A HOLLOW FURY: a review of "The Birth Of The Nation"

"THE BIRTH OF A NATION"
Story by Nate Parker & Jean McGianni Celestin
Written, Produced and Directed by Nate Parker
**1/2 (two and a half stars)
RATED R

It is truly a shame that a film bold enough to reclaim a title such as this one is unfortunately also a film that ultimately rings so very hollow, becoming a powerful disappointment for a motion picture that should have been unflinching, incendiary and absolutely essential.

In college, as I embarked upon obtaining my Communication Arts degree with a concentration in film, radio and television, I, at one point, was instructed with viewing D.W. Griffith's "The Birth Of A Nation" (1915). For those of you who may be completely unfamiliar with the film and its importance within the legacy of the entire medium of film and motion picture arts and artistry, Griffith's silent movie was instrumental and innovative in its utilization of editing as a form of storytelling, in addition to its usages of subtitles, night photography, panning, close ups, a variety of camera angles and other techniques, all of which are still utilized in 21st century filmmaking.

Yet for all of its artistic triumphs, Griffith's film is also eternally controversial and reprehensible to a sickening degree for its racist depictions of African Americans (including some characters portrayed by White actors in blackface) and for, most notably, presenting the Ku Klux Klan as heroes, certainly presenting a collection of emotional, conceptual and philosophical conundrums I had to deal with being an African American male having to study this film during which I was obligated to appreciate while also wishing to stone the screen for having to watch it at all.

By contrast, there was never any point, either during Lower, Middle, High School or even college, where I learned about Nat Turner, the enslaved African American who staged  and led a 48 hour rebellion of slaves and free Black people in Southampton, VA in the summer of 1831. Between 55 to 65 whites were killed during the uprising yet afterwards, and through retaliation from white militias, over 200 Black people were murdered and Nat Turner himself was executed. That discrepancy, the determination of teaching the fullness of film history when compared with American history, in an of itself, is an educational travesty and infuriatingly indicative of our nation's educational system as a whole.

In some ways, it feels that Nate Parker's "The Birth Of A Nation," which details the story of Nat Turner, is not only designed to right some wrongs, inform the wider public about this crucial piece of American history while mirroring our nation's past to its turbulent present regarding race relations and the controversy surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement, it is also a cunning attempt to use all of D.W. Griffith's cinematic advancements and even his own title against him with the full reclaiming and re-branding of its moniker. To that end, Parker has indeed delivered his passion project with righteous fury but unfortunately, and surprisingly so, the experience as a whole felt unfulfilling and even disingenuous enough to render the entire proceedings as unacceptably hollow. "The Birth Of A Nation," by no means a bad film, is disappointingly manipulative instead of utilizing the truth of the information and drama inherent in this unforgivable chapter in our nation's history in being urgently persuasive in its message about the consequences that occur when the persecuted have been abused too much, too far and for too long.

Opening in Southampton, VA circa 1809, Nate Parker's "The Birth Of A Nation,"in which Parker also stars as Nat Turner, we meet our protagonist as a child born into slavery. Possesseing a natural inclination towards reading, Turner is taken under the wing of his first slave master Elizabeth Turner (Penelope Ann Miller) and is taught to read and study selected portions of the Bible. As an adult, and now owned by his second slave master, Elizabeth's son and Nat's childhood playmate Samuel Turner (Armie Hammer), Nat Turner eventually become a preacher to not only placate the slaves on their plantation and soon, slaves throughout the region, but to also help bring profits to the cash-strapped Turners.

Throughout his life as he continues to preach Nat Turner not only marries the slave Cherry Ann (Aja Naomi King), he witnesses one atrocity after another, forcing him to internally explore, examine and question the only life that he has ever been allowed to know with the words of the Bible as his ultimate conduit. With his superior gifts for language, public speaking and an ever increasing proficiency with the Scriptures, Nat Turner takes what was once tools of subjugation and transforms them all into the tools of uprising, formulating the very rebellion against any and all oppressors with the hopes of obtaining freedom.

To offer a bit of a confession to all of you, I have long held some conflicted feelings towards Nate Parker's "The Birth Of A Nation" both before and after having seen the film. It is a film that I have long felt obligated to see as it pertains to a portion of Black and American history which speaks entirely to the notions of slavery, freedom, protest, civil rights, holocaust, retaliation, revenge, retribution, morality and humanity. But truth be told, I was a little bit hesitant.

My trepidation had nothing to do with any sense of potential quality as the film had already won the Audience Award and the U.S. Grand Jury Award for Best Dramatic Feature at the Sundance Film Festival this past January. I guess what may have been troubling me was that there is just this part of me that is growing weary of slave epics--not that there have been so terribly many in recent years but because it it beginning to feel to me as if in the eyes of Hollywood, Black people do not exist in the present, in the 21st century and the only stories that can be told about us have to be ones where we are relegated completely into our pasts within stories of voyaging through enslavement into emancipation.

Yes, I have given ratings of the highest marks to those of Quentin Tarantino's audacious, extraordinary "Django Unchained" (2012) and Steve McQueen's elegantly devastating "12 Years A Slave" (2013), and the need for a film of the nature of Parker's is downright essential, especially as he is clearly holding up a much needed mirror to ourselves comparing past to present. Additionally, I deeply appreciated the sheer boldness of Parker reclaiming the film's title from its racist origins to showcase the fact that our very nation was indeed birthed from the blood, violence, rape, and near genocide of people of color at the hands of Whites. The intensity and urgency of Nate Parker's moral outrage is firmly contained and deeply palpable. Even so, and all of that being said, I was not certain if I really wished to sit through even one more on-screen depiction of my race's degradation--especially as I am able to turn on the television or the internet and be witness to the same levels of senseless degradation every single day, from unarmed Black people being murdered in the streets by police and vigilantes or watching those of us in silent protest enduring the slings and arrows of those against us or even regarding the shameful disrespect launched against our very own president for the last eight years.

Then, there is the real world controversy surrounding Nate Parker himself as he was accused and eventually acquitted of a rape charge during his time as a student at Penn State in 1999. Regarding this aspect of Parker himself, I will not weigh in yet, I do feel that his personal issues are also weaved into our perceptions of his film and the themes contain therein because whatever we may think or feel about Nate Parker due to his controversy, all of those elements do indeed speak to the perceptions, fears and realities of being a Black male in America, an existence that has grown increasingly perilous as we have all witnessed and has in turn inspired the Black Lives Matter movement. Essentially, Parker's real life troubles ended up providing an unnecessary obstacle that has indeed clouded a bit of his artistic achievements with this film.

Controversy aside, I can only comment upon what I saw upon the silver screen and I have to say after now having seen the fruits of Parker's labors, I remain conflicted. There is no doubt that Nate Parker clearly has talent to burn and that he is passionate about his subject matter. But I do feel that his passion for the life and legacy of Nat Turner got in the way of his storytelling and just presenting the truth as is and without succumbing to certain embellishments that ultimately deflated the entire experience.

Where Parker succeeded greatly for me was rather scattershot as he was able to deliver a variety of visual images and moments that linger powerfully and rightfully disturbingly. The image of a White girl skipping with her slave playmate, complete with a rope leash around the slave's neck as if she were a dog. The sequence where a slave's teeth were bashed out with a hammer as punishment for a hunger strike. Most certainly, what I felt to be was the film's most sobering and horrific image: a fleet of Black Americans, all hanging dead from trees with Nina Simone's "Strange Fruit" as soundtrack commentary. And as with McQueen's film (although to a much lesser effect), Nate Parker was also able to capture a certain mundane quality to the Antebellum South, an eerie calmness that belies the rampant inhumanity abound. And then, there is the full performance is Nate Parker himself as Nat Turner during which I was struck by the breadth of his emotional range which was portrayed in subtle, nuanced fashion and the slow burn of realization to rage is indicative of (I believe) most African Americans in this country as we all slowly come face-to-face with a nation who has never thought of us as human beings and has been indifferent at best to an suffering we have experienced at the hands of racism. As Cherry Ann expresses solemnly once the retaliation against Blacks roars through the South late in the film, "They're killing people everywhere for no reason at all but being Black."  

Yet even so, the emotions I felt during "The Birth Of A Nation" were few and far between, only experienced in fits and starts, not cumulatively whatsoever. In some respects, Parker's film never truly felt remotely lived in, so to speak. Everything felt to be somewhat upon the surface and never delved deeply, making for an experience that should have been righteously uncomfortable instead of something that felt like the "greatest hits" of a cinematic slavery epic.

Returning to Tarantino's "Django Unchained," is it very odd to me that a film that was so very stylized, over the top and completely fabricated with Tarantino's specialized brand of cinematic artifice and showmanship would ultimately unearth and deliver an explosively vibrant and blood boiling sense of moral outrage as well as a greater truth to the nightmare of slavery. Tarantino did indeed somehow delve deeper and deeper beneath the surface of all of the cinematic conventions of the slave epic while also presenting them, challenging them, and even upending them in order to serve his revenge fantasy that gave me a rare sense of riveting fury and deliverance as I experienced it, and that is entirely because he honored the truth, despite the fantastical elements of his film.

By contrast, Nate Parker's "The Birth Of A Nation" almost feels like a hair like Clint Eastwood's "American Sniper" (2014), a film that is admittedly effective but to an irresponsible degree. While Parker's film doesn't entirely fall into the dangerous propaganda of Eastwood's film, his storytelling approach, tone and disregard for facts and just allowing the film to present the truth, instead forces his efforts to fall into the traps of prefabricated plot devices and needless melodrama.

One aspect of Nat Turner's life the film presented well enough and I wish delved into more explicitly was his devout religious nature combined with his gifts with the layers of language. Yes, Parker illustrates Turner's discoveries that one passage of the Scriptures could be interpreted as a means for the righteousness of slavery whereas another could dismantle it entirely, thus inspiring retaliation.

Again, here is a point where Parker was extremely sharp, as he is indeed challenging all of us to really think about the Bible as what it really is, a man made object constructed as an interpretation of the word of God--and by the very means of the process of interpretation, the same words can posses different meanings to different people and therefore, different attitudes, actions and consequences may arrive from those varied interpretations. Yet, Parker's viewpoint is not presented through the lens of atheism as he also showcases Nat Turner's adherence to the word of God, which is represented through a collection of spiritual visions, which inspired the path his life ultimately embarked upon. This aspect of the film was strong enough to explore to an even deeper degree that I wished Parker explored those avenues to an even greater depth rather than how he did choose to present his film.

As it goes with any historically based film, there arrive questions of historical inaccuracies and from a variety of sources that I have happened to have seen, most especially, within an article written for The Nation by Dr. Leslie M. Alexander, "The Birth Of A Nation" is apparently, and inexcusably, rampant with such inaccuracies. Now I did, in fact, see a portion of a "60 Minutes" interview with Nate Parker and I did find myself more than troubled with his flippant remarks concerning any sense of historical falsehood contained in the film by remarking that his movie is indeed based on a true story and that no film is ever 100% accurate. To that, I cry foul, especially when creating a dramatic feature that is steeped within our own cultural, racial and national history Parker owes it to all of us, and African Americans especially to do his damnedest to get the facts absolutely right--for the benefit of our collective knowledge and even for those who are reluctant at best to even try to listen to the truth of the matter. How will anyone ever listen or even possibly empathize with the struggle of or people is we cannot even begin to tell our own stories correctly?

It seems that much of what was presented during the slave rebellion sequence of the film has been fabricated, from story driven killings--one of which centers around a film length conflict and final confrontation between Nat Turner and a lifelong nemesis/antagonist as depicted in the character of Raymond Cobb (Jackie Earle Haley)--to even complete battles, which some historians have proclaimed never occurred as depicted.

And then, there is indeed the matter of rape.

While the rape of Nat Turner's wife at the hands of a group of slave patrollers (one of whom is the character of Raymond Cobb) is not shown on-screen, nor is another with a surprisingly silent character portrayed by Gabrielle Union, both sequences are deeply troublesome not because of their subject matter, for the rapes of Black women by white slave masters was unquestionably crucial to the unforgivable slaver experience. These sequences are troublesome due to their disingenuous nature as they are utilized as lazy plot devices designed to embolden the male characters rather than present a deeper truth about our nation's inhumanity towards women, especially women of color.

According to Dr. Alexander's article, no historical evidence exists that Turner's wife Cherry Ann was raped by slave patrollers not was her rape ever conceived of as being the catalyst that inspired Nat Turner's rebellion. Here is where I felt Nate Parker made his most crucial error as a storyteller (and especially so, considering his own personal history at Penn State). For if Dr. Alexander and some of the film's detractors are correct, I just do not understand how or why Parker felt the need to fabricate an outrage that already exists, an outrage that again was formulated through the bastardization of religion, a topic Parker would have been well served to have explored more explicitly and even more controversially. In many ways, as storytelling goes, rape is a cheap and easy way to achieve a sense of vengeance within the recipient of the story. I mean, Parker literally has Nat Turner racing to his wife's aid--on horseback, no less--in the middle of the night after he receives word of her rape and nearly all moments afterwards center around him while Cherry Ann is left to suffer silently, while waiting for her dignity to be avenged by the eventual rebellion. But, in some ways, the proceedings felt to be false, certainly not what Nate Parker intended for his audience to experience.

Look, dear readers, I don't wish for you to think that I am being unreasonable or too hard on the film. I just wish for you to understand the process of my analysis and the emotions I went through while viewing "The Birth Of A Nation." Remember, I was not taught even one thing about Nat Turner during any stage of my schooling, from elementary school through college. Even now, what I do is fairly scant, and I do realize that any lack of knowledge at this stage of life entirely lies with me. That being said, if one is to attempt to make a feature length film about the legacy of Nat Turner, especially during the age of Black Lives Matter, I strongly feel that it would behoove the artist in question to adhere to the facts as strictly as possible to ensure the truth is preserved.

Now don't get me wrong. Nate Parker's job is to create a movie, not teach a high school history class. There is nothing wrong with any sense of directorial or artistic license in order to keep your film entertaining as well as enlightening. Think of Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" (1992), what I feel to be his greatest film, a three hour opus that not only contained Denzel Washington's career best performance (or performances, as he clearly portrayed five shades of the same man), but an arsenal of Lee's signature cinematic idiosyncrasies, including a full blown dance sequence early within the film. And yes, by film's end, Lee and Washington has fully taken the audience upon the life journey of one individual, and therefore, gave me an insight I had not previously housed whatsoever.

Returning to Quentin Tarantino, his recent parade of historically based yet "through the looking glass" epics from the World War II, the Nazis and the Holocaust in "Inglorious Basterds" (2009) and the aforementioned "Django Unchained," all of the playing with factual evidence never seemed to deflect from the overall moral truths of either tragedy. Furthermore, what else are both Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight" (2015) and even Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "The Revenant" (2015) but stylized explorations into the brutalities of violence and racism that sit at the core of the birth of our nation as we know it?  All of those films and filmmakers are masters at their respective crafts and are uniquely able to take our collective history and weave a variety of elements together to force us to think about where we came from, where we are and where we just may be headed.

Unfortunately Nate Parker just is not that skilled as of yet and with his film, he just provided too little of some elements and too many of other elements, which ultimately diluted his subject matter despite its intermittent power. I guess, when it all came down to it, I never really felt as if I was receiving a view through a certain window into the life of Nat Turner because Parker's approach seemed to be one of myth making rather than historically based. Parker did proclaim Mel Gibson's "Braveheart" (1995) as being an influence for him and to that end, "The Birth Of A Nation" really felt to me to be essentially Parker's version of Gibson's "The Passion Of The Christ" (2004) as Parker's interpretation of Nat Turner strangely functions as a variation of the Christ narrative, from inner conflicts, the attaining of disciples, the crucial Judas turncoat figure (apparently another fabricated element) as well as the capture and crucifixion.

It was just a depiction that I did not need to see because for me, that sort of a narrative veered away from the truth and all of the inherent drama contained within. I had no need to see Nat Turner depicted as a majestic, messianic martyr. I needed to see the man, a man trapped within a life he, and all of Black America, were not supposed to survive  and how he found the audacity of strength, power, resolve and hope for a better future to rise upwards, to inspire others to rise with him and to fight back for the fullness of our freedom. Think of Ava DuVernay's "Selma" (2014) and how she took the iconic figure of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as brought him back to Earth to show us the flawed human being ad the work it takes to bring forth a grass roots civil rights movement. Or how about Jonathan Demme's "Beloved" (1998), which depicted how the Reconstruction period was indeed the reconstruction of Black America, individually and collectively.

How I wish that I responded to Nate Parker's "The Birth Of A Nation" more positively than I did. But even moreso, how I wished that Parker remained more truthful to the horrors of our nation's past and how they sit at the pit of our current 21st century racial turbulence. Yes, Parker holds up a much needed mirror to ourselves but honestly, how can we even begin to completely understand our history if that very history has been tampered with just to create a cinematic dramatic effect?

"Based upon a true story" indeed.

TIM BURTON'S BEDTIME STORY: a review of "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children"

"MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN"
Based upon the novel by Ransom Riggs
Screenplay Written by Jane Goldman
Directed by Tim Burton
***1/2 (three and a half stars)
RATED PG 13

As it so often happens as I watch movies, I am reminded of cinematic memories from my past. In the case of this afternoon as I screened "Miss Peregrine's Home  For Peculiar Children," Director Tim Burton's adaptation of the blockbuster Ransom Riggs novel, the tag line from the one-sheet poster of Terry Gilliam's "Time Bandits" (1981) popped into my head. That line stated: "It's all the dreams you had...and not just the good ones." 

That particular line struck me to my core when I was 12 years old, the age I was when  Gilliam's classic odyssey was originally released, as it did indeed conjure up something primal regarding my own sense of fantasies, daydreams and fears and how Gilliam, with his defiantly askew artistry and aesthetics, would tap into those very malleable inner states contained within those blurred lines of the mundane and the fantastic.

Tim Burton has long proven himself to being one of our most visionary, idiosyncratic and lucrative filmmakers who has magically merged the divides between his deeply personal outlook and populist tastes. Although, for my personal tastes, Burton has released films to varying degrees of success, as his superior gifts with creating spectacular visuals have often outshone his storytelling and for a couple of projects, including his career worst "Planet Of The Apes" (2001) and "Alice In Wonderland" (2010), he has found himself swallowed whole by special effects/CGI overkill fueled by dangerously impersonal corporate interests.

While his output in recent years has been shaky, Burton found himself in the full return of his powers with the wonderful "Big Eyes" (2014) and now with "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children," he has found source material to adapt that feels to be nothing less than tailor made for his talents and proclivities--so much so, that it often feels as if he had created every stitch of this bizarre, enchanting and often very frightening universe, instead of the novel's author and originator. While there are some minor flaws that stopped me from going over the top, Tim Burton's latest fantastical excursions ranks with some of his finest efforts.

As with the original novel, "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children" stars Asa Butterfield as Jacob "Jake" Portman, an introverted 16-year-old living out his mundane adolescent life when tragedy suddenly strikes his beloved Grandfather Abraham (Terence Stamp), found nearly dying in the dark woods behind his home with his eyes hollowed out with the presence of a shadowy shape-shifting creature nearby that somehow only Jacob is able to view. With his final words, Abraham provides Jacob with confounding clues and instructions which will then fully transform an ordinary life into something powerfully extraordinary...just as extraordinary as the bedtime stories Abraham shared when Jacob was a young child starring all manner of children with amazing abilities and fearsome monsters.

After suffering through post-tragedy nightmares, and undertaking a series of therapy sessions with Dr. Golan (Alison Janney), Jacob's parents (Kim Dickens and Chris O'Dowd), under Dr. Golan's suggestion, decide that a drastic change of scenery would do their son some good. Additionally, on Jacob's birthday, he is given a boo found within my Grandfather's home, a book containing a collection of Ralph Waldo Emerson poems as well as a letter written to his Grandfather from the mysterious Alma Peregrine plus a set of vintage, macabre photographs.

Soon thereafter, Jacob and his Father, Franklin take a trip to a small island in Wales, the location of his Grandfather's childhood. While gathering a lay of the land, Jacob happens upon a dilapidated, abandoned orphanage where he mysteriously becomes acquainted with a collective of bizarre children who have to be seen to be believed.

There is Millard Nullings (Cameron King), an invisible boy who is only seen via the clothing that covers his body. Bronwyn Buntley (Pixie Davies), a small child armed with incredible strength. Hugh Apiston (Milo Parker), a boy with a beehive that lives inside of his stomach. Fiona Frauenfeld (Georgia Pemberton), a girl who communicates and is able to control all plant life. The Masked Twins (Joseph and Thomas Odwell), named as such for their unmasked faces can transform any viewers into stone. And finally, and also among other characters, we find the mercurial Enoch O'Connor (Finlay MacMillan) who holds a long standing grudge against Abraham (and now Jacob) and the beautiful Emma Bloom (Ella Purnell), a girl who is able to control the air itself but must always wear a pair of lead boots, without which she would forever float away into the skies.

Making matters even more spectacular, Jacob now discovers that the orphanage first seen in near complete ruin is now the resplendent Home For Peculiar Children, overseen by the strict yet loving Headmistress Alma Peregrine (a strong and fully captivating Eva Green), an "ymbrine," a figure who possesses the ability to transform into a bird, and in Ms.Peregine's case, a peregrine falcon. The orphanage remains intact solely due to existing within a "time loop," a 24 hour period that repeats daily under Miss Peregrine's directions for as long as time itself. Yet this particular 24 hour period occurred in 1943 during World War II, the day before a bomb destroyed the orphanage, also meaning that Jacob has indeed traveled through time.

To make matter seven more perilous, Miss Peregrine, the Peculiar Children and now Jacob are being perpetually hunted by the horrific, ravenous beings known as The Hollows, enormous, tall figures with a series of tentacles for tongues and who sustain themselves by feasting upon the stolen eyeballs of their victims. Leading the Hollows in none other than the insidious Mr. Barron (a fearsomely unhinged Samuel L. Jackson), whose murderous tendencies and equally madhouse taste for eyeballs fuels his dark quest for ultimate immortality.

With the pursuit and battles between Miss Peregrine and Mr. Barron spilling over into present day 2016 and into an otherwise unsuspecting public at large, it is up to Jacob to not only rescue the Peculiar Children but to also merge the past and the present in order to not only understand the fullness of his Grandfather but to fully realize the potential and gifts within himself.

Much like the stories Abraham spins for his grandson, Tim Burton's "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children" feels designed to be presented as a bedtime story...albeit one that will certainly (and delightfully) give you nightmares. Granted, this is not any sort of a horrorshow, But if you can remember the shock of Large Marge in Burton's debut feature film "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" (1984), then I would say that you would have a hint of an idea of the artfully grotesque sights and characters that populate his latest effort.

As previously stated, the film is an absolutely perfect marriage between material and filmmaker as Ransom Riggs' original creations feel fully cut from the same cloth as Burton's past characters and films. The Peculiar Children feel from the same universe as Burton's gallery of misunderstood misfits, most especially the adolescent "Edward Scissorhands" (1990). The tone carries the relentless Brothers Grimm quality of Burton's outstanding "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street" (2007). And surprisingly, we are also given a heartfelt and starkly dramatic family drama merged with tall tales a la Burton's beautiful adult fable "Big Fish" (2003), with its love story between a grandson and Grandfather plus the on-going tensions between Fathers and sons.

To that mix, throw in a dash of Robert Zemeckis' "Back To The Future" trilogy (1985/1989/1990), Harold Ramis' "Groundhog Day" (1993), Marvel Comics' "Uncanny X-Men," and most definitely Terry  Gilliam's aforementioned "Time Bandits" and even his extravagant "The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen" (1989). Add to that combination a spectacular set and costume design, a gorgeous merging of practical, handmade and digital special effects--the film's climax, which features a battle between The Hollow and some skeletons recalls classic Ray Harryhausen a la Don Chaffey's "Jason And The Argonauts" (1963)--stunning and evocative cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel and the twin peaks of Eva Green' simultaneously authoritative and sultry performance and Samuel L. Jackson's ferociously madhouse malevolence, Tim Burton has, at long last, delivered the very sort of fantasy epic that has always been housed inside of himself but has eluded him for far too long. "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children" is truly one of his strongest efforts in quite some time.

Even as strong as the film is, there is a major flaw to the proceedings but minor enough to not derail the entire exercise and sadly, that flaw happens to be found within the titular Peculiar Children--although not as characters but as actors. Most certainly, Tim Burton has demonstrated great affection and empathy for Jacob, Miss Peregrine and her band of beautiful freaks and geeks so much so, that it would not be terribly far fetched to think of this film as somewhat serving as an allegory for any child who possesses special needs or is differently abled, as they attempt to navigate their respective ways through a world that is indifferent at best and cruelly harsh and unforgiving at worst. That said, I had some serious issues with Asa Butterfield and the bulk of the younger cast members regarding their performances. They all certainly looked the part but they also seemed to be quite stiff, wooden and possessed a lack of depth to their acting, that they did keep me somewhat at arms length when I should have been even more engaged, especially considering the emotional complexities and grand scope of the story plus having to keep up with the likes of Eva Green and Samuel L. Jackson.

Additionally, Tim Burton has historically had problems with keeping control of his stories, especially once they tend to reach their final thirds, when special effects tend to take over and story elements and plot points feel truncated or even forgotten. In the case of "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children," what felt to be so sadly lost was the relationship between Jacob and his Father, one that is fraught with back-and-forth tensions, plus a very adult inner trauma for Franklin, who is coping with a troubled marriage and failed artistic aspirations as a writer in addition to parenting Jacob, whom he fears is becoming increasingly psychologically unbalanced as well as mourning the death of his own Father, Abraham, despite their difficult relationship. All of these pieces are integral to the entire story as a whole and somehow, someway, Franklin is all but abandoned as the film flies to its epic conclusion--an area that would have indeed given the film a greater emotional and conceptual culmination. But maybe there's more to these themes in the books than the film itself depicted...

I actually have not read Ransom Riggs' series, most likely because I wondered if it was just some sort of Harry Potter catch-up/cash in. Now having seen the film version, it is easy to differentiate between the two series so much so that I am now intrigued to read it for myself--something I feel could not be even greater praise for Tim Burton to receive in this case, to inspire people to keep reading!!! Since I have not read the books, I am not able to speak to how faithful or unfaithful the film version is compared to Riggs' novels. But as I have always said, books are books and movies are movies and this is Tim Burton's interpretation of Ransom Riggs' novels and it should be experienced as such.

Tim Burton's "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children" is a Gothic fantasy of family secrets, time travel and the journey into the world that exists inside of the shadows that creep across the floors and walls at night. It is a film that again proves why Tim Burton has remained such an idiosyncratic and iconic creative force for over 30 years and this film in particular shows that he still has a vast collection of playfully sinister tricks and treats up his cinematic sleeves...and just in time for Halloween season to boot.

"Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children" is indeed all of the dreams you've had as a child. Most definitely, the bad ones.

SAVAGE POSTSCRIPT
Your friendly neighborhood film enthusiast has a strong word of caution for those of you who happen to be parents of small children or parents of slightly older but more sensitive viewers, to not take your children to view this film. It is rated PG 13 but even moreso, it feels that the tenor of the story and characters has allowed Tim Burton to engage with his darker creative side more openly and to an artistically grotesque effect, especially considering the nature and look of The Hollows and Samuel L. Jackson's Mr. Barron, who is truly the film relentless "boogeyman."  

While the film is essentially blood free regarding its violence, Burton takes a more dream and definitely nightmare approach to the material, which features villains--Jackson's Mr. Barron in particular--with piercingly white eyes, are shapeshifters who can assume any form, including benevolent figures, and whose only goal is to remain in constant pursuit of these strange children and are only satisfied once they have been caught, murdered and their eyeballs are eaten--some of which is grandly visualized.

There were images that gave me considerable pause often throughout this film and I am a full grown adult who possesses full knowledge of how films are made and the nature of performance and special effects. By contrast, small children do not possess those qualities and these images could be more than overwhelming and frightening on a huge movie screen.

Tread lightly....

SAVAGE CINEMA'S COMING ATTRACTIONS FOR OCTOBER 2016

Hopefully, movies are about to take a turn for the better.

This past month, was shamefully dry in new releases, while films that I had hoped to view did not arrive in my city whatsoever, further accentuating the growing problem with the movie industry as it pertains to what the general public is actually allowed to see anymore. It makes me so upset when I cannot think of any reason that Ron Howard's Beatles documentary was unable to be seen on the big screen. And I do not care if Kevin Smith's latest was critically trashed. For all of the awful movies that do find themselves released weekly, I just wanted to have the chance and opportunity to check a new film, one that I would choose to see, out for myself. Why do the Hollywood bean counters not understand that if you take the power of choice away regarding the content of what moviegoers are able to choose from, everybody loses?

Rant over...I guess, but that being said, I am hoping that the tide can turn during these final three months of this otherwise dismal cinematic year. While Tim Burton's latest is on deck, I am hoping to also see the following releases this month...

1. "The Birth Of A Nation," the passion project from Writer/Producer/Director/ Actor Nate Parker, which ran away with critical accolades at the Sundance Film Festival in January is a must-see without question.  

2. "Moonlight," from Writer/Director Barry Jenkins has intrigued me from the very first time that I saw the intricately artful trailer. Films pertaining to the 21st century African-American experience are such a rarity that I feel compelled to see this one. 

3. Andrea Arnold's "American Honey" her nearly three hour road odyssey, which has also intrigued me from trailers and early critical praise is one that I would also be willing to try out...should it arrive in my fair city.

And for now, I do think that this is a fair amount of material to try and get myself to during the month of October. As always, please send me all of your good vibes and I'll see you when the house lights go down!!!!

SECRECY=SECURITY=VICTORY?: a review of "Snowden"

"SNOWDEN"
Based upon The Snowden Files by Luke Harding
Based upon Time Of The Octopus by Anatoly Kucherena
Screenplay Written by Kieran Fitzgerald & Oliver Stone
Directed by Oliver Stone
*** (three stars)
RATED R

I suppose that I have always felt that the public and media's perception of Edward Snowden, the computer professional who leaked crucial and classified information from the NSA to The Guardian and is currently living in exile in Moscow, has been more than a little simplistic and sadly inherent of our dangerously "either/or" responses to superlatively gray moral areas. I have never felt it enough to label the man as either being a "hero" or "traitor" to the United States Of America but for that matter, I have, and still remain, somewhat indifferent to him because his actions, frankly, didn't reveal any information that I really feel that we, as a nation, should have already known.

Now that is not to say that I am especially politically savvy. I really am not. But, once The Patriot Act was enacted in 2001 by President George W. Bush, I just knew back then that the floodgates against our civil liberties were doomed and entirely in the supposed name of ensuring the security of the country. To say that I am skeptical of the government's intentions towards its citizens woud be an understatement and the fact that we have a constitutional right to protest against the government would be an even greater understatement at that. In fact, as my Father once expressed to me, "Of course, we're being spied upon! We've been spied on since President Hoover!"

With all of that being said, my curiosity was indeed piqued when it was announced that none other than Oliver Stone would tackle this subject for a new film. Despite the fact that Stone's filmography as of recent years has been less than stellar, almost existing as mere snacks compared with the sumptuous five course cinematic meals of his most celebrated and controversial works from "Platoon" (1986), "Wall Street" (1987), "Born On The Fourth Of July" (1989), "The Doors" (1991) and "Natural Born Killers" (1994) among so many others, I would be hard pressed to think of another filmmaker who seems to be a perfect fit for such inherently difficult subject matter,from concepts of national security,the price paid for our collective freedoms as well as the figure of Edward Snowden himself.

With "Snowden," Oliver Stone once again does not return to his former glories but the film overall is not a let down either. It is a solid film, one that functions quite well as a slow burn of an espionage thriller but one that is filled with provocative themes to discuss, debate and digest, even while the titular subject comes off more a a symbol rather than a complex human being.  

"Snowden" stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Edward Snowden in a strong performance that is eerily uncanny to the real world individual. Oliver Stone traces Snowden's life from his failed attempt in the Army Reserve due to shin splints and his subsequent employment for the CIA and as a contractor for the United States government.

Through his work, we witness his mounting paranoia and crisis of conscience as he discovers the extents to which the government has invaded the private lives of innocent United States citizens under the pretense of maintaining national security against acts of terrorism, to finally his actions which led him to copy and release classified information which revealed many global surveillance programs run by the NSA and with the cooperation of telecommunications companies and European governments.

Snowden's journey is chronicled alternately through the respective prisms of a clandestine interview in a Chinese hotel with documentarian Laura Poitras (Melissa Leo) and Guardian journalists Glenn Greenwald (Zachary Quinto) and Ewan MacAskill (Tom Wilkinson) as well as his precarious romance with acrobat/blogger/aspiring photographer Lindsey Mills (Shailene Woodley).

As previously stated, Oliver Stone's "Snowden" is not a great film, the kind of fire and brimstone, rattle-the-cages effort that we typically associate with this firebrand filmmaker. However, it is a good film, beautifully lensed by Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle and filled with exceedingly strong performances from Gordon-Levitt, the excellent Rhys Ifans as Snowden's mentor/Father figure Corbin O'Brian, a dialed down Nicolas Cage and also the continuously surprising Shailene Woodley (who does indeed does the most she can in a somewhat one dimensional role).

Whee the film faltered for me was in its shallow depiction of its titular figure which made the film shockingly and unfortunately, more simplistic as a character study as Stone paints Edward Snowden as being somewhat of the last America Boy Scout with nothing less than a level of hero worship. In some ways, Stone's portrayal, despite the strength of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance, is one that essentially becomes equal to the so-called character study a la sheer right -wing propaganda as seen in Clint Eastwood's powerfully effective but dangerously irresponsible "American Sniper" (2014).

In Stone's cinematic eyes, he has envisioned Edward Snowden as an undeniable intellectual genius (and somewhat robotic) yet he is also the most earnest, sincerest of patriots, one who initially leaned politically to the right but whose patriotism never wavered, even while questioning the government. His actions were not only heroic but entirely selfless--even to the point of sacrificing his own health (as he was prone to epileptic seizures and apparently ceased taking his medications to ensure his mind worked at its sharpest) in order for the truth to be fully revealed. Certainly, the real Edward Snowden is more complicated than that! For that matter, and for goodness sakes, any of you reading this posting out there are more complicated than that!

Now, certainly Oliver Stone quite possibly sees a bit of a kindred spirit in Edward Snowden within himself as based upon his past films, especially the brilliant, freight train fever dream fury of his masterful "JFK" (1993) for which he was dragged over the hot coals due to the myriad of conspiracy theories and supposed factual errors contained within that film.

But, amidst the fervor of that whole controversy, I still strongly feel that the main argument of that film was fully lost on its critics. That all Oliver Stone was essentially saying was that he did not believe in the findings of the Warren Commission and therefore, believes that our government lied to him about President John F. Kennedy's assassination and furthermore, that we as citizens have the right and responsibility to question our highest authorities and speak truth to power in pursuit of the greater truth. That's it and that all. Yet, what did strike me about that time as I pondered that film was perhaps it is easier for a wide American public to try to believe in something as preposterously impossible as a "magic bullet," for instance than it is to believe in the unfathomable truth that your very government is secretly and in ways, more than openly conspiring against its citizens--even the President of the United States.

And it is on that level where "Snowden" succeeds strongly as the film works as a 21st century companion piece to "JFK" as it is a film that basically asks the very same questions and houses the same fears. With "Snowden," Oliver Stone is again asking us to ponder seriously what is the price of freedom? How much of ourselves are we willing to casually hand over with false promises of obtaining greater security? What does it mean to be free and if we even have to ask those questions are we, and have we ever been free in the first place? Questions that are extremely more prevalent than ever with our current nightmare election cycle during which logic, reason and facts has no value when compared to the cult of personality.

Now, the cinematic approach Oliver Stone utilizes as a filmmaker continues in his current style, which is much less incendiary as his classic films and much more cerebral and subdued--a tactic that has made his films as of late more than a bit underwhelming--although I do still have high marks for "W." (2008), Stone exploration of President George W. Bush. Yes, I do prefer Stone's hallucinogenic, operatic intensity that seemed to reach outwards from the silver screen and grab you with two fists and white knuckles--even for his more interior films like "Talk Radio" (1988). But, such as it is, Stone is not that filmmaker anymore, for better or for worse, depending upon whom you would ask.

With regards to "Snowden," Stone has crafted a feature that functions more like a 1970's conspiracy/espionage thriller like something in the vein of Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation" (1974) and Stone does indeed generate a mounting Orwellian paranoia confidently. Also, Stone has made a strong cautionary tale a la David Fincher's "The Social Network" (2010) as "Snowden" contains its own provocative themes regarding the gradual loss of our collective humanity due to the rise of our continuously enveloping technology.

And yet, when it was all said and done, once "Snowden" concluded, I guess I still found my sense of indifference towards the man had unwavered. Yet, for the dark realities that we all now know about (and frankly, we should have all seen coming rapidly), I fear that our collective sense of complacency and even apathy will land us into a world that we never knew could befall upon us. Because of that, the need to question, to provoke and feverishly demand answers from our highest authorities has become more paramount with each passing year.

And to that end, Oliver Stone's "Snowden" speaks to that concept powerfully.

GOOD KID MAD CITY: a review of "Kicks"

"KICKS"
Screenplay Written by Justin Tipping & Joshua Beirne-Golden
Directed by Justin Tipping
**** (four stars)
RATED R

When I was perhaps 10 years old, my bicycle was stolen.

Growing up on the southwest side of Chicago during the 1970's/1980's felt to be...well..a normal upbringing. I was, more or less, able to go where I pleased without fear. My friends and I could roam the neighborhood from day until long past the streetlights illuminated my surroundings. By my teenage years, I often walked or rode my bike with headphones strapped to my ears without a care in the world.

Certainly, and knowing fully well that this was indeed Chicago, I did have to have a set of street smart wits about myself. I instinctively knew the locations to where I should not tread or how far I could or should actually venture from home. I knew the neighbors whom I could trust if my parents were not immediately available. Yet, even so, I was not immune to any sinister elements. There were older kids who bullied my friends and I once in a great while. And at some points, all of us, myself included, became involved in some sort of neighborhood fight. While gangs like The Disciples and The Blackstone Rangers were heard of, and even hushed about between friends, I can honestly say that I never saw any gang activity. But, the knowledge of their existence did inform me to look over my shoulder now and then and I seemed to develop an innate ability to know just how to avoid any and all hot spots, for if there was going to be any trouble, I wanted to be as far away from it as possible. Yet, as it happens sometimes, trouble found me.

Behind my house, there was a long alleyway where my friends and I would play every day and at the end of the block, there sat a vacant lot where we would play variations of baseball and kickball, ride skateboards and bikes, or do absolutely nothing at all for the entire day. One day, as we rode our bikes around and around, we noticed a small group of bigger, tougher boys who were unfamiliar to us riding into our lot. Taking note, we covertly attempted to quietly leave the vacant lot. I was last in line and before I knew it, one of the boys grabbed the rear handle on my bicycle, punched me in the side, knocking from my bike onto the pavement and rode away with my bike.

All of this happened in a matter of seconds and soon my friends returned to find me shell shocked on the ground. They led me back home where I told my parents what had happened. While my Mother phoned the police, my Father had other ideas. Grabbing not one but two Louisville Slugger baseball bats from the basement, he sternly said to me, "Let's go!" and off we went into the car on the hunt for the boys who stole my bicycle. I have no memory of how long we were gone but I can easily remember the heat from my Father's rage radiating from him as he was ready to bash in some heads. Me, on the other hand, was just a scared kid who already wanted to forget that anything had happened. We never found the boys. We never even found the bicycle, even after making an official report to the police. And again, I just wanted to forget all about it, as I just felt so weak and small, despite the heft of my size, and most of all ashamed that I was unable to defend and protect myself in front of my friends, my family or just for myself.

Those memories returned to me as I watched "Kicks," the stunning, harrowing debut feature film from Director Justin Tipping that explored and combined, to an often hallucinogenic yet powerfully primal degree, the coming-of-age film, an urban thriller, a dark fable, the cosmic, the surreal and the ruthlessly raw. Tipping provided an urgent sense of cinematic confidence that is rare for a first feature, one that pinned me to my seat in often sobering degrees due to its social-political aesthetic that was simultaneously dreamlike yet journalistic. Again, I urge you to stretch outside of your movie going comfort zones and seek out this small, independent film that will indeed provide you with a gut punch to send you reeling in more ways than one.

Set in urban California, "Kicks" stars the intensely charismatic and reticent Jahking Guillory as Brandon, a 15-year-old who announces to us within his subdued narration that "Even in dreams, I dream that I am being chased." In his environment, Brandon is indeed an outcast. With his long, flowing curls, and small stature, the boy carries an unintentionally androgynous appearance. He is quiet, unathletic, unpopular, nearly invisible to girls and a would be target for more dangerous types if not for the fact that he is quick on his feet, albeit in a pair of tennis shoes nearing disintegration. Despite having two best friends in the muscular, athletic, popular with the ladies Rico (Christopher Meyer) and the mouthy, would-be rapper Albert (Christopher Jordan Wallace-son of the late Notorious B.I.G.), Brandon is often teased, hazed and constantly left behind to his thoughts, often occupied by the presence of a lonely astronaut floating away in the quiet of the very space Brandon wishes to escape to.

Desiring, something, anything to assist his acceptance among his peers, Brandon decides to purchase a pair of vintage Air Jordans. Collecting spare change around his home plus birthday gift money and earning funds some selling candy bars on the street, Brandon earns the money for the shoes but is discouraged that he is nowhere near the full retail price. While despondently walking home, Brandon is accosted by a neighborhood charlatan selling stolen goods from his van--including the very coveted pair of red and black Air Jordans, which he is then able to purchase.

Finally feeling a sense of pride, Brandon, now adorned with the shoes struts into  his surroundings with a newfound confidence with his friends as well as with girls. Yet, on his way home, on the very first day of wearing his new shoes, Brandon is surrounded and beaten to the ground by a group of older, tougher, meaner and armed boys led by Flaco (Kofi Siriboe), who ultimately steal his shoes.

Consumed with revenge, Brandon plots to track down Flaco and regain his shoes at any and all costs.

Justin Tipping's "Kicks" is as impressive and remarkable a debut feature as I have ever seen as the film greatly succeeds via a variety of elements from the double meaning of the film's ironically laced title, to its multi-layered moods and textures, the downright stunning, dreamlike slow-motion cinematography by Michael Ragen, Composer Brian Reitzell's evocative score and the first rate performance by young Jahking Guillory who conveys a world of emotions while armed with scant dialogue and riveting subtlety.

As Brandon, Guillory perfectly conveys the desperate inner world of a good kid trapped within an environment he never made who only wishes to fit in and is soon consumed by a blind rage and relentless tunnel vision yet without possessing any foresight to the larger consequences of his actions and how they will play out for his friends, enemies and his community at large.

Utilizing the fetishization of shoe culture as a metaphorical symbol of status, pride and manhood, "Kicks" explores the continuing desolation of the 21st century African-American communities within the inner cities of this nation. Tipping, without any sense of hyperbole but with a more journalistic, matter-of-fact directorial eye, presents us with an urban nightmare, eons away from the world I grew up in. Returning to the story of my stolen bicycle, I had my Father present to aid me (although the consequences if we had caught up to those boys would have been devastating to say the least). Furthermore, regarding the ones to stole my bike, I was only the recipient of a strong, surprising gut punch and not on the receiving end of a bullet.

Within "Kicks," adults of any positive influence are never seen and any conceivable opportunities to better oneself are even less so. This is a world where schools are an afterthought, job opportunities are non-existent, and drugs, alcohol, guns and violence rampantly permeate the neighborhoods. Every single character within the film addresses each other with all manner of racial epithets and derogatory language plus taunts, threats, humiliations augmented by sudden and surprising acts of explosive violence. And even when Brandon is beaten down and his shoes are stolen, his attack is filmed and later uploaded to You Tube. In a world such as this one, where hopelessness is abound, what is there left to do but to feed off of each other? "Kicks" presents us with the brutal realities that occur when living in an unforgiving landscape and people are forced to endure a merciless, Darwinian existence. Tipping nails the numbing inhumanity and devaluation and desensitization of life profoundly, therefore cementing the film's overall sense of humanity with a bubbling, burning rage.

Yes, the activities we see throughout the film are entirely self-destructive but "Kicks" is largely a story of survival within the death and dying of inner city African-American communities, making Tipping's film the next piece of a cinematic social-political journalistic think piece chronicling the life and times of our nation's Black neighborhoods as witnessed in films like The Hughes Brothers' "Menace II Society" (1993), John Singleton's "Boyz N The Hood" (1991), Ryan Coogler's "Fruitvale Station" (2013) and especially several "joints" of Spike Lee's filmography, including "Crooklyn" (1994), "Clockers" (1995), "Red Hook Summer" (2012) and "Chi-Raq" (2015). 

Furthermore, "Kicks" feels to be the perfect film to arrive in the still vibrant and righteously essential "Black Lives Matter" movement for as we regard Brendan and his environment, if one does not feel empathy, anger and shame for allowing American citizens to exist in such a cauldron in what is supposed to be the greatest country on the planet, then, we as a full American culture need to perform some deep cleansing and serious re-evaluation of our history and levels of intolerance and acceptance or lack thereof. The sights of such callous behavior and disregard for human life (a shot of an infant laying upon a bed just within reach of a loaded gun, for instance) with an endless cycle of abuse, degradation, despair, and of course verbal and physical violence should be more than enough to jolt viewers out of any self-induced stupor regarding our society and national community and Justin Tipping's "Kicks" seethes with world weary indignation. No wonder Brandon wishes he could be lost in space.

On a more individual and therefore existential level, "Kicks" utilizes the fetishization of shoe culture to represent a metaphorical symbol of status and manhood, specifically Black manhood in the ghetto. What does it mean to be a man in this fight or flight environment? For Brandon, who is constantly caught in the throes of peer pressure and the standard bouts of male bonding/hazing by his friends, the humiliation of having his shoes stolen combined with any sense of athletic/sexual inadequacy he feels inwardly provides the seriously misguided fuel for his revenge mission. Yet, throughout the film, Brandon is exposed to a full range of male behavior he feels forced to cloak himself within in order to retain his shoes. His pursuit of Flaco is utterly foolish yet surprisingly fearless as his every move is designed to prove to himself, plus his friends, his out-of-prison O.G. Uncle Marlon (an excellent Mahershala Ali) and community, that he is not weak or a pushover but on the contrary, one who has been decidedly underestimated. Yet, what he does not seem to realize that in this world, being a an will not end with the possible retrieval of his shoes. His battle will only continue as Flaco retaliates, potentially leaving either one or both of them dead.

And even so, the character of Flaco is far from existing as a one note villain as Tipping ensures that we gather an insight into his interior life. For you see, Flaco is a Father to a small son, and devotedly so, making the spoils of his thefts not only gifts to his child, they are symbols of his manhood as being able to provide for his family. If Brandon becomes successful in stealing his shoes back from Flaco, what does it mean to be a man in front of his own son who might witness his defeat, especially from someone who is physically smaller?

The war between Brandon and Flaco as presented in "Kicks" is concerned about much, much more than a pair of shoes and in turn, so is Tipping's briskly paced, visually striking, emotionally sobering film as a whole. Once again, I turn to you to stretch a bit regarding your movie viewing and just give some support to a motion picture that is riveting, exceedingly well acted, written and filmed and possesses an urgent voice and story of fierce originality and presentation.

Justin Tipping's "Kicks" is one of the best films that I have seen in 2016.

MY FAVORITE "FILM" OF THE SUMMER: THE SAVAGE CINEMA TRIBUTE TO CAMERON CROWE'S "ROADIES"

"ROADIES"
Executive Producers J.J. Abrams, Winnie Holtzman and Cameron Crowe
Created by Cameron Crowe
10 episodes
June 26, 2016-August 28, 2016

Dear readers, it was a terrible movie season this summer. Truly terrible. Aside from one documentary, Thorsten Schuette's "Eat That Question: Frank Zappa In His Own Words" and one indie comedy/drama in Mike Birbiglia's "Don't Think Twice," the summer of 2016 delivered one of the weakest times at the movies in recent memory. But truth be told, this entire year so far has not been one to write home about regardless of any shattered box office records.

What we are seeing at this time is everything that I have been writing about over and again upon this site and that is precisely the preponderance of all things related to big budget sequels, prequels, remakes, reboot, re-imaginings, franchises and anything that potentially possesses a built in audience from comic book characters to toys and video games and all at the expense of not only just creating films with honest to goodness characters and stories but films that are indeed wholly original or ones that represents a filmmaker's personal point of view with how they view the world in which we co-exist.

As weary as I get with the assembly line nature of these massive budgeted films, I do still take my hard earned money to see them and yes, for some, I do remain a fan. When the films are good, as with the ones that have been coming out of the Marvel Comics arena or what J.J. Abrams achieved with "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015), the results can often be as exhilarating as ever. but, those films typically are not made to that high standard and more often than not, are simply designed to just take the money quickly and run, films that are completely disposable and guaranteeing sequels that no one but the Hollywood bean counters asked for.

I have also and often lamented the fact that some of my most favorite filmmakers seem to be having more difficulties than ever with getting their movies made from the likes of Terry Gilliam and Spike Lee, for instance, making the positions of other idiosyncratic filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and Wes Anderson as anomalies. For Cameron Crowe, in many ways, his films have never been easy ones to necessarily classify as they do tend to stretch themselves between genres, but at least, there was a climate within Hollywood that allowed films like "Say Anything..." (1989), "Singles" (1992), "Jerry Maguire" (1996) and even "Almost Famous" (2000) to get made in the first place. Nowadays, as Crowe himself has expressed in interviews, a film like "Almost Famous" would never be able to find itself made within this current cinematic climate that stresses box office over originality and personal statements more than ever.

Crowe has indeed had a tough go at it in recent years, especially with his long gestating and critically crucified "Aloha" (2015) existing as his latest Hollywood wound. But, undeterred and forever intrepid, he carried onwards to the medium that may be more suitable for his specific storytelling needs, the world of cable television, where he teamed up with none other than J.J. Abrams and "My So Called Life" creator/writer Winnie Holzman to bring his first television series "Roadies" to vibrant, vivacious life this summer.

"Roadies" takes the audience on the cross country adventures of the behind the scenes road crew for the fictional arena rock group The Staton-House Band, currently embarked upon their "Capture The Flag" tour in promotion of their latest album "Consider The Stars." Under the leadership of Tour Manager Bill Hanson (Luke Wilson) and Production Manager Shelli Anderson (Carla Gugino), the roadies, which include, the brittle and caustic soundboard operator Donna Mancini (Keisha Castle-Hughes), the insecure and unkempt bass guitar tech Milo (Peter Cambor), gruff tour bus driver Gooch (Luis Guzman), the legendary Phil, the beloved King of The Roadies (Ron White), the self-described master of "guitars, people and coffee--in that order," Wes Mason (Colson Baker a.k.a. Machine Gun Kelly) and finally, his twin sister, the self-conscious yet fearless skateboarding lighting rigger and hopeful photographer/filmmaker Kelly Ann Mason (the wonderful Imogen Poots) among others.

When The Staton-House Band's record label brings in a financial adviser to crunch the numbers of the tour in the person of Reg Whitehead (Rafe Spall), his constant presence represents yet another threat to the purity of the music within an ever changing industry that rapidly reduces art to product while also consistently devaluing the very product they wish to sell--a conceit that troubles Kelly Ann greatly.

Over the course of 10 episodes, we follow the crew that follows the band from city to city with all manner of experiences along the way from hysterical to tender, triumphant to tragic, the romantic and ribald to the blissfully bittersweet all the while becoming deeply involved with the familial bonds between them, not forged through blood but through the shared love of music.

For me, Cameron Crowe's "Roadies" was the very best "feature film" I saw this entire summer--that is, if you thought of this series as being a 10 hour film divided into one hour installments each week. I felt "Roadies" represented Crowe's artistic vision at its peak, easily matching the specific heights when he embarked upon the amazing run that produced "Jerry Maguire," "Almost Famous" and "Vanilla Sky" (2001). 

The television format served Crowe beautifully and brilliantly, as the extended time frame allowed him to delve into his characters, their respective stories, sub plots and sub-sub plots with aplomb and a level of ingenuity that one two-hour feature film may not be able to house as strongly. It was a show that set the stage, so to speak, wonderfully as a companion piece to "Almost Famous," most certainly, in its premiere. But soon, "Roadies" demonstrated how it was a series that would continuously reveal itself, characters and therefore, its soul over time, resulting in a conclusion that was enormously effective and undeniably emotional as my heart simply pounded urgently and achingly and this world brought me to my feet and reduced me to tears--often at the very same time.  

"Roadies" created a richly designed and staggeringly detailed multi-layered universe filled with running jokes and all manner of visual and conceptual accouterments that ensured the world created within "Roadies" was as complete as possible...a world that even extended itself outside into the real world (or the real world as presented on-line).

We were given wonderfully detailed recurring characters like Natalie Shin, the 21st century "band-aid"/stalker (as warmly portrayed by Jacqueline Byers), as well as Staton-House Band superfan Mike Finger (an engaging Ely Henry), creator of the fansite "The Blue and the Black" (incidentally a website fully created in the real world complete with band memorabilia, full discography, concert and album reviews, fan art as well as a link to the 'official' SHB website). We were given an insight into road superstitions and their supposed cures, most specifically introduced in episode 4 entitled "The City Whose Name Must Not Be Spoken," yet the aftershocks continue to play out for the remainder of the series. We were even given a show within the show entitled "Dead Sex," a fictional cable series starring David Spade (and apparently now in its third season), a series all of the characters are obsessed with.  

But then, there was, of course, the music, and as always, Cameron Crowe showcased his impeccable taste with a lovingly curated soundtrack which ran wall-to-wall for each episode (and just so you are all aware, each episode's track list can be found on the official Showtime site as well as Crowe's website "The Uncool")! Furthermore, each episode of "Roadies" featured a "Song Of The Day" selection. And even moreso, we were given the running joke of The Staton-House Band being unable to keep a consistent opening act for the longevity of the tour, a tactic that allowed the series to not only showcase artists like Reignwolf, Lucius, Lindsey Buckingham, The Head and The Heart, Halsey plus others, it served as a means to allow the characters and the viewers at home to luxuriate in the act of listening to music!!

This was just one of the elements that flew directly into the center of my wheelhouse as I feel that for all of the music we are inundated with in society (on the radio, television, movies, clubs, ringtones, etc...), the act of just listening feels like an archaic act. It is as if the Crowe and his show are arguing that the entire listening experience has been lost and that people aren't connecting to music as people once did in the past as music has become nothing more than a fashion accessory. In fact, one character expresses in the series that at concerts, even applause is completely different because in one of everyone's hands sits a smartphone. Where is the space and the place where the music is able to flow so freely that it could possibly change someone's life? "Roadies" celebrates the people, all of whom whose lives have been changed by some song in their past, some song that has indeed led them to their chosen profession, a life on the road and ultimately to each other, this rag-tag rock and roll road warrior family.

And even then, there was the truly genius move on Crowe's part to not ever hear a Staton-House Band song or to ever see the band perform even once within the show, even though the songs, especially the track "Janine," are weaved into, and at times, propel the full 10 episode narrative. In doing so, Crowe was wise enough to leave what "Janine" sounded like to the imaginations of each and every viewer instead of running the risk of composing a real song that just may not fly, like the completely underwhelming symphony that concludes Stephen Herek's "Mr. Holland's Opus" (1995). Besides, this is yet another aspect which runs with the overall theme of the series about people connecting to the music and what that experience means rather than just hearing the song itself. 

Even with all of these elements that I loved so very much, the critical response to "Roadies," however, was mixed at best with many reviews being widely negative and nearly all housing criticisms that the show was too shallow, to uninformative about the life of roadies, and shockingly, a series that possessed underdeveloped characters and a condescending tone that was insufferable. For some of those criticism, I can easily bat them away, especially the ones that bemoaned any sense of informativeness "Roadies" could have offered or presented about the life and occupation of a roadie. To that, I say this:  "Roadies" is not a documentary. Case closed.

Yet, for the remainder of the criticisms...I just do not know and truthfully, I really don't get it. Its strange but I feel that here is where the cable television format has also succumbed to its own trappings, ones that make a creative figure like Cameron Crowe a difficult fit.

We can easily see how the motion picture industry is currently caught at a crossroads and is creatively stagnated because of it as the Hollywood execs do not seem remotely interested in making films about...well...people. I think cable television, as often brilliant as it is these days with programming that is deeply character driven and more visually stimulating and artful than most movies (Sam Esmail's stunning "Mr. Robot," for instance), the medium is also caught at a certain crossroads as nearly every show feels to be strictly tethered to its own specified darkness and collection of anti-heroes, villains and ever deepening levels of bad behavior. It makes me wonder if there is even a place in the visual medium for a artistic sensibility like Cameron Crowe's anymore, one that is unashamedly, unabashedly and unrepentantly earnest, sincere and means every single word of which his characters speak and believe, solely because it feels as if Crowe believes every sentiment himself.

Cameron Crowe's "Roadies" is truly an anomaly on cable television as it is a show of such warmth and generosity as well as a profound lack of cynicism and self-congratulatory hipster irony. In fact, and even for all of the sex and drugs that go with the rock and roll--this series returns Crowe to the R-rated raunchiness of his own "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" (1982)--"Roadies" is actually quite innocent, unlike say Martin Scorsese's now defunct rock and roll series "Vinyl" (which I thoroughly enjoyed as well but for completely different reasons), which gleefully wallowed in the graphic, dark, violent, sexually explicit excesses of bad behavior...again which is now a cable television normality. I find it more than admirable that Crowe will remain "uncool" as much as possible just so he is able to tell his stories in the way he wishes them to be told. And to provide a sense of joy in an increasingly dark world so passionately to the point that it is a Quixotian act, makes his specialized brand of integrity so appealing and for me, heroic.

At its core, "Roadies" continues the classic Cameron Crowe theme of discovering and retaining one's integrity in a world where integrity carries increasingly less currency and respect. The roadies on this series are very much in line with past Crowe heroes as they are passionate believers in their chosen occupations, feeling that true success arrives through a certain spiritual deliverance that occurs when one finds their life's purpose, be it a love struck kickboxer, a sports agent struggling to live up to his own self-written mission statement, an aspiring journalist, rock musicians in 1990's Seattle or on tour in the 1970's, a grieving Father and zookeeper, a suicidal shoe developer or a rich playboy on a psychedelic odyssey through dreams, death and beyond.

The overt sincerity of "Roadies" does not mean that the series' lack of cynicism belies the real world struggles within the old and new ways of the music industry. In fact, it is that very struggle where the characters of "Roadies" find their heart and soul while Crowe is freely able to express his joys and laments through them.

In the series premiere episode entitled "Life Is A Carnival," we find The Staton-House Band in the middle of their "Capture The Flag" tour which is creatively stagnated. Their set list has not changed since the previous tour, which leads to some emotional stagnation for Kelly Ann, enough so where she is ready to abandon the rock and roll life on the road altogether for film school. It is within an early scene between herself and the roadie legend Phil, where she sadly expresses in a heart-to-heart moment that "I don't hear the music the same way. I don't feel like it's mine anymore...I don't know if the band is feeling it either....I have to be a fan of something or I'm useless. I'm worker bee on bus #1...My whole belief...thing...is just starting to crack."

The power of belief and the purity of one's intentions. Really, dear readers, who can honestly find fault with a sentiment of that sort? Of course, whether we may or may not reach that belief system personally or individually in our own lives, what Cameron Crowe continues to present are characters where it is not enough to just perform a job. The belief in what one is doing fuels the belief in the self yet Crowe understands that such a journey is fraught with confusion, contradictions and all manner of tribulations.

By the conclusion the first episode, Kelly Ann's remarks do find their way to the band who reciprocates by expressing that she was indeed correct and they would begin to change up the concert set lists and now include the infamous and long unplayed "Janine," inspired by the very women who broke Christopher House's (played by Tanc Sade) heart years ago. This one act not only convinces Kelly Ann to remain on tour as a roadie but it also spirals into a myriad of directions, affecting the lives of the entire crew and musicians.

We have Bill Hanson, a lifelong friend to Christopher House, a recovering addict, and one who habitually engages in promiscuous sex with younger women across the country all the while masking his own heartbreak from a failed relationship plus his own increasingly budding romantic feelings towards Shelli Anderson, who is married yet may carry the same feelings in return. Speaking of Shelli, both she and Donna represent two women who feel more at home on the road than in their real homes with their respective families. And even within the band, Tom Staton (played by Catero Alain Colbert) has his young angry son Winston (Ethan MIchael Mora) on the road with the band yet never spends time with him whatsoever, leaving him in the care and guidance of the wildly unorthodox Wes, the guitar tech.

Even greater contradictions revolve around the crew and the band's relationship towards Kelly Ann, who is often criticized for being too self-serious and navel gazing, yet it is more than obvious that she is admired for her impassioned stance and integrity against the initial corporate presence of Reg Whitehead, whom Kelly Ann admonishes for "not understanding the brand that you're trying to sell." Certainly the initial tension between Kelly Ann and Reg leads to a romantic attraction, but even their dance informs the larger story about Red himself, who also reveals himself to be a much deeper, honorable, misunderstood and wholly endearing character than initially thought to be.

Much praise must be delivered to Crowe's wonderful cast, from top to bottom, for embodying these characters with such depth, humor, nuance, heart and soul with the stunning Imogen Poots as the series' rock solid center. I really do not believe that I have ever found Luke Wilson to be so soulful before and his seamless chemistry with Carla Gugino has been the first love story in quite some time to not only move me but one that truly has some heavy stakes at heart. Rafe Spall transcended what could have been a one-note character and beautifully portrayed his evolution to heartbreaking perfection.

And I cannot say enough good things about Ron White as Phil, truly the series' constantly held aloft flame to rock and roll. White's Hoyt Axton styled folksy humor, gravelly charm and demeanor gave way to a shattering gravitas on two of the series strongest episodes, "The All Night Bus Ride" and "The Corporate Gig," and leaving an astoundingly poignant presence upon the final episode "The Load Out," an installment that simultaneously functioned as an elegy to rock and roll as well as to the triumph of its everlasting spirit.  

But somehow, for some viewers and definitely the critics, all of this (and so much more) was just not enough and the critiques just kept coming throughout the season, which ultimately, I began to feel said more about the critics than it did for the show itself. Yes, "Roadies" received some harsh knocks for its depiction of two archetypal villains representing the "new way" of the music industry vs. the purity of the old.

In the episode "The Bryce Newman Letter," Rainn Wilson portrayed the titular character, a highly influential yet enormously arrogant music blogger who is truly an agent of the "industry of cool" as he writes reviews for albums he never listened to and concerts he never even witnessed. He is a blowhard of the utmost degree and when he visits The Staton-House Band tour, he receives his comeuppance. Frankly, for all of the criticism launched against the character, I easily saw him as being representative of the aspect of internet music writers (i.e the staff of Pitchfork) who are clearly not writing for any audience other than the writers they are wishing to impress themselves. They are so obvious with their vitriol and for whom they would launch it against on some misguided set of principles, that you can really know precisely what they will write about an album or band before you even read their reviews.

Another antagonist arrives in the episode entitled "Carpet Season," where Rosanna Arquette guest stars as Abby Van Ness, a world famous photographer whom Kelly Ann has cited as an inspiration, arrives on tour to shoot the SB for the cover of Vanity Fair. This would be a great thing if not for the fact that Van Ness is truly reprehensible and also deserving of her own comeuppance. Again, she represents the figure who has bought their own hype for so long in their career and life that they have completely forgotten what inspired them in the first place, what made them fall in love with their chosen medium of expression, never treating their talent as a gift but their level of celebrity as a right.

While both characters are portrayed in broadly comic fashions, this does not mean that Cameron Crowe has nothing to say through them regarding his themes of integrity and purity. Yet for the critics, they offered nothing constructive. Only snide remarks and insults, therefore fully proving all of the points Crowe was attempting to make! Of course, I wouldn't expect everyone to fall in love with this series as I did but if there is nothing pure within the criticism, then what is the purpose other than to tear something down? And with "Roadies," for all of its sincerity, it is the easiest target in the room, making the supposed cynicism and sanctimony the property of some of the program's detractors and not Cameron Crowe in the least.

Regardless, now, the series has concluded leaving a gigantic hole in my Sunday nights as I have grown so accustomed to hopping on that tour bus and venturing to a new city with a collective of characters who now feel like friends. For all of my confusion with precisely what critics and some viewers may have wanted from this series, Cameron Crowe's "Roadies" delivered to me more than I ever could ask for with the precise amount of dedication, fandom, appreciation, artistry, and of course, the very integrity and purity that has defined Crowe as an artist for decades. While Showtime, as of this writing, has not yet announced whether they will renew or cancel the series, I am deeply hoping they will allow the band, and especially this crew, to have one more go around.

If not, "Roadies" was a series with a definitive beginning, middle and ending that left me shouting "BRAVO!!!!" Of course, I want that encore but you know, maybe the very best encore would be to just watch this beautiful series all over again.

SAVAGE CINEMA'S COMING ATTRACTIONS FOR SEPTEMBER 2016

What an absolutely dismal movie season we had this summer and how thankful I am that it is all mercifully over.

After enduring one of the weakest move seasons in recent memory, I am more than ready to place these three months or so long behind me as I look forward to the future. The fall movie season typically holds many features of (hopefully) higher quality, and in the case of this year, I am just happy to have some new films to actually feel a sense of some anticipation. While September, as I scroll through the releases, looks to be somewhat slim, I am curious about the following...

1. While Oliver Stone, who has long held a spot as one of my most favorite filmmakers, has not created the types of films that I have felt to be equal to his golden period beginning with "Salvador" (1986) and roaring through until "Any Given Sunday" (1999), I do become more than curious when he does re-appear since he is not nearly as prolific as in years past. My gut is telling me to wait to check out the tenor of reviews first but even so, I am curious as to his take on this especially controversial figure.

2. A Ron Howard documentary is something unexpected. But with "The Beatles: Eight Days A Week-The Touring Years," the unexpected has become something of extreme interest to me as this is indeed my favorite band of all time as presented through the filter of this veteran filmmaker.

3. Tim Burton makes his return to the big budget arena with his adaptation of the young adult novel and book series opener "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children." With Burton, it really is hit or miss (with many more hits than misses but those misses tend to be especially tough going), but I am rooting for him.

4. But then, there is this flick..."Yoga Hosers," the second installment in Writer/Director Kevin Smith's flat out bonkers Canadian set "True North Trilogy" is hopefully on the way to my city and I'd better catch it when I am able as I know it won't be here for more than one week. I don't care about the harshly negative early reviews. I just know that whether love it or hate it, Smith has regained his status as one of our most fearless and original filmmakers, so I have to check out whatever he plans to dish out.

And so, I begin again at this point. So, as always, please do send me your well wishes and I'll see you when the house lights go down!