IN WHICH WE SEE ANGER MANAGEMENT ISSUES CAN BECOME CONSTRUCTIVE : "THE AVENGERS"

The whole thing really began with my being pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Thor (2011). Having the second film close to hand, it seemed really silly not to just go ahead and watch it. I have been taking a few days off recently. A weekend away with my friends, a few “mental health” days here and there…  It’s tough work working in events in the Christmas season. Sleep is not as much a part of my schedule as I would like, nor is “down time”. In situations like these, as the film so eloquently puts it “people need a bit of old fashioned”. Oh and well… Christmas is coming. It’s the season for a little old fashioned. I mean, ok, I do realise that The Avengers is not necessarily the first thing that occurs to one when you say “Christmas Movie” but I think there’s an argument to be made there. The film is, after all, all about everyone coming together for a common good, putting differences aside, learning from each other and concentrating on doing good in the world. Not sure you know what I mean? You may have a point, I am getting ahead of myself slightly. Let’s take this step by step…

At the end of Thor, we see Loki cast into an abyss, vanquished… This, it seems, was merely a hiccup in Loki’s attempts to climb to the top. Not only has he been rescued, he has been given an army. The destination? Earth. Loki is determined to conquer the planet and claim it as his own – he will have the kingdom Asgard denied him. And the attack is so ferocious and the power he has gathered so great that it will take every single super hero the Earth can muster, ranging from the incredible Hulk to Captain America to conquer him… But even with Thor, Loki’s own brother, joining the fight, what are the odds of a handful of heroes against an entire army that is truly “out of this world”?

The answer to that question lies, of course, in the word “heroes”. The Avengers is everything a superhero movie should be – and then some. The only thing that was missing from the conventional mix was a “love interest” story which I found rather refreshing to be honest. Forcibly inserting a rather “out of the blue” love affair usually seems a little unnecessary to me.  I mean ok, there is the “attraction” between Natasha Romanoff and Hawkeye but there is a lot of military style “loyalty” mixed into that. I mean, yes, there is the hint that there may be something more to their relationship, but her will to save him is based largely on her wish to redeem her past sins. Oh and there is of course Pepper Potts and Iron Man (I think he is my favourite Avenger by the way. I find him the most “human” of the lot. I know they all have their token faults but Iron Man has actually personality issues and borders on the dysfunctional. Plus Robert Downey Jr.’s rendition of him is HILARIOUS.  ). One might argue that all of this makes to film rely a little too much on explosions, special effects and “boys toys” as it were. But honestly… Who watches The Avengers for the philosophical messages and character development?   

Another thing I noticed is that the place of humour in the movie has been notched up quite a bit. It is mainly Loki’s domain – but this is of course Character creation 101: a believable villain has to have at least one quality that we deem positive. Between him and Iron Man, the film provides quite a few genuine giggles  - always a plus in my book.

One last thing I noticed in the film is the several references to God and religion. One is when Captain America says in reference to Thor and Loki “There is only one God and I am sure he doesn’t dress like that”. The second more open reference comes towards the end when we see the clips of the aftermath of the war when a man says “it feels nice to have someone watching over us”.  The Avengers are clearly not a Parthenon of gods, but guardian angels? Possibly… It all links in to the “bit of old fashioned” the film points out we all need some times. I don’t necessarily mean the film is promoting religion in any way shape or form. I think the message is that of return to what we perceive as “old fashioned values” in the face of chaos and negativity. Things represented largely in the film by Captain America : loyalty, obedience in a soldier, self-sacrifice… He is, in fact, a stark contrast to Iron Man who is the flippant and egocentric millionaire at the beginning of the film. At the end he has learnt the value of teamwork and is even prepared to take quite a significant “one for the tem”… Heck, even the Hulk learns to use his.. “considerable anger management issues” to the greater good.

It is interesting that this model of film was so popular in the time of the Second World war – Captain America’s epoc : A disparate, unlikely crew rub each other the wrong way at first, but learn to pull together to fight a common evil… I am not really surprised that the theme has re-emerged in these days of economic uncertainty…

Of course I may be overthinking the whole thing – and I do strongly encourage you to not think about it too much and get stuck in the movie and have a good time… But I guess I’m saying there is interesting stuff to think about in there if you are inclined to a bit of post-watching analysis… 

LET THE BATTLE OF THE TITANS COMMENCE : "SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS"

I have been waiting for this film for SO long. I love the new take on Sherlock Holmes. To be absolutely honest, I believe I do prefer the Benedict Cumberbach version of him better though. You know, the series. Are they doing any more of those by the way? If yes, when? I definitely should check on that. But in the meanwhile, let us return to the film in hand. Now, before, Holmes was the epitome of the old-fashioned hero. Strong, manly, spoke little, went straight to the point when he did and was a complete gentleman in all other ways besides. This Holmes is a brilliant mind and a brilliant detective, however also childish, selfish and possible manic-depressive. I also love the new Watson, who has his own character and personality (albeit he finds it hard to assert them when Holmes is around – but this is understandable). Gone is the bumbling doctor, whose main duty in life was to ask dumb questions at the right time so the reader could grasp the intricacies of the plot. This Watson (especially since he happens to have the body of Jude Law), is a force to be reckoned with.

And Holmes simply cannot do without him.  Watson finds this out much to his distress after his wedding, because even on their honeymoon, Holmes cannot seem to leave them alone.  Not only does he burst in on them, oh no, he brings a foray of disaster and assassins with him. This, however, may be a slightly unfair on Holmes. Not least because he is not so much pestering Watson as saving his life and the life of his bride. The reason they have assassins after them however is because Holmes has finally met his match:  An arch-villain whose intellect and genius may well actually match up to that of Holmes, Professor James Moriarty. And Watson just happens to be Holmes’ Achilles heel.  Moriarty’s aim however, reaches far beyond messing with Holmes and Watson. He has his sights set on the control of all of Europe, possibly the entire world. And Holmes is the only person capable of figuring out that he is behind all these machinations, much less stop him…

I love this series. So much so that even though a purist would say that Holmes should die and stay dead after his fight with Moriarty (oh come on. You knew that. I cannot believe you haven’t actually read the books. Shame on you.  No, really.) Anyway, the point is, I don’t care. You may have figured out by now, I am a sucker for anyone and anything that makes me laugh. Robert Downey Jr. is hilarious. I’m talking belly laughs, clapping and stomping on the floor. His interaction with Watson is perfect (as I outlined a tad in the first paragraph). The action sequences and effects are both spectacular and exciting. And the storyline is both complex and imaginative, just as a Holmes – Moriarty story should be. Oh and if you think about it, you could argue it asks serious political questions about things going on behind the scenes in any given conflict. But it is so well done; you don’t necessarily need to think about it, if you see what I mean. It’s there if you want to. Very unobtrusive yet fully there. Yet, if you just want to watch a funny and brilliant movie and not “think” about anything in particular, well you can do that too. It all depends on what you want from your evening’s entertainment – and this baby pretty much has everything you could need… 

YOUR WEEKLY DOSE OF SUPERHERO : "IRON MAN 2"

This is typical me, it needs to be said. I literally jumped in and watched this anyway, because it was convenient more than anything else. I had no prior knowledge of the series; I hadn’t even watched the first film. It had Robert Downey Jr. in it. It was a superhero movie. Oooh it has been nominated for the special effects Oscar®. That was just about the sum-total of my knowledge of the film. What can I say; I’m not always the epitome of professional conduct when it comes to my film watching habits. In the end, I had to put it in the blog. And just hope that there were enough nutcases like me who just dive into the middle of a series with no rhyme or reason. Or, alternately, have watched the first film already and don’t really care that I haven’t.

Having invented the Iron Man suit, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has literally become the personification of peace on earth. “Peace is privatized” he announces proudly and the press lap it up. He already has riches, now he has worldwide fame and the kind of adulation only a super hero can have. He is, both seemingly and actually, an eccentric and slightly egocentric businessman that does whatever he damn well likes without regard to too much else, so all this suits him just fine. The long suffering Pepper Potts (Gwenyth Paltrow) does her best to keep him in line and to keep his company from going under completely. But under this perfect veneer there is trouble brewing. Both the government and Stark’s rivals will stop at nothing in their plotting to get their hands on the suit. Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), a rather brilliant Russian physicist is not only out to get Stark but is possibly the only person with the brains and the technical capability to bring him down. Then there is the small matter of finding a replacement for the “core” that keeps Stark alive. As in, Stark has failed to find one. And he is desperately low on cartridges…

Now, this is the kind of Hollywood film I really do love. I mean yes, we know that Pepper Potts and Tony Stark will get together in the end. Yes, Tony Stark will defeat the bad guys. But Tony Stark is far from your average squeaky clean super hero. I love superheroes with attitude problems, especially if they are acted by actors as successful as Robert Downey Jr. In fact, after having seen his success in Sherlock Holmes in a very similar role, I am beginning to suspect that he is not so much acting but just being himself (a bit like a modern Clint Eastwood if you will). No matter though, he is just too funny. The comedy value alone would, in fact, make the film a joy to watch.

But then, there are the special effects. I honestly don’t know what I think of the whole school of thought whereby people go to films solely for the special effects. I am not one of these people. But every now and then, I enjoy a good show. And come on, even if you are all French New Wave, Godard and Truffaut when it comes to films, you have to admit that a good, old fashioned action flick is really, really fun. Especially if it makes you actually laugh outloud. And go “Ooooh!” at the special effects. I’d try to get this in blu-ray if poss. And I’d watch it with the sound blaring. And popcorn. If I had my way that is. Just saying. 

MORE CARTOONS ANYONE? TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED : "A SCANNER DARKLY"

Now, in telling its story, this film employs a rather original technique… Now, the whole thing is an animation, no doubt about that but the animated characters are real actors. Drawing of Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr, Woody Harrellson and Winona Rider (she’s the epitome of the 90’s as far as I’m concerned, it was a bit of a surprise to see her acting in a 2006 film if you see what I mean… ) parade around the screen making one feel decidedly odd. But odd is good in this particular case and experimental. Almost a nice mid-way solution for those who don’t particularly like animations, a wonder we didn’t think of it before… Apart from a few sci-fi details the whole film is set within “real” boundaries too, no weird space creatures (well there is a creature from another dimension but in context it’s actually quite acceptable), no one flying through the air… Serious and sci-fi never the less. And very thought provoking…
In the future – but not the too distant future – the world has become a much more totalitarian place… Security cameras are everywhere recording our every move, undercover cops everywhere trying to uncover God knows what… The biggest problem is D, also known as Death. That by the way is not a bad joke but the name of a highly addictive drug; little red pills that first give you a massive high and then of course, by degrees, destroy you. Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) is one of the good detectives working on the gangs selling “D”. He is undercover, completely so because at his office he wears a “scrambler suit” preventing him from being recognized and is known as Agent Fred. He spends time as Bob Arctor with a bunch of small-time dealers and addicts, trying to get to the “bigger picture”. However as the operation deepens, Arctor has to take more and more D to keep “in” with the suspects. Plus when he (Agent Fred) is given the bizarre directive of keeping an especially close eye on Bob Arctor things start getting tricky… And schizophrenic… In more senses than one…
It doesn’t take long to realize this is a very “anti system” film. Not anarchist in any way but anti-totalitarianism, anti-big companies having their own agendas and controlling everything. It’s sci-fi of course, none of it is based on real events but the dedication at the end seems to imply it is in the memory of security service agents who were irretrievably harmed in the line of duty. It isn’t a “down with everything” type of message though. This is very clearly a dystopia, “look, this is what we could become. Let us do our best not to be so”. And this should be done by being anti-totalitarianism of all kinds. Not letting anyone get too strong for the common good. It’s a good film and a good moment to stop and reflect on what could happen without freedom. Something we should possibly do more often…