Realmscapes

The Golden Age of RE--

We've had the Classic Age and the Golden Age... we've been at the height of the Blockbuster Age for nearly 30 years now. And thanks to Batman Begins we officially enter the Age of Rehash/Redo/Rerun/Remake/Reboot... take your pick.

Take a look at the film slate (over the past and) for the next few years--you'll see many familiar faces: Fun With Dick & Jane. Mr & Mrs Smith. Sleuth. The Incredible Hulk. Clash of the Titans. RoboCop. Highlander. Street Fighter. The Punisher. Hellraiser. Race to Witch Mountain. The Pink Panther. Halloween. Friday the 13th. The Wolf Man. The A-Team. A Christmas Carol. The Musketeer. The Dukes of Hazzard. I Am Legend. King Kong.

And these are the films that will be available when there isn't a sequel/triquel/quadquel on the screen.

It's not that a few of the above were not good candidates, it's that it is becoming very apparent that there is a waning of creativty going on. It's one thing if a film is remade because the first attempt bombed e.g. Lee's The Incredible Hulk. Damme's Street Fighter. Lundgren's The Punisher. But RoboCop? Clash of the Titans? Highlander? These are Classic films with a solid following of fans who deserve more than just a cliche "darker more realistic" story with visual effects update. RoboCop doesn't need a remake, it just needs a real sequel... Clash of the Titans doesn't need to be redone, not when there are a plethora of other Greek legends that haven't even been done ONCE... And Highlander doesn't need a reboot, it just needs writers who understand that Immortals are mere footnotes to History who fight there battles on the threshold of our awareness...

Hollywood still hasn't learned that what made The Golden Age of Cinema "Golden" was the understanding that EVERY film was a story of characters told by the Actors and Actresses. Everything else was so much garnish.

Academy Award Nominations

But before we get to the nominations...

"Two front-runners are violent, the third tells of greedy lawyers, the fourth of family betrayal and the fifth of teen pregnancy -- and that's the funny one."

The above is a very accurate quote from a Reuters article today about the Academy Awards. Given the films that could have been given a nomination, I think the above blurb is a perfect indicator of how Hollywood is so liberal and so out of touch with the average American movie-goer. Hollywood would much rather tout their anti-war, anti-capitalism, anti-Christian, anti-American, anti-Bush, anti-conservatism messages. Is it any wonder that the majority of films being celebrated at the Oscars are dark, cynical, depressing? Should it be surprising when it is reported tomorrow that the ratings will again be dismal (which will at least fit the mood of the night, eh?).

H-wood disgraces the most imporant reason for the success of film in the first place: escapism. Whether visiting dazzling new worlds or revisiting a time and place on our own, we want to escape to places where the knight in shining armour saves the princess, and right beats out wrong, again--only to discover that these virtues and strengths lie within all of us. That's what the goal of every film season should always be, and once upon a time was.

Hopefully you will find our nominees to be a better representation of the 2007 film season.

Americans and Their Film Preference

This article about what American movie-goers prefer to see at the theatre shouldn't really come as a surprise, but ironically seems to constantly be news to H-wood.

Violence in Film

It's tough to avoid violence in film these days. I haven't been all that thrilled about the clear and present increasing role that blood and gore plays in on the big screen the last decade. For a time, the violence factor forced me to pass on films I might otherwise have enjoyed. But I couldn't pass on Kingdom of Heaven, Gladiator, and The Patriot... couldn't skip Seraphim Falls and Rambo... and I needed to experience Pearl Harbor, We Were Soldiers, Saving Private Ryan, and The Passion of the Christ.

I have reconsidered my position on the role of violence in film. I still don't like it, but there is a part of me that believes that violence SHOULD play a role in the way a film tells its story when it is neccessary. Violence for the "gross out" factor is violence I will never support; blood and gore as an ingredient to the story is far difference from blood and gore AS the story i.e. the Saw franchise, Kill Bill.

Many of my fellow Christians would argue that advocating violence in film is against the principles of our faith. Yet I would respond that any decent perusal of the Biblical text will reveal as much brutal violence as any stomach can tolerate. The Biblical text doesn't leave much to the imagination when describing one of the Hebrew judges burying his knife (quite literally) into the obese stomach of an enemy leader, or what happened to Judas's body when its weight snapped the tree branch. And in fact the brutality that Jesus suffered at the hands of the Romans is meant to sober us as to just what it cost for our eternal redemption.

But what of the children? True that we should protect their innocence--and especially our daughters. But there comes a time when they all need to realise that this world isn't a cuddly place. Sooner or later they must learn that Heaven is as forever wonderful as this world is terrible--indeed hell with be far more terrible and brutal than this world ever will be. And boys must become men, for it is we that must protect our charges from the violent brutality of evil.

So where do we draw the line? I may admit that violence is necessary, but that doesn't mean that I believe God wants us to bathe in blood. As a writer, I always know when adding too much of a certain plot device is too much. As a student of film I can always tell when the filmmaker goes to far. The camera should never linger on violent acts, never draw them out; and violent act after violent act--no matter how swift--will start to numb the brain, and that isn't effective either.

The filmmaker must realise (and the vast majority do) when their blood and gore ceases to be the result of an equation and becomes mere spectacle. And although we cannot protect our children forever, violent films should not be created specifically for nor marketed directly to them--allow them their time of innocence; children should never be raised to believe that violence is cool or the first choice in a situation. They should be exposed to it as fact and the end-result of a sinful human nature, but never as glorified art.

When your Maximus voice cries, "Are you not entertained?" during a violent film, consider your response.

On Joker in The Dark Knight and Villains

In a recent LA Times article, the current Batman film franchise director, Christopher Nolan, is quoted as stating The Joker "sort of cuts through the film -- he's got no story arc, he's just a force of nature tearing through." This is exciting news because that is exactly how the character should function. What is even more exciting is that Nolan has also confirmed that Harvey Dent serves as this film's tragic-story "backbone", a character who will eventually add himself to Batman's gallery of archenemies.

Batman Begins already hit the characterisation of Batman out of the park, and now they're setting up The Joker AND Harvey Dent on the tee. It is often a mistaken belief that a villain must have his origins revealed for him to have impact. I have always been staunchly against writers giving readers/audiences a tour of a villain's background because it makes them a sympathetic figure. These days, everyone is too afraid to call Evil what it is--our current "poor thing" culture loves to give Evil an excuse for being evil.

The Joker is an amazing character. Batman hates his guts because The Joker represents the very fine line that seperates a "superhero" from a "supervillain". Harvey Dent hates his guts because The Joker embodies every law-breaking evil that Harvey has sworn a crusade against. No matter who it is, The Joker always and brilliantly exploits his opponents' Achilles Heel in a singular obssessive goal similar to The Devil's in our non-fiction world: to ruin Paradise.

It doesn't matter what The Joker's motives are. All that matters is that he means to destroy everything that is--and can be--good in this world for the simple reason that somewhere along the way it was destroyed for him. The Joker is perhaps the most selfish and exacting individuals in the history of fiction. Maybe even fiction's The Devil Incarnate.

2008 Film: Year in Review

Movies We Anticipated (Pre-Release):

Other Films of Interest (Post-Release; seen/no longer interested):
An American Carol, Appaloosa, Bangkok Dangerous, Expelled: No Intellignce Allowed, Fireproof, Hancock, Hellboy 2, Jumper, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar 2, Max Payne, Punisher: War Zone, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Final Inquiry, The Forbidden Kingdom, The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Spirit, Wall-E, Wanted

Final Analysis:
Coming Soon!

FILM AWARDS (click the link below the winners list to see a full list of the nominees):

Best Picture:
Best Picture in a Genre:
Best Original Screenplay:
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Best Action Sequence:
Best Score:
Best Original Song:
Best Ensemble Cast:
Best Actor:
Best Actress:
Best Supporting Actor:
Best Supporting Actress:
Best Cameo:
Best Tough Guy:
Best Onscreen Couple:
Best Poster Art Series:

2007 Film: Year in Review

Movies We Anticipated (Pre-Release):

Other Films of Interest (Post-Release; seen/no longer interested):
300, Amazing Grace, August Rush, Bee Movie, Beowulf, The Bourne Ultimatum, Breach, Eastern Promises, Elizabeth 2, Enchanted, I Am Legend, Meet the Robinsons, Ratatouille, Rescue Dawn, Seraphim Falls, Shrek 3, Stardust, The Condemned, The Game Plan, The Kingdom, The Last Legion, The Last Sin Eater, The Lives of Others, TMNT

Final Analysis:
This is was a pretty boring and disappointing year for movies--especially considering all the movies on the list. A lot of the films we had interest in got dropped (or eliminated from our list completely) because of political/religious elements we didn't feel like sitting through, a lack of originality in the plot, we determined the material to be depressing, or the violence/promescuity factor was far beyond our tolerance threshold (luckily I already know the Sweeney Todd story so I am spared from seeing Tim Burton gore it up; I trust Depp gave an awesome performace as usual).

And then there is ALL the films that had to (at the least) squeeze in the same-same "anti-war" liberal commentary on the War on Terror being fought in Iraq. The leftist position isn't hardly so deep that it needs more than a dozen films talking about it.

So, we found ourselves catching up on releases from 2006 e.g. The Nativity Story, Cars, The Illusionist, Flyboys, Goal!, Stranger Than Fiction, and Pursuit of Happyness (which were outstanding), as well as Superman Returns, Over the Hedge, The Queen, Tristan & Isolde, and The Santa Clause 3 (which were "eh" or worse).

Not much else stands out from this year's releases. The two big threequels were way too busy and generally disappointing, while popular box office hits like Ratatouille (nothing new), Transformers (too long), and Shrek 3 (stale) just didn't seem to pack much of a lasting punch with us. Plus Highlander: The Source never even made it to theatres as it was supposed to.

But we did have solid favourites: Ghost Rider, Rise of the Silver Surfer, Harry Potter 5, and The Last Sin Eater. Above average in their offerings were Amazing Grace, Rescue Dawn, Breach, and Stardust. We probably won't have a chance to see Enchanted, National Treasure 2, or August Rush before the year is out, but we expect these films to deliver.

FILM AWARDS (click the link below the winners list to see a full list of the nominees):

Best Picture: The Lives of Others
Best Picture in a Genre: Enchanted
Best Original Screenplay: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, The Lives of Others
Best Adapted Screenplay: Michael Goldenberg, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Best Action Sequence: "Duel of the Wizards", Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Best Score: Steve Jablonsky, Transformers
Best Original Song: "Rule the World", Stardust
Best Ensemble Cast: Stardust
Best Actor: Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End
Best Actress: Liana Liberato, The Last Sin Eater
Best Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush, Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End
Best Supporting Actress: Romola Garai, Amazing Grace
Best Cameo: Albert Finney, Amazing Grace
Best Tough Guy: Gerard Butler, 300
Best Onscreen Couple: Patrick Dempsey & Amy Adams, Enchanted
Best Poster Art Series: TMNT

The Golden Compass and Liberalism

"The most telling aspect of His Dark Materials ... is that the Reformation never happened in the world of The Golden Compass. Indeed, Pullman's simplistically harsh view of the church and God posit a power-hungry, misanthropic institution out of control, and a detached, domineering God devoid of grace."

The above assessment by historian, Dr Quinn Fox, is also the feeling I have from the book (and film). It definitely is a darker and deeply cynical work; it is certainly an antithesis to Lewis's Narnia. Why would we want to expose children to such an atmosphere? Even more puzzling, how can an authour simply brush away world history in his fantasy tale? Given what the Magestarium represents, his book would have been more fitting for the 15th century than the 20th or 21st.

Liberalism and its secular religions of atheism, agnosticm, and humanism seem largely made up of people who are paranoid of everything--most especially a "highr power". God encourages us to question, but liberals go beyond this to poke and doubt everything and everyone to the point of madness. HIS DARK MATERIALS is simply one on-ramp to that highway of darkness and the ironic thing is that paranoia usually leads to an obsession to control, and that can lead to the very authoritarian tyranny that Pullman's books encourage us to fight.

As an authour I have to think that Pullman missed the boat. His trilogy of books could have gone to a vastly more rewarding and upbeat conclusion. What if the characters got to the end and found that the Magestarium was indeed evil, not because it derived its power from its Authority (aka God), but because it decided to take power from the Authority? What if the ultimate quest of the books had been to free the Authority so that all could benefit from the goodness and light that the Magestarium wanted no part of?

The Golden Compass

I generally do not support activism when it comes to literature. I admonished parts of the Christian community for their extremist stand on the Harry Potter series, and I urged clear-thinking when it came to Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. I am a firm believer that if you raise a child strongly rooted in the Christian faith, then they will be able to read books like Harry Potter and discern the many positive elements from those elements that are better left to the fictional world (using magic and all that). But the controversy surrounding Pullman's HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy is very different.

And Another One Bites the Dust

De Palma Iraq Flick Bombs

When will the libs in Hollywood get it into their thick, arrogant skulls that American movie-goers 1) were not born yesterday, 2) go to the theatre to escape reality and politics and 3) if they are going to see an American war film, it better be entertaining AND show the American military for the heroes that 99% of them are.

Maybe if some of these left-wing filmmakers stopped making their anti-war/anti-Bush sentiments so blatantly obvious and put entertainment back into their films, then larger audiences would chance seeing them. It's the same reason blatantly Christian films bomb. People do not go to the theatre to hear a sermon from either pulpit. The message of the film has to be intelligently weaved through the story.. that's why filmmaking is considered a "craft". But first and foremost:

entertain, EnteRtaiN, EN-TER-TAIN

Why The Seeker is Flopping

This past weekend, The Seeker, released to audiences in the U.S. and Australia. The movie returned a pawsly $3.7M.

Many fans of the beloved The Dark is Rising books this film is adapted from are immediately blaming the flopping on the fact that it is a series of Celtic myth books under the production of a Christian umbrella (Walden Media). The flopping of this film is unfortunate and unnecessary; the reasons are varied and have nothing to do with a Christian ambush (that is clear if you watch it).

The Passing of a Real Highlander Legend

I have just read that Bill Panzer, the primary producer behind the Highlander franchise (all five movies and the very opular TV series), has passed away. wow. I am at a loss for words, I certainly did not always like the different directions he took the franchise on the film side, but his work on the television series is among some of the best to grace the small screen.

The Series star, Adrian Paul (Duncan MacLeod), wrote an exceptional tribute.

The absolute best tribute I can give him is that the man distracted me from Star Wars long enough to show me that there was more to the world of fantasy than X-wings and lightsabers. In fact, Highlander has influenced my life in ways Star Wars never has or could, and that is saying nothing of its influence on me as a writer. The entertainment industry will miss Bill's "realness" and integrity.

79th Oscars

Another round of boring Academy Award shows. The Academy continues to base the show on what they believe is worthy of their Golden Oscars.. they continue to discount films that aren't dramas.. they continue to hire hosts and presenters with blatant liberal leanings.. they continue to ignore the box office as an indicator of quality films.. thus they continue to plunge in the ratings (third worst in history!) as viewers tune to other programs that will hold their interest. At this point the Academy will be forced to making the show a private affair while more layman-friendly award shows like the People's Choice Awards and MTV Movie Awards rise in popularity.

...Casino Royale's director Martin Campbell and its writers Jack Wade and Neal Purvis all deserved nominations over the likes of Borat!

...Malicious dictator beats out uber-positive role model dad? Will Smith more than deserved that trophy.

...It isn't about politics? How is it then that United 93 doesn't get a nomination over Letters from Iwo Jima?

...And speaking of Letters, notice that of the two Clint Eastwood war films, Flags of our Fathers (which depicts the hard-fought American victory at Iwo Jima) is nowhere to be seen? Both came out last year and Flags was easily the bigger of the two related productions. But alas it was for the diplomatic and very low-grossing Letters for which Mr Eastwood is nominated.

...Jesus Camp is nothing more than anti-Christian propaganda--in fact the whole category should be renamed "Best Liberal Documentary Feature".

...Flyboys certainly deserved a nod for Cinematography over The Black Dahlia (what is cinematographic about a period murder-mystery?), and also for Film Editing and Sound Mixing.

Irony at the Oscars

Melissa Etheridge won an Oscar for Best Original Song for the Al-gore's global warming propaganda docu-bullsh. The name of the song? "I Need To Wake Up".

Yep. I agree.

Teaser Trailers

I have come to believe that today's movie trailers are far more detrimental to a film than of help. Two examples:

Goldeneye, is generally considered to be a large failure within the James Bond legacy (by its fans and critics). The story is considered to be weak and bumbling, and the villain's motives far-fetched and "petty". This despite that the movie was considered succesful in breathing new life into the franchise after the large gap between it and Licence to Kill. Furthermore, Dame Judi Dench, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, and the rest of the supporting cast were generally praised by the film indstry and its critics.

I did not see the film in the theatre. In fact, I didn't even know about the film until I played the videogame (something this long-time Bond fan is a bit baffled about, but i suppose I can blame high school and no internet back then for my lack of knkowledge). But when I did see the movie I loved the ride. At the heart of my enjoyment was the revelation concerning Bond's friend and fellow "00" Alec Trevelyn (Sean Bean). Later when I bought the Special Edition DVD I was floored to find that the movie trailer reveals this part of the plot bluntly. Since then I just chalk up the film's 2.5 stars to the notion that other film buffs were not allowed to learn about Alec's character through the natural progression of the movie. A real shame since the secrets surrounding Alec's character is pivotal to much of the movie's emotion.

Kingdom of Heaven, another film given much unfair negative coverage here in the States. Quite simply, the trailers shown to film watchers categorized the movie as a period romance of the "lower class mingles with upper class" type. So when Orland Bloom's character (who we initially meet as a French blacksmith) assumes the role of Defender of Jerusalem, much of the movie world gave a collective "Huh?"

In fact the movie is more a historical documentary: Balian, Sybilla, Guy de Lusignan, and Tiberias are all characetrs based (in whole or in part) are true historical characters; the plot based on true political machinations going on in 12th century Middle East; the message of the film about personal struggle within one's faith. But when you are bringing your girlfriend to see what you thought would be a period romantic film based in the ever-romantic medieval period because that's what the trailer portrayed, of course you're going to talk the movie down harshly.

...

I encourage you to pull out one of your DVDs from a film made between 1940 and 1960. Watch the film's trailer. The trailers are often tacky and mostly about the dramitis personae, the players, and/or the film's production (usually in the case of epics from that period of film history).

What the trailers don't do is hype a film to epic status (even if it deserves epic status) or give large bits of story. The result over the decades are comparisons of current film's to those of "The Golden Age". Even that age's "B" films are considered to have more character or story quality than modern Hollywood blockbusters. And that is because the trailers say nothing of the film's plot--they encourage you to watch and merely enjoy. And more importantly DISCOVER.

High Noon

What a great allegory for the present War on Terror the classic western, High Noon (1952), is.

(Fair Warning: There could be spoilers following.)

The movie is about a principled lawman, Will Kane, who is in the twilight of his career as Marshal. Then word comes that a dangerous gunman, Frank Miller, has been acquitted by the courts and is headed back to the town to take down the man that (five years prior) tried to get him hung for his crimes. Will is just married and has the town's full blessing to leave, but Will knows that if he leaves, not only will the town return to the cesspit he found it in (courtesy of Frank Miller and his boys in the first place), but that the Miller Gang will only hunt him down anyway.

So the Marshal decides to make a stand and, minute by minute, it is revealed that not only does the town not intend to help him, but they want the Marshal gone so that upon his Frank Miller can return the town to its former low-moral standing and create business.

The allegory for the War in Terrorism is less in the plot of the story, but more in the characters, the principle of Duty, and the characters' motives and beliefs surrounding that:

Marshal Will Kane (George W Bush) believes there is a sworn duty to stand up against the kind of evil brought by the Miller Gang (take your pick of Terrorist leaders for these four roles). In the past the town (Democrats & many World leaders) supported the Marshal in this initial duty (think the Gulf War). But in the years that have followed, the town now believes that trouble can be avoided if there is no confrontation between the two rivals. Not only that, but the Marshal is bad for business... the kind of lucrative business that only immoral behaviour can bring.

The Marshal still believes in his allies--the same allies that helped him take out the Miller Gang five years prior. But one by one, the allies fall by the wayside: first Kane's deputy (the United Nations), Harvey, an immature kid who quits out of jealousy because he craves the power and auto-respect he think he will get wearing Marshal's badge*; then Sam (the U.K.), one of Kane's closest friends, abandons him out of pressure from the town; next Kane is told by the world-worry former Marshal (I wonder if George Bush SR played this role, or perhaps Colin Powell), that the town isn't worth saving and being a lawman isn't worth the trouble; even Mahin (the "moderate" Christians), the town preacher, tells Kane he won't back him; and finally, Herb (the "moderate" politicians), the deputy that wants to help but only if the odds are favourable, otherwise he has his wife and kids--and any other good excuse he can to think of to shirk the hard call of duty.

Who will you be backing when High Noon strikes in this War?

*There is a great line uttered by one of the female leads to the young deputy that the U.N. would do well to accept--"You're a good-looking boy: you've big, broad shoulders. And it takes more than big, broad shoulders to make a man."

2006 Film: Year in Review

Movies We Anticipated (Pre-Release):

Other Films of Interest (Post-Release; seen/no longer interested):
Blood Diamond, Casanova, Charlotte's Web, Click, Everyone's Hero, Firewall, Goal!, Hollywoodland, Invincible, Lucky Number Slevin, Miss Potter, Mission Impossible III, Night at the Museum, Over the Hedge, Rocky Balboa, Talladega Nights, The Break-Up, The Da Vinci Code, The Illusionist, The Marine, The Pink Panther, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Queen, The Sentinel, Tristan & Isolde, V for Vendetta, X-Men 3

Final Anaylsis:
This year started off so terribly slow with movies we were expecting--nearly six months between Ice Age 2 and Cars!--that we completely missed the release of others that we never knew about. And then several of the movies that we did have on our list (or would have) only got limited showings so we missed them as well (i.e. Goal!, Flyboys, The Prestige, The Illusionist, and The Nativity Story). By the time the Summer hit, we were in such a funk that we missed Cars and Superman Returns. Even a bunch of the movies that we list as "interested" we aren't all that motivated to see through most of the year as they released on DVD.

What movies we did catch ranged from excellent (V, Rocky Balboa, and POTC: Dead Man's Chest) to something a little less than average (X-Men 3, Casanova, and The Da Vinci Code). All in all, a very frustrating and uninspired year of film.

FILM AWARDS (click the link below the winners list to see a full list of the nominees):

Best Picture: United 93
Best Picture in a Genre: Cars
Best Original Screenplay: Stranger Than Fiction
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Best Action Sequence: "Water Wheel Duel", Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Best Score: Mychael Danna, The Nativity Story
Best Original Song: "You Know My Name", Casino Royale
Best Ensemble Cast: United 93
Best Actor: Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness
Best Actress: Helen Mirren, The Queen
Best Supporting Actor:
Best Supporting Actress: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stranger Than Fiction
Best Cameo: Dick Van Dyke, Night at the Museum
Best Tough Guy: John Cena, The Marine
Best Onscreen Couple: Edward Norton & Jessica Alba, The Illusionist
Best Poster Art Series: V For Vendetta

Tom Hanks is Right You Know

Tom Hanks on the Da Vinci Code Catholic backlash:

We always knew there would be a segment of society that would not want this movie to be shown. But the story we tell is loaded with all sorts of hooey and fun kind of scavenger-hunt-type nonsense. If you are going to take any sort of movie at face value, particularly a huge-budget motion picture like this, you'd be making a very big mistake. It's a damn good story and a lot of fun... all it is is dialogue. That never hurts.

He's right, you know. The concept of the Catholic Church (and Christianity as a whole) suppressing a secret that there is a holy bloodline directly descended from a marraige between Christ and Mary Magdalene is a lot of hooey.

The Da Vinci Code is one great big immature religious rant (as he is also quoted as saying outside of the article), if nothing else. No? Curious how so many agnostics, atheists, and vocal anti-Christians are ex-Catholics, including Mr. Dan Brown.

Ben-Hur & Quo Vadis: A Mutual Lesson

Two of the most profound examples of how God replies to our cries for help are in the 50's-era epics, Ben-Hur and Quo Vadis.

Exhausted... Suffering... Thirsty... Charlton Heston's "Judah Ben-Hur" asks for God's help. In Qou Vadis, hundreds of Christians are rounded up and massacred by Nero in the arena.

Jesus comes (personally in Ben-Hur and through the presence of Peter in Quo Vadis). Does he free Judah from his bondage? Does he smite the Romans where they stand? No. But he does offer Judah the strength he needs to endure his hardship--one that will last for over three years. And my fellow Christians still die, but with outward courage and dignity.

Too often we expect God to eliminate our problems, by our schedule. And when He doesn't, we turn on Him in anger and respond with spite. We would do well to remember Judah's response to his Saviour's simple aid as well as the rousing chorus of the doomed faithful.

A gentle acknowledgment. A soft prayer. God's presence will always be there and is always sufficient.

How do we know we will be rewarded for our Faith? Judah survived to see God's justice. And Rome turned her face to Heaven.

2005 Film: Year in Review

Movies We Anticipated (Pre-Release):

Other Films of Interest (Post-Release; seen/no longer interested):
Casanova, Chicken Little, Cinderella Man, Coach Carter, Constantine, Fever Pitch, Fun With Dick & Jane, Hitch, Howl's Moving Castle, King Kong, Madagascar, Memoirs of a Geisha, Sahara, Serenity, Sin City, The Longest Yard, Walk the Line, War of the Worlds, Zathura

Final Anaylsis:
On the the one hand, this was a bummer year being that there were not a lot movies to look forward, and none until the Summer; on the other hand the movies we were looking forward to included the Star Wars, Batman, Harry Potter, and Narnia franchises. All the anticipated releases looked to deliver quality storytelling and entertainment--and all did, except The Dukes of Hazzard (which traded in the honourable spirit of the originial series for "American Pie", sorority-slanted garbage) and the Wonka remake (Burton's style totally overdid the subtly dark overtones of the original story and film).

This was also a pretty good year for animated features. Kas really enjoyed the three major releases she saw. In general, Fever Pitch and Dick & Jane weren't bad, War of the Worlds was actually above average (this is what, the fourth remake of that already?), and Walk the Line was excellent. And even though we didn't get a chance to catch Cinderella Man, Coach Carter, Geisha, or Serenity (just started watching the Firefly DVDs so...), these films are high on our list of ones to catch on DVD in the next year or so.

Film Awards (click the link below the winners list to see a full list of the nominees):

Best Picture: Cinderella Man
Best Picture in a Genre: Batman Begins
Best Original Screenplay: Kingdom of Heaven
Best Adapted Screenplay: Serenity
Best Action Sequence: "Obi-Wan VS Anakin", Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Best Score: Harry Gregson-Williams, Kingdom of Heaven
Best Original Song: "Second Best", Fever Pitch
Best Ensemble Cast: Serenity
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
Best Actress: Renée Zellweger, Cinderella Man
Best Supporting Actor: Edward Norton, Kingdom of Heaven
Best Supporting Actress: Eva Green, Kingdom of Heaven
Best Cameo: Ralph Fiennes, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Best Tough Guy: Craig Bierko, Cinderella Man
Best Onscreen Couple: Antonio Banderas & Catherine Zeta-Jones, The Legend of Zorro
Best Poster Art Series: Batman Begins

Discover Forrester

If you want to see a great movie about writing, watch the film Finding Forrester. It stars Sean Connery as the recluse authour, William Forrester (loosely based on American writer, J.D. Salinger).

FORRESTER:
The first key to writing is to write. Not to think.

The movie also carries an excellent message about education. We never stop learning, either about our craft or about Life.

Batman Returns (not the movie)

I finally had the oppurtunity to experience the movie Batman Begins. It was an excellent film and a beautiful piece of storytelling. The Batman character has finally returned to what he always has been--a shadow in the night that you don't really want to mess with, whether you are good OR evil.

There's no sense in reviewing a movie that I enjoyed on all levels. But I would like to touch on the movie from the standpoint of a writer. Any writer who thinks about writing a book series, and who is a Batman fan, needs to watch this movie (as well as the four Batman movies that preceded it). Batman Begins does right what the original four movies in the 90's never could (although the Keaton movies were pretty close).

In just over two hours, this movie explains the origins of the character's skills, his motivations, his suit, his gadgets, the "Batmobile", the "Batsignal", the Arkham facility, and Commissioner Gordon. On paper, this in an incredibly tall order to pull off, especially for an established franchise such as Batman. All this and in a way that mixes just enough realism with the comic book fantasy to make you want to look up the history of The League of Shadows at your local library. But the writer did just that, and it helped that (and I daresay was only possible because) the writer was a fan. Never shy away from being a fan of something. Being a fan means that you delve into a universe, and along the way your work as a writer will reap the rewards of your being a fan.

Batman Begins is an excellent teacher of how to tell a good story while subtly weaving continuity into that story. Continuity is not your enemy. Even George Lucas seems impatient with it at times, but continuity is a beatiful garden where ideas can grow and be harvested.

Lucas talks Hollywood Economics

The Hollywood Reporter interviewed the Flannel-ed One for their website. Aside from the usual spattering of Star Wars questions, THR asked Lucas's opinion on the topic he loves to hate: Hollywood. Among the interesting comments of new movie technology and his belief that DVDs will be replaced sooner rather than later, I especially enjoyed his latest "thumb-at-the-nose" to Hollywood in regards to movie-making here in America.

As a fan of film, I happily watch movies from back in the day when a blockbuster was truly a "spectacle". Even in the modern era of movie-making, I still prefer films like The Princess Bride, The Karate Kid, The Breakfast Club, and King Ralph to most anything that comes out of H-wood. I agree with Lucas that the economics of American film is setting itself up for a major econmic crash. The result will send American film making back to its roots, and back to telling $1M worthy stories, not $60M smut theatre.

The Leave-taking

In response to a comment I posted in his blog in regards to The Return of the King (extended edition), Mr. Ersinghaus made this statement:

"I find that LOTR is a sad tale all the way around, much as is the tale of Arthur. All the cool people leave “us” to fend for ourselves."

I don't know what is more sad: the apparent fact or the actual statement. Do our heroes leave us and the end of a story? My initial reaction was to pass this off as modern cynicism. But Mr. Ersinghaus is a Teacher, and Teachers challenge us to look at "fact" to determine Truth.

Thinking back to all the stories I have watched or read, I do find it interesting that I dread the end page or end credits most when it comes to the realm of Fantasy and adventure--The Princess Bride, Sherlock Holmes, and The Lord of the Rings being the worst. But yet, Star Wars, Highlander, Indiana Jones, and James Bond do not give me this feeling of betrayal. Why--especially with Episode III done and done?

Well, Star Wars books, video games, and comics--and now a TV show--keep Star Wars coming to me one way or another.

Like Zorro, The Dread Pirate Roberts, and The Phantom, James Bond will always return, even if the face (or mask in the case of the others) of the man behind the gun changes.

And with Indy...well, I still haven't read all the books or watched all the Young Indy chronicles, so Indy has some time in my brain before he ges anywhere. Plus the virtual world of video games keeps his whip crackin'

But Highlander poses an interesting situation. It still has a lot that is untapped since it is a realm that has been with us for thousands of years right through today. And in fact, the franchise is returning with a new trilogy of movies. Ah! But this new trilogy is seemingly about the origins of The Immortals, and that had me nervous from the moment I read this. I find that I don't want the Immortals' source of their immortality fully explained. And on top of that, I have a hard time watching the series past season 4...even though season 5 and 6 had quality episodes. I've always been aware of a subtle reasoning that watcing those last two seasons gives Highlander a certain finality. This is encouraged by the fact that Duncan "leaves" the series, causing a mid-season cancellation in its final year.

So this behaviour on my part certainly looks to give credence to Mr. Ersinhaus's notion. Giving it further strength is that Return of the Jedi and Return of the King are my least favorite of the sagas. And how about this: movies that are put on two DVDs (or needed two VHS tapes) rarely have left their place in the case. It's as if by me not watching them, I can somehow prevent the story from ever being concluded. And so I "cunningly" keep my heroes in limbo.

But as naive as this may be, am I sad for the ending of the story because I believe my heroes are abandoning me? I don't think so. Heroes are great for all kinds of things, but they can't be with us all the time. Perhaps the reason why society feels so betrayed is because real life takes our real world  heroes--our family... our friends... our champions. So we turn to King Arthur and Aragorn and Duncan MacLeod and expect them to be their for us no matter what. But when they die for their noble causes or ride off into the sunset with their Princess Brides, How dare they! How dare they leave us to fight in this world alone! Mortals in this world die, but the rules of this world aren't supposed to apply to fiction and fantasy... are they?

But if they didn't, how would we love them so much? How could we possibly identify with our Heroes if they didn't feel and overcome the same pain as we do? After we win these battle in our lives we expect to pass on to the next world or to enjoy a time of rest with the ones we love. So why not or Heroes? Don't they deserve a reward for a hard day's work being our Heroes?

I also see in Mr. Ersinghaus's statement a deeper wound. For a time, God walked among us--literally. Sometimes he was a cloud, other times a whisper of wind. But He was always close. Always just a head turn away. And when He came as the Messiah, society followed Him like sheep with an unquechable thirst. But then He Died. Yeah, He rose and all that, but God left. He went back to Heaven. The greatest Hero ever "walked away" from us, and society has never been able to deal with it since. We fought Crusades and created holy relics and the Pope to try touch Him. There are many Christians convinced that the End of the World will bring about His Thousand-year Reign of this world.

We blame the pain of this wound on everyone who leaves us--real or fictional. Every time a loved one passes on or a fictional hero bids us farewell, we snarl or sigh. A seeming reminder of the bitterest of "betrayals". To answer Mr. Ersinghaus's statement I would paraphrase someone who is definately a wise and favorite Hero to me and other Star Wars fans:

Our focus determines our reality.

2004 Film: Year in Review

Movies We Anticipated (Pre-Release):

Other Films of Interest (Post-Release; seen/no longer interested):
Anchorman, Around the World in 80 Days, Blade: Trinity, Cellular, Collateral, Dodgeball, Finding Neverland, Hellboy, Hidalgo, Lost in Translation, Secret Window, Shark Tale, Shaun of the Dead, Shrek 2, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Starsky & Hutch, Still We Believe (2003 Boston Red Sox), The Chronicles of Riddick, The Incredibles, The Merchant of Venice, The Phantom of the Opera, The Princess Diaries 2, Troy, Van Helsing, Welcome to Mooseport

Final Analysis:
This was a strange year. How we could miss announcements AND releases of such films as Finding Neverland, The Incredibles, Phantom, and Van Helsing, we don't really know. We chalk it up to LOTR: Retutn of the King (and LOTR Extended Edition) daze. Despite this, 2004 had a good slate of releases that makes the year one of the best in some time; in fact there are still several films we haven't had a chance to watch yet, and that we don't expect to "red" off the list.

Our big favourites this year were Passion, Spider-Man 2, Finding Neverland, National Treasure, Punisher, King Arthur, The Incredibles, Miracle, and Shrek 2. Definitely an awesome year... made even better by my WORLD CHAMPION RED SOX!!! :-D

Best Picture: The Passion of the Christ
Best Original Screenplay: National Treasure
Best Action/Comedy/Animated: Spider-Man 2
Best Action Sequence: "The Train Fight", Spider-Man 2
Best Score: Hans Zimmer, King Arthur
Best Original Song: "Ordinary", Spider-Man 2
Best Ensemble Cast: Shrek 2
Best Actor: Jamie Foxx, Ray
Best Actress: Anne Hathaway, The Princess Diaries 2
Best Supporting Actor: David Thewlis, Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban
Best Supporting Actress: Julie Andrews, The Princess Diaries 2
Best Cameo: Bruce Campbell, Spider-Man 2
Best Tough Guy: Tom Jane, The Punisher
Best Onscreen Couple: Gerard Butler & Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera
Best Poster Art Series: Spider-Man 2

2003 Film: Year in Review

Movies We Anticipated (Pre-Release):

Other Films of Interest (Post-Release; seen/no longer interested):
Anger Managment, Dark Blue, Elf, Girl With a Pearl Earring, Gods and Generals, Hollywood Homicide, Kill Bill 1, Lost in Translation, Master and Commander, School of Rock, Shanghai Knights, The Gospel of John, The Last Samurai, The Matrix Revolutions, The Medallion, The Rundown

Final Anaylsis:
There wasn't much that was exciting beyond the anticipated list, but we did find some post-release gems like Master and Commander and The Last Samurai; Hollywood Homicide was actually better than I expected it to be and The Gospel of John turned out to be different than I expected, but still a very well-done film.

The Matrix sequels moved like molassess (they tried too hard to be meaningfully complex), Kill Bill was stupidly violent and crass, X-Men 2 seemed lacking (not enough Nightcrawler), Daredevil was "eh" (where was Bullseye's black suit?!!), and Shanghai Knights didn't recapture lightning in a bottle (as I partially expected). I missed Gods and Generals since it wasn't in my local theatre. (I didn't even know it existed until it was time to write this!) But I know I'll enjoy it when it comes out on DVD because the producer (and team) did so awesome with Gettysburg.

Overall: ROTK and POTC rocked!... The rest of our anticipated list (not mentioned above) all delivered "excellent" to "outstanding" marks (namely Luther, Bruce Almighty, Finding Nemo, Sinbad, and Timeline)... And since there are still several movies we haven't seen on my list and am still looking forward to (based on general reviews and word of mouth), I have to call this a pretty awesome year of film for me--the first in awhile. (It helps to finally have a girl to share it with too, who btw is responsible for Nemo, Pan, and Sinbad even being on this list).

Best Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best Picture in a Genre: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Best Original Screenplay: Bruce Almighty
Best Action Sequence: "Ambush at Dorian Grey's", League of Extraordinary Gentleman
Best Score: Hans Zimmer, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Best Original Song: "Into the West", The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best Ensemble Cast: League of Extraordinary Gentleman
Best Actor: Joseph Fiennes, Luther
Best Actress: Jennifer Aniston, Bruce Almighty
Best Supporting Actor: Sean Astin, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best Supporting Actress: Clair Cox, Luther
Best Cameo: Peter Ustinov, Luther
Best Tough Guy: Claire Danes, Terminator 3
Best Onscreen Couple: Viggo Mortensen & Liv Tyler, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best Poster Art Series: Peter Pan

2002 Film: Year in Review

Movies I Anticipated (Pre-Release):

Other Films of Interest (Post-Release; seen/no longer interested):
Austin Powers 3, Blade II, Catch Me If You Can, Changing Lanes, Chicago, Collateral Damage, I Spy, Joshua, K-19: The Widowmaker, Men In Black II, Minority Report, Orange County, Rollerball, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Transporter, Undercover Brother

Final Anaylsis:
This was a rollercoaster year on many different fronts for me. So it was nice that this year of films all performed pretty much as anticipated, and moreso that I happened across some hidden gems like Changing Lanes and The Count of Monte Cristo. I didn't get a chance to catch some of the films I eagerly anticipated while they were in the theatre (due mostly to this rollercoaster year), but I've met a young lady who seems to enjoy films as much as I do; I hope to catch some of what I missed with her (i.e. Treasure Planet, Bourne, Santa Clause 2).

Star Wars - Episode 2: Still chewing on this one, but the fact that I got to see it via a special pre-release screening with a couple hundred other Star Wars freaks was way cool--thanks Kenny!!

Die Another Day: The twentieth Bond film was much better than I expected it to be. Lots of tech and gadgets tho... but the sword fight was great, and I really enjoyed all the little in-film nods to nearly two decades of Bond canon.

Film Scores: This is going to be on of he toughest years ever to pick a Best Score. Two Towers, We Were Soldiers, Equilibrium, Black Hawk Down, Treasure Planet, Scorpion King... all deserve nominating, and most deserve to be The Best.

The big winners of the year for me were Spider-Man and The Two Towers, no doubt destined to be very high on my list of Favourite Films; Equilibrium was outstanding and I wish I could have seen it on a 40'' screen; We Were Soldiers will occupy an important place simply because it takes place the same years (1966-67) my Dad went to Vietnam, and features the same division (1st Cavalry) he served with. So watching that really opened the window into exactly what my Dad faced during his service.

Best Picture: We Were Soldiers
Best Picture in a Genre: Equilibrium
Best Original Screenplay: Adaptation
Best Action Sequence: "Gun-Kata Fight", Equilibrium
Best Score: Howard Shore, The Lord of the Rings: The Two