Reality Bites

The title of this post is not in reference to the film by the same name at all, but in reference to the latest public release of 'Goosebumps' starring the ever versatile Jack Black.

He may stick to the usual roles of the imaginative, fun loving artistic genius and fool, but he also looks for versatility within the roles he accepts.

From 'Gulliver's Travels' as the lovable giant, to the 'School of Rock' as the edgy but dependable teacher, he now delights us with his role as the imaginative writer who makes his world of book pages come alive.

His words, as the main protagonist/writer in this movie, paint a world of puppets, gnomes, aliens and monsters, who come alive in this magical film which may not necessarily give you goosebumps-except if you are a young teenager perhaps- but which does entertain and convey certain messages of value.



The parenthood angle is there, as might be expected (such as in 'Daddy's Home').
The two films share the theme of parental love and protection, except that in 'Goosebumps', the child is almost too good to be true! Ah, but that would be giving away some of the plot and a bit of a spoiler.
Let's just say that J.B. makes his family unit come alive, as well as his monsters and ghouls of course.

What distinguishes this film for Black, is that he follows in the footsteps of  Robin Williams in Jumanji, whereby the worlds of make believe turn into reality, because of a strong belief in something, as well as a longing to love and be loved.

In 'Goosebumps', Jack Black turns his fictional book characters into real characters because he wants it badly enough, and that is the main message of the film; if you love or want something that much then you can make it happen with the strength of your conviction.



If you want 'it' enough-whatever that 'it' may be, if it comes from the heart and from the right motivation, as well as it being the 'right' reality for you, then even if it seems fictional at first it can become real in the true sense of the word.



Real and as big as life!

Fatherhood

Parenthood is a popular theme in most family oriented movies.
'Daddy's Home' presents the same issues of parental love, marital status and separation.
It also gives an overview of fatherhood as being both biological and social parenting, in the sense that being a biological son/daughter or being an adopted child can be one and the same from the point of view of the growing individual.

These themes though are not the only prominent ones in this fun and entertaining production.
There is a deeper content within it, mainly the one dealing with the issue of maturity in a relationship and in life. The idea here is that what an individual wants in a relationship is usually discovered later on in life when ones character reaches full maturity, and that this is exactly the time when one looks for and hopefully finds ones partner and soul mate.

'Daddy's Home' exposes this by giving two male characters two opposing yet complimentary personalities: Will Ferrell plays the patient and nurturing adoptive father, whilst Mark Wahlberg plays the wild and sexy biological dad. What they both have in common is their own brand of love for the wife and mother of the children. They also share the need to protect her and the kids.



She obviously moves from wanting one type of man to another as she moves through life, and in her case, opts for the more reliable and protective type (Will Ferrell) rather than the wild and lovable yet too independent type (Mark Wahlberg).

This could be the reverse of course (ie: that a woman/man may opt for the wild type instead of the reliable one), even when an individual reaches adulthood, but the important message here is to realise that when a soul reaches full maturity, it longs for its mate and can only be happy and fulfilled when it finds the right fit both physically and psychologically, but of course most importantly also spiritually.



For some, the 'spiritual' may be an incomprehensible instinctive side which one follows or not -out of choice or the lack of one as the case may be-, but for others, it is strongly felt and even well understood during ones life-especially within the family unit and during our interactions with one another.

Brave Heart

'The Assassin' movie comes across at first glance as a thriller genre of production because of its martial arts content and fighting scenes, but it is essentially a deeper type of film because it looks at the themes of self discovery and spiritual growth.

The costumes, if we can refer to them as such because of their elaborate appearance and bright colors, are distinctly typical to this type of film and the first to be noticed in terms of movie content.

The scenery is also spectacular and obviously very noticeable too, adding to the joy of watching this production on a wide screen.

The story unfolds as a plot of political intrigue, whereby the life of the present ruler is threatened by a female assassin who tries to kill him time and time again but is foiled both by circumstances and by her internal struggle to determine who she really is.

There are also powerful scenes between the two female protagonists who have very different characters, one being the fighting assassin and the other being the wife and motherly type who is shown as the ruler's partner and supporting force throughout.

The characters are well defined, with the male hero being the protecting intelligent target who escapes death because of the love of a good woman, as well as the conscience and morality of the assassin, who discovers she is not able to kill him because she actually does not want to.



This is at the crux of the story line both in terms of plot and character dynamics, because essentially what the director is telling the audience is that it is not at all a fighting martial arts movie like many before it. It is disguised as such on purpose, as it is actually a film of self discovery, morality and human compassion.

This is a recurring theme lately; ie: the idea that having courage isn't about protecting ones interest at all costs, but is rather about sacrifice, love and the strength of heart to do what is right, both for ones spirit as well as others.

I will end this short piece of writing the way I started it, with a reference to 'Brave Heart'.
The latter is a film about love and sacrifice, as well as about enduring belief that being a 'warrior' be it a man (such as in 'Brave Heart') or a woman (such as in 'The Assassin'), isn't always about fighting others in order to survive, but is in fact about having the courage to stand up for ones beliefs and for whatever and whomever one deems as important in ones life.  

Timeless Unions

Spin offs on ancient love stories, which are told continuously over the years, with a new outlook, new characters and a new twist, are very popular because this genre of storytelling weaves a web of emotional intrigue around the two main protagonists.

                             

It’s usually two opposing personalities: the ‘dark’ hero and the ‘fair’ heroine (metaphorically speaking), or more specifically; the ‘darker’ and ‘lighter’ side of human nature meeting half way and learning from one another in order to find some kind of balance within a long lasting relationship somewhere in the middle.

‘A family for rent’ or “une famille a louer”, is an entertaining and colorful new take on this genre of film, finding the male protagonist as a shy yet noble and super organized older man with a strong spiritual take on emotions and very little interest in physical love, whilst the female protagonist is a highly affective, disorganized, overly emotional younger woman with a strong need for physical relationships and little connection with her spiritual side.

They come from different worlds and end up together because they learn from one another and meet half way between the physical and the spiritual realm, whereby she learns how to love herself enough to be less afraid of her soul, and he learns how to let go of his physical inhibitions. She becomes aware of loving him spiritually and he opens up to her physically, thus allowing them to unite in a real and definite way through a balanced connection.

This film is mostly about this timeless formulae for endless love and unity. The magic is in the story and in the weaving of a simple plot into colorful and entertaining images which both amuse and educate.

The rest of the production, in terms of dialogue, casting and editing, is simple enough and even negligible, despite the fact that the acting is pretty impressive. The focus is mainly on the story line and this genre of timeless fairy tale.  

It’s a modern infinite Cinderella story, with a final exchange of symbolic rings between the crowned prince and princess.

‘Chapeau bas’ to the Film makers.