End Times Part 1- “Left Behind” the recently released movie.

End Times Part 1- “Left Behind” the recently released movie.

This entry is focused solely on reviewing the 2014 film. I will post other entries in the future that will be focused more on my critiques of Christian films as a whole. They might also expound upon the history of Christian films. There is not enough space here for much else besides the review of this particular film.

As always I apologize for my typos and grammatical errors.

I was quite surprised to learn, as both a Christian and a movie lover that a reboot of “Left Behind” (or LB for short) was in the works. The first film, released in 2000, was so inadequate and so universally panned that one of the authors of the books sued the filmmakers to reclaim the rights to the story and characters. But then I was shocked to learn Academy Award winner (and one of my favorite actors) Nicolas Cage was set to star. The budget was set at $16 million. Nothing to sneeze at but I had my doubts as to whether that would be enough to present post-Rapture chaos fully. The Rapture presented here is when all the true Christians of the world disappear in a single moment, plunging the world into chaos.

Let’s cut to the chase. Is this a good movie? No, it’s not. Average? That’s really stretching it. It means well. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the aspects of the film, but I cannot recommend seeing it unless, well, you’re truly open-minded enough to see its few bright spots.

OK, let’s talk about those few bright spots before we move on to the not so bright. In my opinion, the filmmakers made a smart choice when they decided to focus solely on the Rapture and the hours after it. The film isn’t told in “real time” but it comes pretty close. The film’s storylines are based on only the first chunk of the novel. The novel continues past that story- following storylines that occur over weeks and weeks. Major characters are introduced.  But the novel has all the time in the world to tell its story. In my opinion, the novel cannot be adequately adapted within the length of most feature films. The first LB movie covered all the major events of the novel, but it was simply too much story to jam into 96 minutes.  I’m of the opinion that only a well-funded mini-series could depict the entire novel in complete detail. “Band of Brothers” is a good example. Or perhaps the ideal medium would be a television series; similar to the way HBO has adapted George R.R. Martin’s books into the “Game of Thrones” TV series. The Rapture and its immediate aftermath are more than enough to fill up this 110-minute feature film.

I’m not usually a fan of a movie that detours greatly from the source material. For instance, the 2005 film “Left Behind: World at War” is supposedly based on the last chunk of the novel “Left Behind: Tribulation Force.”  And yet it essentially tells a brand new story that bears little resemblance to the source material. But I see the deviations taken in this LB film to be in the best interests of the movie. Expanding the beginning of the novel meant condensing many events while creating new ones in order to flesh out characters and move the plot along quickly. I found many such plot points interesting and useful.

The most surprising aspect was something rare in most Christian films. This film started to paint a truthful view of many Christians, such as their lack of Biblical knowledge (beyond simply quoting the Bible) and their brazen arrogance in the face of non-believers. But the film does not go far enough in my opinion. A major risk needed to be taken- the film should have made a more concentrated effort to expose the idea of believing in God as fraudulent and illogical. The case must be made for denying His existence or at least His holy nature. Much like how American History X manipulated language in support the idea of white supremacy. Its case was presented so well because its manipulation of language was so masterful. One could see how a small group of people might buy into it. It’s terrifying to hear. Such a plot device would make a rebuttal in favor of God (presented later in the film) much more powerful. That is as long as this rebuttal was thoughtfully presented. This film’s rebuttal was weaker than weak. Am I comparing racism with atheism? No. Not in the LEAST. I’m only pointing out how the use of language in films can be used to make any idea make sense. Again, I’m speaking of plot devices.

I found the sets adequate. And the chaos immediately following the rapture was the best I’d see so far even if the budget limited its scope and its special effects (which were really awful at times).

OK, onto some of the major disappointments. By far the most glaring example is the writing. Poor writing is a common issue in just about every Christian film that comes to mind. The script was written by Paul LaLonde and John Patus. LaLonde is a former social worker who has started various film studios dedicated to films about the End Times. He and Patus’s resumes are solely focused on Christian films. Remember when I said that one of the authors of the novel sued the filmmakers of the first movie? LaLonde and Patus were two of those filmmakers. They were involved with writing the original script. Yet somehow they were allowed write the screenplay for the new film as well. That’s just asking for trouble. The script was an improvement over the previous one, but at the end of the day these guys are just not talented writers. The dialogue had almost no subtext to it. No dramatic flair at all. In a word, it was utilitarian at best. Serious and complex plot events do not automatically inspire amazing dialogue.

The writing naturally affects the next disappointment, the acting. Was it good? No. Are the actors solely at fault for that? No. As an actor perhaps I’m too sympathetic, but I felt most of the actors did as good a job as possible with the weak dialogue they were forced to say. Most of the actors are experienced enough to know how to handle themselves. Cage showed honest inner turmoil but even he can only do so much. Though he is the film’s star, most of the focus fell on the shoulders of Cassi Thomson. I believed her emotions, but again she could only do so much. I could tell she has talent. And so the best moments of the film came when the actors were allowed to act without speaking. I can’t imagine the actors were aided very much by director Vic Armstrong, who has almost no background in directing; he’s mostly worked in stunts and second-unit filming.

The next disappointment is also a very common issue in many Christian films- the music. I admit I don’t always pay attention to the film’s music, but that’s because most film scores and soundtracks blend almost effortlessly into the fabric of the film. I recently re-watched “Lawrence of Arabia” and its sweeping score was a great guide through all the numerous events of that film. The music in this film, as in its predecessor, is loud, jarring and distracting. It too lacks subtext. This film's music acts not as a guide but instead as an interruption that weakens an already weak film.

Unlike most of the reviews from critics I’ve read so far, I take no pleasure in criticizing this film. Nor will I expound upon its numerous shortcomings with such overwhelming negativity. This review is already longer than I intended it to be.

Movie-goers, no matter what denomination they belong to (if any), deserve better. Much better. Will movie-goers ever get it? Perhaps. But I think that will only come when the bar for artistic substance in filmmaking exceeds or at least matches that of the story itself. Just making a film inspired by Christian beliefs is not enough. Films demand not just a good story. Films demand a good story told well. Films are art. Art does not come easy.  It’s not automatically part of every film. Audiences demand more. And they have the right so demand such excellence.

But that too is a topic for a future post.

 

 

A Pirate Looks at 10

A Pirate Looks at 10 (years)

On Friday, August 27, 2004 I awoke on an Aero bed on the floor of a one bedroom apartment in Studio City, CA.  The previous day my dad, my best friend Mark and I had arrived after driving all the way from our homes in Jacksonville, FL. OK, Dad joined us in San Antonio but still that’s not bad. Mark and I made the trip in exactly 7 days, travelling over 3,000 miles. I was giving acting a shot.

As luck would have it I-10 (known as Interstate 10 in Jax, The 10 in LA) started a short distance from my parents’ house in the Ortega neighborhood of Jacksonville (the Westside is the best side).

The journey got off on a bad note. Stopping at JAX Navy Federal Credit Union off Roosevelt Blvd, I discovered to my horror that I had misplaced my ATM card. So I did what any college graduate would’ve done. I drove back to my parents’ house to hit my Dad up for some money. He also handed me my green comforter. Even with care and cleaning that comforter finally got thrown away some time in 2013. What can I say, I’m a pack rat.

Sadly right before we left my computer’s hard drive had been damaged and all the mp3’s I had were lost forever. I was left with whatever had been burned onto my many CD’s. I figured this was for the best. If I’d never bothered to put any of those other songs on CD they must not have been very good songs. But back in the day they were free and no one felt particularly bad about not paying. It was all about volume. So I went to either a Borders (RIP) or a B&N and bought 5 or 6 CDs, mostly Greatest Hits albums. At the checkout the clerk looked down, then looked at me and said, “Road trip?”

I packed as light as I could. There was said Aero bed, a large suitcase, a smaller gym bag with clothes for the trip, a box of glassware that my new brother in law JP had insisted I take, and my small TV with built in VHS. Yes, I said VHS. Mark and I were outfitted with walkie-talkies and deemed ourselves ready for travel.

Mark, being smarter and more organized, kept a “Captain’s Log” of the trip of which I will sometime post a sanitized transcript version of on here. As I recall it was an old fashioned tape deck. Oldie but a goodie. I was driving my 2003 Honda Accord, “champagne” colored and named Thelma after my grandmother. Before leaving I made sure they put a tape deck back in the car even though they had been discontinued by that point. Look, all my many audiobooks were on cassette so get off my back. :-) 

The trip itself is worthy of a separate entry but here are a few high points. The first day we were so pumped up that we drove all the way to Beaumont, TX and its lovely Best Western. We stopped to see Mark’s grandmother who fed us peanut butter sandwiches and told Mark to follow his dreams. I got no such advice so I’m stealing his. We split up briefly in TX and reconnected to pick up my Dad who was flying into San Antonio to join for the rest of the trip. He made known his dislike of Coldplay and put my new Best of Bruce Springsteen CD on continuous loop until even I had to ask to listen to something else. I’m not proud of that. We stopped at Carlsbad Caverns (The Bats!), The Grand Canyon, and Tombstone, AZ (complete with OK Corral reenactment) to name just a few. We also, at my insistence, drove an hour or so out of our way to briefly visit the Tanque Verde Ranch near Tucson. The reason? It’s where they filmed “Hey Dude” my favorite childhood TV show. We didn’t know this at the time but what few buildings remained were actually a mile or so away from the actual ranch. But we spent a few minutes walking around the pool and corral area. It was worth it.

We awoke on the 26^th at the Grand Canyon and drove into sunny California. Through a college buddy of mine we had already lined up an apartment which was a huge blessing. Of course we had no idea what it would look like but good ole’ #110 at Bluffside Gardens served us well, even if we didn’t yet have a fridge. We made our first Ralphs run, got take-out from a place called Fat Jack’s (RIP) and watched Swingers. My dad’s reaction, “Bud, I’d be thrilled if you were Goofy.”

We did some sightseeing: Hollywood & Highland (where I complained about all the tourists), a tour of the Sony lot and several more trips to Ralphs. We watched Ocean’s 11 and Wild Bill. I remember driving through my new neighborhood listening to Woody Nelson and Ray Charles’ duet of “Seven Spanish Angels,”  Elton John’s “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues” and James Patterson’s audiobook of “Kiss the Girls” read by Robert Guillaume and Chris Noth.  Funny how random things like that come back to you.

So I awoke today in my condo in Van Nuys, nursing a double ear infection and blissfully happy because it didn’t really flare up until after I’d filmed a scene for “Criminal Minds” on Monday. Yesterday, the anniversary of my arrival, I drove past Bluffside Gardens and snapped a few pictures. Even went to the same Ralphs. All in my Hyundai Elantra named Carl after my grandfather (Husband of Thelma). Today there will be a few more brief stops.

Are there most personal, heartfelt memories from this life changing trip? There are many, but they’re all mine. Sorry.

 

Mark took a picture of the sunrise at The Grand Canyon on the morning of the 26th. Driving home from set on Monday I had to pull over and snap a picture as the sun started to set.

 

Sunrise. Sunset.

I always told myself if I made it to 10 years I’d give a good hard look at what I wanted to do next and where I wanted to do it.

My conclusion? I’m staying. It’s time to begin Phase 2.

Ben

August 27, 2014

Film Review: Some Girl(s)

I first saw Neil Labute’s “Some Girl(s)” when it was performed in Los Angeles.  I was pleasantly surprised when I heard it was being turned into a movie.  It stars Adam Brody, Jennifer Morrison, Mia Maestro, Emily Watson, Zoe Kazan and Kristen Bell.

In short, the film is about a nameless male writer on the verge of getting married (called Guy in the play, Man in the movie) who has decided to tour the country visiting old girlfriends. Each new girl visits his hotel room and in short order we hear about this particular couples’ past.  Constricting the action to a series of innocuous hotel rooms helps to focus the audience’s attention when performed live. The hotel room is essentially repeated almost exactly the same in Los Angeles as it is in Boston. The filmmakers made the interesting decision to set each scene in hotel rooms as unique as the women who come to visit them. I found such sets distracting at first but ultimately helpful in separating not only who these girls are but also who they were for Man. Still the film lacked the pace needed to fully keep your attention. How this would have been corrected I cannot say except to float the idea of giving each new scene a new director (in a Four Rooms kind of way) to provide more twists and turns to get the material moving.

The film works on the strength of the performances and less on the writing. No one can deny LaBute’s talent so I wonder if he purposefully underwrote this one. As the title says this is a play about some girls but the lack of real insight into the single male characters left me a little confused. There were a few dialogue changes in the script’s journey from stage to screen and I can’t help but wonder if there should’ve been a few more.  The idea behind the film is intriguing but with no one to “root” for you quickly lose interest. With each new scene hopes of deeper clarity and greater understanding go unrequited. And yet, you want to keep watching. I found myself wondering if there were moments I was missing and I feel confident that there are at least a few. By the end of the film you do gain some insight into the Man’s purpose for this journey but purpose does not equal depth. The ending is almost tossed away. That being said the addition of a new “girl” not previously seen in the play provides some of the best acting and dramatic moments of the entire film.

The casting of Brody is most interesting since his natural sweetness and charm prevent you from ever deciding on a clear interpretation of who he is when confronted with the things he has done in his past.  Perhaps you wonder if deep down he really is who he is apparently trying so hard to be.  Would it have been better to have cast an actor whose lack of gravitas made our feelings about his character easier to crystalize? Perhaps, but I tend to prefer bolder, more complex casting choices even at the risk of overall satisfaction in the general sense of the word.

In short, the film does not deliver the way I’d like it to, but part of me didn’t care. I got what I was prepared for and the things I didn’t like had nothing to do with the actors. Some Girl(s) may indeed be more endearing to us drama nerds than to the general public but films like this aren’t made to stand toe to toe with Oscar winning projects. Perhaps it’s best to view watching it as you would watching the play, that is you take a brief part of your night to watch everyday people try their best to communicate with each other- that most basic and yet difficult task for us all.

The Oscars 2014

I am hard pressed to remember a year where there was such competition and uncertainty going into Oscars weekend. Best Picture might just be determined by picking a name out of a hat. Though it makes predicting harder, and thus less fun, I'm all for knowing that there will be actual reasons to tune in.

As before I'll try and keep things brief by stating who I believe will win, should win, might spoil and should've been nominated at least.

Best Picture:
Will Win- 12 Years a Slave.
Should Win-Gravity.
Might Spoil- American Hustle
Overlooked-All is Lost

Best Director:
Will Win- Alfonso Cuaron or Steve McQueen
Should Win- Alfonso Cuaron
Might Spoil- David O. Russell
Overlooked- Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Actor:
Will Win- Matthew McConaughey
Should Win- Matthew McConaughey
Might Spoil- Chiwetel Ejiofor (but he won't)
Overlooked- Robert Redford (All Is Lost)

Best Actress:
Will Win- Cate Blanchett
Should Win- Sandra Bullock
Might Spoil- Amy Adams
Overlooked- Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks)

Best Supporting Actor:
Will Win- Jared Leto
Should Win- Jared Leto
Might Spoil- Michael Fassbender (but he won't)
Overlooked- Nothing jumps out at me here but as always I wasn't able to see everything I wanted to see

Best Supporting Actress:
Will Win- Lupita Nyong'o
Should Win- Lupita Nyong'o
Might Spoil- Jennifer Lawrence
Overlooked- Jennifer Garner (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Original Screenplay:
Will Win- Her
Should Win- Her
Might Spoil- American Hustle
Overlooked- All Is Lost

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Will Win- 12 Years a Slave
Should Win- Wolf of Wall Street
Might Spoil- can't think of any
Overlooked- a small shout out to The Great Gatsby wouldn't have been unwarranted.

Want more?  I'm mostly going with Entertainment Weekly's picks for the rest of the categories for my own pools.

Go get 'em Ellen!

Addiction- A Brief Word

I don’t know the details of Mr. Hoffman’s death or personal life so I can’t comment on any of that. But here’s what I can say about my feeling on the large issue of addiction.

When Kurt Cobain killed himself I was only recently a teenager. He had escaped from a rehab center and killed himself in his home. But when the news hit I felt neither shock nor sadness. I felt angry. I considered snapping my “Nevermind” CD but couldn’t bring myself to do it. I still threw it away. I hadn’t matured much more when Chris Farley died. Again, anger. I remember thinking, “I guess we just can’t have heroes anymore.”

What can I say except that I was acting like a jerk.

I knew nothing of addiction. I haven’t become an expert but I have seen more of it. We all have. And yet there is still the inclination to look down on those who do drugs, or alcohol, or anything to extreme degrees.  We say, “What is wrong these people?! Why don’t they just stop? These deaths would be entirely avoidable. I’d never be like that!”  Several years ago I read a fictional story of a wealthy man so fed up with drug users that he spent a good deal of his fortune to poison some drugs before they were sold to users. Deaths would increase so in response people would quit using out of certain death. It didn’t work. The deaths continued to pile up even after the story broke. People kept using. He didn’t get it.  Too many of us think “Oh that will never be me.”

No so fast. Addiction can happened to anyone about anything, even good things. People get addicted to exercise for example. If that make too much since to you then consider Quinn Pitcock. Never heard of him you say? Not surprising. Pitcock was a professional football player drafted in the 3^rd round by the Colts. He actually retired for a brief while but when he attempted a comeback, his addiction ruined his chance. The culprit? “Call of Duty." That’s a video game. At one point he was playing 18 hours a day.

Addiction is a physical problem because it can change the way the brain operates which in turn affects our entire body. It is a mental problem and we have been awful at trying deal with mental diseases. It’s not something that be turned on and off like a light switch. First we as a people need to change our perception of drug users. Dismissing them only leads to more using as they try and deal with that pain. Users cannot be put into general prisons, left to go through painful detox on cold cell floors surrounded by prison staff that couldn’t help the inmates even if they wanted to.  They are corrections officers not drug counselors.  The battle inside an addict’s brain must be changed and that takes time. Prevention is the best way but when addictions threaten the user or puts others at risk incarceration does nothing. Rehabilitation can do everything

Mr. Hoffman was a brilliant actor. I’m not angry at him. He had a neurological disorder and until we see addiction for what it is this will get happening.  Is his death our fault? Of course not but it’s the addiction culture that we are letting down.

I wish I knew more. Perhaps what I’ve written is way off the mark. I didn’t spend hours researching it; I just booted up my computer and started writing.

 In the future I sure hope I take the time to learn what I can. I just may have to counsel someone someday, even if all I can do is take the time to truly listen to their story.

Really listen.