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where faith and film are intertwined

Margot Robbie

6.20 Emancipating the BIRDS OF PREY

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After her debut in SUICIDE SQUAD, fan favourite Margot Robbie gets her time to shine brightly in BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN). After stepping out from the shadow of her ex—the Joker—Quinn quickly finds herself in the cross-hairs of every hitman in Gotham, especially maniacal crime boss Black Mask (Ewan Macgregor). However, Harley isn’t the only woman in Gotham who needs emancipation and she finds some unlikely allies in tough cop Rene Montoya, Black Canary and The Huntress. In a fantabulous episode, Mira Ibrahim joins me again to talk about the meaning of emancipation and pop culture’s portrayal of gender.

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

Want to continue the 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.

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Birds of Prey: Emancipation with an Edge

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‘Turns out I’m not the only dame in Gotham looking for emancipation.’

–Harley Quinn, Birds of Prey

After the middling returns on Justice League, DC has broken away from their perceived Marvel-envy with a wide variety of films, ranging from the underwater epic Aquaman, teen-frenzied Shazam! and the dark and brooding Joker. With Birds of Prey, they continue the trend of well-written solo pieces that focus on character as opposed to forcing the next Avengers-type film. While cross-overs are inevitable (Quinn has already been confirmed for the James Gunn’s Suicide Squad film), the new approach has allowed each film in their canon to have their own flavour. Thankfully, Birds of Preycontinues the trend as a fun and free-wheeling burst of color and energy that breathes fire when it needs to and, more importantly, continues to breathe life into DC’s film slate.

Directed by Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs), Birds of Prey (or the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) reintroduces us to the unpredictable Harley Quinn. Finally free from her relationship with the Joker, Quinn suddenly finds that she has a target on her back and she’s forced to go on the run from narcissistic crime boss Roman Sionis (Ewan Macgregor), his right-hand man, Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina), and every other thug in the city. But things soon begin to even out for Harley when she finds herself an unexpected ally with three lethal women – Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez).

Wild and unruly, Birds of Prey earns it’s ‘R-rating’ (though surprisingly less extreme than it could have been) and plays with fractured story-telling and breaking the ‘fourth wall’. (In fact, the film has so much freedom that it begs the question as to whether or not DC has found their answer to Deadpool.) For her second time in the role, Robbie seems even more comfortable as affable anti-heroine, Harley Quinn, as she bounds through the film with playful enthusiasm. (Incidentally, newcomers Perez, Winstead and Smollet-Bell also prove to be solid female counters to craziness.) What’s more, Yan’s desire to bathe the screen in colour helps Birds of Prey become a visual treat. Told entirely from Quinn’s perspective, the film uses every brightly lit neon possibility from glitter bombs to a Madonna-throwback sequence in an effort to bring the chaos of her mind to life. As a result, the film becomes an erratic but playful venture that doesn’t always stick the landing with its humour but offers enough quality performances and entertainment to deem the film a success.

While the film follows Quinn on her quest for survival, the subtext of the film focuses on Quinn’s journey to spiritual freedom from the men in her life, especially the Joker (who remains unseen in the film). In a distinct shift from her debut in Suicide Squad, Birds shows off Harley’s intelligence rather than focusing on her physical beauty. All but forgotten in her first film, the character does have doctorate in psychology and Birds allows her to make use of it, without losing her wild side.

What’s more, after ‘emancipating’ herself from her relationship with Mr. J, Quinn sends a message to the city that she’s finally a free agent. The problem is, however, that this action emboldens the other men of Gotham’s criminal underworld who were afraid to hurt her for fear of Joker’s wrath. With this in mind, the film quickly becomes a metaphor for breaking free from the abusiveness of male-dominance in a culture that ignores the value and intelligence of women. Though men comment on the softness of her skin or her pretty face, few take her seriously as a threat on her own. (Incidentally, Quinn’s journey parallels that of the other women in the film as well, each seeking to free themselves from under the thumb of their male oppressors.) As a result, Harley’s journey becomes less about finding safety but more about finding herself, and empowering others to do the same.

Enthusiastic and rowdy, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) proves to be another successful entry into the suddenly energized DC canon of films. As the demented by intelligent Quinn, Robbie continues to create a character worth watching. Though the humour doesn’t always work, Birds of Prey is a visual treat with enough strong performances to suggest that his will become another viable franchise for the future. After all, if Quinn really isn’t ‘the only dame in Gotham looking for emancipation’, Robbie still has a lot of work to do.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is free to fly in theatres on Friday, February 7th, 2020.

6.18 Setting Off the BOMBSHELL of Truth

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Back in 2016, after Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson raised allegations about FOX Executive Roger Ailes, the fallout helped further survivors of sexual misconduct to speak out against their attackers sparking a movement that reverberated throughout the industry. Now, with his latest film, Bombshell, director Jay Roach attempts to give light on the truth of the story in the hopes of continuing the ongoing conversation surrounding sexual misconduct in our culture. In an honest and challenging conversation, we welcome back ScreenFish’r Julie Levac and TO Film Files’ Jolie Featherstone to discuss the relationship between power and voice.

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

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.

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Bombshell – Another #MeToo Moment

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Workplace sexual harassment and abuse doesn’t qualify as “man bites dog” news. But in recent years it has become news because of the rich and powerful people involved. #MeToo has become the catchall term for such abuse, especially in the entertainment industry. Bombshell is based on the 2016 scandal that led to the ouster of Roger Ailes, the CEO of Fox News. We may look at that story as a sign of success in the fight against sexual harassment, but we might also see within the story the failure of society to adequately address the underlying issues.

We first meet two of Fox’s key women on-air talent, Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) and Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman). They want to be considered serious journalists, but face an uphill battle. For example, when taking part in an early GOP candidate debate, Kelly challenges Donald Trump (then a long-shot to get the nomination) about his record with women. She becomes the target of his abusive twitters. Carlson has been demoted to a less viewed time slot.

Photo Credit: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle SMPSP.

When Carlson goes to lawyers to file suit over a demotion, she says it is because she has thwarted Roger Ailes’s (John Lithgow) sexual advances. She assumes that if she files suit other Fox News women will come forwards.

We also meet Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie), a composite character of several women at Fox News who spoke with filmmakers anonymously. Pospisil is a Barbie-figured young woman who dreams of being an on-air personality. She is ambitious and pushes her claim that as a Christian Millennial, she represents a key demographic. She creates an opportunity to get a meeting with Ailes to make her case. Even this first meeting is a bit on the creepy side.

Photo Credit: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle SMPSP.

The story develops as we watch these three women each trying to negotiate their way in a toxic and misogynistic environment. Anyone who raised these issues would be accused of the dreadful sin of “feminism”—not even women at Fox News wanted to be saddled with that word. All three women face sexist behavior from colleagues without much support from other women. Even after Carlson’s lawsuit is filed, few women come to her support—in large part because they need their jobs. Meanwhile the institution gears up with demands of loyalty to the company and expressly for Ailes.

Photo Credit: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle SMPSP.

This is not about an isolated bad situation. It reflects a reality that many women (as well as other minorities) can face in the workplace. In this case we see an especially heinous example, but even when it is not as blatant as we see here, such situations can be damaging. One of the contributing factors at Fox News, as it’s portrayed in Bombshell, is that it is built on an amoral pragmatism. A co-worker describes a Fox News story to Kayla in an early scene as what will get the most watchers. Ailes’s key phrase as he asks to see women’s legs is “It’s a visual medium.” The goal of Fox News here is not even ideology; it is whatever sells.

That amoral pragmatism was not limited to the abusers. It was suggested as the way to get what you want. The end justified the means. Good viewership justified sensational reporting. Keeping one’s job justified silence. Does a chance at a fame and fortune justify allowing oneself to be used?

Photo Credit: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle SMPSP.

Part of the problem that the women at Fox News faced was the silence of other workers. Should people warn new women about what happened in Ailes’s office? (It seemed to be an open secret.) Should they speak up when they know something bad is happening to their coworkers? In the film, much of the debate of this takes place in sotto voce debates within Megyn Kelly’s work team. These discussions serve as the voices that might well play within us and our coworkers in such a situation. We have conflicting feelings and fears, just as this small group brings to the film.

Photo Credit: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle SMPSP.

What I see as a small downside of Bombshell is that it feels a little bit voyeuristic. We stand outside looking in. (That may be in part because I’m a man who hasn’t had to live out this story in the workplace.) It may seem like an aberration that took place in a company of questionable integrity to start with. But we need to remember that in many ways both big and small, women continue to have to deal with such abusive situations.

5 Days of Christmas GIVEAWAY #5: ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD

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Actor Rick Dalton gained fame and fortune by starring in a 1950s television Western, but is now struggling to find meaningful work in a Hollywood that he doesn’t recognize anymore. He spends most of his time drinking and palling around with Cliff Booth, his easygoing best friend and longtime stunt double. Rick also happens to live next door to Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate — the filmmaker and budding actress whose futures will forever be altered by members of the Manson Family.

The winner will receive a copy of Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood on Blu-Ray!

To enter, simply like or share our post on Facebook. For a bonus entry, like or share the post on Twitter and Instagram.

All entries must be completed by 11:59pm on Friday, December 20th, 2019

Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood – A Tarantino Fairy Tale

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When I first heard that Quenton Tarantino was going to be making a movie that involved the Manson Family killings, I assumed the violence and blood would be overwhelming. But Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood turns out to be his least violent film. All of Tarantino’s films have an aspect of his appreciation of cinematic history, but this is his most explicit love note to Hollywood and the film industry.

As the title suggests, the film has a bit of a fairy tale aspect, focusing on the Hollywood myth—a world of stars, fame, and a bit of perversion. Set in 1969, the story focuses on Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), a former star of a TV western who has been reduced to guest starring as a heavy in other series. His longtime friend and stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), serves as his driver and emotional sounding board. Dalton’s career is on a downward trajectory, but he has an offer from an agent (Al Pacino) to go to Italy and make spaghetti westerns.

The time and place are important aspects of the film. 1969 Hollywood serves the same function as the “woods” in fairy tales. It is the locale of magic and danger and dreams. There is a real nostalgic quality to the film that seeks to recreate 1969 L.A., down to the Real Don Steele on 93 KHJ (a DJ and radio station, for those who didn’t grow up here at that time). The film makes excellent use of the remaining locations from that period, as well as recreating Hollywood Boulevard to resemble what it was like then.

The danger that lurks in these woods is the Manson Family. This subplot comes into the story in two ways. Dalton’s new next-door neighbors are Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). That home became the scene of a murder by some of Charles Manson’s followers. But the main way this subplot develops is through Booth’s meeting hitchhiker Pussycat (Margaret Qualley) who takes him out to the Spahn Ranch where the Family lived. As a stuntman in westerns, Booth knew the ranch and its owner. Booth does not trust the group that is there, and soon leaves, but not before making enemies, including Tex Watson (Austin Butler) and Squeeky Fromme (Dakota Fanning).

Six months later, much has changed in the lives of Dalton and Booth. Perhaps their friendship is coming to an end, but when the Manson Family comes on the night we know as the night of the Tate murders, Tarantino doesn’t show us what we think we will see. The violence is still there, but [spoiler] there is an alternative history. The way Tarantino twists the story makes for a fairy tale happily ever after ending (of sorts).

Tarantino fills the film with myriad movie references and reminders of stars of the time. It is not just for nostalgia’s sake. It helps to create that fairy tale environment of hopes and dreams and magic. All of this is real history, but its telling is the relaying of the mythology of the Dream Factory for dreams that may not come true. His cinematic history is at times humorous. He even manages to make us think about and laugh at the kind of violence he’s become famous for.

Fairy tales are not just happy (or scary) stories; they have meanings and lessons. As we watch Dalton, Booth, Tate and others living their lives in this fairy tale, we note the importance and frailty of egos. Whether it is Tate going to a local theater where one of her movies is playing to hear the audience reaction to her on screen, or Dalton being disparaged (and later praised) by a child method actor (Julia Butters), or Booth dissing Bruce Lee (Mike Moh) on the set of The Green Hornet, we see people who struggle, even in success, with personal fulfillment. Perhaps it is of note that the person who seems most satisfied with his life is Booth, who is the person who isn’t famous. He is the one whose ego doesn’t require constant feeding. He is at ease with himself and his place within this world that is filled with artifice. He understands that he is a part of the artifice that the others believe to be reality.

In this film, Tarantino creates an artifice built around a reality that is well-known. By focusing on the Hollywood myth, he is able to create a world of happy endings out of a real-life tragedy. But then, he knows cinema enough to know that that is why we love movies.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

5.23 Living the Dream in ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD

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The year is 1969 and Hollywood is changing. Fading star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) has been forced to the sidelines as new stars like Sharon Tate are stepping into the limelight. Joined by his faithful stuntman who is closer than a brother but not as close as a wife, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), Dalton tries desperately to reclaim the fame that is slipping away. This week on the show, That Shelf’s Victor Stiff returns to talk about Tarantino’s fairy tale, finding satisfaction and whether Cliff Booth is redeemable.

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

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.

5.23 Once Upon a Time… in HollywoodDownload

I, Tonya – Whose Truth?

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“I was loved for a minute, then I was hated.”

Figure skating is all about elegance and grace. So when in 1994 the sport took on a violent aspect with an attack on a top skater before the Olympics, it became one of the early examples of TV tabloid journalism. I, Tonya tells the story of Tonya Harding who was at the center of the controversy because her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly masterminded the attack on a rival skater. In the days and weeks that followed the story became more sensationalized by the day. Screenwriter/producer Steve Rogers has crafted a dark comedy from the strange, almost absurdist, true events. It is based in part on interviews Rogers did with Harding and Gillooly, now in their 40s. The widely different stories each told became the structure for the film.

The story follows the life of Harding (Margot Robbie) from childhood to the present day. Even before “The Incident”, she never really fit well into the skating world, in spite of her talent and skill. She came from an abusive household. Her mother LaVona Golden (Allison Janney) was both physically and emotionally violent. Her escape was to marry Gillooly (Sebastian Stan) at an early age. This too turned into a violent, abusive relationship. It should be pointed out that Harding was not just a victim, but could be violent herself. All of this contributed to a low self-image. At times, she felt like she deserved the abuse. And much of her competitiveness was an attempt to be loved.

Much of the humor of the film comes from the personalities. LaVona Golden is an especially over the top character (and played to the hilt by Janney). It’s hard to image a mother so cruel and crude, yet we can’t get enough of her on screen. Likewise, the relationship between Harding and Gillooly, often with sudden explosive violence, may seem too dark for humor, yet we can’t help but follow along because the story is told in such an appealing style.

The film takes its time getting to The Incident, but when it does make it into the story, it is the beginning of one of the all time great comedies of errors. When we speak of the media circus that developed because of it, circus is the appropriate word because the clowns take center stage. Again here, the story is told from different perspectives, so there is more than one version of what happened.

Since there are multiple versions of the same story, this becomes a study on how we can know the truth. The memories of what happened are so different that it is impossible to piece them together to form a clear picture of who was or was not involved. The tabloid journalism that latched on to this story only made the search for truth murkier. The 24-hour news cycle and its need to keep a story alive may actually make the truth harder to find. In a world where “fake news” is frequently charged and even outlandish ideas are given coverage in the name of “balance”, this story serves as a challenge for us to seek truth amid all the hoopla and distraction.

When I saw this film at AFI Fest, it played to a packed house. It wasn’t one of the films I was especially looking forward to but I found it enjoyable in the absurd humor and the idiocy of the characters. Though, when a few weeks later I saw a trailer in the theater, I thought to myself, “I wouldn’t want to see that.” So, perhaps if you’re put off by the trailer, you may want to consider that there is more here than the trailer suggests.

Photos courtesy of Neon.

Thursday at AFIFest

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The final day at AFI Fest gave me a chance to finish off with two more films before I made my way home to a more reasonable schedule and eating habits. Both films played before good sized crowds for a Thursday afternoon.

Claire Denis’s Bright Sunshine In (aka Let the Sunshine In) (World Cinema section) featured Juliette Binoche as a woman who thinks love may have passed her by. She has an active sex life with married lovers and her ex-husband, but she has no one to truly share her life with. Hers is an empty, sad, and at times desperate existence. A brief ray of hope comes at the end with the thought that what she is really looking for is within her.

The ice skating soap opera that played out before the 1994 Winter Olympics is visited in I, Tonya (Special Screening) from director Craig Gillespie. The dark comedy is based on interviews with Tonya Harding, her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, and Harding’s mother. As such it often gives conflicting views of what exactly happened. The film centers on Harding and those around her. It reflects the violent and abusive life that started in her childhood and continued throughout this period. This is one of those movies that may make you think, ‘why would I want to see this?’ There is amazing acting from Margot Robbie as Harding, Alison Janney as her mother, and Sebastian Stan as Gillooly. The film brings us a humorous way of seeing some very dark parts of life, especially around domestic violence. And yet the humor in no way treats it as an acceptable option.

Next up, putting together my favorites and comparing my list to the award winners.

 

Goodbye Christopher Robin: Identity Theft

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Blue: “Your childhood. . .” Billy: “. . .Was wonderful. Growing up was hard.”

In a time when people were famous just for being famous, a young boy’s father writes a book with him as a character. Soon, the whole world wants to know and meet the “real” Christopher Robin. Goodbye Christopher Robin is the story of the writing of the Winnie-the-Pooh books and how the success of those books impacted the young son of the author, A. A. Milne.

When Alan Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) returns from World War I, he has become cynical and disillusioned. He silently suffers from what we would now term PTSD. An established playwright, he is unhappy with his life. As he says, “I’ve had enough of making people laugh. I want to make them see.” He moves with his wife Daphne (Margot Robbie) and young son Christopher (who they always call Billy Moon) (Will Tilston) to the country so he can concentrate on writing his book against war. Daphne sees this as a dead end. (“Writing a book against war is like writing a book against Wednesday.”) She returns to London until Alan gets something done. But she leaves the child there in the charge of a nanny, Nou (Kelly MacDonald).

Milne is something of the stereotypical cold, distant father. When Nou must leave for a few days, the father and son are thrown together with very little connection. As Milne steps aside from his writing to be with Billy (Christopher), he discovers a child with a vivid imagination and an innocent, joyful outlook. That becomes the basis for the Pooh books. The books were amazingly successful, bringing the family fame and wealth.

But that success has a price. Soon Billy is deluged with fan mail. Everyone wants to know the real life Christopher Robin. His days are filled with interviews and photo-ops. But is the boy everyone thinks they know from the books the same as the boy in the flesh? As his parents relish the attention, Billy is losing his childhood. Worse, he is losing his sense of self. He wishes that he could go somewhere (if there is any such place in the world) that did not know about Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin. The real Christopher Robin had been eclipsed by the fictional one.

When his father is telling him about the book, Billy asks why he is calling the character Christopher Robin. His father says that it is because that is his real name, but not who he really is. As a result Billy constantly deals with the onus of having to be Christopher Robin to the rest of the world.

That confusion of an existential identity plays out in his relationship with his father and with the world around him. At a publicity event, when Christopher is asked a question, he begins by saying “Blue said… [pause] A. A. Milne… [pause] Daddy…” That is essentially his hierarchy of the relationship he has with his father. Blue is his playmate, A. A. Milne is the writer he lives with. It is only after those two that he sees the man as Daddy. The relationship would be a struggle for them into adulthood.

To know who one is is a fundamental need. We probably all must deal with competing selves: how we see ourselves, how others see us, prejudices, expectations. For young Christopher Robin that struggle defined his life. And for all the fame and adoration, he suffered greatly.

Photos courtesy Twentieth Century Fox Films