science fiction

The Shape of Water, A Filet or A Flop? (Cross Talk EP 35)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

 

This should be a fairly straightforward post.

I’ve already written a fairly in-depth review on the movie The Shape of Water – and I made my love of the film known pretty clearly there. But too be perfectly honest, Chris doesn’t care for the movie, and I value his opinion a lot, so we decided it would be fun to put together a deep dive episode on the movie and talk about our differing opinions. Which as some of you know, is one of the reasons why I started Cross Talk in the first place.

To discuss movies, music, board games etc. and present topics in a more meaningful way then your average review or criticism video.

Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of great channels out there where the presenters have a degree in film criticism, others where the reviews are purely based on if the movie is enjoyable or not, and still others where the film is dissected and all of the symbolism is put on display. But that’s not how people really talk about movies necessarily.

When you are chatting about a movie like The Shape of Water with your friends, you’ll get lost in incidental details like the way the government facility looked, or the musical score choices, or whether Doug Jones did a better job playing Abe Sapien, the Faun, the Pale Man or  “the Asset.” And if you’re a movie geek like us, you might even start entertain interesting theories about why the movie is a fairy tale, and not an alternate reality where mermen exist.

Or maybe you’ll point out how there are so many more movies that do star-crossed lovers in a better way, with more compelling characterizations. And you’ll get passionate about it. Wondering why an amazing film like Get Out only got attention for it’s screenplay.

And so this is episode thirty five of Cross Talk.

theories Summarized

Do you think my theory about Giles having invented the majority of the story is right? Or am I completely off the rails with this one dear readers? Chris has a better appreciation of why I relate to the story so well now, but maybe I’m projecting, and the movie isn’t anything more then what you see on screen.

In that case, maybe the submerged bathroom scene is completely ludicrous.

But that doesn’t mean the film isn’t worth talking about, we managed to fill a 20 minute space talking about it, and you didn’t even see all of the outtakes we have! Until next time, please like and share the content! And subscribe to the mailing list if you haven’t yet. I’ve got a blue review on Jack White coming up tomorrow!

Tim!

Begin Again (Arrival review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Sometimes artists are misunderstood, and sometimes it’s just a case of poor translators. Or maybe those artists are operating on another level of language?  A love language if you will. Oooh foreshadowing…

I personally would like to think that our attempts to understand the alien are important and when a film does well at the box office, more so when it’s a film which is about the other, it’s time to stand up and take notice. And reframe some thoughts.

Another first contact film you say? Well, I say it’s the best one.

Arrival (2016)

Cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker
Director: Jeff Nichols
released on blu-ray February 7, 2017
********* 10/10

arrivalposter

IMDB: 8.1
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%, Audience Score 82%
The Guardian: ****/*****

 

Denis Villeneuve is a French Canadian director. Yay for Canadian content! He’s a pretty swell guy too. I’ve reviewed one of his films before, but this time I think he has a shot at real international success: if you consider the Academy Awards a big deal that is. And since I wrote that review he also started development on the new Dune movie, so yeah. Cool guy. Cool cool cool.

Arrival is a story about aliens. Well, on the surface anyways.

Linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) relives the childhood of her daughter, who has just died of cancer. Fast forward to Louise in the midst of a university lecture, when twelve spacecraft land across the Earth. U.S. Army Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker) enlists Louise to aid physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) in decipher the alien language to find out the purpose of their visit.

Visiting the spacecraft of the “heptapods” the scientists discover that the aliens have an advanced circular language which is communicated via ink flares and in which whole thoughts appear in ink circles within seconds, regardless of the complexity of the sentence. Louise also beings to dream of her daughter and the father.

When Louise unravels that the aliens want to “offer weapon” to them, similar translations of “use weapon” are uncovered at other spacecraft sites. Certain countries like China respond by closing off global communications, while other prepare for an attack. Louise further argues that weapon might mean tool in this case. Some US soldiers plan to bomb the spacecraft and succeed.

After an explosion goes off which almost kills Ian and Louise, Ian determines that the circular symbols relate to time, and that the twelve alien sites are each sharing part of the technology.

China prepares for war, and Louise finds her way back to the aliens. They explain that she has been seeing the future and that their tool AKA language allows humanity to change their understanding of time. They offer this gift in exchange for help 3000 years into the future. Louise returns to camp but has a vision of the future wherein the UN has implemented the language and the Chinese general who ordered the attack on the heptapods is thanking her for turning him around.

She was able to do this by calling him on his personal mobile in the present, while he shows her his number in the future – she convinces him of the truth in the present by repeating the same whispers of his wife’s dying words to her in the future. This is when we learn that Ian is the father of Hannah and the husband of Louise. It just hasn’t happened yet. Ian admits his love for Louise, while Louise knows the reason they eventually split up is because Louise knows Hannah will die.

Despite this future knowledge, when Ian talks about babies with his wife, she agrees to it.

Pros: The plot twists are original, the story is realistic, and the tone is gripping. The idea of language is carried throughout the film, and somehow we are taken right along with it, to a very satisfying conclusion. Amy Adams is a showstopper in this film.

Cons: At times the moodiness and melancholy are a bit much to take in. You need to be completely relaxed and willing to sit still for the full runtime in order to enjoy the payoff. The details are key in this story and Villeneuve is relying heavily on them. It’s a thinking persons’s scifi.

Runtime: 1 hour 56 minutes

Points of Interest: The ink circles were created by Montreal artist Martine Bertrand. Yay Canadian content! It is also the artist’s son who created Hannah’s drawings. The movie is based on a short story titled Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang.

It might seem obvious at this point what Arrival is about. Aliens. Well no, actually. It’s about time and the relationships between people define our sense of time. Language is merely an activator towards that resulting outcome, and once we can appreciate another language, we open ourselves up to visiting and revisiting themes of our lives, and in some cases, becoming available for new ones.

theories Summarized

I cannot say enough good things about this film. I have to admit when I first sat down to watch it, I was a little bit tired and disappointed at how slowly paced it was, but then on a second viewing, starting over, which I find a tad ironic now, I was able to settle into Villeneuve’s dirty sci-fi and appreciate the thoughtfulness. And I kept thinking about it all week, which is what a good movie should have you do. The arrival of this realization was worth the wait.

Tim!

Heartbreaker, I’m Addicated To You (Ex_Machina review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

She’s not your typical girlfriend. Recognize those lyrics dear readers?

It’s from a Simple Plan song called My Alien. It’s probably one of my favourite tracks on that album. Incidentally, I was listening to their breakout album No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls, right before I started today’s film review.

And conveniently enough this song ties in very nicely with it as a transitional point. I’m gonna share a few more lyrics from the song with you dear readers before I jump in.

She knows when something is wrong, when something doesn’t belong
She can read in my mind
And she can be assured that with me, there is no conspiracy
Shes not wasting her time

She’s not wasting her time. That’s for damn sure.

 

Ex_Machina (2014)

Cast: Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac
Director: Alex Garland
released on blu-ray July 14, 2015
********* 9/10

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IMDB: 7.7
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%, Audience Score 86%
The Guardian: ****/*****

Alexander Medawar Garland, also known as Alex, is first and foremost a novelist, then a screenwriter, followed by producer and now director. Garland has been involved with the scripts for 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Never Let Me Go, and Dredd. Which if you know anything about science fiction, should get you super excited. But his breakout fame came with his first novel, The Beach. This of course was later made into the film The Beach.

Ex_Machina is Garlands directorial debut. And given his record of previous projects, I just had to check out this film. Now I realize it’s a little bit late, but my policy at timotheories is always digital curating at heart, and so we curate that which is necessary. Especially since there was nothing new released last week that seemed worth the attention. And so here we are.

Already released on blu-ray and digital HD a year ago, Ex_Machina is a story about a surprisingly difficult to assess turing test. This is because the detail to which the newly minted android Ava (Alicia Vikander) is capable of convincing programmer Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) to play into her game of cat and mouse with her creator, and his employer, Nathan (Oscar Isaac). And this ultimately surprises both men.

Throughout the test, Ava is confined to her apartment, within the compound of Nathan’s hidden mountainside home. Caleb is locked in as well, to protect company secrets, but Ava slowly wins Caleb over during his questioning with her flirtations and expressed attraction towards him. Her ability to cause power surges cuts the security cameras at key moments and allows her and Caleb to have frank exchanges. This leads Caleb to believe that Nathan is abusive and cruel towards Ava.

Caleb eventually learns that Ava will be upgraded to a new model after the test is over, which will destroy her consciousness and memories. Caleb and Ava plot to overthrow Nathan and escape the facility together.

It is only in the final moments of Caleb’s stay before the helicopter will arrive to take him back home, when Nathan reveals that he already knew all of the androids were intelligent and had consciousness, but that he wanted to know how easily a human could be manipulated by one and how far the android was willing to take it to escape. Caleb then tells Nathan he has already engineered the escape, and Nathan knocks him out.

Ava is now out and works with the only other android to kill Nathan. Ava goes into Nathan’s room to repair herself using old android body parts and skin, becoming indistinguishable from a woman. She then leaves Caleb locked in the facility, now conscious himself and watching the scene unfold, taking the helicopter meant for him.

Pros: With such a small cast, we are really given the time to digest the unfolding story and enjoy the clean and concise results. Amazingly it is a film of ideas, dressed beautifully with carefully and sparing CGI.

Cons: The voyeuristic elements which are useful in demonstrating the flaws of both Nathan and Caleb kick into full gear right at the gut punch, and make it a little less thrilling.

Runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes

Points of Interest: Oscar Isaac based his character on intellectuals with dark sides, namely Bobby Fischer and Stanley Kubrick. Throughout the film the colours red, blue and green are used very obviously in each area of the house, a nod to RGB colours which are used for computers.

Ex_Machina just might be the scariest science fiction movie I’ve seen in some time. Throughout the film I was never clear on the true intentions of each character, and that in itself was an excellent turing test. At the end of it all, I have to wonder if Ava had planned to use Caleb all along or if he eventually offended her in some way or another. And that my friends, is why this is an excellent film.

And if you want further evidence, please check out the video review below!

theories Summarized

Swedish actor Alicia Vikander has an incredible range, and just the right mix of emotions portrayed to demonstrate the naïveté of an AI not yet realized. That surface tension is what draws us in, and makes us question the morality of the human characters, and maybe even sympathize with Ava. She’s not your typical girlfriend indeed.

Tim!

Toot Toot, Beep Beep (Midnight Special review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Science fiction is supposed to challenge and stimulate our thoughts about life. This is usually accomplished through escapism and “what if” situations.

But what is curious is how it does it.

You see, I have this theory that one of the best ways to share new ideas is through science fiction, because the medium inherently combines the creative with the analytical. And it cuts through all of the ego, to get to the root of humanity… and what makes us special.

 

 

 

Midnight Special (2016)

Cast: Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Jaeden Lieberher, Adam Driver
Director: Jeff Nichols
released on blu-ray June 21, 2016
********** 10/10

Midnight-Special-Poster

IMDB: 6.8
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%, Audience Score 72%
The Guardian: ****/*****

 

Jeff Nichols is an American film director known for making independant films with minimal budget. He has now directed four films total (Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter, Mud, and Midnight Special) and is currently working on a fifth movie about prejudice against interracial marriage in the 1970s. That movie is called Loving.

All of these films are dramas, though Midnight Special is without a doubt the most interesting film he has made to date. And it should be noted Nichols has cast Michael Shannon as his lead three times now, with Matthew McConaughey as an alternate and correctly chosen for 2012’s Mud.

Which came out just a year before McConaughey got his Best Actor award at the Oscars for Dallas Buyers Club. So keep that in mind.

Set in the the southern United States, I believe somewhere in Texas, Roy (Michael Shannon) and his friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton) have seemingly kidnapped a young boy named Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) – who we later find out is Roy’s son.

Roy and Lucas are on a mission to return Alton to his mother Sarah (Kirsten Dunst) and eventually get Alton to an undisclosed location by a certain date. The movie reveals information to us in pieces. With each piece of information letting us in on the story a bit more.

It turns out that Alton and his parents were part of a religious cult, and because Alton possesses latent supernatural abilities, which are also slowly revealed to us, the FBI has become involved and sent Paul Sevier (Adam Driver) to investigate cult.

To reveal more of the plot would be a huge disservice to the story, but before I move on, I will mention this, this film is grounded the grittiness of dramas of the 1970s, very slowly giving ways to fantastic wonderment of early 1980s science fiction. And it is amazing to behold.

Pros: The story manages to avoid direct violence and rely on the imagination where necessary, but also use CGI in a way that the story becomes better, rather than extraneous. The relationships between family, friends, and believers are beautifully depicted.

Cons: At times the pacing felt too rushed, while other times it was oddly slow. And so the movie often feels strange, and the tension never raises to a point where leads are in imminent danger.

Runtime: 1 hour 52 minutes

Points of Interest: Jeff Nichols wrote the film as an allusion to becoming a father himself, and it was shot over a period of 40 days.

Midnight Special is, to use a single word, special. It is an excellent example of GOOD modern storytelling in that it relies on both practical filmmaking camera work and CGI to tell its narrative. It’s cast is well chosen and the implications of the final reveal make it worthwhile on any science fiction fan shelf, but it holds a special place in the current political environment as well.

I still don’t really know why the movie is called Midnight Special, I think it has something to do with the song, but maybe that doesn’t matter. What matters is that the movie is accessible and addresses issues that we can all relate to. And so it qualifies as good science fiction.

But what do you think? See you tomorrow with some wisdom, dear readers.

Tim!

The Hero’s Journey (Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

You know that saying the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree? I was never a big fan of it myself, because when I was growing up I wanted to be my own man, with my own ideas; I didn’t want to bogged down by tradition and duplication.

The problem with this attitude though is that not matter how hard we try, we don’t live in a vaccuum and we inherit traits from our biological parents, and depending how we grow up, also from those who raise us up.

So there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with knowing the blueprint. You have to know what you are working with so you can improve upon it.

Which leads us into this week’s film review.

 

 

 

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac
Director: J. J. Abrams
released on blu-ray April 5, 2016
********* 9/10

star-wars-force-awakens-official-poster

IMDB: 8.3
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%, Audience Score 89%
The Guardian: *****/*****

Jeffrey Jacob Abrams, better known as J. J. Abrams, is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and composer. He is known for his work on M.I. 3, the Star Trek reboot, and sequel Star Trek Int Darkness, as well as Super 8.

Abrams is well now known for his science fiction and adventure films, and he has a good understanding of drama as well. He is the co-creator of the television series Lost.

I remember when it was first announced he would be at the helm of this movie, people were really nervous that he wouldn’t be able to address both Star Wars and Star Trek. That he would further ruin the Star Wars franchise. But obviously he didn’t. Let’s take a look see at the plot.

Taken from Wikipedia and edited,

Approximately 30 years after the destruction of the second Death Star, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the last Jedi, has disappeared. The First Order has risen from the fallen Galactic Empire and seeks to eliminate Luke and the New Republic. The Resistance, backed by the Republic and led by Luke’s twin sister, General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), opposes them while searching for Luke to enlist his aid.

Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) meets village elder Lor San Tekka (Max von Sydow) on the planet Jakku to obtain a map to Luke’s location. Stormtroopers commanded by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) destroy the village and capture Poe. Poe’s droid BB-8 escapes with the map, and encounters the scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) near a junkyard settlement. Ren tortures Poe using the Force, and learns of BB-8. Stormtrooper FN-2187 (John Boyega), unable to bring himself to kill for the First Order, frees Poe, and they escape in a stolen TIE fighter; Poe dubs FN-2187 “Finn”. They crash on Jakku, Finn appearing to be the only survivor. He encounters Rey and BB-8, but the First Order tracks them and launches an airstrike. Finn, Rey, and BB-8 flee the planet in a stolen, rundown ship, the Millennium Falcon.

The Falcon breaks down, and is captured by a larger ship piloted by Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), who reclaim their former vessel. Gangs seeking to settle debts with Han board and attack, but the five escape in the Falcon. The gangs inform the First Order of Han’s involvement. At the First Order’s Starkiller Base, a planet converted to a superweapon that uses the energy of stars to destroy star systems, Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) orders General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) to use the weapon for the first time. Snoke questions Ren about the involvement of his father, Han Solo; Ren says Han means nothing to him.

The Falcon crew view BB-8’s map and determine it is incomplete. Han explains Luke tried to rebuild the Jedi Order but exiled himself after an apprentice turned to the dark side and destroyed what Luke had built. They travel to the planet Takodana and meet with cantina owner Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o), who can help BB-8 reach the Resistance, but Finn wants to flee on his own. Rey is drawn to a vault and finds the lightsaber that belonged to Luke and his father Anakin Skywalker before him. She experiences disturbing visions and flees into the woods. Maz gives Finn the lightsaber for safekeeping.

Starkiller Base destroys the Republic capital and fleet. The First Order attacks Takodana in search of BB-8. Han, Chewbacca, and Finn are saved by Resistance X-wing fighters led by Poe, who survived the TIE-fighter crash. Leia arrives at Takodana with C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and reunites with Han and Chewbacca. However, Ren captures Rey and takes her to Starkiller Base. He interrogates her about the map, but she resists his mind-reading. Discovering she, too, can use the Force, she escapes her cell with a Jedi mind trick…

 

What, I’m stopping there? Come on folks, you should know better by this point. I’m not going to finish the movie for you. I’d rather you watch it yourselves – but I will do what I can to assure you to do so.

I will start by saying this, yes it does look and feel a lot like the first film in certain ways (A New Hope), and it takes elements from Episodes V and VI, but I think that it was important for Abrams and Disney to do that, and for George Lucas to let go of input after initial consultation. George Lucas modelled the initial trilogy around Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With A Thousand Faces, and like that story, the themes of a successful hero’s journey are always the same.

By acknowledging the success of the original trilogy, the themes Campbell’s book, and reinvigorating a new generation with another hero’s journey (this time a heroine), we get to enjoy a fun and empowering story.

Pros: It is fast-paced, features new faces and old, and we care about the entire universe. The Force Awakens is incredibly faithful to the original movies while charting some new territory at the same time, injecting fun back into the franchise. FUN George Lucas.

Cons: Without giving anything away, I still struggle with the climax point of the movie, if only because I think that while it was necessary, the emotional pull was on us, and not on the characters involved. And that’s all I will say about that. Second, the political story behind the First Order is rather dim and will hopefully be addressed proper in Episode VIII.

Runtime: 136 minutes

Points of Interest: Mark Hamill found out about the new trilogy over lunch with George Lucas, and Lucas rather nonchalantly told him he could be in or out, and they would write him out if need be. Hamill nonchalantly expressed interest, though he was super excited. Daisy Ridley and John Boyega were not allowed to tell anyone they had been cast until a few months in, though Boyega did tell a cab driver.

You can tell immediately how much respect everyone involved has for the original trilogy and their concerns in protecting the framework and emotion in those three films. But hands down the breakout performances by the new characters are my favourite parts of the story. Daisy Ridley is fantastic as Rey and Adam Driver is moody and chaotic as Kylo Ren. Not to mention the relationship between John Boyega and Harrison Ford’s characters.

I wrote about this once already this week (read: Weezer, white album review), but returning to form is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if that form is what gave you purpose and a voice to begin with. I will also tell you that I am not going to give this movie a 10 for two reasons. First, because I realize it is the first film in an arc and it’s got two more films to prove itself. And second, because it took 30 years for Star Wars to return to form.

Having said that, I personally enjoy the prequel trilogy. Not all of it, but I definitely like the buildup to Episode III and can even tolerate Episode II. I’ve seriously given thought to the machete order as a way to introduce future progeny to this franchise.

Regardless, The Force Awakens is both the movie we want and the movie we deserve. Please go watch it if you haven’t. Buy the digital HD, the blu-ray or the DVD. Support this movie so the next few are properly supported.

But what do you think? Do you like the new Star Wars? Do you hate it? Leave some comments, and better yet subscribe to the blog! I’ll see you tomorrow with wisdom on social media.

Tim!