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SIFF

Self Isolation Film Festival: Fearless

April 20, 2020 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

“We passed through death.”

I think Peter Weir’s 1993 film Fearless may be a very important film for the world to consider in 2021. That will be after we have come through the worst of the Corona Virus pandemic and the social and economic turmoil it is creating. What does it mean to be a survivor—to have gone through a time of fear, death, suffering? Will we see the world through the same eyes as before? Will we mourn all that was lost or celebrate the life ahead?

At the beginning of Fearless, Max Klein (Jeff Bridges) is walking through a cornfield carrying a baby with a small child at his side. We soon discover that an airplane has crashed in the field and he and a few others are survivors finding their way to the emergency personnel. Max’s response to the crash seems very bizarre. He leaves the scene and heads to Los Angeles to reunite with a high school sweetheart. When the airline tracks him down and offers to send him home to San Francisco by train, he opts to fly, showing no fear of another crash. The airline puts Dr. Bill Perlman (John Turturro), a psychologist who specializes in PTSD in the seat next to him. When Max arrives home to his family, he is somewhat distant and brutally honest.

Although Dr. Perlman can’t really connect with Max, he asks Max to visit another survivor, Carla Rodrigo (Rosie Perez), whose toddler son died in the crash. Carla is bedridden with shame and guilt (“very Catholic” according to Perlman). Carla and Max form a connection. Max tells his wife Laura (Isabella Rossellini) that he “feels an overwhelming love” for Carla. (Not the kind of thing Laura is happy to hear.) But Carla and Max are very different. Max is an atheist; Carla is very devout. Max feels energized and invulnerable; Carla is in deep depression. Max and Carla spend time together, but neither makes much progress with reentering the world in a healthy fashion. Max has made it a goal to save Carla. But who will save Max?

This is a film with a great deal of overtly religious image and language. One of the first things Max does after the crash is to eat strawberries, which he is allergic to. He calls it “forbidden fruit”. Max is referred to in the media as “The Good Samaritan” for the way he led some of the survivors out of the wreckage, calling them to “Follow me to the light”. Carla has a bumper sticker on her bedroom door that reads “Jesus es mi mejor amigo”. In a scene where Max and Carla go to church to pray for her son, we note that the crucifix in the chapel has a wound in the side very similar to one Max has. Even though Max espouses atheism, he frequently speaks to and challenges God. The idea of salvation pops up in various ways.

For me the key scene in Fearless as it relates to our current situation is as Carla and Max are in front of a store at Christmas time. He tells her “We’re safe because we died already.” He has her look at the others around them who don’t understand what it means to die in your mind. Then he tells her “We passed through death.” (Coincidentally, I watched this on Easter. These lines resonate very well with Easter themes.)

Is that perhaps what we are doing now—passing through a kind of death? Not just the rising toll of deaths from COVID-19, but also the disruption to education, and an economy that will certainly be seriously damaged, leading to increased unemployment, failed businesses, loss of retirement savings that will affect millions of people. What will 2021 hold for those of us who have passed through this time of trial? Will we be wracked by survivors’ guilt? Will we, like Max, think we have charmed lives that make us impervious to injury? Will we see ourselves as Max describes Carla and himself: ghosts? We will all face grief and loss in some way. Is an unrealistic outlook like Max’s any healthier than Carla’s retreat? I haven’t heard anyone say this yet, but I expect the next pandemic to hit the world could well be PTSD from all the things that we are currently living through.

At some point we will think everything has returned to normal (or some semblance of normal). It would be naïve to think that because we made it through this pandemic that we have not been affected. We are all wounded by this. We are all infected, if not with the virus, with emotional stress and fear. We need to begin now to pay attention to how we will respond to that time when we have made it out of the wreckage of COVID-19. And we will need to continue to care for one another long after we start returning to our lives.

Fearless is available for rent on Amazon Prime for $2.99.

Filed Under: Film, Reviews, SIFF, VOD Tagged With: Isabella Rossellini, Jeff Bridges, John Turturro, Peter Weir, plane crash, PTSD, Rosie Perez

Self Isolation Film Festival: The Town

April 15, 2020 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

I don’t know why I love The Town so much.

Maybe it’s because it’s so Boston, the biggest city near where I grew up in Rhode Island.

Maybe it’s because it’s an exciting, tense film based on Chris Hogan’s book.

Maybe it’s because it’s full of strong performances by actors like Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner (nominated for an Academy Award for supporting actor, just years after his nomination for The Hurt Locker), Jon Hamm, Titus Welliver, Chris Cooper, and the late Peter Posthwaite.

It could be all of those things, but I don’t think it’s any of those by themselves.

I think it’s all of them tied into the story of a man who wants so badly to leave his past life behind and just doesn’t know how.

The film tells the story of four Boston best friends, “Doug” MacRay (Affleck), “Jem” Coughlin (Renner), “Gloansy” MacGloan (Slaine), and “Dez” Elden (Owen Burke), who pull bank and armored car heists orchestrated by Fergie Colm (Posthwaite), outside of their Charleston neighborhood. When they discover that a recently robbed bank’s assistant manager, Claire (Rebecca Hall), lives near them, MacRay infiltrates her life to keep Coughlin from doing something more violent to her.

As Claire’s goodness begins to chip away at the life MacRay has come to expect for himself, Affleck’s intelligent but trapped robber finds the noose around him getting tighter as FBI Agent Frawley (Hamm) and Dino Ciampa (Welliver), a local-turned-law enforcement officer, close in on his crew. Frustrated by the unwavering eye of the FBI and his growing tension with Coughlin, MacRay begins to plan his escape from Boston and the life of crime he inherited from his father. Unfortunately, leaving home is never quite as easy as you’d expect.

Exploring themes of justice, violence, redemption, and forgiveness, The Town has been one of the few films that I find myself watching again every few years. While we know that MacRay is a bad guy, he’s not a villain — he’s a guy we can see trapped in a world that he never wanted to be in, rolling back through stories told to the moment when he lost his mother. It’s a Western with Old Testament ideals, calling us to consider how far we’d go to extricate ourselves from bad decisions and old habits.

And in the end, we’re left with this hopeful ideal, this reminder that things will one day be better, as MacRay says:

“I’ll see you again.. this side or the other.”

Filed Under: SIFF, VOD

Self Isolation Film Festival: Planes, Trains & Automobiles

April 13, 2020 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

A recent Op-Ed piece in the L.A. Times made reference to our current experience of “binary confinement” (as opposed to solitary confinement in prisons). That certainly fits for my wife and me—two people isolated (sort of) from the rest of the world. It’s good that we get along together. (My wife is very forgiving.) But as social isolation drags on, we may all look at the people we are with 24/7 and wish for a break—and those are people we love. What if you were stuck with someone awful? Let’s consider the John Hughes comedy Planes, Trains & Automobiles.

On a business trip to New York, Neal Page (Steve Martin) is rushing to get home to Chicago for Thanksgiving with his family. It is a doomed trip. Even waiting to get out of a meeting takes forever. Trying to get a cab is impossible and when he things he has one, someone else steals it from him before he can get in. That someone, we discover, is Del Griffith (John Candy), a shower curtain ring salesman. They meet in the airport and things continue to go wrong for Neal. He and Del are oil and water, but they end up together in some very difficult situations as various problems send them to Wichita, Jefferson City, St. Louis, and other places. (You might note than none of those places are between New York and Chicago.)

Del is gregarious to the point of being annoying. Try as he might, Neal can’t get Del to be quiet. And due to the various problems they face, that aggravation keeps growing withing Neal. As their trip keeps spiraling into the road trip from Hell, Neal at times reaches his breaking point, exploding in anger.

When I thought of this film for inclusion in our Self-Isolated Film Festival, my memory of the film was that poor Neal had to put up with this jerk. But when I watched the film, I discovered that as annoying as Del may be, he really is a nice guy. He is generous. He has a positive outlook. He is loyal. Neal, on the other hand, is rude, self-centered, and constantly acts superior. Why Del would try to help this jerk get home is a testament to Del’s kindness.

As we face our “binary confinement” (which could include more than just two people), we are bound to hit those times when nerves are on edge, when priorities clash, when habits annoy, when we are provoked to anger. First, we need to remember that these are people we love and who love us. But we might also want to reflect on the relationship between Neal and Del. And remember, when you look at that other person and think they are as annoying as Del, that is also the way they think of you. Then perhaps you’ll be able to channel the kindness and generosity that are the real definition of Del’s character.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles is streaming on Amazon Prime.

Filed Under: Film, Reviews, SIFF, VOD Tagged With: comedy, John Candy, John Hughes, Steve Martin

Self Isolation Film Festival: Superman the Movie

April 8, 2020 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

Richard Donner’s epic film Superman the Movie is … “swell,” to quote Clark Kent. While superhero films have advanced in production (well, except for maybe Green Lantern), Donner’s original hero films (counting the first and second films about Kent AKA Kal-El AKA Superman) remain high up on my list. While the flash-bangs of Marvel’s Avengers films are wildly entertaining, there’s something organic about the actual story that Donner is intent on spinning.

Marlon Brando’s Jor-El explains to his wife, and Kal-El’s mother, that they are sending their son away from the exploding planet Krypton so that he’ll survive, or the things he’s recorded for little Kal-El when he’s not so small. One can almost imagine a similar conversation between God the Father and the Holy Spirit as Jesus is preparing to be born to the virgin Mary in Bethlehem, or echoing the words God says from heaven as Jesus is baptized:

“You will travel far, my little Kal-El. But we will never leave you… even in the face of our death. The richness of our lives shall be yours…You will carry me inside you, all the days of your life. You will make my strength your own, and see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father, and the father the son. This is all I… all I can send you, Kal-El.“

And,

“Live as one of them, Kal-El, to discover where your strength and your power are needed. But always hold in your heart the pride of your special heritage. They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you… my only son.“

Watching the comic, adventurous, romantic, superhero film, experiencing the goodness of Kent/Superman, one can’t help but see the messianic character that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two Jewish kids struggling with the violence and evil impacting their neighborhood, created based on their understanding of Old Testament types and their hopes for a better world. Sure, Lex Luthor (devilishly played by Gene Hackman) is bad news, as are his two bumbling sidekicks, but how could we see how good the world could be without some evil thrown in to challenge us? Free will, baby!

In John 1, Jesus is described in poetic words: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” It’s a reminder that Jesus is bigger than what we merely see or think we see, but something deeper, broader, and more powerful.

The world does have darkness but it also has the great potential for good. If only there would be people to show the way.

Filed Under: Reviews, SIFF

Self-Isolation Film Festival: The General

April 6, 2020 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

While we fill the days and nights of self-isolation, this is a great time to discover films that we may have overlooked—especially films from long ago. Buster Keaton’s The General, a 1926 silent film, is thought by some, including Orson Wells and BFI’s Sight & Sound magazine, to be the greatest comedy of all time. It was among the first class of films to be inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry. Perhaps you don’t think much about silent films, but you have to admit this film has a pedigree.

Johnnie Gray (Keaton) is a young railroad engineer in Georgia. He has “two loves in his life”: his engine, named the General, and Annabelle Lee. While making a courting call on Annabelle, word arrives that Ft. Sumpter has been fired upon, starting the Civil War. Her brother and father immediately head off to enlist. Johnnie gets to the recruiting station first and tries to enlist, but as a railroad engineer, he’s deemed as more valuable doing that than as a soldier, so he is rejected—even though he tries several times. Annabelle’s family don’t know this and think he’s a coward.

A year later, Annabelle heads north to find her injured father. It happens to be on a train pulled by the General, but when they reach a dinner break and Johnnie is away from the engine, it is stolen by a Yankee spy and his cohort. Johnnie gives chase, first on foot, then by handcar, even on bicycle. Eventually he finds a Confederate troop train and loads it up to give chase, but the other cars aren’t connected to the engine, so Johnnie is in pursuit alone. Most of the film from this point is that pursuit filled with pratfalls on a moving train as Johnnie tries to catch the Yankees, who are trying to stop his progress.

When he finally does catch up, he discovers that Annabelle was a prisoner on the train. He hears the Yankees’ plans to use the train to supply advancing troops. Freeing Annabelle, he steals his train back to warn the Confederates of the attack. Now the train chase begins anew, with Johnnie and Annabelle being chased.

This non-verbal humor may not be what modern viewers expect, but Buster Keaton was a master at physical humor. His acrobatic skills are the basis for much of the humor in his films. But the comedy is also tied to the situation he has created—and it is here that I think we can consider how this film relates to the days and nights of COVID-19.

Barbara Brown Taylor wrote, “We do not lose control of our lives. What we lose is the illusion that we were ever in control in the first place.” Buster Keaton’s humor is often built around out of control situations. In The General he finds himself on a barreling train, uncertain what he’ll have to do next or what dangers lie ahead. Even though we are staying at home during these days of social distancing, we may well feel that everything is out of control. The pandemic is our train barreling down the track. Each day we find new obstacles, new worries. We have certainly lost any illusion of control in our lives. That doesn’t mean we should just give up. Like Johnnie Gray, we need to face every challenge with courage and determination.  While we may feel like we’re just along for the ride, these are days that call for heroic perseverance.

The General can be streamed at Kanopy and YouTube.

Filed Under: Film, Reviews, SIFF, VOD Tagged With: Buster Keaton, Civil War, National Film Regisrty, silent, trains

Schitt’s Creek: Bloom Where You’re Planted

April 3, 2020 by Heather Johnson Leave a Comment

One minute you are comfortable. You have all you need and then some. You have freedom to go anywhere, anytime, with anyone. Secure and confident in your situation, you spend your days enjoying unlimited opportunities. And then one day, government agents are at your door, confiscating furniture, jewelry, and you’re frantically trying to pack your wig collection and designer clothes before you lose them forever.

Ok, so maybe that hasn’t happened to you, but that’s the hilarious premise of Schitt’s Creek; the Canadian sitcom gem that is currently topping multiple “feel-good” viewing lists as the world finds itself in the midst of crisis that has forced entire countries into lockdowns. So actually in a way, many of us can understand the day-to-day “rug” being suddenly pulled out from under our feet. Just maybe not while wearing $850.00 pants.

Legendary comedic duo Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara star as Johnny and Moira Rose, whom, along with their children David and Alexis (Levy’s son Dan and newcomer Annie Murphy), lose everything built upon their video rental-store success due to a thieving business manager. As such, they are exiled to the tiny town of Schitt’s Creek – a “joke” of a birthday gift from Johnny to David that becomes their only means of survival…that and determined perseverance to ignore the reality of their situation. 

As of today, Schitt’s Creek is two episodes away of closing out its 6 season run, having only recently garnered the attention and notoriety it so richly deserves. What started as a seemingly superficial struggle from riches to rags has morphed into a deeply personal story of a family rediscovering who they are, and who they are meant to be. Dan Levy’s inaugural foray into writing and headlining is the stuff Hollywood dreams are made of; he brings decency and relatability that is often elusive in mainstream television, especially without the added perks of exuberant budgets. However, Schitt’s Creek has the good fortune of being filmed and directed on a network that doesn’t live and die by instant hits and quick buy-in. It has had time to take root and grow into something special and pretty universal – how to live life from moment to moment. 

It’s pretty impossible to sum up the first 5 seasons and I probably can’t really offer anything “new.” We see the Rose family slowly open up to their unexpected reality, with hilarious “relapses” into old expectations, like David trying to sell his clothes in season 1, or Moira’s extravagance for dehumidifiers and premier gowns in season 5. They never really stop being the Rose’s, but they uncover just how resilient and fortunate they are. David forms legitimate relationships for the first time in his life with best friend and motel-worker Stevie Budd (played by Emily Hampshire), and opens himself up to a real-life understanding of love with business-partner Patrick (played by Noah Reid). Alexis may always be a little superficial with random catch-phrases (“love that journey for me”), but she too learns to look beyond herself and her wants. And through it all, Johnny and Moira cling to one another as the one constant of their ever-changing life together. 

The show addresses topics such as sexuality, prejudice, small-town life, disappointment, anxiety, love, betrayal, and then some, with gentleness and humor and bravery. Dan Levy’s writing matures with each episode and character arc, to where even the “smaller” roles like that of café-owner Twyla (Dan’s sister Sarah) are just as integral to the story as the main characters. I don’t think there has yet to be a character or a scene that felt gratuitous or random. For me, everything and everyone comes together to build this story. I feel like it was written for a time such as this, when we all feel lost and unsure of our next steps, to show us how there is always a glimmer of laughter and light if we let go of what was, and open ourselves to the possibilities of what can be.  

Filed Under: Editorial, Netflix, SIFF, Television

Self-Isolation Film Festival: Napoleon Dynamite

April 1, 2020 by J. Alan Sharrer Leave a Comment

“I’ll give you 10 good reasons to watch this film . . . after I show off some sweet dance moves.”

Like many people, I have a specific slate of movies I turn to whenever I am bored or want to relax after a long day at work. Many of the films are humorous, such as The Princess Bride, Spaceballs, and The Emperor’s New Groove. Some have an endearing charm to them, like My Neighbor Totoro or Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (if you don’t believe me, watch it for yourself). Others can be quoted nearly line for line – prime examples of this include Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Goonies.  However, one film that has served to encapsulate all three of these elements is Napoleon Dynamite.  The combination of humor, quotability, and sweetness is one reason why I find myself reaching for it consistently.  In addition, the film offers some unique lessons that can be useful in our lives—even in this current age of family confinement.

Preston, Idaho seems to be the perfect location to practice social distancing. In the case of Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder), that’s probably all he wants in life—for days to blend into a blur.  He wants little to do with older brother Kip (Aaron Ruell), who’s attempting to date remotely and really enjoys nachos.  It doesn’t seem like he wants to be around his grandmother, who’s willing to get out and try new things (until she pays the price at the sand dunes).  In fact, Napoleon and Kip’s parents are nowhere to be found!  Uncle Rico (Jon Gries) basically acts as a pseudo-babysitter while eating as much steak as possible, Deb (Tina Majorino) comes over to peddle her limited photography skills before running away, and Tina the llama wants to eat nothing Napoleon flings her way (and I don’t blame her).

One of the reasons I appreciate the movie so much is how high school life is depicted.  The four years before college were not always the easiest for me.  PE was inherently boring (including tetherball); dating was king, yet I often spoke before I understood the effects of my words; and gossip was the high octane fuel that created consistently awkward experiences for all.  Seeing it come alive on screen caused those memories to rush back, but in a manner that caused laughter instead of cringing. (By the way, I’m sure Napoleon actually did his homework, but it didn’t make it into Jared Hess’s final cut.  Instead, the afterschool meeting of the Happy Hands Club was replaced with Napoleon’s endless quest to secure tots and score sweet jumps on Pedro’s Sledgehammer.  I’m fine with the director’s decision.)

The 80’s are alive again! (BTW, you are more than welcome to send me Napoleon’s t-shirt)

Despite the hilarious situations the characters find themselves in, each of them have deeper layers that are revealed over the course of the film.  Kip wants acceptance (and gets it in Lafawnduh [Shondrella Avery]); Uncle Rico is deperate to travel back in time and win the state football title (but instead resorts to selling plastic bowls door-to-door before meeting Rex); Pedro (Efren Ramirez) reaches for the stars (and succeeds at becoming student body president); while Napoleon is just Napoleon, the liger drawing, leisure suit wearing, impressive dancer who comes to the rescue in the end. 

In fact, it’s only because of friendship and loyalty that Kip and Lafawnduh get together, Napoleon helps Pedro win the election, and Deb remains the steadying influence Napoleon needs.  The Bible has quite a bit to say about this (1 Samuel 20; Proverbs 17:17).  In the unique times we currently find ourselves in, we are to be there for those who need us, even if we can’t physically be there to help.  A letter, a phone call, a meeting on Zoom—anything helps. 

In addition, I’m reminded of a scene in the film where Napoleon brazenly asks Deb at lunch why she’s drinking lowfat milk. It’s awkward but brings up a good question: why do we do the things we do?  Is it for attention? Is it because everyone else does the same thing? Is it because we want to be the opposite of the things we see in others or society? Or could it be something else?  As Christians, we’re called to be ambassadors/representatives for Jesus (see 2 Corinthians 5:20), so we should be the leaders whose lives people want to emulate.  Perhaps Napoleon was on to something.

In this time of uncertainty, it’s good to know that my copy of Napoleon Dynamite is on the shelf, ready at a moment’s notice to provide comfort, quotability, and hilarity. That is, unless my family decides to hide it again . . .

Filed Under: Film, Reviews, SIFF

Self-Isolation Film Festival: Ralph Breaks the Internet

March 30, 2020 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

Life is going along just fine, but then a virus begins spreading, threatening everything and everyone. That is a scary prospect. How is someone supposed to respond to such a crisis? That’s a problem raised in Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet. So, as we continue our own struggle with a threatening virus, perhaps we can learn something from this animated tale.

This film is a sequel to Wreck-It Ralph, and focuses on the same two main characters, Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly), a somewhat dim video game character who destroys things, and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), a cute, but sassy video game racecar driver, who happens to be a princess. In the first film they bond into a great friendship. In this film, when Ralph tries to make Vanellope’s game more challenging for her, he unintentionally causes the game to be broken. Without a new part (only available from eBay) the game will be sent off to salvage. In an effort to save the game, Ralph and Vanellope set off into the unknown world of the internet.

The film is a delightful look at this virtual world we so often tap into (as you have to read this). Of course, Ralph and Vanellope have no idea how any of that works, so their trip becomes a bit complicated. Along the way things like YouTube, search engines, and Twitter are gently teased. One of the most fun subplots deals with Vanellope encountering all the Disney princesses. The film shows that the Disney studio has enough of a sense of humor to parody itself.

But Ralph and Vanellope’s friendship is put to the test when Vanellope wants to stay in an exciting, violent driving game. Ralph, wanting to save their friendship, takes a virus to the game. But because he has ruined Vanellope’s chance for enjoyment, this may be the end of their friendship.

The key part of the film I’d like to focus on for these days of COVID-19 is the last 1/3 of the film. It is then that the virus escapes the driving game and is at large in the internet. The virus finds insecurity and begins copying that. And since Ralph is so insecure in his relationship with Vanellope, soon there are zombie-like Ralph clones everywhere, threatening to overwhelm the entire internet.

This film isn’t about the disease that has us self-isolating in our homes; it is about the other virus that has attacked our culture: the virus of insecurity and fear. Why are the store shelves empty in the toilet paper aisles? The virus hit us. The virus that made people afraid of what was coming. And when others heard that people were buying up the toilet paper, they made sure they’d have enough for the rest of their lives. And it grew and grew, like the viral Ralphs, until things started to fall apart.

We are reliant on the scientific community to help us deal with the Corona Virus, but we need to look within ourselves and our community to overcome the secondary virus. There will be toilet paper again. There will be eggs, and soup, and hand sanitizer. So, don’t let insecurity deprive others of their needs. Share. Care. Those are the cures for this secondary virus.

Ralph Breaks the Internet is currently streaming on Netflix and Disney+

Filed Under: Film, Reviews, SIFF, VOD Tagged With: animated, Disney

Self-Isolation Film Festival: Batman Begins

March 27, 2020 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

If I’m being honest, this could be any number of superhero films – Superman the Movie, Avengers (the first one), etc. – but I decided that Batman Begins still reflects the socio-political environment of our world today. And seriously, can you go wrong with Christopher Nolan?

Fifteen years ago, the keys to the Batmobile were passed to Nolan and David S. Goyer (Blade, Man of Steel) with Christian Bale playing the younger version of Bruce Wayne (until the Gotham series went even younger). With Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One and Jeph Loeb’s The Long Halloween as inspiration, the two spin an epic, exciting tale that set the stage for what superhero cinema would look like ever since. While the basic premise – a young Bruce Wayne watches his parents murdered and vows to train himself to fight evil- remains the same, the 2005 version finds Bale’s Wayne struggling with the shame of the impact his cowardice and fear had in his parents’ death. He’s not just angry – he’s also ashamed.

The genius of Nolan and Goyer’s relaunch, sixteen years after the release of the modern Tim Burton Batman film, was focusing on less-heralded characters, especially villains. Focusing on the evil of Carmine Falcone (an ’80s Miller creation), Ra’s al Ghul (created in 1971, used again in “Contagion” which lead to “Cataclysm”/”No Man’s Land”), and Scarecrow (created 1941, only maximized in Loeb and Tim Sale’s series of Batman standalones), the film created a sense of mystery for those who didn’t read the comics, and enough earmarks of canonical Batman stories for those who did. Throw in a younger Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) who would play more of a role later and Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine) as just as instrumental in the formation of Wayne’s persona, and you had some serious gold.

But in addition to the exciting Batmobile scenes and hand to hand combat, Batman Begins also has a morality play built into the DNA of the superhero action. Lessons like abound like “Why do we fall? So we can pick ourselves up” or “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” (Edmond Burke or not). Still, the core is the battle for Wayne’s soul between those who tell him that evil must be stopped at all costs – with mortal blows, preemptively, etc. — or with the just intervention of heroes, using their powers to ultimately make others experience peace and safety. The lines are drawn here, and The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises will tackle these issues and more.

Somehow, Nolan dips us into the darkness of evil in the world but doesn’t quite submerge us the way he will in the next two films. We walk away recognizing that goodness will win – even if it takes a supreme effort and time. And we can see, visually and storywise, that sometimes everything gets reduced to ashes before it can be rebuilt.

Consider that hope in the midst of dark times.

Filed Under: Reviews, SIFF

Dumbo: The Elephant in the Room #TBT

March 26, 2020 by Taran Gingery Leave a Comment

Following the relative lack of box office success of Fantasia and Pinocchio and with the country on the verge of entering a World War, Disney needed to churn out something inexpensive and much shorter.  That little movie turned out to be the story of a young elephant with big ears who learns to fly.  I’ll be honest – I’ve never been a big fan of ‘Dumbo’.  Even as a child, it always struck me as, well, juvenile.  However, watching it today, I think it may be more mature than I remembered and the characters actually seemed to have a lot more depth.

Take Mrs. Jumbo, the mother of Dumbo, for example.  She is an elephant of few words (I think she only has one line of dialogue in the whole movie), but her actions continually speak louder.  She doesn’t care that her son has gargantuan ears – she loves him all the same.   The adorable scene where she is playing with him shows the bond is strong between them.  When the other elephants mock Dumbo and the human children are jeering at him, at first Dumbo thinks they are having a bit of fun, but his mom knows better.  She sees the cruelty before he does and protects him from it, even at the cost of her own freedom, in the case of the human bullies.  Incidentally, I’ve often wondered what Mrs. Jumbo did to warrant the VIP treatment from Mr. Stork.  All the other animals just got their babies unceremoniously dropped on them, whereas she got a whole song and dance routine.  She even had to sign paperwork.

Then you have my favorite character, Timothy the Mouse.  Timothy is the kind of friend every bullied kid in school wishes he had, who speaks up for him, who defends him in times of trouble, who tries to cheer him up when he’s down and constantly is trying to find ideas for how to help his friend make his way in the world.  His ideas don’t always succeed, but he never gives up and sticks by Dumbo through everything.  Indeed, his final speech when he berates the crows for picking on Dumbo is actually genuinely moving.  For the record, by the way, the crows are hilarious and have some of the best lines.  Their pun-filled song about seeing “An Elephant Fly” is a highlight and I never got the impression they were making fun of Dumbo, just laughing at the concept of an elephant flying in general.  After they learn about his troubles, they come to his aid and are one of the few characters to treat Dumbo with respect.

Indeed, while there are no villains per se, most of the side characters are cruel or bullying towards poor Dumbo.  Rather like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, the other elephants shun him, all the while cattily gossiping about how all Mrs. Jumbo’s problems are the fault of her ‘little freak’ of a son.  Also rather like Rudolph (at least in the song alone, not the Rankin-Bass animated feature, where Rudolph does a lot more before the climactic scene), the circus Ringmaster reminds me of Santa, seeking only to exploit Dumbo because he sees a use for his ‘freakishness’, not because Dumbo has actually proven to be useful.

That leads me to Dumbo himself.  It is unusual for the lead character in any film to be mute, let alone the lead in an animated cartoon.  But mute Dumbo is – never a word does the baby elephant speak, except a grunt here and there.  Instead, every emotion is expressed through facial expression, and it is really quite effective.  Dumbo is a very sympathetic character.  You delight in his joys, such when he plays with his mom, and you feel his sorrow, such as when he is separated from her.  One of the saddest moments is when he hopefully approaches the other elephants, with a brief expression of happiness that they might comfort him in his loneliness, and then the dejected look on his face when they turn away from him.  Yes, Dumbo is an easy character to feel for and to root for.  

It goes without saying that the movie looks great, although as a less expensive venture, it is less textured than the likes of Fantasia or even Pinocchio. The best animated scene, in fact, is the trippy “Pink Elephants on Parade,” where Dumbo and Timothy get drunk (no joke) and have a bizarre series of hallucinations after which they wake up in a tree with no recollection of the event whatsoever (I figure this is how every ‘Hangover’ movie starts).  

So, as a work of animation, I wouldn’t count it among Disney’s masterpieces.  However, in terms of how it develops its characters in its short runtime (barely over 1 hour), it has surprising depth.  It may seem silly, but I only now in this viewing realized that the ‘magic feather’ didn’t actually do anything (and that the crows/Timothy knew this; it was, as they called it, ‘psychology’ or a placebo).  I see now that it was Dumbo’s confidence in himself that gave him the courage he needed to fly and prove to himself and the world that it was his differences that made him stronger.  It’s impossible to ignore the elephant in the room, even if he is a very small elephant, when he has the self-confidence to spread his wings, er, ears, and soar over the heads of the critics and the bullies and show them that a weakness can be overcome and made a strength.  That is a positive message to be heard by any ear, big or small.

Alternative:  I’m not gonna lie – I think Tim Burton’s 2019 remake is a superior film.  It has the weird Tim Burton atmosphere, but also many strong human characters that emphasize a lot of the themes I mentioned, such as overcoming your weaknesses.  I do think Dumbo himself is rather short-changed and it lacks the jovial crows and Timothy Mouse’s encouraging presence, but Michael Keaton and Danny De Vito are great and for older children, it has more spectacle and suspense.  A worthy reimagining.   

Filed Under: #tbt, SIFF

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