Review of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Dazzling.  I think that is the word that best describes The Force Awakens.  As I walked out of the the theater, I was left with how this newest addition to the Star Wars franchise made me feel.

While I didn't notices specific details like the star fleet stationed in the Hosnian system or that Poe has a custom X-Wing, I was so drawn into the roller coaster of a film that the details didn't matter as much as the story did.

Please note that this post will contain spoilers.

If you have not yet seen the film, you may want to skip this post.

My absolute favorite thing about The Force Awakens is the lead cast.  From Guatemalan-born Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) to the London born Daisy Ridley (Rey) and John Boyega (Finn) this cast has diversity from the opening scenes onward.

Why don't we start with the ladies?  There are many women who have strong roles in this film, all of whom have an important part to play in The Force Awakens.

From Rey's hopeful optimism that her family will return for her and her grit and drive to remain on a world where she struggles to make a living while she waits; to Leia, who no longer trusts in the Senate to remain in-corrupt and has chosen to take on the role of General, leading her own military force while hoping her estranged husband and son will return to her; to Lupita Nyong'o's Maz, who watches the world go by her and has the ability to recognize a person's character through their eyes; and finally Jessica Henwick's Jess Pava, a pilot in the Resistance who flies under the call sign of Blue Three in the X-Wing squadron led by Poe Dameron.

To have a female character be the main focus of her own story and to see how she chooses to be the author of her own tale is wonderful and heartbreaking and inspiring all at once.  This is a girl who was abandoned (possibly sold into indentured work) on the desert planet of Jakku, a sad sort of Tattooine-wannabe full of swindlers and those struggling to survive, and who has to learn how to survive on her own.

We are first introduced to Rey as she is scavenging parts from the crashed remains of ships leftover from the Battle of Jakku (which isn't mentioned in the film, but is covered in a lead-up novel).  There is an innocence in Rey's steadfast belief that her family will come back for her, as she marks each passing day on the walls the destroyed AT-AT Walker that is her home.  While she is unquestionably capable of taking care of herself, Rey also has a soft side which is seen when she rescues BB-8 from a scavenger who would have torn it apart, in the flowers and doll inside her home, and the look of sorrow and resignation that she gives the older woman she is sitting with while cleaning her scavenged finds.

Rey is a woman of both physical skill and strong morals who chooses to continue living meal-to-meal rather than give up BB-8.  Able to understand binary, Rey knows that BB-8 is looking for his master and that he is a part of the Resistance, so when they meet up with a man wearing his stolen jacket, she and BB-8 team-up to take him down.  Left with no choice but to run with BB-8 and the stranger she only just met (and who keeps holding her hand, lol), Rey takes to piloting a starship with ease, fending off Tie Fighters and escaping into the expanse of space.

Another of my favorites was General Leia Organa who, like her birth mother, is unable to stand idly by while corrupt politicians are in power.  Unlike Padmé, Leia has chosen to lead her own military group and defend the Republic from the First Order.  She has been beaten down by life, her husband and brother have left and she no longer knows where her son is, though she continues to pray that he finds the good in himself and returns home to her.  Leia has never allowed her losses to be what defines the path of her future, carrying on even when the odds are stacked against her and those she loves are in danger.  It was lovely to see how she had aged and the respect that her experience and knowledge have gained her.  Leia is the master of her own fate and continues to uphold the Organa family name and honor the parents of her heart, Bail and Breha of Alderaan.

Next on the list is Poe Dameron, a pilot in the Resistance who can fly anything and who is originally from Yavin 4.  Poe has chosen to follow in his mother's footsteps and become a pilot, but when the corruption of the senate becomes too much for him he joins the Resistance.  Poe is one of the best pilots in the universe and is one of Leia's most-trusted operatives.

What I liked about Poe was his goodness.  Instead of running with the map fragment, he entrusts it to BB-8 and returns to fight for the villagers, a decision which ultimately leads to his capture and torture by Kylo Ren of the First Order.  We don't see much of Poe after he escapes the First Order with FN-2187, who he humanizes by naming Finn, but his presence is felt in Finn's acceptance of his name, carrying his jacket, and both Finn and Rey's delivering BB-8 to the Resistance.  His mission is not abandoned, only passed to others to complete.

Something I would like to see in later films, is how Poe deals with the torture he endured at the hands of Kylo Ren and the First Order.  The person he idolizes may be the only person who can truly understand what it is like to be tortured by a force-user and I would appreciate seeing Leia counseling him as he recovers.  It would make his character more accessible to audience members.

Moving on from Poe, we go straight to FN-2187 who becomes an instant friend of Poe's when the pilot names him Finn...

Now, Finn is the character that I feel like many audience members can most identify with.  Not because he was kidnapped and brainwashed to fight for a cause he doesn't believe in, but because he's trying to find his place in the world.  Luckily for Finn, he has two people (and a droid) he can count on to keep an eye on him and to guard his back.

Like most of the current Stormtroopers, was stolen from his family at a young age and brainwashed into becoming a perfect soldier for the New Order.  However, something didn't quite stick and during his first mission Finn chooses not to join in the slaughter of the villagers on Jakku, instead lowering his blaster rifle and incurring the wrath of his superiors and the possibility of reprogramming.

It takes a certain kind of strength to go against everything you've ever known, to turn away from the only family you've ever had, and walk your own path in life.  Finn has the potential to be one of the strongest characters in all of the Star Wars films, believing himself to be a coward running from his fears while, in reality, supporting and protecting his friends and those who need his help.

There is so much more that I could talk about, lol, but this post is already super long and has all the important bits that I wanted to share.

Disliked:
At times, it felt like I was re-watching the original trilogy, but that isn't really a bad thing when the overall feel of the film was uniquely Star Wars. ;-)

In conclusion:  The Force Awakens is a wonderful addition to the Star Wars franchise.  It is both a spiritual successor of the original trilogy and a true continuation of the story.  If you still haven't seen this movie, what are you waiting for?  It has aerial battles, awesome characters, and action galore, so go buy a ticket!

Review of Credence

Credence is a crowdfunded science-fiction film that just happens to be about a family with two fathers and their struggle to do what is right for their daughter. Two years in the making, Credence breaks through any preconceived notions one might have of an LGBT film and shows just how moving the story of family and sacrifice truly is.

"Because we're all just made of stars... shining with what we remember."

Please note that this post will contain spoilers.

If you have not yet seen the film, you may want to skip this post.

The earth is tearing itself to pieces as the remnants of the moon creeps ever closer. While the moon was in just the right position to save earth from being struck by an asteroid, it has been torn to pieces and is slowly moving into the path of earth's orbit. No one knows exactly what will happen when the earth and the moon finally meet, but it is a certainty that the survival of mankind lies not on our home world, but in a desperate attempt to relocate those young enough to survive the journey to a new planet... The children.

(gif credit goes to mixkstyle on tumblr)

This is the choice placed before two fathers who must decide if they will let their daughter go, in the hopes that she finds a new life far from earth, or keep her close, knowing that they will die but that they will die together. Their daughter meets the requirements of the highly-desired "Goldilocks group," who are old enough to work on-board the spaceship but are young enough that they will survive the lengthy journey to a new world.

These two fathers are just like any other family. They don't always agree on the best way to do things and this leads to some conflict and heartache for the small family, as one father is willing to give everything he has to pay for their daughter's safety and the other only wants for his family to be together, always and forever.

(gif credit goes to mixkstyle on tumblr)

Disliked:
How short the film was, but really, if you're watching a short film that's what you get. :)

In conclusion:  This is a unique take on the science-fiction genre and a heart-wrenching example of what it means to love unconditionally. It is my hope that Credence is the first of many QUILTBAG films in the science-fiction genre.

Mad Max: Fury Road Review

The last two weeks have been pretty rough for me and I'd been looking for something to get my mind off of things for just a little while.  I had heard that the Mad Max movie was really good and not nearly as gory as the R rating would imply and decided that the action flick sounded like just the thing I needed.

My initial response to Mad Max: Fury Road is this:  Do not mess with women because we will remember and we will fight back.  Action movies are for girls too!  And my absolute favorite line, the mantra "We are not things."

Please note that this post will contain spoilers.

If you have not yet seen the film, you may want to skip this post.

While the title of this film is "Mad Max: Fury Road" it isn't actually about Max at all, in fact you don't even learn of the characters name until the last five or so minutes.  Nope, this two-hour long movie is actually about Furiosa as played by Charlize Theron, a group of sex slaves called the Wives, and their escape from the villain Immortan Joe.

As for Max?  Well he plays the part of damsel in distress for most of the opening of this film as he fights against both his war-boy captors who want to use him as a universal blood donor (plot point) and memories of those he has lost, eventually escaping and overcoming his fears in order to help Furiosa in her quest to free the Wives.  He is very much a secondary character.

Now, Immortan Joe is a tyrannical leader of his own little cult of "war boys" who are brainwashed, war-painted young men with no thoughts other than following Joe's every command and earning the honor of dying for him and being allowed passage to Valhalla.  In addition to housing the women used as breeders, Immortan Joe controls much of the food and water supply in this post-apocalyptic world while two other war lords control the fuel/gas and bullets/ammunition respectively and that the three seem to have an agreement that keeps them in power.

Joe has a limitless supply of water and food that he hoards and shares only with those he deems worthy, while leaving thousands of people to live living in the land below his fortress to a life of constant starvation and the desperate hope that he will spill water from his citadel into the dirt below for them to fight over.  Does anyone else see the outright imagery of capitalism here?

In a world ravaged by nuclear fallout and all the sickness and deformity that will bring, the Wives are fertile women without visual deformities or cancerous growths who are used for breeding purposes, locked away, and outfitted with chastity belts.  Essentially, this is a movie about sex slaves escaping slavery.

Now, if Mad Max were to follow the "norm" of action movies, then these women should be terrorized into obedience and waiting to be rescued rather than choosing to fight for the chance at freedom.  They are so much stronger than that; from the oldest Wife who stays behind in an attempt to assassinate Immortan Joe, to the heavily pregnant Splendid Angharad who uses her body as a shield and ultimately falls to her death during their escape, to the youngest who momentarily breaks when things take a turn for the worst, desiring only to go back to the safety of a world she knows, but eventually even Cheedo the Fragile grows to become a stronger person by the end of the film.

From the first time you see the Wives, they are not sexualized by other characters or by the camera.  Instead, the focus is on their willful removal of the chastity belts and their desire to be clean after riding inside a dirty tanker.  Rather than sexualizing these nearly-naked women, the camera doesn't linger on anything more than Angharad's pregnant stomach which is a strong plot point for the film.  By the end of the movie, these women are no longer the Wives but have become Sisters to each other.

And I haven't even mentioned the Vuvalini yet!  The Vuvalini are a matriarchal clan that Furiosa and her mother were stolen from years ago.  These are strong, intelligent women who use their bodies as weapons and who are not afraid to pick up a gun in order to defend themselves and others.  When Furiosa returns to them, these motorcycle-riding, sharpshooting women are ready to step up and defend the Wives on their journey and carry with them a bag full of heirloom seeds and the hope those seeds bring to the world.  Seriously, there isn't enough time in the day for me to discuss how great the Vuvalini are.

(gif credit goes to maxsrockatansky on tumblr)

On a side note, the cinematography and use of special effects is sheer perfection and works really well.  I can always spot the CGI work in movies and when it's overdone it can seriously detract from my enjoyment of the movie itself.  Even when viewed in 3D, Mad Max: Fury Road does not suffer from this problem.  It is visually stunning and realistic in a way that many films just don't manage.

I enjoyed everything about this film, it was worth the price of the ticket and whatever price tag they slap on the Blu-ray.  There is supposed to be a black and white, silent version of the movie on the Blu-ray that I cannot wait for!

I think that I will leave you with Tom Hardy's response to an ignorant question about there being too many women in a movie for boys.  I completely agree with him when he says that...

It’s about time you had better female leads in action movies. This is not a feminist argument, it’s a person-hood situation. This is how we ought to reflect the times — not so much strong women, but just people.

Disliked:
While the main character, Furiosa, is physically disabled with an amputated left arm, the lack of ethnic representation in the film was very disappointing.  I can't remember if there was a single person of color shown.  Seems like it's two steps forward for feminism and one step back for ethnic representation.

In conclusion:  This is an amazing film that handles serious issues such as rape, feminism, death, and capitalism without losing sight of the fact that it's an action movie.  If you aren't scared of an action movie with a leading lady rather than leading man, then this is the movie for you.  Mad Max: Fury Road gets a solid 10/10.

Review of Kingsman the Secret Service

Believe it or not, until my sister reminded me, I had entirely forgotten that it was Spring Break this week!  With my Tuesday evening suddenly free, I decided to go to to the theater and see Kingsman: The Secret Service since I'd heard how fun it was.

Please note that this post will contain spoilers.

If you have not yet seen the film, you may want to skip this post.

From the opening scene, Kingsman is a fun movie to watch.  It isn't afraid to be a little silly (bouncing rocks become the introduction credits and heads explode into fireworks) while earning its well-deserved R rating with lots of up close and personal killing.  The close combat fight scenes were absolutely mesmerizing to watch.

Although there could have been more effort put into character development, I enjoyed all of the characters.  After Harry Hart (aka Galahad) my favorite character is Gazelle, who should not be referred to as "sidekick" because without her I don't believe that Valentine would have been successful.  He doesn't have the stomach for it.

(gif credit goes to allthekingsman on tumblr)

A double amputee, Gazelle wields her killer prosthetic legs with perfect precision.  Her disability isn't discussed or explained, but it doesn't disable the character and Gazelle is a deadly adversary throughout the film, unafraid of getting her hands (or feet) dirty in support of Valentine's plan.  None of Gazelle's duties involve demeaning or objectifying the character; in fact, Valentine treats her as an equal throughout the film!  She is an intriguing character and I was sad to see her die.

I appreciate that Gazelle was not turned into a sex symbol in the film.  However, as many other films have done, promotional posters for Kingsman have male characters posed between her spread legs.  All you can see of Gazelle is her butt and legs and I think that this type of poster is both overdone and annoying.  I would have preferred hot/sexy promotional materials to have Gazelle being the bad-ass that she is, standing strong with a blade at someone's throat.

And Gazelle isn't the only woman in this film showing up the boys.  Roxy is a Kingsman candidate alongside Eggsy and is the only successful recruit of her class, beating out all of the boys to become the next Lancelot.  Canonically, we do not learn much of Roxy's past but it has been suggested that she isn't 100% heterosexual and I think that a female, bisexual Lancelot would be brilliant!

The mentor relationship Harry Hart has with Eggsy Unwin was wonderfully handled and seeing the parallels in their fighting style was both heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time.  Even in death, Harry Hart's legacy will continue on in his protégé as Eggsy comes into his own as a Kingsman.

Disliked:

1. Beyond the fairly innocent request for a kiss, I absolutely HATED the interaction between Eggsy and Princess Tilde.  Her offering to have sex (and then anal sex) with Eggsy as a reward for saving the world was distasteful to me.  It added nothing to the story and just didn't need to be in the film; I am quite content to pretend that it never happened and Eggsy left with Merlin to rendezvous with Roxy.

2. Yet again Hollywood has produced another film with a predominantly white, male cast.  Consider me (not at all) shocked.  While I enjoyed what each actor brought to the film, it would have been fantastic to see POC representation beyond that of the villains.  Although, there is the possibility that the sequel could have better representation since the old regime died with Arthur and a new era has begun in both Roxy (a girl) and Eggsy (a commoner).

In conclusion:  If you enjoy good spy movies then you should go see Kingsman: The Secret Service.  I give it a solid 8/10 for being an entertaining film, well-worth the money spent on a ticket.

Drifting In Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim is one of my all-time favorite films.  It is an entertaining film about people working together to find a solution to a problem that is bigger than any one country or government.  But, that's one topic that is an entirely different post which, if you follow me on Facebook you will have seen me laughing about accidentally writing.

What I'd like to talk about in this post is drifting, because I've seen a number of discussions about how angry people were that Jaeger Pilots weren't able to magically read each-other's minds and immediately know everything about each-other.

What do I think drifting is?

In my opinion, drifting is connecting on a deeply intimate level with your co-pilot to find similar experiences or emotions that bring the two individuals together as one stronger whole.

For instance, when Yancy tells Raleigh that "I'm in your brain, I know" this statement is more indicative of their close relationship as brothers than reading Raleigh's mind.  Yancy does know what Raleigh is thinking, because he knows how Raleigh thinks not because he can read his brother's  mind.

One of the strongest complaints about drifting in the film is why Raleigh wasn't instantly aware of the chain sword when he and Mako first drifted.  Personally, my Brother's remarks on the topic are my favorite, that it was stupid/lazy for a pilot to know that their machine had been modified and NOT find out about all of those changes immediately.

Travis Beacham, the writer for Pacific Rim, posted the following picture to visually illustrate the drift and said,

"For your reference. A half-assed verbal illustration of what a drift with a new partner might be like. Red for one mind. Blue for the other. Purple for blended thoughts. Enjoy."

(click on the picture to go to the original post)

Looking at this discussion, one can clearly see that these are two individuals that are processing different input and thinking about different things and yet, are still able to come together in order to move forward towards their common goal.

There are a number of other indications that the drift is not mind-reading.  Travis says that the drift is fluid and is driven by emotions, fantasies, memories, etc.  The id of one pilot cues the other pilot's id and so on and so forth (1).  Raleigh did not know about the chain sword because it wasn't something that Mako thought about, even subconsciously, until the moment that she needed it.  As individuals, they were thinking about different (arguably, more important) things up to that point  (3).

Travis also stated that drifting can be difficult if the pilots do not share common memories to use as reference points.  This can make or break a pilot team, because two minds are learning how to communicate in this entirely foreign way with another mind (2).  Pilots need there to be common ground in order for their two minds to come together and successfully drift.

To sum things up, drifting is an open communication between two minds, a dialogue if you will.  It does not mean that a pilot immediately knows everything about their partner.  The more times a pair drifts and the longer/deeper the drift, then the more they will learn about each other.

If you'd like to read my review of the Pacific Rim Novelization, you can find that post HERE.

Sources: 
(1) Travis Beacham, what-memories-do-you-share-when-you-first-drift
(2) Travis Beacham, why-do-jaeger-pilots-talk-out-loud-to-their
(3) Travis Beacham, coelasquid-hey-i-actually-finished-a-comic-on-a

Specter vs. Spectre

I was cleaning out my inbox and found an email from Dictionary.com from way back in 2014!  Yeah, I know I should clean my inbox out more often, lol.  Anyways the word of the day for November 30 was specter, of which the British spelling is spectre...

Now, some of you may be aware of this but I've been playing a lot of Mass Effect recently and the first thing I thought of when I saw the word of the day was the video game that I'd (by November 2014) devoted more than 100 hours of my life to.

In the Mass Effect trilogy you play a Commander in the human Alliance Navy.  Commander Shepard is a Spectre, one of the elite agents that answer only to the Citadel Council and basically have free-rein to get their assignments done in whatever way they feel is the best way.  This means that you can either play as a Paragon Shepard and unite the galaxy by building alliances or you can choose to be Renegade Shepard and, basically, rule through fear and bullying.  Either method will bring you to the climactic end of the Mass Effect trilogy and no matter which you choose, you may have lost some friends along the way.  I'm on my third play-through of this trilogy and I've played mostly as Paragon because many of the Renegade choices are actually quite distasteful to me.

Have you played the Mass Effect trilogy?  What did you think about it?

The other Spectre that came to mind is the recently announced addition to the Bond movie franchise.  Starring Daniel Craig as Bond, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny (yay!), Ben Whishaw as the Quartermaster, and Ralph Fiennes as M (you will be missed, Judi Dench).  Based on the highly popular book series by Ian Fleming, this latest movie has me excited before I've even seen the first trailer or stills!  I've enjoyed the Craig-Bond movies and I can't wait to see what happens in the next one... I may have to go back and watch all the movies that came before, just to be prepared.  Also because I haven't seen the Sean Connery movies in quite a while and... well, Sean Connery!

Are you excited about the new Bond movie?

For more information on the movie Spectre, click HERE and, if you're interested in the Mass Effect trilogy, click HERE to see the wiki page.

Review of What Maisie Knew

Just finished watching What Maisie Knew and it's actually quite brilliant. While it's terribly sad and the way that Maisie's parents treat her like a possession that's only around as a way to one-up each other is disgusting, the acting is AMAZING and the story that's told just pulls you right in. I don't think I could have walked away from my computer screen, not even if I tried.