DANGAL (9)

I was waiting outside the bathrooms for my sister when I overheard a family talking about DANGAL, the movie we had just seen. "The subtle message of the movie," said a girl, "is if you listen to your father, you'll win."

Her brother snorted. "It wasn't subtle."

As I thought about these two statements, I looked at the bathroom entrance and realized that 1) most people don't like subtle and 2) they were both right.

I took a picture of the bathroom entrance so you can see what I am talking about. Go ahead and look at it. There are two entrances. Which one is the men's bathroom? How can you tell? Probably the signs everywhere help, huh?  They have cool icons and shapes and there's extra signs hanging above the door, too!

Now imagine all the signs are gone and tell me which of these is the men's bathroom. Do you see it? It's obvious, really. Women clearly need to be surrounded with pale peachy rosy colors when eliminating body wastes while men should only defecate in an environment the grey-blue-green of a fresh bruise. Even the paint on the walls above the tilework is different and neither of these two spaces looks anything like the rest of the theater.

Subtle it ain't.

Lots of people have ideas about bathrooms and the logic and morality of them. I don't want to talk about any of those ideas right now. Instead, I want to use the bathrooms as a way to see the system.

It's difficult, sometimes, to understand the systems we live in. It's like thinking about air. We really never think about air unless it smells different or the temtperature drops or if we don't have enough. But when a business needs to pays extra money for two different sets of tiles to be installed in the bathrooms so their customer's gender identities are comfortable, that's the system. Customers don't want subtle. They want bathrooms which are blatantly pink and blue.

DANGAL is a movie about women's wrestling and it is entirely about men, specifically one man, Mahavir Singh Phogat (played by Aamir Khan.) This movie completely fails the Bechtel test (which simply is - do two women in the movie ever have a conversation about anything OTHER than a man?) to the point where a male cousin is the narrator. DANGAL is a sports movie so this isn't unusual. A (male) friend of mine calls sports movies "chick flicks for dudes" because they provide the same kind of wish-fulfillment. Dudes don't dream of meeting a sexy partner who responds to their needs (because guys just expect that.) Men dream of winning the big game and the respect of other men. DANGAL provides the dream and the glorious fulfillment of the dream.

Aamir Khan plays Papa, the man with a dream. For those of you who don't know Aamir Khan, he's like India's Tom Hanks/Christian Bale and has won an outrageous number of awards for acting. His nickname is "Mr. Perfection" because of the care and meticulousness he brings to every role. For this film Mr. Kahn was just as careful. He gained and lost weight, getting as high as 35% body fat and down as low as 9% body fat, so he could portray a man going from peak physical condition in his youth to heavy and slow in his late years.  Aamir Khan movies have weight (sorry for the pun) and he is the sun every other character revolves around.

So, it's as subtle as blue bathroom tiles. Papa has a dream, Papa teaches his daughters to wrestle, Papa lets no other man control his daughters, India wins the gold. (No, I am not apologizing for the spoiler. It's a sports movie. They HAVE to win.) At the end Papa's dream is fulfilled, the movie formula is complete and everyone goes home happy. So, the brother I overheard was right. It isn't subtle.

But (and you knew it was coming) there's more to this movie than that. It showed how awful it is when grown men mock young girls on the street, when they hope their arms and legs break, when grown men rush to see a 10 year old girl wrestle because they hope her shirt gets ripped off. And when the girls are older we see men who try to dominate them, try to steal their glory, men who don't believe in them, who mock them for failing,  men who will gladly sacrifice a woman's success if it will help him hurt another man, and men who don't pay attention enough to know these young women, much less what they are good at.

The contrast, of course, is Papa. This is a man who helps with homework, knows having short hair won't kill a girl, teaches his daughters to fight, and goes against his wife's vegetarian beliefs because little wrestlers need more protein. We see a man who quit his job because his boss, who would have given him time off for a wedding, wouldn't give him the time to help his daughters meet a goal. We see a man tell his girls that they are just as good as boys, that they should fight for what they want, that they can do great things, that when they win, they inspire other girls, and that they can do all of it even if he's not there.

In short we see a father who cares about his children and knows his daughters are better off having a gold medal than a pink bathroom. So, the girl I overheard is right. If you listen to your father, one who cares about you and knows you can achieve great things, you'll win. And, if your own father doesn't say these things, the really really ridiculously good-looking Aamir Khan makes a great substitute.

I think everyone should see DANGAL. It is currently playing at two theatres in Las Vegas (and we aren't a movie town) so it's got to be available almost anywhere. It's a big glossy inspiring feel-good sports movie that everyone will enjoy. It's also a film that uses the system (feel-good sports movie = blue bathroom tiles) to show other men how dumb the system is (girls can do more than cook) and how to improve it (be a good dad like Aamir Khan.)

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 2

Well, it's over.  Here's what I learned:

1.  I had no idea that Katniss waking up in a hospital bed was the beginning of every movie.  Also, it's the beginning of each act in this movie.  I'm not saying it's inauthentic.  She is in a lot of dangerous situations and she gets hurt quite a bit.  I just hadn't realized how often she collapses and when she wakes up it's a whole new environment/scene/act/district/movie.

2. I have never given Haymich enough credit.   It wasn't until he was faced with a complex and terrible choice and he simply said "I'm with the Mockingjay" that I realized he has always had her back.  He looked out for Peeta, too, but it is Katniss who makes everything harder and Katniss who needed his help the most.

3. Short or long, I hate President Coin's hair.  

4. Mutts are REALLY scary.

5. Interesting that happily ever after for Katniss is two children.  They were really cute children (that baby was so FAT!) but interesting that a sunset-washed field of weeds with two children and a husband who needs a haircut is the end of the story.

FURIOUS SEVEN

Hi!   Here's the list:

1 flying ambulance

1 flying red car

4 parachuting cars

2 camels (because without camels, the middle east just looks like Phoenix, AZ.)

3 tiny women wearing hijab for Michelle Rodriguez to beat up

1 woman who beats up Michelle Rodriguez (I liked her!)

1 silver crucifix

6 flashbacks

57 dead or injured soldiers

1 emotional phone call to a spouse

This thing

1 deliberate refusal to view the enemy and his motivations as being remarkably similar to the hero's

1 mail bomb

1 female computer genius who was perceived as intelligent until she went to the beach and people saw her in a bikini.  Then she couldn't do anything right ever again.

"Rude."

1 surprised face when someone pulled a gun

2 sledgehammers brandished (never actually used)

1 funeral

1 pregnant wife/sister

2 product placement ads for Corona Light beer

1 cheerful and surprisingly competent Kirt Russell who makes you feel good about America

1 plaster cast removed by flexing overlarge arm muscles (I laughed!)

1 irresponsible decision to stage a terrorist war in the middle of Los Angeles

A weird amount of black Chevy SUVs (do they favor Chevrolet in the Middle East?)

2 deliberate head-on car crashes

1 really scary drone equipped with missiles, machine guns, and a green swivel eye

4 bald dudes

Three with beards

4 combinations of bald dudes fighting each other

1 Tony Jaa

Please note Underarmour product placement

1 drag race

1 family scene by the beach

Infinite amounts of female objectification

"Help!  I don't have a head!"

SOUND OF NOISE - 9

I really like musicals.   There's something about exuberant noisemaking which always cheers me up.  I don't care if it's a beautiful film full of poignant moments or a garish movie jammed with thoughtless cliches.  I will (and have) watched them all and been delighted every time.

I was digging through the Netflix pile of tacky Bollywood musicals to watch when SOUND OF NOISE swished by.  I clicked on it because there was a metronome, a pack of folks in balaclavas, and the title had two music-ish words in it.

I am delighed to report that SOUND OF NOISE is an excellent film, which is beautifully shot and has many poignant moments. It also has a LOT of music.  It's about rogue percussionists and a police dective who is in charge of stopping these musical "terrorists."  The sound in this movie is fantastic.   The ambient noise which makes up a large part of the soundtrack (much to my delight!  Ambient sound is the best!) in places is scored over with lush orchestration or catchy tropical beats.   I found this completely facinating because I noticed the movie score and it's emotional affect because it isn't part of the ambient world the characters lived in.

But, I'll stop geeking out about the noise.  It's also important that you know this movie is funny.   Because how else can a group of drummers determine who gets the first solo than a 4-hr drum-off?

"I am so mad that you won that I kicked my drum set over!"

And I am here to tell you that the empty void you call your life will be made whole once you've seen an enraged man in a Christmas sweater beat a bagpipe to death.

"Just. Be. SILENT!!"

It's on Netflix (so that means it's free, right?) so just watch it already.  It's the best musical ever made about a man who hates music.

JUPITER ASCENDING - (7)

Hey everybody!  The Wachowski's are back! Which means there's a new movie about a dude who can't talk good and a pretty dark-haired girl. (See: every Wachowski movie ever.)  But, it also means there's a movie about the way corporations profit by exploiting and destroying humans (See: anything Matrix-y.)  Also, watching people spin fast through a confusing three-dimentional world is fun (See: Speed Racer,) and gaping plot holes are no reason not to enjoy yourself (See: Utter dissapointment.)

It's the niece's birthday week, and she likes the Tater Channing, so we went to see this film.  Here's what I found interesting:

Original Story:

I honestly can't remember the last time I saw a sci-fi movie that wasn't a sequel, based on a book, or owned by Marvel.   JUPITER ASCENDING isn't brilliant but it is interesting and a new-ish sort of world.  Genetic splices, a decent-ish explanation for dinosaur extinction, and crazy machines are all fun to see.  I don't know if I'm necessarily a huge fan of Grav Boots but I suppose skimming through the air like a floating hockey player isn't a bad look.

Sean Bean:

He doesn't die!  I KNOW!  Shocking, right?  I kept expecting him to get shot or be sacrificed or something but he made it to the end of the film!  Very nice change of pace.

Really REALLY Old Villains...

...can't take a punch.  You would think that after being alive for millenia they would know how to at least defend themselves but underweight Mila Kunis lays them flat with one blow.  I know no one wants to argue with a girl swinging a tire iron but this pack of bad guys, in a fight, sure act their age.

Bros:

For the first time ever, when someone makes a wrong decision, his friends don't get super dramatic about it.  They just want to know why. When the reason is discovered, all that is said is "I would make the same choice.  Any other problems I should know about? No?  Cool.  Let's roll."

It's refreshing, really.  It's what friends actually do.  Also, watching folks get twisted because of honor or betrayal or whatever is boring.  I'm glad JUPITER ASCENDING skips all that.

Design:

I actually giggled when I saw this shot.  If Liberache and Joan Rivers moved in together and really got into Art Nouveau, this is what their spaceship would look like.  Because OF COURSE the docking bay needs chandeliers!

That said, the costuming was pretty good.  It looked very "I'm a sparkle elf and this is a sci-fi movie" but the lines and colors were consistant.

And with stuff like this, they know EXACTLY who their fan base is.

Romantic Pursuits:

Interesting that, for the whole movie, Mila was the one making the moves on Tater. Sure, it's the only logical course of action when you've finally met someone who shares your love of dark eye makeup, but he's surprisingly reticent.   He spends the whole movie saving her from one thing or another and then stepping back.   She takes the rest of the time trying to move back in.  Even the climatic kiss before battle involves her telling him it's going to happen.  .

Since Twilight, the "girl wants it but the boy doesn't" pattern has become common.  And, as always, there's some reason why the boy holds back and it usually involves uncontrollable gory sudden death for the girl.  This is weird, and interesting.  I don't quite know what to do with it, but it's interesting.

  

JUPITER ASCENDING is a pretty movie which not many people liked. If you are a fan of the Wachowski's, you should make time to see this movie because it's probably one of the last big-buget films the kids get to make.   No matter how interesting their vision, a bomb is a bomb and everyone gets eaten up in the pursuit of profit - even the Wachowskis.

CENTERED IN THE UNIVERSE at Griffith Observatory/Samuel Oschin Planetarium - (9)

Griffith Observatory is a famous landmark in Los Angeles which has been featured in such classic films like REBEL WITOUT A CAUSE,

TRANSFORMERS,

and I'm sure quite a few other movies since it's a cheap location in a park close to Hollywood.

One can tell from the heroic paintings on the ceiling

 that this is a building for the people.  These flying buttresses,

 and Atlas,

 support a structure of SCIENCE, Science which is made from Greek ideals,

solid European practicality,

and easy access to the community and the masses,

back before folks were too busy playing on their phones to think about stuff like this.


The Griffth Observatory opened in 1935 so they have ridiculously dangerous/crazy exhibits like this lying around:

as well as low-key nerd stuff like a physical table of elements wall.

Natalie wanted to see the planetarium show so we went.  You walk into a room that looks like this:

Pretty standard stuff.

I must admit, I fully expected CENTERED IN THE UNIVERSE to be terrible.   I couldn't imagine how something they have done since the 1930's could be anything but stale and outdated.

I was completely wrong.

CENTERED IN THE UNIVERSE is actually an immersive visual experience which is narrated by a real live person!  In real time!   A kindly bearded man was delighted to tell us that this show has been happening with live narrators for 70 years and turns a lamp on and off while talking about fireside stories.

He walked us through the history of astronomy, earth-centric views of the stars,

the first telescopes, the big bang, where we fit into the universe, and the existance of dark matter.   He explained how many stars are in the Milky Way,

and gleefully described our position in the great vast universe as being "in the suburbs."

He consistantly reminded us that we don't have all the answers and that more information is always over the next horizon.

It was marvelous and I loved every minute of it.

THE BOOK OF LIFE -- (10)

I love evenings.  It's my favorite time of day.  The heat of the day is over. (That's a big deal in the desert.)   As the sun slips away, lights start to twinkle awake, cool breezes drift in, and everything gets softer.  People relax, too, since the day is mostly done, and along with dinner there is more smiling and quiet laughing.  The best evenings, I think, are where one can see these things happen all at once.   Where people walk and relax and watch the lights come on.

In THE BOOK OF LIFE we are introduced to the Land of the Remembered.  When you die, (and you will) it doesn't hurt and you don't stop existing.   You don't go to somewhere strange or alien, either.  Nope, you open your eyes in an evening full of lights and music and your family - ALL of your family.  They are happy to see you, and you them, with their beauty etched on their bones.

I found it a deeply satisfying idea.  Heaven should be evening, all the time.

THE BOOK OF LIFE was satisfying in other ways, as well.   There are hundreds of terrible children's movies which teach that it's okay to be you.  It's tired and we have heard it a million times.   THE BOOK OF LIFE has the same idea except for one difference: it shows how difficult it is to be yourself.

It takes work and courage to truly embrace your passion.  After Manolo overcomes that challenge (it is very scary and he is very brave), beating the Bad Guys is no big deal.

(Though the Bad Guys are still really really scary....)

Other wonderful things in THE BOOK OF LIFE is the way the whole movie looks

and how good the music is.

I strongly recommend it.