A Reel Review: A MONSTER CALLS

When it comes to movies that have a kid, or kids, as the main characters, it’s natural for adults to let out a collective groan. After all, kids are usually put into a film so younger audiences can have something to relate to, and such a film could, and is often, simplified for younger minds to the point where adults are bored to tears. But every once in a while we get a film which is very much geared toward adults which just happens to have a young person as the main character. Meet JA Bayona’s A MONSTER CALLS.

Conor (Lewis MacDougall), is dealing with his cancer-stricken mom (Felicity Jones), often-absent dad (Toby Kebbell), overbearing grandmother (Sigourney Weaver), and several bullies at school when he begins to have visits from a giant monster (voiced by Liam Neeson), who promises to tell Conor three stories in exchange for his own.

It doesn’t take long for any adult mind to feel for our main character. Conor is dealing with a lot of adult issues; the possibility of losing his mom, having to go live somewhere he doesn’t want to (with the grandmother), frustrations with a dad who would rather be elsewhere, and big mean bullies who make everyday a living hell. As the opening lines of the film tell us, Conor is too old to be considered a boy, but still too young to be a man, and he begins the film somewhere inbetween while his world seems utterly hopeless.

Once the monster appears with his promise of telling three stories in exchange for Conor’s own, A MONSTER CALLS dives deeper into not only Conor but all of us. Director JA Bayona is playing with a lot of metaphor here, as each story relates to something in Conor’s life, and the story that the monster wants from Conor is the truth to what is really bothering him. Where most directors may use all of these allegories and parables like sledgehammers, Bayona has a gentle touch going on which makes every point hit home with just the right impact.

The stories that the monster tells are represented through different animation styles and they are stunning to take in. They give A MONSTER CALLS an excellent balance of real-life tragedy and fantasy, and has a great message of the power of storytelling and imagination and why they’re so important to us all. The CGI monster himself, who is tree-like and indeed monstrous, seems to look better during the daytime scenes than the nighttime, and the rest of the visual effects are wonderfully made. Overall the film looks gorgeous, and Fernando Velazquez’s score is perfect.

Lewis MacDougall, in his first feature film, is a wonderful actor and carries the film. He does a lot of heavy lifting, and his scenes with his mom and grandmother, which range from the most painful to the most angry…are perfectly done. Felicity Jones is heartbreaking as the dying mom, and Sigourney Weaver, despite losing her British accent here and there…does great work going up against MacDougall; there is a scene of angry tension between the two, without dialogue, which is hard to watch it’s so real. Liam Neeson is spot-on as the voice of the monster.

By the time the credits roll, there won’t be a dry-eye in the theatre, as the film goes for an emotional gut-punch and connects, but before those credits roll…a single glance from one character changes everything we thought we understood about the film. A MONSTER CALLS is an emotional journey with many themes going on, with the least being that sad melancholy concerning all things which must pass from this world; namely life and youth. There is nothing to moan about here.

BOTTOM LINE: See it

A Reel Opinion: Let Them Speak

The stormy political climate of 2016 has spilled over the levee and onto the once clean-slate of 2017, and it happened in the most unexpected place. At this past weekend’s 74^th Golden Globe Awards ceremony, actress Meryl Streep, during her acceptance speech for the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award (the Globes’ equivalent of a lifetime achievement award), used her time to make a few comments on the recent actions of America’s President-elect, Donald Trump. Speaking from the heart in just over six minutes, Streep spoke politically and with common sense; politically she addressed Trump’s immigration stance, and with common sense when she spoke of anti-bullying and preventing violence…with the latter point aimed at Trump’s mocking of a handicapped journalist.  

Streep was not alone in her attacks (for lack of a better term),  on Trump. Actress Issa Rae threw some direct jabs on the Red Carpet, and host Jimmy Fallon also got a few shots in during some of his monologues. Using awards shows such as the Globes, or the Oscars, as a platform to sound-off or raise awareness is nearly as old as the format itself. Legendary names such as Marlon Brando, George C. Scott, and Clint Eastwood have done so in the past. It’s a natural place to do so; after all, awards shows such as the Globes are broadcast worldwide, only happen once a year, and a chance to speak even during a short time on stage ensures a message would not get lost in a sea of social media postings. Critics may not like the stage Streep chose to voice her opinion, but if worldwide TV is not the place, then where is? And when?

Streep has her supporters, but she also has her critics and a fair amount of internet trolls. The negative opinions range from the ignorant to the hypocritical; staring with “she has no right to speak her opinion” (of course she does, she has the same 1^st Amendment rights as anyone), to Hollywood people being too far removed from middle-class America to be relevant (wrong again; Hollywood may have rich people, but every film has thousands of hands and middle-class laborers to make them happen). But the ultimate irony lies within Streep getting blasted on social media; people using a worldwide platform to express an opinion about someone who used a worldwide platform to express an opinion.

The most ignorant comments of them all say some sort of noise about movie stars and movies only having one job; to entertain. This could not be further from the truth. Movies are meant to entertain, sure…but they are also meant to inspire and illuminate, and there’s no law that says that should be restricted to the screen. Streep also spoke about protecting the arts, which may seem self-serving, but a society without art is no longer a society; even cave-men figured that out a long time ago. Perhaps the most disturbing part of this is the want from her critics to separate those who can and can’t express an opinion, and if that ever happens for real, America fails. Because of the time and place Streep chose to speak, she may be remembered for it above everything else she’s done; but maybe that was the point…to be remembered for something other than gold. In a way, Streep speaks for anyone who felt a need to speak out or to address a wrong, and maybe more of Hollywood, which gets criticized for living in a bubble, will raise their heads. So let them speak, for they live in this country too.  

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See Meryl Streep's entire speech HERE

A Reel Review: SILENCE

In 1990, 48 year-old director Martin Scorsese read the 1966 novel Silence, written by Shusaku Endo, and was deeply moved by what he read. Over the decades, his efforts to bring the story to the big screen were met with legal challenges and disputes, and several starts and stops. In 2016, Scorsese, now at the age of 74, has finally brought SILENCE to life…and the timing could not be better.

Two 16^th century Jesuit missionaries; Sebastiao (Andrew Garfield), and Francisco (Adam Driver), make a dangerous journey to feudal Japan, where Christianity is outlawed and their mentor Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson), is rumored to have renounced his faith.

For SILENCE, the backdrop is essential in the storytelling. This is a Japan where Christians; either converts or preachers, are hunted down and brutally tortured unless they renounce their faith. Martin Scorsese puts in careful work in establishing this country where humble peasants who basically live in mud look at Christianity and the two missionaries as their sole hope, despite the threat of torture from the Japanese authorities (led by The Inquisitor, played by Issey Ogata), which ranges from being burned alive to being sprinkled with boiling water to being crucified at sea during high tide. Eventually, the presence of the two padres draws the attention of The Inquisitor, and the two missionaries are left with the hard choice of renouncing their own faith or watch the faithful villagers be destroyed.

It’s a battle of wills with faith as the battlefield, and Scorsese builds layer upon layer of examining a person’s faith when faced against incredible and horrible odds. It’s a look at human belief more than a God-preaching film; raising many questions about what really resides inside us to make us do what we do every day. Aside from the layers of thought, Scorsese also makes the brilliant choice of portraying the Japanese authorities not as God-hating men, but as sincere countrymen who simply want to guard and preserve their old culture. The question of whether or not the Jesuits should have even been there in the first place is raised often, and Scorsese lets us draw our own conclusions.

The most shocking aspect of SILENCE is just how (ahem) quiet the film is. Gone is the bombastic music and obnoxious characters which have populated Scorsese’s films in the past decade, and instead we get a patient and steady hand…with easy going speaking and gentle shots of the countryside. The scenes of torture and killing are brutal, but the film displays the patience of a mature filmmaker. Scenes develop slowly and give us time to ponder, and with a sparse score replaced by ambient sounds of the countryside, has a very natural feel.

Acting is outstanding. Our three priests hail from Portugal and their accents seem to come and go, but more than make up for it with the work they have to do in selling their characters. Andrew Garfield is the true standout, showing a lot of inner turmoil and it’s clear that this is the film that moves him into the upper echelon of cinema. Adam Driver is equally effective, and both he and Garfield look like they starved themselves to achieve the look of two men living on scraps of fish and rice. Liam Neeson has an outstanding moment of pain when the time comes for him to renounce, and Ciaran Hinds is excellent in his limited time. The Japanese cast, including (but not limited to) Issey Ogata, Yosuke Kubozuka, and Tadanobu Asano are all very good.

The title of the film refers to the lack of, or complete absence of direct answers from God as the desperate characters call for help, and that hangs over the film at all times. Scorsese offers a lot of profound thought in SILENCE, and it seems fitting that he couldn’t make this film until he was in his 70’s, as it has the touch of a filmmaker, and man who has been around a long time and can ask the hard questions about faith that resonate in us. SILENCE is a punishing film as it asks the audience to endure a lot, and it offers so much to think about that it can be examined and thought about for another 20 years before being fully understood. If ever. That is a mark of greatness.

BOTTOM LINE: See it

A Reel Preview: The Year in Film 2017 - Episode I

The bad news about the first month of the year is that it is traditionally the place where unwanted movies are released; a Movie Siberia where films deemed not good enough for the summer months and no-way-in-hell-good-enough for Oscar Season go to quietly die. But the good news is there are a few notable late 2016 awards-hopefuls which move from limited to wide release in the first couple weeks of January. Here is a preview for the leftovers and the first batch of new films for 2017.

The leftovers:

LIVE BY NIGHT – The last time Ben Affleck was behind the camera, he won Best Picture for ARGO. This time he brings us a 1920’s gangster flick based on the novel of the same name. Co-starring is Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana, Chris Cooper, and Scott Eastwood (son of Clint).

SILENCE – Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese is back…this time with a film that he’s been trying to make for decades. Andrew Garfield (HACKSAW RIDGE) and Adam Driver (THE FORCE AWAKENS), play 17^th century priests who travel to Japan to rescue their mentor, played by Liam Neeson.

THE FOUNDER – Michael Keaton seems to be determined to get an Oscar; appearing in an awards-hopeful for the third year in a row…this time playing Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s. It is directed by John Lee Hancock (THE BLIND SIDE).

A MONSTER CALLS – Based on the novel of the same name, this fantasy drama has a young boy befriending a tree-like monster. Stars Sigourney Weaver and Emily Blunt. Liam Neeson provides the voice of the monster. Acclaimed director JA Bayona (A MONSTER CALLS) directs.

HIDDEN FIGURES – The story of Katherine Johnson, the African American mathematician who calculated the flight trajectories for the Mercury and Apollo space programs. Co-stars Octavia Spencer, Kevin Costner, and Kirsten Dunst. It is directed by Theodore Melfi (ST. VINCENT).

...And the new films:

UNDERWORLD: BLOOD WARS – This fifth (!) entry in the franchise of warring vampires and werewolves has Kate Beckinsale returning to the role.

MONSTER TRUCKS – Lucas Till (X-MEN: FIRST CLASS), plays a high school student who befriends a strange subterranean creature who has a knack for powering trucks. Co-stars Jane Levy, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover, and Barry Pepper.

XXX: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE – Vin Diesel returns to the extreme-sports turned international spy character in this third film of the franchise. Co-stars Donnie Yen, Toni Collette, and Samuel L. Jackson.

SPLIT – M. Night Shyamalan (THE SIXTH SENSE, SIGNS, UNBREAKABLE) is back with a horror-thriller in which James McAvoy (X-MEN: FIRST CLASS) plays a kidnapper with 24 different alternate personalities.

RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER – In what seems like the 865^th film in this franchise, Milla Jovovich returns to the role in humanity’s final battle against the hordes (promises, promises). Shitty director Paul WS Anderson is back to direct.

I AM MICHAEL -  In this true story, James Franco plays a gay activist who renounces homosexuality and becomes a Christian pastor. Co-stars Zachary Quinto (STAR TREK), and Emma Roberts.

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Next month, Reel Speak previews the month of February.

A Reel Review: FENCES

Adapting a stage play to film is never an easy task. Staying too true can make the film look like someone just pointed a camera at a play, and making too many changes can lose the original message of the production. Acclaimed late playwright August Wilson’s Fences tackles many issues from race relations to family dynamics, and bringing it to a successful screen adaptation meant finding a director who had a good hold on the material along with a passion for it. Say hello to Denzel Washington.

Troy Maxson (Washington), is a garbage-man in 1950’s Pittsburgh living in a segregated neighborhood. Angry and bitter over his missed opportunities in life, Troy takes his frustrations out on the closest relationships in his life, which includes his wife Rose (Viola Davis), teenage son Cory (Jovan Adepo), best friend Jim (Stephen McKinley Henderson), and his mentally challenged brother Gabe (Mykelti Williamson).

The original version of FENCES was a strong look at African-American progression and race relations. Actor and director Denzel Washington, (who also starred in a recent stage-version of FENCES with his co-star Viola Davis), directs this version which had its script written by its original creator, August Wilson. Washington and Wilson strip away a lot of the politics (but not all), and focus on the characters, with the bulk of it all focusing on Troy, who is one of the most powerful characters ever put to screen. Once a former Negro Leagues ballplayer who now rides a garbage truck, Troy emerges as a blowhard with angry opinions and very tough love for his son. He’s an asshole and proud of it, but the more he goes on, the more about his background is revealed, and the path which brought him to this point. Once the blanks are filled it, there is an enormous amount of pity to felt for Troy, making him one hell of a character to love and hate at the same time.

The scenes between Troy and his son are explosive, and things take an even meatier turn when a late-film twist in which Troy admits a secret to his wife adds a whole new level of drama. The turn makes Rose the emotional beating heart of the film, and gives FENCES even more to work with as a family drama.

As a director, Washington doesn’t have to do a whole lot as the film is very much set up like its original stage-play. Most of the movie takes place in Troy’s backyard, living room, and dining room…and only occasionally explores elsewhere. It feels “stagey” as the camera is basically parked and characters fire away at each other using dialogue that people in real life never would. It takes a bit to get used to, but once the film finds its groove it’s mesmerizing.

But Washington’s real talent behind the camera seems to be in getting tremendous performances out of his cast. Viola Davis is amazing; showing extreme patience and strength in dealing with Troy’s opinionated bullshit and darn-near torment of his son. She has a few big moments in the film which are gut-punches. Young Jovan Adepo holds his own against Washington, and watching Mykelti Williamson as Troy’s mentally unbalanced brother is tearjerking. But nothing compares to the massive powerhouse performance by Washington. It’s a larger-than-life character with many layers that he handles perfectly, and it’s difficult to take our eyes off him. The veteran actor literally changes into another person, and he is so captivating it’s easy to forget that this is the Denzel we thought we’ve known all these years.

FENCES has several big moments for each key character with all of them getting a few moments for an emotional speech or two. After a very emotional showdown between father and son, the film flash-forwards several years and then adds on another wallop of a scene. By the time the credits roll, Washington has delivered a powerful film which will have audiences talking in awe and disbelief; in awe over how something so simply shot could be so powerful, and disbelief over one actor and director’s performance.

BOTTOM LINE: See it

A Reel Review: LA LA LAND

There is a lot that can go wrong when bringing a musical to film. One of the many problems the genre has had is putting the forward motion of the story on hold while characters sing and dance around for ten minutes. There are ways around it, and for director Damien Chazelle and his original romantic musical LA LA LAND, the solution came down to one word; pathos.

Mia (Emma Stone) is an aspiring actress who longs to be a star, and spends her days flunking auditions and struggling through her job as a barista. She meets Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), who is an aspiring jazz musician who longs to open a traditional jazz club, and spends his days going from one odd gig to the next. The two meet and begin a love affair, while trying to keep their dreams in sight.

Pathos can be defined as an appeal to the emotions of the audience and drawing out feelings that already exist inside them. It is essential to all stories, especially film, where drawing an emotional connection from the audience to the characters is what drives a movie. LA LA LAND goes through great lengths, nearly the entire run of the film, to make us feel for the two characters as they pour their heart and soul into chasing their dreams, and crash and burn and rise again. Things take an even deeper turn when their relationship actually gets in the way of their respective goals; stay together and fail, or split up and achieve…and the hard choices they have to make are very grounded and real-world, which makes the film very relatable.

As grounded as the film is, it completely soars as a musical. It is saturated in classic film and jazz lore; tossing in references and winks and nods to the most recognizable moments in the respective genres. The musical numbers are scattered here and there and come at just the right times (there’s more than enough dialogue in-between), and many of them are presented in some unbelievable, long unbroken tracking-shots which have to be seen to be believed. The film pops off the screen with color and energy, and director Damien Chazelle keeps the pacing tight and the humor well-timed.

Chazelle gets tremendous performances out of his two leads. Ryan Gosling finally breaks out of his goddamn blank-stare routine and is purely charming, and his actual piano playing is a delight. His singing tends to lean towards a whisper but it works. Emma Stone is equally wonderful and fares better when having to stretch her pipes, and her third-act solo is a heartbreaker. The supporting cast of John Legend, and J.K. Simmons are very good in their limited use.

Famed author Truman Capote once had a great quote about how achieved dreams can be more painful than ones that are lost, and that seems to be what LA LA LAND is channeling, especially in the last 15 minutes in which Chazelle takes his characters, and the film into a startling and emotional musical sequence which elevates the film from very good to flat-out greatness. LA LA LAND accomplishes a lot by the time the credits roll; it is a love-letter to the arts and a message about chasing dreams…but most of all it works as a film in which everyone can relate to and really hope for a happy ending.

BOTTOM LINE: See it

A Reel Review: PASSENGERS

All stories have characters who are trying to achieve something; a goal which we the audience can get fully behind, so when the end comes and our hero has hopefully made it, there is satisfaction to be had. In Morten Tyldum’s PASSENGERS, the main character is literally stuck with a decision of moral and ethical implications which effects his end-goal…and what that character does with it determines if this ship sinks or sails.

The starship Avalon is transporting over 5,000 colonists to inhabit a new world in a journey that takes 120 years. When the ship is struck by a meteor, Jim (Chris Pratt), is woken out of hyper-sleep 90 years too early, and with no way to go back to hibernation, is stuck on the ship alone with just a robot-bartender (Michael Sheen), for company. After a year alone and desperate for company, Jim decides to wake up another passenger; Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence), and the two begin a romance…

Character motivations go a long way in telling a story. It’s not what a character does as much as why, and PASSENGERS is a film which rests upon the shoulders of two of Jim’s decisions. His first big call is to break Aurora out of hyper-sleep which essentially condemns her to an imprisoned life aboard the ship (she later calls it murder), and his second major decision is to lie to her…when he tells her that she was knocked out of hibernation because of a ship malfunction. Although the early goings of the film takes a lot of time to show us Jim’s desperation and loneliness, it’s still difficult to get behind his decisions…which come off as self-centered and greedy. There’s certainly a question of “what would you do in that situation”, but the question doesn’t even get asked as everything that follows starts with Jim’s deception and selfish act.

On top of the questionable character motivation, PASSENGERS spends its final act in a run-of-the-mill sci-fi predictable snoozer. The ship begins to have serious malfunctions and the two must go into oh-my-god-we’re-gonna-die-if-we-don’t-work-together mode, and the ironic situations they both get put into can be seen coming from a light-year away.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about PASSENGERS is that the dumb plot and characters are inhabiting one of the most gorgeous production designs ever put to film. The Avalon is a luxury ship complete with a bar, swimming pool, stores, restaurants, and comfy suites. The design is stunningly beautiful, and everything right down to the little robots who clean the ship is a joy to watch. Director Morten Tyldum has no issues with pacing, editing, or framing a shot…and Thomas Newman’s score is very good.

Aurora’s goddamn namesake is way too on-the-nose.

Acting is another highlight. Chris Pratt does some heavy-lifting and handles it well, and his chemistry with Jennifer Lawrence makes things sizzle. Lawrence has the most work to do as a woman who feels like her life was taken away from her, and the scene where she finds out the truth behind Jim’s story is where she does some of the best acting of her career. Michael Sheen is an absolute joy as the robot-bartender, and there are a few other surprise cameos here and there…

By the end of PASSENGERS, Jim does indeed achieve what he wanted from the beginning…but despite all he and Aurora go through, it’s difficult to get behind him or feel good about it. It’s as if Ralphie from A CHRISTMAS STORY got his coveted BB-gun by murdering his friends. It doesn’t work, and makes PASSENGERS one flight worth missing.

BOTTOM LINE: Fuck it

Carrie Fisher 1956-2016

Carrie Fisher; actress, author, screenwriter and cultural icon…has passed away at 60.

Born Carrie Frances Fisher in Beverly Hills, she was the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds. Surrounded by the lights of Hollywood from the start, she starred in the Broadway revival of IRENE alongside her mother at just age 15…and in 1973 would study at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama. She would make her film debut in 1975 in SHAMPOO alongside Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, and Goldie Hawn.

In 1977, she would explode onto screens and into permanent cultural icon fame at just 19 years old when George Lucas cast her as Princess Leia Organa in STAR WARS. With her trademark hairstyle, flowing white robes and dedicated passion…Leia would instantly become the heart of the franchise; displaying a perfect balance of wide-eyed innocence and lion-sized bravery which would define the female hero for our age. She would reprise the role in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980), where her fiery chemistry with Harrison Ford would add new depth to the series. In THE RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983), the final film of the Original Trilogy, she would bravely don a revealing slave outfit while retaining her heroic poise; once again striking that balance which seduced men and inspired women. Over thirty years later, she would revisit the character in the 7^th Episode, THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015)…this time adding a motherly instinct, and will appear one last time as Leia in Episode VIII in 2017. Her likeness was recreated for the spin-off film ROGUE ONE in 2016.

Outside of STAR WARS, her notable on-screen roles would include THE BLUES BROTHERS (1980), UNDER THE RAINBOW (1981), THE MAN WITH ONE RED SHOE (1985), HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986), THE BURBS (1989), WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (1989), HOOK (1991), CHARLIE’S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE (2003), and FANBOYS (2009). Off the screen, she would find success as one of the top script-doctors in Hollywood, working on the screenplays of other writers. George Lucas would use her to polish scripts for his TV series THE YOUNG INDIANA JONES CHRONICLES, and on the big-screen she would work on the screenplays for Steven Spielberg’s HOOK, along with MADE IN AMERICA (1993), LAST ACTION HERO (1993), THE RIVER WILD (1994), OUTBREAK (1995), and THE WEDDING SINGER (1998), among others.

She would also find success as an author, where her sharp wit and unfiltered speaking would pour onto the pages and she would become another icon for speaking our minds. She would adapt her own novel, POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE, into a film in 1990…which was a critical and box office hit while earning two Oscar nominations.

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Long-time readers and friends of Reel Speak already know the impact STAR WARS has had on this Blogger’s life; it was the film which put me on a career and life path…and Carrie Fisher’s character, Princess Leia, was a huge part of it. As a wee-lad, nearly every playtime would be STAR WARS, and in those backyard games with classmates and cousins, every boy was a Luke and every girl was a Leia. It was then this Blogger’s honor to meet and chat with Carrie Fisher at Star Wars Celebration II in Indianapolis in 2002, get an autograph, and to even make her chuckle with a bad joke.

That day in 2005 was a great moment which capped a lifetime’s worth of admiration for the character and the actress who gave her life. We all knew even as kids that Leia was something different and special; where other characters cowered before Darth Vader, Leia spat back at him and stood her ground. Princess Leia could not only run with the boys, but pass them and blast them into oblivion. She was indeed the beating heart of STAR WARS, and saying goodbye to her is like saying goodbye to the last 40 years of the dreams and joy she brought to the galaxy…both fictional and real. The opening crawl of STAR WARS in 1977 referred to Princess Leia as a custodian of hope…and as Carrie Fisher now races home aboard her own starship, she does so as a custodian of our hearts.

A Reel 15: THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING

This month marks the 15^th anniversary of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING.

The release of FELLOWSHIP, which was the first chapter in Peter Jackson’s trilogy of Oscar-winning films, was a dream come true for us book and film geeks. Deemed as “un-filmable” for over fifty years, seeing the characters and fantastic environments come to life on the big screen was an unforgettable experience. But what also happened on that night was quite unexpected.

On a cold night in December 2001, under a very Tolkien-esque sickle-moon, this Blogger and a group of friends gathered together at the magnificent confines of Cinemark theatres in Northeast Pennsylvania to view FELLOWSHIP for the first time. We had all been friends and colleagues prior to that night, but what happened after walking out of that theatre was something that not even The Wise could have foreseen.

Our own Fellowship was born. It was a term that we all latched on to. As in the film, we all connected with the theme of “fellowship”; where several individuals out of several backgrounds and beliefs came together and stayed together. We referred to ourselves as The Fellowship from that night on; it was a term built out of friendship, brotherhood, and love.

Over the next two years, the FELLOWSHIP film and the following two films played a major part in our geek-lives. The films stayed in the theatres until the spring, the summer brought along the first peeks of sneak-previews and trailers, and fall delivered the DVD’s and eventual next theatrical chapter. We scoured the internet for glimpses of the next film, collected memorabilia, re-read the books and lived the films throughout the course of the year. It was an experience we had not lived through since the early days of STAR WARS. And through it all, Our Fellowship grew stronger. What made it all the more special is that we all came back together each year, at the same place to see the next film; the same company, at the same place, for the same thing…three years in a row.

Our Fellowship proved to be strong outside of the ring of movies and geek-stuff; we gathered for libations, helped each other out through unexpected changes, and never let one another fall into shadow. Over the winding road of time there have many comings and goings, but the core of it endures. This Blogger remembers his Fellowship in his own way every year in a vigil-like day; watching the three films only once a year…only and always in December.

Today, as in the films, Our Fellowship stands separated by time and distance. And just like in those movies, stands strong and steadfast despite the passing years, increasing miles, and life-altering changes. It is something we were never able to wrap our minds around and define, which is perhaps the way it should be; for the most powerful and special things in life should not be answered easily. It is this Blogger’s hope, even if it is a fool’s hope, that Our Fellowship one day overcome time and distance to be together again. One stage of our journey is over; another is just beginning. But in a wider view, FELLOWSHIP was a film that was released at just the right time; arriving in theatres less than three months removed from 9/11. The world needed a film like THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING at the time, and 15 years down the winding road…seems to need its message of enduring friendship more than ever.

Merry Christmas, and may the blessings of Elves, Men, and all the Free Folk go with you.

A Reel Review: JACKIE

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 was an incident that shook America down to its foundations, and one could argue that the effects are still being felt today. For over 40 years, the incident and the many people it affected has provided cinema with prime material; often mined by biographers, conspiracy theorists, and historians. For Chilean director Pablo Larrain, who was born 13 years after the assassination, finding a fresh new angle in this tragedy was simple; explore the person who was closest to the incident and lost the most.

Weeks after the assassination, the now widowed Jackie Kennedy (Natalie Portman), invites a journalist (Billy Crudup), to her new home…where she seeks to provide the public with her own version of the weeks after the killing, including her dealings with new President Johnson (John Carroll Lynch), a priest (John Hurt), and JFK’s brother Bobby (Peter Sarsgaard).

Set within the framework of Jackie’s conversation with a semi-fictional journalist, JACKIE plays out like one of those unconventional stoner flicks where characters just seem to hang around talking, not doing much, and just letting their own stories and ramblings fill the time. A good eighty-percent of the film is told in flashbacks, beginning days before the assassination and following the difficult days and weeks afterwards. There is a gritty realness to the film, as the script follows the new widow as she must face the real-life tasks of planning funerals, breaking the news to her children (a heart-ripping scene), finding a new place to live, and the grim task of picking out a burial spot. It’s a series of difficult scenes to watch simply because we have to experience it through Jackie…who is now a devastated woman.

Pablo Lorrain uses the long flashbacks as opportunities to explore Jackie, and he uses them very well. Each scene reveals a little bit more about her, and the deeper he digs, the more profound the character becomes. There’s a difficult juggling-act that Jackie has to pull off; mother, widow, funeral-planner, and a reluctant un-official bearer of the entire Nation’s grieving. Jackie’s story is certainly a tragic one, but watching her get through it makes for a fascinating film.

Lorrain does a marvelous job in bringing 1960’s America back to life. The old interiors of the White House are recreated in stunning detail, and the recreation of Jackie’s historic TV tour through the White House is breathtaking. Some clever usage of stock footage is implemented, giving the film a very authentic feel, and the actual assassination of JFK is done tastefully…but is also given its horrific due. The score by Mica Levi is hauntingly beautiful.

Natalie Portman is outstanding as Jackie Kennedy. The accent and mannerisms are perfect, and beneath that plays the part of a woman who is coming unraveled underneath but must remain strong on the outside. Her scenes with Bobby Kennedy (Peter Sarsgaard) are wonderful, and Sarsgaard does his best to keep up with her. John Hurt is his usual magnificent self, and Billy Crudup is very good in his limited time.

JACKIE mainly deals with love and loss (mostly on loss), and doesn’t take much time to provide any laughs. This is one tragic and sad movie, and maybe that’s the way it should be. This is an American tragedy that not only rattled a country, but a wife and mother…and that should be the biggest takeaway when we thumb through the history books. In the grand scale of the JFK story, the intimate story is the most important.

BOTTOM LINE: See it