Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End

Why do the Pirates movies make zillions and zillions of dollars? I believe it must be the fact that it combines so many things so well: romance, adventure, comedy, and big movie stars. It's "candy for the mind." The first Pirates was darn good candy, but the second tasted like crap. The conclusion to the trilogy satisfies, though. When we left Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) he had just died, and was taken away to Davey Jones' Locker. Now Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swan (Kiera Knightly) and Captain Barbossa (freakin' awesome Geoffrey Rush) have gone to the edge of the world to get him back (all for different reasons, none of which includes missing Jack). The plot gets rather complicated, with so many rival factions fighting over so many different things, but if you just let it go a little, the ride is fun. The buildup is long, and a little dull, but the final dramatic sequence of events is quite stunning. Usually, I get bored during the climax of action movies when the big chase or shootout happens, because you know what is going to happen. I am more of a plot guy. But I have to say I was pleasantly suprised by Pirates 3. The two main ships end up fighting in the middle of a maelstrom (which is just a really cool word by itself) and it rocks. Rarely does an action sequence satisfy me, so that's saying something.
At World's End was also quite funny, especially when Sparrow is looking for his brain. The ending is immensely romantic. I won't give it away, but I had wished my wife was there so I had someone to hold. Overall, Pirates 3 is not a great film. It has no depth whatsoever, but it is above average for your standard summer fluff.
One thing that strikes me about this incredibly popular franchise is that there really aren't any "good guys." Ok, Will and Elizabeth are good people, but in terms of picking a side, all sides are evil. Pirates are horrible people, but the British are Colonialistic oppressors, and everyone else seems to be heavily involved in the Dark Arts (which is an interesting sub-topic in and of itself, ie the portrayal of Paganism and witchcraft in Pirates). Usually, in fantasy-style stories there are clear lines between good and evil. In "realistic" stories the lines are more fuzzy, because that's how people really are. Yet Pirates is in no way "realistic," which brings up the question: why do we cheer for the pirates? We want to be bad, don't we? We don't want rules, we want to make our own rules.
Now is the time of the year when we realize who has the most disposable income to spend on movies (13-17 year old males). Just look at all the movies that come out when school is out. It is a dry time for the thinking-man's film, or the artistic filmmaker's work, but it is a good time to just sit back and turn the old mind off for a few hours (three in this case). - [insert cheesy pirate saying here]

The Fountain

Darren Aronofsky's (Requiem For A Dream, Pi) trippy love story weaves three parallel yarns at once. The focal point, or main thread, is this: Tomas (Hugh Jackman) is a scientist racing to find a cure for brain cancer, because his wife Izzi (Rachel Weisz) is dying. Another tale is set in the past. This one tells the story of the Tree of Life (from the book of Genesis) which is found in Mayan Guatemala. A Mayan priest with a flaming sword guards the tree. The Spanish Queen (Weisz) sends one of her conquistadors (Jackman) to bring an elixer back, to save Spain. The last thread is other-worldly. Set in the future, Tomas is traveling inside a bubble with the tree to a dying nebula that the Mayan's considered the afterlife. This setting has many Buddhist and Hindu undertones, as well as beautiful imagery (pictured above).
All said and done, I believe The Fountain is about death. We as humans have always been afraid of death. It is the greatest unknown. The Fountain of Youth has been in the human psyche for centuries because it would conquer our greatest fear. Tomas is searching for the Fountain, the "cure" (or Tree, they are pretty much synonymous in the film) to save his dying wife. He does not want her to die. He searches for it in the present, in the past, and in the future. And like most guys, he wants to fix the problem. Death is a big problem. God knows we fear death. But Jesus conquered death; he's the only one to ever do so. So in essense, he is the Fountain of Youth (he calls himself the spring of living water, right?). Yet in this world death is inevitable. The struggle of the protagonist is the struggle we all have. We all want to conquer death. Will he be able to stop his wife from dying? Or must he come to terms with Izzi's death? Is there anything we lowly humans can do?
Tiffanie pointed out that the past and future stories are mediums for telling the "real story." The past is a dramatic retelling of the present, with all the adventure, mystery, and excitement of a good book. The future manifests itself as Tomas' character's spirituality played out in artistic form. The supernatural realm of the story, along with Tomas' mediation, invites insight and revelation. The guardian of the tree calls the spiritual Tomas "first father" and allows him to approach the tree. When Tomas greedily partakes of the sap, he forfeits himself for the new growth that springs from his body and overcomes his finite life (he cannot tame or wield eternal life to his desires; he cannot control life or death). Throughout the film, Izzy commands him to "finish it." After this epiphany, Tomas leaves his office, and the rush for the cure, to spend the last few hours of his wife's life loving and enjoying her. Tiff believes she was asking him to finish it in the true story, the real world. He sacrifices his desires to promote quality of life for her in her last moments here on earth.
The Fountain is romantic to its core. To what extent would you go for the one you love? Izzi gives Tomas purpose, but more so than just a problem to solve. There is a deep connection, and he will do anything to keep from losing it, from losing her. Are his efforts valiant? Is he just struggling against the inevitable? Or, will they still be together forever, even if she succumbs to the cancer?
The Fountain uses brilliant storytelling devices to play out a threefold narrative that captivates the audience's minds and hearts. This is beautiful, exquisite filmmaking.

Spider-Man 3

Everyone knows Spider-Man. Sam Raimi's third installment has already broken every opening weekend box-office record and will go on to make zillions of dollars (although the records mean absolutely nothing because ticket prices keep going up, they need to base records on the number of people who go see a film). Anyway, Spidey 3 is all about Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) fighting his inner demons. Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) is about to be proposed to by Peter, so there is a magnifying glass on their relationship. Each of them ends up doing something to hurt the other, and they have to make big decisions. Throw in some Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church - who totally sucks by the way), who is the one who actually murdered Peter's Uncle back in Spidey 1. We also have Green Goblin Jr. (James Franco), who is still dealing with the death of his father. Then you've got the black goo (a symbiote) that comes from outerspace and latches on to Peter (then another guy later, who turns into Venom). The bad guys all want Spider-man dead. Peter is trying to figure out who he is, and what it takes to be a husband. MJ is thinking about whether she really wants Peter. Then there are a whole lot of really big CG effects, explosions, chases, etc.
In 3 everyone wants revenge. Peter wants to take revenge on the Sandman for killing his uncle. MJ wants to avenge the hurt she felt when Peter kisses another girl. The Sandman and Venom want revenge for how Spidey has humiliated them. Harry/Goblin Jr. wants to avenge his father's death. Everyone gets sucked into the pleasure and pain that is revenge. It is a prison that surrounds us and conquers us. Aunt may calls it a poison. We spend all our time and energy on it, but is it worth it? Should we really give all we have to it? Obviously Jesus wants us to forgive. But that is very, very hard sometimes. Yet, if we don't it will tear us apart (as is quite apparent in the film). When Peter finally forgives, he is freed from the prison of vengeance. A huge weight is lifted. It is hard, but we should follow that lead.
Another theme focused on in 3 is marriage. Peter's aunt tells him that a husband must put his wife before himself. Is Peter ready for that? The film makes it clear by the end that Peter can fight crime and save people, he can do the superhero thing. But it takes more to be a good husband, it takes more to have a good marriage. That should tell us something about who we give respect to in our society.
The best scene in the film takes place in a church. Peter is at the top, next to a ringing bell, and he is struggling against the symbiote (which becomes the black Spidey). He is struggling against his own sinful and fleshly nature. You see, the black Spidey makes Peter more confident and powerful, cocky if you will (and makes him look Emo). But this corrupts Peter, and it will corrupt all who try to wield it. The sinful nature is fun, but it ultimately destroys us and others. We all have a sinful nature, and there is a battle raging inside each one of us to overcome it. 3 does a great job of visualizing this. Ultimately he throws of his evil side, but we must recognize that it can never be done alone. In our lives, Jesus is the only one to free us from our fleshly desires. And he must continue to free us, day after day after day. It doesn't just go away once and for all. But as Aunt May says, we all have a battle raging inside of us, but we can choose to do what is right.
Overall, this third installment was less satisfying than the other two, yet still worth a good investigation. Why are we so enthralled with superheroes? It all goes back to wanting something bigger out of life, knowing that there has to be someting more. We want purpose, we want to save people, we want to make the world right (if only we had superpowers, right?). But I believe we can actualize these desires through our Saviour on a daily basis, with His help. But what does that look like?

Bobby

Bobby recounts the last day of Robert F. Kennedy's life from the perspective of the guests and employees of the Ambassador Hotel, where he was shot. The film, written and directed by Emilio Estavez, has a gigantic cast (too many to mention, really). The film follows the now vogue mosaic template, telling many stories that interweave throughout the narrative. There are racial tensions in the kitchen, political ambitions among the youngsters, marital problems involving famous performers, and business decisions to be made. The storyline is interesting, and the plot follows many different perspectives/viewpoints. It culminates with a tragedy we all know is coming, but the weight of it hits us a little harder than we thought it would.

Ecclesiastes states that we should not say "remember the good old days." Whether its baseball or children respecting their elders, it seems that everyone has a nostalgic love of the past, back when things were the way they should be. Sometimes I found myself wondering if the film was falling into that category. It is hard to not see Bobby as propaganda. It is in effect saying "Bobby Kennedy could have made everything right." As one character states, since Dr. King was shot Bobby was everyone's last hope. We must be careful to not get overly sentimental, and idealize people or events of the past. That being said, Kennedy was doing a lot of great things. The film reminds us of what America was like in 1968 and how things were right at the edge of change. Everything seemed to be hanging in the balance, ready to break out. Bobby recreates history in a different way than we are used to, through the eyes of many on one day as opposed to through the eyes of a few over a great number of days.

Everyone had all their hopes and dreams tied up in Robert Kennedy, and when he died, so did those ideas. Bobby was the savior, the "last great man" of the time. What happens when we put our hope in a human being, no matter how great that human is? We are disappointed. No man or woman can ever be the savior of mankind. There is only one savior, and yes he was a man, but he was also fully God. We all have fallen into the trap of putting more stock in a person than we should. In fact, we do it frequently. But it is dangerous. We must be constantly reminded to put all our trust in the only one who will never fall short, never let us down.

Bobby died. Jesus died. I would imagine that after the crucifiction Jesus' followers felt a lot like Bobby's followers after the shooting. What happened to our leader? How could he die? Not now, not yet.

Top Ten 2006

It's a tradition that every year the critics come out with what they think are the top ten films of the year. They get free passes to see all the films in the theaters before the end of the calendar year (I'm jealous). I have to wait to see many of the films on DVD, poor me. This is why it has taken me an extra four months, but better late than never. Now, there were over 350 movies released last year and I haven not seen them all. It's pretty easy to tell what is going to suck without having to sit through it (ie. Basic Instinct 2, Annapolis, The DaVinci Code, Deck The Halls, and oh yeah, The Guardian, etc.). Sadly, I did waste my time with some crap films I thought would be pretty good (ie. The Night Listener, MI:3, All The King's Men). Overall, this year was not great, though the films at the top of the list are. I would say it was a little bit below mediocre, actually. Still, I always have fun telling everyone my opinion and making a list, so here we go.

10. Catch A Fire

Philip Noyce's political thriller of Apartheid South Africa shows a human side of terrorist motivation (humiliation). It is extremely important for us to see things from other perspectives, even if we disagree with those perspectives. Also, the struggle of a husband/father was especially intriguing to me. Derek Luke was fantastic too, by the way.

9. Half Nelson

First off, Gosling gives the best performance of the year by anyone, hands down. He's the man. When I first saw the film I was frustrated. But the sign of a good film is that you think about it for days, investigating the intricacies and contemplating the subtelties. There are oceans of depth here, especially in regards to morality and human beings' ability to change.

8. Prairie Home Companion

This film just made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, moreso than any movie I have seen in a long time. Maybe it's because I grew up listening to Garrison Keillor on tape. Or maybe it's that, in his final film, Robert Altman captures the very essense of nostalgia, for good and ill. Should we hang on to the past? How much? How do we go forward? Plus, overall the film was unique, and the music was quite engaging.

7. Blood Diamond

Edward Zwick's African political thriller brought me to tears at the end (see my review, the Father/Son relationship and its parallel to the Prodigal Son/our relationship to God, etc.). Solomon Vandy gave the African people dignity, instead of us white people saying that they are all hopeless and need us to come save them. The political statements are important, but what drives the film is its relationships, specifically Archer's inner struggle between good and evil, and Vandy's unrelenting love for his son.

6. The Queen

The best biopic in a long time. Mirren is unbelievable good, so is Sheen as Tony Blair. The directing is picturesque, and Frears walks the tightrope very well. He shows both sides of this stately and reclusive figure. We sympathize with her, we sympathize with the people, we see her flaws, we see the people's flaws; it is balanced and fair. I went in thinking I should see it because it could be nominated for Best Pic, and left stunned at how good the film turned out to be. What is leadership? What should it look like? How are the times changing? What is English?

5. The Fountain

This was a tragically overlooked film. It is a beautiful, breaktaking love story that takes place along three parallel tracks, in three very different settings. Can love conquer death? This is a wonderfully original and deftly creative film.

4. Lady In The Water

I usually agree with the critics, but the critics were all idiots when it came to Shyamalan's latest. What a powerful story of the power of story. Love, Sacrifice, and above all Purpose. A tale beautifully spun, as only Night can do, the movie moves me more and more with every viewing.

3. Flags Of Our Fathers/Letters From Iwo Jima

Is it cheating to put two films together in one spot? Yes, usually, but here no. They are two pieces to one film, one epic story of war from two vastly different perspectives/cultures/languages/experiences. You can't have one without the other. This is Eastwood's crowning achievement, a beautiful masterwork. It reminds us of what humanity is.

2. The Departed

Is it wrong that it's just so enjoyable to watch this Scorsese Best Pic winner? I have seen it more times than any other film on the list, thus far. In terms of moviemaking, it is flawless (acting, directing, writing, cinematography, score, pacing, etc., etc.). I don't have a favorite part, I have ten favorite parts (all Wahlberg's scenes, all Baldwin's scenes, the list goes on). Marty is the man, the master. But there are deeper themes at work here. How do you walk the line between good and evil? What does it do to someone to live a double life? What is the nature of crime?

1. Children Of Men

The most moving filmgoing experience I have had in years. This one may creep on to my all-time top 10. It is the very definition of hope. Their world is hopeless, there is nothing worth living for, the graffiti says "Last one to die, please turn out the lights." What is hope? What do children mean to us as a society? To us as individuals? Is childbirth an "everyday miracle"? The film is bleak, stark, and beautiful. The cinematography is flawless and revelatory (should have won the Oscar), the story is gripping, the acting is great, and the picture draws you in. As I said before, I have never wanted a happy ending so much in my life. God is all over the place in this film. It deeply moved me. This is moviemaking perfection.

So there it is. Give me your thoughts, opinions, lists, arguments, agreements, etc. Just for fun, I will be publishing my top tens from the last few years as well. Sometimes I hate lists because it tends to degrade great films just because they are not number one, but on the other hand, I love competition.