Scrooged (1988)

I have never been a big fan of the classic Dickens tale.  I suppose this morality tale struck me as very odd when I was younger.  I love spooky stories and the “3 Spirits” would have been better in my mind if they would have been scarier.  Maybe Ebenezer Scrooge just didn’t strike me as believable as the miser who has a change of heart?  I mean, in one night suddenly he decides to be kind and caring towards Bob Cratchit?  This is the crux of my issue with the story.  Just because Ebenezer is shown what could happen, he pledges he will change and a main thrust of this is Tiny Tim – a boy he didn’t even know existed prior to this night.  I know why Dickens used this but construct of it never sold me on the change in Ebenezer.  Anyway, I have always had issue with a lack of personal connection between the miserly boss and his employee. 

In 1988, along came a fresh new take on the classic story.  It is in some ways darker.  There was certainly more humor in it, but the spirits are not nice and that version of Jacob Marley was absolutely frightening!  John Forsythe as a zombie is bad enough, but that mouse and the golf ball?  Yikes! 

This version of the Christmas Carol story changes Ebenezer into a legendary character known as Frank Cross played by the incomparable Bill Murray.  Cross is a power-hungry head of a TV broadcast company, jaded and cynical, marred by his own success and utterly out-of-touch with his own feelings.  Murray delivers Frank Cross as only he can do.  He comes off as stressed, desperate to avoid any real connection, and seemingly having a nervous breakdown.  Murray delivers a character that is being consumed by his own ambition and having lost sight of his moral compass entirely.  Frank goes through all that Ebenezer would have, but the difference is that his past love life moves the story into a whole new arena.

The great Karen Allen is Claire, the girl of Frank’s dreams that he let slip away once upon a time.  Frank wasn’t always this jaded cynic.  We are shown Frank, through these vignettes of Frank’s past, in a more innocent time and we see how he started to slip into the allure of power.  His hard work ethic and his dedication earns him a close connection to the boss but at the expense of spending a Christmas with Claire & friends.  Allen brings such joy to the story.  She is fresh and jubilant, and she is really the voice that can save Frank from himself and bring him back from this brink of moral bankruptcy.  She is such a welcome addition to the story because it suddenly seems more plausible.  A person from his past that he was deeply connected to returns into his life with the simple message “It’s never too late”.  THAT is far more realistic than “Tiny Tim” suddenly changing the heart of Frank/Ebenezer.

And the 3 Spirits?  Were they scary enough for me?  Yes!  Though not as you may think.  My favorite is David Johansen (aka. Buster Poindexter) as the Ghost of Christmas Past!  “Niagara Falls, Frankie Angel.  Niagara Falls.”  He is this sort of vile, scummy, hard-drinking and smoking elf with some really dark humor.  There’s something slightly sinister with him.  His maniacal laughter and interactions with the TV audience in studio with “It’s a bone, you lucky dog!” seems almost unhinged.  Even his criticism of Frank for watching too much television growing up and not “getting more out of life” is both vicious and spot-on.  He also makes a repeat appearance, which I know it may seem like a small change to the story, but it’s like he just won’t go away.  He is in a word “haunting”.

Carol Kane is the Ghost of Christmas Present and she is a frightening individual, looking like Glinda from the Wizard of Oz but wildly physical and brutal.  Her line about “don’t vex me, Frank or I’ll fix your mouth so it won’t hold soup” – yeah, that always struck me as particularly vicious.  And of course, who can forget about the toaster?  Written in as pure slapstick humor, there is still this underlying aspect of how inconsequential she views Frank in that moment.  She means business and if Frank won’t see it, well then she is just going to have to rough him up! 

Lastly, there is the terrifying end for Frank in the incinerator.  The Ghost of Christmases Yet to Be is his usual creepy self, except this one has a TV for a face – a reflection of Frank’s own downfall if you will.  The crash-landing of the elevator is spectacular, a truly visual analogy of hitting “rock bottom”.  The visual effect of the smoke plume billowing out from the robes of this Spirit is particularly well-done.  Yet, it is Murray’s portrayal of the desperation of Frank as he tries to save himself from the incinerator that gets me every time I see this movie.  He isn’t down on his knees praying that this Spirit stay his hand at his own gravesite.  No, in this telling we get something WAY more visceral.  The elation that hits Frank when the elevator doors pop open and he gets Elliot (Bobcat Goldthwaite) instead of that dreadful Spirit is tangible!  I think the audience can feel it right away.

Lastly, there is the song by Annie Lennox and Al Greene “Put a Little Love in Your Heart”.  Yes, I think it is a cheeky addition to the tale, but still – it is catchy.  Murray’s sing-along with the audience is probably lost on anyone today.  However, I happened to see this in the movie theater when it was first released and let me tell you something, it was a lot different then.  The audience I was seated with?  Yeah, they sang along at the end and laughed out loud at Murray’s commentary.  To this day, I remember feeling that this was really kind of special – I had never seen that happen before in a movie theater (“Rocky Horror Picture Show” notwithstanding). 

May this holiday season find each of us “ready for the miracle”, in whatever form that takes.  Happy holidays!

That’s it for this edition of THE REEL VOICE.

White Christmas (1954)

I grew up listening to Bing Crosby at Christmas a lot and as a result, I watched “White Christmas” when I was still pretty young.  I am a WWII history buff so maybe that contributed to my interest in this movie.  As it turns out, this film is now one of my all-time favorites. 

Irving Berlin had written the song “White Christmas” for Bing for a film 6 years earlier called “Holiday Inn” (1942).  The song became a hit.  Did you know that “White Christmas” won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1942 as well?  Irving Berlin decided to make a movie based around the song, given its popularity.  At the time, he thought he would write it for Bing Crosby and his previous co-star Fred Astaire (they had been a hit with “Holiday Inn” as well as “Blue Skies”).  As fate would have it though, Astaire bailed on the production after reading the script.  It was then passed on to another well-known actor at the time, Donald O’Connor (best known for “Singin’ in the Rain”). 

Due to an illness, O’Connor couldn’t do the film – and at the 11^th hour, Danny Kaye was tapped to star opposite Crosby.  The original story was apparently not so good, and the writers had to do a hasty re-write.  In 8 weeks, they put together a “story that made sense” and had included more material suited for Danny Kaye. 

“White Christmas” would be filmed in VistaVision, a method of filming that changed to appearance of the film to what we now think of as “widescreen”.  That little change alone would set this film apart, but some critics hated the appearance of the film.  Of course, some critics also hated the film itself!  (Any film critic that likes this movie should visit the NY Times and read for themselves.)  Okay, so now that my film geek has gone all history buff on you, allow me to get to the meat of my own review. 

Some people find “White Christmas” to be too sappy to enjoy as a movie and too sugar-coated to be appreciated as a musical.  But here’s a fun fact to go against that criticism: “White Christmas” was the highest-grossing film of that year as audiences loved it AND it would become highest-grossing musical at that time.  Not a bad way to silence the critics, eh?

Bing Crosby may seem a bit old for the part (at least for me he seems that way), but Kaye fits perfectly.  The two of them bantering and bickering back and forth made their plot-based relationship as Broadway stars-turned-producers very believable.  Kaye is without question the comic foil to Crosby’s “all business” gruff.  Every time I watch this film and I get to the number of “Sisters”, I start snorting with laughter.  It’s the kind of whacky behavior that a star of the stage would pull, and it’s just downright funny. 

The heart-warming song “The Old Man” gets me every year as a lump in my throat forms when it is reprised towards the end of the film.  The good intentions of these 2 stars willing to do something to help someone else in need, someone that meant a lot to them in a time of war, really is the big message of the film.  Anyone that has had family in the military can probably relate to this message, and in 1954, I would guess that was a lot of Americans. 

There’s not too much believability to Kaye’s character and his love interest (but is she really?) played by Vera-Ellen.  It hardly matters though, as the real star of the show in that department is Rosemary Clooney.  She can sing sure, but it is her acting that brings the love story out in this movie.  Her scene with Crosby over liverwurst and buttermilk (yuck!) by the fireplace featured the song “Count Your Blessings” (which would earn the film an Oscar nod that year, FYI) and it is pure movie magic.  I sometimes wonder if Paramount knew how big that moment in the film was.  I would bet that Clooney certainly knew. 

The film has this sort of random musical that our Broadway stars are rehearsing at this country Inn in Vermont.  The numbers therein are massive – um, hello “Mandy”!  They are fun and over-the-top entertainment but I guess they had to be in there to sell the entire plotline.  I never much cared for them, truly.  I do however love the musical direction of Crosby sitting at the piano with Clooney.  That’s just fun to see.  When you get to Crosby’s character pitching his holiday plea to his fellow vets to join him in a Christmas salute to General Waverly, you reach this moment in the movie where the time seems to hit warp speed.  Rosemary Clooney sure did get a job fast!  And just how long is that train ride from Vermont to New York?

I think we all get so caught up in the shenanigans of Kaye and Vera-Ellen and the love story developing between Clooney and Crosby.  We easily forget that the movie is called “White Christmas” for a reason.  When our entertaining foursome arrives in Vermont, they expect to see snow (one of my all-time favorite numbers is “Snow”).  Alas, there is none as it has been unseasonably warm of late.  This creates a financial hardship for an Inn owner that can’t book his Inn.  Again, the story ropes us all in with how the musical rehearsal is going to draw everyone there.  (Are they secretly advertising this?  How is this all going to help?)  In the end, the boys decide they will go on to save the Inn by getting their fellow vets to join them at the Inn for Christmas.  Realistically we know this would be a temporary fix, but Crosby calls it right when he says they need to supply aid right now.  And again, we get so roped into this financial situation and the love story, that we forget it still hasn’t snowed in Vermont in late December!

Then suddenly, like all good musicals do, we hit the finale.  It’s glorious.  The fun-loving number of “Gee, I Wish I Was Back in the Army” and the tear-jerking reprise of “Old Man” gets me every single time.    The lovers get over their spat and come together, and then …like perfectly orchestrated magic … it beings to snow.  They open the back wall of the staged production hall open to reveal the wintry landscape to the crowd and they sing the title song.  Suddenly, the title and the entire movie all comes together in a perfect Christmas bow. 

“… and may all your Christmases be white.”

That’s it for this edition of THE REEL VOICE.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

How do you prove Santa Claus is real?  What if you met a man that claimed to be him?  What if you were a child and you met that man?  And what if that child was aware of multitude of “Mall Santas” that existed?  What would it take to convince you he was real?  This is the plot behind the Holiday classic film of “Miracle on 34^th Street”. 

As challenging a concept as this story is, you can clearly see that it would not work unless you had the casting right for both Kris Kringle and the child leading role.  Fortunately for the entire world, they cast Edmund Gwenn and Natalie in those roles.  How good was that pick?  Well, Edmund Gwenn won an Oscar for his portrayal of Santa in the film, and the film launched the career of young Natalie Wood.  Supporting them was the great Maureen O’Hara and the often-overlooked John Payne.

How good was this film?  For starters, it has been reproduced as a radio show, twice as a Broadway play, 3 times as a television show, and has been remade as a movie only once (and slammed by critics that absolutely HATED it).  It also won 3 Academy Awards in 1947.  And it has been preserved in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.  Not too shabby, right?  Apparently, the script was so good that the reluctant O’Hara (who had just moved back to Ireland) liked it so much she jumped on a plane and came racing back to New York to begin filming. 

The film was really shot at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York in 1946, a rather chilly day from all accounts.  R.H. Macy as the character in the film that owns Macy’s Department Store was actually deceased by this point in real history – by 70 years.  Those Christmas window displays in the film were really used at Macy’s.  The house at the end of the film is actually still standing today and appears nearly the same as it does in the movie.  That there is some reality to this fantastical drama is one of the magical elements of this film that I think have helped make it a success.

Christmas magic doesn’t happen often in a film, and financial success (let alone critical praise) often eludes such films.  Yet, every once in a while, a film comes along that transcends the usual parameters of such films.  “Miracle on 34^th Street” was just such a movie, and audiences have adored it ever since.  The NY Times seemed to catch its spirit and called it “the freshest little picture in a long time”.  Some of the toughest critics in the world called it things like “irreplaceable” and “innocent” and “up-beat”.  Truly, this film became a Holiday classic the very moment it was released and it has never lost any of its appeal.

Maybe it was O’Hara’s portrayal of a divorced working woman raising a child on her own that captured people’s attention and helped the film achieve great success?  Maybe Gwenn was just destined for this role, as he played the part so well to so many people that many refer to this as THE definitive portrayal of Santa Claus.  Who can say for sure?  What I can say is that this film succeeds in making us all believe in a little bit of Christmas magic once more. 

I do think believe the film’s success has a lot to do with that juxtaposition of fantasy and harsh reality.  I mean, we have politics influencing a court case.  How believable is that?  That Kris is accused of being a Schizophrenic and is given a psychological evaluation shines a light on how we treat those suffering from mental illness.  The commercial aspects of business and how greed can ruin all the joy of giving a gift are explored.  There is really a lot in this movie to unpack.  The court case and how it evolves seems not only plausible but very real in both how it plays out and the actual outcome.  That isn’t just clever writing: that’s cinematic gold.  (That’s the truth too: the film won its other 2 Oscars in 1947 for writing.)

The film takes us all on this journey, treating all its myriad of subjects with a realistic and adult perspective.  It never gives in to the child’s perspective, although it does present such.  I believe that makes the film so much richer than if done the other way.  In the end, Kris is determined not to get Susan to believe – that only took him speaking Dutch – but rather her mother, Doris.  Doris has abandoned that aspect of fairy tales and make-believe.  In short, Doris has given up on imagination and dreams.  In the end, that’s who Kris is really trying to win over.  It is so much more rewarding to convince the adult than the child.  Amazingly, for the movie to succeed it isn’t about the court case victory.  All it takes, is a cane leaning against a wall.

That end scene is so much more powerful because Kris isn’t even in the shot.  Why would he be?  Then, you begin to wonder, why would Santa Claus agree to come here and do all this?  Surely, he is a busy man at this time of year.  Why come to New York at all?  He wasn’t THAT interested in the parade, was he?  Santa doesn’t need money after all, so why would he go to work at Macy’s?  Susan isn’t the reason; it is Doris all along.  He wanted to make her accept that some imaginary things you can believe in without harming anyone – and maybe along the way, even believe in Santa Claus.

I cannot think of a better treatment of the famous editorial in the (New York) Sun from 1897 that answered 8-year old Virginia O’Hanlon’s question.  Francis Pharcellus Church wrote “Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.  He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.  Alas!  how dreary would the world be if there were no Santa Claus.  It would be as dreary if they were no Virginias.  There were be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.  We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight.  The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.”

For Susan Walker and her mother, Doris, the film answers that question.  To each viewer, the answer to my original question is going to be different.  What would convince YOU that Kris Kringle is real?  What I find to be the bigger question is: does it matter?  As Fred Gailey states in the film, “Look Doris, someday you’re going to find that your way of facing this realistic world just doesn’t work. And when you do, don’t overlook those lovely intangibles. You’ll discover those are the only things that are worthwhile.”

Sit back and enjoy this classic Holiday film, and see if you can answer the question for yourself.

That’s it for this edition of THE REEL VOICE.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965)

Most everyone has a Holiday tradition, something that really signifies that the Season is upon us once more.  Maybe it’s Frosty Friday in downtown Frederick?  Maybe it’s a visit to that favorite town you like to see decorated for the Holidays?  Maybe it’s attending the Christmas Craft Show at the Frederick Fairgrounds?  For me, it has to do with a real blockhead, some great music, and a 12-foot tall Christmas tree.

I cannot start my holiday season any other way. 

The holidays for me have started as such for more than a decade now.  In the outer lobby of the Weinberg Center in the wee hours of the morning, I haul the Christmas boxes to my “staging area”.  I turn the lights off, and I start unpacking the Weinberg’s Christmas tree.  Before I can put up a single evergreen branch though, I fire up the trusty iPhone, loaded with what has become MY classic tradition.  I turn on the soundtrack of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” by the great Vince Guaraldi Trio.  There in the dark, I begin my journey into Christmas magic.

I grew up watching the classic kids TV Christmas Specials that always came on: Frosty, Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and of course “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.  Back then, the music didn’t mean much to me – except when it comes to the Peanuts gang putting on a Christmas play.  Once upon a time I can recall being in such, standing on a stage that I did not much want to be on.  So, yes – there was a real connection there.  Of course, we did not have a personality like Lucy Van Pelt in the mix, nor a dancing beagle come to think of it.  Regardless, I was once in a Christmas concert or play or whatever you call that kind of torture all school children seem destined to experience.  

As I grew up, I would still watch the special whenever it aired.  In the seventies that’s what you did, especially since your choices were limited to about 5 channels.  As the Christmases went by though, I didn’t really feel a connection to it any longer.  I grew up and Charlie Brown and I drifted apart. I didn’t laugh at his antics anymore, and Snoopy was soon forgotten about.

Now, I grew up with a LOT of Christmas decorations and decorating was quite a Herculean effort at my house.  You haven’t truly decorated for Christmas if you haven’t nearly died of frostbite outside in arctic temperatures while stringing up the lights.  It would seemingly take an entire weekend to get it all done, and I recall how fast Snoopy decorated his doghouse and telling myself how unrealistic that was.  Never mind that beagles can’t read and doghouses do not have power outlets.  Reality was winning in the war on Christmas magic.

Fresh out of college, I landed a job in the fashion merchandising industry and for about 5 years, I learned to HATE Christmas.  Decorating my house growing up was NOTHING compared to a 40,000 square foot department store!  I joke about the Christmas scars that I received during those Christmases even to this day.  It wasn’t the volume of the decorations (and I can still count them off today) that made my Christmas heart resemble the Grinch.   It was the music.  It played over and over and over again.  If you ever worked retail in the mall during the Season, you know what I am talking about.  Yet “A Charlie Brown Christmas” never seemed to be in that mix, and I guess I started to miss it. 

Then one Christmas, the magic came back!  I made a rendezvous with “A Charlie Brown Christmas” a few years after my stint in Christmas Purgatory, and I made some great new memories watching this classic Christmas TV Special once more with my family.  I laughed out loud at everything my now-grown-up brain had missed.  Boy, did I laugh!  Lucy and her psychiatrist set-up had me rolling!  I watched it with new eyes and I saw so much that I had missed before.  I saw the courage and the whimsy when Charlie Brown goes against the grain in picking that sad, sad little tree.  The dripping adult sarcasm that flows from the writing in that cartoon had me appreciating this Holiday Special like never before. The facial expressions alone of several characters were a sheer delight!  Snoopy managed to capture my attention once more, but I saw him as a perennial wisecracker now and I loved him all the more for it!

Fast forward a bit.  So many Christmases have passed since the dark days of working in the mall that I volunteer to take on the decorating duties for the Weinberg Center.  It is late in the afternoon in late November when I first created my own Holiday tradition to begin the season.  The outer lobby gets dark fast at that time of year, as the business of the day winds down and I begin my decorating duty.  I find myself about to ascend a ladder to start trimming the tree.  Suddenly, I thought I might put myself in the Christmas Spirit with a little music.  It might be fun to decorate with a little entertainment, but what should I listen to? 

My mind went immediately to the Peanuts gang standing around that Christmas tree singing “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”.  I manage to find the music, pop it in, and suddenly I am awash in a flood of all kinds of Christmas memories.  As night fell around me, I was lost in my own thoughts as I decked the halls – literally.  I travelled back to many Christmases past as I was fluffing the branches, winding the garland around and around the tree, and yes, even stringing up the lights.  I even paused when I got to the star (which happens to be a poinsettia flower) just to savor the moment.  When I was done and stepped back to admire my creation, I heard Linus Van Pelt in my head saying, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

Linus was telling me something personal at that moment, not as it may have been intended but effective all the same.  I had rediscovered my joy of decorating for Christmas in that moment.  I had chosen that specific music to help me on that journey.  I realized that I am linked to many Christmases past through the music of that Vince Guaraldi soundtrack and the pure joy of that “A Charlie Brown Christmas” cartoon.

As I said, everyone seems to have one of those Holiday traditions to kick off the season.  Mine happens to be decorating for Christmas, and not even my own house.  The music begins, and as the very first notes of “O Tannenbaum” start to play, I roll up my sleeves ready to receive my Christmas scars once more.  Linus, Lucy, Snoopy, and Charlie are all there with me as I take my place.  There I am in the darkened Weinberg Center outer lobby, with ladder over one shoulder and a twinkle in my eye, as a slow grin starts to take over my face.  “Christmas time is here.”

…and that’s it for this edition of THE REEL VOICE.

Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi

I liked it more than I thought I was going to, and that is saying a lot my friends.

Look, we all know that Disney is a machine capable of churning out some real duds, just like any other studio.  Star Wars as a franchise USED TO BE sacred territory, meaning that nobody did a Star Wars movie / story unless it truly added to the whole.  That is a lot to consider when writing a story.  How to write a story while considering an entire universe and everything written about it already?  That’s a tall order for sure.

Then, along came “the Force Awakens” and the new era of Star Wars began.

Already there are 2 new movies in the works that has NOBODY excited.  Han Solo gets a backstory, and Obi-Wan is going to have some filler added to his amazing tale.  My beef with both of these projects is these characters are already dead, so where’s the motivation is telling this story?  Of course, my beef with “Rogue One” was the same exact thing.  Great story, but did we the fans really need to see it?  Everybody can get their panties in a twist now, but I honestly don’t care about Rogue One – and I already knew everyone in that film was dead even before the movie began.  (Did anyone NOT hear Mon Mothma saying “many Bothan spies died…”?)  My point being that adding a story about someone that you know is already dead in the story line currently going on leaves the viewer/listener with a sort of hollow feeling – and that just doesn’t get me excited.  How about you?

Okay, so now that’s out of the way.  I just explained that I’m, a little put out by this new era of Star Wars so far.  “Force Awakens” was good, but there were some big issues.  The thing I liked MOST about it was the new characters.  And that is what I wanted to see more of in this latest installment.  “Last Jedi” delivered and in an unexpected manner.  The more this film went on, the more it felt different than the rest of the saga – and that was a very good thing.  I didn’t want to feel like I was seeing “Empire Strikes Back” being re-told (ahem, “Force Awakens“) and I didn’t.  Sure, there are some similarities but overall it just wasn’t a typical Act II.  And I liked that!

Yes, there were some bad choices.  Mistakes, in my opinion, that should not have been made.  They are: 1) no milk monster (why was this even needed?), 2) who the Hell is Snoke (nobody ever addressed this and it bugs me to no end), 3) how did the First Order get all this cash (I get the war profiteers story line, but what about where is the money coming from?), and 4) Princess Leia gets blown out into space and uses the Force to stay alive (???).  I’m all for leaving some mystery in there for the bad guys but to show us the First Order being flush with cash and NOT address Snoke’s background are HUGE gaping plot holes.

Then, there was something that happened in the last 15 minutes of the film that felt a little baffling to me…and unnecessary.  SPOILER ALERT!!! Rose suddenly develops rather strong feelings for Finn almost completely out of nowhere.  And then Rey has this moment of jealousy while looking at Rose and Finn?  And then Poe comes out of nowhere with his awkwardly thrown-in introduction to Rey.  It felt a lot like somebody decided at the 11th hour to thrown in a love story angle into the whole thing – and man was it clunky!  (I’m all for a good love story, but this was forced to say the least.)

But let me talk about what was really good about the film now.  There were iconic cinematic moments, like the Millenium Falcon flying through those crystal caverns and the speeders racing towards the revised AT-ATs.  That looked a lot like the Star Wars I know and love.  Luke’s scene with Leia towards the very end?  Holy crap that was good!  (Made all the sadder by the reality of losing Carrie Fisher, but how great was it that they got that scene in there?)  The light saber duel in Snoke’s chamber (which was a gorgeous looking set) was great!

The biggest achievement though for “Last Jedi” was separating itself from the Legacy characters (Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, etc.)  Riann Johnson took the time to focus on Rey and Kylo Ren.  He may have dwelled a bit too long on that island (#SkelligMichaelisHeaven #BeenThere-ish #CantWaittoGoBack #ErinGoBragh) but overall it was meaningful and it helped get the focus on Rey.  Daisy Ridley turns in another solid performance as Rey, and she is just very likable in the role.  The Poe Dameron story arc about becoming a leader was nicely done as well.  I wish it could have been more of a focus but it’s still just fine the way it is (I’m nitpicking here).  And while I liked the Rose and Finn mission, it didn’t really do anything for me and that was disappointing to me.  Finn is a great character and there’s a lot of lost opportunity there.  Nice that he had a showdown with Captain Phasma but even that was unfulfilling.  The more that Johnson focused the story on the new characters the better the film was.  It felt like a new chapter in the saga and that was all it needed to be, truly.

SPOILER ALERT!!!  My favorite scene was Yoda – and that was Puppet Yoda voiced more more by the great Frank Oz! – showing up to talk to Luke about being a teacher and passing on what he has learned.  It was a great moment to have and it made the entire movie make sense – both in explaining why Luke is there in the first place (and why he thinks the way he does) and where the story is going as a whole.  That was a critical piece of the story and so great that it came from Yoda!  (Yes, I’m biased.)

SPOILER ALERT!!! The other killer scene was at the end with Kylo Ren facing off against Luke.  That was both funny and awesome at the same time!  And of course, Luke’s end with gazing out at the twin suns.  The circle was now complete.  It was a heart-wrenching moment and bittersweet, but so worth it!  Luke’s penultimate use of the Force is apparently giving the proverbial bird to the bad guys.  That was epic!

So, here’s hoping that Episode 9 will finally deliver of making Kylo Ren the villain of these 3 movies – because so far, we haven’t had one yet.  Maybe they will get around to answering questions about Snoke?  I’m hopeful for the next installment, but I’m not sold on this new era yet.  I’m really not.  The epic feel of it is starting to feel out of focus or something.  Something is missing for sure, and to me, I think that’s the villain.  I said it before ever they began Episodes 7-9: this entire thing will hang on the villain of the story.  I still believe that.

..and that’s it for this edition of THE REEL VOICE.

Thor: Ragnarok

Okay, what the Hell was that?  I mean this in all seriousness.

WARNING: Spoilers Ahead!

When you say that that Marvel Studios have built a rather successful movie business from movies based on the comic book heroes of the ’60s and ’70s (for the most part), it sounds ridiculous.  The you watch one.  You realize that this success has merit.  And I believe I know what that merit is: the comic book superheroes are given life because they are treated like living, breathing, real people.  The films are grounded in a realism that will trick you if you aren’t paying attention too closely.

I’m a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).  I have enjoyed every single one of the movies so far, even with the left-of-center entries like “Ant Man“, “Guardians of the Galaxy“, and “Doctor Strange“.  What is shocking about this latest entry: everyone thinks it is so funny.  “Thor: Ragnarok” is clearly meant to be light-hearted popcorn fare.  This movie is by far the worst of the MCU, and I’m going to tell you why.

Ragnarok is the Norse myth of their version of the Judeo-Christian “End of Days” or the Apocalypse.  Now, have you ever seen or heard someone make light of that material (and don’t bring up “This is the End” with James Franco)?  So concept-wise, this film is really about the destruction of Thor’s “world”, the mythical realm of Asgard.  So…we are going to destroy Asgard, and the that is the very point of Ragnarok.  I ask again, what about this material strikes you as funny?

It’s not that Marvel can’t throw some humor into their movies (see here: Joss Whedon’s treatment of the Thor-Hulk relationship in the 1st Avengers movie).  They are great at doing that.  This film though, deliberately seeks to make every line a joke or a punchline.  And THAT is what I don’t get.  We kill off Odin, and we get a joke.  We get Banner back from a 2-year hiatus as the Hulk, and we get a joke.  Thor loses an eye, and we get a joke.  We reduce Loki and his machinations into a joke.  We introduce Valkyrie and her issues, and we get a joke.  The character that most would have have the floor for jokes is the not-so-menacing Grand Master (played wonderfully by Jeff Goldblum) and yet…he barely jokes?

There is no end to the stupidity of the treatment of this material.  Hela, goddess of Death, comes to the screen, and although menacing as she is, she doesn’t come off all that serious.  Now, every other villain introduced int he MCU has been serious.  With the grounded-in-realism approach to superheroes, the MCU made us believe in them in a way we never did before.  But here you have the Goddess of Death presented, and you make her almost laughable in her wanton destruction of everything.  (In the comics, Hela is cold, aloof, and ultimately evil as all get-out.  She is frightening like a force of nature, and utterly unbeatable.)

This is the problem with “Thor: Ragnarok”.  When everything that should be treated serious is swept aside with a joke, nothing is seen as serious – and you are suddenly left with watching a comic superhero action flick with no depth, no realism, no grounded foundation, no character development, no further plot lines being laid out, and nothing to keep your interest.  In the end, I was left preferring that Thor and the rest just get killed off.  It was a sad end to my enjoyment of the MCU, and now I will proceed very cautiously towards anything else they do, and I will most definitely pass on ANYTHING this director does.  (His name is Taika Waititi, FYI.)

Ragnarok was an end alright; the end to superhero movies being treated like quality movies.  Marvel, you let this fan down and I don’t appreciate the joke.

… and that’s it for this edition of THE REEL VOICE.

The Light and the Dark Sides of “The Force Awakens”

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

A long time ago, in a movie theater far, far away… a Star Wars fan was born.  In 1977, I was (like many) awestruck by the brilliance of “Star Wars“.  Granted, I was 7 at the time, but it’s a true statement regardless.  Since then, I have seen everything Star Wars (except for Star Wars: Rebels and the CGI Animated Series of The Clone Wars).  To say I have been a fan the majority of my life is true but also HIGHLY understated.  I became deeply enchanted with cinema and storytelling through the medium of movies in a large part because of Star Wars.  So all of that being said, and having seen “Star Wars, Episode VII: the Force Awakens” now twice, I feel it’s finally time to say what needs to be said.

Disney has gotten somethings right, but somethings VERY wrong.

Point #1:

Here’s the gist of it: Star Wars: Episodes 1 through 6 (that’s The Phantom Menace through Return of the Jedi) tell a complete saga, and Episode 7: the Force Awakens is something new…and yet, it is not.  As some other fans and bloggers have pointed out, George Lucas really tied the visual references between Jedi & Phantom Menace.  That was purposeful, meaningful, and really very clever – not to mention, it’s a storytelling element used in mythology.  The same could be said about what J.J. Abrams has done with Force Awakens and connecting it to A New Hope … except you can’t and maybe you are already seeing why.

Lucas connects Episode 1 to Episode 6, the beginning to the end.  This is the story of Anakin Skywalker, and with Episodes 1, 2, and 3 added to the existing Trilogy, it made 1 complete saga.  Now, Episode 7 comes along and it begins something anew, and yet it ties into A New Hope.  So…is this new trilogy of Episodes 7,8, and 9 going to be the story of Luke Skywalker?  If so, I can say I think that’s a bad idea.  If that were the case, you should have shown us his life’s journey from Jedi to Force Awakens.  My point is, it isn’t very cohesive, connecting a beginning to the middle, whereas Lucas connected the beginning to the end.

Point #2:

A great tale, especially an epic saga and certainly anything that echoes mythology, must have villain.  Episodes 1 through 6 owns arguably the greatest villain of all time:  Darth Vader.  When the talk first began about Episode 7, I said to a friend of mine “it is all going to hinge on the villain”.  I was right.  So, we are looking at a Darth Vader wannabe in Kylo Ren – but one that is not wearing a mask for any health reasons.  He’s not burned up.  His body isn’t 50% machine.  He has no great backstory to explain why he’s an evil cuss.  He’s been corrupted by the Dark Side….from a crack head (literally, the guy has a crack in his head).

He is an old man (?) that seems to be rotting or something, and he sits on a throne, and commands his henchmen via his holographic communication.  This is no Emperor, aka. Darth Sidious!  THAT villain, was a shadowy puppeteer, a masterful manipulator, and a power-hungry conqueror.  His motives are obvious and his story was brilliantly executed over Episodes 1 through 6.  This new Supreme Commander Snoke is an obvious rip-off of Emperor Palpatine and not even cleverly veiled.

Am I saying that I need to know all about this villain in the 1st movie of a trilogy?  No.  But what I ma saying is that J.J. Abrams and Disney have given us a non-intimidating lackluster stand-in for Vader and then you give us Snoke – an even more lame-duck villain stand-in for the Emperor.  This Episode 7 seems more like an excuse to turn the anger-management-challenged Kylo Ren INTO Vader, because he was seduced into being an evil little cuss at the hands of an obvious rip-off of the Emperor.  I am not impressed.

Point #3:

The Jedi are no more.  Luke tried to recreate the Jedi Order only to have Anakin’s story line repeat itself via Luke’s very own nephew.  Stop!  You heard that correctly: Kylo Ren’s story is the same story as that of his grandfather.  Honestly!  We couldn’t come up with a better story arc than this?

So, there was a prophecy during the last days of the Jedi that a Chosen One would be born that would bring balance to the Force.  In other words, the Force was never intended to be wielded by an army – of either Jedi nor Sith.  Lucas tells us this story is really all about that balance being restored by Anakin.  The all-powerful Force which is balanced by the end of Anakin’s life and the return of Luke as the solitary Jedi that remains. But that doesn’t sound balanced at all, does it?   No more Sith Lords exist (always 2 there are, a master and an apprentice) because Vader kills the Emperor.  And Luke remains?

And what is his 1st act?  Let me recreate the Jedi Order and train others to wield the Force.  That would immediately unbalance the Force!  So there has to be 1 Dark Side Force-user out there if Luke exists, right?  So Luke tries to recreate the Jedi order, and Snoke is obviously in with the Dark Side.  So Snoke seduces one of these new Jedi and turns him to the Dark Side, and then he wipes out all the rest of the Jedi.  What balance is there here?  Now, there’s Kylo Ren, and his master Snoke, and Luke (whom quits the world and goes off to live as a hermit  in search of the 1st Jedi Temple).  This creates yet another unbalanced Force scenario.  It seems that the writers are going around in circles, without a sense of an ending.  What is this, “Lost”?

But there are some very good things to be found in the Force Awakens, too.

Point #1:

What or whom is the Force Awakening in?  Is it the Storm Trooper Finn that defies his training inexplicably and stands toe to toe with this new villain Kylo Ren?  Is it is Rey the desert scavenger left on the wasteland planet of Raaku to grown up alone and yet can fly the Millenium Falcon?  I sense a lot of people go immediately to Rey and see no reason to consider Finn.  Rey is too obvious.  Finn 1) rebels against his indoctrination, 2) and that’s significant enough to make Kylo Ren stop and look at him, 3) remember him later on & immediately identify him as the inside help that breaks out his prisoner, and 4) he inexorably does good because “it’s the right thing to do”.  Who is this guy?  He’s awesome!  Luke Skywalker never even did that stuff.  It’s like he is the moral compass that is poised to right the universe.

Seriously.  Look at Finn.  He wants to be more than he is, because of the way Rey looks at him the first time they meet.  He rescues Po Dameron because it’s the right thing to do.  He says he’s a coward, but everything he does in the movie is far more heroic than what most others are doing.  He wants to rescue his friend so much, he lies about his abilities and puts the entire rebellion effort against the First Order in jeopardy.  When the Force-wielding Rey gets knocked out by Kylo Ren, Finn doesn’t hesitate to pick up that lightsaber and face off against this (supposed) badass.  Oh, and he wounds the badass.  Yes, Ren cuts him down….and yet, he lives.  He took a lightsaber slash across his spine!  And he’s ALIVE.  Think about that.

Point #2:

Rey is effortlessly cool.  She is a pure soul, a real “good guy” and obviously having that built-in moral center that allows her to know right from wrong.  She is easy to root for.  She doesn’t seem complicated.  She is easy to understand.  She is scared of the Force calling out to her.  And what (very) little “training” she receives in the Force (via Mazz) is enough to make her wield that lightsaber well enough to defeat Kylo Ren.  And yet, she isn’t interested in killing him.  She’s in it for her friend.  That’s who needs her at that moment.  Daisy Ridley is a star in the making, and we look forward to seeing her Rey develop into something even more awesome in the upcoming films.

Point #3:

You have an exceptional pilot and hero in Po Dameron.  He’s easy to root for, but what’s more, you buy into this sort of immediate friendship between he and Finn.  It’s a tangible element of the story and its very believable.  And it’s equally believable that there’s a friendship between Finn and Rey.  And Rey and BB-8.  The amazing part of this new story is that there’s a feel-good, wholesome sense of the good guys versus the bad guys.  And THAT is what I admire most in the Star Wars films.  This is modern mythology, and you need that sense to carry out those thematic elements.  This is a vital point to make about the Force Awakens: you can believe in the chemistry and friendships of the good guys.

So, in summary, there’s a lot wrong with the Force Awakens but there’s also a lot that the creators got right.  I will continue to watch these new Star Wars films, but  it needs to come a long a ways before I am sold on ALL of it.

…and that’s all for this edition of The Reel Voice.

The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

I am a HUGE fan of all things fantasy.  Correction: I am HUGE fan of GOOD fantasy.  It could be a book, a TV show, a mini-series, or a big-screen movie.  If you have read some of my previous reviews of fantasy films – such as my one for “Conan the Barbarian” – you will undoubtedly know that I have stomached a plethora of horrid films to arrive at the glory & majesty that is Peter Jackson’s treatment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  I have already posted a review of “The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey” and I spoke at length about the deeper meaning of the film in my article “It’s Not Such a Small World After All…”.

So it took me a while to get to the theater to see this latest cinematic entry in the Tolkien storybook, “The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug”.  {Since I hate acronyms, I will abbreviate this title to simply “Smaug” for the remainder of this article.}  What I can say is it that it was well worth the wait!  Okay, time for my secret love of very specific things Tolkien to be voiced here, so bear with me.  There are two things I didn’t want to be screwed up when the stories finally got translated to film: the Balrog of Moria and Smaug the Dragon.  Why?  Because if they looked corny or foolish, they not only lose their potency but they also vastly diminish the film.  In other words, if their treatment sucks, so too will the movie.  Allow me to say, the dragon is worth the price of admission, and he is glorious!

You can look at this movie as having multiple parts and all of them are brilliantly executed.  Part 1 is the journey into Mirkwood Forest and the Elven kingdom therein.  It will be interesting to see these films in chronological order and then watch LOTR afterwards.  I think – though I cannot confirm this – that Peter Jackson is nimbly creating the “stage” for LOTR with these “Hobbit” movies and is layering a little bit more of what SHOULD have been included in the original tale of The Hobbit.  This may seem like tinkering with the source material, but honestly it is more like George Lucas tinkering with Star Wars.  Tolkien did it for ages with all of his material, so why shouldn’t Jackson?  Truth is, I believe it makes for a better story.

What exactly am I talking about?  What precisely is Jackson adding to (story-wise) that is different than the original book?  Well, I don’t recall anything about Dol Guldur being in The Hobbit.  That’s rather significant, especially in this film version of the story.  Again, it is layering the film to pave the way for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  It’s a fantastic addition and it makes the story seem even more tightly wound together.  Bravo!  Ultimately, there is nothing better in fantasy than a “meet the bad guy” scene.  I don’t know how Jackson managed to add this and then end the film on a cliffhanger – especially involving Gandalf!  {If you haven’t seen the film, just go and watch it and then come back and re-read this part – then you will understand what I am talking about.  I am trying to avoid spoilers here.}  I know that Tolkien wrote several “inclusions” that were or were not included in later revisions or editions of the book – one of them is the Quest for Erebor which essentially is EXACTLY this subject matter.  I still think it bears mentioning though – since most fans of the work don’t even know the existence of the Quest for Erebor.

Okay.  Enough of the inner-geek-speak.  Review the movie!

In “The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey”, we saw Bilbo Baggins as a slightly different Hobbit.  He wasn’t necessarily content with staying at home.  This film picks up on the heels of where the last left off.  They just got flown to safety by the giant eagles, remember?  So here they are on the run from the nasty albino orc (Azog, if you care), and we see a bit more of the heroic side of Bilbo that is starting to emerge.  Something has fundamentally shifted within Bilbo.  He will never be the same again.  It’s fun to ask the question here: is his change internal (i.e. his own choice) or is it external (i.e. caused by possessing the One Ring)?

Regardless, Martin Freeman brings a new layer of depth to Bilbo in this film.  I think if I have a negative criticism about the LOTR trilogy, it is that Elijah Wood was great as Frodo but he doesn’t seem all that unusual when compared to other Hobbits.  He made bold decisions, but it isn’t until he is already on the quest that we begin to see how he is different than his kin.  With Bilbo, you are told (via Gandalf) why he was chosen.  Martin Freeman does a fantastic job at bringing this to the surface of the character in increments.  In “Journey” it was a slow pace, a building pace, but with “Smaug”, he is revealing Bilbo’s differences with each passing scene.  The changes are becoming far more evident.  It’s a sharp contrast to where he started from.  I loved this aspect of the film.  Even with the faster pace of “Smaug”, Freeman brings the character more to life with every scene he is in.  In short, Freeman presents a much stronger character than Wood’s Frodo.

Lee Pace plays the Elvenking, ruler of Mirkwood, Legolas’ father, and also called Thranduil.  I have to pause to talk about this awesome douchebag.  Seriously, I have always despised him.  Pace plays him so well that I have only one thing to say: he is AWESOME!  His outfit is incredible, his voice is perfect, and just his demeanor comes through.  He is the kind of character you love to hate, namely because he is so blind.  It’s hard to believe that Legolas comes from this guy.  Again though, here is Jackson layering the story to make it more relevant to the LOTR storyline.  He is giving us Legolas’ backstory – which we were denied in “Fellowship of the Ring”.  The scenes in Mirkwood are great – I could have spent another half an hour in the hall of the Elvenking and listened to him prattle on about the rest of the world isn’t his problem.  No wonder Legolas wanted to get out of there!

Evangeline Lilly plays Tauriel, the elf maiden Captain of the Guard for Mirkwood’s elves.  She looks great and I never really thought much about who would play her (as compared to say Galadriel, which could not have been cast better).  She does a good job, nothing overpowering really.  Yet, the story of her and the dwarf Kili, and the obvious weird love story there…well, it’s odd and slightly distracting from the overall tale.  Did we really need to play up the love angle?  Why can’t they just befriend each other and develop a bond based off of that?  I don’t know.  Maybe it’s just me but I find it all a bit weird.

The film presents us with all the highlights from the cartoon film which is great – the barrel ride out of Mirkwood is absolutely stupendous!  It’s better than anything in LOTR, honestly.  It was funny, and exciting, and just plain thrilling to watch.  The theater was filled with gasps and cheers during that scene and it is no wonder either! It isn’t long before we reach Lake-Town and we are introduced to Bard the Bowman.  We get to see the brief history of the Black Arrows and we know its significance.  Yahoo!  This was really well done too.  Just the right amount of detail without it dragging down the pace of the film, and it’s all told in a very “in-the-moment” style.

The fighting got juiced up in the 2^nd film of this trilogy as well, which was to be expected I guess.  “Journey” was slow but that was not only intentional but also necessary.  “Smaug” is more like the barrel ride: fast-paced and thrilling.  It’s the proverbial out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire situation, time after time in this film.  This helps you jump from Mirkwood to the dungeons of the Elvenking to Lake-Town to Erebor itself.  Once the film gets you inside the Lonely Mountain, you should make sure you have emptied your bladder – because you will not be able to leave your seat once that begins!

Enter the biggest scene-stealing diva of all time: Smaug, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch.  The dragon is so brilliantly depicted that you will not be able to think of another better looking dragon on film EVER.   I have seen a lot of them and a lot of so badly rendered that they are laughable.  But Smaug?  O…M…G!  This is brilliant cinema, the devilish and cunning old dragon slithering across his hoard, his greed so obvious that it deserves its own Academy Award.  He is charming and terrifying all at the same time.  You are thinking the whole time (even if you know how this scene is supposed to play out): “Bilbo put on that damn ring and RUN!”

And what about Gandalf and his quest to draw out this Necromancer at Dol Guldur?  Oh, that…yeah that’s awesome too.  Loved the scenes with Radagast in the mountains at the tombs!  But the biggest sucker punch of “Smaug” is the ending!  The film clocks in at 161 minutes but it feels like less than 2 hours, I swear!  That’s the pace of this film!  And the ending is like someone just yanking the rug right out from under your feet!  It is so swift and brutal that you will be left sputtering in the aisles saying things like “they can’t end the film here!” or “Seriously?  That’s the end?!”

Suffice to say, I highly recommend “Smaug” to all fellow fantasy film lovers – to all GOOD fantasy film lovers, that is.  It’s a briskly paced movie with still a ton of character development with Bilbo and some great new additions to the tale – like Bard and Tauriel. The villains are just epic – Thranduil and Smaug are fantastic!  So, butter up your popcorn, find a nice cushy chair and settle yourself in for thrill ride that makes you want to drain and elven barrel of wine just to go ride it down a waterfall!  ENJOY.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – Sneak Peek [HD]

…and that’s it for this edition of THE REEL VOICE.

Frozen

“Frozen” 

Disney has a magic touch.  Either that or they just hire the RIGHT people for the RIGHT jobs.  Any which way you look at it, “Frozen” is a major success.  It’s not your typical Disney Princess storyline, and it has major vocal talent, a killer single from the movie’s soundtrack, and of course brilliant animation.  All of this rolled into one interesting tale, giving this Disney smash success a big thumbs up from me!

Since I’m an artist, I will talk about the artwork in this film.  It’s even better than “Tangled” – at that is saying a lot coming from me!  The process involved here is like a hybrid of traditional hand-drawn animated cells and CGI.  The film is also shot in CinemaScope – not going to geek it all over the place here, so instead, just read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CinemaScope  Suffice to say it’s a favorite technique of mine, it is great way to shoot films that lend themselves to a more epic or cinematic look.  It is the classical definition of “widescreen” formatting.

“Frozen” is inspired by a Hans Christian Andersen tale called the Snow Queen.  Apparently, that story was something Walt himself wanted to see animated, but – long story short here – it got shelved.  The proper way of stating it today is to say that “Frozen” was inspired by the Andersen tale.  John Lasseter helped to anchor the film in a relatable way, giving us a story not as dark as the original material and filled with characters that people would understand better.  What Disney has ended up with is the very compelling story of two sisters that are kept apart from one another because of one sister has developed magical powers that enable her to freeze things.

The story might seem to have a loop hole in there, phrased as “how did she get these powers?”  Truth is though, the answer to this question is irrelevant.  The powers are not the story.  The character is.  I have to say that Disney has done a way better job with Elsa than with Merida from “Brave”.  Merida bothered me because it was like she rebelled because she wasn’t living her life as she wanted.  Really?  That’s your big bitch?  Well, excuse me but this girl Elsa – she got problems.  Yes, yes – I am over-simplifying I know.  But it is so accurate.  Elsa is terrified she’ll hurt her baby sister if she TOUCHES her.  She’s afraid of herself and the strange powers she has.  Basically, she’s afraid of what she could do to others.  Okay, now THAT is something that wrecks a life.  Screw Merida, Elsa has it way worse!

The story of Elsa (wonderfully played and sung by Idina Menzel) would not have been enough to make a movie out of though – if not for her younger sister Anna, played by the sloth-loving Kristen Bell.  The story follows them from being toddlers to being all grown up.  There are twists to the story that many viewers will be taken by surprise with.  (By the way, Anna’s mannerisms are so life-like that it is jaw-droppingly good!)  Anna brings the heart to this story and it is cool.  Of course, there is an awesome little snowman named Olaf that almost steals the movie and he brings the funny.  Over all, the story is fresh and innovative and surprising.  I’d have to say, “Frozen” was way better than I thought it might be.

So, if you have missed this one at the theater, try to catch it as soon as you can.  I don’t think you should wait for Netflix on this one.  Disney has the magical touch and two new princesses join the ranks of Belle, Ariel, and the rest of the gang.  Welcome to the Magic Kingdom, Anna and Elsa!

…and that’s it for this edition of THE REEL VOICE.

Thor: the Dark World

“Thor: The Dark World”

Marvel Studios continues to bring “the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” to life and they are making each film so layered that it is hard to remember that not so long ago, this would have been laughed at as a story for a movie.  The latest installment of the Marvel universe to come to life is “Thor: the Dark World” and it is a glorious treatment of the Nine Realms once more.  To those that don’t know, Spiderman and the X-Men titles are not yet owned by Marvel Studios – which means you can disregard that crap.

Thor’s 2^nd installment in his own franchise brings more of Asgard to life.  It helps to fill in the gaps of story, like why didn’t Thor come back to Earth after the events of “The Avengers” (aka. the alien invasion of NYC).  Here’s the scoop.  When last we saw Asgard, the Bifrost Bridge had been destroyed.  So like how did Thor even get back to Earth to take place in the Avengers?  Well, as it turns out, Heimdall (played once more by the great Idris Elba) has managed to fix the Bifrost.  So why didn’t Thor come swooshing out of the sky and go hook up with his girlfriend back on Earth?  Well, since the events of “Thor” – you know, where the heir to the throne was banished to Earth, the other prince turned traitor & blew up the Bifrost, and King Odin went into a coma-like sleep – Thor has been a little busy running all over the Nine Realms trying to put things back in order.  It seems like Loki inadvertently caused a massive rebellion all over the Nine Realms.  It was up to the son of Odin to bring some order back to the place.

The nice part about Marvel Studios work is that they are truly connecting the dots.  I just connected the 1^st “Thor” movie to “the Avengers” to “Thor: the Dark World” in one paragraph!  Interesting, right?  Oh but it gets better!  In the 1^st few minutes of this film, we are getting this recap of events to nicely tie everything together.  They also show Thor isn’t doing this alone.  He is bringing order to the Nine Realms with the help of the Warriors Three!  Oh, sorry – to those that don’t know, the Warriors Three are Volstag the Voluminous, Fandral, and Hogun the Grim, and they are Thor’s best buds.  Oh, and they are accompanied also by the fair Lady Sif.  (As an aside note, Lady Sif is the WIFE of Thor in Norse mythology.)  Throughout the movie, you get to see the friends of Thor being badasses but also doing what friends do – supporting their friend.  To the discerning viewer, you will notice that Fandral is not played by Josh Dallas any longer (that would be Prince Charming from TV’s Once Upon a Time) and is instead played by the Zachary Levi (from TV’s Less Than Perfect and the most awesome series in a LONG time Chuck).

I guess my 2^nd question in relation to the story was “what about Jane Foster?”  Where did she go?  What’s been happening with her?  Very next segment of the film was picking up with Jane in London.  Boom.  Like that, all my questions about continuity involving the story were answered.  I applaud Marvel for this – because it is an honest rarity.  Jane is in London tracking anomalies that – you guessed it – might be something like when she discovered when Thor came to Earth.  So, not only did Marvel answer my question directly, they even told you why – another rarity in storytelling.

So, in the 1^st 5 minutes of the movie, they give you the back story of the villain of this movie and explain the motivations behind said bad guy.  In the next half an hour, they answer all continuity questions and brought all characters up to speed.  Now that we are all caught up with who’s been doing what and why, and who the bad guy is and why he is coming after everybody – let’s begin with the plot of this film and start laying waste to Earth and Asgard, shall we?

In the first film, Thor’s homeland of Asgard basically looks like Norse Heaven and seems pretty friggin’ impregnable.  (It’s only because Loki is Mr. Sneaky Man that trouble gets in.)  Well, you can kiss that idea good-bye in “Thor the Dark World” because when the bad guy comes after what he needs (which is with Jane Foster…who was brought home for safekeeping by Thor), it is a full-on attack by the creepy Dark Elves.  We’ve got Heimdall attacking a spaceship with a sword!  The throne gets used as a crash landing site.  The prison suffers a jailbreak.  The worst though is the leader bad guy, Malekith, attacking Thor’s mother Frigga (whom happens to be defending Jane Foster).  I liked this because it made the bad guys seem almost unstoppable.  If they can attack Asgard like that, what hope would any place else have?  Imagine if they attacked Earth?  Because – you guessed it – that’s exactly where they are going.

I won’t get into the details of the film; I’d rather you experience it for yourself.  Suffice to say, it was incredibly well designed.  It is constructed in solid, believable steps that take you on the journey.  And when you are talking about Asgard and Thor, being “believable” can be daunting to say the least.  Kudos to both the writers and the director for deftly handling this material and giving us another slam dunk of an installment in the Marvel Studio Universe.  So, Alan Taylor takes the helm for Kenneth Brannagh – and does a marvelous job.  Story by Dan Payne and Robert Rodat – great job guys!

As for the acting, Chris Hemsworth will be Thor for his lifetime.  He’s too perfect for the role.  He LOOKS like Thor should.  His voice seems utterly fitting for his role and Anthony Hopkins as his father Odin is still a stellar call in my opinion!  The good news is that the action doesn’t tell the story here.  The actors do.  Thor cries for the loss of family, Odin  gets bitter, people go mad, death seems everywhere at times – and the acting takes you there emotionally.  I’ll be honest, I thought the Dark Elves were going to be stupid and like another alien kind of thing, but it all worked so well that I didn’t want this movie to end!

The best funny moments come from characters like Fandral and Loki and of course Dr. Erik Selvig.  Loki imitating Captain America was hysterical!  The levity of these scenes helps anchor the film – for while it may not be as grand in scope as “the Avengers” it certainly had that weighty feeling of big evil threatened whole universe.  I think that’s why I really appreciated those moments. Tom Hiddleston is utterly superb once more as the scheming and deceitful Loki.

Truth is, this film is principally about Thor’s relationships – be it with his father, mother, friends, girlfriend, or estranged brother.  I have to hand it to Marvel for striving to bring us quality when so much other shlock could have been done (see here “X-Men: First Class” or “the Wolverine” or worse still “The Amazing Spider-Man”).  The Studio has worked vigorously to not only give us action and thrills, but also the real character-building.  This way, when “Avengers 2” comes out, you aren’t left saying “I wish Thor had more screen time – they didn’t get to do much with his character.”  I like that a LOT.

“Thor: the Dark World” is way better than advertised, and the trailer just doesn’t give you enough.  Forget waiting to rent this one, go and see it on the big screen if you still can!  You’ll be happy you did!

…and that’s it for this edition of THE REEL VOICE.