Monthly Archives: February 2016

Reviews

Hail, Caesar

HailCaesarSo far this year I’ve seen three movies, and all of them have been a lot of fun. Hail, Caesar currently sits at the bottom of my list, but it’s well above the Threshold of Disappointment.

Hail, Caesar is a movie for movie people. It’s full of SAG in-jokes and homages that I’m sure I only caught a few of, since I did not major in film. It was still a lot of fun for me. It demands to be patiently watched, like you’d watch a sunset, or perhaps a neighbor’s open window.

Does that sound creepy? Well, parts of this movie had that same level of creepy in them. Bits that felt like a lampooning of American culture in the 1950’s were lifted directly out of our history. It’s creepy that stuff like that really happened.

The jokes worked, and the musical numbers were wonderful, and the story itself, while seeming disjointed at first, was a really good one that I’m happy to have been told.

Crossposted, Journal, Reviews

Kung Fu Panda 3

KungFuPanda3I am impressed.

I was not expecting the Kung Fu Panda franchise to become an epic martial arts trilogy, but with Kung Fu Panda 3 the writers looked sequelitis in the eye, and then shot for the moon. Which they hit. This mixes at least two metaphors, but with the Dreamworks crescent moon logo in the blend I think I’m allowed the indulgence.

Put another way, they took a big risk, and it paid off.

Back in 2011 Kung Fu Panda 2 left me amazed, and more than a little surprised. The craft on display there was exemplary, and in all of the best ways. Kung Fu Panda 3 brought that same level of craft to the screen, and put paid on promises made in the first two movies. I’d say more, but some of the payoff is very much worth not spoiling.

There’s a line early on which I will spoil for you. (I’m quoting from memory, so please excuse any errors.)

“If you only do what you can, you will never become more than you are.” —Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman)

Kung Fu Panda 3 clears my Threshold of Awesome, and takes the #1 slot for the year. Not hard, given that as of this writing¹ I’ve seen exactly two movies, but impressive nonetheless.

¹UPDATE: And now it is July 9th. My 2016 list has 18 films on it, and Kung Fu Panda 3 is still on top. I watched the Kung Fu Panda 3 Blu-Ray² last night, and stand by my rankings.  

²As Blu-Rays go, it’s fine, provided you’re just there for the film. The Panda Party song and Panda Paws featurettes are disappointing. The deleted scenes (Faux Paws) is a nice tool for writers, though, because the directors tell us why these scenes, which were quite good, had to be cut. 

 

Reviews

Deadpool: Pretty Good For February

DeadpoolI enjoyed Deadpool, but I don’t have any desire to see it again. I have a deep appreciation for a well-crafted joke, and Deadpool was full of those, but of necessity the jokes were contextualized with stuff I don’t love sitting through.

It’s hard to figure out which side of the cart this horse should be on, and the cart itself is carrying a chicken and an egg. Is it gratuitous violence when commentary upon the gratuitous violence is part of the story? Taken as a whole, the movie works really well, but I only want to take it once. The other Marvel movies have been more inviting, and I’ve seen some of them several times (except the Wolverine origin story, which I saw exactly one more time than I wish I had. So, you know, once.)

Films that demonstrate amazing understanding of the craft are usually a pleasure to watch, and re-watch. Deadpool was truly amazing in a great many ways, but while I had fun in the theater, I didn’t have Threshold-of-Awesome fun. I will, however, concede that the craft on display in Deadpool was top-notch, and was perfect for that particular character.

I’ll slap a ranking on this one after I have seen a couple more movies this year. Kung Fu Panda 3 and Hail Caesar are next on my hit list. I’ll be in touch.

Reviews

The Shootout Solution: Genrenauts, Episode 1

Every so often I read a book and wish I could have thought of the stuff this author thought up. It’s a little painful, and it’s made even worse when I know the author personally, and find them intimidatingly intelligent. I am forced to come to grips with the fact that this idea was not just lying around for the first comer. It was secured deep in a cave full of puzzles, and monsters, and death that only an author-hero could courageously and successfully face, and the cave itself is hidden so well I don’t even know how to find it.

GenrenautsBook1With Genrenauts, author Michael R. Underwood (perhaps best known for Geekomancy,  Celebromancy, and Hexomancy) has created a setting in which he can spin stories that mess very engagingly with genre, setting, trope, and tale. The first of these stories is The Shootout Solution: Genrenauts, Episode 1. It’s a fast, fun read, priced to move with the electronic edition currently at $2.99.

The concept runs as follows: our world is part of a multiverse in which the stories we tell congeal into planes or dimensions that operate according to trope-laden rule sets. These areas can reflect back on us. A missing happily-ever-after can mean disaster in our world.

As a creator I understand that the stories we tell say a lot about who we are. Commentary on these stories is a deconstruction of our culture, our beliefs, and even our minds. I have this sinking feeling that the Genrenauts series, with its raucous meta-commentary upon the stories of pop culture, is going to say important things that I might not be clever enough to catch the first time around because I’m too busy enjoying the books.

And it’s pretty easy to get lost in enjoying the story. Here’s The Shootout Solution in four words: “spaceships, cowboys, and comediennes.”

Obligatory Disclaimer: At the bar at ConFusion two weeks ago Michael offered me the first Genrenauts book for free. I turned him down because it’s easier for me to not lose a book on my nightstand if I buy it myself and put it in my Kindle app. Also, $2.99.

Non-obligatory plug: The next book in the Genrenauts series, The Absconded Ambassador, is available for pre-order. It drops on February 23rd. I’m in.