Film challenge.

Film challenge, April: Fantasy, sci-fi and adventure.

- The Wizard of Oz. (1939. Dirs. Victor Fleming, et al). Young Dorothy Gale runs away from home seeking adventure, using her dog’s safety as a pretext. Tricked by a benevolent con man, Professor Marvel, she turns back home —only to find herself locked out of a storm cellar as a tornado approaches. It sends her to the marvelous land of Oz. Dorothy’s journey back home has just begun…

A classic fantasy film and a cultural icon —to such a degree that, at least in the US, the movie outright surpasses the original book series in terms of popularity. 

Oz in general, and the first story in particular, has been subject to thousands of parodies, dark reinterpretations and more. And from the borderline mean-spirited (“Emerald City Blues” by Stephen R. Boyett (there are actually quite a few books and stories with this title), MacFarlane’s Toys “The twisted land of Oz”, the comic book “Jack of Fables”) to the more interesting takes (“Wicked”, both novel and musical; the comic book “Lost Girls”, movies like “Return to Oz” and “Wild at heart”) —all are far more inspired by this movie adaptation than by the books (“Fables” incorporates characters from the book series, but rarely for more than a knowing wink at the reader). 

And what of this movie as an adaptation? It changes plenty of details, but is still a fairly charming, surprisingly modern American fairy tale. While the Dorothy of the movie has nothing on the book’s levelheaded adventurer, this one has become an important icon (to say nothing of a Gay Icon) in her own right. 

And as a movie in itself? It’s an enchanting spectacle, and much less dated than you would think: The opening act’s tornado alone is still a marvel of special effects. There are more faithful adaptations of the books (including, surprisingly enough, a 1986 Anime adaptation that even incorporated some of the book sequels), but this movie is still worth watching, be it for itself, as an example of an adaptation that is also reinterpretation, and as a fundamental piece of Fantasy cinema. 

Reading diary.

- Twee: The gentle revolution in music, books, television, fashion and film. Marc Spitz. A careful examination of about 70 years of pop culture that lead us all to a certain culture characteristic of the twenty-first century —that of “precocious youths who act like adults and adults who act like children”, or of a certain “bespectacled, art-obsessed precocity”… that of people who want to make the world safe for butterflies and ice-cream vendors. The “gentle revolution”, as the book’s title informs us. 

Spitz carefully examines all sort of major pop icons of the twentieth century seeking the roots of this movement that he dubs “Twee” (while conceding that any other term you personally choose for this aesthetic / life philosophy probably works as well), some of them at first glance unlikely influences —the likes of Edward Gorey and Nirvana’s Curt Cobain, for example. Or Anne Frank. And Holden Caufield. All those at first glance would seem ill-fitting next to the likes of Belle & Sebastian, Wes Anderson, Maurice Sendak and Pee Wee Herman. Yet Spitz presents a convincing, carefully constructed argument about the thread that joins those and several more seemingly disparate artists (to say nothing of tv shows that range from “Twin Peaks” to “My so-called life” and “Daria” to “Portlandia”): A certain taste for whimsy and preciousness, oftentimes wielded as a shield against an often dire, cruel world. 

But this book is neither mystification nor demonization: It presents the critiques that this movement has been subject to, with a special emphasis on it’s occasional sliding into an aesthetic that likely only privileged white kids could really practice and survive. It also presents a few counter-arguments (leaving the readers to decide for themselves). Spitz’s own position is presented in the closing pages: A certain skepticism, yet tinged with the hope that the best traits of it (the kindness, the willingness to embrace new ideas) will prevail. 

Spitz himself died rather young, at 47, and only barely saw what his country became in the last three years. It is perhaps appropriate, then, that this book should remain as a testament not to a time gone by, but to an ideology we all might seek to analyze and perhaps recapture now and then. 

Film challenge, March.

Latinoamerican cinema. 

Due to unforeseen complications, there were only two movies that fit the challenge as such: 

- Oriana. (Venezuela, 1985). 

- La teta asustada (aka The milk of sorrow). (Peru, 2008). 

And several movies outside of the challenge: 

- Big Eyes (2014). 

- D’après une historie vraie (aka Based on a true story (France, 2017). 

- Black Panther (2017). 

- I, Tonya (2017). 

There is an unintentional link here —with the exception of “Black Panther”, these are essentially women’s movies, both in having female protagonists (and the two from the challenge are from female directors —respectively Fina Torres and Claudia Llosa) and in more or less presenting their situation in the world. All of these are women who have to fight for everything against an often hostile society. With one exception, all are artists (singer, painter, writer —does figure skater count?), and all are movies dealing with often harsh themes (abuse, both physical and sexual; repression; intimate betrayal). It’s debatable if all five could be counted as feminist films, but grouped like this they do offer a certain portrayal of gender disparity. 

Film diary.

Two recently-seen movies, outside of the monthly challenge: 

- Big Eyes. (2014; dir. Tim Burton). Biography of painter Margaret Keane; as famous for her pop-kitsch portrayals of children with huge eyes as for her life story proper. For years, her work was plagiarized by husband Walter, who kept her in an emotionally abusive captivity. Margaret’s eventual escape and lawsuit against Walter would become a national cause celebre. 

At first glance, this is an unusual film for Burton, featuring little of his usual Goth trappings and flights of fantasy (apart from an easy sequence where Margaret sees the people around her with those infamous “big eyes”). But on a closer glance it keeps his usual core interest, that of a fragile eccentric nearly broken by a rigid world. Generally a crowd-plesasing feature, with the good characters being pure and vulnerable, and the bad characters being slimy and despicable. Simple, then, but rather entertaining. Thus recommended both for fans of Burton (again, despite the lack of Goth visuals and dark fantasy) and in general for people seeking a nice drama with which to kill a couple hours. 

- D’après une histoire vraie (aka Based on a true story) (France, 2017. Dir. Roman Polanski). Novelist Delphine has penned a best-seller drawn from her real life —which may have been a slight mis-step, considering the anonymous hate mail she’s been receiving (both online and printed) accusing her of throwing her family under the bus. Or, maybe that’s just regular anon hate. Either way Delphine is struggling to find a theme for her next book. Amusing herself with an ardent fan might provide some inspiration. Of course, it’s a little disconcerting that nobody seems to have seen or heard this other young woman…

A relatively low-key and relatively minor Polanski offering, with most of the requisite psychosexual trappings kept vaguely implied rather than delved into. Most of the twist are probably easy to guess for longtime thriller and mystery fans, though making the story itself an examination of the writing process does offer some interesting concepts here and there (for example, using a fictitious character to delegate unpleasant duties like attending a boring conference or dealing with internet trolls). A mostly entertaining film, nothing special. Based on the novel by Delphine de Vigan. 

Reading diary.

- Before I fall. Lauren Oliver. Samantha Kingston is having a near perfect ‘Cupid Day’ (February 12), enjoying her high school popularity, the company of her best friends, the promise of losing her virginity to her hunk of a boyfriend and an amazing party in a mansion. Too bad it’s the last day of her life, as she’s killed in a car accident minutes after leaving the party. 

And then the day repeats itself, with Sam seemingly being the only one to notice. 

She is destined to relieve her final day over and over until —what? She must solve the mystery behind her own death (and life) before she finally runs out of time for good. 

A fairly remarkable YA debut novel. The premise of a character re-living a particular day has been done numerous times in television, movies and books; this one, however, has the curiosity of making the time loop a metaphor of sorts for the process of grief. Sam goes through denial, bargaining, anger, depression and acceptance —and in this case the death she is mourning is her own. 

I saw the movie adaptation of this book a couple years ago, and quite enjoyed it (it’s one of the very few recent YA movies I’ve seen where the teenaged characters were actually allowed to act, look and sound like teenagers), and so decided to look up the book as well. Oliver’s debut novel manages to avoid most of the pitfalls of contemporary YA —as in the movie adaptation, the characters are believable as teenagers (it probably helps that Oliver drew most of the details from real life). While there is a moral current to the story, it’s mostly organic to the characters. 

There are two common flaws that the book can’t avoid, however. First is the near complete absence of variety in the cast: It’s a story set in Connecticut with a cast seemingly made up of nothing but high-middle-class suburban white kids. The one exception to the rule is one lower-income kid with artistic leanings (changed to a token lesbian in the movie; the books’ sole mention of queerness being the by now stereotypical “homophobes are just closeted gay people” stock character). 

Another flaw is the kind of romantic triangle where the seemingly perfect guy is revealed to be nothing less than repulsive while the ‘loser with a lifelong crush’ is revealed to be, in a word: Perfect. For that matter, most of the male characters in this book have very little, if any, development…

…on the other hand, the female characters, from adult to children, are quite developed, with the narration taking advantage of the time loop to reveal several subtle details and motivations. Much has been made of Sam’s evolution from “shallow to compassionate” (to be honest, I didn’t find her quite so unpleasant as most critics did at the beginning. I found her to be a fairly common self-absorbed kid. Which might say something about YA critics…); true, but what I found even more remarkable is Sam’s group of friends. Quite a few writers would have been content to leave those characters with the superficial image presented at first: The mean ring-leader (Lindsay), the ditz (Ally) and the bimbo (Elody). But they reveal plenty of shades and complexity as the story advances, becoming nuanced characters in their own right. They are also believably portrayed as close friends, something that’s become strangely rare in fiction intended for children and teenagers. 

In sort, it’s a pretty interesting novel that I’d recommend especially to people looking for contemporary teen’s fiction. 

The 2106 Harper edition includes two bonus stories, “In the beginning” and “Sixteen candles” (they feel more like extended scenes), and a couple essays from author Oliver as well as trivia. 

And a personal anecdote: I usually read on long trips to or from work in the subway and other means of public transportation. When I was reading this book, I caught quite a few kids trying to read over my shoulder, which had never really happened before. Apparently this book is quite popular with it’s target audience…

Film challenge, February.

Gay and Queer cinema. 

In total, seven full-length films: 

- Dreamboat (Germany, 2017). 

- Te prometo anarquía (Mexico, 2015). 

- Contracorriente (aka Undertow) (Peru, 2010). 

- Kinky Boots (UK, 2005). 

- La región salvaje (Mexico, 2016). 

- No se lo digas a nadie (Peru, 1998). 

- Cuatro lunas (Mexico, 2014). 

And two shorts: 

- Gulabi Aaina (aka The pink mirror) (India, 2002). 

- In a heartbeat (USA, 2017). 

Almost all from the current decade (it wasn’t planned that way). There are a lot more out there, but this constitutes a brief sample of the current film panorama on this subject. And what is that panorama? 

For starters, an optimism that rarely appeared in previous decades (especially the 90’s). Not because the world is more tolerant now. Quite the opposite! In several ways today’s world society is even less tolerant, just in subtler ways. What has changed is the confidence of the actual narrators (here, screenwriters and directors). Generally this subject is now presented with less hesitance, with less shyness. Something that has definitely contributed to this is the arrival of digital cinema and a larger amount of distribution options (for example, online). With better tools to clear obstacles such as censorship and repression, there is a bigger freedom of speech. 

(Presumably we’ll see this in the following monthly challenges… or perhaps we won’t. We’ll see)

Interestingly, none of the movies listed here is a tragedy, though two or three of them are certainly dramatic. But the subject of homosexuality is not automatically linked to death (or at least bitterness) in any of them. All show a wider amount of possibilities, and a stronger sense of kinship. They also break down the notion that homosexuality is an “adults only” subject. Between these movies, the protagonists’ age ranges from eleven to seventy. 

Now, granted: I wanted to cover a wider spectrum (hence the term “queer”), but in truth virtually all these movies are specifically about male homosexuality. Partly because of availability (and time), partly due to personal taste. 

Nevertheless, I think the results were quite interesting, sometimes pleasantly surprising. 

Several movies couldn’t be included this time, but hopefully in a latter date. Maybe even as part of the next challenges. 

Film diary.

(Seen in theaters; separate from the monthly challenge). 

- Black Panther (2017, dir. Ryan Coogler). Wakanda; an African nation blessed by a heavenly gift —a meteorite that provided its’ people with Vibranium, a unique metal that catapulted their technological progress to such a point that they have become nothing less than a marvel in present times. Their newly appointed king, T’challa, doubles as Wakanda’s guardian, the legendary Black Panther. But just as he attempts to track down one of the few persons who ever managed to steal Wakandan technology, he comes crashing into a harsh truth: In order to keep Wakanda a secret from the world a large, so many sacrifices have been made, sometimes of innocents. Now T’challa must prove himself worth of both titles even as the world moves into a whole new era. 

The latest film of the infamous “Marvel Cinematic Universe” is a notable, successful film by itself. It is a very well-made superhero film, or a very well made sci-fi / adventure romp; but even more than that, it’s a movie very, very much about both African and African-descended cultures around the world. From visual design to intentional references, it’s a movie where the spectacle on display isn’t mere entertainment, it’s also a reflection of the many possibilities that exist outside of the US/Eurocentric perspective that so many Hollywood productions are entrenched in (and without resorting to that groan-inducing Exoticism that is itself a very pervasive aspect of those productions, and beyond). Even the ideological motivations of our assorted characters stem from different postures about Post-Colonialism and it’s consequences. From Isolationism to outright Imperialism, a lot of philosophies are presented and analyzed, something quite rare for this kind of movie. 

All that aside, the spectacle itself is truly glorious, with grandiose landscapes and costumes on display, not to mention nifty sci-fi gadgets. All grounded thanks to solid performances from an excellent cast. 

All in all, a very notable movie. And, speaking only for myself, one of the very few MCU entries that I have genuinely liked.