ReasonForOurHope

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Film Review: Into The Woods


There are many things to admire about this adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, but the movie falls a bit flat.  However most of the reasons are found in the story itself and not the skills of the filmmakers.

Into the Woods, for those who don't know, is Sondheim's attempt to deconstruct the fairy tale.  In order to do this, he first constructs the classic stories of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) and Beanstalk, as well a novel creation of the Baker (James Cordon) and his wife (Emily Blunt) and the witch's (Meryl Streep) curse.  Together they interact and achieve the well-known end of their journey.  But then he takes you beyond the original ending and creates a much more complicated, nihilistic end to the journey.

And therein is the ultimate thematic flaw: the movie embraces a moral relativism but tries to hold on to some sense of love and joy.  At least movies like Watchmen didn't pretend to be sunshine and roses when it asserted that life was empty and pointless.  The final ballad "No One Is Alone," plays like an old-fashioned melody, but it is an ode to subjective morality.  Into the Woods feels outwardly like a classic musical, but its internal moral compass is all wrong.

That isn't to say the cast and crew don't try their best.  The songs tend to be both fairly catchy and very pretty.  Sondheim knows how to bang out a tune.  And his lyrics are sometimes insanely fun.  Standouts here include Kendrick as Cinderella who reminds us that her singing range in Pitch Perfect was not a fluke.  She brings great charisma to the part and plays it wonderfully.

Also Emily Blunt probably shows the best range of voice and character as the Baker's Wife, who is funniest when her desperation becomes horribly serious. But when things get truly serious and dire, Blunt effortlessly brings gravitas where there was once just airy lightness.

 And I have to give Streep credit for once again not losing a beat as the Witch.  She credibly brought pain and pathos to what could have been a silly character.  And the standout has to be Chris Pine as Prince Charming who gets funnier the more passionate he becomes.

But there is an artificiality to the stage version that does not translate into film.  The staging and danger feel different here than on stage.  For example, Johnny Depp plays the Wolf.  And while his vocals are nice, his portrayal is translated as a sexual predator.  This makes what should be a playful song uncomfortable and gross.

There is also another inherent problem with Into the Woods in that it is too long.  The first act tells the complete story of the main characters.  The second act, in a real sense, is a sequel to the events of the first.  As the second act draws on, the filmmakers wisely trim some of the scenes.  However, that is always a double-edged sword, seeing as how they cut my favorite song ("No More") from the show.  But it was a necessary sacrifice to the overall quality of the film, which is drags a bit.  It might have been better to shorten up the first act so that the second act didn't feel as rushed.

And there is some delightful staging to be seen.  The song "On the Steps of the Palace" is sung in flashback on stage.  But in the movie, the director freezes time so that we can see Cinderlla's present-tense dillema and resolution.  The waterfall set one-upmanship of "Agony" is an over-the-top highlight.

So the filmmakers did the best they could with the source material.  The thematic flaws were too fundamentally woven into the narrative that they couldn't be removed.

3 and 1/2 out of 5 stars

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Sunday Best: Sitcoms of All Time #3 - MASH



11 SEASONS
(1972-1983)

For more than a decade, MASH was the best Sitcom on television.

For many, it is hard to categorize this show as a Sitcom, but if you go back to its roots, there is no question that it was made for laughs, with the occasional heart string pulled.  But over the years, MASH morphed into something else.  There was still humor, but when people tuned in from week to week, the not only expected to be moved to laughter but often to tears.  No other show has been so successful at riding the emotional wave as MASH.

MASH is the story of the soldiers who ran the 4077th MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) during the Korean War.  The main character was Hawkeye (Alan Alda), manic-depressive Groucho Marx who also happened to be a genius surgeon.  The rest of the cast was also populated by outlandish characters like the childlike "Radar" O'Reilly (Gary Burghoff) or the cross-dressing Corporal Klinger (Jamie Farr).

There is no doubt that MASH was a response to the Vietnam war.  This could easily lead to the trap of having the material feel dated.  Wisely, MASH did 3 things to avoid this:

1.  Korean War.
By not directly putting the events of the show in Vietnam, the show (as well as the movie and other media it was based on), avoided the "too soon" friction that other shows of this nature might.  By giving a little contextual space to the events, it allowed for easier breathing room.

2.  Not Anti-Soldier.
There is no question that the show was anti-war.  But it was decidedly not anti-soldier.  Some shows and movies show the inhumanity of war by making monsters of those who fight in them.  And MASH did a good job of showing all sides of our soldiers who fought.  Some were brave, some were cowards.  Some were virtuous, some were vicious.  But the show felt more like a sampling of all sides of human nature rather than an attack or a hagiography of the military.

3.  It Started With the Funny.
The early episodes were much, much sillier than the latter.  By starting with a goofier tone, the humor became disarming.  Viewers were more at ease with the tougher issues presented because they felt comfortable with the merry pranksters of the 4077.

As I wrote earlier, the show slowly began to transition to heavier and heavier subjects.  The tone became darker and the humor turned from silly to ironic.  (It made the exact opposite transition that Night Court did)

I know a number of people who watched the show from the beginning who preferred the older crew.  But I disagree.  I believe that the later episodes are superior to the earlier ones.  I prefer hard-edged Col. Potter (Harry Morgan) to the doltish Col. Blake (McLean Stevenson).  I enjoyed the layers to the arrogant Maj. Winchester (David Ogden Stiers) over the one-dimensional Maj. Burns (Larry Linville).  And just because a show adds more gravitas, it doesn't mean that it becomes less funny.

The connection to the characters made the humor all the more touching.  Take Winchester, for example.  He could be every bit the butt of jokes as the over-inflated, pompous windbag that he was.  But he had depth that made me care about his humor.  I have never forgotten the episode where he brings in sheet music for a piano playing soldier who has lost the use of a hand.  He said to him, "I could play the notes, but I could never make the music."  And then I was lost in the playing.  (you can hear a sample of the music below)




And the acting was superb.  Alda has never been better.  As the series went on, all of the cast got to show their range as actors.

As a Catholic, I love the way that the main priest Fr. Mulcahy (William Christopher) is portrayed.  He is not perfect.  In fact, he is called out in one episode as being too sheltered, too soft.  But he was always portrayed as a decent man and a good priest who tried his best.  My favorite memory of him from the show was from the finale.  The 4077th was getting bombed and while everyone ducked for cover, some enemy combatants were exposed.  Of those with him, only Fr. Mulcahy ran out to save them, to great personal cost.

Of course, as a Catholic I wasn't a fan of the infidelity, womanizing, and drunkenness that occurred on that base.  But the show did a good job of showing consequences.  Who could forget the episode where Hawkeye entered the OR drunk and what happened later between him and Radar?

The show was at its worst when it got preachy.  The producers and writers were very passionate about their positions, especially on war.  But all art is tarnished when it becomes a lecture.  And at times, MASH couldn't help itself.  But fortunately for them, their talent overcame this deficit.

And in those years, there are some classic unforgettable moments like:

-Radar entering the OR to talk about Col. Blake.
-The real-time episode to save a soldier's legs.
-Hawkeye going blind
-Col. Potter sharing a rare bottle with his new best friends.
-Burns charging Hawkeye for mutiny
-The newsreel interview episode
-The nightmare horror episode
-The 4077 leaving Hawkeye, Radar, and Hot Lips behind to tend a wounded patient.

TV THRESHOLD
"To Market, To Market" (1x02)

The pilot to the series gives you an idea of what you are in for.  But the second episode is what solidifies the show's nature.  In this episode you feel the dynamic of Hawkeye and his Trapper (Wayne Rogers) (and later replaced by Hunnicut (Mike Ferrel)), bending and breaking the rules however and whenever they can to help their patients.  You understand after this episode that the lead heroes are a little insane.  But they live in a world where their Colonel can get an oak desk but their patients can't get necessary medicine.  The crazy response to this situation is both humorous and poignant.

JUMP THE SHARK
N/A
11 Seasons and MASH was still strong.  In fact, to make this point, let us look at…

BEST EPISODE
"Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" (Series Finale)

The finest series finale on television ever.
Period.

After almost a dozen years on television, MASH did not lose a single step.  And the finale brings this home.  There were moments that were drop dead funny, like the goodbye between Hawkeye and Hot Lips.  And there were moments that were heartbreaking, like what happened on the bus.

But what makes this the best series finale is that absolute sense of closure and catharsis.  You have an individual moment with each of the main characters where they literally say goodbye to each other and to you.  I could go on and on about the finale, but it is something to be experienced.


OVERALL

MASH is a show that has been often imitated and never duplicated.  It is the greatest dramadey that has ever been on television.  It is a show that sticks with you and still holds up after 30 years being off the air.  It is one of the greatest television experiences you can have, where you feel the transition over the course of slow years.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Starving for Secular Saints

(this essay is a companion piece to my latest New Evangelizers Article: "Philanthropy vs. Sainthood.")

Secular Starving for Saints.

I remember a number of years ago both Mother Teresa and Princess Diana died around the same time.  I was a member of prayer group at which someone commented on the contrast between the two women and their lives.  Another member of the group became angry, believing that Princess Diana was being unfairly maligned in the comparison.

I pray that this article does not have the same effect, though I fear it might.  So please from the outset, know that I am not here to criticize the good works or moral courage of anyone.  If I come off as belligerent, it is a failure of my skills as a writer and not a matter of intention.

I have been thinking a lot about the men and women of the magazine Charlie Hebdo who were murdered by Muslim terrorists in recent weeks.  They were assassinated because they mocked Islam.  This horrible act of savagery has been condemned by millions around the world.  But the part of the response to this murder that I have not been able to understand is the unifying cry of “Je Suis Charlie,” meaning “I am Charlie.”

I believe that any rational person would agree that those killed at Charlie Hebdo are victims of a great injustice.  No one deserves to be the target of violence because they use free speech to express ideas that offend you.  Every human person has dignity and has the right to live free from the fear of losing their lives over self-expression.

But the cry of “Je Suis Charlie” sounds less like an act of empathy with a victim and more like an elevation and embrace of the magazine and its values.  Forgive me if I am misinterpreting this, but it is a world of difference to say “Justice for Charlie” and “I am Charlie.”  The former means conforming society to make sure justice is served.  The latter implies that Charlie Hebdo is good.

But Charlie Hebdo is a magazine that attacks people of faith.  In a recent Christmas issue, they published a disgusting cartoon that mocked Christ’s virgin birth on Christmas.  They published a cartoon that depicted the Holy Trinity as an incestual orgy.  I could go on, but you get the idea. 
Does this mean that Charlie Hebdo’s staff deserved to be the victim of violence?  Of course not!

But being the victim of injustice does not make you a hero or a saint, someone that inspires you to say “I am” him.  But why make this cry at all?  Why not say, “Down with terrorism,” or “We remember Charlie,” instead of the hagiographic “I am Charlie?”

I think this stems from the human need for heroes.  We need people to admire.  We need role models.  And in this world, that is truer than ever.

The problem, I think, we conflate good works and sanctity.

I recently reviewed the movie St. Vincent, starring Bill Murray.  It was a fairly raunchy movie with a fairly nice theme: you can find the good even the seemingly worst people.  This is a truth that we must embrace.  Christ always called us to see the good in others, especially those marginalized by society. 

But my biggest problem with the movie is that it warped the definition of “saint.”  In the film, Murray’s character has many vices (drinking, adultery, gambling), but he also does great works of charity and kindness.  And it is because of these virtues, he is called a modern day saint.

But saints are not saints only because they do the good. 

They are saints because they have radically devoted themselves to God.

Yet in the modern world I think many of us are looking for a compromise; we want some kind of secular saint that inspires us to virtue but does not challenge us too much.

Was the magazine Charlie Hebdo brave for making fun of religion?  I suppose some could see that.  But they are not saintly.  I’m sure the publishers would not claim to be saints either, but that only furthers the point that “I am Charlie” maybe is not the best sign of support.

The media gives glowing coverage to the philanthropy of Hollywood celebrities like George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, and Sean Penn.  And of course every good work should be praised.  But philanthropy is not sainthood.  Should we model their generosity?  Yes.  But we might not want to model their lives.  Clooney has famously had several lovers, Jolie broke up a marriage, and Penn was once arrested for horribly beating his ex-wife.

Forgive me for once again repeating my caveat: I mean no disrespect to the good work done by those like Clooney, Jolie, and Penn.  I am not attacking them for their good work.  Nor am I saying that you have to be perfect to give to charity.  Heaven knows that should my life be put under the microscope, I would be found wanting.

But look at it this way: if the current accusations against Bill Cosby are true, no amount of good works could balance out the moral scales in his favor. 

No amount of good, by itself makes you a saint.  But as I said, I think our society wants charity and philanthropy alone to be enough.  We live our lives on our own terms, forgiving and excusing our own vices.  And we think acts of outward kindness will undo the bad.  And while this is consistent with the Hindu idea of Karma, it is not reality.

Saints do not wink at their own sins.  They remove them by the grace of God and with great moral effort.  We are all called to be saints and so we must be about the business of living virtue and avoiding vice so as to be radically committed to Christ.

Coming back to my original point, saying “I am Charlie” creates a false sense of goodness and admiration.  It sounds like the admiration we level on the great moral heroes we call the saints.


Words matter.  If you tell me that we should stand united against terrorists who attack those who engage in freedom of speech, then I agree with you.  But I am not Charlie.  I want to be something better.  I want to be a saint.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

New Evangelizers Post: Philanthropy vs. Sainthood

I have a new article up at NewEvangelizers.com

What does it mean to be a saint?

In ancient times, this could mean anyone who is a part of the Christian community.  Today when we speak of saints, we are talking about those people of heroic grace and virtue on whom we can model our lives.

As someone obsessed with movies, I always thought that Batman Begins had a very Catholic understanding of the need for saints.  Bruce Wayne says, “People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy and I can’t do that as Bruce Wayne. As a man, I’m flesh and blood, I can be ignored, I can be destroyed; but as a symbol… as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting.”

The character understands that people need others to inspire them.  We hold our saints up as symbols of Christ like living.  

It is very human to desire role models.  We all look for heroes to follow.  This is why the Church has tapped into this very natural desire and has given us such a large and diverse communion of saints to follow.

But we must be careful about our heroes.  And we must not fall into the trap of believing good works alone make a person holy.  How often does the media hold up some Hollywood celebrity for laudatory praise because of some kind of charitable endeavor?  But good works alone do not make us holy.


You can read the entire article here.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Martin Luther King Day

(originally posted 1 year ago)

I just have a few random thoughts on the secular feast of Martin Luther King.

As cliche as it sounds, I still marvel at his I Have A Dream speech.  It is a marvel of rhetoric and too many people have tried to imitate with its lofty rhetoric and his echoing voice.

I have always held his principle of a Color Blind Society as the true end goal of the Civil Rights Movement.  Anything which seeks to sub-divide us by race is antithetical to the American Dream.

My father began working with American doctors at Clarke Air Base in the Philippines.  I once asked him at dinner if he ever experienced racism from the white doctors there.  He he gave a little shrug and said "Sure," and then continued eating.  When I asked him how he handled it, he said, "I worked harder than anyone to be the best doctor there so that they knew to respect me."

To me, that is best way to fight back against racial bigots.  Success is the best victory.  But that only comes with hard work and perseverance.  My dad had no chip on his shoulder over ill treatment.  He figured you're going to get stupid people in life.  The only thing to do is be excellent.

On a lighter note, there is a reason beyond his importance that MLK is revered today as a secular saint. Ask any school child about him, and they will say that he is a great man.  How do children know this intuitively?  Because they get the day off of school because of him.

Ask them who the greatest presidents are and they will say Washington and Lincoln?  They get a day off of school because of them too.

You can imagine how important Jesus is: you get 3 weeks off because of Him.  He must have been great!

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Sunday Best: Golden Globe Results 2015 and Oscar Game

Last Sunday's Golden Globes were… long.  Here are some of my thoughts:

THE GOOD:
-Fargo won a good deal of recognition, and rightly so.  It was awesome.
-Michael Keaton's speech gave a nice shout-out to family, mass, and the rosary
-Fey and Poehler made me laugh.
-Kevin Spacey won a well-deserved award and gave a very nice speech.

THE BAD
-with the exception of Gervais, none of the other presenters made me laugh
-Alison Tolman should have won for Fargo
-it seems like most speeches had someone up there trying to say something "important," but it felt annoying.

THE PREDICTABLE
-Transparent and The Normal Heart won awards.
-The Affair sounded pretentious, so I thought it would win.

Overall, it was a show with few surprises, but few people to root for.

As I wrote last year, the Golden Globes are less and less of a predictor of Oscars than they used to be.

YEAR
GOLDEN GLOBE
BEST DRAMA
GOLDEN GLOBE BEST COMEDY
OSCAR BEST PICTURE
2001
A Beautiful Mind
Moulin Rouge!
A Beautiful Mind
2002
The Hours
Chicago
Chicago
2003
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lost in Translation
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004
The Aviator
Sideways
Million Dollar Baby
2005
Brokeback Mountain
Walk the Line
Crash
2006
Babel
Dreamgirls
The Departed
2007
Atonement
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
No Country for Old Men
2008
Slumdog Millionaire
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Slumdog Millionaire
2009
Avatar
The Hangover
The Hurt Locker
2010
The Social Network
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
2011
The Descendants
The Artist
The Artist
2012
Argo
Les Miserables
Argo
2013
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
12 Years a Slave
2014
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel




Now, let's move on to the Oscars:

As I wrote earlier this week, I am not very excited about most of the nominees.  Although I did just see American Sniper and I finally have a Best Picture nominee to root for.

This is important, otherwise, the show would be even more boring.

I would like to invite any of you readers to participate in my annual Oscar Game.

Just click this link.

The game goes like this:

OBJECT: Get the most points!

HOW TO PLAY:  Fill out a score sheet for each category with your choice (who you want to win) and your prediction (who you think WILL win).

On the night of the Oscars, give yourself a point for each correct guess in MY PREDICTIONS.  If you get a prediction wrong, subtract 1 point.  Give yourself 3 points each correct guess in MY CHOICE.  There is no penalty for incorrect guesses for MY CHOICE.

For example:

Category
BEST DIRECTOR
-MY CHOICE = Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
-MY PREDICTION = Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

BEST ACTOR
-MY CHOICE = Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher"
-MY PREDICTION = Bradley Cooper, "American Sniper"

BEST ACTRESS
-MY CHOICE = Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
-MY PREDICTION = Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"


If Wes Anderson wins Best Director, gain 1 point for a correct guess in MY PREDICTIONS, but no points for an incorrect MY CHOICE  (total points = 1)

If Steve Carell wins Best Actor, gain 3 points, for a correct MY CHOICE, but subtract 1 point for an incorrect MY PREDICTION (total points = 2)

If Julianne Moore wins Best Actress, gain 3 points for correct MY CHOICE and 1 correct MY PREDICTION.  (total points =4)

You may NOT make a guess for a MY CHOICE in a category if you have not seen any of the films in the category.  You may, however, make a blind guess for the MY PREDICTION section even if you have not seen any of the nominees.

PARTICIPATION:

Fill out the below score sheet and send it to me.  I will be the designated score-keeper.  You may change any choice up until the broadcast begins.

The winner will receive bragging rights and recognition on this blog.

You can change your answers up until the broadcast.  Here is my ballot:

NameCatholic Skywalker
BEST PICTURE - MY CHOICE"American Sniper"
BEST PICTURE - MY PREDICTION"Boyhood"
BEST DIRECTOR - MY CHOICEMorten Tyldum, "The Imitation Game"
BEST DIRECTOR - MY PREDICTIONRichard Linklater, "Boyhood"
BEST ACTOR - MY CHOICEBradley Cooper, "American Sniper"
BEST ACTOR - MY PREDICTIONEddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"
BEST ACTRESS - MY CHOICERosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
BEST ACTRESS - MY PREDICTIONJulianne Moore, "Still Alice"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - MY CHOICEDID NOT SEE
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - MY PREDICTIONJ.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - MY CHOICEKeira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - MY PREDICTIONPatricia Arquette, "Boyhood"
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY - MY CHOICE"American Sniper" (Jason Hall)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY - MY PREDICTION"The Imitation Game" (Graham Moore)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY - MY CHOICEDID NOT SEE
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY - MY PREDICTION"Foxcatcher" (E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - MY CHOICE"Unbroken" (Roger Deakins)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - MY PREDICTION"Birdman" (Emmanuel Lubezki)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN - MY CHOICE"Into the Woods" (Colleen Atwood)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN - MY PREDICTION"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Milena Canonero)
BEST FILM EDITING - MY CHOICE"American Sniper" (Joel Cox, Gary Roach)
BEST FILM EDITING - MY PREDICTION"Boyhood" (Sandra Adair)
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING - MY CHOICE"Guardians of the Galaxy"
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING - MY PREDICTION"Foxcatcher"
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MY CHOICE"Interstellar" (Hans Zimmer)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MY PREDICTION"The Imitation Game" (Alexandre Desplat)
BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MY CHOICE"Lost Stars" from "Begin Again"
BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MY PREDICTION"Glory" from "Selma"
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN - MY CHOICE"Interstellar" (Nathan Crowley; Gary Fettis, Paul Healy)
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN - MY PREDICTION"The Imitation Game" (Maria Djurkovic; Tatiana Macdonald)
BEST SOUND EDITING - MY CHOICE"Interstellar"
BEST SOUND EDITING - MY PREDICTION"Interstellar"
BEST SOUND MIXING - MY CHOICE"Interstellar"
BEST SOUND MIXING - MY PREDICTION"American Sniper"
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS - MY CHOICE"X-Men: Days of Future Past"
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS - MY PREDICTION"Interstellar"
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM - MY CHOICE"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM - MY PREDICTION"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM - MY CHOICEDID NOT SEE
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM - MY PREDICTION"Ida" (Pawel Pawlikowski; Poland)
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - MY CHOICEDID NOT SEE
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - MY PREDICTION"CITIZENFOUR"
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT - MY CHOICEDID NOT SEE
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT - MY PREDICTION"White Earth"
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM- MY CHOICEDID NOT SEE
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM- MY PREDICTION"Me and My Moulton"
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM- MY CHOICEDID NOT SEE
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM- MY PREDICTION"Boogaloo and Graham"

When guessing for MY PREDICTION, my rule of thumb is to choose the most pretentious title.

So I invite all of you to join in the fun!


----

Below are my collected LIVE TWEETS from Golden Globes night (chronological from the bottom to the top).