ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Ed Helms

Penguins – Befuddled Father

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This is the 10th anniversary of Disneynature creating documentary films about our planet and its inhabitants. This year’s offering (as always, being released for Earth Day) is Penguins. And as with previous Disneynature films, they will make a donation to Wildlife Conservation Network for every ticket sold during the opening week (April 17-23).

The Disneynature films take a more relaxed and anthropocentric approach to the nature films than something like the Oscar-winning March of the Penguins, so it isn’t really fair to compare them side by side. But still, this film is the culmination of three years of trips to Antarctica to capture all the footage, both on land and underwater that they use to tell the story.

The film creates a narrative focused on a young Adélie penguin named Steve, now five years old, making his first trip back for the purposes of breeding. Steve is something of a dim bulb. He’s late getting to the colony, gets lost among a colony of Emperors (where the chicks are bigger than he is), and generally is bumbling as he builds a rocky nest to attract a female. He does find a mate (Adeline) with whom he hatches and cares for two chicks. All of this is set amidst the rugged landscape, terrible weather, and the dangers in the sea (orcas and leopard seals) that could eat Steve or his chicks.

The dangers take up only a small part of the story, but the filmmakers are honest about the risks that the penguins and their chicks face. This is especially true with the leopard seals, which camera angles make look especially threatening and almost serpent-like as they seek to devour the vulnerable penguins. And a mild warning for parents taking small children: some penguins, including chicks, are caught and eaten.

The story (narration and Steve’s voice supplied by Ed Helms) is humorous, entertaining, and of course the penguins are cute. But rather than being a straight forward nature story, it becomes a fable about parenting—especially first-time parenting.

Steve, like many new parents, is a bit overwhelmed with it all. The preparation, the childcare, having to provide food and safety. His clumsiness and occasional befuddlement mirrors what many humans go through in the early days and months of parenthood. He is far from the perfect father—or even the perfect partner for Adeline, but he keeps trying to do it as best he can. As such this serves as encouragement for parents who feel inadequate and overwhelmed. Even in nature, parents are not perfect. It’s not perfection that children need; it’s parents who are willing to keep at it even when it seems too much.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

I Do… Until I Don’t: Is Marriage Dead?

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I Do… Until I Don’t follows a filmmaker named Vivian (played by Dolly Wells), as she’s making a documentary about marriage and its challenges.  She focuses her film on three dysfunctional couples – Lake Bell and Ed Helms, who are trying to have a baby, Amber Heard and Wyatt Cenac, who have more of an open relationship, and Paul Reiser and Mary Steenburgen, who have been married for a while, determined to prove that the concept of marriage is outdated. However, as their family struggles rise to the surface, each couple is forced to re-examine their relationships and challenge Vivian’s assumptions about the nature of marriage itself.

Written and directed by Lake Bell, the film has a solid cast (Where have you been, Paul Reiser?) and a unique tone.  By blending comedy and drama with documentary elements, the film seems to defy many of the normal conventions associated with any specific genre. What’s more, it also proves to be an interesting exploration of the nature of relationships.  Though the comedy and drama are obviously heightened circumstances (as they often are in such films), the dialogue between the couples still somehow feels authentic. In a credit to Bell’s writing, the arguments, mistrust, and even moments of grace that break in between couples manage to feel grounded in reality. In doing so, the film is able to effectively explore the complexities of relationships in a way that actually demonstrates the value of spending your life with another person.

While countless other films have looked at the ‘ups and downs’ of relationships, I Do… set itself apart by intentionally looks at marriage as a concept. Through Vivian, Bell focuses her lens on the question of whether or not marriage is an outdated idea or a remnant of an oppressive culture.  (After all, as Vivian would argue, shouldn’t all contracts have an expiry time?) As a pastor, I found it refreshing to see a film that reminds us the importance of honoring our commitments to one another, even when things get hard. While views on marriage have changed in recent decades, I Do… reminds us that there remains value in the concept itself, allowing for vulnerability and support between partners.

Without any spoilers, it was also interesting to see how Bell shows the value of marriage without pushing against those who choose to remain single.  Too often, rom-coms give the impression that ‘finding your soul mate’ is the only important thing in the world but Bell manages to avoid this trap by admitting that it isn’t for everyone as well. (Incidentally, this argument again points back to the seriousness of marriage itself.)

While the story for I Do… Until I Don’t can struggle at times, solid performances from the key cast and its unique structure help the film to remain entertaining. However, in the end, the real value of the film lies in its deliberate exploration relationships at a time when our culture takes it for granted.

I Do… Until I Don’t is in theaters now.

“I Do… Until I Don’t” Producer Amanda Marshall on Spinning a Different Story

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As Vice President of Cold Iron Pictures, producer Amanda Marshall admits to being most passionate about projects that tell stories in unusual ways.  Having had indie success with films like Diary of a Teenage Girl and Swiss Army Man, Marshall’s goal is to find projects that push back against the norm.

“I look for something that I haven’t seen before, even if it’s a world that, on the surface, maybe we have,” she proposes.  “Like with Diary of a Teenage Girl, the story of a young girl sleeping with an older man is one that’s been told before but what drew me to that was the perspective.  And I hadn’t seen it told from that perspective before and that was what was exciting for me.”

“With Swiss Army Man is more obvious in its different-ness.  In fact, I think that sometimes, it can be easy to overlook that, at the core, it’s about something that’s very relatable and that’s how do we connect with other people and what is loneliness, shame and how do people process that.  That’s a story that we’ve seen but it was told in a very different way.  That was most important.”

“I don’t want to tell stories that, when you see the logline, you say ‘oh, it’s this story’? or ‘it’s that story?’  I want to tell stories that are a little bit different and maybe even a bit scary to a lot of other companies.  If it’s a little bit scary to other people, that’s probably something that we’d be interested in.”

With her latest film, I Do… Until I Don’t, Marshall believes that she’s found a story that explores relationships in an unconventional manner.

According to Marshall, “I Do… Until I Don’t follows [a filmmaker named] Vivian (played by Dolly Wells), as she’s making a documentary about marriage and whether or not it should be a seven-year contract with an option to renew.  She follows these three couples – Lake Bell and Ed Helms, who are trying to have a baby, Amber Heard and Wyatt Cenac, who have more of an open relationship, and Paul Reiser and Mary Steenburgen, who have been married for a while, and the stresses that come with that. It’s just a look into relationships and what makes them tick and what makes them worth fighting for.”

With a story that includes elements of comedy, drama, and documentary filmmaking, I Do… Until I Don’t is a film that doesn’t particularly fit neatly into any particularly neat categories.  However, Marshall believes that what’s most important to her is the film’s ability to connect with the audience.

“It’s a blend,” she reflects.  “I guess it’s a dramedy of sorts.  To me, what I am more drawn to as a producer, is perspective and I think that this movie can be very relatable. The couples are all very different but there’s something about each of them that I feel like, if you’ve been married for a while, which I have been, that you can see your own relationship and that’s what I appreciated about it.”

One of the most exciting prospects for Marshall was the opportunity to work with writer/director Lake Bell.  Having tracked Bell’s work for some time, Marshall was thrilled to finally be able to work with her, especially on a project that was so entertaining.

“I was already a big fan of Lake’s work, both as a director and writer, and after her first movie, wanted to do something with her,” she beams.  “When I heard about her new project, I went to a table read.  I thought it was hilarious!  I don’t think I’ve ever laughed that much at a table read before.  Some of the cast that is in the movie was at the table read – Lake, Ed, and Dolly were all there – and I just thought it was so funny that it was definitely something I wanted to be a part of.”

With a title like I Do… Until I Don’t, one might assume that the film’s perspective on marriage is mostly negative.  Still, Marshall believes that I Do… balances the challenges of life while emphasizing hopefulness as well.

“Lake likes to call it an ‘unromantic romance’,” she says. “I do feel it has a positive view of marriage but that it also acknowledges that there are ups and downs and that it can be a roller coaster ride. You have moments that you have to get through to come out the other side.  There are things that are worth fighting for.”

“I think you have to find a balance.  If you’re dealing with another person, you’re in it together.  You really have to give up some of that freedom but, yeah, I think it’s a balance, like everything in life.  You have to compromise.  I think that Vivian, the documentary filmmaker, is in a bitter, unhappy place so she sees the world in a very specific way, as I think all of our characters do at the beginning.  Your opinion can evolve.”

With so much conversation at the moment about the importance of a feminine voice in the film industry, Marshall believes that what matters most to storytelling is that the filmmaker be allowed to share their own perspective.  In light of this, one of the reasons that she was so interested in working with Bell was the clarity of her vision and voice.

“For me, I always say that I’m not genre-driven; I’m perspective-driven,” she begins. “So, to me, whether it’s male or female, what is important is the perspective of the filmmaker and the film.  [With this film,] I think Lake has a very specific perspective as a filmmaker and on the subject matter.  That’s what really drew me to the project.  I think it’s awesome to work with female filmmakers and I think she’s such a bad ass to watch her go from behind the camera to in front of it… so seamlessly (and often at the same time).  That was pretty great.  I do think that as a woman, as a mom and where she is in life that she definitely brought that to the table, both behind and in front of the camera.”

Through her desire to tell unique stories like I Do… Until I Don’t, Amanda Marshall continues to find projects that challenge our assumptions.

I Do… Until I Don’t opens in theaters on Friday, September 1st, 2017.

Love the Coopers: Family (Dys)Function

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Love the Coopers isn’t a great film but it has its moments. An ensemble tale revolving around Christmas and the breaking down of the parental relationship within the Cooper family, the film puts the pieces together in a way that provides a few laughs and some serious soul searching. The audience’s appreciation will be directly related to how much they value the various actors – and the morals they represent.

Central to the story are Sam and Charlotte (John Goodman and Diane Keaton) who have grown apart over time, and lack the responsibilities to their children that once held them together. Intent to stay together one last Christmas, they bicker and spar as their children work their way home for Christmas dinner.

Hank (Ed Helms) is going through a divorce of his own, watching his children try to negotiate their various issues in the midst of the divorce; Eleanor (Olivia Wilde) picks up a recent military recruit, Joe (Jake Lacy), and tries to pass him off as her boyfriend (while she’s secretly dating a married man). Charlotte’s sister, Emma (Marisa Tomei), doesn’t think she was ever loved and ends up in the back of a cop car with the closeted Officer Williams (Anthony Mackie); Aunt Fishy (Juliet Squibb) is mourning what she’s lost and trying to enjoy Christmas as best she can; Grandpa Bucky (Alan Arkin) still has love and wisdom to share.

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None of this is groundbreaking, but I enjoyed it more than I expected. Sure, I’m a sucker for Christmas movies, and the closing twist was enough to bring it all together for me. Helms is engaging as the lovable loser; Wilde and Lacy had a chemistry I wouldn’t have expected. In the end, the reminder about family, hope, and not giving up was one I appreciated.

If you do enjoy it, you’ll appreciate the featurette about Rags the Dog, and the way the cast had “Fun on Set.” Whatever you decide, you’ll either Love (or hate) the Coopers. I’m not sure there’s any in between.

Vacation – How Do You Know Which Way To Go?

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vacation

Everything old is new again, right?

In July, Warner Bros. released the sequel to the original 1983 National Lampoon’s film. Now, fans of the series can own their own copy on Blu-ray, DVD, or Digital HD. As a fan of the films, especially Christmas Vacation, I can assure you that the film follows in the same vein of humor, panache, and family exploration. Just don’t be surprised if you get stuck in a raw sewage runoff, a decrepit hotel bathroom, or a strange exploration of “Four Corners” along the way.

Ed Helms stars as Rusty Griswold, the grown son of Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold, who decides his family needs a legionary story they will never forget: a road trip vacation. Dragging his reluctant brood behind him, Rusty and his wife, Debbie (Christina Applegate), find themselves revisiting their college days, befuddled by ‘the locals,’ and chased by a out-of-control semi driver (who has a bunny rabbit strapped to the front of his cab). Needless to say, there will be memories to go around.

The youngest generation of Griswolds, intellectual James (Skyler Gisondo) and rough Kevin (Steele Stebbins), provide much of the humor throughout as they squabble, chase a girl, and determine who they are. While the film is about coming together as a family (or not), it’s also about what it means to grow up and define who you are.

What struck me in the melodramatic peak of the film was the way that Rusty and Debbie are understood to not know each other. While they have been married for many years, they don’t know much about their spouse’s past or what is going on inside of their hearts. They’re going through the motions of marriage, from conversations to sex, without ever really engaging the other person spiritually, emotionally, or mentally. Sadly, while the film paints all of this amusingly, it’s the same state I see many couples in today … in real life.

While Rusty knows that something is missing from his life, and the lives of his loved ones, he doesn’t know how to get things turned around. He goes back to his childhood, to his family traditions, even if they didn’t always end up the way they should have. Rusty feels responsibility, and he wants to make it work, a responsibility that most parents feel.

In Proverbs 22:6, it says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” I believe we’re supposed to train up kids in the Bible, in how to treat other people, in love, and in grace. But when we don’t, is it any wonder they get lost, that they flounder in ‘sewage,’ or are taken in by the lies of a stranger, or that they end up being afraid of things they shouldn’t worry about?

Life isn’t always a vacation, but we should have a road map to get us where we need to go.

Special features include a look at the series’ return to Wally World, the Griswold Odyssey, a gag reel, and additional scenes.