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Helen Mirren

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms – A New Take on an Old Tale

November 1, 2018 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

The Nutcracker has become an established holiday tradition. Most of us know it as the ballet and its Tchaikovsky music and now, Disney is bringing forth a new incarnation of the story in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.

The credits say the film is “suggested by the short story ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ by E. T. A Hoffman and the ‘Nutcracker Ballet’ by Marius Petipa”. It is both familiar and different. The familiarity comes from the main elements of the story, plus the use of the Tchaikovsky music and bits of dance within the story. The difference comes from new places that this film takes the story.

In this version, directed by Lasse Halström and Joe Johnston, we meet Clara Stahlbaum (Mackenzie Foy), a bright fourteen year-old in Victorian London. Clara is something of an inventor. In the opening scene, she demonstrates her Rube Goldberg-esque mousetrap. But Clara also has a sadness about her. This is the first Christmas for her family after the death of her mother. Before heading out to a Christmas party, her father (Matthew MacFadyen) gives her and her siblings presents from their mother. Clara’s is an egg-shaped box, but it is locked and there is no key—only a note that says, “Everything you need is inside.”

At the party, we meet her godfather Drosselmeyer (Morgan Freeman), also an inventor, who made the egg for Clara’s mother. He notes how hard it will be to open without the key. But later, seeking for her godfather’s present, she finds herself in a very different world. When she finds the key there, a mouse runs in, steals the key and runs off. Chasing after it she meets a nutcracker guard, Captain Phillip Hoffman (Jaden Fowora-Knight). Thus begins Clara’s adventure.

It turns out that her mother had been to this world, where she was the queen. Clara is welcomed like a princess and meets the regents of the various realms, most notably Sugar Plum (Kiera Knightley). It turns out that since her mother’s time, the kingdom there has faced rebellion. Three of the realms still enjoy the wonders of this world, but the Fourth Realm, presided over by Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren) and the Mouse King, has separated itself and fallen into darkness and disorder.

They look to Clara to save them. There is a weapon Clara’s mother designed that could bring an end to this, but the key is lost. Clara recognizes that it is the same key that opens her egg. So she sets off with a band of soldiers, led by the nutcracker into the Fourth Realm to regain the key. But when she does, we learn all is not as we have been told and not everyone is as they seem.

At its heart, this is a coming-of-age story as Clara must discover her strength and how to overcome the adversity not only of the mystical kingdom she has discovered, but in the real world as well. Through her adventure she learns that even though her mother is gone, her mother’s love and influence still touches her. She also learns that others suffer just as she does and that she is able to bring healing just as others can heal her.

Clara’s growth is facilitated by the connections she finds in the two worlds. Her godfather was very close to her mother throughout her life and sees in Clara someone very like her. He is able to trust Clara with the tasks he knows await her in the kingdom. Her father, who she views as uncaring is, in fact, as overwhelmed by grief as Clara. In that, they find a new touchpoint for their relationship. Within the Kingdom her strongest connection is with Phillip, the nutcracker. Sugar Plum tries to push her way into Clara’s life, but the sweetness she shows turns out to be saccharine. Others, once she learns the truth, bring her the wisdom and courage she will need. While we may look at Clara as the center of the story, it is important to know that she never does anything by herself. She always has the support of others in making things right.

This iteration of the Nutcracker tale also has a small political bite to it. One of the characters, as the real battle for control grows, notes that the kingdom now has “a big, beautiful army to protect it”. But in this case, the army is not used for protection, but for oppression. It reminds us that force in itself is not our protection—and can even be antithetical to security. One of the messages found in the cross of Christ is that victory does not come through the world’s idea of strength. It is a message that we often have a hard time remembering in a world that trusts military and political might.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: based on ballet, based on short story, dance, Disney, Helen Mirren, Jaden Fowora-Knight, Joe Johnston, Kiera Knightley, Lasse Halström, Mackenzie Foy, Matthew MacFadyen, mice, Morgan Freeman, Tchaikovsky

3.17 Fighting the FATE OF THE FURIOUS

April 23, 2017 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

http://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/6.17-Fate-of-the-Furious.mp3

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!

Filed Under: Film, Podcast Tagged With: action films, box office records, Charlize Theron, Dwayne Johnson, F. Gary Gray, Fast and the Furious, Fate of the Furious, Helen Mirren, Jason Statham, Kurt Russell, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez, Scott Eastwood, The Rock, Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel

1on1 w/Allan Loeb (screenwriter, COLLATERAL BEAUTY)

December 26, 2016 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

collateral

http://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/1on1-with-Alan-Loeb-writer-Collateral-Beauty.mp3

One last present under the Christmas tree! This week, Steve has the privilege to speak with screenwriter Allan Loeb (21, WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS) about his latest film, COLLATERAL BEAUTY, which stars Will Smith and Helen Mirren. They chat about love, death and the nature of fables.

A special thanks to Allan for joining us on the show!

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Filed Under: Film, Interviews, Podcast Tagged With: 21, Allan Loeb, Christmas, Christmas movie, Collateral Beauty, death, drama, Edward Norton, film, Helen Mirren, interview, Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley, life, Michael Pena, Oscars, Wall Street, Will Smith

Collateral Beauty – Arguing with the Cosmos

December 16, 2016 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

“When something starts with a six year old dying, nothing’s going to feel right.”

Unresolved grief fills and drives Collateral Beauty. The film opens with a joyful Howard (Will Smith) presiding over his ad agency’s Christmas party, reminding his employees that they make connections with people through three key concepts: time, love, and death. Then the film jumps ahead three years. The joy is gone from the office. While others quietly work, Howard spends days at a time building elaborate domino structures, just to knock down the first block and walk away. Obviously something has happened.

Three of his partners, Whit (Edward Norton), Claire (Kate Winslet), and Simon (Michael Peña) watch this, wondering when Howard will snap out of it. The business is beginning to suffer. And they have an offer to buy the agency, but Howard won’t even talk with them. So they hatch a plan they hope will bring Howard back—or if not, be evidence that he is incompetent.CB40594.DNG

They come across three actors, Brigitte (Helen Mirren), Amy (Keira Knightly), and Raffi (Jacob Lattimore), who operate out of a very off, off Broadway theatre (The Hegel Theatre). But perhaps it is the actors who really find them. When it is discovered that Howard has written angry letters to Time, Love, and Death, the coworkers hire the actors to confront Howard as Time (Raffi), Love (Amy), and Death (Brigitte). In time the seeming hallucinations drive Howard to a grieving parent group when the leader (Naomie Harris) connects with him. But it turns out that the three coworkers also have their own issues that need to be addressed. As the co-workers work with the actors to focus on Howard, Time, Love, and Death also seem to speak Whit, Claire, and Simon as well.

Besides working well on the level of plot and character, this is a film that also provides some philosophical depth. (Note the theatre’s name.) As the actors confront Howard as the cosmic personae, the discussions become heated and quickly move into more complex ideas that many films would not want to touch on. Because these are impassioned philosophical discussions, they never become off-putting or overly cerebral. But the film does respect the audience’s intelligence and ability to comprehend that ideas being presented without talking down.15021626_83452_still_2_s-high

Along the way, as Howard vents his rage at the cosmic forces, he gives voice to all the pain and anger that can often accompany grief. That pain and anger includes religious concepts that never seem adequate for people in the time of loss. He is an equal opportunity ranter. He takes on Christian, Buddhist, and secular ways that we use to try to explain away the pain of death.collateral

It should be noted that a simpler film would have just set Howard against his idea of God but, through blaming these non-divine cosmic forces, we can still imply that Howard is rebelling against a divinity he finds inadequate. (Although there is a certain Trinitarian vibe to the trio of Time, Love, and Death.) In this, Howard is the newest incarnation of Job. He is willing to state his case that the way the universe works is wrong. Like Job, Howard receives answers that may be less comforting than he wants, but in the challenge of confronting the questions there is an opening for him to begin to find a way through the pain to see again that there is beauty in the world and his life.

 

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: Edward Norton, grief, Helen Mirren, Jacob Lattimore, Job, Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley, Michael Pena, Naomie Harris, Will Smith

Eye in the Sky: Determining Our Moral Compass

June 28, 2016 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

eyeinthesky2

Eye in the Sky lays out a scenario where global governments work together to take out terrorists via drone. In this tense, up-close thriller, Helen Mirren stars as Colonel Katherine Powell whose pursuit of a terrorist may cause her to cross moral lines in the decisions she makes about keeping the world safe.  What starts out as a ‘capture’ mission turns the discussion toward a kill shot, when various conditions come into play. Will Powell “take the shot” or let the terrorist she’s after get away?

Filling out the drama are 2nd Lieutenant Steve Watts (Aaron Paul), the pilot of the drone in question, Lieutenant General Frank Nelson (Alan Rickman, in his last onscreen role), British Foreign Secretary James Willett (Iain Glen, Game of Thrones), and Jama Farah (Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips). Together, they will make decisions that dramatically impact the lives of unsuspecting villagers in Nairobi – either by annihilating them or allowing them to go through the rest of their day without incident.

eyeinthesky

Several things stand out in the context of the film’s storyline. First, it’s amazing how benignly the soldiers carry about their mission with the drone, as if they can’t even begin to imagine how it would all go wrong … until a little girl enters their screen. Second, the bureaucratic snafus of Powell and her superiors in communicating is asinine, but only rings of the story that Michael Bay shares in 13 Hours. Third, the way that Powell deals with statistics to prove what she wants is just… sick. [Case in point: one of her subordinates says he has the risk of collateral damage as low as possible at 65%; she tells him she needs it under 50%, and basically makes him lie. Seriously, fifty percent is okay??]

Too often, we allow our moral decision making to be affected by everything but the words of Jesus and the teachings we have passed down through the tradition of the church. Too often, we cite statistics, popular misconceptions, societal influences, or some other unrelated information that makes us feel more comfortable about doing the wrong thing. Should we feel better that we’ve convinced ourselves? I don’t think so. In the end, we need to make sure we’re doing what we should do rather than what we convince ourselves is okay. The outcomes can be disastrous otherwise.

Filed Under: Current Events, DVD, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Aaron Paul, drones, Helen Mirren

Eye in the Sky – Ethical Dilemmas in Modern Warfare

March 11, 2016 by Darrel Manson 1 Comment

“What you witnessed today with your coffee and biscuits was terrible. . ..”

Now that drones are an important part of warfare, does it make war a little more sterile? Is it just a video game with actual explosions and real blood? Is it too easy to set aside the morality involved in waging war when it is done from the safety of somewhere half a world away? In Eye in the Sky, we watch in near real time as what was a simple military mission moves to new levels and decisions must be made rapidly that could have serious consequences.

 Credit: Keith Bernstein / Bleecker Street
Credit: Keith Bernstein / Bleecker Street

Col. Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) heads a mission to capture a British subject who is part of a terrorist plot in Kenya. From her bunker in London, she monitors video from an American drone piloted by Lt. Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) and A1C Carrie Gershon on her first day in the job. The plan is to make sure all the terrorists involved are in a house together and then send the Kenya military to arrest them. But when the meeting moves to an armed area, the capture can’t happen. When it is discovered that there are two suicide bombers being prepared in the house, the mission begins to creep into more deadly options. Meanwhile, General Frank Benson (Alan Rickman) is briefing a group of cabinet officials about the mission. As the mission changes, they are called on to expand the rules of engagement. When a girl selling bread sets up her table within the blast area of a possible missile attack, the question of collateral damage becomes a personal issue.

Because this involves different governments and nations, the responsibilities are never clearly marked. Often those who must make decisions want to “refer up” to higher levels. But because the suicide bomber could leave at any time, there is little time to debate what is legal or moral. While the Christian Just War Theory is never explicitly brought up in the film, many of the issues in the film touch on the way society has come to judge the morality of war in a world of global terrorism.

EYE IN THE SKY

We watch all this, as do the people involved from a distance looking at the screens that they see. It is tempting to think that they are doing something very similar to what we do—look at a screen as something not quite real. But the little girl selling bread—an innocent bystander who we see clearly and understand the danger she faces—becomes a symbol for all the questions that war by drone brings up.

I have long been a fan of director Gavin Hood because of his ability to show moral ambiguity. (For example, see his earlier films Tsotsi or A Reasonable Man—or even X-Men Origins: Wolverine.) This is a film that creates a situation that morality must be judged within an ever changing situation. Is it just a numbers game? Does the possibility of killing a young girl outweigh the possibility of suicide bombers in a shopping mall? While for some of those involved (especially the politicians) this is something of a theoretical exercise, the closer one is to actually having to act (such as Lt. Watts and Airman Gershon) it becomes a very existential event. It will challenge who they understand themselves to be. It will be something that they will have to live with the consequences whatever they will be. Actually, it is something that all those involved hold responsibility for.

The film doesn’t expect us to judge for certain if what happens was the right thing to do. There are too many variables that come into play. Rather, in the end we are left wondering if the right choices were made at various points along the way. Does the debate over what should or shouldn’t be done actually make things worse? Is there a way to judge an “acceptable” level of collateral damage? (The American government officials in the film seem to think so.) Should we mourn the loss of life that seems inevitable? Do we expect or want the military people involved to feel sorrow over this, or should they be hard hearted and stoic? Perhaps what I appreciate most about Eye in the Sky is that it is not a film that gives us answers, but gives us many worthwhile questions to ponder.

Photos courtesy of Bleeker Street

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman, drone, ethical issues in war, Gavin Hood, Helen Mirren, just war, Kenya, Phoebe Fox, suicide bomber, terrorists, war

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