ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Ben Affleck

Deep Water: Struggling to Stay Afloat

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The deeper you get into the water, the darker it gets.

Based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley), Deep Water invites the viewer behind the closed doors of a marriage in trouble. Even though Vic (Ben Affleck) and Melinda Van Allen (Ana de Armas) seem to have the perfect marriage, their relationship is one of manipulation and infidelities. As she proceeds with her sexual dalliances, Vic sits and broods about his wife’s behaviour, potentially plotting his own revenge as well.

Directed by Adrian Lyne, Deep Water is the unsettling tale of a couple whose marriage has disintegrated entirely, leaving a strange blend of mind games in its wake. Reminiscent of his role in Gone Girl, Affleck’s brooding beast of a husband is an uncaring monster with revenge on his mind. (Whether or not he’s willing to act on his anger remains to be seen.) Since leaning into lighter roles early on in his career, Affleck continues to evolve as an actor. His dark, brooding sensibilities have established him as a strong performer (and even a strong Batman). In addition, a similar sentiment can be said for Ana de Armas. Whether hero or villain, de Armas brings a spark of life to any film that can elevate the material.

Unfortunately, it’s Deep Water’s script that sinks the film. As the director of Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal, Lyne is well-versed in the erotic thriller and left his mark upon the genre. However, in Water, the tension between Vic and Melinda is written in such a way that it’s potential secrets simply lack impact. As a result, although the film wants to emulate the darkest of romances, it becomes somewhat of a tedious affair that comes up short.

At its heart, Water emphasizes the ennui of the higher class. Living lives of endless parties, Vic and Melinda may be the social centre of their community but they have also lost every spark and ember from their relationship. Melinda gleefully engages in multiple affairs with Vic’s full knowledge of her infidelities. Although her flippant attitude towards their relationship eats away at his soul, Vic decides that he will never let her know of his feelings, leaving him simmering quietly with rage that increases with each man that enters their home. At the same time, his perceived indifference drives Melina even further away emotionally, as she argues that he is a man devoid of passion for her. (What’s more, its worth noting that the tension between them is hardly in secret. Well-known by all their friends and family, even their daughter is aware that something is wrong in their home.)

In this way, the toxicity within their home becomes a double-edged sword. Whereas they yearn for passion, it stems from rage. At the same time, by giving into their anger, the consequences would be dire. As such, there is a recklessness to their relationship that becomes all consuming. Interestingly, an illustration of this comes when Vic talks about his work. Although he has invented drone technology that could be used to benefit others, it’s used by the military instead. When pushed by a friend about its use, he simply shrugs off the moral implications of how his tech is being used, arguing that it’s not up to him. In this telling moment, Vic gives some insight into his views on ethical responsibility—and that same sentiment shapes his marriage.

For both Vic and Melinda, both right and wrong mean little if it gets them what they want.

In the end, while the film has potential, Deep Water struggles to stay afloat. Although the performances of Affleck and de Armas are fairly solid, a weak script keeps the film from capitalizin on its interesting premise.  

In other words, this Water simply dries out.

Deep Water is available on Hulu and Amazon Prime on Friday, March 18th, 2022.

The Tender Bar – Learning “the male sciences”

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“Grandpa’s house was a revolving door of cousins and aunts, with a full complement of laughter and tears, with an occasional nervous breakdown. But above all, it’s where Uncle Charlie lived.”

The Tender Bar, directed by George Clooney and based on a memoir by J.R. Moehringer, can be characterized as a coming-of-age story, but it veers a bit into the philosophy of masculinity. While the film is very male-oriented, its story is appealing enough that women should find it enjoyable as well.

LILY RABE and DANIEL RANIERI star in TENDER BAR Photo: CLAIRE FOLGER © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

It begins in 1973 when nine year old, J.R. Maquire (Daniel Ranieri, later Tye Sheridan) moves with his mother (Lily Rabe) into her father’s house, an event she views as a sign of failure, but J.R. finds exciting. His father abandoned them long ago. He is a semi-nomadic radio DJ who J.R. refers to as The Voice—after all, that is about all J.R. knows of him. Grandpa (Christopher Lloyd) is a curmudgeon who seems to resent having his adult children back in his house. (But at least he is willing to help support them.)

J.R. finds an important role model in his Uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck). Charlie is a bar tender at a local dive, The Dickens. It is there that Charlie (and some of the barflies that are always there) teach J.R. what Charlie refers to as the “male sciences”, simple rules of how to live and especially how to treat women. (The prime directive in these sciences is “You don’t hit a woman, ever, up to and including if she has stabbed you with scissors.”) Charlie is something of an autodidact philosopher. He seems to have read everything, and makes sure that J.R., who wants to be a writer, reads it as well.

CHRISTOPHER LLOYD and DANIEL RANIERI star in TENDER BAR Photo: CLAIRE FOLGER © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

J.R.’s mother is laser-focused on him going to an Ivy League school, even though there’s no way she could afford it. In time he is accepted to Yale on scholarship, and the film explores his life there, and continues to build on Charlie’s life training. At Yale he falls in love with a beautiful and bright young woman (Briana Middleton). The relationship with her is something that teaches J.R. about trials that he cannot control.

J.R., with the help of family (which includes the patrons of The Dickens) and friends, slowly negotiates life without his father, life at Yale where he feels out of place, and entering adulthood with confidence—enough to face his father and to assert himself.

BEN AFFLECK and TYE SHERIDAN star in TENDER BAR Photo: CLAIRE FOLGER © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

For all the “male science” aspect of Charlie’s mentorship of J.R., the philosophy that he teaches is applicable to all people. It can be summed up is a few important concepts: kindness, honesty, and honor. I don’t think Charlie ever uses those words, but through the instructions he gives J.R.—and through his actions—those ideas are clear. Such a view of life is certainly in line with Paul’s comment: “…Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8 NRSV)

The Tender Bar is in theaters and is streaming on Prime Video

Photos courtesy of Amazon Content Services.

The Last Duel: Pain from Another Perspective

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By Seun Olowo-Ake

Directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon, The Last Duel is set in the 12th Century and is based on the true story of Marguerite de Carrouge (Jodie Comer), Jean de Carrouge (Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) and the accusation that put all their lives at risk.

Knowing nothing about the movie before I went in, I admit that I didn’t think that I would enjoy Last Duel. However, the more the story unfolded, the more interested I became. I liked how the film decided to tell the story from the three different perspectives and found it fun seeing how all three people saw the exact same situations in such different ways. I also really enjoyed the performances. Damon captured the hot-headedness of Jean; Driver exemplified the charming, eloquent womanizer that was Jacques; Affleck brought so much humour with his portrayal of the more secondary Lord Pierre; and Comer did an exceptional job portraying the devoted, meek wife, the subtle flirt, and the striving-but-not-quite-good-enough wife that Jean, Jacques and her narratives respectively show her to be.

The film begins by showing us the deterioration of Jean and Jacques’ relationship as fortune continues to smile on Jacque, often at the expense of Jean. The resentment that builds in the already brash Jean reaches its tipping point when his wife, Marguerite, accuses Jacques of rape. Jacques insists that he is innocent, and Jean insists that he is ready to fight to the death to prove that he is guilty. This leads us to the duel itself, which was the last one permitted by the Parliament of Paris. (I just discovered that. The title of the movie makes sense now.)

Many people have called this movie a ‘medieval #MeToo film’, and it very obviously has those undertones. From the characters that did not quite believe Marguerite to the women in the film that came forward with their own stories while simultaneously wondering why on earth Marguerite would ‘bring shame to her family in this way’, to the invasive questioning that she endures on the way to her potential death, The Last Duel certainly shows the struggle of women who have suffered to speak out against the toxic men in their lives.

However, another thing that stood out to me is the idea that we are the centre of our stories and that our actions are reactions to what we perceive around us. We see this in all three main characters, but particularly in Jacques who maintains his innocence because of how the world works to him and how he interpreted the behaviour of Marguerite.

I also found it fascinating that the person with the most drastic character change in all three accounts is Marguerite. Both Jean and Jacques were men who had professed in some way to love her, yet they did not truly see her. In fact, the movie constantly shows her struggling to be seen and heard by her husband, by Jacques and by society. It makes me wonder if we as the main characters in our stories view other people the way they truly are, or the way we want them to be. This idea gains more significance when we consider again that our actions are results of how we see the things around us and that we are constantly interacting with other people who are directly or indirectly affected by what we do. The Last Duel (and historical account) gives the more extreme example of assault, but that is something for us all to ponder as we go about our lives.

True love is putting others before ourselves and, in the context of this movie, seeking to truly understand their motivations before reacting- which I’ll admit is really hard, but no one ever said love was easy.

The Last Duel is available in theatres on Friday, October 15th, 2021.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League: Reborn Film Finally Does Justice to the Franchise

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You could forgive me if I doubted.

After years of hearing about the mythological ‘Snyder Cut’, there was simply no way that this film could meet expectations. After all, the original film was such a tepid piece of fodder that there was simply no way that a few tweaks or additional scenes could self-correct a franchise that had fallen so far off the rails. Now, with a refreshed budget and a new home on HBOMax and Blu-ray, Zack Snyder’s Justice League has finally arrived. 

And I admit that I was stunned by the results.

The details of the Snyder Cut’s resurgence has been well-documented. Determined not to copy Marvel’s roadmap to success, DC chartered their own path that rushed the process. By the time that The Avengers came around, standalone films had charted a path that allowed audiences to connect with the characters before they attempted to work together. Falling behind in the box office, the release of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice gave DC the chance to try and regain some traction in the pop culture world. In their attempt to speed up the process, they threw their characters into films without any proper introductions. Whether they were attempting to ‘catch up’ to Marvel or simply afraid of being accused of ‘copying’ Disney’s juggernaut franchise, the result was a middling mess of confusion that left no time to create something special. 

After Joss Whedon’s cut of the Justice League failed to catch on with audiences, WB may have thought they were free of the franchise with a chance to reboot things once again. However, they underestimated their fans. After an unprecedented fan campaign that lasted three years and a hashtag (#ReleaseTheSnyderCut) that simply wouldn’t die, WB found themselves portrayed as the villains of a fiendish plot to suppress a director’s vision. Even so, they held firm to their comment that any other version for the film simply did not exist.

All that changed with the creation of HBOMax. Even if Snyder had been able to complete the film initially, there’s simply no way that the WB would have allowed a four-hour cut to be released in theatres, especially for a franchise that had been viewed as flailing. Although, with the move to streaming, Snyder suddenly had the opportunity to lean in to his longer take on the film. All of a sudden, he had the time (and freedom) to tell the story his way. Given more space in the world of digital media, Snyder’s League feels less like a theatrical release and more like the first chapter of a mega mini-series event. At a time when binge-watching has taken over the ‘theatrical experience’, Zack Snyder’s Justice League leans into our current obsession with long-form storytelling, complete with ‘chapters’ marking breaks within the film. 

Most importantly though, what about the quality of the film itself? 

The truth is that it’s good. Very, very good. 

Shockingly good, really.

In the new cut, Zack Snyder’s Justice League picks up immediately following the events of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. After Superman’s (Henry Cavill) death, the world is left with a need for heroes. As such, Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) begin building a team of super-humans who will stand together against an ancient evil that is preparing to return and exact revenge on humanity. 

Although I have never considered myself a ‘Snyder-apologist’, one can’t help but recognize the quality of his epic saga. The ‘director’s cut’ is far from a new concept in our culture. Even so, the extent of these re-edits usually amounts to a few additional scenes or some updated special effects. In the case of the new League, Snyder offers an almost entirely different story with new subplots and expanded character beats.

In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to suggest that it improves on the original theatrical cut in virtually every way.

While Whedon’s original film attempted to ‘lighten’ the tone with more quips and less exposition, that vision never truly fit with the world that Snyder had already created. Marked by rushed character arcs that never satisfy and a bland villain, the original film rarely works. Nevertheless, with the move to HBOMax, Snyder’s version has the proper time to explore the stories of new characters without betraying the larger superhero story. Though this saga would obviously have benefited from prior stand-alone films, Snyder’s League does its very best to compensate by giving meaningful backstories to its new additions, especially Ray Fisher’s Cyborg. Once a side character with little relevance, Cyborg has suddenly become the film’s emotional core with an arc that has a significant impact on the outcome of the story.

In addition, the most notable change comes through a more fully realized villain in Steppenwolf. Whereas Whedon trimmed the brute’s story down to almost nothing, Snyder’s new footage offers a meaningful role to the character. Instead of a standard ‘big bad’ who’s forgettable (at best), the new League highlights his motivation and relationship to the larger impending force of nature in Darkseid. As a result, not only does Steppenwolf become more interesting to the viewer but his actions simply make more sense. (What’s more, new special effects give the character a much more menacing look, a factor that was lacking in the original cut.) 

Of course, it’s also important to know that the film ends on an enormous cliff-hanger. Originally conceived to be the first of three films, League operates in grand strokes but never fully concludes. (For the record, Snyder has currently stated he has no intention of returning to the world.)

What’s more, despite its overall quality, this League will not likely win any new converts from those who struggle to connect with Snyder’s vision. Although it goes without saying that this a vastly improved version of the film, all the Snyder-isms that will cause derision remain front and centre. Off-putting to some for his showmanship, there’s little question that his visual polish drives his work. Featuring a litany of stylized effects, slow-motion action and dark, gritty story-telling, League is Snyder is at his free-wheeling best yet he will still likely alienate viewers who are looking for something more along the lines of Marvel’s lighter, more humorous tone.

However, these vast differences are all very intentional. Whereas Marvel has taken a much more scientific or ‘human-centred’ approach to their content, Snyder’s vision for the DC Universe has always included viewing these heroes as modern gods. Though Marvel seems to create heroes on par with mankind, Snyder views characters like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman as super beings who have been sent as examples to inspire humanity to greatness. (One need not look further than the giant monument to Superman to see that this is true.) There’s a deep admiration for his characters within Snyder’s work that hints at the spiritual longings of a culture looking for heroes. As such, his vision for the League meets every superhuman act with a grand crescendo. Bursts of electricity, clangs of metal and a bombastic soundtrack give the film an epic scale that highlights his vision. To Snyder, the DC Universe is an example of our modern mythology and, as such, he is unapologetic in his reverence for the material.

With the release of his ambitious superhero opus, Snyder truly does come out as the winner here. With grandiose storytelling and vastly improved character arcs, Zack Snyder’s Justice League shows what the director can do when given the time (and money) to bring his vision to life. As a result, this reborn League certainly feels like the unexpectedly epic conclusion that this chapter of the DCEU (and Snyder himself) needed.

That is, until #RestoreTheSnyderVerse takes effect.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is available to stream on HBOMax and on Blu-ray. The special feature included is “Road to Justice League” as Snyder reflects on the three DC films he made for Warner Bros.

7.15 Restoring the Universe in ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE

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After Joss Whedon’s Justice League failed to catch on with audiences, those committed to seeing Zack Snyder’s original vision brought to completion began the most extensive fan campaign that Hollywood has ever seen. Featuring hashtags, billboards and even renting a plane, #ReleaseTheSnyderCut seemed like a passionate but empty pursuit. However, after four years and an additional $100M, Warner Bros. has finally released the Snyder Cut onto HBOMax. Clocking in at over four hours long, Zack Snyder’s Justice League has new effects, new characters and a more fully-developed script… but does that truly make it any better? This week, Victor Stiff (host of YouTube’s Dope Black Movies) and Dave Voigt (podcaster and founder of InTheSeats.ca) stop by to debate the value of the Snyderverse, the nature of heroism and the differences between Marvel and DC.

You can stream the episode on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can download 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.

7.15 Zack Snyder’s Justice LeagueDownload

The Way Back: The Road to Redemption

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Written and directed by Gavin O’Connor (The Accountant), The Way Back is the very human story of addiction, depression and redemption for Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck). Once a former high school basketball star with a bright ahead of him, Jack is now washed-up, struggling with alcohol addiction. However, things start to turn around when he gets an opportunity coaching a basketball at his old high school. Unfortunately, like Jack himself, the team is a failure, struggling to get anywhere. Suddenly, it’s up to Jack do what he can to fix this team and, at the same time, fix himself so he can be on the way back to redemption.

Throughout his life, Jack has experienced nothing but failure, having turned down a basketball scholarship to spite his father, ruining his marriage, and enduring the death of his son. As a result of his broken past, Jack is severely depressed and, instead of confronting his problems, has become heavily addicted to alcohol, But, when he gets a chance to coach again at his old school, something sparks hope within Jack. In many ways, Jack sees the team as a reflection of himself and recognizes that they need to put in a lot of work if they want to move forward. As Jack trains the team and leads them on their way to the playoffs, he repeats the message that little bits of effort add up and eventually make a big difference. Just like the team he hopes to inspire, Jack doesn’t give up and puts in the necessary effort to get clean, even seeking help and getting therapy. Interestingly, this journey also parallels Affleck’s own struggle with addiction. Before the movie was finished, Affleck, who has famously struggled over the years, relapsed and caused problems for the film’s production. Mirroring the character that he was playing onscreen, Affleck sought help, moved forward for his addiction and failures and set back on the road to redemption.  no matter how many times it takes, they will try to move forward.

Overall, The Way Back was a heartwarming story of one man’s battle with addiction and his struggle on the way back to redemption. Able to draw from his own personal experiences with alcoholism, Ben Affleck does an amazing job in the role of Jack. What’s more, the film does an excellent job of recognizing the pain inherent to the road of recovery. For example, at one crucial in the film, Jack’s team wins an important game against a formidable opponent. Feeling like a conclusion, the film fades to black, allowing the audience to believe that everything works out well. However, as the film continues, the script takes a more realistic approach to the topic, highlighting the fact that recovery is never that easy. In doing so, The Way Back reminds the viewer that relapse and struggle are normal in these cases, revealing a perspective off addiction that many people don’t see. Alcoholism is not a challenge that offers a simple solution to beat it and be cured. Instead, the road to recovery is a constant battle that requires little steps of victory every day that, in the end, make big difference.

The Way Back fights its way into theatres on Friday, March 6th, 2020

4.06 a JUSTICE LEAGUE of our own

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Grab your batarang and 5-pronged trident, because, in this episode, ScreenFish Radio wraps the lasso of truth around JUSTICE LEAGUE, the culminating film of DC cinematic universe. Back from his vacation, Steve is joined by super friends Arnaldo Reyes and Pastor James Harleman (Cinemagogue) to decide if the film leaps tall buildings in a single bound… or falls face first in the kryptonite.

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.

4.06 Justice League

A very special thanks to Arnaldo and James for joining us!

Saving DC (and it’s Extended Universe)

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Before we get started, let me assure you… I already know what you’re going to say.

Over the last year, there has been plenty of articles written about the DC Entertainment Universe (DCEU) helmed by Warner Bros., but I want to take a different approach. Instead of merely looking at what is wrong and highlighting it, I want to offer my take on a solution.

Numbers can be deceiving and, frankly, that is the number one problem with Warner Bros. While their films have seen massive worldwide ticket sales, does that really mean they’ve been a success? Their films have made so much from name recognition alone but fall short in quality, especially considering their competition. For instance, while Batman v Superman made a good chunk of change at the global box office, comparing it to a film like Deadpool shows that it missed expectations exponentially. Even though the film featured arguably the two most iconic superheroes ever for the first time ever in the same film (not to mention the first live action film version of Wonder Woman), and the film should have grossed well over 1 billion worldwide yet it fell far short. The success of a character like Deadpool should never compare to a film featuring Batman and Superman, but it shows you the difference between mere name recognition and a quality script that carries all the best elements of the character. (In fact, Suicide Squad suffered similar problems, by offering a film that made money from name recognition but not from the quality of the film itself.

Now I know, there are some reading that actually like these films, and that’s fine. This isn’t an article to bash DC or even compare them to their more successful counterpart led by the House of Mouse. Rather, this is an article of a comic book fan who wants to see sustained success–and, based on all the recent news, sustained success seems like a farfetched idea at the moment. I won’t link articles because I take rumors with a grain of salt, but with the confirmation that Ben Affleck won’t direct a solo Batman film; the script being thrown out and redone; and even some rumors that Affleck is trying to find a way to no longer play Batman, the state of the DCEU remains a giant question mark.  (Though today’s news that Matt Reeves has confirmed his role as director is, finally, some good news related to the film…). In three months, we will find out if there’s some hope (and again, don’t let initial numbers deceive you) but it could also completely bury the DCEU for quite some time.

With all that being said, let’s offer up some solutions.

My first piece of advice for Warner Bros. is kind of an oxymoron when you first hear it. I want them to both emulate Marvel Studios and also stop emulating Marvel.

Let me explain.

When it comes to emulating, the WB must stop pretending like they don’t care what Marvel is doing.  (Let’s be serious… you do.)  So, emulate the planning process. So far, it seems like the list of DCEU films are based on reaction and “catching up” rather than coming across as piece of a clearly laid out plan. Through their use of their ‘Phase 1-3’ idea, Marvel Studios has come off as a company that had an overall story to tell, rather than just movie titles. This interlocking shared universe paid off and WB would be smart to copy that same formula. This means that you shouldn’t make a film that spends more time trying to set up another film then actually tell a good story on its own. By leaving the interlocking parts for the end credits where the main film can breathe on its own with a few easter eggs, the fans realize in the end credits that it is part of something greater. These are things that Marvel has made successful and definitely should be emulated.

Now to the stop emulating part…

One of the more consistent things we’ve heard about is the constant butting of heads idea that DCEU films aren’t good because tell less jokes than Marvel and aren’t as ‘light hearted’.

But that’s far from the truth.

DCEU films don’t need to be light hearted to be good. They don’t need to follow that Marvel formula. The Dark Knight remains arguably the greatest comic book film of all time, and that’s what DCEU should be leaning on. BvS didn’t fail (critically speaking) because there wasn’t enough humor. Suicide Squad wasn’t viewed as a mess because they didn’t get the humor right. Humor has nothing to do with it, and the execs at WB need to realize that. Suicide Squad should have been dark and stayed with the feel of a black ops film rather than interjecting a supernatural element that simply didn’t make sense in that particular world. It felt like two different stories were trying to be told. Instead, Warner Bros. needs to focus more on storytelling and not just the name recognition (that goes for both characters and the actors picked to play the characters). If you are a fan like me, you probably have watched many of the animated movies that have come out in recent years. When I compare those movies to the live action, it is night and day. Now, we can talk about the differences in filmmaking stylistically, but good storytelling is good storytelling. There are a plethora of stories and ideas to pull from directly from their own umbrella that can be adapted correctly. Whether its Justice League, or Batman, or Suicide Squad, they all have been done extremely well in a film feature on the animated side because they have the freedom to stay true to the characters and the DC formula. If the biggest criticism DCEU films have is story, why continue to revert back to the same screenwriters?

DC comics have always been different from Marvel. Sure, over the years, characters have been created to ‘copy’ one from the other side but, even then, the characters and personalities remain completely different. The DCEU should follow suit and get writers that work within other factions of the DC world in order to craft stories that stay true to the characters. The WB execs should, like FOX did with Deadpool, take a step back and give them the freedom to do it their way. I don’t think all the turmoil surrounding The Batman film, and the lost hope from majority of fans would be an issue if these things were to happen. At the end of the day, we all want to see the films succeed and want to see the DCEU have a sustained success. But please WB, stop trying to take shortcuts and thinking that the names alone is all you need. Make a plan and be willing to let the characters develop and grow while staying true to their nature. Have a freedom and liberty with the characters but respect their foundation and ultimately let them breathe. Think outside of the box and don’t pigeonhole yourself to the same writers or ideas and dare to cast unknowns or non-A-list actors for iconic roles.

In the end, it doesn’t matter how dark or light the film is.  If the story is well put together, it will ultimately–finally?–lead to a sustained success.

The Accountant – When the Weak Become Strong

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accBen Affleck had a quiet 2015 by his standards. But in 2016, his depiction as the fifth modern interpretation of Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad drew plenty of attention. And yet, the film no one had on their radar, The Accountant, may have been his best film in years.

As a “math savant” (autistic accountant may work better), Christian Wolff (Affleck) does statistical analysis for dangerous people, reaping a fortune but living a quiet life. Thanks to his military father’s training, he’s well-versed in gun use and hand-to-hand combat, which all come in handy when he takes a liking to a fellow accountant (Anna Kendrick) and incurs the wrath of a dangerous organization who wants his math to go away. Suddenly, the two are on the run from the bad guys and the Treasury Department’s Crime Enforcement Division (are they bad, too?)

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On Warner Bros.’ special features on the Blu-ray, the audience can follow up this film’s exploration of family and autism by checking out the way that Wolff’s brain is wired in both “Inside the Man” and “Behavioral Science.” This is just a continuation of my appreciation for the film’s take on autism – where Wolff’s OCD and autism are not weaknesses but strengths he has mastered. (Of course, there’s also a take on the stunt work and fighting in “The Accountant in Action,” but that’s more standard than the actual focus on autism.

While the film focuses mainly on Wolff, there’s a terrific role here for Jon Bernthal that I won’t reveal much about. It’s solid action/thriller territory here, mixed in with the tender way that director Gavin O’Connor unpacks autism. It’s certainly not the way that some might understand it (and I have no one of knowing if it’s all ‘possible’) but it will certainly cause you to consider how you see people – and what you believe they can do.

Elsewhere, O’Connor’s direction of Bill Dubuque’s (The Judge) script also delves into the ways that O’Connor explored family in Warrior with Joel Egerton and Tom Hardy. There’s some of that “fight it out” mentality here – and an understanding that we don’t always have to like each other to love each other. Powerfully wrought, wonderfully acted, and dizzyingly exciting, The Accountant deserves to be on your watch list if you missed it. It’s certainly my action film of 2016!

Batman v Superman – Dawn of Justice: This Film Has Daddy Issues

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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has been hyped as the battle between the alien, godlike Superman and the human vigilante Batman. Chronologically, it serves as the second film in writer/director Zack Snyder’s reboot of Superman’s film history, which attempted to erase the Superman-has-a-kid mistake that was Brandon Routh’s Superman Returns. But while Dawn of Justice failed to deliver an epic, theater-rattling battle royale between the two, it served up more than its fair share of superhero noir and metaphysical questions about the world we live in.

Opening with the impact of Superman’s (Henry Cavill) battle with General Zod (Michael Shannon) that proved to be the climax of Man of Steel, the film reminded us (in IMAX 2D and Dolby surround) of the terrible implications of two humanoid aliens ripping each other apart. While we’re left shaking our heads at the unSuperman-like neck break that saved the tourist family, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) struggles to free a Wayne Enterprise employee (Scoot McNairy) from the debris and stares angrily at the Superman floating in the heavens. Of course, Wayne has already donned the cowl of the Dark Knight, but his methodology (and paranoia about Superman’s intentions) create an ideological rift about which Superman remains naive for another eighteen months.

Meanwhile, LexCorp head, Alexander Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) provides the straw that stirs the drink. He’s the one pushing in the background for these two to finally do battle, having already scouted out the secrets behind Wayne and Superman’s Clark Kent. While comic geeks like me have watched various incarnations of Superman drag out the Kent/Lois Lane (Amy Adams) romance, Snyder’s version already sets her up as reporter extraordinaire (“I’m not a woman, I’m a reporter”), Clark’s girlfriend, and Superman’s damsel in distress.

bvs2I’ve read the reviews and heard the critics of the film – “too much Snyder action,” “too few plot points developed.” I’ll ask incredulously, as someone who has been critical of Snyder’s film (300 –overrated; Man of Steel– anachronistic to the canon), what in the world are they talking about?  While I came expecting to see two hours of the extensive two-and-a-half-hour run time devoted to skull crunching, nose-mashing action, I found myself pleasantly delighted by the new version of Batman’s back story in development (although I hated his bulky suit) and the hints, peeks, and foreshadowing directed at Wonder Woman/Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) and a host of other heroes and villains.

The story of the new triumvirate, spun here as Superman, Batman, and Lex (sorry, Gal, it wasn’t equal billing for Wonder Woman), was soaked in theological underpinnings – and struggle. This in itself confronts another critic complaint about the film – “it’s not funny enough.” Let’s be clear, neither Batman (with apologies to the hokey Adam West) or Superman (how many witty one-liners can you find in Donner’s films or the works of Siegel and Shuster) have much “funny” to them, in fact, you can go count up the examples… I’ll wait. While Marvel has a handle on the mostly upbeat superhero motif, DC aims here for something different.

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Instead of the hip quips from the smarmy mouth of Tony Stark AKA Robert Downey Jr., Snyder focuses on “showing us” versus “telling us.” Yes, there’s a voiceover from Wayne about what the destruction of the world looks like – and Lex’s fascination with a painting that was passed down from his father (above, background). He goes on and on about how mankind has long thought that evil came from below (hell) but he has recognized that evil comes from above (heavens) in his own twisted take on theology.

But Lex also introduces the problem of evil, the discussion of theodicy. Lex believes that a god cannot be both all powerful and good, because he believes power corrupts (John Dalberg-Acton, for you history scholars). This highlights Lex’s own Machiavellian beliefs, his own maniacal talents, and quite a bit of transference on what Superman (and Batman) are like. [More on that later.]

It’s enough that Batman’s vigilanteism and Superman’s straightforward “farm boy” ideals are at odds, but to have Lex manipulate them closer toward confrontation, that shows the grayscale world that we live in. Is Batman wrong to brand the criminals he catches with the bat? Is Superman right in his worldwide ‘justice is served’ decision-making? Does the government have a right to police either or both (hello, Captain America: Civil War)? Ironically, all three of these men believe they’re doing what’s right, even while their ideology separates them… or draws them together.

Thankfully, the film makes us believe that there are more questions than answers left, setting up more to come – and plenty of discussion. So, with that, I will close this first portion of my review. Simply put, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is deeper than the casual fans will expect from a comic book-inspired film. It’s done with more of a Mad Max: Fury Road vibe, with a focus on visuals over words, and filled with enough hints to keep the serious fan engaged.

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This Film Has Daddy Issues (Minor Spoilers)

Bruce intones about putting our thoughts and beliefs on something else, and yet, he’s really highlighting how each of the focal three men has daddy issues. Bruce Wayne, who watches his parents die at the hands of Joe Chill, believes the world is about the good and the evil but that people are primarily evil; he thinks that the evil must be destroyed through fear and violence. Clark, who watches his father (Kevin Costner) die heroically, believes the world is good and that it is his responsibility to use his power to fight for good and model it for others. Lex, whose father abused him and gave him the misguided view of reality, sees power as the only way to get what he wants – regardless of the cost to others in life or otherwise.

While Clark still “talks” to his father, in a Snyder variation on the Kryptonite crystals that allow him to speak to Jor-El, Bruce has only the nightmares that provide a look back at his parents’ murderous end — and a strange, apocalyptic future. Lex, well, Lex, doesn’t even have the mental ability to string a paragraph’s worth of sentences together because he gets lost in his own head. He doesn’t know another way than to capture, control, or destroy.

When it comes to the issues of the men and their fathers, I found both Alfred (Jeremy Irons) and Perry White (Lawrence Fishburne) to be underplayed. While in some instances, these two provide moral influences for our two heroes, they are sadly underused. Instead, the balance of the moral integrity and spiritual understanding comes from the women in Clark’s life. Honestly, I walked out of the theater seeing Amy Adams as the spiritual linchpin of the film, reminding Clark of why he was Superman – and urging him to realize that is purpose was ‘divine.’ [On the other hand, Diane Lane’s Martha Kent plays the mother Mary, urging Clark to make the decision that is best for him, stretching the difference between the human and the divine even further.]

What we see in the tug-of-war over Superman is the same thing that Snyder would say about his art: art and the individual are their own, but we (the audience/media/society) try to make them in our image. It’s not unlike the way that Jesus was received by the masses, as a “messiah” who would overthrow Rome, or as any culture making idols to represent a higher power. Ultimately, Superman is who he is with no apology – even at a price.

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If you didn’t know Wonder Woman was in the film, than you apparently didn’t watch the trailer or see any promotional information. As a huge fan of Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman, I doubted Gal Gadot’s ability to pull of her role. The Israeli actress pulled off her position with gravitas – and subtle humor and sexuality that made the scenes ripple with electricity and promise for what will come.

And now, for the third act…

The Making of Legends (Major Spoilers & Easter Eggs)

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First, there’s the death of Robin, or at least the absence of the character in the older, more established Bruce Wayne/Batman’s state as played by Affleck. While there has been some buzz about the gravestone of Richard Grayson in the background of the cemetery scene, we know that Dick Grayson AKA (first) Robin AKA Nightwing would not have been a contemporary of Martha and Thomas Wayne, Bruce’s parents. So the relationship would have been different than that of dead circus performers and their adoptive son. [Snyder’s toying with the known canon includes changing the theater marquee backlighting the Waynes’ murder from The Mark of Zorro to Excalibur… for no apparent reason.] Instead, the suit in the Batcave covered by Joker’s graffiti would refer to the second Robin, Jason Todd. But is the continuity of Suicide Squad going to allow us a prequel with Jared Leto’s Joker versus Affleck’s Batman, given Affleck’s one-liner about having faced jokers in suits before?

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Lex’s mashup of Zod and Doomsday is … creative. In much the same way that Marvel is using Bucky’s Winter Soldier as the precipitation for Civil War instead of some rogue C-level superheroes as in the comics, Snyder allows Lex to create Doomsday out of Zod’s DNA in a Lazarus pool-esque ‘resurrection.’ This allows for the entrance of other … resurrections… but also makes for a singular sacrifice of Superman that echoes Iron Man’s in Avengers and Superman’s… everywhere. This also sets up the ending that no casual fan will see coming — ripped straight from Dan Jurgens’ 1982 storyline where the impossibly powerful, godlike Superman actually dies.

While Man of Steel (and even Superman Returns) seemed intent on ripping the Christ-like imagery out of the modern day Superman, from making him kill Zod to portraying him (unfairly) as an absentee father, Dawn of Justice shows his sacrificial love, with a twist. Instead of dying for the world, Superman tells Lois that she’s his world, making his salvation act one that is personal, not communal. It’s heroic, but it’s not ‘for everyone.’ Somehow, Lex has caused Superman to re-see the world in a more jaded, cynical way, even as Superman’s act opens up Batman/Bruce Wayne to see the need for heroes.

In the end, Superman’s death is portrayed a la pietà, as Batman hands down the broken body of Jesus, er, Superman to the arms of Mary AKA Lois. Wonder Woman looks on, forming a sort of holy trinity of sorts, with a cross superimposed in the background. In the same scene where the monolithic statue of Superman, celebrated for defeating Zod, is destroyed, Superman is himself destroyed in the shadow of a cross. How’s that for establishing some metaphorical crossover?

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Speaking of crossovers… rather than adapting Batman as the devious and conniving creator of the superhero files (see Mark Waid’s JLA: Tower of Babel story arc), Snyder’s major plot point has Prince stealing a file that Batman will later decrypt. This reveals the first footage of would-be Justice Leaguers like Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and The Flash (Ezra Miller), prepping us for 2017 – and a fight with … Darkseid?

With the foreboding dreams, the flying winged minions, and the imprinted symbol in the remains of Gotham, we don’t even need Lex to cackle, “He’s coming!” We know he is, like we know winter is coming, or like Bruce has that itch in his gut that warns him heroes are needed, or that … again, Marvel will beat DC to the punch by unveiling Marvel’s Darkseid doppleganger, Apocalypse, in May.

The truth is, while Marvel has the X-men to battle graphic evil, they leave the witty, sometimes benign villains to the Avengers. Thankfully, while Darkseid believes himself to be god, Dawn of Justice leaves us reveling in the fact that heroes live sacrificially and inspire others. Better yet, this Holy Week, we realize that the truly holy can’t be held down, that no grave can hold them.

Christ figures rise.

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