Spooky and Spiky

Difficult to adapt one product of media into another but the Spooks film production manages to supersede expectations fairly well by combining TV genre with film genre in this latest movie release. Strong script and versatile acting talent carries the plot through to the end.

Although avid viewers of the spooks TV series may find that the series is much more enthralling and leaves you hanging for more at every episode, the film does manage to combine spiky twists at every turn and just as you think you now know who did what and why, you find yourself facing another very astonishing development.

No spoiler alert here so don't worry in case you haven't seen it yet but I will say that the plot was strong because of a consistent script, flowing dialogue and most importantly real character interaction.

This particular thriller genre allows for very flawed characters with magnified personality features (exaggerated yet still believable) and presents us with a big cast to mirror the emotions of the main characters throughout the movie. This reinforces emotional identification for us especially with the 'teacher' type character Harry whom we trust despite his flaws.

We sigh heavily in great relief when we find out that despite the twists and disappointments and surprises, our two main protagonists remain liked because of their strong ethics and despite their trials. Their unwavering belief  in a higher goal and in one another remains intact. There is nothing more attractive to the human heart than a shared ideal despite differences, grievances and a slightly morbid or dark side. At least the heroes don't disappoint and although it would be too much to ask to have a very happy ending, we at least have a fairly acceptable one and we don't walk away from the movie either cursing the supposed bad guy (here the standard terrorist but with a heart) nor the good guys (for being bad after all).

All in all, the characters all get their just desserts one way or the other and this does befit a TV style drama more than a one off film production but is still worth the money for its edge of the seat entertainment value.

Spiky edgy characters with spooky plot twists and all tied up in a nice neat ribbon at the end of the road.

Not a 'must see' perhaps but a 'can see' and memorable as far as the plot and the characters are concerned.

'Spooks. The Greater Good' is an apt title although perhaps a little long winded? Trying to imagine a shorter title but I feel a sequel coming on!

Destiny and Self Discovery

I was debating what title to give this particular post as a review of the newly released 'Far from the madding crowd' and came up with the above because I could not think of one word to combine the two main elements in the story, mainly Self Discover and Destiny: Destcovery?) Those were the prominent notions within the film, at least from my point of view.

Although I haven't reread the book for quite a while and therefore cannot comment on how close the adaptation is to the written work, I am certain that the main story line, plot and characters, adhere quite closely to the originals.

The story is filmed beautifully and the pace is neither fast nor slow, with enough passive natural scenery to depict the setting but balanced out with strong active character dialogue to move the plot along; dialogue which isn't overdone or underdone in my opinion.

The main character is well portrayed as the independent, strong minded but somewhat emotionally naive young woman who is trying to make a name for herself in the world at a time where women were struggling to be seen as successful in business and outside a domestic setting.
She is intelligent but somehow emotionally naive in that she is yet to discover what love could really mean to her. This is crux of the plot as she is in conflict with herself about which of the three men to be with and how to come to terms with her own conflicting and growing personality.
She is both feminine and strong, clever and innocent, resigned and uncertain.

The three men almost reflect or represent the many sides of her own mind: firstly, there is the rich wise and more experienced suitor, a land owner at a time of his life where if he finds the right woman would want to settle down and who becomes almost obsessed with having her because somehow he cannot. Then we find the impulsive, reckless young soldier who loses his true love and is looking for a replacement and who finds beauty and desire in her. Finally we have the truly good, kind, humble hard working man who seems to her initially as unable to tame her nature, but who in fact is the strongest and most well rounded balanced character of the three because he understands her fully, accepts her for who she is and wants her happiness even if it is not with him. He keeps his calm throughout and supports her during her time of need.

These three reflect her own mind in a way: the recklessness in her, the side of her looking for security and experience and finally her true heart which she discovers gradually through loving the humble farm hand and because of his unconditional and genuine selfless understanding and love for her.
He makes her discover her true self because he sees her as she is and not as he thinks she is; not as an accessory nor merely as an extension of his male ego created simply to fulfil his needs and requirements.

The plot thickens and unwinds beautifully as her relationships are tested and as she discovers whom she truly is and what she wants in life but this discovery is also aided by the hand of Fate as the one man who is made for her lets her go simply caring for her from a distance, only for both of them to discover at the end that their destinies are tied and that circumstances brought them together despite their seemingly conflicted lives and the roles of other people in it.

As he stands by her and treats all her suitors with integrity, honesty and respect he is rightly rewarded with her loyalty in the end. It is a path they both had to walk separately but in parallel to one another in order to be together ultimately.

Believing in Destiny maybe difficult for some but self discovery is universally recognised as an important right of passage for any human being. Surely that in itself is a path drawn out quite solidly for most of us, and during our journey towards self discovery we end up somehow where we are meant to be. We are tested and given our fair desserts in the end even if we do not always understand the journey. Letting go is one of the hardest things to achieve but if we are lucky to be able to do so, we find contentment, peace ,and walk our true path in life with those who are at the same level of spiritual growth and who have arrived at a similar stage of life to share it with us.

Far from the madding crowd, we ultimately each in our own time  discover who we are, what we truly want and who will be there to share it with us.

Music 'Lingo'

Since the very dawn of the discovery of music, it seems clear and universally albeit silently agreed upon, that the world of dulcet tones and lovely lyrics offers both a spiritual dimension and a unifying force to humanity.
Music feeds the soul and nourishes the spirit. It is through music that people share the most positive and unilateral emotions in one moment of joy, sadness, pain or happiness.
Music brings people together but also to a higher place.

Pitch Perfect (2) may be just another sequel to a coming of age story but it does add value to the above ideas about music.
The plot and story line may be weak and predictable- almost non existent in fact in that there isn't much conflict between the characters or much inner conflict for that matter for each character-but it does offer the audience moments of emotional highs and lows through musical performances as well as through identification with one or the other of the versatile and well defined (mainly female) characters.

The colourful costumes and props as well as stage scenes add to the flamboyance of the musical numbers and the comic one liners are quite good, although perhaps collated together a little clumsily.

The humour is fresh and innocent, honest and uninhibited, and mirrors the personalities of the main protagonists.

It differs only slightly from the first pitch perfect movie in that the 'new recruit' does not have to prove herself this time as her predecessor did in the first pitch perfect. This time, she has a legacy and is accepted almost immediately.
The rest of the characters still hold their individual traits: the laid back cynical girl who isn't worried about much as she has seen much worse, the quiet strange girl who says things that are totally unrelated to the subject matter, the strong woman with the male traits, the beautiful 'casual relationship' type girl, the big girl who doesn't care what anyone thinks, the few others with very little definable traits in the background, the leader of the pack who is all about the success of her team and last but not least the main character who aspires to succeed in life and is honest, true and very gentle and likable.
The boys in the film are very much supportive acts in the background

My favourite scene was the 'face off' at the crazy club where musical themes had to be improvised into songs by the different teams. It felt like a very imaginative section of the film as it required humour, musical imagination and team work (lots of dancers and singers in that scene).

The little cherry on the cake was the music lingo used by the girls instead of the spoken word. This is in the scene where they had to agree weather to accept the new recruit or not: they basically sang two notes to each other which stood for either a Yes or a No (instead of voting yes or no using words) and I thought that was genius in that it sums up the film in a nut shell; a film about what music offers and what it can be and the heights it can carry us to.

This last point about the heights of music is reflected visually-funnily enough-during the end credits of the film where the names of the actors scroll down alongside their shadowy shapes. These shapes are similar and engulfed in a line of hazy white light. The emphasis here is not on the differences of the individual forms but on the unifying light of music.
This gives the impression of musical energy emanating from human shapes; energy which translates from audio to visual; a sonic projection out of the bodily outlines.
Perfectly pitched images of tunes.


    

Courage

This may seem a strange post title for the Mad Max film review but I felt that every aspect of that cinematic experience deserved a powerful title.

In terms of the feelings it engenders, Mad Max may seem like a story about action, horror scenes and saving the day on the surface but it is in fact much more than that.

I personally thought that the film presents us with layer upon layer of colourful tapestry about the human psyche, the human mind and humanity generally.

The setting uses very simple and opposing mono colour schemes: a desert background in a fire rimmed red and yellow lit atmosphere throughout, to portray the desolation, lack of life and hopelessness that the characters start out with. The only colourful character was the guitar player-in red- which seemed a very dramatic contrast suggesting life and blood and passion perhaps and suggestive of hope for humanity in this desolated background of brown sand and dry land.

The concept of technology or the Machine versus Nature is also a strong one throughout, additionally supporting this theme of hopelessness and the fact that nature is depleted and in need of nurturing.

The scene where the bare tree is used as a weapon against machinery is very telling of this idea.
The 'green' place as it is referred to in the film, has been poisoned and depleted by the controlling forces who hold the elements away from the general masses.

Animals are almost non existent except for a few buzzard like birds and the only nurturing or natural element seems to be 'mother's milk' which is horrifyingly harvested. The children and babies are also harvested for the controlling power.

Children in the film are shown as clones of adults white skinned and bold. The lack of hair suggests lack of growth perhaps and the cloning is also a reminder of the faceless creatures fighting the resistance.The white faces are reminders of the ghostly or dead like soulless nature of those harvested beings.

The boils on body parts reflect the ailing soul and the bleeding teeth and covered mouth reminds one of lack of expression, the repressed word and the failing of communication.

Eyes- being thought of as the windows to the soul- are also covered or somehow overly made up to portray lack of compassion or lack of trust and clarity. The characters almost never look each other in the eye and when they do they have a very strong reaction.

Faith is questioned and the phrase: 'I live, I die. I live again' or something of the kind hints at the idea of religion being subjective and used to control others, unless understood in a spiritual rather than a dogmatic way.

In terms of the resistance or the resisting team who eventually save the day and give freedom to the masses, the characters are split into very defined categories: male, female and female who could be male and who is also a protector of females because of her suffering and mutilation.

This was my favourite character by far because whilst looking for redemption, she is able to see the good in everything despite her suffering, and still strives to help others, to feel things deeply and to hope.

The other women are portrayed as sexual objects and as belongings but we also understand that they are only dressed in those white virginal 'uniforms' to be categorised on purpose by the controlling powers, rather than esteemed for their very evident individuality.

Finally, besides looking at humanity from this psychological perspective and in terms of character traits and physical attributes describing personalities, there remains the most critical element in the film which is the ability of the male protagonist to have living visions of his past. These are actual embodiments and reflect his hidden psyche and his fear of the losses in his life, mainly the loss of his family/child which he could not save.

The film portrays madness born of the condition of humanity but also recognises that madness is a very relative thing and is present in all beings in varying degrees and that it is the checks and balances of those degrees which define us one and all.

Max or Lucy or Mary or John or Steve or Dave..whomever's mind it is, ultimately the mind is a beautiful and sensitive ephemeral entity and should be treated with the finest degree of respect.

The Age of 'Ultra'

Characters are a supremely important part of any good quality film and the latest Avengers sequel makes sure it provides us with a closer look at the characters in the sense of giving us an in depth look into their interactions, relationships and their psyche.

Although it starts in a slightly confused setting-ie: plot sequence implying the audience is aware of what the heroes themselves are aware of- the film sets out to a better and clearer plot and theme lay out early on with an explanation as to what the protagonists need to do to save the day.

The main aim for the team is to protect the item or gem from which artificial intelligence can be created and therefore used for either good or evil.
The plot thickens when the AI becomes a grey area in the sense that whilst Stark creates it to save the world, it unfortunately takes on a life of its own for a short while and chooses to eradicate humanity instead, leaving the team with the responsibility of finding a solution in the form of an equally created AI being but which would fight on the side of 'good'.

This is not a spoiler because the flavour of the film is in the special effects, costumes, slow motion shots and close up scenes, as well as the fight scenes which are engrossing and very well portrayed in my opinion. The character interactions and the humour are also very attractive elements in the movie providing comic relief in the form of a dry and clever sense of humour.

From an ideas point of view, the film presents a few issues to think about such as has science gone too far in trying to create, and has Man broken moral rules by creating machines which are in Man's image. This is not a new concept for Film by any means, but the way this is portrayed is fairly innovative in the sense that the movie uses the Internet and the fast and uncontrollable propagation of information  through the net and electric waves to show how technology can both be created as a tool for assisting humans in genuine ways but also hindering them by twisting truths out of context.

The saving grace of such technology is that individuals as moral and thinking beings, can manage to be discerning and intuitive and to visualise and 'feel' the reality behind the science. This result the protagonists manage through identifying the 'glitch' in the first AI and through creating a new, balanced and truthful one. Whereas the first AI tries to eradicate because it does not manage to see a way out for humans who are emotional and aggressive selfish beings, the second AI imagines a different way to resolve the problem for the characters.

Fear and the human psyche are also represented strongly in this film, specifically in the scenes where the heroes' minds are opened up for us to see their true nature, their individual fears, strengths and struggles and how they overcome their own limitations in order to save the day.
This is through individual growth, facing their fears and outgrowing them but also through creating something which is an entity, an existence taking many forms but which surpasses them as individuals in order to protect.

The Ultra element here is the creation of something new which is much more than the sum of its parts. It is not just science, technology, the electrons and waves, it is a new 'thing' creating its own unique energy and a new living form which is not just a physical body but also a new idea; in this case an Artificial Intelligence which is awesome, powerful and which can surpass expectations but which is also 'Ultra' in that it exists within a new situation, presenting a new challenge for the team; a previously unimagined situation which they overcome and which takes them to a new level in their existence.

The Ultra is the sequel which is not about the Avenging but which is about introspection, growth and creating a new safe and clear level of existence for humanity.

Ultra 'Ultrons' deliciously 'ultron-icious' and altruistic.