Learning to walk

    Watching The Pursuit of Happyness. Remember how Will Smith manages to get his first appointment that he has to make in 20 minutes--- traffic gets in the way, and he's just running down the street in a suit like his life depended on it? Stevie Wonder singing, "... till I reach my highest ground." That scene has left an indelible mark on my mind for years. My favorite Stevie Wonder song now. Not that my "happyness" depends on these things... but I understand. All the odds are stacked against what you believe you can do, and you're running down the street in a suit and folks' looking at you like you're crazy. I understand.

Ephesians 6:16

    "Jesus said to him, 'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.' Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, 'Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!'"

Mark 9:23-24, NKJV

   

The Integrity of Sully

During the course of the movie, Sully is often distracted. In those moments, he's searching. Did he do the right thing? Was he ever a legitimate pilot? The movie really is a portrait in the sense that it doesn’t move forward so much as it goes back a lot. It all marks with subtlety that he’s uncertain about what he did-- so much so that he can’t fully grasp yet that he saved 155 lives because he still pictures the horror of the worst scenario. The subtlety is perfect. I emphasize that. I think that’s the aim because even the music in the movie is subtle and effective. Tom Hanks is well-armed for this portrayal and for the tone of the movie. So much of it is wordless and much more was said in the few words given. The common Hollywood clichés that could’ve candy-coated and in effect marred this film are avoided by Todd Komamicki who writes the screenplay like a gifted surgeon. He writes dignity in nuances. That is inspiring work!

    Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III is the airline captain that successfully executed a water landing of his plane in the Hudson River on January 15^th, 2009. All 155 passengers survived. He was- and still is- hailed a hero. Take a look at the trailer.

    I saw the movie for the second time last night. The first time I was near tears, but the second time was like enjoying the company of honorable and good men. I want to talk a little bit about these kinds of men as tends to be my habit on this blog. I don’t think anyone of us-- especially men-- can be honorable and good without God. Sully is a remarkable guy. The kind of genuine character that’s mostly uncommon in our time. I think his personal character was integral to hold through an unprecedented water landing and the ensuing scrutiny and fame that followed. But I can’t give him or the brave people that helped all the credit. It wasn’t called the Miracle on the Hudson for nothing. I think people are more than just enthralled with Sully and what happened. I think they know there’s more to it. It can’t often be spoken aloud in our time without people withdrawing their love. People are so thirsty for this because it indicates something that flies in the face of what they’ve been taught, and what they’ve been discouraged to embrace. It’s pure like a thick gush of cold water on a hot day and it hints at something so much greater and so much more wonderful.  Take the inevitable water-landing scene. I’ve sold tickets to people for this movie. I’ve overheard patrons anxious to catch the water-landing scene. I shake my head at that. It is a great scene—a sharply executed scene and no movie about Chesley Sullenberger would be complete without it— but this movie was more than a cinematic water landing. In fact, in that particular scene, the overwhelming outreach of gracious rescuers played by actors perfectly casted is a near-tears moment. That moment in particular is the gathering of the Coast Guard at the downed, floating plane, watching, as the passengers standing on the wings with 30 below waters lapping at their ankles are pulled up. The accents. The air of tough New York pulling together with rough hands and heavy pats for the sake of people in need. It was the best of what New York is and can be. There was nothing gratuitous in its presentation. There really is no justification to deny that God was not orchestrating the entire rescue on January 15^th, 2009.  

    In our day and age you can’t talk about truth without that “inner guard” that expects someone to dismiss what I’ve said as mere religion.

From left, Tom Hanks and the real Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III

    I’m more involved with the character of the man in the movie. Character is not our strong suit in this city. Character is not pursued or coveted. You get your degrees, your knowledge and your references; you get a job and you just wing it. You flatter. You smile. You’re relieved to still go home a thief. But character comes with practice, learning to say no for the right reasons. Character is seasoned; it has a wonderful fragrance. It effortlessly increases the timbre of your voice. It makes you truly unique. Whether people want to admit it or not, what Sully did was borne out of a certain character. People gravitate to it because it is so palatable. It is refreshing. It is agreeable. That’s not by accident. What we do and what we say is genuine consumption for all of those people around us. No word we say returns to us void. Nothing we do is throw-away. Only very accomplished foolish people believe otherwise.

    Imagine a parallel situation where the stakes are high. Put in today’s average 20 or 30 something. Very likely then some lives might be lost. The attitude is a hyper self-entitlement and loose morals. Fame might be indulged. Movie opportunities. Magazine cover: face swollen with false humility. Or imagine the same perilous situation with a 40 year old teenager. I’m not trying to be mean. I’m trying to illustrate how far we are in terms of integrity, consideration and God.

    According to his Wikipedia entry, Captain Sullenberger was an active member of the Methodist church. I don’t know how accurate that is or what Sully’s view of Christ is today. But if it’s true, then it tells me a little something more.

    Sully is a welcome change of pace about the kind of hero that doesn’t seem to know that he is one. I have superhero fatigue. In the last 8 months I have gorged myself on nearly every DC and Marvel live action property from the cinema to Netflix.  This was such a blessing to watch. It was true heroism.

    Sully is a great example of what manhood should be like. No matter what age you are. You don't have to be a pilot to exhibit that manhood. You can do that by being a husband, a father or a man who demonstrates right conduct at home or at work. Christ will always be the ultimate example of manhood.

An Essay on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and its Season 3 finale

At front and center, Clark Gregg as Director Phil Coulson

    I’ve never missed an episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. In its first season, I was a staunch supporter. It was an exciting new window from a different corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Moreover, I thought the idea of the developmental “slow burn” was just more risk-taking genius from Marvel Studios. Every week I would shake my head about the ratings decline. AoS is the little-show-that-could. Despite a seeming distance, the continuity of the show is integrated with the movies. There have been a handful of guest appearances by characters like Nick Fury, Maria Hill and Lady Sif (From Thor). In the film, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Cap discovered the deeply-embedded infiltration of Hydra within S.H.I.E.L.D. and following that, the tie-in to AoS was gripping. Winter Soldier directly unraveled the life of Phil Coulson and revealed a Hydra double agent on his team in Grant Ward which made for some very tense interactions for the seasons to come. In case you didn’t know, it was Coulson who prepared the Helicarrier for Nick Fury in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

    But I want to talk about the recently wrapped third season which at the finale welled up gladness in me. For those who don’t watch the show, I need to quickly illustrate how Coulson is still alive after being impaled by Loki, and how the third season takes off.  

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD

Agent Coulson in Project T.A.H.I.T.I.

    Phil Coulson did die in The Avengers. During the course of AoS, we learn that before the Battle of New York, Coulson and Nick Fury were involved in implementing a device for the express purpose of “resurrecting” an Avenger killed in battle. A device that Coulson resigned work from with a recommendation for it to be shut down. Because Director Fury held such value for Coulson, he ordered for him to undergo the process. This is a concept that delivers on the gruesome. In flashbacks, Coulson is seen laying on a gurney with his scalp opened as S.H.I.E.L.D. doctors look on. A metallic device massages his exposed brain amidst his agonized cries for death. He returns with implanted memories of having been well-rested referring to it as “the magical place.” On a mission to save one of his agents, Coulson discovers the corpse of a Kree in a S.H.I.E.L.D. compound. It’s the alien whose fluids were drained to create the medicine that restored his life. 

Coulson discovers the Kree corpse

    After the events of Winter Soldier, Nick Fury reunites with Coulson and names him acting director with the task of rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D. The revelation of the Inhuman phenomenon develops further, essentially leading to one of their agents, Daisy Johnson to be reborn as an Inhuman (She becomes the character, Quake who originated in the comic book). During the third season, Grant Ward continues his operations as a rogue Hydra agent and in vengeance assassinates an ally and love interest of Coulson. Coulson is consumed with an uncharacteristic vengeance and tracks Ward down.

At right, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury 

Brett Dalton as Grant Ward

    Grant Ward is murdered by Director Coulson on Maveth. Maveth is a planet mostly covered in darkness where an ancient and extremely powerful Inhuman was banished centuries earlier by the Kree. It turns out that Hydra started out as a branch of followers that embraced this Inhuman as a deity and developed a religious, crusading organization around him. Over the centuries, this sect of Hydra found a way to transport members to the banished Inhuman under the false impression they were making noble attempts to return their “god” to rule. But later, we discover from a high ranking Hydra officer that “followers” were actually sent to “satiate” their god. The Inhuman devoured these men. It gets very interesting and causes me to wonder about Red Skull’s reactions to this legend since he led the modern day reformed movement. This new revelation about Hydra brings to it a new depth that makes it more of a compelling mystery.

Maveth

    Coulson leaves Maveth, but the body of Ward is inhabited by the Inhuman later to be known as Hive. Hive returns to earth and begins to amass an army of Inhumans under a kind of hypnotic sway. He can manipulate the pleasure centers of their brains and turn them into acolytes with a religious fervor. Hive takes on the attributes of a certain world leader or Anti-Christ. In fact, as the episodes progress it’s no longer subtle. The content of the episodes reverberate like different notes on a piano that is the song of Christ-- His return, the defeat of the Anti-Christ and the monumental sacrifice He made for the forgiveness of the entire world—all played out in the words and actions of the characters in various ways. This is the real reason I’m writing this blog. Not so much to herald the courage of the show runners, because you see, I don’t know for sure why they would- or even could- write such a story like this. Or how it could even be sanctioned without a fight… if that. Whatever took place in the writer’s room, whether they realize it or not, the latter part of the third season undeniably gives glory to Jesus Christ. For a show on network TV to do this is astonishing! The reason that it is astonishing is because the world is increasingly hostile toward Christians. Several months ago, I read an interview Brett Dalton gave where he describes how people thought the monologue he delivered made him sound like he was "... born again, devout, off-my-rocker..." That's the attitude I'm talking about. I only know, that I know, what God says about Himself is absolutely true: that He is in control. As hard as it is to believe for anyone in these very troubled, harsh times we live in. My reaction would surely prompt many to say something like, “Well, you only saw what you wanted to see.” Okay.

Brett Dalton as Hive

Chloe Bennett as Daisy Johnson/ Quake

    Imagine if I wrote a TV script called, Hamilton. Hamilton is a regular brother from a Brooklyn projects neighborhood, who just happens to be a prince. Hamilton’s dead father talks to him through a Ouija board and tells him that his uncle murdered him. In my script, I write that Hamilton becomes insane with despair; drinking and smoking weed, stunted by indecisiveness on how to deal with his uncle’s treachery. How can he guilt-trip his own mother about marrying his uncle? In my script, I write that Hamilton stands one night in front of the corner bodega, declaring to himself aside a sleeping drunk, “To act or to delay, that is my prayer…” Take in all of that and you would be within your bounds of good sense to assume that I am lifting much of my content from Hamlet. Of course, I might say you only want to see what you want to see.

Daisy Johnson under sway with Hive

    Agent Mack finds Daisy in her cell. In their last encounter, Daisy was under sway with Hive and brutally beat Mack, even using her powers to fracture his bones and nearly killing him. But after Daisy comes back, Mack refreshes his commitment as her partner. Mack restrains her in loving embrace, and tells her that he forgives her. She breaks down in sobs, murmuring how she doesn’t deserve it. Note, the same conflicted and tormented Daisy finds Hive again and falls to her knees before him asking him to take her back. He doesn’t. He says to her that she’s been made impervious to his power. But this act from Daisy portrays the painful reality of sinful addiction and the hopelessness to break free of it. Legions of Christians testify today that the power of Christ broke them from all kinds of addictions. The real Satan can create a false sense of this which mirrors what Hive can do. The real Satan cannot undo the salvation of a true, genuine Christian. What Hive gives to his followers seems substantial, but just like in real life it doesn’t feed or satisfy the gnawing of the soul. Chloe Bennett plays Daisy/Quake. She’s a very young actress, but it needs to be said this may be her best acting yet. I repeatedly was moved to tears because of the sorrow that she conveyed. That one scene with Mack choked me up. It was undeniable. I’ve known that sorrow personally. There was nothing gratuitous about her performance. Marvel take notice, please. 

Henry Simmons as Mack

    Daisy Johnson is guilt-ridden by the horrible betrayal she has committed under the sway of Hive. I find it interesting that she condemned Grant Ward for his betrayal and it must’ve been grating for her to realize she was somehow guilty of much of the same. She doesn’t see how she can go on. She’s got an idea on how she can atone which is to give her life to destroy Hive. It was at this point, I expected the show to go in the clichéd direction of finding redemption through selfless deeds, which most of the world still believes is the answer to eternal life. But my heart leapt at what happened next. My chest heaved with emotion. A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Lincoln-- also an Inhuman and Daisy’s lover pushes her out of the ship. Bleeding and weakened, he catapults Hive and himself into space where a deadly blast would take them out leaving the earth unharmed. Director Coulson remarks to an inconsolable Daisy, “He’s dying for all of our mistakes.” Before detonation, the recurring scene of a floating cross attached to a chain in zero gravity.

Luke Mitchell as Lincoln

Scene foreshadowed throughout the third season
with floating cross.

The true face of Hive

THE BASIC CHARACTER OF S.H.I.E.L.D.    

    The placement of Coulson’s body to be reanimated by machines is one of the more unsettling, darker aspects of S.H.I.E.L.D. and reveals further how this organization is less heroic than presumed. That’s some indication to me how Hydra could’ve remained hidden for decades. The writers are very honest in manifesting the true spirit of S.H.I.E.L.D. which finds more expression in the weariness of the agents in what they say and what they do. They are isolated and without peace. The team has repeatedly expressed their desire to see Ward dead and in later episodes voice their approval of his murder. Coulson’s likability falls for me. Evil always wins when we choose to practice it against our enemies. I don’t condemn the character, but I firmly condemn the celebration of that thinking. I’d like to see how Coulson will deal with that failure in his life. I applaud the honesty of the characters, but it’s the amorality of the show that has waned my interest in it now. No matter how much a show glosses its work with handsome and beautiful, talented and charming people, the true essence of who they’re playing is like sudden and piercing body odor. It can’t help but be sensed. S.H.I.E.L.D. recruits the brightest, the most talented, but with special attention to the most apathetic, the ruthless and cynical. Because of this, I was initially puzzled as to where the show was going next, but the crescendo of this third season really was wonderful in a surprising way.

    God is so very compassionate in giving the world every reason to believe that the cross is true. Scholarly, professional men have tried to prove that Christ was a myth and came away deeply humbled and saved. They receive a power that causes them to walk in love and truth. Religion can’t duplicate that. Neither can society. 

   

    I think that Marvel Studios ought to make Phil Coulson, Daisy Johnson and Melinda May a significant part of Avengers: Infinity War, with actual appearances in those movies. You can’t leave AoS out when Thanos arrives. Plus, I am looking forward to see Coulson appear in the upcoming Marvel‘s Iron Fist. 

KEY EPISODES FOR THE THIRD SEASON ON MARVEL‘S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.:

Episode #9- “Closure”

Episode #10- “Maveth”

Episode #11- “Bouncing Back”

Episode #12- “The Inside Man”

Episode #15- “Spacetime”

Episode #16- “Paradise Lost”

Episode #17- “The Team”

Episode #18- “The Singularity”

Episode #19- “Failed Experiments”

Episode #20- “Emancipation”

Episode #21- “Absolution”

Episode #22- “Ascension”

THE TALENTED WRITERS FOR THE EPISODES LISTED

Brent Fletcher, Jeffrey Bell, Monica Owusu-Breen, Craig Titley, Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon, George Kitson and Sharla Oliver, DJ Doyle, Lauren LeFranc, Chris Dingess and Drew Z. Greenberg.

The throwing off of nobility in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

    I really want to avoid being redundant.

    There are likely thousands of blogs and commentaries about Batman v. Superman… and I would like to make my contribution distinctive and maybe put things into a sobering perspective that most readers would approve. I’ve been a Batman fan since Michael Keaton put on the cowl. The atmosphere, the reigning triumph of a broken man taking to the night set to the rousing operatic music of Danny Elfman kind of changed my life. Between repeated viewings of my VHS copy and sequels, I collected nearly every Batman related comic title, and that went on for nearly a decade. I responded to the character. I didn’t lose my parents to gunfire and all of my aspirations of becoming a superhero thankfully found expression in other outlets. But it’s the brutal crushing, the emotional tragedy in the character's life that I felt kinship with, and how that made him a man needing to bring change. Life can bring about terrible losses. I've faced wickedness that passed for good, betrayal from friends and girlfriends and of course, the never-ending supply of little "men" who bully. That suffering had the potential to raise up an ire to oppose injustice in my walk of life, but by doing good. No matter the temptation to do evil, Batman stayed steady even when his heart was broken. You catch a glimpse of what I’m talking about in the movie, Batman Begins. One of my favorite scenes is when Bruce is being initiated into the League of Shadows. But to become a member he has to demonstrate his allegiance by executing a criminal. Ra’s Al Ghul hands him the sword and Bruce says, “I’m no executioner... (and the fact that he is not, is the reason...) it separates us from them." Please watch the following scene for yourself to see what I mean:

Footage from Batman Begins

Batman image from DC Comics

    This is the nobility of Batman and the core of my deep admiration for the character. In that is woven a dark regality that for me is not demonic, but more like kingship. His cowl is proportioned almost like a crown and a battle helmet, his long cloak accentuates a nobility and when he leaps into battle, the cape expands like avenging wings. The coolness of Batman is built from the momentum of his commitment to doing what is right. Proverbs 19:12 describes a king's rage like a roaring of a lion. Many verses in Proverbs describes a good king as in the hand of God. There’s a dignity in his fighting movement. I recall in one comic book I read years ago how Batman was rising back to his feet with his arm around his torso after taking a massive hit that threw him against the wall. He described pain like fire, but he rose back up to meet this opponent that was huge. Every boy and young man looks to someone to show him how to walk and behave like a man. In Batman, I initially found manhood. I’m not wholly proud of that. But I think guys who read comic books are looking for that because it’s an essential need for all young men. Comic book guys have a definite sense of justice and they yearn for it in real life, even if they don’t usually have the first clue how to wield it. They want to be the guys who save the day. They want to see the underdogs win. It’s the reason why two poor Jewish guys who were fed up with crime and injustice created Superman in 1933. Superheroes are more than just colorful costumed science fiction. Superheroes represent hopes we don't talk about anymore. As time went on, these characters just got better and more personal, set with care by really gifted, brilliant writers and artists. The game got stepped up more and more, and now we’re seeing them appear on the big screen like we imagined when we were kids. We're having a blast! We love Marvel and gosh darn it, we love DC (even though we hate on them sometimes).
 

    But I’m not convinced that Zack Snyder loves these characters. In fact, I think he hates Superman.

Christopher Reeve in 1980's
Superman franchise

    On one hand, Snyder put Superman in new and compelling story possibilities which I’ve always felt that Hollywood was too timid to do. With the direction and atmosphere of the Christopher Reeve movies and Superman TV shows (I couldn’t sit through Smallville), Hollywood seemed more interested in keeping a rigid mystique than putting him through potentially controversial challenges. When they did consider thinking out the box for a Tim Burton directed, Superman Lives, the ideas were for a Superman who wore a black suit, capeless and wielded razor sharp S shield weapons, played by Nicholas Cage.

Nicholas Cage in costume tests to play
the title character in "Superman Lives"

Snyder broke through, but he clearly shows no respect for the character. That’s the problem with Batman v. Superman… I don’t think we should go crazy with comparisons, but it’s important to note that Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios started as a fan and he has a protecting love for those characters. As a fan he fully understands the desire and devotion of Marvel’s readers, and how failing to stay close to the source material has left a string of bad movies. Feige has proven Hollywood wrong... and in a very satisfying way. The failure of Zack Snyder and Warner Bros. to simply care enough is justifiably comic-book-geek-infuriating.

Behind the scenes look at the Superman suit
for "Superman Lives"

    But is it a horrible movie? It’s such a good movie that it causes me to forget long enough that Batman murders people without hesitation. Ben Affleck is so exciting as Bruce Wayne and Batman that I literally forgot that unsettling twinge when I see the Robin suit and instead of it holding Tim Drake’s bowstaff, it holds a vicious weapon that could rend a person’s flesh to bloody shreds. This alone threatens to bring the DC Cinematic Universe caving in on itself and I have to attribute this to Zack Snyder. I liked Watchmen and Man of Steel. I recall in one of the interviews with Snyder, I think as an extra for the latter, he remarked with a kind of sneer about who is to say what is good and what is evil. That made me very uncomfortable obviously as a Christian, and yes as one who respects the integrity of character. This confirms a seeming embarrassment felt for Superman in Hollywood. Is Snyder qualified to direct a Superman movie? In one interview, Snyder responds to the outcry of how he handled the character saying, "... I was trying to grow up their character." Snyder continues to make his disdain known by referring to Superman's upbringing with his comments, "It's sort of the Kansas morality, that black and white, unrealistic morality of fighting crime." Snyder has a real bad attitude about what's important to Superman. 

    If Kevin Feige were the head of the DC slate of films, do you think that Zack Snyder would be directing Superman, much less any of these movies? 

An increasingly decrepit Batman reaping
what he's sown in the graphic novel,
The Dark Knight Strikes Again

Scenes from The Dark Knight Returns

    




    




    Under Snyder's direction, Batman becomes more than a version of The Dark Knight Returns, but he gets to be his own version of Deadpool or the Punisher for the blood thirsty R rating lovers. With the success of Deadpool at the box office, Warner Bros. soon announced an R rated cut for Batman v. Superman seemingly to show they were down with the Deadpool program. Some fans rationalize this brutal and ruthless Batman because of the inspired source material: the graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns. Look. That book is not part of main stream canon, for one, and two, the sequel The Dark Knight Strikes Again was a muddled, nasty mess. In it, Bruce Wayne has degenerated into a deformed Batman looking like the curdled result of what he reaped in the previous book. In that particular series, Batman literally walked away from his humanity and is a lumbering monster who dominates his army, has humiliated Superman and kills Dick Grayson without hesitation!  ‘nuff said! But that’s an alternate universe. Just like the stellar series, Batman Beyond is an alternate reality. It is not canon.

    I felt every growl watching Ben Affleck play the role. I breathed it all in when he stood standing next to the shining bat light, watching in the rain. I savored the catastrophic beat-down that he gave to the Russians in the warehouse when he goes to save Martha Kent, which is truly the greatest Batman fight ever orchestrated in cinematic history, hands down! But this Batman gave up his crown by branding criminals like cattle sending them into the prison populations to be murdered like convicted pedophiles. Despite the intoxicating theme, “Beautiful Lie” by Hans Zimmer at the beginning of the movie, it doesn’t undo the loitering disappointment I feel in that this Batman doesn’t care anymore about compassion that separates himself from the bad guys. Now he’s the bully. Ra's Al Ghul would be proud of this Batman. How does Superman befriend a guy like that? He doesn’t. Moreover, how does Superman even overtly consider killing Batman to save his mother’s life? Of course, the sorrow of having his mother kidnapped could push him to entertain the idea, but for him to casually remark, “No one stays good in this world…” is beneath the character. It's something I expect for Deadpool or Punisher to say and their cynical amoral fans to scream in delight about. That kind of awkward, forced dialogue shows up again when Bruce Wayne gets inspirational at the funeral. These are the cynical versions of the World’s Finest according to Zack Snyder. DC needs their own Kevin Feige.

Kevin Feige, President of
Marvel Studios

    I first saw this movie when it had the red carpet premiere at Radio City Music Hall and I admit that something did feel off. But like I said, it’s so well-made that you forget these iconic characters aren’t being treated with respect. Because there is no honesty about the characters, then the story becomes misaligned and the sentiments are insincere. A part of you wants to enjoy the illusion more to avoid the realization that the film makers didn't really get it. But not all is ill-conceived. How hard would it be to present in an eventful way an underwater creature that looks exactly like a normal, blond white guy? While I preferred the classic, Jason Momoa as Aquaman is a stroke of genius and completely unexpected!

Alan Ritchson as the classic Aquaman on Smallville

Jason Momoa as Aquaman in the DC Cinematic Universe

    Comic book fans can be fickle and notoriously rabid when it comes to anything that diminishes their favorite superheroes, but I’ve always been one to pull for the underdog. It could be possible that the DC Cinematic Universe can improve from here. After Iron Man was released, Marvel Studios had a string of modest hits, the least of which was The Incredible Hulk. The difference between the two is clear. Marvel has a handle on the compelling portrayal of their characters within the bounds of the source material. Warner Bros. has taken what are very damaging liberties that will hurt the franchise more later. I’m still hoping that DC will clear their own unique path and take their cinematic properties more seriously, hopefully with an overseeing presence that cares about the characters and potentially remove Snyder from his directing duties. 


May 23rd, 2017 12:38am

    A few hours earlier, I read the news that Zack Snyder had stepped down from directing Justice League because of the tragic suicide of his daughter, Autumn Snyder in March. Apparently, he was doing the best he could to meet his obligation while coping with what I can only imagine is a horrific emotional ordeal. I am genuinely mournful for Mr. Snyder and prayerful for him and his family. He has passed directing duties to Joss Whedon and from what I understood in the article, it will be "... minimal and... adhere to the style and tone and the template that Zack set."

The Hateful Eight

"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." - John 8:44

Spoilers ahead.

It’s like coming into a room inhabited by worthless and unreasonable men and women. All of them sitting in a hot mess, glowering at you. That’s what rehashing the Hateful Eight feels like.

But there’s an opportunity here for me to write this pseudo-review (I came late and missed Chapter One). The characters reflect the title successfully in their expressions of duplicity and spite, and Tarantino pulls you all the way in like a master storyteller at the halfway mark of the movie, with a sudden left-field “whodunit” scenario. I took greater interest when I heard the production resembled a stage play. It was almost like watching Black Mass, which is a film 2 + hours long of keeping company with barely restrained rage and graphic murder despite Johnny Depp’s most gripping portrayal.

Kurt Russell as John Ruth and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Daisy Domergue

As a prisoner caught by Kurt Russell’s bounty hunter, Jennifer Jason Leigh’s face is progressively stained with bruises, blood and gore. Her two front teeth are gone. She has a severely unpleasant way of talking. She is the walking dead; rotted to the core and degenerating. She’s like the black heart of the movie waiting to be cut out. Samuel L. Jackson is Major Marquis Warren, a former union soldier and now a bounty hunter who takes notice of a confederate general, in the haberdashery they take shelter in, Sanford Smithers, played by Bruce Dern. Warren recalled that Smithers infamously executed black soldiers in cold blood, and so during dinner, he attempts to strike up a friendly conversation with the general about family. But soon it’s clear that he’s feigning neighborly kindness. Warren leaves a pistol at Smithers’ side and walks toward the end of the room testifying of an encounter with Smithers’ son. It’s an absolutely horrifying account of humiliation in the freezing snow made more deplorable by the fact that Warren might’ve been lying very convincingly about the whole meeting. In the depiction, I wondered how an actor in the rightness of his mind- no matter how talented and skilled- could simulate that depiction. That might make me sound squeamish and square, but I rightly disagree. It’s of sound mind and health that I note it. It makes me sad that there are diehard fans that will purchase this movie and enjoy a viewing of that scene over and over again, rave about how great it is and not be hurt mentally in some significant way. Worse, not try to live it out on some enemy. Is that far-fetched? Not in this age. As a writer, it’s always difficult to make decisions that would be at the expense of character—and I believe that Marquis Warren could’ve done what he described to the general. What’s troubling to me is not enough people are sickened by it. 

Bruce Dern as General Sanford Smithers

In New York City, there are inner city children who have to live through commonplace emotional and mental horrors because the parents of their school mates have taught them to be wicked and apathetic. To step out and do something about it brings about a self-righteous backlash, despite children and adults hurting. Now, what I said would be viewed as judgmental and horrible—even though it’s true. No amount of trouble or poverty can justify the actions that cause people to suffer in this city. Most people don’t want to think about that, but watching a flashback of Marquis Warren forcing a man to demoralize himself is, well, somehow that’s cool. “That’s acceptable.” The horror is further compounded by the face of the general who is receiving this story about his son as true. The general snatches up the gun, but Warren shoots him dead in self-defense. The movie on the whole is more of a horror than a western, in the traditional sense of blood and violent murder.

Samuel L. Jackson as Major Marquis Warren

The Hateful Eight is extraordinarily perverse… but critics raved and gave the film mostly positive reviews. Yet, they gave mostly negative reviews to the movie, War Room which still garnered over 70 million to date.

But Quentin Tarantino has talent and skill enough to captivate in such a strong way that he causes me to forget the stomach-turning disgust I feel. A poisoning of coffee leads to a new high in tension for the movie. Guns are cocked and aimed in that haberdashery surrounded by an unforgiving blizzard. It was brilliant! Then Marquis Warren is shot in his groin and I am truthfully relieved. How fitting. How absolutely poetic. I breathe easier despite the fact he’s on the floor grasping his mid-section and whining in agony. As the Psalm says, the wicked withering away like grass… having repeatedly rejected redemption. As a matter of fact, there is one scene of a pole with Christ on the cross partially concealed by snow, as if out of reach from the Hellfire Eight. From there, it’s edge-of-your-seat writing and vision with exciting precision to a satisfying ride and conclusion. True to form by the end of the movie, the demonic hatred in the last surviving men in the room is seen in taunting smiles at Leigh’s character as she is hung by her neck.

These characters are compelling, but you don’t celebrate them. You don’t enthrone them anymore than you would Tony Montana.

One of my co-workers complained to me that the movie was “… boring, but it was still good.” I know what he meant. There’s a lot of banter for backstory at the beginning. I think it’s well-placed for character. I like it. I’m not speaking as an authority on writing, but I think too often movies are formulaic and Tarantino’s work is not… and it still succeeds.

To read the full plot, you can click here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hateful_Eight