It is well established that I do not get comedy as a general rule. There are always exceptions, but for the most part comedy and I are at a disconnect that I just can’t quite grasp. I frequently ask people ‘why was this so funny’ (in a non ironic/non-trolling way) and still just don’t get it. I tend to be almost equally picky with my animation and animation styles as well as to what I want to watch and what attracts my eye. I had no desire to see Inside Out from animation to voice, to well everything. Saw it, refuse to review it as I think I am artificially biased against it from some things during the movie.
Much can be the same for Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2. Two films I didn’t think I would enjoy as much as I did and did not see immediately. So when I heard they were making a movie about the Minions I was cautiously optimistic as it was a clear and present money grab yet I had been surprisingly pleased by the first two films.
Did I enjoy myself tonight seeing this? Am I upset at the people who requested that I see this instead of something else tonight?
Well…
The reality is – this is a cash grab. It is a well made cash grab. The script by Brian Lynch (Hop, Puss in Boots) is irrelevant. You can’t understand the characters. DM/DM2 director Pierre Coffin returns with a partner this time in Kyle Balda (The Lorax, and layout supervisor from DM) so they have some credentials to them. I can’t go into too many details here without hitting spoiler land, but what you see in the trailers is more or less what is delivered for the rest of the movie too. It is one of the few times that the trailer is 100% honest on what you see is what you get.
The producers pulled together an amazing voice cast to fill in the humans speaking roles, with Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Geoffrey Rush, and friggin Hiroyuki Sanada (I will make you look him up. Suffice to say he is awesome). Of course there is Jon Hamm and Sandra Bullock who steal the show with their characters, Herb and Scarlett Overkill. It is amazing to think that Don Draper is Herb. They are just the right amount of over the top to make it work for a movie in this universe. Just ridiculous enough that you appreciate them and enjoy them but don’t roll your eyes. Coffin himself does the voice of the titular minions as he has in previous films.
You have to admit something here. This movie proves a few psychological studies true. You don’t need to understand someone to understand them. Body language, tone, everything else can tell a story as successfully as dialogue. Coffins voice acting, such as it is, does a rather good job of letting you know what is going through those little yellow freaks heads.
The other half of that equation is the animation. It is top notch. For a money grab they didn’t go the Disney route and give us a half-baked sequel with less quality in the animation. In fact I would argue that some of it has gotten better. The texture mapping is spot on for many materials to the point where I was truly impressed by the details as I have seen movies with the real thing that didn’t look as good. The artistic style hasn’t changed, which is good, but the animations have gotten much better. There’s a smoothness to them that is actually improving. Points there.
Before I hit the TL;DR on this rather short review I will say this – the movie is kinda well flat. I heard some of the kids getting restless, some of the adults too. There were times they laughed as there are jokes for adults in this project and it’s mostly bright colours and familiar characters for the kids. Let me get to it then…
TL:DR?
I didn’t hate it. My movie going partner tonight, and I, knew that walking out; but we were scratching our heads wondering what we had just watched. It was enjoyable, but hollow. It’s pacing was quick, yet empty? I think we just see the quick production and the flaws become apparent, but not enough to detract from the beats that worked and worked really well. The movie *is* cotton candy. Light. Fun. Mildly Satisfying. Leaves an odd, but not unpleasant taste. Instantly forgettable.
That said, there is absolutely a lot of material for adults and children alike here. It is still fun.
If you were looking forward to it, I don’t think you will be disappointed. Though, unless the kids really want it, save the money from the 3D. 2D is good enough here.
If you haven’t seen the other films, give this one a flyby ghost rider.
This is good alternative fare for those who need something they can take the kids to, which has really been in short supply this summer.
If however…you need to make a financial choice between this and Ant Man – you might want to hold off a week and see how my review comes back on the next Marvel piece.
31 years. It has been 31 years since the line “Come with me if you want to live” was first uttered on the silver screen. Sadly, I was too young to see the original on the big screen, but have watched it dozens upon dozens of times since. Terminator 2 came while I had one of my best summers ever, living in Virginia, and I had the joy of watching it 5 times in the theatre. Watched dozens of times since then. One of my best friends and I planned a judgement day party for August 29, 1997. I even made labels to put on sunblock labeled SPF 2,000,000 – you know so we didn’t have a bad day. I think you can safely assume I am a fan of the mythology and first two movies. I didn’t even hate Edward Furlong.
Then Judgement Day came and went. The party didn’t happen as we had all moved away. Then 2003 came with a promise to give us the Rise of the Machines and it lied to us. It lied so badly. If I thought Furlong was bad, then Nick Stahl was a walking abomination. Then they tried 6 years after with Terminator Salvation, trying to apologize for how bad 3 was…but I fell asleep from boredom through the apology. I couldn’t tell who was more machine the T-800’s or Sam Worthington and Christian Bale. So
6 years after that, what do we get?
Let’s start with a two writer script, though obvious credits are given to Gale Anne Hurd and James Cameron for the characters themselves. Laeta Kalogridis, who gave us screenplays for NightWatch (Timur Bembekov’s supernatural thriller) and Shutter Island. Patrick Lussier, he who gave us Dracula 2000 and Drive Angry. Both of these individuals, while having western films under their belt, also lean towards lower budget European films designed for international audiences. I don’t know that I would have picked them to try to reboot and reinvigorate this franchise considering their previous works; which, while I enjoy, are mostly low end popcorn fare or weak on the script but high on atmosphere. Much of these traits can be found here, the script is kinda weak and some of the dialogue is down right painful.
Sarah is fine, the Terminator is fine, John is fine, Kyle is a walking travesty. Part of that goes to the casting director, Ronna Kress who needs a smack upside the head. I have no idea how a person who could cast Mad Max: Fury Road so perfectly could so screw up here. I have to assume studio interference. It is the only logical choice. The other part goes to the studio and director, Alan Taylor (who is best known for his season 2 Game of Thrones episodes). A better director may have gotten a better performance, but I doubt it; but perhaps he could have argued to have a better Kyle Reese.
There is no reason to cast Jai Courtney. I recently commented that he needs to find the tree he was carved from, no one is buying him as a real boy. He is without any charm or charisma in Divergent, Die Hard, Jack Reacher, and gives me less hope as Captain Boomerang in Suicide Squad. Hollywood STOP TRYING TO FORCE HIM DOWN OUR THROAT. Please. Stop. Aside from being a terrible actor he is horrifically miscast as Kyle. Michael Biehn created the role and despite not being the prettiest belle at the ball had a charm and handsomeness to him that lead us to like him. He was so damn earnest and believable that I cared that he served in the 132nd under Perry from 21 to 27. When he said, “I came across time for you, Sarah. I love you; I always have…” it is the most romantic thing ever. Courtney and this script can’t pull any of this off. He is positively the worst thing about this film. Every line he uttered comes from a place where I wanted to throat punch him. Aside from being unable to make me care, and in fact look forward to his demise, he just looks bad. He is too damn handsome. Too full. I blame that on the director and casting again. Beihn, and even Anton Yelchin in T4, looked thin, looked worn, and looked like they grew up in a wasteland after Judgement Day. They were lean, he is cut. His physique makes no sense in a world where humans are scrambling to get by like little more than cockroaches in the ruins of the world. He’s just too pretty. You want someone who looks like he could be Kyle? Try this image:
Yes. I am Guy Pearce. You are welcome.
At least we had Jason Clarke and Emilia Clarke – no relation. While Jason Clarke doesn’t quite carry the beat to hell, hardened military commander that Michael Edwards did in T2 (his stare is bloody iconic). He does a good job at least making me believe he is Connor, a boy who knows the future to a certain point. I like Clarke as an actor with excellent performances in Zero Dark Thirty, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and even The Great Gatsby.
My stare can kill a terminator at 1000 yards.
I at least wear the scars better than Christian Bale.
Emilia has probably the toughest role to play of all the cast. Going from the mother of Dragons to the Mother of the Resistance. She has to fill shoes left by the epic Linda Hamilton who gave us two startlingly amazing performances of a character at two different times in her life. Now, having just watched Terminator (1984), just now while writing this she clearly paid attention to Hamilton and her performance. She hit enunciation, body language, and even lip motions from the first film. While there are moments she over reacts and hits too much emotion for someone who is raised the way she is, overall I buy it. I know other reviewers are having trouble with her, but to be honest I think she did well. She didn’t have an easy job or good script, but did very well with what she did. While the writers clearly didn’t get Kyle, they did get Sarah and some of her reactions were spot on.
I can’t finish talking about the cast without talking about Arnie. The role is like an old glove that he slipped into. He was on the mark 100%. He also could tell this film wasn’t great, but makes sure to let you know HE is enjoying himself. Honestly, this is the Arnie I miss. Even as a bloody cyborg he overshadowed almost everyone on screen with the weight and charisma of his performance.
From a technicals standpoint? It suffers as so many movies do these days. It is too clean. Too polished. Their post-apocalypse is all shiny and chrome, with beautiful body armor and fashion models for soldiers. Even the current timeline they give us has the same problem. There’s no grit, no weight, and no atmosphere to this. Ultimately a lot of movies in the past decade suffer from this, where there is no atmospheric heart to help sell the movie and the world. It is just meh and you don’t care. The CG work on the Terminators has not improved since 1991. Thats right 24 years later and not only has it not improved – it got worse. The computer effects are just down right awful. Nothing is redeeming about them. Not a thing. There’s also not enough practical effects in the future scenes to make me buy it. Both Terminator and Terminator 2 had just the right amount of practical to let me believe there was an HK rolling into position to kill Kyle. That a flying HK was moving overhead chasing our heroes was there. The only technical effect that works is the de-aged Arnie for the 1984 T-800. I liked it. I looked for flaws and nothing screamed at me, even as the reproduced the original shot from 1984.
TL;DR?
I want to hate this film. I really want to hate it. I can’t. I almost feel like I owe them an apology for lambasting them so badly before the film. It isn’t great. It doesn’t redeem the franchise in any way shape or form, but it is better than the last two laughable attempts at a movie with the Terminator name attached. I did laugh and enjoy all the callbacks to the original two movies, there’s plenty of lines there that will bring out the nostalgia factor, which did make me look more favorably on it. It felt like they were at least trying – even if they failed. I did care about Sarah at least.
If you were curious – go in with low expectations. You will probably be entertained.
If you need MST3k bait, it’s there if you need it.
If you hate that it’s PG13 – you should. It doesn’t have any real power due to the MPAA.
I will say that the 3D is pointless and even the XD sound system was wasted without the original theme playing at epic levels of volume.
All in all – if you don’t want to see Jurassic World again this weekend and aren’t saving up for Ant-Man – go ahead. You probably will find yourself enjoying the nostalgia factor at least. It is at least fun.
The movie schedule for July is looking pretty good with such films as
Minions
Self/Less
Ant-Man
Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation
Pixels is also coming out, but I am debating this…will probably boycott to avoid giving Adam Sandler and his problematic productions money.
This is a little (a lot) late coming and I do apologize. I started writing this a few times, but hit some head-space issues. You need to be in the right frame of mind to dig deep into your own emotions and psyche and put this kind of content out for everyone to see.
I think the last Ask Me Anything covered a lot of ground for a lot of people. I still owe some answers from that and they will be below along with the few questions I was asked this time. I may, as I write and let the words flow through me hit on a few other topics. I will put a trigger warning here at the top, as I am not filtering my content (as much as it could put me at risk) and want to be 100% open and honest.
The actual question was what am I attracted to. Male, Female, etc. While this is generally considered by some in the community as a ‘no no’ question – I have opened myself to nothing being taboo so that I could help educate. At the moment the best answer is either Lesbian, Bi-sexual, or pan-sexual.
Lemme ‘splain, then lemme ‘splain.
I have experience with intimate attraction with only one gender, those who express themselves as female. I do find something appealing looking at the male form however, which leads me to bisexual. That said, I am not sure I care what gender someone expresses as (including none), as I may be attracted to them for multiple other reasons.
Now on the last AMA I talked about this topic
Do you have to be bi or gay to be a transgender?
No! Being Trans in my sense is about physical expression matching mental/spiritual/emotional. Sexual attraction is an entirely different matter.
Also, much like I talked about with binary genders, there’s an entire spectrum of sexuality that I am ill-equipped to discuss tonight.
I was more afraid to answer it than I am now. I did not have a lot of experience with the other sexualities out there and believe me there are a few. We as a society are focused on a binary aspect, which really does not hold true anymore. There’s hetero-, homo-, bi-, pan-, poly-, demi-, and a-sexuality. Each has a different type of individual they are attracted to (or lack there of) sexually and/or romantically. I found this lovely little chart to go over the various orientations and romantic orientations (which yes, can be different)
So with all of that in mind, as I have not had *any* opportunity to explore alternatives, but know when my heart flutters – I believe I am at least bi sexual, but likely pan sexual. This is a complex topic, far more complex than I realized last October when I started these sorts of things. I am glad I’ve had some time to learn and understand the complexity, but there is so much more out there than many people realize.
One note here, while we are talking sexuality: Even though the B in LGBT is for Bi, they get a lot of hate in society and even within the community. There’s a lot of invalidation of their beliefs/wishes that is frequently called Bi-sexual erasure. The concept of bisexual erasure is that they are really just gay or lesbian, to people regardless of what they have self-identified as or declaring they must be gay or straight, you can’t be both.
While the rest of us were celebrating this weekend over the same-sex marriage decree quite a few in the Bi-community were upset by the lack of recognition. In some of the talking head, aka news, stories they indicated Gay and Lesbian couples could be married with no comment or recognition around those who are Bi. These people did have reason to have a gripe. It isn’t Gay Marriage guys, it’s Same Sex Marriage. I also think, personally, take a day to celebrate the momentous victory; then we can get into further battles of recognition and fixing the text. There are hundreds of battles ahead, as they say at my job – celebrate the victories.
For those who are still confused, or not quite understanding from a lack of sufficient explanation on my part, the BiSexual Resource Center had this chart I found. Please do not contribute to BiSexual erasure.
I felt it important to go over this as I use this blog to talk about issues that are close to me for various reasons. I know some folks who are bi and have heard the gamut of insults and comments, ranging from “You’re just confused” to “You’re greedy”. It bothers me and it isn’t right. Consider yourselves educated on a topic you may not have even known existed.
Surgery/Process and Emotions
There was a question posed about how I felt about the surgery, the recovery, and what it was like.
Going into the surgery, of which I have only had the breasts done, I was terrified. Terrified of how I would look coming out. Terrified of living in the world having breasts and a penis. Terrified of how they would look, move, how my existing clothes (bra’s especially) would fit. Anxiety doesn’t quite cover it. It was terrifying. Now, the clinic was nice and anyone in the Tucson area I would recommend the doctor without a moment’s hesitation. His bedside is a bit cold, but his skill is there.
Coming out of the surgery I was dopey for a few days and had to have my best friend drive me back and forth to the Doctor. Had some bad reactions to the chemical cocktail of recovery meds I was on, muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, painkillers. Ended up with a fever and a rash briefly, but removed one of the meds (the pain killers) and was good. The scars healed remarkably fast, though having to wear nothing but a sports bra for a about two months got old into week 5.
Then it was like nothing happened. By the Winter Party work holds I was as comfortable with them as if I had been born with them. I had a strong desire to show them off though, can’t lie. When you finally have something you’ve dreamed of for nearly three decades, you want to put them on display. From an physical emotional standpoint now, I still kinda want to show them off (more on that in a bit), but they are part of me and are comfortable. They resolve a good portion of the dysphoria I feel every day.
That being said, while we are on the topic of surgery (we will be for awhile)
Dysphoria/Misgendering
My sense of gender dysphoria has actually gotten worse as time goes on.
My voice, my need for a hat or a wig, and of course the genitalia. I am so often mis gendered for my voice, even when I put effort into it. I am misgendered if I wear a T shirt vs a tank top, which is why on weekends or if I am going out during the you won’t often see me in a T-shirt. My frame reads male, shoulders, stomach to chest ratio, lack of hips, etc. Even when dressed fully as a woman (Elsa, Yang, Sinon – I will cut slack on the Phantasm) at Phoenix Comicon this year, I was called the wrong gender so many times I wanted to throw myself off the top of the Hyatt. That isn’t an exaggeration. I have a lot to live for and a lot of people that depend on me and things to keep me around – but I have to say the thought crossed my mind, even briefly.
I got a brief moment of pleasure from one exchange, when I was wearing my signature Elsa:
Person: “It takes a lot of courage for a man to dress as a woman.” Me: “Well, since I am a woman…”
Now this other woman looked rightfully embarrassed and her friends did the “ooooh” to her, but that didn’t take the sting out of the words. I know she was trying to be complimentary but all she did was add to a weekend of pain and disappointment. The bright spots in the weekend were meeting Alyson Hannigan, Alexis Denisof, and Danielle Panabaker who felt so warm and gracious. A&A complimented me and told me how much their child would have loved to see me (shot below). Those 3 were the only ones who had a genuine smile and didn’t wince. Yes, some of the stars I met winced. I study micro-expressions for fun and saw it and wish to <insert higher power> that I didn’t.
Queen of the Ice and Snow
So we have a voice that no matter how hard I try I get called the wrong gender. A body that in a dress with real breasts, high heels, full make-up, and wig that still gets called the wrong gender. A head that if I take off my hats or wigs will never pass. Let’s talk about that because I know I have people who read this who are considering HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy).
Start as soon as you are able.
I didn’t. I will regret it the rest of my days. My family has a genetic disposition towards hair loss. I recently explored options for replacement and the lowball estimate was ~$14,000 to $20,000 JUST FOR MY HAIR. To say I was despondent the rest of the day and week doesn’t even begin to cover the emotions. Let me put it in perspective – I will never be comfortable without a hat or wig forever. People will only see a male failing to be female. No public places, work, pools, oceans, beaches, dinners, dances, ever – without some form of wig or hat.
A little exercise, put a rubberband around your head. Not comfortable is it? Try it for 10-15 hours. Try it knowing that if you move the wrong way it could fall off and people will laugh at you. That’s happened. A lot. I suffer to exist.
Vocal surgery is only moderately effective, just as expensive, and also not covered by insurance. Almost nothing in the transition is actually covered when you start to add it up as it is considered cosmetic. Heads up insurance companies – it may be cosmetic for some cisgendered individuals – for trans folks it is necessary.
Honestly, the least dysphoric thing is the genitalia. Due to the medication it has shrunk and if I am wearing the right kind of clothes you can’t even tell. Hell with the right arrangement I’ve inadvertently created a camel toe before. This was fixed before going in public, but it amused me briefly. The surgery here is largely successful and I am one of the lucky damn few that has coverage through her jobs insurance. I am holding off on the surgery here, for a bit longer as medical technology keeps advancing. I have read stories on a 3D printed uterus; which gives me hope that not only one day could I have one of my own rather than a facsimile, but even potentially carry a child.
Misgendering/Passing
Here’s a question that came from the last AMA.
You and others in the community talk about passing. I see that people get confused and use the wrong pronouns. These are people you know and strangers too. I can’t quite figure out how I can look as masculine as I want and no one questions me. I suppose it’s the breasts? But even if I bound them I imagine no one would question. Women aren’t their breasts (large, medium, small, or none). Women aren’t their voices, complexion, or their body hair. They aren’t their way or walking or the things they buy. It seems to me you have this pressure to pass. Do you feel this dichotomy? This pressure to pass while wanting to fight and say that women aren’t our bodies? Do you ever wonder what could be if feminism didn’t have to be a movement, but was a truth? Does your daily fight to pass take part in a larger conversation for you?
During the last AMA I talked about how much the misgendering hurt. It hurts to the core. So I think the section above, and now below touches on that question.
I am often told to ignore the comments/misgendering – Ignoring it isn’t an option.
“They were just ignorant.” “They didn’t know” “They didn’t mean to hurt you.” “If they were malicious, they don’t matter. Ignore them.”
It isn’t that easy. The malicious ones, I can fight back against verbally. Anyone that knows me, knows I can be like a surgeon with words. The ignorant and accidental – it isn’t them. It’s me. I failed. I failed to pass. It means even though I went to effort to APPEAR female, I failed. The world saw me as something else.
So what does it mean to pass? How about another helpful image.
Photograph of a sign from a Living Out Loud event
You see, if I don’t pass society thinks I am more of a freak show. That I am a deviant. That I am wrong. The raw number of ugly stares I get at the grocery store are enough to keep me sheltered in my home eating poorly. The attempts to make conversation can become efforts in humiliation. Don’t get me started with flirting. I am not sure I can ever pass.
Society expects so much out of trans individuals. They expect us to look in such a way that we are aesthetically pleasing, and I suppose as I write this out, this is no different than it is for cis-gendered women. I love that we have Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner.
Listen to the media talk about Caitlyn. They wasted no time treating her like any other high profile female.
I love that they can be out there using their fame as a soapbox and spring board for the issues we face. I also resent them. It’s petty and jealous of me. I know it, but I do. I resent them for having the thousands of dollars, professional make up artists, stylists, fashionista’s, and photographers that make them look supermodel gorgeous. They aid in the false expectations society expects of the rest of us. I don’t have someone, in the media, that I can look at and go ‘they represent me’.
So many days I wake up and wonder why I bothered. Why I made the decision to pursue this. I am a woman, but I had to decide to pursue the transition – THAT is the one decision I had in this. I wonder why I keep trying. Why I should try. Most of the days I don’t even have an answer for myself, so I go through the motions of the day. I pick my friend up. I go to a job I do love. I do what I love in my job. I leave and drop my friend off. I come home to an empty house ( it isn’t a home anymore). Rinse and repeat. I survive. I don’t live. That is part of the reason this post is 3 months late. I didn’t have the energy to do it. I couldn’t bring the passion and honesty to write what needed to be written.
Maybe I need a yellow shirt….
On the flipside, there are days which are better than others. I do have some days which are truly happy, but those are few and far between. They usually involve my best friend and/or her roommate. Yesterdays photo shoot for my new cosplay page was a good day.
Let me be absolutely clear on one thing in this realm of morose depressing thought: I am incredibly appreciative of my friends I have, of my co-workers, of my superiors at work. Without that network I would not be here or as successful as I am. I do have some of the best friends, leadership, and co-workers a girl like me could ask for. I also know how hard it can be on them to deal with me on the bad days – of which there have been many recently. Know that I love you and thank you for everything you’ve done, sacrificed, and been for me. One in particular I will never be able to repay; but know the tears I am dripping on my desk right now are those of a thankful person.
What have friends that live in different cities/states done for you in support that you’ve been most appreciative of?
I started to type I can’t type anything I specific here. Truth is I can. I just spent the past 45 minutes delving into depression and suicidal thoughts to write this. One of the things that keeps me going. It’s huge and it is from those out of state folks, but also from people at work. They tell me:
How brave you are…
How strong you are…
You give me someone to look up to
You inspire me (this from someone who became a leader in their local area after)
I have people reach out to me to help them with friends or family members who are trans, or might be. I am no expert on it; aside from my experience, but I am happy to share. I am happy to continue this blog, even if it hurts me to the core sometimes.
So what have folks done for me? They told me they were there. They told me they needed me. As silly as it sounds, it makes me feel like a superhero. I mean that’s what a true super hero does right? Give people hope.
So, going back to a point earlier, I may be envious or even a bit resentful of Caitlyn, but if you tell me she isn’t brave or a hero – I will cut you with words. If this post and the one before it haven’t shown you the pain, fear, and loss we experience above and beyond what most people have to endure and how heroic it is to be out there for the world to see and cut apart into 5 second sound bites, then you really need to rethink heroism.
At what point did you change bathrooms? or would suggest changing bathrooms? this is an issue I’ve been trying to figure out, and i’m just not sure. and your thoughts and input would be greatly appreciated!
I changed bathrooms at work when I started my transition. I offered to use the unisex bathroom and they told me flat out if someone has a problem with it the other person could use the unisex one. That said, even now bathrooms hold a special panic for me. My drivers license says F next to sex, which gives me protection most of the time. It doesn’t change the fear.
So when to change?
When you present as your self identified gender in public.
I was writing something originally about when you feel safe, comfortable, or have legal protection. The reality is that is my own dysphoria and fear. If you are presenting as a specific gender (because guess what , when you are trans – you ARE that gender) then use the bathroom of that gender. You might be nervous, I still am, but damnit it’s a bathroom. Why the frak people think we want to do more than go to the bathroom in one is beyond me. Do these same narrow minded myopic nitwits have the same concerns about others on the LGBT spectrum in the rest room? There’s no secret conspiracy to look at children through the stall walls. Which is a comment someone I used to have as a friend on facebook mentioned once. I really had to ask WHAT THE FRAK?
Nevermind that. Actually some of them do. Guess what – gay guys don’t necessarily want you. Lesbians aren’t going around peeking through the stalls for a chance to see another woman’s genitalia. It’s the friggin bathroom – thats the last place I want to see what’s below the waist. It’s the same for trans folks – we want to go in and use the bathroom and go about our lives. Do pedophiles and other such individuals interested in sexual assault exist? Yes. Do you think a law keeping me from using the right bathroom will stop them? If you are…you are an idiot. Go back to your village.
Instead, let me give you more facts and some images to put it in perspective
Source: Twitter @Cailin_Becoming
To subjective. True, but it is still accurate. How about this? (Source: http://mic.com/articles/114066/statistics-show-exactly-how-many-times-trans-people-have-attacked-you-in-bathrooms)
From a mic.com article during many of the bathroom bill debates, with more to come no doubt.
The study focused on people who identify as transgender or gender non-conforming/genderqueer in the Washington, DC area and found that an overwhelming majority — 70 percent — had experienced some sort of negative reaction when using a bathroom. The study notes that this is in spite of the fact that DC’s enforcement regulations contain “the strongest language in the country in regard to gender-segregated public facilities” to protect trans people from just these sorts of issues.
The primary experience trans people reported was verbal harassment, with 68 percent reporting they were told they were in the wrong facility, told to leave the facility, questioned about their gender, ridiculed or made fun of, verbally threatened, or stared at and given strange looks. Some also shared that the police were called and others noted that they were followed after using a facility. For 9 percent of respondents, actual physical assault has also occurred, including being forcibly removed from the restroom, hit or kicked, intimidated or cornered, or slapped; one respondent reported being sexually assaulted.
Need more? Try this one: http://mediamatters.org/research/2014/03/20/15-experts-debunk-right-wing-transgender-bathro/198533
Don’t see your state on the list? Then there’s a chance they have debated, or will debate, trans exclusionary laws on bathrooms. Arizona has tried TWICE to keep me out of the right bathroom for me. The battle here probably isn’t over.
So to the original question, still use the one you identify with – but be careful. I would recommend getting a new ID sooner rather than later if your state allows it. I hate to put such fear into a statement that can be empowering, but there is risk and you need to be aware of it.
Note: Arizona is actually fairly easy to get a new ID and not terribly expensive.
Is there anything you feel you’re “giving up” and will miss as you complete your transition?
I didn’t answer this last time except with a bit of snark about being able to go topless – which is odd in it’s own way. It further goes into the societal view of women as sexual objects. Think about it – if I hadn’t changed my ID to say F had the breast surgery – what then? A ‘man’ by law with breasts. Would I be arrested? Fined? Worse? Probably, but then the double standard of watching literally dozens of guys running around Tucson topless. Fascinating to consider isn’t it?
So what do I think I might have given up?
Being happy truly in my personal life (work life is fantastic). I have moments of joy. I have good days, but then the day ends and I stand alone. The more I learn and the more I struggle I don’t think I will ever truly be happy again. I don’t think I will find someone to replace or even come close to filling the gap of 15 years. I think I am going to be alone until the day I die. I am overweight, I don’t pass, I have near debilitating social anxiety at events because of the first two. I think I will be single the rest of my days and I gave up a good relationship to pursue some semblance of self.
Do I think all trans individuals face this? No. Some are truly lucky and have someone who is in their life and completes them and that they complete. I think a lot do though.
I think that as I complete this transition and write open and honest posts like this I am risking a lot. I think there is a lot of discrimination in work places (beyond my current employer, who once again is awesome) that I could face.
I also think I am giving up cis-male privilege. I had it easy and now I get to deal with these lovely stats ever day I leave my house.
Yes – more statistics.
Posted to facebook today (6/29/15)
Don’t ask how many of these I can check off. (source: Grimm-Brothers Deviant Art)
This officially says I can’t be fired for being trans…interpretation of the word ‘sex’ on the other hand…
This is a leading cause of death in all americans. (Source CDC)
Trans Suicide Rate
Thats right, the national average is ~1%. The trans average ranges from 41-47% depending on which study you read.
If people were to ask me if you are trans, what would be the best way for me to answer them? (Other then nonya)
“Yep, she’s a transwoman. If you want to know more about it, please ask her. She’s very open to questions as long as they come from a place of wanting to learn more.”….and yes I just wrote that as I do suggested verbiage for work.
I would also point them to John Oliver
What can your friends do to continue to support you? (Redux – it beared repeating)
Continue to make me feel safe. Continue to treat me as one of the girls. Continue to have conversations with me as if I was born genetically / physically female. Continue to be awesome.AND….Share posts like this and others I do. Share the experience and knowledge when you hear someone make a comment you think if I was in earshot of would hurt me. Do not be silent. Do not be passive. There’s a reason people post about being a LGTBQ Ally. No matter what happens legally or socially – our numbers will always be a minority. Stand up and be counted as a friend and ally when you hear something. Stop the ignorance of others. Just because I didn’t hear it myself doesn’t mean it was right to let it slide.If you are afraid to do so, I get it I really do get it. But ask yourself why you’d be afraid. Then think of all I, and others like me, go through. It’s probably something like that. Sorry to turn this around on folks, but I don’t know another way to try to help folks understand.Ultimately as a friend, continue to be one. This journey isn’t over. I am alone in many respects in my life with not much chance of that ever-changing.
One trick here, if someone told a joke ask them to explain it (even if you understand) make them explain why the racist, mysogonistic, and/or LGBT joke was funny. It tends to make them as uncomfortable as the joke would feel to those on the receiving end.
I do need the friends. I do need the support.…and let me tell you (again) it is appreciated.
When a trans woman complains about RuPaul’s Drag Race having an entire game named after a transmisogynistic slur, don’t try to defend it by saying that they’re drag queens, so it’s okay. Similarly, when Stephen Colbert usestransmisogynistic slurs on his show, don’t defend him by saying that it’s “just satire.” Trans people (or at least most of us) actually do have senses of humor. We love to laugh. But we don’t like to constantly be the punchline of jokes that make light of violence against us or portray us as liars who want to trick you into sleeping with us. So please, believe us, we know when we’re being insulted.
Be aware of these resources and provide them to others who may need them (I don’t but there are a lot of us who do):
Trans Lifeline is a non-profit dedicated to the well being of transgender people. We run a hotline staffed by transgender people for transgender people. Trans Lifeline volunteers are ready to respond to whatever support needs members of our community might have.
Look I may have scared some of you with some of what I talked about earlier. I am sorry. It may even be a career limiting move at times, but here’s the deal. Jessica Darke is here to stay, even if there are times she doesn’t want to.
I decided this a long time ago when a friend from Rochester sent me the most heartfelt message I have ever gotten but I haven’t ever put it in writing. My goal is to become no less than a director level at my employer. I want to prove to people that a non passing trans female can do it. I will continue to be that symbol of hope out there that even if three people need, that’s three people who are better for me enduring just another day more. I refuse to roll over from my own fears, my own battles. I refuse to let myself become another statistic. There will be no #HerNamewasJessicaDarke hash tag if I have anything to say about it. I will continue to fight. I will continue to be and continue to educate, even on this small venue.
Early screening tonight, no embargo on reviews. Fantastic. I even asked. Now this is not my usual genre. I mean really look back and check on how many family friendly kid adventures I’ve done that aren’t animated? Ok now that you’ve used 12 seconds to check – you found the answer is next to none. So why did I go to this one? Well – it was free. A friend had tickets. Secondly, I admit I was curious about it from the trailers and it plucked the few strings still attached to my rotting, black, little heart.
So was it worth it?
In the usual fashion let’s take a peek under the hood and look at the film makers. The first real question I have looking at this – Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? The writers are Sheldon Lettich, who we haven’t seen since 1998’s Van Damme flop Legionnaire, and Boaz Yakin. Let’s talk Lettich for a moment. He has previously worked with JCVD almost exclusively with films such as Bloodsport, Lionheart, and Double Impact. We have a few others in there as well, but they are all heavy action/martial arts films. How in the name of all that is …well how does that resume lead one to a family friendly kids adventure film almost 20 years later? With that we do have the other writer, who is also director, Boaz Yakin. His filmography is equally confusing and all over the map with writing credits on Now You See Me, Safe, Prince of Persia, Dusk til Dawn 2 and the Dolph Lundgren Punisher. If you too are wondering about these credits and what leads one to Max – welcome to the show. We have cookies and milk.
History aside, the story is relatively formulaic. It’s a touch sloppy and braindead at times, but keeps itself moving at a good enough pace. I kinda hate the trailer house a bit on this one now. At it’s core we do have a boy and his dog. We have a kids going on a small town adventure. It does actually have some tension making you wonder if Boomer will live, sorry Max. No spoilers. You need to watch if you wanna know, or you know ask me in person. There’s some teen romance thrown in, with a dash of coming of age, and the bonds of friendship. Honestly, it’s all very passable and didn’t make me want to gouge my eyes out much. I was greatly surprised at the lack of ‘Murica rhetoric in it considering the overall theme of dealing with a Marine K-9. It is there, but largely kept on the downlow which was very pleasantly surprising. This isn’t to say it is treated badly, but they do not brow beat you with it and I appreciate that. They let you focus on the true story of Max and Justin – the important things.
From an acting perspective, the humans are good. Thomas Haden Church (Spiderman 3, Sideways) and Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) serve well as the two dimensional parents. The actors themselves keep the roles from being completely nauseating in either the lovingness or the cranial density factors. Everyone else is sufficient in their role not creating anything new or really leaving much of a mark beyond what they were written. Newcomer Josh Wiggins is our protagonist, Justin. I think he took after Billy Connolly on the looking through his eyebrows glare tips. The kid has a mean glare and for the most part plays the stereotypical rebellious teenager. He isn’t bad, he isn’t great, but I think there’s potential there as he got the idea of subtlety at times and nuance in some of the performance. The other child actor worth mentioning is Mia Xitlali, much like Wiggins, she is new and to be fair it shows. There’s something there though, perhaps it’s how much her personality reminds me of two people in my life, but she actually did light up the screen the times she was able. I can only hope there’s a career ahead of this young actor.
Again, the humans are good. Max, played by Carlos, is fantastic. The dog is the best actor in the film and this shouldn’t surprise me when you think of how much he is expected to carry. There are a wide range of performances from Carlos in the film that put half the rest of the cast to shame. Honestly, he puts actors in several other recent movies to shame. Whomever his handler/partner is – you should be proud. You have an amazing member of your family with him.
TL;DR?
The movie is good. If it is your genre of choice. I had next to no emotional connection with anyone in the film and didn’t really feel any tension until act III. The pacing was good and kept me interested. I enjoyed both the child actors, which surprised the heck out of me.
If you need some alternative family fare (children 8+) Max is the movie for you.
Animal lovers, this is a duh. You should see it.
Max isn’t a bad film, it is a bit odd in how it handles the matters it does when you look at the background on the film makers. It’s kinda good and generally solid film making. It will not win any awards, the box office, or much of anything – but if you need something that isn’t in LOUD and in your face for you and the kids – give it a shot.
Being a pessimist is a blessing and a curse, usually a curse. The blessing is that I expect so little of people and the world that when they deliver above my lowest expectations I can be pleasantly surprised. Since the first hyper saturated trailer came out for this film I have been pretty much quick to condemn it. Too much CGI. Too much hyper color correction. Chris Pratt with a pack of velociraptors around him. It really looked bad. Point in fact one of the people who had intended to see the movie, with me today, and myself were going to full on MST3K this film after it was over. I expected bottom of the barrell Hollywood paycheck garbage.
So where did it land?
As always SPOILER FREE.
Let’s look at an early condemnation for the film by my own rules. The writer count. You get to excuse Michael Crichton (being dead is a good excuse) as he is simply credited for the characters. That leaves us with 4 unique credits on the writing. You have Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver on story, then again on screenplay. Two additional names show up on screenplay as well, Colin Trevorrow (who also directed) and Derek Connolly. Jaffa is probably best known for his work on Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and an older horror movie called The Relic (it’s not too bad). Silver has worked on the same projects beat for beat as writers and both functioned as producers on the last two Apes movies. Helps when they are married I suppose, but I can see that they do work well together and put out some of the best films we have had in the sci fi genre in the past few years. Their story work is evident here as the movie does focus on the little interactions amidst life threatening chaos. Derek Connolly seems to have been brought in as an addition to put touches on the script as well, probably due to the fact that he and writer/director Trevorrow worked on SNL and Safety Not Guaranteed together. So in reality the movie defies the 3+ writer rule and brings it down to 2. You have two pairs of people who pretty much work exclusively with each other, they feed off of each other and build on each other in a collaborative way that can be both bad and good, but the end result is a well oiled machine that knows how to function and isn’t trying to ‘fix’ someone else.
From a story standpoint itself, the movie has a few points I think it wanted to elaborate more on but either they were cut or not fleshed out. These personal stories weren’t really all that gripping or necessary to the point I think I might have preferred them removed and something else more relevant for the individual characters instead. There is one trope I could have done without that isn’t offensive, but mostly tired. A few points are cringe worthy and without the slightest hint of subtlety. Does it really have a negative impact on the movie? No. Not really
Part of that credit must go to the director. Colin Trevorrow is a man who has never had a budget of his own before now. I think much like Gareth Edwards on Godzilla after Monsters, was a bit overwhelmed, but stuck to many of his roots (where the studio allowed) and told a good story with rather good performances from his actors, no matter their age. If anything he fails at it is some of his decisions on camera work with the director of photography. A few scenes move too quick and cut too fast to let you try to make sure you are seeing what you are meant to see. I am not sure if that comes from trying to hide the CG work or just bad design. I also must blame him for some of the editing flaws in the movie and decisions to keep certain beats in where they weren’t needed. Otherwise, he did pretty well in letting you savor the action, the tension, and helping to overcome the significant flaws of the abomination that is Jurassic Park 3. The writing quartet and director remembered to make the characters likeable so you care if and when they die.
The credit must also go to the actors here. Look let me put it in blunt terms. Chris Pratt rules this film like a T-Rex in his own right. You have no choice but to watch him as he is consistently the most interesting thing on screen. He is larger than life and is supposed to be. He nails it perfectly and I am happy. There’s a rumor that Disney may be targeting him for a certain fedora and bullwhip and to that I say – yes please (after this film). Bryce Dallas Howard (The Village, The Help) is also surprisingly good in this. I enjoy her character far more than I anticipated and she (and the director) put some subtlety and nuance to her performance through the film that I was happy to see. While she isn’t as big as Pratt in this one, she does hold her own screen presence pretty well.
Let’s talk children for a moment. One of the driving forces of this story, as they were in the original. The kids. They act. They act well. Screw you Shyamalan (note: this is an eternal screw you for his abomnination of The Last Airbender and horrible acting from the children). Ty Simpkins (Insidious, Iron Man 3) does well as the younger brother and doesn’t make you want to grind your teeth. He is matched by Nick Robinson as the older brother who had such potential to be something not good. Thankfully again the writers, director, and Robinson hold their hand well and let the character be something a bit more than stereotype. Thank you guys.
Ok, so I ripped the movie for technicals just from the trailers. Should I? Yes. The CG work is flawed. The effects team used daylight and hyper saturation of the color pallette to try to hide the lines, but it (as always) doesn’t work. Not every piece of CG work is bad mind you, but the parts that are – really are. What the trailers didn’t tell me and I was happy to see was PRACTICAL. While not to the scale, effect, or execution of the original Jurassic Park, the practical effects are good. They are also sorely needed amidst everything else. Also – guys….(not that anyone on the team will see this) I can tell when you reuse assets. It’s not the worst sin in the world, but it’s still a sin. Speaking of sins. CinemaSins will probably have some fun with this one as my first thought seeing the kids room was ‘there’s an orgy of evidence that this room belongs to a young boy’. The product placement in this also is near sin worthy if it weren’t so intentional. It is a little ridiculous at times, but I consider it a small price.
TL:DR?
It’s a good movie folks. If you are like me and have some seriously intense nostalgia for the original film, try to keep that in check. For better or worse the industry has changed and our awe at seeing a dinosaur on the big screen will never be the same as it was in Jurassic Park. I paid attention to the people around me. The kids. The adults. The elderly couple next to me. They enjoyed it. They weren’t comparing it to the original film (which does hold up 20 years later) they were just watching this.
They were watching dinosaurs walk, fly, and swim. They laughed, they jumped, they gasped, but they had a good time. That right there is all that matters. All critiques and criticisms, and trust me I can tear into this movie with a few things, don’t really matter. People had a good time. The film makers wanted that and they succeeded. It isn’t as great as the original, but is the original as great because we had *nothing* to compare it to and it in turn became the benchmark we compare other things to? Are some of the moments completely ridiculous? Yes. I didn’t care and neither did the audience. Movies have changed for better or worse.
This is a summer blockbuster that is going to happen.
It should happen.
So for whatever it may be worth I think you should go see Jurassic World and you will probably enjoy yourself.
For those that know me and what I do for my 9-5 you know I am an inherent pessimist. I get a glimpse of the darkness of mankind and the general evil of the world. Its a very narrow peephole into that which is wrong. I frequently expect the worst out of people, places, and overall events; which are then almost as frequently proven right. I am rarely disappointed or surprised in this regard. What you don’t know about me, what I don’t show in a world that is little more than pain – is hope. I believe in hope. I believe in heroes. I * want* more out of the world and part of the reason for this blog (aside from reviews) is to deliver that. It’s a small act, but one I take seriously. This is important to understand as you read this review.
Brad Bird (Incredibles, Iron Giant, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) returns to us with a project right up his alley. He wanted the directors chair and took up the pen as well. Sadly he wasn’t the only one to take up the pen on this one, with Damon Lindelof having done much of the original work on the film. Lindelof, for my opinion, has damaged every project he has been on. Let me give four examples:
All four of these movies have something in common – their pacing blows. No sugar coating here. In the WWZ review I mention how Lindelof is the one responsible for the worst parts of Cowboys and Aliens and Prometheus. I am pretty sure the point holds true here. Lindelof needs to be stopped. Please.
Based on previous works, it is very clear where Bird and Lindelof intersected and where they didn’t. I won’t go into the story itself as it is best experienced, but the movie does have some horrific pacing issues. The House of Mouse will also have it’s day as well and their influence is clear – and appropriate in this one. Bird tends to tell stories that are designed to inspire people to be more. Even superheroes who must be more than they were and that has not changed here. There is something inspiring to the story.
Bird also directs well here. A combination of George Clooneys raw acting chops and natural charisma and Brads directing allow both children in the film to really hold their own. Our heroine Britt Robertson (Secret Circle, Under the Dome) is a breath of fresh air. She is able to blend the dual role of audience surrogate and protagonist seamlessly. The concept of the audience surrogate is a character in the film who asks the questions you are thinking and generally is there to connect you to the story. They tend to be bland or “everymen” so it is easy to ‘imprint’ yourself on them; see Rupert Evans as John Myers in Hellboy as a prime example. The challenge is to make them relatable and still bland enough to carry you with them. Robertson does it with apparent ease. She drives the story forward and is something more, special…inspiring; yet still asks what we would be thinking and generally speaking acts as a normal human confronted with the bizarre. Young Raffey Cassidy (Snow White and the Huntsman, Dark Shadows) also holds her own. She makes her part believable and endearing, she acts with a skill of those twice or even three times her age (13 by the way). She actually outshines Clooney in a few scenes. In a way she reminds me of Kirsten Dunst from Interview with the Vampire. She performs that well and with subtlety in nearly every scene. The supporting cast is actually just as interesting with Hugh Laurie (House) and Keegan-Michael Key (Key and Peele), Pierce Gagnon (Looper), Tim McGraw (yes, the Tim McGraw) all do remarkably well with the time they are given and are both memorable and relatable – another hard combo it seems.
From a technical standpoint, the pacing issues are pretty bad. It takes awhile to get going and stutters more than a few times. As an FX movie there is some interesting CG work early on that bothered me until I realized the intent – which was to create a very Jetsons like image to the world it exists in. Beyond that the film has some rather innovative shots and effects. There is enough that is both set and practical to let you focus on that and ignore the errant graphics that may surround it. They actually got the lighting right during the green screen scenes enough that I believed for a brief, brief, moment – someone had a functional jetpack.
What impresses me most about the movie is that much like Ex Machina – it embraces science. It tells us that while the world around us may try to burn by our hand or another that we shouldn’t give up hope. That we keep trying. That we innovate. That we invent. That we care to make change. That caring and then doing is needed to really make a difference. That science, music, and art (two of which are fading from american schools) are what we need to make the world a better place. I want that better place. I want the better place they gave us. I want more hope and this movie inspired that. It tells you that *anyone*, *anywhere* can be that person who can make a difference. While the main cast is caucasian, the movie shows that the next generation can and will be from anywhere and any gender. They go to great lengths, (maybe a bit much at times) to make it clear that women DO belong in the scientific field and should be there more than the are. The movie can give hope to people to enter those fields and change the world.
We need that. We really do.
TL:DR
Tomorrowland is a good movie. It’s better than average overall. It didn’t take me on a fast paced romp, that I think I was expecting, but it really was enjoyable. We need more movies like this. We need the Hope and the Inspiration. For that alone – go see it
Kids can see it without much fear, there’s some mild violence but nothing too bad.
Adults should see it as a general rule, parents especially.
It’s a good movie and needs our support. It’s a good movie because it is about something. We need that too.
If the hype machine was in full swing for Age of Ultron and we got what we did as a result, you could understand me getting some slightly chilled feet as I bought my ticket to Mad Max tonight. 99% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes? A certain group of individuals going nuts over it in a negative way (which can only be a good thing)? Every single word of mouth reviewer I have heard of even in passing loving it? How can this be? Does it actually live up to all that positive word of mouth or is it another case of Hollywood and the Press jumping in bed together for something illicit and a bit dirty?
Let’s take a look under the hood shall we?
According to Cracked, George Miller is good at precisely two things – Mad Max and anthropomorphic animals. Thats right this man directed all of the previous Max films and Happy Feet. The connection is clear to me; of course I am also sleep deprived as I write this so there could be some really cool hallucinations going on here. Miller is also one of the three writers on the film adding the talents of newcomers to the script scene of Brendan McCarthy and Nick Lathouris. McCarthy is a storyboard artist and visual consultant in his previous works and I believe his talents helped Miller envision many of the shots in the film to make it what it was. Lathouris, on the other hand, is no novice to the Mad Max Franchise, having played a part in the original 1979 film. By their powers combined they have matched action and storytelling. They gave us a world we shouldn’t want to imagine and made it touchable. There are those who say this is Max 1.5 picking up after the events in the 79. I would disagree and argue that instead this truly is part 4. Let me explain.
The movie introduces us to a barely vocal Max (Tom Hardy) who is just barely above your average survivalist animal in a post apocalyptic landscape. Why is there an apocalypse? Fuel wars. More than that doesn’t actually matter and they don’t bother to explain – which is good. This Max is haunted by his past failures and is clearly going insane from his enforced isolation and continued existence in a kill or be killed bleak world. Max doesn’t even classify as human at the beginning of the film, living as a creature of instinct. That is of course until during the course of events he runs into Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) who changes everything for the nomad. The man that they give us is so deeply traumatized his guilt wracked visions have near physical impact on him. By the end of ’79 Max, he was a force of vengeance, but not haunted. After all the carnage and deaths of Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome – now I believe the evolution to today’s Max.
From an acting perspective, it is absolutely abundantly clear that Hardy (Bane from Batman) spent a lot of time studying Mel Gibsons performances. He aped the mans facial expressions, nervous ticks, and even speech patterns making Max feel near seamless; even against the different face. He is a broken man who just wants to be alone; yet still wants to do the right thing per his old job as a cop. This is one of Hardy’s best performances to date reminding me a bit of Kurt Russell in Soldier where a good actor is put to the test using minimalism. While not nearly as minimalist, there are enough similarities and Hardy pulls it off. Charlize Theron (Hancock, Italian Job, Snow White, etc) continues to prove there isn’t a role she is not capable of. She is a physical presence on screen as much as she is a force of personality that you believe can do whatever she damn well pleases. Some are decrying the strength of the character, but it is that very strength that pulls Max in.
Other cast include Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies, and Beast from X-men), Zoe Kravitz (X-men first class), Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (Transformers 3 – don’t hold it against her), Riley Keough (The Runaways, Kiss of the Damned), and the incomparable Nathan ‘Colossus’ Jones (Fearless, The Protector). New comer Abbey Lee makes a memorable performance who at times reminded me of a certain Khaleesi. We also have another Mad Max alum in Hugh Keayes-Byrne, coming in as a new role in our villainous Immortan Joe. Each and every performance mentioned above is memorable in their own ways within the film and clearly act their heart out under Millers direction.
Lets talk tech for a second. I have been heard saying how awesome I think this movie is for its reliance on practical effects where possible. That means for those who don’t live and breathe movies that every car you see – is real. Nearly every crash you see – is real. Not only did they make these vehicles, they destroyed them just as much. I almost imagine the conversation went like this –
Movie Makers: “<insert Trick My/Pimp my XXXX here>, we’re making a Mad Max movie and need some vehicles. What is something crazy you’ve wanted to do to a car?”
Vehicle Guys: “Tank treads on a cadillac….” *snickers as they say it*
MM: “Ooh good start. Can you make it?”
VG: “Serious? Like …this isn’t a joke?”
MM: “No…but can you go even a bit crazier. We have four Taiko drums we want to use too…”
These vehicles are NUTS! Knowing all of them are real and all of them function just makes the movie richer. Something else that does? Narrative arc. The film really is a 2 hour car chase as promised; however, unlike Ultron, they wisely paced it. There are lulls in the action for you to catch your breath. There is slight tension to let you know it isn’t over. The movie just works on this level with rises and falls of action that make both narrative sense, visual beauty, and cognitive pacing. You can follow the action. You can understand the slow parts. and they work in balance with each other.
TL;DR?
This is 2 hour thrill ride of solid filmmaking. If you are an action movie die hard, car lover, Max lover…or are in any way approving of this genre – this is the movie we’ve been waiting on since John Wick. This is the movie we need. I want Hollywood to take note of WHY this works and learn from it. We deserve good movies like this.
George Miller knocked it out of the park on this one and deserves our support.
If you aren’t into the genre, there’s always Pitch Perfect 2 this weekend (review pending screening tomorrow); but you can avoid it. Otherwise- go see this movie. Make it the hit it deserves to be.
So I did the math on the way home. Took the day off and spent the better part of it at the theatre. Granted I slept til 1:30 then headed over, but yeesh. Was it worth it though? Double Feature of Avengers and then Age of Ultron, discounts on food and drink. Conversation with another movie geek on the comics, animated movies, and general geektitude. Yep all of it was worth it. It was weird hearing people in the audience who hadn’t seen Avengers first and odd to note things that raised questions in the first Avengers in light of Winter Soldier. But…did Age of Ultron live up to the hype?
Let’s be honest folks – you are going to see it anyway regardless of this review. This easily falls into the #seeitanyway category. Let me see if I can keep to my usual spoiler free territory.
Written and directed by geek god Joss Whedon, the film picks up an indeterminate amount of time after the events of all the previous films. It starts mid-stride with the Avengers continuing to try to find Loki’s staff in the wake of the events of Avengers. It’s clear they’ve worked together awhile on various missions enough so that they have clear roles and methods in how they work with each others powers, or lack there of. A new threat of their own making rises in the form of Ultron. An AI with a goal and the Avengers must overcome their internal issues and external ones to win the day, will they?
Lets talk the cast a moment. Our favorites return in the roles that we love them for. Chris Evans is once again on point as Captain America, he still has his ghosts, but as Dr. Irskin asked of him – be a good man. RDJ of course returns as Iron Man with no real acknowledgement of the events of Iron Man 3 one way or the other. I think we are better for that. He was made to play Tony Stark, but it is clear that he is both comfortable and tired of the role. Mark Ruffalo is given significantly more time as Bruce Banner and is allowed to show more than he did in the previous film. I still believe he is a secretly genius casting and he does well with what he is given. Chris Hemsworth takes Thor out for his 4th outing and doesn’t do much new or at all I suppose. ScarJo gets her own 4th showing as Black Widow, the assassin and spy, and is actually given more depth this time with the barest glimpse into her background. Jeremy Renners complaints were clearly heard after the last movie and has a lot more time as Hawkeye with some significant divergence from his comic roots. They don’t hurt, but they are surprising. Samuel L Jackson, Don Cheadle, Anthony Mackie, Stellan Skarsgard, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders all become proof positive that the writer and producers heard the complaints about Iron Man 3 and went ‘oh yeah, all of these guys exists and you know should be here…even briefly’. Sadly we get no Paltrow or Portman as Pepper and Jane; which we do hear some snark about in film – it’s nice. Of course we also have the introduction of Aaron Taylor Johnson (Kick Ass, Godzilla) as Pietro Maximoff, who can’t be called Quicksilver due to rights issues, and his twin sister Wanda Maximoff, more commonly known as the Scarlet Witch, played by Elizabeth Olsen (Godzilla, Old Boy). Ultron is gifted with the voice of our favorite man in a fedora from Blacklist, James Spader. I swear this man could read a phone book and make it sound delicious.
Whew….was that too busy?
That there is the movies problem. It’s taken me twenty minutes to think about this and a good twenty minutes talking with my partner in crime this evening. The problem here is the film is too busy. Too big. We aren’t given a chance to breathe, save one scene. The scene we are ostensibly supposed to be able to revel in the quiet, is just too tense to enjoy the moment. It’s off putting rather than relaxing. The tension was ramped up and kept at a certain level that left you bordering on uncomfortable. It all was too much. Too many locations, too many fights, too many cuts. Too busy.
Things that need explanation are left painfully vague or explained too quick to sink in. There is expectation you have seen everything to this point and if you haven’t you may scratch your head at a few scenes. It’s clear there are significant cuts and edits to the film as well as a few scenes from the trailer are noticeably missing. I think Joss stumbled on this one, it’s not a failure, but it is a clear stumble. He wrote himself into corners he didn’t know how to write himself out of elegantly or cleanly. When he did give himself a needed out, the outs came off awkward. While I am rarely one to encourage films to be split into two, I think there was enough material here that this could have or should have been. It wasn’t in the plan so it couldn’t be and the narrative pays for it. I feel, I believe the studio interfered more this time as well. Joss is far from perfect, but there’s just something wrong about the entire picture on a level I can’t quite put my finger on. It is almost as if they were trying to capture the same lightning in a bottle they had with the first Avengers and didn’t quite stick the landing.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve overly expounded on the problems here, but the movie is still solid. You will continue to love and hate the characters as appropriate. The fight sequences are solid in their own right. The movie properly zooms into comic book physics without batting an eye and we are ok with all of this. The movie still has humor in the right places and darkness in the others. The famous Hammer and party sequence are everything I hoped they would be. Spaders voice work and mo cap of Ultron is in a word incredible. The man’s presence can be felt even if he himself is not on screen.
TL;DR
The movie lands solidly in the better than average to as low as the “it’s ok” realm. I might (probably) watch it again to see if my opinions on it shift the needle in either direction. This is still likely to be one of the biggest movies of the year, though Furious Seven has set a benchmark that will make it hard for other films to hit. This one, probably will though – and deserves to. The movie **is** good, don’t get me wrong, but it isn’t quite as good as the last Avengers and doesn’t quite have the same magic.
If you were going to see it – see it! You’d ignore the review or not want to read it anyway (despite me being spoiler free when possible)
If you were on the fence – eh…see it Matinee.
If you were curious – I’d ask what rock you’ve been living under and why you haven’t seen the others. You definitely don’t want to start on this however, and you’d likely feel lost as there’s enough history required for this one to not make this a first timers film.
Coming Soon
Review season has begun, I get the next week off after that. Mad Max and Pitch Perfect in the same weekend – thankfully not vying for the same audiences. Tomorrowland follows with San Andreas the week after (though that review will be late due to Phoenix Comicon). The rest of summer after that looks to be hit and miss. Here’s hoping folks.
Sunday, you might get a special throwback review…Big Trouble In Little China has a screening at one of my local theatres.
This is a little known, but often lauded film, I have been waiting for. In multiple previous reviews I have slammed the films for having a fear of science and more importantly a fear of AI. Transcendence is one the more recent criminals in this vein. I have a near unique perspective where I am just as eager to look at and love the past as I am the future. I am not afraid of science. I am not afraid of any advances and point in fact I resent those that hold us back from even more. Too many sci fi movies these days seem to be based on a fear response rather than hope or driving us to better ourselves, our world, and our technology.
So please pardon me if I wax a bit philosophical as I write this review, the movie asks some very important questions in the right ways.
Let’s switch things up a bit and get into the acting, this film runs on a minimal cast. While not as small as say Moon, for the better part of the film there are 3 main actors who must do all the work; those being Oscar Isaac as Nathan, Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb, and Alicia Vikander as Ava. Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis, Robin Hood, Drive and soon to be in Age of Apocalypse) plays scientific genius Nathan the man with a compound in a remote area of either Canada or Norway. I appreciate his take on the eccentric billionaire. There’s something roguish and even brutish about his performance yet with a calculating intelligence that drives him and his protege Caleb forward. It is a surprisingly detestable character yet he captures your attention much in the way Tony Stark does. Gleeson (Bill Weasley from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows) is nearly the opposite. For all the extrovert force that Nathan is, Gleeson’s performance as Caleb is almost wall flowerish. It is a well controlled and constructed performance that allows you to buy into his decision making and approach through the film His body language is on point during his Turing test conversations with Ava. Vikander (Seventh Son, Anna Karenina, Man from UNCLE), may have the hardest performance. Where the boys must be equally demanding of the camera during their shots both energetic and quiet; Vikander’s Ava must capture the camera and your attention with something else. Every motion she makes must look as if she is a machine pretending to be human but so human she passes. This is more difficult than it sounds yet she achieves it in her own body language. Her face alone is allowed full expression yet her body tells you as much in how she moves and positions herself. It’s really quite remarkable.
The technical prowess in which the actors performed must get some credit from the writer and director Alex Garland. Garland, who previously gave us the genre redefining 28 Days Later, the lack luster Sunshine, and criminally underrated Dredd, is in top form here. It’s clear the man knows how to shoot a film and get a performance from his cast. The three films I mentioned are clearly watching a man come to understand his gifts behind the camera and with a crew with each one building on the successes and failures of the other. That leaves us with Ex Machina. Nothing is wasted in the film. Not a single shot is without some level of purpose be it literal or metaphorical. Every camera angle is where it should be for maximum effect. It truly is a technically amazing film from a cinematic point of view. While I know there is much that was in the can that hit the editing room floor, as there is with any film, we are given the purest essence of film making. Music, Light, Shadow, Color, Negatives, all interplay perfectly.
Before I talk story and the questions, I do need to say as good as the movie is – it still falls into some traps that I found displeasing. The character of Nathan, while breaking many stereotypes, hits enough of the wrong ones to bother. While the movie does not directly objectify the female cast members there is an overabundance of shots that made me think someone from Game of Thrones was involved. Obviously I have no issue with the female form, as I am in the process of giving myself one, but there’s just something off putting in the delivery here. It is largely clinical if you narrow your eyes at the movie, but a moments though and it becomes uncomfortable again. This is probably the one major flaw of the film. It’s enough of a flaw that if you genderswap any of the characters the film likely may not be made or retain the rating it did under the iron thumb of the MPAA; which is an entirely different problem in how American’s view film, much less those psychotics over at the MPAA.
From a story stand point, Nathan hires Caleb to be a living Turing Test for Ava. For those who don’t know, (though the movie explains), the Turing Test is a method in which a human tests a computerized system to determine if they can tell they are working with a computer. This is normally done as something blind, but the nature of this experiment requires it not to be. Caleb is flown in and brought to a massive remote compound and meets Ava, a fully functional AI. She deliberately looks like a machine in order to see if she can make Caleb (and the audience) forget that fact.
There are so many good questions the movie asks and it spends just a little less time on the topic than I am happy with. This is a minor flaw, as the movie delves into the philosophical topics around AI and Robotics, but doesn’t commit to them lest it lose the audience entirely. I fear that is the issue, the risk of boring the wider audience with a certain amount of techo-babble and philosophy. What it does ask creates powerful questions that we ourselves can look at and have conversations about? Questions about Gender and Sexuality; though the movie does mostly classify under the binary format, the larger conversation could be had. Questions about wants, needs, loves, lies that we tell each other and ourselves. Most importantly the movie asks us if we are human, can we truly define that? Can we define what separates us from a truly advanced AI or what really would pass the Turing Test? The movie wisely and thankfully doesn’t make us fear AI save a throw away line of evolutionary/revolutionary theory, but embraces that it is an inevitable future and what that could mean. This had me excited as the trailers kept their word. here. The trailers however, sell the movie short giving it a horror vibe or perhaps a bit of a sexual objectification vibe. I could go on for hours about the conversations that could be had from watching this film and delving deeper into the questions it literally and metaphorically asks.
TL;DR
This movie is not for everyone. I would love to give the Darke Seal of Approval (I need a seal of approval first) and that everyone should see it, but I can’t.
There is no action here, this truly is a thinking persons film. IF you want to grab a drink and chat with friends in the spring night air after seeing the movie – this is a good film for you. It is both visually stunning and mentally stimulating. For my SciFi, Philosophy, and Psychology lovers, you really need to see this film.
All others, I couldn’t say you would enjoy it. You might and if this review has made you the least bit curious then I say find a matinee and see it; otherwise give it a pass.
The movie satisfied me greatly in that it doesn’t fear AI and the scientific advances that come from it. It deserves to be a critical darling if not a box office one. There is a lot of subtlety and nuance in the film and I hope you feel the same.
Furious 7. As I have said in previous reviews when you are this invested in a franchise it is already a forgone conclusion that you are seeing this film. So how do I review it? Do I review it? Well of course I do. It’s worth mentioning as I open this that there was a clip in the pre movie commercials of Vin Diesel being asked if he thinks this is the best of the franchise. His response brought a tear to my eye.
“Whenever we went to a movie premier, I would turn to Paul and ask was it the best? He would look to me and tell me the best is still in the can. I am hoping to hear from him, somehow that he thinks this one is the best.” These men were brothers in real life as much as they were in the films. Even Paul’s mother knew it and is quoted by Diesel as saying “I thought they needed my strength but realized when I got there and broke down before his family, that it was I who needed theirs.”His mother hugged me and said I am so sorry … I said sorry? You’re the mother who lost a son? … She said yes, but you lost your other half.”
So how was the movie?
The writer on the franchise since Tokyo Drift , Chris Morgan, returns to give us what will likely be the last of the series. If Fast 5 was a love letter to Oceans 11 with cars and Furious 6 was a love letter to shark jumping everywhere, then this film is the love letter to Mission Impossible, while it jumps a shark with friggin lasers on their heads. It is gloriously over the top and embraces it with a smile and a Corona. The natural charm and chemistry of the returning cast members makes every ridiculous scene work. Morgan is also wise enough to give us slow moments where the characters can interact and show why we have stuck with them for the six previous movies. It’s not just long looks, but comes down to the performances and delivery which means Morgan needs some help from the cast
I won’t go too long here. Vin Diesel returns as Dominic Toretto who continues to stubborn and street prophet his way through the movies. Walker’s role is probably more reduced than originally intended, but the moments he gets with Mia (Jordana Brewster) sell every single time. Michelle Rodriguez continues as Letty and is both beautiful and one of the baddest women we have on screen. The meme of keep your pop icons, we have our own should equally apply to this woman. Tyrese keeps earning that paycheck as CinemaSins says and sadly continues to be the weakest part of the family. Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges is once again epic as Tej and a highlight for the film. Dwayne Johnson was born to be in this franchise and clearly has a blast with every single scene chewing line.
Joining this film is Statham as Lee Christmas, er the Driver, er …Deckard Shaw. Oh heck with it. Jason Statham is Jason Statham. Djimon Hounsou comes in as a secondary villain along with Tony Jaa and a brief but wicked appearance of Ronda Rousey. Kurt Russell makes his own appearance as Nobody taking a page from the Rock and looking to chew scenery. In my private fiction I think he was secretly Jack Burton 20 years later. Our movies McGuffin is a person this time, Nathalie Emmanuel, better known as Missandei from Game of Thrones. It was nice to hear her in her own speaking voice rather than her clipped precise tones from the show.
James Wan, best known for Saw, The Conjuring, and Insidious is replacing Justin Lin at the helm. I think that might be where the seams begin to show. He just doesn’t have what Lin did. This isn’t to say he was horrible, but he isn’t as gifted with the camera or ensemble as Lin. There’s some weird camera tricks used that detract from the film and there just is not enough love for certain characters that I think comes down to the director more than anything else. Granted, he still directed the heck out of the film while the shark continued to do it’s double half back flip with a triple twist. He does run this far more as an over the top Mission Impossible action film than a car movie, but that comes across as an observation than a complaint.
From the technicals CG is CG. Physics is bound, gagged, slapped around, and hung up in an oubliette – and we don’t care! Seriously we don’t. You shouldn’t. The movie is absolutely ridiculous and makes no sense from a biologic, architectural, or engineering standpoint. Gravity? HA! Injuries? Don’t make me laugh. Actually the movie did more than a few times and I was thankful for it.
TL;DR?
The final film in the Fast franchise is so beautifully over the top any flaws it has, which there are a few, don’t seem to matter. This is one of the first movies this year I can feel comfortable saying “Go See it”
– If you are invested already – you didn’t need my review.
– If you weren’t invested – you also didn’t need it. You weren’t going to see it anyway. Seeing it before the others is a disservice to the series.
The movie is good. It is beefcake. It is cheesecake. It is ridiculous and I love it for all of it. 14 years of these movies and the series can rest now. It earned it and got a good send off.
PS
Rollover spoiler –
I did cry at the end from the reshoots they added to address Paul Walkers death. Diesels send off for him was as much to the character of Brian as it was to Paul himself. It was moving and heartfelt. I am not sure what the original ending was, nor does it matter. This was good and I am glad they did it the way they did.
Amused in the Dark 