Monthly Archives: February 2017

Thinking about The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)

After a series of delays (blame the stupid head cold), I was FINALLY able to watch The LEGO Batman Movie this past Saturday night. My first thoughts when the credits rolled were: BWAHAHAHAHAHA, that was funny!!! Given all the depressing things that have been going on recently, this film provided a much needed laugh.

I think what I love the most about this movie is all the Easter eggs referencing past Batman films and television shows. I’m certain there’s a reference for every Batman film (and show) ever made, up to and including: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Batman vs. Superman, Batman and Robin, Batman Forever, Batman Returns, Batman (1989), Batman: TAS, Batman Beyond, there’s even references to The Batman Movie (1966) and the subsequent television series (mostly seen with the “campy” villains, but there are other references as well).

Will Arnett actually makes a pretty good Batman (I mean, I enjoyed his performance in The LEGO Movie, but it’s one thing to be a supporting character and quite another to be the lead in a film). In this film, Batman is seemingly quite happy to live in his own world, completely isolated from all meaningful human contact (except for Alfred), insisting that he doesn’t “need” anybody, even though Alfred insists he would be a lot happier if he made some friends (or started a relationship). Meanwhile, The Joker’s ego is smarting after Batman declares that he (Batman) doesn’t HAVE a “greatest villain” and that the Joker means nothing to him. I have to say, Zach Galifianakis absolutely KILLED it as the Joker, who is quite possibly the most psychotic villain there is! Zach did an amazing job of letting the “crazy” just flow through his voice acting, and I would happily listen to him perform the role again.

Back to the story: Commissioner Gordon has retired, being replaced by his daughter Barbara Gordon. Barbara, unlike her father, believes that the police should work together WITH Batman, instead of Batman working alone. Predictably, Batman HATES this idea, but he’s soon in a pickle: out of nowhere, the villains, led by Joker, surrender en masse!! With no villains to fight, Batman is essentially out of a job! Complicating matters further is the fact that Batman (as Bruce Wayne) unwittingly adopted orphan Dick Grayson, and he is reluctant to assume any kind of father-figure role.

Despite this mess, Batman has a plan to get himself back into the good graces of Gotham City. He’s going to get rid of the Joker permanently (it’s not enough for him to be locked up in Arkham Asylum) by sending him to the Phantom Zone. The problem is…the only device that can open the Phantom Zone is located in the Fortress of Solitude which belongs to Superman. Also….Batman is too big to sneak into the area where the device is held, which means he needs Dick Grayson’s help, and then Barbara Gordon finds out, and it quickly dominos into a mess where 1) Joker is sent to the Phantom Zone and 2) Batman and Robin are locked up in Arkham!!

As it turns out, Joker WANTED to be sent to the Phantom Zone. He is bound and determined to make Batman see that he (Joker) is Batman’s greatest nemesis, and he’s going to do that by recruiting the greatest villains of all time. HOW Warner Bros. pulled this off I don’t know, but what happened next is one of the greatest mash-ups of all time. Joker proceeds to recruit (in no particular order): King Kong, The Wicked Witch of the West (and her flying monkeys), the Kraken, Medusa, the Daleks (though they’re NOT called by that name), Voldemort (yes, THAT Voldemort), the raptors and T-Rex from Jurassic Park, Agent Smith (from The Matrix) and Sauron (!!!!!!!!!!!!). With this unstoppable group of villains, the Joker breaks out of the Phantom Zone (with Harley Quinn’s help) and proceeds to attack Gotham once again. The only way Batman can save the day is if he swallows his fears about losing people he cares about (again) and accepting help. And finally, he does, working together with Robin, Alfred, Batgirl (Barbara) and all of his traditional villains (who are angry that Joker wrote them off as losers) in a fight for the ages.

I left the film feeling very satisfied. The LEGO Batman Movie is a perfect popcorn film, great if you need a laugh for an hour. The voice acting was spot on, I don’t think there was a single miscast in there (and I can’t reiterate enough how awesome Zach Galifianakis is as the Joker). It’s also made me even more excited to see the sequel to The LEGO Movie (when it eventually comes out) and now I’m likely to see The LEGO Ninjago Movie when it comes out this fall. If you haven’t seen this film yet, I highly recommend it, you’ll have a great time watching it 🙂

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See also:

Animated Film Reviews

Thinking about: The LEGO Movie (2014)

My Thoughts on: The LEGO Movie 2-The Second Part (2019)

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Danny Elfman talks Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)

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Danny Elfman talks Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)

Oh dear…I actually had some hope for this sequel at first. When Alice Through the Looking Glass was announced, I felt excited because I’d enjoyed Alice in Wonderland and I was initially up for a return to this crazy world. And then the previews started and things got…weird (and I don’t mean weird in a good way).

The more I watched and learned, the more this felt like a re-hash of the first film (with Sasha Baron Cohen thrown into the mix). I’m not ALWAYS opposed to sequels, but if the best they can do is remix the original plot…then forget it!!

The basic plot is as follows: Alice has spent the last three years sailing on the high seas (as she said she would do at the end of the first film) but finds upon returning home that her ex-fiance has bought her father’s company and wants her ship in exchange for the family home. The Butterfly leads Alice back into Underland where things are in a right mess: the Mad Hatter is “madder” than usual, convinced his family is still alive. The White Queen asks Alice to visit Time to see if he can save the Hatter’s family in the past and from there…things get slightly screwy (okay things get royally screwy).

There are several trips back into time; we learn why the Red Queen has an abnormally shaped head (because apparently she wasn’t always like that); we learn why the White Queen is the rightful ruler and we also learn why the two sisters hate each other so much. At the end of it all, time is restored, the Hatter is reunited with his family and the White Queen and the Red Queen are friends again while Alice returns home and now sails on the high seas with her mother (somehow retaining the company? or the ship? It’s confusing…)

That being said, Danny Elfman DID return to score the film, so that is one positive in a film that largely disappointed. I hope you enjoy this brief interview with the composer.

See also:

Film Composer Interviews A-H

Film Composer Interviews K-Z

Danny Elfman talks Batman (1989)

Danny Elfman talks Batman Returns (1992)

Danny Elfman “Planet of the Apes” scoring session (2001)

Danny Elfman talks Spider-Man (2002)

Danny Elfman talks Meet the Robinsons (2007)

Danny Elfman talks Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Danny Elfman talks Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

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Danny Elfman talks Alice in Wonderland (2010)

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Danny Elfman talks Alice in Wonderland (2010)

If I’m perfectly honest, Alice in Wonderland (2010) should be included in my “Didn’t Think I’d Like it (But I did!)” series because, well, I really didn’t think I would like it when the previews arrived. But during my spring break that year I went to see the film because a friend of mine wanted to see it and I actually enjoyed it.

This film is actually something of a sequel to the first Alice in Wonderland (1951) because Alice is now grown up and has all but forgotten her childhood adventure in Wonderland (renamed here as “Underland”), believing it all to be just some fanciful dream she had. Finding herself on the cusp of being forcefully pushed into a marriage she doesn’t want, Alice unexpectedly returns to Wonderland/Underland, where, as it turns out, she must slay the Jabberwocky, defeat the Red Queen and return the White Queen to power. Mayhem and insanity ensues, including a hilarious sub-plot where Alice accidentally grows into a larger person and briefly joins the Red Queen’s court as a woman named “Um” (due to a misunderstanding when the Queen asked her name and she was fidgeting on how to answer).

One of the highlights of this film is the musical score by Danny Elfman. The composer is well known for his collaborations with Tim Burton, and this effort is one of their more memorable efforts in recent years. The film is also notable for using the voice of Alan Rickman (RIP) as the voice of the Caterpillar.

In the brief interview I found, Elfman briefly talks about his work on the film’s score (I always love watching interviews like this one, I just wish they could be longer!). I hope you enjoy this interview clip.

See also:

Danny Elfman talks Batman (1989)

Danny Elfman talks Batman Returns (1992)

Danny Elfman “Planet of the Apes” scoring session (2001)

Danny Elfman talks Spider-Man (2002)

Danny Elfman talks Meet the Robinsons (2007)

Danny Elfman talks Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

Danny Elfman talks Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)

Film Composer Interviews A-H

Film Composer Interviews K-Z

Become a Patron of the blog at patreon.com/musicgamer460

Check out the YouTube channel (and consider hitting the subscribe button)

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My Thoughts on: Justice League Dark (2017)

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Wow!! Wow, wow and WOW!!! More please!!!

Those were the first thoughts I had as the end credits of Justice League Dark began to roll. For weeks I’d been looking forward to picking this up the day it came to DVD/BluRay, largely because this film features Matt Ryan reprising his role as John Constantine (granted it’s animation and not live-action, but I’ll take what I can get).

I actually haven’t seen that many of the DC animated films, the last one I recall seeing is Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, so it’s hard for me to say where this one ranks in terms of animation quality and etc. But I can say that what I saw, I liked. Some of my favorite parts involved the casting of magic spells, which did look a little reminiscent of the spell-casting in Doctor Strange, but that’s another story. Let’s get down to details!!

The titular Justice League Dark (for this film) consists of:

John Constantine: The extremely reluctant leader, a smartass magician and conjurer, owner of the House of Mystery, lives dangerously by conning demons out of their riches, and has a penchant for getting punched in the face by people he’s pissed off. To be brief, he doesn’t play well with others (watching him interact with Batman is a riot!!)

Zatanna Zatara: A popular stage magician who also possesses very real and powerful magic. She’s the only person Constantine is actually willing to work with (as it is implied they not only worked together previously, but that they also had a relationship of some kind). She’s resisted using her powers to fight evil (as Constantine does), citing that she prefers using her abilities to bring joy to others.

Jason Blood/Etrigan: Jason is a 500 year old immortal and formerly a knight of Camelot. He’s an unwilling immortal because, after being mortally wounded by an insane wizard named “Destiny” (no, really, that’s his name), Merlin bound the dying knight to the demon Etrigan to save his life. To summon Etrigan, Jason must recite a rhyme, and his body is replaced with Etrigan’s. Etrigan is a Hell demon who only speaks in rhyme (and even though he’s a demon, he seems less evil than most). Jason has spent centuries trying to find a way to separate Etrigan from himself.

Deadman: This is one I’d never heard of before now. Formerly a trapeze artist named Boston Brand, Deadman was assassinated during a performance, but his spirit was given power by a Hindu god named Rama Kushna, giving him the ability to possess the living in order to bring his killer to justice. Deadman is a wisecracking smartass, but he started to grow on me as the story went on.

And there’s also…

Swamp Thing (!!!!!!!!): Unbelievably (to me) this is the first time Swamp Thing has ever appeared in a DC Animated film (which is crazy because he’s an awesome character!!!) He doesn’t appear for that long in the story, but when he does appear, he practically steals the show. Swamp Thing is the protector of “the Green” (basically all plant life), and was formerly a human named Alec Holland. Alec was murdered, and his body used as the basis to create Swamp Thing. He really doesn’t like Constantine.

There’s also Batman, yes, I said Batman. I reluctantly understand why they put the Dark Knight in this story, but I hate that they had to do it. Basically, Warner Bros. wanted to ensure that as many people saw this film as possible, and they knew that if Batman was advertised as being in the story, more people would check it out on impulse. But truly, Batman doesn’t do THAT much, he’s more of an observer than anything else (especially when magical things are going on).

The story of Justice League Dark is actually really dark!! The opening sequence became more disturbing as it went on. Here’s the gist: some unknown force is causing ordinary citizens to believe they’re surrounded by demons and monsters that they have to attack/kill to get away from. This results in unspeakable tragedies: a woman mowing down dozens of bystanders with her car; a man who nearly kills his wife and children because he believes “monsters” killed them (in a gruesome twist, it’s revealed he’s already killed several neighbors and their families); and, most heartbreaking of all, a woman throws her newborn from the roof of a cathedral because she believes she’s given birth to the devil. Batman is able to save the baby, but the mother jumps to her death.

MASSIVE STORY SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT!!!

The dark Justice League are led to believe that this is the work of wizard Felix Faust (someone the regular Justice League has encountered in the past). Richie, an old friend of Constantine’s, who is also dying from a magical cancer, also points the finger at Faust, claiming the wizard attacked him. Richie also states that a magical ring seen in the memories of one of the victims belongs to Faust as well. The team goes to confront Faust in his magical observatory, leading to a magical battle for the ages. There is an especially epic sequence when Zatanna goes into total badass mode, unleashing her full magic on the wizard, nearly killing him until Constantine stops her. Then comes a wrinkle: Batman confirms that Faust is NOT the culprit in this attack. But Richie, a dying man, wouldn’t lie to Constantine…or WOULD he?

In a plot twist I did NOT see coming, it’s revealed that Richie is actually possessed by a fragment of the wizard Destiny’s soul (portions of which were bound in a huge gem that partially shattered when Merlin defeated him 500 years ago). Destiny has conned Richie into thinking that if he acquires the rest of the gem (currently sitting in the House of Mystery after Constantine acquired it in a card game from some demons), he (Richie) will become immortal and very powerful. The attack was staged, with blame falsely assigned to Faust so that the team would leave him alone in the House. But Richie has been tricked: the only thing reassembling the gem will do is give Destiny the means of re-entering the physical world, using Richie’s body as a base for his own.

Now the world is in real danger: Destiny is so powerful that he could conquer the world in a matter of days. The trouble is, the wizard is protected by a super-powerful magical shield, and he also wields the power to drive any potential attackers mad, making them think they’re surrounded by monsters. In fact, Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern all become infected by this madness, and the team is barely able to hold them off for a time. Also, Destiny is able to 1) forcibly separate Jason Blood from Etrigan and 2) seemingly disintegrate Swamp Thing by pulling Alec Holland’s aged remains from his plant body (whether this is permanent or not is not explained). It comes down to Constantine and Deadman to provide an opening to defeat the wizard. Constantine allows Deadman to possess him and tricks Destiny into taking him inside the magical shield. Once inside, Deadman launches into the wizard, distracting him long enough to bring the magical shield down, giving Jason Blood the chance to stab the wizard in the back, mortally wounding him. The wizard is destroyed, but Richie remains…for a moment. Throughout the film, Constantine has noted Death Shrouds hanging around Richie’s house (spirits that take souls to Hell). They’ve been waiting for Richie to die, and after everything he’s been through, Richie’s soul is ripe for the taking. He begs Constantine to do something, but after being betrayed, Constantine can’t take the risk that Destiny isn’t manipulating Richie still. The result? Richie’s soul is literally dragged screaming into Hell.

The Earth is saved, but not everyone on the team survives (I won’t say who, but it made me sad when a certain character died). Zatanna has been invited to join the Justice League, and apparently so has Constantine (he laughs at the idea).

I really enjoyed this movie a lot. Seeing Constantine was just amazing (I could literally watch him all day long and not get bored), and as I said before, watching him interact with Batman was downright hilarious! I also (no surprise) loved the music; the main theme was fantastic. I sincerely hope there are Justice League Dark sequels down the road. I will also take a stand alone Constantine film, a stand alone Swamp Thing film, even a stand alone Zatanna film (but I really just want more Constantine).

I highly recommend this film, even if you’ve never read anything about Justice League Dark or Constantine before, this is a great jumping in point, because we get backstory on practically everyone. The film is available on DVD/BluRay as of yesterday (February 7th).

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Thoughts on Sailor Moon R: The Movie (1993)

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On Saturday night I got to do something I never thought I’d get to do: see a Sailor Moon film in the theater!!!! Just last month, a brand new English dub of Sailor Moon R: The Movie was released for the very first time in North America. It was a LONG time coming (considering the film premiered in Japan in 1993) but for me, it was worth the wait.

The film is set after the initial adventures of Usagi and her friends (after we meet Chibiusa, but as far as I can tell, BEFORE we meet Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. At the very least, they don’t show up in the story). Usagi, Mamoru (her boyfriend), and the other Sailor Senshi are spending the day at the botanical garden when a strange man named Fiore arrives. He appears to know Mamoru, and says that he has come to fulfill a promise he made to bring him flowers.

Fiore has a pretty intense entrance at the garden

It takes some time, but Mamoru eventually remembers that Fiore was a strange boy who showed up at the hospital shortly after his parents were killed in a car accident. They became friends very quickly, but Fiore was actually an alien being who couldn’t survive in Earth’s atmosphere for very long, so he had to leave. But before he left, he promised Mamoru that he would return with flowers for him (as Mamoru gave him a rose just before he left).

Fiore

But (naturally) something is wrong: the flower Fiore has found is a Xenian flower, one of the most dangerous plants in the universe!! The bottom looks like a normal plant, but the middle of the bloom has the upper body of a woman!! The flower is dangerous because it latches onto weak-minded hosts (preferably humans) and feed off their energy, turning any fears into implacable paranoia and hatred. Wherever a Xenian flower goes, civilization inevitably collapses, with the destruction of the planet following shortly thereafter. Fiore is now firmly controlled by the Xenian, and is bringing an enormous asteroid containing THOUSANDS of Xenians towards Earth: if they successfully arrive, the human race will be annihilated, no matter what Sailor Moon or her allies tried.

To complicate matters, in an early battle, Mamoru (fighting as Tuxedo Mask) is critically wounded when he dives in front of Sailor Moon to save her from a killing blow launched by Fiore. The alien takes Mamoru back to the asteroid to heal him, and after deducing its location, the Sailor Senshi teleport there in pursuit.

Fiore under control of the Xenian

Fiore, under the Xenian’s influence, cannot see why the Sailor Senshi are fighting so hard, as he believes (falsely) that they do not care about Mamoru, or anyone else for that matter. He spent so much of his life alone, that he believes no one can understand his loneliness, or why he needs a friend so badly. But a series of flashbacks reveal that the Sailor Senshi know exactly how Fiore feels, because they’ve all gone through it themselves. And the reason they fight so hard now is because Sailor Moon is the glue that holds them all together.

But despite this outpouring of love, Fiore won’t give up. Goaded on by the Xenian, he alters the asteroid’s course so that it will hit the Earth!! Assuming the planet isn’t completely destroyed in the process, the Xenian will take over whatever is left. Sailor Moon cannot allow this to happen, and she only has one course of action left: she activates the full power of the Silver Crystal (despite her friends begging her not to).

Serenity using the Silver Crystal

Sailor Moon transforms into Princess Serenity and unleashes the Silver Crystal, which begins to break down the asteroid as it enters the atmosphere. Mamoru and the others lend their support, and it works….but the Crystal shatters as a result, and Sailor Moon is dead…or IS she? Just before he leaves, now free of the Xenian’s control (the Silver Crystal annihilated it), Fiore gives Mamoru the flower he promised: it holds the power of life inside it. This is used to revive Sailor Moon as Fiore flies back into space.

For the whole movie, I was sitting in my seat wide-eyed like a little kid. Sailor Moon is the very first anime I was ever exposed to, and so it has always held a special place in my heart. Sailor Moon R: The Movie is a great story, there are so many flashback clips that, even if you haven’t seen any of the regular episodes, I don’t think you would be lost if you just jumped into this film. The only part that bugs me is the ending: where is Fiore going? Will we ever see him again? It just feels so abrupt, that I wish the ending played out a little differently.

I can’t praise the new English dub enough, everyone captured their characters perfectly. And I totally geeked out for the transformation sequences (those were my favorite parts when I was a kid).

If this film is playing near you, I highly recommend going to see it. It’s playing for a very limited engagement (it only played two nights where I live) and I’m not sure how long it will last. Hopefully this means we’ll see the other Sailor Moon films (S and Super S) in theaters too someday 🙂

My Thoughts on: Sailor Moon Super S: The Movie (1995)

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Film 101: Archetypes

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Hollywood has been increasingly bashed as of late for its failure to come up with anything remotely original (or if they do it’s executed badly or simply stupid). At the same time, it’s also true that there are only so many ways to tell a story. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not excusing Hollywood’s obsession with sequels or reboots in the slightest, I know perfectly well they could come up with more original films if they really put their brains to work. I’m just saying that all stories are based on a limited number of elements. If you make enough stories (or movies, in this case) similarities are going to be inevitable.

In terms of characters, the common types seen in every film are known as archetypes, or what you get when you boil a film down to its basic elements. For instance, at their core, most films are a fight between ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’ (but that’s a discussion for another day). For characters, there are multiple archetypes to choose from (I would like to note that this is not an exhaustive list, I’m just covering the basics):

The (usually naive) hero/heroine: Luke Skywalker, Frodo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins (in the Hobbit trilogy), Aladdin, Elsa, Belle, I could go on for a while. One of the most common archetypes is of the young hero/heroine who must go on a journey of some kind and come into their destiny, whatever that may be. 99% of the time the hero archetype is also the protagonist (unless they flip the script and use a plot twist to make the ‘hero’ the villain).
The wise old mentor: Gandalf, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Spock Prime (in the rebooted Star Trek series), Grandmother Willow, and so on. Another common archetype is the wise old mentor who usually appears just as the hero/heroine needs advice and/or a guide for the journey that leads to their destiny.
The (all-powerful, usually scary) villain: Literally every bad guy in every film! But to name a few: Darth Vader, Sauron, The Horned King, Jafar, Scar, Ursula, Smaug, Gaston, Maleficent (animated version), and so on. If you look at the villains of a story, they all have some traits in common: traditionally they wear some shade of black; they’re either disfigured in some way, creepy OR handsome to a fault (if they’re human). They can also possess black magic or invoke dark forces on some level and with the exception of Darth Vader are generally irredeemable. It is the villain that the young hero/heroine must eventually confront/defeat in some way for their destiny to be achieved.
The sidekick/minion: What is a hero/villain without his sidekick/minion? Or multiple sidekicks as the case may be? Aladdin had Abu, Pocahontas had Meeko and Flit, Ratcliffe had Percy; Gaston/Le Fou, Mulan/Mushu, etc.
The romantic love interest/damsel in distress: I hate to say it, but 9 times out of 10 the romantic love interest is also (at some point) the damsel in distress. Look at classic Hollywood cinema if you don’t believe me (the original King Kong is a great example).

These five archetypes cover a large number of characters!! This idea has been rattling around in my head for a while, so this might be the start of a new series where I talk about different parts of film, like genre, and talking about what a McGuffin is.

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