Sunday Best: Actors of All Time #10 - Ben Kingsley

photo by SBClick

GREAT PERFORMANCES

 Iron Man 3
 Hugo
 Shutter Island
 The Last Legion
 The Confession
 Twelfth Night
 Schindler's List
 Searching for Bobby Fischer
 Dave
 Sneakers
 Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story (TV Movie)
 Without a Clue
 Gandhi


When people think of Sir Ben Kingsley, I'm sure that many think of his Academy Award winning performance in Gandhi, and rightly so.  Kingsley captured the "great-souled one" not only in outward expression and appearance, but also in inward strength of character.

But what I love about Ben Kingsley is his incredible restraint.  He once said that the key to film acting is "stillness, stillness, stillness."  The camera picks up every detail, so make every detail count.  It reminds me of Bruce Lee talking about his 1-inch punch.  Kingsley uses that same intensity under the surface.

In Shutter Island, he plays the head of a mental institute whose motives are not clear.  Kingsley uses that restraint to let the audience paint their own fears and hopes on the character.  On a second viewing, you can see that he plays the character exactly how he should given the hidden secrets of the story.  In Searching for Bobby Fischer, there is a cloud of melancholy that covers his character.  But Kingsley does not overplay his hand.  He holds back and holds back without ever feeling as if he is simply cold.  As the aged George Milieus in Hugo, Kingsley lets the layers of time and disappointment weigh down the flame inside of his "magician" so that you yearn for someone to break through his walls.

This restraint also comes through in one of his best performances as Itzhak Stern in Schindler's List.  Kingsley hides in the unassuming form of a man who knows that he can do the most good by quietly doing the work that needs to be done.  Schindler himself notes this, how Stern is able to quietly get his way.  But the scene that breaks my heart is where Schindler says that he and Stern will have a drink together after all of this Holocaust madness will end.  Kingsley finally lets parts of the dam break, but not completely, as tears fall down his stoic face.

He also is able to seamlessly jump from drama to comedy.  This is an underrated skill as there are a number of fantastic dramatic actors that cannot succeed in comedy.  His turn as Watson in Without a Clue is a model of the comedy of frustration.  This is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen and the chemistry he exudes with Michael Caine is fantastic.  He knows exactly how to play Watson for maximum laughs.  He also knows when to play the straight man.  In Dave, he has a small part as a straight-laced VP.  But even in that small part, he brought integrity and dignity to a character that needed to be there while Kevin Kline got all the laughs.

But all this talk of restraint should not give the impression that Kingsley cannot become larger than life. [IRON MAN 3 SPOILERS the rest of this paragraph]  When people talk about Iron Man 3, they often talk about the twist regarding Kingsley's character, and the comedic turn he takes as Trevor Slatery.  And I have to admit I quite enjoyed his cheeky turn with his low-brow accent.  But that shouldn't take away from his performance as the Mandarin.  Just from the trailers, I could feel the danger in his voice. He (Kingsley as Trevor) created a character that was so expertly crafted as the ultimate terrorist that it took a genius like Kingsley to craft it.

Kinglsey also has other deliciously scene chewing performances like his Ambrosinus in The Last Legion or his Cosmo in Sneakers.  In the latter, I particularly love the part where he says, "I cannot kill my friend.  (he turns to his henchmen)  Kill my friend."

But his best performance, I think is in a little seen movie called The Confession.  He plays an older man whose young son dies.  He then murders the hospital workers who failed to see the boy and help him.  The performance is rage and madness and murder and righteousness all at once with Kingsley's signature restraint, but he at one point lets the madness take him and he breaks down completely.  Kingsley plays all of these horrid contradictions of a man who knows right from wrong and very willingly does what is wrong and also willingly desires justice be done to him.  Even though he does something evil, you cannot help but have your heart break for him, and mysteriously, you want to win his approval.

There are many of Ben Kingsley's performances I have yet to see that have heard are excellent, like his Oscar nominated turn in Sexy Beast.  But I look forward to seeing more of this master at work.

New Evangelizers Post: Catholic Pop Culture 2013

I have another article up at NewEvangalizers.com

There are many vulgar and immoral things in today’s popular culture.  As a good friend of mine said, “Television today is a moral cesspool.”  I therefore understand the impulse and reaction of many who choose not to spend their free time sullying their minds and souls with immoral dreck.

But while we don’t have to indulge in pop culture, we ignore it at our own peril.  We must be engaged with the popular culture or risk losing a foothold on the minds and imaginations of the people.  By knowing what immorality is espoused by the popular culture can give us an advantage in combating it.

But that is not the focus of today’s article.  Instead, I would like to focus on the most Catholic moments in pop culture from the past year.  As a teacher, I have found that using the language of modern television, movies, and the like can be very effective at illustrating all manner of theological truths.

St. Augustine tended to be of the mindset that things which are not explicitly religious should be avoided.  However, the tradition we inherit from St. Thomas Aquinas holds that we should embrace what is good and can be used to delight or illuminate.

It should be noted that any mention of positive examples from movies or television shows below is not an endorsement of the entire of the entire project.  Some stories have mixed messages.  Or some may be too explicit or violent.  This is merely a touchstone to highlight any good moments that came out of pop culture in 2013.  And feel free to disagree.  But here are some points that I intend to use in the classroom.

Beware, in order to discuss the Catholicity of the movies and television shows below, SPOILERS may be introduced.

You can read the whole thing here.

TARDIS Travels: Exploring Doctor Who part 1

My wife and I have been convalescing from an illness.  So we used this time to catch up on two series we have put on the back burner:  Fullmetal Alchemist and Doctor Who.

Of the former, I'm sure I will write later.  But I wish to focus on the later.  And something tells me I will be writing more and more on this.

Doctor Who has been in my mind for a long time.  I had very little experience with the original series, except a few moments of seeing Tom Baker, the Fourth Doctor, on PBS.  I remember begin creeped out by the tone of what I saw, confused by what looked like a sci-fi show on a soap opera set, but intrigued.

And over the years I've heard more and more about the rebooted Doctor Who.  And as time has marched on I've seen more and more people getting sucked into loving the TARDIS traveling alien.

So I have started with the 2005 reboot of the series, intending to catch up to the premiere of the new series staring Peter Capaldi.

I just finished Season 1 and I have a few observations:

WARNING: SOME SPOILERS FOR SEASON 1 BELOW

1.  Tone.  The series has a very odd tone that is strange and comedic but then flips into serious melodrama.  I'm not saying this is bad, but it can be problematic.  The only show I've seen that has handled the incredibly silly and the direly serious in such close proximity is NBC's Chuck.  Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer was, for the most part, a serious show with comedic elements.  On Doctor Who, the silliness seems baked right in.  It is difficult to take seriously a dire threat to the world when your enemy a bunch of farting aliens.

2.  Social Commentary.  Charlie Rose once asked Steve Jobs and John Lassiter if it was easier to do political commentary in cartoons because the medium allows for disconnect from immediate places and events.  Both men said that they didn't wish to do any politics in their cartoons, because when you tie a piece of art to a particular social issue, it is no longer timeless.  Watching the first season, it is clear that the producers were trying to make several comments about 24-hour news, reality TV, militarism, etc.  But they make the show that should be outside of space and time feel dated.  I remember when Stewie on Family Guy teased someone for making an outdated Weakest Link joke.  And yet there is an episode that is based around that long forgotten TV show.

3.  Slow build.  One of the things I liked about the show was that as the season started coming to a close, it brought together threads from all of the previous episodes that seemed to be unrelated.  I always like this form of storytelling, where there is a pattern, but you were so wrapped up in the smaller story that you barely noticed.

4.  Christopher Eccleston.  A lot of the time his mannerisms seemed way over the top, especially his over-exubberance.  But when the moments became quiet, when he let the cheery charade down, I could see some real charisma in his eyes.  My take on his Doctor was that of a man of deep sorrow and rage doing his best to lose himself in the wonder of another (Rose), hoping to become the man he is pretending to be.  Maybe I'm wrong, but that was my impression.

5.  Sadness.  There is a lot of sadness in Doctor Who beneath all of the silliness.  The episode "Father's Day" was a tragic as it was inevitable.  And when the Doctor regenerated, I had come to realize that I had actually become quite attached to Eccleston's performance, even with the issues I had.  Watching his final scenes with Rose was heartbreaking.

So those are my observations.  I'll check in when I get through Season 2

Film Review: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Ben Stiller movies always look so interesting to me.  And yet he never fails in disappointing.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is probably Stiller's best movie as he stars and directs this film about a daydreaming wallflower.  Walter is a lovable shy guy with a crush on the new girl Cheryl (Kristen Wiig) at Life Magazine.  While he pines away, he gets caught up in these elaborate fantasies of heroism or adventure to compensate for his flat, gray life.  As Life Magazine prepares to publish its final issue, he is given the final film role from world famous photographer Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn).  But the most important negative is not on the reel.  Walter then takes it upon himself to break out of his shell and travel the world in search of Sean and the missing photo.

I have to say that the cinematography is gorgeous.  Director of Photography Stuart Dryburgh should get an Oscar nomination if not the award itself.  Stiller uses his images to their maximum effect.  The places that he travels, both in his mind and in real life, come to us in vivid powerful punches.  I could not take my eyes off of the visuals.  His use of color is fantastic and he knows what pallets to use to give impressions of temperature, emphasis, and emotional impact.  Watching Stiller skateboard down a barren Icelandic highway was lyrical and beautiful.

And the first half of the movie hums along really well.  You feel the build up of Walter trying to become something other than he is.  I enjoyed his over-the-top fantasies, as someone who also is a serial daydreamer.  It was nice to see someone else slip into a vivid HD world of the imagination.  As Walter begins to travel the world, you try to put together the clues with him to find Sean, like a big screen "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?"

But the main problem is the script.  There is WAY too much dialogue.  What I mean is that something happens and then later on the characters rehash what happened.  There is a running joke with an online support person (Patton Oswalt) who converses with Walter throughout the movie.  During these sessions, Walter brings Oswalt's character up to date with things we just witnessed.  It brings the movie to a screeching halt each time.

Also, about halfway through the film, Watler returns to New York from his search.  Now while this is another plot device that gets Walter to another piece of the puzzle, it felt like it took all the wind out of the narrative sails.  Could you imagine if halfway to Mordor, Frodo had the eagles take him back to the Shire for a weekend?  There is also a lot of narrative dead weight with a subplot with his mother (Shirley MacLaine) and his sister (Kathryn Hahn).

But the themes work well, especially the contrast between publishing Life and living life.  You root for Walter.  In an important scene, he has a daydream sequence where Cheryl begins to sing to him in a karaoke bar.  This effective blend of his imaginative side to the resolving of his courage was a very nice story element.

I think that Stiller's directing shows someone who has greatness in them.  He just needs to learn how to tell a leaner, cleaner story.  All of his movies (Tropic Thunder, Cable Guy, Reality Bites) are weighed down by clunky narratives.  It is a shame, because in each of these, most especially The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, you can tell that if they just let go of the anchors, the film would soar.

3 and 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Sunday Best: Actors of All Time #11 - Ian McKellen

GREAT PERFORMANCES

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 

 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 

 King Lear (TV Movie) 

X-Men: The Last Stand 

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 

 X2 

 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 

 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 

 X-Men 

 Apt Pupil 

 Richard III 

And the Band Played On...

A Performance of Macbeth (TV Movie) 

I am making two exceptions when it comes to #11 on the list, Ian McKellen.  First, I've included TV movies, something I have tried to omit from every one else's list.  Second, some of these TV movies are simply tapings of stage performances.  Some my gripe about inconsistency, but I don't think you can appreciate McKellen's acting genius without at least one of these roles.  (and it is my list and I'll do with it what I want :)

Let us first talk about his other film performances.

He received an Oscar nomination for his role as Richard III in the movie of the same name.  His performance was diabolical and purely evil.  But what he did with his monologues was look at you, the audience, as if you were his secret conspirator.  He wasn't just confessing his ill intents and pre-meditated crimes.  He was bragging.  It felt as if he was trying to impress you, and by doing so drawing you to his side.  It was an inventive way to get you to follow the villain.

He played another evil individual in Apt Pupil.  He starts as an old, decrepit man who is blackmailed into reliving his days as a Nazi.  But then he begins to come alive in the darkness and he gains strength from it.  It was as if the we saw a sleeping monster awaken.  He eyes, is gestures… everything about him sharpened with deadly precision.

He is of course most famous for 2 roles: Magneto and Gandalf.  To the former, he is one of the most important on screen comic book villains.  What makes his performance so great in the X-Men movies is that he plays Magneto as evil.  I know many talk about the performance as a sympathetic one, and it is. He exudes charisma and bitter experience when speaking about war.  But beneath all of that, McKellen does not give you compassion.  Instead there is a condescension, a derisive outlook.  You almost fall for it, but McKellen shows you how much he is a coward (when confronted by Wolverine in the Statue of Liberty, Stryker in his cell, or Jean Grey with the cure weapon).  He also shows you how genocidal he is.  McKellen's Magneto is a broken monster, but a monster nonetheless.

And it is an incredible foil to the heroic Gandalf.  He received another Oscar nomination for this part, and rightly so.  McKellen brought a Shakespearean respectability to a movie about trolls and dwarves and magic rings.  In the books, Gandalf always seemed cold and distant to me.  And yet McKellen could read the exact same words and fill them with varying emotions.  When I read "Fly, you fools." I always pictured Gandalf as being stoically angry.  But upon seeing McKellen say that iconic line, I was emotionally gut punched.  They were the words of a man who knew he was dead, and his last thoughts were only of what could motivate those he love to avoid his fate.  

And watch the subtle differences he brings to his portrayal of Gandalf the Gray vs. Gandalf the White.  There are differences in movement, of posture, etc.  But the biggest difference I found was a sense of melancholy.  Gandalf the White bears a sadness to him that is not there in Gandalf the Gray.  And yet, he speaks the most hopeful words of the movie.  His speech about the journey after death is so moving that I hope that someone like him is with me as prepare to make that final transition to the white shores.

This is one of the reasons why watching him in The Hobbit movies is so much fun: this Gandalf is more playful.  McKellen still plays him as the weight of the world on his shoulders, but he gives him more youth and enjoyment from the simple pleasures and adventures of Middle Earth.

As I said at the beginning, I've included a few TV movies as well.  His performance in And the Band Played On… is much more subtle than any of his other work, but he disappears into the life of a quiet, sick man.  He performance of madness in King Lear is sad and tragic to behold.  But it is his Macbeth that gives me pause.  Upon seeing this performance, I was in awe.  His Macbeth is human and craven and terrified and terrorizing and arrogant and weak and hateful and pitiable all at the same time.

Just watch the madness of evil take hold of his soul!  This is acting at its finest.  McKellen makes you feel the dark tendrils of sin worm their way around his callow conscience and crack through to corrupt his heart.  Watching this is harrowing to me.  Truly harrowing.  I have very rarely been affected by a performance like this, which is why I had to include in accolades to the #11 greatest actor of all time.

Trailer Time: Veronica Mars

I cannot tell you how excited I am for the Veronica Mars movie.

Those who watched the show know how excellent it was.  It just never found an audience wide enough on the CW.  I don't know how accessible this will be to non-VM fans, but that doesn't matter.  This was a movie financed by the fans and it is made for the fans.

Thoughts?

(if this video does not come up on your mobile device, click this link)

Wednesday Comics: Catholic Skywalker Awards - Best of 2013

Catholic Skywalker: Best in Comics:

Best Series

Green Lantern

This year marked the end of Geoff John's legendary run on The Emerald Knight.  He did it in a way that, while a bit rushed, brought together all the threads and story arcs from his entire time on the book into a cacophony of awesomeness.  He has created the definitive Hal Jordan story that will never be topped.  The art by Doug Manke matched the overwhelming visual and emotional grandeur of the story.  Hal had to confront his deepest fears, his biggest failures, his deadliest rivals, and his old authorities.  And the epilogue is one of my favorite moments int he entire run.

Amazingly, the man who had the unenviable task of taking over the reins for Johns, Robert Venditti, has been doing an amazing job.  His first major story arc, Lights Out, was big, bold, imaginative, and unique.  I am so glad that they found someone who really understood the Green Lantern universe and has continued the quality I've come to expect from this amazing series.

Best Mini-Series

Locke and Key: Alpha

The final installments of Joe Hill's and Gabriel Iglesies's horror masterpiece has come to a close.  And what a finish it was.  I cannot reveal the details of the ending, but the final confrontation with the evil monsters was terrifying, action-packed, and heart-breaking.  Death and tragedy surround the ending.  But that is how it should be.  Any resolution should not be cheaply won.  Real sacrifice is needed to bring emotional closer to the story.

And closure it the name of the game in the last book.  Hill brings the story full circle, and Iglesies makes some wonderful visual call backs to the very first issue.  Unlike the final issue of Johns' Green Lantern, which felt rushed, Hill took his time to let us all say goodbye to the people and places we've come to know in Lovecraft, Massachusetts. 

Best Single Issue

Green Lantern #20

(from my review of this issue on my blog)

 Johns also wisely ties together loose ends from all of his major epics in his Green Lantern run, like a composer weaving earlier movements and motifs into a grand guignol.  It reminded me so much of what James Robinson did in his conclusion to the incomparable Starman.  Each callback is a thrill and a delight.  And there is a moment where Sinestro confronts a long-time Green Lantern villain that has the trademark "I didn't see that coming but should have" feel to it.  

My favorite moment (MILD SPOILER THIS PARAGRAPH), by far, is between Hal and Sinestro.  In a way, this series has always been about the 2 of them.  Way back in the series, Hal was bringing Sinestro to his execution (things, obviously, did not go as planned).  Before they were attacked, Hal wanted to ask Sinestro a question.  He never got the chance.  That dangling mystery has been a key thread to the whole dynamic between these two.  In the end, Hal finally gets to ask it of Sinestro: "Were we ever friends?"  Sinestros answer is so perfect, so powerful, and so devastating that it makes me want to re-read the entire series once again.

The coda to the story involves the Toris, the keeper of the Book of Oa in the far future, telling a new Green Lantern about the fates of all the main characters.  This had the feeling of the epilogue to the Harry Potter series, which splits fans down the middle.  I personally, very much enjoyed the Green Lantern epilogue.  Johns understands that when you spend so many years with these characters, saying goodbye is difficult.  Like parting with close friends, above all you want to know that they are going to be okay.  Johns lays out the path of all the survivors of this epic finale in a way that is logically consistent and emotionally cathartic.

Best Artist

Ivan Reis (Justice League)

photo by Luigi Novi

I know a number of comic book fans preferred highly stylized and idiosyncratic art.  I am more of a classical guy, leaning towards the George Perez end of the spectrum.  This is why I fell in love with Ivan Reis' art this year.  Reis has always been a fantastic talent.  But this year with his work on Justice League, he is now able to play with a cast of characters that show off his amazing visual talent.    I particularly love his use of textures on Superman's costume.  When I know he is drawing a book, I can't wait to see it.

Best Writer

Geoff Johns (Green Lantern, Justice League, Aquaman)

photo from besignyawn

I almost feel a little guilty for making these awards a Geoff Johns' admiration page.  There were some fantastically written books this year, like Waid's Daredevil or the great Peter David and his X-Factor finale.  But the man is such a talent, I could not overlook his work this year.   Justice League has been fast-paced action and game changing character moments, particularly in the exciting and smart Trinity War.  Aquaman has never been this interesting to read, and Johns ended his run too soon and too abruptly for my taste.  But, as seen above, it was his passionate love for the Green Lantern series that made his talent shine forth.  (from my review of the final issue) "I want to end this review with a simple thank you to Mr. Geoff Johns.  I doubt that you will ever read this, but I just wanted to say that reading your work on Green Lantern has given me years of wonder and joy.  Your stories will stay with me.  Thank you for filling my world with Green Lantern's Light."