Two Movies

I've been to two movies in the past week; that's pretty close to a record for me, since I don't go to lots of movies. 

I saw Fences first, and what a film.  I don't know how I never read the play before, but holy cow, it's powerful. 

You know how people always ask if there's a great American novel or if America can do tragedy?  I think Fences is a pretty damned great American tragedy.  It reveals a core of racism, which is our tragedy.

Beautiful acting, directing, photography.  I really couldn't ask for more from a film.  I sure as heck hope the Oscars won't be so white this year.

Here's an interesting take on Fences  from Black&Smart.

Then I went to see Rogue One, expecting the fun I expect from Star Wars films.  (And noting that the films I think of are the first three out, because I can't remember the prequels, having seen them each once.  But also, I enjoyed the most recent one before this, The Force Awakens.  And, to be honest, not having read any press about Rogue One, I thought it would be a sequel to that.)

Not impressed.  It didn't help that the back of my chair kept getting kicked by a kid, or that another kid had a meltdown in the chair next to me (a surprisingly quiet meltdown, to be sure), and was shortly taken out by an adult (who had come with a crowd of like 5 little kids).

I may have missed things early on (see: kids in theaters), but it took me a long time to realize that this film was supposed to be set just before the first one.  I kept thinking, but Darth Vader is dead, isn't he?  and when are Poe and Rey going to show up?

There were lots of explosions and such, but the humor was pretty weak, and that's part of what made Star Wars films fun; they sort of chuckle at themselves for being space cowboys.

Shockingly, I'm going to see another film this afternoon with a friend, setting an all time record for me for seeing films in theaters within a week.

Two Picks and a Pan

I can go months without seeing a film, but sometimes folks just want to see films. So yesterday, my teammate (from the athletic league) and I went to see Indiana Jones #4, and today a dinner gang I hang with went to see Mama Mia. And both were grand romps in totally different ways. Indiana Jones, well, you know what you're getting: silly unrealistic fights and chase scenes, lots of intertextual moments with other Spielberg films (I loved the ark moment, and my friend kept wanting to sing the Close Encounters theme! wouldn't it have been funny to show that mountain as part of a setting bit? Of if the alien held out it's finger ala ET? PHONE HOME!), straight goofiness, and bits of humor. And if you like that sort of thing, as I do, you'll enjoy it.

My friend and I laughed at the academic jokes, as when Indi finds out that his office has been ransacked by the FBI, wonders "the dean of the college" couldn't do something to stop them. Like deans have that sort of power in the real world (as opposed to the near life or death power they have over adjuncts and non-tenured folks). And then there's the moment when Indi and Mutt have slid down the marble floor of the library after the motorcycle, and a student asks Professor Jones a question about some reading. And then Indi tells him what to read and suggests he go out in the field. Except, really, to make that realistic, the student should have asked if the reading were going to be on the test or not. Still, it was funny because students sometimes stop me in the weirdest places and ask questions, though never while I slid off a motorcycle in the library. We just don't have the right floors for a good slide. I'd get rug burn. Well, that and there's a sign on our library door saying I can't take my bicycle inside, even!

On the other hand, there's nothing like watching ants overcome someone to be glad I do Shakespeare and not archaeology! Not that a little adventure wouldn't be welcome, but not biting ants.

But yeah, it's predictable in the way you'd expect.

Mama Mia! was a total romp, except for Pierce Brosnan's so called "singing." Okay, so Meryl Streep is a goddess and can do anything, and her two sidekicks were fantastic. Pierce Brosnan hasn't improved with age. Colin Firth looked really uncomfortable dancing. The other guy (you can tell I don't go to enough movies) was okay. Did I mention that Meryl Streep dances and sings and does the splits in the air? Oh, yeah. Seriously, "Dancing Queen" alone was worth the price of admission, and I didn't even go to a matinee! My other favorite bits were the swimming flipper dance line and the big pre-wedding party dance scene. It really looked like Streep and the other actors were having a blast.

The whole movie is just goofy, and if you're in the mood for people bursting into song at inappropriate moments (and having grown up watching old Fred Astaire movies, I'm pretty into that), then it's all good. Surprisingly, the Abba songs hold up pretty well, and with that one notable exception, the singing was better than I'd have hoped. Surely, they could have found a male actor with a better singing voice?

Going with this gang was fun, too. We sang along (good thing the theater wasn't very full), laughed together, and had fun.

And we all noticed that in good, old-fashioned musical style, everyone got paired off at the end. Because in the American musical tradition, you can't be happy unless you're paired off at the end. Until you get home and someone has to do the dishes, make breakfast in the morning, make the bed, take care of the kids, do the bills, figure the budget, make lunches, dinner, blah blah blah. But you're supposed to forget all the actual stuff of living in the pairing fantasy moment. Don't worry, though, it's supposed to be all radical and new-fangled because one of the couples is gay. Wheee! (Just wait until he tries to bring his lover home as a spouse. Though maybe England's different from the US????)

So, two romping fun movies. Both made me laugh, and I like to laugh.

The pan? I didn't actually see this movie, just a trailer for it, but here's the premise: a woman who's been living at the playboy mansion gets kicked out, and decides for some reason to become a house mother for a sorority. So she gets into the job at a sorority of normal women. Except, of course, in our culture college women being into studying aren't considered normal, so she has to remake them as man-bait and teach them how to be "real women." And then, in a SURPRISE twist (which, since it was in the trailer, isn't really a surprise at all), she meets a guy who isn't terribly into her man-bait stuff, and the college women have to teach her how to think just a teeny tiny bit.

I'm serious.

My friend and I were appalled. We wanted our money back for being forced to watch just the trailer.

Who in their right mind would make a movie like that today? What have we come to? It's like my worst nightmare.

Okay, actually, it could be worse if it were a man in drag remaking them as "real women" as in To Wong Foo (because we all know that men know so much more about being properly female and all). Have I mentioned lately how much the patriarchy sucks?

I Want an Ice Bear

Think of the benefits!

*Winter commuting would be fun for a change.

*Department meetings would run smoothly (or else!).

*No whining in class!

*Cuddles!

(I once did a special evening behind the scenes visit to a zoo, which involved standing in the polar bear hibernation room with the door closed for a few minutes, and I have to say, the stench was pretty daunting--though it was obviously clean, and summertime. So maybe the whole cuddling thing is out? Hmm, do Ice Bears hibernate? That would mess with my whole winter commuting plans.)

And could I also get a compass, please?

Compass says, "no, your grandma is alive and well in a city filled with snow!" Go directly to your final. Do not pass go. Do not collect an A.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As you can guess, I went to see The Golden Compass yesterday, and enjoyed it. I thought the music was mostly especially good. I'd read a review on Pharyngula the other day, so I wasn't expecting to like it, but I have the advantage of not having read the book, so I wasn't disappointed in that "can't live up to the book" way. Myers specifically talked about being disappointed by the lack of blood in the fights, especially the bit polar bear fight, but it reminded me of the fantasy way of some MMORPGs I've played, and that's sort of the point of being a fantasy. (WOW has little drops of blood fly when something's been hit, if I recall, but it doesn't collect or anything. EQ just has a sort of rebound effect when something's hit--only, I think, for the one doing the hitting or being hit?)

There's a bit of ado in Wisconsin about the movie; a Catholic bishop in La Crosse has "cautioned" priests about the movie. The idea is that it's supposed to be anti-religion or something. Okay, the Magisterium maps onto the Catholic church fairly clearly, but a lot of US culture is pretty anti-Catholic, and yet pro-religion, no? To me, the movie didn't seem so much anti-religious, as anti-kill kids for stupid reasons.

It took me a moment to recognize Derek Jacobi as the Magisterial Emissary; but for me, he's not quite scary enough somehow? Maybe it's all those Brother Cadfael mysteries where he's a Benedictine (?) monk in the middle ages who somehow has shockingly humane views on human foibles?

And why, oh why, does the movie do a weirdly stereotypical thing with the daemons? Why are servant daemons dogs? Is there some essentialism to class in the GC world? Why aren't the best folks daemons bees or snakes? Those are some danged cool critters, no? Why, if it's going to be anti-religion, can't it at least THINK about shaking up the whole Genesis anti-snake thing? I like snakes. In much the same way I like wolves; they fascinate and amaze me, but I don't want to interfere with them except to admire from afar. But they don't scare me in some deep way, more induce grateful respect, if that makes sense? Okay, being too close to a cobra OR a wolf would be scary.

I thought Dakota Blue Richards was outstanding as Lyra; she carried the movie rather well, no? And, it's nice to see a girl look like a girl in a movie for a change rather than looking like a sexpot in the making.

I'm going to read the book (when I get a chance after Mura and such), because I'm interested in the Mrs. Coulter part. Sexy woman=evil. Hmm, where have I seen that before? If that's the point, though, Nicole Kidman hit nailed it in a scary fantasy way.

What did you folks think?