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where faith and film are intertwined

John Leguizamo

Encanto: Cracks in the Foundation

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By Seun Olowo-Ake

Encanto is the story of the magical Madrigal family, their sentient casita and the people in their community that they have taken it upon themselves to protect. Written by Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith and featuring music by Lin-Manuel Miranda the Great (Incidentally, that’s how I shall be referring to him henceforth), Walt Disney Animation’s 60th film brings us magic, familial love, bright colours and Miranda’s conversational music style.

As the only person in the family Madrigal that was not blessed with a magical gift, Maribel (Stephanie Beatriz) compensates by helping her family out in any way she can. However, she soon discovers that, rather than aiding it, her efforts put her in the way of the family’s efficiency. This doesn’t deter her though, as when she discovers her family’s magic is in trouble, she decides that she will be the one to save it. Cue awkward dinners, ‘bigger on the inside’ adventures and making amends.

I really love my family and the idea of family in general so, even though it shocked me, I was not surprised to find myself teary eyed by the end of the movie. Seeing the Madrigals siblings, cousins, parents, tias and tios–all led by the graceful Abuela (Maria Cecilia Botero)–helping each other out made my heart very happy.

Encanto conveys different themes: from the importance of family (where the true magic lies) to the weight that comes with having to be perfect/having nothing go wrong with you to finding and understanding your gift when everyone around you seems more exceptional than you are, as seen in Maribel who is determined to prove her worth to the rest of her family.

However, by the end of the movie, I found myself asking an important question: what is good leadership?

Abuela and the Madrigals are the centrepiece of the community, and it is their magic that keeps it running. But when that magic starts to fade, the problem is not just that their family is losing their magic. It is that they are leaving their community vulnerable. Abuela understands this and tries to sell the illusion that the magic is okay for as long as possible. To me, she exemplifies the type of leader that feels they must always project strength, even when that strength is lacking. This need to show strength has been passed on to the rest of her family who eventually crack under the weight of that pressure, forcing them all to reckon with the fact that though they are the “strongest”/“most gifted”, they need their community. The film tells us by the end that good leader doesn’t just do everything in their power to take care of those in they lead. They also empower those under their influence to become leaders themselves.

A good leader understands they can’t do everything alone, and a good leader is not afraid to ask for help when they need it.

Now, I’m going to listen to the soundtrack on repeat because, believe it or not, this fast-talking rap music lover could not fully understand what was going on in some of the songs. Personally, I blame that on the fact that I watch everything with subtitles. (Or maybe I’m getting up there in age. Lol)

Encanto is premieres in theatres on November 24th, 2021.

John Wick: Chapter 2 – The Soul of the Soldier

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NOTE:  The following article contains major spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 2.

John Wick: Chapter 2 continues the story of ‘retired’ hitman, John Wick (Keanu Reeves).  Set a mere two weeks after the events of first film, Wick has successfully finished his manic vengeance and settles in at home for his new life… for about 10 minutes.  Soon after, he is met by Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio), a former associate who reminds him of an old debt that needs to be repaid.  Despite his protests, Wick is forced back to work to fulfill his obligation—after all, there are rules to be followed—and he finds himself in the middle of a global turf war.

In the most surprising mash-up of the year, John Wick: Chapter 2 opens with a clip of Buster Keaton projected on a nearby wall as the action takes place below.  The immediate imagery is clear:  This is a film that will emphasize the visuals and physical performances.  In essence, this means that, like Keaton, Reeves’s character will show you through the story with his actions, as opposed to his words.  By utilizing a unique style of violence that some have dubbed ‘gun-fu’, the appeal of the Wick films seems to lie with its almost dance-like action sequences, combining the use of martial arts and firearms.  Whereas the majority of actioners now make use of the infamous ‘shaky-cam’ style of filmmaking (I blame you, Paul Greengrass), the Wick series follows the violent acts in ways that develops genuine intensity.  Although extremely violent, it remains both visceral and stunning visually.

Still, there is far more to the film than choreography and headshots.  Whereas the first film follows Wick’s grief-filled heart, Chapter 2 focuses entirely on his soul.  As the film builds to its climax, he seems to straddle two different worlds.  With the final battle taking place in an art gallery featuring an exhibit entitled ‘Reflections on the Soul’, John Wick has no time to do so. By literally making his descent into the underworld that he is caught between heaven’s gates and hell’s flames.  Through the director’s ingenious choice to place the final battle in a hall of mirrors, we see that Wick is actually two men – one seeking redemption and the other forever damned.  (Admittedly, this reflective setting is hardly new to the action genre, but the subtext keeps the moment fresh.)

What’s more, in John Wick: Chapter 2, justice is swift and vengeful.  In an “eye for an eye” world, Wick is reminded that he is “still Old Testament”.  We see this evidenced in the penultimate moment of the film where, in a scene reminiscent of Genesis 4, John literally kills his ‘blood brother’ in the Continental’s dining hall.  However, in doing so, he also breaks one of the key rules of his profession and thus, destroys the only place of Edenic shalom that he has enjoyed.  As a result, such an act causes him to be thrown out into the night.  Yet, even so, the Continental’s benevolent and ever-present manager, Winston (Ian McShane), continues to care for him.  In a moment reminiscent of Cain’s exchange with God after the murder of Abel, Winston informs John that the only reason he remains alive is ‘because he wills it’.  (What’s more, to deepen the comparison with this moment, Winston even hands John a marker as he departs.) As the film closes, he is cast out into the night with nowhere to wander.  Through Winston’s act of grace, he takes on a God-like persona as he watches over Wick, yet because of his actions, there must be consequences.  John is a man who has sinned against Winston and, although there remains the desire to forgive, Winston cannot erase the actions that have already taken place. As a result, he is now the target of everyone yet protected by none.

This is a film that explores the moment where one is forced to decide who they shall be.  While on his way to meet underground crime boss, Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), Wick is met with a sign that says ‘Jesus saves’, yet he walks right past it.  It is a reminder that the justice of the Old Testament can appear dark without the light inherent to the New Testament.  Wick is a man who needs salvation yet finds no absolution in anything.  Near the end of the film, he sits in his burnt down home, clutching his wife’s rosary and reflecting on the events that have just taken place.  Although he is clearly repentant, he refuses to—or, more accurately, is unable to—move beyond his past.

After all is said and done, what people will most likely remember about John Wick: Chapter 2 is its stylized violence and spectacular battle scenes.  Still, the deeper story within the film reveals a man who wishes to take steps into a world of freedom but remains a lost soul, running from his past and leaning into an empty future.  (“Am I free?,” he asks as he is reminded that he ‘never will be’.)  Though called ‘the Boogeyman’ by those who fear him, Wick is, in fact, more of a ghost, floating through life without any firm spiritual grounding.

One only hopes that, in the inevitable (and likely, final) Chapter 3, Wick finally finds some shred of light in the darkness that continues to swallow him whole.

The Infiltrator – Follow the Money

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Reagan era drug wars are the setting for The Infiltrator. Based on a true story, Federal agent Robert Mazur (Bryan Cranston) has been working undercover catching drug dealers, but thinks a more productive way to do it would be to follow the money to the top. He sets himself up as Bob Musella, a businessman that can launder the vast amounts of money involved in the drug trade and begins working his way into the confidence of higher and higher levels of the Columbian cartel. But these are violent people who would have no qualms about not only killing Mazur, but his family as well if he were discovered.

Early in the film Mazur tells his partner Emir Abreu (John Leguizamo) that the informants they deal with walk on the dirty side of the street. When they decide to come to the clean side, they still have mud on their feet. It makes us wonder about what happens when Mazur spends time on that dirty side of the street. Will he be able to not be tainted by the filth?

Mazur in the film is a noble man with a noble goal. He is eligible to retire with full benefits, but opts to do one more big operation. He honors his vows to his wife (Juliet Aubrey), but there are other times when he pushes his relationship with her beyond the breaking point. One of the key differences between Mazur and Abreu is that Mazur sees what he is doing as something for the good of the world. Perhaps Abreu does as well, but admits that the undercover work they do is his “drug of choice”.

THE INFILTRATOR

Along with another agent posing as his fiancée (Diane Kruger), he becomes close with one of Pablo Escobar’s top lieutenants, Roberto Alcaino (Benjamin Bratt), who treats him like family. Mazur manages to become a prime customer at the Bank of Commerce and Credit International, becoming connected with high ranking officials within the bank. BCCI claimed to be a “full service bank” for its special customers. The bankers talk openly about the ways they can make the money untraceable. These are not the lowlife drug pushers he has dealt with in the past. These are people with prestige, position, and power.

That world of power that Mazur moves into in his work laundering the cartel’s money is one filled with hubris. At one point we see an official at BCCI addressing a meeting, speaking of the divine blessing they receive in the form of great wealth as though it is their due. He goes so far to claim they get rich because they “have the humility to receive it”. What makes this a bit more than your typical cops and robbers movie is the sense of bringing down the proud and powerful. While the evil in this film includes those who act violently and supply drugs that ruin lives, the real villains we meet are those who just want a very lucrative piece of that pie and don’t care what dirt or blood may be on the money they handle. Again we go back to Mazur’s early comment about muddy shoes. For all the Italian suits and fancy jewelry people may wear in the film, that sense of a dirt that will not wash off reminds us that the things we do may leave stains that others may not see, but will never really wash away.

Photos courtesy of Broad Green Pictures

American Ultra: What’s Your Potential?

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american ultra

American Ultra stars Jamie Eisenberg as lovable stoner Mike Howell, the kind of guy you encourage to aim higher but who is already quite high to begin with. Thanks to his girlfriend, Phoebe (Kristen Stewart), Mike aspires for more but his anxieties and insecurities always short circuit his plans. That is, until shadowy government ages converge on his little bubble in Liman, West Virginia, and Mike recognizes that he is meant for something… completely different. Mike Howell is a sleeper CIA agent!

Two lines of thinking are working in opposition, fighting for Mike’s life. On one side is his previous CIA boss, motherly Victoria Lasseter (Connie Britton), who wants Mike left alone; on the other side is the new head of the department, stats-driven, smarmy Adrian Yates (Topher Grace), who wants his ideas to push out any remnants of the work that Lasseter did before. When Yates’ first attempts to eradicate Mike fail, he has the town closed as the faked result of a “Super Typhoid” epidemic, turning Liman into a no-holds-barred battleground.

While Mike might seem to be outmatched, Max Landis’ (Chronicle) script gradually unlocks more and more of the sleeper agent’s untold potential. It’s serious – and comic – blending a spoof of spy flicks with violence and energy. While it’s not groundbreaking – it feels a bit like The Truman Show meets The Bourne Identity – it’s still fun to watch Eisenberg’s Mike navigate his girlfriend, his CIA bosses, his drug dealer (an over-the-top John Leguizamo), and a host of assassins.

American Ultra is a story of discovering oneself, of determining what potentials and purposes lie buried deep within. While most of us aren’t covert operatives masquerading as stoners, there’s something to be said for the way we fail to realize who we’re supposed to be. Maybe it’s a question of calling or gifts, or maybe it’s deeper, like understanding that we can’t even see how awesome we are (buried under the weight of original sin) until God shows us how we are made in God’s image. We can’t even recognize that until God shows it to us! For Mike, it’s about realizing his buried nature and embracing it; for us, it’s about realizing we’re made in God’s image and have so much more that we can be.

Special features include “Activating American Ultra,” “Assassinating on a Budget,” a gag reel, and the director’s commentary.