In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night

...No Evil Shall, Escape My Sight.

The oath of the Green Lantern is to protect the universe.  In reality, the Green Lantern's universe is Carol.  Many of us have our soul mates, and while the Green Lantern (the alter ego of Hal Jordan) never really says it outright, he is letting his deeds do the talking. 

The story in Martin Campbell's Green Lantern (2011) starring Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively is compelling.  I have never read DC Comic's Green Lantern series so I am not one to judge how closely the film follows the actual storyline.  I understand enough to know that fear lives in each of us.  We are afraid of the unknown.  We are afraid of life if we cannot see what's ahead of us.  We are fearful to tell someone, "I love you" for the very first time, and mean it. 

We can overcome our tendency of being afraid with the very word Carol described, courage.  Sometimes we can remove the fearfulness in life, and some regards we'll never replace that emotion.  But what we can do is light the ignition on the inner-courage within us, to drive us in moving forward in our daily lives.  We don't need a medal of courage as the Cowardly Lion did in Wizard of Oz to press on.  We need hope, faith and a prayer within our very selves to face each day triumphantly.

Some of us only see darkness, paranoid there's no good in the world.  Others see the good in everything, they're the ones who are more patient in overcoming fear.  We all can, but who is willing to try?  As Hal says, "...no matter how bad things get, there's something good out there just over the horizon."  Use courage to overcome any fear you may have, even if it takes courage to find courage.

I thought the film was great entertainment.  The moral of the story is good too.  However, I would like to feel the emotions Hal and Carol had for each other better.  I thought it was too tense, too...unnatural.  Maybe it'll improve in the second Green Lantern film.  Hopefully that film will be released in 2013, according to IMDB.  I rate this film 3 stars out of 5. 

A Modern Dances with Wolves?

I recently happened to come across an article that got my mind thinking.  I am in a class at UCCS that discusses race, gender, class, power and privilege in popular culture and this article was one of the required readings.  The article "When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like Avatar?" written by Annalee Newitz was published on 15 January 2010.

When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like Avatar?

"Critics have called alien epic Avatar a version of Dances With Wolves because it's about a white guy going native and becoming a great leader. But Avatar is just the latest scifi rehash of an old white guilt fantasy. Spoilers...


Whether Avatar is racist is a matter for debate. Regardless of where you come down on that question, it's undeniable that the film - like alien apartheid flick District 9, released earlier this year - is emphatically a fantasy about race. Specifically, it's a fantasy about race told from the point of view of white people. Avatar and scifi films like it give us the opportunity to answer the question: What do white people fantasize about when they fantasize about racial identity?

Avatar imaginatively revisits the crime scene of white America's foundational act of genocide, in which entire native tribes and civilizations were wiped out by European immigrants to the American continent. In the film, a group of soldiers and scientists have set up shop on the verdant moon Pandora, whose landscapes look like a cross between Northern California's redwood cathedrals and Brazil's tropical rainforest. The moon's inhabitants, the Na'vi, are blue, catlike versions of native people: They wear feathers in their hair, worship nature gods, paint their faces for war, use bows and arrows, and live in tribes. Watching the movie, there is really no mistake that these are alien versions of stereotypical native peoples that we've seen in Hollywood movies for decades.  And Pandora is clearly supposed to be the rich, beautiful land America could still be if white people hadn't paved it over with concrete and strip malls. In Avatar, our white hero Jake Sully (sully - get it?) explains that Earth is basically a war-torn wasteland with no greenery or natural resources left. The humans started to colonize Pandora in order to mine a mineral called unobtainium that can serve as a mega-energy source. But a few of these humans don't want to crush the natives with tanks and bombs, so they wire their brains into the bodies of Na'vi avatars and try to win the natives' trust. Jake is one of the team of avatar pilots, and he discovers to his surprise that he loves his life as a Na'vi warrior far more than he ever did his life as a human marine.

Jake is so enchanted that he gives up on carrying out his mission, which is to persuade the Na'vi to relocate from their "home tree," where the humans want to mine the unobtanium. Instead, he focuses on becoming a great warrior who rides giant birds and falls in love with the chief's daughter. When the inevitable happens and the marines arrive to burn down the Na'vi's home tree, Jake switches sides. With the help of a few human renegades, he maintains a link with his avatar body in order to lead the Na'vi against the human invaders. Not only has he been assimilated into the native people's culture, but he has become their leader.

This is a classic scenario you've seen in non-scifi epics from Dances With Wolves to The Last Samurai, where a white guy manages to get himself accepted into a closed society of people of color and eventually becomes its most awesome member. But it's also, as I indicated earlier, very similar in some ways to District 9. In that film, our (anti)hero Wikus is trying to relocate a shantytown of aliens to a region far outside Johannesburg. When he's accidentally squirted with fluid from an alien technology, he begins turning into one of the aliens against his will. Deformed and cast out of human society, Wikus reluctantly helps one of the aliens to launch their stalled ship and seek help from their home planet.

If we think of Avatar and its ilk as white fantasies about race, what kinds of patterns do we see emerging in these fantasies?

In both Avatar and District 9, humans are the cause of alien oppression and distress. Then, a white man who was one of the oppressors switches sides at the last minute, assimilating into the alien culture and becoming its savior. This is also the basic story of Dune, where a member of the white royalty flees his posh palace on the planet Dune to become leader of the worm-riding native Fremen (the worm-riding rite of passage has an analog in Avatar, where Jake proves his manhood by riding a giant bird). An interesting tweak on this story can be seen in 1980s flick Enemy Mine, where a white man (Dennis Quaid) and the alien he's been battling (Louis Gossett Jr.) are stranded on a hostile planet together for years. Eventually they become best friends, and when the alien dies, the human raises the alien's child as his own. When humans arrive on the planet and try to enslave the alien child, he lays down his life to rescue it. His loyalties to an alien have become stronger than to his own species.
These are movies about white guilt. Our main white characters realize that they are complicit in a system which is destroying aliens, AKA people of color - their cultures, their habitats, and their populations. The whites realize this when they begin to assimilate into the "alien" cultures and see things from a new perspective. To purge their overwhelming sense of guilt, they switch sides, become "race traitors," and fight against their old comrades. But then they go beyond assimilation and become leaders of the people they once oppressed. This is the essence of the white guilt fantasy, laid bare. It's not just a wish to be absolved of the crimes whites have committed against people of color; it's not just a wish to join the side of moral justice in battle. It's a wish to lead people of color from the inside rather than from the (oppressive, white) outside.

Think of it this way. Avatar is a fantasy about ceasing to be white, giving up the old human meatsack to join the blue people, but never losing white privilege. Jake never really knows what it's like to be a Na'vi because he always has the option to switch back into human mode. Interestingly, Wikus in District 9 learns a very different lesson. He's becoming alien and he can't go back. He has no other choice but to live in the slums and eat catfood. And guess what? He really hates it. He helps his alien buddy to escape Earth solely because he's hoping the guy will come back in a few years with a "cure" for his alienness. When whites fantasize about becoming other races, it's only fun if they can blithely ignore the fundamental experience of being an oppressed racial group. Which is that you are oppressed, and nobody will let you be a leader of anything.

This is not a message anybody wants to hear, least of all the white people who are creating and consuming these fantasies. Afro-Canadian scifi writer Nalo Hopkinson recently told the Boston Globe:

In the US, to talk about race is to be seen as racist. You become the problem because you bring up the problem. So you find people who are hesitant to talk about it.

She adds that the main mythic story you find in science fiction, generally written by whites, "is going to a foreign culture and colonizing it."

Sure, Avatar goes a little bit beyond the basic colonizing story. We are told in no uncertain terms that it's wrong to colonize the lands of native people. Our hero chooses to join the Na'vi rather than abide the racist culture of his own people. But it is nevertheless a story that revisits the same old tropes of colonization. Whites still get to be leaders of the natives - just in a kinder, gentler way than they would have in an old Flash Gordon flick or in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars novels.

When will whites stop making these movies and start thinking about race in a new way?  First, we'll need to stop thinking that white people are the most "relatable" characters in stories. As one blogger put it:

By the end of the film you're left wondering why the film needed the Jake Sully character at all. The film could have done just as well by focusing on an actual Na'vi native who comes into contact with crazy humans who have no respect for the environment. I can just see the explanation: "Well, we need someone (an avatar) for the audience to connect with. A normal guy will work better than these tall blue people." However, this is the type of thinking that molds all leads as white male characters (blank slates for the audience to project themselves upon) unless your name is Will Smith.

But more than that, whites need to rethink their fantasies about race.

Whites need to stop remaking the white guilt story, which is a sneaky way of turning every story about people of color into a story about being white. Speaking as a white person, I don't need to hear more about my own racial experience. I'd like to watch some movies about people of color (ahem, aliens), from the perspective of that group, without injecting a random white (erm, human) character to explain everything to me. Science fiction is exciting because it promises to show the world and the universe from perspectives radically unlike what we've seen before. But until white people stop making movies like Avatar, I fear that I'm doomed to see the same old story again and again."


 My thoughts on Avatar is the film is tremendously AMAZING!  James Cameron is brilliant.  I love the theatricals and the story.  I love the idea that we can change for the better, no matter what our cultural identities are, where we live and where we came from.  While I accept that Avatar may be a political dig at Americans, I believe this is a must see - no, make that must own film!  I give this film 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Sleazy "A"

Easy A should be renamed "Sleazy A".  Emma Stone stayed in character throughout the entire film, yet at the same time I am glad I didn't spend a penny on the film.  Good thing it was a loaner from the library.


Although the movie tried to depict a hodge-podge of cheesy '80s flicks with all of its innuendo and the Scarlet Letter, it did more damage than good.  I have no idea why in the world IMDB gave the film 7.1 stars out of 10.  To me, I understand the film was about not judging another person for their actions and still be friends with our friends no matter what the circumstances call for.  But I almost get the feeling the film is mocking social behaviors and the lessons Nathaniel Hawthorne was trying to convey when he wrote his book. 

Gossip is a horrible way to end a friend's good reputation.  No one will know the truth of what happened, except the parties involved with the gossiping - meaning the person who started the rumor, and the people stated in the rumors.  In society today, gossiping is easy.  There are a myriad of ways to begin a lie.  There's text messages, Facebook, blogs, emails, simple phone calls.  Director Will Gluck passionately got that point across.  The hardest part in life is undoing a lie.  Life is better, and easier, once you've told the truth...even if no one believes in you. 

I can do without all the sex innuendos, the teen parties, and the language in this film.  The idea was noble, the presentation was not.  I give this film 1.5 stars out of 5.

Never Too Old to Be Dangerous

Guest critique, and a wonderful friend, Casey R. Weber has agreed to write this review.  I figured he'd want to have some fun before (hold your applause please) he embarks on his new journey, the accelerated Masters and Teaching Credential program at the Calif. State University - Northridge.  G'luck matey.  The program is 18 months long and he has taken on 23 credit hours!  Now you can applause :)  Here's to Casey!

 

 

Bruce Willis, who performs as Frank Moses in "RED," has fulfilled the expectations of a modern-day action hero: tough, quick-witted, pre-determined, ultra-cool, and maybe even bald.  In the past, we focused on one-liners whereas today we concentrate on multiple lines that tickle us pink.  Thus, since the 80s, the experimentation of an ideal "action hero" continues to evolve.

In today's society, we accept that the retirement age has increased (though it's not universally accepted).  Moses, a former black-ops CIA agent, is a retiree to experiment with the idea of a simple life.  In actuality, he can't handle the pressure of sitting for a minute to relax.  So in essence, he requires some stimulation to explore the excitement to live up to the status of his operation name, RED, which stands for "Retired: Extremely Dangerous."  Although as humorous the acronym sounds, Moses proves that regardless of his age, he has the potential to compete against the general competition of CIA agents.  

Throughout the movie, Moses flirts with the young woman, Sarah Ross (acted by Mary-Louise Parker), who handles Moses' pension checks.  He realizes that the excitement will never dwindle, so he ends up getting into trouble with the crooks who work with the government--but of course, he did nothing wrong.  He meets with his old pals, Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman), Victoria (Helen Mirren), and Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich) along the course of the adventure.  I have to admit, I found Malkovich to be the funniest.  For some odd reason, he has these ridiculous facial expressions and body language that got me chuckling.

Perhaps most disappointing about the film is the excessive use of force that is deemed less relevant to the account of today's society.  For instance, how is it possible to be exceedingly knowledgeable considering the circumstances of the CIA vet's situation?  And even at his retirement age, how is it that he is more than capable calmly stepping out of the spinning car then shooting his rival whereas when they meet again, he gets his butt kicked like everybody else?  I feared that the idea of consistency came to question.

However, the movie gave me an analytical thought: back then, we see the retirees finish with their careers then watch their grandchildren grow, sit on the porches to enjoy the sunrise/sunset, and even traveling on a cruise.  Today, we feel the drive to accomplish something we've always wanted to do.  Michael Jordan said he came out of retirement to "scratch the itch" he had been carrying since retirement.  Lance Armstrong wanted to promote cancer awareness.  Steve Jobs came back because he had countless ideas to make cool gadgets.  In sum, like Moses, we may become retired, but we'll want to come back to something we truly enjoy.

Since the movie gave me some insights about the aforementioned aspects of life, I've become somewhat biased neither to appreciate nor groan in disgust.  I'd say the movie did capture my eye, but not in its entirety.  It did, however, give me an idea that you're never too old to be dangerous (or even achieve, for that matter).  

I'd rate this film 3 stars.

Repenting for the Unknown Deed

Throughout life, each of us make choices on whatever path we are on.  Life would be simple if we could choose between one fork in the road.  However, as we know, life is not that simple.  We make choices, which leads to more choices, and yet more choices.  Sometimes, we have to make decisions based on survival, hiding from archaic predators.  Such was the life for Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) who finds himself lost, in Germany.  After a near fatal car crash which left Dr. Harris in a coma for four days, he discovers that his wife has left him for a man who assumes his identity. 

Now, the question implied in the title of this blog, is it possible that we can repent for doing the ungodly, devilish deed if we don't know who we are and even what we are?  We start to make choices to survive and choices for self-understanding.  I have never heard of director Jaume Collet-Serra and couldn't even guess if the director is male or female based on the name alone.  After googling the director, I've learned that Jaume is a he.  I almost thought the title of the film Unknown was perfect for the director, the story-line and the choices the character displayed.

After learning who we are, and what past deeds we've committed, both positive and negative, arises a very important question for self-reflection.  After realizing the wrong we've done, are we brave enough to repent and provide restitution for our actions?  Brave enough to sacrifice even our very own life to save another's? 


Unknown was given an average rating by many critics.  However, I thought the intention of the film was phenomenal.  The film seems like a short-take of the Bourne series, which may have contributed to a dis-satisfactory rating.  I thought the acting could be improved.  Liam Neeson and Diane Kruger (Gina) displayed AAA grade acting, yet the supporting cast was marginal. 

The film was very entertaining and caused me to think, and reflect upon my own actions.  I give this film 3 out of 5 stars.

Holy Jumping Catfish!

the following review was written by one of my very best friends, casey r. weber.  he is a graduate student at california state university-northridge (CSUN).  after this awesome review of It Happened One Night directed by the great Frank Capra, i hope he continues to write guest reviews for a long, long time.

Whether you're hitching a ride or falling in love with a rogue reporter, Claudette Colbert proves that "the limb is mightier than a thumb." Clark Gable demonstrates his usual versatile acting prowess in this slapstick comedy produced in 1934, an outdated yet prominent classic that is sure to carry the audiences into the world of laughter till their stomachs hurt for generations to come. Although cheesy to the point of wanting a pillow to your face the moment the couple acknowledges their feelings for one another, it is a sure sign that love is in the history of the making.


In the modern cultural lenses, we learn to see how men and women work together where most couples today can laugh about the silliness of male dominance and the ho-hums of female inferiority. For instance, Ellie Andrews (played by Colbert) is stuck with the idea of marrying someone she knows she doesn't love, yet the men continue to demonstrate corporeal acts where they feel obliged to take care of a female. In another instance, Peter Warne (performed by Gable) takes charge throughout the film, thus making sure Andrews is well-behaved to his expectations.


But in the end, the fabled "walls of Jericho" crumbles to the ground along with the sound of the efficacious trumpet, revealing the greatest feeling of romance. All in all, even in our present-day views, we continue to appreciate the background as well as the ensemble of the cast that makes the film truly a piece to behold in the face of motion picture history.


As Warne would say, "Holy jumping catfish!" I rate this a 4 out of 5 stars!

Families can be Unstoppable

family matters isn't the main plot in Unstoppable, but it is placed on the back-burner even though it is one of the most important story lines in director tony scott's film.  there must be a reason i like Unstoppable, other than the fact that tony scott also directed possibly my favorite movie of all time, Top Gun.  scott has not lost that lovin' feeling or the need for speed in his über-intense action films.

inspired by a true story in stanton, upstate pennsylvania, Unstoppable stars film veteran denzel washington and up-and-coming newbie chris pine.  washington was his usual spectacular self portraying an old engineer frank who has been given his 90-day notice and pine was the perfect choice for will, a young conductor who bears a big name in the train industry.  paired together, the two stars complimented each other quite well.

72 days into the 90-day notice before frank is forced to retire or quit, two boneheads at the train yard mishandle a half-mile long train.  mishandle is grossly understated due to the fact that the "coaster" turns into a full speed freight train carrying toxic chemicals.  the scary part is, it's headed toward an elevated s-curve in the industrial parts of stanton, near will's home.frank and will take it upon themselves to risk everything in life (and their own) to chase after the train known as "the beast."

that's the main plot.  throughout the film, will finds himself losing a battle with his wife in a case of miscommunication.  he thought his wife was in danger of cheating on him with a guy who had the hots for her in high school.  turns out that guy is a cop and will ends up punching him.  will is served up with a not so tasty dish in the form of a restraining order.  its been weeks since will has talked to his wife, and he's trying to say he's sorry.

frank has his own family problems.  since his wife died, it seems he's been fading from the lives of his daughter, forgetting one's birthday.

both men's family problems connect with many americans today.  with society placing a decreased importance of the family, scott does a tremendous job taking real life problems and placing the family unit on the pedestal.  no matter how big or small the problems are within the family, love and patience eventually leads to forgiveness.  the stronger the bond, the less likely the family will fall apart.  excellent job mr. scott.

the film does not leave room for character development like other hollywood films.  what you see is what you get.  and audiences see something far more realistic, tangible and relate to perhaps their own personal lives.  even if audiences can only imagine the train sequences, they can understand what the two men, a grisly engineer vet and the young ambitious conductor, are going through.

i give this film 4 stars out of 5 for a job well done.

Insidious Indeed

the following review was written by my good friend, austin balaich.  he will periodically be one of my honorary film critics, specializing in animations.  here's to austin:

Scary movies don’t scare me anymore these days.  The definition of scary movies to the common people typically end up in words such as gory, bloody, gross, and many other similar terms.  The film by James Wan puts the word “Insidious” to the test in this scary thriller.  As I watched how the film gradually gets scarier and scarier, this movie definitely stays true to the designation, “Insidious”.  

Starring Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, they’re parents of a child who gets captured in a coma, but the parents eventually figure out that it’s not just a coma.  The path they have to take to bring their son back to reality depicts all kinds of insidiousness in this movie.  Ghosts, demons, eerie sounds and occurrences were cleverly edited and put together in this film.  As I carefully watched this film, I literally felt creeped out as the multiple overhead and following camera angles show much vulnerability around the parents.  There were some moments where my heart suddenly stops beating and some other where my mind was forced to reject the graveness of this so-called reality this film is suggesting.  This is a clever film, and it truly will make you check your closet for monsters before you go to bed.

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars for its brilliant use of horror other than these gory and gross movies.  It reminds me of the unusual similarities of horror and thriller to the film by Alejandro Amenabar, The Others.  If you liked The Others, you’ll get spooked while watching Insidious.    

thanks austin!!

the man who loved his wife

darren aronofsky continues his string of far-out films with The Fountain starring hugh jackman and rachel weisz.  it is hard to say if the weirdness masked the heartfelt notion that a one-woman man can save his dying wife.  it is in human nature to feel powerless when a loved one is nearing death.  some of us panic. some of us are scared and want nothing to do with the thought of a possible life beyond one here on earth.  and some of us believe, myself included, that there is life beyond the grave - and eventually, we can be victors over death.

culturally, there is one thing i can relate with the film.  the wedding ring is a symbol of eternal love.  i can feel for jackman's character when he lost his ring.

hugh jackman really did an admirable job.  i was impressed with his diligence in staying in character.  all in all - the movie was too weird for me, with scenes changing from earth to a nebula star and a former life in old spain and new spain.  i can't comprehend the craziness of what could be a simple love story between man and wife.

i give The Fountain 2 out of 5 stars.

Popcorn Cake equals Sticky Fingers!

about time for my first popcorn recipe!!!!!  this is a recipe that i have always enjoyed, and hope you do too!  some of you may want to try some sticky finger food when watching your next movie.  one item you absolutely need is a hot air popper and an appetite because these are mighty addicting!

ingredients:
16 cups popped popcorn
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter - never use margarine, it will ruin the flavor
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup Karo syrup (light)
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups mini-marshmallows

optional ingredients:
EXTRA VANILLA!!!
1 cup shelled peanuts
1 1/2 cups small gumdrops

directions:
mix popcorn, marshmallows and if desired the shelled peanuts and gumdrops.  in pan melt butter, add sugar and Karo syrup.  bring to a boil and simmer three minutes.  add 1/2 tsp vanilla...or desired amount, extra if you're me...pour over popcorn and mix well.

if you really want it "cake-like" use a bundt cake pan and fill it up.  let cool and turn upside down on plate.  if you're like me, eat it straight from the bowl, allow for sticky fingers to get messy and enjoy the warmth of popcorn cake.

i rate this treat 9.5 stars out of 10! 

werewolf truce?

amanda seyfried gave a fantastic effort in Red Riding Hood.  her magnetic red hooded cape complimented her acting in a way that made the film worthwhile, once.  however, her supporting cast let her down, even to the level of disappointment.  personally, the story of lovers staving off an arranged marriage is an old tale, and the twist that someone is the werewolf gave the story some spice. 

Red Riding Hood follows the same woodland fantasyland genre as stephanie myers' Twilight.  ironically, or not, both films are directed by catherine hardwicke.  the werewolf and vampire fad is still a novelty in american society and Red Riding Hood takes advantage of it.  the film was dark in many aspects, and when a small town is taken aback by murder, everyone is a suspect.  trust no one.  seyfried played her part extremely well, especially since she plays the innocent, wide-eyed girl her other films.  i appreciated the fact she branched out to expand her resume.  i can't say the same for her cast-mates. 

this movie is a good movie to watch once, and maybe once again 10 years down the road.  i give the film 2.5 stars out of 5.

Money Never Sleeps

money money money...Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps makes me care less about money and more about my family.  you would expect more from a movie starring shia labeouf and michael douglas.  while the movie accurately portrays investment bankers shorting share-holders and the very real possibility of government bailouts of wall street (hasn't that happened before....?) at the expense of the public, the acting job by douglas and labeouf made me sick to my stomach.  good thing i borrowed this from the public library, for free mind you, because i wouldn't spend a cent to see this movie.  shia  in Transformers would be a better stay-at-home date.

i give this film a 1.5 out of 5 stars.

truth in politicians?

three murders: two connected and one seemingly unrelated.  or so the world thought.  State of Play - so it seems.

academy award winner russell crowe plays cal mccaffrey, a dc reporter assigned to investigate the death of his college roommate's, up-and-coming politician stephan collins (ben affleck),  research assistant.  stumbling upon suspicious evidence and withholding them from the police assigned to the case, cal along with colleague della frye (rachel mcadams) seek to find the truth.

placing a love triangle on the line is a risky move, even for cal mccaffrey.  does cal, who keeps focusing on his story use his friend and his wife as sources or is he trying to protect them?  or do collins and his wife use cal as their source and use the case as payback from cal using them in the past? 

in a normal world - finding truth may not involve jeopardizing friendships, careers and maybe even self dignity.  however, clearly when a "friend" who uses his own friend to cover up mistakes, especially when he is a public official, for personal gains is a definite no-no.

State of Play incorporates verbal and non-verbal communication to get the message across. cal and della pick up on puzzle pieces to solve not one, but three murders.  director kevin macdonald has definitely earned the title auteur in this work and should be placed on the right hand of steven spielberg and george lucas.  State of Play is the ultimate neo-noir film.

who's the hypocrite?

i give this film 4.5 stars out of 5.

retreat?

combine Independence Day with any other war movie inbred with War of the Worlds and you get Battle: Los Angeles.  aaron eckhart plays a Marine staff sergeant who fights demons from his past to lead a platoon dead set against him and follow orders only because of rank.  while i must praise eckhart for stepping out of his usual role as the male protagonist in stereotypical chick flicks to star in this action film, i must question the motives of director jonathan liebesman and writer christopher bertolini what was going through their heads when they planned this film. 

the film is great eye candy if you're a pyromaniac - however, the movie doesn't have much narration besides "survival" and taking back los angeles.  i think that if there was a relationship developing between staff sergeant nantz (who recently had his retirement approved and was forced back into the line of duty) and veterinarian michelle (played by bridget moynahan) the film would have been much better.  Battle: Los Angeles flirts with the idea but it didn't develop enough into a meaningful relationship other than a great admiration from michelle toward staff sergeant nantz. 

eckart exceptionally plays a character who we all hope every Marine is, a Marine through and through.  i have a cousin who is in the US Marine Corps and pray for his safety. 

Battle: Los Angeles is a movie worth watching once.  it is not worth the full price of a recently released dvd.  i'd wait until it is on sale for five bucks at wal-mart or target before purchasing it. 

hoorah! semper fi!

i give this film 3 out of 5 stars.

when legend becomes fact...

...print the legend.

john wayne and james stewart made a memorable film in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence.  Story takes place when US senator, ransom stoddard returns for a friend's funeral.  ransom used his fame and "fortune" to propel his political prowess on the fact he shot and killed the meanest bully of the texan territory.  or did he shoot?

this friend tom doniphon was played by john wayne.  he was everything a woman would want in a gentlemanly cowboy.  he was loyal, strong, brave, honest and did everything for someone else, especially if that someone else is beautiful miss hallie.  tom doniphon reminds me of the current country song, winner in a losin' game, by rascal flatts.  tom sums up the chorus:

"Have you ever had to love someone
That just don't feel the same
Tryin' to make somebody care for you
The way I do
Is like tryin' to catch the rain
And if love is really forever
I'm a winner at a losin' game"

 tom doniphon is the man hallie should have married.  not to say hallie did wrong with ransom stoddard - but isn't ransom a fraud?  ransom finally told the truth about his deed to a newspaper man, who tore up his notes and threw them into the furnance.  ransom was shocked and questioned the act, to which the reporter replied, "when legend becomes fact, print the legend." 

as for me, if i were carrying around a lie and making a living off a legend, i'd feel pretty guilty for the rest of me life.  maybe ransom didn't quite have the same morals, or maybe...the public wouldn't allow him to tell the truth. 

tom doniphon is definitely a winner at a losin' game

i give this film 4.25 stars out of 5.

when life knocks you down

best fights are the ones we avoid.
- mr. han



director harold zwart's remake of the 1984 film Karate Kid starring jackie chan as mr. han and young jaden smith as dre parker wonderfully depicts the art of overcoming obstacles.  when dre's mother's job moves them to China, everything dre has ever known seemingly gets tossed out the window.  new language, new food, new (hopefully) friends and new life.  Karate Kid is a film that several of us can relate to, even if our experiences are not exactly the same as dre's. 

jackie chan's role as mr. han is almost an exact mirror of mr. miyagi's in the original film.  he takes in a young kid who is down on his luck and teaches him kung fu, possibly out of pity, or possibly because mr. han is down on his luck himself, mourning the tragic losses of his beloved wife and son.  dre's determination to learn martial arts has taught mr. han arguably the most important advice in film to viewers since yoda taught the youthful luke skywalker in Star Wars, "life can knock us down.  but we can choose whether or not to stand back up."

the artistic filming of nature and the great wall of China is incredible.  director of photography roger pratt potrayed the environment surrounding the subjects so perfectly to the point where i felt i was there besides dre and mr. han, sharing their struggles with them.  

mr. han's character arcs simultaneously with dre's, triumphing together as victors over language barriers, personal struggle and bullies.  kung fu is a tool not just to make peace with the enemies, but also to make peace within ourselves. 

what's more? dre gets the girl.

i give this film 3.5 stars out of 5. 

welcome

welcome to Movies & Popcorn: the Reel Barclay!  my name is michael barclay.  i would like to introduce the purpose of this movie review site.  before doing so, allow me to introduce myself.  i am deaf.  the movie experience for me will always be different than for someone who is hearing.  i will not be able to give reviews on diegenic and non-diegenic sounds (scores, underscores).  i will not be able to critique opening sequence music or lyrics if the song is not subtitled or captioned.

i do want to share that i will try my best to give critique on the films culturally - how the film affects me personally, someone i know, or if the film and its messages go hand-in-hand or contradicts general society around me or American culture.

this site i hope will help, prompt or inspire you to watch a dvd as part of your home dates if you have small children at home, or to see a movie in the dollar theater.  every now and then you may find popcorn recipes or candy recipes to go along with your home dates/movie nights.

if there are any feedback or suggested movies/film you think will benefit the readers (or me for that matter) feel free to contact me!  questions? comments?  snide remarks????  email me at reelbarclay@gmail.com and i will do my best to answer.

thank you for visiting Movies & Popcorn: the Reel Barclay!!! enjoy!!!!