The Hangover Part II

And they made another Hangover film.

This time the Wolfpack's in Thailand, and, thanks to the fact that everywhere they go someone speaks English, they're able to loosely piece together what took place during their second rowdy blackout. Character types are solidified and exaggerated. Phil (Bradley Cooper) once again maintains a level-head and calmly leads the pack from one reconstructed debacle to the next. Stu's (Ed Helms) future father-in-law humiliates him regularly and his adventures in Bangkok potentially complicate the bonds of holy matrimony. And Alan (Zach Galifianakis). Alan consistently elaborates upon his peculiar relationship with highly 'alternative' conceptions of the status-quo, and thoroughly demonstrates that he hasn't the slightest clue in regards to socio-anything. Of course, many of my favourite characters are Alanesque and the status-quo is a slippery conception whose malleable determinants relativistically engage opposing cultural semantic designations (internally and externally) which are dependent upon political and economic (and so on) qualifiers and whether or not anyone pays attention to them. But Alan's such a yutz when it comes to Teddy's (Mason Lee) inclusion in the pack, that it was difficult for me to generate any related sympathy.

Although the generation of sympathy is where The Hangover Part II's strength lies, not simply sympathy generated for the slapdash script, which was potentially written in haste in order to cash in on the simmering Hangover phenomenon, perhaps over the weekend or during daily trips to the washroom, but sympathy for reckless behaviour brought on by years of predictable engagements whose consequences resultantly clarify and distinguish their uniformity, for better or worse. Yes these particular things happened and they were the by-product of other general things which also happened and therefore, while problematic in regards to a strict definition of responsibility, accentuate and integrate said responsibilities into a traditional framework nonetheless, fully and completely, through the art of forgiveness.

It's too hot today.

Bridesmaids

And several individuals got together in order to attend various gatherings in regards to the wedding of a mutual friend. A film chronicling their activities was created, known as Bridesmaids, a work of fiction, illustrating what indeed might have happened if their true feelings had been disseminated. Its plot doesn't exactly recalibrate cultural coordinates from a previously unconsidered point of view, but the execution of its comedy and witty observations work well, fresh and lively contents inhabiting a traditional form.

Childhood friends Annie (Wiig) and Lillian's (Maya Rudolph) seamless relationship is ruffled after Lillian decides to get married and becomes closer with her fiancé's boss's wife Helen (Rose Byrne). Helen is a beautiful wealthy impeccably dressed detail oriented condescending and competitive success. Annie is struggling financially, living in an apartment with two roommates, has seen her business go belly-up, occasionally dates an asshole, and is charming and beautiful yet depressed and sullen.

Helen consistently outwits Annie as she plans events for Lillian's wedding, always choosing a more expensive option, stealing her ideas, and making everything "big C" Cutesy.

The situation implodes during Lillian's shower, where complimentary puppies are dispensed, and Annie has a nervous breakdown.

There's a certain art to taking a character's misfortunes, accentuating them tenfold, making everything miserable, inappropriate reaction after inappropriate reaction, stifling impotence, incompetent recalcitrance, and making it funny.

The character has to be easy to relate to and suffering under traumatic conditions of which he or she is also the co-author.

It's not that Annie's reactions are really that inappropriate, she just honestly responds to difficult challenges wherein her genuine ideas are infantalized by people possessing far more resources or some form of leverage that necessitates her submissiveness.

Tension is slowly built until it erupts in an explosive fortissimo.

Old and new worlds wantonly collide in a sophisticated psychological war of attrition.

Scenes contains jokes which cleverly suggest logical extremes.

And there's a porcupine who crosses the road going bumba bumba.

I don't know what it's like to get married, and frankly, I don't want to know. And having learned from Bridesmaids that wedding preparations often dissolve the very friendships they're supposed to strengthen, I can't help but wonder if married people ever have any friends that aren't strategically related to their next five year plan.

The Naked Kiss

Seeking redemption in the small town of Grantville, Kelly (Constance Towers) leaves behind her street walking lifestyle and finds a job as a nurse helping handicapped children. Her upbeat and dedicated personality make an immediate impact and she's able to start building a new life of her own.

But barriers lie in her way, established by Police Captain Griff (Anthony Eisley), who, having spent the night with her upon her arrival in town, passing his days watching new women arrive on the bus, seducing them, and then recommending that they find work at a sleazy night club, refuses to give her a fighting chance and consistently threatens her with full disclosure.

The situation erupts after her hand is sought by a wealthy local bachelor who has been instrumental in building the town, yet has a few secrets of his own.

Samuel Fuller's The Naked Kiss is blunt, bold, and bellicose, plunging headfirst into the inferno and intensely categorizing its flames. It proceeds at an accelerated pace, quickly moving from one scene to the next, confidently building a momentum whose volatile reactions simplify and complicate its rhythms.

Kelly's transformation is definitive and she uses her newfound energy to combat the forces which once constituted her moribund vitality. She thereby carves herself a place on the other side of the tracks whose foundations are troubled by the stereotypical baggage attached to her former way of life.

Some of the sharp distinctions maintained by The Naked Kiss could have used some more elaboration, but deviating from the film's over-the-top charge would have disoriented its ballistic aesthetic. Thoroughly advocating for personal transformations, it still oversimplifies what is necessary for these transformations to take place.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Femme fatales emerged to watch this creature fair.

Savvy?

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise continues with its fourth instalment, On Stranger Tides. Its narrative starts fresh, reintroducing old characters and situating them within a redesigned filmscape. It took me awhile to get used to the new cast and storyline, but after examining the retooled schematic, I did enjoy the film superficially, but had problems with some of its internal mechanizations.

The playful dynamics are a lot of fun. Penélope Cruz (Angelica) mischievously stands in for Keira Knightley and her relationship with Captain Jack is somewhat more seductive. The quest for the fountain of youth creates an adventurous mythical dimension which duels with the quadrilogy's first overt religious focus. Captain Jack swashbuckles and alliterates his way through another consistently mercurial performance, attempting to break up would be battles with enumerical misgivings, and trying to ensure that his heroic acts are kept alive as part of an oral tradition. Also enjoyed how Blackbeard (Ian McShane) decides to fight Barbossa thereby flipping fate the bird, and Barbossa's character is strong (after his introduction) and he's given spirited linguistic room to maneuver.

An excuse to eat popcorn from the special edition Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides bucket has been established.

At the same time, the degree to which you must suspend your disbelief at times is troublesome, some of the acting, while encouraged to be either wooden or excessively flamboyant in order to support the narrative's larger-than-life characteristics, is frustrating (notably Richard Griffiths), Blackbeard rarely establishes himself as a captivating focus as his principle strengths are simply being in charge and a magical sword, Scrum's (Stephen Graham) character entertains but doesn't function as a substantial substitute for Pintel, Ragetti, and Cotton, and the harmonies maintained between the competing elements, so smoothly orchestrated by Gore Verbinski in The Curse of the Black Pearl at least, each scene sweetly flowing into the next, are somewhat disjointed as Rob Marshall conducts, and there are occasional pitfalls.

And is On Stranger Tides's narrative supportive of an anti-feminist framework designed exclusively for patriarchal ambitions?

Even though I'm not sure as of yet, you can still cue the hangperson.

You see, independent women are a problem for the patriarchy and it uses its control over manners of representation to vilify them consequently. Thus feminists become amazonian jungle beasts, or, in the case of On Stranger Tides, man-eating mermaids, when depicted by the patriarchy artistically. On patriarchal terms, the women are thought to be obsessed with a stereotypical definition of the male in the same way that the patriarchy is obsessed with the sweet, servile female, and only a man who embodies this stereotypical conception can win their affections.

In On Stranger Tides, the religious figure Philip Swift (Sam Claflin) captures the heart of the mermaid he accidentally helps capture (Syrena played by Astrid Berges-Frisbey), due to the undeniable purity of his own heart.

A mermaid's tear must be placed in one of two chalices and mixed with water from the fountain of youth in order to extend life, the person drinking the chalice with the tear having their life extended by the number of years lived and left to live by the person drinking the tearless chalice.

A mermaid's kiss can revitalize if you ask for her help, meaning, in patriarchal terms, that if you embody the stereotype cherished by the feminist, she can save you if you are fatally injured (how she goes about doing this is unclear), as you will be since your personality destabilizes the chauvinistic ideal supported by the patriarchy (which they seek to convince women to love without question).

Syrena (feminist mythology) kisses Philip (the individual religious figure) after he is fatally wounded. The Spanish (institutionalized religion) destroy the fountain of youth (mythology) around the same time. When religion is institutionalized it becomes capable of destroying its concrete mythological enemies but can never defeat those who embody their pre-institutional ethos who in turn can find refuge in the arms of that which the patriarchy is incapable of destroying, although it attempts to through recourse to belittling manners of representation, its night of the world, as it were.

Hot Fuzz

Wow. Ever been worried that the warm and friendly atmosphere blossoming in your small town is being sinisterly manufactured in order to preserve an antiquated way of life? Ever considered that beneath the pristine picturesque pastimes coordinating your daily pastoral activities lies a determined sect dedicated to ensuring that those activities will remain unchanged, forever?

Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg sure have and the result is a chilling satirization of life in the country, complete with down home cute and cuddly clementines and the infrequent honk of a rebellious swan.

Or Hot Fuzz for short.

Police officer Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) excels at his job. But he performs beyond exceptionally thereby alienating most of the force.

This results in his transfer from London to Sandford.

His dedicated uncompromising bullet proof rectitude also frustrates many in Sandford, but not before he acknowledges that he may have a problem and also befriends partner Danny Butterman (Nick Frost).

The two form an unlikely duo determined to prove that a series of recent deaths are in fact the product of murder, Simon Skinner (Timothy Dalton) being their principal suspect.

Should Angel proceed with the traditional traction that has failed to serve him well professionally, or should he relax his pursuit of justice in order to make a more homely fit in his new town?

The answer enriches the ultimate battle of good versus evil, sublimely crafted and ridiculously executed, truly one for the ages.

If you like watching well-written films wherein characters are given seriously comedic room to maneuver, films which seem like they're unconcerned with their narrative's meticulously researched playfully cohesive structure, films which set up over the top stereotypes in opposition and then provide them with plenty of ammo, films where representatives of law and order break down and descend into total chaos, while still upholding the law, you'll likely enjoy Hot Fuzz's bizarre relationship with tradition and redemption, give or take a theoretical posture regarding communal individuality.

Obsessed unyielding conviction. Authority and a pledge of trust. Guns.

Hot Fuzz.

Thor

The mighty god Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has been cast from Asgard by his despondent father (Anthony Hopkins as Odin) after having behaved recklessly, thereby derailing his people's age old truce with the unfortunately named Frost Giants (of Jotunheim). Sent to Earth to learn what it means to lead, Thor struggles with both his mortal form and newfound feelings for resilient scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman).

I may be exaggerating the struggle somewhat.

Back in Asgard, the jealous and deceitful Loki (Tom Hiddleston) takes advantage of both his brother's absence and father's collapse to place himself upon the unoccupied throne.

Thor's hammer Mjolnir has also been sent to Earth but a spell has been cast upon it which ensures that it can only be retrieved by one who is pure of heart.

Can Thor make the necessary sacrifices in order to be able to wield his hammer once again, or will Loki's pact with the Frost Giants bring about a chilling end to centuries of uninterrupted peace?

The introduction of S.H.E.I.L.D works well to establish a terrestrial dimension within Thor's divine ambitions, but watching as slick and cool government organizations commandeer a scientist's life work in the interests of the greater good gave me somewhat of a stomach ache.

Out of all of Thor's secondary characters, Foster's assistant and mentor forge the most lasting impression due to the ways in which they juxtapose cheeky disengaged spontaneity with shrewd weathered experience, Foster charging confidently and prudently through their generational centre (Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis and Stellan Skarsgård as Dr. Erik Selvig). Heimdall's (Idris Elba) embodiment of vigilance and loyalty, made all the more durable by his formidable intelligence and strength, like a domesticated Grizzly Bear, also works well.

The scenes wherein Loki enacts his treason do not work well and their development pales in comparison to those within which Thor comes of age.

Which aren't that great either.

Cain and Able meets Superman II in order to dislodge the Hammer in the Stone?

Thor entertains but lacks the depth of Iron Man or even Iron Man 2. The plot is generally predictable and there are few scenes which inspire even the slightest misgivings about what will happen next. Generating such misgivings is tough to do, but exceptional films find a way to make their universe so enthralling that they briefly transport us to another realm within which we sincerely care about what will happen due to its captivating multidimensional focus (this is where manufactured randomness and bizarre observations can work well if they don't seem manufactured).

I liked Thor's principal message and it is deep, but it lacks the fantastic lightning strike required to generate thunderous applause.

I guess the difference between Thor and a film like Fast Five is that while watching Fast Five I wasn't expecting to encounter such a strike. Hence I was content to just sit back and be entertained.

Fast Five

Fast cars, frenzied action, forlorn characters, and frenetic frictions make up Fast Five's feverish collisions as the duration of its franchise is significantly distended.

Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his team of vehicular visionaries are on the run from both the law and a Brazilian gangster as familial responsibilities reconstitute their pursuit of happiness.

As if they're beyond good and evil.

They're not trying to rob from the rich and give to the poor, they're trying to heist around a hundred million and make a break for the sunset. They have the tools and possess the know-how; it's now just a matter of exceptional skill and impeccable timing.

Not to mention good buds and a wrought iron reputation.

The film's intense and fun to watch. There are many logical miscues but it is deeper than it appears on the surface.

For instance, Brazilian gangster Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida) thinks he can control communities by providing them with lavish gifts. He provides the finances for projects and expects a high degree of subservience in return. After he places an enormous bounty on Dominic's head, you'd expect there to be at least one scene during which he encounters an agile opportunist, but this doesn't happen. Since the population is so used to Reyes's duplicity, no one trusts him unless they have to, and therefore no one seeks to betray Toretto.

Hence, at least some of the thought put into Fast Five wasn't geared towards stunts and getaways, and if you can get over the stock characters and sensational situations it's worth checking out. These films aren't really about employing more advanced rhetorical devices, their more advanced rhetorical devices are built into the ways in which they present more elaborate sensational situations, 'out-witting' what's taken place in their predecessors, and using a gangster's safe guarded by the police to smash up both the police and the gangster, well, that was a good idea.

But don't take my word for it.

Gimme Shelter

Providing glimpses into The Rolling Stones's tragic concert held at the Altamont Speedway in 1969, Gimme Shelter follows the band as they tour the United States beforehand and accept the fate of their beaten-to-death fan afterwards. Insights into the logistics of preparing for the show and the problems associated with corresponding security arrangements are offered as well.

The footage of The Stones performing classics like Jumpin' Jack Flash, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, and Street Fighting Fan rocks, directors Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin fluidly capturing their electrifying and intensifying rhythms. Tina Turner and Jefferson Airplane also receive screen time and there's a brief scene showcasing members of The Grateful Dead as they discover that JA's lead male singer Marty Balin has been assaulted by security. The Stones have to stop playing Sympathy for the Devil as the crowd and the Hell's Angels clash and shortly thereafter one of their fans passes on.

The Stones are shown silently watching related video footage and listening to comments regarding their fan's death within. It must have been a shocking experience and the affects of said shock seem to be reflected by Jagger's sombre countenance. Tough to predict what will happen when organizing massive entertainments. Tougher to know how you'll react to the outcomes even if you've convinced yourself that you're prepared for the worst case. The film's more of a presentation of a cross-section of the facts than a reflection upon them.

Source Code

Duncan Jones's Source Code maintains a peculiar relationship with law and order. The overt dimension is sound enough: transport someone back to a moment in time located within an alternative parallel reality and have them discover information that can help stop terrorists when they are transported home. This is what Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) does in subsequent 8 minute intervals throughout as he tries to find out who planted a bomb on a passenger train bound for Chicago. Each time he is sent back, he's encouraged to detect the necessary information by any means necessary, with no concern for the effects his actions might cause to that alternative parallel reality. Hence, in order to fight terrorism in one reality criminal acts can be committed in another. If these alternative parallel realities don't exist this isn't a problem, but if they do, and they obviously do insofar as Colter is repeatedly transferred to them, it is an extremely serious problem, serious enough to destabilize source code's legitimacy. Justifying your pursuit of law in order in one dimension by any means necessary in another is distasteful to say the least and Source Code would have been a stronger film if this fact and its associated ramifications had been brought to the forefront.

Amarcord

As winds of change passionately breathe throughout the Italian countryside, and tectonic ships coast through the night, poetic reflections and familial festivities emancipate a repressed human factor whose vivacious spirit refuses to yield. Energetic youthful explorations generate blossoming warm and friendly observations whose flowering imaginings revitalize local traditions.

There are stories to be told as the seasons change and life challenges a predetermined institutional categorization. Playful scenes rich in vivid detail, capturing mischievous movements and inquisitive motivations, flourish.

Refusing to be tied down by the stereotypical attitudes condescendingly applied to their professions by a disdainful elitist few, hard working people continue to create and theorize within a stifling draconian body politic.

They inhabit a colourful filmscape full of inclusive change, verdant and robust, supporting the marginalized and the downtrodden, beyond the reach of any imperial entanglements, nurturing, caring and looking after one another, freely sharing their nourishing information.

And they dream and evaluate, consider and wonder. Hypothesize, romanticize, familiarize, thunder. Knowing that really nothing else can be done, if one wants to live fully cloaked in the sun.

The vignettes in Federico Fellini's Amarcord synergize a wrinkle in time, refusing to let autocratic realities structure their lives if their lives want nothing to do with autocratic realities.