ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Michael Keaton

5.13 The Mystical Science of DUMBO

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You’ve seen a horsefly. You’ve seen a dragonfly. You may have seen a house fly… but you’ve never seen an elephant fly… in live action that is. With the release of DUMBO, Disney continues it’s string of live-action remakes of it’s own animated properties (the first of in the next 4 months alone). Directed by Tim Burton and starring Colin Farrell, Danny Devito and Michael Keaton, the film is offers a different spin on the material but does it still carry the same endearing charm as the original? ScreenFish veterans Shelley McVea and Allen Forrest return to talk about family, the merging of science and mysticism and power within the film.

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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Thanks Shelley and Allen for joining us!

Dumbo – Celebrating Our Flaws

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Dumbo is the latest Disney animated classic to be remade as a live action film. The original, a 64-minute feature film from 1941, can be visually identified by most people, but I wonder how many have actually seen it in its brief entirety. Now the story comes back to life in an expanded adaptation under the direction of Tim Burton—a master in telling stories about outsiders. And outsiders abound in this new version.

Like the original, the plot revolves around a baby elephant with amazingly large ears that enable it to fly with the help of a feather. And as in the original, the baby’s mother is locked away as a “mad elephant” after protecting her child, leaving the baby alone in the world. Unlike the original, there are no talking animals in this retelling. No crows (which in the original were something of a black-face minstrel show) or Timothy Q. Mouse, Dumbo’s mentor.

Instead, the remake builds a human story around Dumbo. The story is set in 1919, right after the end of World War I. A run-down circus, presided over by Max Medici (Danny DeVito) is setting off on a new season. Two children, Milly and Joe Farrier (Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins) have lost their mother to the flu. When their father Holt (Collin Farrell) returns from the war, he has lost an arm. He can no longer do the riding and roping that was his act. He is relegated to caring for the animals, which brings him into contact with Dumbo. (Actually, the animal’s name is Jumbo Jr., but because of his freakish ears, people yell Dumbo instead of Jumbo.) When another trainer is cruel to Mrs. Jumbo, Dumbo’s mother, she attacks him and ends up (as in the original) locked away. Meanwhile, Milly and Joe take care of the baby and discover that his ears give him the ability to fly.

Already we can see that the film is about families struggling with brokenness. Mrs. Jumbo and Dumbo are separated. (The film includes its version of the sorrowful nighttime visit of Dumbo to his mother with the song “Baby Mine” from the original.) The Farrier family is without a mother, and Holt is without an arm. And the circus as a whole serves as a family, but one going through very hard economic times. Each version of family is in need of healing, acceptance, and a future.

When word of a flying elephant gets out, it attracts the attention of V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) a slick promoter with arm decoration Collette Marchant (Eva Green) who swoops in to buy up the circus. He offers Max the vision of the big time, and the chance to take care of all his people—his family. He plans to bring Dumbo and the others to his new extravaganza park, Dreamland, where he will use the act to leverage new loans from banker J. Griffin Remington (Alan Arkin).

I found the vision of Dreamland interestingly similar to Disneyland, which seems like a small nip at the hand that feeds, given that Dreamland turns into a nightmare for everyone we care about in the film.

Getting back to the common Tim Burton theme of outsiders, each of the main characters fits such a category. Dumbo with his grotesque ears, Holt as a rider/roper with only one arm, Milly, a girl who wants to be a scientist, Joe, who loves the circus but is talentless, the whole range of strange circus performers, and Collette, a talented aerialist, who Vandevere treats as a toy. By making the physical or emotional flaws of each character so obvious, it ironically allows us to get beyond the surface to emotionally bond with each as they struggle for acceptance and search for happiness. That is one of the gifts that Burton brings to many of his films. He reminds us that humanity is not about perfection, but about the way all those flaws are what make us human.

I’ve been critical of Disney’s remaking animated classics as live action films. As with any endeavor, some will be better than others. My first reaction to the news that Dumbo was being remade was negative. After all, those animated classics were beloved because they told human stories in ways that touched us. However, Burton, screenwriter Ehren Kruger, and everyone else involved created a new depth to the story and all its emotional touch points. It becomes more than a story of separation and reunion. It is a story about the healing and enabling power of family. It is not about overcoming our flaws, but about making those flaws work for us and allowing us to soar.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

3.25 Coming Home to SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING

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This week, Steve teams up with Peter Percival (YouTube’s Bearded Movie Guy) and Jeff Baker (Geek Orthodox podcast) to talk about SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING!  Peter Parker has swung back into theatres (and the Marvel Cinematic Universe) with his 6th film in the last 15 years.  Have his web-fluid gotten stale?  Or should our spider-sense be tingling to get to the theatre?  In a fun conversation, the guys get to talk about coming-of-age, the importance of the ‘small’ and their favourite ‘Spider-Moments’.

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.

3.25 Spiderman Homecoming

A special thanks to Peter and Jeff for coming on the show!

 

Spider-Man theme song composed by winner Paul Francis Webster and Robert “Bob” Harris.  Copyright 1967

Spider-Man -Homecoming: Webswinging Fun

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With great homework comes great responsibility.

Spider-Man: Homecoming brings us back to Peter ‘s high school years (he’s fifteen) as he tries to balance his family, friends, homework, and an ongoing application to join the Avengers.  Publicly claiming to be a member of the ‘Stark Internship’, young Peter is secretly being mentored by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in the ways of being a ‘friendly neighborhood’ superhero.  However, when Peter stumbles across a plot to sell pieces of alien technology to local criminals, he is drawn into a battle that forces him to ask hard questions about his identity and calling.

Although he made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in last year’s Civil War, Homecoming is Spidey’s true introduction to the world of the Avengers.  In a move that many felt would never happen due to Sony’s ownership of the film rights, allowing Spidey to join the MCU was easily the smartest decision that the company could have made.  By joining forces with Marvel, Sony frees itself of rebooting their franchise for the second time while also allowing access to iconic characters such as Iron Man and Captain America to make appearances.

Through its heavy emphasis on Spidey’s high school adventures and Holland’s contagious enthusiasm, Homecoming manages to pull off the one thing that seemed impossible for this franchise: it feels fresh.  Similar to his experience on the original Iron Man, Downey Jr. has compared the environment behind the scenes as one of freedom and creativity and the results appear onscreen.  This film has all the pop and flash of other Marvel entries yet also carries with it the teen angst of a John Hughes ‘coming-of-age’ film.  (In fact, there is even a brief reference to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.)  In other words, despite the Avengers, alien technology and a villainous Vulture (an energized Michael Keaton), it’s the realities of Spidey’s youth and inexperience that are front and center here.

As the film opens, Peter is filled with excitement and the mammoth aspirations of becoming an Avenger.  With superhero glory in full view, Peter has begun to lose sight of his everyday life and responsibilities. (“I am so far beyond high school right now,” Peter argues.)  Desperate to prove that he’s more than ‘just a kid’, Peter feels boxed in by Stark’s ‘training wheels protocols’ and tries to force his way up the superhero ladder.  (“I hate that Mr. Stark keep treating me like a kid!” he exclaims.)

But Peter’s immaturity prevents him from recognizing the value of the ‘small’.

In a world of Galaxy Guardians and Incredible Hulks, Homecoming is a reminder of the importance of those things and people that so many believe to be unremarkable.  Though Peter may be able to hold a ship together, he also must do his homework.  Though he wants desperately to be fight alongside Iron Man, he also needs to stop a local bicycle thief.  Though Vulture is stealing alien technology, so much of his motivation lies in simply getting by financially.  Gone are traditional MCU tropes like world domination and government conspiracies in favor of dinners with Aunt May and struggling to pay the bills.

In a story that echoes Jesus’ call to let the little children come to Him, Homecoming reminds us that everyone’s story matters, regardless how small.  The responsibility to care for the most seemingly insignificant people of the world carries the same importance as saving the entire planet.  (In fact, one of the film’s most subtle but significant moments comes through Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), Stark’s driver, as he confesses to Peter that, “I really don’t know what I would do without this job [working for Tony].”  Despite the fact that we’ve known him to do amazing things with his superhero billionaire, he too is simply a man who needs help.)  Moreover, as Peter realizes the value of the ‘small’, he is solidified as a true hero, not just to the world but to everyone.

Because there is power in being the ‘friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man.’

3.12 Grilling THE FOUNDER

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This week on the show, Steve welcomes co-host of the Feelin’ Film podcast, Aaron White, to serve up a hot and fresh conversation about Michael Keaton’s new movie, THE FOUNDER!  Telling the origin of McDonald’s and it’s global empire, THE FOUNDER also has lots to say about the balance between ambition and pride.

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.

3.12 The Founder

A very special thanks to Aaron White (Feelin’ Film) for joining us this week!

Spotlight: Setting the Truth Free (Oscar Spotlight: Best Picture)

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When Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) becomes the new editor of The Boston Globe, he pushes investigative journalist Robby Robinson (Michael Keaton) to explore the accusations of lawyer Mitch Garabedian (Stanley Tucci). Garabedian has gone public, saying that the Catholic church and local authorities have covered up accusations of child abuse by a local priest. Robinson is initially reluctant to explore it. There’s a sense of duty as journalists and conflict over crossing the Catholic church (and expected levels of human decency) but as Robinson’s team investigates, the truth comes out.

Tom McCarthy takes a dialogue-driven story, located primarily in the offices of the Globe, lawyers, and coffee shops, and dials up the tension in a way that impressively shows the conflict within the souls of the reporters (including those played by Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo), the suffering of the victims, and the indignant reprisals of the guilty. The truth is that many people are guilty for their crimes against the children and their inaction in not stopping those who committed those crimes.

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While some films might have been bogged down in the details or the ensemble cast, Spotlight shines as a Best Picture nominee both for the story it tells and for McCarthy’s focus on what bits and pieces matter. We hear from a victim but we’re not completely dragged down in lurid details; we don’t see every conversation but we hear the necessary ones. And when push comes to shove, we are reminded that the story impacts us all.

One of the most troubling elements of the story is that various people had opportunities to stop the trajectory of the crimes. Whether it’s a parent of a victim, a local police officer, a lawyer, or a reporter, different people knew about the crimes but found various excuses not to get involved. This is like the rape and murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964 – or the words of Martin Niemoller about the importance of speaking up for the Jews and others in Nazi Germany. It’s the global connection that Spotlight is connecting to – we can all see moments where we failed to stand up for what we knew was true.

And yet Spotlight reminds us that we have a second chance. We can make it right. We can fight for the widow, the orphan, the immigrant, the marginalized. We can make social justice a reality, but we must not miss our chance…

What truth do you know that you should be shouting, even when you’re the minority? That’s the question Spotlight asks, and it’s up to you to answer.

 

And The Winner Is…or Should Be (Oscar Spotlight)

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revenant2The Oscar races this year are absolutely clear cut… in my mind. Having seen fourteen of the nominated films (out of approximately sixteen films in the major categories), these are my favorites to win.

At Best Actor, the portrayal of screenwriter and Communist Dalton Trumbo by Bryan Cranston put him in rare air, not that of the illicit drugs he manufactured as Breaking Bad’s Walter White. I was immensely moved by Cranston’s depiction of this flawed-yet-heroic man, and the way Jay Roach framed all of the movable parts around Cranston. Sadly, he’ll be runner up to Michael Fassbender, whose turn as Steve Jobs delivers something that Noah Wyle and Ashton Kutcher couldn’t: a performance that gets to the soul of the man. (Film I missed: The Danish Girl -my apologies to Eddie Redmayne.) Here’s a mad genius who lacks the emotional power to connect with others – until those who care about him the most challenge him spiritually.

stevejobs2I’ll openly admit that I’ve only seen a few of the five films in the Best Actress category but I have a hard time believing anyone could surpass Brie Larson’s portrayal of the kidnapped and raped young woman who raises her son in a garden shed in Room. While another year might produce more wins, this will be Room’s lone trophy. It’s harrowing and powerful, both in captivity and in the world outside, but all of it is made human by the quiet power of Larson’s delivery.

room1While this is a “makeup call” (a term ripped from other contact sports), I’ll predict that the Academy awards a lifetime achievement award to Sylvester Stallone for his Best Supporting Actor turn in Creed. Simply put, there are too few scenes in The Big Short, The Revenant, Spotlight, or Bridge of Spies for the other nominees to salt away a win. It’s Stallone by default, even if Michael B. Jordan deserves much of the credit for making Stallone look good (and recovering from the insufferable Fantastic Four).

Consider this your commercial break before we reach my big two awards for the year – consider it burying the lede.

creed-movieBest Original Screenplay: Straight Outta Compton delivers the time, the music, and the mythos of NWA. Were these guys prophets? Exploiters? Exploited? This complex story spins a tale that entertains, reminisces, and challenges us to think about how we define our worldview.

Adapted Screenplay: Michael Lewis’ The Big Short over Emma Donaghue’s Room robs the latter of a double win. Three times nominated, this one has to finally pull off the win. Greed sucks the life out of you in the long run – and proves there are no victimless crimes. It’s not the best film I saw this year, but it serves as a morality tale for all of us to consider in our day-to-day spending and relationships.

Cinematography: Director Alexandro Inarritu can do amazing things with film (think last year’s Birdman). This year, The Revenant dukes it out with The Hateful Eight (only win: Best Original Score). Both films are beautiful in their brutality, with the elements and humanity playing against each other for spellbinding cinematic moments.

straightouttaAnd now… Best Director goes to … Mad Max: Fury Road’s George Miller. Having established a dystopian world decades ago, he returns to the world that Hardy said was in Miller’s head and delivered it in a sprawling, dialogue-short film that visually does everything. No stone was left out of place, and every moment mattered to the overall picture. [Unfortunately, Inarritu will probably win… There, I said it.]

So, does that make Mad Max: Fury Road my Best Picture? Not exactly. While it (and Creed) was my favorite film of the year, it doesn’t qualify as the most important film of 2015. [It also came too early in the year, and surprised everyone with its depth.] A story about working within society to change it (versus running from the world we live in and hitting a restart) makes for a powerful testament of humanity in the midst of an apocalypse. It should be a challenge to us all – global warming, AIDs, violence, racism, whatever – be the change you want to be.

Mad Max Fury Road MainIs it The Revenant? No. Leonardo DiCaprio’s ability to grunt, Inarritu’s ability to shoot enigmatic scenes, and the makeup crew’s ability to generate the ferocious aftermath of a bear mauling do not make a complete picture. If you push me, I’ll admit this film looked cool but I thought the storytelling was shallow. (It’s why I preferred Mad Max: Fury Road.)

bridge3How about Bridge of Spies? Nope. While Tom Hanks delivers a tour de force performance, the film is almost entirely on his shoulders. Yes, it speaks to the way we are divided and guarded in society today, but it’s not enough to just have a strong lead. The film itself was good but not great; without Hanks, it’s a dud.

Left to right: Steve Carell plays Mark Baum and Ryan Gosling plays Jared Vennett in The Big Short from Paramount Pictures and Regency Enterprises

Does The Big Short…? An ensemble cast with solid performances couldn’t save a primarily financial film (here’s looking at you, Margin Call and Moneyball). Brooklyn? Didn’t see it. (Gulp). Room? Too claustrophobic.

And suddenly, we’re down to two.

martian-gallery3-gallery-imageWith the look on Matt Damon’s face as he accepted his award at the Golden Globes, I can tell there were fewer people laughing at the “comedy” that was The Martian. With the ridiculous categorization of the film, The Martian was condemned to be remembered not for Andy Weir’s story but the ridiculous politicization of the awards. And this isn’t even the best film where a dedicated group of brave people willingly sacrifice their lives to bring Matt Damon home or the best film where someone is castaway without human companionship…

spotlight3So, Spotlight it is. While Birdman and The Artist (2015 and 2012, respectively) proved that the Academy sometimes falls in love with the visuals, the track record of 12 Years a Slave, Argo, The King’s Speech, and The Hurt Locker show a trend toward based-on-a-true-story moments that highlight something about our society. With Spotlight, there’s an effort to show the power of the press (ding!), expose a hidden darkness (ding! ding!), and confront a powerful force in the world, the Catholic church (ding! ding! ding!)

Let’s hear the counter arguments. I know Chris Utley will be sharpening his knives… This should be fun.

Spotlight: In The Pursuit Of Truth

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“For a paper to best perform its function, it must stand alone.”–Marty Baron

In 2001, a new editor arrived at The Boston Globe, pushing the newspaper’s investigative team to look into the Catholic sex scandal in Massachusetts. Instead of assuming that the Catholic church’s hierarchy and the legal system are actually exposing the truth, editor Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) pushes Spotlight team leader Robby Robinson (Michael Keaton) to uncover what actually happened to hundreds of children at the mercy of dozens of priests. This is a film about truth, justice, faith, and community that will show the depths of human depravity and the heights of human courage.

When the team brings in Phil Saviano (Neal Huff), an adult alleging abuse by a Catholic priest when he was younger, they discover that the situation they have heard about may be more widespread than they ever imagined. With the help of attorney Mitchell Garabedian (Stanley Tucci), the team (Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Brian d’Arcy James) begins to interview various other individuals who claim abuse by Catholic priests throughout Massachusetts.

The Globe’s pursuit of truth leads them to uncover a list of potentially ninety dangerous priests with hundreds of possible victims. The investigation is helped on by a psychiatrist (Richard Jenkins) and their “gut.” In so many situations, we can recognize the truth, we can even know what the truth is, but we don’t know how to pursue it. In this case, the Spotlight team puts its extensive experience and intuition to the singleminded task of uncovering what several powerful institutions, including the Archdiocese of Boston and its powerful Cardinal Bernard Law (Len Cariou), have worked so hard to sweep under the carpet.

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While there will certainly be pushback about the release of this film, claiming that it’s “truth versus the church,” I found myself admiring the way that the filmmakers, namely writer/director Tom McCarthy artfully showed that the issue was actually a spiritual one- a powerful one- that needed to be brought to the light. These priests had power in their communities – especially over children who were abandoned, orphaned, or struggling to make ends meet. It’s an abuse of power that echoes a certain impeachment process, asking what power we attribute to others fairly and unfairly.

Mark my words, if it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one. –Mitchell Garabedian

What soon becomes apparent to the crack team of reporters is that it’s not just the priests abuse, but also the church/law working to cover it up. There must be hundreds, thousands even, of everyday citizens who know that something is not right with the local parish (like the cops depicted in the opening vignette) and who choose to do nothing. Is it ignorance? Is it laziness? Is it fear?

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Martin Niemoller said, about the rampaging Nazis in the 1940s,

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

In one powerful scene, one of the reporters realizes how close to home the danger is and sticks a sign to his own children on the refrigerator, warning them. Suddenly, it’s not just a story but the danger to one’s own family that makes this something that can’t be dismissed, ignored, or merely argued about. Suddenly, it’s crucial that the truth be spoken, as more than an acknowledgment but as a pursuit of justice. They recognize that it’s not just priests, lawyers, or cops who stayed silent but also neighbors, siblings, and extended families who stayed silent.

I don’t think I should talk about it. – unnamed police officer. 

I think you should. -Sacha Pfeiffer

Jesus said, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). It’s hard to know what lasting impact the truth had on those who were already victims, but the work of the Spotlight team – and the honesty of those who had been abused – surely set things in motion that allowed others to be freed from hiding ashamed. And who knows how many children were kept safe from being molested because these men and women took a stand?

Acted subtlety and intelligently by the ensemble cast, the pacing of the story stays on point without dragging. While some ‘investigative’ films prove to be mind-numbingly dry, the complexity of the issue and the depth of the actors assembled makes this a ‘must-see’ film – especially those tracking the Oscars. Having applauded the way that 12 Years a Slave showed historical racism and warned of the impacts of slavery today, Spotlight shows us a vision of the past that should inform our present. If we want to keep our children safe, if we want the truth to be available to all, we must be prepared to fight through the smokescreens to bring justice and peace out into the light.