Contour At The Movies

Overall Impression – Sparks fly in this gentle, goofy, funny movie.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Margaret.

What’s she trying to accomplish? – Professional: convince Andrew’s family and the INS that their upcoming wedding is genuine, and not a sham to secure her a US visa. Personal: become part of a real family.  Private: overcome her fear of opening up emotionally.

Who’s trying to stop her? – Herself, INS Agent Gilbertson, Andrew’s dad, and to a lesser extent, Andrew.

What happens if she fails? – She’ll be deported to Canada, ending her life in the US and destroying her career.  Andrew will be sent to prison, his family will be crushed, and his grandma would probably die from the shock.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Margaret is divorced from her emotions.  She has no friends or family, her job is her life, and she’ll soon to be deported to Canada, leaving the only life she knows.

Wanderer – Margaret devises a plan to marry (temporarily) her assistant, Andrew, in order to secure a US visa and keep her job.  However, INS agent Gilbertson suspects they’re committing fraud, so they have to convince him and everybody they know that the marriage is genuine.  Margaret promises Andrew an editorial position for the risk he’s taking, and they’re off to visit his family… in Alaska.  Margaret must learn about Andrew, soon realizing there’s more to him than she ever imagined.  She also meets his family, including his loving mother, eccentric grandmother, and disapproving father.  Margaret must also learn to cope both with being a city girl in remote Alaska, and being in a family for the first time since she was a kid.

Warrior – When Margaret and Andrew kiss to keep up appearances, they realize there might be a connection between them.  As the wedding approaches, Margaret genuinely tries to get to know Andrew, open up about her past and personality, become part of the family, and fit in with the community.

Martyr – Margaret can’t bear to hurt Andrew and his family, so she comes clean about her scheme, sacrificing her professional life in the US.

AND, IN THE END…

THE PROPOSAL isn’t exactly groundbreaking in terms of the territory it (re)treads, but it does so with two great leads, real chemistry, Alaska, and a bunch of wacky humor.  Seeing a fluffy white puppy get carried off by an eagle might just appeal to my sensibilities, but there’s plenty here for even non rom-com fans to enjoy.

As romantic comedies go, we all know Margaret and Andrew will get together in the end.  The question is, how?  Given everything that stands between them, how can they possibly get together?  The elements that go into posing and answering that question form the meat of the story.  In this case it might be: how can the nicest assistant in the world and his evil ice queen of a boss fall in love when he hates her and she couldn’t care less about him?

It’s a cool dynamic, except main characters need to be sympathetic, and Margaret’s not exactly likable.  In fact, THE PROPOSAL spends much of its time portraying her as UNsympathetic.  One way this was achieved was by having her cause undeserved misfortune – namely, picking on Andrew.  A second way was by having her “kick the dog” – which means targeting something or someone helpless, often but not limited to animals, kids, or the elderly.  Margaret “kicked the dog” pretty literally when she tried to feed that puppy to an eagle!  The opposite goes for creating a sympathetic character: show that they’ve suffered undeserved misfortune and/or have them “pet the dog”.

By making us think of Margaret as a terror, the movie doesn’t just give us an enjoyably mean character, but it sets us up to (hopefully) be surprised and moved when it’s finally revealed that she is, in fact, extremely sympathetic.  Margaret’s a meanie because her parents died when she was a kid, leaving her alone to fend for herself in a cruel world.  Undeserved misfortune.  She also bonds with Andrew’s grandma.  That’s “petting the dog”.

If it strikes your fancy, have a look at similar movies and try to pick out those moments that help define a character as sympathetic or unsympathetic.  The same goes if it’s a reveal that shows a character is actually sympathetic, when you were led to believe they were unsympathetic.

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – An entertaining horror that’s creepy, hilarious, ridiculous… and manages to pull it off.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Christine.

What’s she trying to accomplish? – Professional: break Mrs. Ganush’s curse before the Larnia demon drags her to hell.  Personal: succeed in life (score that promotion at work, impress her fiance’s parents, etc.) Private: figure out whether or not she’s a good person.

Who’s trying to stop her? – Mainly, it’s the Larnia.  We also have lesser antagonists such as Reggie, Christine’s underhanded competitor for a promotion, and Christine’s fiancé, who doesn’t believe in the supernatural.

What happens if she fails? – She’ll spend eternity in fiery hell.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Following Mrs. Ganush’s curse, the down-to-earth Christine is thrown into the world of the supernatural.

Wanderer – Christine visits Rham, a mystic who explains that she’s been cursed with the Larna, a demon that takes three days to manifest before it drags her to hell.  As the Larnia escalates its torment of Christine, she comes to believe in the curse.  Christine thinks she can get Mrs. Ganush to lift the curse, but upon learning she has passed away, Christine is forced to seek Rham’s advice on how to break it.

Warrior – As the Larnia steps up its game and threatens to ruin all aspects of Christine’s life, she fights to break the curse: she sacrifices her pet cat, visits a seer who calls the Larnia into physical form, but when all else fails, her last option is to pass the curse to someone else… living or dead. Throughout everything, Christine tries to win that work promotion and live a normal life with her fiance.

Martyr –  Christine could pass the curse to Reggie, sending him to hell in her place, securing her promotion and making her life perfect again. Instead, she does the right thing… which also turns out to be the grossest: Christine digs into Mrs. Ganush’s mud-filled grave and returns the curse once and for all… or so we think.

AND, IN THE END…

I’m always a little cynical before seeing a horror movie.   Rarely do I find them genuinely scary, and the most they seem to aspire to are sudden loud BANGS! to make you jump.  These are cheap scare tactics, and they used to work, too.  Unfortunately, they’ve become so overused that I can see them coming a mile away.  I know that when the scared woman goes into a kitchen, pots and pans will fall CLANGING to the ground.  I know that when something unseen turns the doorknob, it’ll be followed by a CRASH that splits the wood.  Most modern horror movies don’t even make me jump anymore, and I HATE that!  I LIKE being scared outta my mind!

That’s why I enjoyed DRAG ME TO HELL so much.  It felt like the filmmakers were having a great time playing within the horror genre, to the extent that cliches are embraced, turned on their heads and pushed to the limit!  In addition to getting creative (having a toothless gypsy gumming on Christine’s chin… EEEEUUUGHHHH!), it felt a little like a celebration of horror itself.

Structurally, DRAG ME TO HELL does its job.  THE FOUR QUESTIONS are clearly answered and consistent throughout, and Christine’s growth from ORPHAN to hardcore MARTYR at the end had the audience cheering!

Point of intrigue: in many MARTYR segments you’ll see the hero/heroine undergo a metaphorical rebirth, often through submersion in water, and even more frequently in a cave-like location.  It’s here that our hero/heroine makes their final transition into the character they need to become and/or finally displays the traits they need to display to achieve their PROFESSIONAL/PERSONAL/PRIVATE goals.  In DRAG ME TO HELL, it’s when Christine seemingly drowns in Mrs. Ganush’s grave (cave-like and watery!), only to burst out a true warrior who’s willing to die and be reborn in order to win the day.

Can you name other movies with a comparable MARTYR moment?  Think of Jack cuffed to the pipe as the TITANIC sinks.  Think STAR WARS trash compactor scene.  Both of these scenes feature submersion in a cave-like place, and the trend emerges in a surprising number of flicks.  Keep an eye out for them!

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – Woooweeewowow!  What’d you expect?  It’s Pixar!

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Carl.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: achieve his and his late wife Ellie’s dream of living on Paradise Falls. Personal: develop a connection to somebody. Private: find the true meaning of adventure.

Who’s trying to stop him? – Charles Muntz and his talking dogs, Carl’s own inhibitions, and plenty of lesser antagonists.

What happens if he fails? – Muntz will kill them, capture Kevin (a rare bird), and Carl will never fulfill the promise of adventure that he and Ellie shared.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – After Ellie passes away, Carl’s left totally alone in the world.

Wanderer – Instead of moving to a retirement home, Carl decides to fulfill his promise of adventure to Ellie: to live on Paradise Falls!  So, he creates an airship by attaching thousands of balloons to his house and flies off on his journey!  Unfortunately, so does Russell, a ‘Wilderness Explorer’ who was stuck on the porch!  As Carl learns to handle the ultra-enthusiastic, yet slow-witted Russell, they navigate to a strange land, and the only way Carl can pull the floating house to Paradise Falls is with Russell’s help.  Along the way, they encounter a rare bird which Russell names Kevin, and also a talking dog named Dug, whom they soon discover is owned by Carl’s childhood hero, legendary hunter/explorer Charles Muntz!

Warrior – When Carl and Russell discover that Muntz is not only a little insane, but has been hunting Kevin, it’s time to RUN!   They escape the crazed explorer and his dogs,  but Kevin injures her leg.  Russell implores Carl to help Kevin back to her chicks, which he does, only for Muntz to track Dug, capture Kevin and set fire to Carl’s house.  Angry and refusing to break his promise to Ellie, Carl finishes his journey to Paradise Falls instead of rescuing Kevin.  However, Carl discovers that he already realized his promise: Ellie’s dream adventure was their wonderful life together, and her last wish was for him to start his own adventure.  Carl’s about to apologize to Russell, only to discover that he’s left alone to rescue Kevin!  Desperate to fix his mistake, Carl flies his house after Muntz, and has to fight though his flying zeppelin and scores of fighter dog pilots to rescue his new friend!

Martyr – Having lived his adventure with Ellie, Carl is able to let go of his house in order to save the day.

AND, IN THE END…

Oh, did I love this movie.  UP kicks off with one of the most involving opening montages I’ve ever seen.  From that moment on, you’re hooked, you’re involved, and THE FOUR QUESTIONS are addressed in an elegant, engrossing and economical way:

We meet Carl as a kid.  We meet Muntz (who’ll become Carl’s enemy).  We understand Carl’s desire for adventure. We meet Ellie.  She and Carl swear to one day go on an adventure to Paradise Falls.  They grow up, life gets in the way, then we lose Ellie, allowing us to understand the driving force behind the entire movie.  By the end, Carl’s a lonely shut-in whose only wish is that they’d gone on their adventure.  Already, we’ve either answered or begun to answer the FOUR QUESTIONS, and have a deep understanding of Carl’s PERSONAL, PRIVATE and PROFESSIONAL goals!  In short, Pixar’s ability to render characters we care about is second only to their skill at making exposition feel like anything but.

When it comes to Pixar movies, I can’t help but notice how the simplest approach tends to be the most compelling:

– Who better as Carl’s nemesis than his childhood hero, Charles Muntz?

– What better pairing than Carl and Russell as allies?  They’re polar opposites at first glance, but really they’re exactly what the other needs to become whole.

– What better way to make Carl a martyr than for him to sacrifice his house?  Carl thinks it’s his only connection to Ellie, and notice how it’s tied to Carl’s PROFESSIONAL, PERSONAL and PRIVATE goals?  That house was so integral to Carl’s character and a story that engrosses us that it’s a huge feat when he gives it away.  It’s almost like losing a beloved character.

Finally, to the 3D, which was by far the best I’d ever seen.  I won’t say you’ll have more fun seeing UP with an added dimension, since the 3D accompanies what is already excellent.  That being said, the visuals are so smooth and painless (Gone are the headache days!) you’ve really got nothing to lose aside from the extra $$$.

Check UP out, 3D or no!

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – This year’s Palm D’Or winner offers great insight into the relationship between teachers and students.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Francois.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: teach the school’s curriculum to his students. Personal: define his relationship with his students.  Private: find the value in what he’s trying to teach.

Who’s trying to stop him? – The students, the school’s policies, and himself.

What happens if he fails? –  Francois’ reputation is on the line.  Additionally, his students will never appreciate the value of learning, sabotaging their own futures.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – As the class’s new teacher, Francois is the outsider.

Wanderer – Francois launches into the school’s syllabus, only to be bombarded with questions about what the students are learning and why they’re learning it.  While Francois’s lack of answers exposes genuine problems with the school’s system, his attempts to get the know the students are also met with limited success.

Warrior – Francois figures the students might be more receptive to a friend rather than an authority figure, so he steps up his efforts to get to know them: he meets their parents, he has them write self-reflective reports, and begins to understand their place in the class’s social hierarchy. However, conflicts soon arise, both among the students and between student and teacher, resulting in Francois snapping violently.

Martyr – While Francois admits his mistake to the school board and faces the consequences, another student becomes the unwilling martyr when the board allocates blame on him, avoiding any unpleasantness for a fellow teacher.

AND, IN THE END…

I found THE CLASS fascinating in a number of ways, especially its style.  Filmed like a documentary, but based on an autobiographical book by Laurent Cantet (who played an alternate version of himself as Francois), the movie offers an in-depth, colorful and completely unpredictable character study that feels incredibly real.

Francois wants to befriend his students, yet he’s their teacher… which makes him the enemy! How can he teach his students when they have no real connection?  How can he develop this connection without violating certain boundaries?  It’s a minefield!

Thankfully, THE CLASS isn’t one-sided, gracefully allowing us to identify with student and teacher alike.

On the one hand, we’re with Francois: we know nothing about these kids, but we want to.  His WANDERER and WARRIOR journeys are as frustrating and rewarding for him as they are for us.  On the other hand, I’m sure most of us have questioned certain knowledge forced upon us in school.  We’ve also experienced environments in which we’re too shy, guarded or disconnected to reveal who we really are.

Placing us between these two groups, yet making us part of both creates a wonderful moment when the students read their reports: not only does Francois learn about the kids, but they learn new things about their own classmates.

I should also mention how, through great use of an unwilling MARTYR, THE CLASS skillfully conveyed the injustice present in some school systems.  When the board blames a student for Francois’s outburst (something both he and Francois know to be flawed), the sense of wrongness that’s created is palpable.  The tragic thing is, Francois totally sympathizes with the students.  He just can’t act on it… he’s a teacher.

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – A stylish, epic, but ultimately hollow continuation of the franchise.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Marcus Wright.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: reach SkyNet to find out what happened to him. Personal: figure out whether he’s human or machine. Private: decide whether he deserves (and even has) a place in this new world.

Who’s trying to stop him? – There’s no prime antagonist.  Instead, smaller antagonists come and go, the main being SkyNet and John Conner.

What happens if he fails? – SkyNet will kill Kyle Reese, jeopardizing both mankind’s and John Conner’s future.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Marcus wakes up in a futuristic wasteland with no idea how or why he’s there.  (His last memory is of being executed on Death Row.)

Wanderer – Marcus explores a destroyed city, encountering a T-600 – the first Terminator he’s ever seen.  Kyle Reese saves him, and along with his young companion, Star, they search for the Resistance, which is headed by John Conner. When one of SkyNet’s Harvester robots captures Kyle and Star, Marcus continues on alone, meeting a stranded Resistance fighter named Blair. They bond, and she takes Marcus to the Resistance… where he’s revealed as part machine, part human. Conner confronts Marcus, convinced that he was sent by SkyNet.

Warrior – Believing Marcus can be trusted, Blair helps him escape, only to be stopped by Conner.  When Conner realizes that Marcus is his only chance to infiltrate SkyNet and save Reese, the two form an unlikely partnership.  Marcus infiltrates SkyNet, learns about his past, and helps Conner free the prisoners.  When Conner comes under attack from the new T-800 (a familiar face), Marcus embraces his machine-side and fights the T-800 one-on-one, destroying the Terminator and SkyNet with Conner’s help.

Martyr – Conner is fatally wounded by the T-800, so Marcus sacrifices his heart to save him.

AND, IN THE END…

Action sequences?  Jaw-dropping!

Terminators?  Cool!

Story? Well…

I always viewed the TERMINATOR franchise as more about philosophy, fresh ideas and imagination than pure action.  In my mind, that’s why T2 has endured as long as it has, and why T3 was pretty quickly forgotten.

Sadly, I feel SALVATION will have a similarly short life, since its action, impressive and abundant though it might be, barely leaves time for a meaningful story.  In fact, many of the movie’s story problems seem so… obvious, you wonder how they made it into the final cut.

For example, Marcus is an ORPHAN when he wakes up in the future.  He has no idea how or why he’s alive, and he needs answers.  This is fine, except we already know most of the answers – it’s explained to us in the beginning!  And to John Conner.  So instead of experiencing this journey with Marcus, we’re just waiting for him to catch up.  If that wasn’t bad enough, we lose a great reveal (that Marcus is a Terminator), and we’re left wondering why John Conner’s so baffled as to what Marcus could be.

The movie’s questionable logic also weakened its MARTYR moment to the extent that it didn’t really make sense.  Marcus takes on the T-800, saving Conner but getting his human heart punched by the T-800.  He seemingly dies, and the T-800 goes after Conner.  Conner electrocutes Marcus, who comes back to life and rips the T-800′s head off…  I was hoping Marcus was now running on temporary battery life, and would go onto destroy himself in order to destroy SkyNet before he ran out of juice.

Alas… Conner is stabbed through the heart by the T-800, Marcus saves him, and later donates his heart to Conner.  While this is a second martyr moment, it’s nonsensical.  Marcus’ heart was punched by a T-800, and he died.  Logical conclusion: the heart was DESTROYED!!!   If I was Conner, I’d want a less tenderized vital organ.

I won’t rant further (though I could), and to be honest, SALVATION’s an easy target. Expectations run high with any addition to a popular franchise, and even the smallest mistake seems huge in the eyes of a fan.  Then again… isn’t that all the more reason to sort these kinks out?

Despite all this, I’d still recommend seeing the film –  it’s an action movie with Terminators! The action is fantastic.  The Terminators are fantastic.  The movie’s a roller coaster, but the thrill dies as soon as you leave your seat.

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – I felt guilty for enjoying this.  Kinda like after a Happy Meal.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Robert Langdon.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: rescue four kidnapped ‘preferiti’ and find an anti-matter bomb before it destroys Vatican city. Personal: overcome the stigma resulting from his controversial religious discoveries. Private: figure out whether an academic like him can have faith in God.

Who’s trying to stop him? – An assassin, the Camerlengo, the chief of the Swiss Guard.

What happens if he fails? – Vatican City will be destroyed, thousands will die, and turmoil will sweep the religious world.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Langdon is brought to Vatican city, where his academic approach to religion puts him at odds with the locals.

Wanderer – Langdon is brought up to speed on the case, learning that four ‘preferiti’ (potential Popes) have been kidnapped, and that an anti-matter device has been stolen.  Langdon meets Vittoria, a scientist who explains that anti-matter contains what science believes to be the spark of creation.  Langdon deduces that the Illuminati are behind the kidnappings, and that they intend to destroy Vatican City by detonating an anti-matter bomb, demonstrating that science created the universe, not God.  By working with the Camerlengo (assistant to the late Pope) and the Chief of the Swiss Guard, Langon realizes that the Pope was murdered, and that the preferiti will be killed at the four alters of the Path of Illumination, only… nobody knows where they are.

Warrior – Langon demands access to the Vatican Archives, finding the first clue to the alters.  He races against time to find each alter and rescue the prefiriti, eventually discovering that the anti-matter bomb is beneath the Vatican itself!  Not only that, it seems the Chief of the Swiss Guard is Illuminati, and responsible for the Pope’s murder.

Martyr – The Camerlengo martyrs himself in order to save the city from the anti-matter bomb, becoming a hero of the people and being nominated as the next Pope when they learn he survived.  However, Langdon discovers that the Camerlengo is behind everything…

AND, IN THE END…

I preferred ANGELS AND DEMONS over its predecessor, if only because it was a tad more grounded in reality.  A tad. Everything from the clues they follow, the overarching conspiracy, Langdon’s hair, and the big twist at the end felt a touch more believable.

Speaking of the big twist, the movie’s interesting use of the martyr element went a long way toward helping it succeed.

The audience needed to believe that the Camerlengo was a good guy.  This belief was built on many elements, but one of the most important and (effective) was to have the Camerlengo selflessly martyr himself.  When the Camerlengo flew the bomb away in a chopper to save Vatican City (and survived!), he became the ultimate martyr.  This made him more than a good guy – it made him a hero.  Therefore it came as a shock when someone we believed in so much was revealed to be a fraud.

Whether or not this twist succeeded will vary from person to person, but ANGELS AND DEMONS illustrates how the martyr element can be used not only to bolster the audience’s support of a hero – it can be used to trick them, too.

– Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – One of the smartest reboots of a franchise since BATMAN BEGINS.  Buckle up!

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Spock. (Whoa?!  WHAT?!  Not Kirk?!?!  Read on!)

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: Protect the Enterprise as well as the principles of Starfleet and the Federation. Personal: Deal with the biggest thorn in the side of any Vulcan who has ever lived; James T Kirk! Private: Prove that he’s worthy, despite being both Vulcan and Human.

Who’s trying to stop him? – Nero, a crazed Romulan miner who blames Spock for the death of his wife and child…in the future.  (I told you to “buckle up,” didn’t I?)

What happens if he fails? – Earth will be destroyed.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Spock is a brilliant student, but never fully accepted by his peers or fellow Vulcans.  He leaves his planet and family to join Star Fleet.

Wanderer – He is constantly tested and prodded by Kirk, a wild recruit and loose cannon.  Eventually, Spock is given command of the Enterprise.

Warrior – Spock tries to save his home planet of Vulcan, and eventually can’t take anymore of Kirk’s interference.  He exiles Kirk to a desolate ice planet (like Hoth, but on steroids.)  Spock races the Enterprise back towards Earth to try to deal with the impending arrival of the crazed Romulan, Nero.  Kirk, with the help of Scotty, beams back onto the Enterprise and Spock faces off against him.

Martyr – Spock is emotionally compromised, and realizing that he has no choice but to follow the rules, he gives up command of the Enterprise and Kirk becomes captain.  Under Kirk’s command, they successfully destroy Nero and save Earth.  Spock realizes that he and Kirk can become friends, and offers to be First Officer under the newly minted Captain Kirk.

AND, IN THE END…

I can hear the comments already; “Spock is the main character?  Really?”  Yes, absolutely!  One of the tests for determining the main character is to see who changes the most from the beginning of the film to the end (check out the article “Who’s the Main Character in Titanic.”)    In STAR TREK, the character who changes the most from FADE IN to FADE OUT is Spock, hand down!  Kirk is the same rebellious wiseguy at the end of the movie as he is when we first meet him as a 12 year old.  He’s a traveling angel; not changing himself nearly as much as he changes those around him for the better (see the GLOSSARY.)

But STAR TREK is more than just Spock’s story; at it’s heart it’s a bro-mance.  It’s the story of how the two greatest friends in the galaxy become so.  Because of this, STAR TREK plays as a ‘two-hander’ between Spock’s story and Kirk’s story.   We see Kirk’s birth, the story of how he too is an orphan, wanderer, warrior, and martyr, and we see his growth from punk to captain.  So again, why isn’t he the main character?  Because he never does any soul-searching, he never changes.  He actually CHANGES Starfleet to suit himself.

In the writing, STAR TREK is something between an adaptation, a sequel, a prequel, and an invention.  It plays smartly and beautifully off of what the die hard Trekkers know and love (present company included) while gently and lovingly bringing a fresh set of eyes to old memories.  Hat’s off to the entire creative team.  This movie was so much fun, I hardly care that I have no idea what the heck was going on with Nero and his story.   Key word being “hardly.”  In spite of my admiration, there’s still a part of me that would have liked more clarity.

FANBOY TRIVIA CONTEST — One of the things I loved the most about the writing of STAR TREK were all of the winks to the fans.  From a deliberately forced William Shatner-esque line-delivery for one line, to the use of lines of dialog from previous movies, the writers definitely let the fans know that a beloved property was in loving hands.

One of the smartest winks occurs during Kirk’s successful attempt at winning the Kobiyashi Maru training exercise.  It’s not a line of dialog, but a specific action.  I’m not sure if it was in the shooting script, or if director J.J. Abrams came up with it during shooting.   A special Contour At The Movies Nerd Fanboy Gearhead Commendation will go to the first reader who identifies the specific action and explains the context behind it.

– Jeffrey Alan Schechter

Overall Impression – Hilarious, smart and moving.  SEE IT!

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Miles.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: enjoy a fun weekend in wine country with his best (and soon to be hitched) friend Jack.  Personal: get over his divorce. Private: find true love again.

Who’s trying to stop him? – Miles is definitely his own worst enemy, but Jack contributes his share of obstacles, too.

What happens if he fails? – Miles will remain miserable and alone.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Miles’ divorce (2 years prior) has left him insecure and cynical about finding another woman.  His best friend Jack is also about to be married, so in a sense Miles is being left behind.

Wanderer – The guys travel to wine country, where Miles attempts to teach Jack the intricacies of wine tasting.  Jack also learns about Miles’ interest in a local waitress named Maya… and the extent of Miles’ insecurity around women. So, Jack takes it upon himself to get his best buddy laid.  The perfect plan, given that he also wants to sleep with Maya’s friend Stephanie before he gets married.

Warrior – As Jack befriends Stephanie, Miles works on opening up to Maya and putting his divorce behind him.  Jack and Miles also talk more candidly, each confronting the other about their respective problems.  Miles also pursues a book deal more aggressively.

Martyr – There are a few martyr elements.  The funniest is when Miles sneaks into the house of a random waitress that Jack slept with, in order to retrieve Jack’s wallet which holds his wedding rings.  However, Miles’ bravest moment comes at the end, when he finally puts himself out there and goes back for Maya.

AND, IN THE END…

There aren’t many movies I can watch over and over, but SIDEWAYS is one of them.  It’s gotta be up there with LOST IN TRANSLATION, another great dual-character study that’s just so… likable.

The thing is, whenever somebody told me about the movie before I’d seen it, it just sounded boring.  I got various versions of “Well… it’s about these two guys who go to wine country, they meet a waitress… and yeah, it’s hilarious.”

Well, it was hilarious, and much more.  The great thing is, you don’t even have to like wine to enjoy SIDEWAYS.

Oh, if I haven’t said it already… SEE IT!  SEE IT!  SEE IT!

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – Why can’t we bust ghosts for real?  This is the coolest movie ever!

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Dr. Peter Venkman.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: catch all the ghosts in New York and stop Gozer, the god of destruction. Personal: win over Dana. Private: believe that ghosts are real.

Who’s trying to stop him? – Gozer the Gozerian, Zuul, ghosts, himself, EPA agent Walter Peck, and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

What happens if he fails? – New York will be destroyed by Gozer the Gozerian, god of destruction.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Peter’s a parapsychologist who doesn’t believe in the paranormal.  He’s also cast out into the real world after losing his grant at Columbia University.

Wanderer – Peter and his friends/colleagues Ray and Egon need to make some cash.  Upon learning that ghosts are real, they figure out how to capture them, store them, and market their services to the world as the Ghostbusters.  Peter meets and tries to woo Dana, a client whose fridge seems to be haunted.

Warrior – The Ghostbusters fight to build their business by fighting to catch ghosts.  While Peter works on winning over Dana, the team discovers that her building’s being haunted by Zuul, minion of Gozer.  When Zuul possesses Dana, and her neighbor Louis turns into a giant demon dog, the Ghostbusters have to stop them before they team up and unleash Gozer.

Martyr – The Ghostbusters risk life and limb to stop Gozer.

AND, IN THE END…

I owe a lot to GHOSTBUSTERS.  Aside from being one of my favorite childhood movies, it was the first time I saw Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, a movie ghost, New York, LA, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, a geek turn into a devil dog, a haunted fridge, exploding eggs… and most importantly, the phrase “Back off, man.  I’m a scientist.”

Sigh… why are movies from the Eighties so cool?

Bit of trivia – did you know that the Ghostbusters song by Ray Parker Jr. was nominated for the Best Music Oscar?  People know awesome when they hear it.

Can’t wait for the upcoming GHOSTBUSTERS III.

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – Hugh Jackman brings Wolverine to life like nobody else could.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Logan, a.k.a. James, a.k.a. Wolverine.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: stop Sabertooth.  Personal: avenge Kayla’s murder. Private: embrace the animal inside.

Who’s trying to stop him? – Striker, Logan’s half-brother Victor (a.k.a. Sabretooth), plus a host of nasty mutants and regular humans.

What happens if he fails? – The future of mutant kind will be put in danger, and Logan will never find his place in the world.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – In the 1800′s, a family tragedy causes James Howlett’s mutation to manifest itself, making him an outcast amongst normal people.

Wanderer – James and his half-brother Victor flee their families, trying for years to find their place in the world.  Eventually, they fall in with Striker – the head of a secret army unit comprised of mutants.  When Logan rebels against their questionable activities, he leaves Victor and the group behind, electing to live a normal life in the Canadian rockies with a school teacher named Kayla.

Warrior – Years later, it seems Victor is hunting members of the team.  When Logan finds Kayla dead, he accepts Striker’s offer to have Adamantium alloy bonded to his bones, giving him the tools he needs to defeat Victor. Unfortunately, it’s all a trick.  Striker’s using Victor to collect DNA from the most powerful mutants, intending to create the ultimate weapon to help quell the growing mutant presence… and Logan’s was the last power he needed.  Logan goes on the run, tracking down Wraith, The Blob and Gambit in order to find Striker and take his revenge.

Martyr – Logan learns that Kayla is alive, and was forced by Striker to manipulate him.  He’s willing to die to save both her and the captured mutants.

AND, IN THE END…

As a fan of pretty much all things Marvel and DC, I’ve got my own opinions on how comic book movies should be done.  Yeah, there were some things I didn’t like about X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, but what else is new?

That being said, there are superhero movies, and then there are SUPERHERO MOVIES.  I  guess I separate them into three tiers:

First tier: Superman 1&2, Spiderman 2, Iron Man, X-Men 1&2, Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight.

Second tier: Daredevil, Punisher(s), Spiderman 3, Superman Returns, X-Men The Last Stand, Fantastic Four (and Silver Surfer), Batman and Robin, and more…

The elusive third tier is reserved solely for Elektra.

The first tier movies are my favorites.  I’ve got a bunch of reasons why, but generally it’s that the character is the star, rather than the action.  That’s my main quibble with those second tier movies, and with X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE.  I find Logan more interesting than his claws… not the other way around.

It’s cool to watch Superman lift a plane, then a car, then a giant piece of alien real estate (Superman Returns), but you lose the focus on Clark Kent, whose humor, plight and dynamic with Lois Lane is what made Superman 1 & 2 so special.

Iron Man’s suit is awesome, but not more awesome than Tony Stark.

By cramming THREE main villains into Spiderman 3, Peter Parker’s problems got sidelined by Spiderman’s.  As a result, Spidey 3 felt somewhat empty compared to Spidey 2.

Basically, I like the action to supplement the superhero and his/her story, not substitute for it.   I honestly think X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE made some effort toward this end, and both Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber’s performances certainly elevate the movie.  Still, the action and effects come first, which is a shame when you have such an interesting main character.

– Dan Pilditch