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Dwayne Johnson

GIVEAWAY: Digital Copy of JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL

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When Spencer goes back into the fantastical world of Jumanji, pals Martha, Fridge and Bethany re-enter the game to bring him home. But the game is now broken — and fighting back. Everything the friends know about Jumanji is about to change, as they soon discover there’s more obstacles and more danger to overcome.

To enter, tell us your favourite video game film and why. For a bonus entry, like or share the post on Twitter, Facebook and/or Instagram.

The winner will receive a digital copy of Jumanji: The Next Level on iTunes.

All entries must be completed by 11:59pm on Thursday, March 26th, 2020.

To hear teenFish’s episode on JUMANJI, click here.

teenFish#8 JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL

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Welcome to teenFish, a podcast series that lets teenagers speak about media that matters to them in their own voice. Hosted by Daniel Collins (Infinity Warm-Up), teenFish airs every month and invites local youth to engage the truth and lies of the shows and films that excite them.

When Spencer decides to re-enter the world of JUMANJI, his friends follow in order to save him from the dangers inside. However, when glitches in the game push the boundaries of their experience, the team is forced to take a hard look at themselves in order to decide who they really are and what they’re capable of. This month, Daniel and Jacob delve into JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL to talk about finding our identity, purpose and reconnecting.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), or Spotify! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Creating a Rampage: 1on1 with Jaron Presant (cinematographer, RAMPAGE)

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In Rampage, primatologist Davis Okoye (global action icon, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson) shares an unshakable bond with George, an extraordinarily intelligent silverback gorilla who has been in his care since his youth. However, when a genetic experiment goes wrong and George is one of several animals transformed into raging giant beasts, Okoye must race against the clock to find an antidote to save his friend before the monsters destroy everything in their path.

With a wild premise filled with enormous action set pieces, Rampage delivers an action thrill ride with incredible visuals. As such, cinematographer Jaron Presant felt an enormous responsibility to see director Brad Peyton’s vision come to life. A veteran of over twenty years behind the camera, Presant believes that good cinematography is essential in creating the proper environment for storytelling.

“To me, cinematography is figuring out a way to set up the viewer to best receive the story that you’re trying to tell,” he reflects. “So, you’re trying to look for visual ways to tell the emotion of the scene, like to tell where the characters are or what the feeling is that you’re trying to convey in a scene or movie. On another level, it’s very technical and you have to actually implement a lot of technique to achieve that emotional, visual storytelling. To me, it’s about this balancing act between art and technique, which is why I find it so fascinating and especially today when we’re on the throws of so much technological change.”

Having worked with on a number of high profile projects, ranging from Star Wars: The Last Jedi to San Andreas, Presant has also worked a wide range of directors as well. As a result, he maintains that each situation requires him to understand their expectations of him.

“Every situation is different and, especially with each director. Each director has a different kind of workflow that they subscribe to and so you, as a cinematographer, you’re adjusting your own approach to the director. Rian [Johnson, director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi] has every shot already in his head and what I do with him is elaborate on those shots that he’s already got. So, when we get to the scene, I’m suggesting that we can also do this kind of shot or change it like this but Rian has a real sense of what he’s going for visually.”

“Then, there are other directors who don’t, like Tobe Hooper (director of Mortuary). [May he] rest in peace. I mean, Tobe was just fantastic to work with, but Tobe had a totally different approach. When he showed up, he didn’t have any sense of what he wanted visually and he would turn to me and say, how do you want to cover it? What do you want to do? We would start discussing it. I would have an idea of what would work well for the scene and then we would work off of that and bounce ideas back and forth. With Brad [Peyton, director of Rampage], he’s sort of in the middle and I loved working with him. He has an approach which is both very well-conceived and very open. Generally speaking, from the standpoint of each shot, you’re trying to find something that is the style you’ve decided on for the show but that also works the best for the emotion of that moment in the movie.”

After conversations regarding tone and style between director and cinematographer have taken place, Presant feels that that is when the film begins to take shape visually.

“Now that the visual style of the thing is set up, you go over it, prep it and come up with an approach that informs every single shot,” he states. “Once you create the approach, then it’s applying that idea to each scene and within each scene to each shot. You’re trying to like carry the viewer along on a journey for the character’s arc and the story arcs, so you want the visuals to mirror those arcs.”

As his projects have become more high profile, one thing that has increased is the budgets on movies on which he’s had the privilege to work. Though every film is different, Presant feels that, ultimately, the process remains the same.

“Yeah, it is very much the same process in that you’re still designing a single frame in which you have to tell a story,” he explains. “The difference when you get into scale is how much you can prep things and how much things can go awry on the day. The reason that you need more prep is because there’s a higher level of complexity to what you’re trying to achieve and there is less of a margin of error for things not going right on the day. So if you’ve got Dwayne [Johnson], he is on set shooting and you need to shoot something that is going to be great that’s going to be in the film.”

“You can’t afford to have some piece of equipment not work. That’s not to say that you can’t have flexibility, but you need to know that if you’re planning a really complicated shot that has to work, you need to make sure it will work and that’s what drives up the cost. If you have a bigger budget movie, you need to be able to know that things will execute on the day smoothly because the time on set is so expensive at that scale…But beyond that, the actual crux of what you’re doing is exactly the same. You’re trying to tell the story, trying to figure out visually what will represent the emotion of the scene best and how to convey that story visually with camera and lighting.

Over the course of his career, Presant has had the privilege to work with directors like Rian Johnson or Brad Peyton on multiple occasions. During that time, he has also built up solid working relationships with them, a process that allows him more freedom creatively in the long run.

“I think that the industry and the process that we go through lends itself to [working with the same team],” Presant claims. “When you find people that you like to work with creatively, you’re going to gravitate towards working with them more. If you can do better work together than you could do a part, you’re going to gravitate back to those people because you do better work, right? You elevate each other’s work to a better place. So that’s, I think that’s, to me that’s actually the end goal of all of the networking is that you’re trying to find the people that you do the best to work with even because if the process is the best it can be, you’re going to yield the best work that you can.”

Of course, one of the great challenges of cinematography in big budget films is maximizing on the use of computer-generated images to achieve the best possible impact. With this in mind, Presant thinks that one of the most complicated elements to CGI work is the fact that you are forced to account for images that aren’t directly in front of you during filming.

“I actually think that when you’re getting into CG work, you need to be more creative on some level than you do when everything is practical because you have to conceive of things that don’t exist,” he responds. “It’s simplistic to say there’ll be a big gorilla and a big building there. But then, you need to start thinking, ‘wait, there’s going to be a building there so that’s actually going to create a bunch of negative fill.’ Now, all of a sudden there can’t be light coming from that direction and if the gorilla is moving–and how big is the gorilla–and what kind of shadow is that starting to place on it. Where do we want the light to come in?” 

“Granted you’re just entirely on the stage at this point so which way is the sun going to come within the context of this scene relative to these buildings and animals that don’t exist?,” he continues. “It starts getting to a place where you actually have to conceive of a lot of things that don’t exist and try to build them in because that integration of a light more than anything is a huge element selling the CG. It’s an integration of a bunch of different departments to make sure how we’re going to play the sun coming out and when it’s going to happen, how’s it going to happen, etc. [before] we’re shooting practically with Dwayne. Though, [much of the work is] going to happen three months from now [it is pre-conceived]. and it’s getting everybody on the same page that they know that’s going to happen.”

With this in mind, he has seen tremendous developments in terms of technology over the years. With all the improvements to areas such as CG and color matching, he believes that this is an exciting time for the film industry on a creative level.

“Color meters to me are really funny because I have had them around for years but they have never been super accurate,” he explains. “When you add quarter green like it suggests, It doesn’t really look like right. This is really due to metamerism coupled with the lack of accuracy of the meter, but we now have a system that’s so precise—using spectrometers and lighting with x,y chromaticity coordinates. There’s this one plane sequence on Rampagewhere we took x,y readings off actual flames and fed that into an array of sky panels for an explosion. The explosion doesn’t exist obviously. It’s a CG explosion on a CGI plane but the light that we’re getting off that explosion is absolutely precise. It all pulls together in terms of color so seamlessly.”

When all of these elements come together, Presant says that, as a cinematographer, there is a moment when you simply know that you’ve achieved the perfect shot.

“I think that are some shots where you do it and things just feel like they’ve clicked. Just like the flow in pro sports, you get into this place where everything is just in perfect sync and, when that happens, you know you’ve got something that’s right. On some level, I feel like that happens on every shot. There’s this really funny thing that happens where you set up a shot with the stand-ins and it looks good… and then Dwayne or whoever the actor walks on and it just comes alive somehow. It always blows my mind. It’s like it’s everything just brought together in that one moment and it’s a powerful moment on set for me. I think that’s actually one of the things I enjoy most about cinematography is that you’re their first. It’s a really amazing moment.”

Rampage is in theaters now.

For full audio of our interview with Jaron, click here.

 

Baywatch: The Rock Saves the Bay

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In Baywatch, Lt. Mitch Buchannon (Dwayne Johnson) and his team of lifeguards, including second-in-commmand Stephanie Holden (Ilfenesh Holden) and veteran C.J. Parker (Kelly Rohrback), protect the beaches and the bay in Emerald Bay, Florida. Having made over 500 rescues in his career, Mitch is beloved by the community, to the annoyance of local beat cop Garner Ellerbee and Mitch’s superior, Captain Thorne. Mitch and his team view themselves as the Bay’s last line of defense, risking their and even solving major crimes.  After adding newcomers to their squad, including reckless Olympian Matt Brody (Zac Efron), they soon find themselves in too deep when a nefarious landowner (Priyanka Chopra) begins to stir up trouble and they also discover a potential new drug that threatens their entire beach and its patrons.

Running from 1989-2001, the original Baywatch quickly became one of the most watched television series of all time, becoming known for its emphasis on tanned beach bodies and, yes, slow-motion running.  Reigniting the career of 80s star David Hasselhoff (Knight Rider) and helping Pamela Anderson to become a household name, Baywatch appeared to take itself seriously as an intense drama about saving lives.  (The problem with this approach is that more people were watching for the bikinis—and, yes, slow-motion running—than the dramatic tension.)

The reboot, however, wisely sidesteps the show’s false sincerity by constantly winking at the camera.  (“This all sounds like the plot of a cheesy, old tv series,” Efron muses.)  Attempting to enjoy the same success as the recent 21 Jump Street series, Baywatch has marketed itself as a fun, action adventure which, for the most part, it seems to be.  While the script lacks the sharpness of the Jump Street films, the film’s desire to poke fun at the show’s (and genre) conventions and the light-hearted atmosphere on set helps Baywatch to stay afloat.

Holding it all together, though, is Johnson himself.  It is no coincidence that he is the centrepiece of all promotional materials.  In fact, a film like this is a reminder of why he is the highest paid actor in the business today.  The man has such charisma that he seems able to elevate any material that he’s given.  A fault line destroying the coast in San Andreas?  Sure!  Stalling franchises like Fast and the Furious or GI Joe?  Send him in!  (For crying out loud, news of a potential presidential bid was circling the internet last week… and people loved the idea!)

In this regard, Baywatch is no different.  Despite the fact that the jokes don’t always work and the material is lacking at times, Johnson’s ability to display both bravado and self-deprecation simultaneously draws you in.  Perhaps the best example of this comes in the film’s title card reveal.  Johnson emerges from the waters with fire in his eyes, carrying the body of an injured swimmer.  Suddenly, the title emerges from the horizon in grandiose style, filling the rest of the screen behind him.  It’s a scene that received giggles from our audience… but, given the over-the-top nature of the visuals, we also know that we’ve been invited to do so.  (Incidentally, those giggles soon turned to cheers, as well.)  In moments like this, we can see that he’s having a blast, so we’re willing to hop on the ride as well.

Usually at this time, I would shift the conversation to discuss some of the more theological themes that break into the film.  While I could easily delve into ideas about the nature of sacrificing our lives for others or the public’s responsibility to care for one another, honestly, that’s not what this film is about.  While Mitch is definitely a community example in the way he conducts himself, the film, ultimately, concerns itself most with its desire to satirize its own genre.  (Although, to be fair, Mitch’s objective standard of doing what is right does shines a light on his entire community and calls them all to a standard higher than their own… hey, look!  I did it!)

Eventually, there will come a time where Johnson’s star is not the center of Hollywood’s universe.  It happens to everyone and, at some point, his films will eventually lose their sheer sense of glee.

But Baywatch will not be that film.

Special features on the Blu-ray combo pack include “Meet the Lifeguards” and “Continuing the Legacy,” while deleted and extended scenes add to the behind-the-scenes look at the stunts and training to make the film work. 

 

Adventures in Sand and Snow: An Interview with Amin Joseph (Baywatch, Snowfall)

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Amin Joseph likes a challenge.

Whether it’s going toe-to-toe with a former WWE Champion in Baywatch or delving into a character drama like Snowfall, Joseph seems to thoroughly enjoy being pushed in ways that further him as an actor.

Says Joseph, “[They’re both] completely different.  I still bring my sensibilities to things so it always feels like a continuation of my craft and whatever I bring to each project.”

When offered the role of the villainous Frankie in the reboot of the Baywatch franchise, Joseph jumped at the prospect. When asked what attracted him to the project, Joseph quickly asserts that, ultimately, it all came down to the quality of the script.

“What initially drew me to the script was that this was a different take on the original installment,” he begins.  “It skews towards comedy and action, [and] has the sexy [element, too]. It doesn’t take itself as seriously as the original. So, that was the first thing. We’re taking the franchise in a different way and everyone was kinda enthusiastic about that…  It’s not just going to be about abs and the perfect swimming form on the beach. Then, when I found out about The Rock and just how much physicality was going to be involved, I really took a liking to it.”

Playing henchman to the villainous Victoria Leeds (Priyanka Chopra), Joseph also appreciated the fact that the script broke several stereotypes in the genre as well.

“It was kinda cool working with Priyanka Chopra and [she] wasn’t the stereotypical villain.  She’s the kinda upscale villain [and I’m] not your quintessential henchmen but it is more like the Bond thing, where they’re kind of well-dressed. It’s only because of the circumstances that makes them villains at all.  To see a woman play the main villain is quite interesting too.”

Of course, one of the more unique opportunities in a film like Baywatch was the chance to square off in a fight scene with co-star Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

“We worked on the choreography… for quite a while,” he remembers.  “It just makes sense some time to do your own stunts because you don’t have to cut away.  So, I did a lot of those stunts.  I also had a stunt performer.  I think it’s great to rely on your stunt performer to do certain things and also be a physical actor…  You don’t have to take every fall.”

Furthermore, Joseph argues that the process of developing such a scene is incredibly complex, involving everyone from screenwriters, to stunt performers and the film’s stars.  However, he also believes that the best action sequences feel natural to the script and enhance the overall story itself.

“I believe that every fight has their own choreography and tells their own story within the larger story of the film.  That’s what the writer is trying to convey,” he argues. “Then, the stunt unit comes in and tries to bring whatever that writer put on paper into the real world.  In there, there’s a lot of interpretations of how that should be seen.  Then you have the star of the film that’s probably done a hundred or more… Let’s just think about how many fight sequences Dwayne has done in his career… and I’ve done several… It’s all of these different variables.  How big is the space?  Is this a scene where we’re kicking?… All of those things together… it’s sort of like watching something organically happen even though it might seem like it would be paint by numbers.”

Of course, despite the rigorous physical challenges of his role at times, Joseph maintains that the atmosphere on set was a lighthearted and fun experience.

“It was easy.  I mean, it can’t get too hard when you’re working with beautiful people on a beach.  Who am I to complain?  (laughs) Everyone had a warm disposition and you’re working with some of the most charismatic people in the business.”

“I think they did a great job of the casting because there’s a lot of newcomers…,” he continues. “The zingers that Rock and Zac share is just a lot of funny stuff.  Even my character had some moments of levity, some comical moments.  The fact that you have that already written there and that you give us an opportunity to play in between things, it makes it all the more fun and laid-back type of experience.”

Moving on from the beaches of Baywatch, however, Joseph opted to choose a wildly different experience for his next role by joining John Singleton’s upcoming FX series, Snowfall.  Taking place in 1983, Snowfall tells the story of the rise of the crack epidemic in Los Angeles. A fictitious story in a historical setting, Joseph believes that having the option to create new narratives allows them the opportunity to explore some deeper themes.

“This story of Franklin Saint is an original story in a historical period where a lot of things ring true.  But I think it gives the story a little bit more life being able to show things that didn’t happen in one particular person’s story but to be able to expand and show how this drug [was] coming in and this drug trade sponsoring wars. To be able to embellish a bit.”

Nevertheless, Joseph also notes that the real heart of Snowfall lies within the journeys of the young families within the story, as opposed to the larger scope of the drug trade itself.

“It’s one thing to say all drug dealers are bad… but how does that look when you’re dealing with a family?… It’s just interesting to see those stories in a very small way as part of a larger story.  I think Snowfall does a remarkable job of that and I’m pretty proud of that obviously.  When I first read the pilot, I wasn’t able to see that.  It seemed like everything was compartmentalized and you see all these different sects: Israeli mobsters, CIA, etc… and to see that all come together and paint a story that feels like nobody is being demonized.  Even with the CIA, you realize the humanity of people just working their jobs and just trying to better their lives.  It’s just really interesting.”

Of course, one of the great challenges in a role like this can be inhabiting a character that you cannot always relate to their backstory or history.

“With this particular piece, the difficulty [lay] in that I was not from Los Angeles,” he reflects.  “And, being a period piece, because the audience has seen films like Boyz N The Hood, we’ve kind of seen what that stereotypical guy from South Central Los Angeles looks like and acts like—whether or not he actually acts like that or not. To start from the ground up with a character, we got to think of the history of this character.  Where did they migrate from?… What can you kind of infect into these people that gives them an authenticity, bring some things that we haven’t seen before.  Bring some specificity.”

Of course, it is also in these moments where series producer Singleton could most demonstrate his value to his crew.  Having grown up in South Central Los Angeles, Singleton’s years of experience helped him mentor his young team in ways that would help bring some authenticity to the world they were creating.

“John is a stickler. As an EP, he was always in our ear, giving us advice,” Joseph muses gratefully. “He grew up in South Central.  This is his place. I remember on my first day of shooting, John walked up to me and said, ‘Hey man, I know you’re from New York but some of my guys around here are gonna be mad if you don’t get this right.’ I was like, ‘Thank you, John.’ (laughs)… He was always around giving little details… To me, it’s almost like a treasure chest of information. You know, to have someone that really rolls around in those times.”

For Amin, despite the fact that two experiences may have been wildly diverse, both have helped him continue in his development as an actor.  In any case, both Baywatch and Snowfall have allowed Joseph to enjoy his moment in the sun.

To hear the full audio of our interview with Amin, click the link below.

Baywatch is in theaters now.

Snowfall will air on FX starting June 5th, 2017.

3.17 Fighting the FATE OF THE FURIOUS

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Breaking box office records, FATE OF THE FURIOUS filled theatres because of it’s (many) big booms and stunts… but is there more to the film?  What keeps us coming back to this franchise, despite the fact that they get more outlandish with each entry.  In a relaxed episode, Steve welcomes back Greg Banik and ScreenFish newbie Julie Levac to explore the world of the FURIOUS franchise.

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.

3.17 Fate of the Furious

Thanks Greg and Julie for coming on the show!

Ballers Season 2: The Rock Cooks on HBO

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Is there anything that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson can’t do?

The former University of Miami Hurricane, the ex-WWE superstar, the hot commodity of Fast & Furious, the comedic talent of Central Intelligence… Johnson delivers as HBO’s headliner in Ballers as Stephen Strasmore, sports agent. Directed by Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, Patriots Day, Deepwater Horizon), the show highlights the realities, humor, and struggle of athletes (and those who manage them) off of the field.

Johnson is joined by a host of actors and real-life sports stars playing themselves (or at least the caricature of themselves. There’s the opening beef that Johnson’s Strasmore has with his ex-teammate Terrell Suggs of the Baltimore Ravens, the meddling of a (somewhat) fictionalized Jay Glazer, the life of a downsized Miami great (Omar Miller), and the ‘help’ Strasmore receives from his sidekick (Rob Corddry). Overall, it’s funnier than anything else, but there are still some digs provided about how fame appears versus what it’s really like.

Bonus features included with the second season’s ten episodes are the special ‘play-by-play’ on each of the ten episodes that include firsthand takes by executive producer Evan Reilly and Johnson. 

Moana – Breaking The Status Quo

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moana posterIt’s no surprise that Disney holds a monopoly when it comes to films about fairy tales and princesses. Not only are the films all-time classics, but the princesses themselves cross generation to generation, with the help of the parks of course. Over the last few years, Disney has made a 180 degree turn in the stories they tell about their princesses. Early on, these young beautiful princesses needed a prince to save them and define them, but now in our ever-changing culture, that is no more, and that’s a good thing. There was a prince near to Tiana, but she was a strong and independent character that didn’t need him. Merida taught young girls to be brave. Anna showed us the power of love and fearlessness when the odds were not in our favor, and taught us to be there for your family even when everyone is against them. Moana follows this same path and, quite frankly, goes beyond it as well.

Moana is the daughter of the chief of her tribe and next in line to be chief. The island is all she has known her entire life, yet she feels drawn to the Ocean. It is forbidden to go past the reef because beyond it the Ocean is an unforgiving and relentless force of nature. As her father and mother try to teach her the ways of her tribe, her grandmother (known as the crazy lady) pushes her to follow her own path and what she was truly called for. Her island is dying, the world is dying, and the only way to fix it is to right the wrong that the demigod Maui caused many years ago. Moana discovers the true identity of her people, ancient voyagers and then sets sail on a mission that will allow her to discover her own identity and not be tied to the one her people say she should be.

moana2A few years ago, Frozen fever took over and it still goes strong today. As good as the film was, I feel Moana is leaps and bounds better. Maybe it’s because I find the Broadway style to the Island music more entertaining, but also, I felt that the story was much more powerful and heartfelt. Moana is a strong-willed character that tries with all her might to do what she thinks is right, and that’s be the chief her father is teaching her to be, but she can’t ignore the pull inside of her to go out into the ocean and explore. She teaches us that we should embrace the path that we are called to and not the one everyone says we should live, even if it goes against what the popular position is. Her courage and resolve blended with her heart and compassion jumps out on the screen and is really felt as she interacts with Maui.

Maui is a fun and dynamic character who is full of himself but Moana teaches him more about himself than he’s ever known. That is what is so great about Moana is that during an ocean adventure, the film makes you laugh (sometimes hysterically), cry, cheer, and feel hopeful all in one. Moana brings that out because she isn’t just on an adventure to save the world, but it’s a journey of finding herself.

mauiMaui is strong, immortal, arrogant, funny and yet sad and lost. Maui just wants to be loved but has no idea how that works. He tries and tries and tries and it’s never enough. The world is dying because Maui just wanted to be loved and did something that he shouldn’t have done. We’ve met many people like Maui. Good people that are lost because at some point when they were young they were abandoned. It’s only when they reach a low point that we can learn who they really are. Moana was on an adventure to save the world and find her identity, but during that adventure Maui ended up finding the same. With all of his great charisma, we are able to see a vulnerability in the character that allows us draw close and emotionally connect with him and fall in love with him. It was a well-developed character that was perfectly cast with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

What strikes me most about the story is the similarities of not just the story of creation, but really the story of man and God. The film shows that man is not satisfied with what God has done for us. With everything in the garden, Adam and Eve were tricked into thinking it wasn’t enough, that ultimately being equals to God was the end goal. Sin entered the world and since then mankind suffers with a bout of “god-complex”. We are not equipped for that and in our effort to achieve it we have let loose darkness in the world. But darkness cannot hinder the light. When Christ died for us, it is similar to Moana restoring what was broken and at the end, just like Maui was forgiven, we also find forgiveness when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, in other words restoring the heart back to where it belongs.

Moana is getting lots of praise, and rightfully so. It is a fun and heartwarming film that is perfect for this time of year. A princess that breaks the status quo a long with a fun and charismatic companion in Maui that just makes a for a great time with the family. And if my daughter is any indication, the music can very well catch on just like Frozen fever (and frankly, I don’t mind).

Moana – The Newest Disney Princess

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A young Pacific Islander woman finds her destiny, restores her people’s character, and becomes the newest Disney Princess in Moana. The animated musical from directors Ron Clements and John Musker (the team that made The Little Mermaid) brings the ethos of Oceania to our attention as it takes us into the creation mythology and how that helps to define the people.

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The film opens with a recitation of the creation myth as it is told on the island of Motunui, where Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) is the daughter and presumed heir of the island chief. Moana is a special child. She is chosen by the sea (which is as much a character in the film as a setting) for greatness. But her father has forbidden anyone to go beyond the safety of the reef. Because the sea can be so dangerous, he (and chiefs before him) have abandoned the seagoing ways that are part of their history for the security of the island. But Moana is drawn to the sea and urged on by her grandmother, sets off to restore the balance to the world that has been off since the demigod Maui stole the heart of Ta Fiti (the goddess mother island). Since that time Te Kā (the lava god) has spread destruction.

So Moana sets off in an ancient boat to seek out Maui and force him to restore the heart to its proper place. Maui (Dwayne Johnson) is a larger than life character with animated tattoos and an ego larger than the expansive sea. He is a trickster and shapeshifter. It is Maui, with his magical fishhook that pulled the various islands from the sea. But he has been exiled to an island without his fishhook. (There is a touch of Prometheus in Maui. He sees himself as humankind’s provider and guardian, which led to his theft of Ta Fiti’s heart.) His priorities are not the same as Moana’s as they set off across the sea to find his fishhook and restore Te Fiti’s heart.

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In time they will have to defeat Te Kā through Maui’s magic and Moana’s courage and ingenuity. In the process Moana discovers that her gifts make her the person who can lead her people to new islands, new worlds, new life.

I generally find the musical numbers in films like this something of a distraction. The upside of the music in this film is many of the lyrics were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton). The wittiness of Maui’s song “You’re Welcome” is a fine example of a good use of music, even though overall, I’d still have preferred a non-musical story.

I noted that Moana is the newest Disney Princess. They have been expanding their princesses by including a variety of ethnicities, so it makes sense that they would eventually get to a Pacific Islander. I don’t think this is a matter of political correctness. It is more likely about marketing merchandise. (But that may just be my cynical side coming through.) But they are very blatant in the film in identifying Moana as a princess. In one of their disagreements, Moana corrects Maui who has called her “Princess”. She denies she is a princess. He points out that she’s a chief’s daughter and has an animal sidekick (a part of the Disney Princess formula), so she must be a princess. While that is meant to be a bit of cute, semi-insider humor, I find it a bit off-putting in that it actually takes away from the sense of originality a story should have.

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Mythic stories exist to help us understand our core values as peoples. They give us an identity (or tell us something of the identity of the peoples whose myths are being told). As such I take such stories seriously. Unfortunately, Moana never quite lives up to the potential of such stories. I don’t feel that it has given me any depth of understanding of the history, culture, or values of the peoples of Oceania. There is only a glimpse of such things. Sadly I think Moana is too much Disney Princess and not enough Pacific Islander hero.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Studios.

Furious 7: Relationships Make The Journey Matter

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In 2001, Universal Pictures made a ‘little’ film about street racing called The Fast & The Furious. Fourteen years later, the film series has topped itself in each of the six sequels, providing more eye-popping stunts and spectacularly delivering snapshots of the best action and car chases that all other films seem to be chasing. Boasting a stunning multinational cast, the Fast and Furious franchise truly is one of a kind. But are we overloaded with bigger bangs and crazier stunts? What could the franchise do to keep us engaged?

The short answer? Furious 7 took it to a more personal level.

After the crew led by Dominic Torretto (Vin Diesel) took down Owen Shaw, Shaw’s brother, Deckard (Jason Statham) went on a bloody, explosive trail of vengeance that began with the death of Han (in the plot of Tokyo Drift). Now, the elder Shaw is pursuing them while they’re recruited to pursue him by shadowy black ops leader Frank Petty (Kurt Russell). This launches the film off in a series of explorations of the past, like Torretto’s interaction with Lucas Black’s Sean Boswell in Tokyo and an attempt to help Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) regain her memories.

While the action is breathtaking and globe-trotting, it’s the internal motivations and struggle of the crew that make the film stand out. It’s not all bad though: Brian Conner (Paul Walker) and Torretto’s sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster), are trying to settle down and raise a family.

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But maybe you come for the cast and the explosive stunts, and then you stay because the family dynamic is different. Maybe there’s something about capturing us visually that hooks us, while we want more because we’ve come to care about these characters.

Rock hard Toretto, more compassionate Conner. Willful Lettie, sensitive Mia.

Whether it’s the car chase that ends up with a bus going off of a cliff, the air-jumping of cars out of a cargo plane, the crashing of a race car out of a skyscraper into another, or the hand-to-hand combat that sends a rotating crew of baddies like Statham, Ronda Rousey, and Dijmon Hounsou at our heroes, there’s plenty to visually captivate you.

I’m not sure that Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation topped its opening scene with the plane taking off and a ‘helpless’ Tom Cruise strapped on to the outside. But Furious 7 sets up a string of moments, and one-liners, that keep us strung along to the story. It helps that guys like Diesel and Dwayne Johnson are bigger-than-life (inflated?), but James Wan (who took over for Justin Lin) knows his way around a battle and gave the film a creepier, vengeance-oriented feel.

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The film still has a good cop/bad cop, buddy film feel to it, even though Walker tragically died in a car accident on November 30, 2013. We know that the relationship between Toretto and Conner, who have both broken the law and crossed the line to doing things their own way, both have a desire to stop evil and protect their family. Their family might be multicultural and wildly broad, but it’s their community and they know it’s their job to support them.

The banter, all-out harassment, and sometimes brutal one upping of each other is hilarious. Those foibles spring out from Diesel and Walker, but they branch out into the relationships they have with Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej Parker (Chris Bridges AKA Ludacris). Brothers at arms, these guys are always breaking rules, but lately, they’ve become the government’s version of the 2015 Dirty Dozen.

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Whatever you think of the film, it will always be remembered as the ride off into the sunset for Walker. The cast and crew remember him with nods throughout the film, but the ending is ultimately about sending him off in style. It’s a beautiful ending, one that blends reality with fiction, and makes us hope for a better day. It’s certainly weird seeing Walker on screen and knowing he’s not here anymore, but it’s a better way to remember him than as an obituary online.

I doubt Furious 7 has many ‘deep’ moments that we’d all agree on, but the focus on family, on doing what’s right, and on being true to yourself is apparent. If you let this one roll and you find yourself hoping for a better day in heaven for Walker and the rest of us, then you’ve opened the door to faith. Sometimes, we just have to follow our path and proceed on faith.

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