Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters [2013]

MPAA (PG)  CNS/USCCB (A-III)  RE.com (2 1/2 Stars)  AVClub (C+)  Fr. Dennis (3 Stars)

IMDb listing
CNS/USCCB (J. Mulderig) review
RogerEbert.com (M. McCreadie) review
AVClub (A.A. Dowd) review

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters [2013] (directed by Thor Freudenthal, screenplay by Marc Guggenheim, based on the book series by Rick Riordan [IMDb] entitled Percy Jackson & The Olympians (2005-) [wikip]) is the second installment of a somewhat derivative childrens' book series (a la J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series) about a young, previously listless boy named Percy Jackson (played by Logan Lehrman), who had been diagnosed as being ADHD, and had been growing-up in a single mother household in New York prior to being sent in the series' first installment Percy Jackson: Lightning Thief [2010] to "Camp Half-Blood" on Long Island one summer (CHB becoming the series' Hogwarts...) and only there discovering who he really was and why he didn't seem to "fit in" at home:  He himself was a "half-blood" (a demi-god, with his father having been the Greek God Poseidon).  There he made friends (again a la Harry Potter...) with other "half-bloods" (children of earth women and various generally deadbeat/never-really-around Greco-Roman dieities).  And at least the potential for a really fun series was born ... ;-)

Most of the critics have seemed unimpressed (see above).  I find myself in perhaps the surprising position of being more positive about the film / series than most, perhaps because:

(1) I don't necessarily find Greco-Roman paganism particularly threatening (It's really quite Earth centered ... what happens to Poseidon (a sea God after all...) once one steps off the Earth and goes to the moon or "Alpha Centauri..."?  These were not exactly conceived as "Gods of the Universe ..."), and ...

(2) I've always liked fun/creative takes on a good story:  So I did enjoy that chief Olympian God Zeus had his son Dionysus (known in the film as "Mr. D" and played by Stanley Tucci) as the Master at this "Camp Half Blood" for all the Gods' illegitimate/and often enough otherwise neglected children.  And yet, since Dionysus (the God of Wine after all) did like his vino (and yet was being made responsible for all these young kids...), Zeus put a curse on Dionysus' wine always turning it into water as he poured it into his glass.  Frustrated, Dionysus tells a Centaur: "You know the Christians have a guy who can do this in reverse ;-).  Now THERE's a God!" ;-)

In this story, Percy, Anabeth (daughter of Athena the Greek Goddess of Wisdom and played here by Alexandra Daddario), a young satyr (half-man/half-goat) named Grover (played Brandon T. Jackson) go on a quest to find the Golden Fleece, that was to have the power to heal, and particular heal a friend of theirs named Thalia (a daughter of Zeus), who had died at the end of the first story and had been converted by Zeus into a Tree that now protected the rest of the camp.

On the other side of the coin was Luke Castellan (played by Jake Abel) the rather bitter son of Hermes (played by Nathan Fillion), who as the messenger of the Gods, was truly "never ever there" for Luke when he was growing up.  So Luke was bent on getting a hold of the Golden Fleece as a means of resurrecting the Olympian Gods' great Nemesis, their father and king of the Titans, Chronos who once resurrected would presumably bring an end to the Olympians' rule.   (Amusingly, and a mild "spoiler alert" ... Luke had scoured the Earth and all its caves for the sarcophagus of Chronos and found it ... in a Cleveland museum ;-).  And so as this story proceeds there are some homages and send-ups of both Clash of the Titans [1981] [2010] and Raiders of the Lost Ark [1981]...)

All in all, I found the film quite entertaining, but I wouldn't recommend it anyone who hasn't had at least some exposure to Classical (Greco-Roman) Mythology as without some knowledge of the Greek/Roman Gods, a lot of the story would be missed.  So parents, I wouldn't see much of a point of taking a kid to this film who's below say 6th, 7th or 8th grade.  On the other side of the coin older teens might find the film a bit childish/boring.  Still a lot of the jokes/send-ups are quite funny ;-).


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Blackfish [2013]

MPAA (PG-13)  RE.com (3 Stars)  AVClub (B-)  Fr. Dennis (3 Stars)

IMDb listing
RogerEbert.com (M. Zoller Seitz) review
AVClub (M. D'Angelo) review

Blackfish [2013] (directed and cowritten by Gabriela Cowperthwaite along with Eli B. Despress) is a documentary centering on the treatment of Orcas known also as Killer Whales at marine-based amusement parks like "SeaWorld" in the aftermath of the 2010 death/killing of Orlando SeaWorld Trainer Dawn Brancheau by an arguably troubled Orca/Killer Whale named Tilikum who had already been involved in the deaths of two other people previously. 

While it is more or less obvious that Cowperthwaite's sympathies tend to side with Animal Rights proponents who question the morality of keeping of large sea creatures, clearly intelligent (otherwise one wouldn't be able to train them), often playful, in captivity often from childhood for decades at a time, IMHO she does a decent enough job navigating the minefield of ideology (on both sides) and money involved in the controversy.  SeaWorld is a money making enterprise, but it is also presumably capable of funding a lot of research that may be (or become) hard to fund otherwise.

Here I also confess that I've been fascinated by the question of "getting into the minds" of clearly intelligent animal species ranging from dogs to elephants to parrots/crows to chimps/gorillas to octopuses to dolphins and whales to even ants/bees and even vines/plants (whose rhythms and movements become discernible with time-lapse photography).  We have an annual blessing of animals around St. Francis' Feast Day at our parish and the little lawn area by the Church where we do so, has become over the years a surprisingly welcoming area for strays and even rabbits.  Do they "experience" that area as being "somehow special"?  How could one possibly know?  But I've seen over the years both strays (dogs) and even rabbits seemingly contently sitting there during summer evenings, again seemingly "contemplating" the vista of our rather large (and truth be told "needing work" parking lot ;-) and perhaps thinking: "Yeah, this is nice!" / "Life is good" and "I'm the Master of this space" (if for a while ;-).

Study in captivity could help researchers learn how to communicate with the seemingly more capable species with which we share our world and increasingly appreciate better how self aware they are (and then honestly see what they could teach us from their "point of view" / experience).  But I would hope that such study be done with respect toward the well-being of the creatures with which one would hope, over time, to enter into communication with.  In our world of webcams and even drones, all kinds of interesting, increasingly non-intrusive studies could be made.  And I would tend toward those kind of (increasingly non-intrusive) studies.  But I would not want to necessarily "throw away" the positive and potentially positive work that could be funded via for-profit institutions like SeaWorld.  They have a lot of money and certainly can be useful in funding such work.

In any case, this is a good thought provoking film that any dreamer / optimist / animal lover would certainly appreciate ;-)


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Carré Blanc [2010]

MPAA (UR would be R)  Fr. Dennis (3 Stars)

IMDb listing
AlloCiné.fr* listing

What would a French Film Festival worth its name be without at least one dark, dystopian piece brooding about the senseless brutality of human existence? ;-).  So it was, can one say "a joy"? ;-), to encounter Carré blanc [2010] [IMDb] [AC.fr]*(written and directed by Jean-Baptiste Léonetti [IMDb] [AC.fr]*) among the films that played at the Chicago's 3rd Annual French Film Festival held recently at the Music Box Theater on Chicago's North Side.  (The Festival was cosponsored by the French Diplomatic Mission in the United States.).

Philippe (played as a youth by Majid Hives [IMDb] [AC.fr]* and as an adult by Sami Bouajila [IMDb] [AC.fr]*) and Marie (played as a youth by Adèle Exarchopoulos [IMDb] [AC.fr]* and as an adult by Julie Gayet [IMDb] [AC.fr]*) grow-up in a perpetually grey and overcast world of concrete, glass and steel (where the sky doesn't have the decency to at least let down rain ;-), making their way through endless labyrinths of drywall/cinderblock lined corridors and spartan classroom/meeting rooms encountering only an occasional cord or baton to either hang oneself or beat the occasional passerby / compatriot with, and yet hearing occasional and not-to-subtle "subliminal messages" broadcast over an ancient public address system encouraging them "to reproduce." ;-)  Regardless of what one may think of this "world view" WHAT AN IMAGE :-)

Lumbering along like the living-dead through the corridors of this heartless world, their teachers seek to present the purpose of life to them as a game.  The point of the game?  To simply "get ahead of the other guy."  Why?  Well, "you don't want to lose."

After Phillip jumps after Marie who throws herself off the balcony of their drab concrete apartment and both are caught by a safety net below, they find that in this cold, heartless world at least they have each other.

To this the Catholic could add: In such "a valley of truly MONUMENTAL TEARS," WE also have God ;-).


* Rough (machine) translations of foreign language websites are generally most easily obtained using the Chrome browser.

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20 Feet from Stardom [2013]

MPAA (PG-13)  Rolling Stone Magazine (3 1/2 Stars)  RE.com (4 Stars)  AVClub (B+)  Fr. Dennis (4 Stars)

Rolling Stone Magazine (P. Travers) review
RogerEbert.com (S. Wloszczyna) review
AVClub (S. Adams) review

20 Feet from Stardom [2013] is a documentary directed by Morgan Neville that a lot of people from many walks of life ought to see and contemplate. 

And among those who ought to see the film are Religionists, People of Faith who may at times believe that the world is going (or has already gone) to "Hell in a hand-basket."  I'm writing this because the film is in so many ways a vindication of many of the more positive professors that I've had in the Seminary both in the United States and in Italy: God may really be (and if we believe IS) smarter, more clever, and certainly more positive than we are.  A SURPRISING yet REPEATED theme in this film is the UNDERCURRENT of the GOSPEL SERVICE present in the contemporary Rock and Roll art form.  Say what? 

Well almost every one of the backup singers interviewed in this documentary about the backup singers to the star acts began ... in church choirs and almost all of them were daughters of African-American preachers.  With that background they all learned that music is about harmony, working together, yes "giving glory" but NOT necessarily about being in the limelight.  And then there's the structure of a rock and roll concert on stage.  As Bruce Springsteen, one of the stars interviewed in this film pointed out (Would there be ANYBODY who knows anything about Bruce Springsteen who'd be surprised that he'd LOVE BEING PART OF A FILM CELEBRATING ROCK & ROLL'S BACKUP SINGERS? ;-) ... at a Rock Concert "There's the 'preacher' giving 'testimony' and then there's 'the choir' behind the preacher 'singing amen.'" 

Now let's face it: the 'testimony' given at a rock concert can go all over the place and even be pretty lousy (Rocker Ozzy Osborne famously bit off the head of a bat at a concert back in the 1980s ...).  BUT isn't it fascinating that a Rock Concert could still be compared to a Gospel Service? 

I smile from ear to ear as I repeat here the words of the Psalmist: "Where can I run from your Spirit?  From your Presence, where can I flee?  If I ascend to the heavens, you are there; if I lie down in Sheol, there you are. If I take the wings of dawn, and dwell beyond the sea, Even there your hand guides me, your right hand holds me fast." (Psalm 138:7-10 best known to us American Catholics through the hymn by Dan Schulte named You Are Near).  We think we can run away from God, but we can't.  He could be smilin' ear to ear even at Rock Concert ;-)

Anyway, if you like music and perhaps if you're somewhat irritated by / skeptical of the pretentions of the Stars (of the "Rock Gods" of the recent past...) this film may be for you ;-) because THIS FILM is a celebration of the voices BEHIND THEM and it helps one realize HOW IMPORTANT THOSE VOICES ARE.  One of the interviewees noted that most of the 'hooks' from the songs that we remember are ACTUALLY THE LINES OF THE BACKUP SINGERS ;-).

A priceless interview in the film is of Merry Clayton and Mick Jagger talking about how she, six-months pregnant and with hair-curlers-on was nonetheless called at 3 AM to a Rolling Stones recording session for Gimme Shelter and with that baby bump and those in hair curlers she absolutely nailed the lyrics to that haunting Rock and Roll anthem.  When you're good, you're good ... ;-) 

Anyway, I found the film to be a joy and a celebration of EVERYONE who's not necessarily "front and center" in life.  We're all Children of the Same God and we're all Part of a Team.  And without ALL OF US, ALL OUR VOICES, this world (God's Creation) remains diminished.


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Blue Jasmine [2013]

MPAA (PG-13)  CNS/USCCB (L)  RE.com (3 Stars)  AVClub (B+)  Fr. Dennis (4 Stars)

IMDb listing
CNS/USCCB (J. McAleer) review
RogerEbert.com (S. Wloszczyna) review
AVClub (B. Kenigsberg) review

Blue Jasmine [2013] (written and directed by Woody Allen [IMDb]) is a spectacularly current mash-up of Tennessee William's Streetcar Named Desire [IMDb] and the recent 2008 Financial Crisis / Bernie Madoff scandal. 

The film begins with fallen NY socialite Jasmine (the film's "Blanche" character played here to certain Oscar nomination worthy heights by Kate Blanchett) flying into San Francisco (rather than Streetcar's New Orleans) to move-in with her far more humble / down-to-earth sister Ginger (played again at a level worthy of Oscar consideration by Sally Hawkins).  Both had been adopted and grew-up in Brooklyn before Janette (who subsequently changed her name to Jasmine) was "swept off of her feet" by the good-looking, über-confident and wealthy, soon to be spectacularly wealthy, Hal (played spectacularly again by Alec Baldwin).  But all that was gone.  All that was left of Janette/Jasmine's past gilded life was designer luggage (baggage?) and ... stories, like the story of how Jasmine had met Hal "to the strains of, 'you know the song' (most probably don't, I didn't ...), Blue Moon."

When Jasmine arrives by taxi at Ginger's humble abode, a flat above a nail shop in a nondescript, and certainly non-marquis section of San Fran, Ginger isn't there.  Calling her on her cell-phone, to ask if she even has the place right, Jasmin's told by her apologetic sister to run-over a few blocks to the grocery store where she works to pick-up the keys.  She does.  The taxi driver helps her carry her bags into the flat, Jasmine still tipping him well. "Wow!" he exclaims. "Old habits die hard," she shrugs.  Soon Ginger returns and, since she'd otherwise have to leave her there again..., asks Jasmine if she'd join her as she runs over to her ex-husband Augey (played again remarkably by Andrew Dice Clay)'s place to pick-up their their two kids Matthew and Johnny (played by Daniel Jenks and Max Rutherford).

Ginger and Augey's marriage had collapsed after their entire life-savings, which they had come to only through winning a significant if still relatively minor prize in the California lottery ($200,000), was lost following the Feds' arrest of Jasmine's husband Hal for having effectively run a decades-long pyramid scheme to finance his and Jasmine's previous Manhattan-the Hamptons-San Tropez lifestyle.  "Didn't you know?  How could you not know?" Augey screams at Jasmine when she shows up with Ginger to pick up the kids.  "I did not.  I never concerned myself with numbers.  And besides, I lost everything as well."  Yes, folks, while there are actual laughs present in the spectacularly written and cuttingly delivered lines of this film as well ... the dialogue throughout the film brims with awful betrayal and pain.

Ginger's current beau, an auto-mechanic nicknamed Chili (played again spectacularly by Bobby Canavale), who along with Augey plays the "Kowalski" role in the story, also seethes with resentment toward Jasmine's entry into his and Ginger's lives.  He was to have moved-in with Ginger on a trajectory of getting married.  (Ginger wanted a male in her house for the sake of her boys).  But Jasmine's penniless (except for her expensive baggage) arrival put that on hold.  He also knows from Ginger (after all, they were to get married) that Jasmine paid Ginger no mind while she was still rich back in New York.  But here she was now, in their way, and yet, still, often condescending to them both.  Much, of course, still has to play-out ...

 I realize that this is a film that a large number of my parishioners with probably never see.  Woody Allen [IMDb] is often perceived as part of America's often decadent elite.  And the break-up of his relationship with Mia Farrow years back over the beginning of his relationship with arguably then his 17 year old step-daughter Soon-Li certainly didn't help his reputation.

But here I do believe that holding-fast to this perception is a shame because Woody Allen ALSO grew-up in BROOKLYN.   And I do believe that Allen's portrayal of the palpable anger of his hard-working/honest Augey and Chili characters (who could have been his parents, friends and relatives) toward Jasmine and her husband Hal who RIPPED THEM OFF and DESTROYED THEIR FUTURES to support their high-flying lifestyle is dead-on.  And neither does Woody Allen give himself a break.  To those who do see the film, note the incident that precipitates the collapse of Hal and Jasmine's fortunes (and the destruction of so many others' lives and dreams, including Ginger-Augie's, as well).  Woody certainly doesn't paint himself among the "good guys."

It may all be too little too late ... but this is a film that ought to shake its probable largely upper-class / elite audience and certainly deserves significant consideration for a host of awards come the Oscars this year.  In terms of style, this film is certainly more of the vein of Crimes and Misdemeanors [1989] and Match Point [2005] than Annie Hall [1977] or Midnight in Paris [2011].  Yet Blue Jasmine [2013] is undoubtably one of Woody Allen's [IMDb] best films and quite seriously _may_ be remembered decades from now as his most important.  Approaching 80, and despite everything, Allen may actually be only now reaching his prime ;-)


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2 Guns [2013]

MPAA (R)  CNS/USCCB (L)  AVClub (C+)  Fr. Dennis (3 Stars)

IMDb listing
CNS/USCCB (J. Mulderig) review
AV Club (B. Kenigsberg) review

2 Guns [2013] (directed by Baltasar Kormákur, screenplay by Blake Masters, based on Boom! Studio graphic novels by Steven Grant) is a summer "buddy" flick about two under-cover agents, Robert "Bobby" Trench (played by Denzel Washington) and Michael "Stig" Stigman (played by Mark Wahlberg) SOOO DEEP "under cover" that they don't realize that their partner is _also_ an under-cover agent (if from another agency).

Bobby is working from the DEA.  He's trying to get inside and hurt a cross border Mexican drug cartel headed by "Papi Greco" (played by Edward James Olmos).  Stig, working for U.S. Naval Intelligence, is on a "black op" mission to basically do the same thing.  The two zero in on a small bank in the sleepy little town of "Tres Cruces" Texas where Papi Greco's bagmen have been stashing an estimated $3 million in a large safety deposit box.  Their plan is to walk into the bank and steal the $3 million of ill-gotten money, but until they actually do so (and find that there's a heck of a lot more money stashed there than a measly $3 million, more like $43 million...) each thinks that the other is a low-life con artist just trying to steal stolen money from a drug lord (Actually, a dumb/risky thing to do ... but then both up to this point think that the other is basically a good/fun if not particularly bright guy).

So were both surprised to find that the other was actually a federal agent with Bobby simply targeting "Papi's" drug gang while "Stig" was part of arguably an even more ambitious project (His "undercover-op" was going to use the stolen money to finance a "black-op"/"special forces" operation to take-down all the Mexican drug cartels, one at a time, military style).  But both were expecting to find only $3 million.  Where'd the $43 million come from?  Well ... it turned out to be far more complicated than just that ... much, much ensues ... and each of the two and up asking basic questions about who to trust. 

It's a mad, mad, mad world ...


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You Will be my Son (orig. Tu Seras Mon Fils) [2011]

MPAA (UR would be R)   Fr. Dennis (3 1/2 Stars)

IMDb listing
Allocine.fr* listing

You Will be my Son (orig. Tu Seras Mon Fils) [2011] [IMDb] [AC]* (directed and cowritten by Gilles Legrand [IMDb] [AC]*)  along with Delphin de Vigan [IMDb] [AC]* and Laure Gasparatto [IMDb]) is an excellent well-written / well-acted French language (English subtitled) "power family" family drama set in contemporary French "wine country." The film played recently at Chicago's 3rd Annual French Film Festival held at the Music Box Theater in Chicago and cosponsored by the French Diplomatic Mission in the United States.

The film begins with the somewhat diminutive late-20 / early-30-something Martin de Marseul (played by Lorànt Deutsch [IMDb] [AC]*) picking up the cremains of his father Paul de Marsuel (played by Neils Arestrup [IMDb] [AC]*) following his funeral.  He asks the funeral director if the casket is normally burned along with the deceased's body.  The funeral director responds affirmatively.  Martin then asks if the casket was made from Oak.  Again, the funeral director answers, yes, and adds that his casket was made from the finest quality French oak.  Martin then kinda smiles and tells the funeral director that his father always hated oak and wondered how he would have felt to have his ashes now co-mingled with those of his oak casket.  Catching himself, the funeral director assures him that "both body and oak casket are all carbon now ..."  Martin kinda winces (and smiles) once more, thanks the funeral director for his services and proceeds to take the urn with his father's ashes back to his car to take home...

The movie then flashes back to some months earlier.  Martin, the only son of his father Paul is something of the sales manager for his father's grand winery business.  It becomes clear that he'd really like to get into the wine-making part of the business but his father brushes him aside telling him "all in good time, my son, all in good time."  Besides, there's no need for that.  For 20-30-40 years he's had a master winemaker named François Amelot (played by Patrick Chesnais [IMDb] [AC]*) for that. 

But François is ill... And one day he and his wife Madeleine (played by Valérie Mairesse [IMDb] [AC]*) report to Paul and Martin at their manor home to tell them that he has cancer and that the doctors don't give him much chance to live.  After François and Madeleine leave, Martin takes the opportunity to ask if he could take charge of the vintage this year.  His father, Paul, agrees "for now ..." asking him to still lean on the advice from François, to which Martin replies "bien sûr" (of course) and runs off happily to tell his wife Alice (played by Anne Marvin [IMDb] [AC]*), the two having been trying for a long-while to have a child, the news that at least "for now..." (but as far as he could see, "from now on...") he's going to be in charge of the vintage.  One would imagine that the two celebrated quite well that evening ... ;-)

But, of course, Paul has other plans.  These plans involve Philippe (played by Nicholas Bridet [IMDb] [AC]*) the son of François and Madeleine who's inherited or learned well from François' wine making "gift" and was presently the head wine-maker for (Francis Ford) Copolla's wine-making operation out in California (this would be about as brazen a 'product placement' as I've ever seen.  Yet Francis Ford Coppola [IMDb] has been a famous film maker of course ;-).  Paul has François skype Philippe from Paul's estate to tell him of his illness.  Philippe, of course, leaves everything (even at the cost of his job ... mid-summer, just before the grape harvest) to come to his father's side.

And so the grand manipulating Patriarch Paul soon has Philippe, Martin and François all where he wants them.  The rest of the film ensues ... ;-)

It all makes for a very messy "family drama" (no blood, no jokes, just lots and lots of power-plays and intrigue).  And it's all set against the backdrop of the tranquil, rolling "wine-country" of France ;-)

Finally, for those who might be initially scandalized at the thought of a story involving all kinds of betrayal of family loyalties, the Bible is full of stories of such betrayals "at home." (Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Absalom and David, etc).   It's NOT right, but the Bible certainly attests that since the Fall sometimes the people who hurt you the most ... are those closest to you.


* Rough (machine) translations of foreign language websites are generally most easily obtained using the Chrome browser.

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