In Memoriam: Irvin Kershner

This blog entry is effectively dedicated to Irvin Kershner. Known far and wide as the director of The Empire Strikes Back, one of the greatest works of science fiction put on screen and the best installment of the epic Star Wars saga, Kershner died today, November 29, 2010, after struggling for years against an unknown illness.

In Kershner's hands, the Star Wars series surpassed even the level of quality of A New Hope; a revolutionary film, it established the old cliche that sequels must be darker and edgier than their predecessor, but unlike others, this actually improved it, allowing the series to feel like a more mature, serious work of fiction than the admittedly flighty adventure romp that was Hope (NOTE: I am not criticizing the original film, fanboys; it is without a doubt one of the greatest films ever made, I am just noting that it is lighter than the second film). 

There's something just really beautiful that Kershner was able to do with Empire; it's hard to describe, but the damp, underlit sequences boasting the ever-presence of smoke, mist, and fog, just breathes a level of fear and terror. Even in the scenes on Hoth, Kershner made the lush, absolutely breathtaking image of the snowy landscapes and bright white aesthetic make you feel cold (sorry), unable to guess what was about the happen. It's the marks of a thriller being used on a space opera; it's genius.

Scary shit.

It was almost unprecedented. Kershner showed just such a knack for crafting a superbly effective genre film backed with professionalism and craft, but nothing he had done before had ever been particularly well-known or even close to the level of iconic/blockbuster status of the multi-billion dollar Star Wars franchise. Indeed, when Kershner as attached to the direct the sequel to the then-highest grossing film of all time Star Wars, he was surprised and asked creator George Lucas "Of all the younger guys around, all the hot-shots, why me?"; Lucas's response was, "Well, because you know everything a Hollywood director is supposed to know, but you're not Hollywood."

^^ Not Hollywood.

Kershner brought a new level of depth, and being a master of character development, he was able to reestablish and mature the preexisting (and already awesome) characters, breathing new life to them with flawless timing and stage direction. This, of course, couldn't have been possible without the help of co-screenwriters Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, but like any great director, Kershner was able to take the script and find new levels of brilliance to add to it and the film.

 

Kershner knew that the focus of the film had to be the characters, and so he found the simplest ways to allow them to drive the emotionality of their scenes. He noted once, "I like to fill up the frame with the characters' faces. There's nothing more interesting than the landscape of the human face." When Kershner made Empire, he was able to find the fear and terror of scenes not only through mere visuals, but also through the way he toyed with the characters. When the famous plot twist occurs, revealing Darth Vader to be Luke's father, Kershner focuses the direction of the scene not on the characters' surroundings, but on the characters themselves. There's a sense of shock and horror, combined, found merely by showing one man's horrified reaction.

Irvin Kershner shall always be remembered as a master director, and even though it's been 30 years since The Empire Strikes Back graced the movie theater (and our heart's) his handprint on the film shall always remain. Empire shall always be remembered as one of cinema's greatest achievements, and Kershner shall always be remembered as the one who made it what it was. R.I.P. Mr. Kershner. To say you'll be missed would be saying too little.

Top 5 Poorly Received Movies I Love

To quote Dirty Harry: "Opinions are like assholes; everyone's got one." Or, if you wanna be cliched or "not obscene" (both overrated), "Everyone's entitled to their own opinion." Either way, the truth of the matter is that everyone has and is allowed to have opinions. To make decisions and judgments by themselves and for themselves. So in the viewpoint of film critique, it is well-known that each individual critic can either love or hate a film. Nobody ever agrees with each other 100%*.

(*Except, of course, in the case of Samuel L. Jackson; all mere mortals just gotta agree with that badass, even if he says he likes Leprechaun, or he'll strike down upon them with great vengeance and furious anger.)

He's a cloud-laying motherfucker, motherfucker!

Now while I myself am not a professional critic, I do write several reviews, on both here and Rotten Tomatoes, and therefore I consider myself at least an unofficial dabbler into cinema critique. And so like the "for reals" film critics (and, as demonstrated from the two quotes above, everybody) I have my own set of opinions jeered towards certain cinematic projects. In other words: I like movies others hate.

This can honestly be frustrating sometimes; you're reading about a movie you like, and see countless amounts of criticism from critics and the public, while you find yourself unable to see the flaws they notice, or if you do, you can't find it in yourself to judge the whole movie on them. Still, though, I don't particularly give a damn when others disagree with my views on a film, and so I stick by my opinions of it. And that's what this specific post is all about: Folks, I present to you my list of the Top 5 Poorly Received Movies I Love.

5. Space Jam (1996)

"...And that's where babies come from, Daffy."

Back when VHS's were still, ya know, actually used, I recall always going down to the library and renting out Space Jam when I was bored and had nothing to watch. I've never truly understood what people dislike about this film: in my opinion, it's fun, goofy, and actually sometimes quite funny. Okay, Michael Jordan's dishing out an almost Shaq-in-Kazaam-level performance of blandness, and there's some obnoxious product placement, but when you look passed that, there's a hell of a lot to enjoy from this flick.

The film's under-the-radar barbs and sly, tongue-in-cheek (and very accurate) portrayal of Michael Jordan's post-basketball "career" lead for a whole mess of fun and laughter. It's still a surprise to me today how much enjoyment I can squeeze from this movie, and how funny it can honestly be. The rubber-house animation is polished with excellent voice performances from the likes of Billy West, Dee Baker, etc., and of course the antics of the Looney Tunes are always a blast. And like I said, the depiction of Michael Jordan's life in the live-action scenes are surprisingly (but pleasingly) entertaining. Plus, that song is so damn catchy...

This is a really fun--and sometimes funny--movie, and I still can't seem to see what people dislike about it. Tomatometer rating: 36%

4. Ninja Assassin (2009)

"DAMN PIRATES!"

The minute I saw the trailer for this film I knew it was gonna be a badass popcorn flick filled with badass ninjas doing badass ninja stuff. In other words, badass. I was effectively sold when one trailer featured one of the coolest taglines I think cinema has ever given us: "One ninja was harmed in the making of this movie. The rest were killed."

Apparently, though, film critics didn't see the film for the badass romp that it was, and gave it poor reviews, chastising it for being "overly serious." But that's where it boggles me: critics will always complain that popcorn films lack any and all substance, but when a popcorn flick actually puts depth and drama into it, they complain. What the hell? What's with the double standard, movie critics? 

That being said, Ninja Assassin is a movie I love in a similar fashion to my love of Space Jam; it's just really, really fun to watch. I was cheering and hooting my way through this movie when I first saw it on a (completely legally obtained) burned DVD at home, loving every ridiculously violent death scene, every martial arts feat performed by Rizu (played brilliantly by the always enjoyable [and badass] Rain), every sly one-liner, and every emotionally fulfilling character arc. You may laugh when I say that last bit, but the movie honestly does contain a surprising amount of depth; you care for the characters, and you really want Rizu to succeed.

Brilliantly bloody, badass, and fun, this popcorn flick is also a love of mine because it contains a surprising amount of depth and really likable (and, yeah, badass) characters. And did I mention how badass it was? Tomatometer rating: 25%.

3. The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)

A scene from an unproduced The Mask prequel?

Here's another case of that double standard film critics demonstrated above. 1998's The Man in the Iron Mask (a remake of the 1939 movie of the same name) was poorly received upon it's release because it turned out not to be a swashbuckling popcorn flick that they all expected it to be. Or at least, it turned out be more than that. The film has depth, riveting performances, and thrilling action, but apparently, the critics didn't like that.

The cast assembled in this piece is extraordinary. Leading the brilliant line-up is Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays both the titular "Man in the Iron Mask", Phillipe, and his twin brother, King Louis XIV. The two are on opposite sides of the moral spectrum, with Phillipe being the compassionate, honest man, and Louis being the militaristic bastard with no respect for anyone but himself. Meanwhile, the now-retired Three (or, really, Four) Musketeers are portrayed by Jeremy Irons, Gabriel Brynes, Gerard Depardieu, and John Malkovich.

Malkovich Malkovich? Malkovich Malkovich.

Each of these performances are stellar, particularly DiCaprio (who, by playing for two, is producing double his usual excellence) and Depardieu, whose drunken, sexual antics are hysterical. There's also this really powerful atmosphere that caries this film throughout, with strong thematic elements on brotherhood, honor, and loyalty.

Why critics would dislike a film featuring strong performances, depth, and compelling action thrown in baffles me to this day, but I know I do, and always will, love The Man in the Iron Mask. Tomatometer rating: 31%.

2. Madagascar (2005)

My God: It's the '08 Presidential Election!

Another seriously baffling one on display here: Madagascar. Critics disliked this film for being "hit-and-miss", but they couldn't be more wrong. Every joke in this movie is pitch-perfect hilarity. Like I said in my Picking On... post for DreamWorks Animation, I actually find Madagascar superior to both Shrek and Shrek 2, which are not only considered DreamWorks' finest hours, but also two of the greatest animated films ever produced.

"...Heavy."

Like I said, what makes this film so great is how hysterical it is. The laughs in this film are constant, whether they're derived from wordplay, sight gags, the dialogue, or the hilarious interplay between the brilliant voice cast (which features especially strong voice-over performances from Ben Stiller and David Schwimmer). Even the somewhat-cheap animal/zoo jokes and puns littered throughout the movie makes it's own, allowing for a plethora of hilarity.

Meanwhile, the animation in outstanding. Purposely blocky and cartoonish, yet somehow also smooth and rounded, it's like if the animation for Fanboy and Chum Chum or the CGI-Timmy scenes during Nick's Jimmy/Timmy Power Hour weren't complete garbage. Aside from strong visuals and a wildly entertaining screenplay, the film also features a strong story dependent on the strength of its characters.

The film's consistently hilarious, the characters are well-written, the animation's outstanding; film critics must've been drunk when they labeled this underrated classic a "hit-or-miss" farce. Tomatometer rating: 55%.

1. Across the Universe (2007)

Funny, I looked the same when I read the reviews for this movie.

And now, for the big one. Ladies and germs, here it is: Across the Universe. This is not only the number one Poorly Received Movies I Love, it's also one of my favorite films of all time and considered one of the prime example of "Love-it-or-Hate-it" in cinema of recent years.

Let's start, I believe, with what critics complained about: as Rotten Tomatoes writes, the detractors declared it a "cliched love story" with "uninteresting characters". Another thing I've noticed people criticize it for are its apparently nonsensical nature with far to many Big Lipped Alligator Moments to allow for an easy understanding of the goings-on of the movie's (excuse my pun) universe.

In reality, though, Across the Universe is an overwhelmingly beautifully constructed musical drama that delivers on every level. For those who don't know, it is a love story built around the iconic music of the greatest artists who ever lived, The Beatles. Over thirty of their songs are sung throughout it, and even more are referenced, either through the dialouge, or through the characters. And since The Beatles' music (particularly in their early With The Beatles-A Hard Day's Night phase) is largely devoted to young love, the music crafts the story of a poignant romance in the '60s at the heat of the Vietnam War.

Julie Taymor directed this movie and it shows; Taymor has become recognized far and wide for producing beautiful, awe-inspiring visuals and allowing them to be tell a story in themselves. With Taymor, Across the Universe becomes 133 minutes of mindblowing visuals and compelling beauty. The screenplay creates a cast of wonderfully written characters, from the complicated, charming Jude, to the rebellious slacker Max, to the Jimi Hendrix-escue JoJo. The hardships, the good times, the changes, these characters face and deal with are told with passion and emotion, and you go through everything alongside them.

'Nam tends to have this effect on people.

The performances in this movie are stellar, particularly from Jim Sturgess as Jude and Joe Anderson as Max, whose evolution from a slacker to a physically-and-emotionally scarred war veteran is emotionally visceral and carries a hell of a lot of weight (oh, and whoever can guess what song that's a reference to will get +100 Beatlemania points). The supporting characters are all rather compelling, and Lucy's character is the perfect choice for references to the anti-war protests of the era and of course John Lennon's own prominent promotions of peace (yeah for alliteration!)

Thankfully, to couple with their great performances, the actors all have amazing singing voices. Every cover in this movie is outstanding, especially Anderson's depressing rendition of "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" and Dana Fuchs' powerful cover of "Helter Sketler." I think the only one in the film I'm not particularly fond of is T.V. Carpio's version of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand". It's not that it's poorly sung, because Carpio actually does a great job, it's just I've always been frustrated when people interpret "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" as some soulful reflection on restrained or restricted love, when it's really just a cheerful ballad about young love in its purest.

Across the Universe is an emotional, powerful experience filled with mind-blowing visuals and some damn fine performances. The music of The Beatles and the atmosphere of the era allows for the film to soar past the normal musical-romance genre, and becomes more of a drama about love, peace, and life then a standard romantic story. Critics hated it for whatever reason (sans Roger Ebert, God Bless Him), but I sure as hell loved it. And, judging by it's 84% rating on RT's community section, I'm not the only one who thought critics made a big mistake here. Tomatometer rating: 53%.

------

So there you have it, my list of the Top 5 Poorly Received Films I Love. If you agree, that's great, and if not, then good on, 'cause like I said, everyone is allowed their own opinions. Plus, without differing opinions, then everyone ends up being the same. Now that would be something I think we can all agree would suck.

Why The New 'Winnie the Pooh' Movie Is The Best Thing Ever

♪ I gotta get up, I gotta get going... ♪

I'm pretty sure the last Winnie the Pooh movie I saw was 2000's The Tigger Movie, which--considering Winnie the Pooh is just, like, the embodiment of wholesomeness and innocence, and therefore brings out my inner-child--totally had me Tearbending. And the recent trailer for the new Pooh movie, simply entitled Winnie the Pooh, had pretty much everybody who saw it Tearbending too.

Why? Because it's warm, and nostalgic, and sentimental, and wholesome, and innocent, and sincere, and brilliant, and beautiful, and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, IT'S AMAZING. I've seen many trailers in my life, folks, and this one is seriously one of very few that show literally no flaws. Why, I could honestly do an entire blog post about just how awesome it is and why the movie itself is essentially the greatest thing ever. If only I had a blog...

Oh wait.

Winnie the Pooh is the first canon theatrical Pooh movie in 35 years, and let me tell you, judging from the trailer, it's gonna have been worth the wait. I mentioned that many people cried watching the trailer, and that's because it's just so nostalgic. It's a true tribute to not only Winnie the Pooh, but also childhood and classic Disney Animation in general. Every bit of this trailer is wholesome and nostalgic and simply beautiful. From the simplest thing, the trailer draws you in and tickles your inner child.

I never thought a balloon hitting a bell could be so beautiful.

And perhaps the most severe examples of why Winnie the Pooh has got me more excited than, like, anything, can be summarized in four words: It's. All. Hand-Drawn. Everything. No CGI (a la that atrocious Playhouse Disney show My Friends Tigger and Pooh), no live-action, just honest, traditional animation. And not just hand-drawn animation either, but gorgeous hand-drawn animation. Burny Mattison is the lead storyboard artist for this movie (he's been working on Pooh since '74 and did several other classic Disney work) and it shows: the style and craft of the art is reminiscent of the way The Sword in the Stone was drawn. It's impeccable. 

Even the honey is hand-drawn!

Hopefully this will be a wake-up call to animation studios. Together with last year's The Princess and the Frog, it could show them that animation can be hand-drawn, story-driven, and successful. The problem with the latter, however, is the unfortunate fact that Winnie the Pooh is coming out the same day as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part II (July 15, 2011). We all know that's going to be number 1 in the world and probably pass the billion mark, which is fine, because I too will be flocking to see it at midnight. 

However, though, this means Pooh will face a lot of competition from it, and so if it's not successful, studios might take that as a sign that hand-drawn is dead, which is bullcrap, because a) it's not and b) it's the studio's fault, not the film, because of their poor scheduling. Alas, there is still hope that it will be successful, and if so, we might see a sudden change in the animation industry as it takes a return-to-form. 'Till then, I'm looking forward to Winnie the Pooh to a degree only previously met by Inception. It's seriously just so amazing.

I close with finally linking to you you the trailer. See for yourself its nostalgic, wholesome wonder.

See  you soon, Pooh. See you soon.

Picking On...DreamWorks Animation

"They're just not biting today, y'know, Huck?"

Hello, (hopefully) faithful readers, and welcome to a segment-type deal on "...And You Smell Like One Too" entitled "Picking On". In blogs labeled such, I will personally analyze to the best of my ability a specific subject or topic. Today's "Picking On" entry is about--in honor of the recent release of Megamind--DreamWorks Animation. Having been around for about ten years now, this specific animation studio has become known for many things, and in this blog entry, I'll Pick On as much of those things as I feel like, dammit!

So from my understanding, DreamWorks Animation was officially founded back in 2000 as a business division from the already-existing DreamWorks SKG. Before that, though, DW had created two animated films which I suppose can technically be called DK Animation's first projects: 1998's Antz, a hilarious CGI comedy that actually holds an effing 98% Tomatometer rating, and 1998's The Prince of Egypt, a beautifully traditionally-animated epic that also blended some CGI. 

Once officially launched, DWA produced The Road to El Dorado and Chicken Run; the first was flat but tolerable, while the latter was a work of British genius that, as an animation buff, I hold the utmost professional respect to. The label finally made their mark with 2001's Shrek, which, while racking up huge bucks, rave reviews, and even an Oscar, also established the stepping stones for not only the rest of DWA's films, but also the majority of CGI cartoons that would come in the next decade.

So, uh, good job...Yeah...

So how did one little animated film about farting ogres and talking donkeys produce such a myriad of imitators to the point that it could be effectively called "revolutionary"? It's basically the same principal as the abundance of Home Alone clones back in the '90s: movie studios saw that what one movie (in this case, Shrek) was doing made crap-loads of money, they decided that doing what that movie did would make them crap-loads of money, and everyone would be happy. Meanwhile, DWA themselves saw the successful formula, and it became a focal point of its productions.

So, what the hell is The Formula? Simply compiled:

• Celebrity voice actors in the majority of roles
• Fart/poop jokes, and general scatological humor
• Pop-culture references
• Risque barbs
• General satire

"Did you get all that?"

To put it in simpler terms, animated films everywhere began establishing themselves as children's comedies that were loaded with stuff "for teh growed-ups". Sure animation had done this before, but when Shrek got released, the technique spread like wild fire. The results of this from other studios varied--for example, 2005's Robots, which was good, compared to 2009's Planet 51, which, uh, should speak for itself--and the same could be said about DWA's next efforts too.

Shrek 2 was perhaps even better than its predecessor, and in terms of box-office intake, it was massively more successful, grossing over 900 million dollars worldwide. The Formula wasn't being abused enough to be tired, the gags were fresh, and the characters were likable and well-written. Most people would say their first CGI stinkers were Madagascar and Shark Tale, but to be completely honest, I absolutely loved Madagascar, probably even more than any Shrek, and I found Shark Tale to be brilliant. In fact, the only DWA film I completely disliked was Shrek the Third; it was at this point, I believe, The Formula finally collapsed on itself, while the characters became simply too tired.

Nice going.

Now in 2010, DWA is still following some aspects of The Formula--such as the all-star voice cast--but has basically made its attempts to stray away from the expected and try and be fresh. Pop-culture references are still abound in many places, but it's much less than it was in, say, Bee Movie (which I think is the last time DWA used The Formula and still made acceptable work). This year's How To Train Your Dragon is perhaps the epitome of the company's new success; it holds a whopping 98% on Rotten Tomatoes (which DWA hasn't seen since Antz) and is raved by pretty much everyone I know that's seen it.

Now with Megamind out, DWA has continued to depart from The Formula, going more for a general satire and focusing more on its characters. The film's basically being labeled as "could've been better", with most of the praise going to the celebrity voice actors and the animation. Still, DreamWorks Animation will always be respected in my eyes as a source for genius, and despite its unfortunate creation of The Formula that has bogged down so many animated projects of recent times, there's still a lot to love.

 And a lot to Pick On.

Megamind is out in theaters now.

Review: Planet Sheen - "Pilot"

Notice the subtle parallels to the Jimmy Neutron title card?

Back in July of 2009, Nickelodeon announced that they picked up a spin-off series of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (which was an underrated work of genius, IMO) that would be entitled Planet Sheen. Now it's out and racking up some very sizable ratings for Nick, but the question is then raised for this blogger: Is it any good? Well, since I've got nothing better to do, I'm gonna answer that question for myself as I review the pilot episode of Planet Sheen.

So the premise of Planet Sheen is basic: Sheen ignores Jimmy's warnings and pops into one of the boy genius' rocket ships (which I don't see the point of, considering over the course of the franchise, Jimmy's gotten, like, 6 different space ships; why he needs another one is beyond me, though I assume he's consummating for something), plays around with some buttons, and winds up on a mysterious planet known as Zeenu. Now a fish-out-of-water, Sheen tries to adapt to the planet's oddities, serves the Emperor, and pisses the hell out Doorkus, who is established as our antagonist 2 seconds into his first appearance.

Clearly a harmless girl scout.

The pilot episode establishes everything the pilot should establish, which is good. Now though the premise seems very tired, and the very concept of a spin-off always draws many exasperated sighs (same as sequels or reboots), Planet Sheen is still from the same minds of Jimmy Neutron, and it shows. The style and presentation is very different, but the humor is still rather sharp. I found myself laughing consistently throughout this episode, including during scenes involving a giant green monster playing the ukulele, Sheen tapping on the fourth wall when he acknowledges the "similarities" between the language of Zeenu and English, and Doorkus' British sidekick.  

O Entertainment is still producing the animation for this spin-off. Over the years they've been known to deliver quality CGI in their programmings, and while not exactly Pixar-level, it's solid enough to impress me. The animation's especially impressive when you compare this to 2001's original Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, which sorta resembled the graphics of a less glitchy Tony Hawk game.

You can't help but wonder while watching this if Sheen really was the best choice to make a spin-off out of. On Jimmy Neutron, Sheen was established as one of Jimmy's best friends; he's a well-meaning, dim-witted child with an obsession with the Ultra Lord franchise and a lot of heart. On display here, though, is the same character, but with less heart and much more stupidity. A common downfall of a lot of modern cartoons is the default choice of making characters really stupid to get a laugh. This works a lot, but as shows like The Simpsons and Phineas and Ferb have shown us, you have to ground your character's idiocy and establish likable, caring traits in them. I wish there was more sincerity in this new Sheen.

"Jimmy, are you implying something here?"

I suppose the characters are my only serious problem with Planet Sheen. Some are good, such as that aforementioned randomly-British sidekick of Dorkus, but a lot of them just seem a bit forced and contrived. The emperor's only there for the short jokes and taking Sheen's very wrong interpretations of Earth life as factual. Dorkus, like I said, is just so obviously the villain the character designers should've put a swirly mustache on him; he's also a practical wall for the tired "silly name for a bad guy" gags that have been done much better on shows like Dave the Barbarian. Oh, and I'm pretty positive he's actually Squidward. Sheen's love interest is a yodeling Na'vi, we've got an alien version of Carl (who I really can't complain about because Carl's probably one of the best cartoon characters of this decade), and of course Sheen has a monkey chimp sidekick named Nesmith who I swear is the secret love child of someone from Space Chimps and Darwin from The Wild Thornberrys.

An illicit affair.

So really, the only major flaw in the show is its reliance on predictable tropes which construct both the characters and a few hit-and-miss gags that really bug me. The writing's not as sharp as Jimmy Neutron, and the new characters (and some of the old) are just hollow cutouts of other cartoons, but overall, I found Planet Sheen to be a very solid half-hour of entertainment. The pilot's not the best, but it's good enough. Plus, from the later episodes I've seen, the writing improves and makes up for the stale characters.

Grading: B+

Please Allow Me To Introduce Myself

I'm a man of wealth and taste.

Oh, wait: That's just a Rolling Stones song. Always make that mistake.

Anyways, hello all you kind ol' Earthlings who decided to take time out of your precious internet browsing time (i.e., Watching porn or going on Facebook) to dive into the blogging blogtastic blog that is "And You Smell Like One Too," the blog. I am SuperFlash101, though you can call me "Flash". I'm just a guy with too much time on his hands who really, really likes talking about pop culture to no end.

So yes, I finally gave in and made a damn blog. What am I gonna use it for? I'm gonna ramble (semi)intelligently discuss most any and all forms of pop culture I feel like rambling (semi)intelligently discussing. This basically covers movies, TV shows, animation, music, and comic books.

Now I'm sure you're wondering: What does the title "...And You Smell Like One Too" have to do with anything I just mentioned?

Well--

Goodnight, everybody!