ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Point Break

Point Break (2015): Like, Whoa!

POINT BREAK

I’m not a huge fan of remakes. I know I was in the minority, but we didn’t need a secondary version of?True Grit, and quite frankly, I never needed Andrew Garfield to reprise the role of Peter Parker. But I literally laughed out loud when I saw the news that?Point Break?(1991) was being remade. “Seriously?!” I asked. “How are they going to top Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze?”

pb2The truth is that they never could?top?them. While they did make more ($131 million) than their budget ($105 million), the film wasn’t well received by fans of the original or critics. Unfortunately, writer Kurt Wimmer (remember the Colin Farrell remake of?Total Recall) turned in a plot that ultimately hopes to dazzle us with director Ericson Core’s focus on amazing stunts and scenic views. Sure, Ray Winstone gets to play a Feebie, and Teresa Palmer shows up in the role Lori Petty nailed. But c’mon, are we blown away?

POINT BREAK

Not exactly. There’s some eco-warrior mumbo jumbo about revering nature and doing good to liberate people from their financial constraints and material cravings. It’s a loose plot point that allows the stunts – and visuals – to shine, but we’re never quite pulled in to the bromance between Bodhi (Edgar Ramirez) and FBI agent Johnny Utah (Luke Bracey). So, yes, it looks good, but no, it’s not the mind-blowing entertainment that the producers certainly hoped it would be. Still… there are four behind-the-scenes stunt shows. It took snowboarders, surfers, wing suit flyers, and more to capture everything on camera. It’s just too bad that the stunts might be the best part of the film, so you’ll have to decide if that’s the way you’re willing to roll.

Point Break (1991): One Last Ride #TBT

pointbreak1On Christmas 2015, a crime/action flick called?Point Break?exploded into theaters and … fizzled out. But what younger audiences may not know is that this film about globetrotting thrill seekers who also robbed banks is a remake of one of the best action/buddy films of all time from twenty-five years ago.

Twenty-five years ago, before?The Fast & The Furious?launched a franchise about friendships that crossed the line between the ‘good guys’ and ‘the bad guys’…

Twenty-five years ago, before Keanu Reaves was Neo, Jack Traven, or John Wick…

Twenty-five years ago, before director Kathryn Bigelow divorced her executive producer hubby James Cameron or?helmed?The Hurt Locker?or?Zero Dark Thirty…

Twenty-five years ago, before Patrick Swayze died of pancreatic cancer…

pointbreak2Rather than waste eight bucks on a film getting destroyed by critics, I thought I’d spend a couple of hours revisiting the original. Here,?freshly-minted FBI agent Johnny Utah (Reeves over the likes of Matthew Broderick, Johnny Depp, and Charlie Sheen) arrives in Los Angeles, much to the disappointment of his new boss, Ben Harp (John McGinley), and his new partner, Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey). But Utah buys into Pappas’ theory that a string of twenty-plus bank robberies are the work of a surfing crew, and he goes undercover as a wannabe surfer to infiltrate the gang.

Utah’s entry into the gang is Tyler Endicott (Orange is the New Black’s?Lori Petty), who teaches him how to surf and introduces him to Bodhi (Swayze), whose us-against-the-establishment mentality makes him a charismatic leader for the surfer/robbers who flock to him. Bodhi is the Robin Hood of surfers or something like that, and the wise-cracking Utah is drawn into seeing Bodhi as more than a criminal to be taken down – he begins to see Bodhi as a friend.

But is friendship possible across these lines, even if Bodhi is more a friend to Utah than the guys on his side like Harp or Pappas? What is friendship really supposed to be about? Maybe friendship ends up being about believing in the good in someone, even when no one else does.

pointbreak3

Ultimately, there’s some underlying spirituality here thanks to the Bodhi – like Buddha or some new age Morpheus, he’s quick to see that everything is connected but he’s hooked on the thrill of the rush, the high, the next great adrenaline rush. It’s ultimately his downfall, because he’s looking for some feeling that he can’t quite grasp, needing more and more danger to scratch that itch.

Until his itch leads him too deep, right? When the robbers cross the line, and someone dies, that’s when everything starts to unravel for them. It’s when we realize that no matter how ‘good’ someone wants to claim they are, they usually revert to self-serving behavior when things get tough. That’s when Utah’s ‘law’ orientation proves to be the moral compass that holds the world together, not the free-for-all, feel-good oscillation that Bodhi has lived by.

That sense of who he is allows Utah to pursue Bodhi – and to push for the least confrontational end to the conflict. Utah knows that pursuing the rush can’t be all there is, that it can’t be enough. He tries to save Bodhi from his self-destructive behavior, but he’s gone too far and he can’t turn back.

Too often, we pursue the thrills or what feels good because the ‘law’, God’s moral code written on our hearts, seems too constrictive or too hard to live out. We think it’s easier doing what we want, rather than doing what we should. And still, someone shows up, the moral agent of our hearts, whispering, ‘this isn’t the way, turn back, repent.’

For the 1991?Point Break, the rush is extreme – and powerful – but it ultimately proves that there’s more to life than what feels good.

 

 

 

10 Most Intriguing Films Of Fall 2015

One of the things I look forward to most is laying out the films to highlight in the fall. Sure, the summer film preview is a blast – it’s usually full of grand, action-packed adventures – but it’s nothing like the various thoughtful features that emerge when the kids go back to school and the Academy starts considering next year’s Oscars.

What follows is a list of ten films I’ll need to see before the ball drops to announce another year. Reply below with your favorites – and call me out on the shots that missed the mark.

Captive (Paramount, September 18)

acaptiveDavid Oyelowo (Selma,?The Butler) stars as Brian Nichols, a murderer and rapist, who takes Ashley Smith (Kate Mara) hostage in Atlanta, Ga. Based on Smith’s book, the film shows how Smith’s reading of Rick Warren’s?The Purpose Driven Life?brought calm, peace, and redemption to the situation. I’ve never finished Warren’s book, but I’m amazed by the prospect of seeing how a book impacted a hostage situation. I wonder sometimes how faith and prayer show up in the midst of intense danger -?Captive?is the real-life story of faith in action.

Black Mass (Warner Bros., September 18)

ablackmassJohnny Depp. Benedict Cumberbatch. Kevin Bacon. Joel Edgerton. Sienna Miller. Peter Sarsgaard. These are all serious actors, most of whom need no introduction. They’re the principles in the story of Whitey Bulger, an Irish mobster who also served as an FBI informant to help take down a rival on his turf, who killed without remorse. While this is one of the films that studios have been pushing on us for months, and Depp is one of Hollywood’s golden children, the dynamic between the ‘good guys’ who team up with a ‘bad guy’ to accomplish a goal is intriguing to me.

Everest (Universal, September 25)

aeverestWhat does it take to survive? That’s the question several of this fall’s films ask – a pattern that seems to persist in serious films, especially Oscar-worthy ones. Here, two groups attend to survive the adverse and critical conditions on Mt. Everest, based on the actual events of 1996. Starring Jason Clarke (Planet of the Apes) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Southpaw) star. The questions about what makes us human and how we value life seem to be highlighted in natural disaster movies, so I’m buying into this one. [It doesn’t hurt that?2 Guns?and?Contraband?director, Baltasar?Korm?kur, is behind this one.]

Sicario (Lionsgate, September 25)

Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners,?Enemy) has directed some mind bending films. I expect nothing less of this story about a young and idealistic FBI agent (Emily Blunt,?Edge of Tomorrow) who teams up with a questionable informant to take down a terrible drug cartel lord below the American/Mexican border. This reeks of?Black Hawk Down?dirt and tension, and had me from the first time its trailer played. Blunt plays an ‘everyday’ sort of persona each time, and her pure entrance into such a murky world is sure to be eye-opening.

The Martian (Fox, October 12)
amartianRemember what I said about the Academy and survival movies? Here’s Andy Weir’s 2011 novel-turned-film starring Matt Damon, and directed by Ridley Scott. It’s hard to deny that a pairing of these two seems destined for greatness, but the story of an astronaut abandoned by his team on Mars is sure to be gripping… even if it comes across as?Cast Away: The Space Version. What does it take for a person to stay focused in the midst of expected failure? If death is inevitable, why continue? [Hey, if that doesn’t work for you, there’s always a double-dose of Tom Hardy in?Legend, about another real-life mobster (he’s British).]

Steve Jobs (Universal, October 9)

astevejobsI almost went with Hugh Jackman’s?Pan, which will be decidedly more fun. But Apple founder Steve Jobs deserved better than Ashton Kutcher and Michael Fassbender seems up to the task. Seth Rogen co-stars as Steve Wozniak, while Kate Winslet plays Joanne Hoffman. From the trailer, the film seems to focus on the sacrifices and mistakes of genius: how much energy and effort are necessary to make a cultural difference, what the person neglects in the pursuit, and the human relationships that are broken and redeemed along the way.

Bridge of Spies (20th Century Fox, October 16)

abridgeOne of my other interests for October is?Woodlawn, the story of race and faith revival in Alabama. But when push comes to shove, you’re talking about Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and a story ripped from the 1960s Cold War. Hanks plays a lawyer trying to negotiate the release of an American U-2 spy plane. The story involves Hanks’ lawyer’s involvement in negotiating the release of a Soviet spy as well – who (from the trailer) the lawyer seems to value. Who is our neighbor, and how do we reflect on human life? Again, this shiny toy looks a lot like an Oscar winner, but we’ll see.

Spectre (MGM, November 6)

aspectreI’ll end the suspense: this is my most anticipated film of 2015. Not an Avenger-themed super powered flick, not the seventh installment in the George Lucas canon of space material. [Bring on the hate!] No, Daniel Craig’s fourth installment in the Bond series finds him up against Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz), who claims to be Bond’s longtime nemesis and the head of the nefarious criminal syndicate, S.P.E.C.T.R.E. More backstory on Bond? An explanation of why he is the way he is? Sign me up! [Stay tuned for a spiritual breakdown of the previous Bond films coming soon here at ScreenFish!]

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney,?December 18)

aforceSo the Mouse Empire finally gets a shot at George Lucas’ movies. I’d be terrified, except that J.J. Abrams is awesome and he didn’t destroy Star Trek. For those of us in the pro-Star Wars Christian camp, it’s pretty much a must-see. What exactly will they do now that the Death Star 2.0 has been destroyed and the Empire is in ruins? Will we continue to have great inspirational moments or will the psyche of the Force be pushed aside by additional special effects and action? Stay tuned.

The Revenant (20th Century Fox, December 25)

arevenantOkay, so it could’ve been the remake of the awesome Kathryn Bigelow feature starring Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. (It’s not, that’s?Point Break). Instead, I’ll go with the?Alejandro Gonz?lez I??rritu follow-up to?Birdman, where Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy play trappers in 1823. Sure, it’s about survival (again) but it’s also about revenge and relationships cross-culturally. I’m not a huge DiCaprio fan but Hardy is epic, and the teaser trailer is rather mind-blowing.

Okay, so what did I miss? What do you want to see? What would your top ten be??