tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34519992300776633062024-03-05T01:38:57.450-06:00The Lost Title CardsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-335372638008655432021-09-10T10:00:00.220-05:002021-09-17T12:25:12.850-05:00The Matrix Viewing Order Masterlist<div><div style="text-align: justify;">In preparation for <i>The Matrix: Resurrections</i> in December, I've been itching to rewatch the trilogy and <i>The Animatrix</i>. The theories about what it will be are already flying, so I've written down my viewing order master list for....research purposes. Sure. So, read on, if you're ready to fall down that rabbit hole...</div><div style="text-align: center;">_____</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ix7TUGVYIo" target="_blank"><i>The Matrix: Resurrections</i> trailer</a> dropped this week, giving us our first glimpse back into the world we left behind almost two decades ago, and - oh! - what a glimpse. Can I just say that using Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" should have been too on the nose, and yet they completely pulled off this needle drop? They even updated the song a bit, and I...I need that track. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course, the internet lost its damn mind immediately, and theories abound as to what will happen in the new movie: will it be a sequel to the original trilogy? is it some kind of reboot (pun totally intended)? Perhaps its an alternate timeline. And the theories go on and on. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All this has got me wanting to rewatch <i>The Matrix</i> trilogy and <i>The Animatrix</i> in a big way, and I have just the viewing order.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sometime ago, my brother and I created a viewing list interspersing <i>The Animatrix</i> shorts amongst the trilogy. The idea was to put everything in a chronological order, a real challenge, as The Animatrix shorts are a mixed bag that often defy any kind of timeline (and that's a good thing, but that's for a later post). But we hashed it out, and along the way, we realized there was not <i>one</i> masterlist, but <i>two</i>, one for those who had seen the <i>Matrix</i> movies before, and one for those who'd never seen any <i>Matrix</i> content. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course, the movies have been around for two decades and are an indelible part of our culture, so the likelihood that people haven't seen <b><i><u>any</u></i></b> <i>Matrix</i> content is slim. Still, I'm sure there are those who have managed to remain <i>Matrix</i> virgins; don't worry, I gotcha covered.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, here it is: the masterlist. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Just to keep things clear, assume all titles listed are from <i>The Animatrix</i> unless the title is in <b>bold</b>.)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">"Newbie" List</h3><div style="text-align: justify;">If you've never seen any of The Matrix movies (no shame in that), view them in this order:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>Beyond</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>A Detective Story</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>The Matrix</b></i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Second Renaissance: Part 1</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Second Renaissance: Part 2</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>Kid's Story</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>Final Flight of the Osiris</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>The Matrix: Reloaded</b></i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>World Record</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>Program</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>The Matrix: Revolutions</b></i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>Matriculated</i></li></ol></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">"Pro" List</h3><div style="text-align: justify;">If you've already seen The Matrix movies, this order is the one I like to watch:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Second Renaissance: Part 1</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Second Renaissance: Part 2</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>Beyond</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>A Detective Story</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>The Matrix</i></b></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>Kid's Story</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>Final Flight of the Osiris</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>The Matrix: Reloaded</i></b></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>World Record</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>Program</i></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>The Matrix: Revolutions</i></b></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i>Matriculated</i></li></ol></div><div style="text-align: justify;">_____</div><h2 style="text-align: justify;">Our Reasoning</h2><div style="text-align: justify;">Note that these viewing lists are almost identical with the exception of the placement of <i>The Second Renaissance: Parts 1 & 2</i>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>**MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS**</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is because <i>The Second Renaissance: Parts 1 & 2</i> expand on and explain comments and ideas revealed in the first movie. Once you've seen the first movie, of course, <i>Renaissance</i> acts more like a prequel, but I hate to ruin the original movie for someone by giving too much away at first.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">You may wonder, then, why both lists contain two other titles before the first movie despite the "Newbie" list being for people who've never seen any of <i>The Matrix</i>. This is because <i>Beyond</i> and <i>A Detective Story</i> do more to tease and suggest aspects of the Matrix than reveal. <i>Beyond</i>, in particular, really highlights the mystery of <i>The Matrix</i> as we encounter it in the first movie. <i>A Detective Story</i>, on the other hand, is definitely mysterious, but I think also sets us up nicely for the beginning of the first movie, especially in introducing Trinity. You can imagine this story taking place shortly (days/weeks?) before that first scene in the first movie. It also matches well stylistically, highlighting the more Noir aspects that start us off in this world. (I think if I would have seen originally seen it in this order, it would have been a real treat. No matter, though. They are good whatever order you watch them in.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As noted by the Wachowskis at some point (I don't have the source available currently) <i>Kid's Story</i> occurs sometime between the first and second movie, and <i>Final Flight of the Osiris</i> occurs directly before <i>The Matrix: Reloaded</i>. Both of these are referenced in the second movie, so that pretty much set us up there.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>World Record</i> and <i>Program</i> didn't have a specific timeline, and while they would have worked between the 1st and 2nd movies, we originally put them between the 2nd and 3rd to space things out evenly, and then we discovered a bit of harmony we weren't expecting. <i>World Record</i> is about someone breaking free of the Matrix accidentally, and <i>Program</i> is about a simulation. In both, we saw how they represented two aspects of what is happening between <i>Reloaded</i> and <i>Revolutions</i>: the breakdown of the Matrix and the preparation for war.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>World Record</i> takes place within the Matrix, with the main character breaking free in a different way than we'd seen before: physically. What we've mostly been shown is how we used our minds to break free, but this one was different, pointing to the idea that winning this war is going to take some variation. It also highlights how the Matrix is breaking down in the lead-up to <i>Revolutions</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Program</i>, on the other hand, is technically set in the real world, though it doesn't seem like it at first. It's a magnificent bit of animation that I highly recommend. It highlights how sacrifices will need to be made in order to win this war.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Finally, <i>Matriculated</i>. Ahhh...I love this psychedelic piece. This is another one that could be set at just about any point in the viewing order, as it has an ambiguous timeline. However, the ending could be taken multiple ways, but its symmetry with the beginning of the short points to the cycle spoken of in <i>Revolutions</i>, and it picks up on the philosophical and spiritual aspects of this trilogy that a lot of people didn't get. It could also be seen as a symbol of hope: the two merging to make something new, maybe even better...a lone sentinel, keeping watch...waiting.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, that's it. That's my masterlist, but I love to here others interpretation of a good viewing order, so feel free to share your own viewing lists and reasoning behind them in the comments!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">© 2020 Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-4958948176916585992020-05-03T12:11:00.001-05:002021-03-27T04:53:59.727-05:00Equilibrium and the Art of Dystopia<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Recently, I had the opportunity to show my brother the dystopian Thought Police action film </i>Equilibrium<i>. We have just a bit more time these days. In the current climate, where a great deal of fear surrounds the way we interact in society, a movie about Thought Police, dystopias caused by cataclysmic events, and a focus on emotions, especially how fear destroys us as a society, seems particularly relevant.</i> </div>
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My brother and I watch movies and television series together. I have a list of must-see movies and television series I've wanted to show him, pieces of art that are my duty as his sister to pass on to the next generation (we have a significant age gap). He, in turn, has added to that list with some of his own favorites, things I might never have considered or known about otherwise. A fair exchange, in my opinion.</div>
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I realized partway through our viewing that it had been about a decade since I'd last watched this movie. This was not because it isn't good or worthy of repeat viewings. It is. No, it was more that this movie holds a special place in my heart as part of my list of consciousness-expanding movies, and, as such, I only really watch them when I'm in the right headspace, and the timing was right....</div>
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<i>As usual, SPOILER ALERT protocol should be followed. Expect everything from here on out to talk about major themes, moments, and reveals, and completely ruin the movie if you haven't seen it or can't compartmentalize. You have been warned.</i></div>
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A Melding of Themes</h2>
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Due to cataclysmic events, the world we know succumbs to dictatorship with total control over the populace, (mis)information, and thought.<br />
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You're not crazy. You've seen this movie before, probably several times (maybe you even read the book, you gorgeous overachiever). After all, it's the start of movies like:<br />
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><i>1984</i> (George Orwell)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><i>Fahrenheit 451</i> (Ray Bradbury)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Matrix</i> movies (Wachowskis)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><i>V for Vendetta</i> (Alan Moore)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><i>Fight Club</i> (Chuck Palahniuk) (okay, maybe not <i>Fight Club</i>, but bear with me)</li>
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Sure, you've seen this movie before. There are always little variations, but the idea is the same: dystopia = bad. The question is...<i>Why?</i> And that is where we begin.<br />
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It is not unlike <i>1984</i> that <i>Equilibrium</i> starts. In place of our former society, the powers that be decide that emotion is the source of all woe and should be summarily suppressed. Behold, a miracle drug is created that does just that, and, voilà, you have the perfect society <b>that has been existing for some unknown amount of time</b>. With emotion as the big sin, all art - music, film, paintings, books, pop culture, and more - has been labeled "EC-10: CONDEMNED". Any art found is destroyed, <i>burned</i>, for the sake of all mankind (<i>Fahrenheit 451</i>). Literal Thought Police directly observe the masses for any hints of disobedience or nonconformity, referred to here as "sense offense" and carts them off for "processing" (which almost always ends in incineration).<br />
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Enter the hero, John Preston, Grammaton Cleric, an extraordinary figure who is a master in this world's martial art, as well as intuitively-capable of getting into the minds of these "sense offenders", an irony that should not be lost on the audience. In proper messiah style, he uses his abilities - once he has his awakening - to bring down this dystopia (<i>The Matrix</i>). As for how he and his fellow revolutionaries accomplish this, well...<i>how</i> does <i>Fight Club</i> end again?</div>
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One of the things they do that's unique is that this is barely a sci-fi movie. We're not given much of a clue as to when this takes place or when this new world order began. With some of our current issues, societal collapse could be just a couple of decades down the road (<a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/8xwygg/the-collapse-of-civilization-may-have-already-begun">yes, that soon</a>). Furthermore, the technology isn't all that far advanced, and the "wonder drug" Prozium II is all too recognizable. As far as we know, this is simply an alternate universe that is much like our own in many respects, one that under the right circumstances (and wrong choices) could have been our world right now. And isn't that a frightening thought?</div>
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Look, if you're going to purloin aspects of previous work (don't worry; there really are no original stories, just original approaches), you can't do much better than these films as a basis for your story and worldbuilding. Despite the obvious homages, references, or direct poaching of aspects of these films, however, it isn't what they copied that makes the film so good. It's what they made their own. So, if you're going to put a bunch of movies together to make a new movie, <i>Equilibrium</i> stands as an example of doing it well.</div>
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The Sean Bean Stamp of Approval</h2>
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If you didn't already know, Sean Bean's death is synonymous with good film picks. <i>Lord of the Rings</i>, <i>Game of Thrones</i>, <i>Goldeneye</i>...those are just my favorites. There is a whole list going back to the '80s of more than a dozen films in which the actor bites it in some way. It's gotten so bad that Sean has begun refusing roles where he dies. I will eventually binge this list, but assuredly not every single one he dies in can be all that great, can it?<br />
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I have to say, though, that the theory stands in this case. Don't worry; this is only a small spoiler, since it happens early in the movie. Sean Bean's death at the hands of his Cleric partner and closest friend John (if one can have friends without emotion) is literally poetic. In such a short span of screentime, dialogue, and facial expression, Sean's performance tells you everything you need to know about why this fight will be worth the pain and effort, and it serves as a catalyst for what will come throughout the rest of the story.<br />
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I rank this death 3rd in the overall list, right behind <i>The Fellowship of the Ring</i> and <i>Game of Thrones</i>.<br />
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Gun Katas and the Art of Selling a Dystopia</h2>
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"A revolution without dancing is not a revolution worth having." ~V<br />
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Yes, a revolution needs dancing...or cool, unique martial arts styles.<br />
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I've come to the conclusion that if you really want to sneak your message into a really good dystopian film these days, you need some badass fighting styles thrown in there to distract people from the fact you're basically telling people to defy the system. <i>V for Vendetta</i> has those sai-like daggers (and V's verbal virtuosity), <i>The Matrix</i> movies have John Wick, <i>Dark City</i> has Tuning, <i>Hunger Games</i> has the bow and arrow, and <i>Fight Club</i>...<i>Fight Club</i> has soap, and, well, Fight Club (but we don't talk about that).<br />
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<i>Equilibrium</i> has Gun Katas. Gun Katas, by the film's own assertion, were developed through science to create maximum kill zones while protecting the Grammaton Cleric. It's a martial art specific to this world and this movie.<br />
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This is worldbuilding at its best, and they give you just enough science to suspend your disbelief, but not so much that I have to laugh at them while I pick it apart myself. Furthermore, while I'm sure weapons experts and scientists could find some flaws in the logic here, it's not the science of the martial art that's important. The Gun Kata is a tool through which writer/director Kurt Wimmer chose to tell his story. If you're trying to judge it based on absolutes of scientific fact, you're missing the message.<br />
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That said, the Gun Katas are accurate from a martial arts philosophy standpoint. The movie borrows from several styles, including the many schools of samurai sword fighting. Likewise, they use some of the samurai philosophy in the movie to highlight the emotionless aspects of their martial art, and I believe this misinterpretation of these beautiful philosophies does a great job of illustrating the lack of balance in the world.<br />
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The truth is that the best dystopias have something unique about them. <i>Blade Runner</i>'s style set the standard in cinema for the Cyberpunk movement that began with writers like Phillip K. Dick (who wrote the original novel <i>Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?</i> upon which <i>Blade Runner</i> is based). <i>The Matrix</i> surprised us all with the mystery on the other side of the Red Pill, and then surprised us again by taking the revolution and making it spiritual. <i>Fight Club</i> takes the view that the world we're living in right now <i>is</i> the dystopia, and then questions its own frame of reference.<br />
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<i>Equilibrium</i>'s true charm, perhaps, is that it takes something so primary yet so complex as human emotion, and makes that the central focus. Whereas many dystopian films will reference or allude to emotion as peripherally relevant to the struggle and revolution ("Gee, I hate this dystopia. Let's revolt!"), <i>Equilibrium</i> puts it front and center. This movie isn't really about a special style of martial arts or explosions...it's not even really about revolution.<br />
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It's about how fundamentally our senses affect our emotions.<br />
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A Hierarchy of Senses</h2>
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One of my favorite things about this movie is John Preston's emotional journey as he awakens to his senses. Rather than having a moment where he is assailed from all directions by sensory input, like I've seen in some movies or series, they reveal each of the senses to John (and thus the audience) gradually, methodically. They take their time showing us how each one affects him, layering on the experiences that will lead him inexorably to revolution.<br />
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Now, here's where things get interesting.<br />
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While studying American Sign Language, I came across statistics detailing the percentage of input received by the brain from each sense organ. Always at the top of studies on the subject is vision, since the eyes take in at least 80% of information processed by the brain. After this, things get a bit hinky. Depending on what study you read, or theory you go by, the second-highest percentage is usually received by either touch (skin) or hearing (ears). Every now and again, you will see the nose come in second, since the sense of smell is so often related to memory and often evokes a sense of home. The tongue almost always comes in last, particularly because a great deal of taste input is helped along by the sense of smell.<br />
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Okay, still with me? Because this progression mirrors John's own awakening, and it's surprisingly clever.<br />
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Vision</h4>
After the Sean Bean "I approve this movie" scene, John accidentally breaks a vial of his Prozium. He fails to replace it, and just 24 hrs after missing his last dose, John awakens to the pattering of rain on his window, the rivulets of water catching his vision. Stricken, he stumbles from his bed and claws off the translucent paper which blocks the view of his city. Fresh from rain and backlit by a rising sun, the city appears before him as it never has, and he is in awe. He is seeing it truly for the first time.<br />
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This is a perfect visual for this moment. People who have seen the sun rise and set thousands of times still experience awe in the moment. This is a spiritual awakening, a new beginning. He literally wakes from slumber, and so do his emotions for the first time in his life. It is a brand new day, a new world to be experienced.<br />
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Touch</h4>
The second major awakening comes shortly thereafter, and is a more measured awakening, happening continuously throughout the day, which is appropriate given our everyday ordinary relationship with the touch of objects in our lives. His experience as he begins to touch is anything but ordinary, however.<br />
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Perceptive as ever, he notices a woman's hand gliding along a railing as the masses move up a set of stairs. <i>Is she a sense offender?</i> One might think so, given that she is the only one among the throng who has no gloves on, though she appears to take no more notice of the railing than anyone else. John removes his glove, allowing his own hand to run along the railing. It is tentative, curious. At this point, he has no reason to believe that something so mundane should matter. However, like an inquisitor (which he is in many respects), he tests this newfound input. He knows full well he may get this opportunity only once. Whether he goes back to his staid existence (and his uncertainty suggests he is still considering it) or is caught and processed, he seeks to understand.<br />
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He does this again later, shedding his gloves to brush his fingers along the bullet-hole riddled corridor walls, and now it seems more purposeful, more knowing. It as though - having experienced something so amazing as that sunrise, as a simple touch - he wishes to savor the moment, savor the day. This may be the last time he experiences anything real.<br />
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But it's not, and his next awakening will affect everything that comes after it.<br />
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Hearing</h4>
As he runs his hand along that corridor wall, light catches his eye from a bullet hole. There is a hidden room full of treasures on the other side of that wall. Once inside, he runs his hands over everything, picking up items and fiddling with them. He turns on an old phonograph and continues along, but he freezes as the first strains of Beethoven's 9th symphony can be heard.<br />
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Thunderstruck, he drops the snowglobe in his hands to let it smash upon the floor. This is another well-crafted image, as is the sight of him dropping into a chair a mere moment later and weeping in realization of all he has been robbed of for so long.<br />
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This scene always blows me away. That the world is a culture that has never known Beethoven, not even to discuss him as a historical figure, is surreal enough. That John has never experienced <i>music</i> is mind-boggling, and I give credit to Christian Bale for depicting this moment so well. This is the power of music, and it is utterly fitting that this be the thing that breaks him down. He is changed. Even as he watches the cache of condemned items burn, you can see it in his face: he will remember that piece of music, every note of it, for the rest of his life.<br />
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This is the point of no return.<br />
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Smell</h4>
From here, John more actively seeks out his emotions. In a mirror of his former partner, he "confiscates" a book of Mother Goose nursery rhymes. Yet his newfound obsession also leads him to dig through the former possessions of Mary O'Brien, a sense offender he helped capture and the lover of his dead partner. He pulls a red ribbon[<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3451999230077663306#red">1</a>] from the box, and holds it up to his face, inhaling the scent of Mary's perfume. Perhaps his partner once did the same.<br />
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Smell, being most associated with memory, can leave an incredibly powerful impression, and indeed, we see this when he visits her again. He has made the connection with Mary through the shared relationship of his dead partner. Through her he remembers his friend, feels guilt, feels love and attraction. She has come to represent everything that is sense in this regard, and when they argue, ending with his pinning her to the table in the interrogation room, he is shocked by his own behavior, as well as shocked by their proximity. Here the smell is in its fullest intensity as she is literally inches from him, and that is where I believe he experiences the final sense...<br />
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Taste</h4>
The logical experience for this sense is food, and one has to imagine that John had consumed food since his last dose of Prozium, yet I can't imagine any society that has so eschewed emotion and the arts would even bother with creating food to delight a palette that can't recognize it. Likely, the food they eat is bland; in fact, a look at it tells us so: bland flakes that his daughter seems utterly disinterested in consuming. Why show that as part of his awakening? It would likely do nothing, and goes, rightfully, unseen.<br />
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No, it is not food that triggers this particular sense.<br />
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It is Mary that triggers in him a need to taste; she brings forth in him a hunger, a <i>lust</i>. Like the influence of smell over the taste of food, it is her scent that helps bring forth this hunger. This is confirmed when he goes to see Jurgen, leader of the Underground (the faction rising up against the powers that be), who tells him that what he feels "will never be satisfied without falling yourself into her." It is here that John experiences the most fundamental yet important of emotions, those surrounding human desire: physical lust and romantic love. As it does with so many humans, it is one that drives him over the edge, to near ruin.<br />
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<h4>
That Pesky Sixth Sense</h4>
As you watch the movie, it becomes apparent that John is special. It is remarked upon that he is particularly skilled at finding sense offenders and knowing where they hide their caches of EC-10 contraband. That he displays a high level of intuition is not an irony that should be ignored. The assumption here alludes to the idea that there is some instinct that John follows. Whether instinct is tied to emotion or not is the question.<br />
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For one example, self-preservation is deeply rooted in our instinct, and fear is a natural reaction to that instinct. Throughout the film, when certain members of the emotionally-castrated populace are in mortal peril, they have what can only be described as a fear reaction. This should not happen if Prozium works as advertised, and hints at a flaw in the system. As the lie detector test administrator aptly remarks before all hell breaks loose: "<i>Shit</i>." The swat/round-up squad leader has a similar reaction in the Nethers (the area outside the "protection" of the city where some sense offenders hide) right before John kills them all over a puppy (and we, the audience, are sort of <i>fine</i> with that).<br />
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It's my theory that this instinct breaks through the Prozium, as self-preservation is one of the greatest of motivators, and allows these humans to experience fear. Of course, as fear is not something we generally desire, and these characters nearly always die afterward, it is tough to say whether this sudden emotional state could permanently break through. That's probably just as well, because, well...isn't that what got us all here in the first place?<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
Fear: The Real Danger</h2>
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This instinctual reaction begs the question of what use fear is to a society that should feel nothing.<br />
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The fact that citizens can experience fear leads one to conclude that Prozium doesn't suppress all emotion, only the ones that are inconvenient to keeping people complacent. It is here that the hypocrisy of a dystopian society makes itself known, because fear makes people vulnerable and gullible.</div>
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The powers that be may effect change to the rules of society for its "own good" but that does not mean the powers that be must or will follow those rules. Though it's barely referenced out loud, the fact that the Vice Council Dupont's office is full of items that would be sense offense of the highest order means he's very well aware of the importance of emotion and has no intention of giving it up himself. "Let me take on the burden of emotion so you won't have to," he seems to say, as if to soothe, to allay the worry of choice and responsibility.<br />
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This hypocrisy is perhaps the scariest part and at the heart of these dystopian films...the idea that those who extol the virtues and assert the necessity of subscribing to a certain social convention will not buy in themselves and are merely using such social mores to manipulate themselves into a position of absolute power over the people. For leaders to have no checks on their behavior based on that society's shared morality while exacting cruel punishments on the populace for failing to do the same is the very definition of a tyrant. And they always start by convincing people they are here to take away the source of their fears. Dupont is no different than any other despot, either in a fictional dystopia or in our own history. He feeds on people's fear.</div>
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Throughout history, people have been motivated by fear to commit atrocious acts, to oppress and condemn, to destroy others in the name of safety and survival, but nowhere do we do this more effectively and horrifyingly as we do it to ourselves. It is our most insidious and self-destructive emotion. </div>
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<i>Equilibrium</i> asks: Are the emotional reactions we have toward paintings, pieces of music, or a sunrise after a rainy night worth the trouble of the hate, violence, despair and war that comes from fear?</div>
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The answer: Yes, because there's a difference between using and controlling your emotions (as John does at the end of the film) and letting your emotions control you.<br />
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Furthermore, letting fear of our own failure lead us to farm out a piece of our fundamental selves for someone else to manage conveys no safety or responsibility on either side, no true conscience. That's the real danger.</div>
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<b>Quote</b>:</div>
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"You exist to continue your existence. What's the point?"<br />
~Mary</div>
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___<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="red">1. Red is often used in movies to represent intense color and emotion. Red is "the bad color" in M. Shyamalan's The Village, and Schindler's List uses the color to paint over a single character in one of the most intense scenes of the film.</a></div>
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<b>Title</b>: Equilibrium<br />
<b>Released</b>: December 6, 2002<br />
<b>Genre</b>: Scifi/Action<br />
<b>Director</b>: Kurt Wimmer<br />
<b>Writer</b>: Kurt Wimmer<br />
<b>Music</b>: Klaus Bedelt<br />
<b>Actors/Actresses</b>: Christian Bale, Taye Diggs, Emily Watson, Sean Bean, William Fichtner, Angus MacFadyen<br />
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<a href="http://www.systemandromeda.com/">SystemAndromeda.com</a> - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/systemandromeda/">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/systemandromeda">Twitter</a> </div>
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© 2020 Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-64859997152646219822019-04-30T08:00:00.000-05:002019-04-30T21:54:43.965-05:00M. Night Shyamalan's Glass: The Mastermind's Epic<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>While it's not necessary to have read my previous posts ("<a href="https://thelosttitlecards.blogspot.com/2019/01/m-night-shymalans-unbreakable-eastrail.html">The Eastrail 177 Trilogy Begins</a>" and "<a href="https://thelosttitlecards.blogspot.com/2019/02/m-night-shyamalans-split-unleashing.html">Unleashing the Beast</a>") on this trilogy, I do recommend them, as I refer to various themes from them throughout. </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1mz4AbJULDYdo_aUvC-lbfECqfViTGNBwq63wBM-QgyloIvwRpjWoh_Wd2U-jzNwEZJ5pN2fV_gkWjudEShsE_axoMRFM2e5_yfCBzhWfnqKamJe4iT6u0YGfR6_oz9x8-3Xmcew6ic/s1600/Glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="622" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1mz4AbJULDYdo_aUvC-lbfECqfViTGNBwq63wBM-QgyloIvwRpjWoh_Wd2U-jzNwEZJ5pN2fV_gkWjudEShsE_axoMRFM2e5_yfCBzhWfnqKamJe4iT6u0YGfR6_oz9x8-3Xmcew6ic/s640/Glass.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you still haven't seen <i>Glass</i>, you're missing out.<br />
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I get it. You've been hurt before, and you were suitably - <i>understandably</i> - upset over <i>The Last Airbender</i>. Who wouldn't be? And who wants to go back only to be abused over and over again? We save that kind of masochism for <i>Game of Thrones</i>, and <i>Game of Thrones</i> only.<br />
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Well, I've taken a break in my GoT binge up to the final season to finish something I started three months ago, something M. Night began two decades ago, and to show you why it's worth watching this film.<br />
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I present to you the final chapter of the Eastrail 177 Trilogy reviews.<br />
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<h2>
For the Haters</h2>
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Let's get this nonsense out of the way, shall we? Because people are still hating on Shyamalan and, while not everything he's done is stellar, the majority of his stuff is still a lot better than most films getting made these days, and he certainly deserves forgiveness more than some other directors out there.</div>
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It's time to let it go. Because <i>Glass</i> was remarkable. I still like <span style="font-style: italic;">Unbreakable</span> most of the three, but the final installment was more than satisfying, and that's a lot better than a lot of sequels can say.</div>
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<h2>
The Music</h2>
You can't have a discussion of Shyamalan's work without discussing the music. Sadly, this is where <i>Glass</i> dropped the ball for me. I've become a huge James Newton Howard fan, and it's due to his collaborations with M. Night Shyamalan. <i>Unbreakable</i>, <i>The Village</i>, <i>Sixth Sense</i>, <i>The Lady in the Water</i> are all beautiful, and <i>The Village</i> and <i>Unbreakable</i> sit in my top motion picture scores list. Even sitting here, writing this right now, I am listening not to the <i>Glass</i> soundtrack but to <i>Unbreakable, </i>and it is such a perfect blend of melancholy and heroism, as though the finding of one's path is so incredibly painful that we must weep with joy and relief when we find it. So imagine my disappointment when the music was not composed by Howard, even in collaboration with <i>Split</i>'s West Dylan Thordson, who did become the composer for <i>Glass</i>.<br />
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Thordson did a fine job in <i>Split</i>, and specific aspects of his score definitely work for this film. In particular, I like the brittle strings that feature at various points throughout the film. They act as an aural illustration of the fractured state of Kevin Crumb's mind, but also could be the often fractured state of Elijah's body. Furthermore, they did manage to get some of the <i>Unbreakable</i> themes in there at various points, calling us back to the original movie. I also liked that during the main fight, it was not a sweeping, heroic theme. I found that somewhat refreshing from what we're used to in the blockbuster action comic book genre.<br />
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But it never resonated with me the way that Howard's work does. And that's all I can say on that.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: start;">
...And We're Back</h2>
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It's been two decades since we last checked in on the characters from <i>Unbreakable</i>. Yes, we get a brief cameo from David Dunn at the end of <i>Split</i>, but really, it's been an age. </div>
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It's revealed that David has quit his stadium security job and, in classic superhero style, obtained a livelihood that is close to his path as a superhero. In this case, he owns a security shop during the day while he moonlights as a superhero dubbed "Overseer" by the press, and keeps his lair in the back of his store. We see him early on taking down two douchebags who hurt people and film it for the internet, while his son Joseph - now a grown man - serves as the "man in the chair."</div>
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<h4>
A Note on Water:</h4>
<span style="text-align: justify;">There was an interesting moment here that I'm not sure anyone else caught. When David enters the house of the two douchebags, you hear the water turning off and on a couple of times. It's interesting that he would choose to use his weakness in such a fashion, and it makes me wonder if he's trying to turn it into a kind of avatar. After all, in all instances where we see him commit heroic acts before this point, he has had to overcome water: saving Audrey after the car wreck, fighting the Orange Man after being pushed into the pool...It may have been nothing, a distraction. But Shyamalan is rarely so lazy. In fact, he foreshadows the puddle that will inevitably be David's demise in an earlier part of the movie. Look next time you watch, and you'll see what I mean.</span></blockquote>
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For Kevin Wendell Crumb and his alters, however, it's only been about three weeks since we last saw him. The film actually opens with Patricia, one of Kevin's alters, being her utterly unsettling self (I liked her so much more this time around than before.), as she prepares another sacrifice for The Beast.</div>
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The Horde doesn't know David is searching for them, so when The Beast comes, and David is there to stop him, a battle ensues that results in them both being taken down by the police and sent to Raven Hill Memorial Hospital by Dr. Ellie Staples. We will find out shortly that it is the same hospital where Elijah Price has been since the end of <i>Unbreakable</i>.</div>
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<h2>
Superhero Colors Revisited: White Hat & Black Hat</h2>
In a universe that shows reality as dark and lacking in life, how do you reconcile that with the technicolor pages of a comic book world? Color is essential when creating a hero or a villain's costume. What color you wear communicates to the reader what side you are fighting on. This goes back to "white hat" and "black hat" characters, often seen in early westerns. Somehow, we gained the myth that the good guys wore white and the bad guys wore black, though it turns out that trope was <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-counterintuitive-history-of-black-hats-white-hats-and-villains">rarely so simple even then</a>.<br />
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Actually, the convention of white signifying goodness and purity while black signified evil and corruption goes back even further and derives from nature, religion, and social constructs. Bright and primary colors tend to convey coveted ideals like happiness, go-getter attitudes and even patriotism. An example of this is the red and blue uniforms of both Superman and Wonder Woman, meant to invoke principles of truth and justice, American righteousness and agency. Conversely, dark, sickly, and subdued colors are often used to convey darkness, treachery, and corruption, a perfect villain's uniform.<br />
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Adding to my list to do a full post on this someday.<br />
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It's safe to say that color plays a huge role in our understanding of comic book superheroes. So I am so thrilled to see it done here so well.<br />
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While it's not talked about, you can see how Shyamalan has color-coded his superheroes and villains in this washed out universe.<br />
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The most obvious is Glass himself who, early on, sets the tone and style in <i>Unbreakable</i> with his eggplant-colored wardrobe and accessories. This dark color not only conveys a sense of foreboding but also reminds one of a bruise, the constant pain Elijah suffers.<br />
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Next, we have Dunn, whose security logo and store decor is green to match his hooded "SECURITY" poncho from his stadium days. It's a classic trope from many comic books where a blatant hint about the hero's lair, their name or their wardrobe sits in plain sight and should completely give away their secret identity, leading one to believe that everyone is a moron not to have figured it out by now. It is all these lovely nods to the comic book industry that make me appreciate these films.<br />
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We see that Crumb's color is yellow, mostly through the marketing of these movies, but they support it by having him spend the majority of his screen time in a yellow tracksuit and then yellow scrubs. </div>
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Yellow is an interesting choice for this character. By most accounts, it should be a positive, energetic color, full of optimism. Yet there are flavors of yellow that mean sickness, jealousy, and warn caution. Perhaps this is a reference to Crumb's fractured nature, continuously at odds with his alters. Either way, it makes a great contrast against our other two heroes (I said it), and aesthetics matter, people.</div>
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It's one of those blatant hints, then, that Dr. Ellie Staples seems to also have a signature color: pink.</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Pink is meant to be a pretty, feminine, and calming color, all of which Dr. Ellie puts forth. However,</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> there are many (myself included) who find it to be an insipid hue, evoking a sense of manipulation, illusion, and stereotype. This theory seems proven correct when we see how Ellie brings our three supers to an entirely pink room, a power play asserting her dominance, and proceeds to gaslight them about their powers. They are utterly awash in manipulation.</span></div>
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And that's why we should have known about Ellie to start with. While I love watching this <i>American Horror Story</i> actress work, there is no doubt that something is off and I hate her immediately. When Casey has come to see Kevin, Dennis (another alter) tells her, "the doctor lies," leading us to believe that he sees more than some of the alters do. This would make sense, as Dennis is the vigilant one of the alters, the one who has protected them all from abuse. He would have seen the lies an abuser tells, and he sees it in Ellie.<br />
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She certainly earns no points from me by lambasting comic books: "Comic books are not valid history." Maybe not, but they are vital mythos, and in this universe, they are pretty much a blueprint.<br />
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One thing for sure is that she's good at sowing doubt. Is Ellie herself a mentalist? Is she describing herself to David when she tells him how it works? Is it this which allows her to find people such as David, Elijah, and Kevin?<br />
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But Dennis isn't the only one who isn't falling for her crap. Glass may look broken when we first see him, but we are all of us deceived. As she sows doubt in the others, Glass grows stronger. He listens, and he sees her. He knows that if they are trying this hard, then he must have hit upon something.</div>
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It looks like his time has come.</div>
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Meeting the Beast</h2>
One of the best scenes is when Elijah breaks into Kevin's room to meet him and size up his alters. While we know that Glass is using Kevin for his plan to work, we can't help but feel he does so with regret, because he likes and respects Kevin and the alters. Two exchanges, in particular, are some of my favorite of the entire movie:<br />
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<b>Glass</b>: Ma'am, I'm here to see if the tales of the extraordinary being are real. The half-man, half-creature.<br />
<b>Patricia</b>: Patricia. But I appreciate your manners.</blockquote>
She likes Glass immediately.<br />
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<b>Hedwig</b>: What's your superpower? Your mind? [Glass nods] What's mine?<br />
<b>Glass</b>: You're nine forever, right? [Hedwig nods] That's incredible, you can see the world the way it really is...always.</blockquote>
And so Elijah wins over the Horde.<br />
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It is when he meets The Beast, however, that we are clued in that Elijah's intent, if not his methods, are pure. The Beast emerges, and the real test begins. First, the spiritual:<br />
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<b>The Beast</b>: You believe?<br />
<b>Glass</b>: Yes, I do. It's what I've believed my whole life.</blockquote>
Then the worthiness:<br />
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<b>The Beast</b>: Why are you in this chair, child?<br />
<b>Glass</b>: My bones break easily. I was born this way. I've had 94 breaks in my life. I've known only pain.<br />
<b>The Beast</b>: Rejoice. You have suffered and are now pure.<br />
<b>Glass</b>: I assume you were sent to be an avenging angel. How much do you want to avenge us?</blockquote>
For Elijah to meet The Beast is a sign, a proof of what he's always known. He receives this confirmation when he reads Crumb's file and discovers that his father was on the Eastrail 177. Everything has clicked into place. It is cataclysmic in meaning.<br />
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"That sounds like the bad guys teaming up."</blockquote>
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"The Collection of Main Characters"</h2>
Glass springs The Beast and himself (now resplendent in his signature purple) from the main building and The Beast immediately begins wreaking havoc. There's a great moment when Glass turns to see the Three Advocates (as I like to call them) come out of the building and smiles, a manic bulge to his eyes. Their presence is perfect, after all. The story of the heroes would be nothing without their supporting cast. Joseph, the faithful son, who believes without a doubt in his father and his abilities. Mrs. Price, Elijah's steadfast and patient mother, encouraging him to survive and thrive by any means necessary. And Casey, the damaged girl, whose trauma saved her from and connected her to Kevin and the alters.<br />
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All three converge at the same time as Ellie, creating a lovely tableau. These sidekicks, however, are not without power.<br />
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Though shaken by Ellie's attempts to make him doubt everything, Joseph goes to the comic book store seeking answers and proof, seeking truth. And where does he find it? Not in the Heroes section, but among the Villains, a nod to the true hero of this story. Joseph remains loyal, though, a believer 'til the end.<br />
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It's good to find Casey finding some peace and happiness with her new foster family, though you know it's unlikely she'll ever feel normal. I suspect that Casey may actually have powers - it's hinted, both by Ellie ("loving physical affection is like something supernatural") and by multiple times she touches Kevin, grounding him somehow. It even seems like she weakens The Beast's powers when they touch. And, in the end, she is the witness to Kevin, as his alters say goodbye:<br />
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<b>Patricia</b>: Did you see them? Never let them tell you I doubted it.</blockquote>
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<b>Kevin</b>: I'm gonna hold the light until the very end.</blockquote>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
Questions Answered</h3>
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When you have an origin story that does not provide a continuation for 20 years, you have plenty of time to think up fan theories on things that may be. Of course, we always wondered what happens to David and his family, and we get that answer now. Likewise, the most prominent fan theory - that Crumb's father was killed in the same train wreck that failed to harm David and was orchestrated by Elijah - was emphatically confirmed. I also had one of my questions answered: that Kevin's DID was not a result of losing his father and being stuck with his mother. She was already abusive and causing his DID. In the flashback of the train, we see the elder Crumb reading a brochure about DID before the train departs the station. This verifies suspicions that the many voices David hears in the train station scene in <i>Unbreakable</i> as a mother and son walk by him were indeed Kevin Crumb and his mother, Penelope.<br />
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For me, however, the biggest reveal was in the deleted scenes. There we settle a suspicion I've had about Elijah's mother for a while now.<br />
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In the deleted scene, which is a continuation of a scene in which she tries to get Elijah to rally, Mrs. Price seems to give permission to him to escape and do what he wants to enact his next plan. It is more than the comforting of a mother. She seems to be purposely telling him to start some shit. That validates the idea for me that she knew about Elijah's plans for destruction in <i>Unbreakable</i>. After all, the plans were sitting out in his back office. How could she have missed them?<br />
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I think Elijah is not the only Mastermind in the family. After all, it was his mother who concocted a method to get him out of the house and moving on with life. She understands the mythos, plots, and symbolism of comic books, as well as her son, does. Is it such a stretch, then, to imagine that she knew all along, and more, condoned - if not outright encouraged - what her son did? Could she have been desperate enough to encourage her son's murderous intents, if it only meant he would leave the house? Perhaps the stress of caring for a chronically ill child on her own (as there is never a mention of his father; he may as well have been born in a manger instead of the dressing room of a department store) crossed some wires and drove her to participate? If that's true, it's a testament to what love will do, for better or worse. Or maybe she's just bent.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">In the end, she is his mother, through and through, loving and proud.</span><br />
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<b style="text-align: start;">Glass</b><span style="text-align: start;">: I wasn't a mistake, Mama. </span></blockquote>
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<b style="text-align: start;">Mrs. Price</b><span style="text-align: start;">: No, you were spectacular.</span></blockquote>
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<h2>
Mr. Glass: The Mastermind, The Believer</h2>
Samuel L. Jackson has two superhero movies coming out this year. How this actor has managed to add his own brand of gravitas (let's face it; he simply kicks ass) to an entire genre is one of the things that makes <i>Glass</i> so enjoyable.<br />
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Make no mistake: Mr. Glass is the one we've come to see. And he doesn't disappoint.<br />
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The thing is, there are two parts to Elijah: the Mastermind and the Believer, but they are so fundamentally entwined, you can't tell at any given moment which one you're seeing.<br />
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"He's too smart. That's why he's the mastermind. He'll never tell you his real plan. He sets everybody up. Gets them looking in one direction. [...] There's always a real plan."</blockquote>
Whether he's dragging David, kicking and screaming, into his destiny ("A lot of people are going to die, Overseer, if you don't get through that door.") or spurring on The Beast ("You're fighting for the broken; you've found your purpose!"), there's always a sense that he's just making sure everything falls out the way he wants it to.<br />
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He certainly plays Ellie. He has duped everyone so well, it doesn't even occur to her that she's giving him vital info, telling him how to beat her cameras, when his procedure will happen...why don't you just hand him the keys to a helicopter and a mansion on a private island, Ellie?<br />
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When the extent of Glass's plan comes to light, Ellie is devastated, her world torn down. "Elijah, what have you done?" she whispers. I can't help but be taken back to that moment at the end of <i>Unbreakable</i> when David asks Elijah the same thing.<br />
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But, however manipulative he may seem, however much havoc he wreaks in pursuit of his goals, he does have a nobler purpose at heart. He wants the world to know who they all are: Overseer, The Beast, Mr. Glass. He wants people to know what they're capable of, what everyone is capable of.<br />
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Ultimately, he still believes in heroes, and by being the ultimate supervillain, Glass becomes the hero in this universe.<br />
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<h2>
Sacrifice: The Tragedy of the Hero</h2>
I learned with Shakespeare that a tragedy means everyone dies on stage at the end and, this, my friends, is a tragedy. I was not expecting that. I don't know what I was expecting, but not that all three main characters would die.<br />
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David Dunn's life is...tragic... He's sacrificed and lost so much: his football career, his wife, a normal life, his freedom and, finally, his life. His fatal flaw (and every hero has one) is that he lacks belief in himself and his abilities. He has it proven to him time and again, and yet he does not believe.<br />
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When Dunn knocks down the door and looks at the camera like, "yeah, I did that," he is finally proving it to himself. He goes to retrieve his poncho (because a superhero needs their uniform) and joins the fray. It is at this moment when he embraces his true potential, when he fully commits to his identity and purpose, that he dies....making him a perfect tragic hero.<br />
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This story is riddled with tragedy: Joseph has lost both parents and is alone, Kevin takes the light just in time to die and, of course, we lose Mr. Glass himself.<br />
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But a tragedy is ultimately hopeful. Those Shakespearean plays often ended with the survivors of the catastrophe or madman beginning a new future, not merely picking up the pieces but forging a new world from the ashes of the old. When the Three Advocates release Elijah's footage from the asylum to the general public, they are taking on this role in Glass's stead. He is not really gone.<br />
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It's not a swansong; it's a phoenix story.<br />
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<h2>
What Happens When the Personal Becomes Global</h2>
When <i>Unbreakable</i> ends, we are treated to an ecstatic Elijah. He has found his place in this world, his purpose. "Now that we know who you are, I know who I am. I'm not a mistake!" he proclaims, and we could assume this was all he really cared about. It would have been easy to leave it at that. He is the polar opposite to the hero he just created...a villain. But that is not enough for Mr. Glass. Give a guy an inch...<br />
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Elijah understands that a personal awakening is useless unless it changes our course as human beings. Discovering your personal gift and purpose is selfish unless you better the world. So, while he was content at the end of <i>Unbreakable</i>, having found himself by simply finding David, it was never going to be the end.<br />
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Finding meaning through symbolism and mythos is what comic books are for, and why they are so crucial to an adolescent's development. They dare them at the most critical point in their human growth - the passage from childhood to adulthood - to find their purpose, their gift, to dream, and to share it with the world. It is my hope for all people to find the extraordinary in themselves. That is what we are all here for. To share our gifts.<br />
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<h2>
Subverting Expectations: Closing the Comic Book Renaissance</h2>
When <i>Unbreakable</i> came out 20 years ago, no one had seen anything like it. Years before everything became <i>meta</i>, M. Night Shyamalan gave us layer upon layer of comic book symbolism and meaning and turned it to look in upon itself. His trademark twist made us root for the villain (though we didn't know it at the time) and opened us up to a whole new level of comic book mythos storytelling. And in so doing, he helped kick off the comic book movie renaissance.<br />
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This is no small thing. Glass is not wrong when he refers to the tales of superheroes in comic books as being a modern mythos. Human beings need <i>meaning</i>. It is a fundamental aspect of our species. Somewhere between awareness of our mortality and its relation to the passage of time, we learned to tell <i>stories</i>. These stories gave us <i>meaning</i>, gave us <i>hope</i>, our greatest gift. To do justice to a genre that the Hollywood machine has picked over and watered down in its 100+ years is the highest compliment I can pay to a filmmaker. Regardless of what else M. Night Shyamalan has done in his career, he did this right.<br />
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This year, as we wind down 10+ years of Marvel Cinematic Universe with <i>Endgame</i> to top off the Infinity Gauntlet Saga, <i>Glass</i> also closes its universe. These universes are nothing alike. The MCU is bright, colorful, action-packed; The Eastrail 177 Trilogy is intense but subdued, ponderous. Yet they both have something in common. They both understand an essential aspect of the superhero genre: the sacrifice. Marvel touched on it a bit in <i>Civil War</i> and <i>Infinity War</i>, but with all the glitz and glamour of these films' production, it is easy to gloss over their message on the way to the finale where everyone is saved and alive. In <i>Glass</i>, the sacrifice is the finale, it <i>is</i> the big save. Here, with <i>Glass</i>, the sacrifice <i>is</i> the story. It was always going to end this way; Mr. Glass makes sure of that.<br />
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Regardless of what happens next, we are at the end of an era. I truly believe that. The Comic Book Renaissance of the last 20 years is over. Yet, what have we begun with the previous two decades? It will be interesting to see what will be for comic book movies on the big screen in the years to come. As always, you'll find me there, center seat, popcorn and notebook in hand.<br />
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"It was an origin story the whole time."<br />
~ Mr. Glass</blockquote>
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<br />
<b>Title</b>: <i>Glass</i><br />
<b>Based on</b>: <i>Unbreakable</i>/<i>Split</i>; The Eastrail 177 Trilogy<br />
<b>Released</b>: January 18, 2019<br />
<b>Genre</b>: Superhero Thriller<br />
<b>Director</b>: M. Night Shyamalan<br />
<b>Writer</b>: M. Night Shyamalan<br />
<b>Music</b>: West Dylan Thordson<br />
<b>Actors/Actresses</b>: Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, James McAvoy, Sarah Paulson, Charlayne Woodard, Spencer Treat Clark, Anya Taylor-Joy</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-65391420354667596892019-02-08T08:00:00.000-06:002019-04-30T20:40:21.291-05:00M. Night Shyamalan's Split: Unleashing the Beast<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-align: justify;">Glass</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-align: justify;"> opened on January 18th, and I couldn't be more pleased with it. As such, I've been featuring a series on M. Night Shyamalan's catalog of work. Not every movie will be featured; only my favorites, and I've been sick lately delaying my schedule a bit...a lot. So welcome back, stay tuned, and enjoy part two of this peek into the mildly obsessed.</i><br />
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I didn't know that <i>Split</i> is a part of the <i>Unbreakable</i> franchise, now known as the "Eastrail 177 Trilogy," until <i>Glass</i> became a sure thing and the first trailer came out, so I'm still getting to know Kevin Crumb and his 23 alters.<br />
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I had trouble writing this post because this movie is not my favorite of the ones I'm profiling during this series. This is not to say that it isn't good. It's quite excellent, especially in the treatment of the titular disorder. I recognize now that my hesitation stemmed from a sense that I needed to highlight this representation and some of the backlash it's received. I debated, for days, whether to bother with this topic, especially as I began writing and it got <i>long</i>, as my rants often do. Did we need to rake this topic over the coals again? Did I need to be yet <i>another</i> person beating this topic with a stick? I was about to cut the whole section when I realized this is exactly the problem with the way we deal with social issues these days: it's either too much or not at all, and someone always feels like they're being told they can't talk. That's too bad. Like it or not, some things need to be said, and you might be surprised where I go with this.<br />
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Part I: Thoughts on Responsibility in Representation</h2>
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A childhood fascination: DID past & present</h4>
I've been fascinated with "split" or "multiple" personalities - now known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) - since 1990 when Shelley Long starred in a miniseries about a woman with 92 personalities called <i>Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase</i>. Truddi had been sexually, physically, and mentally abused by her stepfather and mother as a small child (a typical story for those with this disorder). Much of the miniseries focused on how her alters or "Troops" helped her cope, as well as the strain of trying to integrate said alters to one personality. These characters had come to feel like friends, and the idea that she might "kill" them off (the process of integration is much more complex than that, but I know there are those who feel it would be like experiencing a death) in order to be normal turned my stomach. When Truddi (Shelley) gleefully declares via t-shirt "2, 4, 6, 8... We don't want to integrate!" in the last scene of the movie, I couldn't help but cheer for her and anyone like her. It was my first inkling that mental illness didn't have to mean that you must be fixed in order to function in society. In fact, I didn't see her as mentally ill. I saw her as many people who happened to live in the same body. Much like Dr. Fletcher spoke of Kevin and others like him, people like this are remarkable.<br />
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So, it's likely that I was already primed to root for Kevin Crumb and his 23 alters. I only needed a reason. The compelling philosophy that there are those who don't suffer and <i>they</i> are the ones who are broken or tainted certainly caught my attention. It's an idea that hasn't been played in conjunction with DID, to my knowledge. It's rarely played at all. Of course, the disturbing aspect of this is the remedy: that such people should be expunged by the Beast. While I felt concerned by the tired tropiness of the kidnapped girls to be used as sacrifice at the beginning, losing clothes in a way that couldn't feel anything but rapey, I enjoyed watching the way Casey's background and patience paid off for her. The fact that she both foils the Horror Victim trope and confirms the Beast's philosophy, winning his respect, was all I needed for this film to succeed in my book.<br />
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Yet the ongoing cinematic history of DID is spotty at best. From characters like Jekyll & Hyde, Psycho, and Sybil, up through the likes of Gollum, the Hulk, and Tyler Durden, this genre has mostly focused on the disorder as a vehicle for villains and plot twists. It shouldn't be surprising that the majority of DID sufferers are sick of it, or that they were quite ready to boycott yet another such portrayal.<br />
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<h4>
Giving voice to a group</h4>
As an Autism advocate, I know the sting of seeing yet another such character portrayed incorrectly and, worse, vilified. It is bad enough that the media does such things, and perhaps this is art holding up the proverbial mirror to reality. Unfortunately, there are those who truly believe what they see, rather than diving deeper and, really, that is the true crime. That it still need be said that such people aren't typically dangerous, that one should look at such a portrayal and recognize that this is work of fiction, to neither be believed or endorsed and that, even if it was based on something true, could not be representative of a whole.<br />
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Furthermore, I think Shyamalan did pretty well here. The research he did on this film, that McAvoy did, is more than many filmmakers are willing to do, and it shows. Despite the title of the film, the correct name of the disorder is used throughout the movie. I'm not sure I even heard anyone refer to it as "split" or "multiple" personality. Instead, we are introduced to the plight of people with DID through Dr. Fletcher, a woman with a crusade to validate this stigmatized condition, as there are still many health professionals who do not even believe that DID exists, despite numerous cases and studies asserting otherwise. Additionally, there is a body of evidence that shows that alters can have different abilities, illnesses, and other personality aspects, which Shyamalan used rather effectively to ask a question: if one alter can have diabetes when none of the others do, then what else might the human brain be capable of when separating identities?</div>
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As far as I'm concerned, we hit neutral territory on the reality of DID. While I will never tell someone to suppress their feelings or not to act as their convictions compel them, I do wonder if encouraging people not to watch this film does more harm than good. After all, it is only if you watch the movie that you see the positive aspects, the points at which the filmmakers said, "Yes, we're going for the trope, but we're trying to do it responsibly. We seek to do our small part to educate and ask new questions." Without seeing this, the movie does, indeed, look like every other portrayal that uses the condition as a mere trope.</div>
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Who's responsibility is it?</h4>
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Perhaps that's crediting the entertainment industry with more than they deserve, but movies are also art. Art seeks to hold up that mirror to society for the purpose of change. And change does not come quickly without major upheaval and backlash. More often it is at a snail's pace so that we have time to reflect and assimilate. True, it doesn't always do a good job, but sometimes it's all we've got. It reminds me of how some people won't watch classic movies because they don't like how women and other minorities are portrayed in them, rather than celebrating the triumph of the slow journey such people have taken and seeing how they spoke up and stood up and lay the groundwork for future generations. As much as I hate it, too, the reality of civil rights movements is always a slow one.</div>
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And here's the thing: <i>some</i> of the onus of responsibility has to be on the viewer. Regardless of what side of the debate you're on, we all need to take a step back and <i>think</i>. Is this fair? No. It isn't. It isn't fair that the media is a virtual shitshow of biased stories that help keep oppressed people oppressed, and <i>require</i> us to speak for ourselves. It isn't fair that entertainers and artists don't do their homework. It has nothing to do with fair. That's why we the Viewer/Reader/Listener gotta do ours, too.<br />
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The reason why people get angry about these portrayals is that we're a culture that's become complacent to have everything spoon-fed to us in palatable chunks, whether or not those chunks have any nutritional value, so to speak. We then feel betrayed that we were misled by the thing we felt absolutely no responsibility to put our own effort into, to verify or stand-up and speak our own stories. Again, I'm speaking to all sides here. We can no longer be content to have change delivered to us via Tweet. We cannot place the onus of responsibility solely on the art/artist, and then heap criticism without acknowledging that at least they <i>tried</i>, to point out what they did <i>right</i>. We the Consumer have to be willing to watch, to glean what is useful and build on it, to question that which feels off and do our own research to find answers. That's how revolutions succeed.<br />
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So.<br />
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I really enjoyed this movie. No major complaints. It's simply that I love Shyamalan's work for the warmth and hope that underlies his films and, while there were definitely elements of hope in this movie, it was missing that warmth. I'd put it at the bottom of my list of favorite MNS movies, right before <i>Signs</i>. Still, there are so many things worth talking about, so let's dig in.</div>
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~`~</div>
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<h2>
Part II: Thoughts on the Film</h2>
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"We look at those who are shattered and different as less than.... What if they are more than us?"</div>
~Dr. Fletcher</blockquote>
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Dissecting the Alters</h2>
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A look into Kevin Crumb's world...<br />
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The Light</h3>
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This is what it's called when one of the alters takes over, "taking the light." Cool way to describe the process, taking a spotlight, of sorts.<br />
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Having a System</h3>
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I'm big on systems so I can appreciate the epic necessity for a functional system among multiple identities. You would simply have to. How would you make sure you satisfied everyone's needs, got to the right appointments? How would you make sure that the one personality who has diabetes gets her insulin? This is more than sharing the light. This is sharing space; you can't really have separate houses for each personality, not when there are that many. Even separate rooms for each is a stretch, even if you're rich. Crumb is not rich. So he gets by with a very specific system: different clothes for each alter, separate toothbrushes, as well as other items that people wouldn't usually share amongst each other.<br />
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Interestingly, there are some specific concessions here. Hedwig, the 9-yr-old rap lover, has his own room. It is likely that a 9-yr-old wouldn't fully understand having to share his room with the others.<br />
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The video diaries were an interesting piece, though I suspect that was done more to provide proof for Dr. Fletcher that these other personalities existed. As an actor myself, I tend to enjoy seeing multiple identities performed. I would have been interested, however, to see more of how they each "took the light."<br />
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The Dominant Personality</h3>
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Having a dominant personality is, I suspect, part of having a system for this disorder. Barry is dynamic and outgoing, a talented extrovert with a genuine interest in people. Furthermore, he seems to be the most stable of the alters. He's the perfect choice to show the outward face of all those identities, which raises the question of why he is still referred to as "Kevin". I noticed this particularly among the critics writing about this movie. They all generally refer to "Kevin" rather than "Barry" or even the currently present identities like Dennis, Patricia or Hedwig. It's another instance where we see the stigma associated with this disorder and that, in my opinion, is probably very damaging.<br />
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A lot of times the original personality is so deeply traumatized, that they cannot actually function in society, and have handed the reins over to one of the alters. There's an example from <i>Voices Within</i> when one of Truddi's alters explains that the original identity known as "Truddi" had long been dead, a result of continued abuse. The other alters had taken over her body at that point, one of them undoubtedly acting as the dominant. Can you imagine?<br />
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Is it right, then, to refer to the collective as that original personality when they are not the Dominant, when they may no longer even exist? Why aren't they giving these identities the respect that they deserve as separate entities? And the answer, of course, is that "Kevin" is the legal name attached to that body. It matters little to the authorities that there are multiple people living within. It matters even less that Barry seems to be the one most present. This particular disorder is an invisible disability - rarely well-respected or believed - so why would authorities and the greater public refer to one of the alters? It's pretty sad when you think about it.<br />
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The Horde</h3>
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The Horde is the group of "believer" identities, who are trying to bring forth the 24th identity: the Beast. If there is to be said to be any kind of villain in the story, it is these three. They are the ones who kidnap Casey, Claire, and Marcia.<br />
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Dennis</h4>
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Dennis has OCD and a proclivity for watching young women and girls dance naked. He is the taskmaster of the alters, and is in charge of many of the details for this planned coming of "The Beast", including the kidnapping of three teenage girls. It's not a great start for a character's likeability, is it?<br />
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Like so many characters in Shyamalan's repertoire, however, it's hard to judge Dennis too harshly. For one thing, he manifested as one of the alters because of the abuse done to Kevin by his mother. Dennis was the one who could endure the abuse, protect the others. He has perhaps the most fortitude of them all. Furthermore, it seems his unsavory proclivities may be mostly trigger-based (which in no way justifies them). We find out that recently Barry has been assaulted (sexually, it is surmised) by a couple of teenage girls while at work, likely causing Dennis to go into overdrive. Indeed, Dr. Fletcher remarks that she is "pleased to meet" Dennis when she catches him impersonating Barry (a beautiful moment), implying that he doesn't surface much.<br />
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Dennis is ultimately a sympathetic character. From the start, there is a heavy sense that he doesn't want to be doing this. After being triggered by a traumatic experience visited upon the alters, he feels pressed to do what he can to protect the group, reminding us that anyone can be prey to manipulation.<br />
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Though he is initially the creepiest of the alters, he may not be the worst; because there's nothing scarier than a fanatic.<br />
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Patricia</h4>
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You like Patricia despite the disturbing aspect of, well...pretty much everything about her. The way she gestures, her way of sitting still and espousing manners; you know right off the bat that she's some kind of child care-taker-type, perhaps a governess. She is one of my favorite performances from McAvoy here.<br />
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Yet it's the absolute faith she has in the Beast and his(its?) purpose that is truly terrifying. While we're meant to fear the impending Beast, these are the people you should be wary of, the kind who believe they are right above all else: the fanatics. And she delivers.<br />
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It's interesting that Patricia is the one who comes before the Beast, giving credence to that idea that sheer willpower - absolute faith - can bring something, or someone, into existence.<br />
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Hedwig</h4>
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Hedwig, a 9-yr-old who's into Kanye West music, has his own special power. He can take the light whenever he wants....which might lead one to believe he is the true dominant personality. Often when we see a child portrayed as an identity in someone with DID, they seem to be representative of some lost aspect - call it innocence or naivety - of childhood, that what makes a child a child. They are literally a child frozen in trauma.<br />
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Beyond that, I'm not a fan. He seems to mostly serve the purpose of giving Casey someone to trick.</div>
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<h2>
Casey: Not Your "Typical" Victim</h2>
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"The thrill is about whether you can or can't outsmart this animal."</blockquote>
It's difficult to handle a character who is a victim of rape - of repeated molestation and abuse at the hands of a relative - with the appropriate level of care. I'm not sure that Shyamalan does it here, but one thing is clear.<br />
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Casey is a survivor.<br />
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It is here that I call back to the points I made about the viewer's responsibility in representation. Casey understands what many survivors of horrible things understand: it's her responsibility.<br />
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Now hold up a second. Don't get too angry just yet. Actually, do get angry, because this should piss you off entirely.<br />
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You see, when someone is wronged, victimized, or in some other way had something done to them, it is the fault of the perpetrator of the wrong. Yet it is the victim/survivor who must bear the burden. They are responsible for carrying it. They are responsible for dealing with the havoc wreaked on their lives and, hopefully, they will be responsible for laying down this burden at some point. Never doubt, however, that as one does that, they are alone. No amount of loving family, friends, or fellow victims/survivors (which Casey doesn't even have) can truly alleviate that burden.<br />
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Casey understands this all too well. She wears her trauma in layers like her clothing, allowing her to hide the scars, pain, shame, and fear. It is her armor. She maintains herself in the face of possible death because, for her, this is tame compared to what usually happens.<br />
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Yet it's not just her trauma that keeps her calm and focused. Her time with her father before losing him to a heart attack taught her some things. She's smart; she takes in her surroundings, instructs the other girls how to evade Dennis's unsavory clutches (urine). When it comes time to escape, she keeps her head well enough to find the keys that get her out of the room.</div>
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It is this survivor mentality and her trauma which save her in the end. Exhausted, scared, much of her clothing - her armor - is gone, having been taken or lost throughout the picture (unlike the other girls who were disrobed almost immediately). When all the layers are peeled off, it is her truth, the scars showing her pain, which saves her.<br />
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"Your heart is pure. Rejoice. The broken are the more evolved. Rejoice."<br />
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~The Beast</div>
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And with that...The Beast leaves.<br />
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We have some messed up thought processes for the differences between victims and survivors. It is often felt that victims are weak. This is so far from the truth. Victims simply have not found the tools to access the survivor within. Through these horrible ordeals, Casey finds a strength in herself that she had probably forgotten existed, a strength that the Beast sees, too. It allows her to survive both the Beast and her uncle (because that is the true monster in her life). And as she sits in that police car, transformed, you can see the silence is over. You just know it.<br />
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<i class="">Split</i> gives us the message that the time has come to break the silence, whether it's through the efforts of Kevin Crumb, his alters, and Dr. Fletcher to educate the world, or by Casey speaking out about what has been done to her.<br />
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We speak out to heal.<br />
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And there it is. There's my warmth. Because ultimately Split is about surviving trauma, about acknowledging that sometimes the initial circumstance is not what's going to make us stronger. That often times in our trauma, we become stuck, we need help to heal. While I don't recommend kidnapping and near-evisceration as a therapy technique, no one can say what the catalyst for healing will be. Because Shyamalan got one thing right in this case: the only way out is through.<br />
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<h2>
Fitting into the Eastrail 177 Universe</h2>
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As I said before, I didn't know that this movie had anything to do with <i>Unbreakable</i> until the <i>Glass</i> trailer dropped, and there was McAvoy reprising his role. I immediately got <i>Split</i> and watched it, and it was then that I saw the secret that really ought to have been spoiled for me a long time before by the internet: David Dunn, sitting in a diner, talking about Mr. Glass.<br />
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As a part of this trilogy, affectionately and unofficially named the "Eastrail 177 Trilogy", I wasn't sure how I felt about <i>Split</i>. It felt so different from <i>Unbreakable</i>. For example, the music is by West Dylan Thordson. The music works fine for a psychological thriller, but it wasn't James Newton Howard, whom I grew to love precisely because of Shyamalan's movies. Still, I couldn't help but notice the tie-in at the end. The music filters into the <i>Unbreakable</i> theme as the alters regroup and discuss how the Beast has power, how they cannot be ignored any longer, before cutting to the diner and David. This modified version of the modern "stinger" sets up rather perfectly to head directly for <i>Glass</i>.<br />
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Here are a couple more hints at <i>Split</i>'s membership in a "larger superhero universe."<br />
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The Birth of a Beast</h3>
There'd been a theory floating around the internet that Kevin Crumb appears in <i>Unbreakable</i>. In the scene where David Dunn stands in the crowd feeling everyone out, we see his visions of these people's horrible acts. Suddenly, a woman walks by with her child, forcefully dragging him along. When they touch David, we hear the voices of the two: the woman yelling at the child, and the child's screams overlapping. But we do not get a picture of what is happening.<br />
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It has been speculated that this is Kevin Crumb and the abusive mother we immediately grow to loathe in <i>Split</i>. The big clue is the absence of a vision to go with the screams. It is the only instance in that entire scene in which that happens. What everyone points out, however, is that when the child's voice can be heard screaming, there seem to be multiple voices crying out and screaming. If you listen closely, one of the child's voices sounds like a little girl.<br />
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Are we seeing the beginning of the alters? Had they already begun by this point?<br />
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We are given further evidence in <i>Split</i> itself when Kevin goes to the train station. He buys flowers and brings them to a platform. It seems as though he may have lost someone there. Did they jump? Did something else happen?<br />
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Is it possible? If so, it is where the Kevin we know is born; and so, too, where the Beast is born. How fitting.<br />
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The Beast and Jaguaro</h3>
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Another moment in <i>Unbreakable</i> hints at the Beast. When Glass is describing the character of Jaguaro as a classic comic book villain, and not the mastermind Glass is, one can't help but think of the Beast. Big strong, animalistic, fingers twice the length of the others, skin of the rhinoceros... The list goes on. As I pointed out in my post on <i>Unbreakable</i>, the description of Jaguar could partly apply to Glass, too. Is Shyamalan setting us up at the very beginning for David Dunn to eventually have <i>two</i> villains to battle? It certainly seems so, falling right in line with the pattern of everything Glass points out about comic books coming true for them all. Indeed, some research revealed that Shyamalan had meant to introduce the Beast in the first movie, but decided on a character study of an emerging superhero instead (thank the stars).</div>
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Shyamalan encourages us to see the human value in characters we would label as evil. He gets us to root for the villains. And isn't that what a good storyteller does?<br />
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<b>Resources:</b><br />
<a href="https://wp.nyu.edu/steinhardt-appsych_opus/split-a-review-and-its-unexpected-merit/">SPLIT: A REVIEW AND ITS UNEXPECTED MERIT</a><br />
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jan/12/cinema-dissociative-personality-disorder-split-james-mcavoy">From Split to Psycho: why cinema fails dissociative identity disorder</a><br />
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<b>Title</b>: <i>Split</i></div>
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<b>Released</b>: January 20, 2017</div>
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<b>Genre</b>: Psychological Thriller</div>
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<b>Director</b>: M. Night Shyamalan</div>
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<b>Writer</b>: M. Night Shyamalan</div>
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<b>Music</b>: West Dylan Thordson</div>
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<b>Actors/Actresses</b>: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley,</div>
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<a href="http://www.systemandromeda.com/">SystemAndromeda.com</a> (under construction!) - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/systemandromeda/">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/systemandromeda">Twitter</a></div>
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© Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-1962836096759271092019-01-10T07:00:00.000-06:002019-04-30T20:37:17.534-05:00M. Night Shymalan's Unbreakable: The Eastrail 177 Trilogy Begins<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-align: justify;">Glass</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-align: justify;"> opens on January 18th, and I couldn't be more excited. As such, I'm featuring a series on M. Night Shyamalan's catalog of work. Not every movie will be featured; only my favorites. Stay tuned and enjoy part two of this peek into the mildly obsessed. </i><i>In this installment, I describe how </i>Unbreakable<i> made the year 2000 a great year for cinema, but most notably for comic book movies.</i><br />
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While many today hail 2008 as the beginning of the modern superhero/comic book renaissance, I believe it came nearly one decade earlier. It was in the year 2000 that <i>X-Men</i> came out, showing that ensemble superhero blockbusters could work (sorry <i>Avengers</i>, you didn't get there first). This grittier adaptation of the spandex-clad had some kinks to work out, but it broke ground on a more profound and relevant world. The bar would be raised even higher, though, when <i>Unbreakable</i> hit the screens a few months later, showing that the mythos of superheroes and the art of comic books was worthy of serious study.</div>
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<i>Unbreakable</i> was the follow-up to M. Night Shyamalan's popular debut <i>The Sixth Sense</i>. It was billed to look like another horror/thriller (Incidentally, I believe that Shyamalan's movies are often marketed wrong, contributing to the poor reception. That needs to stop.), but it turned out to be a beautifully crafted character study on the superhero genre, centering around the dynamics between two characters: David Dunn and Elijah Price. The reverence with which the story treats the comic book medium is only the base for admiration, but it is nonetheless perfectly interwoven with the plot and action. </div>
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What Shyamalan gives us in this movie is the blueprint for becoming a superhero. You know this because you are told every step of the way. This could have been an unwieldy mess, full of too much exposition and spoon-feeding in order to fit a lot of action into a too-tight time-frame. Instead, Shyamalan focuses on character development. He wastes no dialogue. The piece builds steadily, showing only what's needed in layers, leaving you wanting more as the final twist is revealed.</div>
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A twist that we really should have known all along. </div>
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The way that Elijah describes the quintessential images of the hero and the villain in his first few lines (adult version) is a perfect example of this: </div>
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"It's a classic depiction of good versus evil. Notice the square jaw of Slayer-common in most comic book heroes. And the slightly disproportionate size of Jaguaro's body to his head. This again is common, but only in villains..."</blockquote>
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He is actually describing himself and David. David is the square-jawed hero, and Price is the opposite, disproportionate with a bigger head, and Elijah's mother later describes the supervillain's eyes as being larger than other people's, as having a slightly skewed perspective. This is Elijah all over, but it's understated. He has set us up from the very beginning, told us exactly who he is. But do we listen....</div>
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A note: If Elijah simply had a much bigger head, it would have been too obvious, too cheesy. Instead, he has a wild afro, giving the illusion of a bigger head. This establishes something in our subconscious, though we don't know what as of yet. Elijah's costume, in general, is subtle, giving us hints of his villainy. Elijah dresses in a monochromatic fashion, most of his clothes carrying a somewhat deep, electric purple, a more villainesque color than the primaries of classic heroes. It ripples and shimmers, and seems almost chameleon-like, a perfect metaphor for the slippery nature only a supervillain could have in order to carry out his atrocities and conceal his intentions. Even Elijah's car looks like something out of a supervillain playbook. </div>
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They trick us here because it's not long before Elijah's in a wheelchair, and we can't help but conjure images of a certain chair-bound professor, guiding new heroes and spouting wisdom. We're lulled into a false sense of security. </div>
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Of course, <i>Unbreakable</i> does conform to some very basic comic book tropes, but it's still played down rather nicely. This origin story isn't full of fist pumps and shouts of joy for newfound abilities. Instead, we're introduced carefully to David, the fragility of his home life, the dissatisfaction of his path. He is beyond reluctant as his power is revealed to him, dragged almost bodily by his son, Joseph, as shown in the weight-lifting scene. David scolds his son for putting too much weight on the barbell, only for the child to agree and then add more anyway. When David is able to lift that amount, Joseph says, "Let's add more," and he simply replies, "Okay." It's this simplicity that keeps us from falling into cliche.</div>
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All of these things are mirrored in the music...equal part heroic and tragic, exactly what you want for your nascent superhero, the music moves at a steady pace, a rich yet restrained theme that rides the emotional journey with you. James Newton Howard is now one of my favorite composers. He is to Shyamalan's work what Danny Elfman is to Tim Burton's. He knows exactly how to highlight or underscore a piece for the emotionality displayed on the screen, which is essential for the understated performances Shyamalan gets from his actors. I'll get more in-depth on this when I do my piece on <i>The Village</i>.</div>
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One thing I will note about the upcoming <i>Glass </i>is that I'm looking forward to seeing some of the supporting characters again, especially Elijah's mother. She gets one of my favorite lines of the trailer, "They always underestimate the mastermind," hinting that she didn't run from her son upon learning what he did. She is not scared of him. "He doesn't look scary," a character says when she introduces them to the same piece of artwork that Elijah's exhibiting at the beginning of the film. "That's what I said to my son," she replies. After all, it is from her that he finds his path and gains his resolve. She understands his philosophy better than anyone. </div>
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Shyamalan tells very personal stories. He takes tropes like horror and action, gives you a world with rules, and then dismantles that world and its rules piece by piece, stripping it back with emotional performances of ordinary people who are always anything but. </div>
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It is his philosophy, however, that I find the most eloquent.</div>
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At the core of Shyamalan's films is the overcoming of pain and trauma. His characters experience these extraordinary circumstances that require them to heal in order to literally save the day. That's a different approach than your typical superhero movies, or many other movies, for that matter, and keeps them rooted in realism.</div>
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"Real life doesn't fit into little boxes that were drawn for it."</blockquote>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">M. Night also seems to grasp the concept of duality fairly well, at least where superhero dynamics are concerned. I appreciate the way he sees the supervillain in Elijah and the complexity of any other good character. Such characters (Read: all) should have light and dark running through them. </span></div>
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"We're connected, you and I. We're on the same curve, just at opposite ends." </blockquote>
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It should be noted here that all the best dialogue belongs to Elijah. He espouses the philosophy of the film, and he's the one we have to love in the end. </div>
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And I do love Elijah Price because he is ultimately a hopeful character. His final words cement this. As Dunn reels from the revelation that his new friend and confidant is a mass murderer, Price shares what was at the heart of all the pain and suffering he has caused:</div>
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"Do you know what the scariest thing is? To not know your place in this world. To not know why you are here. That's... just an awful feeling. I almost gave up hope. There were so many times I questioned myself. But I found you... so many sacrifices, just to find you. Now that we know who you are, I know who I am. I'm not a mistake! It all makes sense. In a comic, you know how you can tell who the arch-villain's going to be?! He's the exact opposite of the hero, and most times they're friends like you and me! I should've known way back when. You know why, David?! Because of the kids!! They called me Mr. Glass."</blockquote>
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And he's content. I think I love that best about Elijah. He ranks among some of the best supervillains. He does not kill for fun or monetary gain. His actions cannot be justified, yet he is pure in intent. He's perfectly content to be the monster, because he knows he's brought hope, not to himself, not to Dunn, but to the world. Often in comic book movies, heroes step up because there is a big bad that no one but them can fight, but in this case, the villain literally makes the hero. His is not a selfish mission. Scary...and beautiful.</div>
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As the film closes, a title card comes up telling us that Elijah is now in an institution "for the criminally insane." Yet the die is already cast. Dunn has found his purpose. He has come up against his first major threat, the true test of any fledgling superhero, and won the day. And when he's done, he hangs his cape up, between the coats of his wife and son. He is home.</div>
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But it's not over. It's just begun. Because there's a beast looming on the horizon.</div>
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<i>Unbreakable</i> is my favorite superhero origin story of all time, not the least reason being that it took that world and asked the question, "What if?" What if people with superpowers were real? What would it look like? It's the realism, the unwinking sincerity with which he handles this question that makes the movie so special. In a world that becomes ever more cynical, Shyamalan allows us to believe in a way no special effects-laden blockbuster has.</div>
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<b>Title:</b> <i>Unbreakable</i></div>
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<b>Released:</b> November 22, 2000</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Superhero Thriller</div>
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<b>Director:</b> M. Night Shyamalan</div>
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<b>Writer:</b> M. Night Shyamalan</div>
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<b>Music:</b> James Newton Howard</div>
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<b>Actors/Actresses:</b> Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright, Spencer Treat Clark</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-23381136447698798512019-01-03T07:00:00.000-06:002019-04-30T20:40:41.063-05:00Director Profile: What Everyone Gets Wrong About M. Night Shyamalan<div style="text-align: justify;">
Glass<i> opens on January 18th, and I couldn't be more excited. As such, I'm featuring a series on M. Night Shyamalan's catalog of work. Not every movie will be featured; only my favorites. Stay tuned and enjoy this peek into the mildly obsessed.</i></div>
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Despite some very notable exceptions, I've always been a fan of M. Night Shyamalan's work, and for many years, it's seemed as though I was the only one. His career has been one of controversy: once called the next Hitchcock or Spielberg, he has been alternately lauded and reviled. I've always felt that he and his work were deeply misunderstood. Still, with the opening of <i>Glass</i> (the final chapter in what has been dubbed the "Eastrail 177 Trilogy") and the recent success of <i>Split</i> and <i>The Visit</i>, the message is clear: liking M. Night is back in style.</div>
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How vindicating. </div>
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A quick history lesson</h2>
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As of January 18th, this unique filmmaker will have made more than 16 movies, on two-thirds of which he serves as writer, director, and producer. His breakout hit <i>The Sixth Sense</i> propelled him to fame overnight and set a high bar not only for his career but also for the horror genre. It remained the highest-grossing horror movie of all time for nearly two decades when it was finally knocked out of the spot in 2017 by the remake of <i>It</i>. Shyamalan had even greater financial success with <i>Unbreakable</i>, which turned the superhero origin story on its head. </div>
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Though his next couple of movies, <i>Signs</i> and <i>The Village</i>, were also financially successful, there was a decline in positive critical reception, and fans began to turn their backs on the writer-director. Suddenly, people felt the movies were predictable, the twists were unsatisfactory, and Shyamalan's Vonnegut-esque predilection for writing himself into his movies was dubbed "douchey." The shine was off the penny, and no matter what Shyamalan did, it seemed he would never be forgiven for not turning out another <i>The Sixth Sense</i>.</div>
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At least that's how it looked to me.</div>
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The problem of loving a pariah</h2>
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Perhaps the worst part of liking someone so disliked is feeling like you can't even talk about them. I can't tell you the number of times people have rolled their eyes or outright laughed in my face when I mentioned how these movies bring me joy.<br />
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I've loved M. Night's work since I first saw <i>Unbreakable</i> when it opened in 2000. Like everyone else, I had enjoyed <i>The Sixth Sense</i>. Unlike everyone else, I recognized that it was more than a ghost story. Still, despite the amazing performances, the compellingly haunting atmosphere, and the ever-famous twist, it never quite touched me the way that <i>The Village</i> does. I even love <i>The Lady in the Water</i>, which is still widely panned as having done the worst of all the above sins.</div>
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It seems that I'm always out-of-sync with popular opinion (especially with critics), so it's not surprising to me that the movies of Shyamalan that I loved most were often the most hated. What I did find disturbing is the vehemence with which everyone <i>loathes</i> Shyamalan. He went from genius to joke in nothing flat, and people who previously loved him suddenly were ashamed to admit they even liked him in the first place. "Well, <i>The Sixth Sense</i> was okay, but he really sucks," they'd say, begrudging.<br />
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Suddenly, a couple of his films do better in the last couple of years, and you've got critics coming out of the woodworks to say how <i>misunderstood</i> he is, and what an <i>auteur</i> and <i>amazing</i> writer-director he is. Who's rolling their eyes now?<br />
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They are right about one thing, though, because I've long felt that M. Night Shyamalan's movies are misunderstood. You know why?</div>
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His movies aren't actually about what people think they are</h2>
I'm not going to try and convince you that the problems other critics point out when talking about Shyamalan's movies are all wrong. My problem with their complaints is that I most often feel that those critics are simply missing the <i>point</i>. So, if your main issues with these movies stem from the twist absurdity, meta leanings, or even leaps in logic, I encourage you to look closer.<br />
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For one thing, regardless of the type - and despite the fact that his movies feel like they're perpetually set during autumn - Shyamalan's work has this warmth to it that never fails to reel me in. It may come off like a horror movie, but <i>The Sixth Sense</i> is an incredibly emotional piece, filled with characters who are motivated by love. In fact, I often refer to the first three breakout movies as the Shyamalan "Trinity" Trilogy. <i>Signs</i> is most obviously about faith, and <i>Unbreakable</i> is all about hope, about finding your purpose:<br />
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"You know what the scariest thing is? To not know your place in this world, to not know why you're here. That's...That's just an awful feeling." </blockquote>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">It is through this faith, hope, and love that nearly all of Shyamalan's characters manage to overcome their pain and to triumph over their fears, real or imagined. There's an innocence in the way he does it, a lack of artifice to the characters and stories that doesn't require idiocy in the characters or the audience to be believed. It's this innocence that makes you identify with and even agree with actions such as keeping the lie of a secret world or allowing a crazed and cannibalistic "beast" to escape. Even when Elijah Price reveals his villainous nature, you find yourself crying not only in empathy for him but also in joy, because you know that however terrible his actions may have been, his motivations were pure. Even in this post-9/11 world (</span><i style="text-align: justify;">Unbreakable </i><span style="text-align: justify;">came out the year prior), you can't hate Elijah for fulfilling his chosen purpose.</span><br />
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Shyamalan's movies leave you haunted by beauty, by all the epic thoughts and feelings that we ought to feel in everyday life, but often don't or can't. His movies give you the sense that your world has changed forever, that you <i>are</i> changed.</div>
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That's the magic of M. Night Shyamalan. For all his flaws, you can't take that away from him.<br />
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Playing with the Retrospective</h2>
Not everything Shyamalan has done will be profiled during this retrospective. I decided to focus only on movies that he wrote and directed (and, for the most part, produced). It also didn't matter if I've seen all of his movies. For the record, in addition to his pre-breakout films, I have not yet seen <i>Devil</i> or <i>The Visit</i>. I'm here to talk about my favorites, so that's what you'll get. As an homage to <i>The Sixth Sense</i>, I'm doing six movies over the next month or so, including <i>Glass</i>.</div>
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Those we do not speak of</h3>
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Perhaps there's a level of irony in choosing to use a phrase from one of my favorite of his movies to describe the one movie of his that I absolutely detested. Since I'm not going to spend an entire post to lambast his work, I will say that I couldn't stand <i>The Last Airbender</i>. Even I wasn't able to forgive that one, much as I wanted to. The series was just too dear to my heart, and too many liberties were taken with it. It hasn't made me hate Shyamalan, though. If anything, it's the very exception that proves the rule.<br />
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So, I hope you enjoy my little journey down the twisty rabbit hole that is the work of M. Night Shyamalan. If you are a fan, may you feel vindication. If you aren't, maybe this will give you a new lens through which to view these movies. After all, it is through Shyamalan that I discovered my love of composer James Newton Howard, and learned just how enjoyable Samuel L. Jackson's range is. Furthermore, the way he layers in little reveals and hints of what's to come gives his films a richness that keeps you riveted to the action and, however many times you watch them, you love to see each moment unfold.<br />
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So grab your pocket watch, and prepare to see your world shift. I'll see you at the theater.<br />
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<i>Like what you're reading? Comment below!</i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-529922393869773732018-10-26T07:00:00.000-05:002018-10-26T07:00:08.119-05:00LTC News & Updates for Autumn 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmI9kTH0CQ84L67T54-KKCphePNF5t6KTCDhjj_fs9Oz7VrU3suXk8h62JMvaw_AAbsCJMpoFBzgVocvalSqBjKLvHaVi8BviQu169scUntAjg3p2e_lZxDVw9JYU1tZf6FgkckamF7g/s1600/News+Updates+Autumn+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="622" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmI9kTH0CQ84L67T54-KKCphePNF5t6KTCDhjj_fs9Oz7VrU3suXk8h62JMvaw_AAbsCJMpoFBzgVocvalSqBjKLvHaVi8BviQu169scUntAjg3p2e_lZxDVw9JYU1tZf6FgkckamF7g/s640/News+Updates+Autumn+2018.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you've been enjoying what you see here on The Lost Title Cards, then I have some cool news for you: you can be a part of the magic....or madness, whichever you prefer. But first, some quick news...<br />
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<h2>
What I've Been Up To...</h2>
I've been working on some big things for all my projects, so you might have noticed a dip in my posting here. I apologize for that. Know that I haven't been idle. I've had a lot of projects going this year, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. You can see the result of my endeavors from the last quarter on my sister blog: <a href="http://blog.systemandromeda.com/2018/10/quarterly-review-q3-2018-new-patreon.html">System Andromeda</a>. That, of course, doesn't leave much time lately for posting here. I can't wait to return, though, which I will be doing in earnest in November, and get some new content going. I've got a lot planned for 2019, and I'll be jumping on that before this year is out, so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out last year's holiday posts. I re-worked them for this year:<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://thelosttitlecards.blogspot.com/2017/10/top-halloween-picks-list-for-just-about.html">Top Halloween Picks: A List For Just About Everyone [EDIT]</a></li>
<li><a href="https://thelosttitlecards.blogspot.com/2017/11/thanksgiving-perfect-time-to-sit.html">Thanksgiving: The Perfect Time...to Sit on Your Ass [EDIT]</a></li>
<li><a href="https://thelosttitlecards.blogspot.com/2017/12/big-happy-merry-winter-holiday-post.html">The Big, Happy, Merry Winter Holiday Movie-List Post [EDIT]</a></li>
</ul>
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<h2>
Patreon</h2>
Now, the big news while I've been so busy is the creation of my Patreon page...and you can be a part of it! Patreon connects creatives with the audience that loves them. It allows them to engage more with each other through exclusive content on a membership-based platform for as little as $1/month. I love it. It means I get to keep creating, and you get to keep getting the benefit. Note the orange button up on the left-hand side? Go check out <a href="https://www.patreon.com/systemandromeda">my page</a>, see what you think, and if you like what you see, if you like what I do here, I encourage you to become a patron. Remember, patrons will not only keep getting posts here, but they will also get exclusive and advanced content that is only on Patreon!<br />
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<h4>
Coming Soon...</h4>
And that is all for now. Stay tuned for more stuff coming in the future, such as:<br />
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<ul>
<li>More Behind-the-Screen posts</li>
<li>Video review/rant posts</li>
<li>Updated pages and fave lists</li>
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Fade to Black.</div>
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<a href="http://www.systemandromeda.com/">SystemAndromeda.com</a> - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/systemandromeda/">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/systemandromeda">Twitter</a> </div>
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© Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-39371979647437278042018-09-15T08:30:00.002-05:002018-09-15T08:30:08.221-05:00UPDATE: The Case of the Ruby Slippers SOLVED!! | Behind the Screen<h3 style="text-align: center;">
EXTRA! EXTRA! </h3>
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READ ALL ABOUT IT!!</div>
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MILLION DOLLAR RUBY SLIPPERS FOUND!!</div>
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EXTRA!</div>
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Back in June, I posted a story about the <a href="http://thelosttitlecards.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-case-of-ruby-slippers-behind-screen.html">disappearance of a pair of authentic ruby slippers</a> from a museum commemorating Judy Garland and the Wizard of Oz.</div>
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These slippers had been missing since 2005, and it seemed as though they would never make their way "back home"...until now.</div>
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On September 4 of this year, FBI officials revealed that the slippers have been found. An undercover operation based on a lead from 2017 lead to the eventual recovery of the slippers.</div>
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Perhaps the most dramatic thing about this story is the rumors that have continued to abound in this case. I mentioned some of these in my previous post, and it seems the trend of outlandish attempts to get the slippers back, dubious stories as to their whereabouts, conflicting facts, and more have continued throughout this saga. You can read more about it <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/sep/04/judy-garland-stolen-ruby-red-slippers-recovered-fbi">here</a>.</div>
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...I wonder if it would be bad form to point out that - technically - Dorothy stole those shoes first.</div>
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<a href="http://www.systemandromeda.com/">SystemAndromeda.com</a> (under construction!) - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/systemandromeda/">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/systemandromeda">Twitter</a> </div>
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© Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-53247131728705198432018-07-12T07:00:00.001-05:002018-07-12T07:00:11.893-05:00Dress-Up Time: Omaha Comic Con This Weekend!<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm prepping for Omaha Comic Con (O-Con) happening this weekend. Last year's was my first official Con (don't ask me why it's taken this long for me to get to any kind of Con; wait until you hear about all the Ren Faires I've never been to...), and I'm going for a little dress up this year. That means it's costume building time.</div>
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And who, you might ask, is the character in question...?</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJVRlH9VcZRawpsFWVKewB6R87zVWbWKRgITf_M5ytmwo5rGaE2xdR97q29Yx38l3hBdTV2yHwocYI_z2to2XMALYLBGPlZevWpXWbuMmGpRPHuXK9rXAFIdvSP5CiY7jgpJm8ofZUMg/s1600/domino2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJVRlH9VcZRawpsFWVKewB6R87zVWbWKRgITf_M5ytmwo5rGaE2xdR97q29Yx38l3hBdTV2yHwocYI_z2to2XMALYLBGPlZevWpXWbuMmGpRPHuXK9rXAFIdvSP5CiY7jgpJm8ofZUMg/s400/domino2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zazie Beetz as Domino in <i>Deadpool 2</i><br />
<a href="https://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/domino2.jpg">Source</a></td></tr>
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Yup. Domino from Deadpool 2.</div>
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I needed a character I could pull off with minimal effort, and Domino seemed like a good fit...</div>
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I'm laughing at myself right now, because minimal effort doesn't exactly fit in my vocabulary when it comes to projects. I seem to have an "eyes are bigger than my capacity to make something" mentality when it comes to such ventures, and I always pay the price. Most of the time, it's worth it regardless of time and effort sunk in, but there are times I wonder...like now, as I have so many other things going, including painting two pieces for an art show that opens the following weekend. (If you want to know more about that, check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/654429361570073/">Totems Art Show</a> page on Facebook) So, yes, expect pics, but don't expect anything fancy. At this point, I'll be impressed if I can get it put together in time, hah.</div>
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This also means I'm a little lax on posting right now until these couple weeks are up. I should still be able to get some "Behind the Screen" posts up for the next couple of weeks, but my more in-depth posts have gone by the wayside for now.</div>
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I'll have more happening in August and into the Fall, so stay tuned, and stay shiny!</div>
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<b>Quote</b>:<br />
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"Lady Luck, take the wheel."</div>
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~Domino, <i>Deadpool 2</i></div>
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<b>Title</b>: <i>Deadpool 2</i><br />
<b>Based on</b>: <i>Deadpool</i> comics; <i>Domino</i> comics for character<br />
<b>Released</b>: May 18, 2018<br />
<b>Genre</b>: Superhero / Comic Book<br />
<b>Director</b>: David Leitch<br />
<b>Writer</b>: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Ryan Reynolds<br />
<b>Music</b>: Tyler Bates<br />
<b>Actors/Actresses</b>: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, T.J. Miller, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand<br />
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<a href="http://www.systemandromeda.com/">SystemAndromeda.com</a> (under construction!) - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/systemandromeda/">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/systemandromeda">Twitter</a> </div>
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© Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-70411818004103107802018-06-23T08:30:00.000-05:002018-07-01T04:23:08.019-05:00Jaws: Jumping the "Bruce" | Behind the Screen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6dPEK0drXQnhKmHHvTnlLw13eoXpfooVWtXYHqDwYskJIyMa9TahFQZqYDuqQEiP_cfwMyo7jjgFVbX5jK8bgykcXWJMmeTDaE7yfMRBhmGN-WcgV4mCd4BpiGaez6HJN9GFD-TwQtn4/s1600/Behind+the+Screen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="622" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6dPEK0drXQnhKmHHvTnlLw13eoXpfooVWtXYHqDwYskJIyMa9TahFQZqYDuqQEiP_cfwMyo7jjgFVbX5jK8bgykcXWJMmeTDaE7yfMRBhmGN-WcgV4mCd4BpiGaez6HJN9GFD-TwQtn4/s640/Behind+the+Screen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h2>
<b>The Story:</b></h2>
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<i>Jaws</i> is one of the most popular and well-known movies of all time. The tale of an enormous great white shark gone berserk tapped into some of our most primal fears, and the film itself captured the imagination as only a Spielberg picture can. But it might not have worked out that way.</div>
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<a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/31105/how-steven-spielbergs-malfunctioning-sharks-transformed-movie-business">Among a host of problems</a> with a film shoot that included an unfinished script, unwelcoming waters, and uncooperative studio executives, Steven Spielberg was having trouble with the most important character/prop of the entire movie: the shark itself.</div>
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Training a shark to do the necessary stunts would have obviously been impossible, and the rubber props that were suggested to the rookie film director rang false. He decided instead on a mechanical shark designed by none other than Bob Mattey, best known for creating the squid in <i>20 Leagues Under the Sea</i>. </div>
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Spielberg received one of three requested sharks (all named Bruce, after his lawyer), and immediately began experiencing problems after it sunk to the bottom of Nantucket Sound on its <i>very. first. day.</i> It rusted up, and the mechanisms didn't work properly. Worse, the shark had to be hosed down every day to keep the corrosion from getting worse. This great white shark was turning into a great white elephant.</div>
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Spielberg got creative, though. He started figuring out ways to essentially tell the story <i>without</i> the shark. He took inspiration from Hitchcock, putting the shark <i>under</i> the water, in shadow, and revealing only a few tidbits here and there to titillate the senses, adding to a general sense of growing dread throughout the film. The shark became a spectre, embodying that deep-seated fear far more than it could have done were it front and center in every scene.<br />
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The result is a tense suspense thriller that - coupled with the collaborative script-writing process - became a critical and popular success (7th highest grossing movie of all time in the US & Canada), and catapulted Spielberg from a novice TV director to one of the most lauded filmmakers of all time.</div>
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Can you imagine what would have happened if the shark <i>had</i> worked?</div>
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<br />
<b>Title</b>: <i>Jaws</i><br />
<b>Based on</b>: <i>Jaws</i> by Peter Benchley<br />
<b>Released</b>: June 20, 1975<br />
<b>Genre</b>: Suspense/Horror<br />
<b>Director</b>: Steven Spielberg<br />
<b>Writer</b>: Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb<br />
<b>Music</b>: John Williams<br />
<b>Starring</b>: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton<br />
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<i>What kinds of Behind the Lines stories would you like to hear? Comment below!</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.systemandromeda.com/">SystemAndromeda.com</a> (under construction!) - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/systemandromeda/">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/systemandromeda">Twitter</a></div>
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© Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-52893443932275695912018-06-16T08:30:00.000-05:002018-07-05T02:16:21.765-05:00The Case of the Ruby Slippers | Behind the Screen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6dPEK0drXQnhKmHHvTnlLw13eoXpfooVWtXYHqDwYskJIyMa9TahFQZqYDuqQEiP_cfwMyo7jjgFVbX5jK8bgykcXWJMmeTDaE7yfMRBhmGN-WcgV4mCd4BpiGaez6HJN9GFD-TwQtn4/s1600/Behind+the+Screen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="622" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6dPEK0drXQnhKmHHvTnlLw13eoXpfooVWtXYHqDwYskJIyMa9TahFQZqYDuqQEiP_cfwMyo7jjgFVbX5jK8bgykcXWJMmeTDaE7yfMRBhmGN-WcgV4mCd4BpiGaez6HJN9GFD-TwQtn4/s640/Behind+the+Screen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>"They're gone! The ruby slippers. What have you done with them?"</b></blockquote>
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<b>~ The Wicked Witch of the West - <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> (1939)</b></blockquote>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b>The Story:</b></h2>
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In one of those bizarre twists of reality mirroring art, this week's story is about the disappearance of one of cinema's most iconic props: the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz. </div>
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Note that when I say "one of," it has a double meaning. You see, there was more than one pair of those slippers, at least five that is known of, and there has been a lot of lore surrounding the fate of the many pairs of ruby slippers. Since studios had not started keeping a tight rein on costumes until the '70s, many of the pairs had been sold to collectors or given away to well-connected persons over the years; some were auctioned. One particular pair ended up on loan from a collector in a Minnesota museum...and that's where things got really weird.</div>
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One night in late August 2005, shortly before the infamous shoes were to go back to the collector, someone broke into the museum and stole the ruby slippers. They have never been found.</div>
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Even stranger, the stories that have surrounded this theft could be ripped right out of a conspiracy movie. The theft happened on a night when the alarm and video cameras weren't working, pointing to a possible inside job. At one point, authorities believed they had found the slippers, only to discover later that they were replicas. The insurance company paid out $1 million to the collector, and then offered a reward to anyone able to locate and return the pair. Even the circumstances surrounding the theft were drama-worthy: "They took nothing else and left behind no fingerprints or clues—only a trail of broken glass from the door to the case and a single red sequin." (<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2015/09/18/ruby-red-handed-dorothys-stolen-slippers-remain-large-365574.html">Source</a>)</div>
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It's been more than a decade since the theft and the ruby slippers remain at large. What happened to them? Did they get taken back to Oz? We may never know.</div>
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<hr style="color: #336633; text-align: center;" />
<br />
<b>Title</b>: The Wizard of Oz<br />
<b>Based on</b>: Frank L. Baum's book of the same name<br />
<b>Released</b>: August 25, 1939<br />
<b>Genre</b>: Fantasy<br />
<b>Directors</b>: Victor Fleming, King Vidor, Mervyn LeRoy, George Cukor, Norman Taurog<br />
<b>Writer</b>: Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf<br />
<b>Music</b>: Harold Arlen, Herbert Stothart<br />
<b>Actors/Actresses</b>: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton<br />
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<i>What kinds of Behind the Lines stories would you like to hear? Comment below!</i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.systemandromeda.com/">SystemAndromeda.com</a> (under construction!) - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/systemandromeda/">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/systemandromeda">Twitter</a></div>
<br />
© Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-18170353152734497402018-06-09T08:30:00.000-05:002018-07-01T04:22:13.082-05:00Introduction: The Dedication of Leonardo DiCaprio | Behind the ScreenLeonardo DiCaprio, for me, belongs in the same category of actor as Brad Pitt: always play someone who is at least "mildly insane." I've always found those roles to be their most compelling, the ones that stretch them as actors and get the best results. So it should be no surprise that I include among that list of roles Leonardo's portrayal in <i>Django Unchained</i>, in particular, the now famous scene of Leonardo DiCaprio's lengthy speech that resulted in an injured hand.<br />
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<h2>
<b>The Story:</b></h2>
Leonardo plays his nastiest role: the incredibly racist "Monsieur" Calvin Candie - plantation owner, phrenology enthusiast, and all-around insanely evil shithead. Leo took the role as an opportunity to play someone who is decidedly evil, and he nails it. I won't go on about that, as it is his great dinner table speech that bears particular note.<br />
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In it, Candie has discovered that he is being played by the two main heroes of the movie, and rather than confront them immediately, sets about to terrorize them in a slow, disturbing reveal. At a critical moment in the action, Candie slams his hand down on the table, a movement meant to keep attention on him. Though rehearsed, in the passion of the moment, DiCaprio accidentally slams his hand on a crystal glass, shattering it and severely slicing open his palm. Any actor might call cut at that moment, but not Leo.<br />
<br />
What's remarkable about this is the sheer concentration that DiCaprio displays as he continues through the scene. He barely reacts, though you can see his body subconsciously react to the wound for a fleeting second. Leo keeps his presence of mind, even using the wound to his advantage, and playing off of it as his character inspects said wound, removes the piece of glass, and even uses his blood to terrorize another character (and the actress, poor thing). It's a moment of sheer acting brilliance. And did he get acknowledgement for it at the Oscars? No.<br />
<br />
Not that I'm bitter.<br />
<br />
Check out the scene <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85OjZr-3tTU">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
Introducing "Behind the Screen" </h2>
Each week, I hope to bring you a new story; a behind-the-scenes look at some of our favorite moments in cinema history. This could be a scene, a quote, or just a tidbit about film history in general. I'll keep 'em short and sweet, and may include video or other tidbits.<br />
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<h4>
Sources:</h4>
<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/quentin-tarantinos-django-unchained-how-404160">https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/quentin-tarantinos-django-unchained-how-404160</a><br />
<a href="https://variety.com/2012/film/news/leonardo-dicaprio-in-django-unchained-1118062924/">https://variety.com/2012/film/news/leonardo-dicaprio-in-django-unchained-1118062924/</a><br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<hr style="color: #336633; text-align: center;" />
<br />
<b>Title</b>: <i>Django Unchained</i><br />
<b>Based on</b>: Original work with reference to a 1966 Spaghetti Western named <i>Django</i><br />
<b>Released</b>: 2012<br />
<b>Genre</b>: Drama/Action/Blaxploitation<br />
<b>Director</b>: Quentin Tarantino<br />
<b>Writer</b>: Quentin Tarantino<br />
<b>Music</b>: Multiple artists<br />
<b>Actors/Actresses</b>: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson...<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>What kinds of Behind the Lines stories would you like to hear? Comment below!</i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.systemandromeda.com/">SystemAndromeda.com</a> (under construction!) - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/systemandromeda/">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/systemandromeda">Twitter</a></div>
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© Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-73334796115829193432018-05-29T07:00:00.000-05:002018-05-30T19:29:55.109-05:00Supernatural Music - Issue #1: "The Road So Far" Playlist<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">THEN</span></h2>
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A television series about two ghost-hunting brothers looking for their father (who "went hunting" and "hasn't been home in a few days") airs on the CW to little fanfare or acclaim. While it carries similarities to other CW shows, it sets itself apart by placing its two *ahem* very good-looking leads in "monster-of-the-week" episodes that feel like horror mini-movies. These two "hunters" travel around the back roads of America, listening to classic rock in the most gorgeous black '67 Chevy Impala you've ever seen. The scenes of small towns and small roads work because it is reminiscent of every road trip I - and everyone like me - ever took with my family as a child.<br />
<br />
The requisite CW angst works really well between the brothers, perhaps moreso than it does on any other show on the CW lineup. Also, these guys <i>hunt monsters</i>. It's fun, grittier, and less polished than most CW shows. Despite the inherently formulaic nature of the show, it soon reveals a larger plan, and the season finale cliffhanger leaves people itching for more.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">
NOW</span></h2>
<br />
Thirteen seasons later, this plucky little show has a cult following (seriously). Sitting at a 2-3 million viewership, <i>Supernatural</i> has respectable enough ratings to keep itself on air, but only just. Yet this show has turned into a phenomenon that shows no signs of stopping...and this has everything to do with its rabid fan base.<br />
<br />
As a fandom, <i>Supernatural</i> can only be described as...<i>scary</i>. We besiege pollings for awards, influence plots of episodes, are one of top two fandoms on fan fiction sites, have successfully lobbied for the return of beloved characters, and have even successfully campaigned for a spin-off that caters to our preferences. We appear to be everywhere, taking over Tumblr memes and Reddit threads with a speed that terrifies other fandoms.<br />
<br />
Let that sink in for a moment. <i>Other fandoms are scared of us.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
What inspires such devotion in a television series...or anything, for that matter?<br />
<br />
Well, for one...<i>music</i>. ...and lots of it.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
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<h2>
Music: The 4th <i>Supernatural</i> Character</h2>
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If you know anything about the show, you know that many of the characters who started out as smalltime players have become bigtime fan favorites who make regular appearances. The two main characters are not as alone as they once were, and that's a good thing.<br />
<br />
Yet aside from the walking, talking characters on the series, there are two other "main" characters that have featured in practically every episode: "Baby" (the aforementioned Impala) & the music that accompanies the series. I'll talk about "Baby" (a.k.a - the 3rd character) at another time. She really deserves her own post. For now, here's a quick bit about the music, a.k.a. the "4th" character...<br />
<br />
It's putting it rather mildly to say that <i>Supernatural</i> would not be <i>Supernatural</i> without it's rocking soundtrack. The music doesn't just give you something to bop along to as the brothers hurl about, getting themselves into and out of trouble. Nor does the music exist for the sake of pulling people in with the most current popular tracks. No, there's much more to it than that. Eric Kripke, the show's creator, knew from the start that he wanted to have classic rock tracks for the soundtrack. As so many scenes take place inside a car on the road, the music choices had to be just right, embodying the preferences of the main characters and setting the tone for the overall style of the show.<br />
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On that score (no pun intended), they nail it every time. Not only do many of the choices feel more score-like than just popping in a CD and calling it good, but they also use titles of songs for titles of episodes, references to various locations, persons, and things. The music is pervasive, and holds a place of honor. Hell, Led Zeppelin is the most honored music within the show's universe, and they've never even had the rights to play a single track. That's how important the music is.<br />
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Sure, some of the choices are cheesy. In "Faith", a mid-Season 1 episode, Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" plays while a minor character is literally chased down by - get this - a grim reaper. But it's this cheesiness that somehow makes the show work. The show's indulgence in cheese keeps it from taking itself too seriously - a mistake made by many other shows - while committing to said cheese gives it just enough weight to make you not hate yourself for liking it. It does what so many hipsters won't even try: liking something inherently ridiculous without irony.<br />
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<h2>
Better Episode Recaps: Turning a Necessity into Art</h2>
<br />
As if making you love the music <i>during</i> the show isn't enough, the creators make you love it before it even starts with its "Then" & "The Road So Far" recaps of previous episodes.<br />
<br />
You may have noticed that recaps are a necessary evil for shows today. In decades past (and sometimes still today), TV shows have had such an episodic formula that you were never in danger of having lost some important detail for the final episode climax of the season's overarching plot. That was partially because there really isn't much of one in most of those shows. So if you missed a detail, or even a couple of episodes, no harm, no foul.<br />
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Now, however, more and more TV shows rely on overarching plots and themes which are touched upon in nearly every episode, rather than the old self-contained formula. Some, such as in the case of <i>Supernatural</i>, strike a balance of the two. These methods make it difficult to watch shows week-to-week without some kind of pre-episode recap. Can you imagine watching <i>Lost</i> or the re-imagined <i>Battlestar Galactica</i> series as they aired without recaps? Most people wouldn't have a clue what was happening. (Even bingeing a show may still result in lost clues to season and series finales.)<br />
<br />
The problem with recaps is that they can spoonfeed too much of previous episodes, taking the re-discovery out of pertinent moments. If you add flashbacks to those moments on top of that... At that point, you have to conclude that if people need that much hinting, it means they probably aren't that focused on the show anyway and oughtn't bother.<br />
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I, personally, binge my TV shows so I don't have to watch recaps. I have absolutely no patience for a weekly wait between episodes as it is, and I hate relying on someone else to remind me of what happened in the past. So, I often wait a couple seasons before attempting a new show, and I try not to watch a show as it's airing.<br />
<br />
So imagine my delight when <i>Supernatural</i> decided to make recaps that you actually want to watch. Much like movie trailers, these have some of the best moments condensed into a very short time, a mini-movie of what happened previously...like any other recap. Yet some of these recaps have kickass classic rock tracks that get you excited about a new season or, conversely, the upcoming season finale. True, they only do this for two or three episodes, but at that point, you're committed (or should be), and can therefore tune out the less interesting ones in between.<br />
<br />
So that's what I'm focusing on today. There'll be other <i>Supernatural</i> music to focus on another day (such as an ode to Kansas's "Carry on Wayward Son"). Like the rest of the music they choose, each of these tracks is carefully curated, and conveys the mood and tone of previous episodes and upcoming scenes. They are, in a word, perfect.<br />
<br />
So, if you're looking for a cool playlist of music, look no further. If you're not a fan of classic rock or are not open to checking out something new, feel free to carry on.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Season 1</h4>
1.21 "Salvation"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son<br />
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1.22 "Devil's Trap"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Triumph - Fight the Good Fight<br />
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<h4>
Season 2</h4>
2.01 "In My Time of Dying"<br />
"Then" Recap: Ted Nugent - Stranglehold<br />
<br />
2.02 Everybody Loves a Clown"<br />
"Then" Recap: The Chambers Brothers - Time Has Come Today<br />
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2.03 "Bloodlust"<br />
"Then" Recap: Journey - Wheel in the Sky<br />
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2.21 "All Hell Breaks Loose: Part One"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Boston - Foreplay/Long Time<br />
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2.22 "All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son<br />
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<br />
<h4>
Season 3</h4>
3.01 "The Magnificent Seven"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: AC/DC - Hell's Bells<br />
<br />
3.16 "No Rest for the Wicked"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son<br />
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<br />
<h4>
Season 4</h4>
4.01 "Lazarus Rising"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long<br />
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4.02 "Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester"<br />
"Then" Recap: Billy Squier - Lonely Is the Night<br />
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4.22 "Lucifer Rising"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son<br />
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<br />
<h4>
Season 5</h4>
5.01 "Sympathy for the Devil"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: AC/DC - Thunderstruck<br />
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5.02 "Good God, Y'All"<br />
"Then" Recap: Foreigner - Long, Long Way from Home<br />
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5.22 "Swan Song"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son<br />
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<br />
<h4>
Season 6</h4>
6.12 "Like a Virgin"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Aerosmith - Back in the Saddle<br />
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6.22 "The Man Who Knew Too Much"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son<br />
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<br />
<h4>
Season 7</h4>
7.01 "Meet the New Boss"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Foghat - Slow Ride<br />
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7.11 "Adventures in Babysitting"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: REO Speedwagon - Ridin' the Storm Out (Live)<br />
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7.23 "Survival of the Fittest"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son<br />
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<br />
<h4>
Season 8</h4>
8.01 "We Need to Talk About Kevin"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Jethro Tull - Locomotive Breath<br />
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8.10 "Torn and Frayed"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Bob Seger - Katmandu<br />
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8.23 "Sacrifice"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son<br />
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<br />
<h4>
Season 9</h4>
9.01 "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: George Thorogood and the Destroyers - Who Do You Love?<br />
<br />
9.23 "Do You Believe in Miracles?"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son<br />
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<br />
<h4>
Season 10</h4>
10.01 "Black"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Pat Benatar - Heartbreaker<br />
<br />
10.10 "The Hunter Games"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Electric Light Orchestra - Long Black Road<br />
<br />
10.23 "Brother's Keeper"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son<br />
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<br />
<h4>
Season 11</h4>
11.01 "Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Creedence Clearwater Revival - Run Through the Jungle<br />
<br />
11.10 "The Devil in the Details"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Wishbone Ash - Changing Tracks<br />
<br />
11.23 "Alpha and Omega"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son<br />
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<br />
<h4>
Season 12</h4>
12.01 "Keep Calm and Carry On"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: April Wine - Bad Boys<br />
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12.09 "First Blood"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: AC/DC - If You Want Blood (You've Got It)<br />
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12.23 "All Along the Watchtower"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son<br />
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<br />
<h4>
Season 13</h4>
13.01 "Lost and Found"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Metallica - Nothing Else Matters<br />
<br />
13.10 "Wayward Sisters"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Halestorm - I Am the Fire<br />
<br />
13.23 "Let the Good Times Roll"<br />
"The Road So Far" Recap: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son<br />
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<br />
If this playlist makes your mouth water, but you simply don't have the time to gather these tracks yourself, fear not. I've created it for you, over on my Spotify. You can access it here: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/gaeaphoenix/playlist/6cTrdyHRLhwIQgJcNV3aN0">"The Road So Far" Playlist on Spotify</a><br />
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Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Quote</b>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Driver picks the music. Shotgun shuts his cakehole."<br />
~Dean Winchester ("Pilot" S1E1)</blockquote>
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What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-18706440526960251282018-04-27T08:00:00.000-05:002018-05-23T01:29:40.675-05:00MCU: Phase 3 - Infinity and Beyond<div class="tr_bq">
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Phase 3 seems rather less cohesive than the earlier phases and, like everything else in the MCU, I feel that this was intentional. Part of this lack of cohesion comes in the fact that we spend very little time dealing with Infinity Stones as compared to the previous two Phases. Instead, we focus on more introductions to fill out our roster of heroes: Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and others. More confusing yet, it turns out these movies are all out of order, with some even happening before the end of Phase 2's timeline.</div>
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To add a little more depth to this chaos, we get the introduction of new heroes is juxtaposed with the scattering of our established heroes, divided and broken after the events of <i>Ultron</i> and <i>Civil War</i>. This is a time of soul-searching for all involved. The theme of Phase 3 up to <i>Infinity War</i> (and probably beyond) would seem to be "sacrifice", as each of the characters in this lineup has to give up something, whether it be identity, home, a loved one, or their illusions.</div>
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This is a good thing, because, as I keep mentioning, Thanos is coming. And they will never make it if they aren't ready to give up everything and everyone they hold dear. As we have come along on this journey of characters, the real question will likely be: Are we, the viewers, going to be able to do the same?</div>
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Captain America: Civil War </h3>
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It's incredibly difficult for me to have any serious discussion about <i>Civil War</i> without bringing the X-Men into it. While there are differences between the various "Registration" Acts that occur between the Avengers and X-Men sides of things, they are ultimately connected. I will definitely go more in depth into this in another post, but let's just say there is a little something lost in translation when you don't take the global perspective into it that comes with X-Men. As the long-stated symbol of minority people, X-Men brings the registration act home to us as something that could happen, that has happened (Holocaust, anyone?) in our own society. A handful of enhanced individuals labeled WMDs doesn't quite hit the mark for me, though it is a troubling concept nonetheless.</div>
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That said, what <i>Civil War</i> does do is fantastic, especially in how it inspired fans:</div>
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4cR6Xa6fEAg" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
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Considering that it brings so many of our favorite previous heroes in, I actually call this movie <i>Avengers 2.5</i>. This movie continues themes from not only <i>Age of Ultron</i>, but also <i>Winter Soldier</i>, where we have highlighted for us the more insidious parts of government. Add in a little dose of Tony Stark's PTSD-turned-paranoia, and we have a perfect recipe...for a mess. It's not all Tony, though, as you see by the reactions of Rhodey, Vision, and even Natasha (which surprised me, though it probably shouldn't have). The question of individual versus society is at the heart of most great stories, particularly when looking at the safety, well-being, and right-to-thrive of one over another.</div>
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<i>Civil War</i> is a well-done movie, overall, and I recommend the hell out of it. The fight scenes are excellent, particularly the mission at the beginning of the movie. The emotional arcs of the main characters are spot on, the dialogue, philosophical discussions in particular, hit all the right notes, and a number of the lines and thought processes of the characters were ripped right from the comics. I actually applaud the work done. I just want my X-Men, and you simply couldn't do that in this universe; it would be too dark, and even when it comes to the big battle at the airport, <i>Civil War</i> stays pretty light. That battle should be a complete bloodbath, but the majority of characters come away pretty much physically unscathed. I could go on, but it's really a discussion for another post. <i>Civil War</i> is just that dense.</div>
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One of the things I like about this adaptation is that in lieu of making it global, it commits to going more personal. Seeing Cap and Bucky back in action is amazing, and is reminiscent of the first <i>Captain America</i> movie. Steve's refusal to give up on his best friend, is part of what makes him Captain America; not because he will do anything to save his best friend, but because he knows that justice and freedom are the most important things, that sometimes justice gets it wrong, and you have to stand up to the system when it fails you. In this way, they managed to put the global into the personal.</div>
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I have so many more things I could discuss - Zemo is a great villain, Cap's hold on the helicopter, the intros of Black Panther & Spider-Man, Ant-Man going huge - but the main point of <i>Civil War</i> is to set the stage for Infinity War, to scatter our heroes to the wind, to re-group and prepare for the truly big battle that is yet to come.</div>
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<b>Stan Lee's Cameo</b> - The delivery man gets it right: "I'm looking for 'Tony Stank'". Table for one, please.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
Doctor Strange</h3>
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</div>
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I got really excited about the introduction of magic to the MCU. With <i>Thor</i> back in Phase 1, we got our introduction to the outer world - outer space - and that expanded the MCU from the realm of the mundane to something extraordinary. In Ant-Man, it was the Quantum - or inner - realm, and now we have magic to expand it all a little more. How they do this is interesting, but no less exciting; carrying on from Thor's assertion that magic and science are just the same thing looked at in different ways, the Ancient One explains the Mystic Arts as just another way of looking at a whole. Some people were annoyed by this, but I loved it, particularly because I don't feel it had really been done before. It also more neatly links the seemingly disparate worlds of the Marvel Universe (comics) as they are adapted into live action films.</div>
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Benedict Cumberbatch is a perfect choice to play the titular hero. He's got this great ego that I can't wait to see played off of our other egotists in the MCU. The cast rounds out nicely with some of my favorite actors, including Tilda Swinton (who is great as the Ancient One), and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo. </div>
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One of the best things about <i>Strange</i> is the mind-bending effects. Between <i>Inception</i>-like wrinkles in reality, fractal journeys through the astral realm, and geometric designs for part of the spells, you are never in want of psychedelic eye candy. There are also some nods to upcoming appearances in the MCU. In particular, when Stephen is mugged on the streets of Kamar-taj, he begs his assailants not to take his watch, stating, "It's all I have left." Interestingly, his taking over guardianship of the Eye of Agamoto, a.k.a. - the Time Stone, at the end of the movie, would prove those words more true than he could have imagined, and I don't doubt it will play out in <i>Infinity War</i>.</div>
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It's uncertain when Doctor Strange is set, as he is mentioned in <i>Ultron</i>, but it doesn't say if that's pre- or post- Kamar-taj, and he is far more advanced when we see him in <i>Thor: Ragnarok</i>. Still, it's clear that the good doctor's abilities will have big repercussions for <i>A:IW</i>.</div>
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<b>Stan Lee's Cameo</b> - Bus rider reading Aldous Huxley's <i>Doors of Perception</i>.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2</h3>
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I admit it. I prefer the first <i>Guardians</i> over <i>Vol. 2</i>, but don't take that to mean that I don't like this one. I love it. It lived up to my friend's and my requirement: they have to keep fighting amongst themselves. Honestly, it's one of the best things about the <i>GotG</i>. They drive each other as crazy as any family should, and it's so much fun to watch them interact. </div>
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For this one, I particularly enjoyed the heavy (very heavy) emphasis on family dynamics. Sibling rivalries, parent-child abandonment issues...it was pretty much everywhere. The way they all take care of Baby Groot is so very sweet; Gamora and Nebula's fight raises that sibling rivalry thing to epic levels; and especially Yondu, Quill's surrogate father.</div>
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I just want to say how badass Michael Rooker is, and how he made a character that could have fallen very flat into one of my favorites in the MCU. Yondu's death and funeral were perfect. I also love the relationship that he forged with Rocket and Groot, and their subsequent taking back of his ship.</div>
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I also have to say how much I love Nebula. Karen Gillan is so good at seething rage, I just suck it up with a straw. Best yet, seeing her and Gamora work together through their awkward reconciliation at the end is gold.</div>
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If I have one real complaint (aside from the gold people that acted too much like spoiled children for me to even want to look up their species, which I forgot), it's the stylization. What had a perfect balance of juxtaposed eras, locations, personalities, and more, in the first movie was just a tad over the top with the '70s style....still excellent, but just an <i>eensy</i> bit too much.</div>
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But it's still the Guardians of the Galaxy...bitch...so what do you expect?</div>
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<b>Stan Lee's Cameo</b> - appears twice - both while speaking to aliens on what appears to be an asteroid.</div>
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Spider-Man: Homecoming</h3>
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Spider-Man is introduced in Civil War, and while it's a memorable few scenes, I can't say that he plays a major part in Civil War. He has no major lines or actions at the beginning or end of the major airport battle, and I do want to point out that moment when he gets a giant Ant-Man in a Hoth-inspired leg-bind and trip move...spider traps the ant in his web? Get it? Never mind. This is why I hate puns.</div>
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Therefore, after such a fun intro in Civil War, I wasn't sure what they were going for in the latest introduction to the Webslinger. After all, he's been rebooted and introduced so much that we're all pretty well-informed on his origins. I mean, how many times can we watch Uncle Ben die, am I right? At some point, it's just a snuff film.</div>
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This time, we get a new and improved Spidey Suit, Ned the ultimate "guy in the chair", and Michael Keaton. I love Keaton's suit as Vulture, yet another triumph of the MCU's subtle costume design. The bomber jacket with neck fur works perfectly with the wings and foot gear to create a vulture-like visage in this world that wouldn't devolve to something unbelievable and hokey. That's hard to pull off anyway, and to marry it with the teeming mass of weird entities in this universe is beyond impressive.</div>
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In truth, my favorite version of the little arachnid is Andrew Garfield's portrayal in The Amazing Spider-Man. I felt he embodied both the angsty teenager and the obnoxious superhero perfectly. Second to that is Spider-Man 2 with Alfred Molina as Doc Ock and the train battle. So, Homecoming actually comes in as third, and that's not in any way a bad thing. Unlike many reboots of beloved characters, movies, etc., the Spidey franchise has given us something new and refreshing each time and, to be fair, Tom Holland really is the most accurate and appropriate portrayal thus far.</div>
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<b>Stan Lee's Cameo</b> - neighbor yelling at Peter when he tries to stop a car thief (who isn't one) </div>
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Thor: Ragnarok</h3>
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Ah, Thor. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite MCU films, and I'm not ashamed to say it has everything to do with Led Zeppelin. When Thor first appeared on the screen, I would have never said that he could deserve the badass reference to "Immigrant Song". No, at the time, he wasn't there yet. But I get it now....</div>
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Because they were waiting for <i>Ragnarok</i>.</div>
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Weirdly enough - particularly in a movie whose humor is beyond weird - everything that kicks ass about this movie has to do with that epic rock song.</div>
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First, Thor has been working up to his destiny for some time...not as the King of Asgard, or as an Avenger. No, he doesn't realize it, but he's been working toward reaching the height of his powers. He's evolving into an <i>elemental</i>. If you know anything about mythology, you will know what all this entails, but in short, an elemental is really neither a god nor spirit; it is the pure embodiment of that element. We're not talking about the Periodic Table here, either, but old school elements, alchemical shit. We're also talking about the embodiment and sometimes personification of aspects of nature. In this case, Thor is evolving into not only the God of Thunder, but also the element of thunder and lightning. He's living up to the Norse mythology's portrayal of him in this movie more than he ever has.</div>
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Furthermore, the world built in this film is living up to that concept more than ever before. Ragnarok is actually a part of Norse mythology, the end game of the universe, and that means the destruction of Asgard. With Odin's death - perfectly placed on a windy ocean cliff in Norway - we bring Hela, Goddess of Death (Cate Blanchett is, as always, a treat). It would seem that all the explaining Asgardians away as mere aliens in previous movies is laid aside for the time being. Some might find this a bit inconsistent, but I always felt the Asgardian relationship between god and alien was a complicated one at best. So, for me, the switch-up wasn't much of one.</div>
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It's a risky thing to open a Thor movie with that song, though. It could have gone very badly. Worse, playing it twice in the same movie could have been a devastating failure. But they nailed it. Not only was I accepting of the use of it when battling Surtur's minions, but my favorite scene, perhaps in any MCU movie, is the moment when Thor zaps Hela, and then slo-mo "flies" down into the melee to the opening riff of "Immigrant Song." In fact, he doesn't even fly; it's more like he rides the current of the lightning. It was beautiful. In that moment, he truly earned the moniker "God of Thunder."</div>
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The Asgardians earned it as well. When you hear these lyrics:</div>
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The hammer of the gods<br />
Will drive our ships to new lands<br />
To fight the horde, and sing and cry<br />
Valhalla, I am coming!</blockquote>
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How can you not see the Asgardian refugees setting off into space, hopeful for a new future?</div>
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In between all of this intense, yet still underplayed mythos, we have hilarious scenes with Hulk/Banner, Jeff Goldblum as the Master, and the compulsively-drinking Valkyrie (played admirably by Tess Thompson), lending some levity to the completely bizarre world of <i>Ragnarok</i>. The humor works because they let the actors play a little more (Thor's story about Loki and he as children was improvisation.). The pathos works because they connected to the mythos more.</div>
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Of course, those weren't the only things. Odin guiding Thor to this state in a vision, the Valkyrie riding out of the sky to face Hela, and Loki...always Loki. So many happy things happened in this movie.</div>
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<b>Stan Lee's Cameo</b> - the crazy barber</div>
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Black Panther</h3>
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In some ways, Civil War was the first Black Panther movie. The character figures so heavily in the storyline, that it could be called <i>Black Panter .5 </i>...or would that be <i>Black Panther (-1)</i>? Either way, if the entrance of T'Challa was a welcome one, the arrival of Black Panther's own movie was even more welcome.</div>
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Much like Wonder Woman did for women, Black Panther did for black people. It was wonderful to see a movie where black people are front and center, a film directed and designed by black people, and with a storyline that black people could have pride in. On top of that, it is the top-grossing superhero movie of all time, and it surpassed <i>Titanic</i> in box office totals. I would leave it at that, but it's kind of the point. Here is a movie about a strong people, flourishing in their country, a juxtaposition to the way black people live in the U.S., parts of Africa, and other places in the world. The nation of Wakanda is technologically advanced, the people have created a society with a wonderful balance of tradition and modernity...this is a movie to be proud of. And audiences wanted it. It made money. </div>
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Of course, one of my favorite things is how heavily women figure in this movie. This isn't just a movie for black people, or black men. It is also a movie for black women. T'Challa's sister Shuri, his mother N'Yami, and his ex-girlfriend Nakia, are all character's in their own rights. The King's warrior women, led by Okoye (played by my favorite Danai Gurira from <i>The Walking Dead</i>), are awesome! I particularly like Okoye because, like the Spider in <i>Game of Thrones</i>, she serves the realm. Though her heart may want her to go in another direction, it is not until she is confronted with a breach of one of their most important traditions/laws that she goes against her oaths...though the argument could be made that by doing this, she was actually upholding her oaths.<br />
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Once again, we have an excellent movie setting us up for what is to come. We end our time in Wakanda seeing Bucky for the first time since <i>Civil War</i>, heralding in the battle to come.</div>
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<b>Stan Lee's Cameo</b> - gambler who yoinks T'Challa's abandoned chips at the Korean casino</div>
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The MCU has given us so much in these film adaptations of beloved comics; unlike some other versions of comic book sagas, they did it right: they set us up methodically, just like the books themselves, introducing superheroes and diving into character arcs over time.<br />
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Though I will get arguments of the "blockbusters aren't proper film" variety, these movies <i>are </i>good cinema. Yes, they are "blockbusters", partially created to get butts in seats and make a metric fuck-ton of money. They are also art, adapted from a medium that does not get the respect it deserves. Better yet, they are well-adapted art, keeping as much of the essence of the originals as possible. There are those, myself included, that feel comic books are the modern mythos, and myth is all about telling a good story. The MCU has come up with movies that are well-designed (production/set, costume, props), well-shot (there are some gorgeous scenes in these movies), well-acted (top actors). They got some of the best people in both businesses (comic book and film) to make these movies, to tell this story. In many ways, they let the story tell itself, like a path winding through the forest, taking us along for the ride...</div>
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Infinity and Beyond</h3>
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Yeah, I totally ripped that off from Toy Story, but it so fits for this phase, don't you think? Anyhoo...</div>
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It's important to note that while everything has been leading up to <i>Avengers: Infinity War</i>, the culmination of 10 years of films is not actually going to be the end. Obviously, <i>Infinity War</i> has two parts, and considering all the hush-hush around the <i>Avengers 4</i> title, the reveals are supposed to be a doozy, and will hopefully give us a clue as to what happens after this point in the timeline. With two other movies between these two parts also set out of order, we can expect more chaos, but that doesn't worry me.</div>
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What concerns me is what happens after all this. Since everything leading up to this is about the Infinity Stones and the subsequent wars, how will they top it? With a lack of cohesive focus towards an end goal, will it just peter out into nothing? Or are they going to get crafty again and bring us something we've never seen? We can hope, and, considering what they've brought us so far, chances are in our favor.</div>
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Here's the rest of the lineup for Phase 3:</div>
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Avengers: Infinity War</h4>
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Thanos is coming, Thanos is coming, Thanos is coming....</div>
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Ant-Man and Wasp</h4>
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Pym, Lang, Van Dyne, and the return of the wombats. 'Bout damn time. I honestly don't even care what it's about.</div>
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Captain Marvel</h4>
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Set in the 1990s, it is generally assumed that Captain Marvel - likely the merging of Captain Marvel (originally a guy) and Miss Marvel - plays some part in the finishing of the <i>Infinity War</i>, but I hope to know more soon.<br />
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Avengers 4</h4>
A.K.A - Tell us the title, dammit!</div>
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<b>Quote</b>:</div>
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"Compromise where you can. And where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right, even if the whole world is telling you to move. It is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say, 'No. You move.'"</div>
~ Sharon Carter quoting Peggy Carter<br />(taken from Captain America dialogue<br />written by Christopher Markus<br />for Amazing Spider-Man #537)</blockquote>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-7652224025071231792018-04-22T17:31:00.000-05:002018-04-22T17:31:23.268-05:00MCU: Phase 2 - Branching Out and Adding On<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here we are, just one week away from the opening of <i>Avengers: Infinity War,</i> and I'm losing my mind every day, you know, in that quiet way where all anyone notices of it is a small twitch or sudden giggle for no reason. Yeah. Like that.<br />
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So it's time to do my "short" analysis of Phase 2 MCU movies (if you missed my Phase 1 post, you can read it <a href="https://thelosttitlecards.blogspot.com/2018/04/mcu-phase-1-getting-to-know-all-about.html">here</a>). </div>
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Sequels to movies have a sordid history, usually as failed copies of the original movie. Sometimes they are a bridge to something better, typically the third part of a trilogy. While I won't claim that Phase 2 fits into either one of these categories, I will note that it has a connection to one very famous sequel: <i>Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back</i>.</div>
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Phase 2 pays homage to one of <i>Empire</i>'s most iconic moments: the severing of Luke Skywalker's hand. This moment (and its subsequent line "I am your father"), has been referenced and parodied in almost every way imaginable, but Marvel decided to do something special: </div>
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In every movie of Phase 2, someone loses an arm. </div>
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It could be the whole arm or just to the wrist, cut off or sucked into another realm. Even though it started out accidentally, the filmmakers decided to run with it, and, for anyone who's paying attention, this is a fun Easter egg. So I added all the moments in Phase 2 when there's an appendage removed...you know, just in case you missed it or forgot. You're welcome.<br />
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Another thing this set of "sequels" does is to delve a bit deeper into the psyches of our heroes. In each one of these movies, we get to see some soul-searching. Some of the films go deeper than others, but this line-up is all in service of getting our characters ready for what's to come.</div>
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And this roster starts where Phase 1 did: Tony Stark.</div>
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Iron Man 3</i> (2013)</h3>
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After seeing <i>Iron Man</i> & <i>Iron Man 2</i>, two things are abundantly clear.</div>
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<li>Tony Stark is "cool". He's smart and rich, and he can design world-changing tech.</li>
<li>Tony Stark is a hot fuckin' mess.</li>
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So when Tony survives the battle of New York in the <i>Avengers</i>, it is no surprise that we're in for some psychological cleansing in the third installment. Before we even know of the intended audience of this installment, the narration feels like a therapy confessional, and underneath the discussion of Tony's PTSD, we find something incredibly vulnerable: a lost boy.</div>
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Tony has savant-like skills as an engineer, it's no great leap to say that he <i>gets</i> machines more than he gets people. This talent, though, comes at a cost for our titular hero: Tony's fear of abandonment and inability to connect with those around him. Machines have been his constant companions, and he is obviously attached to them; he talks to Dum-E and U (his robot assistants) like they are people, or rather, annoying dogs. J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System) has the voice of his father's butler and companion, Edwin Jarvis, who had a hand in raising Tony until his own demise. Tony needed that companionship; his was a lonely childhood. His parents were often away, and his relationship with his own father was strained at best.<br />
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So when Dum-E and U go over the edge in the destruction of the mansion, we all feel a little pang, as though it were animals or some other living creature plummeting to their demise. And when the Iron Man suit shuts down somewhere in Tennessee, and Tony pleads, "Jarvis, don't leave me, buddy," it's almost heartbreaking. Tony's all alone again. But it's necessary for what will be the reemergence of Tony the Mechanic.<br />
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In the first movie, we see him design and assemble the Mark 1 suit in a cave....a freakin' cave! Behind all the glitz and preening, the fancy clothes (hey, those vintage tees don't come cheap), and the obscene fortune, Tony is a legit genius. On the run, and trying to figure out what is happening, he manages to show not why he <i>is</i> Iron Man, but why he <i>deserves</i> to be Iron Man.<br />
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We see that Tony doesn't simply have some unhealthy <i>need</i> for these machines, as a great deal of the story-line suggests. These machines are his friends. In many ways, these machines are alive to Tony. They're...<i>real</i>, and it's why I love that he goes back at the end, and pulls DumE and U from the wreckage of his mansion. In the end, we get to see him trying to connect as much to humans as he does to his machines. That's why I believe the ill-advised giant rabbit that Tony buys Pepper is a (huge) hint - one which I believe has its roots in <i>The Velveteen Rabbit - </i>that this story is meant to symbolize aspects of Tony's emergence as a more evolved "human being", to becoming a real boy, if you will.<br />
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<b>Stan Lee's Cameo</b> - Small-town Pageant Judge</div>
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<b>Empire Homage</b> - Tony lops off Aldrich Killian's (a.k.a. - Mandarin actual) arm with the Silver Centurion blade.</div>
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Thor: The Dark World</i> (2013)</h3>
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Phase 2 saw the revisitation of what I consider the three main heroes of the Avengers: Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. In <i>Dark World</i>, we're treated to more of Asgard and the Nine Realms. Seeing more of these worlds come to life is a great deal of fun, and though we don't know it, we're getting set up for what may be my favorite MCU film: <i>The Guardians of the Galaxy</i>. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.<br />
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Again, Phase 2 is going for the psyche, and what makes this movie so much fun boils down to more Loki: Loki in prison, Loki losing their mother, Loki conning and joking his way through everything, Loki getting slapped by Jane Foster ("That's for New York!"), but mostly Loki and Thor. You get a much better sense of the relationship between the brothers, and it is so much more fun to watch them banter as they work together, than to watch them try to destroy each other. You can <i>feel</i> their relationship as brothers, rather than simply seeing it. When they discuss vengeance for their mother's death, you almost feel sorry for the ones who killed her...almost. I mean, these guys have incurred the wrath of both the God of Thunder, and the Trickster. Bad move.<br />
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Loki stands out in pretty much all the movies, and steals nearly every scene he's in. He's the perfect trickster, but what starts to become abundantly clear is how he tricks himself. He pretends to care in order to get his way, yet it is fairly obvious he does it more to cover up that he really does give a crap, that he loves his brother, family, and kingdom. In the end, Loki is exactly who he is, and we love that about him.<br />
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This <i>Thor</i> is overall rather fun. Loki (it can't be said enough), the return of Jane and her companions, Erik Selvig without pants, the blatant rip-off of an Animatrix short, Darcy and her intern, Mjolnir trying to reach Thor through all of space and time during the final battle ("Mew-mew!")....it's all fun. But my favorite part? Frigga's funeral. Beautiful.</div>
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<b style="text-align: justify;">Stan Lee's Cameo</b><span style="text-align: justify;"> - Mental patient that wants his shoe back from Selvig</span><br />
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<b>Empire Homage</b> - Thor appears to lose his arm while fighting Malekith, an illusion brought on by Loki.</div>
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Captain America: The Winter Soldier</i> (2014)</h3>
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By this point, it's important to note that there's also a "feel" to these movies. The MCU has it's own distinctive mark, and each part of the franchise has their own style to it. It adds texture, it creates contrast, and it sets the tone for upcoming films. So I think it's also important to note that <i>Winter Soldier</i> is the start of things getting darker...and they need to. Because <i>Civil War</i> is coming.<br />
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Overall, it's the brutality of <i>Winter Soldier</i> that stands out. Many of the fight stunts in previous MCU films look kind of cartoon-ish, which works. This isn't <i>The Dark Knight</i>, after all, and too much darkness would be out of place in this version of the Marvel Universe. Still, <i>Winter Soldier</i> steps things up with incredibly vicious blows during fight scenes - the kind that make you go "Oof!" and "Oh, <i>damn</i>!" - with an ease that's kind of scary.<br />
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This movie sets us up for <i>Civil War</i>, not merely because of the introduction of Bucky as the titular Winter Soldier, but by setting Cap's affiliations. He is not the tow-the-line soldier one might expect him to be. No, indeed, he fights for what's right, what he believes to be the highest ideals for humanity. As I mentioned before, he actually has a brain, and I can't argue much with his political ideologies, especially when it comes to Big Brother surveillance and assassinations. It gets him into trouble, but he fights nonetheless, cementing him as the dark horse contender for my favorite Avenger.<br />
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There are some other tasty things in this movie, too. For one, there's everything about Fury in this movie, from his epic battle with and escape from the strike team and Winter Soldier, to having used his ruined eye as a secret backdoor access to the S.H.I.E.L.D. mainframe, to the subtle nod to Samuel L. Jackson's roll in Pulp Fiction at Fury's grave. There's the savate face-off between Cap and Batroc (played by Georges St-Pierre, a champion mixed martial artist of French-Canadian decent). There's also the continued subtleties of costuming that Marvel has achieved so very well in the hinting at Brock Rumlow's change to Crossbones with the simple use of a cross harness. Effective.<br />
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This movie hits Cap where it hurts, too. His memories come back to haunt him in the flesh, first with Peggy, then with Hydra, and finally with Bucky. It's absolutely heartbreaking to see Steve's reaction to Peggy's Alzheimer's, and the way he keeps it together for her sake. To see someone whom he not only loved, but admired for her mind and lively spirit brought so low in one of the worst ways... As if that's not enough, his journey to try and help Bucky is so very Steve. When he tells Bucky, bleeding and battered nearly to death, "I'm with you til the end," it's kind of perfect.<br />
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<b>Stan Lee's Cameo</b> - Smithsonian security guard seeing Cap's missing suit ("I am <i>so</i> fired.")</div>
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<b>Empire Homage</b> - Bucky lost his arm when he fell from the train in the original Captain America, and is given his new metal prosthesis by Hydra to become the Winter Soldier.</div>
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Guardians of the Galaxy</i> (2014)</h3>
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Yes, yes, a thousand times, <i>yes</i>!! This movie was such a welcome surprise. From the opening credits to the very end, this movie hit an infectious rhythm, and made you believe that a talking raccoon and a walking tree could actually work in a live action film. They did it smart; by hooking into the absurdity of the concept of this comic, they provided a great contrast to the preceding <i>Winter Soldier</i>. <i>GotG</i> was fun, it was funny; it embraced itself as a "comic book" better than most of the rest of the MCU has.<br />
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I think it was this attitude that made so much of the cinematography work. In the opening credits scene when Quill lands on Morag, there are several beautiful shots of Quill walking up to the ruins that hold the orb. They look like panels directly from a comic book. Later, there's another scene where Quill saves Gamora in the icy emptiness of space. The framing of the shot and the effects worked so well to boost the moment of the scene, that I found myself awestruck. It was actually gorgeous.<br />
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Probably most enjoyable was the coming together of the characters. I love Zoe Saldana, so she could pretty much read the phone book and I'd be there. Karen Gillan (of Doctor Who fame) is a perfectly rage-filled Nebula. Vin Diesel (who is a huge D&D fan) makes a great talking tree; Dave Bautista comes out of nowhere to make Drax the Destroyer far too gleeful as a berserker (and I love it). Easily my favorite is Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon. Read any articles on how he came to the voice for Rocket, and you'll fall in love with the character all over again. Put these characters together, and it's the best kind of TNT. Their fighting-to-family formula was so well executed, that you can't even be mad if they rip off some basic tropes here and there.<br />
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Ultimately, though, the most surprising element for me was Chris Pratt. Having little information about him going into it (I had heard of Parks and Recreation, and seen a couple scenes here and there), I was not prepared for him to be so <i>good</i>. Not only does he manage to put a perfectly irresponsible comedic spin on an adolescent-minded Star Lord, but he even pulls at your heartstrings a little. He's obviously a bit of a lost boy - another theme running throughout MCU - which you can see in his altercation with Yondu. So when he grabs the Power Stone and they show the immediate pain he's in, Pratt really makes you feel it, and honestly, I was not expecting that. More so, when Gamora calls to him, and he sees his mom, a lone tear rolling down his face, it's another very tasty moment from Pratt. He made me care about his character as more than some irresponsible jackass. No wonder Gamora likes him.<br />
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So, after poking fun at itself the entire movie, when the time comes for them to get serious, <i>GotG</i> pulls it off spectacularly. When you hear the complete badassery of Quill's response to Ronan's question, "How?" "It's like you said, bitch. We're the Guardians of the Galaxy," you totally believe them.<br />
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And that's pretty damn impressive.<br />
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<b>Stan Lee's Cameo</b> - The "world-class prevert"</div>
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<b>Empire Homage</b> - Many articles have pointed out Gamora cutting off Groot's arms early in the movie, but I felt the real homage is Nebula cutting off her own hand to escape Gamora and the Aster.</div>
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Avengers: Age of Ultron</i> (2015)</h3>
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The psychological torture continues as we meet up with newcomers Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch as allies of the charmingly disturbing Ultron, played by James Spader (a favorite of mine!). While I admit to preferring the first <i>Avengers</i> over this one, I love so many of Ultron's exchanges with other characters, particularly the end when he and Vision discuss humanity and chaos. Good stuff.<br />
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I'll also give them credit: they totally had me believing that Barton was going to bite it in the end. Leave it to Joss (Whedon) to throw you a curve.<br />
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I also want to give a quick nod to Hill at this point, because I think Cobie Smulders doesn't get enough credit. When she is describing the twins to Steve, only to have him look at her funny, and she says "He's fast and she's weird," I nearly snorted my drink.<br />
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<i>Age of Ultron</i> often seems more like it's working up to something, rather than a movie in its own right, and perhaps that's why I don't connect with it as much as I should. It feels like a lead-up to <i>Civil War</i>, and maybe even an excuse to introduce a new Infinity Stone. It feels the most like a "sequel" than all the other sequels in Phase 2. Either way, I still enjoyed the hell out of it and, if it were human, I wouldn't kick it out of bed for eating crackers.<br />
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<b>Stan Lee's Cameo</b> - The veteran after he tries Thor's hooch ("Egg-celsiorrr")</div>
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<b>Empire Homage</b> - Ulysses Klaue loses his arm to Ultron in a fit of AI pique.</div>
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Ant-Man</i> (2015)</h3>
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Can I saw how much I love Michael Pena as Luis? His meandering, hyper-verbal stories are one of the best parts of Ant-Man. Okay, just had to get that out of the way.<br />
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In the midst of Phase 2's general psych-fest, we have two very silly, very fun, movies that somehow manage to be two of the best of the entire MCU. There is, of course, the aforementioned <i>GotG</i>. And then there's <i>Ant-Man</i>.<br />
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Aside from Luis and the other two "Wombats," I also liked the choices of Paul Rudd and Lily Evangeline. His sarcasm and general dissatisfaction with the world he inhabits is hilarious, and her churlish anger plays off this beautifully.<br />
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I give full approval of the use of the ants in this movie. Even if they weren't always 100% scientifically-accurate (hint: they should all be <i>female</i>), the filmmakers did put some research into this. What I particularly loved was the way that Scott Lang bonds with the little buggers (pun not intended). He cares for them, tries to keep them safe, and even names some. His concern that all the ants make it out during the mission and his rage at the death of Antony was satisfying.<br />
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The best choice they made for <i>Ant-Man</i> was to make it a heist movie. It provided some really great energy, in general. Furthermore, it takes focus from brooding too much on the whole "Honey, I Shrunk the Superhero" vibe, a phrase a friend of mine used to describe his fear that the movie would suck. I have to admit; he's right. It could have gone in such a terrible direction. But they really made it work.<br />
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<b>Empire Homage</b> - Yellowjacket (Darren Cross) loses his arm first as he is sucked into the Quantum Realm.</div>
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Phase 2 prepares us for what's coming next: an era of estrangement and sacrifice. Things are about to get rough. But it's necessary. If our heroes don't face their demons and step away from each other to center themselves, they won't be ready for the big battle, and it's coming. <i>Thanos is coming</i>.</div>
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"Humans are odd. They think order and chaos are somehow opposites and try to control what won't be. But there is grace in their failings." ~ Vision (<i>Avengers: Age of Ultron</i>)</blockquote>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-27364181798389229602018-04-15T10:41:00.000-05:002018-04-15T10:41:11.981-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm certain I'm not the only one excited about the upcoming Incredibles 2. The original remains one of my favorites. Here's the official trailer just released. Enjoy!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-60958273765921251432018-04-15T09:05:00.000-05:002018-04-19T18:45:13.416-05:00MCU: Phase 1 - Getting to Know All About You<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Avengers: Infinity War</i> is upon us. It's been a decade since the MCU came into being, and it's all been leading up to this moment. That's right. Infinity Wars was always a kind of end game in getting the Marvel Cinematic Universe going. Getting to this point is why <i>Iron Man</i> started back in 2008; it's the reason for the entire series of movies. And, oh, what a ride.</div>
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I, for one, am ridiculously excited about this. In fact, to prepare for the upcoming movie, I've been subjecting my family to a re-watch of all movies preceding <i>Infinity War</i> since the beginning of April in preparation. I have seen each of these movies more than three times each (most of them way more than that), so I didn't expect anything out of it walking in. Still, I had my trusty "Movie Notes" Reporter Moleskine at the ready and, as usual, I couldn't help jotting down the many impressions that arise when I see these surprisingly high quality movies. Rather than do an intense study of each one (that's rainy day work, my friends), I decided to do a re-cap of each Phase leading up to <i>A:IW</i> with some of the thoughts that popped into my head this time around weaving with themes I'd already explored on previous viewings. Suffice it to say, if you've never heard of the movies...well, you've been living in the quantum realm...but you should by now. Even Kamar-Taj has internet. But really, you should see the movies before reading this. There's still time to get them all watched before <i>Infinity War </i>if you start now. Go ahead. I'll wait...</div>
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Back? Good.</div>
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First, I think it's worth noting that this hasn't ever been done before. I don't mean sequels to movies, nor do I mean a series of films planned ahead of time. It's the <i>scale</i> that's been accomplished that is impressive. With few breaks in production (and those only early on), the Marvel Cinematic Universe managed to pull off 18 movies in 10 years, and the upcoming <i>Avengers</i> 3rd installment seeks to contain most of over 75 characters introduced since <i>Iron Man</i>.</div>
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Furthermore, this cohesiveness inspired the DCEU to follow suit, a venture that has had quite a few bumps along the way, but may finally be settling into it's own with <i>Wonder Woman</i> and <i>Justice League</i>. But we're not here to talk about DC. So let's get on with the show...</div>
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<i>Iron Man</i> (2008)</h3>
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When the opening scene kicks off, we're in a military caravan in Afghanistan. We barely have time to take this in before the starting riff for "Back in Black" begins. Having seen the use of Black Sabbath's "I am Iron Man" in the trailer, I think most of us expected to hear just a little nod to this rock era here or there, perhaps a song at the end, but mostly to be inundated with your basic motion picture score for an action movie: action-oriented, but not particularly gripping. Instead, we are treated throughout the film to music choices carefully curated towards epitomizing Tony's rebel personality, wit, and style. It did the trick. </div>
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In this movie, we get introductions to a number of characters that have come to be an integral part of <i>Iron Man</i> and the larger MCU universe, including Pepper Potts (with Gwyneth Paltrow pitching a perfect professional sass against Tony's adolescent snark), Rhodey, Happy (played by director Jon Favreau), Jarvis (voiced perfectly by Paul Bettany), Coulson, and, of course, Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D., performed in typical no-bullshit fashion by Samuel L. Jackson. We also get the introduction of the post credit stinger when Tony meets Nick Fury for the first time, and we receive our first indication that something larger is going to happen with the "Avengers Initiative."</div>
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The movie isn't just funny and "cool", though. You get a sense of the caring, but distanced relationships between Tony and his fellow main characters, including the fledgling unexplored romance between Tony and Pepper. Furthermore, Tony isn't just some rich guy who happened to take up vigilantism on a whim, or due to random childhood trauma; he's a fucking <i>genius</i>. This movie is the first introduction to Tony the Mechanic, and the way they show Tony's awakening to his complicit participation in the misery of others, as well as his subsequent mission to seek redemption and protect others, gives this movie more weight than you would expect out of what is basically a silly superhero comedy.</div>
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And, so, Iron Man exploded on the screen, thanks in no small part to Robert Downey, Jr. His performance of a seemingly selfish and spoiled rich kid-turn-hero with hidden anxieties, abandonment issues ("I never got to say goodbye to Dad"), and a guilt streak a mile wide, was honestly pretty much perfect. At the end of the movie, when Tony Stark says "I <i>am</i> Iron Man." we know that it's really RDJ speaking through his character. You're right Robert, you <i>are</i> Iron Man. And we're sort of fine with this, really.</div>
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<b>Stan Lee Cameo</b> - Hugh Hefner look-alike. I find this absurdly appropriate, as I have often referred to Stan Lee as the "Godfather of Comic Books." (Mind you, that's Godfather, like the mob or that weird friend of your parents, and not founding father, like he was the original creator of all comic bookdom, which he wasn't). Seeing Stan as a superstar in his own right, while retaining the smarmy glitz of the rest of Tony's world, just somehow seems intrinsically right. It's a perfect start.</div>
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<i>The Incredible Hulk</i> (2008)</h3>
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Alas, I have been unsatisfied by a standalone <i>Hulk</i> adaptation since the original '70s/'80s TV series. I grew up watching that show, and what should have been a very silly thing - a TV adaptation of a comic book about a big green monster - turned out to be a rather serious and well-pulled-off venture for that time period. I forever carry in my heart the image of Bill Bixby as David Banner walking away down the road at the end of pretty much every episode, alone, with the sad strains of the main theme playing after him. The tragedy of Banner's life, that he could never be not only in a relationship but also around others in general, no matter how many of them he saved, made the show what it was. Even Lou Ferrigno as the spiky-haired "big green guy" won people's hearts.</div>
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So, when <i>The Incredible Hulk</i> begins with opening credits that are an homage to the opening credits of the original TV series, I had high hopes. (Find the original opening theme on YouTube before watching this movie, and you'll see what I mean.) Likewise, early nods to the original series, including a cameo by Lou Ferrigno, a shot of Bill Bixby in <i>The Courtship of Eddie's Father</i> showing on someone's television, and Ed Norton's Banner stating that a guy "wouldn't like him" when he's..."hungry" upped my expectations that they would do a better job with this movie than the Eric Bana version of <i>The Hulk</i> in 2003.</div>
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And they did. Truly. It's not that they so much did anything <i>wrong</i> as they didn't take any real risks. So the film fell a bit flat. It was lacking in an appropriate amount of angst, and it was following on from the upbeat, ADHD feel of <i>Iron Man</i>. Talk about unfair. It simply wasn't fun enough; nor was it thought-provoking enough.</div>
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This mediocre performance definitely hurt early prospects for the franchise and, while I won't speak out of turn by saying this movie was the cause, I believe it's worth noting that it would be almost two years before the MCU would continue on its course.</div>
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<b>Stan Lee Cameo</b> - the old man that drinks the Hulk blood-laced soda</div>
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<i>Iron Man 2</i> (2010)</h3>
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Sadly, the second installment of the Snark did little to make up for the Hulk. </div>
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Again, this movie wasn't horrible, but watching Tony spiral out of control as a bigger ass than in the first movie (which was already in tenuous balance to the rest of his personality), was frankly annoying, and the story arc of discovering his father's vision for him wasn't quite enough to make up for other aspects of the film.</div>
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Furthermore, this movie suffered what I call the "<i>Spider-Man 4</i> Syndrome" of having too many villains in an unnecessary fashion. Mind you, it was just the two, and yet I didn't feel enough of the threat or charisma that is necessary for villains to own their piece of the story. Which is a shame, really, because I love both Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell. I just feel that they weren't given enough room to play.</div>
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It wasn't a total loss, however. For one thing, the expo plans-turned-new element were very cool. It is also worth mentioning that this is when we begin to see a MCU trend, improving special FX technology - both practical and digital - behind the scenes, while simultaneously getting more creative on-screen with things like Tony's suit briefcase. There are two other MCU trends that are fun. Mentions that Coulson needs to go to the New Mexico desert hint at the events of <i>Thor</i>, the next move in this Phase, continues through other movies, connecting them all. This is also the introduction of Natasha Romanov, who, since the first <i>Avengers</i>, has become a favorite of mine. As I rarely watch <i>IM2</i>, going back and seeing her in the early years of her character was a lot of fun this time around. </div>
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Not the best movie, but certainly not the worst. Thankfully, the wheels were already in motion, and things continued to improve from this point forward.</div>
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<b>Stan Lee Cameo</b> - Larry King look-alike</div>
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<i>Thor</i> (2011)</h3>
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Many people didn't like Thor, and I'm still trying to understand why. There were remarks of Thor amounting to a frat boy, but I found it terribly appropriate, as well as his growth journey in exile. In fact, once Thor gets over himself, you begin to get the feeling that he is, in fact, an enormous dork. And that's a very good thing. In addition to the aforementioned grievance, there are classic mythologists who are too purist for their own good, and have never liked the use of Norse mythology in the <i>Thor</i> comics.</div>
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As a mythology lover, I get it (my name's Andromeda, for fuck's sake). I took major umbrage when the remake of <i>Clash of the Titans</i> horrendously messed up not only the plot of the original movie but also the message of the myth itself. Still, I have to go back to my response to the so-called purists lambasting of <i>300</i>: If you're going to get upset over an adaptation of a comic based loosely on the ancient <i>secondhand</i> account of a battle that may or may not have happened when and where it was stated, then I've got nothing for that. Moving on...</div>
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There are two things that stick out for me in this part of the franchise. To start, this is the first time we get to see the universe outside of earth, and it's gorgeous. Asgard, the realm of the gods, and home to the rulers of the Nine Realms, was beautifully rendered. Here we have Odin, played by Anthony Hopkins (surprising choice, but his gravitas is enjoyable as always), his wife Frigga, and their two sons Thor, God of Thunder, and Loki, the Trickster. Seeing the way that the Rainbow Bridge works (I love Heimdall, btw), some parts of the other realms, and the culture and style of the Asgardians (as well as the intro to Lady Sif and the Warriors Three) is very cool.</div>
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It's on earth where things get really fun, though. Thor, freshly banished for being, well, a douchy frat boy, initially gets some just desserts, comically knocked around, and humiliated for being "weak". He has to learn soft skills (like wriggling out of his cuffs instead of pulling at them) aided by his association with humans. I love the trio of Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, and Darcy...and Darcy's taser. We also get to meet a little more of the S.H.I.E.L.D team, as Coulson appears again with Sitwell and then Clint Barton, a.k.a. "Hawkeye". Of course, Thor learns his lesson, and regains - or rather - finds his destiny. It's a bit derivative, but I've seen worse plots.</div>
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The language in this movie is a particular favorite of mine. It's not only the accent, but the word choice that Thor uses:</div>
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"Son of Coul" - when referring to Agent Coulson</div>
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"We drank, we fought, he made his ancestors proud." - upon bringing Selvig home blind drunk </div>
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Also, <i>Thor</i> has one of my favorite quotes in it:</div>
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"Magic is just science that we don't understand yet."</div>
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It's not that <i>Thor</i> was perfect; goodness, no. I watch it far less often than the other two <i>Thor</i> movies. I just didn't encounter any missteps egregious enough to warrant it worthy of ire.</div>
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<b>Stan Lee Cameo</b> - guy with the truck trying to tow Mjolnir</div>
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<i>Captain America: The First Avenger</i> (2011)</h3>
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This movie surprised me. I expected it to be good, to like it; I didn't expect to love it.</div>
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First off, we have Chris Evans performance. He nailed the performance of Steve Rogers. Here is the guy you want fighting for your country, who you want to make tough decisions in the field. He doesn't like bullies; he doesn't want to fight, but he refuses to back down when pressed, gets knocked down but never gives up. And when asked why he keeps trying to join up for the fight, he replies:</div>
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Well, shit.</div>
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With that inspiration, we meet Steve; he's recruited for the "super soldier" program, and we find out he's more than just a kid who wants to lay down his life out of some sort of misplaced nobility. He's smart, too, and we see him with a number of books the night before his transformation, one of which is Nietzsche. The boy thinks, and that's a really good thing, because a veritable shitstorm is headed his way in the distant future. (We'll get to that later.) As Captain America, Steve's ethics are nearly flawless. And that is a nice surprise.</div>
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Fun side characters abound in this film also. Peggy Carter and Bucky Barnes are major players, of course, but we also get to see Dr. Erskine played with gentle wit by Stanley Tucci, and Tommy Lee Jones, one of my personal favorite actors, gets arguably some of the funniest lines in the entire movie as Col. Chester Phillips:</div>
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<b>Gilmore Hodge</b>: Mmm... We gonna wrassle? Cause I got a few moves I know you'll like.</div>
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[<i>suddenly Peggy punches him hard in the face, as</i> <i>Col.Phillips drives up</i>]</div>
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<b>Col. Chester Phillips</b>: Agent Carter.</div>
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<b>Peggy Carter</b>: Colonel Phillips.</div>
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<b>Col. Chester Phillips</b>: I see you're breaking in the candidates. That's good! [<i>to Hodge</i>] Get your ass up out of that dirt and stand in that line at attention till somebody comes tells you what to do.</div>
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Yeah.</div>
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I could really go on about <i>Captain America</i> (and will someday, no doubt), but the message here is this movie is really good. Story, costumes & sets, characters, and finally it's connection to the larger universe. <i>Captain America</i> follows on effortlessly from <i>Thor</i> and makes reference to "the gods" everywhere. We meet Erskine, whose work is referenced in <i>The Incredible Hulk</i>, and who, we later find out, is the guy Dr. Banner was trying to emulate when he accidentally turned himself into the Hulk. The expo that Steve and Bucky visit is reminiscent of the Stark Expo two movies ago, and Howard Stark's pod for Steve's transformation gives us a feel for the inspiration behind Tony's style for his suit design. Everything is connected, and all these things are weaving together in preparation for <i>Avengers</i>.</div>
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Captain America is, ultimately, the shield of the Avengers, shown by his choice of weapon (vibranium shield) and complete lack of hesitation when, pre-serum, he throws himself on a dummy grenade he believes to be live. While I admire his spirit, this hints at something deeper in his psyche. As a "weaker" individual, Steve believes himself unworthy, and is willing to lay down his life in sacrifice to make sure that the stronger, "better" guys make it to win the day. And he never loses that mentality, even once he's ripped and magically about two feet taller. He remains, ever, the right guy for the job.</div>
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<b>Stan Lee Cameo</b> - colonel-general</div>
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<i>The Avengers</i> (2012)</h3>
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Ah, the culmination of all the introductions. There is so much to say on this topic, and I'm not going to, because I want to get to the final battle. First, though, just a few notes.</div>
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The arrival of Loki is the start of this movie, and quite an entrance it is; Tom Hiddleston ups the "crazy eyes" factor of his performance, and gives us a Loki we can be proud of. Yet it really is the dynamics of the team that make the movie work. The exchange between Natasha and Coulson is not only dialogue gold, but a great intro to anyone who had forgotten the Black Widow's entrance in Iron Man 2 (or perhaps blocked it out with the rest of the movie); additionally, we get to see a wittier side of Coulson that carries through into his TV series <i>Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.</i> Steve and Tony play oil and water off each other perfectly, and we get to see some of the tension that will ultimately lead to <i>Civil War</i>. The scene between Thor and Loki on a mountain somewhere in the Black Forest with two crows flying by (Huginn & Munnin, perhaps?), is excellent fun, and has one of my favorite lines: "Do I look to be in a gaming mood?" (Am I right?) The rest of the characters do their job admirably, but it is the reboot (yet again) of Banner that is the most pleasant surprise. Mark Ruffalo's shuffling turn as the brilliant Jekyll/Hyde character is perfect; not quite Bill Bixby, but his own interpretation of the character that fulfills the side of Banner that Bixby epitomized. When Banner says, "That's my secret, Captain. I'm always angry.", it is <i>deeply</i> satisfying.</div>
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Which brings us to the final battle. This is the true coming together of the team, a kismet of personalities and talents that combine to become an effective force. While I love <i>X-Men</i>, and they are forever first in my heart of the superhero franchises, they're often too awkward with each other, and their combinations often seemed forced, like awareness of each other's powers was a fluke.</div>
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In <i>Avengers</i>, the team gets right down to it and it's nearly seamless. Cap, the strategician, calls the shots, and everybody falls in line. There's no ego here; he's obviously the best person for the job, and he nails it, even turning to Banner with a "Hulk...smash." The "combos" are flawless here, too, the best two examples being the use of Cap's shield to project Iron Man's energy beam before Iron Man flies off again to go after more aliens, and the take down of a space whale when Hulk rips a piece of its armor off and jabs it into the creature's neck, only to have it driven home by the lightning of Thor's hammer (sad and gruesome, but effective nonetheless). These are the actions of a team that has worked together for years. They find their stride in what is arguably their first outing. (You can even see this camaraderie as they chow down on Shawarma in the end credits stinger.)</div>
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The final scenes set us up for the next phase, and the ever-expanding universe, as Fury faces the World Security Council. When told that the Avengers are dangerous, Fury responds, "They truly are, and the whole world knows it. <i>Every</i> world knows it.", cementing the glorious future of a universe that will come to include The Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, and Black Panther. And that's "a promise."</div>
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<b>Stan Lee Cameo</b> - news cameo in chess park after invasion</div>
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...</div>
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<b>Featured Quote</b>: "Target angry, target angry!"</div>
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~ fighter pilot, as the Hulk charges his plane (<i>Avengers)</i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-20969606181717900122018-02-02T06:01:00.000-06:002018-02-02T06:04:46.844-06:00Groundhog Day: A Movie About Second Chances...and Third...and 432nd...<div style="text-align: justify;">
In older times, tribes, villages, and towns, followed the seasons using nature's cues as to when to perform certain duties. Observing when certain plants appeared, or herds of animals migrated into or out of the area were a clock different than the hands that meter out every second of our modern day. It worked rather well; those kinds of deadlines actually meant something - because knowing when to plant crops meant the difference between eating and dying - whereas today...well, a lot of times we're just counting down the seconds until...what, exactly? Until the next presentation? Or sale? Or disturbingly short vacation time? Do you ever wonder if we're doing it wrong? If we lost something in our fervor to move on from the past? After all, the rest of nature had been getting by with those same clocks for millennia.<br />
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Now, sure, these observations get a little bit iffy, and at some point in the past, perfectly logical reasoning can often become insane ritual. Through the co-opting of tradition by conquering religions and cultures (not to mention the times when the past simply got it <i>wrong</i>), time can whittle away any sense of the past's logic and beauty till it appears ridiculous and comical, a grotesquerie of what it once was.<br />
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...And that's how you get to the point where you use rodents to tell you when winter will end. That's right. It's Groundhog Day. But Groundhog day may be more magical than we think.<br />
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<i>Groundhog Day</i>: The Movie</h2>
The first thing I need to say about this film is just how funny it is. This is Bill Murray at some of his very finest. With an excellent script from Harold Ramis (also director of the pic) and Danny Rubin, it's not hard to see why. The story of a man caught in a time loop on Groundhog Day couldn't possibly get away without touching upon the absurdity of such a premise. I mean, why not a time loop on Christmas, or someone's birthday, bringing them back to the start of the previous year (ooh, I should write that...back off, it's mine), or some such. The fact that they went this route is not only hysterical; it is nothing short of genius.<br />
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And it's a damn fine thing, too, because I forgot how dark this movie actually is.</div>
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"What if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today."</h3>
The existential questions opened up by time loop movies in general are some of my favorite, because it always goes dark. You see, as a metaphor, <i>Groundhog Day</i> works on two levels. On the one hand, we have the fairly obvious second chances theme (and third, etc.), an opportunity to keep trying to be better. This can be seen as a beacon of hope in our lives. That's important. We need hope like air. We need to believe that we can learn from our mistakes, that we can become a better self, let go of a ridiculous ideal, or, egad, just get out of bed in the morning.</div>
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There is, however, always another side. The converse of hope is despair. <i>Groundhog Day</i> is, in so many ways, about the many ruts we find ourselves trapped by in our lives. Phil (Bill Murray's character, not the rodent) starts out a jerk...but is he a jerk because that's how he is, or does he, like so many of us, feel trapped by his life to the point where it drives him to become the curmudgeonly dick that he is? Even with his decision to leave his current station for a larger network gig, one gets the feeling that Phil feels powerless in his life, stuck in the same routine. Yet, he has the power to make changes for his own betterment and, whether he takes them or not, he still acts like an asshole.<br />
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This feeling of powerlessness through inaction carries into the time loop, giving one the sense that Punxatawney is actually purgatory....that Phil is being punished, not for his misdeeds, but his lack of aspiration. No matter how Phil dies, his day starts the same each time, with that fucking alarm clock. He is not even given the variety in this endless time loop of waking up differently. It's a rut turned up to 11.</div>
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<i>Groundhog Day</i> is a defiance of all things routine. Even how Phil dies at various points: jumping off a building, stepping in front of a bus, kidnapping Punxatawney Phil and driving them into the ravine, etc., are all a pretty dark way to go in a movie that, on the surface, is a romantic comedy. But it's that darkness that is so important. Rather than allowing fate to continue to rake him over the coals, he takes his death(s) into his own hands. He takes a power many of us wish we could (and don't see how we can) in our daily lives...a power of choice...and that much of this choice is taken in despair makes it no less powerful to watch.</div>
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So, if <i>Groundhog Day</i> is as much about shaking up our routine as it is about learning how to not be a dick, one has to ask themselves, are the two related? Are we bigger dicks because we've resigned ourselves to lives of monotonous and unfulfilling routine? [Hint: if you look at the way people act in rush hour traffic everyday, you may have your answer.] Would we all be happier if we just took Phil's route at various points in the movie, and said "Fuck it. I'm going to take up ice sculpting."?</div>
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It's these questions and more that have allowed this spunky little flick about a boy and his rodent to stick in the craw of our imaginations. In fact, <i>Groundhog Day</i> has become so popular for time-loops, that over the years there has been a spate of movies and TV episodes featuring this very trope. The "What if?" and "If only I could do this over again" concerns of our life provide great fodder for the tragic comedy of our lives. It doesn't matter that others have done it before. Time loops and second chances are now indelibly associated with <i>Groundhog Day</i>.</div>
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Ending the Loop</h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ultimately, time loops are about solving problems, correcting mistakes. Often there's an appeal to or trust in the universe that's required. We do it over and over until we get it right. I know a couple who are celebrating their anniversary today. They decided to get married after seeing Groundhog Day, because they realized that they had made their mistakes in relationships, and were ready to "do it right." We should all be so lucky.</span></div>
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Bonus: Let's Do the Time Loop Again...</h2>
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See what I did there?</div>
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So, if <i>Groundhog Day</i> simply wasn't enough for you, fear not. There are movies and TV episodes galore to sate even the most gluttonous for punishment. <i>Star Trek: TNG</i> and <i>X-Files</i> had a couple choice episodes on the subject, as do some other shows and movies. So if you love the potential time loops have for both philosophical discussion and classic comedy, then you might like some of my other favorite time loopers. Interestingly enough, these are mostly all comedies, and even the more serious ones have major elements of humor to them.</div>
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<i>Lola Rennt</i> (<i>Run, Lola, Run</i>)</h3>
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I rewatched this in preparation for this post, and can't wait to do a post on this all of its own. It's a really tightly shot, well-written film. I recommend watching it in the original German with subtitles (or without, if you're linguistically-inclined). Franke Potente is amazing in her breakout role as the fate-challenged girlfriend of a smuggler, trying over and over to save her boyfriend from his gangster boss by coming up with 100,000 marks. The crux? She only has 20 minutes to do it. Thank the powers that be for do-overs.</div>
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<i>Edge of Tomorrow: Live, Die, Repeat</i></h3>
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Tom Cruise fights aliens in very cool mech-wear, dying repeatedly until he becomes skilled enough to help Emily Blunt's character defeat the invaders before total annihilation. What could have been a disastrous action blockbuster, actually turned out to be a fairly riveting sci-fi...action...blockbuster. Really, though, it's quite good. The pace, stunts, and more than its fair share of comedic moments make it more than worth the watch.</div>
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Besides, raise your hand if you want to see Tom Cruise get killed in a movie over and over again....</div>
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....wow, that's a lot of hands. Harsh.</div>
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<i>Naked</i></h3>
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This Netflix original borrows more directly from "12:01" by Richard A. Lupoff. In this movie, Marlon Wayans plays a groom who just can't seem to get his crap together, which is really bad, because he's supposed to be getting married in an hour. Time loop to the rescue! Did I mention that each time he resets he wakes up in an elevator <i>totally naked</i>? Though I didn't feel this one took the most thought-provoking of approaches with this comedy, it is fun and light. If you like time loops, but hate angst, this is probably your best bet.</div>
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<i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> - "Life Serial" S6 Ep 5</h3>
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This is only a short scene in the entire episode, but it definitely bears mentioning...and watching. Buffy is harassed by the least scary "Trio" of villains ever. After sabotaging her at both school and work, the idiots decide to stick her in a time loop involving a mummy hand and retail hell. They even reference the <i>Star Trek</i> and <i>X-Files</i> episodes for our geek pleasure. It also bears mentioning that nothing is funnier (and sadder) than seeing Buffy sobbing in sheer hopeless frustration over the hour that will never end, and feeling that you've had that kind of day before...</div>
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<i>Supernatural</i> - "Mystery Spot" S3 Ep 11</h3>
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Borrowing several tropes from <i>Groundhog Day</i> (they even mention the movie) is one of my favorite episodes of one of my favorite shows. The lesson in this one isn't for the one dying, but like the latter part of GD, this focuses on the lack of control of keeping someone else alive. Brothers Sam and Dean find themselves up against the Trickster once more, which is always comedic gold. But it's the dark turn of this episode that makes it particularly good. After Sam tries and fails to save Dean for well over 100 Tuesdays in a row, the Trickster, wanting to teach him a lesson about trying to control the inevitable, allows Dean to be killed one last time...outside of the time loop. Sam is left alone to grieve and plot revenge on the god who did this to him. Sadly, it will be at least a couple more seasons before Sam learns his lesson....but that's kind of what we love about this show...after all, we are the most rabid fandom out there.</div>
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It also features one of the funniest television scenes I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WmIswf7k704?rel=0" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
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Ah, brothers...</div>
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<b>Title</b>: <i>Groundhog Day</i></div>
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<b>Based on</b>: "Replay" by Ken Grimwood, and "12:01" by Richard A. Lupoff</div>
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<b>Released</b>: February 12, 1993</div>
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<b>Genre</b>: Drama/Comedy/Fantasy/Dark Comedy</div>
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<b>Director</b>: Harold Ramis</div>
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<b>Writer</b>: Harold Ramis, Danny Rubin</div>
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<b>Music</b>: George Fenton</div>
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<b>Actors/Actresses</b>: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-32314677172016142182018-01-26T09:00:00.000-06:002018-02-02T06:05:25.836-06:00Winter Movies: A Course in Survival<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well...it's over. The holidays and the mad rush that accompanies the last three months of the year, have given up the ghost for another nine months. The sparkly lights come down, the tree heads to the curb or the closet. And the elation and stress of the new year ebbs into a post-holiday malaise. </div>
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Now, come this time, you fall into one of two categories:</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">You love winter and will happily wallow in the icy darkness for its remaining months</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">You've been wishing it was spring since October</li>
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I know of at least two people who may not have made it this far because they hate, nay, <i>revile</i>, winter so much. Perhaps next year, I will do a list of "warming" movies to get those folks through winter, but this year, I'm focusing on the wallowers. So, if winter makes you think of bleak cabins in the mountains, AT-ATs destroying shield generators, and gothic noir...and that <i>doesn't</i> depress you, read on....</div>
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Icy 'Scapes</h2>
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There are a number of movies which don't necessarily have anything to do with winter, but which invoke a sense of it through snow & ice-covered landscapes. Sometimes it is bleak, other times beautiful, but always the feel of silence, a sort of quiet elegance in the emptiness left behind. And what happens in that emptiness tends to be epic.</div>
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<i>Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back</i></h4>
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This classic is one of the best movies ever made. Period. In a genre known for being a little too cheesy, a bit low-budget with special effects and creatures, and not the best at scripts, <i>Empire</i> is the exception that keeps you coming back for more. If the original trilogy could be embodied by different terrains, <i>A New Hope</i> would be the lifeless deserts of Tatooine, <i>Return of the Jedi</i> would be the dense forests of Endor, and, of course, <i>Empire</i> would be the frozen wastes of Hoth. The opening battle scenes on the snow planet give way to the cold emptiness of space. Despite the many climes the heroes run through, there's a pervasive chill that hangs over the entire movie, as if the defeat at Hoth dogs them throughout the entire movie, culminating with Luke and Leia looking out into that same vast emptiness in a state of anxious anticipation. Metaphor for winter? Maybe. Cinema Gold? Hell, yes.</div>
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<i>Hateful 8</i></h4>
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While the mystery and violence of this piece might qualify it as a Winter Noir or a Survival piece, what strikes me as most visceral in this movie is the snowy landscape. The scenes throughout the movie of the white-blanketed countryside and impending storm (shot on exquisite Ultra Panavision 70 MM film) set such an epically desolate atmosphere, it's hard not to be fully immersed in this world. Furthermore, the blizzard that twists and surges around the cabin heightens the tension inside. A must-see for film-lovers.</div>
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Winter Noir</h2>
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For me, this is what winter is all about. Winter gets ugly, man. We give up all pretense in an effort to just stay warm. Worse, when the snow melts, the world is not pretty in winter. There's this brownish-gray cast to most everything, usually leftover from snow muck (The gray mush that happens to snow that has been plowed, driven over, and gotten exhaust all over it. Note that two of these movies are set in or near the Midwest, where I have had my greatest exposure to "winter.") So, it should come as no surprise that Winter Noir contains a feel of "yuck" about it, like a metaphor for the lives of the people in these movies, often struggling to get by, little or no pretense, a greyish-brown cast over everything in their lives.</div>
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<i>Winter's Bone</i></h4>
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I just re-watched this movie the other night, and it is as compelling as it was the first time I saw it. The story of a young girl, trying to locate the body of her meth-cooking father so that the house she inhabits with her siblings and invalid mother won't be confiscated by the courts, is one of the more emotionally visceral indie films I had seen in some time. What I find remarkable is how much I recognize in the landscape and culture of this film from my own time spent in the Midwest. The costumes, everyday life in the country...even something about Ree's trip to her old school struck a deep-seated cord. They nailed it. This tense indie thriller does not disappoint, and you can't help but follow Ree's journey to its unsettling conclusion.</div>
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<i>Fargo</i></h4>
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This quirky and macabre crime dramedy from the Coen Brothers is one of their most highly-lauded, and rightly so. In addition to perfectly nailing snowy landscapes in the plains areas of the U.S., they treat us to outstanding performances from Frances McDormand (who hadn't appeared in one of her husband's films since <i>Blood</i> Simple), Steve Buscemi, and William H. Macy. And no one can forget that woodchipper scene. No matter how much we try to scrub our eyeballs. And I like to think the inhabitants of Fargo would appreciate that.</div>
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<i>Frozen River</i></h4>
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Melissa Leo has made a career of playing strong women in tough circumstances, and this movie is no different. This indie crime drama, which focuses on the journey of two women smuggling people over the boarder between Quebec and New York via a Mohawk reservation, is fraught with suspense and danger. One of the most dangerous aspects is the way in which the women smuggle their charges across: an iced-over river. Everyone who's ever lived in areas with real winter weather can feel themselves wanting to crawl out of their seat with dread as they watch each trek across that frozen passageway. </div>
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Winter Humor Looks a Lot Like Gallows Humor</h2>
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Winter is the season of depression. Suicide rates go up starting with Christmas, and depression continues to be a real danger due to the sunlight deficit that lasts until spring. So getting a few laughs between below zero temps and that gray sludge that snow inevitably turns into is vital to your sanity. Here are a few to help sustain you...you know, until the weather decides to be civil.</div>
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<i>Gold Rush</i></h4>
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If you are, like myself, a classic movie buff, you may have already seen one of Charlie Chaplin's great classics. The Tramp finds himself in yet another ridiculous situation, this time having gone north to seek fortune in the Klondike region, where he gets stranded in a cabin before escaping the bad guys to win the woman he loves. Longer than most feature length comedies of that time, Gold Rush gives us classic Chaplin antics with a cute love story.</div>
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<i>Grumpy Old Men</i></h4>
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Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau team up for a classic 'Odd Couple'-style romantic comedy. Hilarity most definitely ensues, as the two compete over the gorgeous Ann Margaret, their feud reaching more and more ridiculous heights. It's a match made in comedic heaven.</div>
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<i>Frozen</i></h4>
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What's winter without a Broadway musical thrown in for good measure...except it's not Broadway, it's Disney...or is it Pixar? Whatever. If you like magical talking snowmen and magic ice castles, you'll be in good shape.</div>
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<i>Last Holiday</i></h4>
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Though this movie could be considered a holiday movie, I feel it stands on its own as a movie about our acceptance of death, becoming who we truly are, and enjoying life. At times sad, this comedy nevertheless gives you plenty of laughs along the way. It even makes you want to stick out this ridiculous season - just to see what's on the other side - for another year.</div>
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<i>Ice Age series (marathon)</i></h4>
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"A mammoth, a saber-tooth tiger, and a sloth walk into the ice age...." could very nearly be the description for the nonsense that pervades this excellent franchise. Perfect for snow days, I highly recommend binge-watching this series in a marathon. Surprisingly, the quality - despite some bumpy spots - doesn't go downhill in the sequels, so you can expect some pretty solid entertainment. But what's nice about this one is you can enjoy the snow for a full day without wanting to slit your own wrists. </div>
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And that's important, because winter isn't the seasonal metaphor of death for nothing....</div>
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Winter Horror</h2>
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If you've been reading this blog for a while, you will have seen my post on Halloween movies, the death holiday. While Halloween is ritualistically the night of the dead, it is in winter that we experience that holding pattern that IS death. The Winter Solstice marks that final time when we say goodbye to the year, and begin the trek back into the light, an arduous journey that has many of us wondering if we'll make it ...or if it's even worth it. So it should come as no surprise that some truly great horror happens in the snow and ice.</div>
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<i>The Shining</i></h4>
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This masterpiece questions our very sanity in the face of winter. Virtually trapped in a hotel with his family, Jack Torrance succumbs to madness at the hands of evil ghosts. What follows is some of the best horror the world has ever seen. And with Stephen King providing the source material, and Stanley Kubrick directing, is it any wonder?</div>
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<i>John Carpenter's The Thing (1982)</i></h4>
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In an isolated camp in Antarctica, a team of researchers is massacred by a horrible beast that can assume the shape of anyone (and thing) it touches. Using the same 1938 John W. Campbell Jr. novel for source material as the 1951 <i>The Thing from Another World</i>, this movie stands out on its own for not just doing another remake, and horrifies you with its creature effects. The ending leaves you in a state of uncertainty about the fate of hero and antagonist alike, alone in the frozen waste.</div>
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<i>(Låt den rätte komma in) Let the Right One In</i></h4>
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If you want to see a truly unique vampire story, you couldn't do much better than this. Outside snow-covered Sweden, a 12-year old boy named Oskar is terrorized by bullies, until he meets a young girl. Through a series of, frankly, disturbing scenes, we find out that the girl, Eli, is a vampire, and the two form an equally disturbing romance that nevertheless has you rooting for them in the end. This haunting film is a surprise, and very much worth seeing in its original Swedish.</div>
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Survival in the Snow</h2>
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As far as I'm concerned, there's no reason to go outside when it is snowing, has just snowed, or is even thinking about snowing. It is a major reason to advocate for work-from-home options. Forget the concerning road conditions and accompanying moronic drivers. Who wants to get up at some ungodly hour to dig one's car out of the latest snow drift for the umpteenth time <i>this week</i>? Blech. So I leave my snow survival to the experts: filmmakers.</div>
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<i>The Revenant</i></h4>
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If you want to know how hard you've NOT got it this winter, check out <i>The Revenant</i>, the movie that gave Leonardo DiCaprio his first Oscar win (there will be a whole rant later about how he should have won an Oscar - nay, Oscar<i>s</i> - long ago). The story follows a trapper who seeks revenge, when left for dead, for the savage murder of his son. The sheer will that was put into making this film by Leo and others is astounding. Seriously, go look up the conditions they shot under. And while not my favorite of his roles (<i>Django Unchained</i> was way better), this is still great cinema.</div>
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<i>Alive</i></h4>
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This movie shocked the hell out of people when it was first released in 1993, but I found it philosophically compelling. It chronicles the true story of an Uruguayan soccer team, stranded in the Andes after their plane crashes, that are forced to eat its dead to keep from starving (and the characters from <i>Lost</i> think they had it bad). Ultimately, a story about the human spirit, this movie will have you asking existential questions about your own mortality, and just what you're willing to do to survive.</div>
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<i>Hanna</i></h4>
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In this action thriller, we see Saoirse Ronan give a disquieting performance as a girl raised to be an assassin. The movie starts out, you guessed it, in the snow, where her father has been training her in combat, sharp-shooting, and survival. As she embarks on a mission, you get a sense that the raw wildness of the Finnish landscape seems to be ingrained in this child's mind and heart. </div>
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<i>The Day After Tomorrow</i></h4>
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Disaster epics are known for being...well, a disaster of filmmaking. There's always some completely unbelievable element that starts things off, and then we're treated to stupid human tricks until we're so irritated that we actually start wishing the characters' deaths. I'd like to say that <i>The Day After Tomorrow</i> is completely different than that, but it's not. It definitely has its moments of stupidity, but I found fewer annoying "for the sake of humanity, please kill this person" moments than other movies of similar genres. And while, yes, the rate at which the weather shift occurs is dubious, there are actually some solid science points to be had in this survival piece. A definite recommend if you think winter will simply never end.</div>
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And that's that. I will do some more lists in the future, but for now, I'm excited to get down to individual reviews.<br />
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<b>Coming Soon:</b> <i>Groundhog Day</i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-82452705443198673272017-12-20T09:25:00.001-06:002018-10-25T10:54:31.608-05:00The Big, Happy, Merry Winter Holiday Movie-List Post [EDIT]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1TVrzJBjjNPEmZzZfBgUeUrt8ClYsNIJWHkxtlAuOR-SRuKtSM7OwQb1W6GmVACkH-d2IljZRc0xxF3aP-JqqkOBdcwwwHnYLHrEUViPJ3jvuA2mqvRo3Llm6Ku0KJ1OLv2GmjW1RlY/s1600/Winter+Holiday+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="622" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1TVrzJBjjNPEmZzZfBgUeUrt8ClYsNIJWHkxtlAuOR-SRuKtSM7OwQb1W6GmVACkH-d2IljZRc0xxF3aP-JqqkOBdcwwwHnYLHrEUViPJ3jvuA2mqvRo3Llm6Ku0KJ1OLv2GmjW1RlY/s640/Winter+Holiday+2017.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The world is turning away from the sun here in the northern hemisphere. It gets dark sooner. Leaves have dropped. Bare limbs reach up like claws silhouetted against the pale gray of the sky. People have retreated from the unwelcoming chill of outdoors into the safety and warmth of the indoors. Winter is here. But it doesn't all have to be beheadings and Night Kings. There's always revelries to be had. And revelries need a good flick to accompany them.</div>
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Since many of my holiday movie lists have so far diverged from what most would consider "popular", "normal", or even sane, it should come as no surprise that my Christmas list would follow suit. Rather than the more treacly holiday fare, I find myself turning to the sarcastic, bizarre, and downright disturbing. Enjoy.</div>
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Solstice...and a word on the holiday monopoly</h2>
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Did you know that there aren't any films out there focused on the Winter Solstice? Or Hannukah...or Kwanzaa...or Diwali, or any others. I looked. That's sad to me...but maybe it's not. As Westerners, and especially humans, we assume that our way should be others' way. Perhaps the need to express our ideologies through popular media is the province of Western religion, and Christianity in particular. Perhaps those of other faiths are okay with not having their own faith-themed movies or TV specials. And maybe they're not. Either way, the lack of representation is overwhelming.<br />
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So, here in the Northwestern hemisphere, don't count on finding any movies celebrating the darkest night or the return of the sun. Christmas, as you may have suspected, has the monopoly on this time. That said, you can always celebrate by watching films set in winter. I'll be doing a "winter" list come the new year, but in the meantime, I do have one pick for this dark, quiet little holiday:</div>
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<i>Rise of the Guardians</i></h4>
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This movie works for multiple holidays, but it's the struggle between Jack Frost and Pitch that make this Solstice-worthy. Young Jack fights against the Darkness, a somewhat bastardized metaphor for the celebration of the shortest day of the year, and the return of the sun to the earth. Throw in a few nods to folk/pagan traditions and a Russian-styled, lumberjack Santa Claus, and you've got the makings of a more than passable Solstice viewing.<br />
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Christmastime is here!</h2>
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It's a decent-sized list, so let's get moving:</div>
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Cartoons/Family Pics</h3>
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<i>Fantasia</i></h4>
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You can call it odd, but Disney's <i>Fantasia</i> has always been my favorite version of the Nutcracker Suite. In fact, for many years, I had no idea people considered it a Christmas ballet. I thought it was about faeries and flowers. Nowadays, I get it, and it also makes me feel a little more connection to solstice in that regard. Morever, the rest of the film, with it's dancing hippos and winged demons is still a rather brilliant piece of work after all this time. Incidentally, Tchaikovsky hated his most popular creation, partly because it was so beloved. Perhaps he was a hipster. You have to figure he would have preferred "You Oughta Know" Alanis to "Ironic" Alanis. (For what it's worth, so do I.) But I can't get enough of those seasonal faeries. </div>
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<i>A Charlie Brown Christmas</i></h4>
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This is the Peanuts special that started it all. Back in 1965, Charles M. Schulz's creation had already been around for 15 years when a version of some of his comics were put together in an animated short. It captivated audiences, went on to play every holiday season since, and inspired almost 50 more specials to this day. Laden with religious imagery and ideology, it is nonetheless an incredibly charming and heartwarming show. Linus, a virtual Taoist monk with a blanket, never made me feel like religion was being shoved down my throat like a lot of media does at this time of year. Besides, nothing beats the Linus & Lucy theme, complete with Snoopy dance. A must for any childhood.</div>
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<i>Nightmare Before Christmas</i></h4>
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While the majority of this stop-motion musical is set in Halloweentown, it is arguably a Christmas feel-good piece. Watch Jack Skellington and crew bumble their way through a holiday not within their purview, and do the heartfelt lessons thing. It definitely feels like a throwback to the Claymation era. The macabre tone of this "kids" movie, however, is what makes it such a unique and enjoyable cartoon, showing that Christmas, too, has a sense of humor about itself. Since it could be watched at Halloween or Christmas, you can really watch this anytime. I usually watch it in the early weeks of December. Or whenever I get an urge to "make" some Christmas.</div>
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<i>B.C.: A Special Christmas</i></h4>
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If you checked out <a href="https://thelosttitlecards.blogspot.com/2017/11/thanksgiving-perfect-time-to-sit.html">my Thanksgiving post</a>, then you caught me extolling the virtues of an obscure little TV special starring some cavemen and a sly turkey. The creators of that special made one other for Christmas. This cartoon gives a more subtle and clever interpretation to Christian imagery, leading you on a mysterious journey and leaving you space to sort out how you feel about it. Their fable of Santa Claus is hilarious, too.</div>
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<i>Elf</i></h4>
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Ahh, Will Ferrell...such a weirdo. I go back and forth on how I feel about him as an actor. He'll do something fantastically bizarre and cynical like <i>Zoolander</i>, and then he'll do <i>Step Brothers</i>, which pleased me not at all. He'll participate in the terrible adaptation of <i>Bewitched</i>, one of my favorite classic TV shows growing up, and then he'll do <i>Stranger Than Fiction</i>, the most brilliant role I've ever seen him perform. ...and then he does something like <i>Elf</i>. <i>Elf </i>was a surprise. I must note that one of my favorite things about this movie is the nod to Claymation specials in the opening scenes, and the whole world of the North Pole. It brings back so many memories. I also love the cameo by Peter Dinklage. This is before <i>Game of Thrones</i>, and his scenes are not to be missed. But the prize here is Will Ferrell's acting. His enthusiastic, child-like energy - which he brings to all his roles, and I describe as "I've had too much candy" - works. The best part is he does it all without a hint of sarcasm or a whiff of irony. He is, for all intents and purposes, innocent, and that's a bastard to pull off. Last, his duet with Zooey Deschanel (in my second favorite role for her) of one of my favorite all-time holiday songs, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," is lovely.</div>
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<i>How the Grinch Stole Christmas</i> (Cartoon version)</h4>
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Ah, Dr. Seuss...beloved by children who grew up to be adults who love to read and feel embarrassed by Seuss's political views. Still, I am the environmentalist, new world-seeking, hardcore reader that I am in part because of him. <i>How the Grinch Stole Christmas</i> begs the question: what better way to celebrate Christmas than a visit to Whoville? Without a single mention of God or Jesus, this cartoon (and it's original book...and later live-action adaptation) gave you a sense of doing something kind without feeling the need to resort to religiously- or societally-structured morals as an overriding motivator. It showed you that Christmas can be what you make it, that it can belong to anyone. That was pretty special for a kid like me.</div>
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~`~</div>
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Now...</div>
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You can admit it. Sometimes you're a wee bit tired of those heartfelt movies, aren't you? You're sick of hearing the same Christmas music and commercials on your TV over and over. Don't you wanna just....blow some shit up? ...like your TV, or the loud speaker in that big box store you've been standing in line at for hours that keeps pumping "Jingle Bells" into your brain .....or the Nakatomi building?</div>
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Well, don't. Because John McClane will get you. In a white vest tee and bare feet no less.</div>
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....and also because of that thing where you'll be a terrorist and go to prison. That's bad, too. </div>
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Instead, curb your impulse to commit holiday-induced harakiri, kick back after you've sent the kids to bed (late, and from too much sugar), and pop in some of these incredibly gratifying, slightly-Christmas-themed-and-therefore-good-enough-to-justify action flicks.</div>
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Christmas in Action</h3>
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(see what I did there?)</div>
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<i>Long Kiss Goodnight</i></h4>
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Geena Davis plays a schoolmarm with amnesia. So why is she so good with an assault rifle and butcher knife? Seriously, this '90s movie holds up 20 years later. The best part is that Geena Davis did a majority of her own stunts, including leaping from a multi-story window into a frozen pond that she shot up on her way down. <i>What</i>. This Mensa actress led the charge of women doing their own stunts in cinema. Look her up some time. She's amazing.</div>
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<i>Die Hard</i> & <i>Die Hard 2</i></h4>
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John McClane just wants to see his family for the holidays. That's not too much to ask, is it? Well, that's where you'd be wrong. If seeing one's family was as difficult as it is for McClane, no one would go home for the holidays. On the other hand, there's Alan Rickman. You can't go wrong there.</div>
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<i>Lethal Weapon</i></h4>
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A rogue cop considers eating his own gun, jumps off a building, and has a knockdown, drag-out slap fight on a sprinkler-drenched lawn in the L.A. suburbs. Smells like Christmas to me.</div>
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I also want to point out that in each of the above action movies, they feature scenes where the characters do cool action things in their bare feet and/or while wearing white vest tees. What does <i>that</i> say about the holidays? </div>
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<i>Batman Returns</i></h4>
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Not everyone's favorite, but I often consider this the moment where Tim Burton said, "Fuck it, this is what the inside of my brain looks like." It's one of my favorites as a result, and the fact that it was set at Christmas makes it all the more macabre. Throw in Danny DeVito as the Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer in latex (let's be real here), and that's good cinema. That, and no Bat Nipples. Holy Sigh-of-Relief, Batman.</div>
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TV Episodes:</h3>
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I'm not opening this can of worms. TV was made for holiday specials, and enumerating the worthwhile ones...well, I'm neither that sadistic nor masochistic. Suffice it to say, you can watch pretty much any of the non-denominational episodes from <i>Community</i> and get a huge laugh ("Merry Happy!"). I also love the "A Very Supernatural Christmas" episode of <i>Supernatural</i> with the old-school, spinning "SPECIAL" titles at the beginning... that fills me with some warm fuzzies.</div>
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Marathons:</h2>
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Star Wars Marathon</h4>
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I grew up watching Star Wars (as you may note from "<a href="https://thelosttitlecards.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html">A Cinephile's Story</a>"). The many triumphs and disasters involved in the creation of this saga have affected me more deeply than one might think they ought...a child's love grown into adulthood. I watched these films so often as a kid that it was a regular fixture of my routine. Saturday mornings: wake up, cereal, cartoons, Looney Tunes, and cue the scroll. I would sometimes change it up with other movies and marathons, such as Indiana Jones (boy, Lucas got a lot of my family's money), but I always came back to that galaxy. Marathoning the original Trilogy was like going to church...no, really. I'll get to that in a later post, though. At any rate, it seems that intergalactic (shouldn't that be <i>intra</i>galactic?) politics go hand in hand with the season. Star Wars was often played at around this time back in the day, particularly the <i>Star Wars Christmas Special</i>, which is frankly awful...but still better than <i>Phantom Menace</i>. </div>
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Harry Potter Marathon</h4>
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Maybe it's the way that British folks celebrate Christmas - a rabid ferocity that rivals and yet is completely different from our own here in the States - that makes me think of Harry Potter at this time. There's something about the Harry Potter movies that screams "Christmas!" to me. They're great to watch leading up to the day, or after the New Year to keep that magic spirit alive. Either way, grab a cup of butter beer and cozy up for an exceptional story.</div>
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The Random Ones</h3>
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<i>Gremlins</i></h4>
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I maintain, to my dying breath, that cute, soft, friendly things should not turn into sharp, creepy, mean things. They just shouldn't, okay?! ....but it is a pretty hilarious movie. Two words: blender...microwave. And that's how we deal with that.</div>
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<i>Edward Scissorhands</i></h4>
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This modern take on Frankenstein was beautiful, and the musical score for the film always makes me think of Christmas. It's a sad little bedtime story, and it definitely needs a watch around this time of year.</div>
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<i>Serendipity</i></h4>
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If you're looking for a romantic comedy at this time, I really like Serendipity. John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale meet and lose each other at Christmas, and have near-farcical adventures finding their way back to each other. But don't worry. It's fate, so it all works out in the end.</div>
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<i>White Christmas</i></h4>
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Classic black & white movies played all the time during the holiday season when I was a child. Though I love classics, I'm not very fond of classic <i>Christmas</i> films. One notable exception is <i>White Christmas</i>, which starts with soldier Bing Crosby crooning the titular song to a platoon on the front lines of World War II. He and his buddy make it home, and put on a show to save a former commander's inn. It was a timely creation, but it holds up in the modern era, has lots of energy, and you get that Christmas spirit without much proselytizing. It also shows respect and love for veterans, and is a great watch for the whole family.</div>
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<i>The Thin Man</i> & <i>After the Thin Man</i></h4>
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If you like murder mysteries, this film noir series based on the Dashiell Hammet novels is sure to please. The first two take place at Christmas and New Year's respectively, making them a great choice for your holiday murder mystery fix. Filmed in classic noir style, they nonetheless have surprising moments of pure fun and silliness. William Powell plays the clever wise-cracking detective with poise. Myrna Loy as his equally clever wife is a perfect foil for him. These are two of my absolute favorite classic actors, and their chemistry on screen is brilliant. A must-see.</div>
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Top 3 Christmas Movies</h3>
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I unveil to you my top three Christmas-themed pics. </div>
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#3 - <i>Badder Santa</i></h4>
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I don't understand how they did it. How did they take a movie which is disturbing, gross, and wrong on so many levels and make it work? And you like it, despite yourself. You find yourself rooting for this boozy, filthy, mess of a man, and you seem to be sort of fine with the dysfunctional relationship he has with this weird kid. See, it works because, at its heart, the movie seems to carry the same sentiments you'll find in most other holiday films. It just has a few more disturbing aspects. Oh, and don't get me wrong. It's mostly disturbing. And wrong. And morbidly funny. But amidst the bizarre humor they actually manage to pull some warm fuzzies out of their collective asses. ...and with the jokes in this pic, that statement should make you feel kinda awkward. </div>
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#2 - <i>The Ref</i></h4>
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Holidays often force us into close proximity to the people we'd most rather not be around: our families. We love them, no doubt, but the problem with family is that they <i>know</i> you. They know you at your worst. Heaven forfend they ever let you live it down. So families fight at the holidays, trying to exorcise decades-old demons. If they're lucky, they learn to accept those demons, and their family members along with them. And if it takes Denis Leary with a gun to facilitate things, so be it.</div>
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And here it is! My number one, all-time favorite choice for Christmas flick:</div>
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#1 - <i>Scrooged</i></h4>
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This is hands-down the best take on Dickens's classic <i>A Christmas Carol</i> that I've ever even heard of. Bill Murray turns in a demented performance as a modern take on Ebeneezer Scrooge, the curmudgeonly TV mogul Frank Cross. He goes through the classic trials of the three ghosts, one of whom is played by the incomparable Carol Kane. Not unlike the previous two movies, it is the bizarre, even disturbing, tone of these films that make the climactic turnarounds so genuine and memorable. In this case, if Bill Murray's speech at the end doesn't have you tearing up a bit, you might be getting a late night visit by an apparition or three.</div>
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Ring it in: A Little New Year's Inspiration</h2>
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We can't have a holiday post with New Year's Eve movies. If you need something to ring in the new year, I recommend these two:</div>
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<i>The Hudsucker Proxy</i></h4>
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This is my all-time favorite Coen Brothers film. It received very little fanfare and, so, few people seem to know about it. That's a shame, really, because its themes of ambition and redemption set amid an homage to classic madcap comedies creates a pretty magical tale, especially the way the Coen Brothers tell it. The story follows a small-town bumpkin who lands a mail-room job in the biggest company in New York City on the very day (...nay the very hour) the CEO kills himself. Through happenstance and scheming on the part of higher-ups, he finds himself filling the empty position, only to realize he is in over his head. He's helped along by a fast-talking "dame" reporter who's working undercover to expose him as a fraud. Things get complicated, like they do, and... well... The final scenes so perfectly embody the idea of second chances that I won't even spoil them for you.</div>
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Bridget Jones Diary</h4>
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Like so many others, I straight-up went out and bought a journal after watching this movie. #notsorry Of course, I'm known for buying journals, especially a fresh one for the new year. So you could say I was predisposed to liking this little "getting your shit together" comedy. It definitely gets you motivated, if nothing else. Of course, so do Colin Firth and Hugh Grant.</div>
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And that's it. I hope these holiday lists have been of some use to you, and I wish you all the happiest holiday season, however you celebrate it.</div>
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<b>Quote</b>:</div>
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"The bitch hit me with a toaster."</div>
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~Frank Cross (<i>Scrooged</i>)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-52956309958489820502017-11-20T07:30:00.000-06:002018-10-25T10:52:35.374-05:00Thanksgiving: The Perfect Time ....to Sit on Your Ass [EDIT]<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Ah, Thanksgiving. It's a time for feasting. Family. Parades...at least in every Thanksgiving movie you've ever seen.</div>
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...wait. What Thanksgiving movies? <i>Are</i> there any?</div>
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It is my not so humble opinion that there is, in fact, a dearth of Thanksgiving-themed movies. That is not necessarily a bad thing. It does make the concept of a Thanksgiving movie playlist, however, a little bit harder to pull off. I shall endeavor to achieve this goal.</div>
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Now, if you have been reading this blog since its inception at the beginning of October, then you probably read my <a href="https://thelosttitlecards.blogspot.com/2017/10/top-halloween-picks-list-for-just-about.html">post on October/Halloween movie-viewing</a>. It was there that I actually began the "November" movie playlist with a number of ideas for the Day of the Dead, as well as a perfect Guy Fawkes Day suggestion of <i>V for Vendetta</i> (again, humble). As such, I won't be reiterating those. The beginning of November, after all, doesn't really feel like the end of November, does it? Somewhere between Jack o'Lanterns and Turkeys, we shift inexorably into the "Holiday" season. Whatever stores had held out until the ghosts and goblins vacated are now in full swing with their rabid displays and "last-minute" sales pitches. Any semblance of normalcy will simply have to wait for another couple of months. So, it's sometimes hard to feel as though Thanksgiving even has its own identity as a holiday. It's almost more of an extension of the upcoming festivities, as the end of November railroads straight through the end of the year. And with the Ghost of Christmas Everything looming over our shoulder (even if one doesn't celebrate it), a bird with a death sentence can hardly be expected to pull focus, can it?</div>
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Another possible reason for the dearth of movies centered around this holiday is a decided lack of stakes. It's not a present-oriented holiday, like birthdays, or a candy-oriented holiday, like Easter; nor is it a particularly spiritual holiday (grace not withstanding). It is, in this day and age, a holiday centered around FOOD. There are several TV shows that have capitalized on this over the years, focusing on the homeless' lack thereof. Many times, it's an obvious bid on the part of the characters to look like good persons; most times, it almost always comes off a bit treacly. [How I Met Your Mother does a particularly obnoxious take on this, and I'm pretty sure that Growing Pains did about twelve episodes like this in the '80s.] In the end it doesn't feel like anything has changed, either in the characters, or in the viewer. The real issue of people struggling in life gets shunted aside in favor of momentary character development that doesn't stick. Christmas does this, too, though spiritual overtones are often shoehorned in to add some weight. So that might be part of the reason.</div>
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Oh, and let's not forget that whole indigenous culture appropriation and genocide. That could be part of it. Yeah.</div>
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Still, Thanksgiving is mostly a jump off holiday to get consumers going. The first round of holiday movies that will be in theaters through the end of the year are released. And let us not forget Black Friday, otherwise known as Satan's Asshole (no, wait, that's the DMV). So it's no wonder that Thanksgiving as a font of inspiration doesn't hit home for many. After all, by the time all is said and done, it's mostly just about the food and parades, isn't it? So bring on the food coma and hand me the remote. It's binge time....</div>
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A Little Pregame</h2>
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No, I'm not talking about the foosball. I couldn't care less. If you do, that's great. I won't be joining you. Still, in gearing up for any holiday, I find myself looking at what that holiday means in all ways. Thanksgiving is nothing if not a mixed bag of turkeys. On the one hand, we have food, which...food, right? I mean, seriously. On the other hand, however, I can't help but look at the history of this holiday and feel a certain resentment towards our collective culture. If you didn't know, Thanksgiving feels like the Uncle Tom of holidays, and I've had mixed emotions directed towards the celebration of this event each year. So, if you're wondering about the reason for the season, you could find no less subversive a treatment of it than my favorite clan: The Addams'.</div>
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Addams Family Values (1993)</h4>
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I could go on about how awesome are the first two installments of the cinematic adaptation of the popular TV series, based on the comic strip, originally penned by Charles Addams (*pant, pant*). These cultural icons have been enjoyed by millions over the last century or so. Yet, it is in these first two movies that I found my muse in the magical combination of Raul Julia, Anjelica Houston, Christopher Lloyd, Carol Cane, and, particularly, Christina Ricci. If you haven't seen them, I recommend watching the first movie*, and then going on to <i>Addams Family Values</i>, because it's there that things get extra strength crazy. Along with the addition of Joan Cusack as a homicidal bride, we have the most spectacular treatment of Thanksgiving ever created when the Addams children are sent to camp. Wednesday Addams's monologue on the plight of Native Americans is perfect, and the ensuing chaos is vindicating, if only a little. Furthermore, both movies opened on Thanksgiving weekends, so they are obviously a match made in a very weird heaven. Watch these two movies before the big day.</div>
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...and on Turkey Day...</div>
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After all that prep and cooking, don't you deserve a break....for, like, five days? What better way to do so than sitting in a coma on your couch? The following should give you plenty of nothing to do for the entire weekend.</div>
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Animated Specials</h2>
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If you, like I, grew up in the '70's or '80's, then you may be familiar with this particular phenomenon. There were many animated specials based on comic strips, books, and other media during this time. Animated specials used to be the bread and butter of holiday family viewing back in the day. We didn't have a plethora of sources like Netflix, Cartoon Network, and other stations giving us cartoons beyond the early mornings and Saturdays. Cable had barely been birthed, and so we had to take what we could get. Kids lived on once a year specials about Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc. As such, I can't look at any holiday without reaching back to my childhood. These were times of happiness for me, when my family celebrated together...when we were, in essence, whole. After my parents' divorce, it wasn't so much that we stopped celebrating, as I stopped enjoying it. It's a typical story. I've found a new appreciation as I've gotten older, but at the time, that was my reality.</div>
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So on the day of Thanksgiving, between the food prep and food comas, these little gems serve quite well for short attention spans:</div>
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B.C.: The First Thanksgiving (1973)</h4>
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It was based on the B.C. comic strip (like...from newspapers). In one of the most bizarre children's specials I have ever seen, a group of cavemen prepare for their annual feast like one should: by capturing and butchering a turkey. This turkey - surprise, surprise - is smarter than them. What ensues is a half hour of animated nonsense as the cavemen give chase, en masse, shouting after this turkey, which outsmarts them at every turn. This, however, is not the best bit. Should you be able to get your hands on a copy of this hilarity, watch for the best turkey warble you've ever heard. You'll never be the same.</div>
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A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)</h4>
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It's fair to say that Peanuts specials <i>were</i> my childhood. That, and Garfield, two influences that explain a lot about my cumulative personality. I loved Charles M. Schulz's world. I watched these as much as I watched Star Wars and Indiana Jones. I watched them over and over again, reciting entire sequences, memorizing songs. Snoopy & Woodstock were my heroes. I felt betrayed when Charlie Brown let Snoopy be taken back to his original owner. I was devastated upon not being cast as Lucy in my middle school's version of <i>You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown</i>. The chorus? Really? Oh, so we're choosing actual singing ability over appropriate casting now, are we? Inconsolable, I was.</div>
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Nowadays, I look back in fondness at these half-hour gems, and, thanks to technology, I have boxed sets of the originals, including the Thanksgiving episode. Though not the best of them, it is a piece of childhood, no matter what generation you are. That was Schulz's gift.</div>
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Other TV</h3>
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Television is where most Thanksgiving occurs. There are literally hundreds of episodes from your favorite shows dedicated to the holiday of bird-eating. I could dedicate an entire post on this subject alone, but I simply can't be bothered. There are, however, a couple episodes that jumped to mind:</div>
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer 4x08 "Pangs"</h4>
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I love this episode, because it's the first time we see Spike start to become a reluctant part of the Scoobies. It is also hilarious and thoughtful, featuring farce-like encounters with our favorite emo vampire, Angel (at least he doesn't sparkle), while managing to bring up some awkward cultural questions (Joss Whedon is good at that). The opening scene between Buffy, Willow, and Anya is a perfect compliment to Wednesday Addams's speech. The whole episode is fun, as Buffy seems to implode in a nostalgic control frenzy, oblivious to Angel, her friends, and sometimes even the impending doom surrounding them. In typical Joss fashion, the final scene, nay, the final frame of the episode is a perfect end: Buffy's point of view as Xander lets slip that Angel has been in town and all eyes turn to see her reaction. Watch Spike smile. Classic.</div>
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How I Met Your Mother 3x09 "Slapsgiving"</div>
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While there are all kinds of episodes in this series that are worth noting (mostly because of Neil Patrick Harris), this Thanksgiving episode stands out as a fan favorite. While it focuses around ridiculous sitcom tropes that are easily skippable, the real fun for this episode comes at the end. When, after another of the long awaited five slaps owed by Marshall to Barney is delivered, Marshall goes to the piano to play the song he wrote for the occasion. As Barney sits on the floor rubbing his face, he joins in with his own harmonious additions, in what may have been an actual improv on the part of the actor, since the other actors look genuinely surprised (I couldn't find an answer one way or another, but NPH is unrelentingly awesome, so who knows?). The moment has nothing to do with Thanksgiving at all, other than the slap had been built up over the last month in preparation for the holiday. In fact, the rest of the episode isn't that interesting. Just go to the end of the episode and watch that moment. It's on Hulu. You're welcome.</div>
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Now for the main event. Again, not about football. I cannot stress enough how much I don't care about football.</div>
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The Ultimate Hobbit/LotR Marathon (2001-2013)</h2>
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If you're like me, you have no interest in Black Friday. You do, in fact, avoid it like the plague. I offer an alternative: an epic movie marathon. That's right, my friends. I bring you to Middle-Earth.<br />
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All things aside, you need to have a whole weekend to do this properly. It used to be that you could do this series in one day (or two, for the weak). But noooo, Peter Jackson just had to go and make the Hobbit into three movies, didn't he? I expect <i>The Silmarillion</i> to be 1000 installments long. Damn you, Jackson.<br />
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Anyhoo, 2-3 days is a reasonable viewing time. <i>The Hobbit</i> extended trilogy is 9 hours of viewing. <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> extended trilogy clocks in at near 11.5 hours. Yikes. Now, you realize this means you have to start early. I tried the LotR trilogy starting at noon in the past. Somewhere between bathroom breaks, cigarette breaks (which always devolve into lengthy discussions), and making food (because feasting), my group and I were up until 3am. So start early if you value your Z's. My family and I did them all on Friday and Saturday last year, feasting on leftovers and my mom's famous bean soup (yum!), and generally lying around like lumps. I have yet to try a 24 hour viewing full marathon of both trilogies myself. Maybe someday....like, right before I die. Because I'm pretty sure it will kill me....but I'd die happy, so, bonus.<br />
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Of course, you will need food handy, because every time they eat one of their huge meals - an event that occurs at least once per movie - you will be hungry. Be it Hobbits, Elves, Humans, or, yes, Orcs ("Looks like meat's back on the table, boys!"), feasting is in style. It's like these movies were made for Thanksgiving weekend.<br />
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Oh, and if you are desperate to shop this weekend, I suggest shopping with online retailers like Amazon. They now do Black Friday sales all day. Shopping from the cozy warmth of your home while watching an awesome set of movies, chowing down on leftovers, and knowing your packages will be delivered to you in a couple days (or weeks depending on your plan), rather than slogging out into crappy weather with insanely crowded stores? Yes, please. That's what we call sensible and lazy. Better yet, partake of Small Business Saturday, and get off the couch for a while, ya sloth.<br />
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So now I bid you adieu and wish you all a Happy Turkey Day.<br />
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<b>Anya:</b> I love a ritual sacrifice.</div>
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<b>Buffy:</b> Not really a one of those.</div>
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<b>Anya:</b> To commemorate a past event you kill and eat an animal. It's a ritual sacrifice... with pie.</div>
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[<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY7hWPSbbw0">Buffy: The Vampire Slayer: 4x08 "Pangs</a>"]</div>
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...<i>with. pie.</i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-47649444225134169262017-10-30T10:07:00.003-05:002018-10-24T21:26:30.164-05:00Top Halloween Picks: A List For Just About Everyone [EDIT]<div style="text-align: justify;">
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I've always sort of...<i>shunned</i> horror movies. Many of the plots carry the curse of formulaic contrivance. Rather than approaching things from a deeper psychological standpoint, too many focus on the two horror tropes I dislike most (Unnecessary Blood & Gore and the Jump Scare). On top of that, people are so stupid in these movies, that I find myself rooting for the monsters and serial killers. And what is up with the obsession with rape scenes? No, thank you. Worst of all, these movies still scare the bejesus out of me, no matter how crappy and unbelievable they are. And that means I suffer on multiple levels. [Je suis pas venue ici pour souffrir, ok?]<br />
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In fact, for the majority of my life, I could sum up my feelings about horror movies with <a href="https://youtu.be/InLfUMjyKNo">this Eddie Murphy skit</a>:<br />
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So I set out to do an alternative Halloween movie list, something for the non-horror movie fans like myself. But as I researched the movies I like, discuss, and would recommend at this time of year, I began to realize something: there are a lot of scary movies I do like. They may not be classified "horror," but they is most certainly an element of fear to them. More than that, I realized how connected to my fascination with darkness they are, and how my appreciation for them as an art form had grown since my younger years (you know, the ones where hiding under the covers with the tiny opening for air was still considered socially acceptable). The list kept getting larger, like some kind of blob monster. I had fallen down the ole rabbit hole, and this piece became one part sociological and historical treatise, one part incomplete "faves" list, one part anecdotal rambling...and one part referential metaphors.<br />
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...Which is pretty much how I talk, so... At any rate, I thought I'd warn you... like so many horror movies do right before everything goes terribly terribly wrong. Enjoy!</div>
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Fear: The Original Monster</h2>
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Like for so many others, Halloween is my favorite holiday. That makes October my favorite month. Aside from All Hallows' Eve, October marks the true beginning of Autumn for the Northern Hemisphere. Leaves begin to turn in earnest. We go from the late summer heat of August & September to a crisp coolness and begin preparations for the long sleep of Winter. In short, the earth prepares for <i>death</i>.<br />
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For millennia, humans have celebrated the cycles of life on all sides of the planet. Autumn marks the final harvest and, while animals prepare for the long slumber of hibernation, plants enter their final stage of life. However, death is not the end. After the long sleep of winter, we have rebirth with the emergence of spring and a new breeding season. Early humans were aware of this and held rites to mark the various stages throughout the seasons. They celebrated and paid respects to the gods, ancestors, and plants and creatures that were a part of their very survival. Mostly, though, they told stories. These stories had everything: adventure, love, origins of the universe, heroes doing great deeds and making sacrifices, life and death....and fear.</div>
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"When your kind first huddled around the fire, I was the thing in the dark."</div>
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~Alpha Vampire, Supernatural Season 6, Ep. 7 "Family Matters"</div>
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With this awareness of our own fragility, we were of course aware of that which could cause our demise. Predators were constantly waiting to eat us, bugs devour our remains and assert their evolutionary dominance, and with the plethora of poisonous flora, it would seem the plant kingdom was even out to get us. It is no wonder we invented greater monsters to subvert our fear of that which surrounded us literally every hour of every day. After all, we did the same thing with our invention of gods to answer our most fearful question: Why? Why are we here, why do we die...just, why?<br />
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As we continued to try and conquer fear, we evolved a little...a very little, but enough to refine our stories, perhaps our greatest achievement. We moved from oral tradition to writing things down, but never lost our impressive imagination. We brought our stories to life through every creative medium, sometimes inventing new ones solely for telling a story just so. Novels, epic poems, and plays, have served us well, but it's possible that no other medium has quite captivated our collective hearts as film. As we move, further away from the written word and more towards the moving picture, that seems unlikely to change.<br />
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That doesn't mean we don't remember the written word. In fact, if you look at the whole of film-making, you will generally find more movies adapted from written stories or based on real life than completely invented for the screen.</div>
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And that is where our list begins.</div>
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Silver Screen Legends</h2>
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Early on in film, silent movies reigned supreme. These soundless moving pictures were supposed to be a gimmick, but exploded in the first few years of the 20th century. People couldn't get enough. So, when we moved on from simple exhibitions of what this new medium could do, we turned to what we do best: stories. It is no surprise that we pulled from the many that already existed, especially horror. There are two in particular that had captured the hearts of readers in the previous century: Bram Stoker's <i>Dracula</i> and Mary Shelley's <i>Frankenstein</i>. I wonder if they could have conceived of the world their works would inspire.<br />
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<i>Nosferatu</i></h4>
Often considered the "original" horror movie by many, this silent film, based loosely on Stoker's novel, terrified everyone, and with good reason. This vamp didn't sparkle, didn't drive a Beemer, and was unlikely to woo anyone. Still, this monster was compelling.<br />
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It went on from there, as horror went from silent screams to very vocal ones with the invention of sound for film. It brought about the likes of Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, and Claude Rains, bringing to life Frankenstein's monster, <i>The Mummy</i>, <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (before the singing), <i>Dracula</i>, <i>The Wolf Man</i>, and <i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</i> (also before the singing). These have become the gold standard of horror, and filmmakers today still try to emulate various aspects of these early movies.</div>
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Hitchcock and the Nuclear Age</h2>
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By the end of World War II, humanity had one more thing to be deathly afraid of: nuclear holocaust. And as we moved into the age of space travel and the scandals of the '60s and '70s, a deep-seated paranoia settled into our bones. Old world creatures became old hat as spectres that came from space, were born of radiation, or even lurked right next door began to permeate our consciousness.<br />
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<i>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i></h4>
So disturbing was this movie for so many, that "pod person" has come to have its own meaning in our greater culture, usually one who pretends to be something they aren't. This concept of being taken over, whether it be the internal (mind, personality, body), or the external (country, earth), brought an ancient fear to modern times.</div>
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Godzilla</i> and Radiation</h4>
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For many, Godzilla was just a guy in a rubber suit stepping on scale models of cities. For others, yet another CGI fail coupled with what I like to call "stupid human tricks" (you know, running down to the creepy basement in your teddy without a flashlight or a weapon because you "heard a noise"). But there is actually deeper meaning to this odd little franchise, and it has everything to do with WWII.<br />
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When the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, it was total devastation. Worse, the lingering radiation poison would prove to be as terrible as the initial blast wave of the mushroom cloud. Yes, there was the loss of life, land, and resources, but it took something deeper from the Japanese people. A piece of the soul of these people was ripped away from them. They were in utter shock. It would take decades to rebuild huge portions of the country, as well as its people. As time went on, the country needed to find ways to heal from the damage. The idea of great and terrible creatures growing from the effects of radiation to wreak havoc on entire countrysides came along, and it became symbolic for more than the Japanese people. The creation of Godzilla was a direct result of the necessary catharsis from nuclear holocaust (though not its only one). Furthermore, it was a wake-up call that the U.S. and other countries who were conducting nuclear tests should have already received, and it served to vent some of our collective anxiety. All that from a rubber suit.</div>
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Hitchcock Changes Filmmaking Forever</h4>
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To highlight this newfound paranoia, we have the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Actually, it might be more accurate to say these films are an undertone of the time, a low-level buzz of anxiety that threatens at any moment to turn into full-blown panic. Hitchcock created works of such poise and elegance, that you barely noticed they were suspense-filled thrillers and horror movies. While his entire oeuvre could be said to be worthy of a viewing, here are some of my favorites:</div>
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<ul>
<li><i>Rear Window</i></li>
<li><i>Vertigo</i></li>
<li><i>The Birds</i></li>
<li><i>Psycho</i></li>
</ul>
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Holding Up a Mirror to Society by Way of the Psyche</h3>
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The greatest compliment I can pay horror movies is that their themes do merit discussion. A common theme is the horror film as social commentary. In many ways, horror is more effective in illuminating aspects of our shared characteristics and foibles than other types of movies, because (for the most part) they don't beat you over the head with their message, and they certainly don't shy away from it. Horror movies give you fear, a thing that we all share, but instead of eschewing this natural aspect of our psyche, it allows you to work through it. As the characters fight their very real demons, we get to fight our own metaphorical ones. These metaphors seep into our subconscious, asking and processing big questions in the dark recesses of our minds.<br />
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These movies reflect the times we live in as much as the deep psychological and evolutionary roots of our fear. As we move from Old World fear through the Nuclear Age, the changing cultural landscape begins to yield domestic issues through the '60s, '70s, and '80s: race & civil rights, gender & the sexual revolution, disease, and serial killers. These issues move seamlessly into horror, and allow us to dig deeper into our shared fears and how they affect our society.<br />
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Take the virgin ideal, for example. This trope has become prominent since slasher flicks came about. The lone virgin female survives the attacks of the monster, while her sexually promiscuous counterpart is killed off. This carries many layers. There is simple Puritan-esque misogyny, requiring women to horde their virginity for others' pleasure and control. There is also the blooming AIDS epidemic. The resulting call for abstinence was a rebuttal to the sexual revolution of the '60s, and later feminist movement's assertion that women should be in charge of their own bodies.<br />
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But let's look deeper. Sexuality, as a natural aspect of our humanity, becomes evil and shameful. The monster comes and purges that evil before it is purged itself by the ultimate good (the virgin). But would there be the necessity for this monster if there was no shame attached to something so natural? Does it not seem likely that we do this to ourselves? In our need to vilify natural aspects of our nature, such as sexuality and the unconventional, do we not create monsters?</div>
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The Era of Schlock</h2>
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Nowhere is this more apparent, I feel, than in the emergence of schlock horror in the '70s and '80s. This era starts (for me) with the original <i>Texas Chainsaw Massacre</i>, a true classic (although the remake isn't bad) based loosely on the exploits of creepy, early serial killer Ed Gein. The timing is apropos...after all this is merely a couple decades since Gein turned women into furniture and clothes, Manson brainwashed a cult of women into killing for him, and serial killers such as the Son of Sam began to invade our television and newspaper headlines. Many of these killers clearly had deep-seated issues. It is too easy to say that they are simply evil, or psychotic, because humans do seem to love slapping those labels on anything they consider different, or not "normal". Yet it would be indefensible, even repugnant, to say that these individuals were simply expressing some aspect of their natural self. The questions get harder to answer, to silence, much like the antagonists of these pieces who just won't die. It is no wonder, then, that the slasher style continues to influence modern films.</div>
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The <a href="http://www.filmsite.org/horrorfilmfranchises.html">Horror Franchise Triumvirate</a>:</h4>
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<b><i>Halloween</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Friday the 13th</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Nightmare on Elm Street</i></b></div>
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These movies are perhaps the most popular horror franchises of all time. Even though I didn't watch them when they came out (I was, like, eight. Gremlins scared me.), I knew exactly who Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger were. Everyone did. ...and I will never forget how much the cover for Halloween creeped me out as it sat on the shelf where my dad worked. No, I can't say I was much of a fan...that is, until I saw <i>Wes Craven's New Nightmare</i>.<br />
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Do I hear a collective groan from the audience? Yes, I understand. This is right during the time when the franchises were going downhill, and many disliked this one. However, the new twist was what drew me in. The idea of a story come to life, of a story that needed to continue being told to keep the world in balance...well, that's good stuff.</div>
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Stephen King:</h4>
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I'm a big fan of Stephen King. His books are the only horror I read, but his movies have mostly been lackluster over the years. That's because King's true horror is what happens in people's minds, a theory with which I agree. That's hard to convey on film, and many have failed in the attempt. Still, there are some decent selections to check out:</div>
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<ul>
<li><i>The Shining</i></li>
<li><i>Christine</i></li>
<li><i>Cujo</i></li>
<li><i>Carrie</i></li>
<li><i>It</i> (Clown...need I say more?)</li>
<li><i>Cat's Eye</i> (creepy, creepy, creepy! This movie is so creepy! Just watch it...and kiss proper sleep goodbye)</li>
</ul>
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Other notables from this era:</h4>
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<ul>
<li><i>John Carpenter's The Thing</i></li>
<li><i>The Evil Dead</i></li>
<li><i>The Fly </i>(Cronenberg or the original)</li>
<li><i>Poltergeist </i></li>
<li><i>House </i></li>
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<i>The Lost Boys</i></div>
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</ul>
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The Modern Era of Horror:</h2>
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Horror Goes Meta</h4>
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I count <i>Scream</i> as the start of the new era of horror. This movie is all meta, paying homage, both in the story and the creation of the film, to previous masters of schlock. It was new and fresh...sort of. But in a genre and style that had gone a little stale by this point (the Triumvirate kept cranking out sequels) it got people excited for horror all over again.</div>
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Japanese Horror</h4>
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I refuse to watch the original Japanese versions of <i>The Ring</i> (<i>Ringu</i>) and <i>The Grudge</i> (<i>Ju-on</i>) because the Americanized versions were scary enough, thank you very much. These movies add a decided bleak hopelessness as you never are actually able to get rid of the Big Bad.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;">Other notables from this era:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><b><i>Blair Witch Project</i></b> - This movie gets a lot of flack, and for good reason. But shaky cam aside, this movie scared the ever-loving shit out of me. Creepy sounds in the middle of some nowhere forest at night? So much for camping.</li>
<li><b><i>Saw</i> </b>- In true franchise fashion, a refreshing horror film does well, and won't shut up. I liked the first one, but the one or two I saw after that did nothing for me. Oh well. </li>
<li><b><i>Låt den rätte komma in</i></b> ("Let the Right One In") - This is a fantastic mood piece as well as a great horror story. You might even feel a bit of warm fuzzy at the end. I love this movie.</li>
<li><b><i>Bram Stoker's Dracula</i></b> - Though it came out in '92, this movie is more cinematic than schlock. Gary Oldman stars in this remake of the adaptation from the book (yikes), and he is no less compelling as the ancient count-turned-monster that started the vampire craze, Vlad Tepes. The movie is scary, sexy, and even makes you feel sadness for this classic foe. With a deliciously dark motion picture score by Wojciech Kilar (The Pianist), and great costumes, this is a gothic feast.</li>
<li><b>M. Night Shyamalan's movies</b> - Once hailed as the next Hitchcock, M's street cred has taken such a dive that one can't hear his name mentioned without a scornful groan. Still, I've always been a fan, and many of his movies are so good (<i>Unbreakable</i> is my favorite super hero origin story), that I'm willing to forgive him a few things here and there... Though we do not speak of the debacle that was the live action version of one of my all time favorite cartoons. Moving on...</li>
</ul>
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And Let's Not Forget...</h2>
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Zombies:</h4>
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Can I say that I am obsessed with zombies? I think everyone is a little. You can't have a discussion of horror without Romero's offspring. Fear of germs, fear of the apocalypse...there are too many layers here to get into right now. I'll do a separate post on zombies at a later time. Still, here are some of my favorites:</div>
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<ul>
<li><i>Night of the Living Dead</i></li>
<li><i>The Walking Dead</i></li>
<li><i>28 Days Later</i></li>
<li><i>Dawn of the Dead</i></li>
<li><i>iZombie</i></li>
<li><i>Shaun of the Dead</i></li>
</ul>
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Comedies:</h4>
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Ah, levity. I mean, how much screaming can you take before you want to shoot the television? Apparently, a lot, as evidenced from this list. But not me. I need the lights turned on and some cartoons every once in a while, you know? As such, it's not surprising that the horror movies I find most enjoyable are comedies.</div>
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<ul>
<li><i>Beetlejuice</i></li>
<li><i>Ghostbusters</i></li>
<li><i>Young Frankenstein (a true classic. Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder at their finest)</i></li>
<li><i>Tremors</i></li>
<li><i>Gremlins</i></li>
<li><i>Scary movie</i></li>
<li><i>Transylvania 6-5000</i></li>
</ul>
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The Mindfuck:</h4>
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To me, truly good horror should mess with your mind and not only your senses. Our psyches are far more terrifying than fake blood and gore on screen, and I've heard it said that all monsters are human. If you feel the same, then these might do it for you:</div>
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<li><i>Donnie Darko</i></li>
<li><i>American Psycho</i></li>
<li>Anything by David Lynch - seriously</li>
<li><i>One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest</i></li>
<li><i>The Butterfly Effect </i>(make sure to see the Director's Cut; it's got a much darker and more satisfying ending)</li>
<li><i>The Cell </i>(Vincent D'Onofrio at his most terrifying)</li>
<li><i>Black Swan</i></li>
<li><i>Old Boy </i>(this movie is brilliant; bring your hammer)</li>
<li><i>Being John Malkovich </i>(while I can't say I loved this movie, it definitely fits this category)</li>
<li><i>Shutter Island</i></li>
<li><i>Se7en</i></li>
<li><i>Soylent Green</i></li>
<li><i>Dark City</i></li>
<li><i>Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas</i></li>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Kid-Friendly:</span></h4>
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Kids get to have fun, too. I mean, even though <i>Gremlins</i> scared the crap out of me at the tender age of seven, I still enjoyed it. (I still maintain that cute, fuzzy, friendly things shouldn't turn into creepy, pointy, mean things. I don't care what damn time of day it is.) Here's some kid-friendly movies to share with your kids:</div>
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<li><i>The Nightmare Before Christmas</i> (though I consider this more of a Christmas movie, I would be remiss if I didn't add this one in)</li>
<li><i>It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown</i></li>
<li><i>The Witches </i></li>
<li><i>Bedknobs & Broomsticks</i></li>
</ul>
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Dark Horses:</h4>
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There are some pieces that don't necessarily fit your typical horror mold, but I feel merit some recognition nonetheless:</div>
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<ul>
<li><b><i>Alien</i></b> - Because in space, no one can hear you scream.</li>
<li><b><i>The Mummy </i>(1999)</b> - More action than fear, this fun romantic remake of the classic nevertheless has some moments reminiscent of classic oldies. Brandon Fraser and Rachel Weisz have great chemistry.</li>
<li><b><i>Stir of Echoes</i></b> - A surprising suspense horror, this movie centered around a father's deteriorating mental state as he is haunted by a spirit seeking justice. Plus, it's Kevin Bacon.</li>
<li><b><i>Pan's Labyrinth</i></b> - This oft-forgotten fantasy by Guillermo del Toro is part creepy, part whimsical; it has to make the list.</li>
<li><b><i>The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Massive Attack</i></b> - Like the Dark Side of Oz, take one classic movie, add a brilliant psychedelic modern album, hit play and enjoy.</li>
<li><b><i>Idiocracy</i></b> - This movie is terrifying. If you don't think so, you're not paying attention.</li>
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Television Shows:</h4>
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Perhaps you're looking to dive into a world of darkness, death, and magic long-term. For monster-of-the-week, and epic story-lines, you can check out some of the following:</div>
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<ul>
<li><i>Supernatural</i></li>
<li><i>American Horror Story</i></li>
<li><i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel</i></li>
<li><i>Stranger Things</i></li>
<li><i>X-Files</i></li>
<li><i>True Blood</i></li>
<li><i>Dark Shadows</i></li>
<li><i>Kolchak: the Night Stalker</i></li>
<li><i>Tales from the Dark Side</i></li>
<li><i>Spielberg's Amazing Stories</i></li>
<li><i>Twilight Zone</i></li>
<li><i>The Outer Limits</i></li>
<li><i>Once Upon a Time</i></li>
</ul>
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The Week of the Dead</h2>
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At this point, you may be asking yourself, "Okay, that's quite the list, but where do I start? Halloween is upon us." It's true, even if you started a marathon at the beginning of October and did nothing but eat (because you definitely wouldn't be sleeping), you could never make it through the list of existing horror movies. As such, I have put together my own must-see list.<br />
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Again, this won't be your typical list. I, like those of old, celebrate this time of year for many days. I have a sort of "basic framework" rather than a playlist for my Week of the Dead revelry. I start the week out with specific choices as I celebrate with everyone else (Devil's Night and Halloween). I then spend my "Days of the Dead" contemplating and planning for a new year. I finish it off with Guy Fawkes Day, where, as a Burner, bonfire as a celebration of said new year is perfectly reasonable....also because we like fire.</div>
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Devil's Night (October 30th)</h3>
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The Crow</i></h4>
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This is my required viewing for Devil's Night (October 30th). Brandon Lee's final movie serves as a huge inspiration for the goth-punk movement. The piece is dark, totemic/mythic, has great action scenes, and an excellent soundtrack. With a ghost bent on righteous revenge, this creates a haunting and sad tale. This movie embodies Halloween in a way that is wholly separate from slasher flicks. The gang boss that he is hell-bent on destroying has kept the city in a state of fear, corruption, and stagnancy. Catharsis, therefore, is reached in this story not only for the Crow spirit but also the world he inhabits....a perfect metaphor for death/rebirth of the pagan new year. But if that's not scary enough, the knowledge that Lee died from injuries on set while filming this - in much the same fashion as his iconic father, Bruce Lee, decades before - and had to be digitally added, ghost-like, to a number of scenes in post-production, should up the creep factor for you.</div>
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All Hallows' Eve (October 31st)</h3>
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<i>
The Great Pumpkin</i></h4>
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A classic. I grew up on this and the myriad other Peanuts specials that peppered network television in the '70s and '80s. This piece of my childhood has become a mainstay in my Halloween rotation.</div>
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<i>
Practical Magic</i></h4>
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What? A romantic comedy? Yeah, I feel you. I was surprised, too. This movie is not what you'd expect for a Halloween viewing. Unless you grew up like I did. Because it's all about the relationships in this movie...and the magic. Growing up among generations of women, I feel like I know these ladies. In so many ways that are deeply personal, this is my family. As for the magic, I've had people ask, "What about <i>The Craft</i>?" <i>The Craft</i> has its charms, but it gets so much wrong about magic, not the least being the imposition of a male-personified deity in what is a story of feminine empowerment in traditionally female-centered pagan traditions. But that's a rant for another day. <i>The Craft</i> was a product of its time, embodying the rebellion of gothic teen angst in the '90s. In that regard, it's a great movie. What <i>Practical Magic</i> does for me is normalize magic, to some degree, as a practice of everyday life during a time when there was still little known about it...albeit in an over-the-top sort of way. Still managing to tackle ignorance and hatred toward pagan traditions ("After 500 years, you'd think they'd come up with a better rhyme."), this hit home for me. All in all, a great soundtrack, dark humor, and a light-hearted example of what women have accomplished for centuries when they work together through love, makes this movie worthwhile. I love this movie.</div>
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Day(s) of the Dead (November 1st-4th)</h3>
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If you've still got the itch for some death- or fear-themed films come November 1st, you need not fret. Death still holds sway in many parts of the world. In Mexico and other countries, Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is as popular as Halloween and Mardi Gras put together...and it kind of looks like it. At some point, I plan a Halloween week in Mexico, so I can catch these beautiful revelries. In the meantime, the following movies will have to hold me:</div>
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<ul>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Coco</i> - Pixar rarely disappoints to bring the tears. This romp through the land of Land of the Dead is not only a feast for the eyes, but it will have you in the Land of Tears by the end.</li>
<li><b><i>The Village</i></b> - Whatever you think of Shyamalan's style, check out the mood and color of this movie. It fits well with the feel of late autumn / early winter.</li>
<li><b><i>The Lady in the Water</i></b> - This movie takes fear and story and entwines them into a fantastical allegory. A grownup bedtime story that makes me happy on so many levels.</li>
<li><b><i>Sleepy Hollow</i></b> - Tim Burton, Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci bring the classic <i>Wind in the Willows</i> tale to live action? Why aren't we watching it <i>right now</i>?</li>
<li><b><i>The Addams Family</i></b> - It's a bit on the nose to bring up the Charles Addam's royal family of macabre for Halloween, but this show is great all the way through Thanksgiving. Whether you are watching the original TV series or the two movies starring Anjelica Houston and Raul Julia, I promise fun, dark humor. The only reason these movies don't make my "top" list is that I prefer to watch them closer to Thanksgiving. (Wednesday's monologue on what the meeting of pilgrims and Native Americans would cause is so very enjoyable.) Watch it mid-November if you're feeling the need for a little Halloween refresher.</li>
</ul>
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Guy Fawkes Day (November 5th)</h3>
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<i>V for Vendetta</i></h4>
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"Remember, remember, the 5th of November, the gunpowder treason and plot." </blockquote>
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While not a horror movie, I do find dystopian societies creepy. They are our worst selves, so I enjoy any movie that tears that up. And if it happens to coincide with a holiday dedicated to burning effigies? Well, any excuse for a bonfire, says I.<br />
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That's it for now. When you've spent as much of your life watching movies as I have, then the idea of movies as part ritual for this time of year should come as no surprise. (You should see the music playlist.) So, doing this article has been...enlightening. I have a newfound appreciation for the horror genre and its influence. If you're anything like me, you'll be watching these movies well beyond November 1st. </div>
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Happy Halloween!</div>
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~`~`~`~`~</div>
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Other references not linked above:</h4>
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(2015, October 26). Waves of fear: A timeline of horror-film trends Retrieved from <a href="http://www.startribune.com/waves-of-fear-a-timeline-of-horror-film-trends/336310901/">http://www.startribune.com/waves-of-fear-a-timeline-of-horror-film-trends/336310901/</a></div>
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(2016, August 22). Top 25 Horror Movies of All Time. Retrieved from <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/top-25-horror-movies-of-all-time?page=3">http://www.ign.com/articles/top-25-horror-movies-of-all-time?page=3</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-21212035851016686322017-10-09T14:45:00.000-05:002018-12-02T04:22:16.153-06:00The Legend of The Princess Bride: 30th Anniversary<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqCnYJVb1Rx2Z-ImmBeCUBP4KNH3739jKquRiK0QEkL0YM-EdEJG0ZhHwLV8o7NMbe_AtzIKDWeuFBttqwcf0W3OWL8O2fHF_3mad7E-gAnFcYWa2Aw69gqAy1y-PAj5TJLuyf5iBUyw/s1600/Princess+Bride+30th+Ann.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="622" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqCnYJVb1Rx2Z-ImmBeCUBP4KNH3739jKquRiK0QEkL0YM-EdEJG0ZhHwLV8o7NMbe_AtzIKDWeuFBttqwcf0W3OWL8O2fHF_3mad7E-gAnFcYWa2Aw69gqAy1y-PAj5TJLuyf5iBUyw/s640/Princess+Bride+30th+Ann.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm going to tell you a fairy tale.</div>
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Once upon a time, a somewhat obscure little movie was released to very little fanfare. It did its stint in the theaters, garnering a modest - though by no means unrespectable - box office for fall of 1987, and then began its trek to video stores and cable. </div>
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It was called <i>The Princess Bride</i>. </div>
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This movie was ridiculous. Based on a book by William Goldman (who also wrote the screenplay), the premise followed a grandfather's reading of a fairy tale story to his sick grandson. The story itself contained pirates, sword-fights, giants, giant rodents, a pit of despair (because who doesn't need one of those), true love, and a near Python-esque humor. It was too self-aware, too meta decades too early. (80's movies, with few notable exceptions, weren't generally well-known for awareness and introspection.) This fairy tale was lacking in magic & magical creatures and had an overabundance of dry wit, self-deprecation, and zaniness.</div>
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It wasn't a surprise that this movie hadn't been popular. One look at the poster probably told people too little to know what they were getting into, and movie trailers were still transitioning from the structure of yesteryear to what we recognize today, making it likely that it might have turned people off, rather than persuading them. Worse yet, that summer had a hellish release schedule, with <i>Adventures in Babysitting</i>, <i>Innerspace</i>, <i>Full Metal Jacket</i>, <i>RoboCop</i>, <i>La Bamba</i>, <i>The Living Daylights</i>, <i>The Lost Boys</i>, and sequels for <i>Jaws</i>, <i>Revenge of the Nerds</i>, and <i>Superman</i>, all opening in July <i>alone</i>. This was followed the rest of the summer by <i>Stakeout</i>, <i>Can't Buy Me Love</i>, <i>Dirty Dancing</i>, <i>The Big Easy</i>, <i>Fatal Attraction</i>, <i>Hellraiser</i>, and <i>The Pick-up Artist</i>.</div>
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People were exhausted. A weird little meta-comedy about fairy tales may have been too much as folks settled back into their autumn [read: school] routines. And that should have been the end of it.</div>
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But instead of fading into obscurity, something else happened to this <i>funny little movie</i>. It turned out that this peculiar fairy tale had not come and gone without notice. People who had seen it in the theaters had contributed to its numbers by telling their friends, co-workers, random people on the street, that they <i>needed</i> to see this movie. And when it came out on video, people caught on. They started talking about it. They started <i>quoting </i>it...and they refused to stop. And then it hit cable...</div>
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This is where I come in....</div>
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I was only 10 years old when I first saw this movie...well, when I first saw <i>part</i> of it. I will never forget the day at my aunt and uncle's house I walked into their living room to the sights and sounds of... well, I didn't know what. We were visiting on vacation (I can't say which, it might have been Christmas), and while I can tell you that the movie was on HBO, I can't tell you what part I came in on. In fact, because I had come into this movie part way through, I had no context for the random switches between fairy tale world and a child's modern bedroom. I don't remember anything except I didn't know what was happening. It wasn't like I was new to movies. I'd been watching them since I could remember. But somehow, this movie baffled me. </div>
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I count this as a stroke of luck, because not having any idea what was going on meant that when I watched it again, I had no idea who The Man in Black was. I got to experience it totally fresh. And, really, that's not something you want spoiled. </div>
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Things progressed rather quickly from there. <i>The Princess Bride</i> achieved cult classic status. It certainly became one of my favorite movies of all time, not least because of its quotability factor. Quoting this movie was a way to connect with others. I was uncool, so finding people who could quote this movie meant they were uncool, too, which somehow meant we were cool, where we were in a secret club where the password was a spot on Peter Cook impression. I still consider this to be the most quotable movie of all time. </div>
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Before you comment, I require certain criteria for such a statement. For one, it can't be a musical. Musicals are, by their very nature, meant to be re-quoted, re-<i>sung</i>, in fact, and are therefore disqualified for the purposes of this process (sorry, Frankfurter fans). </div>
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Second, "of all time" implies that the piece in question has withstood the test of time, but how much time are we talking? I personally like approximately 25 years to call something a classic, at least in modern terms. Why? I have a theory on this, but basically, it boils down to the length of time spaced between familial generations (which I estimate to be around 25 years), the trends of style, which I theorize are on a 25 year (give or take) cycle (hence the return of 50's & 60's style in the 80's, and disco music in the late 90's), and public attention span, which is about as focused as a swarm of gnats. As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the movie's release today, we can see the first two criteria are met. </div>
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Another requirement is less a steadfast rule and more of a feeling. In order to achieve "most quotable", one has to assume that other people will get it. That means there has to be some degree of popularity. That makes this particularly important, as we already established that this was a sleeper hit, not at all popular at its beginning. To bounce back and achieve renown so well adds bonus points in this category. Another movie I quote the crap out of, <i>My Science Project</i>, is one that virtually no one has ever heard of, and with fairly good reason. It's even more obscure and ridiculous than <i>TPB</i>, and therefore doesn't make the cut. </div>
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Still, what about greats like <i>Monty Python and the Holy Grail</i>? Surely that's even more quotable? </div>
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Which brings me to a final criterion for this situation. I love the <i>Flying Circus</i> and have been known to quote along with the best of them. Their work is some of the finest comedy ever to grace humanity, and <i>Holy Grail</i> is, to my mind, their funniest movie. </div>
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Here's the thing, though. There's so much to their dialogue (entire sections that don't make sense unless you do the whole scene) that people get their quotes wrong all the time. And not a little wrong, but painfully wrong.</div>
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And so, the quotable sections must also be...accessible, shall we say? They must actually be "quote"-able, and not "paraphrase"-able. </div>
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Of course, I made these criteria up out of thin air, so ...yeah. You will have your own, and that's just fine.</div>
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So, what is it about this movie? Surely it's not just the quotes. If that were all, we could watch <i>Spaceballs</i> (another highly quotable movie), and call it a day.</div>
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Perhaps it's the swashbuckling. The fight between Inigo and The Man in Black is not only good, it's epic. The fact that the actors trained and did the entire fight sequence (except for one flip) all themselves, learning to fight both right <i>and</i> left-handed, should not be dismissed. It is still considered by many to be the <a href="https://io9.gizmodo.com/5895092/10-of-the-most-awesome-sword-fight-scenes-ever">best sword-fight of all time</a>. Even my college fencing club watched this movie on regular rotation.</div>
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No, for this to work, the movie had to have something really special. Because it was all of the elements above, the quotes ("Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."), the comedy, the swashbuckling, the death-defying feats, and yes, the ROUSs that make this movie special. </div>
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The performances are brilliant; casting was perfect for this, and the banter during the great fencing scene is reminiscent of so many classic swashbuckling films like <i>Captain Blood</i> and <i>Zorro</i>. Douglas Fairbanks would have been proud.</div>
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One thing I noticed on viewing this for the anniversary a couple nights ago, was Inigo's early comment to The Man in Black that there was no money in revenge. As Wesley would later offer up Captain's position of his pirate ship <i>Revenge</i>, there obviously <i>is</i> money in revenge. The fact that I just noticed this - after 30 years and literally hundreds of viewings - proves that this movie still has the ability to surprise. </div>
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Or maybe I'm just slow.</div>
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A big factor for me was the movie's inherent permission to be silly. When Fezzini, an irate Sicilian war instigator begins yelling at his crew to get the ship going, it is classic villain stuff...until he starts yelling "move that thing, and...that <i>other</i> thing!" I have since come to call the words "thing" or "thingy" and "stuff" the highest of technical terms. Thank you, Shawn Wallace.</div>
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But at the end of it all, there's this love. Inigo's love for his lost father. Wesley and Buttercup's true love. And the love of a grandfather reading to his sick grandson...something we should all be able to relate to. Even if it never happened in our real life, we watched along when we were sick, when we were happy, when we were sad. And we loved.</div>
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And that's worth 30 years.<br />
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<b>Title</b>: The Princess Bride</div>
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<b>Based on</b>: the book by William Goldman</div>
<b>Released</b>: October 9th, 1987 (USA)<br />
<b>Genre</b>: Fantasy / Adventure / Comedy<br />
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<b>Director</b>: Rob Reiner</div>
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<b>Writer</b>: William Goldman</div>
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<b>Music</b>: Mark Knopfler</div>
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<b>Actors/Actresses</b>: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Andre the Giant, Carol Kane, Billy Crystal, Peter Falk<br />
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<b>Quote</b>: </div>
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Fezzini: Inconceivable!</div>
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Inigo: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-21192974259675479292017-09-27T01:49:00.001-05:002017-11-10T00:18:30.515-06:00Posts coming soon!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3451999230077663306.post-58535103595518594442017-09-26T03:19:00.000-05:002017-11-10T00:30:56.668-06:00Posts coming soon!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0