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Kicking Blood: Kicking the Habit

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“You gotta kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight” – Leonard Cohen

To be fair, Cohen’s words were likely never meant to connect with vampire films. But they certainly apply to Kicking Blood.

Kicking Blood tells the story of Anna (Alanna Bale), a young vampire who must feed on the blood of others to survive. Together with her brood, they feed nightly off of toxic men and thrive off the high they feel after doing so. However, when she meets a humble alcoholic named Robbie (Luke Bilyk) who tries to get clean, Anna begins to wonder if she can kick her own habit of consuming blood as well, even if doing so could kill her.

Directed and co-written by Blaine Thurman (The New Pornographers), Kicking Blood has a surprising amount of bite to its story. Tightly the written and executed, Blood may be brief but also has something to say. Clocking in at a paltry 75 minutes, Thurman’s film takes a much more metaphorical approach with its storytelling. Although the film fully leans into its horror elements, Blood is equally as interested in exploring the trauma of abuse and its relationship to addiction as well. In this world, death is a dark and mysterious place… but what does it mean to live? Is it possible to begin again when what came before is so broken? These are the questions that are embedded within Thurman’s tale of blood that make it worth exploring.

At first, Blood feels very much like revenge film. As Anna chooses her victims, we quickly notice a pattern beginning to form. Each prey that she targets has been some form of predator. Whether adulterous or abusive, each of Anna’s victims reveals their sins. As such, she appears to justify her kills as an act of vengeance against the darkness of man. (Who’s going to miss men who have hurt others like that, right?) In this way, her feedings are given shades of justice as she fights on behalf of those who have been hurt. If these victims cannot stand up for themselves, she will do it for them.

When she meets Robbie though, things begin to change. Broken by alcoholism, Robbie is ready to die and suggests that he is willing to let Anna take his life. However, in doing so, she sees something different in him. His humility and repentant soul are different than the other men that she has fed upon. In this way, there’s a complexity within their relationship that complicates this tale of vengeance. As Anna’s instinctive desire to feed battles a burgeoning compassion, suddenly she struggles to bring herself to end his life. 

Unlike the others, Robbie may worth saving.

However, her experience with him also begins to show her things about herself. It’s here that Blood’s metaphor begins to shift. Whereas once feeding took on an element of justice or revenge, now it seems to point to addiction. For Anna, her desire to inflict violence masks an inner rage that she carries within her. While each kill may be necessary for her to live, it also gives her an energetic high that keeps her going. Even so, her experience with Robbie challenges her to choose a new path for herself. While her friends feed for the rush, Anna decides to try and break free from the painful pattern that rules her life.

Whether or not that’s possible for her is another story.

Dark and edgy, Kicking Blood makes good use of its runtime to prove its point. Using vampires as a metaphor for addiction and abuse, Blood takes one of the darkest of classic villain tropes and uses it to explore what it takes to find hope and healing at a time when it feels most elusive. 

After all, as the man says, when darkness falls, Blood reminds us that we can kick against it.

Kicking Blood is available in select theatres on Friday, April 15th, 2022.

Triple Threat: Three Times the Love

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Broadway doesn’t always work onscreen.

Even though there can be something magical about live theatre, that doesn’t necessarily translate (Cats) into big screen success. Nevertheless, when it’s done well, there’s a certain charm that can burst forth, no matter its medium. Thankfully, the new musical Triple Threat is closer to the latter than the former. While it doesn’t quite reach the bright lights of Broadway, Triple Threat has a charm and energy that remains infectious.

In Triple Threat, the dream of creating the next Broadway smash firmly in view for artists Chloe (Stacey Maltin), Maggie (Margarita Zhitnikova) and Gus (Jay DeYonker), who have together tirelessly for a decade. After years of grinding away, their original production ‘Firefly’ finally seems ready for the big time. Now, as things are beginning to come together, Jay decides that he wants to father a child with his friends. With Chloe donating an egg and Maggie willing to serve as surrogate, the three begin a journey to make Gus a father. Nevertheless, as the challenges of bringing ‘Firefly’ to Broadway continue to grow, the three must navigate the ongoing changes in their lives with the never-ending pressures of success.

Directed (and co-written) by Stacey Maltin, Triple Threat is a a love letter to Broadway. While its young stars do a wonderful job in their respective roles, the story here truly is the music. Featuring some truly wonderful musical numbers, the film has a joyful pop to it that stays with the viewer after the credits of rolled. (The film’s signature tune, ‘Fireflies’, alone is worth searching on Spotify.) In some ways, the film feels like Rent for the modern age with its celebration of the bohemian lifestyle of New York’s theatre district and an acknowledgement that everyone needs to follow their dreams. Although the film admittedly has a few rough moments story-wise, the passion and heart of the film help cover over any major issues to offer the viewer a unique and fun experience that’s worth checking out.

However, Triple’s best aspects is its willingness to flip tropes on the viewer. The story of a woman forced to choose between career and child rearing is a story that we’ve heard many times before in Hollywood. By flipping genders though, the film feels fresh, especially considering the fact that this is between three people, as opposed to the traditional couple. As a result, this non-traditional family feels more current in our constantly changing and growing culture. 

As each member of the ‘throuple’ attempts to navigate the complexities of their situation, the film seems to become about what it means to give up one’s ‘baby’. As Gus attempts to prepare for the child on his own, so too must the other women in the relationship figure out their place in this unique relationship. Whereas Maggie wishes to help with the babies naming, Chloe is unsure about her position in the relationship either. To Chloe, she has her own ‘baby’ to worry about in the form of her play. Similar to Gus’ desire to create something (well… ‘someone’) for himself, so too does Chloe’s play represent her life’s work. Nevertheless, that dream continues to be infringed upon by its producers who want to change it from her original vision. As the two storylines unfurl together, their similarities create a surprisingly wonderful tension that often works well within the film. 

As such, the deepest salvation in the film comes in the form of grace and community. What does it mean to raise a family together when the world is constantly in flux? This question lies at the heart of Triple Threat and shows the humility and trust that is required to make love work. Interestingly, one of the film’s most resonating lines comes in the form of what it means to find their inner light. Everyone wants to find the thing that sparks their soul, whether it’s love, work, creativity or simply being who you are. However, at the same time, Triplereminds us that there’s a balance involved. While all of us need to tap into the pieces of our soul that gives us life, so too must we work together to create loving community with those around us.

Fueled by fun, some enjoyable character stories and, of course, the music, Triple Threat is a joy worth experiencing. This is a film about taking risks in life and love but, most importantly, leaning into the light that wants so badly to spark within us.

Triple Threat premieres in New York City on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2022 and the soundtrack is available now on Spotify.

Monster Mondays: Jurassic Park III (2001)

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With the success of The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), it seemed pretty obvious that film would not be the last in the franchise.  In June 1998, a third Jurassic Park film was confirmed by Universal Pictures, with a release targeted for the summer of 2000.  Unfortunately, the same big problem that faced the writers for the previous film remained: what could possibly happen next?

With no third novel on which to base the new film, the plan was to bring Michael Crichton on to write the script. Crichton, however, left the project very early on to continue working on writing novels.  Likewise, Steven Spielberg decided not to return as director, insteading becoming the executive producer and passing the baton to director Joe Johnston, who had made the successful Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) and Jumanji (1995).

Writing the film proved to be a major challenge.  The script went through several reworkings, even after construction had begun on sets and casting had started.  In the end, principal photography commenced without a finalized script.

The basic premise of the film is pretty simple.  A wealthy couple hire Dr. Alan Grant and his assistant, Billy Brennan, to join them on a chartered flight over Isla Sorna so that he can teach them about the dinosaurs they see.  When they get to Isla Sorna, however, the plane lands.  The couple, it turns out, are not wealthy.  They are actually divorced and have come to the island to search for their missing son.  Of course, they all end up stranded on the island together and have to find a way to get off before they are eaten by the island’s dinosaur residents.

Despite the issues in the writer’s room, Jurassic Park III is a brisk and fun little adventure film.  Though it lacks the depth of the previous two movies, the film delivers on dinosaur action sequences.  Stan Winston’s animatronics are top notch, with the gigantic Spinosaurus being an awe-inspiring practical special effect.  The final encounter our protagonists have with the Spinosaurus happens in a river, and the animatronic is truly life-like as it thrashes and splashes around alongside the human actors.  The CGI is also pretty good for the most part, though it is noticeably weak in a few shots.

While The Lost World: Jurassic Park brought back Ian Malcolm and John Hammond from the first film, with Lex and Tim Murphy getting a small cameo, Jurassic Park III brings back Dr. Alan Grant and Dr. Ellie Sattler, with both Sam Neill and Laura Dern returning to reprise their roles.  It is nice to be reunited with these two characters again, though fans were a little disappointed to learn that Dr. Sattler had married some boring bureaucrat rather than Dr. Grant.  

Replacing the Tyrannosaurus rex as starring carnivore this time is the Spinosaurus, a decision I think was a bit of a mistake.  Spinosaurus was first described by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer in 1915 from very incomplete remains discovered in Egypt in 1912.  In April 1944, this only specimen of Spinosaurus was destroyed as Britain bombed Munich.  Only a handful of highly incomplete Spinosaurus specimens were found in the years between World War II and the making of Jurassic Park III, meaning very little was known about the dinosaur prior to the making of the film.

New discoveries in the years since Jurassic Park III was released has shown that the depiction of Spinosaurus in the movie is terribly inaccurate.  We now believe Spinosaurus was semiaquatic and hunted primarily fish.  In keeping with this semiaquatic lifestyle, Spinosaurus was adapted to live in the water much more so than it was for living on land.  It had shorter hind legs than most other therapods, meaning it was probably not a very fast runner, and it had a flat, paddle-like tail to help with swimming.  The shape of the sail on its back is now also believed to be much different than the semi-circle shown in the movie.  Perhaps one of the most controversial moments in a Jurassic Park film comes when the Spinosaurus battles and kills a Tyrannosaurus rex, impossibly snapping the Tyrannosaurus’ muscular neck with its narrow fish-catching jaws.

Also getting its chance to shine is the pterosaur Pteranodon, which briefly appeared in the final shot of The Lost World: Jurassic Park.  Despite the name Pteranodon literally meaning “wing toothless”, the animals on screen are depicted as having sharp teeth lining the inside of their beaks.  Similar to Spinosaurus, Pteranodon was actually primarily a piscivore and spent its life in and around water.  Still, there is no denying the scene in the aviary is one of the highlights of the film. Interestingly, this scene is adapted from a scene in the first Jurassic Park novel that did not make it into the earlier movies.

Where Jurassic Park III really falters, however, is its ending.  After returning some stolen eggs to a Velociraptor pack, the characters run out of the jungle and are greeted by the military.  After all that had come before, including two major clashes with the Spinosaurus, it all just feels anti-climatic.  Worse yet is the reappearance of Billy, who is all bandaged up in the military helicopter after his encounter with the Pteranodon.  It feels a little too neat and tidy, and it lacks any final sense of tension.

Jurassic Park III is a deeply flawed Jurassic Park sequel which likely suffers from its inability to pin down a final script before shooting started.  Its portrayal of the Spinosaurus borders on crossing the line from animal to monster, and its lackluster ending sucks the air out of its sails rather than leaving a strong last impression with viewers.  Still, the film is fun, and its short running time keeps the movie from becoming bogged down.  While not as strong as the previous two films in the franchise, Jurassic Park III is an entertaining movie that is definitely worth watching.

SF Radio 8:28 Monsters and MEN

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Directed by Alex Garland, MEN is visceral journey that exposes the darkest parts of masculinity. When Harper (Jessie Buckley) decided to get away to the country to process her grief, her quiet retreat becomes a terrifying journey into the world of toxic male culture and the damage that it leaves in its wake. This week, Jolie Featherstone (@TOFilmFiles), Catherine Erskine and Amy Hayden join Steve to talk about the film’s examination of men, ‘man-splaining’ and whether or not evil truly begets evil.

You can stream on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Google Play, Spotify, iHeart Radio or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can downoad the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

8.28-MenDownload

Jerry and Marge Go Large – What is the value of money?

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“I’ve waited forty years for it to be just us, and so far, we suck at it.”

Retirement can be a challenge for people who have been busy their whole lives. It helps if you find a hobby to fill your time. Maybe that hobby turns out to be lucrative—lucrative enough to change lives. Jerry and Marge Go Large, directed by David Frankel, is a wonderfully entertaining story of such a remarkable hobby and the way it touched lives and built a community. It’s based on a true story.

Jerry Selbee (Bryan Cranston) has just retired (not happily) from a career at Kellogg’s. He lives in a small town in Michigan that is well past its prime. He’s floundering for something to do. Jerry is a wizard with numbers. One day he discovers a loophole in the state lottery that adjust the odds so that winning is more likely. After a couple of failures to score, he determines that he needs to bet really big to get a payoff. So he recruits others in the town to trust him with their money (we’re talking thousands each) and forms a corporation. It starts working, but Michigan shuts that game down. It is still being played in Massachusetts, however.

So every few weeks, when the jackpot gets large enough to trigger the loophole, he and his wife Marge (Annette Benning) do a road trip to Massachusetts to spend the day printing the thousands of lottery tickets involved, aided by a friendly and eccentric convenience store clerk (a very entertaining Rainn Wilson). The payoff is astounding. The small town is enjoying the life of new money in town. More importantly Jerry and Marge are having a great time rebuilding their relationship in a new way.

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However, soon, Tyler Evens (Uly Schlesinger), a student at Harvard, discovers the same loophole and gets money from other well-healed students in his dorm. When Tyler figures out there are two group doing this, he threatens Jerry with the idea that he would hack all his neighbors and ruin their lives. Tyler is the epitome of privilege, who wants nothing more to win at anything he’s involved in.

In some ways, this part of the story provides some dramatic tension to make it interesting, but it also opens the door for us to consider what it means to be stewards of the gifts we have.  

For Tyler this is a matter of ego. The money really doesn’t mean anything to him; his family has plenty. It’s about showing off how clever he is. And he won’t tolerate anyone who threatens his plans. The money, per se, doesn’t matter to Jerry either. He’s more interested in what he and his neighbors can do with their winnings. For them, this is a chance to rebuild their dying little town. Parks are spruced up. Downtown shops, which have been boarded up for years, are bought and rented out for €1 a year. (There is a humorous reason they do it for a euro rather than a dollar.) For the Michigan people, this windfall is all about the community. To be sure, they all get to make some personal upgrades, but more than anything else they see this as making everyone’s lives better.

Stewardship of what we have is a frequent topic in scripture. For example, Peter tells us “Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” (1 Peter 4:10, NRSV). Tyler has no concept of serving others; he expects others to serve him and feed his ego. But for Jerry, Marge, and their neighbors, the gift that Jerry nurtured for them has changed their lives, not just by making them more money. It has enriched their lives as families and community. There we see “the manifold grace of God” at work.

Jerry and Marge Go Large streams on Paramount+.

Photo credit: Jake Giles Netter/Paramount++.