WANTED
review by James Harleman
starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman
Directed by Timur Bekmambetov
Rated R

It’s been the eternal question on no one’s lips: what would happen if The Matrix and Fight Club had a baby? At least now, we know it would be Wanted… a high octane, man-up, power to the people bootstrap bonanza that embraces its utter absurdity with relish.

Y2K was in full swing, and movies were both fun roller coasters and bleak commentary all at the same time. It was 1999, and two anthem movies for men hit the market: The Wachowski Brothers blended conversion, Christ, and Buddhism into a magnum opus Matrix that fueled testosterone, visual effects, coffee-conversation and even sermons (the least interesting things it spawned were two tepid sequels). Meanwhile, David Fincher’s adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club took a stab at our confusion in regard to masculinity, merchandising, therapy, social expectations, fragmented personalities and terrorism. From Brad Pitt’s semi-sermon about being in a “spiritual war” to Morpheus’ pill-popping, reality-bending revelation for Neo, cubicle dwellers responded with cheers and excitement at the idea that life had more purpose and meaning, and that they didn’t need to be lemmings scurrying around in an dehumanizing, politically correct landscape. All was well with the world?

It’s now 2008, and not surprisingly most of those men are still in the cubicles, pacified and subdued by Swedish furniture and how many friends they have on Facebook, tapping at their ergonomic keyboard and complaining about carpal tunnel. Whether they are secretly yearning for that dream of sweet release again will soon be evident, as Wanted seeks to deliver two hours of fleeting hope to the emasculated masses.

Adapting the graphic novel of the same name, the film takes the comic book property and borrows heavily from the style of The Matrix and the male empowerment theme of Fight Club, with a splash of another 1999 classic - Office Space. Some would also describe it as this year’s Shoot ‘Em Up, but in any case it’s a familiar superhero romp with a character who gives the finger to his own internal weakness, his dead-end job, his cheating girlfriend, his waste of a friend, and pretty much ALL the powers that be. Much like this years apocal-epic Doomsday, it seems more like an homage to successful films that have come before it… but this one succeeds in probably being the film that is the most fun this year, save for the crowd-pleasing Iron Man.

25 year old office drone Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is meandering through his meaningless life when he meets Fox (Angelina Jolie), an intense woman who pushes him out of the way of gunfire and engages in a spectacular shoot-out. She informs Wesley that the attacker has already killed his father, who was apparently the greatest assassin in “The Fraternity”, an ancient order that carries out assassinations based on a mysterious system of fate. Wes learns quickly that he has been wasting his life, that he has the ability to curve bullets and the inherent gifting to literally shoot the wings off of a fly. Brought into the assassins’ fold, the Fraternity helps the previously oblivious man hone his dormant powers… not just to join them in killing people as the “loom of fate” decrees, but so that he can avenge his father’s death. However, like any good fast-paced action movie, Wesley soon learns there is more going on in The Fraternity than meets his sharpshooting eye.

The foundational ideas the film toys with (amidst gunfire, fisticuffs, and car chases) are “living a lie” and the inevitability of “fate”. Wesley believed the world operated in a particular, mundane way, walking along like everyone else until a stunning moment of revelation revealed the truth of the world… that there is much more to his existence, a larger narrative arc to life and everything in it. He realizes His father and his own destiny are things he never considered (or never wanted to admit). This is not unlike the experience a Christian describes, coming to an awareness of the true metanarrative overarching human existence… that humans are more than mud and cells and abiogenesis and ultimately the grave: that our beginning, and our end, and our hero, all pivot on the cross, divinity, victory and person of Jesus Christ.

Like Wesley, I was 25 when overwhelming revelation irrevocably changed my life. While not marked by curved bullets, curvaceous assassins and abandoned factories, the overturning of “normal” is the experience of the transformed believer.

At one point in the film, Wesley literally struggles his way through a demolished loom and its scrambled threads, which takes on the appearance of a spider-web; for all intents and purposes he is tangled in a “web of fate”. The movie not only implies some kind of intelligent design to the fabric of existence, but that - no matter what we do - fate will catch up with us. Though Wesley is freed from his former life, we begin to see on multiple levels that he has been carefully and meticulously led into this “freedom” and that certain ends seem inevitable. This facet of the film begs the question: how much control do we have over our lives, and who is pulling the strings? Are we a slave to our design? Is there a designer? Is there someone weaving us into a narrative from which there is ultimately no escape? Can we trust in it, or them?

“Fate” is often a way of implying design, prescription, and predestination, while safely dodging the deeper question of who or what is guiding it, or how it is being determined. Even as Wesley peels away the human layers of deception and manipulation, it still remains clear that something is at work, and he has become an instrument of this force. When he boasts of taking control of his own fate, it rings hollow: he may simply have followed “fate’s” wishes with the benefit of having his desires temporarily in line. I’m not suggesting this is a bad thing, though a faceless fate is certainly a harsh master. As I’ve been blessed to understand, when a Christian is truly “freed” from the world and its destructive path, that freedom reveals one’s design as an image-bearer and servant of God, taking joy in the restored connection; it is not a freedom “from” something, but a freedom TO something. As the apostle Paul said, “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all.” As Wesley inherits his true father’s legacy, the Christian similarly finds favor as our true father is revealed: “so you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

McAvoy is not as nimble in Norton was in Fight Club, providing voice-overs about his pathetic life and evolving from wimp to warrior, but he is functional and fully enjoyable. Honestly, he’s more versatile and accessible than Keanu Reeves’ Neo with that stunned look and “whoa”. As Fox, Angelina Jolie does a tremendous job transmitting much more while saying much less; rumor is she cut many of her lines believing her character would communicate through expression, and it pays off. This time, less is truly more. Morgan Freeman appears as Fraternity head Sloan and delivers the quality we expect from this veteran even when he’s in an essentially silly movie. Russian director Timur Bekmambetov brings a relentless rhythm to the film that keeps the audience excited and smiling.

If you like the films it borrows from heavily, you will likely enjoy Wanted.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Rated PG
Reviewed by Aaron Webb

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is the second in the motion picture fantasy franchise created from the books by C.S. Lewis. The story recounts the adventures of the four Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, as they re-enter Narnia to help Prince Caspian fight for his rightful place on the throne. In this installment, directed by Andrew Adamson (Shrek) and starring an ensemble cast of newcomers and well-known’s, we see a darker, wilder Narnia, with more action and deeper character development than either the book or the first film.

Narnia came on to the latest fantasy film craze a little late and in some ways it shows. Production-wise, the film is fairly good with breathtaking scenery and sets. However, after ten and a half hours of The Lord of the Rings and five Harry Potter movies, the general audience may not appreciate some of the locations (many of which were filmed in New Zealand) and effects. In places the CGI seems overdone and cheap, but on the other hand, the costuming and small sets are done quite well. Giving the Telmarines (revealed to be seafarers that ended up in Narnia through an island cave) a Spanish conquistador air is clever and successfully done, and the high point of costuming is the Telmarine costumes inspired by the unconventional Spanish Renaissance painter El Greco. A conscious effort was made to make the world look Medieval, as while only one year has passed in England since the Pevensie children left Narnia, 1300 years have passed in Narnia since Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson) broke the stone table, and Narnia has entered into a dark, savage age.

What really carries the film is the range of the actors involved. Adamson should be commended for casting the right dwarves. Consciously casting Warwick Davis (Willow) against type was a wise move. Davis is a talented actor, and the opportunity to play a more sinister character gratifyingly expands his range and demonstrates his ability. Davis’ rendition of Nikabrik does not disappoint. But, it is Peter Dinklage (Living in Oblivion) that steals the show as the grumpy, sarcastic dwarf Trumpkin. Eddie Izzard gives a great voice to Reepicheep making him a bit more sinister and dangerous than his book based counterpart. Ben Barnes excellently creates a weird Inigo Montoya/Antonio Banderas fusion in his rendering of a Spaniard-inspired Prince Caspian. Skandar Keynes handles the character heavy role of Edmund quite well, casting a subtle yet well-developed shadow of maturity over the other Pevensie children. Behind the cast of main characters, a cadre of Hispanic and Italian actors gives great character to the Telmarines. Led by Sergio Castellitto (King Miraz), Pierfrancesco Favino and Damián Alcázar play a great foil to the star-studded line up of main characters.

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by James Harleman, Cinemagogue Editor-in-Chief

“The first Hulk movie was a failure!”

“The first one bombed at the box office!”

“The previous movie didn’t have enough Hulk!”

“The Hulk effects looked like crap!”

“Ang Lee’s movie was depressing!”

And so on… and so on… and so on. As The Incredible Hulk smashed into theaters June 13th, the old rants about Ang Lee’s ponderous epic Hulk emerged again, with some new whining that even the jade goliath himself would probably snort at. Seriously, it’s an interesting cultural study in media spin and short memories to see how both Hollywood and humanity are transformed, like gamma rays, by marketing and snappy judgments.

Think you have a TRUE memory of this corner of our earlier decade? Think again.

As I mentioned in my own Incredible Hulk review, I grew up watching the 70s television show with my Dad. I have read the Hulk since the late 80s, and own EVERY Hulk comic. Seriously. While I may not be the strongest one there is, I certainly have some qualifications when it comes to the adaptation of this green goliath. I walked out of Ang Lee’s 2003 magnum hulkus with my father and a warm smile on my face… and found out that almost nobody else got it.

A few critics did. In fact, Erik Sofge at Slate.com just posted “In Defense of Hulk”, a truly thought provoking article that examines the uniqueness and ambition of the Lee film that’s well worth the read. Roger Ebert also put it succinctly in his 2003 review: “Ang Lee’s Hulk is the most talkative and thoughtful recent comic book adaptation. He is trying here to actually deal with the issues in the story of the Hulk, instead of simply cutting to brainless special effects… this is a comic book movie for people who wouldn’t be caught dead at a comic book movie.” Reviewer Chad Law said “Putting an acclaimed director like Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) at the helm was a good idea! With The Hulk, Lee has made the biggest budget art film to date.”

Nevertheless, The Incredible Hulk came out this summer, just five years later but as a reboot trying to erase the “mistake” of the first film. While I enjoyed the new movie, I can’t help but notice the “spincongruities” at play, which are more irritating than incredible.

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A Review of The Fall
by Claudine Elizabeth Miller
Directed by Tarsem (Singh)
Rated R

Bandits! Smart Monkey! Oh My!

But, being as how this review is supposed to be longer than 10 words, here are my reasons why you should see Tarsem’s The Fall:

Reason #1: Sure, Tarsem (he has recently dropped his surname, Singh, for his filmmaking credits) was the director of the icky and poorly cast The Cell, but he does have a way with fantastical visual imagery. From the first shot to the last, The Fall captures you with such epic, poetic, vibrant images that perfectly brings to life a story that is running through the mind of a young child. I must admit, I was quite skeptical about seeing this film. After all, the reviewers were already calling it a “vanity piece”, “ostentatious”, and “flat”. But with the opening sequence (a black and white hauntingly beautiful shot involving a train bridge, an old steam locomotive, a Native American, and a horse hanging from a rope) I was sucked in.

Watch the trailer

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by James Harleman

One of my Top 10 films is John Carpenter’s The Thing. One of my guilty pleasures as a ten-year old television viewer was the man-morphing “Manimal”. The only film that made me cry in high school was Edward Scissorhands, and The Terminator will always be one of my favorite James Cameron movies, despite that bloated boat movie he made years later.

What do all these have in common besides my childhood? Despite different actors, directors, and producers they, and many more films, have Stan Winston in common. The special effects GENIUS passed away June 15th after seven years of battling multiple myeloma.

If Ray Harryhausen owned the special effects world up until the 80s, the crown definitely passed to Stan Winston in the 80s and he owned it well into the 21st century. This man designed Schwarzenegger’s stiff metal skeleton, made me believe Sigourney Weaver could go head-to-head with an Alien queen, made me tremble that a Tyrannosaurus could walk and terrorize again. The man took home three Academy Awards and had more nominations than I can remember. In many ways, he WAS special effects, and even in our new world of studios vying to make their mark in the 21st century with digital effects, he still built the suit Iron Man wore to wow us this summer in the blockbuster of 2008. It’s apropos, as one of his early gigs was designing the Mr. Roboto facemask for Styx.

It is men like Stan Winston, with such a visionary eye, an overabundance of creativity and imagination, that help me more fully appreciate our place as image-bearers of the Creator. This man got to create new animals, aliens, recreate events at Pearl Harbor, and even do makeup for angels and demons (albeit fictional). The honor to be designed with that spark of creativity, that impulse and attribute of God, is truly a wonder to behold in someone so gifted. Did he understand the true extent of his talents and gifts? I hope to find out someday.

Domo Arigato, Mr. Winston. You will be missed.

Recommended films featuring Stan’s handiwork:

* The Thing (1982)
* The Terminator (1984)
* Aliens (1986)
* Predator (1987)
* Pumpkinhead (1989)
* Edward Scissorhands (1990)
* Batman Returns (1992)
* Jurassic Park (1993)
* Interview with the Vampire (1994)
* Galaxy Quest (1999)
* Iron Man (2008)

A Review of The Incredible Hulk
by Pastor James Harleman
Starring Ed Norton, Liv Tyler, and William Hurt
Directed by Louis Letterier

I can remember my Dad racing home furiously in our Volkswagen Beetle, hoping to drop us in front of the television before the pilot for the 1970s Incredible Hulk began. We rarely missed an episode, and read the comics together from my youth into adulthood. It became such a father/son bond that in 2003, he came up to see a midnight showing of Hulk, the oft-maligned Ang Lee outing that these lifelong fans did not find lacking. As the familiar piano music of the “Lonely Man” theme plays (which always accompanied the fugitive Banner in the 70s show) I find myself a touch melancholy seeing the sequel without my father, who passed away in 2005. With decades of watching, reading, and relationship intertwined with this less than jolly green giant, I hoped 2008’s movie would truly live up to it’s added adjective: “incredible”.

I’ll answer the question on everyone’s mind (and make the Hulk angry - you wouldn’t like him when he’s angry): as far as the films go, The Incredible Hulk is NOT as good as its recent Marvel movie brother, Iron Man. The way THAT film took off and blew the pop-cultural consciousness, I’m not sure there’s any way even The Incredible Hulk could have delivered the same punch. Director Louis Leterrier’s style is complementary to Jon Favreau’s, but the pacing, effects and editing fall short of the heights to which Iron Man soared.

Still, it IS evident that Marvel Studios is creating something of a house style, and the film fits nicely in the same stable as Iron Man. From the opening credits showing military equipment by Stark Industries to the ending scene with Robert Downey Jr. the film takes its place as a successful, enjoyable installment in the expanding “Marvel Universe“. As the character and narrative are not intended to be as light as this summer’s Iron giant, the new Hulk film falls tonally somewhere between the Iron Man and X-Men films, probably due to the fact that screenwriter Zak Penn wrote both X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand.

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A review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
by Pastor James Harleman
Starring Harrison Ford and Shia LeBeouf
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Rated PG-13

Preppy teenagers cruise along in a 50s roadster, urging the square-jawed men with serious faces next to them to loosen up and enjoy the ride. The latest Indiana Jones installment, with a 65-year old Harrison Ford reprising his role as the archeologist/adventurer, opens with a whimsy and nostalgia that beckons us to do the same. The film plays early on with reflections and nods to the previous installments, and tests whether we’re ready to go for another serial-inspired expedition into the world George Lucas and Steven Spielberg birthed more than 25 years ago.

I revisited Raiders of the Lost Ark the weekend before “Skull” opened, to glean some fresh perspective on the classic versus carrying a few decades of accrued childhood warmth into my expectations. Raiders is fun but clunky, awkward in places yet always entertaining. It still holds a place in my list of top 10 films. However, it is not perfect, or entirely even; despite its flaws and age, however, it has an undeniable charm and energizing spirit that pervades and lingers as John Williams’ score trumpets at the credit roll.

So, with the worn, trusty Indiana hat dusted off, I saw the fourth flick downtown with friends at Seattle’s famous Cinerama, hopped up on Top Pot Donuts and sweetened coffee. Collectively, feelings were mixed, but although it was a bit of a bumpy ride (much like the kids in the 50s roadster, bounding over country fields) overall I was satisfied. While not as good as the original, inspired piece of pop culture offered up in the 80s, the journey to the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a worthy reunion of Jones and the generation raised on his machismo.

After scuffling with commies at a mysterious hanger in nuclear testing territory, Jones finds himself under the scrutiny of McCarthy era Feds who question his allegiance, even for the military service we find out he gave during World War 2. When Jones runs into Mutt Williams (Shia LeBeouf), a greaser with ties to a few of Indy’s old friends, he realizes that the Reds are after a crystal skull that has some connection to El Dorado, the fabled City of Gold. Traveling to the Amazon, reunited with old friends and discovering new family, the aged adventurer must come to terms with loss, mistakes and regret… and in the process he finds new things to fight for, and new things to live for. (more…)

Audio Review of
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
by Pastor James Harleman

The COEN BROTHERS adapted Cormac McCarthy’s novel into this film of the same name, After writing No Country in 2005, the 75 year old McCarthy has won a Pulitzer Prize for his novel “The Road” in 2006, once again exploring his familiar themes of extreme isolation, perversity, and violence to represent normal human experience. The novel’s motifs of chance, free-will, and predestination are familiar territory for the Coen brothers, and the film subsequently won the Academy Award for Best Picture in early 2008. With so many prizes surrounding these themes and creators, it is fascinating to explore why these works have had such an unstoppable impact on our culture.

“It’s been traveling twenty-two years to get here. And now it’s here. And it’s either heads or tails. And you have to say. Call it.” - Anton Chigurh

Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande. No Country For Old Men, the 2008 Oscar winner for Best Picture (and in three other categories) stumbled upon the Wedgwood Campus for our live, monthly Cinemagogue event.

I’ve been a big fan of the Coen brothers since Raising Arizona and have enjoyed their work from Miller’s Crossing to The Hudsucker Proxy. For some reason, I’d missed The Big Lebowski until last year and finally enjoyed Jeff Bridges amazing performance. (Did anyone notice Jeff’s tip of the hat to Lebowski in his latest film, Iron Man?) Still, I wasn’t immediately enraptured with this film as most were last year. A few friends of mine loathed it. After contemplation, repeat viewing, and some study, it’s actually quite illuminating to me why this film has struck a chord in both film buff and casual viewer and I’ve come to a profound appreciation for what the film has to offer.

Listen right here by clicking the play button above.

You can also listen to the audio in another browser by clicking on the link below, or right click and “save as” to download the mp3. For those options, click here.

A review of IRON MAN (PG-13)
by Pastor James Harleman

I sat through Black Sabbath’s classic “Iron Man” tune, watching the film’s techno-credits dazzle until the familiar scroll kicked in. The friends who’d accompanied me and sat through the two-hour rocket of a film stood up from their seats, but then glanced back at me; I shook my head, pointed to the screen, and remained. With a sigh, they sat back down. The payoff was well worth it, whether you were astonished by the teaser scene that followed the movie’s credits or whether you just listened for the sound of comic fan-boys going into seizures throughout the auditorium.

The guy with the Fantastic Four T-shirt behind me stared blankly at the screen and mumbled to his compatriot, “I think I just soiled myself.” An odd but awestruck offering on the altar of Stan Lee. Thankfully, I’m pretty sure he was joking. However, this thrill ride of a flick, propelled by tight, slick direction by Jon Favreau and fueled almost entirely on Robert Downey Jr.’s charisma, has an amazing test flight that sets a high bar for the summer movies to follow.

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“It’s been traveling twenty-two years to get here. And now it’s here. And it’s either heads or tails. And you have to say. Call it.” - Anton Chigurh

So the time has come to expand Cinemagogue and let it be more than my singular platform for exploring film, narrative themes, the gospel, and all these meaningless movies under the sun. I’m meeting Sunday with a small team of potential contributors who will hopefully allow us to explore classic films, indie films, DVD releases, and more. One of the main reasons I’ve done this for so long is a desire to see others think and discern when they engage. Seeing others growing to the point where they desire to contribute and teach is like icing on a cinematic cake.

Also, I’m prepping to show and teach on our big award winner for 2008 this next week with a live showing of the film and subsequent exposition. For those living in a cave (a cavern far from the Coen Brothers) that would be No Country for Old Men, showing Friday May 9 at the Wedgwood Campus of Mars Hill Church. This one will be tough. And fun. Hopefully it won’t get mixed in with the others and become just a movie. Which it is.