Bully

Posted on April 12, 2012 at 6:00 pm

This is a message for Alex. You are a great kid. You will be a great, happy, successful adult. And those high school boys who torture you so brutally on the school bus every day will spend their adult lives either clueless about why they will never feel as big and tough as they did in high school or horrified by the way they treated you.

This is a message for the school system. Do not put high schoolers and middle schoolers on the same bus. Do not tell two boys who are fighting to shake hands and apologize and send them on their way. Do not show parents who are agonized by seeing footage of their son being tortured on the school bus a picture of your new grandchild. And for the love of Pete, start teaching your students that neither inflicting nor tolerating abuse will be permitted in your school. If students cannot feel safe, they cannot learn.

This searing documentary tells five stories. Two of its subjects have already committed suicide, one only 11 years old. Another, overcome by the pain of continual abuse and feeling she had no other option, brought a gun on the school bus and found herself trapped by a judicial system that has zero tolerance for firearms but is helpless to combat sustained physical and emotional torture. Then there is Kelby, a confident young lesbian who has a few close friends but is otherwise an outcast. And Alex, who is what pediatricians call an FLK (funny-looking kid). He has a great heart (watch him with his mother and his little sister). But he was born prematurely and has a bit more than the usual middle school awkwardness. It is wrenching to see him come home every day and answer his mother’s anxious question about how things went with a noncommittal, “fine.”

I once heard a principal say that a lot of upset parents came through his office, parents who were concerned about their children’s academic or behavior problems. But, he said, the ones who put their heads down on his desk and sobbed were the ones who felt hopeless about their children’s sense of isolation and lack of friends. One of the most touching moments of the film is when Kelby’s father, a conservative Christian who had been anti-gay until his daughter came out says soberly that if you want to find out how little you understood about your life, have a gay child. His own friends had stopped talking to them. All of the parents in this movie are devoted, loving, supportive, and devastated.

Anyone who has survived adolescence knows what it feels like to be excluded or different. But as adults, until our children remind us, we sometimes forget how devastating those feelings are when you are too young to know that for the rest of your life it will not be as hard to find safe places and good friends.

The movie also made me think about the way we seem to perpetuate a bully culture. Whether it is the real housewives or politicians and commentators, we have enabled a culture of disrespect and partisanship that sets a bad example. I hope all middle schoolers and high schoolers will see this movie and begin some conversations about what all of us can do to bring us closer to a culture of civility and respect, or just to bring us closer.

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The Three Stooges

Posted on April 12, 2012 at 6:00 pm

I believe it was the great philosopher Curly Joe who first said that you cannot step in the same stream twice. And perhaps it was Shemp who said that you can’t go home again. Okay, that was the great ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus and the early 20th century American author Thomas Wolfe, but even the least-loved late-era members of the of the literally knuckle-headed 1930’s-1950’s comedy trio The Three Stooges would know that whatever appeal they had could never be re-created. Big time fans the Farrelly brothers came closer to the spirit of their slapstick idols with films like “There’s Something About Mary,” “Shallow Hal,” and “Stuck on You” than in this dead mackerel of an attempt to recreate a Moe, Larry, and Curly for the 21st century. Stars Chris Diamantopoulos (Moe), Sean Hayes (Larry), and Chris Sasso (Curly) have clearly studied the moves of the head-bonking, eye-poking Stooges, but they have no chemistry, poor pacing, an unsteady sense of the Stooges’ appeal, and 80 years of history separating us from the Stooges’ setting.

The original Stooges, Moe and “Curly” Howard and Larry Fine, had years of knockabout experience in vaudeville to perfect their interactions and develop an understanding of their audience. They are funny in the context of their time in their constant efforts to join the middle class and their constant creation of chaos wherever they go. But in this film, they lazily borrow the premise of “The Blues Brothers” (they have to raise money to keep the orphanage that has been their home since they were abandoned there as infants decades ago) and become entangled in a murder plot and “Jersey Shore.” Is this funny? Soitenly not.

The expected slapstick happens, but it is pretty joyless and some of the material crosses a line the Stooges would never have considered. Larry David plays a nun named Sister Mary Mengele, surely a rather arcane reference within the context of this movie and meaner and more provocative than anything in the world of the original Three Stooges. I perked up when I saw them enter a hospital, hoping for a “Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine” reference, but instead there was an extended scene with Moe and Curly, dressed as nurses, aiming naked baby boys at each other to get faces full of pee. “You must be French,” Curly says to one. “That’s a lot of oui-oui.” A child becomes critically ill and it is supposed to be funny when for a moment it appears that she has died. Adoptive families and their friends will be disturbed by a scene where kids are lined up at the orphanage in front of prospective parents and are told “no wonder your parents didn’t want you.” And whose idea was it that the Stooges should become involved in a murder for hire plot as a gorgeous wife (Sofia Vergara) plots to kill her wealthy husband? Or to have Moe go on “Jersey Shore?” Or a Bob Dylan song? Or a close-up of a lion’s testicles? Or, when a character shoots a gun, the line, “I thought you were a Democrat!” Why, I oughta……

This movie is proof positive that the Stooges were three of a kind (okay, five if you count Shemp and Curly Joe — we will not speak of Joe Besser), and, definitively inimitable.

Parents should know that this film includes constant comic violence including head-slamming and eye-poking (directors come on screen at the end to warn children not to attempt the stunts at home), some crude humor including language and graphic, gross-out potty jokes, murder for hire, scary lion,and insensitive and deliberately offensive material about nuns and adoption

Family discussion: How does this version hold up to the The Three Stooges movies of the 1930’s-50’s? What are the biggest differences?

If you like this, try: the original The Three Stooges short films and visit the Stooges Museum, the Stoogeum

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Comedy Remake

Lockout

Posted on April 11, 2012 at 2:35 pm

B-

Lowest Recommended Age:	Middle School
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and language including some sexual references
Profanity:	Frequent s-words and some other strong language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Smoking
Violence/ Scariness:	Constant peril and violence, many characters killed, some graphic and disturbing images, character commits suicide to save another
Diversity Issues:	Diverse characters
Date Released to Theaters:	April 13, 2012

You know what was cool? “Die Hard!” One smart-ass guy who has a problem with authority Yippie-ky-ay-ing as he outsmarts a dozen bad guys in an LA skyscraper. And “Under Siege,” with a smart-ass guy who has a problem with authority outsmarting a dozen bad guys on a battleship. And “Con Air,” with a not-so-smart-ass but (relatively speaking) cool and collected guy who’s still a think-for-himself loner on an “escape-proof” prison transport plane filled with really bad guy convicts? So, why not put a smart-ass guy who has a problem with authority on an “escape proof” space station filled with really bad guy convicts who are now even badder guys because they have been given a “stasis” drug that can result in dementia, aggression, and psychosis. And how about if their hostages include the President’s daughter! Borrow some more from “The Rock” and “Escape from New York,” while you’re at it!

It may only be April, but silly summer action movie season is already upon us, and this time it’s Guy Pearce, looking very dashing in riot gear as former CIA operative Snow, the wisecracking hero with his own set of rules. It is 2079. The oval office is in a bunker underneath the White House. And the President’s daughter Emilie (Maggie Grace) has gone to the space station prison that guarantees “no sexual assaults, breakouts, or riots.” She is on a humanitarian mission, to investigate the impact of the stasis drug, and, indirectly, the role of the company that wants to use the drug for commercial space travel, on the prison program. A group of prisoners, led by Alex (Vincent Regan) take over. At first they do not realize who the blonde in the lab coat is (see Ms. Gennaro in “Die Hard”), but eventually they figure it out. Meanwhile, the President and his advisors debate sending in troops or sending in just one guy who is the best, though hard to control, but may be persuaded to take on this suicide mission to get out of his own prison term for a bogus espionage and murder charge.

So we’re off through vents and tunnels and sliding doors and biometric security measures, and some neat gadgets (I loved the voice-activated bombs) and a lot of people with bad attitudes and not much impulse control. And the blonde princessy President’s daughter has to learn a few things and also demonstrate her own toughness and resolve, while she and Snow trade quippy insults. The folks back on Earth have to say things like, “It is vitally important that you go the right way” just as communications are cut off. There are fake-outs and close calls and a really fun zero-gravity fight. And there’s an emergency syringe to the eyeball. Ew.

Even by the standards of silly summer action movies, this one stretches the suspension of disbelief as well as the laws of physics (wait for that return to earth — like something out of Melies’ “Trip to the Moon”). But it is undeniably fun — Pearce is an engaging hero, producer Luc Besson always guarantees entertaining stunts, the set-up is still sturdy and the running time is blessedly brief.

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Action/Adventure Movies -- format

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope

Posted on April 9, 2012 at 3:36 pm

B+

Lowest Recommended Age:	High School
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG-13 for some sex and drug references, language, and brief horror images
Profanity:	Some strong language and some bleeps
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Drug references
Violence/ Scariness:	Some images of horror in comic books and other media

There’s an old joke about a woman who goes to a therapist. “Why are you here?” he asks. “My family wants me to come because I love pancakes,” she answers. “Well,” he says reassuringly, “that’s perfectly normal! I love pancakes, too.” “Really?” she responds happily. “You must come over to my house. I have trunks full of them!”

While many people may tell you that they are fans of “Star Trek” or “Star Wars” or “The Big Bang Theory” or an obscure Marvel comic hero named Red Raven, there are the super-fans who go way past buying the box set DVDs and encasing their comic collection in mylar. They fill rooms with collections of mint condition action figures. They spend a year meticulously creating animatronic costumes for characters from a video game. They propose to their girlfriends with a “Lord of the Rings”-styled engagement ring, in front of 6000 fans at a Kevin Smith panel. And this is their movie, opening in selected cities and available everywhere via Video On Demand.

Morgan Spurlock, who made himself the star of documentaries that were very critical of big business and corporate brainwashing (“Super Size Me,” “Pom Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold”), stays off camera in this kinder, gentler tribute to the the consumers who find hope, inspiration, and home in their passion for superheroes, zombies, cartoon characters, games, comic books, and the rest of what the people behind San Diego Comic-Con call the lively arts. The fans are pretty lively, too, as Spurlock shows, following five attendees. Comic-Con is one of the only places in the world where you can arrive as a fan and leave as a professional, and two of the movie’s leads are would-be comic artists who bring their portfolios for review by publishers. One is a costume designer and maker who compares her effort to win Comic-Con’s annual Masquerade costume competition to the “friends on a suicide mission” plotline of the game she is bringing to life. Another is one of the country’s biggest sellers of comic books, hoping to sell one comic worth half a million dollars to keep his business alive. And one is there to pick up the “Lord of the Rings” engagement ring and propose to the girl he met at Comic-Con the year before at the Kevin Smith panel in the cavernous Hall H.

Interspersed with the journeys of these fans is commentary from other attendees, some in costume and some who like many at Comic-Con are the objects of fan-dom and fans themselves. Seth Rogan, Kevin Smith, co-producer Joss Whedon, Stan Lee, and more talk about the fans and, endearingly, talk about their own encounters as fans. And there is some rueful discussion of the Con’s journey from a few hundred people trading comic books in a hotel room in 1970 to 160,000 pop culture fans waiting in line for hours to see movie stars in Hall H. “We can’t use the loading docks anymore because f**ing Lucas owns them,” says a comic book dealer. There is thankfully little of the “look at the weirdos in the costumes buying action figures” commentary Comic-Con often receives, and it is nice to see affection and even respect for people who are passionate about the culture of fantasy and imagination. Spurlock balances the stories of his characters with the larger context, showing us that each of the attendees has a story and that Comic-Con is a place where stories and characters always matter.

Parents should know that this film includes some strong language, drug references, sexual references, scanty costumes, and some horror images.

Family discussion: What makes people into super-fans? What do you learn about people from the costumes and media figures that mean the most to them?

If you like this, try: “Trekkies” and its sequel

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Documentary Movies -- format

Interview: Brian Presley of “Touchback”

Posted on April 9, 2012 at 8:00 am

Brian Presley starred in the soap opera “Port Charles” and “General Hospital” and now makes faith-based films with his production company, Freedom Films. He graciously made time to talk with me about his new film, “Touchback,” where he plays a man who gets a second chance 15 years after an injury in a high school football game ended his hopes for a professional career. We spoke about his goals for Freedom Films, his own comeback, and the Bible verse he carries with him.

You were a producer as well as star of this film, is that right?

Yes, my company is called Freedom Films and we produced the film, helped raise all the financing and organized this craziness around a pretty awesome story.

Tell me how the story first came to you and why you picked it.

Well, when the story came to me, I was at a pretty rock-bottom place in my life. I had been working as an actor since I was 19. I started making films back about eight or nine years ago, and had a vision to do movies that were family friendly; movies to bridge a secular audience together with a faith audience around a message with uplifting stories.

As we set out, I kind of lost sight of those principles and began to focus on movies filled with violence and stuff that didn’t necessarily reflect that message. I also started living a more self-centered life-style. Anyway, to make a long story short, they had a movie that came out and then the unthinkable happened—I was Washington, DC with lawsuits, I wrestled with addiction that brought me to my knees—and through my faith in God I’ve been able to rebound back and have a second opportunity to be here, to really rebound and revamp Freedom Films.

“Touchback” came to me during that time period. Here was a story about a guy with different circumstances but a very similar situation to the one I was in, as far as what he was going through, and so I could relate to this character. I just knew immediately that this was a gift I just knew that I had to make this movie. We were able to get it organized and it gave me hope again; the movie’s about second chances and it’s ironic that it happens to open the weekend after Easter, given the meaning of Easter.

There’s something very tantalizing and compelling about the idea of second chances, because it makes us think more hopefully about the choices that we make.

You know, to me it’s easy to look back at life and go, “Wow, maybe I wouldn’t be in this predicament hadn’t I made that choice,” and I think sometimes those choices—whether they be bad or good—some of those low points in life are some of the greatest teaching points. There are the storms of life or the places where we get to a fork in the road and we can go this direction or this direction—I just believe that whatever path we choose, God knows the path we’re going to take. There are always going to be storms and trials in life.

One of my favorite lines is the movie is “Life gets a heck of a lot harder than football.” And you know, that’s so true. I played high school football and was quarterback, and we went to the state championship. When you’re in those moments and you’re a kid, you tend to see them as the only things that are important. Life stands still. But it’s just equipping you for what’s to come. Life is challenging, life throws us curveballs and unexpected challenges, and circumstances might leave us going, ‘Why?”

For me, I’ve been dealt those circumstances and wrestled with my demons and my addictions. You really learn from those time periods and try to change to be a better person. I have a wife and two kids, and I strive. No one likes to be in those dark valleys. But my faith in God has helped me overcome and I feel like I have a second chance with “Touchback” and some of the other projects we’ve been able to get going.

You have a number of my favorite actors in this film: Melanie Lynsky, Christine Lahti, Kurt Russell, Marc Blucas. So tell me a little bit about how you went about casting, what you were looking for.

In a way, it’s why I think this movie was a gift, to have it come together with Christine Lahti and Kurt Russell and Melanie and the rest of the cast, and to have everybody fit. It’s like when you try on something and it fits—this one just had that kind of chemistry. Everyone came and got involved in it because of the message behind the movie; they loved the story. Whether living in a small town called Coldwater, Ohio or in Hollywood, California, people gravitate towards the same things: family, community. You want to find your place. The message in the movie is: no matter how small, when our eyes are diverted outward versus inward, God starts to do amazing things.

Do you have a favorite Bible verse?

I do. Philippians 4:13. When I was in High School I would wear that on my wrist band. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” and that’s why I think it’s kind of interesting that the movie happens to open up on 4:13—that wasn’t planned. That’s been the verse that I’ve kept in my back pocket as I travel through life.

That’s what the movie does; we tried to layer God throughout the movie without being heavy-handed.

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Actors Spiritual films