Saturday, November 07, 2009

Review: The Men Who Stare At Goats

The idea seems absurd: that the U.S. Military used paranormal research to develop psychic spies near the end of the Cold War. But the viewer is warned that "more of this is true than you would believe", setting up the tension that occasionally awkwardly presents itself in this war-farce-comedy-drama.
Rookie director Grant Heslov's adaptation of journalist Jon Ronson's book about the U.S. Army's foray into psychic research is certainly far-fetched: the idea that a developed nation would seek to create "Jedi warrior monks" who could phase through walls, psychically find war criminals, and telekinetically kill goats is ridiculous, but it's just believable enough to be true. Heslov plays on this tension at the fringes of human ability and consciousness throughout the film, as the revelations of the activities of the "New Earth Army" become stranger and yet paradoxically more believable.
The cast has been one of the selling points in advertising, and is certainly the one of the strengths of the film. George Clooney deadpans his way through explaining his psychic powers; Jeff Bridges channels his inner hippie and imagines what The Dude might have been like if he had gone to Iraq; Kevin Spacey sneers and menaces his way under an unfortunate mustache in an underused role; and Ewan MacGregor is unfortunately underused as the protagonist reporter, Bob Wilton. It's not entirely MacGregor's fault, though; Heslov uses a tried and tired device, a reporter who discovers bit by bit that this department of the army exists.
The story is slightly disjointed, switching from a narrative in 2003 Iraq to flashbacks that tell the story of the New Earth Army from its inception in 1980. "Project Jedi" begins hopefully enough by ex-Vietnam Vet Bill Django (Bridges), a convert to new age philosophy, and experiences some early success with top psychic Lyn Cassady (Clooney). Unfortunately, Django's vision of a peaceful force intended to prevent war is soon manipulated by an opportunistic officer named Larry Hooper (Spacey), and the lament and final conflict of the film are set. As expected, the stories of all of these characters again intersect in the film's final act, which also demonstrates the intersection of the fantastical and real.
The film works best when it is firmly tongue-in-cheek, particularly in the early flashback sequences. There are several hilarious moments, and Clooney's deadpan and Bridges' overaccepting of the premise are necessary to the success of these flashbacks. But these moments are bookended by uncomfortable brushes with reality: kidnappers in Iraq; rival American security companies competing for Iraqi dollars using guerilla tactics; examples of musical psychological torture used in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. It is clear that Heslov is trying to bring the point to the viewer about what happens when "psychic" become "psychological", but the tension does not always do justice to the current reality. This is not Good Morning Vietnam or Full Metal Jacket; the real is not quite real enough here, and not treated with the same respect as it is in those films. Some of the laughs in Goats are more nervous than hilarious. It may have worked more effectively to not bring the story into the "present" (ie. Iraq); but a simple narrative may also not have worked (like Charlie Wilson's War). Heslov's attempt to have a satirical examination of war, with an awareness of social conscience, does not always work, but it does also make its point.
With that all said, The Men Who Stare At Goats is a very funny movie, and it does have a sense of purpose. It asks questions about themes of belief, faith, identity, and meaning, and it never gets too preachy or uncomfortable. Perhaps that sense of discomfort is supposed to be there, and that is where the movie finds its success; but perhaps, like its titular animals, we are not quite sure what to think and we should just follow the herd. The movie is both too ironic and not ironic enough, and I think in that tension it just might find its success.


Wednesday, November 04, 2009

I remember...

I remember cutting out poppies from red, green, and black construction paper in primary school. I remember hearing the Last Post every year and feeling the notes seep into my soul. I remember asking the teacher organizing the service if I could be one of the emcees when I was in Grade 11 simply because I wanted to be a part of the culture of honour in Remembrance Day. It is perhaps one of the most meaningful observations on the calendar for me, and it disturbs me more and more each year how much November 11 is encroached upon by the crass commercialism of Christmas and the tatters of Halloween. It is not just a day off; it is a day for reflection, and solemnity, and honouring those who have made it possible for us to live as we do. I remember being assigned to do the Remembrance Day service in my first year of teaching; I was incredibly nervous. I was not sure how to do it well, and the staff was full of teachers near retirement; why me? I guided my class through it, and I was relieved when one of the last-year teachers came to me and said, "Well done, Turner." I remember being offended that my school did not do a Remembrance Day program last year; I did not find out in time to change it. So this year I have again taken on the task of planning the service. It is a new challenge in a K-12 school to make it meaningful for as many people as possible. Our service will be traditional, but appropriate; something to build on for next year, I suppose. The most important part is that we will remember, together.


Sunday, November 01, 2009

C'est L'Halloween

I realized something strange today, besides the fact that I still somehow have a very good working memory of topics I have blogged about in the past five and a half years - often I can pinpoint a post to within a month of when I wrote it - but I digress. In my years of blogging, I have not written about Hallowe'en at all. It took me off guard at first to think that I hadn't, but then when I thought about it I realized how little Halloween (I will bypass the now-superfluous apostrophe) has meant to me. I enjoyed it as a child - although my choice of dressing up as Herb Tarlek from WKRP in Cincinatti in Grade 4 still makes me shake my head - but it was not a huge deal in my family or my general existence. I remember that in Grade 10 I had a girlfriend at a friend's Halloween party: our "relationship" started the day before Halloween and consisted of us holding hands and me stealing glances at her low-cut witch costume; I ended it a week later when I realized I didn't want a girlfriend, and she moved onto the next band geek for whom she had the hots. True story. It is perhaps ironic that someone like me who loves dressing up and keeps a "tickle trunk" for school spirit days does not like Halloween, but I think it's the same sort of aversion I have to "holidays" like Valentine's Day: they are crassly commercial, and the expectation to be creative is more of a deterrent than an inspiration for me. I think part of the problem is that I always think of the best costume ideas right after Halloween, and then I forget them before the next year. One of these years I'll make the A-Team happen; I love it when a costume comes together! I also think that I am so repulsed by so much of what happens on Halloween from a spiritual perspective that I cannot help but lack in enthusiasm for the event itself. It has become a celebration of dark and evil; some would argue it has always been such, but it seems to be worse now than when I was a kid. It was witches and ghouls and black cats then; now it's demons and death and makeup imitating suicide head wounds. It makes the time between Thanksgiving and the end of the month horrible for arachnophobes and people who are sensitive to dark images; but lately, even I have become more sensitive to the growth in general disregard for common decency with this so-called "celebration." I won't go so far as to say that it's not Christian to observe Halloween; I just think that it is becoming increasingly difficult to observe it in a way that does not threaten the integrity of one's faith. Thankfully, it all goes away pretty quickly after the 31st, because stores slash the prices on candy to start marketing Christmas goodies on November 1. And I will be getting my candy directly from the retailer again this year - perhaps my only lasting Halloween tradition.


Friday, October 30, 2009

In a little while...

We had some friends who stayed here last night after being in Vancouver the previous night to see U2 at BC Place. I was happy for them - as I am for anyone who has the chance to see them in concert - but I could not help feeling a little twinge of sorrow mingled with regret that I could not go to see them, especially when they were only a ferry-ride away. My lament intensified when I viewed the set list and realized that they played an encore of "Ultraviolet"-"With or Without You"-"Moment of Surrender", and that they included a few songs from Achtung Baby in the concert. I was glad to hear that these friends were fans of the band (and not just people that liked how they sounded on the radio), and that they could really value the experience. But talking to them made me think about how meaningful of an experience going to a U2 concert can be - there is something almost transcendent about it. We, the initiated, can talk about when we saw them - which tour, which location, which songs stuck out that night, something memorable that Bono did; and though we always want to share that experience with others, we are slightly jealous when they go and we don't. But it never leaves you, and I knew when I saw them that anytime they were on tour that I would want to see them again, and I would always be able to relive that night in April 2005. On the concert night (Wednesday the 28th), it was exactly four-and-a-half years since I made the trip to Vancouver to see the Vertigo tour, but I could still remember almost everything about it. I guess there's always next time to see U2 again, or the concert DVD in a few months. In a little while...


Thursday, October 29, 2009

Thoughts after the BC Teachers' Institute

One of the reasons I have been incommunicado for the last half of the month is that I spent most of that time preparing for, attending, and recovering from an intensive four-day conference at the BC Legislative Assembly (though the building, in true egotistical British Columbian fashion, is named the Parliament Buildings). I, along with just over a dozen other teachers, had the chance to see a bit of what happens "behind the scenes" of the political engine; of course, I might argue that the veneer was never truly lifted by the politicians, but it was refreshing to see some of them squirm in a roomful of social studies teachers. The conference included sessions on the role of the Lieutenant-Governor, the Speaker of the House, how legislation is written and comes into effect, the role of cabinet, the electoral system, the media, party politics, the judicial system, backbencher MLAs, and watching Question Period. Although I am no less cynical about partisan politics than I was a week ago - I am arguably more so now - I was impressed with the level of discourse that we had with the power players, and that many of the MLAs made themselves available to us to talk. It was refreshing to be reminded of the human side of all of the debates, and to have the experience firsthand. I am certainly still not sold on the greatness of parliamentary democracy, particularly after repeatedly hearing the mantra "it's not always great, but it's the best we've got" from various civil servants, but it was great to get to know more about our system of government, fatally flawed though it may be. Plus I got some awesome food and beverages all week - go government spending on me!


Thursday, October 15, 2009

Review: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

It seems obvious that an animated film with a title like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs does not fully take itself seriously; the surprise in Meatballs is how some deeper themes are evident, and how much fun it is along the way.
The story takes place in the town of Swallow Falls, a small hamlet in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean whose central economic livelihood, sardines, have fallen on hard times. The protagonist of this absurdist tale is the luckless inventor Flint Lockwood, who has been known for such hapless creations as spray-on shoes and a monkey thought translator. Lockwood's primary motivation seems to be to prove himself to his working-class father as well as to himself. Lockwood improbably creates an incredibly useful invention, the FLDSMDFR (an acronym played to much amusement), that is able to convert water molecules into food. An initial test goes awry, and the machine is launched into the atmosphere, setting the stage for the ridiculous events to come.
The plot thickens with a host of characters with different motivations. Lockwood is using his newfound fame to impress his dad and the new weather girl in town, Sam Sparks. Flint's father is unsure of his son's success and whether he is being responsible with his invention. The opportunistic mayor capitalizes on Lockwood's invention as a way to save the town by converting the town's economy to food tourism, and in the process causes the FLDSMDFR to start going haywire with disastrous results. Sure, the sequence of cataclysmic events which prolong the final solution to the problem are increasingly ridiculous, but they're fun. Throw in some comic relief from supporting characters, romantic tension between Flint and Sam, a self-searching inquiry by Flint, and some comedically placed food droppings, and that's the recipe for this movie.
The voice acting is also one of the more positive parts of the movie, as it contributes to, rather than distracting from, the action. Among the principal voices are accomplished comedians like Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, and Bruce Campbell, who play the voice to the character rather than to their celebrity. And any movie that features the voice of Mr. T is okay by me.
Meatballs is simple in theme and presentation; after all, it is a children's movie. But that does not mean that it is meaningless. The movie discusses issues like self-image, self-worth, loyalty, friendship, purpose in life, ethical decisions, and the role of the media. As expected of a movie of this type, it is accomplished at both a simplistic level for children, but the plot contains surprising complexity in some of its themes. When combined with the outrageous plot, the result is a ridiculous movie that is meaningful for all ages, as well as endearing, funny and visually creative. The forecast for this movie is fun!


Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Review: Zombieland

Vampires may be the hot trend right now, but zombies are comedy goldmines. In the spirit of films such as romantic comedy Shaun of the Dead, indie mockumentary American Zombie, and social satire Fido comes the newest entry from rookie director Ruben Fleischer, Zombieland, a tongue-in-cheek coming-of-age road trip movie with cannibalistic violent antagonists.
The movie follows the escapades of an obsessive-compulsive college student known as "Columbus" (based on his home town), and how he survives the unnamed virus that has turned the population into ravenous bloodthirsty freaks. He meets up with accomplished Zombie killer Tallahassee, and a troublesome pair of sister grifters who cause the boys no end of frustrated. Together, they form a sort of family and make their way through Zombieland, killing as many undead as they can in as many creative ways as possible as they go, informally competing for "Zombie Kill of the Week".
Zombieland succeeds largely because of the strength of the directing and writing. Newcomer Fleischer gives the perfect tone to the film; it's never too serious, but it takes itself seriously enough. He supplies visuals appropriate to the tone of the script, starting with the memorable opening credits. It should be no surprise that the writing is a strength, as the writers, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, are most famous for their egregiously over-the-top experiments in reality TV show parody, the two seasons of the Joe Schmo Show and the William Shatner mini-series Invasion Iowa.
The movie is incredibly pop-culturally savvy, to its strength, as reflective of the protagonist, Columbus. As Columbus, Newcomer Jesse Eisenberg is doing his best to channel the social awkwardness of Michael Cera, and his slavish devotion to rules for survival is both comedic and practical. Woody Harrelson is infectiously gleeful in his his gap-toothed joy of dispatching the undead, and the smoky Emma Stone and sunshiney Abigail Breslin fill their supporting roles well. And there is that cameo that steals the show...
Despite the satiric and light-hearted tone of Zombieland, it is not without its significance. Although zombies have traditionally been used as a metaphor for commercialism to varying levels of success, Zombieland presents a fresh take on the idea and contributes to the overall themes of the zombie genre without becoming hackneyed and hammish. Plus, the zombies are as convincing as any in recent memory, and certainly as disturbing.
Zombieland is one of the most fun movies to come out this year. It is laugh-out-loud funny, and it is a must-see, especially for zombie fans. It is sure to become a pop-culture classic in the vein of Juno or Napoleon Dynamite, complete with quotable dialogue. Go see it if you can handle it, and remember: "It's time to nut up or shut up."