Where it is better: The martial arts scenes in the 2010 version are much more creative and dynamic, reflective of the use of Kung Fu, Chinese styles. Also reflective of the way western movies have come to adopt the more kinetic fighting style of Asian movie makers. The overall flow of the 2010 version improves on the lyrical pacing of the middle "training" scenes. And using the Chinese mountain range and the Great Wall as a backdrop results in breathtaking visuals. Wenwen Has as "Mei Ying" is cute as a button. And for all of us who every studied the Crane Kick in the 1984 version so closely you notice those little weak missteps (i.e., Ralph Macchio signaling to Willam Zabka which foot he's going to kick with, and the stutter step he took to time the kick properly) the finishing move in the new version is executed much better.
Where it is the same: Both versions share the same story beats, and sometimes the exact same framing on certain scenes. Rather than being a detriment, the 2010 version seems to be playing homage to the original version rather than "stealing" or "copying". The "Pick Up The Coat" scene is a moving as the "Wax On, Wax Off" scenes. Jaden Smith not only nails the sweetness and overall goodness required for character (Ralph Macchio's specialty) he nails the more annoying traits that fully flesh out the character (there are times when both Daniel and Dre deserve to get their asses kicked).
Where it is deficient: The 1984 version had more historical resonance by evoking the horrific consequences on the Manzar Interment Camps. The 2010 version obviously shirks any mention of politics (being one of the few western movie companies allowed to film in China) so while we can empathize with Mr. Han's personal tragedy, there's no sense of the man having to deal with fighting on behalf of a country that still viewed his race as the enemy.
Also, some movie critics wonder why Chen (the Chinese Johnny) has so much antipathy to Dre. There is a brief mention that Chen "likes" Mie Ying, but that isn't enough to justify him ready to kill the guy. Is it because American's are coming in and taking jobs from the Chinese in their own country? Is it a racial thing? The 2010 version glosses over those sort of questions.
Misc: In the tournament sequence, Chen fights and defeats a flashy, obviously mohawked kid named "Wu Ping". Is this a reference to Master Yuen Wu Ping the fight choreographer for the Matrix and Kill Bill movies? The Master has a reputation of being dislikable. David Carradine characterized Wu Ping as a primadonna his memoir "The Kill Bill Diary". Is there some beef between Jackie Chan's stunt team and Wu Ping's stunt team?
I've been struggling with this blog for awhile. Not only is it a review of the movie, I was also going to follow up with an essay called "The Eye and the Web: Symbols of Gender Politics in the world of 'Avatar'". Frankly, the essay and the review were getting a bit boring to write, which means it would be torture for you readers. Therefore for the sake of brevity, I'll just write my blog in bullet points:
Review:
Go see "Avatar", especially in 3D. It is awesome! (And by "awesome" I mean that it does indeed inspire awe.)
Zoe Saldana should be recognized for here amazing work in this film. Much of the movie depends on her. If we viewers don't fall in love with her character, then the whole project becomes pointless. Saldana breaths so much vitality into her digital character that the viewer quickly accepts the character's reality and the reality of the world of Pandora. Kudos for a great effort.
Essay (Spoiler Warning):
The genius of the movie "Avatar" is the detail and depth attributed to the ecology and culture of the world of Pandora.
If you pay attention, you will see key, recurring visual symbols and dialogue clues that help the viewer gain a better understanding of the contrast between human and Na'vi culture, in relation to gender politics.
In the human world, our genders are symbolized by the Mars and Venus
In the movie war-like Mars is represented by Colonel Miles Quaritch (played by Stephen Lang), the leader of the Pandora Colony security forces. Quaritch sees environment Pandora as the embodiment ultimate enemy and responds in kind.
Venus is represented by Dr. Grace Augustine, chief scientist and head of the Avatar program, played by Sigourney Weaver. As an ecologist, Augustine recognizes that the true value of the Pandora planet lies in the interconnectedness of the flora and fauna, and she struggles (in vain) to protect the Na'vi from the depredations of the human forces.
It should be noted that both Quaritch and Augustine are able to alternatively manipulate and intimidate the other characters to achieve their respective goals, but they seen to be neither afraid or impressed by the other. This reinforces the Mars/Venus dichotomy represented by each character as they are opponents of old, and rest of the characters are almost like pawns to be sacrificed, in the name of their eternal gender wars.
In contrast, the Na'vi culture strikes a more fruitful balance between the genders, and this balance is represented by the recurring symbols of the Eye (male) and the Web (female).
Recurring male-Eye symbols: the movie opens and closes on close ups of the main character's eyes; Pandora is a moon of the gas giant planet named "Polyphemus" which, much like Jupiter, contains a central storm system that looks like a giant eye; the planet "Polyphemus" is named after the the one-eyed cyclops from Greek mythology and Homer's "Odyssey"; Na'vi warriors perform a ritual blessing over the animals they kill for sustenance by speaking the words "I see you" over the body.
In the context of the movie, the Eye represents awakening and epiphany.
Recurring female-Web symbols: The Na'vi name for Pandora is "Eywa" which roughly translates to "Gaea", the primordial Mother deity of Greek mythology (in early drafts of the script the "Gaea" allusion was made more distinctly clear); Augustine slowly discovers that the Eywa plant life emit a measurable form of bio-electricity, which not only explains why all lifeforms on the moon is bio-luminescent, but also indicates that this energy can transmit bio-data between the lifeforms; the Na'vi are equipped with an external central nervous system (CNS) node that allows them to "network" with riding animals and certain plant life; in spiritual rituals, the Na'vi, arrange themselves in a bodily "web" focused around a central focal point.
In the context of the movie, the Web represents spiritual connectivity between lifeforms.
In the Na'vi culture, the traditional male/female roles are not as divided as in human culture. For example: Na'vi tribes are lead by male/female pair; the male is responsible for the physical well being of the tribe (hunting, shelter, security) while the female is responsible for the spiritual well being (maintaining tribal history, schooling, agriculture, diplomacy between the tribes). Each member has equal status.
Other examples of the inter-connectivity of genders in Na'vi culture: both males and females are taught to be warriors; the "I see you" blessing is used in hunting rituals as well as mating rituals; during the Na'vi rite of passage for the male male character, the tribe forms a web with him at the focal point; during the Na'vi mating ritual, both the Eye ("I see you") and the Web (connecting CNS nodes) are represented.
The main theme of the movie for me is that the strength of the Na'vi culture is due to the populations ability to maintain deep physical and spiritual connections with the environment, something that is lacking in human culture. The movie is a warning from James Cameron which is kind of ironic. The man is mainly known for pushing technology to the extreme to service his movie making. Yet is should be noted that all his stories are allegorical warnings about the dangers of technology running amok as well as, showing us how the strength of the human spirit (often represented by strong female characters) can help us overcome the most apocalyptic of events.
Other miscellaneous things to point out: the battle techniques of the Na'vi are reminiscent of the guerrilla (read: terroristic) tactics used by smaller, poorly equipped warriors against larger, more technically advanced armies; the destruction of Hometree is a directly evocative of the destruction of the Twin Towers (even down to the ash-covered landscape); and Quaritch's physical mannerisms (walking "apelike" with fists clenched and palms facing to the rear) and use of terms such as "shock and awe" reminds me of a ballsier, scarier, George W. Bush.
In "Funny People", Judd Apatow's latest movie, there is a funny, and melancholy scene where "Ira", Seth Rogan makes a iTunes song mix for his boss "George", played by Adam Sandler, who is diagnosed with a terminal illness. It got me thinking, if I could DJ my own funeral, what songs would I play. I scanned my own iTunes playlist and came up with the following Top 10 selections:
10) "Keep Me In Your Heart", Warren Zevon
I cribbed this directly from the movie. Zevon wrote the song for his farewell album "The Wind", which was recorded after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The best part of this song is the line "keep me in your heart for awhile". It's the "awhile" that gets me. Not "forever". Just "awhile".
9) "Landslide", Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks recorded my favourite cover of this song. It's sweet and sad and it's about lost loves.
8) "Breakdown", Handsome Boy Modeling School
To me, this song is about a business man, riding the commuter train, hoping (praying) that it would breakdown, so he can take some time to smell the roses. I guess we can all relate. It's from "White People" one of the best underground hip hop albums in recent history, and second album performed by Handsome Boy Modeling School, i.e., genius producers Prince Paul and Dan the Automator. Alas the Handsome Boy Modeling School broke up shortly thereafter over money problems, just as they were on the verge of breakout success. How sad.
7) "I Wish You Were Here", Incubus
The title this song may inspire somewhat ghoulish connotations at a funeral, but I like it for two reasons: a. its a wonderful love song; and b. it rocks! Hard!
6) "Jamaica Farewell", Harry Belafonte
My family emigrated from Jamaica, so this song has special meaning for me. But the key to this song is how the protaganist is so sad about leaving home and that "little girl in Kingston Town", but the sadness doesn't stop him from making the journey. He's saying goodbye, but looking ahead at the same time. To me, that is very powerful and important.
5) "I'll Fly Away", Alison Krause and Gillian Welch
A traditional hymn about earthly death and everlasting glory. Alison Krause and Gillian Welch's arrangement is light, hopeful and exceedingly beautiful.
4) "No Rain" Blind Melon
The song successfully evokes by university years without sounding dated. Plus, added bonus: Bee Girl! Yay!
3) "We're Going to Be Friends", The White Stripes
The song is little kids going to school and making new friends. There is a wonderful innocence and simplicity to this song, and I can think of few better to play at a funeral.
2) "The Wind", Cat Stevens
Great song. Sad, sweet and more importantly, short. Cameron Crowe used it to great effect in his movie "Almost Famous".
1) "Ahead By A Century", The Tragically Hip
Arguably, the best Canadian rock song, and one of Teresa's favourites. This song was the Hip's highest charting single, and is a love song to the best country in the world.
So Readers, do you have songs you would like to play at your funeral? If so, please comment. I am intersted.
Help me out, here. Some fans cobbled together this trailer from scenes from other movies. I was able to identify a few, but I didn't get them all. Can you ID some of the movies used for this clip:
Movies ID'd so far:
Serenity Firefly Hulk Iron Man The Fountain Dragon Ball Z (?) Stargate Contact Star Trek (The newest one) Bedtime Stories Matrix Revolutions
It was good. Not great, but the best film adaptation of the graphic novel possible. The graphic novel is the better product, but the movie rocks.
It was long, and detailed, which was good for fans of the graphic novel, but tried the patience of the general movie going audience.
Acting wise, MalinAckerman and Mathew Good were not as bad as everybody else says.
Jackie Earl Healy was a great Rorschach. Patrick Wilson was a great Nite Owl.
The soundtrack and score were both way too over the top, and were the chief detriments to the movie.
All in all, a great effort by all involved, including Zack Snyder.
I watched the film with four of my friends, of which all but one had read the graphic novel previous to viewing the film. Our post-viewing discussion touched on the fight scenes. A couple of my friends didn't think much of them and thought they were gratuitous. I, on the other hand, really liked them and thought they served a key purpose. The fight scenes, specifically the fighting styles used by each individual character provided clues to characterization that I (geek that I am) found fascinating. For example:
The Comedian's Fighting Style: Classic American Brawler
The Comedian started his crime-fighting career cleaning up New York's riverside docks so his style is consists mainly of fist-blows backed by power provided by his muscular physique. He uses intimidation, weaponry and dirty-fighting techniques to give him the upper hand against his opponents. He's always grabbing for weaponry, recognizing the advantage of force multipliers like knives, make-shift clubs and guns. He fight on instinct and emotion which works when he's on the winning side. But he's old, slow, prone to making mistakes out of desperation when he starts to lose. His murder kicks off the story's plot line.
Rorshach's Fighting Style: Suicidal Street Fighter
If city is an urban jungle, Rorschach is the meanest, cruelest cat on the block. He's not the lion. He's the cat that makes the lion slink away in terror with its tail curled down around it balls for protection. Rorshach is shorter and slighter than his crime fighting companions, but he makes up for this disadvantage in three ways:
He fights nasty (boxing backed up by a kitchen sink assortment knee's elbows and kicks).
He uses his environment as a weapon (the way he moves up and down vertical height's is reminiscent of free-running/Parkour, and he uses makeshift weapons culled from generic household items).
He's fucking psychotic.
Never fight a guy who doesn't care about dying? You could break all his limbs and he would still bite. He's a killer, straight and simple, and his uncompromising, black and white morality, and severe death wish more than makes up for any physical shortcomings. Given that, his ultimate fate is not that surprising.
Nite Owl's Fighting Style: Efficient, Scientific Hand to Hand Style.
After a decade of government-mandated retirement, the Nite Owl seems to have softened around the edges and grown himself a respectable spare tire. But there's a lot of power behind that bulk. Plus, as a scientist, he understands the value of incapacitating his opponents with one strike, especially when fighting against greater numbers. Nite Owl aims for his opponents weak spots, preferring to shatter knees, shins and elbow joints in order to quickly deal with an opponent, and to make sure that opponent cannot get up again to do him harm. Although he's the a technophile, he rarely uses offensive weaponry, preferring a brutal, punishing hand to hand combat reminiscent of Okinawan karate.
Silk Spectre's Fighting Style: She's Got Legs and She Knows How to Use 'Em.
As the only female crime fighter of the bunch, Silk Spectre has to maximise use of her natural assets: specifically her long legs. She employs a kicking style, similar to Korean martial arts. She deploys wheel kicks with precision timing, ensuring opponents feel the full, devastating effect of her force at it's maximum arc. Although she eschews the dirty fighting techniques that makes Rorshach such a formidable opponent, she's not adverse to close fighting using her elbow's and knees. When pushed, she will use weaponry, which gives some hint to her crime fighting linage. It may be a man's world, but this woman is able to hold her own quite effectively.
Dr. Manhattan's Fighting Style: None.
God's don't fight. They simply wave a hand and their opponents disintegrate. He's cold, dispassionate and he kills at a distance with a God's impunity.
Ozymandias's Fighting Style: The Ultimate Martial Artist.
He may be the smartest man in the world, and he's certainly the most dangerous. His back storyincludes years of travelling around Asia, learning every bit of martial theory he could. As a result, he has access to every style of martial art ever invented. But what makes him truly formidable as a fighter is how perceptive he is. Ozy observational skills makes him so intuitive, he borders on precognitive. How do you fight an opponent who can anticipate your next move based on minute shift in eye glances and body position? How do you kill a person who can read a bullet's ultimate trajectory before you even shoot? It's almost fitting that Ozy is such a voyeur, who reads the shifts in the cultural climate by watching fifty different television programs on fifty different TV screens all at one. He sees all, and he knows, man... he knows...
Okay, a friend of mine posted the following comment on Facebook:
"I do not consider rap, a type of music. And I think that sampling in rap music should be illegal, because they always pick the good songs and then ruin them. Example: Coldplay ft. Jay-Z - Lost!" --Laura S.
I, being a long time hip-hop fan, pretty much blasted her ass in a classic, beautiful, long, angry, ranting comment, which I will not recreate here. The gist of my rant was that although it is okay to not like hip-hip/rap, it's damn irresponsible to dismiss it as an art form. Frankly, her comment really pissed me off.
A couple of days later, I cooled off a bit and remembered the following bit of advice from good ol' Jay-Z:
"A wise man once told me don't argue with fools, 'cause people from a distance can't tell who is who" --Jay-Z, Takeover
And I realized that I showed a fair amount of ignorance by blasting poor little Laura in my rant. I also realized that her comment was made more out of innocence, 'cause somehow, she missed out the last thirty years of some of the best music in the world. Living out in the boondocks will do that to ya.
Thus in an effort to educate young Laura S., I present the following history lesson, sort of like a primer, that one may use to gain a new appreciation (and maybe even respect) of the art form known as: hip-hop.
10) Sugarhill Gang, "Rapper's Delight"
Once upon a time, way back in the Year of Our Lord 1979, Debbie Harry from the rock group Blondie and Niles Rodgers from the disco group Chic, went out to a New York club to view a "hip-hop" and break-dancing event. The DJ at the event started playing the breakdown section of Chic's "Good Times". A spunky little rapper named Fab Five Freddy started freestyling to the song, and was quickly joined by his crew, known as the Sugarhill Gang. Debbie was so impressed by the rapper's skills she wrote the song "Rapture", describing the event. The Sugarhill Gang went on to record "Rapper's Delight", outright sampling Niles's song. Niles was pissed at first, but when the song became the first hip-hop song to top the music charts, he acknowledged that the song was "as innovative and important" to the music world as "Good Times".
This song is roundly considered the first song to popularize hip-hop in the United States.
9) Aerosmith and Run DMC, "Walk This Way"
Back in the day, hip-hop was Black and heavy metal was White and never the twain would meet. Black people disdained heavy metal and white folks wouldn't listen to "that rap crap". Then one day, heavy metal bad boys, Aerosmith, joined ranks with old-school hip-hop ambassadors, Run DMC, and with a little help from uber-producer Rick Rubin (remember that name my friends) created this wonderful little ditty:
The fan's response? Well, rock boys from Aerosmith's home town, Boston, threatened to set fire to any radio station that would dare play the song. Some black folks thought Run DMC was selling out. But, eventually, cooler heads prevailed, and both black and white were forever joined in eternal, musical harmony.
8) Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff, "Parent's Just Don't Understand"
The first hip-hop song to win a Grammy Award. No swearing either.
I wonder what ever happened to that Fresh Prince fellow...
7) Beastie Boys, "Paul Revere"
In 1986, the Religious Right began to worry about the effect that "Black music" was having on the nation's youth. Then along came the Beastie Boys.
Holy shit...
Remember that Rick Rubin guy. He produced the song.
6) Queen Latifah, "U.N.I.T.Y."
If you were wondering if there were any lady hip-hoppers, I invite you to Wikipedia and YouTube the following names: Roxanne Shante, Monie Love, MC Lyte, (Toronto's own) Michie Mee, Missy Elliot, the amazing Lauren Hill, Salt n' Pepa, (who added a lot of much needed female flava to the scene) and the First Queen of Hip-Hop:
In the late '80's and early '90's, the hip-hop scene was full of Black Consciousness. The son's and daughters of the '60's revolution discovered that hip-hop was a powerful medium through which one could inspire a political movement within the Black Community. Chuck D from the group Public Enemy called hip-hop, "the Black man's CNN".
These brother's just didn't play! Public Enemy blasted on the scene and almost single-handedly moved the progress of Black people ahead five years.
4) MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice.
And these two motherfuckers set us back fifteen years.
3) Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Shakur Known for being both profane and profound, Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur were two of the best rappers in recent memory. Their bitter feud and the resulting murders were tragedies that threatened the foundations of rap music. In both life and death, they represented a crucial turning point for the hip-hop culture. They would set the standard against which all future rappers would be measured.
2) The Alternative Hip Hop Scene
After the debacle of the so-called East Coast/West Coast feud, and the death of Tupac and Biggie, hip-hop diversified. There was the commercial side of rap music, which promoted a free-spending, material and misogynistic lifestyle to urban and suburban youth. And then there was an alternative, underground scene, where creativity flourished almost in secret. The proponents underground scene pumped new lifeblood into hip-hop. Some of key players of the scene include (but are not limited to):
The Native Tongues (A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, Black Sheep, Leaders of the New School. etc.)
Philadelphia's Roots Crew
Dead Presidents
Mos Def
Talib Kweli
Erykah Badu;
Jurassic 5; and
Outkast
These people were responsible for bringing hip-hop back from the brink. In 2004, comedian Dave Chappelle brought some of they key players together for a once-in-a-lifetime concert, which was documented in the movie Dave Chappelle's Block Party. This is hip-hop's graduating class, y'all, and this movie is a must-see for any true hip-hop fan.
1) Hip-Hop's Refugee's
The term "hip-hop" is more than just term for a type of music. Hip-hop is cultural movement, with very specific codes and mores. Hip-hop has a world-wide following, and it's proponents use every aspect of this movement to express them selves. You can tell a hip-hopper by the way they speak, what they read, the way they dress, the way they conduct business. The art form surrounds us, and it pervades our lives in may unseen ways. Barack Obama could rightly be called the first Hip-Hop President, because he, like many of us, grew up immersed in the culture. But, even more profound, is the fact that hip-hop's world wide ambassadors have taken up the challenge of moving the art form into the new century. Some of these ambassadors are:
Cypress Hill
The 'Fugees
The Black Eyed Peas
DJ Q-Bert
MC Solaar
Dilated Peoples
Matisyahu
The newest kid on the scene is Toronto's (by way of Somalia) K'naan, who's new album dropped just yesterday. Check him out kid:
So Laura, there's your starter lesson. Go forth, young one, because the journey of a thousand steps.... blah, blah, blah....
I'm a sucker for love stories. In my opinion there is a very big difference between a love story and a "girly flick". Love stories are complex and varied. They can be about falling in love, falling out of love, unrequited love, obsessive love. When Harry Met Sally is about romantic love. The Terminator is about redemptive love. Aliens is about parental love. Kill Bill is about destructive love. It all good to me.
Girly flicks are generally about superficial love. Some may have the semblance of complexity, but if you think about it, the main characters tend to be more archetypes rather fully fleshed entities. Maid in Manhattan, Pretty Woman, and The Princess Diaries are all examples of girly flicks. And they have their place. They are like potato chips thoroughly enjoyable, but the are ersatz, wafer thin confections that are ultimately unhealthy if ingested in large amounts.
I've watched a couple of love stories lately, and had some thoughts about them.
Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008, dir. Woody Allen)
Cinefiles tend to praise Woody Allen films but I generally find them hard to like. Technically they are great, the cinematography is amazing, but it's the stories that put me off. He leans towards love stories, but his depictions of love is very difficult, almost too real for my taste. Vicky Christina Barcelona is a great example. Like other Woody Allen movies, it's a love story between beautiful, creative and artistic, but ultimately selfish, people.
Javier Bardem is really the best part of this movie. God, what man wouldn't love to have his confidence and charm. Who else could get away with proposing a three way just after introducing himself to two beautiful women, and have them seriously entertain the idea. The man is just plain sexy. Too bad the other actors weren't as appealing. I found Vicky (played by Rebecca Hall) too remote, Christina (played by Scarlett Johansson) too annoying and Maria (played by Penelope Cruz) just plain psycho. Of the three female lead characters, Penelope Cruz was by far, the better actor, but I don't know if that was an Academy Award worthy role.
In all, I thought the movie was just okay, but it confirmed my opinion that Woody Allen films are just not my cup of tea.
Normal, (2003, dir. Jane Anderson)
I could write a synopsis about this movie, but I think the trailer explains it much better.
You would be surprised how sweet and funny this movie is. It has such a great heart and really romantic performances from Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Lange. It's about the healing power of love, and how it can help transcend certain boundaries. It's less about transsexualism and more about asking your family to accept who you really are. I highly recommend it.
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