Thursday, June 20, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Musings - The Movie North
So I've been watching a bunch of the Nostalgia Critic lately. One of my favorites is his review of the movie North, starring Elijah Wood, Bruce Willis, and a whole bunch of other very recognizable names, including Reba McEntire, Kathy Bates, and half the cast of Seinfeld. If you've never heard of it (and are therefor a luckier person than I), it's about a kid, played by Wood, who decides he can't live with his parents anymore as they don't realize how good a thing they've got in him, to quote Willis' character. Rather than take the advice of Willis, who plays a guy who plays the Easter Bunny at North's favorite place, North decides to give up on his parents, and he divorces them. The courts allow him to do this on a kind of experimental basis, but only if he can find new parents before the end of a finite period of time. North travels the country and the world to find a new family, leading to a parade of the most blatant and offensive cultural stereotypes in modern cinema, and maybe cinema in general. Literally everything is a stereotype, including shots early on of him father's workplace, a pants factory, where apparently they set up themed rooms to test the pants in real world conditions. North doesn't find any new parents, deciding instead to return to his original parents, and just at the climax, he wakes up, as everything was a dream the entire time. This movie is terrible. My ethnicity is actually depicted positively in this movie, and I still feel offended. If you want a true impression of how bad this movie is, watch the Siskel and Ebert review, or the Nostalgia Critic episode.
We aren't here to talk about how bad this movie is, though, we're here to talk about the fact that I think, in a weird way, it actually makes sense. Stay with me guys, seriously. North is a young kid, right? So likely he doesn't know much about other cultures, or even his dad's workplace, beyond the bare basics, some random rumors and stereotypes, and what he can glean on his own. As the entire movie is just a dream, and told from North's point of view, it's very likely that the world within his dream would be made up of these stereotypes, right? Even Willis popping up several times in the role of the "mysterious mentor" makes sense, as the real Willis gave North some advice just before he passed out, and it explains why North, but not his parents, grow throughout the movie, as North can't imagine how an adult might change and grow, since he isn't an adult. The strange out-of-nowhere villains who show up later in the film make sense too, as dreams are strange, confused places where your fears become fully realized, tangible things, often resembling people or objects from your life.
It makes sense, but it doesn't mean that this movie is any good. It is still terribly written, unfunny, and one of the most blatantly offensive things ever written, let alone put to film. Acknowledging the existence of stereotypes is much different from perpetuating them, as this movie does. Ebert was right to say that this movie makes you feel unclean just thinking about it. Don't watch the movie, and don't let your kids see it ever, but if you want to laugh at something awful, check out one of the reviews mentioned above, or find a rifftrax. I'm sure one exists somewhere. This isn't the worst movie ever (Manos Hands of Fate and Garbage Pail Kids still jointly hold that dishonor), but it's definitely up there on the list, even if it does manage to be a pretty interesting look into a child's psyche, even if his psyche is horribly offensive.
We aren't here to talk about how bad this movie is, though, we're here to talk about the fact that I think, in a weird way, it actually makes sense. Stay with me guys, seriously. North is a young kid, right? So likely he doesn't know much about other cultures, or even his dad's workplace, beyond the bare basics, some random rumors and stereotypes, and what he can glean on his own. As the entire movie is just a dream, and told from North's point of view, it's very likely that the world within his dream would be made up of these stereotypes, right? Even Willis popping up several times in the role of the "mysterious mentor" makes sense, as the real Willis gave North some advice just before he passed out, and it explains why North, but not his parents, grow throughout the movie, as North can't imagine how an adult might change and grow, since he isn't an adult. The strange out-of-nowhere villains who show up later in the film make sense too, as dreams are strange, confused places where your fears become fully realized, tangible things, often resembling people or objects from your life.
It makes sense, but it doesn't mean that this movie is any good. It is still terribly written, unfunny, and one of the most blatantly offensive things ever written, let alone put to film. Acknowledging the existence of stereotypes is much different from perpetuating them, as this movie does. Ebert was right to say that this movie makes you feel unclean just thinking about it. Don't watch the movie, and don't let your kids see it ever, but if you want to laugh at something awful, check out one of the reviews mentioned above, or find a rifftrax. I'm sure one exists somewhere. This isn't the worst movie ever (Manos Hands of Fate and Garbage Pail Kids still jointly hold that dishonor), but it's definitely up there on the list, even if it does manage to be a pretty interesting look into a child's psyche, even if his psyche is horribly offensive.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Webseries Review - Star Trek Continues
As a Star Trek fan, I, for lack of a better word, hunger for new Star Trek stories, and so I pay attention to all of the best Star Trek fan series floating around the turbulent sea that is the internet. While many of them have faced some severe issues, two in particular continue to put along, with episodes coming out as often as possible for a non-profit service: Star Trek Phase II and Starship Farragut, both set in the universe of the original series. Phase II continues the saga of the original Enterprise and her crew, while Farragut (my favorite of the fan series, btw) focuses on another Constitution-class ship. While both of these series still periodically release episodes, they are inconsistent and far-between. Recently, another webseries focusing on the adventures of the Enterprise and her crew was announced, Star Trek Continues, a series featuring the talents of more professional actors than the run-of-the-mill fan, and support from some great writers and special effects people. As a more focused, professional production, STC also promises more timely releases. Just recently, the first episode of the new series was released on the Star Trek Continues YouTube channel, and I finally had a chance to check it out.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
More Percy Jackson Talk - Which Percy Book is Best?
So obviously I like Percy Jackson. Don't feel bad if you hadn't realized, it's not like I ever write about it ever. Anyway, discussing the new Percy Jackson trailer the other day got me thinking: the original Percy Jackson series is over, the story complete, so it's possible to judge the individual books and how they benefit the series as a whole. I mentioned in the same post that the second book, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters is probably the weakest book overall, and it got me wondering which book I would consider the strongest, which of course got me thinking about how I would rank the other four books in the series overall.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
TV Reviews - Marvel's Avengers Assemble
I've said before that I love cartoons. Based on the cartoons I've talked about here before, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out that I also like superhero stories, and like everyone I've been mostly impressed with the recent live action Marvel Comics movies. So based on the evidence, it can't be hard to conclude that I was a fan of the recent cartoon series Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Also, because I'm sentimental as all getout, you can probably figure that I wasn't very excited when EMHs was cancelled in favor of a new Avengers cartoon meant to more closely resemble the Ultimate Spider-Man series that currently wastes thirty to sixty minutes of good airtime every Sunday morning on Disney XD (Glob, I hate that show). Well, kiddies, it turns out that the two part premier episode of Avengers Assemble is up online, and I've found the time to check it out. Short story: it's pretty good. Long story: well, keep reading because it gets pretty complicated.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Trailer Reviews - Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters
I've mentioned before on this very blog that I'm a huge fan of Rick Riordan's various mythology-inspired fantasy series, the Greek ones in particular. Of all of the fictional properties that I invest time in, his two Greek series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus are close to the top of my list, and Percy Jackson is probably my favorite fictional hero. So like many fans of Mr. Riordan's work, I was sorely disappointed by the first attempt to adapt the Percy Jackson series into a film. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, the adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, written and directed by my least favorite director aside from Michael Bay, Chris Columbus, was a failure on almost every account, and for good reason. Don't get me wrong, from a technical standpoint the movie was pretty good, and the acting was good from every actor who actually took the job seriously, but the directing was choppy, the movie was filled with gratuitous celebrity cameos, and large portions of the plot were changed either to transform the movie into a standard action movie, or to blatantly replace the Greek mythological imagery with more recognized Christian imagery. It was barely even fantasy by the time it made it to theaters. The characters were cast older than they were in the book (though I can't complain about that much as Logan Lerman looks and sounds exactly as I'd picture Percy Jackson), and some characters, the way they were written and directed, barely resembled their book counterparts at all (I'm looking at you Annabeth). Clues and references to the overreaching plot of the series and important recurring characters were omitted completely. The crew went for what was easy: sex jokes, pop culture, CGI action, and familiarity, and it just didn't do the amazing book any due justice.
See what I mean? That's a long list.
The writing in the first movie was so bad that it seemed likely that if there was a sequel it would be even less recognizable as a Percy Jackson and the Olympians story than the first. I consider myself an expert at filling plot holes, and I had no idea how they could fix the franchise after this movie. I was devastated, and yet I still desperately wanted to see Percy on the big screen done well, so I decided that, if a sequel was greenlit, and as long as Chris Bane-of-My-Existence Columbus wasn't involved, that I'd keep an open mind. For awhile it seemed that the sequel was coming, but then it seemed that it wasn't as Chris had left (huzzah!) and they needed writers, so I stopped paying attention. Then, just recently, I decided on a whim to take another look and discovered that the movie was under production. After digging some more it became clear that the new writer, Marc Guggenheim, was backpedalling and fixing as many mistakes as he could. Important characters missing from the first movie were to be introduced, characters who were gratuitously cast were recast properly, and that overreaching story that I mentioned had been ignored was to be introduced and followed. Once I read enough to avert the majority of my apprehension, I even made a video on my YouTube page asking fans of the books to give the movie franchise a second chance. I knew the movie was set for a 2013 release, and so I waited patiently for a trailer. It wasn't long before I got one, and it looked pretty good, but this was little more than a teaser trailer. I wanted a full trailer, and just this past week I finally got what I wanted.
Now understand something before you read this next part: I love all of the books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. That being said, there is a certain blessing to having to set the series on track at the second installment, because of all of the books Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters is the weakest. Don't get me wrong, it introduces some important characters and plot elements, and develops others, but it is almost a direct rehash of the Odyssey by Homer, with some Jason and the Argonauts thrown in for good measure. All of the books draw heavily from Greek myth, but this one is close to the original, and it's a story that many people already have some knowledge of. That makes this movie the perfect place to introduce those missing plot elements. Understanding this, when I saw the second trailer, the first story trailer, I was overjoyed. It looked like my high hopes for the movie were in fact justified. The setup in the movie is clearly quite a bit different than in the book, but that's just because they had to work with what Columbus left them. The trailer, which felt like a letter to the fans saying "hey, look, we're fixing it", showed right away that the characterizations had been improved, that the Greek mythological elements were being included, and that the story that the fans know and love was in fact going to be told. There are changes from the book, clearly, but they don't seem any more substantial than in other recent fantasy adaptations, including The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. The trailer even confirmed that the movie has Nathan Fillion in it. Nathan Freakin Fillion!
Am I 100% confident that this movie will be great, that it'll set the movie franchise back on track? No, I can't be, because the movie isn't out yet and I therefor haven't seen it. However, based on the trailer, I've gotta say my hopes are certainly rising, and my recommendation regarding this movie remains the same as in my video: fans of the series need to give this movie a chance. If this movie is good, and yet the fans ignore it, there's a chance that it'll kill the film franchise dead, and I don't think that's something that the fans want to happen. I certainly don't. Of course my opinion isn't the end all be all. Check the trailer out and see what you think.
See what I mean? That's a long list.
The writing in the first movie was so bad that it seemed likely that if there was a sequel it would be even less recognizable as a Percy Jackson and the Olympians story than the first. I consider myself an expert at filling plot holes, and I had no idea how they could fix the franchise after this movie. I was devastated, and yet I still desperately wanted to see Percy on the big screen done well, so I decided that, if a sequel was greenlit, and as long as Chris Bane-of-My-Existence Columbus wasn't involved, that I'd keep an open mind. For awhile it seemed that the sequel was coming, but then it seemed that it wasn't as Chris had left (huzzah!) and they needed writers, so I stopped paying attention. Then, just recently, I decided on a whim to take another look and discovered that the movie was under production. After digging some more it became clear that the new writer, Marc Guggenheim, was backpedalling and fixing as many mistakes as he could. Important characters missing from the first movie were to be introduced, characters who were gratuitously cast were recast properly, and that overreaching story that I mentioned had been ignored was to be introduced and followed. Once I read enough to avert the majority of my apprehension, I even made a video on my YouTube page asking fans of the books to give the movie franchise a second chance. I knew the movie was set for a 2013 release, and so I waited patiently for a trailer. It wasn't long before I got one, and it looked pretty good, but this was little more than a teaser trailer. I wanted a full trailer, and just this past week I finally got what I wanted.
Now understand something before you read this next part: I love all of the books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. That being said, there is a certain blessing to having to set the series on track at the second installment, because of all of the books Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters is the weakest. Don't get me wrong, it introduces some important characters and plot elements, and develops others, but it is almost a direct rehash of the Odyssey by Homer, with some Jason and the Argonauts thrown in for good measure. All of the books draw heavily from Greek myth, but this one is close to the original, and it's a story that many people already have some knowledge of. That makes this movie the perfect place to introduce those missing plot elements. Understanding this, when I saw the second trailer, the first story trailer, I was overjoyed. It looked like my high hopes for the movie were in fact justified. The setup in the movie is clearly quite a bit different than in the book, but that's just because they had to work with what Columbus left them. The trailer, which felt like a letter to the fans saying "hey, look, we're fixing it", showed right away that the characterizations had been improved, that the Greek mythological elements were being included, and that the story that the fans know and love was in fact going to be told. There are changes from the book, clearly, but they don't seem any more substantial than in other recent fantasy adaptations, including The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. The trailer even confirmed that the movie has Nathan Fillion in it. Nathan Freakin Fillion!
Am I 100% confident that this movie will be great, that it'll set the movie franchise back on track? No, I can't be, because the movie isn't out yet and I therefor haven't seen it. However, based on the trailer, I've gotta say my hopes are certainly rising, and my recommendation regarding this movie remains the same as in my video: fans of the series need to give this movie a chance. If this movie is good, and yet the fans ignore it, there's a chance that it'll kill the film franchise dead, and I don't think that's something that the fans want to happen. I certainly don't. Of course my opinion isn't the end all be all. Check the trailer out and see what you think.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)