Ex Machina

In Ex Machina, it is too simple to ask ourselves if a man is falling in love with a robot, though she is a remarkable and beautiful work of machinery.  However, does the fact that Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) is a human, flawed, heterosexual male cloud his judgement when Ava (Alicia Vikander) confides in him so earnestly while her creator seems like such a heartless monster?  I highly suggest watching Ex Machina to find out all the fantastic twists and mysteries this wonderfully crafted film holds.  

The film starts when Caleb, a lowly computer programmer, wins a contest to fly out to Nathan’s (Oscar Issac) estate for a week to test a new experimental work of artificial intelligence.  The goal is to see if Caleb can believe that the subject, Ava (Alicia Vikander) could be mistaken as human.  Over the week, Caleb is put in a little glass booth in Ava’s room and the two converse between the glass.  All around are cameras, with Nathan watching Caleb interact with his creation.  

As the week wears on, Ava and Caleb seem more and more drawn to each other.  They discuss where they would go on a date and Ava bashfully surprises Caleb by putting on a dress and wig to cover up her obviously robotic parts.  Ava also triggers power outages, moments where the cameras are down and out of Nathan’s view.  During the outages she begins to confide in Caleb that she fears Nathan and warns Caleb not to trust him.  

Nathan’s quiet dominance grows heavier and eerier throughout the film.  When Caleb shows up at his estate, Nathan is hungover.  He continues to drink throughout the week getting belligerent and passing out multiple times.  But he also lets Caleb know he is smarter than him and in just a glance, we know he is much stronger too.  He lifts some weights and does impressive sit ups to prove it.  

Ex Machina feels like a modern version of a lonely Frankenstein and his monster.  Apart from Nathan’s young, beautiful servant (Sonoya Mizuno), who conveniently doesn’t speak English, there is only Nathan, Ava and now Caleb in the vast secluded estate.  It’s no wonder Nathan regularly binge drinks, has created a revolutionary A.I and has muscles on top of his muscles.  With not much to do and no one to talk to, what genius meat-head wouldn’t build robotic women?  

As Caleb’s week with Nathan wears on, the film feels tense and claustrophobic, mirroring Caleb’s emotions.  The room Nathan gives him has no windows and while technologically advanced, feels spartan.  The way Nathan asks Caleb about Ava is almost hostile at times, and when Caleb decides to hide the unsavory things Ava has said about Nathan, the conflict rises.  

I was very disappointed that Ex Machina was counted out of the Best Picture race.  From the nominees I’ve seen so far this year (The Martian, The Revenant, The Big Short, Spotlight and Mad Max: Fury Road) I believe that Ex Machina is just as well done and tells a great story.  I guess the Academy voters simply were not as impressed as I was.  I also hoped Vikander would snag a supporting nomination for her role as Ava, but alas, she did not.  At least the film got two Oscar nominations, for best original screenplay and best visual effects.  

Honestly, there hasn’t been this much sexual tension between man and robot on film since Her.  But Ex Machina is different, it’s a suspenseful, intelligent and thrilling sci-fi film.  Ava is different, she’s intelligent, captivating and can be seen as a damsel in distress.  She was created by Nathan to be as real as possible, even physically.  Perhaps she has feelings, feelings for Caleb, for freedom, to be a real woman in out in the world.  Even so, inside she is still wires, gears and microchips.  The mystery is wondering if there is more.

“Isn’t it strange, to create something that hates you?”

Gorillas in the Mist

The life of Dian Fossey is unique, beautiful and passionate, just like this film.  Under Michael Apted’s direction, Gorillas in the Mist is an exotic biopic that immerses us in Fossey’s world among the gorillas and celebrates her life’s work.

In 1968 we see Dian (Sigourney Weaver) leave her home, family and fiancé to live alone in the war torn jungles of Rwanda, to count the gorilla population.  Early in her stay, she is forced to leave by soldiers.  Not willing to give up, she sets up another camp outside the border, in the mountains.  As her research grows more impressive, she gains attention from the National Geographic, who sends photographer Bob Campbell (Byran Brown) to work with her.  Fossey and Campbell have a romantic relationship while up in the mountains, he even says he will leave his wife for her.  But this is not a love story, and if it were, Fossey’s true love is the gorillas.  

Sigourney Weaver is known for playing tough, tenacious women, and her role as Dian Fossey is no exception.  Anyone, man or woman, brave enough to live in a foreign jungle, alone and unable to speak the native language is already a force to be reckoned with.  Getting closer to gorillas than anyone ever had and learning to communicate with them is amazing.  And when she is fighting off poachers, who think she is a witch, she embraces their fear and uses it against them.  Her tactic used to frighten a young poacher enough to talk is one of my favorite moments in the film.

What impressed me most about this film is the fact that most of the scenes involving gorillas were filmed with real live gorillas.  A few scenes involve actors in a gorilla suit, but for the most part I don’t think I could tell the difference between the real gorillas and the fake.  They all seem very convincing and authentic.  And even better is how fearless Weaver is among the gorillas, she seems as at home as Fossey would be.  

In 1988 Gorillas in the Mist was nominated for five Academy Awards.  They include best adapted screenplay, best sound, best original score, best film editing and best leading actress, for Sigourney Weaver.  Unfortunately, Oscar night ended with this film coming home empty handed.  

Gorillas in the Mist is an enchanting film that would most appeal to nature lovers and animal activists everywhere.  With the film’s focus on Dian’s work, her battles against poachers and struggling within a war torn region, it is fascinating and thrilling.  However, with some brutal moments towards the innocent gorillas, young animal lovers should wait until their older for this film.  

“If I see or hear or smell you anywhere near my gorillas you’ll be writing with your other hand, and I’ll have an ashtray.”

Hook

Steven Spielberg’s Hook takes the world of Peter Pan and imagines what happened if he left Neverland and grew up.  Robin Williams plays Peter Banning, a lawyer who doesn’t put his children first.  When his family travels to England to attend a dedication for a hospital for orphans named after his grandmother-in-law, Wendy (Maggie Smith), Hook (Dustin Hoffman) kidnaps his children.  The authorities are no help and before Peter knows what is happening, he is whisked away to Neverland by Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts) so he can save his children.

Among all his problems, Peter doesn’t remember, or even believe that he is the Peter Pan from the stories.  Everyone else recognizes him, Hook, Tinkerbell, some of the lost boys. Granny Wendy even tells him how they first met when she was a girl.  When he half-heartedly confronts Captain Hook, the pirate is so disappointed that his worthy adversary is no more than an uptight lawyer afraid of heights that he gives Peter three days before they fight for the children.  With only three days to remember how to be the Pan, Peter needs Tinkerbell, the lost boys and to find his happy thought.

In this film, Neverland is imagined more beautifully than I have ever seen.  Flying in, the island seems to on a living map, with compass rose visible in the water.  Captain Hook’s ship is a magnificent vessel with a skeleton holding a sword on the bow.  The forests where the Lost Boys live is a childhood paradise with skateboarding ramps, basketball hoops and a maze of draw bridges leading to their tree houses.  And under water are colorful mermaids, who can be helpful to anyone forced to walk the plank.  It all adds to the sense of wonder and adventure that can only happen in Neverland.

My favorite scene is probably a favorite for many; the imaginary dinner scene.  Everything plays out perfectly.  After a long day of training, Peter is tired, hungry and from the looks of things, a big meal is being prepared.  Once grace is said, it’s revealed that there is nothing but steam in all the dishes and the boys pretend to eat.  I especially love how one boy pretends to eat corn on the cob.  When Peter refuses to go along with it, an insult match brew up between Rufio (Dante Basco) and Peter.  I got some of my best comebacks here, “In your face, camel cake!”  And it all builds up to Peter letting loose a real zinger, pretending with the boys and a magnificent feast appearing before him.  Never had bowls of red and blue frosting looked so appetizing.

The dynamic between Peter and his children has always struck a deep chord with me.  As a kid, I understood Jack’s frustration with his father, not showing up to that baseball game seemed like the ultimate parent betrayal.  And Maggie’s devotion to her dad is especially touching, realizing that not all kids see the obvious flaws in their parents.  Now as a parent myself, I understand how easy it can be to let little moments with your children slip away.  Never before had Moira’s words hit me so hard, “Your children love you, they want to play with you.  How long do you think that lasts?”

Childhood doesn’t last long, but Hook can help adults remember what it was like to be a kid again.  We need that sometimes, especially to help us better understand our children.  I’ve recently started a list of movies to share with my son at certain ages.  Hook is one we will make time for in the height of his childhood.  It’s one I hope we can enjoy and cherish together.  From it I hope he sees a world of adventure, imagination and that parents may not be perfect but the good ones will save the day.  And that he will always be my happy thought.

“Dear night-lights, protect my sleeping babes.  Burn clear and steadfast tonight.”

Stand By Me

There’s a short window of time where boyhood seems to peak before snapping off to adolescence and movies like Stand By Me capture it in all its raw glory and terror.  Directed by Rob Reiner, the film is based off Stephen King’s story, The Body, where four twelve year old boys take a two day hike out to find a the body of a dead kid.

Stand By Me is more grim and realistic than many movies that use a similar formula.  The Goonies has a greater air of whimsy and The Sandlot is more rooted in boyhood mischief.  For me, Stand By Me creates a stronger emotional connection.  I feel sorry for each boy, and their problems are not comical or cute.  Chris (River Phoenix) comes from a rough family and is assumed to be a bad kid, so he goes with it.  Teddy (Corey Feldman) nearly had his ear burnt off by his now institutionalized father.  Vern (Jerry O’Connell) is a fat kid no one takes seriously bullied by his trouble making older brother.  And poor Gordie (Wil Wheaton) has become invisible to his parents since his hero older brother died a few months ago.

Setting off on this adventure is a great way to escape their troubles and little town for a while.  Best of all, they think they will come back heroes, with their pictures in the paper, interviewed on tv and all.  Like most adventures, the journey is the best part, where they laugh, narrowly escape trouble and feel invincible.  But we are reminded now and then that they’re on their way to find a dead kid, maybe it shouldn’t be a party.  And they are not the only ones looking to find the dead kid.

The moment everyone remembers from Stand By Me is the train trestle scene.  Earlier it is said that the dead kid they are out looking for was probably hit by the train while crossing the bridge, and we are afraid that history will repeat itself.  The moment they set across, the tension starts to pull tighter.  I cringe and laugh as dorky little Vern crawls in an effort to be extra cautious.  Then the train looms around the bend and poor Gordie and Vern scramble and run for their lives.

What makes Stand By Me stand out and become a great movie is the writing.  It received and Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay.  The dialogue exchange between the boys flows flawlessly and sounds authentic.  Best of all it can range from childish conversations about what the hell Goofy is and crude insults, to their secret fears and personal struggles.

Stand By Me is a classic that I am happy to have finally seen.  The young cast is convincing and drive the film perfectly.  Sutherland and his gang are perfect baddies that I love to loathe.  And when it’s all done and the credits are rolling to B. E. King’s Stand By Me, I wish I had had some kind of adventure with friends like Gordie and Chris in the twilight of childhood.

“-This is my age! I’m in the prime of my youth, and I’ll only be young once!

-Yeah, but you’re gonna be stupid for the rest of your life.”

The Lego Movie

Back in the 90s, I was a lucky kid who grew up with a big bucket of Legos.  For Christmas or birthdays I would sometimes get a little construction set and meticulously labor over the instructions until I had constructed exactly what was on the picture.  I took some pride in that.  But nothing was better than taking the bucket, dumping it all over the floor and just building whatever came to my mind.  It was a mess, complete chaos for anyone who dared step near my construction zone and a few small bricks were sacrificed to the vacuum cleaner.  But it was so fun and awesome.  That’s what The Lego Movie celebrates, creativity, fun and awesomeness.

In a Lego city, Emmett is an ordinary construction worker.  He lives every day by his instructions and thinks everything is awesome.  When he stumbles upon The Piece of Resistance, he discovers that he is the chosen one that a prophecy spoke of, and that his world is not as it seems.  Ordinary Emmett and a fun crew of Master Builders have to stop Lord Business from using the Kragle to freeze their entire world before Taco Tuesday.

What I love most about The Lego Movie is not the use of Legos to create an animated film, but the fun and silly tone and spirit the film creates.  The jokes come fast, often, and will make kids and adults laugh together.  The characters talk and interact like how a kid playing with toys would have them do so.  Chris Pratt’s Emmett is the fun unlikely hero that any kid would wish to be.  Morgan Freeman’s Vitruvius is just as snarky as he is mysterious.  Will Arnett’s Batman turns the character on its head who writes his own music (“real” music)  about being Batman.  Alison Brie’s Princess Uni-Kitty is a cute and creative sort of Incredible Hulk character.  And Will Ferrell’s President (and Lord) Business is the perfect bad guy created out of a kid’s view on authority.

One of my favorite scenes is a total spoiler, so if you haven’t seen the movie, just skip this paragraph.  Believe me, it’s better this way.  Newbies gone?  Okay.  Anyway, that moment where the son tells his Will Ferrell dad what exactly Emmett would say to Lord Business just gives me all the feels.  There, it is most clear how the son’s play world interacts with his home life.  Isn’t it wonderful how kids always slip some of their real life into whatever imaginative world they’re creating? Even better is how the father finally realizes how his hobby affects his son and he is willing to change for him…and his younger daughter.  The Duplo blocks beaming in like aliens cracked me up every time!

The fact that The Lego Movie was shut out of the Oscar race for best animated picture shocked and angered me.  Sure, I bet the Academy could argue that everything being made of Legos could hinder the range of animation, but I don’t think so.  Legos are extremely versatile and add to the visual feel of the film.  Perhaps they found it juvenile.  *Insert fart noise here*  Duh, it’s kids’ stuff!  But the way The Lego Movie portrays childhood and a kid’s imagination in action is so great, and not just a rip off of what Toy Story has already done.  At least it landed a nomination for its song, Everything is Awesome.  As silly as that song is, I really do love it, and find myself singing it often.

There is an old bucket of Legos up in my attic, waiting for my son and I plan to get him some toddler safe blocks for his birthday.  I can’t wait for him to be old enough to build, create, play and let his imagination run wild with them for hours.  I’ll gladly join him, help him fish out any certain brick he might need and endure the pain of stepping on a rogue brick now and then.  Of course, I will be adding The Lego Movie to our personal blu-ray collection for him.

“The only thing anyone needs to be special is to believe that you can be.  I know that sounds like a cat poster but it’s true.”

Gone Girl

David Fincher’s Gone Girl operates on a premises Americans see far too often through our media based news.  Broadcasts show a pretty, young woman who disappears under suspicious circumstances and the whole country goes to pieces searching and mourning for her.  The explanation for her disappearance, more often than not, is her significant other disposing of her in some cruel, depraved act of violence.  The media has a field day with each new case of our sweet, lost girls and the viewers find it all the more sensational.  But I promise, what you witness in Gone Girl is more intense, provocative and twisted than what you will see on the news.

Our missing girl is Amy Dunn (Rosemund Pike), a blonde beauty who enjoys leading her husband on treasure hunts on their anniversary.  Her husband, Nick (Ben Affleck), seems a bit clueless and emotionally detached lately.  He is annoyed about figuring out Amy’s clues for this year’s treasure hunt, vents about his latest marriage woes to his twin sister at the bar they own.  When he returns home, he finds a strange scene and can’t find Amy anywhere.

He calls the police and things get exponentially complicated.  Volunteer search committees are formed, candlelight vigils are held, both Amy and Nick’s face are stamped on every news break.  The longer Amy is missing, the worse it looks for Nick, who claims he had nothing to do with her disappearance.  Soon he is seeking the help of an attorney (played by Tyler Perry) who seems to specialize helping the husbands of missing women that the media has taken to destroying.

There are amazing flashbacks and clues, like ex boyfriends and a diary Amy wrote, that draw us deeper and deeper.  But I cannot bear to say anymore of the plot. This film is such an enjoyable thriller and a mystery that hinges on a few amazing twists.  It was done so well that I believed this film would earn Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay.  Sadly, it was snubbed.  And for those who have read the book, I have heard from many sources that the film is much more enjoyable.

The acting throughout this film is superb.  Pike makes Amy such an amazing woman, we are spellbound by her, the mystery behind her and we can see how Nick could so easily have fallen in love.  Her nomination for best actress is well deserved.  Neil Patrick Harris becomes a scene-stealer in his minor role that leads up to a moment in film that is impossible to erase from my mind.   And while Ben Affleck is far from one of my favorite actors, I did enjoy his performance as well.  Maybe I just like how his character is cornered and squirming the whole time.

In October, I predicted that Gone Girl would be hailed as one of the best films of the year.  I went to see it on a Wednesday night, and the theater was nearly sold out.  The audience got very into the film, gasping, jumping and grimacing at all the right moments.  I walked out of the theater counting on my fingers the Oscar nominations I guessed were coming the film’s way: director, adapted screenplay, actress, and picture felt like sure bets.  Boy, was I wrong and disappointed.  Pike’s acting was the only thing to receive any recognition by the Academy.

“Nick Dunne.  You’re probably the most hated man in America right now.  Did you kill your wife, Nick?”

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Traditional Christmas movies have never been my style, but at the height of my childhood (I think I still believed in Santa in 1993) one of my favorite Christmas/Halloween movies came out.  The Nightmare Before Christmas is a fun and joyfully creepy celebration of both Christmas and Halloween that I loved as a kid and grew up to appreciate even more.  It tells the story of a year that Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king, and the other delightfully macabre creatures who control Halloween take over Christmas.

As the film begins, it is Halloween and we are immediately  immersed in the spooky celebrations to the lovely tune, This is Halloween.  We see the creepy creatures do their stuff and they do it wonderfully.  But this is a very kid friendly film, so these creatures don’t do anything very violent or really frightening.  In fact, I love the little line of reassurance for any kids that aren’t sure, “Life’s no fun without a good scare, That’s our job but we’re not mean, In our town of Halloween.”

However, Jack seems unfulfilled and bored with doing the same old Halloween festivities.  When he wanders into Christmasland, he is bewildered and inspired.  He decides to give Santa (or Sandy Claws) the year off and he and his town tirelessly works to create a spectacular Christmas.  But Sally (Catherine O’Hara), a lovely sort of Frankenstein rag doll, has a premonition that Jack’s Christmas will be a disaster.

Those of us who have experienced Christmas before know it will be.  One of my favorite scenes is when the creatures are “making Christmas.”  They make gifts they believe will delight the children, like shrunken heads and evil looking toy ducks.  The sleigh is a casket, the reindeer are skeletons, and the town is so proud.  Kids and adults will both get a kick out of how the Halloween characters just don’t understand Christmas.

Like many films bearing Tim Burton’s name, there are stark differences between the usual happy world and a darker, more offbeat world.   When Jack discovers Christmas land, it is like nothing he has ever seen, or imagined before.  Between the sparkling snow, the twinkling lights, the bright colors, the cute inhabitants, it is all very overwhelming.  Back in the Halloween world, the brightest thing is the full moon, nothing sparkles and the cutest creature there is the little zombie kid with his eyes sewn shut.  It’s easy to understand how easily Jack could be hooked into this Christmas thing.

The most colorful moment in the Halloween world is in Oggie Boogie’s lair.  There, blacklights are used to illuminate the set in glowing neon colors.  I suspect this is was used because it’s a fun trick and makes the usually bright Santa duller than the rest of the surroundings.  We don’t want him out shining the real stars of the film.

One of my favorite theater experiences was seeing The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D.  I took my (then) teenage brother, it was the first time either of us had seen the film in a theater.  Immediately, I felt like I was seeing the film with a new set of eyes.  Usually 3D is a gimmick, but I felt as though I could reach out and feel all the textures throughout the film, from the stripes on Jack’s suit to the most subtle cracks on the tombstones.  I sincerely hope this film is re released into theaters (with or without 3D) in the next few years so I can take my son.

Of course, this wonderful visual experience is due to the high calibre of animation in the film.  One reason I took my brother was because he was going through a claymation phase, and to this day I believe that The Nightmare Before Christmas is the best claymation film out there.  It is a field of animation that takes dedication and patience, but if you work had enough, it all pays off into an amazing visual effect that is well worth the effort.  In fact, the film was nominated for the Academy’s visual effects award, a rare prize for an animated film.

I try to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas at least twice a year, to celebrate Halloween and Christmas.  It shows off the warm and infectious feeling of a merry Christmas season but with a fun twist.  And the music, boasts some of Danny Elfman’s best work and some of my favorite holiday songs.  I always hum Making Christmas when wrapping presents.  This film is especially enjoyable for anyone who would gladly trade in their ugly Christmas sweater for another round of trick or treating.

“And on a dark cold night, under full moonlight, he flies into the fog like a vulture in the sky!  And they call him, Sandy Claws!”

Planet of the Apes

It seems that more and more classic science fiction movies are getting a makeover.  Star Wars had its prequel trilogy.  Star Trek is getting a shot in the arm with Abrams and a younger cast, and soon Star Wars will get similar treatment.  Now Planet of the Apes is getting revamped with CGI apes all set off by James Franco.  But before all this new stuff happened, there was the original.

In 1968, Planet of the Apes began a new era of science fiction.  We meet a space mission crew who has been drifting through the galaxy for over a year, that would be over 2000 years on Earth.  They crash land on a strange looking planet and wander until they find wild men who are hunted by ape people.  George Taylor (Charlton Heston) and his surviving crew are rounded up and thought to be mute and wild, like the other humans, until Taylor can finally speak.  Taylor’s intelligence sets off a fierce trial and debate within the ape society and reveals a conspiracy that could rock the ape’s world.

Throughout my youth, I unfairly wrote off Planet of the Apes for two silly reasons.  One: I thought the ape masks were awful.  From the clips and scenes I had seen, the masks did not convince me at all.  How foolish.  Today I find a sincere appreciation of the artistry that went into creating such a one-of-a-kind look.  And my second reason for not seeing this movie sooner: an episode of The Simpsons ruined the ending for me.  You know the one, I can still hear Troy McCLure singing the last few lines completely ruining the surprise ending.  “You finally made a monkey out of me!”

But what terrible excuses for someone who claims to be a film fanatic.  Even though I knew the big surprise ending, I found the film enjoyable and engrossing.  The tension between when Taylor is captured and when he finally speaks is wonderful, and may be my favorite part of the film.  I also enjoyed the evolution vs creationism ideas present in this post-human world.  And the set design is felt so authentic, and at times I felt that it could have been used later for Flintstones movies.  And I don’t mean that as an insult.

During the Oscar season, Planet of the Apes was not forgotten.  It was nominated for two awards: costume design and music.  The film won neither award, but it was awarded an honorary Oscar for outstanding achievement in makeup.  A category for makeup would not part of the Academy Awards until 1981.  Shows how much my younger self could see in those elaborate ape masks.

I realize some readers, especially younger ones, may have seen the new Planet of the Apes prequels that have been coming out recently before the original or any of the classic sequels.  I’m sad to say, that I too am guilty of this cinematic sin.  I saw Rise before this.  However, it’s easy to enjoy each film on its own, at least I try not to beat myself up too much over this error.  The original Planet of the Apes is one of the sci-fi greats and deserves a view from all film fans.

“Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!”

The Birdcage

I remember being ten years old as my parents dropped my siblings and I off with an aunt while they went to see The Birdcage.  As a young and curious movie addict, I asked what kind of movie it was.  My parents gave me some vague description along the lines of, “Oh, a funny movie with Robin Williams.”  I knew that name, in fact, I had been to see many of his movies already; Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, and Hook was my favorite!  Immediately, I wanted to come too, but of course my parents said no.  I guess ten is a bit young for an R rated movie about a gay couple who run a cabaret/drag show and decorate their home with hilariously phallic artwork.

Robin Williams portrays the owner of The Birdcage, Armand Goldman.  He’s a man full of confidence and swagger, working with the performers as well as the crew.  His partner, Albert (Nathan Lane) is the star of the show and has plenty of diva to fit the part.  He dresses in drag and charismatically serenades  the guests into the finale on stage and stews in his own drama off stage.  Nonetheless, he and Armand are a sweet couple and great team.

When their son, Val (Dan Futterman) announces that he wants to get married, it isn’t a simply joyous situation.  His fiancee, Barbara (Calista Flockhart) is the daughter of a right-winged senator.  Senator Kevin Keeley (Gene Hackman) is Vice President of the Coalition for Moral Order , up for reelection and just as his daughter shares new of her engagement, one of his colleagues is found dead with a prostitute.  Wanting to get away from the media storm, Senator Keeley decides to visit Val’s family before he approves of his daughter marrying.  Of course, Barbara hasn’t told her parents that Val was raised by two men who run a drag show nightclub.

At first, Armand doesn’t want to hide who he is.  He makes a point about how long it took him to become proud of himself, his lifestyle and his sexuality.  But after some convincing, he agrees to help Val lie to gain favor with his future in-laws.

To cover up anything the Keeleys would look down upon, Val and some family friends redecorate the lively home until it looks like a drab monastery.  Armand invites Val’s birth mother, Katherine (Christine Baranski), to stand in as a matriarch and tries to gently push Albert out of the picture for the evening.  But when Albert becomes aware of what is happening, and hurt that he, who raised Val, would be an embarrassment, he refuses to leave.  Perhaps things would have been smoother if he had just stayed in his room to pout, but instead he puts on a costume and poses as Val’s mother.

From start to finish, The Birdcage is a fun and sweet riot.  Williams and Lane have perfect chemistry, fighting and fussing with rising friction only to always be each other’s best advocate.  When Lane shows up masquerading as Mrs. Coldberg (Goldberg?) and winning over the future in-laws, it’s a scream that the film builds up to wonderfully.  Even the minor characters, especially Hank Azaria’s Agador Spartacus steals his scenes effortlessly.  And Hackman is hilarious as he falls for the act and starts to sense something amiss.

The Birdcage was nominated for one Academy Award, best set design.  From the bright colors and lights on the Miami streets to the transformation of Goldman’s home above The Birdcage, you can see why it was rightly nominated.  In the beginning, the happy home is an oasis, complete with hand painted murals of tropical jungles, party lights by the hot tub and bits of artwork that seem to celebrate the male form.  It’s almost miraculous how Val tones it down enough to compliment the Keeley’s boring home.

Sure, I wasn’t ready for The Birdcage when I first wanted to see it.  The culture clash would barely be present in my mind, I doubt I would have noticed a change in scenery and innocently wondered what was wrong with the soup bowls.  I wouldn’t have seen it as much more than some funny guys putting on an act to help their son.  I know now my parents didn’t want to expose me to, or have to explain homosexuality to me at the time.  Funny, considering that’s exactly what everyone is trying to hide from Senator Keeley and his wife.  Ironic, considering the film is a charismatic, beautiful and loving plea for acceptance.

“Actually, it’s perfect. I just never realized John Wayne walked like that.”

Modern Times

Though Modern Times was made in the mid 1930s, many of its themes and situations are just as relevant today as they were back then.  Men are still slaves to machines in more than just the workplace.  We strive to keep up with the latest, fastest technology, though these days our machines are much smaller.  And earning a living is still not easy to come by or easy to keep.  Much of the working class is still toiling and scraping by working to make the machines of industry turn.  

In the film, Charlie Chaplin plays a factory worker.  His job is to mindlessly tighten bolts on a conveyor belt assembly line.  The work is fast paced and makes for some great gags, some of the most memorable scenes in the film.  After the worker suffers a nervous breakdown and is released without a job, he accidentally gets in a union protest parade and arrested for being a communist leader.  His time in jail is peaceful and happy once he wins over the guards.  Being released back into society, with no job or home is tough and he tries to get back in jail.  But a young girl (Paulette Goddard) trying to make it on her own helps him make another try in these harsh modern times.

There is a wonderful daydream scene in the film that inspires the worker to get back to work when he and the girl are down on their luck.  He imagines owning a cozy little home with the girl.  There is comfy furniture, a big piece of meat in the skillet, ripe grapes to pick right out the door and a cow that walks up and automatically dispenses fresh milk. Everyone has their pie in the sky fantasies of the American dream, and this one is more sweet than outlandish.

My favorite scene in the film is testing out the feeding machine.  With the feeding machine, workers will not have to stop working to eat their lunch.  To keep up production, the machine will feed them, brilliant!  Our innocent Trampy worker is the guinea pig for the machine and can’t move as the machine pushes bites of food into his mouth and malfunctions splashing soup all over him.  When the rotating corn cob feeder goes haywire and spins against his face so hard it must have nearly rubbed off his iconic mustache, I laughed much more than I expected. The whole scene is hilarious and wonderful fun.

What Modern Times is to me is Chaplin’s commentary on where he thought the world was heading.  Henry Ford’s assembly line was still a new concept and the depression was leaving men desperate to do any work they could.  Tensions over unions made work even harder to find and less secure.  Too much industrialization was making men lose their individuality and become parts of the machines.  How wonderful that Chaplin didn’t have to say a word to convey that idea, he just needed an image of a man moving along the massive gears and still bent on tightening those nuts.  

“Hey you!  Get back to work!”