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Babylon 5: Babylon Squared (1994)
A Fascinating Retelling of Slaugterhouse Five
In Kurt Vonnegut's penultimate novel, we are introduced to Billy Miner, who is "unstuck in time," and is able to simultaneously observe all points in the space-time continuum. He received this gift (or curse, depending on how you view it) from an alien race called the Tralfamadorians, who experience life in four dimensions. This plot device is masterfully employed in Babylon Squared, an episode that launches B5 from being another interesting sci-fi series into classic status, setting off events that are revealed throughout the remainder of it's epic 5-year run. Both Babylon 4 and Zathras, who we meet for the first time, are unstuck in time. Like Billy Miner, Zathras seems to be in many places at once as the show progresses, though he is depicted as being one of ten brothers with almost the same name. Like Billy, Zathras knows when he is going to die. "Zathras' place is with the One Who Was. We have - a destiny."
Now I'm going to have to read Slaughterhouse Five again.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Four Movies for the Price of One
The Matrix, The Time Tunnel, What Dreams May Come, and Star Trek Generations all made an appearance in this derivative film. Marvel must have run out of ideas. Hardly any chemistry exists between the characters except for Scott and his daughter. Even Mr. and Mrs. Pyms' long-awaited reunion seemed forced. While Ghost is not really a villain in the traditional sense, her desperation to live at the expense of others was selfish, not sensible, just like Dr. Soran in STG. Everyone else had someone to live for or save. Seeing that she only needed to wait ten minutes to be saved as well, and was promised as much, her decision to kill the Pyms doesn't seem to serve any purpose, as her character lacks depth. It would have been more noble for her to have sacrificed herself. Once saved, she barely showed gratitude, perhaps out of guilt that the person she was so willing to kill was her salvation.
While we were in the reminiscing phase of the film, I would have liked to have seen a flashback to Black Goliath rather than just hearing his name. Those comics, along with Black Panther and Luke Cage - Power Man, were important to us young Black children. This film may have been my only chance to see him on the big screen. I feel deprived.
Finally, I'm disappointed that this is not the Ant-man/Wasp I know. Hank Pym is a very complicated character who presented adult-level themes in the 60s about mental health and the responsibility of power. Now we have two characters, Spiderman being the other, begging to be in the Avengers when Pym was an original member. Pym deserves better than a comic-relief role.
Everly (2014)
Bound Meets Kill Bill
Perfect Saturday afternoon diversion with lots of fast-paced action. There's barely a moment to breath as trouble comes around the corner or up the elevator or across the street with little time to reflect. Some expected mom/daughter exposition, half in Spanish. Don't look for complications. Think more like playing Hitman on easy, as the bad guys just keep coming and falling. Everly takes her lumps (big ones) though, her health bar goes to zero, then we get a parting surprise. Enjoyed every minute, even the predicable moments.
Ray Donovan: Never Gonna Give You Up (2019)
I Can't Believe We Got "Rick-rolled"
The song seemed shoehorned into the plot, so it was hard to roll with Rick, even in appreciating the irony?, or lack thereof, presented in the scene. I found no humor in hearing Mick sing along, since he represents the polar opposite to the upbeat tune's message of steadfast love and devotion. Yes, he got his "anything for the family" groove on in the fight to retrieve Bridget, but we all know his deadly selfish nature will resurface as soon as the reunion party ends, maybe even before. In fact, that may be where the painful irony lies. I for one, hope Bridget and her beau find their way to somewhere like Andalusia or Mallorca, and live where they can watch the sunrise and the moon glow with no violence, or guns, or Donovan family drama. They've earned it.
Vikings: The Revelation (2018)
More Jennie Jacques Please
It's weird seeing her play the quiet matriarch behind the throne. It's as if they are not sure what do with her. Why is she not using her wiles to advise Alfred? Doesn't she have spies amongst the staff watching out for the inevitable plots against her son, especially in light of the contentious atmosphere brought about by the arrival of the Norse people? I hope to see her role expand so we can enjoy watching her wield her magic. Side note: If there is ever to be a young Agent Carter story, Jennie's my pick.
On - drakon (2015)
A Wonderful Surprise - A Romance Movie in a Dragon Suit
I added this to my Amazon Prime Watchlist based on the "Dragon" aspect of the title. I thought I was going to be watching a "kill the dragon" film, and got an poignant, epic romance instead. Getting what was up seconds after the girl woke up in the cage, I stuck with it because I felt there was a quality there to be appreciated. Boy was I right. Que the tissue at the end, I have to admit. The shot of him falling morphing into the boat was pure magic, and added to the emotion of the moment. I'm not a big romance fan, but I have to recommend this film for surprising me with the plot, and presenting a beautifully told story beautifully.
Ray Donovan: Staten Island: Part 2 (2018)
Grandad? Again?
I know his role is like a criminal psychopathic version of Kramer (Seinfeld), but I've had enough of grandad and his Wylie Coyote schemes that get him out of prison (again) just to destroy everyone's lives and needlessly murder innocent people all out of some sick sense of entitlement. Enough already. Granddad's non-story has officially jumped the shark. Tobacco water and jogging cause a heart attack? This season started out to be very compelling until this useless, distracting subplot reared it ugly head. Still love the show, but I'll be fast-forwarding through Voight's overacted appearances.
Con Men (2015)
Pay Attention to the Long Con
I don't understand the complaints about a 90-minute film being too long. Once scheme was explained, everything fell into place. This isn't just a con film; it's a revenge film. It plays out slowly for the audience just as it does for the mark, completely drawing him in so he never sees what's coming. It reminds me in some aspects of David Mamet's "House of Games," though this one replaces the stylish noir of that oeuvre with the gritty streets of Glasgow. At one point, I thought the protagonist should have left it all behind immediately and got to safety by any means. But he stayed. Why? His ultimate motivation was explained with a great quote from "The Sting." His selfish goals made him stay, and did him in eventually. Revenge is a dish best served naked and cold.
Sliding Doors (1998)
Fine Little Piece of Fluff
Yes, I'm just seeing this on Amazon Prime for the first time. It passed me by since 1998 was the year I moved to San Francisco at the beginning of the Dotcom boom and SF was the Center of the Universe. While I enjoyed being in a huge urban tribe, I don't recall even the women in our group mentioning this film. The oeuvre that had us going gaga was "Memento," released two years later. We couldn't stop talking about it, got the DVD the moment it arrived, and had more than one party watching it forwards and backwards( try it - you'll be amazed). I watched Sliding Doors because someone referred to it in a Facebook thread, so I checked it out with no preconceived notions. All in all, a pleasant but not intellectually challenging experience. To be fair, we live in an age of "Black Mirror," so we've done the multiverse thing repeatedly to much more satisfaction. For it's day, it's charming, but not worth a second look.
The Flash: The Trial of The Flash (2018)
Insult to Intelligence
This may have been the worst police investigation/trial depiction in the history of television. The plot holes are so wide a high school debate student could take them apart. No real forensics employed. No time of death to correspond with the stabbing of an already dead body. No wheelchair. No sign of a struggle. Blood on the handle of a knife Marlize/new Cliif could not have possessed, besides that fact that dead bodies don't bleed out with no heart pumping to make such a mess. Police showing up just as Barry discovers the body. Who called it in, and why would his supervisor get the call? There are other cops who don't have a conflict of interest. No breakdown of Barry's whereabouts to correspond with the time of death. No exam by the ME to determine if Barry's knife was the one used to stab Clifford post-mortem. No security tape from the entrance to Barry's condo complex. No investigation into who Marlize was kissing. And of course, a ONE DAY capital murder trial? Cecile's performance was ridiculous. You never allow a hostile witness to give a narrative response. When they try to make a speech, you cut them off. There's just so much suspension of disbelief a person can take. Barry stating, "All the evidence? points at me" is not enough. I'd file for appeal based on inadequate counsel then have a real investigation performed. He's supposed to be an experienced forensic analyst for goodness sake.
Arrival (2016)
A Different Kind of Science Fiction
I thought about 'Contact' before I saw this film. This is what a first encounter could really look like, attempting to communicate with beings so far advanced that simply understanding a single word would be a challenging task. Contact felt like it was made by a committee that needed to get all of Earth's issues discussed, at least amongst the humans. Religion, politics, nationalism, etc. because somehow the aliens are supposed to care. I like this film's approach because it shows that while the aliens recognize that this is a divided planet, our borders and petty human issues really don't matter in the scheme of the Universe. Beautifully acted, well-written and poignant on many levels. This is a thinking person's film which I believe Arthur C. Clarke would consider well done. Imagine a future in which . . . . Sorry, you'll have to see it.
A Kind of Murder (2016)
Kind of Noir, But Not Quite
Film noir. Pulp fiction. Low lights and dim shadows. Smoky bars that serve the finest rotgut and rooms that rent by the hour. The not so smart guys and dolls that occupy this underworld are people the good life never knew. Their existence is one of unabashed desperation, seeking a way out to a life they never had or could play a part. Always one big score, one stroke of luck, one horse or roll of the dice away from trading the bad side of town for deliverance to a wistful world that remains just outside their plaintive grasps. For these tortured souls, a return to the big house is a welcome respite, death a transition to the solace they could never find. Pitfalls arrive in the form of a rival's murder they did not commit, a robbery by an old pal while they were asleep, but somehow, being a "usual suspect," they dissemble while innocent when the inevitable knock on the door arrives, which eventually leads to their sometimes undeserved tragic end.
Enter "A Kind of Murder," a not so pulpy attempt at the classic genre. The lighting is foreboding, the shadows disguise, the mood is set, but then the movie starts and we get something else. It is as if the makers of this film tried to make "The Blue Dahlia" with the wrong characters. Clara Stackhouse, played by Jessica Biel ("Hitchcock," "The Illusionist") represents the stereotypical bored, hysterical, boozed and suicidal sixties housewife, dressed in suburban splendor in her taffeta hoop skirts, pearls and white gloves. At no point does she evoke the noir broad, the tough Barbara Stanwick-type chick who "don't take no guff off nobody." We're supposed to believe that she is the most successful real estate agent in her region, but the only indication we have that she has a career is a couple of lines from her boss. Her manic-depressive character would have been more believable if they had made her Madmen's iconic Betty Draper, pushing a vacuum while knocking back highballs.
Patrick Wilson ("Fargo," "The Watchmen") is wasted in this poor man's B- movie role as Walter Stackhouse, a pathological liar on a strange guilt trip because he imagined life without Clara. He's got everything, successful architectural practice, sprawling suburban home, cool car and beautiful wife reminiscent of Talking Head's "Once in a Lifetime," but he's trapped playing the role of the desperate two-time loser with nothing at stake. The power couple we are presented ("he builds 'em, she sells 'em") simply doesn't fit. Wilson is forced to channel his best Alan Ladd while making every inexplicable mistake a murder suspect can muster, digging his own grave with every word he utters. You want to shout "Stop talking!" at the screen. He should have taken his partner's advice and taken some time off. We'll have to wait for Wilson to land a leading role he can sink his teeth into.
The hard-boiled detective, played by Vincent Kartheiser (Peter Campbell- "Madmen") is straight out of a bad B-movie playbook. As pathetic as the perps he pursues, he concocts one crazy theory after another, committed to solving crimes with his gut rather than seek actual evidence. Stackhouse's mindboggling series of lies does nothing but encourage Kartheiser's unwavering, emotionally driven methods. Unfortunately, once the investigation picks up speed the story becomes frustratingly convoluted and remains so. His flights of fancy make it impossible to discern what he's trying to accomplish. Mark McPherson ("Laura"), a stellar noir detective, would have slapped him silly.
The movie ends on a fitful note. Kimmel (Eddie Marsan –"Ray Donovan," "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell"), a psychopath who actually did commit murder, panics after one of Kartheiser's nonsensical threats, later finding his solace via death by bullets in a dark basement. Just what one would expect if the movie was about him. The problem is Kimmel's story is unrelated to Stackhouse's problems outside of convenient logistics, and provides no resolution to the principal story. We leave not knowing whether Kartheiser continued investigating Stackhouse or simply gave up. One could conjure the image of a conversation between him and his police chief a la "Burn After Reading," where they decide Stackhouse is simply too stupid to have murdered his wife. The line, "If we convicted husbands for wishing their wives dead, there would not be enough prisons to hold them" comes to mind. In the end, "A Kind of Murder" is kind of noir, but misses the mark.
Ben & Ara (2015)
Beautiful Film and Character Study
This review contains numerous spoilers. I saw this movie at a film festival combined with other shorts, so I had no idea what to expect. I found the plot immediately engaging as the main characters were introduced, eventually meeting and developing a relationship. Ara is a gracefully confident, intelligent and loving person who is part of a supportive community of Muslim immigrants from Cameroon. Ben is also smart, but lackadaisical and unfocused about his dissertation. He admits at one point that he fears entering the real world and has made no concrete plans on how he would live post-college. He is the classic perpetual student with a Peter Pan complex.
While Ara represents stability while resisting pressure from her caring mother to marry within the community, Ben is disorganized and disheveled, content to meander through this stage of his life. His ambivalent participation in an open relationship, which likely stems from the loss of his father (although he was abusive) and being raised by his bohemian mother who became a lesbian, reveals him as person lacking a true sense of self. His classmate/girlfriend Gabrielle seems only interested in casual sex, and does not support or push him to complete his dissertation. At one point, she becomes annoyed at his newfound dedication to completing his work. Ara on the other hand supports Ben from the outset, gently nudging him to work out his issues, eventually using her "super powers" to provide him with the hook that makes his work on the subject of Calvinism ready for defense.
Beyond their complicated relationship, their exchanges concerning religion (Islam/Christianity) versus agnosticism are the most fascinating part of this film. Ara expresses no animosity regarding the Christian colonization of Cameroon, choosing to celebrate the retention of her people's Earth-based spiritual practices. Ben simply wonders what the point is in believing in a god whose existence cannot be proved. The last conversation they had over belief in something versus nothing before she returned to her community was one I was hoping to hear in Prometheus before Ridley Scott got cold feet and intentionally removed the discussion from the script, thereby avoiding what should have been a major aspect of that film.
Ben and Ara made a genuine though unsuccessful attempt to reconcile their beliefs. Ara's pregnancy caused her to finally realize that her experimentation with Ben was a mistake. She never told him about her pregnancy, resigning to have an abortion in secret before bowing to cultural tradition and marrying. Ben on the other hand, ended up swept along with circumstances created by his irresponsible lifestyle, resigned to moving and taking a job he does not want to be close to the baby he's about to have with Gabrielle, who has suddenly become responsible after sleeping with Ben and Manny, despite the latter's declaration of his love for her. Manny was also smart enough to wear a condom.
I had the pleasure of meeting Constance Ejuma after the film. I found her even more beautiful and graceful in person. I wish her well in her pursuit of a successful career in film. If Ben and Ara is any indication, she will be heard from.
Dear White People (2014)
Not What I was Expecting, but Thought-povoking
I was not sure how I felt about this film until gave it more thought after viewing it. I was thrown a bit because James was not really the star. I thought he might play the Greek chorus role, narrating and summarizing what was happening as the movie progressed. While Lionel had some impact toward the end, it seemed that he was just another student whose experiences came to the forefront on occasion in the midst of other events. His actions at the party seemed tacked on rather than a depiction of actual anger. He seemed too detached up to that event to care that much. The scene that struck me the most was when Dean Fairbanks (Dennis Haysbert-"The Unit") lectured his son. It was what he didn't say that was important. He told his son, in subtle terms, that hanging out and acting like the white frat boys would sink his ambitions. If Spike has written this speech, I believe he would have been more explicit. I believe Mr. Lee would have said, in no uncertain terms, that those "white boys" had their futures set for them as long as they didn't blow it completely. The path to the executive suite, law firm partnership or high political office was already theirs as long as they followed the tried and true path set for them by their parents. College was a just a step along the way. Graduation (not high grades) is all that is needed. He didn't tell him explicitly that these same people would be the ones leaking information about his past if he ever came in competition with them. Their families and friends could protect them; his could not. He would have told him that he was mistaken to believe that he was equal by merely attending the same school. That soliloquy and what it suggested comprised some of the movies' best lines.
The party scene, offensive enough on its own, took on new meaning during the credits, which reported that parties like this one were occurring today at the nation's college campuses. A sad indictment that informs us the notion of racial equality is still a pipe dream in the US of A, generations from fruition. The children have, unfortunately, been "taught well."
Lucy (2014)
One More Reference
To add to the bibliography, another show in the this genre is "The Sixth Finger," The Outer Limits (October 1963). David McCallum plays a miner with ambition. He volunteers for a process to "advance the intelligence of mankind." He is administered drugs, and enters a machine that initially takes his mind 20,000 years into the future, eventually reaching 1 million years of evolution, and a sixth finger. As he advances, he progresses from reading minds to telekinesis, callously stopping the heart of a cook who he perceived as a threat. Eventually he reaches the precipice of human development, prepared to shed his human body and become a creature of pure energy. Along the way, he also evolved from contempt for "lesser humans" to realizing total peace and oneness with all life before the simple town girl who loves him brings him back to his "normal" state, and he dies an unfortunate death. We'll never know how much he retained from the experience. Worth checking out for a less effects driven, inner-focused study of potential human progress in the tradition of Joseph Stefano.
"An experiment too soon, too swift. And yet may we not still hope to discover a method by which within one generation, the whole human race could be rendered intelligent, beyond hatred, or revenge, or the desire for power? Is that not, after all, the ultimate goal of evolution?"
Godzilla (2014)
The New "Old" Godzilla
I grew up watching the Godzilla movies on Saturday afternoons. I knew how they were going to end, but it was fun to watch the big guy deal with whatever Jurassic Park threw his way. Godzilla was Joe Louis. Godzilla was Ali. Godzilla had attitude. Godzilla was cool. Those little kids believed the dragon would come through, and even though Megalon or Ghidora would sometimes get the upper hand, the King of the Monsters found a way to triumph. Watching this film, I was thrown back to those days. While the film was not as spectacular as prior modern versions, it was Godzilla as Tomoyuki Tanaka envisioned him. I'd like to think he'd be proud.
Strangeland (1998)
So unrealistic, I don't know where to start
First, the acting is horrible. I get the archetype of the disaffected detective, but disaffected does not mean disconnected. Gage is an iceberg except when he finds his daughter, than he becomes an emotional wreck before allowing himself to get beat up by a skinny kid. How did he make detective without learning self-defense? When he found the house, why didn't he call for backup? Next, the chat scene is completely unbelievable. There's no way you set up a new chat account and go right after the subject, and get an invitation for a face to face in 15 minutes. It's takes the FBI weeks, sometimes months, to get a suspect to trust them enough to meet. They were made as soon as they changed the profile, which was also bogus. The whole idea of a chat-room is anonymity. You can't get exact names and addresses. If you could, there would be no point to having a screen name. Also, ISPs did not store IM chats then. Only recently has the technology been developed to store them with a third party service. The technology didn't exist in 1998. At best, they might be able to trace the screen name back to a credit card.
The tracing scene was also a joke. The guy's father was a marine. He had to learn something about tactics, like, I don't know, using an untraceable peer-to-peer network for his computer.
As someone commented earlier, the 2nd half of the movie is pointless. If you are a seasoned detective, and you get a call from the guy who kidnapped your daughter, don't you grab her up right away? He seemed surprised that she was taken again after the nut-case sees him let the lynch mob take him. His powers of deduction are nonexistent.
When this movie was released, it was scarier. This time, I spent more time laughing at all the mistakes and bad acting. This is now a 5***** rotten tomato.