). The house was already anxious about this. Let’s not stir up any additional trouble so close to The Awakening Ceremony, he advised. Further, they were expecting her Envoy to arrive at any moment to prepare her side of things.

Parenthetically, Kraven has a fixed notion that Selene would be his “partner” in a future New Vampire World Order. She despised him as a “bureaucrat.” She never tried to make herself appear more attractive. Still, you can’t keep a pretty women’s prettiness hidden entirely. Kraven had seen enough to be “infatuated.” He was also jealous – even of the human Michael, when he learned of him.

Selene went to a private area to study a videotape that had captured the  Lycans heading for the subway. She noticed that they were following someone. She was able to single out the man she thought they were pursuing, able to improve his image, and then able to recognize him as the man with whom she had briefly shared a “moment of interest.”

“It’s you,” she declared.

As she worked on the computer, an attractive Vampire named Erika entered the room. She had frequently acted as a messenger for Kraven. Indeed, she clearly wanted to be “number one” in his eyes. Still, she didn’t mind playing around, even with an attractive human, if no one were the wiser.

She advised Selene that Kraven wanted her to get dressed for the party, which was being held for Amelia’s Envoy. Erika held up a rather revealing black dress before Selene and announced, “You’ll look perfect in this.”

However, Selene had no time for such nonsense. She wanted to know why the Lycans were following the man she had revealed on her computer.

There was a brief scene displaying the gathered Vampires of the two great covens. Neither Erika nor subsequently Kraven could convince Selene to attend. Selene, in fact, split the compound in a car. On her computer monitor was the identity of the man (Michael Corvin) and his address at Laktos Josef Ut, number 510.

Selene was not alone on the road to Michael Corvin's. Also heading in that direction was Lucian. Further, two Lycans disguised as cops had gone to the hospital where he was an intern, trying to locate him. Another intern, Dr. Adam Lockwood, advised the “cops” to try his home, as he had a few hours off duty. They then proceed to his home, along with the others. Further, there seemed good reason to suppose that Lucian had brought along some “muscle” besides himself.

Selene got there first. She went through some of his papers, trying to understand what there might be about him that would be worth Lycan interest. Michael showed up. He remembered her from the subway. Before they could discuss much, the room showed signs of hostile forces at the ceiling. As Selene drew her gun and fired at the suspicious spots overhead, Michael made a run for the elevator. He made it inside. Selene caught up just as the door shuts. Darn! She’s thinking.

Meanwhile, racing along either wall and along the ceiling were werewolves. Oddly, they looked like overgrown bats scurrying forth. Selene shot at them. They were coming so fast that she decided to create an exit by shooting a circle around her body. As the medallion of floor gave way under the pressure of her weight, she executed a neat “just in time” escape. Immediately, she pursued the where-abouts of Michael Corvin.

The door of Michael’s elevator opened and he saw Lucian. “Hello, Michael,” intoned the Lycan leader. At about this moment Selene came around the corner, saw Lucian at the open elevator door, drew her gun and fired, hitting Lucian several times with high-Ag-content bullets. Her arrival and the bullets caused Lucian to spin momentarily in her direction, revealing the unique necklace with medallion hanging prominently about his neck.

Then, he spun back and lunged toward the shaken Michael Corvin, biting his left shoulder at the base of his neck. Selene showed up, saw the situation, and pulled Michael free by one of his legs. They hastened for her car.

Meanwhile, the movie viewer was treated to a ghastly-looking Lucian, whose eyes had a bluish-white appearance and whose mouth was gooey with blood. There was a sense of victory about him. He pulled out a small vial and he redeposited a gout of blood into it. Although the viewers were supposed to believe that it’s a pure sample of Michael’s blood, it’s bound to be contaminated with his own DNA. Oh, well! Let Singe figure it out!

In passing let me hasten to observe that it was more than a little inconsistent that an experienced “Death Dealer” such as Selene would not have guessed that the individual she had shot at the elevator door and whom she had found on top of Michael, pressing his head at the neck-shoulder area was not a Lycan biting on Michael. Further, given the bloody mess of Lucian’s mouth, how could there not be bloody evidence visible on Michael? Selene didn’t have a clue! What gives?

Hardly had Selene and Michael Corvin gotten into the car and headed out, when Lucian appeared, gave chase on foot, and overtook the car. He leaped on the roof.

Using a sword-like device, he managed to wound Selene. Now, both Selene and Michael have shoulder-area wounds. As she was at the wheel driving, she passed out, and Michael was able to steer the vehicle into an adjacent body of water, which appeared to be about twenty feet deep.

Quick-thinking Dr. Corvin grabbed Selene’s gun and shot out the front window, allowing them to escape to shore. The “doctor was in” and Selene was revived.

She took him to the Viktor's estate.

Important elements of the story have by now been introduced. Selene had become very wary about the situation, which seemed to be a heightened danger to Vampire hegemony. From her narrative at the outset, we knew that Selene and the other Vampires believed that it was their right by birth, even though she and others weren’t born Vampires but were made Vampires.

The story picked up tempo, as the war grew more desperate and as palace intrigue entered the picture.

Selene’s actions in staying out all night with a human and then bringing him to the house caused her to be called before Kraven for an explanation and dressing down. While this was going on, Erika, Kraven’s trusty messenger, was getting close and playful with the sleeping Michael Corvin. She noticed something about his neck, as she was entertaining the thought of a “little nibble.” She pulled back his shirt and saw the unmistakable fang-marks of a werewolf. About the same time Michael opened his eyes, having experienced in dreams strange images.

Erika shrieked and leaped to the ceiling from which point she bared her own fangs and hissed. Michael yelled in fright, also, and headed for the window to escape. He did escape, but Erika now knew he was a Lycan – an enemy. It doesn’t take too long for this information to get back to Kraven.

Unknown to Selene and to the other Vampires who were loyal to Viktor, such as Kahn and the other Death Dealers, Kraven was secretly meeting with Lucian to plot the overthrow of the old order and to establish a new one, which would be ruled by Lucian and Kraven over their respective “people.” There would be peace between the Vampires and Lycans in this new order for the world. [Humans would continue mostly as food for both societies. Veggie Vampires and Lycans were just not in the cards.]

Most movie viewers would surely suppose that Lucian would end up as “king-maker” for both groups. He undoubtedly thought so himself. Kraven, however, would prove to be not merely a hollow albeit ambitious political animal; he also had some of the lethal resolution of McBeth that he flashed at the end.

Selene was now emotionally torn between two men: Michael Corvin, the human involuntarily turned into a Lycan, and Viktor, her adoptive father who was “in hibernation” and possibly the only one who could save the Vampire coven. Amelia, an Elder, was arriving the next day to awaken Marcus, another sleeping Vampire, who rested beneath an ornate, manhole-like piece of metalwork only a few yards from Viktor’s. Fearful that the Lycans planned to attack the coven house at the time of the Awakening, Selene decided that she must awaken Viktor immediately.

Studying the ancient text, she had learned the history of the Lycan-Vampire hostilities. She had particularly noted the sketch of Lucian, which had included both his shoulder “brand” [oddly, it appeared as a “V”] and his necklace, which was similar to the one which was worn by the man at the elevator. The head of the sketch had been torn away. Also, the actual skin, bearing the brand, was enclosed in the book.

Selene began to suspect that Lucian wasn’t dead after all. Further, since the legend of the fall of Lucian stated that Kraven had claimed to have killed Lucian and cut the brand off him as proof, she had additional reason to doubt. Kraven was no warrior. Conveniently, he had no witnesses, except, possibly Lucian himself.

Selene learned as much as she could about the Awakening Ceremony from the ancient ritual textbook, and then proceeded to awaken Viktor, while praying earnestly that he’d understand the extraordinary circumstances that impelled her to do it. To accomplish this act she initially fed him from her own blood, which she had unleashed by biting her own wrist. There was a simple drainage system that channeled blood to a small reservoir atop his mouth about 6-8 inches. At the bottom of the reservoir was a drip-hole that allowed blood to drip directly into the open mouth of the mummy-like Viktor.

The viewer saw a rendering of what was happening inside the body of the “oldest and strongest” of the Vampires.

Selene then arranged suitable clothing for the Elder when he starts to move about. He was also connected to a dozen or more hoses that carry blood to various parts of his body – apparently all to the torso. These hoses were attached at the top to a sliding device where the bag or bags of blood were positioned. These bags may have contained cloned blood.

Selene left, having done all she was able to do in the awakening process.

There was a show-down coming. Lucian and the Lycans were plotting to meet the train carrying Amelia and her council and slaughter them. Kraven was a co-conspirator. He had been promised leadership of the combined covens, once all the Elders were killed. Since Amelia was the only one awake now, killing her would make killing the "hibernating" (Lucian’s words), Elders rather easy.

Lucian knew that he could divide and conquer the Vampires easily, as the only ones loyal to the Elders were the “Death Dealers.” If they have no Elders to give them orders, they would not constitute a determined foe.

Further, Kraven had his own body of loyal bodyguards, led by Soren. If there was resistance to the Lycans termination of the old Vampire Order, they and Kraven’s forces could easily subdue them.

However, Lucian’s plans had not included an awakened Viktor. He had no clue that Selene would prove to be an obstacle. He assumed that Kraven could handle his own coven. Wrong!

However, one thing was working in Lucian’s favor. He had bitten Michael Corvin, taken the blood back to Singe, and learned that Michael’s blood tested positive. He carried the dormant gene that would allow the union of the bloodlines of Lycans and Vampires. He also knew that Michael would become a Lycan, due to the bite he himself had given him.

Lucian’s plan was to capture Michael and hold him tied-up as a blood donor. Then, after the ambush of Amelia and her council and their slaughter, Amelia’s “pure blood” would be withdrawn and brought to Lucian. When this occurred, Lucian would be able to withdraw some of Michael’s blood, bearing the catalytic dormant genes, and, along with the pure Vampire blood of Amelia’s, inject them into Lucian himself. When this occurred, his Lycan blood would be “wedded” to the Vampire blood of Amelia’s through the agency of Michael’s dormant “blendo” gene. Lucian would change into a being that was half-Lycan and half-Vampire, but he would become stronger than either.

Good plan? You bet!

Unfortunately, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go astray. Viktor was awake now and grew stronger by the hour. Selene treated Kraven as if he were an incompetent. She was a warrior and influential with Kahn and the other “Death Dealers.”

Furthermore, she was still attracted to and felt a little beholden to Michael Corvin. She may have accepted the fact that he would become a Lycan. Viktor’s natural daughter, Sonja, fell in love with a Lycan. Wasn’t possible that the same fate might befall Viktor’s adoptive daughter? At any rate the fact that Kraven hated him argued well to Selene that she should try to help and protect Michael.

Although it was usually Kahn’s detail that met high councils to provide them with a protective escort, Kraven advised him that plans had been changed and that Soren would take his men to meet Amelia’s train. This was the pre-arranged procedure with Lucian that would allow the Lycans a free-hand to massacre the council. Amelia’s group did have some security, but it was far out-gunned by the Lycans (who did not spare tooth and claw, either).

Meanwhile, Selene had taken Michael to a Vampire “safe-house” where she planned to hold him during the full-moon period which was upon them. She explained to him that he’d inevitably change into a werewolf and try to feed. Hence, she locked him down with a heavy chain. She gave him a gun with one silver bullet to use on himself, if he began to change. "It won’t kill you but will prevent the change for a couple of hours." Then, locking the door, she left the room.

There was a rendering of the imprisoned Michael trying to escape his tether. Leter, he would begin to show the effect of a full moon.

Selene returned to the Vampire house to confer with Viktor, while fending off the importuning Kraven, who was getting worried. Viktor was getting about better. He looked rather like a pharaoh, who had been unraveled from his death-wrap two weeks after he had been buried. Yet, his color was coming back. He was more commanding. However, when he learned that he had been awakened a full century too soon – even before Marcus, he was stunned. This was a serious breach of protocol. The Elders were supposed to “leap-frog” through time. One was awake; two remained asleep.

Selene left the compound again to return to Michael. She wasn’t the only one. Lucian had sent two Lycans disguised as cops to patrol the area looking for Michael. Furthermore, Singe and several others, heavily armed, were also headed toward the “safe-house.” Selene was not quite sure why the Lycans were after Michael, but the fact that they were clearly seeking him was enough for her to try to frustrate that effort.

As the movie viewer has by now come to expect, there was a shoot-out between Selene and the Lycans. She freed Michael just as the Lycan “posse” was at the door. She ordered Michael to jump out the window. It’s several stories from the ground, but the gunfire from the Lycans convinced him to jump. His Lycan component must have “kicked in” because he landed on his feet in fine shape. However, the Lycan cops immediately drove up and, after a brief tussle, stuck him in the back seat of their cop car. They then started driving for the Lycan stronghold, where Lucian awaited his blood. [The fact that Michael was a “bro” now didn’t seem to carry much weight.]

By now Viktor had learned that Amelia and her council had been massacred and that Selene had taken up with a Lycan. Viktor realized that it was time to assert himself. Physically, he’s almost back to “normal.”

Meanwhile, Selene gunned down the entire Lycan “posse.” She found Singe still alive and took him hostage to provide evidence of what the Lycans were planning.

When she got back to the Vampire house, she found Viktor conferring with Kraven, who had complained that Selene suspected him of being involved in some “crazy” conspiracy. At that moment the voice of Selene was heard behind Kraven stating: “Here’s the proof!” With that she slung the wounded Singe sliding up to the area where the two leaders were conferring. With the help of her gun and a strong grip on one of his wounds, she persuaded him to talk.

Viktor and Kraven listened carefully. Kraven looked a bit anxious.

Singe then related the Lycan understanding of the Alexander Corvinus legend. He subtly tied it into the massacre of Amelia and the council. He suggested that Lucian would soon be “half-Vampire and Half-Lycan – but stronger than both.” Disgusted with such heretical taunts, Viktor killed Singe by slashing deeply into his face. Blood poured out and raced across the floor.

Before he died, Singe had challenged the notion that Lucian was dead. Only Kraven had made claim to witnessing that death. He had brought back Lucian’s branded skin as a trophy, as well as a witness. No one suspected that this was the beginning of a conspiracy fully participated in by Lucian and Kraven.

Glancing in the direction where Kraven had last been, Viktor saw nothing. The traitor had split. Turning to Selene, whom he had previously told that her transgressions meant that her life must be weighed by the council, Viktor told her: “You will have absolution – as soon as you kill Michael Corvin.”

Viktor gathered his “Death Dealers” and headed for the Lycan stronghold.

Meanwhile, Kraven had rounded up Soren and his other bodyguards and had already arrived at Lucian’s lair, demanding a powwow.

Michael had been deposited there earlier by the “cops” and now hung from ropes attached to his arms. As soon as Raze returned with a hypodermic needle and syringe filled with Amelia’s “Pure Blood,” Lucian would introduce it and Michael’s blood into his own body, so that he would be transformed into “half-Vampire-half-Lycan.” Then he would be able to defeat Viktor once and for all.

The process had gone so far that Michael’s blood had already been injected, when he was informed of Kraven’s arrival. Lucian’s “men” escorted Kraven’s “men” to another spot, so that the two leaders could confer in private. Here, Lucian outlined the basic structure of their compact. Then, as they were informed that Viktor had arrived, Lucian set forth to fight. As he went, he was back-shot by Kraven, who was using deadly liquid silver amalgam. This unexpected event seemed to have thwarted all Lucian’s hope for a final peace (if that is, in fact, what he wanted).

There followed firefights throughout the multi-level stronghold. Selene and Kahn led one group. Viktor led a group. Soren led a group. Pierce and Taylor led a Lycan group. The Immortals were dying like flies.

Lucian had crawled to an out-of-the-way spot, where he seemed ready to die. Raze returned and found him apparently dead. Raze had a small case which opened as he leaned toward Lucian to make both certain he was dead and to say farewell. The syringe with Amelia’s blood rolled from the case. Raze never thought to inject Lucian, which surely would have increased his chances of survival. Anger overcame Raze, and he tore off to wreak revenge.

Well, low-and-behold, Lucian awakened. He didn’t notice the syringe full of blood near a case near his legs, either. He crawled toward a broken wall nearby that separated Lucian from an adjoining room.

Inside that room Selene was trying to free Michael. At about the moment she succeeded, Kraven stumbled upon them, and he shot Michael three or four times. Down went Michael. Selene stooped to care and console him. As she did, Kraven demanded that she come to him and be at his side, as she was meant to be. She spurned his offer and expressed a hope that she lived to see Viktor strangle the life from Kraven.

A bit wounded by her comment, Kraven then told her that it wasn’t Lycans that killed her family the night Viktor “saved” her and turned her into a Vampire; it was Viktor who killed them, feasting upon their blood. Stunned, Selene accused him of lying. “Believe what you like,” he shot back.

Meanwhile, Lucian had crawled near Kraven’s legs. Distracted momentarily from killing Selene and Michael, he looked menacingly triumphant. He’d finish off Lucian, but the wounded Lycan leader could wait a second. He turned back to Selene and Michael. At that moment Lucian sprang his forearm blade forward and stabbed the left leg of Kraven.

Kraven staggered back. He glanced at Lucian, even as Lucian was gazing at Selene, holding the comatose Michael. “Bite Him!” urged Lucian. He watched her do so, even as the words of Singe were sounded in a flash narration: “Half-Vampire, half-Lycan – but stronger than both.” She - a little reluctantly - did bite Michael’s neck. Hardly had her teeth touched his flesh, when blood poured.

Lucian then proclaimed to Kraven: “You can kill me, but my will has been done.” In effect he stated that he had won. Then he died.

Kraven staggered off to meet his own death by werewolf.

Viktor arrived on the scene, just as Selene was getting a little “turned on” by her bite on Michael. Viktor grabbed and tossed her some ten yards, where she bounced off a wall. Then he grabbed Michael and threw him ten yards through a wall, where he came to rest in a pool. Within Michael, Vampire and Lycan were merging into “something else.”

Thereafter, a tussle ensued between Viktor and Michael. Selene watched nervously on the sideline. The fight was fairly even. At one point Viktor broke off to “explain his actions” to Selene. (“You ate my family!”) Then, he directed three Vampires to fire at will on Michael. They were shooting and hitting him fairly often.

Selene had to do something. She put the quietus on the trio of Vampire “torpedoes.” Viktor smacked her aside with a fist, and charged at the charging Michael. They collided, and Viktor was able to get a choke hold on Michael. The “Vamwolf’ was clearly in desperate straits.

Selene noticed Viktor’s sword nearby, got it, and challenged Viktor. He broke away from Michael (a wimp – even as a “Vamwolf”), and confronted Selene. She made a slash at Viktor, while hopping over and across him. As she landed and turned toward Viktor, she saw him also turn toward her.

She held her sword at the ready. She wanted Viktor to notice his own blood streaming down the blade, which he seemed to notice. There was some doubt how much he noticed, as his upper head slid down the diagonal line of her blade-slice, falling to the floor.

Meanwhile, Michael had gotten to his feet and was looking about. One can only speculate what he was thinking. A couple of werewolves show up at the outskirts of this chamber. They seemed to recognize him as a “bro” and possibly as Boss Bro.

Selene, too, was gazing at him. There was a suggestion that she recognized him as numero uno, also.

The camera cut to an image of Marcus’ sleeping spot. There was blood that had flowed from Singe onto and through the lid, dripping through the blood funnel into the mouth of the sleeping Elder. Suddenly, his eyes opened. Then, there came the sudden change from Vampire blue to the black eyes of a “Vamwolf.”

In the epilog that followed the camera cut from the triumphant Michael and Selene, there was a narration by Selene. In it she analyzed the general situation between Vampire and Lycan, her particular situation, and what the future was likely to be for both. Her words died off at the point when Marcus’ eyes changed color.

COMMENTARY:

I rather liked this film. I thought Kate Beckinsale, as Selene, was credible as a “Death Dealer.” Although she’s an attractive woman, in this film her character never used her goodlooks to advance herself. She’d rather go to the firing range and practice than talk Bloomingdale’s or Nordstrom’s with the bevy of Vampire layabouts. She never washed or fussed with her hair, which was remarkable. Her hair was in a Prince Valiant cut, and it always looked dirty. It frequently fell in front of her eyes. Hence, one wondered why she didn’t take a bobbie pin and pin it back – at least during firefights with Lycans.

Contradicting everything that I’ve indicated so far in regard to her grooming, she appeared to have plucked her eyebrows. She also appeared to have eyelid cosmetics which seemed to be applied in a very well-executed manner. Her character was loyal to her coven and loved her work as a “Death Dealer,” but she was driven and haunted by an attack on her human family before Viktor turned her into an “Immortal.”

This brought up the issue of immortality which the Vampires are alleged to possess. Anyone who viewed this film would have seen quite a lot of the Vampires die. Apparently, what they really meant was that, if all went well and they were not gunned down by werewolves using “liquid sunlight” bullets, or Viktor didn’t “choke the life out of you,” or the sun didn’t shine on you, and on and on, then you’ll likely live for many centuries.

Naturally, living for many centuries tended to make for a jaded and corrupt coven. If one took away Viktor’s Palace Guard (the Death Dealers) and removed Kraven’s personal gang of bodyguards, then one would behold some soft, idle, corrupt-looking Vampire folks. The Vampire gals looked pretty good, but their clothes seem to have been inspired by Victoria’s Secret. No! No! They weren’t hanging around in scanty panties. However, if Hugh Hefner were a Vampire, this is what his pad might look like.

By contrast the Lycans came across as veritable barbarians at the door. Their idea of passing time was to shape-change into werewolves and fight “tooth & claw.”  Only their leader, Lucian, struck a refined note here and there. For a Lycan he was an absolute gentleman. Nevertheless, no one could lead a bunch of animals unless he could do the “Alpha thing” himself. Further, the Lycans had a strain of scientists or para-scientists, working the bio-engineering racket. It seemed that Lucian, having tasted another side of the Vampire, wanted to find a way to unite the two species. His top man of science, Singe, was a “trip.” He reminded me of the character actor, Jack Elam. He spoke with a Hungarian accent that would have warmed the heart of Bela Lugosi.

Lucian’s main enemy and threat was his “father-in-law, Viktor. Viktor considered “mixing” an abomination. He called the idea "heresy." Lucian believed that it would put an end to the war.

To this date all efforts at blending had failed, as the two lines even fought at the cellular level. The Lycans had learned something in all their experiments, however. The desired element that was crucial to the blending process resided dormant in the direct human descendants of Alexander Corvinus.

All of these elements sprang from an ancient legend. It told a tale thusly: Alexander Corvinus, Hungarian,  warlord, and sole survivor of a plague that struck his village early in the fifth century, became the first true immortal, when his body was able to take the viral elements of the plague and reshape them – use them to his advantage. Later, he was known to have at least two sons: one “bit” by a bat, one “bit” by a wolf, and another "doomed to walk the lonely human road of mortality."

Yes, I count three sons myself, but part of the story was told by Singe and completed by Viktor. In the process a third son emerged.

At any rate Singe claimed that Vampires and Lycans shared a common ancestry. This was totally confusing to me. If he was stating that Alexander Corvinus was that ancestor, then surely other Vampires and Lycans excluded him from their ancestral line. Why? Well, who had bitten the two sons, making them into Vampires and werewolves? Surely, they were bitten respectively by a Vampire and a Lycan – perhaps in the guise of a ‘bat” and “wolf.” If this was so, then there must have been pre-Alexander Corvinus Vampires and Lycans. Viktor himself pointed to the “resting spot” of Marcus and said: There is a descendant of Alexander Corvinus resting right there.” He did not say, “I am a descendant of Alexander Corvinus.” Further, Viktor was described as the “oldest and strongest” of the Vampires. Unless the viewer decided to ascribe to this remark a limited-intent that embraced only Viktor’s coven, rather than the entirety of Vampiredom, he was left with the “fact” that Viktor might well be the ancestral father of all Vampires. Perhaps that’s why he looked like a pharaohic mummy at first “awakening.”

This movie legend had a socio-political affirmation to make, which clearly favored the Lycans. One of the writers also starred as a “Lycan of Color.” Further, the myth related a political economy in which Vampires were masters and Lycans were their slaves. Although both sides spoke of “Pure Bloods,” it was clear that Viktor was meant to symbolize any form of racism that employed concepts such as “pure blood.”

The Vampires were invariably given blue eyes, even though many had been humans and were “turned.” Viktor himself was given blond hair and a tall, vertical sort of body. He was described by Kraven as someone who liked to make rules but who didn’t necessarily follow them himself. Viktor talked about “loving” a given person but showed no hesitation in putting them to death. He was rendered as tyrant, racist, hypocrite, and murderer. Well, you’re thinking, who’s perfect, right?

The moviegoer was directed to be sympathetic toward Lucian, Selene, Michael Corvin, and even Raze, but not to Viktor.  Amelia, herself a “Pure Blood,” was murdered by werewolves and “drained dry.” Lucian had planned to use her blood in his scheme. He believed that he had a better use for her blood than she did. Was there a deranged genius in Lucian that called to one’s mind other film scientists-visionaries such as Dr. Frankenstein?

Had the Lycans been better medical scientists, they might have removed the bone marrow from the Vampires, rather than the blood. Why? If Vampires did not produce their own blood supply, then there could be no “pure blood,” as the blood which they drank from humans and beasts could not be so characterized. Further, according to Selene, the blood of a Lycan carried “memories,” which enabled Michael Corvin to “tune in” the events that occurred on that terrible day when Viktor consigned his daughter, Sonja, to death, while forcing Lucian to watch her die. Michael later told Lucian that he saw it "s if I were there.” Let us just say that we are dealing here with “strange blood.”

Incidentally, the film embraced a notion of two great “covens” of Vampires. This was an interesting word to choose, as compared to “clan” or “house.”

Wherever Amelia’s coven was located, according to her envoy to Viktor’s great house, there was a great ocean separating it from Viktor’s house and coven.

So, just where were these two covens located anyway? Since most of the Vampires in Viktor’s house spoke with English accents, one might guess Greater London, or the like, for one coven. As Amelia seemed to be possibly Italian, I scratched my head. Ocean? Mediterranean Sea? Then, it occurred to me: maybe they’re from Argentina. Later, there were strong indications that, accent or no accent, one of the locations was Hungary. I still don’t know. Selene went into a subway which had a sign saying “Southern Terminus.” There were simulated cops who looked and acted like American cops might. [Check out the uniforms.] You may want to see this film to take a shot at the mystery of the locale. If you do, judge it strictly by the film – not by a book or written script.

Another curiosity was that the Lycan clan didn’t seem to have any females. Did they reproduce strictly by biting humans and “turning them?” Such an argument must confront the First Cause question in regard to origins.

 Selene at one point told Michael Corvin that most humans died within an hour of being bitten by an “Immortal,” whether Lycan or Vampire. Both species seemed to have deadly viruses in their mouths, which were transmitted whenever they bit a human. Was this another sign of common ancestry? If so, they shared this trait with the Komodo Dragon monitor.

Hence, if Lycans could “turn” humans into their own kind, they would require some sort of “by-pass” or viral neutralizer.

The Lycans had been “Daylight Guardians” of the Vampires at one time. They had been slaves. Lucian stated that he was “born in servitude.” Were there never any female Lycans? Was Lycan culture something akin to Sparta’s – but a bit more singular? If the movie watcher wished to get to the source of the problem between Vampires and Lycans, he/she should cherchez la femme.

Note: There was a possibility that Lycans turned to female wolves for romantic interest, and such unions were invariably barren or resulted only in more male Lycans. If the former obtained, then the Lycans were limited to their “bite” for pack replacements. In that case the puzzling viewer must again suspect that Lycans also have a means to destroy the deadly viruses in their bite, which they can deploy at will.

It was possible that Lucian had played “peeping Tom,” as two Vampires ardently flapped about their bed. He may have once decided to try this strange behavior that Vampires loved so much. Yet, he was handicapped by an insufficiency of Lycan females. He would try a Vampire woman!

Apparently, the Lycan Lucian was able to seduce the Vampire, Sonja, who happened to be the daughter of Viktor, married her secretly and had a howling good time. Sonja became pregnant. Soon, there would be no way of hiding the fact. Viktor considered the grandchild to be an “abomination” and put both Sonja and the infant in the womb under the deadly burn of sunlight. He forced Lucian to watch her die. The fury of Victor continued in a relentless warfare against the depraved Lycans over the subsequent six hundred years..

This was the origin of the war between the two species.

Another inconsistency that should be noted was that the quick-shooting Selene, always cunning in the use of fire-power at all other times, in a scene in a car during a rescue of Michael Corvin from kidnapping (and worse), suddenly found the angry Lucian clinging on top of her car’s roof. Selene was at the wheel and driving. Lucian, who wore a retractable blade on his right forearm, caused it to spring forward. It’s about the size of a Roman short sword. He then proceeded to jab it through the vehicle roof, aimed at Selene. The first two attempts failed. The third attempt dug deeply into Selene’s right shoulder near the ball joint. The question is: Why didn’t she draw her gun and shoot through the roof, after the first blade thrust? She could hardly have missed Lucian and certainly had the time to do it. She proved that by subsequently drawing very quickly on Michael Corvin, after she was wounded. What was going on here? The plot required her to be wounded – so she was.

The character Michael Corvin, as played by Speedman, was very bland and soft. True, on a couple of occasions he used a “bad word,” but, overall, he was kindly, conscientious, and dull. He was without an engaging personality. He struck one as being a passivist and oppressively sensitive.

Even when he physically “changed” at the end and fought Viktor, one witnessed him slapping Viktor, pushing Viktor, and uttering the weakest sorts of “growls.” Still, his best moments of acting were those involving his “shape-changing” transition.

Shane Brolly had been criticized for his rendering of Kraven, and, indeed, one was struck by the inability of Kraven to enforce or follow through with his orders to Selene. She blatantly disdained his orders. Once she appeared to uppercut his nostrils with her fingertips. The criticism of Brolly seemed to be that he was unequal to the task of suggesting the character of Kraven. However, I thought that he was “on-the-button” portraying an ambitious man who lacked the steel for the top leadership position.

He was all form without substance. In life leaders may be frequently dumb, but they can’t be weak. Perhaps the real reason he was drawn so strongly to the idea of Selene ruling at his side was because she was strong. His bluff and her reality could combine to rule successfully. However, Selene despised him for being a bureaucrat and not a warrior, like her foster Dad, Viktor. Kraven’s fecklessness while lecturing, cajoling, and abjuring Selene was comical. Further, the awakened Viktor accused him of letting the coven become weak.  Kraven’s character was weak; hence, there was no surprise in the charge. He’s not “into” being a warrior; he’s “into” hierarchical form and pleasure. Perhaps his most deeply emotional moment was when he felt that Selene had “embarrassed” him.

Furthermore, Kraven was a traitor to the trust bestowed on him by Viktor. He was plotting with Lucian, who may be his cousin, to oust the Elders. Kraven would then become the sole head of the two covens. He would sign a peace treaty with the Lycans. Then, the Vampire world would be freed to “party it up!” That was exactly the sort of character that Brolly successfully presented.

One character who marvelously reacted to Kraven’s orders, as if he were the most important, powerful person around was Erika. She’s a fine counterpoint to Selene. Erika was a sycophant and social-climber.

What was the most telling line in this movie for contemporary viewers? It is the line Selene used in a conversation with Michael Corvin, as they became closer and shared some details of their lives. It went thusly: “Digging into the past is forbidden.”

Why was that important? Consider the George Orwellian formula: Those who control the present control the past; those who control the past control the future.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Len Wiseman – Director

Kevin Grevioux/Danny McBride/Len Wiseman - Writers

Tony Pierce-Roberts – Photography

Martin Hunter – Editor

Paul Haslinger – Original Music

Wendy Partridge – Costume Design

Vasilios Tanis – Makeup artist for Kate Beckinsale

CAST:

Kate Beckinsale – Selene

Scott Speedman – Michael Corvin

Michael Sheen – Lucian

Shane Brolly – Kraven

Bill Nighy – Viktor

Erwin Leder – Singe

Sophie Myles – Erika

Robbie Gee – Kahn

Wentworth Miller – Dr. Adam Lockwood

Kevin Grevioux – Raze

Zita Gorog – Amelia

Scott McElroy – Soren

Sandor Bolla – Rigel

Jazmin Dammak – Sonja

Mike Mukatis – Taylor

Rich Cetrone - Pierce

ZOMBIES OF MASS DESTRUCTION (2009)

COMMENTARY:

While browsing Netflix, I spied this movie in the Horror genre. Its name suggested that it might be amusing. It did prove to have amusing parts to it. I thought that its poking fun at some topical issues was reasonable for a satiric Horror flick. This included jabs at a Protestant minister. However, I found the anti-Christian element offensive to the maximum degree.

I have rarely encountered a more repellant description of Jesus of Nazareth than found in this movie. Moreover, it was made to come from the lips of the preacher in an approving fashion.

The movie was written and directed by a man named Hamedani. A Ramon Isao contributed to the script.

Hamedani appears to be an Iranian name. If so, he may be cut from the same cloth as the Iranian man whose poem in praise of Satan and whose use of offensive terms for Islam's prophet, Mohammed, induced the Ayatollahs' to issue a death sentence on the man. On the other hand maybe a few exiled Iranians are trying to incense the world against Iran in hopes of being appointed "democratic" leaders of a toppled government.

As for Ramon Isao, perhaps he is a member of The Brotherhood.

As this film was homophilic, there may, of course, be another hellbent association into which the writers belong.

I am not pious but do recognize lines of artistic acceptability.

Further, the entire modern Horror genre has - more or less - quit spookiness in favor of raw, ghastly depictions of cruelty on the one hand and nakedness and graphic lewdness on the other. Not surprisingly, Hitler and/or Nazi Germany are typically forced into these movies at some point, as the demonization of Adolf Hitler was and is nearly non-stop in American and European films.

Female-with-female sexual scenes have become regular features of Horror films. Can child exploitation be far away? Don't look for Congress to monitor this form of commerce. Don't look for preachers to do it. Parents will have to do it.

The Horror genre was born from the enmity of Good and Evil. Modern filmmakers, unbelievers or, worse, Satanists, look only to ridicule Good and advance Evil. Parents should be aware of the subject matter and new perspective of Horror filmmakers. These are far removed from the classic Horror films of the 1930s and '40s, thanks, chiefly, to derashic interpretations of this genre's idioms.

Today, morality is determined by the bottom line. The spiritual leaders of Hollywood are those who exploit most successfully. Their apologists protest, "Even the ganef must live!" Caveat emptor.

The heroine of this movie was Frida Abbas, who was a first generation American, whose parents came from Iran. She had returned to Port Gamble from Princeton University. The heroes were a homosexual couple, Tom and Lance, who have come to Port Gamble so that Tom can "come out" before his unsuspecting mother.

STORY CAPSULE:

This movie opened with a prologue. The viewer saw a blind man walking slowly on the shoreline toward a body. The body was that of a man who appeared to be in his late '30s. He's gray-faced and has grayish-pink goo coming from his mouth.

The blind man was using a walking stick to feel his way along. When it encountered the strange unknown, the puzzled man wondered out loud if it was "a whale?" He pressed the end of the cane against the top of the body, trying to discover its form. The viewer witnessed the tip of the walking stick sink into the back of the man, apparently passing through his coat without meaningful resistance. When it was withdrawn, the tip was covered with a thick red goo. The blind man seemed amazed.

He squated down to feel the "thing" with his hand. Feeling the back of the man's head, he felt something wet and gooey. It was semi-congealed blood. He muttered in amazement, "Oh, my!"

About that time one of the eyes of the apparently dead man opened. His mouth moved into an unspoken snarl. As the camera faded to dark, the voice of the blind man could be heard remonstrating, "Take your hand off my arm!" Then a sort of wail was uttered, dying into stillness.

The film came out of darkness into a bright day in Port Gamble. A newspaper was seen hitting a front door. The camera then followed the boy along. Significant characters in the movie were encountered along the way of the newspaper deliverer, and some of them were then followed until all the faces of the main players were introduced. Relationships were also suggested.

At a service station Joe Miller and his wife, Judy, and son, Brian, stopped to get some gasoline. As he pumped the gasoline, Judy went to the station's convenience store. About the time she returned, Frida walked by their car. Brian had seen her walking as they were driving, so there was no doubt that he harbored a "crush" on her. When Joe saw her, he called out a "Hello!"

Frida turned. She was clearly doing so out of a socially-coerced sense of politeness. The Millers were this film's substitute for "Red-Necks," while son, Brian, was a socially inept bi-product of Joe & Judy. The Millers relentlessly referred to Frida as an "Iraqi," cautioning that they weren't sympathetic with fighting Iraqis. She corrected them that she was an American. She had been born in Port Gamble. Her father was an Iranian immigrant-citizen. They chided her for not letting them know that she was back. She smiled, indicating that she had left Princeton University. Actually, she told them that she had been in Port Gamble for the last month.

Joe Miller was also used to lampoon patriotism, especially in a rather ghastly scene later in the film, using psychological and torture techniques of interrogation against Frida. The message was that paranoid violence was as American as --- as -- well, white people, even if they came from Canada, as did Joe Miller.

Frida bade them "good-day" and continued on her way.

A camera cut showed some people coming from the dock where they had disembarked from a ferry. Among them were Tom Hunt and his "significant other," Lance Murphy. They had come from New York so that Tom could tell his his mom the exhilarating truth. Strategy was pressed upon Tom, as Tom was rapidly losing courage.

Also, Mayor Burton had an encounter with a jogging young woman, Cheryl Banks, the liberal Greenie of Port Gamble. He was told that she was running against him for mayor. They parted in competitive spirits.

A camera cut introduced Reverend Haggis. He was seen to be before a mirror practicing his Sunday sermon. Later, Mayor Burton stopped by. The latter congratulated the preacher on his sermon, especially praising the second hour. They seated themselves at the preacher's desk. Mayor Burton rested his left hand on the desk. The camera lingered on the hand and the preacher for a moment, and then the preacher was seen to cover the hand of the mayor with his own. Every effort was made to be suggestive by the filmmakers here. The preacher then asked the mayor, "Do you want to pray." The mayor then covered the covering hand of the preacher with his right hand.

The camera cut to Frida's "boyfriend," Derek Blaine. He had just arrived at Ali Abbas' restaurant, where he worked as a dishwasher. Ali, incensed at his work ethic, fired him.

It should be noted that by now, citizens were seen here and there shuffling slowly about. Often, they had gore on their mouths and shirts. No one seemed to notice.

The camera cut to the Abbas home, where the shapely Frida was dressing. Completing her preparations, she went downstairs. There she found her father "bowing to the east" in prayer. She saw that the windows were opened and appeared to be embarrassed. She closed the window, setting off a father-daughter, cultural confrontation.

While Ali was praising the Persian culture of Iran, he also told her that she was from a "good family." She was at Princeton University. She should not waste herself on low people. He chided her on her clothing, which gave her a distinctly sexy look.

She then told him that she was going on a date, and that was the way people looked on dates. When Ali asked who she was going with, she replied, "Derek Blaine." Ali growled, "I fired that good-for-nothing today!"

There was then a camera cut to Tom Hunt and Lance Murphy standing just outside Mrs. Hunt's abode, which was a large, two-story house of wood. It was dominantly gray, but the lower third was a cream-color. The bi-colored house suggested confusion. Tom was in an advanced state of retreatism, and Lance was getting a bit annoyed at him for it.

The camera cut again to Frida. She was now with Derek, and they were having some differences. They were seated in a car. She wondered how anyone could be dumb enough to get fired from a dishwashing job. Derek wanted to be a musician/singer. He had written a song for her entitled, "Frida." He was modest, stating that he knew he was no "Radiohead" but he was pretty good. He brought out some "pot," and Frida "hit the bong." As they mellowed, Derek told her that he loved her. Things looked to be warming up, when suddenly a figure stuck his head in the open window and bit Derek's face.

While he was screaming and struggling with the zombie, Frida noticed that there were several more zombies surrounding the car and pushing on the windows. As the first zombie was peeling away Derek's face, she pushed the sunroof open and started climbing out. The zombie that attacked Derek kept reaching for her, and her pumps seemed to have caused her foot to be caught.

Helped by the hopelessly slow character of zombie "walkabouts," Frida managed to evade the attackers, climb a fence, and race forth. As she did, zombies could be seen here and there. A little girl, Lisa, raced to her. Comforting the girl, she told her that she'd not allow anything to happen to her. She told the girl that her house was just across the way. She grabbed her hand, and they began to hasten to the Abbas abode. As they crossed the street, a trunk hits the girl, leaving Frida holding only a bloody arm.

Inside, she finds her father. He had been outside earlier, looking for Frida and fighting with the plague of zombies. Now, he warmly embraced his beloved daughter.

Meanwhile, the outside world had learned of the strange goings-on in Port Gamble. At JBN TV news, reports were issued of zombies thought to be the product of some virus. The newsman told the viewers that the work might have been done by terrorists.

The camera cut to Tom and Lance at a dinner table with Mrs. Hunt. She had told them that she had been shopping, when suddenly an old acquaintance leaned over and bit her arm. They laugh it off. Then Lance launched into a line of conversation that was preparatory to the "coming out" announcement by Tom. Mom found a reason to go to the kitchen. When she came back, she had turned a greenish-gray, was shuffling slowly toward them, and seemed to be having a "spell." There was goo coming out her mouth. Soon, she was attempting to bite Tom, and a comical struggle commenced.

The camera cut to Frida, who had now come under attack from her father, who had turned zombie, having apparently sustained a bite while seeking Frida. After putting the quietus on Pere Ali, she fled from the house, seeking a safe harbor.

Meanwhile, the Christian remnant were gathered at the church for the evening bingo. The fleeing Tom and Lance, seeking shelter from the zombies, stop at the church door. They see Cheryl Banks swinging a bat as she fought against zombies. They called to her to come over to them. When she arrived, they enter the church together.

The preacher, totally unaware of the zombie plague, advised them that the church was closed for bingo. When Cheryl, Tom, and Lance urged them to look out the window, the preacher, mayor and the others witnessed a yard well-canvased by zombies, some of whom were dining on human victims.

While the preacher checked his "tomes," Cheryl inquired about weapons and urged that the doors and windows be boarded up for protection.

Meanwhile, Tom was whispering to Lance that he should try to be masculine.

The Reverend Haggis returned to cheerfully report that his effort had borne fruit. He told them that it was Armageddon. Not to worry! The pure of spirit shall not perish. The Return was nigh. Christian spoofing went into high gear at this time.

There was a camera cut to Frida outside tussling with zombies and seeking a safe place to hold up.

Suddenly, Judy Miller stuck her head out the doorway of her house and called to Frida to run over to her. Frida did just that, entering through the door. However, before she could get back inside, a zombie bit Judy's arm. Joe Miller shut the door, but a zombie arm was caught inside. Joe got an ax and chopped off the arm. Now they were safe.

Joe assured Frida that she need not worry. The Millers' had food, water, and weapons. Brian was there, doing his usual inept, fumbling ogling of Frida. The lecture by his father on safety, however, compelled him to point out that "Mom's been bit; she's going to turn into a zombie! We have got to tie her up."

The TV in the Millers' home was broadcasting JBN News. The newsman had informed the viewers that an Iraqi terrorist had claimed responsibility for the zombie plague in Port Gamble. Joe's attention was captured. "Damn Iraqis again!" he exclaimed, noting the man's attire, including a peculiarly shaped medalion on a chain. Suddenly, he noticed that Frida had the same kind of medalion on a chain. Bingo! The Connection!

He demanded an explanation from her. There followed a spoof of hyper-Americanism, as well as of American techniques of interrogation.

Playing the "Brian" card, Frida was able to escape the Millers' house. Outside, large numbers of zombies shuffled about. Some humans could occasionally be seen running from or tussling with zombies. Frida's attempt to escape was temporarily thwarted by Joe, who seemed intent upon handcuffing her to a junglegym and finishing her interrogation. However, as circles of zombies were closing in, she managed a flipflop, handcuffing Joe to one of the bars. As she raced off, he pled for her to free him, as he now believed that she was a patriot. He ended his days talking to the zombies.

The whole mess came to denouement, when Frida, Tom, Lance and Cheryl joined forces. The latter three had fled the church after the mayor turned zombie. Things seemed hopeless. Suddenly, U.S. Army helicopters showed up to blow away the zombies. Soldiers on foot confronted the foursome, asking if the were infected. "No!" they shout. They were saved.

There was a epilog. Frida was now operating her father restaurant. Tom and Lance dropped by to thank her for saving their lives. "Call us," Lance said. A new mayor, Cheryl Banks, was also presiding over a Port Gamble commemoration. She gave a very conservative, Homeland Security-friendly, and Patriot Act-like speech. Things have changed in Port Gamble. The citizens must be ready for it.

CONCLUSION:

Cornelia Moore's Cheryl Banks was the best performance. Linda Jensen was memorable as Mrs. Hunt. However, it was to the men that the writers gave the most exaggerated roles. Russell Hodgkinson's Joe Miller was overacting at its best - almost maniacal at times. Bill Johns' Reverend Haggis was overacted with glee - achieving a downright zany quality at times. I don't think that Ali Hamedani can act very well. He was the weak point in the cast, which otherwise was fairly solid for a spoof. The film quality was not bad. I liked the way the film opened, and the way it introduced the characters. The characters weren't well-developed but were types who were tossed into a crazy, dangerous situation. The mocking was stronger (and more diabolical) than the story. The satire of the "talking head" newsman was well-done. The basic concept of zombiism as as an outgrown of viral infection seemed reasonable enough, given the absurdity of zombies to begin with. Finally, I did laugh at some of this stuff.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Kevin Hamedani - director/writer

Ramon Isao - writer

Andrew Rohrmann - original music

John Guleserian - cinematographer

CAST:

Janette Armond - Frida Abbas

Doug Fahl - Tom Hunt

Cooper Hopkins - Lance Murphy

Bill Johns - Reverend Haggis

Russell Hodgkinson - Joe Miller

Ali Hamedani - Ali Abbas

Cornelia Moore - Cheryl Banks

James Mesher - Mayor Burton

Andrew Hyde - Brian Miller

Victoria Drake- Judy Miller

Linda Jensen - Mrs. Hunt

Ryan Barret - Derek Blaine

May 25, 2010, EbonyStar.

CRAZY HEART (2009)

COMMENTARY:

This was a bothersome little film. It was limited by its focus, which wasn't, in reality, very amusing. Alcoholism has been considered seriously in a number of films, such as LOST WEEKEND and THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES. Interestingly, this subject has done quite well at the Academy Awards - at least in terms of percentages. In this version the alcohol problem arose naturally, was obvious, but was not overstated. I thought it was well-done.

Having said that, it was something of a "downer" (if you'll excuse a term associated with drugs). Jeff Bridges seemed very comfortable in the lead role of Bad Blake. He was credible. However, much about his character was deceitful or self-mutilated, making the movie increasingly tedious.

He gets good support from Beth Grant as Jo Ann. He wasn't hurt by the rest, but they really had little to work with. There weren't any attempts at touching upon larger issues that might draw upon a wider cast in significant, satisfying ways.

It might be called a "Love Story," yet how meaningful can words of love be from a man grown selfish and self-centered by the singularities of his profession and by his reliance upon alcohol to get by each day. A relative of mine once said that he wanted to go through life anesthetized - or chose to do so. A life that cannot be remembered cannot be very rich.

Still, although this film at no timed lost its sense of reality in matters of addiction, it did not close the door on a true "rebirth" from the shade of a fading man.

STORY CAPSULE:

A once well-known Country & Western singer awakened from many boozy nights to the unpleasant realization that he was middle-aged and basically broke. Once, a "big-time" singer who filled-up large halls, theaters and top-rung bars, he was now lucky to get booked at a bowling alley/bar. He lived out of cheap motels mostly, taking singing gigs from Texas to California. He drove his own worn vehicle to his scarce bookings.

His name, Bad Blake, still drew his old fans from way-back-when. However, he hadn't made a hit song for quite a while. His songs weren't getting made into hits by other "artists." In fact he hadn't written any songs for a number of years. Folks in the business thought his "well had run dry." Fresh young talent was taking over. That included the big star, Tommy Sweet, who had originally gotten started as a nobody part of Bad Blake's band, which was very popular at the time.

He called his manager, looking first for money and secondly for some good gigs. He heard a big "can't do" from the manager, other than the embarrassing engagements in bowling alleys and the like.

He encountered a backup musician who had a niece who needed a "big break" in her newspaper job. Would Bad Blake give her an enterview? "You betchie!"

This circumstance introduced to him Jo Ann, the young mother and wannabe pundit. She was pretty and fresh. Bad Blake was taken by her. She sort of liked him, although he was known to have had five wives. From the female point of view that fact contained two important pieces of data: 1) he probably wasn't gay, and 2) he might be impossible to live with. She ended up taking the gamble.

Were it not for her son, Tony, she might have struggled longer to keep the relationship going. However, when Bad Blake took a break at the mall for a couple of "doublies," losing her son in the process, she had no more "slack in her rope." The relationship ended.

Along the way Blake had some time to "toss the manure" with old pal, Wayne, who owned a bar in Texas.

His old protege, Tommy Sweet, allowed him to open a big gig for him in Arizona, or thereabouts. There were some positive vibration in his life, and Bad Blake had never really been "knocked out" by anything in his life.

Then, the combination of car wreck, alcohol-related health problems, losing Jo Ann, and living in a going-nowhere career convinced him to enter an institution that catered to people in his fix. He seemed determined to change his life.

Later, he would try to make contact with a son from a previous marriage. That, too, did not appear to work for him. He would try to reestablish his relationship with Jo Ann. That appeared to be unworkable, too.

Still, he had written a new song. It had been inspired by his love for Jo Ann. He gave the song to Tommy Sweet to use, and he turned it into a big hit. It was called "Crazy Heart."

Otis Blake (he now used the name that his mother had given him) was doing okay. However, his health was not good. Would his "crazy heart" betray him too?

CONCLUSION:

Watching people shoot themselves in the foot and then call "medic" is not my kind of quality time. Jeff Bridges' rendering of this singer was the only reason for seeing the flick. He's not that good.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Scott Cooper - director/writer

Thomas Cobb - novel

T-Bone Burnett/ Stephen Bruton - original music

Barry Markowitz - cinematography

John Axelrad - film editing

CAST:

Jeff Bridges - Bad Blake

James K. Keane - manager

Paul Herman - Jack Greene

Ryan Bingham - Tony

Beth Grant - Jo Ann

Rick Dial - Wesley Barnes

Maggie Gyllenhaal - Jane Craddock

Colin Farrell - Tommy Sweet

Robert Duvall - Wayne

Brad Gleason - Steven Reynolds

Richard Solberg - stunt double Jeff Bridges

May 24, 2010, EbonyStar

CAPOTE (2005)

COMMENTARY:

This movie was about experiencing Truman Capote in the period just prior to and during his writing IN COLD BLOOD. As a bonus, Nellie Harper Lee was thrown into the mix. At that time she was acting as researcher/ companion for Truman Capote, as he latched onto the Clutter family murders in Kansas to exhibit his new concept of a nonfiction novel. At the time Capote had already achieved some literary notice and praise, as well as mini-infamy as a roue`.

The film used both color and black & white. I thought that it was directed in a professional manner that was generally straight-forward. However, flashbacks were used. Also, in providing information to Capote, a character might fade away as his story took front stage, so to speak. The acting was solid. Hoffman was quite good at rendering Truman Capote. However, at times I could not understand everything that he said.

I saw Truman Capote at least several times on the old "Johnny Carson Show." More than a few times he appeared to be "in his cups," but I never had trouble understanding what he was saying. He promoted an image of "feistiness" at times, stating that he was "about as tall as shotgun and twice as noisy."

In this film character flaws were demonstrated. The film suggested some level of anti-Jewish feelings existed in Capote at that time. Be that as it may, by the '80s he was quite friendly toward Norman Mailer, stating on Carson's show, "I love Norman Mailer." He affirmed that he was ready to intervene in the Gore Vidal-Norman Mailer feud as a Mailer partisan.

The film also clearly demonstrated Capote's willingness to use people to achieve his goal. Deceit was merely one tool in his arsenal the purpose of which was to overcome any obstacle to the fulfillment of his scheme.

The purpose of Capote's trip was to write an article for New Yorker magazine. However, his antennae were twitching everywhere for THE story which would allow him to write his concept novel. The Clutter family murders were real. That was the first necessity for his concept of a "completely new" style. Therefore, he went to Kansas for the magazine article, but he also went there for his "concept quest."

People murdered by gun fire probably all die pretty much alike. It cannot be that the murder, per se, was important to him. He was looking for a special human dynamic with which to work.

He found that human dynamic in Perry Smith.

The film suggested that Capote sensed at almost first sight that Perry Smith might be a bit of a "fairy." At once he was intrigued. At contrived meetings with Perry Smith, he tried to gain Smith's trust. One of numerous ploys used by Capote was that they were "very much alike." At the time he was referencing their childhood experiences, but there was an unstated comment that they alike in other ways.

As with many people who have had a difficult life, Perry Smith wanted to be considered as intelligent and even moral. Compared to his fellow-in-crime, Dick Hickock, he may have been. Yet, it was Perry Smith that had the lurking rage within him to kill in cold blood. Throughout most of the film, he was diffident, soft-spoken, and inclined toward his best effort at thoughtfulness. He bonded with Capote. It was largely one way. However Capote may have been touched by Perry Smith, he basically used Smith.

I believe that Capote felt a certain mix of patron, mentor and indebtedness to Perry Smith. Capote realised that Perry Smith was his "gold mine." For probably a mix of reasons not all of which were altruistic, Capote found a competent lawyer to defend Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. His "concept novel" had been realised, and it had won for him great praise and wealth. Truman Capote was "big enough" to attend Perry Smith's execution.

Incidentally, movie-lovers might well arrange a double feature of the original film version of IN COLD BLOOD, starring Robert Blake as Perry Smith, and CAPOTE, starring Clifton Collins Jr. as Perry Smith, for an interesting comparison of interpretations. Parenthetically, it was this role that catapulted Robert Blake's career into the "big time." I saw him come onto the Johnny Carson Show, and Blake performed the well-known "Yellow Bird" lines from the movie (and book). The actor stated in his intense, urgent way, "I didn't like Mr. Capote, and he didn't like me."

An irony comes to my mind as I recall these things.

It was very usefull to have Nellie Harper Lee along for the ride. At the time she was attempting to get a publisher for her novel, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. She was still relatively unknown as a writer. As children, she and Capote were next door neighbors. They went back a long way and had a distinct level of comfort with eachother. In the movie Capote quipped to her that she was the only person he knew who could fill the role of researcher and bodyguard.

The cultural environment of literary Manhattan was introduced, as well as understated commentary about his relationship with Jack (Dunphy). However, this movie was overwhelmingly on Capote's investigative journalism regarding the Clutter murders.

 

STORY CAPSULE:

The film opened in a Manhattan setting, where Truman Capote was seen to be regaling a gaggle of literary types. He told a story involving James Baldwin that had them all howling. Drinks flowed. Capote advised that he wasn't "into" biographical novels, finding them "boring." He spoke of a brand new form of novel which would be completely different from anything else that he wrote.

This served as a cue to where and why the bulk of the movie was heading.

Capote was seen to be reading with with deep interest an article from the New York Times on a murder of a family in Kansas. He was seen clipping out the article. Arranging story funding from the New Yorker magazine, he set forth with Nellie as his researcher.

There was an amusing scene on the train, when a porter on their train praised Capote's latest book, using phrases that seemed not altogether "true to character." Nellie looked at Truman and said, "You paid him to say that." Subsequent interaction seemed to verify her assertion.

When they arrived in west Kansas at the small town outside of which was the Clutter farm, they set to work. They first visited the local police. There they made their initial encounter with Alvin Dewey, who was not apparently impressed with the celebrity journalist. He told them that they could join the other press at his scheduled briefing. Dewey, the chief Kansas investigator into the Clutter family murders had known the Clutters and vowed to get whoever did perpetrate these murders.

Capote and Alvin Dewey became friendly, and Truman and Nellie on several occasions stopped by the Dewey home for dinner or drinks. Always for Capote, there was a hunt, or search, involved, whether he came with questions or hoped to pick up useful information. Naturally, he was also allowing Alvin Dewey and his wife Marie the opportunity of revealing themselves for his "concept novel."

In due course two suspects in the Clutter murders were arrested. A jailed individual revealed information about a cellmate to collect the reward offered for information. Truman and Nellie go to the location where they were being brought to behold them. This was a momentous occasion, as Capote's "concept novel" became incarnated in the person of Perry Smith. Here was the force of nature that would separate and elevate his proposed novel from a crime genre book, hardly more than well-written pulp, to the "brilliantly fresh concept" that would conquer the para-literary world of mass readership.

The remainder of the film involved Capote's efforts to gain their confidence - especially Perry's - and from that trust to extract insight and resolution. For this effort it was essential that Capote be able to rise above the facts of the case and its final drama. He had to provide an epilog of the heart and mind. If he had to deceive to achieve this end, then so be it.

CONCLUSION:

One need not like Truman Capote (or his world) to find the depiction of a "newshound" (and more) on the scent interesting.

 

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Bennet Miller - director

Don Futterman/Gerald Clarke - writers

Mychael Danna - original music

Adam Kimmel - cinematography

Christopher Tellefsen - film editor

CAST:

Philip Seymour Hoffman - Truman Capote

Catherine Keener - Nellie Harper Lee

Chris Cooper - Alvin Dewey

Clifton Collins, Jr. - Perry Smith

Mark Pellegrino - Dick Hickock

Amy Ryan - Marie Dewey

Allie Mickelson - Laura Kinney

Bruce Greenward - Jack Dunphy

Manfred Maretzki - Herb Clutter

Miriam Smith - Bonnie Clutter

Keki Stephenson - Nancy Clutter

Philip Lockwood - Kenyon Clutter

Kwesi Ameyaw - porter

Marshall Bell - Warden Marshall Krutch

Dan Redford - stunt double Perry Smith

 

May 22, 2010, EbonyStar

 

RABBIT-PROOF FENCE (2002)

COMMENTARY:

This movie was filmed in the Western Territory of Australia. It was described as a true story about two seemingly separate and unrelated events: (1) the building of a 1500 mile fence from the sea on the south to the sea on the north for the purpose of containing the rabbit population and (2) the “shanghaiing” of half-caste children to training facilities for the purpose of gradually integrating them into the white population with an eye to assimilating them completely.

As explained by Mr. A.O. Neville, Chief Protector of the Aborigines, as things stood, a third race was being rapidly created of half-castes. In his view it was irresponsible to return half-caste children to the full-blooded Aboriginal communities. Implicitly, Mr. Neville was asserting that the white population would be a better, more advanced community in which these half-caste offspring would have much better opportunities. This formulation implied separate and unequal racial communities.

In America of 2010 such views are frowned upon. The law actively smites such practices. Even academic studies of such issues in America have become fraught with peril.

However, this was not the case in 1931, generally, in the British Commonwealth nations, where presumption of a “white man’s burden” in dealing with others still had plenty of adherents. Indeed, for well-heeled whites the pleasant advances in their cultures contrasted favorably to almost all other peoples. That tended to reinforce the idea that the white man’s way was the best way – God’s way, even.

That, then, set the stage for cruelty which was justified as” being for the child’s best.”

Parenthetically, today, American authorities will take children from their natural parents, if such parents are deemed “unfit.” The authorities will make the decision about what is fit. They may think that placing the children in a home provided by same-sex parents is a responsible action. If so, they can count on the support of the major media and probably the courts.

In short British Establishments “love not wisely but too well.”

In the Washington, D.C. area, adoptive children were placed in the home of a very disturbed woman who killed at least two of them, who for a lengthy period of time were left lying about dead, as the woman went about her affairs. Here, an African American Establishment pursued well-meaning policies that resulted in cruelty and horror.

Authorities are not immune from general or particular errors.

Americans viewing this film will feel very sympathetic toward the half-caste girls, Molly, Gracie and Daisy, as well as the others in their predicament. I certainly did. Further, I admired them and their people generally. The film invited this, and the invitation is irresistible.

Yet, for all his being cast in the “black hat,” Mr. Neville’s approach was progressive in the sense of a unified Australian society, while the “protection” of the Aboriginal communities would only maintain a divided and unequal Australia. Sometimes, it seems, no action is the best action.

At one point in the film, Molly, recalling Constable Riggs as he captured the girls, as well as the behavior of Mr. Neville and the staff of the Moore River Training Facility during the first couple of days the girls were there, exclaimed aloud, “These people are sick!” Molly, of course, was only speaking the words of the script. The screenwriter was denouncing them and, by extrapolation, the society they represented. It was unfortunate, as it seemed to imply racism in Molly.

This seemed evident, as Gracie responded to Molly’s proclamation that they were leaving by saying, “We’re not going. Daisy and I like it here.” Individual perception, alone, cannot prove that the perception is true.

During the period of 1931 genetic science was in vogue among the well-educated classes. Issues of population were also in vogue. For example, John D. Rockefeller III was quite concerned about such issues and funded what became Planned Parenthood. Adolph Hitler has been demonized for his interests in genetics, but such interests were widespread among educated classes, which were the leadership of Western nations, as well as in the U.S.S.R. sphere of “republics.”

It would be provincial to consider this film out of context.

This film had some noteworthy singing, chanting and music. At times the musical arrangement seemed to mix in African American singing styles. I believe that that occurred for the purpose of drawing a connection between the fate of Australian Aborigines and African Americans. Whether the connection is valid will be overlooked by the general parallel, which undoubtedly many will accept. In either case white people become the villains in the parallel. I don’t believe that such film tricks are healthy, as they are divisive.

The use of a hawk as a sort of “guardian angel” seemed a bit much for me. I don’t want to use the word superstition, but it came to my mind. However, God works His Will as He Wills. If a hawk was summoned by God to guide the girls, how could I object to it as impossible?

Having said so much by way of a caveat, I must reaffirm my admiration for the girls.

I thought the acting was pretty solid, especially Branagh as Neville. Evelyn Sampi endowed Molly with a lot of determination, pluck, and survival cleverness. David Gulpilil was surprisingly effective as the tracker, Moodoo.

One of the interesting things about this movie was that each of the girls had at least two body doubles. Daisy had three.

Let me say that it took Molly and Daisy nine weeks to walk from the Moore River Training Facility in the south to their Jigalong homeland. That was more than 800 miles. As they progressed north, the Australian land became more flat, bare and arid-looking. However, their homes were there. It was the place of their hearts. They wanted to go home and be with their mothers.

Lastly, the rabbits themselves may have carried a muted symbolism. They were not native to Australia. They were brought in by European settlers. Without natural predators to control their population, they grew rapidly in population. Therefore, a certain parallel between the arrival of the rabbits and the Europeans (and their mutual thriving) seemed discernable. By building the rabbit-proof fence, the Australians were either putting the rabbits on a reservation – or putting themselves. Let’s credit the Australians on giving themselves the better reserve. If one looked at Jigalong, again it appeared that the Australian reservation was much better.

Incidentally, this film opened and closed with printed info that sets up the story or wrapped it up, as the case may be. One thing that we learned was that the Department for the Protection of Aborigines was snatching half-caste kids up to 1970 and sending them to facilities such as existed at Moore River. Up until that time The Aborigines Act gave the Chief Protector absolute power over half-caste children. Mr. Neville retired about 1940.

Trying to do well by doing good can get so mucked up!

STORY CAPSULE:

This filmed opened with the sounds of Aboriginal chants and print informing the viewer of the time and place. The laws relevant to the Aborigines and this story were noted. Info about the rabbit-proof fence that was being built was provided. The fact that a camp existed where the men building the fence lived was mentioned. A provisioning depot was set up there at Jigalong, and the local Aborigines built a camp for themselves nearby, too. Molly’s father had been one of the white men working on the fence.

As the print and oral narrative were given, in the background were shots of Australian outback terrain and Molly. The three girls were mentioned. Molly at one point was seen gazing at a keening hawk.  Her mother, Maud, was then observed drawing near to the 14-year-old Molly and telling her, “He [the hawk] will always look after you.” The viewer saw shots of Molly at various angles, as she reflected various shades of Molly-moods. The camera then cut to a scene of the girls, along with Molly’s mother, grandmother, and Gracie’s mother, as they tracked a monitor lizard. They hoped to make it their dinner. Molly proved to be a good hunter and her mother expressed pride in her for her hunting skills. “It was a fat one.” Molly beamed happily.

Thus, the viewer had a sense of the ordinary lifestyle experienced by the Aborigines at the Jigalong community.

A bush cop, Constable Riggs, was seen talking to another. Looking at Molly, Gracie and Daisy, he exclaimed, “That’s them!” The other man asked about her father. “He’s moved on.”

With this brief scene the viewer becomes aware of a potential problem for Molly and the girls. Their simple life may be cast into confusion.

The camera cuts to Perth, Australia. After lingering for a moment at period cars whirling about the city streets, the camera entered a room in a building, where a man who appeared to be in his ‘30s was lecturing a gaggle of mostly women about the problems faced by the Department of Aborigines. He was Chief Protector of Aborigines, Mr. A.O. Neville. He seemed to be lecturing like-minded people. They seemed well-dressed, suggesting an educated, well-to-do audience.

Using slides, he made the point about his department's "scientific" success implementing integration and assimilation, which offered to half-caste children the promise of a full share in the riches that only the white society could offer. He suggested that to send them back to the full-blooded communities was a step backward and cruel to the half-caste kids.

The viewer knew from other scenes with Mr. Neville that he was aware of Molly Craig, Gracie Fields and Daisy Kadibill, and had initiated procedures to remove them – for their own sake – to Moore River, where they could be trained and prepared for their exciting journey into “whitepersonhood.”

He was particularly concerned about 8-year-old Daisy, who had been “promised” to a full-blood.

There was a camera cut to Jigalong. The girls were playing and chatting with the fence builder. Daisy said her father worked on the fence. They asked where he was from and where the rabbit-proof fence was going. He answered them good-naturedly.

Suddenly, a car headed their way. Maud yelled to Molly and the girls to run for it. Molly tore down the road with the other girls following as fast as they could. Maud and Gracie’s mother cried and pleaded, but Constable Riggs had his orders and made a point of waving the authorizing paper at Maud, saying, “It’s the law, Maud. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

After a struggle, he loaded the girls aboard his car and sped away, leaving Maud and Gracie’s mother prostrate on the ground, howling and sobbing in a peculiar Aboriginal ululation.

Soon, the girls were traveling the several hundred miles to Moore River by means of train. The sight was distasteful, as they were caged like prisoners, beasts, or even giant rabbits. There were thick bars on the windows, although they could see attractive terrain and sky. They were subdued and anxious, as they did not know what to expect. They had heard comforting words, but look where they were at that moment.

The last leg of the trip was by truck to the Moore River Training Facility. However, they remained caged. The long, rectangular cage now rested on the flat-bed of a truck.

From this point the viewer was introduced to the facility. A Mr. Neal was in charge. He had a bevy of female staff that looked part nun and part nurse. However, they were probably closer to corrections staffers.

The girls were clinging closely to each other. Molly was their center. They were led to a dormitory and told to pick out a bed. They all slept together in one of the bunks. The next morning they were rousted out of bed by a Nina, who was the live-in dorm boss. She had some trouble communicating with the almost silent trio. She ordered the “tracker’s daughter” to take out the bucket, which was filled with waste fluids, and dump it.

The girls ate breakfast. The facility had an Aborigines “ramrod” who kept order by intimidating the children. There was another Aborigines there named Moodoo, who was the Moore River tracker. His job was to find and return runaways. One of the girls in the dorm was his daughter. He wanted to return to his homeland in the Kimberly’s, but Mr. Neville kept “re-upping” him, probably because of his tracking skills.

After breakfast, one of the staff scrubbed the girls thoroughly and they were presented fresh, institutional clothing, which looked a bit like terrycloth. Daisy was happy on that score. Soon, she and Gracie were comfortable, sitting on their bunk and playing cards.

There was a morning gathering at which they had a special guest, Mr. Neville. He was checking the half-castes’ skin to see if any were light enough to move up to another facility or to an elevated class. Molly failed. Gracie and Daisy weren’t checked apparently, Daisy was lighter-colored than the other two. Mr. Neville was also treated to the children singing one of his favorite songs, an American Old South plantation song, probably one of Stephen Foster’s.

That afternoon, a runaway named Olive was brought back by the tracker, Moodoo. She was punished by being consigned to a building about double the size of an ordinary “outhouse.” She seemed to have been beaten and possibly to have had her hair cut very short.

That night, Molly was wide-awake, brooding and incensed at what she had seen. “These people are sick!” she said, her visual images of Riggs and Neville made visible to viewers. That night, she determined to take the girls and run away as soon as possible.

The next morning afforded her the opportunity. Nina ordered her to dump the bucket. As she went to the entrance where the bucket was, she glanced about. No one was there. She heard thunder and glanced at the dark clouds gathering. Now was the time!

She went back to the bunk where Gracie and Daisy were playing cards and told them, “C’mon, we’re going.” Gracie said that she and Daisy liked it there and didn’t want to go. Molly insisted. Her baby sister Daisy complied, but Gracie was a bit reluctant. Undoubtedly, Gracie thought that the tracker would catch them, and they would be punished.

Molly grabbed the bucket to take to the “pit” to dump it, with Daisy close to her side. Soon, Gracie joined them. They made a run for it. Molly told them not to worry about the tracker because the rain would wash away their footprints.

From this point forward the movie becomes a simple chase flick. The girls were discovered to be AWOL. The tracker, Moodoo, was called to find and bring back the girls. Molly proved to be very resourceful and managed to keep herself and the girls at least a few steps ahead of Moodoo.

This tracker was not a villainous sort – quite the opposite. As the chase continued, he clearly developed a lot of respect – and even affection – for the determined, clever Molly. “She wants to go home,” he said at one point, fully appreciating her desire. It was his desire to go home, too.

Besides eluding the tracker, Molly had to find food for her and the other two. She met a series of people along the way who helped her. First, she encountered a couple of kangaroo hunters. One was carrying a cooked kangaroo on his shoulders. He chatted with Molly, determining that they were the escaped girls which the newspapers and local folks were talking about. He cut off a good portion of the “roo’s” tail and gave it to the girls, along with a box of matches. He warned them that that tracker was “pretty good.”

The girls stumbled upon a farm where a half-caste worked, hanging laundry for a Mrs. Evans. Molly whistled at her. When she came over, Daisy said, “We’re hungry.” The woman, Mavis, had herself been at Moore River, and admired the girl’s courage. She told them to wait for her there. They could spend the night with her, and she would get them some food. Molly agreed.

Later, the girls, alone at the time in Mavis’s room, had a scare when a white man came in and took off his pants and headed for the bed, where the girls lay hidden under blankets. When he pulled back the coverings, both he and the girls were mighty surprised. He hastily put on his pants and left. Mavis soon returned, and she begged them not to leave that night, as the man would then return. “If you stay, he won’t say anything.” Molly agreed to stay.

Further along on her trek, Molly would try to snatch a few eggs from a chicken coop and got caught. The woman was angered at first, but later relented and gave them food in a bag, as well as some old coats. As they were going, the woman mentioned the “rabbit fence.” Molly stopped. “Where was this rabbit fence?” “To the east,” the woman replied.

Molly told Gracie and Daisy that they’d find the fence and follow it home. They were under the impression that there was only one. However, there were three sections, and they were on the wrong one going east.

Meantime, Mr. Neville was anxious to have the girls returned. The press was “bugging” him. His operating budget was small, yet the police inspector kept requesting that his men be reimbursed for the extra work of chasing down the runaways. Moodoo had lost the trail. No one had reported seeing them. Nevertheless, he deduced that they must be following the rabbit-proof fence. He planned a trap.

The girls stumbled across a man, who seemed to be a sheep herder to me, but he may have been another worker on the fence. At any rate he was the one who informed them that they were on the wrong fence to get to Jigalong. He drew a diagram in the sand, explaining where the fences were, where the girls were at that point, and how to get where they wanted to be by the easiest.

By now, the Jigalong Depot Manager had informed Maud that her daughters had run away from Moore River. That set the stage for her and her mother to take a place near the fence and wait. The grandmother began to chant. Maud began to quietly communicate with the spirits, her daughter, and all that could help.

For quite a while Molly had had to carry Daisy. They encountered a young Aborigines man, Tommy Grant, out toward the fence. He gave them food and chatted away. He told Gracie that her mother was waiting for her in a nearby town, which had a name similar to "Malawa" He told her she could catch a train at a nearby station that would take her to her mother. Gracie immediately began to lobby Molly to go there. Molly said that this man was lying. “Cmon!” she called to the girls.

They walked along the fence a short distance. Gracie became determined to go to the railroad station and catch a train to "Malawa." She said she wanted to see her mom. Daisy tried to tug Gracie’s arm to go with them, but Gracie wouldn’t budge in that direction. Molly got Daisy on her piggyback and continued on the route she had been traveling. The viewer could see Gracie walking off at a 90% tangent.

The trap set by Mr. Neville failed, as the bush cop got fed up with about three weeks of waiting and seeing nothing. He packed it in.

The girls flopped near a break in the fence. The deprivation and weariness got the best of Molly temporarily. Both girls slept. They were awakened by the screech of a hawk circling above them. They saw it and felt a renewal of hope. They got up and continued. Finally, they saw the fence again and beyond it the familiar “skyline” of Jigalong. “We’re home,” Molly told Daisy. “I just want to see mommy,” said Daisy.

Unfortunately, Gracie had been caught by Constable Riggs and Tommy Grant, who had been a hired aid, at the railroad station, and she was packed off to Moore River again. Molly and Daisy never saw her thereafter.

However, Maud, grandmother and a group of Jigalong women were keeping vigil for the girls. They were singing, chanting, meditating, and praying for the girl’s safe return. They got their wish. After their joyful reunion, Maud and grandma painted Molly and Daisy a darker shade, and they all went off into the desert to live.

By narration and print, the viewers were informed that Molly had gotten married, had two children, was once again sent to Moore River with her kids, and that she had again escaped with one of her children, Annabelle. At the age of three Annabelle was returned to Moore River. Molly never saw her again.

The film ended with the real Molly and Daisy, now elderly, walking at the Jigalong homeland.

CONCLUSION:

This film was well-worth seeing. Although there were a few negative areas, overall this was an inspiring, heart-appealing story. There was “food for thought” woven into it.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Phillip Noyce – director

Doris Pilkington – book

Christine Olsen – screenplay

Peter Gabriel – original music

Richard Evans – Music mixer

David Rhodes – arranger

Christopher Doyle – cinematography

Veronika Jenet/John Scott – film editing

ANIMAL HANDLERS:

Dan Aziz – camel wrangler

Andrew Payne – hawk wrangler

CAST:

Evelyn Sampi – Molly Craig

Tianna Sansbury – Daisy Kadibill

Laura Monaghan – Gracie Fields

David Gulpilil – Moodoo

Ningali Lawford – Maud

Myarn Lawford – Molly’s grandmother

Deborah Mailman – Mavis

Jason Clarke – Constable Riggs

Kenneth Branagh – A.O. Neville

Natasha Wanganeen – Nina, dorm boss

Gary McDonald – Mr. Neal at Moore River

Roy Billing – Police Inspector

Kate Roberts – matron at Moore River

Tracy Monaghan – Moodoo’s daughter

Tamara Flanagan – Olive, escaped girl

David Ngoombujarra – kangaroo hunter

Anthony Hayes – the fence builder

Andrew S. Gilbert – Jigalong Depot Manager

Sheryl Carter – Gracie’s mother

Reggie Wanganeen – Tommy Grant

Edwina Bishop – first farm mother

Ken Radley – fence worker

Daisy Craig Kadibill – herself, in epilog

Molly Craig – herself, in epilog

Connie Amos/Amelia Dann – Molly, doubles

Cerrin Karpany/Raquel Kerdel/Danni-Rae Wilson – Daisy, doubles

Verna Lowrie/Erin Wilson – Gracie, doubles

April 30, 2010. EbonyStar.

AVATAR (2009)

 

This lengthy film provided some wonderful visual experiences. It appeared to be a hybrid film, blending standard human drama with computer-generated drama. The special effects - however achieved - were numerous and well-executed. The tale underneath the fancy effects also appeared to be a hybrid, blending a war genre line with a love story line. There were other genre threads woven into it as well.

For example, the war line was integrated with an exploitation line, making the two very difficult to separate. Adding a touch of ugliness to the war-lovers side of things was a variety of racism. This addition also tended to draw the audience into a more sympathetic relationship to the brave but out-gunned native population, who inhabited a moon, Pandora. [It seemed to be orbiting a giant, pale, Jupiter-like planet.] Interestingly, the war-lovers' side seemed to be bristling with scientists.

In contrast to them the natives of Pandora, known as "Nu`vi," were depicted to be "at one" with nature. They appeared to worship Mother Pandora, who in their tongue was known as Eyra, or some such. Although they were hunter-gatherers, they thanked the life-forms they slew, knowing that all life was one, that it was interconnected, and that it could not be created nor destroyed. True, if it were the will of Mother Pandora, many would live in her light-consciousness, rather than continue scurrying about in Pandoran jungles or mountains. The Nu'vi menu was composed of life-forms that had not achieved Eyra-Consciousness.

Parenthetically, I don't believe that it was an accident that their skin coloring was a Shiva-blue.

Not surprisingly, this native group had important members of its society which humans usually recognize by the term "shaman." There probably would be few who would quarrel with the designation of "intuitive" as a trait congenial with their "naturalness." Hence, there was the all-but-stated conflict of science versus faith/intuition in the overall conflict  between the Earthlings and Pandorans. Science/war/exploitation drove the Earthlings; intuition/faith/harmony characterized the Nu'vi way.

Guess who the villains were in this film?

Doubt not that this film sides with the intuitive group.

Storyline Capsule: 

With the untimely death of his twin brother, Jake Sully found himself a paraplegic marine on a mission. Unlike his twin brother, who was an outstanding scientist, Jake was inexplicably ordinary. He's just a "grunt." Still, a company which wished to exploit a rare, costly mineral deposit on Pandora needed Jake. It's his genes they needed, actually. They had spent "big bucks" to construct a hybrid avatar, using Jake's brother's genes, as well as those of some hapless Nu`vi native. With the brother dead they now proposed to save their investment by using Jake as a perfect genetic back-up. He's game. Ur-rah!

When the military arm of this mission, Colonel Miles Quaritch, promised him that after the mission, he'd have Jake's legs "fixed," Jake was even more willing to assume the role intended for his brother. Science had discovered the secrets required to cure paraplegia, if one had the money.

The Colonel had provided a suitable orientation to the new troops at the military-mining headquarters. It set an "us-them" tone to the Earthling-Pandoran relationship and was the first step in a largely racist attitude which developed throughout the film.

Jake was introduced to Dr. Grace Augustine, who was the abrasive, brilliant leader of the scientist community aboard. She, Norm Spellman, a fellow scientist, and Jake each had been provided with an avatar, each of which bore their respective genes, as well as one or more Nu`vi. They were each assigned high-tech casket-like contraptions, wherein they were electronically "mind-melded" with their respective avatars. In this state a transport took place whereby they were sent as simulated  Nu`vi to Pandora.

Their purpose was to contact the Nu`vi and try to persuade them to move away from their ancient settlement inside a huge tree. (It sounds stupid, I know, but it corresponded to what the U.S. did to the Bikini Island natives, when atom bomb-testing occurred in the South Pacific in 1946.) Why move? The settlement rested upon a rich field of a rare mineral which sold for $20 million/kilo, which the company of record wanted to exploit.

The company "honcho" was a Parker Selfridge, wonderfully realized by Giovanni Ribisi. Not even Dr. Grace Augustine could best him.

On the military side of the equation Colonel Miles Quaritch, whose name seemed to blend "quarrel" and "son-of-a-bitch," was no one to try to confront, either. Jake was the only member of the avatar adventurers who spoke not a word of Nu`vi. Soon enough, they went down to experience Pandora and to make contact with the Nu`vi, if possible.

This introduced the moviegoer to the terrain of Pandora. Every effort was made to make it appear to be a revelation of natural surprises. Almost predictably, Jake got separated from the others. Forced to return to the camp compound, the others left Jake to fend for himself overnight. Dr. Augustine opined that he'd never survive the night. She didn't know her marines.

The viewer was treated to the first close-ups of the life-forms of Pandora. Jake made an improvised torch to see the "lay of the jungle" and to discourage the numerous beasts scurrying about. He was almost done in by Pandoran wild "dogs" but was saved by a Nu`vi. She was a Pandoran Amazon. She was also hostile to him and contemptuous of his survival skills. Nevertheless, she took him to their settlement, after noticing that Eyra had signaled that he was special.

This was done by means of jellyfish-like "critters" floating about in the air. Nature! Love it or leave it! Her father, Eytukan, and her prophetess mother, as well as the warrior Tsu'tey, were all opposed to Neytiri bringing the "dream-walker" to their sacred ccompound. However, as Eytukan's daughter, she had some standing. Her assertion of Eyra's protective power over Jake Sully had to be respected.

At that point in time Jake was acting as a double agent, trying to win the Nu`vi's trust and acceptance. He then intended to betray them to Quaritch and Selfridge. The latter was the essence of a thoroughly modern Capitalist-Pig. The former was a "blood-n-guts" fighting-man.

The Nu`vi were trying to protect their paradise which was a microcosm that reflected and connected to the macrocosm. All were united by the same life-force. As guardians of the sacred places, they could and would fight. Hence, the inevitable conflict commenced.

Jake was forced to choose sides, which wasn't too difficult as he and Neytiri had literally bonded for life by the interwoven sinews of their respective tails. (For real!) Not only that, as luck would have it for the Nu`vi, their legendary "Moqtar" (or some such) had returned in the form of Jake.

Since only the Moqtar could ride the giant, fierce, Red-Pterodactylian beast that ruled the air of Pandora and Jake had riden it, after first "halo-bonding" (his tail sinews interwoven to its earlock sinews), he must be the latest incarnation of the Moqtar. All the Nu`vi became instantly deferencial toward Jake.

He now utterly opposed the Earthlings. That's dangerous, as his human source was still sleeping in the high-tech coffin in the Earthling compound. Were he to be awakened, his avatar on Pandora would flop into a near lifeless form. Jake gave a rousing speech to the Nu`vi to fight for their lands. He knew that the Earthling military force was too powerful to meet head-on; however, by force and guile, they could defeat them.

Basically, his strategy was the tried-and-true method of luring an enemy into a battleground that was disadventageous to them. Jake called for the Nu`vi to send couriers to all the clans on Pandora to rally against the Earthling exploiters.

Meanwhile, Colonel Quaritch was leading his troops in a sort of mini-armada for the purpose of destroying the giant tree in whose base the Nu`vi had their sacred settlement. The colonel seemed to relish the idea. Although the Pandorans put up a game fight, the Earthling taskforce was able to blast, burn and finally topple the great tree. Now, the remaining Nu`vi retreated to another tree which was even holier. It was the Tree of Light.

Here they prayed mightily to Eyra to help the Nu`vi. Jake, who had witnessed Dr. Augustine die at the holy tree, realized that her persona was in Eyra's Light, and begged Eyra to study the mind of the doctor for the answer. (I kid you not!)

The colonel's armada was down to basically a dreadnought. Jake and the other Nu`vi had fought them with great courage. Jake had been able to mortally wound the dreadnought, but the colonel had escaped in a large robotic war-thing. He and his scattered warriors had been set upon by the "answered prayers" of the Nu`vi in the form of beasts. Between the Nu`vi clans and the beasts, the Earthlings had lost almost all their military forces.

Only the crazed ferocity of the colonel was left. Neytiri had tried to kill him with her knife but missed. She was in grave danger. Suddenly, Jake appeared to defend her. The rumble in the jungle began. Soon, things looked bad for Jake. Someone had pulled the plug on his human form's high-tech coffin, and he awakened in an atmosphere difficult to breathe. His avatar in the jungle had been saved by the poisoned arrows of Neytiri. However, she alone cannot save Jake or his avatar, who is down.

Neytiri lovingly cradled the human form of Jake and took him to the Tree of Light. Placing the form of the avatar and of the human form of Jake at approximately head-to-head position, she prayed ardently, along with the shaman and the massed, swaying, chanting Nu`vi, for Eyra to save the life of her Moqtar, Jake.

Were her prayers and those of her Nu`vi comrades answered by Eyra? Those who choose to see this film may find the answer "eye-opening."

Commentary:

This film was viewed in three dimensions. This tended to heighten the sense of having an extraordinary visual experience. There were many scenes filled with a diversity of images. It was a real challenge to take them all in. The visual richness of the film tended to obscure the very silly elements of the story. Most of the key human characters were stereotypical, such as Trudy Chacon, Dr. Augustine, Colonel Quarich, and Parker Selfridge. In regard to the latter, Giovanni Ribisi's interpretation was so adroit that he made all anew an old, well-known film character. All the actors in these roles invested their characters with crafty energy. Nevertheless, all these types of characters have been rendered often. In my view Sam Worthington's rendering of Jake stood out as a correct interpretation. I believe that it is worth noting that the animal life on Pandora seemed to be Earthly beasts that had been rigged-up to appear special. For instance, the beasts that attacked the avatar Jake in his night on Pandora appeared to be  canine-like (big choppers) but made hyena-like sounds. Another appeared to be a very large, hammer-headed rhino. One group of monkeys seemed relatively normal except for the extra arms. Ditto for the horse-like creatures that had heads more akin to a sea horse than a regular horse. There was something of a stylized Grecian war horse in their appearance too. An important group of flying beasts appeared as fairly regular Earthly dragons. One can go on and on. One's expectations of unique life-forms are disappointed by this film and its ballyhoo. The Pandorans appear to be a more moral group than the opposition, but the Earthling scientists, military men and businessmen seem to be utterly absent of any higher thoughts; they are what they do. Otherwise they are empty. Small wonder that Jake is stirred by the Pandorans' reverence for life. However, not since MATRIX has there been such primitive, sensual rituals of worship. Further, just as the "freedom fighters" in MATRIX were awaiting the arrival of The One, so the Nu`vi were awaiting their correlative, The Moqtar. In both cases these are messianic figures. As for the Nu`vi god, Eyra, this appeared to be nothing more nor less that the Earth Mother of our own planet blended, perhaps, with the Mystery Religion's Sea Of Being or Light. Therefore, I see this film as basically mundane.

PRODUCTION NOTE:

This film was directed by James Cameron. It was also written by him. In places the dialogue seemed to be a homage to WW II films of the 50s. He had Neytiri sometimes talking as if she were an African American via the Caribbean. There is nothing wrong with being one of the latter. However, one wonders why he did this, given the lifestyle of the Nu`vi. Parenthetically, the language of the Nu`vi was created by Paul Fromme.

CAST:

Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine, Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon, Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge, Joel Moore as Norm Spellman, Wes Studi as Eytukan, Laz Alonso as Tsu'tey, and Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel.

Caveat: Finally, I have given a phonetic rendering of a few names encountered in this film, which names I could not discover rendered in print. They are rendered as I heard them.

December 31, 2009. EbonyStar.

ANGELS AND DEMONS (2009)

  

 

COMMENTARY:

 

Tom Hanks has received criticism from the Washington, D.C., crowd of critics, as they perceive his character, Robert Langdon, to  lack warmth, liveliness, wit, sexiness, or violent disposition. They are devoted to Mel Brooks, Johnny Depp, and Sean Penn. They seem to blame Ron Howard and his writers, David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman, more than Tom Hanks. I did reject this criticism, after seeing this movie. I saw Robert Langdon as being cut from the same pattern as Basil Rathbone's Sherlocke Holmes. I have always liked the Rathbone version and have never seen any Holmesian actor who was not rather sober and thoughtful, until the disastrous Downey portrayal. With Holmes it was the hunt! So it was with Langdon. Ron Howard provided an interesting puzzle, as well as dramatic events running parallel to the hunt to keep interest in the movie reasonably high. The locale offered considerable interest to those who treasured the monuments to papal and Roman visions of glory. However, the film was too long. The media "filler" could have been liberally edited out.

 

 There was a brief instance of camera work that seemed unaccountably shakey.

 

STORY CAPSULE:

 

Cerebral symbolist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), brooding about the "meaning of it all" at Harvard University, was importuned by a Vatican cop to use his talent in the service of the Vatican. The occasion for such an unexpected offer of employment was a threat from an ancient foe of Christianity generally and Roman Catholicism particularly. The foe was the Illuminati. Although Langdon's attitude toward the Vatican was a bit dyspeptic for denying him access to the Vatican Library Archives and, thus, preventing him from completing volume II of his oeuve, he agreed to go. The Illuminati was a legendary organization worth learning more about. He went. The pope had recently died, and the cardinals were gathering in Rome to elect a replacement. The papal office during this period was controlled by the Camerlengo Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor). There he encountered Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), who was a Swiss scientist.

 

 

She had recently collected a respectable amount of anti-matter, which was suspended in a tube and held in place by a battery with a twelve hour shelf-life. After it had traversed this setting, the anti-matter drifted toward matter, creating a very big "bang" at contact. Malafortuna! It had been stolen. There was a deadly Assassin who apparently had been working for the Illuminati. Eyeballs and bodies vied for floor space. Langdon, Vetra, the Vatican police, the Swiss Guard, and a potpouri of cardinals and priests entered the body of the film. As they interacted, duplicity must have been spawned. But who in the Vatican was the snake?    

 

Having considered the symbolic meaning of the threatening note received by the Vatican, Langdon was now convinced that four shanghai-ed cardinals, each a high contender for the seat of St. Peter as the next pope, were the referenced "four pillars" in the cryptic note. Further, he understood that they were to be literally sacrificed as symbolic representatives of the "four elements." A "fifth element" remained. Its sinister existence was meaningful but obscure. Why was there a "fifth element?" Apparently, the occult ideology demanded it. Perhaps this was due to the same reasons that the premier occult star-symbols began with the pentagram. There were five "points" to a man; controlling mankind demanded no less.  There were three "worlds" of mankind, demanding six "points."

 

Now, Langdon had to be about his fathers' business! [His movie-character fathers: Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, et al.] His mission to discover "the path" which might save the captured cardinals conveniently required that he have access to the Vatican Library Archive. Vittoria went with him, and she became their translator in the process.

 

 

Parenthetically, it seemed highly unlikely that "egghead" Langdon could have advanced so far without a knowledge of languages such as Latin. Naturally, Galileo was the pedant scientist causing Langdon such a problem.

 

At this point one might point out that Galileo was precisely the sort of scientist that the Vatican attempted to stifle, according to this didactic movie. Harassment of scientists "ticked off" the group that came together as the "Illuminati." They saw themselves as Promethean figures, while viewing the Vatican as being in league with "mean old Adonay." If Light were to prevail against Darkness, the Vatican & Company had to go, according to the Illuminati. Now, as a matter of fact, the Illuminati were spiritually descended from ancient sources, and few of them were altogether respectable. Alchemists had preceded them, for example.

 

Indeed, Vittoria Vetra, who had captured the first significant "quantity" of anti-matter, thought her experiment might lead science to understand the condition existent just prior to creation (usually referred to as "the big bang"). Curiously, the Cabalah's rendering of creation "from a point" precisely matches that of the Big Bang Theorists. The Cabalah was also the intellectual/occult source for the "science of alchemy" (not to mention "evolution").

 

After Vittoria purloined a page from Galileo's volume III in the Vatican Library, she and Robert Langdon were off to the races, pursuing clues in the desperate hope of saving the captured papal front-runners, who were in mortal danger. Beginning at eight o'clock, according to the note, one of the cardinals would be killed. At midnight the Vatican itself would be destroyed. I found the pursuit interesting. Further, the Assassin (Nikolaj Lie Haas) was played with suitable evilness. He was professional & quite cold at murder. 

 

I also found the politics involved in the selection of another pope interesting. Both the Camerlengo McKenna, who had an unexpected relationship to the pope, and Cardinal Strauss (Armin Mueller-Stahl) added intrigue and substance, respectively, to this story. I will mention Cosimo Fusco as Father Simeon as demonstrating how a small role can be done well enough to improve the movie beyond any expectation.

 

There was a wild denouement, which resulted in a "fallen angel" and the installment of a new - and orthodox - pope.

 

CONCLUSION:

 

When I heard the critics of this film, I could not help but to think of a line from The Mighty: "Kenny Kane, Kenny Kane, had a son who had no brain!"

 

PRODUCTION KEYS:

 

Ron Howard - director

David Koepp/Akiva Goldman - screenwriters

Hans Zimmer - original musuc

Salvatore Totino - cinematographer

Daniel P Hanley/Mike Hill - film editing

 

 

CAST:   

 

Tom Hanks - Robert Langdon

Ewen McGregor - Camerlengo Ptrick McKenna

Ayelet Zurer - Vittoria Vetra

Stellan Skarsgard - Commander Richter

Pierfrancesco Favino - Inspector Olivetti

Nikolaj Lie Kaas - assassin

Armin Mueller-Stahl - Cardinal Strauss

Cosimo Fusco - Father Simeon

Franklin Amobi - Cardinal Lamasse

Curt Lowens - Cardinal Ebner

Bob Yerkes - Cardinal Guidera

Marc Fiorini - Cardinal Baggia

 

April 29, 2010, EbonyStar

 

   

 

THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (1966)

 

COMMENTARY:

Last night I watched The Battle of Algiers as an instant movie streamed by Netflix and found the movie rather interesting. This was the test of wills between the French government and a small revolutionary organization called the F.L.N., which translated as the National [Algerian] Liberation Front, operating primarily in the Casbah section of Algiers.

Throughout the body of this film the viewer watched the growth and growing leadership of this anti-colonial Arab movement. Violence by the members of the movement was demonstrated early to implant the notion among the Arab population, as well as the French citizens living there, that it operated boldly and with impunity in the very face of the occupying French authorities.

In reaction the French sent in experienced airborne troops to occupy Algiers and especially to pacify the Arab Casbah section, which cloaked the revolutionary leadership.

The principle involved here was precisely the same as that voiced by Mao-Tzetung in the expression: "The people are the sea, and we (Communists) are the fish."

As a corollary to this is the principle that crude reactionary responses to revolutionary provocations will radicalize the people, thus strengthening the revolutionary movement.

This movie demonstrates a good part of this in a very well directed, credible way. However, toward the end of the movie, it does appear that French Colonel Mathieu has prevailed with his airborne troops and draconian attack on the human "coin of the realm" within the revolutionary movement. Yet, inexplicably, at the film's end an overwhelming "people's movement" suddenly arose to dash the French dream of occupying Algeria for another 130 years. As there was no clear explanation for this sudden eruption, after two years of relative peace in Algiers, one was left to conjecture from bits and pieces of scenes from earlier parts of the story why it happened and who may have been its hidden leaders.

The viewer was advised at one point that the Jewish writer/philosopher, Sarte, had taken pen in hand to express condemnation of the French colonial policies manifested in Algeria. Although famed as an atheist and "existentialist," he was well known as a Marxist sympathizer. Clearly, he would have been sympathetic toward the revolutionary movement. Since Sarte was probably the leading name among a gaggle of leftist writers/propagandists, his name would certainly have signaled a wider disaffection with French colonial policy amongst the French intelligentsia. Such intellectual disaffection would also tend to be widespread in Western countries.

To make the point as clear as possible, the red star in the film poster, along with the crescent sword, mark the revolutionary movements as Marxist and Masonic, which would be clear to anyone conversant with these groups and their symbols.

Also, at a point near the early middle of the film, a highly situated leader discussed policies with Ali La Pointe, who was the primary protagonist in the film and a man instinctively violent as the proper revolutionary strategy. This top leader counseled Ali that, while violence had an early usefulness in the revolutionary process, the end strategy was to be recognized by the United Nations as a proper, lawful nation, which could stand as an equal among the other nations of the world.

Now, I caution that these words were not precisely used but seemed to be the strategy being alluded to by this man. These words seemed to be consistent with the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and I don't think that was an accident. The words of the American Declaration were written by Freemasons, who were especially close to French Freemasonry and the Republican Ideals bandied about at that time.

My inference was that this top Algerian revolutionary was influenced by French and American Freemasonic ideas and that he was probably a Freemason himself. I speak here of the Grand and Scottish Rite lodges, as opposed to the Grand Orient lodge, which was always highly receptive to Marxist ideas. If I'm correct, he - this top leader - would be categorized by Marxists as ultimately "bourgeois." Hence, he would represent, as with Kerensky in the anti-Tzarist movements, a para-bourgeois rung in the ladder leading to true Marxist socialism.

Again, this is speculation by me. However, in thinking about the movie The Battle Of Algiers, I must consider the underlying ideas that had to play a strong role in its genesis and fruition.

Since pan-Arabism and socialism were growing influences, as witnessed by the career of Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, it is useful to also recall who would soon become the leader of Libya, Algeria's neighbor? A Muslim Socialist, Al-Ghadafi, who was clearly pan-Arab and a friend of Marxism, was that man. He visited Moscow and Peiping, receiving warm, brotherly receptions. Perhaps the premier "capitalist" oilman allowed to exploit Libya was Armand Hammer, who headed Occidental Petroleum, and who was dubbed by friendly leaders of the U.S.S.R. as "capitalist Prince." Armand Hammer's father - along with another Russian Jew transplant - founded the Communist Party of America.

Why was this important?

I believe that the Arabs of the Casbah section of Algiers were - in so much as they were politically oriented - kindred souls to those of Libya and Egypt. The better known views and behavior patterns seen in Nasser and Ghadafi also reflected the primary political ideas and impels of the shadowy leaders of the F.L.N.

This movie was an award-winning film throughout the prestigious centers of cinematic opinion. It was much admired by American radicals during the late ‘60s and beyond. It undoubtedly acted as an educational tool in practical revolutionary behavior in America.

One of the points agreed upon by the film intelligentsia was that this film was, at heart, about The Revolution. The locale might be Algeria, but the essence was World Revolution. The Revolution had an existence quite separate from and independent of any and all human participants. The Revolution was pure, inexorable, and undefeatable.

The colonial stage of Capitalism, representing an earlier and lesser stage of human development, must inevitably perish in its doomed confrontation with “progressive forces” that followed the lead of The Revolution into Tomorrow’s Paradise.

Ghadafi was labeled a terrorist by the leading elements of the Republican Party. When he criticised the Israeli state, he was also dubbed a terrorist by the Democrat Party leadership, as well.

In this was hidden a secret of the World Revolution.

The French apparently tried to frame their position as that of a benign "motherland" to which the Algerians were a part. This strategy would be somewhat similar to the preposterous claims of Great Britain, both as the "motherland" of the commonwealth and as the "mother lodge" of the grand lodges of the world. The only thing grand about Great Britain is its chuzpah, and the origins of that can be easily guessed.

Nevertheless, this was one of the best movies I’ve seen on the making of a revolution. It was very well directed. The milieu of many scenes was complex. The sets and costumes seemed authentic. The movements of people credibly choreographed. It was well-edited and looked good, after the fashion of a documentary. The movie was made in black and white. Printed translations of conversations appeared at the lower area of the screen.

STORY CAPSULE:

This film opened in Algiers. A set of French soldiers were surrounding a half-naked, trembling man, whom they have clearly been torturing. The method appeared to be a variety of “water-boarding.” Apparently, the man has “cracked” under the duress. He has agreed to lead the French to the location of Ali La Pointe and the other leadership gathered at a “safe house.”

As the French military were preparing to attack a location in the Casbah, the camera followed this movement of troops. It led to a room that seemed at first empty, as had most of the rest of the rooms in the building of some four or five stories. A woman was rousted from her bed and led away. The name of the revolutionary leader was loudly sounded and demands had been made for him and anyone with him to “give up.” A camera cut showed the faces of these people in a dim room, looking sweaty and anxious.

There was a camouflaged door on the wall at which the bed the woman had been resting on stood. Two French soldiers begin to check it. They quickly unravel its disguise.

 

At about this point the camera cuts again to the faces and especially focuses on Ali. From this portrait of a trapped, doomed man a flashback was generated. It resonated with tales of “lifetimes passing by in an instant” among those about to die (and who have time for such luxuries).

In this case it was mostly about the revolutionary life. However, these remembrances included facts about his brushes with the law (French), due to mostly petty crimes. His many “run-ins” with the French, who were his victims, led to several stays in penal institutions. There was an implication that it was these experiences that introduced him to the tiny revolutionary movement in Algiers. He did get connected to Djafar who was the local leader, or the leader of the section that Ali La Pointe became initiated into. Although small, the use of chillingly executed violence engendered reaction, which radicalized more young Arabs, who joined the F.L.N., as well as gain for this organization sympathy and leadership among many Arabs.

The police were undermanned and without the sort of strategic planning which was required to put the quietus on the budding revolutionaries.

The F.L.N. leadership had called for a general strike by Arabs which was to last a week. The people of the Casbah, especially, were urged to participate. This would be an outward sign of the influence of the F.L.N. It seemed to be effective.

Therefore, the French government sent Col. Mathieu and an airborne unit to take control. A general was the nominal head of operations, but for all practical purposes Col. Mathieu took command of “Operation Champagne.” He quickly rationalized the enemy and how to defeat him. From regular use of units of force, he evolved a strategy of quarantine, thus “shrinking the pond.” He then turned primarily to intelligence to focus on the leadership of the F.L.N. He reasoned that the great bulk of the Arabs of Algeria weren’t enemies of France.

Ali and a comrade had been cornered at one point and offered to surrender, but had lowered not the demanded automatics but a time-bomb, which killed a bunch of French paratroopers.

His tool of research was torture, if needed, to obtain the information leading him ever-higher in the chain of command of the band of revolutionaries. This process led back to the point at the film’s outset when the tortured man broke, leading to the raid on the “safe-house” whereat Ali and others were hiding.

Col. Mathieu had it blown up. Tit for tat.

After the apparent elimination of the leadership of the F.L.N., Col. Mathieu and France seemed victorious. France would remain the domineering “motherland” of Algeria. The film seemed ready to end at this point.

Suddenly, two years fast-forwarded, and, inexplicably, a vast “street-level” movement of Algerian Arabs was scene to be pouring through the streets, overwhelming the beleaguered French police (who fought gamely with batons). This sudden “army of the street” would be the “Tet Offensive,” which smashed the French illusion that Algeria was their “beach across the pond.” The French were now no longer ready to fight for colonial power over this people and land.

The French withdrew, holding out the ever-extending hand of French “mon amies” as they did. However, some bitterness must have remained on both sides.

CONCLUSION:

There aren’t many good political movies. This was one. This one was quite influential among leftists in Europe, America, and Canada and beyond. If anyone has missed it, they should take it in. Aside from any intellectual underpinnings one might discern, it was a good action film, startling sometimes in its cold violence. Although made in 1966, it was as current as Iraq, Afghanistan, intelligence and “water-boarding” were today.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Gillo Pontecorvo – director

Gillo Pontecorvo – writer

Franco Solinas – writer

Ennio Morricone/Gillo Pontecorvo – original music

Marcello Gatti – cinematography

Mario Morra/Mario Serandrei – film editors

CAST:

Brahim Hadjadj – Ali La Pointe

Jean Martin – Col. Mathieu

Yacef Saadi – Djafar

Samia Kerbash – one of the girls

Ugo Paletti – Captain

Fusia El Kader - Halima

 

EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990)

 

COMMENTARY:

This was another curious film from Tim Burton, blending elements of fairy tales, sci-fi horror, and “Our Town” themes. It also had a strain of necrophilia that seemed to be a not infrequently appearing element in his films. Danny Elfman’s music had an ethereal, romantic quality that reinforced its flavor of romance and wonder. Against my better judgment, I found myself admiring this diverting failure.

Although this film had enchanting moments, when one escaped the magic of the moment, one was left with improbabilities, impossibilities, unwholesomeness, unwarranted ridicule, and a feeling that this production team had provided too few treats and too many tricks.

Some detailed plot singularities follow.

 

In regard to Edward Scissorhands, the viewer was asked to believe that he was “made” by the old inventor, played by Vincent Price. How this was done was not explained, other than commentary that he gave to Edward’s robotic beginnings, subsequently, organs, a heart and a brain.

The viewer knew that this was so also from a set of diagrams depicting the progression from robot to the envisioned finished Edward, which were present at the laboratory/production line. This was rendered in an Edwardian flashback.

He sounded like a crude “robo-boy,” whose creator died before he could attach hands. I credited Johnny Depp for endowing his character with a believable innocence and desire to be “whole.” The viewer witnessed Edward excitedly eying the new hands provided by the old scientist, and he was even seen kissing one hand in a goofy (although “in character”) fashion. This latter aspect of Edward resonated a bit with Pinocchio. The other part resonated with the Doctor Frankenstein creation.

Director/writer Tim Burton finessed such issues as “Where had the organs come from?” An animated film such as Pinocchio allowed viewers to more easily dispense with reason. Of course, a little wooden boy can turn into a real one! And Mighty Mouse could fly! However, when one saw actual humans, a certain additional demand was made for a pretext that didn’t offend a rationally functioning brain.

Further, upon a more detached reflection of this film, I am not comfortable with the fact that Edward wasn’t altogether human, and yet he was placed into a romantic situation with a woman. In the film Esmeralda denounced Edward as a “perverted” creature. That struck me – upon reflection – as an accurate description. In the film she was derided for her views as a “religious loony,” and O-Lan Jones played it to the hilt. Furthermore, Kim initially appeared to see him as a freak. Later, when she saw him “as he really was inside,” she fell in love with him.

How did he come to have skin that could cut, bleed, and heal, leaving scars? Where did the blood come from? Did he have bones – and thus bone marrow – to produce the blood? How did a metal robot transform by gradations into a human, or something that was perceived as a handicapped, or challenged, human? Where did the old inventor gain biological/medical knowledge, especially at an advanced age? Did he rob graves or morgues for the parts? Perhaps order them from organ purveyors? How did he get disparate body parts to function together? Was the immune system suppressed? If Edward was supplied a skeleton, was it done piecemeal? Was he ever part metal robot and part human bone & sinew simultaneously? From where did the skull for Edward come, and how was the metal head of the robot detached and the skull inserted? How were the nerves in the spinal cord connected to the brain?

The old method of Dr. Frankenstein of basically reanimating dead tissue seemed light-years ahead of the Tim Burton conception. It may be that Mr. Burton’s inspiration did not come from Mary Bysche Shelley’s Frankenstein, but, rather, it was inspired by the rabbinic creation, the golem.

Finally, there did seem to be the possibility that Edward was some sort of immortal “living-dead.” As discerned in the film, he didn’t seem to age. Although he bled, his parts didn’t seem to wear out. Even robotic machinery would have broken down. Scissors would break and wear out. Yet, at the end of this film perhaps fifty years of ice-sculpting had been done by Edward, not even considering the other “slicing & dicing” applications of his hands, without impairment.

What I am finally trying to understand was whether Tim Burton was once again trying to wed, or create a romantic love situation, between a living human and a dead but animate human, or humanoid, at any rate? It seemed a little “sick” to me. Again, was he, in the words of the intentionally mocked character Esmeralda, “Perverted?” 

Incidentally, Edward never removed his leather “bodysuit” in the entire film. He must have smelled terribly. Fifty years after the last moments with the young Kim, he was still wearing this “bodysuit.” Was there no skin beneath it? We saw him eating. What happened twelve hours thereafter? I would like to suggest that the word “funky” might apply in spades.

Putting aside the improbabilities, the film had a number of diverting, amusing aspects.

 

STORY CAPSULE:

The film opened with Elfman’s music reinforcing a magical, storybook moment wherein the viewer saw a pleasant tract of colorful houses in the distance. In one of these houses an old woman was putting a little girl to bed. The girl begged for a story about the snow. The old lady gave in. She told the girl that it all began with a young man who had scissors for hands. She seated herself  and continued her tale.

There was a cut to the idyllic and cozy community of colorful houses from the perspective of the house on the hill. There was a dark-haired, dark-clad man gazing down upon it. There was a sense that he was like a boy looking into a bakery-shop window at the wonderful-looking cakes, pies and cookies. Or perhaps he was remembering a moment when he almost fitted in – almost found love. The camera cuts to Peg who was making her rounds as an Avon representative. She was seen as she visited Helen, who was a rather portly woman, whose hair was in rollers and body in a robe. Peg began her sales pitch, which Helen listened to, although clearly bored and slightly annoyed.  Finally, she told Peg, “Peg, you know I never buy anything from you.” Peg responded, “I know, Helen.”

A dogged Peg was seen as she continued her round of the neighborhood. She next called on Joyce (Baker). Joyce was the community’s femme fatale and was memorably and commendably portrayed. Prior to the arrival of Peg, the viewer was treated to Joyce’s “wooing” of the dishwasher repairman. She was marvelous to witness “on the hunt.”  When Peg arrived and rang the doorbell, Joyce curtly dismissed her. She had  interrupted Joyce’s seduction of the” fixit” fellow.

Undaunted, Peg continued her work. She glanced at the house of Esmeralda (Jones) but passed it by. Esmeralda was the community’s most religious character, whose abode was decorated as a quasi-church. She was given to jeremiads.

Still on the hunt for a sale, Peg happened to get a glance through her rearview mirror of the mansion on the hill. Why not? She undoubtedly was curious about it and who might live there. She drove her car through rather forbidding gates which bore gargoyles and was guarded by apparently dead shrubs. It appeared to be an old cemetery. The steep, rocky hill itself was inexplicable, rising as it did from entirely flat terrain at the edge of Peg Boggs’ colorful community of  houses, all of which appeared to be hardly varying ranch-style houses, excepting for color.

Her drive up the hill finally ended at a gated area which – surprise! – had greenery. She pushed her way through the gate and discovered a wonderland of color. Here she found a sort of garden which featured sculpted bushes. Dragons, dogs, and the like abounded. On the walls were various gothic creatures someone had sculpted. Near the double-doors to the mansion was a curious, large hand pruned from a bush. Its palms reached out to God and man.

She opened the door into a large chamber and called out, “Avon calling!”

She saw the cobwebby remnant of a production line, whose machinery was long dormant. To one side there were stairs leading to a second floor. There, she discovered a broken roof opened to the sky and an old chimney/fireplace which had been turned into a sleeping niche. On the walls on the interior fireplace were cut-out pictures.  She heard and then noticed a figure seated in a darkened area of the room. The viewer could clearly see the scissor-hands, which reflected light, as their owner nervously worked them. She urged him to come forward, which he did. As he came, she noticed the hands and thought they were drawn knives.

Immediately, she began backpedalling, apologizing, and urging him to put away his weapons. When the young man was fully out in the light, it was apparent to Peg that his hands were scissors. She could not help but to think that this odd-looking fellow was no real threat. Because Peg was such a sympathetic person, she immediately seemed to win over the young man, who seemed anxious to please her.

Peg asked him what his name was. He responded that it was “Edward.” She asked him about his hands, and he replied that he wasn’t “finished.” He had numerous small scars on his face, which captured her attention.

As a professional cosmetic saleswoman, she felt the challenge issued to her by the lad’s imperfections. Wheels turned in her head. Her professional training blended with her sympathetic nature, and she invited him to come live at her home. He seemed pleased and agreed.

With this detailed preamble behind, the remaining bulk of the movie focused on Edward, his interactions with his curious new neighbors, the love-at-first-sight which he experienced upon beholding Peg’s daughter, Kim, and ultimately the misunderstanding, betrayal, hostility and violence of most of the neighbors, which made life with them impossible.

Among the highlights of these episodes were: Edward’s first night at Peg’s house, including dinner and waterbed; the neighborhood women discovering Edward’s hair-cutting abilities; the attempted seduction of Edward by Joyce; and Edward’s brush with the law.

The movie concluded by a return to the little girl’s bedroom, where the old woman was wrapping up her story about Edward. The little girl reminded her that she had not explained where the snow came from. The old woman had already introduced the fact that Edward had made “snow” while sculpting ice at her yard, which had enchanted her and caused her to dance as the “flakes” from his scissoring bellowed from his ice sculpturing. The old women had said that before Edward sculpted the ice, it never snowed in their town.

She answered the child’s question about how she knew by revealing that she was Kim. She stated that she knew that Edward was alive on the hill and was still living in the mansion, because it now snowed every year. The little girl asked why the old woman didn’t go up the hill to visit him. She replied that she wanted Edward to remember her always as she had been on the night that she danced in the “snow.”

 

The final camera cut was to the mansion where Edward lived as he had always lived before. The planted shrubs had been resnipped and shaped. Finally, he was seen sculpting blocks of ice, whose shapes recalled the family that he had come to know and the young woman he had come to love.

CONCLUSION:

The acting and “over-acting” in this film made it work. The character, Joyce, was a scene-stealer, even with the credibly rendered Edward as her opposite. The sets were somewhat campy. The script was well-done. There was a “neverland” character to this movie that suited it. Lots of people have loved this film and have made it into a cult item. I wasn’t one of these.

PRODUCTION Keys:

Tim Burton – director

Danny Elfman – original music

Stefan Czapsky – cinematography

Richard Halsey – film editing

Cast:

Johnny Depp – Edward Scissorhands

Winona Ryder – Kim

Dianne Wiest – Peg

Anthony Michael Hall – Jim

Kathy Baker – Joyce

Conchata Ferrell – Helen

Caroline Aaron – Marge

O-Lan Jones – Esmeralda

Vincent Price – The Inventor

Alan Arkin – Bill

John Davidson – Host-TV

April 12, 2010, EbonyStar.

 

THE LITTLE MERMAID: ARIEL'S BEGINNINGS (2008)

 

COMMENTARY:

When King Triton shaped-changed into the Lord of the Blue Meanies, not even a Yellow Submarine crammed with Beatles could prevail against his dour regime. If it weren't for scheming governess, Marina Del Ray, and crafty adviser, Sebastian, then there would have been very little interest in the film at all. It was true that Triton's daughters were pretty, but their beauty was only waist-high. Leg-men need not bother looking. This movie was probably conceived as a sort of boutique film for aquarium-lovers. For them one might note that a colorful sampling of "get down!" sea life would be encountered.

Could anything bring joy back to the Kingdom of Atlantica? As tanna leaves were to the mummy, so music was to the mermaids and their finny pals. Could music have charm enough to heal a broken-hearted Triton? Toss in a magical egg with figurines and - dash it all! - the tide might turn.

STORY CAPSULE:

The film opened in a lovely, happy marine kingdom called Atlantica. Here, King Triton and Queen Athena lovingly ruled a gaggle of daughters, as well as a host of mermen, mermaids, fish and other sealife. It was colorful, merry, music-friendly, and contented. Queen Athena was the great love of Triton's life. He had made an egg-like music "box." which was crowned with dancing images of Triton and Athena. The music played was "their song." One tragic day, a pirate ship appeared on the scene, crashing into their happiness. Queen Athena was no more. Suddenly, day had turned into night. There was no more joy in King Triton. He disdained merriment. He forbade music to ever sound in Atlantica. A new era of gloom settled into his watery realm, and he treated it as a friend. Large, mean-looking swordfish patrolled his kingdom enforcing the law. Other than a weary interest in his several daughters, who were supervised by a governess, Marina Del Ray, he saw few others besides his high adviser, Sebatian, who was a red crab.

Marina and Sebastian would become opponents in a palace struggle for primary influence with the king. Regardless of the law, both would express themselves with music. In fact and oddly enough, this animated film was a partially-developed musical. Go figure! Marina expressed her conniving heart in solos usually associated with light opera. On the other hand, Sebastian preferred to sneak into a private (and hidden) club to express himself in rowdy-music gatherings that blended a Spike Jones band production with a full-cast finale perfected off broadway.

The Triton daughter who was most disgruntaled with her father's dour rule and most curious about life was Ariel. She even pled with her father, but he would not hear of allowing music and merriment in Atlantica. It was as if he thought that he would betray Athena. She was the music of his life. If she was gone, how could there be music? When he lost her, he had flung the "music box" as far as he could. There would be no more of that.

Ariel one day happened to meet Flounder, who disturbed her thoughts with something akin to melody. They became friends. He "turns her on" to the clandestine club.

Naturally, the ambitious Marina Del Ray discovered that both Ariel and Sebastian were secretly going to a "speakeasy" where the most blatant forms of "get-down" music were being played. While she plotted how to use this to unseat Sebastian and take his place as adviser to Triton, Ariel "spilled the seaweed" about the club to her sisters. They all immediately begged to be taken. Clearly, revolutionary vibrations were loose in the lagoon.

King Triton was no fool to be trifled with. When Marina Del Ray was able to implicate Sebastian, his daughters, and some of the other habitues of the underground music den, firm and resolute action was taken.

As with the band of young rabbits in the book, Watership Down, some of the key characters in this film set forth to find a new place. For these intrepid sea-settlers, it must be a place where music ruled. Ariel decided to go with them. Sebastian, Flounder, and Ray Ray were among this group. They found a suitable spot (good acoustics!) and rested. Life didn't afford much rest to critters, whether above or below sea-level. Soon, some "bad boys" of the sea showed up and a tussle followed. During this melee, Ariel stumbled upon the "music box" which Triton had hurled away in grief those several years ago (before his beard had turned white). It still played magically.

Having heard of Ariel's plight, Triton hastened to defend his daughter. Perhaps the fear of the loss of Ariel had caused a crack in Triton's heart (or in the chain that bound it), for when he found her and secured her safety, the music from the "box" seemed to find a pathway inside which changed him. He was not so much changed as to have rediscovered himself.

Merriment returned to Atlantica.

CONCLUSION: 

This Disney DVD might have made some grouper's dream come true, but it wasn't an easy sit for an adult. I thought that this was one of Disney's least successful animations. Words such as "stale" and "banal" must have been created to bestow on such projects. I believe that youngsters might enjoy the movie. Certainly, parents need not be fearful of its sexual contents, although it certainly seemed to condone willfulness and clandestine, premeditated law-breaking. Let's just say that there was a bit of the revolutionary in many of the creatures in the movie. The film treated them as "kool."

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Peggy Holmes - director

Robert Reece - writer

Evan Spiliotopoulous - writer

CAST: (voices)

Jodi Benson - Ariel

Samuel E. Wright - Sebastian

Jim Cummings - King Triton/Shelbow

Sally Field - Marina Del Ray

Parker Goris - Flounder

Lorelei Hill Butters - Queen Athena

Kevin Michael Richardson - Ray Ray

 

March 27, 2010, EbonyStar.

 

GREEN ZONE (2010)

COMMENTARY:

My impression was that this film was a superior effort at confronting the deceit which was clearly utilized by the Bush regime to justify its aggressive actions toward Iraq. It was focused on the issue of Weapons of Mass Destruction ("WMD")," which was the primary justification for the U.S. attack on the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq.

In this context the movie tracked two lines: an macro-conflict between top echelon officials manifested by the differing approaches of the DOD Intel and the C.I.A. The more important line tracked was that of the U.S. Army unit in which Chief Warrant Officer Miller was operational leader. It was his units assignment to find and quarantine any/all locations where WMDs were.

The repeated instances of "result zero" led Miller to question U.S. Army intelligence. This did two things: it made him appear to be "not a team player" and it led him to directly talk to the C.I.A. sector chief in Baghdad, Martin Brown.

Privately, Brown criticized the U.S. puppet, Zubaidi, who had been brought back to Iraq after 30 years of exile to be the "popular leader."

As Martin Brown had publicly and even more so privately "butted heads" with the DOD Intel man on the scene, Clark Poundstone, who was solidly supported by the Bush White House, the colloquy he had with Chief Warrant Officer Miller caught the eye of Wall Street Journal reporter Lawrie Dayne, whose reporting had been supportive of the war effort.

Because the great American media complexes have - with very high consistency - been supporters of U.S. aggression at each outset, the Wall Street Journal reporter was, in effect, another intelligence agent,  operating somewhat outside the established U.S governmental departments and agencies.

They operated in a way that was somewhat parallel to civilian intelligence (spying) operations in the U.S., such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, which provided assessments of groups it disliked to the F.B.I., Homeland Security, A.T.F., etc. After these latter assessments were issued - often in "reports,"  the media dutifully reported the assessed "danger."

Likewise, the great media operations tended to issue reports that supported media agendas. As the media leadership tended to view itself as an important - and equal - branch of government, it also usually provided propaganda support, which was at one with the general thrust of those positions indicated by U.S. elected officials as they sought to provide "responsible" leadership" to the "world community." However, not being elected, the media tended to see itself as a "purer" branch of government, which was characterized by tough, high-minded vision. A symbiotic relationship had developed over the life of the Republic.

Therefore, Lawrie Dayne initially looked upon Miller as "suspicious." He was on the other side. Was he secretly supportive of al Qaeda? Of Iran? Why would he doubt U.S. intelligence that asserted that Saddam Hussein had hidden Weapons of Mass Destruction in many locations scattered across Iraq?

This was a well-directed film. It moved from suspicion to revelation in a well-conceived and executed fashion. Its focus was topical and important to the development of a better educated society.

I believe that Damon, Gleeson, Kinnear and Ryan provided above average rendering of characters, who were pitted, somewhat like a tag-team wrestling match, in a ring in the dangerous environs of Baghdad. Damon particularly was able to render in his eyes a man who realised that he was both predator and prey.

The locale sets, costuming, customs, and general milieu seemed credible. Danger was perceivable.

STORY CAPSULE:

The film opened with a shot of Saddam Hussein's "stately manor," which was currently being utilized by the top civilian and military officials. It was very well-protected as far as such could be protected in the age of hand-held missiles and suicide-drivers. It was here that Clark Poundstone, played cheerleader for the present White House strategy and "head-pounder" of any who should question its analyses.

However, the camera didn't linger at this "seat of power," which had gained the title of "Green Zone." Instead, it cut to a group of soldiers out on a mission. Among them was Chief Warrant Officer Miller.

They were on a mission to assault, capture and quarantine a location which army intelligence confirmed to have WMD. After tense moments, they secured the location and found nothing. Also, they managed to antagonize some of the local Iraqis. (Apparently, the White House was not aiming at "hearts and minds" in any positive sense at this time.)

Miller was both frustrated by the obviously poor intelligence and the "net negative" effect on all concerned in this mission. Where were they getting their intelligence information? Miller noted that this was the third straight mission which failed, even though intelligence had been firm that WMD were hidden at the location.

At a meeting within the center in the Green Zone, Miller raised the issue at a conference presided over by Poundstone and "observed" by C.I.A. Sector Chief Brown. He was curtly dismissed for raising an issue of quality in regard to Army intelligence. When he persisted, he was "jumped on" by superior officers, who ordered him to "stand down."

He was noticed by Martin Brown, who had himself had conflicts with Poundstone about the overall approach of the DOD Intel people in Iraq.

Brown approached Miller and tried to connect. Miller was not committal, but did accept Brown's card, where he could contact him.

Spying was probably one of the four main occupations in and about the Green Zone. Wall Street Journal pundit, Lawrie Dayne, saw them together and wheels began to turn. Who was this Chief Warrant Officer talking to C.I.A. "spook" Brown? Veeerrrry interesting!

Naturally, she sought out Miller for a little bit of "footslogging" investigation. He was a bit on the terse side, unwilling to show his cards. Hmmmm! Veeerrrry interesting!

Miller continued with his unit's futile attempt to find WMD. He met an Iraqi patriot, "Freddy," who fought against Iran in the Iraqi-Irani Ten-Year War, losing a leg in the process. Miller gets him to act as an interpreter,as Miller got involved with street fusses and got on the trail of some Baathists who were remnants of Saddam Hussein's High Command.

It was this line that led to the revelations involving a secret U.S. "asset" who was code-named "Magellan." This Magellan, while secretly meeting with high U.S. officials in Jordan, informed them that there were no WMD. However, as this was unwanted information, they flipflopped it into the sort of intelligence they wanted. The mysterious Magellan then flew back to Iraq, where he had been one of the highest generals in the Iraqi military, and he went underground.

Nevertheless, he lived on as a virtual Magellan, advising DOD Intel and the Bush White House of places where Saddam Hussein had hidden WMD. In these circumstances, it was often better if the real source "slept with his fathers," while the fictitious one remained, coded and clandestine, to advise U.S. leaders. Naturally, the major media went along.

 

After some exciting scenes in which Miller, Freddy, and the other members of Miller's unit chased about Baghdad and through clusters of homes therein, Miller captured General Al Rawi, who turned out to be the mysterious Magellan.

Miller put together a report on the hard facts that he had discovered, and he stuffed a copy in an envelope and saw that Lawrie Dayne got a copy.

Brown was apprised.

This understanding, as well as a change in position by Lawrie Dayne in her reporting from Iraq for the Wall Street Journal, would begin the process by which Americans would perceive that they were lied to by the Bush White House, and They would begin to demand a return of the troops. This film concluded as this "sun" rose on the horizon.

CONCLUSION:

This film was in the action-drama mode of recent Matt Damon films under the "Bourne" series. However, it offered a relatively topical background that focused on real and present dangers to the U.S.A. That danger involved consistent patterns of "high crimes and misdemeanors" at the highest levels of government. I thought it did these things well.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Paul Greengrass - director

Brian Helgeland - writer, adapted from novel by Rajiv Chandrasekaran

CAST:

Matt Damon - Miller, Chief Warrant Officer, U.S. Army

Amy Ryan - Lawrie Dayne, Wall Street Journal reporter

Brendan Gleeson - Martin Brown, C.I.A. Sector Chief, Iraq

Greg Kinnear - Clark Poundstone, Intelligence, Pentagon

Khalid Abdulla - Freddy, Iragi interpreter for Miller

Yigal Naor - Iraqi General Al Rawi, code name "Magellan"

Said Faraj - Seyyed Hamza, Baathist official

Raad Rawi - Ahmed Zubaidi, American-sanctioned leader back from exile

 

March 21, 2010, EbonyStar

THE WATCHMEN (2009)

 

 

COMMENTARY:

 

As in the days of Jared in the Old World, mighty beings had joined the Modern World. Some were mightier than others. They all thought that they could teach mankind the pathway to peace on Earth through a mix of benevolent leadership and well-considered, focused violence. Some saw that the daughters of man were beautiful, and they took them for wives.

 

This was a film that could inspire thoughts of Genesis.

However, in this film’s case hubris transformed the blessed into a curse upon the Land.

 

This film had, as part of its composition, promising elements. Unfortunately, the confusion of thematic elements can always engender unease in the mind of the viewer. When this condition was wrought in a very lengthy movie, there was discomfort beyond the seats typically offered by a theatre.

 

The film blended the Sci-Fi, Vigilante and Docu-Drama genres. It was almost like a collaboration between Kurt Vonnegut and The Subway Vigilante with a Forward by Richard M. Nixon. In fact the important character, Rorschach, sounded like the Son of Sam serial killer, Berkowitz,  blended with Travis Bickel of The Taxi Driver.

 

By ill-chance a scientist, Jon Osterman,  was isolated in a chamber in which an unstoppable experiment in physics with irreversible effects was about to take place. Beyond all expectations he was transformed from an ordinary man into a blue Superman. He had evolving powers that seem almost godlike.

 

Although this film was not atheistic, it was often enough presenting a colloquy between Dr. Manhattan and another character on the subject of God. He seemed to be agnostic, depending mostly on how he was appraising himself at the moment. Hence, for chance to be the deus ex machina by which Dr. Manhattan was created was curious even to him.

 

Still, he had some growing to do. Evolution into the godhead might be a quantum-leap affair, but it did require the passage of a little time, as humans reckon such matters. The transformed scientist was dubbed “Dr. Manhattan.” Americans understand him to be working for America. They had seen him subdue the Vietcong/North Vietnamese regulars and intimidate the Communist leadership of the U.S.S.R. However, the Soviet leadership’s Massada-like mentality made them even more dangerous. In truth Dr.Manhattan had out-grown America, had out-grown Earth, and was presently wondering what a condo on Mars might be like.

 

For the moment Dr.Manhattan was harmoniously allied, it seemed, with Adrian Veidt, the richest and smartest person in the world.

Nevertheless, the Blue One was peerless, when it came to physics (and most every other important scientific endeavor). Furthermore, he could shape-change instantly into a giant version of himself. Except at funerals or special occasions, such as a news conference, he either wore a thong or was naked

Dr. Manhattan wasn’t the only one who was blue; his girl friend was “blue” too because she believed that he didn’t really care about her.

 

Humanity, meanwhile, was striving against itself. During much of this film the Cold War was virtually on the edge of becoming a thermonuclear war between the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R.

 

Richard M. Nixon was not only the President, but he won a third term in office. Moreover, since we knew that the contemporary time frame was about 1985, Nixon may have become virtually “President for Life.”

 

There were some amusing parodies in this film of relevant significant figures and the journalists who follow their decision-making processes. The John McLaughlin news program was a singularly successful target. Ted Koppel was another amusing target.

 

This complex, lengthy movie had two main lines. One character, Dr. Manhattan, was very important to both. The political line unfolded as America, after World War II, veered into a confrontational groove with the U.S.S.R., which confrontation, as the film opened in the year 1985, was nearing thermonuclear war over events in Afghanistan.

 

The secondary line was both generally and specifically linked to the first. This line involved the many-dimensional Adrian Veidt, who was a visionary and who had the financial wherewithal to make his vision come true. He was both a hero and a villain. Such antipodal characteristics were not his alone in this film. It was his decisions, vision, schemes, and will that drove into and affected every other line, sub-line, and key event, which unfolded in the contemporary range of time.

 

The remainder were historical events that unfolded in flashbacks. They provided important data by which to better understand the present. One crucially important event, however, fell outside of either line and outside the illumination of flashbacks. The important character, Rorschach, had kept a journal of events that began in late summer and ended in a newspaper’s mail slot, prior to his trip to Antarctica to confront Adrian Veidt.

 

STORY CAPSULE:

 

This film opened in Manhattan with a blurry, dark-grayish image, which, as the camera angle widened, became distinctly yellow. As the camera angle widened more, the vision of the  “Yellow Smile Button” became clear. At the same time, an audio was relating news about the U.S.S.R. and Afghanistan. The camera angled widened more, retreating at a good clip, while revealing the “Yellow Smile Button” fastened to the robe of a large-looking, scruffy male, who was chewing on a cigar and watching television, where the audio met the video.

 

As the television ran its images – some historical, some contemporary, the familiar image of mankind’s peril  in the form of a clock-face whose hour hand was near midnight and whose minute hand was set at 55 minutes past 11 o’clock. Scientist confirmed that we were five minutes from doom. A commercial comes on, showing a beautiful woman by an idyllic swimming pool with classical structures adjoining it. Her beauty acts as a pheromone, drawing a salon drone toward her. As this commercial began, the velvety voice of Nat King Cole could be heard, singing “Unforgettable.”

 

As the man observed it, he seemed to get a little pensive. The camera had cut to such an angle that the moviegoer could see through the dark the image of Silk Spectre, hanging on the wall, looking beautiful and sexy, after the fashion of a Vargas Girl on one of his famous calendars. The man, the image and the song all blended into an important, and as yet unknown, relationship. This relationship created a “miracle.”

 

It was that “miracle” which would raise the consciousness of The Blue One, inspiring him to believe in humans again.

 

 

The television never stopped and included  a lot of scene-cutting from “the world today” where statesmanship, politics, and violence competed, and sometimes merged, for “air time.” Nuclear War was a front-and-center issue. The man sometimes interacted knowingly with the scene before him. Historical events and time streamed, compressed and splintered. Real-time events shared equally with memories of times past in the mind of this observing man.

 

 

Once, years ago, he belonged to a special club. Every meeting had been a costume party. They had been known as Watchmen. He was called “Comedian.” His signature expression: “It’s all a joke.” He could always see the humorous side of violence. He had apparently assassinated President John F. Kennedy. As he left the scene he grinned. LBJ would be better for business – his kind of business.

 

Suddenly, he was aware that he was not alone. He went into a defensive mode. A figure appeared. The man with the smile button stared at the intruder and said: “I should have known.” In the dim light his appearance was otherworldly. The large man that the moviegoer observed watching television seemed almost average in size before this tall, lean adversary. The television-watcher had a gun, but his adversary soon separated him from his weapon. They commenced to fight, ending with the strange adversary tossing the television-watcher through a broad window and down to the street ten stories below.

There was a memorable visual punctuation mark in the form of a “Yellow Smile Button” that was now splashed with its owner’s blood, following him through the window – at a respectful distance.

 

Unknown to most, this man had been suborned by President Nixon to watch the Watchmen. As the rebelliousness of the Vietnam era produced more acts of lawlessness, the Watchmen found themselves more and more battling the very people they had previously fought to save. This fact created a “backlash” akin to what Batman faced in his last outing: The perception was that they were a lawless gang of vigilantes. Thus, the political and also practical need to “know what the Watchmen were doing.” In short the Comedian was an organizational fink.

 

He learned of Adrian’s vision and, to his surprise, was emotionally shaken by this knowledge.

The “Battle in Apartment 1001” was an event that was soon followed by a formal military funeral in New York. A gaggle of men and women had attended. Their faces would reappear throughout this film. They were, or had been, members of the Watchmen. Included among them was a blue man, who looked  dapper in his unaccustomed clothing.

 

There was an important flashback by this blue man, Dr. Manhattan, in which details of his decisive “work” in Vietnam and his relationship with the Comedian were provided. The Comedian had gotten his Vietnamese mistress pregnant. The U.S was ready to split the Vietnam scene, and she wanted him to help her. He killed her. She never saw the humor, but the Comedian did.

  

The murder of Edward Morgan Blake, who was known to their society as “Comedian,” was a thought-provoking one. Had it been chance?

This event introduced the dynamic, deadly oddity known as “Rorschach.” He was the only one of the Watchmen that moviegoers would not have expected to keep a journal.

 

Rorschach did not accept Comedian’s death as an unfortunate chance event. Nor was Comedian the first of their society to die an untimely – and to Rorschach – suspicious death.

 

Always lethal, he was never more so than when he felt threatened. The fact that he was usually wearing a white mask that had changing, black patterns reinforced the notion that “he was not quite right.”

Parenthetically, one cannot help but wonder how he could see clearly wearing his “stocking mask.” Yet, he was as agile as a gibbon, and as deadly as a black mamba in his dealings with adversaries.

 

Who, then, was Rorschach?

 

By means of flashbacks the moviegoer became aware that he, Walter Kovacs, had suffered psychological warping, due to the childhood he experienced. He witnessed for years strange men visiting his mother, who would entertain them in her bedroom. Sometimes the men were a little rough, and the boy feared for his mother. He wanted to defend her, but she scolded him for interfering. Once she loudly wandered why she hadn’t aborted him. The strange men patronized him as they made their exits.

 

The film portrayal of these episodes made clear that the little redheaded boy was deeply disturbed and angered by all this. Further, during one flashback the boy was accosted and taunted by  bigger lads. The redheaded boy initiated a furious and victorious counter-assault, including a memorably bloody bite of one of the bully’s ear.

 

This was the only Watchman whose childhood was significantly touched upon. He was the only one that the director apparently thought must be understood so that his lethal drive had a credible, plausible basis.

 

It was true that the daughter of a Watchman had been exposed to some level of sex and violence between the Comedian and her mother. The result did not seem to have the permanent deformation on her psyche that occurred to Rorschach. The mother was Silk Spectre, and the daughter was Silk Spectre II.

 

Most of those who joined the Watchmen seemed to do so for much the same reasons that patriotic, physically-oriented people joined officially authorized undercover operations, or even something similar to the White House “Plumbers.” Still, Cold War motivation seemed to be a cover for some of them to do things that advanced ulterior motives.

 

One such was Adrian Veidt, who controlled a company called “Pyramid.” [Yes, there was an Egyptian connection.] He had, in fact, a body of scientists he had dubbed “Karnak.” Toward the end of the movie, he would, pharaoh-like, kill them all in his “pyramid.” Please remember: megalomania was a mania.

 

This company had begun to cast off clues which were to be picked up by the core remnant of  the Watchmen later. Adrian Veidt’s company seemed to be part of the “military-industrial complex,” and he worked closely with Dr. Manhattan.

 

 

The ostensible vision of Adrian Veidt was cheap, abundant energy which would result in a world of plenty, thus ending the primary cause of war and violence. To this end he and Dr. Manhattan labored in the ultra high-tech laboratory of the Pyramid company.

 

There were three problems that were discordant toward the Veidtian vision.

 

Firstly, the Veidtian analysis of the causes of war and violence was fatally undermined by the character, Rorschach.

 

Secondly, the ever-evolving Dr. Manhattan had deduced that the nature of humans was irreversibly low and violent; it couldn’t be favorably altered. He had lost interest in their affairs and had moved on to understanding the Universe. Saving the Earth from thermo-nuclear war seemed to be too minor a subject matter on which to waste time. After all, Dr. Manhattan had walked across the surface of the sun and was presently constructing a gyroscope-like device on Mars. His links to humans were few and, although originally a human physicist prior to the “accident,” he had mostly lost those “human feelings” that might impel him to try to save mankind. He was a “god” disconnected from his human “creation.” He was not angry with humans; he merely dismissed their importance.

 

Thirdly, Adrian Veidt himself was a megalomaniac and pretender to godhood.

 

As the “smartest man on Earth,” he naturally believed that he should rule the world “for its own good.” He was, in fact, the incarnation of the Jewish concept of Tikkun olam (“repair of the world”). He was the Repairer. Seeing flaws easily in lesser men, he overlooked flaws in himself. He would remake the world in his image. Yet, this was the very lark who threw Comedian to his death for spying, as well as murdered all his Karnak scientists.

 

Oddly, it was the film’s trick of “Beauty and the Beast” that turned Dr. Manhattan from the self-absorption into which he increasingly had come to dwell. Since Dr. Manhattan could at will shape-change into a blue being at least as big as Kong, perhaps it was fitting that he had retained an interest in a beautiful woman, Laurie Jupiter (Silk Spectre II), who in this case was an old friend who had replaced his original girlfriend, Janey Slater,

 

who had grown older and unhappy with his inattention. It was she that brought him back to Earth. Sweet bird of youth!

 

This plot was partially driven by Rorschach’s conviction that someone was trying to eliminate the Watchmen, even though most were long retired from the crime-fighting and assassination game. In effect he single-handedly roused a portion of the remnant to put on their costumes and confront their common enemy.

 

In the process the retired ones were introduced. There had been a World War II  predecessor  group, which was dubbed the “Minutemen.” 

 

Laurie’s mother, Sally Jupiter, aka Silk Spectre, perhaps in respect for The War, was a member.

 

Precisely when she joined the group was unknown, but eventually Comedian and Silk Spectre both were active. He forced himself upon Silk Spectre, and from this ugly deed the beautiful Laurie Jupiter was conceived. Go figure! As with her Mom, Laurie became a “high-kicking hero.” By that time Sally had long ago retired to brooding over the morning martini. Through flashbacks the moviegoer saw them in their prime – mostly in costumes at gatherings. There also, the viewer could see Mothman, Silhouette, Nite Owl, and maybe Captain Metropolis.

 

After “Moloch” was killed, Rorschach went red-alert. Moloch was the Watchman name for a Jew named Edgar Jacobi, who seemed to have Vulcan ancestry as well. Until that discovery by Rorschach, Moloch, who was on the opposite poll from Comedian, whom Adrian Veidt described once as a “Nazi,” had been considered as a likely murderer of Comedian. With the discovery of the murdered Moloch, the idea was spawned in the mind of Rorschach that they were all threatened by an unknown conspiracy.

 

The fact that very soon after his discovery, the building where Moloch lived was surrounded by cops sealed his judgment. This occurred in more ways than one, as Rorschach was also captured, de-masked, and sent to prison.

 

In prison he was unflappable amid a large gaggle of violent human caricatures. Mayhem ensued. Those who challenged the small, redheaded man paid dearly.

 

Meanwhile, two of the old caped crusaders had drawn closer. The man was independently wealthy, after the fashion of Bruce Wayne/Batman. He was Dan Dreiberg, aka, Nite Owl II. Furthermore, he had an underground chamber where he housed his equipment and costumes.

 

There was a tunnel that led to the outside world. Through it he flew his “wingless owl” vehicle to do battle against malefactors.

 

After bonding with Laurie Jupiter, aka Silk Spectre II, and after a little aggressiveness on her part, a romantic interlude was attempted. This film was so long that it could afford to deploy film space to an episode of sexual dysfunction. Later, however, the two, with costumes donned, did successful battle in an alley with about 14 hoodlums. While enjoying a victory tryst, hovering in park near the Chrysler Building, the two tried again with great success and versatility.

 

And to think that Tony Randall once laughed at Harry Rheems’ “acting,” while visiting The Johnny Carson Show! Somewhere along the recent way, Hollywood had noticed that Americans were becoming voyeurs. Therefore, there were profits in “them thar hills.”

 

One of several featured songs in this movie was Woody Guthrie’s “The Times – They  Are  A-Changing.”

 

As the two clung cosily after the clench, he suggested that they “spring” Rocschach from prison. She commented that he was at a maximum security prison. He retorted that that made it more fun. She smiled at the idea. They set out to it.

 

Meanwhile, the small redheaded man in his prison cell was confronted by a vertically-challenged hoodlum, who looked rather like the late Tennessee Williams as he confronted the eighties through vaguely aware eyes during a brief “Williams Resurrection.”

 

Accompanying this mini-menace were two huge brutes full of threats. The undaunted Rorschach gave them a dose of the lethal violence that he did so well. However, in truth one of the brutes was victimized by his own associates, when Rorschach turned him into a temporary obstacle to entrance into his cell.

 

Hardly could the audience swallow this main course of violence, when the two costumed Watchmen leaped into a prison riot situation, tussled with large numbers of inmates, and found their lethal colleague. Then off they went in the Owl-o-copter.

 

By this time the world was on the brink of nuclear war again. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was an important catalyst. Richard M. Nixon had ordered the Pentagon to go to Defcon 2. He asked for estimates of nuclear damages to America from his advisers. He learned that the whole east coast of the U.S.A. would likely be destroyed. He gloated about the demise of the Eastern Establishment.

 

Meanwhile, all the clues about “Pyramid” being somehow mixed up in the untoward events that had wounded the former Watchmen club and threatened nuclear catastrophe led the remnant Watchmen to focus on Adrian Veidt, their erstwhile colleague. (He had “outgrown” his former colleagues.) They had had brief encounters with him in the recent past. He was always cool and supercilious. He was quite tall and lean. He was youthful-looking. He believed that he had outsmarted Dr. Manhattan.

 

Adrian Veidt had constructed a combination of abode, fortress, and high-tech laboratory on the continent of Antarctica. It seemed to sit on the edge of a glacier. There can be little below it other than the deep, cold ocean. Since he was such a bright fellow, the moviegoer supposed that he must have rested it upon solid rock or new physics.

 

He had apparently planted some super-lethal “bombs” in a score of important cities of the world, such as New York City and Moscow. These were meant to be exploded to inaugurate nuclear war between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S.A. After the carnage, the world would be ready to accept his leadership. Nuclear weapons would be banned. Only Adrian Veidt’s super-weapons would remain, safely based at his frigid fortress. From there he would direct the world. His cheap energy would help the world to restore itself and live forever at peace.

 

Parenthetically, Veidt’s vision seemed altogether akin to Charley Manson’s Helter-Skelter scenario.

 

Yet, the world leaders realized that it was not either of the nuclear powers who had detonated the explosive devices. They then determined to stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” against the common enemy. This event united the world.

 

For Adrian Veidt this was merely scenario two, either of which scenario would result in his Promethean gesture bringing peace and plenty to Earth.

Can anything stop him? Yes, the power of vestigial human feelings in Dr. Manhattan.

 

The assault on Fortress Antarctica was put into action. The remnant of the Watchmen closed in on Adrian’s redoubt. The moviegoer sensed that an intra-fortress battle-royal was about to occur. They weren’t disappointed. For men such as Rorschach, there was a revenge motive. However, Adrian Veidt proved to be too much. He even appeared to lure The Blue One into a devastating Manhattan Project that reduced him to mesons, quarks and charms. How could a mere Blue Man think he could outwit the “smartest man on Earth?”

 

It seemed that Adrian was not the only one trying to develop a “fell-safe” position. Dr. Manhattan had long ago mastered the science of Blue Man reconstitution.

 

The moviegoer saw him looming above the ceiling windows in his giant persona. He then reduced himself sufficiently to confront the coolly determined Adrian in his lair. Really, it proved to be “no contest.” The elemental Adrian ceased, and his work of repairing the world ended with him. Even a nomadic folksinger realized that times change.

 

As the remnant exited for the wingless Owl-o-copter, Rorschach entreated and challenged Dr. Manhattan to finish him off. He didn’t really belong to the new world a-borning.  He needed to get out of the way of this new, changing world. He could not change.

 

Reared in violence, Rorschach concluded his life on Earth the same way. As a gesture to this human oddity, Dr. Manhattan had the remnant of his flesh and blood deployed into the form of a Rorschach shape on the white terrain of Antarctica, which was its blotter.  A billion years from then, men would discover it and ask one another: “What do you think it means?”

 

Later, the moviegoer would witness as a sort of epilog the people in New York City rebuilding their city. The main players have reconciled. They’ve been through a terrifically exciting time. Now, it was time to make way, as old soldiers do, fading away into the history of the Old World.

 

CONCLUSION:

Was Adrian a villain? His vision was one of peace and plenty for the people of the Earth. However, rightly or wrongly, his perception of humanity precluded ordinary men doing what was necessary to accomplish the goal. If he could not be a god, he could be Prometheus. He viewed himself alone as capable of such a gesture.

 

I do not exaggerate when I say that there are shadowy organizations present on Earth now who have been working on a similar project based on similar reflections upon the intractable venality of ordinary people. They believe that they can overcome what the ordinary cannot. Adrian Veidt was a carnal symbol of such ambitions.

 

This was a long movie. I believe it offered more entertainment, shock, and food for thought than most films pumped out of Hollywood. The camera work and settings provided much to see. The special effects were very good.

 

PRODUCTION KEYS:

 

Zack Snyder – director

David Hayter/Alex Tse – screenplay

Tyler Bates – original music

Larry Fong – cinematography

Kristy Carlson – casting

Michael Wilkinson – costume design

Janene Carleton – stunt double for Carla Gugino

Richard Cetrone – stunt double for Adrian Veidt

Tim Connolly – stunt double for Jeffrey Morgan

 

CAST:

 

Matthew Goode – Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias

Jackie Earle Haley – Walter Kovacs/Rorschach

Billy Crudup – Dr. Manhattan/Jon Osterman

Malin Akerman – Laurie Jupiter/Silk Spectre II

Jeffrey Dean Morgan – Edward Blake/The Comedian

Patrick Wilson – Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl II

Carla Gugino – Sally Jupiter/Silk Spectre

Matt Frewer – Edgar Jacobi/Moloch the Mystic

Stephen McHattie – Hollis Mason/Nite Owl

Apollonia Vanova – Silhouette

Niall Matter – Mothman

Darryl Scheelar – Captain Metropolis

Robert Wisden – Richard Nixon

Laura Mennell – Janey Slater

Rob LaBelle – Wally Weaver

Martin Reiss – Brezhnev

Lon Watt – Rorschach’s mother

Matt Drake – Older Boy Bully (re Walter Kovacs)

Manoj Sood – Karnak scientist

Leah Gibson – Silhouette’s girlfriend

Walter Addison – Lee Iacocca

Steven Stojkovic – Mick Jagger

J.R. Killigrew – David Bowie

Gary Houston – John McLaughlin

James M. Connor – Pat Buchanan

Mary Ann Burger – Eleanor Clift

Ron Fassler – Ted Koppel

Frank Novak – Henry Kissinger

Nhi Do – Vietnamese girl

 

March 31, 2010, EbonyStar.

 

 

THE HURT LOCKER (2009)

COMMENTARY:

Although this film received very high marks from many critics, I thought that it was too small a piece of pie to be satisfying. Taking the viewer along on a number of forays did provide a sense of the mission. However, as with watching someone teetering on a high-wire, time passed and the viewer typically felt that he had seen enough.

The locales at which they operated seemed authentic.

The appearance of Guy Pearce was rather brief. He was the "man in the suit" before Renner's character took over. His character, Sergeant Matt Thompson, was on a mission soon after the movie opened. He was an engaging character who got along well with his two crewmen, who usually had the duty of helping him into the suit, being his "eyes," and doing bodyguard duty. "Ka-blooey!" Exit Sergeant Thompson from the movie. [Some of you may recall Pearce from his lead role in Memento.]

There was a vaguely poignant moment in a chamber that held rather sizable squares in which killed soldiers' possessions were placed. I assumed that that was the "hurt locker" referenced by the film's title. I don't recall any reference to it in the scene or afterward. It seemed rather cold and departmental.

A repackaged version of this sense occurred when the stressed Sergeant Sanborn told James that he didn't want to die in the road like a butchered pig - no one knowing or, if they did, caring. He wanted a son; he wanted to make a child.

Ralph Fiennes' role was also brief. He didn't standout much more than a bit player might. Still, a pro can't help but to make the team a little stronger.

This film tried to bring in some human interest beyond the dangerous business of defusing or neutralizing improvised bombs. There was a brief scene of Staff Sergeant James on leave back home. His wife (or former wife), their baby child, and James together celebrated his brief vacation from "work." In a chat with his baby child, which was hardly more than thinking out loud, he made plain that that work was the only exciting thing left for him. To the child he counted the phases of ennui.

The film opened with a quotation that concluded "War is addictive." The viewer inferred that Staff Sergeant William James was "hooked."

STORY CAPSULE:

There was no storyline other than similar episodes during the last 40 days - more or less - of a 365 day rotation for an army bomb-disarming unit. A certain military unit was assigned a rotation of 365 days in Iraq. Their mission was to disarm, defuse, and otherwise neutralize improvised bombs. The movie opened around the 39th day of rotation, presumably 39 days left. Then they could leave Iraq. As their task was to neutralize bombs, there typically was no "house to house" fighting between groups of armed individuals.

A kind of cell of men, including the experienced "man in the suit," who actually disarmed the bomb(s), and two gunners who watched all sides for potential trouble, composed the unit. They were assigned a duty, as the bombs, or suspected bombs, were called in by others, typically regular infantry. They rolled up in a humvee with perhaps a fifty-caliber in a turret atop. The Specialist Eldridge usually handled it. 

A bomb report had been received. Sergeant Sanborn and Sergeant Thompson were the experienced leaders. When they get to the spot, they utilize a robotic landrover to check a suspicious pile of bags. The robot was provisioned with a camera. They deduce that it was "booby-trapped" and could see the type of bomb. Sanborn and Eldridge helped Thompson into his suit, and he stepped forward to disarm it. Meanwhile, the other two suspiciously eyed all the Iraqis watching the "show" for danger. Throughout this film these episodes engendered crowds of curious Iraqis. It had become a kind of improvised sport, wherein only the Americans, typically, were in danger. In this instance, something goes wrong. Although Thompson bagan running for his life, he could not put enough distance between him and the bomb(s). He was killed. Virtually all the missions in the movie followed the same basic line.

The primary excitement in the film was the bomb set-up, the ticking clock, the sweating brow of the "man in the suit" as he worked, and whether one of the Iraqis' watching might take a "pot shot" at the team or set off a "brother" bomb hidden nearby and as yet undiscovered.

 

After the death of Thompson, Staff Sergeant William James showed up. Initially, Sanborn took a disliking to him, referring to him at one point as "trailer-trash." No matter. James was an independent, confident guy. He also rubbed Eldridge wrong when Eldridge realised how "into" the war James was. James had a sense of "right and wrong" military procedure, and he brooked no violation of his perogatives by friend or foe. This irked Eldridge who realised they only had some 35 days remaining in their rotation, who had seen Sergeant Thompson killed, and who dearly wanted to get this Iraqi business safely behind him. James clearly "upped" the risk that Eldridge might get killed during his last days of duty. Further, Eldridge's state of mind had gotten to the point that he was scheduling appointments with an army shrink, Colonel John Cambridge. 

Eldridge wasn't accepting this Yale doctor's counsel, and even challenged him to get out of the office and see what it really was like to be on the Iraqi streets. The doctor was sympathetic, stating maybe he would. Parenthetically, he did show up on one occasion and got killed by an improvised bomb. The distraught Eldridge could find only the helmet of the doctor.

Meanwhile, James had made an inexplicable relationship with a 12-13 year-old boy, Beckham, who hustled DVDs on the street for a businessman. Besides having a foul patois perfectly suited to Rap music - Iraqi-style, he sold bad products. James may have seen in the boy something of himself at that age. (That was strictly conjecture by me, but one likes to assume that a movie was substantially plotted). This kid would "pop up" from time to time and always where James was. At one point James thought that a dead Iraqi kid who had been gutted and stuffed with a bomb was Beckham. "How can you tell?" asked Sanborn. "They all looked alike." Later, James would encounter the real boy, hustling as usual.

There was one episode that seemed disconnected from the usual focus of disarming a bomb. Not only that, it was fairly lengthy. This involved the James crew encountering some contract worker dressed as Iraqis in a dusty area off the road they were traveling. Both groups came under sapper attack from various angles, but chiefly it came from a two-story "nub" of a building. Tediously, the crew extracted itself from this situation by becoming sappers themselves with a high-powered automatic which the contract team had. As I recalled, it was called a Barrett.

A better episode was the one wherein James confronted a bomb-rigged vehicle. Even as he considered the matter the car was set afire by gunfire. In this scene the combination of traits that made James so good at his job were demonstrated.

Later in the film, James was called to disarm an improvised bomb(s) attached to a man in a black suit. For obscure reasons some serious Iraqis had selected him for martyrdom and presumably a message to America or someone else. (Beats me.) James tried to save the man, who was a tall, lean man who had iron-shackled riggings which were locked by cold-steel locks. There were three or so locks. Inside the locks were strapped holster-like bands with several bombs secured in pockets in each band. There were at least two bands. The bombs were connected by wires and a timing device was set and running.

After an initial attempt at parleying with the frightened, pleaing man, James went to him in his "suit" and discovered the timer with about two minutes to go. He tried to cut the locks on the bands, managed to cut one, declared that they were too hard, that there were too many, and that there was nothing that could be done for the man. James began to run, as the man in the black suit looked up to the heavens in fervent prayer. He was suddenly consumed in the cloud of an explosion. When it dissipated, there was no visible part of the hapless man.

I thought that this was the best scene in the film.

Finally, the 365 days were over. At the end James has returned to Iraq and to his "suit." It was the only piece of clothing that really "suited" him.

CONCLUSION:

Although I believe that this film deserved a respectable niche within the War genre category, it was very substantially a quasi-documentary film devoted to one element of war. That element in this film was suitably dischargeable at the sergeant level. There were few efforts at putting these men into a storyline involving human development or larger issues. Those efforts which were made seemed contrived or distasteful. A scene of drunken men slugging each other in the belly as a kind of macho game may be a metaphor for the Iraqi war (or any other) but seemed to me a waste of film, which could have been more fruitfully used.

 

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Kathryn Bigelow - director

Mark Boal - writer

Marco Beltrami/ Buck Sanders - original music

Barry Ackroyd - cinematography

Chris Innis/ Bob Murawski - film editing

Mark Bennett - casting

Isaac Hamon - stunts (double)

CAST:

Jeremy Renner - Staff Sergeant William James

Anthony Mackie - Sergeant JT Sanborn

Brian Geraghty - Specialist Owen Eldridge

Guy Pearce - Sergeant Matt Thompson

Ralph Fiennes - Contractor Team Leader

Evangeline Lilly - Connie James

Christian Camargo - Colonel John Cambridge

Suhail Aldabbach - black-suited man

Christopher Sayegh - Beckham

Adel Akkad - bombsuit body double to Renner

March 25, 2010, EbonyStar.

 

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006)

 

COMMENTARY:

The character Dwayne was a challenge to accept as a credible teen.  It was fair to assert that each member of the Hoover clan represented a distinct personality almost to the point of type. Dwayne had taken a vow of silence until he achieved Air Force Academy Cadet status, where he hoped to become trained as a test pilot. This was very odd, as he was color-blind. Odder, he had reached his present age of about 16 without knowing that he was visually challenged. Parenthetically, one must have perfect vision to be a U.S. Air Force pilot. He seemed to be influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche, but the exact cause and effect relationship between the two resulting in the present singularity of Dwayne was unclear. Dwayne assumed a misanthropic air of indifference to everything except intrusions into “his space,” which intrusions provoked frantic scribbling on his note pad protesting the injustice. What’s Daat? He conversed by writing notes - at least when feeling verbose.

Another curiosity was to found in Grandpa. He had been rehearsing his grand-daughter, Olive, for the talent side of her competition for "Little Miss Sunshine." The dance routine he taught her was a hodgepodge of burlesque, vaudeville, Eartha Kitt,  Bob Fosse funk, and go-go bar dancer. Was this the sort of routine a trusting, seven-year-old girl should be taught by her grandfather? It was true that Olive was such a child that her on-stage act was amusing. It was executed to a Rick James hit, FunkyTown, as I recall. Yet, after watching some of her competitors, I could not wonder at lost childhood. These were also little girls, but they were lean and made to look as mature as possible. For that reason Olive stood out as the only seven-year-old girl who actually looked that age.

The Grandpa at one point complained about “Two Nazi bullets in my ass.” Besides offering yet another opportunity to dredge up Nazis, the directors/writers suggest that he was “a fighter.” If so, he might be an unstable one. He was kicked out of his retirement home for using drugs, and he was still doing it at the Hoover abode. Also, he was boastful of the number of women that he had had sex with. He projected a vulgar tone within family gatherings. It was probably both contrived and real, as practice was the mother of evolution. These things were usually meant to be humorous. He ODs on the way to California.

He was contrasted with the Proust scholar Frank, who was Mrs. Hoover’s brother. He attempted suicide by slashing his wrists. He was thus perceived as a quitter.” He was also a homosexual, and his suicide-event was related to losing to another prof in a love contest involving a student. A suicidal gay scholar would seem to be another element in what must be a real "downer" of a movie.

However, one of the engaging moments in this film was the exhibition of faith by Olive that her Uncle Frank would get to Heaven. One would suppose that there were no Proustian scholars in Paradise. Since Frank asserted that he was the number one Proust scholar in America and also asserted that he was “gay,” one would suppose that his chances were very slim. The viewer - possessed of this knowledge – was curiously captured by the faith of little Olive that her uncle was going to make it.

STORY CAPSULE:

Sequentially introduced members of a typically “oddball” family were gathered at the home of the Hoovers where “chance” provided the youngest member, Olive, an opportunity to be a contestant in the finals of a beauty/talent contest being held in California, the "Little Miss Sunshine Pageant." As the viewer would discover, “chance” altered conditions for each of the other members. They appeared to be a diversity of humans who either weren't "quite right" or who seemed fated to usually fail. Objectively, none seemed capable of rising above mensch.

Together, they proved to be a winning combination in the most elemental contest in life – perseverance. It was not victory but striving for it that created the values that made them not merely survivors but achievers in the ascending, finite steps that would lead to the Dream Home at the end of the road. Of course, they might "blow it," which was a family tendency.

Frank pointed out in one scene in this flick that Proust, after writing a jillion words about his life, concluded that only the painful events had caused him to "grow" and were of value to him. Hence, "no pain, no gain." Have American coaches unwittingly been following Proust's Law. 

CONCLUSION:

This was a film that asserted that a family of quirky individuals, when put to the test, could prevail by exhibiting traditional family values of love and mutual support. Although profane at times, as well as silly, I thought it basically rocked. Olive was a real girl to cheer for.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Jonathan Dayton – director

Valerie Faris – director

Michael Arndt – writer

Tim Suhrstedt – cinematography

Mychael Danna DeVotchka – music

Justine Baddeley – casting

Kim Davis – casting

Kacie Borrowman – stunt double forAbigail Breslin

CAST

Abigail Breslin – Olive Hoover

Greg Kinnear – Richard Hoover

Paul Dano – Dwayne

Alan Arkin – Grandpa Edwin Hoover

Toni Collette – Sheryl Hoover

Steve Carell – Frank Ginsberg

Justin Shilton – Josh

Bryan Cranston – Stan Grossman

Paula Newsome – Linda, hospital bereavement staff

Dean Norris – State Trooper McCleary

Beth Grant – Pageant Official Jenkins

Lauren Shiohama – Miss California

Matt Winston – Pageant MC

 

March 22, 2010, EbonyStar

IN BRUGES (2009)

 

 

COMMENTARY:

This was a film that had a cozy feel to it. Bruges seemed to be a small, quaint place. As the movie was shot in old town Bruges, there was no reason to believe that anything else existed. The film shots were often of the characters talking and interacting in a fashion which was confidential, intimate, playful, or pained. The characters weren't good people, as the term was normally employed, but they were people, and as such, we could sit down with them. In this film the viewer dined with "publicans." On several occasions the characters talked while enjoying beers or food. Key events in this movie we provided by means of  flashbacks by the Ray Cranham character. We understood why he was drawn to the American dwarf, Tom. By the same token, we understood why the vulnerable Ray engendered a sort of paternal, protective instinct in Ken, who was his partner. Finally, the insight gained by their boss, Harry, at the end of the movie could not best his “Code of Honor.” There was an implication in the film that people in life could no more change their behavior patterns than people in a painting. They were trapped in a woven destiny hung grandly somewhere at which the gods do sport. They were their own Bruges now. One thought that it might be hell. But what do bad people know about life, anyway?

 

STORY CAPSULE:

Arriving in Bruges two hired killers await further orders from their boss. They stayed at a small hotel operated by a pregnant woman, Marie, who would be a recurring figure in the film. They must share a room, as the Christmas crowd had taken all available space. While trying to adjust to one another, they do a bit of sight-seeing, which the older one enjoyed. The younger man, Ray, had accidentally killed a boy during a “hit” on a priest and was in a disturbed, suicidal state of mind. This incident was the actual reason that they were in Bruges.

Their boss, Harry, actually intended to have the older one kill the younger. While they waited for word from their boss, they indulged in some sightseeing. There was a funny incident near a storied tower involving overweight Americans. Another funny incident involved the ticket seller at the tower. They stumble across a camera crew filming a movie in Bruges, and the younger man struck up a romance with a woman, Chloe Villette, who was selling drugs to the crew and actors. The younger man, Ray, met the star, as well as others who were linked to the woman or star. Not one was less than a blatant sinner.

This “film within a film” starred an American midget. Tom, who preferred to be called "dwarf." Due to a Boschian thematic element, the film had a violent twist, as did often happen in grim sorts of fairy tales. Soon, the boss, Harry, contacted the older man and told him what his mission was: Kill Ray. The relationship between the two had become much closer, and Ken decided to abort the mission. He put the Ray on a train to Anywhere, Europe. He then informed his boss what he had done. Furious, the Harry immediately set out for Bruges to settle this matter of honor with finality. While Ken mentally prepared for the arrival of his boss and his probable, personal death soon thereafter, the younger man was arrested on the train for assaulting a Canadian couple on the previous night ("You hitte the Canadian," said the arresting officer).

Ray was brought back to Bruges, where he was soon sprung from jail by Chloe, his new romance. By this time the boss had arrived, met the older man, Ken, and was trying to come to terms with the situation. All these characters converged about the same time at the same courtyard area by a landmark tower. Life mimicked Art. Chance, romance, revenge, eerie oddness, vengeance, and a kind of nobility mingle in these moments. Oh, yes! There would be blood! As for Ray, a Bruggian lifetime flashed by his eyes that night, as he contemplated the just end of sinners. 

CONCLUSION:

Old Town Bruges provided an Academy Award-winning performance as “Best Set.” The acting was above average. There were many humorous moments, including some droll lines. The film within a film served two good functions and shouldn’t be dismissed as a gimmick. On the other hand the characters were unsavory types, there were episodes of bloody violence and the language was often “off-color.”

 

 PRODUCTION KEYS:

Martin McDonagh – director & writer

Carter Burwell – original music

Eigil Bryld – director of photography

Jon Gregory – film editing

Jina Jay – casting

CAST

Colin Farrell – Ray Cranham

Brendan Gleeson – Ken Blakely

Ralph Fiennes – Harry Waters

Clemence Poesy – Chloe Villette

Jeremie Renier – Eirik

Thekla Reuten – Marie

Jordan Prentice – Jimmy

Zeliko Ivanek – Canadian Guy

Elizabeth Berrington – Natalie

Rudy Blomme – Ticket Seller

Olivier Bonjour – Film Director

Mark Donovan – Overweight Man

Emily Thorling – Overweight Woman

Ann Elsley – Overweight Woman #2

Jean-Marc Favorin – Policeman

Eric Godon – Yuri

Theo Stevenson – Boy in Church

Stephanie Carey – Canadian Gal

Ciaran Hinds - Priest

March 21, 2010, EbonyStar

SHUTTER ISLAND (2010)

COMMENTARY:

This film made me think that its viewers were as rats travelling aboard a train that travelled in circles - now clockwise, now counterclockwise - and which train was filled with doors that opened onto the spot that one just came from or into a room of comic mirrors. I speak here of its discernable plotline.

When the viewer was not chasing after a knuckle-ball or dodging a "spitter," he was treated to lengthy stretches of "memory," "hallucination" or some combination thereof.

These "flashbacks" involved Teddy Daniels, Federal Marshall. They typically involved his deceased wife, Delores Chanal, their children, World War II battle scenes, and spectral, nightmarish liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp.

One of the most interesting aspect of this film was that after several flashbacks to Dachau in which lurid, ghastly images were presented to the viewer to ruminate upon, toward the end of the film, Kingsley character, Dr. Cawley, suggested that none of that really happened. His comment was specific to Teddy Daniels, but for knowledgeable people its message was much broader.

What made that comment, or implication, astonishing was that, in reality, nothing in the way of a "Death Camp" existed at Dachau, Buchenwald, or any other concentration camp in German territory. Had the Soviets not sealed off the concentration camps in Poland, refusing to allow inspection, then the discovery that none of those "Death Camps" were extermination facilities, either, but were combinations of work camps, holding facilities for unruly and dangerous people, and a kind of "half-way" house. Since the war halted the planned forced emigration of non-Germans, the exodus stopped at the camps until some sort of peace could be obtained.

Nevertheless, this movie played the "Death Camp" card to the last chip on the table, milking its horror as long as possible. I was offended by it almost to the end of the movie.

None of the above should be seen as an attempt to "whitewash" Nazi misdeeds. They were sufficient enough to condemn. The problem has always been that those who have stepped up to condemn them have been at least as guilty of wickedness as the Nazis were. That, among other things, was why the Nuremberg War-Crimes Trials became a peer to the Inquisition Era of Torquemada and the Salem Witch Hunts.

Some may object to the lengthy comments on Nazi concentration camps, but Dachau was made such a prominent presence in the mind of Teddy Daniels that I could not honestly avoid it.

I thought Leonardo DiCaprio was outstanding as Teddy Daniels. DiCaprio has been hitting homeruns, so to speak, for several years, as did Denzel Washington over a similar stretch of films. I believe that they were alone, and are alone, in this regard.

This was a very mental sort of film. It was a psychological thriller that really skewered the concept of identity. The movie had the character of a medical prescription directing a therapeutic play within a play as an avantgarde treatment for persistent delusion.

Besides reading between the lines in regard to Dachau, and by extrapolation, the concept of "Death Camps," the film was most useful in drawing our attention to the dangerous path that led to MK-Ultra and a plethora of other clandestine experiments at the hands of Frankensteinian scientists and autocratic authorities.

The film opened with Teddy Daniels ill within a small boat that was speeding toward Shutter Island in Boston Harbor.

 

STORY CAPSULE:

Federal Marshal Teddy Daniels, feeling nauseous made his way topside, where he encountered his new partner, Chuck Aule. They chat a little so that the viewer was apprised that a dangerous inmate had escaped the main facility and was thought to be loose somewhere on the Island. As they sped toward the pier, uniformed police associated with the facility could be seen striding forth to meet them. They land, and Deputy Warden McPherson greeted them. They identified themselves and their mission. Deputy Warden McPherson apprised them of the protocols for all visitors to the Island. At first Teddy Daniels resisted but was forced to submit, after an executive order had been read. They had their firearms removed.

They demanded to see this, that and the other thing, all of which was temporarily denied until they had received approval from Dr. Cawley, who was the administrative chief.

Although officious, Dr. Cawley allowed Teddy and Chuck access to some information involving the missing inmate. She was Rachel Solandro.

She had allegedly killed her three children by drowning them in a pond, retrieving them, drying them, and setting them in an orderly arrangement inside the house. Presently, she denied that they were dead. She had always denied this. Further, she viewed the asylum and its inmates and their keepers as neighbors, neighborghood delivery people and the like.

In her absence Teddy and Chuck wanted to interview everyone, whether employee or inmate, who had contact with Rachel prior to her AWOL. En passant Teddy was getting a variety of hints that something might be bad wrong at the facility at Shutter Island. Making things worse, a hurricane was bearing down on the harbor. Teddy had been able to grasp the essential planogram for imates. One building held men. One building held 32 women. A third building held people too dangerous to leave their building. The last facility was a lighthouse. Teddy was informed that its purpose was sewage treatment. Later, it would be suggested that its real function was to perform radical lobotomies and other brain-tissue surgeries. It was ironic in the extreme to have a symbol of safety for men - at least seamen - used for such diabolical purposes.

Further, Teddy and Chuck have the opportunity to meet with Dr. Cawley at his impressvely cosy digs. Dr. Cawley's associate at the institution, Dr. Naehring, was also present. Not much time passed before Teddy was making caustic remarks about the doctor's accent and Dachau. The implication was that Dr. Naehring was a former Nazi doctor who experimented on people. From this point on this subtheme weaved through the movie.

Further, from the very outset a revenge motivation was introduced, as Teddy confided on the boat to Chuck that he had been married, but his wife, Delores, was dead. She died in a fire (from the smoke), which had been set by a pyromaniac named Laeddis, who was the maintenance man at their building. It seemed that Laeddis was being held at Shutter Island. Teddy was haunted by images of his wife.

The longer that Teddy stayed on the island, the more confused things seemed to be getting. Was he being drugged?

Earlier, it had been made perfectly clear that the authorities on Shutter Island controlled absolutely who could enter and who could leave. The moviegoer might well get the feeling that the island was a cross between the Manhattan Project and Area 51.

Teddy kept promoting his authority as a federal agent, but only nominal respect was being given to him.

When Rachel suddenly turned up, then Teddy's purpose on the island appeared to have ended. However, since revenge was his real motive for taking the assignment, Teddy wasn't quite ready to leave.

The hurricane caused electrical problems and flooding, and this provided Teddy and Chuck with the opportunity to "nose about" building C, which housed the super-dangerous inmates. Within it ghastly, spectral figures covorted. Teddy gets separated from Chuck. Teddy mets Laeddis and also George Noyce. He picked up useful information, which made him determined to get inside the lighthouse.

He and Chuck made their way to the rocky precipice before one entrance to the lighthouse. He and Chuck dispute the sensibleness of descending the steep rocky precipice. Teddy told Chuck to stay put and he would circle around to attempt an easier route to the lighthouse. Once down to the vicinity of the lighthouse, he saw that until low tide, there was no safe way over to the isle on which the lighthouse stood.

Teddy went back to the spot where Chuck had been. There was no sign of him. Looking about the area, Teddy spotted a cigarette butt still smoking near the edge of the precipice. Going over to the edge, Teddy peered over and, amid breaking waves, saw a body face down. It was dressed in a white orderly uniform, as Chuck had been when Teddy last saw him.

Teddy promptly began the dangerous descent toward the body. By the time he got to the base of the precipice the white-clad body was gone. Suddenly, he noticed swarms of rats welling out of holes in the face of the precipice. (Symbolic of his state of mind?)

Teddy saw a light flickering from the mouth of a larger cave. He made his way to it and entered the cave. Inside, he spied a tall, dark-haired woman. She would identify herself as Rachel Solandro. So, who was the other Rachel?

This Rachel asserted that she was a doctor and had worked in that capacity for the Shutter Island institution. This Rachel began the process of deconstruction of identities and motivation. Her questions led Teddy inexorably to the fact that much of what he believed might be illusion.

 

They part company. Teddy was still grounded in his federal marshall identity and revenge motivation. But he was shaken by his encounter with Rachel #2. This process of personal understanding would deepen in an mind-spinning disection of role-playing by Dr. Cawley, aided by Chuck, who was apparently all along a physcian attached to the institution. 

The film came to a point of irresolution, as Teddy, accompanied by Dr. Cawley, orderlies, and others, marched toward the lighthouse. Was this a sign of hope? Fade to black.

CONCLUSION:

This film masqueraded as an ordinary, annoying Hollywood production but toward the end began to metamorphose into quite an intriguing movie. Solid acting characterized the film and was essential to its development.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Martin Scorsese - director

Laeta Kalogrides - screenplay adapted from Dennis Lehane's novel

Robert Richardson - director of cinematography

Thelma Schoonmaker - editing

Ellen Lewis/Meaghan Rafferty - casting

CAST:

Leonardo DiCaprio - Teddy Daniels

Mark Ruffalo - Chuck Aule

Ben Kingsley - Dr. Cawley

Max Van Stdow - Dr. Neahring

Michelle Williams - Delores Chanal

Emily Martimer - Rachel 1

Patricia Clarkson - Rachel 2

Jackie Earle Haley - George Noyce

Ted Levine - warden

John Carroll Lynch - Deputy Warden McPherson

Elias Koteas - Laeddis

Robin Bartlett - Bridget Kearns

Mark Fichera - stunt double, Leonardo DiCaprio

Matthew C. Dumond - stunt double, Mark Ruffalo

March 20, 2010, EbonyStar.

 

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010)

 

COMMENTARY:

Although not without points of merit, this film seemed more congenial with the term "strange," as opposed to "wonder." Its stately opening organized the following "episodes of wonder" in a fashion consistent with that of the Wizard of Oz. I thought that it sacrificed the educational aspect of Alice for the bromidic tone of Oz.

I don't think the age angle worked as well in this film. Here, the viewer witnessed an Alice who was old enough to wed a lord. It concluded with an Alice who was ready to metamorphose into a "capitalist pig." Was this the natural maturation of the little Alice of Lewis Carroll, whom we came to love and admire?

Further, I thought the Disney animated version was funnier and that its characters were more ingeniously conceived and executed.

Nevertheless, some of the make-up, costuming and cosmetic special effects were admirable. In some cases an actor may have been underneath the "garb," as with instances of the Blue Caterpillar. However, I assumed an actor's voice was the only human contribution to a given "critter." The credits list an abundance of individuals working special effects, art, animation and the like.

Tim Burton has a film track-record that embraces the macabre, the bizarre, and the unnatural as mundane standards. Naturally, when looking about for a leading male, he turned at once to Johnny Depp.

I thought that Depp's Mad Hatter was disappointing. He seemed to have grabbed all three sidekick characters from Oz and made of them his Hatter personality. If you throw in the general look and feel of a Martin dancer, then you have fairly summed up Depp's Hatter. Incidentally, Depp was so unathletic that he had to have a "stunt dancer" perform the "Futterwacken" dance. Furthermore, if you removed the unnaturally colored contact-lenses, Depp was merely odd, after the manner of a clown

As for Mia Wasikowska's Alice, I cannot fault her too much. After all, it was not she who decided to do a re-make of Alice in Wonderland, in which the writer projected Alice into an age of about 19 years. By this age the "wonder" has fairly dwindled to the size of a "pea in the pod." Under the baleful direction of Tim Burton and according to the script prepared by Linda Woolverton, was it not natural for the new Alice to dream of being a "merchant princess?"

This "wonderland" setting was often interesting, although typically darker than one might have expected. Some of the characters in Wonderland were well done, according to appearance and personality. I would like to single out the Chesire Cat and the March Hare for approval in that order. The Blue Caterpillar was an acceptable version in my view. The dog, Bayard, looked rather well-conceived at first, but upon observation seemed to walk in an unnatural way. Since he was a symbol of love and loyalty, and might well be considered a surrogate for Alice's feelings, were Burton and Woolverton trying to send a message of some sort?

What of the two queens? Helena Bonham Carter, as the Red Queen, had a much better time with her role than Anne Hathaway did as the White Queen. Why? Almost all actresses can well-depict an evil character. The nasty, wicked, immoral personalities have always been - for some reason - easier for actresses to embrace. On the other hand, virtually all actresses "draw a blank" when it comes to depicting "goodness." Usually, these efforts failed, as they were either syrupy, "flat," unreal, insipid, or nebulous.

Cursed with a role alien to her personality, Anne Hathaway simply appeared to be a freak. Given Tim Burton's track-record, that may have been planned. Hathaway insisted on holding her hands in peculiar ways through much of her time in the film. Frankly, she bore a resemblance to a hermaphrodite appearing in a Fellini film, Satyricon, due to her unnatural coloration and limpid way. Although her hair was a "white-blonde," her eyes, lips and, as I recall, eyebrows were dark.

It was a fact that Lewis Carroll employed a white-black symbology in his Through a Looking Glass, but in regard to Alice in Wonderland, I believe that this color scheme is strictly Tim Burton, as it appeared often enough in his films. It did nothing to improve Alice.

In the end the White Queen gave her champion a special potion, Jabberwocky #9, which was a wish fulfiller.

STORY CAPSULE:

The film began with a shot of a window in a brick building. Inside men were discussing business. Among these were Charles Kingsleigh and Lord Ascot. The former was presenting an opinion that the others thought "rather bold," lacking as it seemed to them in proper business prudence. There was a cut to Alice. There were pressures being brought to bear upon her to marry Hamish, son of Lord Ascot. She did not love this young lord with his promising future, so she fumbled and fidgeted about the whole proposition. At a grand gala al fresca the swells had gathered and the young lord, Hamish planned his proposal for marital bliss to Alice Kingsleigh. She was egged on by her Aunt Imogene, sister Margaret, and the Chattaway girls, Fiona and Faith. Distracted by a rabbit, Alice pursued the watch-watching, white rabbit with apparently keen curiosity. This led to a great fall. When Alice had landed, she found herself in a vestibule bounded by several doors. In the center of the room was a table. Set upon it was a vial which was identified by a tag that said "Drink me." There was also a key. She proceeded to attempt to enter one of the doors, experiencing "highs and lows" in this process. Finally, she managed to enter a smaller door. She discovered that immediately she had an identity problem.

 

The White Rabbit argued with Tweedledee & Tweedledum, flowers and others about the "Aliceness of Alice." [Just the same argument that critics have with this version.] Thus, Alice found herself in her wonderland. Episodic adventures followed, in turn introducing the familiar cast of extraordinary critters. Since Alice had been about seven years old on her first "trip" (a good term, indeed), the setting was partially recalled.

 

Early in the film the threat of the Red Queen's power was manifested in an attack by Stayne, Knave of Hearts, including the coerced assistance of Bayard, whose family had been threatened if he refused the Red Queen the use of his nose.

The several adventures of Alice in Wonderland converged at the point of control of the crown which conveyed power in Wonderland. The contestants were naturally the present holder of the crown, the Red Queen, and her sister, the White Queen. The struggle between the two sides took place on a chessboard-like field. The Red Queen had a no-so-secret champion, the Jabberwocky. The White Queen discovered her own champion in Alice. Alice, if she ever was to get home, needed to fulfill her destiny. The two champions began their singular game of chess. Want to know what happened? It's your move.

CONCLUSION:

Whose dream is this, anyway? In my view this was a film interpretation of a classic worth seeing. As with any interpretation, the translation may be perceived differently by different people. It was child-safe from my point of view. The sets and costumes were worth noting. The 3D effect was superfluous in my view. It may be my eyes that made it seem so, but I found parts of the viewing uncomfortable. Rushing into 3D productions I believe to be ill-advised. Also, the tickets for this film were significantly higher than for ordinary films. If I'm correct that the film vendors raised the price substantially, then the rationale for 3D films may be manifest. Their should be no rush to view this movie.

PRODUCTION KEYS:

Tim Burton - director

Linda Woolverton -writer, screenplay (adapted from Lewis Carroll's novel)

Danny Elfman - director of music

Dariusz Wolski - cinematography

Chris Lebenzon - film editing

Colleen Atwood - Costume design

Susie Figgis - casting

David "Elsewhere" Bernal - Hatter Futterwacken dance double

CAST:

Mia Wasikowska - Alice

Johnny Depp - Mad Hatter

Helena Bonham Carter - Red Queen

Anne Hathaway - White Queen

Crispin Glover - Stayne Knave of Hearts

Matt Lucas - Tweedledee/Tweedledum (voice)

Stephen Fry - Chesire Cat (voice)

Michael Sheen - White Rabbit (voice)

Alan Rickman - Blue Caterpillar (voice)

Barbara Windsor - Dormouse (voice)

Paul Whitehouse - March Hare (voice)

Timothy Spall - Bayard (voice)

Morton Csokas - Charles Kingsleigh

Tim Pigott-Smith - Lord Ascot

Frances de la Tour - Aunt Imogene

John Hopkins - Lowell

Leo Bill - Hamish

Jemma Powell - Margaret Kingsleigh

Eleanor Gecks - Faith Chattaway

Eleanor Tomlinson - Fiona Chattaway

Christopher Lee - Jabberwocky

Mairi Ella Challen - 6-year old Alice

March 18, 2010, EbonyStar.