Dreamscape (1984):

Dreamscape (1984):

"A young psychic on the run from himself is recruited by a government agency experimenting with the use of the dream-sharing technology and is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of the U.S. president."

So, a lot going on in this movie. Allegedly, the dream tech is to help mental patients. But, in this movie we see: nightmares of a boy haunted by a lizard man, a cuckolded husband's dream, and of course dream assassins trying to kill the President. Not the best movie, but a weird one. Check it out. It's more like a general idea of a movie that someone just slapped together.

March 8 2014: VSA Day of Arts For All

                                         Janine Moore's "Orange Groves", 1st Place Emerging Artist

                                                     Henry Hess’s “No Place Like Home”

               (Spartan meets Pyramid Head” by Jonah Farmer.)

If you follow my blog, you know I usually go to The Day of Arts for All on March 8, to report on it. But this year, I was even in it! My piece was called “Pig Head”, which used bright colors and saturation to illustrate a pig head via digital art. Aside from art, there was also some music by Sarah Bellish, a young soloist who uses her experience with disability to write music. A great opportunity to listen to some of the great life experience disability brings, in a soulful way! There were also videos meant to illustrate the experience of disability. The theme of the day seemed  to be representing these perceptive  personal experiences.

 Then the awards came. All who participated got an award. Including me! All the pieces were great, but the two I liked best were Henry Hess’s “No Place Like Home”, showing Dorothy’s ruby slippers, which won third place in the Youth Artist category. 2nd Place in the same category went to a Halo/Silent Hill inspired piece! “Spartan meets Pyramid Head” by Jonah Farmer. 1st place in the same category went to Nathaniel Curtiss of Worthington for Where Miles Davis Recorded The Birth of Cool! A super cool use of perspective! Best in Show was called: “Beautiful Nature Life: Where Everyone Would Like to Be”, a mixed media piece by the team of Wendi Olszewski, Shawnda Osswald, and Stephanie Spencer, depicting a brightly colored rural life.

But, everyone wins in my book, because we all told our stories through art: “Why the pig head?” Someone asked me in front of my piece. “Why not?” I said. The point for me is just to create something that didn’t exist before. The image that jumped out at me in the framework of my color scheme was a pig head. I’m interested in seeing how my mind and experience as a disabled person translates to my creations, as each
artist did through their own perspective. By his/her own experience.

Going back to perspectives, the films Be My Brother is an Australian short film about a man with Down Syndrome who records everything he observes, but he cannot get his brother to record something on the bench with him. He displays a dazzling intelligence, quoting everything from Shakespeare to The Lion King, and even charms a woman who he describes as the “most attractive woman in the world”. The film ends on a bus, with his brother hugging him.    

Sensory Overload is a film from the perspective of an autistic. As such, there is intermittent sound, and sometimes it becomes increasing overwhelming. From the blaring of city sirens to a cashier tapping a pen in a café. Wild colors add to the disorientation, and autistic perspective. The film ends in silence as a woman helps the boy pick up papers he lost from his backpack.

We ended with a comedy called Jazz Hand. In this a Californian woman with a prosthetic hand enters a dance audition. While tap dancing, her hand falls off and the choreographer recoils in exaggerated disgust. She puts her hand back on! But backwards! Lots of big laughs from this one, and nice to see a “disability movie” that is a comedy. “Do you think he noticed?” Asks the dancer. Duh! Yes!

I’m pleased to have been a part of The Day of Arts for all. It was a fun time, and I got to get my art out and look and other people’s art! That’s always a good day for me when I can get positive messages about disability! We are all capable of becoming more than we appear to be. Thanks, VSA! I had a great time.

For a full list of Day of Arts for All winners visit VSA's website: www.vsao.org

                                                     ("Pig Head" by Chris Bowsman.)

                               

Avengers vs. Justice League: War

Avengers vs. Justice League: War

Captain America: “We need a plan of attack!”

Iron Man: “I have a plan. Attack!”

So, in my last post, I made the claim that there are aesthetic differences in the movie Justice League: War to make it different from Avengers, but that it was basically the same plot. The main aesthetic difference I argued, was fear as a motivator. From the beginning, it is established that Batman is a fugitive, hunted by Green Lantern.

    The heroes in Avengers, however, start out as heroes, and active members of their respective communities from SHIELD to India, for The Hulk. In Justice League: War, The impetus for banding together was only the invasion; but they didn’t have 3 hours to jibe and develop relationships between the characters. Iron Man/Hulk do a good job joking and teaming up to work on the alien object, even though Cap chastises them for being unfocused.

   So, from the start the heroes are paired together, and play off of each other. I often say of the Avengers movie that it is a good example of a viable theory of group communication called “Forming, storming, and norming.” It is of course, arguable that Hawkeye needed a little more exposure, but as the only one in this group who hadn’t had a movie yet, he couldn’t be in the first two stages. Justice League: War has little time to develop and thus normalize the heroes roles: essentially we have “forming, storming, Batman!” But, what is forming, storming, and norming?

    Forming is when the group forms. Black Widow serves this purpose, as well as SHIELD, as well as pairing off the heroes to form relationships…as when Cap breaks up a fight with Tony Stark. Superman also fought with Batman like this. But, then, Batman has to rescue Batman. Also, it’s telling that Wonder Woman avoids meeting the President. I know that’s comic relief, but she acts as a fugitive as well. Whereas Cap keeps the group focused by remaining in his past role: The soldier.

  In this respect, each Avenger contains something that connects him to the mission….and that they’re opposed to. Storming is when they question the mission. Even Tony Stark’s suspicion of SHIELD plays on Cap’s trust in SHIELD. Hulk’s rampage and defeat by Thor connects him to Thor. So, he ends up paired with him. Justice League: War has a storming stage, but it is short, since the heroes never meet until the invasion, and Batman rescues Superman. Abducting Superman for conflict reasons, I feel is an odd choice, but it served to show Batman as a leader, and he takes charge, but the end result is the group never feels solidified…it’s Batman’s show…but that’s okay! They have forming, storming, Batman.

   In sum,  Avengers had more time to dealt with forming, storming, and norming. The norming is solidified by the teams mutual avenging of the death of Coulson. It feels less dark because there is more humor (Iron Man’s a jerk, sometimes, but he enjoys himself!) and has more time for the group’s conflicts to resolve. But, in Justice League: War, DC wants the tension to be there, to use a phrase, because he’s Batman.

  Batman thrives off of being a fugitive, and why not? Batman is popular, and this gets the team together quicker…at the cost of character development. In a sense, DC must go with the Batman feel at this point, because the audience already knows him. In a similar vein (Although you have to credit the writers!) Marvel’s Avengers follows the aesthetic of it’s most bankable character for much the same reason. And they are both billionaires…ironic since they are the most bankable.

Ultimately, the cultural aesthetic comes down to who was leading the group. Cap leads the Avengers, kicking into full army mode and formulating his plan of attack! Batman serves as a leader, but only after Superman is underplayed. But, the circumstances called for him to step in…Because he’s Batman! And it would save them making more movies.

Even though Justice League: War is a good preview of what a Justice League movie might look like, to me, it’s clearly following an Avengers formula…but that’s okay! It’s a good decision. That just means they’ll have to go with more familiar characters, and resolve less interpersonal conflict. But, Batman thrives on conflict, and just happens to be the most recognizable character in that universe. Yes, the Avengers all had movies, but DC is playing catch-up, and doesn’t have time to build up there characters. So, Batman may be the hero the DC movies deserve…but not the one they need! Only time will tell!

Bonus Question: Who do you think would win? Avengers or Justice League?

Iron Man and Hulk: Heroes United (2013):

Iron Man and Hulk: Heroes United (2013):

“Well, Hulk I’d say it’s been nice seeing you, but…It really hasn’t.”

- Iron Man

Hulk is on a rampage! After Abomination (Evil big Spiky Hulk!) is let loose, Hulk is willing to destroy the city to stop him! But, not Tony Stark. And he’s been training the Hulkbuster armor. Hulk and Iron Man go at it, and trade ultra-sonic blasts. Actually, if you’ve seen the Avengers, you know Hulk always needs to go on a rampage first. Before they can team-up. The Hulkbuster armor doesn’t actually get used much. But, the training is nice, and then Tony has to break up Hulk/Abomination.
   
    Now, as it turns out the evil Dr. Kuhler was planning on siphoning the monsters’ rage through an arc reactor. And as they are both fighting, he’s able to get access to both. Hulk battles evil Iron Man suits is imprisoned with Abomination in one of those giant turbine things that look like the ones in The Incredibles and they are imprisoning Mr. Incredible.

   What Dr. Kuhler didn’t expect was the creation of Zzzax. A being of electrical power, who Iron Man is able to stop by “overfeeding it”. Since Zzzax siphons off power, and is resistant to both Hulk and Iron Man. He’s beyond even the control of Dr. Kuhler and his Hydra agents. But, Iron Man and Hulk have so much power, they’re able to “give it a stomach ache” together.
 
 This is a neat little animated feature. First off, the whole thing is basically one long fight: Hero-to-hero, villain-to-villain, so there’s not much too complain about. (But, the 3D is a little dated. It's reminiscent of MTV’s Spider-Man from 2003.) Secondly, it’s only about 70 minutes long, so it is rather short. But, it packs a punch, and you get plenty of Iron Man’s wit. I didn’t like that Hulk spoke good English, but that’s personal preference.

Overall, I’d say if you’re a fan of action-based comics and have 70 minutes to watch Hulk tear up New York, give it a watch. The 3D might be a little distracting. But, it is a good story if you like Hulk and Iron Man…or The Incredibles! 3 out of 5 stars from me. Even though it feels like it belongs in 2003, it’s a wild trip! I agree with Iron Man. It would be nice, you just never want to meet Hulk that way!

Gravity (2013)

Gravity (2013):

“I hate space!”

- Dr. Ryan Stone

I can’t say I blame Sandra Bullock’s character for hating space. In this movie, everything bad happens to her. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the movie, it’s just non-stop disaster movie action. This movie doesn’t give you time to breathe! And when it does, something else goes wrong. I don’t know, I just wish Hollywood could make space cool again without overdoing the explosions.

   George Clooney is in the film for about 20 mins. Then, there’s not enough oxygen between the two astronauts, and well, one has to go. First, the space junk hits Hubble, then the International Space Station, then a Russian rocket. Everywhere she (Dr. Stone) goes space tries to kill her. One of the things I thought the movie did well was use 3D. I certainly got dizzy!

    One disaster after another sort of stretches credibility. I’m no physicist, but I highly doubt that the fire in the I.S.S. lab would’ve followed Dr. Stone’s exact path. But, you have to love that everything just turns into a giant fireball conveniently shaped for fitting through doors. Pretty much every second of the movie after the debris hits is Sandra Bullock freaking out and screaming: “What do I do? What do I do?” Even the quiet moments are chock-full of ham-fisted symbolism, such as when she sheds her space suit and goes into the fetal position abroad the I.S.S.

    In one scene, it’s made to seem like George Clooney (Matt Kowalsky) returns. (Mild spoilers.) The movie continually raises your hopes, and then lets you down. Initially, these twists were cool, but by the 3rd time they get tiresome. I can’t stress enough that I did like the movie. It’s a Hollywood disaster movie. And it should be treated as such.
   
Nonetheless, it used 3D effectively, which is rare. On the other hand, it is a heavy-handed mess. I’ve always been a big fan of sci-fi and space movies, and while many of the dangers here seem plausible, it’s so exaggerated as to be almost laughable. Take your breaths while you can. This movie just might make you hate space.
 
   Perhaps the most sci-fi aspect of this film is that America still seems to be invested in NASA. I hope one day it returns to manned space missions, but I certainly don’t hope for anything that happens here! Thrilling as it was, Gravity just leaves you floating around in emptiness and despair. Kind of like in space! I give it a solid 4/5. But, I needed more oxygen afterwards! Ha!

Batman vs. Superman: How To Save The Movie

 Batman vs. Superman: How To Save The Movie

So, I just got back from a cabin in the woods with no internet, and I’m just now finding out that Ben Affleck is Zack Snyder’s Batman. Like a lot of people, I’m disappointed. Some people fear this will be as bad as Daredevil’s first Hollywood attempt, which Affleck starred in. Personally, I don’t really have high hopes for a Batman vs. Superman movie anyway. It just serves the purpose of showing once again that DC Comics is still embarrassed of Superman, who used to be their biggest hero. Now it looks like they’ll be beating him up in his own sequel.

    So, then they will try to make a Justice League movie. And that’s fine by me. It just seems like they’re rushing to catch up to The Avengers, and rushing leads to bad decisions. In the DC movie Universe so far, we’ve barely gotten to know Superman, and although his debut film was just okay, (Fans of this site remember my initial reactions.) it certainly wasn’t inspiring or heroic, but I don’t think that justifies beating him up so soon.

    The one to blame for that god-awful idea is Frank Miller, whose 80s plotline The Dark Knight Returns makes Superman a government stooge who overreaches his power and tries to arrest Batman. Fans of this site will also remember that I hate Frank Miller’s insistence on praising fascistic anti-heroes, using too much red, and droll noir narration. My point is Ben Affleck is not the worst to happen to this movie. It was messed up when it was announced.

      That said, I can think of two ways to save the movie. Either bring in a good villain or introduce secondary characters like Wonder Woman. In Greg Rucka’s graphic novel “Sacrifice“, it wasn’t Batman who stopped a rampaging Superman, but Wonder Woman. That would be a big surprise for the audience to see Batman defeated as well as provide a good entry point for a Justice League movie, with the big three finally together. It would also end this ridiculous Batman vs. Superman debate. Who would win? Throw a curveball: Go with Wonder Woman…and then do an “Infinite Crisis” storyline for a Justice League movie.

     Alternatively, I would introduce Barry Allen, AKA The Flash into the movie Universe. He has a real chance to be a guide throughout the movies’ universe, just as Iron Man was for The Avengers. They both have the same attitude, and both were geniuses who’s powers were gained by accident. Flash was struck by lightning, Iron Man was captured. The tragic aspect would make his character relatable, as would his mortality, just as it does for Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, who can laugh off Nordic gods and supersoldiers because he’s one radical dude. That attitude would work with The Flash, and give audiences a comedic character to relate to, in what has so far been a dark and gritty universe. There is also one last option in my mind, to save this movie.

      Cast a good villain. The Dark Knight is mostly remembered for Heath Ledger’s Joker. In the 80s, before anyone knew that Michael Keaton was a viable Batman, Jack Nicholson was probably the main draw for that Batman movie. A good villain can make all the difference. I hear Bryan Cranston is maybe taking the role of Lex Luthor, but that sounds too good to be true. Especially fresh off his success with Breaking Bad, I suspect he won’t take a big risk by being in a Zack Snyder comic book movie. If it happens, I’ll be thrilled…he can play a good psycho. But, I don’t have high hopes from the guy who ruined Watchmen, consulted Frank Miller for a Superman story, and made Superman a bland angst summer movie. In my mind, a good Superman movie is something that reaches for the heavens and inspires heroism, as Richard Donner did.

     Lastly, I’ve been asked who my picks would’ve been for Batman and the villain, if not Ben Affleck and someone else. That’s easy: I’d do a live action Batman: The Animated Series. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are THE voices of Batman and Joker, and have done voice work for them as recently as Arkham City. Casting them would be a wonderful way to keep Batman and Joker familiar. The Arkham game series has proven  The Animated Series can work well with a dark atmosphere. I know Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are both older (and busy!) but it would’ve gotten a better reaction than Ben Affleck, whose last superhero performance in public memory was the failed Daredevil.

   Well, it may be too early to judge, but those are my initial thoughts on Ben “Batman” Affleck and how to save a Batman vs. Superman movie! I’m no Hollywood executive, but those are the two courses that would best appeal to me. Whatever appeals to Hollywood, I have no idea, but they ruined Green Lantern and Daredevil, so let me say I don’t have that much confidence. However, I’ll be satisfied if at least one of my speculations entertains my audience!    

Elysium (2013)

Elysium (2013)

Max: “I need to get to Elysium.”

After taking a lethal dose of radiation while at his job, Matt Damon (Max) is given five days to live. Earth has turned into ruins, and the rich live above them in space in a place called Elysium. Of course, the robots don’t care about the humans on Earth. They only care about the humans on Elysium. So, after Max is harassed by robots the entire beginning of the movie, and then haphazardly given anti-radiation pills and five days to live, he realizes he needs to get to Elysium.

  But, the people on Elysium are all rich and healthy. They don’t want to welcome the power and the sick. Visually, Elysium is white and pristine, while Earth is like a grimy desert. Earlier in the movie, we see the rich people have no problem shooting down the poor, and I mean with missiles and an assassin named Kruger. So, to get around this Max visits his buddy Spider who outfits him with a cyborg exosuit that contains all of Elysium’s data.

      Astute William Gibson readers will notice this is the exact plot of the 1981 short story Johnny Mnemonic, only the affluent Megacorporations are in space, and the assassins aren’t with the Yakuza. A good amount of the film is in Spanish, whereas “Johnny Mnemonic” favored Japanese as the local language. Those similarities aside, Max tells his romantic partner he’s going to Elysium, and she wants her daughter to come with him, because she has leukemia, and they can cure disease on Elysium.

     One of the things Max’s cyborg body has the power to do is shut down Elysium. After a raid on Kruger’s men, Max’s buddies are wounded and looking for a way to get to Elysium, now that they have leverage. Frey’s (The romantic interest) daughter tells him a cute story about a monkey standing on a hippo’s back to get all the fruits it wants. From there, he gets the idea to threaten suicide if not taken on a ship. Again, that’s straight from Gibson…but, as Gibson is the father of cyberpunk, where there’s no middle class, it’s hard to escape his influence when making a cyberpunk movie.
 
I don’t know, I probably spoiled enough already, but then the movie becomes sort of predictable. There’s a big fight with Kruger on Elysium, and then he reboots Elysium to allow Earth citizens. One of the things I liked about it was that it shows the differences in class very well visually. Some Earth stuff is high-tech, but it doesn’t exist to serve them. Also, the people on Elysium abuse the language of disease to characterize Earth’s population. John Carlyle, the evil Secretary’s associate quips: “You think I like breathing this air?”

Everything on Earth is considered a burden, in true cyberpunk fashion. The only piece of technology that really serves the low class (as in Johnny Mnemonic!) is the protagonist’s cybernetic access to data the high class needs, and it’s part of his body. This theme always appeals to me as a disability theorist. How technology gives us strength! And along with the data, Max’s exosuit also grants him increased strength, because essentially he’s covered in a robotic chassis.

While such robotic technology appeals to me, I can’t help but think it might be used to “cure” the disability experience, which is my choice to live. Certainly, medical themes are prominent throughout Elysium. But, those are in life-threatening cases. The point is that just because someone has a disease, doesn’t mean they are a disease, and Elysium drives that home well!
   
In conclusion, it has some cyberpunk tropes that I’ve seen before…down to the computer expert named Spider who outfit’s the hero. But, it’s been a while since I’ve seen an honest-to-goodness cyberpunk action movie! So, I loved it! It’s got great action, with assassins and cyborg battles dominating most the movie. I just wish they didn’t draw so heavily from Johnny Mnemonic. (And no, I don’t mean the 1996 movie adaptation…though maybe I’ll review that later.)

Fans of cyberpunk and sci-fi should be pleased. Max could’ve been Keanu Reeves! (That’s a Johnny Mnemonic joke!) Matt Damon seems to draw from his Bourne Identity experience, and delivers a strong, socially conscious action hero that works well in the cyberpunk genre, showing the benefit of technology mixed with humanity. As far as a rating, I’ll give this movie a solid B!  
 

Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation (2000)

Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation (2000)

“I fight because I’m not strong. I fight myself. Against myself!”

- Ryu

Well, Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation kept popping up on my Netflix, so I thought I’d review it. It’s culturally important to gamers, and thoroughly sci-fi; both of which fit the bill for Through Alien Eyes. First off, I love fighting game movies. But, I know they’re never straightforward tournament fighters, like their videogame counterparts. Now, just remember every time you do a hadoken in Street Fighter, you’re throwing out all the manifestations of evil in Ryu’s soul. Ryu struggles against the “dark hado” in his body, which I assume is like The Force, which he learned from the evil Akuma, who killed his own master.

    After witnessing a gunfight between Chun Li and some crooks in which kids become involved, Ryu steps in to stop the fight, and everyone recognizes him as the famous tournament fighter and is impressed with his ability. One of the kids Ryu protects is a Brazilian boy who claims to be Ryu’s brother. The kid hears about a fighting tournament in Kibuki Town, and trains with Ryu and Ken for a bit. He gets squashed by Zangief, and then a big beefy steampunk cyborg hadokens them all and destroys the town to provoke Ryu. I know, it makes little sense.

    Later, the kid goes nuts on some punks who start a fight with him and chokes them with chains, and we find out the kid actually possesses the dark hado. So, Ryu tells him not to fight (with the above cheesy line…clearly a bad moral for a fighting game. You know, fight the urge to fight. In a fighting game!) So, he confronts Akuma who he believes is influencing him, and Akuma invites him to another tournament.

 Now, clearly, you’d be thinking Ryu would be there to face Akuma. But, this never happens. Instead, the other characters like Adon and Birdie trash talk each other for a bit, and then an evil scientist named Sattler collects the data on the fighters and sucks their souls out leaving the other fighters’ disembodied husks as he absorbs their power into his steampunk cyborg body…also he absorbs the Brazillian kid into his body, and becomes a gray Blanka.

     I thought Blanka was just a monster. But, no. He’s a mutated mad scientist with a Brazilian kid stuck inside his body. Geez, how did none of this make it into the game? Birdie tells Ken and Ryu to get out of there, while he’s being choked by Sattler’s cyborg form. Then, Ken fights him, but not even a shoryuken (Dragon Punch) special move knocks him out. Ryu launches a hadoken to destroy Blanka/Sattler. Finally, he’s shown in a mid-air jump kick against Akuma, and the movie ends.

    Listen, I love Street Fighter II and Street Fighter Alpha as much as any 90s kid. Fighting games are my favorite types of videogames. But, this…is ridiculous and confusing. Why is Ryu fighting not to fight? Who is Sattler…and why does he absorb the Brazilian kid? Why does the movie end in mid-fight? I guess Ryu wins?

   On the upside, many of the game’s fighters make it into the game. Adon, Birdie, Chun-Li, Ken, Rose, Dan, etc. But, we don’t need to see a Star Wars type story to explain why Ryu can throw fireballs, or an overly-detailed Blanka origin story. And the explanations are just creepy! Why can’t Ryu just throw fireballs? Why can’t Blanka just be a monster?

   I admit, I’m biased in my rating of this animation because I like Street Fighter and because the standard kung fu movie moral it uses (Focus your mind to train your body.) works well with my own stance on disability rights. But, admittedly, this is a mess. No boss characters show up except for Vega (I’m American, so that’s Balrog to all you international readers out there.) and Akuma, who never really faces Ryu. Plots with Sakura, Ken, and Chun-Li are all immediately dropped to focus on Ryu vs. Sattler. (Who never even appears in the game. I think he’s made up just to account for Blanka!)

Even the 1994 Street Fighter II anime follows it’s own rules, and it doesn’t need to make up weird origin stories to account for the fighters. I don’t know, I am disappointed…but at least the animation is charming and somewhat surreal. For a final rating…I’ll just rate it a D. It’s the “Blanka is Sattler + a robot + a Brazilian kid” thing that really confuses me, and the rest is a bland Street Fighter version of Star Wars. Like the game says when you‘re defeated: “YOU LOSE”.      

THE WOLVERINE (2013) REVIEW:

THE WOLVERINE:

Today, I saw The Wolverine. It was okay. It didn’t really have a hook though. It was just sort of like “Oh, hey, Logan…this guy hurt a bear. Wanna go beat him up and go to Japan to visit this Yoshida guy you saved in WWII?” And Wolverine thinks a bit…and he’s gruff, but then he says “One day…”  and then flies to Japan with this girl Yuriko. While he’s there, he uncovers that Yoshida’s granddaughter Mariko is next in line to inherit the Yoshida Corporation which is actually the Black Ninja Clan. Yeah, I didn’t really follow either, but I think I got it.

What the movie lacked in hooks they made up for in cool fight scenes. See Wolverine fight: At a wedding, on a train, in laboratory rafters, in a Japanese love hotel. There are two in this movie. Overall, my sense of the movie is that in parts it tried to be Kill Bill. Weak story, good action scenes. Some funny moments. In short, a Marvel movie, but the acting is still better than The Dark Knight Rises. (Zing!)

One of the most frustrating things about this movie was (I felt.) the forced bonding moments between Mariko and Wolverine. They’re already being chased by a rival ninja clan…and those are good scenes! We don’t need to see Mariko and Wolverine having tea together or revisiting the place where Wolverine met Mariko’s grandfather that the beginning of the movie already told us about. Being chased by ninjas is enough reason to get along and make out if you want. So, that was a huge break in the action, and a huge distraction.

Another thing…you would expect this movie’s main villain to be Silver Samurai! No! He’s in there, but the main villainess you see throughout the movie is Viper. She can poison people. She’s basically a more hardcore version of Batman’s Poison Ivy with a snake theme instead of a floral theme. But anyway, although Silver Samurai is involved, I expected to see more of him. We are in Japan after all. Also, Viper steals Wolverine’s healing factor for a bit. (Yes, it’s one of those movies…)

Honestly, I don’t know why it’s so hard for Hollywood to make a good Wolverine movie. He’s one of the most powerful mutants there is. We don’t need to see him go through a personal crisis and wondering if he’s killing for the right reasons. Not only is that boring, but he’s BEING CHASED BY NINJAS. We know he’s killing to survive and protect Mariko! With Wolverine, I think not wanting to be chased by ninjas is a good enough motivation. Let him claw his way out!

Overall, the movie had great action! I just think the story was a little weak, and the character transformation was a little forced. Wolverine goes from being a bum with no powers, back to the way he was, and then back again. Nothing really changes or is particularly unexpected. If they would’ve played out the BEING CHASED BY NINJAS part a little more instead of turning into a character study, it could’ve been a great over the top action movie, instead of an average Marvel movie. Some characters are simple: Wolverine has claws and one-liners. That’s how I like him. He’s Wolverine!

That being said, I’m looking forward to Days of Future’s Past. But, was the Japan story really the setup you want for that huge of a sequel, based on a great comic, that unites two different X-men? I guess we’ll never know otherwise now, but I’m hoping Wolverine has no trouble killing in his next movie. Leave the ethics to the two Professor Xs! By the way, I rate this one 2.5/4 stars or a B-, but I’m biased and being lenient: I’m a Marvel guy.

  

   

IRON MAN: RISE OF TECHNOVORE (2013)

IRON MAN: RISE OF TECHNOVORE (2013)

“Next time Stark asks for help…I’ll put a bullet in him.”

- The Punisher

Iron Man: Rise of Technovore is a Marvel anime that begins with Tony Stark developing a satellite named Howard (After his dad.) from which S.H.I.E.L.D can watch the world. Are we meant to think of cyber threats and whistleblowers? I sure thought so! Anyway, after unveiling his satellite, things go wrong. Without giving spoilers, Technovore arrives in full force. He has these orbs full of “technovores” that can eat through technology as well as human biology. He doesn’t zap people, he just utterly dissolves them!

When Tony Stark gets too close to uncovering who Technovore is, Nick Fury sends Hawkeye and Black Widow after him in Pakistan for acting without his authority. But, in Pakistan, Iron Man finds an unlikely ally in Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher! Here, he looks a little too pretty for my taste though. At least his dark humor and Iron Man’s wit are in tact. Iron Man warns everyone not to make the man in the skull shirt angry…and…when the chase begins, Punisher scoffs at Hawkeye: “Arrows? Really?”

As usual with Marvel animes, the villain kind of twists and turns, and I’m trying real hard not to give spoilers. In my view, the big treat here is seeing all these superheroes in action in anime form. I will say though, the females (Black Widow and Pepper Pots) range from “Girl with light red hair” to “Girl with dark red hair”. There’s not much development of either, except Black Widow stuck in for fan service.

The film takes us from New York to Pakistan to Beijing in search of this biotechnological terrorist Technovore. He is not at all who he seems to be, and the climax seems to take cues from Akira…but in the Marvel universe! Some old adversaries come back, some new allies are made, some heroes are wiped out! It’s good if you want more Iron Man and you want to fill in plot gaps!

Also, while Tony and S.H.I.E.L.D are fighting across the globe, Technovore takes control of Howard, so it definitely raises the stakes! If you liked the other Marvel animes, this one is a welcome addition. And definitely opens up some new possibilities. Will we be seeing a Punisher anime soon? I sure hope so! Stay tuned!

MAN OF STEEL MOVIE REVIEW:

                                                 MAN OF STEEL REVIEW:                        

Jor-El: “What if a child dreamed of becoming something other than what society had intended? What if a child aspired to something greater?”

How do you update a patriotic-bantering Superman from the 80s? (Let’s face it: I’m a 90s kid, but Superman’s been trying to escape the Reeve image for a while!) You completely underplay it!  Instead of making the Good Guy the Boy Scout…make his enemies irrevocably evil. That seemed to be the formula for Man of Steel, and I think it’s one that works well. Zod is a dictator bent on exterminating inferior beings such as Earthlings, which recalls America’s villain when Superman was first made: Hitler. But, the scenes were all as much a product of their time and place as Superman is here. Krypton looks like Starcraft brought to life. The source comics are well-followed to a point, without me revealing spoilers.
 
Yes, Superman is conflicted, but he’s the kind of good guy that’s understated, as I said. Maybe that was a little cheap narrative out, but I liked it. Suffice it to say, the action destroys entire city blocks, but is a bit fast-paced to keep up with, much in the style of The Dark Knight times 10 with flying through buildings and shooting heat rays. I found a little bit of the commercialism hokey, but those are modern movies. I secretly hoped the Sears they kept having me look at would be destroyed.

    I especially liked the snippets of Clark’s childhood, which were taken seemingly from 2010’s Secret Origins graphic novel. Which makes sense, since David S. Goyer wrote it. In some ways, having Superman talk less, meant that when he spoke, it meant something. And I was really impressed with Superman’s ethics. Contrary to what some critics say, I never felt that he was responsible for all of the destruction Zod caused. Rather, Zod doesn’t think the humans and Kryptonians can live together, and so Superman is the only one who can stop him. I think throughout the film he saves as many lives as he can; in fantastic ways!

     I was a little bothered by the comment by a villainess that Zod was acting on behalf of evolution, and by Martha Kent’s comments about Clark’s Earth father in the end. It could be insinuated that Superman isn’t a man of science, when in fact he is a super genius. But, the movie seems to take “less is more” to a new level in terms of Superman’s dialogue. As I said though I was impressed with the fights and his ethics. His first fighting words to Zod are: “Stay away from my mother!” When the chips are down, he defends himself, which is all we really need from a Good Guy like Superman.

   People throughout the film are always trying to get him to choose between Earth ways and Krypton. So, I didn’t think that the “angst” was all that misplaced. It was a symptom  of a bicultural background and his body adapting to an alien planet. Remembering what that shaman said to me about being from another planet, I couldn’t help but think, “That son of a gun made me Superman!” the adaptation was well-depicted. As I said, the “angst” is there, but it doesn’t overshadow his heroism in the alien invasion…and I got the sense that he tried to save lives. Rather than speaking about what both parents taught him, he acts on the idea that he can represent the best of both worlds.

     The action is super. Zod is a perfect counterpart to Superman…even though its decidedly a different one from the 80s. He will never stop to protect Krypton, so he must kill Earth. He is what new Khan should have been. BUT, on the same side, he never stops talking either, which makes it so that Superman is his PERFECT opposite…but gets a little tiresome. Superman is purely good because Zod is purely evil gets repeated in some way over and over!

 My favorite part was when Superman first tackles Zod and it turns into a big fight, with clear good and evil sides. I was admittedly a little disappointed that they kept pressing the hope message (on the Superman symbol; hope in a movie is just fine.) but I can accept that this is a new interpretation. I was a little disappointed in the new Superman theme, which seemed to contain nothing but a sleepily rising trumpet sound. I kept waiting for the theme to rise with the signature three notes, but it does so very flatly. It leaps, but doesn’t fly.

    All in all, the film has a solid sci-fi background, plenty of good action, and a fair story if a bit nebulous at times due to Superman’s sparse dialogue. It seems the filmmakers wanted us to see all the Good things in him by comparing him to pure evil. Which to be fair, has worked before. I just didn’t get the sense that Superman was proactively good. His ethics are a superbly demonstrated ying-yang. Less is more again!

    I’d definitely recommend this movie to everyone. It’s not perfect, but it’s a new interpretation. Scenes and dialogue (including some Grant Morrison-inspired lines!) are readily visible! This is a good Superman for a new era! Action-packed and sci-fi heavy. I loved the action! But, was I inspired? Well…I was inspired…in leaps, not bounds! A good re-boot, but I could’ve used a little more heroic banter; I’m just more Marvel that way!

                                                                   

                               

                         

ANIME REVIEW: NEON GENESIS EVANGELION

ANIME REVIEW: NEON GENESIS EVANGELION:

  Giant robots, high school, and alien attacks! Neon Genesis Evangelion is a 26-episode 80s anime that’s like if Power Rangers was conceived in the middle of a Freshman Philosophy course and turned suddenly into dark adult content. First of all, the art and detail are good: It’s set in the futuristic year 2015 and there’s always an electronic buzz in the background someone and cars whirring. The school kind of looks isolated if not for the giant robots underground.

(Remember it was the 80s in Japan; but the English version was conceived in 2004..so this is still apocalyptic.) The series revolves around students, mainly a young boy named Shinji Ikari who do battle with giant aliens called Angels while piloting huge robots called Evangelions or EVAs. Every episode is seemingly divided into one of the character’s psychological problems, then a huge robot fight to help them confront it.

 And yes, multiple times the issues involve girls or Shinji’s female pilots/students. Most of the “fan service” however is done in the name of comedic relief. Occasionally, it addresses cultural, psychological, or philosophical issues. For example, one of the pilots is a German-Japanese girl dealing with fitting into post-apocalyptic Japanese society. Another girl seems completely detached from human relationships, for reasons that are later revealed, and also make her the best pilot. Shinji’s father issues also play in in the form of he’s the boss of NERV, which is the organization behind defending Tokyo and killing the Angels. Every episode has a bit of gossip and a big robot battle at the end.

  The EVAs and their pilots minds are connected, in a bit of man-machine symbiosis. Without spoiling anything, eventually the angels figure this out, and the series turns dark. Between battling with giant machine guns and lasers and knifes, now they must also shield themselves from mental attacks. Shinji begins to question the war: “Angels are envoys of God. Why are we fighting envoys of God?” (To which stubborn Asuka replies: “Are you stupid or something? They attacked us, Dummkopf!” So the action takes place on three fronts. Man vs. Society (Their base in Tokyo-3.) Man vs. Man, and Man vs. Angel. I wish I could discuss Rei’s dilemma, but no spoilers.

     Of course watching the battles is spectacularly fast-paced and over the top. When the drama gets too heavy they usually go back to their dorms, and then you see some funny stuff like Shinji trying to hide his nakedness from his commander, Misatu or Asuka Langley Sohryu being stubborn and adapting to Japanese ways. She’s usually scolded for being too stubborn and ambitious: “Asuka! The Japanese way is to consider others before yourself!” says Misatu.  Eventually, I don’t think I’m spoiling when I say that when confronting her battle trauma (Caused by a blast of German Opera music from an Angel!) you learn the real reason she identifies with her mother’s side in Germany.

    There’s always a battle going on; first the pilots are attacked individually, and you learn their bios, then NERV is attacked, and then the pilots’ minds when the episodes get darker and darker. The last few episodes take place almost exclusively inside the pilots’ tortured minds. I can’t imagine how this change in tone might have affected Japanese boys in the 80s, but it took me by surprise and added a lot of plot twists and suspense! There’s even some romance; yes, romance! Not just fan service. The big surprise though comes when the final form of the Angels is revealed, and they attack their young minds through the EVAs!

Overall, it’s a good show if you like extremes! Extreme action! Extreme fan service! Robots! EXTREME PSYCHOANALYSIS AND INTERCULTURAL CONFLICT! Oh, yes…and they all share a pet penguin! But don’t take my word for it: This stuff has to be seen to be believed! And when you're done with that I think there are Evangelion movies! PS: Sorry I couldn't find the English subs for the theme, but it's called "The Cruel Angel's Thesis"!

      REI AYOTOMEI

                                                      

                                                            

     PEN PEN!

                                                 

                                               ASUKA LANGLEY SOHRYU ON HER EVA

EVA VS. ANGEL

     REI, SHINJI, AND ASUKA 

WHAT FORREST GUMP’S MOM TAUGHT ME ABOUT DISABILITY IN THE MEDIA:

WHAT FORREST GUMP’S MOM TAUGHT ME ABOUT DISABILITY IN THE MEDIA:

Taking a break from comic book fights for a minute, I wanted to talk about great moms to disabled characters in honor of this past mother’s day. My first exposure to a disabled character was Forrest Gump, and from the moment Forrest’s mom has her son’s mental condition described to her, she adopts a strong can-do attitude and just takes to explaining things so her son can understand them. It is through her that he learns the witticism: “Life is a box of chocolates…” and he learns how to focus on what he’s got instead of what he doesn’t.
 
Invariably, this helps him on his trek through American history, running across the U.S. (Along with Jenny’s “Run Forrest, run!” we have “Momma said they was my magic shoes.”) and his experiences in ‘Nam, in love, and generally just preferring to explain things in ways he can understand. “…and that’s all I have to say about that!” I remember seeing this as a kid, and thinking how cool it was that the main character was disabled, and they didn’t try to change it! Beneath his simple storytelling was wisdom. (Arguably from his mother’s early attempt at communication.) And he was the hero, in a sense.

    My only other exposure to disabled characters up to that point were characters like Professor X, Tiny Tim, and the kid from The Secret Garden, which is even now to me, one of the worst movies I have ever seen, both for the story and the moral. But, here was no attempt to “cure” the character’s disability. Instead Forrest’s mom raised him so that he understood that he simply has a different way of explaining things. I am empowered by such attempts at understanding.

    Now, I know some out there will say that Tom Hanks promoted a bad moral for ex: “You should just look at things simply, and not be critical.” Maybe even some would say that since Hanks is able-bodied, he can’t play a disabled character. Well, I’ve never bought that and never have.  I don’t see “simplicity”  as the point, from the prospective of Hanks’s character. True, Forrest’s mom was tough and no-nonsense, but I see it as she was preparing him for the negativity that he would eventually face because of his condition, not because she herself was simple. She even says that he needs to do the best with what God gave him. That’s all I have to say about that.

   My point is, that as a boy I had so few role models to look up to that had disabilities. For every Forrest Gump, which argues for understanding disability as a different cultural setting/life point of view there was Secret Garden and The Christmas Carol. Both of which I hated, and should probably review at some point in this blog. Look, I understand the Christmas spirit, and Tiny Tim is there to gain sympathy; but that’s just it. He serves no other purpose. The story would’ve been equally as cheery without him. But, those were my early exposures to two schools of thought with disability. One that says “God bless us, everyone!” after being miraculously given a feast by a rich man, and one with a tough woman who said: “Do with what God gave you.” (And of course Professor X’s “We’re not dangerous [Moira], we’re different.”; but that’s another post.)

     Watching Forrest Gump’s mom was like watching my own mother who in those days told me not to focus on what I couldn’t do. But then, I knew I had a public voice. A decision to make in how to view my disability. And it still wages on in the media today…(Particularly in X-Men, I must say!) Cure us, or understand us. Sympathize with us or empower yourself with us; the choice is ours, whoever we are. And I know where I stand. Forrest’s mom inadvertently taught me how to watch movies for positive portrayals of disability, rather than outwardly pathetic ones. And it is through my own mother that I’ve felt empowered from my early days! Next time you watch A Beautiful Mind or My Left Foot, or Million Dollar baby…pay attention to how disability is treated! Happy late Mother’s Day! Love you, Mom!

Iron Man 3 Review

   Iron Man 3 Review:

     

   

Iron Man 3 is like combining Die Hard 1, T2: Judgment Day, and Iron Man! I was right that Extremis would be involved, but I’m not giving spoilers. There’s some good action and nice character development (Everyone knows its after the events in Avengers.) We learn a lot about how Tony Stark regains his faith in others, how he relates to his suits, and how he deals with threats around him. The threat this time is threefold.  No spoilers, but lets just say it’s the three big ones: Mandarin, a rival industrialist, and a former associate.

   The biggest obstacle though is Tony Stark himself, a little stressed (Shall we say…) from the events in Avengers. He comes to the realization early on that he can’t deal with every threat, and theUS government doesn’t think he can either.  So, not only is everything he loves at stake, but also his confidence. Major themes here include trust, man vs. machine, man vs. self, and of course…in plenty of explosions and fights, man vs. man. There’s plenty of that Tony Stark humor too, that makes me proud to identify (probably most.) with Iron Man aside from his dependence on technology.

    Oh! And I was right about another thing! There’s betrayal…but it wasn’t who I expected the movie to pick. People who have read Extremis should see it right away. That’s the only hint I’m giving! Needless to say though, Iron Man…well, Iron Man is Iron Man! His machines are part of who he is, which also play a role in how he sees himself, grows, and deals with terrorists/bad guys. If you take it all away, he’s still Iron Man. He can’t be everywhere physically at once, or deal with every threat at once, but he has connections anyway! Some really good comments on the nature of terrorism and its inherent relationship to the media. It essentially does what Die Hard 4 failed to do which is: make a good action movie about modern threats to society/digital crime/terrorism, and do it with style. With Tony Stark! Move over John McClane!

    But, at its core for me was the theme of man vs. machine. Will machines exist to serve us, or take away our humanity in the interests of particularly “modern evil”? (Terrorism, media, corporate greed etc…) I don’t know…I think as a disabled man, I pick up fairly easy on the man/machine symbiosis! Sounds heavy but, the movie put it all on the line and eventually Stark himself reveals the answer! A fun movie that definitely raises the stakes. In my view, it might even influence modern action movies outside of the superhero/sci-fi genre. It really plays with the psyche of the character and in the end we come full circle. No doubt he’ll be ready for Avengers 2 as cocky and high-tech as ever! Highly recommended and fun!  

DISABILITY IN THE MOVIES: A REVIEW OF OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL:

Oz: "I might not actually be a wizard..."

Glinda: "Yes, but they don't know that."

Oscar Diggs is a bombastic carnival magician in 1905 in the midst of a levitation trick. He woos the audience by cutting down visible wires and yet his assistant still “floats”. When suddenly, a little girl in a wheelchair has a request: “Make me walk.” But, the once-proud magician is flummoxed. He’s a fraud. He can’t do it. Close curtain. He then goes back to being a selfish womanizer backstage, despite the fact that he really does want to be a good man. A GREAT MAN.

    His opportunity comes when he is whisked off via tornado while escaping the wrath of a jealous carnival strongman to the Land of Oz, where he’s greeted by a charming witch, told where he is, and to beware the flying monkeys and river faeries. He’s a bit naïve, so he’s promptly attacked by both. And then, he’s betrayed by the witch, who thinks the Good witch is the bad witch. Yes, he does it all for money even though he knows he’s not a real wizard.

The interesting part for me, is the friends he makes along the way.  The rest seems straight out of World of Warcraft. See, he saves a good flying monkey named Flynn. As in The Wizard of Oz, each companion I believe symbolizes a real world companion and Oz is it’s psychological counterpart in the imagination. So, Finley is actually Frank, his stagehand and assistant, who he never respected, but here he becomes good friends with. When their adventure leads them to China Town (Where everything and everyone is made of fragile China.) he encounters the seemingly David Bowie-inspired Little China Girl who lost her legs when the flying primates attacked. She’s the little girl in the wheelchair.

   It’d be easy for me to be offended when Oscar/Oz glues her legs back on, but this is his adventure. He wanted to help the girl in the wheelchair, but he couldn’t so in his mind he made her the Little China Girl. That’s part of his quest to discover he’s a great man. In fact, it’s the China Girl who later asks if there are any real wizards where he comes from, and he responds Thomas Alva Edison; which gives him the idea to become Oz The Great And Powerful. True, there is an element of pity in the depiction of disability, but it is the disabled characters that inspire him to use technology to defeat the witches, overcome his own limits, and become great.

As I said, the rest of the movie seems straight out of World of Warcraft with Oz and munchkins using fireworks and a steam machine to make him appear as The Wizard of Oz. I kept waiting for James Franco to say: “I am Oz! The great and powerful!” but it never happens, so instead we get: “It is I, the great and powerful Wizard of Oz!” and I had to think, “Does MGM have that phrase copyrighted?” I mean, the title is Oz the Great and Powerful, so it would’ve fit perfect in just that way. But, it never comes. For shame!

    There are some great homages to the original 1939 Wizard of Oz, such as the black and white film beginning in Kansas (But, never once do we hear that he’s not in Kansas anymore!) or the Poppy Fields being an important battleground. But overall, it reminds me of Oz-cum-World of Warcraft, with Mila Kunis’s green-skinned witch standing in for an orc, and munchkins for gnomish tinkers.

Entertaining and heavy on the “anything’s possible theme”, but also nice to see some disabled main characters, and side characters as well. (The Powerchair Munchkin Tinker!) Cheesy, yes, but sometimes we need to believe in ourselves to become great! Or just have flying monkey battles! Whichever you prefer…like an old-time carnival attraction, it’s got a little something for everyone!

    "Make me walk."    

                               

"I want to come with you!"