Sharing in the Secret Life of Walter Mitty

 

     Ben Stiller has a natural talent for playing decent guys who inevitably get pulled under the steamroller. Stiller is great at portraying pain to comic effect. This is not one of those movies.

     Walter Mitty is an average, sweet guy who at some point in his life stopped having fun and played it very, very careful. He has a crush on a co-worker, but he can't work up the nerve. She's on eHarmony. He creates a profile page and lingers hesitantly over the send button. Should he send the online wink to his crush or not? A social misfit around people, he might say, “dirkly”, instead of “directly”. He often escapes into his daydreaming--- even in the middle of a conversation!

     It’s not a sad movie, though. It’s an honest movie. There aren’t enough movies like it. Somewhere along the way, we’re much less honest with ourselves and with each other than I remember. The world is so easily offended. Integrity, faith and yes, following a dream carries with it now a greater social penalty than before.

     Walter Mitty breaks out of his fear and goes out into foreign countries in search of a weathered, legendary photographer who he’s collaborated with at the magazine he works for. The reason is absurd! And yet, Walter has been taught like the rest of us that anything that does not fall in line with a routine and risk free life is absurd. He breaks free, traveling lonely roads and literally thrust into danger. He’s walking by faith.

     When I was in my 20’s, I went to the wedding reception of a woman who made an indelible mark in my life. I had just finished a show and we stood outside of the theater talking. She was the mother of a fellow actor. I remember she gazed into my eyes and poured out overflowing encouragement about how special my talent was. It gave me such pause that I felt disconnected from my legs -- we must’ve talked alone for 30 minutes or longer. When you meet people like that you don’t kick them to curb. Well, later on, I learned she was getting married and it was in New Jersey. I went off late to the Port Authority with the address. I asked questions and I got out there (this is before I ever used the internet). I remember walking alone for blocks through a town I had never been in. Lots of trees, houses, but along the way the comforting presence of a convenience store or the familiarity of a pizza shop. The hot sun was beginning to set. I murmured prayers to God so I wouldn't be stranded. I had no way of knowing I could get a ride back to New York City. When I finally got there, I walked into the reception area a little disheveled and sweaty, holding flowers in my hand. I caught the surprise exclamations of fellow actors in nearby tables. It was nice. Watching Walter Mitty walk through Iceland and the Himalayas for his friend reminded me that I can do that sort of thing. I still look back on those times and marvel. I guess because like a lot of us we always think the worst of what could happen. And that always stops us.

     The scene where Walter's crush sings to him has special meaning for me (I recommend the soundtrack). This is more than just a wonderful story to watch. It's an encouragement for anyone who still daydreams despite the criticism. Walter Mitty joins the list of my average guy cinematic heroes.

Originally posted September 11, 2014

The Last Man on Earth (1964 film)

            I’ve wanted to see this movie since I am Legend came out in 2007. I was captivated by Robert Neville's world. I started looking up the novel of the same name, and previous film adaptations. The Last Man on Earth was a rare find, and I discovered the movie is all over YouTube- much to my delight!

            I finished watching it. If you liked the 1968 original film, Night of the Living Dead(“They’re coming to get you, Barbara!”), then you can ride through this one. It’s very casually-paced and scenic, which could potentially irritate those who are culturally ADD. This movie is not for the bootleg B action movie lover. Vincent Price stars as Robert Morgan (not sure why they changed the name), and much of what you saw in Will Smith’s movie can be recognized here. Had you been in my house, you might’ve thought I was watching a comedy because I'd burst out in laughter at some of the creative choices. I liked this movie. I just wanted to enjoy a good old-fashioned horror flick. But Price’s character is so dang polite. The man is sure to press his pants, starch his collar and wear a sweater, complete with suit jacket before he goes out to scavenge for supplies and kill vampires! Even his gait is a reserved 9th grade teacher kind of stride in this dangerous world. I shrug it off between laughs because you can appreciate the genuine effort to make a great movie. There’s a charm about great dramas done by people working with less, rather than what we often see in cinema today. 

            This version of “vampire” is slow, dull-witted and weak unlike those found in I am Legend, the film. Price can push and knock them over with reasonable effort. Later in the movie is a lengthy flashback to how it all began: the news reports of a rampant disease, the deterioration of his family. The most affecting scene is his infected daughter confined to bed, under a clear net and kept secret from the authorities. She’s gone blind. She calls out to her mother for comfort. Then the introduction of a little black poodle, which Price is more than happy to take in as a companion until he finds out the dog has been infected. “What’s the use?!” he laments, throwing up his hands. These scenes do a great job to indicate a kind of downward spiral, and it served to remind me how much I appreciated Will Smith’s performance. I found I loved I am Legend a great deal more. In that movie, you felt Will Smith ache and you saw him bug out from the agony of his dog’s death. You see how his mind has frayed when he begins to speak in unison with the dialogue of Shrek, in the company of actress Alice Braga and the child she's with. His manner underlines how long he's been alone and how difficult it is to relate well. All of this the result of the intense trauma and pressure of his situation. Will Smith’s performance should’ve at least been nominated for an Oscar, because it was a study in what loneliness can do to a man. That matters to me because the real pandemic of our day is loneliness. It’s hard to readapt this story beyond the ideal vision that was pretty much perfected in I am Legend. Why would you want to?

            Richard Matheson wrote the novel. At the end of the novel, Robert Neville is captured by the vampires and they execute him for his crimes. The vampires- the infected population- are becoming an organized society. The concept to capture here is that while Neville appears to be the hero to all of us, for the vampires he is their own boogieman who terrorizes them. Neville dies thinking, “I am legend.” How Vincent Price meets his end aligns the closest to how the novel ends. Richard Matheson has made significant contributions to the original Twilight Zone series. He recently passed away on June 23rd, 2013.

            There was a second film adaptation to the book called, The Omega Man (1971) starring a youngish Charlton Heston with swag enough to roll with Rosalind Cash, and fight a version of albino mutants out to kill him. I saw it. It was all right.  

            I’m going to see Will Smith in I am Legend again.

Originally posted June 28th, 2013 on Facebook

Deadpool kills the Marvel Universe

Minor Spoilers.

       Probably out of morbid curiosity I revisited the story with Marvel Explained, a YouTube channel that breaks down all things Marvel. http://youtu.be/oywLx8AJ29c. Robert Jefferson is the narrator and producer of these videos; he's done an impressive job! His is a casual narrative of Deadpool kills… using the pages from the book, showing the action and drama.

       Obviously, this story takes place in an alternate reality. Deadpool is a mercenary and a mutant. "The Merc with a mouth" is his handle. In the story, he's remanded to an asylum by Professor Xavier and the X-Men. There he completely freaks when he begins hearing a new, dominant voice in his head. He breaks out and goes on a killing spree of superheroes and villains. He dispatches the likes of Spider-Man (who he shoots in the head), the Fantastic Four, and even the Hulk. The most memorably gruesome scenes are what he does to the X-Men.

       It’s hard not to appreciate writer Cullen Bunn’s work because it’s so compellingly done. He's in his element. The book has been described as a parody, but I think readers (and writers) love to see these beloved Marvel characters get skewered. You can trace that back to battle scenes in the Infinity Gauntlet saga. So, it often feels like people simply want to see the mindless goring of characters. And it's that inherent, blood lust that I think is worth noting, because it sheds light on our faulty morality.

       I’m not condemning this book. But I can’t ignore the real world implications. The “voices” that Deadpool experiences are undeniably demonic. The book is heavy with darkness-- it's tantalizing, but its a little taste of hell too. There are scenes where Xavier and Taskmaster are given a glimpse into Deadpool’s mind, and the sight of it causes them to shut down. I think they both saw pure, unrestrained evil and cold terror. What I believe people see when they first enter the futility of hell. I found myself rooting for Wolverine (often as much a bully and a murderer as Deadpool). It was a let-down that so many of the heroes had a seeming nihilistic- if not apathetic- attitude in confronting Deadpool to defeat him. As if they already knew they faced certain death. Again, the sense of futility is all over this book. It’s like a nightmare set on a sunny, beautiful day.

       When the Punisher tries to take out Deadpool, there’s an interesting insert about how what’s happening may be a holy vengeance from above. In a real world setting, where a man was empowered to wreck destruction, demons would no doubt believe that to be true. Demons are not deceived about their ultimate fate. Neither is the world.

       Written by Cullen Bunn who appropriately has written similar fare like, The Damned, and art by Dalibor Talajic who has illustrated the comic book adaptation for the Dexter TV series. Incidentally, I discovered their credits after I came to my conclusions.

        Ryan Reynolds is set to reprise the role of Deadpool in his own feature film on February 2016.

“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”

– James 2:19