This Friday marks the premiere of what is supposed to be the last Star Wars movie, The Rise of Skywalker. As is my tradition, I am watching all of the movies this week before I go to see the new movie. I wanted to record some thoughts I had about the prequel trilogy that I thought I had written down in the past, but apparently did not. I do want to emphasize that my commentary is based solely on the movies and not on any books, particularly since the only books I have read are those that take place after Return of the Jedi.
I know that for a lot of people, the prequel trilogy is awful, but I have always been rather fond of the movies. Granted, there are some things that are annoying (Jar Jar Binks being the prime example), but I find that the trilogy is an excellent reframing of the original trilogy. In the original trilogy, the story is about Luke, the redemption of his father, and the discovery of his sister. The prequel trilogy reframes the entire thing as an exploration of the rise, fall, and rerise of Anakin Skywalker and explains why he fell and how this same thing allowed him to redeem himself.
In The Phantom Menace, we are introduced to a very young Anakin Skywalker who is a slave on Tatooine and is freed by Qai Gon Jinn, the master of a very young Obi Wan Kenobi. He is taken away from his mother to be trained by the Jedi, who are very reluctant to train someone as old as he is (and he is 8 or 9). In fact, they refuse at first, but Qai Gon forces the issue and, after his death, allow Obi Wan Kenobi to train Anakin. We are also introduced to Queen Amidala (aka Padme Naberrie), a women with whom Anakin is very clearly smitten. In Attack of the Clones, we see Anakin after 10 years. He and Obi Wan are charged with protecting the now-Senator Padme after an assassination attempt. His feelings seem to have intensified over the last decade and it is clear that she starts to return the feelings after some initial reluctance, due (at least in part, presumably) to his age and due (at least in part as stated in the film) to his status as a Jedi Padawan (they vow to have no external attachments). Despite all of this, they eventually get married. In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin becomes obsessed with how to keep Padme from dying (as he has seen in a dream), particularly after his mother died in his arms in Attack of the Clones. He is also shown to be close to Chancellor Palpatine, who has been a mentor and father figure when Anakin really hasn't had one. Yes, Obi Wan has been his Jedi Master, but he has not been the father figure that Anakin never had growing up. The relationship with Palpatine, along with the obsession over with protecting Padme, opens Anakin up to manipulation by Palpatine. In addition, the Jedi Council has been so busy protecting their secrets and prerogatives that doubts about who they are and how good (or not) they are have been planted into Anakin's head and subsequently watered by Palpatine.
To take a step further back, we have to acknowledge that there are many cult-like aspects to the Jedi. They insist on unquestioning obedience (questioning really got Qai Gon into trouble on many occasions) and generally only accept very young children for training. Based on what we see, it seems that the reason they only accept young children is because young children have less to unlearn and are more malleable than older children. By insisting that all Jedi cut themselves off from individual attachments, the Jedi make the children dependent solely on each other and the rest of the Jedi. But if the Jedi are supposed to guard the Republic, this is not a good thing. These qualities cut the Jedi off from the rest of the galaxy and promote a very navel gazing attitude. We also see that they refuse to change, which leads them to further conflict, particularly with Anakin. Granted, he is egotistical, but a certain amount of egotism is understandable. He is a gifted fighter and pilot who is tremendously strong in the Force. But rather than work with him, the Council is suspicious of him and this draws him even closer to Palpatine, who uses the flaws of the Jedi to break Anakin off from them.
In addition to the philosophical differences with the Jedi, Anakin also is obsessed with (as I said before) ensuring that he does not lose Padme the way he lost his mother. He loves her so much that he wants to find a way to conquer death so she can live with him forever. I will be the first to grant that this is more properly labelled obsession, but I think we also have to acknowledge that it is borne out of at least two traumatic acts. First, when he was taken from his mother when he was 9 and then when he lost her when he was 19. Add to that the number of comrades he had to have lost in the Clone Wars, and his obsession is somewhat understandable. To push someone from love to obsession under such circumstances is not that hard. So when Palpatine offers him a way to make sure that Padme will not die; particularly when coupled with his doubts about the Jedi; Anakin leaps at the opportunity and becomes Darth Vader. He does go crazy (temporarily at least) and Force strangles Padme when he sees Obi Wan come off the ship she flew in to see him because he thinks she betrayed him. This act ends up killing her and hardens his heart, which completes his turn to the Vader we see in A New Hope.
This same love is ultimately what saves him. When he discovers that his children are still alive, he starts down a path to end the Emperor. At first, he plots to overthrow the Emperor, but eventually he decides to save Luke by killing the Emperor when the Emperor is killing Luke by attacking him with Force lightning. So love corrupted caused him to turn to the Dark Side and love also caused him to turn back to the Light Side. This is the balance that Qai Gon mentioned in The Phantom Menace. Not the triumph of Light or Dark, but the two being balanced with neither prevailing. If Light prevails, it ossifies and becomes a rigid tradition for the sake of tradition. If Dark prevails, it causes chaos and pure self-interest that ultimately destroys. So the balance must be maintained (a similar idea exists in Babylon 5).
If you look at the prequels in this way, you can see that they are necessary because they show what happens when the Light rules unchecked. So I would hope that the end of The Rise of Skywalker will help bring us back into balance with neither side prevailing because that is what is ultimately needed. Not for Light to beat the Dark, but for Light and Dark to find a way to balance each other so that the galaxy is not tipped towards chaos nor ossified by order.
Monday, December 16, 2019
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Some Thoughts on Love, Simon
I just saw Love, Simon for the second time in theaters, which is really unusual for me. Actually, the only time I have ever seen a movie more than once in theaters was when I saw Good Will Hunting three times in a weekend at a discount theater when I was in college.
Love, Simon (for those of you who do not know) is a movie based on a book. It is a fairly standard teen romance movie, except for the fact that the main character is gay. The movie revolves around Simon writing with another closeted gay kid at his school. Simon is blackmailed by another student who has seen the emails. Simon is forced to do some pretty mean things to his friends in order to stay in the closet because the guy who has his emails likes one of his friends. Eventually the whole thing comes out and Simon's friends shun him because of what he did. It ends with Simon and the other closeted kid ultimately getting together. I won't reveal who the kid is, just in case you haven't seen the movie yet.
The reason I really love the movie is because it is so relatable. If you are queer, you will know the terror that Simon feels when he is threatened with being outed. Coming out of the closet is a terrifying and deeply personal process, and to have yourself prematurely outed is quite possibly the worst thing that can happen to someone who is not ready to come out yet. Coming out is about you telling the world who you are on a deep level and to have that choice ripped out of your hands is traumatizing in a way that is very hard to explain. I was lucky that I was able to come out on my own terms when I was ready, even if I was in my 20s at the time. I can't imagine what it would be like to have someone take that choice away from me. When Simon confronts the guy who outed him, he says that "Coming out is my thing and you took that away from me!" (or words close to that). That is absolutely the case. When people say that "Oh I knew that he/she was gay!" or "Oh, yeah, I knew it.", they are trivializing what it means to come out. It is not about you and what you know or think you know, it's about the person coming out revealing who they are to you. Even if you suspected, never say that. Thank the person for coming out to you and revealing who they are.
Another part I loved about the movie is that they had a montage where the Simon's friends came out tot heir parents as heterosexual, which was in some of the trailers. I loved that because we do live in a heteronormative world where people assume that you are heterosexual unless you specifically say otherwise. Watching the parents reactions, especially the over the top black mother, was completely hilarious. It was also very satisfying to see.
Something else that was relatable was watching Simon try and figure out his feelings and when he tried to flirt with other guys without actually flirting. One of my favorite scenes was at the beginning of the movies (also in trailers) where Simon compliments a guy on his boots after surreptitiously watching him from his window. I remember trying to covertly watch guys and see who I thought was hot. I'm sure lots of straight guys (and girls) do it too, but they can be more open about it because heterosexual is the default in our world.
Then there was the scene where one of Simon's girl friends wanted to talk about hot guys with him after he came out to her (before the emails were released). It was totally awkward and super funny. He so did not know how to handle the whole situation, particularly because there was already a guy who he liked, even though the guy turned out to be straight. Again, this is something I can totally relate to. I remember guy watching with my sister after I came out. It was a little awkward at first, but it was still lots of fun to do.
I also loved the way his parents handled everything. His dad failed at first, trying to use awkward humour to deflect the moment, but Simon's mom was perfect. She let Simon come to her in his own time and talk when he was ready. I did love that Simon's dad redeemed himself and apologized for anything that he had done which made Simon feel uncomfortable about coming out earlier. When he hugged Simon, I had flashbacks to the time I came out to my dad and he hugged me and just thanked me for telling him. That was perfect.
Then there was the scene where Simon came out to his family. n voice overs and emails with Blue (the other kid), he said that he hadn't come out because he didn't want things to change. And that is the thing about coming out. While you are still the same person (as Simon asserts), you are revealing something major about yourself that will invariably affect how people see you. And that is very, very scary.
My only quibble with the movie is that Nick Robinson, who played Simon, is straight. While not totally disqualifying, I think I would have preferred seeing a gay guy actually play the Simon in the movie. Not a huge thing, but it would have been nice.
I really hope that this movie is the first movie of its kind. Representation is important and having mainstream studios make a movie which shows the process of coming out and what it can be like to be a closeted person in the world we live in. Please go see this movie because while it may not be a perfect movie or the ultimate, it is an honest representation of growing up queer.
Love, Simon (for those of you who do not know) is a movie based on a book. It is a fairly standard teen romance movie, except for the fact that the main character is gay. The movie revolves around Simon writing with another closeted gay kid at his school. Simon is blackmailed by another student who has seen the emails. Simon is forced to do some pretty mean things to his friends in order to stay in the closet because the guy who has his emails likes one of his friends. Eventually the whole thing comes out and Simon's friends shun him because of what he did. It ends with Simon and the other closeted kid ultimately getting together. I won't reveal who the kid is, just in case you haven't seen the movie yet.
The reason I really love the movie is because it is so relatable. If you are queer, you will know the terror that Simon feels when he is threatened with being outed. Coming out of the closet is a terrifying and deeply personal process, and to have yourself prematurely outed is quite possibly the worst thing that can happen to someone who is not ready to come out yet. Coming out is about you telling the world who you are on a deep level and to have that choice ripped out of your hands is traumatizing in a way that is very hard to explain. I was lucky that I was able to come out on my own terms when I was ready, even if I was in my 20s at the time. I can't imagine what it would be like to have someone take that choice away from me. When Simon confronts the guy who outed him, he says that "Coming out is my thing and you took that away from me!" (or words close to that). That is absolutely the case. When people say that "Oh I knew that he/she was gay!" or "Oh, yeah, I knew it.", they are trivializing what it means to come out. It is not about you and what you know or think you know, it's about the person coming out revealing who they are to you. Even if you suspected, never say that. Thank the person for coming out to you and revealing who they are.
Another part I loved about the movie is that they had a montage where the Simon's friends came out tot heir parents as heterosexual, which was in some of the trailers. I loved that because we do live in a heteronormative world where people assume that you are heterosexual unless you specifically say otherwise. Watching the parents reactions, especially the over the top black mother, was completely hilarious. It was also very satisfying to see.
Something else that was relatable was watching Simon try and figure out his feelings and when he tried to flirt with other guys without actually flirting. One of my favorite scenes was at the beginning of the movies (also in trailers) where Simon compliments a guy on his boots after surreptitiously watching him from his window. I remember trying to covertly watch guys and see who I thought was hot. I'm sure lots of straight guys (and girls) do it too, but they can be more open about it because heterosexual is the default in our world.
Then there was the scene where one of Simon's girl friends wanted to talk about hot guys with him after he came out to her (before the emails were released). It was totally awkward and super funny. He so did not know how to handle the whole situation, particularly because there was already a guy who he liked, even though the guy turned out to be straight. Again, this is something I can totally relate to. I remember guy watching with my sister after I came out. It was a little awkward at first, but it was still lots of fun to do.
I also loved the way his parents handled everything. His dad failed at first, trying to use awkward humour to deflect the moment, but Simon's mom was perfect. She let Simon come to her in his own time and talk when he was ready. I did love that Simon's dad redeemed himself and apologized for anything that he had done which made Simon feel uncomfortable about coming out earlier. When he hugged Simon, I had flashbacks to the time I came out to my dad and he hugged me and just thanked me for telling him. That was perfect.
Then there was the scene where Simon came out to his family. n voice overs and emails with Blue (the other kid), he said that he hadn't come out because he didn't want things to change. And that is the thing about coming out. While you are still the same person (as Simon asserts), you are revealing something major about yourself that will invariably affect how people see you. And that is very, very scary.
My only quibble with the movie is that Nick Robinson, who played Simon, is straight. While not totally disqualifying, I think I would have preferred seeing a gay guy actually play the Simon in the movie. Not a huge thing, but it would have been nice.
I really hope that this movie is the first movie of its kind. Representation is important and having mainstream studios make a movie which shows the process of coming out and what it can be like to be a closeted person in the world we live in. Please go see this movie because while it may not be a perfect movie or the ultimate, it is an honest representation of growing up queer.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Mockingjay, Part 1
Welcome
to the second to last movie based off of the Hunger Games books. The journey has been long and arduous, but
the Mockingjay continues on her quest for revenge.
Katniss
Everdeen has been on quite the journey over the past few years. She has gone from a girl who wanted to save
her sister to the face of the rebellion against the Capitol. And she has not emerged unscathed. She is currently a profoundly damaged individual
who has seen and lost more than anyone can reasonably expect to deal with. She has been forced into a relationship she
didn’t seek even though she does love the boy, she has seen friends and allies
murdered, her home has been destroyed, the president has personally threatened
her and her loved ones, and her allies have lied to and used her. Anyone who can emerge from all of this
undamaged has something wrong with them, and Katniss most definitely does not
have anything wrong with her.
Jennifer
Lawrence did a marvelous job showing the effects that the past two years have
had on Katniss. While retaining the core
of strength that has helped Katniss survive, Jennifer also shows the
vulnerability that Katniss has. She
cares so much about the people in her life and has such empathy for other
people that she often has to wall herself away to maintain any semblance of
sanity. She was at her best in the scene
in the hospital in District 8 when she said that she was the Mockingjay and
would fight for everyone. That
particular scene was incredibly touching and very poignant. Yet, just a few minutes later, she showed
another side of Katniss, the fire and drive that has made her the enemy that
President Snow so fears. The ironic
thing is that President Snow had a huge part in making her that enemy. Like many tyrants, he laid the groundwork
that created his ultimate enemy, the implacable foe who will do almost anything
to stop him.
Josh
Hutcherson continued to a wonderful job as Peeta Mellark. While it was never specifically stated, I
suspect that the Capitol threatened Katniss if he did not do what they
wanted. He toed the line to keep peace,
which is in keeping with the Peeta we have seen in the earlier films, but when
he saw Katniss in the ruins of District 12, that was enough to get him to rebel
against the Capitol himself. And in the final
scenes where he attacked Katniss and where he was restrained in the bed, we saw
the damage that has been done to him.
The closest thing this universe has to a white hat has been permanently
damaged by what the Capitol has done to him.
The
rest of the cast also did a great job.
Julianne Moore played President Coin with a quiet strength that conceals
a dangerous enmity towards anyone who crosses her. The late Phillip Seymour Hoffman showed
Plutarch Heavensbee out of his comfort zone, but desperately trying to maintain
control of the situation. Liam Hemsworth
gave us more depth to Gale Hawthorne in just a few scenes than we have gotten
from the previous 2 movies together. And
Elizabeth Banks gave us a sartorially toned down Effie Trinket, without missing
any of her personality.
Ever
since they announced that the book would be split into two movies, a lot of
people have bene complaining that it was only done for money. While I have no doubt that was a part of the
decision, I also want to note that had they tried to fit everything from the
book into one movie, they would have had to cut out huge swaths of the story,
which would have caused these same people to complain about that. So pick whether you want to have more of the
story from the book or only one movie.
Personally, I go with the former and am very glad that they chose that
route.
As
for the ending, I have read other reviews where people complained that it
seemed sudden. Had I been given a choice
where to end the book, I would have chosen one of two spots: when they chose or
when Katniss announced that she wanted to go to the Capitol to kill President
Snow. I think this ending, where you saw
Peeta through a window framed by Katniss’ horrified face, made for the perfect
ending to lead us to the final movie next year.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Shelter
I can't believe that I've never written about the film Shelter. The film is easily in my top 10 list (would put it at 6 or 7) and is one of those movies that I have a very hard time getting too much of. If you want a synopsis of the film, click on the link above which does a good job at summarizing the film.
Plotwise, it is a fairly boiler plate film. As one critic put it, "Shelter is a gay movie like other American gay movies. Boy meets boy. Boy comes out. Boys fight opposition. Opposition caves. If there's life beyond the closet, too few movies know it exists." While this is harsh, it is also essentially true. Most LGBT movies that I have seen end with a dramatic scene where a homophobic person is confronted and backs down. But then again, a lot of romances and other movies end on a similar note, so this is not a conceit peculiar to the genre.
The reason I love this film is that you can really relate to the characters of Zach and Shaun. Zach is a pretty normal guy who realizes that he has feelings for Shaun after Shaun kisses him. In an interview, Trevor Wright (who plays Zach) said that Zach "didn’t know if he was gay or straight. He wasn’t 'born gay.' He had such a strong bond with this guy and was so intrigued by Shaun’s character that Zack just dove in for it and really wanted to explore the idea where he did find himself being truly attracted to this guy. That’s what I’m such a supporter in the community, doing the NOH8 campaigns, and talking to the fans." I found it a very nice take on the character and the genre. All too often, these sorts of films fall into major cliches and this movie managed to avoid a lot of those, so that was nice.
What I loved the most is that Zach really struggled with how he should handle the situation. His sister didn't want her son (Cody) hanging out with Shaun because Shaun would be a bad influence, and this had a major effect on Zach because he always put his family before himself. He declined an opportunity to go to art school (on a full scholarship!) to help his sister and nephew out. He also was rather obviously trying to reconcile the fact that he was falling in love with his best friend's older brother, which could be potentially awkward.
Shaun, on the other hand, was always sure that he wanted Zach and was invariably supportive of Zach and his endeavors. Unbeknownst to Zach, Shaun sent his portfolio to the art school again (and he was accepted again). He also cared deeply for Cody and did what he could to help him out. I also liked that he was not above using a verbal 2x4 on Zach when necessary. That is always a good thing.
It's really hard to explain more because so much of my love for the movie stems from my personal experiences which I have already written about extensively in various places. Overall, the movie is one with a big, thumping heart and a whole lot of charm. If you haven't seen it, give it a shot. If you like gay romances, I can practically guarantee that you'll love Shelter.
Plotwise, it is a fairly boiler plate film. As one critic put it, "Shelter is a gay movie like other American gay movies. Boy meets boy. Boy comes out. Boys fight opposition. Opposition caves. If there's life beyond the closet, too few movies know it exists." While this is harsh, it is also essentially true. Most LGBT movies that I have seen end with a dramatic scene where a homophobic person is confronted and backs down. But then again, a lot of romances and other movies end on a similar note, so this is not a conceit peculiar to the genre.
The reason I love this film is that you can really relate to the characters of Zach and Shaun. Zach is a pretty normal guy who realizes that he has feelings for Shaun after Shaun kisses him. In an interview, Trevor Wright (who plays Zach) said that Zach "didn’t know if he was gay or straight. He wasn’t 'born gay.' He had such a strong bond with this guy and was so intrigued by Shaun’s character that Zack just dove in for it and really wanted to explore the idea where he did find himself being truly attracted to this guy. That’s what I’m such a supporter in the community, doing the NOH8 campaigns, and talking to the fans." I found it a very nice take on the character and the genre. All too often, these sorts of films fall into major cliches and this movie managed to avoid a lot of those, so that was nice.
What I loved the most is that Zach really struggled with how he should handle the situation. His sister didn't want her son (Cody) hanging out with Shaun because Shaun would be a bad influence, and this had a major effect on Zach because he always put his family before himself. He declined an opportunity to go to art school (on a full scholarship!) to help his sister and nephew out. He also was rather obviously trying to reconcile the fact that he was falling in love with his best friend's older brother, which could be potentially awkward.
Shaun, on the other hand, was always sure that he wanted Zach and was invariably supportive of Zach and his endeavors. Unbeknownst to Zach, Shaun sent his portfolio to the art school again (and he was accepted again). He also cared deeply for Cody and did what he could to help him out. I also liked that he was not above using a verbal 2x4 on Zach when necessary. That is always a good thing.
It's really hard to explain more because so much of my love for the movie stems from my personal experiences which I have already written about extensively in various places. Overall, the movie is one with a big, thumping heart and a whole lot of charm. If you haven't seen it, give it a shot. If you like gay romances, I can practically guarantee that you'll love Shelter.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Some thoughts on Amazing Spider-Man 2
Unlike my look at the first Amazing Spider-Man movie, this one is going to examine the story, so I will put in some spoiler space. If you have not seen the movie and do not want to be spoiled, please do not read any further. Otherwise, please continue....
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Ok, that should be enough space. To put it simply, I was disappointed in this movie. The first one was so awesome that I had high hopes for this movie. Also, from the previews, I had certain expectations which were not really met at all. Don't get me wrong, I did not hate the movie, but it did leave me feeling like I was missing something or like the movie was incomplete.
First, what I liked. Andrew Garfield did another amazing job as Spider-Man. He has obviously been working out because he has lost some of the skinny twinkishness that he had in the last film in favor of a little more buff body. And, just like last time, his chemistry with Emma Stone (and with Dane DeHaan) is incredible. Everything seemed so effortless where he was concerned. Emma Stone played a bit more of a secondary role this time, but did a great job with what she had. Dane DeHaan did a wonderful job as Harry Osborn, very different from James Franco who had more idealism and innocence to his character, whereas DeHaan played him as more bitter at his father and life.
My main problem with the movie is that it lacked focus. There were 3 villains (Electro, Green Goblin, and Rhino) any of whom could have made wonderful villains on their own, but who suffered because there was too much going on to really develop any of them. In fact, they were almost incidental to showing how bad Oscorp was and how they were responsible for Parker's parents death. There seemed to be a lot of dangling plot threads that were just left hanging. Also, in most of the previews, there was a scene where Harry told Peter that Oscorp had a file on him. That was never in the movie. If it had been there, I think it would have really added to the main story.
I really think the movie should have focused on one, maybe two, villains and that would have made it much better. I did love both Jamie Foxx as Electro and Dane DeHaan as the Green Goblin, but the Green Goblin was only in a very small portion of the movie and seemed to mainly serve to kill Gwen Stacy. Then there was the ending which ended in the middle of a fight. That was just a weird choice. Not awful, but definitely weird.
I suspect that they are setting things up for the next movie, and if that is so, I may change my mind about this one. But as the movie stands now, I can only give it 3 stars at best. Worth watching and fun, but definitely not making the most of the potential that they had. I really hope that the third movie (assuming they make one) is better, because this one was a disappointment.
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Ok, that should be enough space. To put it simply, I was disappointed in this movie. The first one was so awesome that I had high hopes for this movie. Also, from the previews, I had certain expectations which were not really met at all. Don't get me wrong, I did not hate the movie, but it did leave me feeling like I was missing something or like the movie was incomplete.
First, what I liked. Andrew Garfield did another amazing job as Spider-Man. He has obviously been working out because he has lost some of the skinny twinkishness that he had in the last film in favor of a little more buff body. And, just like last time, his chemistry with Emma Stone (and with Dane DeHaan) is incredible. Everything seemed so effortless where he was concerned. Emma Stone played a bit more of a secondary role this time, but did a great job with what she had. Dane DeHaan did a wonderful job as Harry Osborn, very different from James Franco who had more idealism and innocence to his character, whereas DeHaan played him as more bitter at his father and life.
My main problem with the movie is that it lacked focus. There were 3 villains (Electro, Green Goblin, and Rhino) any of whom could have made wonderful villains on their own, but who suffered because there was too much going on to really develop any of them. In fact, they were almost incidental to showing how bad Oscorp was and how they were responsible for Parker's parents death. There seemed to be a lot of dangling plot threads that were just left hanging. Also, in most of the previews, there was a scene where Harry told Peter that Oscorp had a file on him. That was never in the movie. If it had been there, I think it would have really added to the main story.
I really think the movie should have focused on one, maybe two, villains and that would have made it much better. I did love both Jamie Foxx as Electro and Dane DeHaan as the Green Goblin, but the Green Goblin was only in a very small portion of the movie and seemed to mainly serve to kill Gwen Stacy. Then there was the ending which ended in the middle of a fight. That was just a weird choice. Not awful, but definitely weird.
I suspect that they are setting things up for the next movie, and if that is so, I may change my mind about this one. But as the movie stands now, I can only give it 3 stars at best. Worth watching and fun, but definitely not making the most of the potential that they had. I really hope that the third movie (assuming they make one) is better, because this one was a disappointment.
Friday, November 29, 2013
My top 5 favorite movies of all time....
At work the other day, we were talking about favorite movies and that got me thinking about my favorite movies of all time. So, I decided to name my 5 favorite movies and explain why I love them each so much in order:
[1] Latter Days- My favorite movie is Latter Days, which is a movie written because the director (C. Jay Cox) was wondering what would happen if the person he is now could meet the person he was when he was younger. The movie is about a Mormon missionary, Aaron (played by Steve Sandvoss), on a mission in California who meets Christian (played by Wes Ramsey), a young, gay party animal. The two of them meet and fall in love, only to be caught hand have Aaron sent home in disgrace. See, at first Christian has a bet that he can't fool around with one of the Mormon missionaries, but thanks to Aaron, Christian realizes that there is more to life than the next trick. Aaron attempts suicide and is sent to be "rehabilitated" when he realizes (thanks to a music video) that Christian does love him. So, he goes back to LA and reconnects with Aaron. I know it sounds very after school specialish, but the movie is really one with heart and soul. After I saw this movie, I knew how incredibly lucky I was to have family and friends who accepted me for who I am. My favorite line is the last line of the movie, as the whole gang in LA sits down as a family and Aaron says: "Sometimes it all still feels like a mass of dots. But more and more these days, I feel like we're all connected. And it's beautiful... and funny... and good."
[2] To Save a Life- This is a movie about a popular guy in high school, Jake (played by Randy Wayne) who sees a former friend from middle school bring a gun to school and commit suicide. This event sends him on a quest to find meaning to life. He ends up in a church and connects with the youth pastor and other people there. Gradually, he opens his circle to other kids who are unpopular until he discovers that his ex is pregnant and he has a major crisis of faith. One of the unpopular kids is accused of a crime and Jake helps to vindicate him and then sets up a website in honor of his friend who committed suicide. In the end, the guy tells Jake that he had been contemplating suicide until the day when Jake talked to him and made him a part of the group. Again, maybe a little after school specialish, but the message is wonderful. While you may never make a huge difference, as you go through life, you touch the lives of others in ways you may never know. I also talk about the movie here.
[3] The Perks of Being a Wallflower- This movie is based off of a book by Steven Chbosky. Logan Lerman plays Charlie, a troubled and introverted high school freshman who is befriended by Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller), two seniors who make him a part of their group. The movie shows how Charlie grows, lives, learns, and loves over the course of his freshman year. The book is wonderful and since Steven Chbosky also wrote and directed the film, the big thumping heart of this awesome book really comes through.
[4] Defying Gravity- This was actually the first "gay" movie I ever saw and as such, it occupies a special spot in my heart. The movie is about Griff (Daniel Chilson), a frat boy in a secret relationship with Pete (Don Handfield) who is attacked by some men shortly after he and Griff have a fight about whether or not they should reveal their relationship. Griff is forced to grapple with his secret and eventually reveals his secret to his best friend. He eventually discovers that the attackers were members of his own frat and after they are arrested, he moves into Pete's room. This movie really helped me to discover who I was and made me think about what I wanted out of my life.
[5] The Amazing Spider-Man- This movie shouldn't need much explanation. I know this is radically different from the other movies, but I do love superhero movies and I think this was, by far, the best Spider-Man movie I have seen. I wrote about this already here, so I really won't say much in this post.
Some of my other favorite movies are (in no particular order): X-Men: First Class, A Walk to Remember, Shelter, and Rock Haven (talked about here).
[1] Latter Days- My favorite movie is Latter Days, which is a movie written because the director (C. Jay Cox) was wondering what would happen if the person he is now could meet the person he was when he was younger. The movie is about a Mormon missionary, Aaron (played by Steve Sandvoss), on a mission in California who meets Christian (played by Wes Ramsey), a young, gay party animal. The two of them meet and fall in love, only to be caught hand have Aaron sent home in disgrace. See, at first Christian has a bet that he can't fool around with one of the Mormon missionaries, but thanks to Aaron, Christian realizes that there is more to life than the next trick. Aaron attempts suicide and is sent to be "rehabilitated" when he realizes (thanks to a music video) that Christian does love him. So, he goes back to LA and reconnects with Aaron. I know it sounds very after school specialish, but the movie is really one with heart and soul. After I saw this movie, I knew how incredibly lucky I was to have family and friends who accepted me for who I am. My favorite line is the last line of the movie, as the whole gang in LA sits down as a family and Aaron says: "Sometimes it all still feels like a mass of dots. But more and more these days, I feel like we're all connected. And it's beautiful... and funny... and good."
[2] To Save a Life- This is a movie about a popular guy in high school, Jake (played by Randy Wayne) who sees a former friend from middle school bring a gun to school and commit suicide. This event sends him on a quest to find meaning to life. He ends up in a church and connects with the youth pastor and other people there. Gradually, he opens his circle to other kids who are unpopular until he discovers that his ex is pregnant and he has a major crisis of faith. One of the unpopular kids is accused of a crime and Jake helps to vindicate him and then sets up a website in honor of his friend who committed suicide. In the end, the guy tells Jake that he had been contemplating suicide until the day when Jake talked to him and made him a part of the group. Again, maybe a little after school specialish, but the message is wonderful. While you may never make a huge difference, as you go through life, you touch the lives of others in ways you may never know. I also talk about the movie here.
[3] The Perks of Being a Wallflower- This movie is based off of a book by Steven Chbosky. Logan Lerman plays Charlie, a troubled and introverted high school freshman who is befriended by Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller), two seniors who make him a part of their group. The movie shows how Charlie grows, lives, learns, and loves over the course of his freshman year. The book is wonderful and since Steven Chbosky also wrote and directed the film, the big thumping heart of this awesome book really comes through.
[4] Defying Gravity- This was actually the first "gay" movie I ever saw and as such, it occupies a special spot in my heart. The movie is about Griff (Daniel Chilson), a frat boy in a secret relationship with Pete (Don Handfield) who is attacked by some men shortly after he and Griff have a fight about whether or not they should reveal their relationship. Griff is forced to grapple with his secret and eventually reveals his secret to his best friend. He eventually discovers that the attackers were members of his own frat and after they are arrested, he moves into Pete's room. This movie really helped me to discover who I was and made me think about what I wanted out of my life.
[5] The Amazing Spider-Man- This movie shouldn't need much explanation. I know this is radically different from the other movies, but I do love superhero movies and I think this was, by far, the best Spider-Man movie I have seen. I wrote about this already here, so I really won't say much in this post.
Some of my other favorite movies are (in no particular order): X-Men: First Class, A Walk to Remember, Shelter, and Rock Haven (talked about here).
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
On Looper *POTENTIAL SPOILERS*
My brother and I watched Looper on Sunday and loved it. However, after I watched it, I was thinking about it (as is my wont) and it occurred to me that during the climax/resolution of the movie, there was a major logical plot hole that throws the whole ending into a state of doubt. Of necessity, I am going to talk about the plot of the film and especially the climax/twist, so if you haven't seen it and don't want to be spoiled, turn back now.
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The movie is about a "looper" named Joe. A "looper" is someone living in 2044 who acts as an assassin for the mob from 2076 (I think). Basically, the mob sends back people who are to be killed and the loopers kill them. At some point, the future self of the looper is sent back to be killed as a part of what is called "closing the loop". Joe fails to kill his future self (reasons to be explained later) and spends a good portion of the movie trying to rectify that failure.
Turns out that in the original timeline, Joe killed his future self and then years later met a woman and fell in love. A mobster named the Rainmaker came into power and decided to close all of the loops. His men captured Joe who was going to go quietly His wife startled the henchmen and was accidentally shot and killed. Once he got to the time travel facility, Joe freed himself, killed all of the men and went back in time in order to kill the Rainmaker as a kid to prevent his rise to power and thereby save his wife's life.
When old Joe came back, he initiated a new timeline by his actions. Young Joe was injured and taken by a woman to a farm where she took care of him. Young Joe met her son, a young boy named Cid. Old Joe, meanwhile, went around killing 2 possible Rainmakers. Turns out that Cid was the third possibility.
During the climax of the film, old Joe has Cid in his gunsights when Cid's mom steps in the way to allow Cid to escape. Young Joe realizes that what old Joe is doing would cause Cid to become the Rainmaker and thereby cause the very event old Joe was trying to prevent. So, young Joe killed himself to erase old Joe from the timeline and cause Cid to not become the Rainmaker.
Ok, that all makes sense on the surface. However, there is a gaping hole in this logic. In the first timeline, another event had to have occurred to cause Cid to become the Rainmaker. We know this because at that point young Joe closed the loop. Therefore, we can conclude that since the Rainmaker still came about, something else happened that led him to become the Rainmaker. Therefore, Joe killing himself would not *NECESSARILY* prevent the rise of the Rainmaker.
I will grant that there are potential answers to the problem, however they are never addressed. In fact, this plot hole is never mentioned. Instead, the filmmakers seem to assume that the viewers will not notice the plot hole or think about it. I think this bugs me mainly because of the fact that the rest of the story fills in major plot holes, but having this huge one at the climatic moment is enough to cause me to doubt the efficaciousness of Joe's sacrifice.
If anyone can show me that I am wrong, I would appreciate it. My brother and I discussed this for about 30 minutes last night and couldn't see anyway to avoid this plot hole. We could come up with possible solutions, but they all seemed to be a bit of a leap in logic, so we couldn't resolve the issue.
Thoughts?
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The movie is about a "looper" named Joe. A "looper" is someone living in 2044 who acts as an assassin for the mob from 2076 (I think). Basically, the mob sends back people who are to be killed and the loopers kill them. At some point, the future self of the looper is sent back to be killed as a part of what is called "closing the loop". Joe fails to kill his future self (reasons to be explained later) and spends a good portion of the movie trying to rectify that failure.
Turns out that in the original timeline, Joe killed his future self and then years later met a woman and fell in love. A mobster named the Rainmaker came into power and decided to close all of the loops. His men captured Joe who was going to go quietly His wife startled the henchmen and was accidentally shot and killed. Once he got to the time travel facility, Joe freed himself, killed all of the men and went back in time in order to kill the Rainmaker as a kid to prevent his rise to power and thereby save his wife's life.
When old Joe came back, he initiated a new timeline by his actions. Young Joe was injured and taken by a woman to a farm where she took care of him. Young Joe met her son, a young boy named Cid. Old Joe, meanwhile, went around killing 2 possible Rainmakers. Turns out that Cid was the third possibility.
During the climax of the film, old Joe has Cid in his gunsights when Cid's mom steps in the way to allow Cid to escape. Young Joe realizes that what old Joe is doing would cause Cid to become the Rainmaker and thereby cause the very event old Joe was trying to prevent. So, young Joe killed himself to erase old Joe from the timeline and cause Cid to not become the Rainmaker.
Ok, that all makes sense on the surface. However, there is a gaping hole in this logic. In the first timeline, another event had to have occurred to cause Cid to become the Rainmaker. We know this because at that point young Joe closed the loop. Therefore, we can conclude that since the Rainmaker still came about, something else happened that led him to become the Rainmaker. Therefore, Joe killing himself would not *NECESSARILY* prevent the rise of the Rainmaker.
I will grant that there are potential answers to the problem, however they are never addressed. In fact, this plot hole is never mentioned. Instead, the filmmakers seem to assume that the viewers will not notice the plot hole or think about it. I think this bugs me mainly because of the fact that the rest of the story fills in major plot holes, but having this huge one at the climatic moment is enough to cause me to doubt the efficaciousness of Joe's sacrifice.
If anyone can show me that I am wrong, I would appreciate it. My brother and I discussed this for about 30 minutes last night and couldn't see anyway to avoid this plot hole. We could come up with possible solutions, but they all seemed to be a bit of a leap in logic, so we couldn't resolve the issue.
Thoughts?
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