So last week all my friends were subject to punishment! Well here's the second installment as promised. You might ask why am I reviewing what must essentially be the same movie, but here's where you are wrong. This movie was made in 1989 and was not a origin story as most of our latest comic book movies seem to think they must be. This movie take place 5 years after the gangland "execution" of Frank Castle and his family, leaving only Frank alive, only no one knows this. Thus begins a systematic hunting and killing of every major crime boss and his lackeys. This leaves the city ripe for the Yakuza...yes I said Yakuza...to move in and attempt a coup. Frank is content to allow the two sides to battle it out and then pick off the winners, until the Yakuza take it one step too far. But, sorry can't tell you more...you know the rules...this is not the spoilerific episode.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this film! It is full of such 80's trash, sleaze, and "violence" it's hilarious. If you watch close there are very few on screen kills compared to the two later versions of this film, not to say that there aren't a lot. I feel this has a lot to do with the character development of the Punisher thru the 80's, 90's, and 2000's. When this particular Punisher was popular...he didn't always kill. In fact he had "mercy bullets" which did not kill the victim, he spent a lot of time blowing up things, and not a lot of on panel killing. Then comes the 90's...comics have to get grittier to compete with titles like Spawn, and Youngblood....hence the Thomas Jane version..this was more brutal and dark. If you question that, watch the family death scene in the first 30 minutes and then we'll talk. Then comes the 2000's, violence and dystopia was the order of the day. Heroes were killed left and right along with villains, granted they usually came back to life....it was in the 2000...2001 to be specific that Marvel came out with the Max line and you guessed it Punisher was one of it's main titles...this is what gave us that craptastic piece of crap that was "Punisher: War Zone" Don't get me wrong ...love the Max line of comics..hated the movie. My recommendation is to go out ...dig thru your bargain bins, check you second hand stores, but get you a copy of this. If you love cheesy 80's action this is the movie for you...c'mon Doplh Lundgren AND Louis Gossett Jr, and tons of stuff blowing up...oh and did I mention samurai and ninjas!!!!!
Frank Castle is a simple man. He has a loving wife and son, nice house in the suburbs, a great job, and he kills people. Ok well there is a little more to it than that. Frank works undercover bringing some of the biggest and worst criminals down, however on his last op something goes terribly wrong. Turns out that the youngest son of the biggest crime lord, Howard Saint, gets killed in Frank's last operation. This drives Saint into a revenge that rivals a "Godfather-esque" massacre, having Castle's entire family slaughtered, culminating in him witnessing the death of his wife and son. Being left for dead , Castle is rescued and nursed back to health by the local "shaman". Thus begins the life of the "Punisher". Castle devises a plan to systematically take down Saint and ruin everything he loves. Perfect family movie huh?!
I have loved the Punisher since I was a kid, ever since he was hired by the Jackal to kill Spiderman. Here you have a guy with no powers, just tons of training, guts, guns and attitude...this is also a guy who has gone toe to toe with the Hulk. Needless to say when this movie was announced I had some trepidations. You have to remember at this point Marvel was kind of hit or miss with it movies, I know we are all trying to forget what was that thing call Daredevil. When I heard Travolta was playing the big baddie I was afraid we were headed in the same direction. I was very pleased though, I thought Thomas Jane was a perfect match for this role. He is tortured, broody, intelligent, and had just the right bit of dry wit. Travolta was Travolta..over the top, and at times almost comedic. Don't get me wrong I loved this film, this is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I completely recommend you check this one out, but a word of warning...do not go in looking for in-depth story and character development. You get some of that but this movie is for the action junkie in us...go out, find this , watch it, and justice will be served.
STAY TUNED KIDDIES MORE PUNISHER FUN COMING SOON.
THE PUNISHER (2004)
Written by: Johnathan Hensleigh and Michael France
By the 21st century most of Earth has been transformed into a nuclear wasteland, the few survivors herded together in slums. Sounds like most post-apocalyptic films right? There is a slight twist in this one though, you have to add just a bit of flavor of Terminator. The movie starts with Mo, played by Dylan McDermott, returning home to see his girlfriend during the "Christmas Cease Fire". On the way he stops a nomad who is selling odds and ends and electronic trinkets, Mo buys a metallic skull along with a few other mechanical "do-dads" to take to his girlfriend, Jill, who is a sculptor. Needless to say the "do-dads" and the skull are off the remains of a military project for a "soldier/killer" robot, which reactivates itself and puts itself back together, wherein mayhem ensues and people die. I would divulge more but this is not a "spoilerific" episode
If you love the apocalypse you should add this one to your viewing list. There really is not anything new or different here from what you have seen with others in this genre, but despite that, this one does not fail to entertain. It has everything you could hope for in "killer robot hunting humans in a post-apocalyptic world" movie, including Iggy Pop narrating in the background for you. That's right you get the "Godfather of Punk" along with everything else, so don't be a Stooge (see what I did there), go out and find this movie!
HARDWARE
Written by: Steve MacManus, Kevin O'Neill, and Richard Stanley
Directed by: Richard Stanley
Starring: Dylan McDermott, Stacey Travis and Iggy Pop
Rating: R
Runtime: 94 minutes
I recently decided I would go down that rabbit hole that is called Netflix and watch some of the lesser known horror films. I told myself I would sit through them no matter how good or bad they were, after a few movies this led me to "Last Kind Words". This movie focuses on Eli and his family, who are forced to move to the backwoods of Kentucky, to work on a farm, due to the latest economic downturns. Eli soon finds himself drawn to explore the woods that grow at the back of the farm, where he meets Amanda. Eli ends up spending more and more time away from chores, and spending that time with Amanda. Little by little he finds that the farm, the woods and Amanda are all tied together with a dark secret.
Sometimes going off the beaten path does deliver true gems and this film is one of those. This is not one of your big budget horror movies, nor was it backed by the big studios. Unlike some other independent films, where the acting can be spotty and the cinematography may not be up to snuff, this film does not have those problems. The acting is spot on and it is beautifully shot, blending just the right amount of light and dark, giving you a great taste of human nature, both love and darkness. For an independent film, hell for a film period, I HIGHLY recommend this one, this one truly made an impression on me.
LAST KIND WORDS
Written by: Kevin Barker and Amy Riherd Miller
Directed by: Kevin Barker
Starring: Brad Dourif, Spencer Daniels, Alexia Fast, Marianne Hagan, and Sarah Steele
Rating: NR
Runtime: 87 minutes
By 2006 Hugh Jackman was pretty well known by many, he had been a Magician, a Mutant, a Vampire hunter, and had established himself firmly in the halls of Nerdom. However, in 2006, a movie came along that was really unlike anything he had done before. The Fountain. This was not a huge blockbuster in the theaters, despite having well known performers in it, but has built something of a following afterwards.
Now this review is going to be a little different. Not only will I be giving you spoilers but I am also going to be doing an in-depth analysis of the movie and it's underlying themes, so I would suggest you might really want to watch this one first. If you don't, no worries, you should be able to follow along...so here we go.....
This story is really three stories in one: The story of Tommy, the brain surgeon, doing his best to save Izzi his wife from a life threatening tumor. The second story of Tomas, the conquistador, braving the savage world to find the Tree to save his Queen Isabel. Then finally, the story of Tom Creo, travelling with his Tree to mystical nebula of Xibalba.
Tommy Creo is a surgeon trying to find not just stop a type of aggressive brain tumor, but actually reverse it. Izzi his wife is dying of this very type of tumor and he is in a race to find the cure before she dies. Izzi is a writer, who is writing a story of a conquistador who must find a mystical tree in South America that will give her immortality. She explains to him the importance of Xibalba the Mayan underworld which is actually a nova in the sky the Mayans observed, she also explains the story of the True Father who sacrificed himself to allow the tree that brings life to the world to spring from his body. Izzi is desperate to have Tommy spend time with her, but he is too focused on trying to save her to realize she just needs to have him in her final times, so she comes to him and asks one thing of him.....Finish it. Finish the story.
This only spurs him on to work harder and to try new and potential dangerous experiments, that do actually show to not only cure the tumor in lab monkeys but also seems to de-age may of them lengthening their lives.. All of this proves to be too little too late, Izzi collapses and once she regains consciousness she tells Tommy she is ready to go. As his world crumbles he reads Izzi's book following the story of the conquistador, until he reaches the blank pages....it is at this point Izzi dies leaving him confused, broken and alone.
Tomas' story is one of devotion and casting out everything in your life to achieve one goal that you think will benefit the one you love. He is a conquistador who is tasked by his queen to find the hidden treasure of the Mayans, in order to save her and her kingdom. Isabel gives him a ring, letting him know that once this is completed that she will be his forever. Taking a lone priest and a contingent of men with him he sets out to find the Tree.
Following the clues it seems that all is lost on his quest, the priest is killed, and facing mutiny from his men, Tomas refuses to quit. Down to himself and three men, Tomas finds the pyramid where his quest will end. As they push forward they are confronted by a huge mass of Mayans, causing two of his men to flee and be killed. Now Tomas and his lone man left fight their way through the Mayans, resulting in his man being killed, leaving Tomas on his own to face what looks like certain death. He is disarmed except for and ornamental dagger and carried to the foot of the pyramid, where he is dumped as the Mayans retreat. Climbing to the top he is confronted by the high priest, who mortally wounds Tomas before being killed. Tomas staggers to the Tree where he carves into it with the dagger. The Tree begins to "leak" a white fluid that Tomas puts on his wound causing it to heal. Amazed by this, and succumbing to greed, he drinks the fluid, mouthful after mouthful. The result is Tomas' death as he begins to sprout flowers and vegetation, returning him to the earth knowing now he will never save his Queen because of his greed and folly.
This brings us to the third part of the story...the enigmatic Tom Creo. This story is of Tom in his bubble ship transporting the Tree through the nebula Xibalba, into a dying star that is about to go supernova. As we watch this story we see Tom as he remembers his past lives and meditates on them, he is covered in tattoo rings up both his arms...one for every year, 500 in total.
The first ring is one small one on his left ring finger. This we see was done after Izzi's death, Tommy loses his ring in the beginning of the movie, and after she dies he tattoos himself with a ring to never forget his love.
As we journey with Tom, we watch him go through the steps of meditation, remembrance, and love. He speaks to the entity of the Tree, letting it know that the journey is almost over, the time of rebirth is close at hand. We watch Tom remembering Isabel and Izzi, going over each step in the grief process....denial, anger, bargaining, depression and, acceptance. Once he reaches the stage of acceptance he also reaches what appears to be a Nirvana type of self awareness. This is very evident with the visuals of his meditation in the traditional lotus position, and scenes that resemble Tibetan meditation rugs.
It is at the point of the Tree beginning to die before they reach their goal that we watch as Tom goes through the last of the 5 stages, finally realizing that true love is found through self-sacrifice and overcoming fear. Tom travels into the star giving his life causing the tree to be reborn through him and beginning a new cycle of life through his love.
So there you have the story in a small nutshell, each of these chapters is interwoven with the other to create a non-linear but coherent flow. It is at this point that I am going to deviate from my normal flow and give you some insights into the film, hopefully to give a better understanding of what has transpired.
The most common interpretation of the film is that Tommy is the true story, or reality as it were, with the story of the conquistador being that of Izzi's unfinished book The story of Tom, is thought by some to be the final chapters of the book that Tommy writes because of Izzi's request to "Finish it".
While others argue that the future Tom is Tommy that uses his discovery of the Tree to prolong his life. This future self is travelling to the nebula with the Tree, that sprang from a seed that Tommy planted over Izzi's grave, very much resembling the explanation given earlier by Izzi of the Mayan myth of the creation of the world from the First Father's body.
You probably have noticed throughout this I have referred to the Tree, as if it were a person. That is because the Tree plays as an important role as any person in the film. Many have said the Tree does represent Izzi as well...as you watch the film many of the shots with the Tree mirror shots of Tommy in his different incarnations. In example a close up shot of Tom whispering to the Tree and having the small fibers raise at his voice. This shot is mirrored by the scene of Tommy leaning in to whisper against the neck of a sleeping Izzi. You also see this in the shot of Tomas kneeling in front of his queen as it is also shown as Tom kneeling in front of the Tree in the exact same positions.
The eyes are another example of recurring shots to tie the story together. Each character has numerous shots that are close ups of the eyes, progressing from story to story, from dark to light. This evokes to mind the saying "The eyes are a window unto the soul", almost seemingly allowing us to glimpse into the character's true feelings and desires. You can also notice that each character is shown in different lighting, from dark with Tomas, to an almost blinding white with Tom. This seems to represent Tommy's path into enlightenment showing that he has no power over death, and his acceptance of the inevitable.
Another interpretation is that of reincarnation. Each story represents the life if the same character living out his life until he reaches enlightenment or "Nirvana". There are some cultures that look upon reincarnation as just this, you live your life out, die, and are born again, with all the same people in your circle over and over and over. This has some credence in the story with Izzi, she is Tommy's anchor in each story. Izzi is what keeps him from losing touch due to single-mindedness and to remember his human side, you might argue keeping that balance between the mind and the soul, intellect and emotion. you could even argue that the two characters represent the two sides to the brain, the left governing the sciences and intellect, and the right overseeing emotions and the arts.
Love and death are also two main themes running through the entire film. Tomas goes on his quest out of love for Isabel, only to face death due to his ego and greed. Tommy focuses on his work for one simple reason, love for Izzi and trying to save her from the inevitable death she is facing. Tom has reached for the stars due to his love for the Tree and Izzi, in the end sacrificing himself for that love so that she might live. His every action revolving around the Tree, in selfless sacrifice. This brings the story of Tommy and Izzi into full circle.
One final theme that you may notice is that of the circle or the ring. Tomas is given a ring by Isabel in the beginning to represent her devotion and betrothal to him. Tommy loses his ring at the start of his story, which you may notice is the same ring as Tomas'. Some say the loss of the ring shows Tommy's losing his path, immersing himself in work and losing his focus. The ring makes a final appearance in the end. Once Tom reach that enlightenment he seeks he finds the ring at his feet bringing his journey finally to an end.
All in all I have to admit that this film is one of my favorites. In the scope of writing this I think I may have seen it 6 or 7 times. The Fountain is not a film you can see just once there are so many interwoven stories, elements, scenes, and symbols, that it is impossible to take it all in with just one sitting. Everything comes together so well the lighting, the acting, scenery, and the music.....oh my god the music! I am not one to buy a movie soundtrack that is just the score, but after first seeing this movie years ago I did just that. The score to this film tells the story in itself....with recurring themes, stanzas and runs, if you close your eyes and really listen you can actually feel them weaving together into and audio tapestry.
Here is a small sample:
I will have to say that this movie is not in my top 100, nor is it in my top 50, hell it's not even in my top 20....it is firmly ensconced in my top my 10! I have loved this move from the first time I saw it, I'm actually thinking of watching it again tonight. I highly recommend this film for any one who likes a movie that plunges into the depths of you emotions and makes you think. A movie that I have seen make grown men cry, grow angry, gasp, and laugh all in one sitting of this film. Buy it, borrow it, get it off ITunes if you have to, but the point is sit down and watch it now! Find your anchor, find your meaning, find your love.......
The Fountain
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Written by: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, and Sean Patrick Thomas
I have to apologize...no recipes this time. The time I spent watching this over and over, making notes, listening to the music and enveloping me into writing this piece I was just not able to find the perfect fit....please forgive me....and don't worry the recipes will return.
What do you get when you mix a traditional Samurai movie, a Revenge film, Blaxploitation, Animation, and Samuel L. Jackson? You get Afro Samurai! Created in 2007 and put out by Gonzo studios this was not you're traditional anime. Following the story of Afro, as he seeks the killers of his father, the original "Number One" warrior. This story is told through a masterful blend of flashback, present time, and comic relief (provided by Samuel L. Jackson). Not to mention a great soundtrack provided by RZA.
This honestly is one of my favorites of the "new school" of anime. This combined some of the best elements of so many different genres, not to mention being masterfully drawn and "shot". Adding into this great choices for the voice work, and wonderful acting, you get the right combination to create something that would stand up in any theater as a majorly produced action film. This is one that I suggest anyone who is a lover of a good story and great action, go out and get this one now!
Afro Samurai
Written by: Takashi Okazaki
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Phil La Marr, and Yuri Lowenthal
"The term sin-eater refers to a person who, through ritual means, would take on by means of food and drink the sins of a household, often because of a recent death, thus absolving the soul and allowing that person to rest in peace. In the study of folklore sin-eating is considered a form of religious magic." This is the underlying premise of "The Order", a 2003 lesser known film of Heath Ledger's. Made about 2 years after "A Knight's Tale", this reunited most of the cast. Ledger plays Alex Bernier, a Catholic priest belonging to an obscure order focusing of destroying demons, ghosties and things that go bump in the night. Now add in evil prophecies, the "anti-pope" and an arcane tradition from outside the ancient Catholic church, and you get the gist of his story.
Mixing your genres of religious horror and mystery, this is a film that received little acclaim in the box office but has slowly built renown as a cult film. I have really enjoyed this film, and it has made it into my regular rotation. Heath Ledger and Benno Furmann truly offer up great performances, and the supporting cast including Peter Weller really are a joy to behold. So if you are looking for a good horror flick without the blood and gore, but still with a story to keep you on the edge of seat, then go pick this up. I doubt you will be disappointed.
The Order
Written by: Brian Helgeland
Directed by: Brian Helgeland
Starring: Heath Ledger, Benno Furmann, Shannyn Sossamon, Mark Addy, and Peter Weller
Rated: R
Runtime: 102 minutes
