The Matrix
Directors: The Wachowskis (Credited at the time as The Wachowski Brothers)
Writers: The Wachowskis (Credited at the time as The Wachowski Brothers)
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Gloria Foster, Joe Pantoliano, Marcus Chong, Julian Arahanga, Matt Doran, Belinda McClory, Anthony Ray Parker
Overview
What is The Matrix but the greatest science fiction film of all time? Few films can match what The Wachowskis accomplish here, in this tale that takes some of the densest metaphysical questions that have ever been asked and uses them as the basis for a high octane, adrenaline fueled action flick, which also happens to serve as a modern re-telling of Plato's Allegory of the Cave.
Synopsis
Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is a computer programer in search of the elusive Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who Neo (Thomas's hacker alias) believes holds the answer to the question: "What is the Matrix?" On his journey to see Morpheus, Neo manages to make contact with Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss), a female hacker whom everyone thinks is a guy. When Neo finally manages to meet with Morpheus, he finds that the answer is more complicated then he imagined and that the reality he has believed in his whole life has been a lie.
The Queering
A the time The Matrix was first released, Lana Wachowski was still going by the name "Larry" Wachowski and the film was credited to "The Wachowski Brothers" rather than the moniker "The Wachowskis". Looking at the first Matrix movie now, it's possible to see a great many transgender subtexts that were not as obvious when it first came out. For starters, there is Trinity, a female hacker whom everyone thinks is a man (as commented on by Neo when the two first meet). The fact that people think Trinity is a man in the Matrix, is also brought up in The Animatrix short A Detective Story, where the titular detective assigned to track down Trinity, constantly refers to Trinity as a man. This essentially makes Trinity a women who is in the process of either escaping from or attempting to destroy an artificial reality where everyone thinks she is a guy.
Other examples are more subtle but definitely are there. Take Neo, a hero who -- outside of scenes where he is required to fire off endless rounds of ammo from a variety of firearms -- is not generally presented in overly macho terms, at least if one were to compare him to the mold created by 80's action heros like Stallone or Schwarzenegger. As it is, Neo has to deliberately reject his old, gendered name of Mr. Thomas Anderson and has to correct Mr. Smith (Hugo Weaving), who constantly insists on using the old name. Then there is Switch, who in earlier drafts of the script, was supposed to change gender upon leaving or entering the Matrix. In the version that made it to screen, the character is instead presented as androgynous in both worlds.
These trans subtexts I would argue, tie directly in with the films' main themes regarding the nature of reality. As the Oracle points out to Neo, all knowledge begins with knowledge of ones self. In order for Neo to be able to do anything as "The One", he must first know what he is and what he is capable of. As the story progresses, a key plot point revolves around Neo being unable to access his abilities until he has knowledge that he is the one. In other words, Neo becomes "The One" through self actualization and increasing his self awareness of who he is.
Of course by now, it has been pointed out by others that The Matrix is basically a modern day retelling of Plato's Allegory of the Cave. The story of Plato's cave is one where an entire group of people is kept prisoner for their entire lives, forced to stare at flickering shadows on a cave wall. Because these shadows are all these prisoners experience, they assume that the shadows are all that there is to reality. One day, a prisoner finds himself able to escape his chains, and makes his way up out of the cave. As he travels out of the cave, he becomes scared and disorientated by the new experiences he undergoes. Once outside, he is blinded by the bright light of the outside world. Eventually his eyes adjust and he sets out to explore the new world. Afterwards he returns to the cave and attempts to free the other prisoners, only for most of them to not understand his story about the outside world.
Many of the elements of that story are present here. Neo is the prisoner who manages to escape and like the Prisoner, he is blinded by the bright lights of the outside world. "Why does the light hurt my eyes," Neo asks Morpheus. "Because you've never used them before," Morpheus answers. Presumably, the reason the Washowskis use white transition shots so frequently is to reference this element of the story. Furthermore, as Morpheus mentions to Neo in the scene with the Women in the Red Dress, many people who are kept prisoner in the Matrix, will fight to stay a part of that system, rather than accept the truth.
While what The Matrix ultimately offers up is primarily a cerebral experience, it is also worth mentioning that the action scenes are pure visual spectacles, (the film is still famous for introducing the world to the Bullet Time technique). While the sequels were disappointing, the first film in The Matrix Franchise still holds up today.
Recommendation
It would be worth doing advanced math problems involving matrices, if the reward was being able to see The Matrix
The Rating
4 stars out of 4.
Trailer
Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the Title Index, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.
Showing posts with label The Wachowskis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Wachowskis. Show all posts
May 28, 2015
March 4, 2015
Queer Review: Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Jupiter Ascending
Directors: The Wachowskis
Writers: The Wachowskis
Cast: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatumn, Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, Tuppence Middleton
Overview
Jupiter Ascending is a mess and not in a good way. This represents the weakest entry into The Wachowskis filmography that I have had to opportunity to see, due to this film falling far shorter than usual with regards to the high ambitions that The Wachowskis usually set for the stories that they tell. Then there is the tricky matter of the main villain, Balem Abrasax (Eddie Redmayne), falling prey to sexist and transphobic tropes.
Synopsis
Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) is an ordinary young woman, working a dead end job as a cleaning lady in her family's business. When her cousin encourages her to donate her eggs at a fertility clinic, she goes, only for the medical attendants to turn into aliens and try to kill her. Fortunately, she is then kidnapped-slash-rescued by a strange being who calls himself Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) who informs her thather reality is a computer generated dreamworld designed to turn human beings into batteries, or uh rather... that earth is a farm maintained by aliens who harvest humans so they can have eternal youth. It also turns out that there are a lot of planets like that out there. Oh and we humans were genetically engineered by the aliens with their DNA, which they spliced onto a native species in order to create us. Also, Jupiter is the reincarnation of the Abrasax siblings mother, who was murdered. And Balem Abrasax (Eddie Redmayne) is the one who inherited Earth and wants to start the harvesting, like right now. Meanwhile Jupiter and Caine are (supposedly) falling in love, while Jupiter tries to claim her title to Earth.
The Queering
There are times when Jupiter Ascending almost manages to achieve the ambitious goals set out for itself by the Wachowskis, but the end result is more disaster than the intriguing space adventure it aims for. There are parts that show off an intricately developed universe, complex characters, the development of philosophical themes, and even bits of intriguing social commentary. Then there are parts that are just confusing and too often, the Wachowskis simply seem to want to show off that they know how to handle a special effects budget.
In the past, the Wachowskis have shown the ability to combine the examination of philosophical themes, even while blowing stuff up real good. Even their post-Matrix material is better than the reputation it has received. Cloud Atlas suffered a bit from over-editing, but still managed to hold itself together and The Matrix sequels while a step down from the first, still managed to tell coherent and engaging stories.
Jupiter Ascending on the other hand, does not hold together so well. Much of the important plot points feel rushed, the big action scenes tend towards the incoherent and confusing, and the universe all of this is set in feels half developed. In spite of the fact that the story drags, there were times when I wanted more time spent explaining how this particular universe worked and to character development as well. The relationships and motivations of the Abrasax siblings in particular felt under-developed (a situation not helped much by the fact that they always spoke softly in half-whispers with each other). Furthermore, the fact that we are never shown exactly what a harvesting of a planet looks likely (merely the results) makes audience investment in the central conflict that much harder.
In Jupiter Ascending's defense, there are a couple of interesting ideas presented, even if they are half developed. The concept of creating sentient life to lengthen the lifespans of other beings, is not that far removed from the creation of savior siblings, where a child is created via in vitro fertilization and is expected to donate cells and tissues for an older sibling with a fatal disease. In other words, the technology for doing what is presented as science fiction here, not only exists, but is already being utilized. I'm not sure if the Wachowskis actually intended for their to be any parallels here, but they are worth pointing out.
As it is, the characters and situation itself are both interesting, even if they are only half developed.
However, there is one awkward element that I want to point out. The main villain, Balem, is presented as being both extremely effeminate and having an obsession with his mother (and thus by default, he also has an obsession with Jupiter Jones). Note: Lana Wachowski said that the story was inspired by The Odessey but with regards to greek mythology, the Oedipal Complexing going on is lot more obvious than anything else. Anyways, the point being is that Balem is queer coded in some pretty obvious ways.
Now, one trope regarding transgender villains that I have pointed out before, is that trans villains (who are almost always woman) are always presented as not only deceptive, but as actively stealing the bodies and or identities (among other things) of woman. Now, while Balem is not presented as transgender, he is still an obviously effeminate, queer coded villain, who actively seeks to steal an entire planet from a female character. Between the use of human bodies to create a fountain-of-youth type substance and Balem's mother obsession, several uncomfortable parallels end up being created with extremely transphobic films such as Psycho (where the titular character is also obsessed with his mother) and Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (an alternate take on the story where Dr. Jekyll uses female hormones in order lengthen his lifespan and winds up killing numerous female sex workers in order to obtain them)
What makes this particularly awkward is that Lana Wachowski (who co-directed along side her brother Andy Wachowski) is herself transgender.
Admittedly, there are a few problems with trying to paint Jupiter Ascending into a transphobic corner. As close as it comes to paralleling one transphobic trope, there are numerous others that it avoids. Balem never engages in deception to obtain what he wants, but instead shows himself resorting to force to get it. Instead, there is only one Abrasax sibling who resorts to deception, and he was shown engaging in sex play with several female looking alien type characters. Furthermore, Balem doesn't want to steal anyone's body to assist with a gender transition type process (as was done by the main villain in The X-Files: I Want to Believe but merely to extend his life. Even if the specific person he is trying to steal the planet from is a woman, the bodies that the fountain-of-youth substance is made from are going to inevitably have to come from males, females, and anyone otherwise outside the gender binary. Thus, due to this generality, one could argue that the trope of "trans women stealing from women" is technically avoided.
When I first saw the previews for Jupiter Ascending part of me was interested in seeing a female lead in an action heavy film being made by a direction team of whom one half is a woman. As it is, whenever a woman is made the lead of an action film, it inevitably ends up being a member of (as Mr. Cranky put it in his review of Underworld: Evolution) "'hot chicks in skimpy or skin-tight outfits beating the crap out of things' genre."
However, while Mila Kunis plays the role with spunk and determination and the character does get to display both a degree of autonomy and show off her intellect (she manages to memorize most of the universes legal code in what could not have been more than a few hours time). There is even a bit during the climax where she is shown risking life and limb to remove members of her family from a dangerous situation. However, for all the ways Jupiter Jones parallels "The Hero's Quest" (that is, the story hero who comes from a humble background to be revealed to have an important role in grand events) she still tends to wind up a mere damsel in distress to be rescued by Caine.
As it is, he potential for Jupiter Jones to be a female hero is wasted, like so many of the other potentially intriguing elements of this story.
Recommendation
Not quite worth ascending to Jupiter in order to see, but might be worth taking a reasonably priced commercial space flight (if those were to ever be developed at some point in the near future).
The Rating
2 and 1/2 stars out of 4.
Trailer
Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the Title Index, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.
Directors: The Wachowskis
Writers: The Wachowskis
Cast: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatumn, Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, Tuppence Middleton
Overview
Jupiter Ascending is a mess and not in a good way. This represents the weakest entry into The Wachowskis filmography that I have had to opportunity to see, due to this film falling far shorter than usual with regards to the high ambitions that The Wachowskis usually set for the stories that they tell. Then there is the tricky matter of the main villain, Balem Abrasax (Eddie Redmayne), falling prey to sexist and transphobic tropes.
Synopsis
Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) is an ordinary young woman, working a dead end job as a cleaning lady in her family's business. When her cousin encourages her to donate her eggs at a fertility clinic, she goes, only for the medical attendants to turn into aliens and try to kill her. Fortunately, she is then kidnapped-slash-rescued by a strange being who calls himself Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) who informs her that
The Queering
There are times when Jupiter Ascending almost manages to achieve the ambitious goals set out for itself by the Wachowskis, but the end result is more disaster than the intriguing space adventure it aims for. There are parts that show off an intricately developed universe, complex characters, the development of philosophical themes, and even bits of intriguing social commentary. Then there are parts that are just confusing and too often, the Wachowskis simply seem to want to show off that they know how to handle a special effects budget.
In the past, the Wachowskis have shown the ability to combine the examination of philosophical themes, even while blowing stuff up real good. Even their post-Matrix material is better than the reputation it has received. Cloud Atlas suffered a bit from over-editing, but still managed to hold itself together and The Matrix sequels while a step down from the first, still managed to tell coherent and engaging stories.
Jupiter Ascending on the other hand, does not hold together so well. Much of the important plot points feel rushed, the big action scenes tend towards the incoherent and confusing, and the universe all of this is set in feels half developed. In spite of the fact that the story drags, there were times when I wanted more time spent explaining how this particular universe worked and to character development as well. The relationships and motivations of the Abrasax siblings in particular felt under-developed (a situation not helped much by the fact that they always spoke softly in half-whispers with each other). Furthermore, the fact that we are never shown exactly what a harvesting of a planet looks likely (merely the results) makes audience investment in the central conflict that much harder.
In Jupiter Ascending's defense, there are a couple of interesting ideas presented, even if they are half developed. The concept of creating sentient life to lengthen the lifespans of other beings, is not that far removed from the creation of savior siblings, where a child is created via in vitro fertilization and is expected to donate cells and tissues for an older sibling with a fatal disease. In other words, the technology for doing what is presented as science fiction here, not only exists, but is already being utilized. I'm not sure if the Wachowskis actually intended for their to be any parallels here, but they are worth pointing out.
As it is, the characters and situation itself are both interesting, even if they are only half developed.
However, there is one awkward element that I want to point out. The main villain, Balem, is presented as being both extremely effeminate and having an obsession with his mother (and thus by default, he also has an obsession with Jupiter Jones). Note: Lana Wachowski said that the story was inspired by The Odessey but with regards to greek mythology, the Oedipal Complexing going on is lot more obvious than anything else. Anyways, the point being is that Balem is queer coded in some pretty obvious ways.
Now, one trope regarding transgender villains that I have pointed out before, is that trans villains (who are almost always woman) are always presented as not only deceptive, but as actively stealing the bodies and or identities (among other things) of woman. Now, while Balem is not presented as transgender, he is still an obviously effeminate, queer coded villain, who actively seeks to steal an entire planet from a female character. Between the use of human bodies to create a fountain-of-youth type substance and Balem's mother obsession, several uncomfortable parallels end up being created with extremely transphobic films such as Psycho (where the titular character is also obsessed with his mother) and Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (an alternate take on the story where Dr. Jekyll uses female hormones in order lengthen his lifespan and winds up killing numerous female sex workers in order to obtain them)
What makes this particularly awkward is that Lana Wachowski (who co-directed along side her brother Andy Wachowski) is herself transgender.
Admittedly, there are a few problems with trying to paint Jupiter Ascending into a transphobic corner. As close as it comes to paralleling one transphobic trope, there are numerous others that it avoids. Balem never engages in deception to obtain what he wants, but instead shows himself resorting to force to get it. Instead, there is only one Abrasax sibling who resorts to deception, and he was shown engaging in sex play with several female looking alien type characters. Furthermore, Balem doesn't want to steal anyone's body to assist with a gender transition type process (as was done by the main villain in The X-Files: I Want to Believe but merely to extend his life. Even if the specific person he is trying to steal the planet from is a woman, the bodies that the fountain-of-youth substance is made from are going to inevitably have to come from males, females, and anyone otherwise outside the gender binary. Thus, due to this generality, one could argue that the trope of "trans women stealing from women" is technically avoided.
When I first saw the previews for Jupiter Ascending part of me was interested in seeing a female lead in an action heavy film being made by a direction team of whom one half is a woman. As it is, whenever a woman is made the lead of an action film, it inevitably ends up being a member of (as Mr. Cranky put it in his review of Underworld: Evolution) "'hot chicks in skimpy or skin-tight outfits beating the crap out of things' genre."
However, while Mila Kunis plays the role with spunk and determination and the character does get to display both a degree of autonomy and show off her intellect (she manages to memorize most of the universes legal code in what could not have been more than a few hours time). There is even a bit during the climax where she is shown risking life and limb to remove members of her family from a dangerous situation. However, for all the ways Jupiter Jones parallels "The Hero's Quest" (that is, the story hero who comes from a humble background to be revealed to have an important role in grand events) she still tends to wind up a mere damsel in distress to be rescued by Caine.
As it is, he potential for Jupiter Jones to be a female hero is wasted, like so many of the other potentially intriguing elements of this story.
Recommendation
Not quite worth ascending to Jupiter in order to see, but might be worth taking a reasonably priced commercial space flight (if those were to ever be developed at some point in the near future).
The Rating
2 and 1/2 stars out of 4.
Trailer
Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the Title Index, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.
October 27, 2012
Queer Review: Cloud Atlas (2012)
Cloud Atlas
Directors: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski.
Writers: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski. Based upon the novel by David Mitchell.
Cast: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, Keith David, James D'Arcy, Xun Zhou, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant,
Overview
This adaptation, brought to the screen by Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski, of David Mitchells' novel highlighting the interconnected nature of the human experience, is visually amazing, but also occasionally incoherent. Furthermore, a lack of subtlety and too much cross cutting between stories prevents Cloud Atlas from reaching the heights it so desperately strives for.
Synopsis
Cloud Atlas tells 6 different stories about those elements that tie us humans together and drive us apart, set across different time periods, starting in the period of American Slavery and going into the far distant future.
The Queering
Both the Wachowskis and Tom Twyker are easily among the most ambitious filmmakers working today. However, ambition does not always equal success. Fortunately, the filmmakers set the bar so high that the minor missteps do not derail the project as a whole. That does not mean that the problems are not serious in of themselves.
The biggest issue I had was with the frequent cross cutting between stories, which kills a great deal of narrative tension. I get that this was done to emphasize the connections between the stories, but frequently this method not only kills a lot of suspense, it ends up being too on the nose. In the same category is the overused voice-over, which tends to go about pointing out things to the audience that could have been demonstrated in a more cinematic or less obvious fashion.
While I'm bitching, I should also probably point out that Tom Hanks, while otherwise a fine choice for the roles he's playing, frequently sounds like he's chewing on marbles whenever he speaks while playing a character with an accent. Otherwise I had no issues with the acting.
Cloud Atlas has been described hyperbolicly as the most ambitious film ever made. There is an argument to be made that this is true. There are so many themes, ideas, bumping against characters who are all then reborn in different stories, that it gets difficult to keep track of everything and everyone.
There was so many ideas, motifs, and visual metaphors that I wanted to properly analyze and for which one viewing was nowhere near sufficient to do so. I can only offer up vague hints at what I think the Wachowskis' and Twyker were trying to say. Reincarnation is touched upon repeatedly. The idea of love conquering all. The lust for freedom from oppression. Consequence versus coincidence. These are ideas that have been present in the directors previous works. In fact Cloud Atlas highlights the similarities between these directors previous works in ways that I had not previously thought of. I would go into more detail here, but I don't feel like writing an entire novel and one would be necessary to do this properly.
Criticism has been leveled at Cloud Atlas over the fact that there are actors playing roles of different races. Things like black face and yellow face are things that have been used to mock people of color for decades. While I'm not going to tell people what they should be offended over, it's worth pointing out that the criticism tends to focus on the white actors who are playing Asian characters, and ignores the fact that pretty much every actor and actress (black, white, and asian) ends up playing a role of a different race at some point. Halle Barry plays a white woman in one segment and a male asian doctor in another. Donna Rae also plays a white abolitionist.
Berry is also not the only one who transgresses gender, Hugo Weaving also takes on the role of a female nurse. Other queer content includes a segment about a gay man who is blackmailed by a famous composer into being the older mans muse. This story ends tragically when the young man kills himself. While it gets tiring to have LGBTQ characters always ending up killing themselves, I could not help but wonder how much Lana Wachowski saw herself in this story, given that she recently admitted to having nearly committed suicide herself.
I get the criticism against films where a LGBTQ protagonist ends up killing themselves, but I think it is also possible to go too far the other way and end up erasing the fact that too many in our community are driven by the oppression we face to the most extreme solutions possible. Just saying.
Furthermore, going back to having characters who play roles that transgress race and gender, I think I should point out there are two potentially problematic issues. One is that the majority of the lead cast is predominantly white men compared to a smaller number of females and minorities. The second is that the filmmakers, in attempt to highlight the main themes of the films, are trying to get the audience to see past an individuals race. A noble effort, but this can still be seen as problematic in that people who claim that they "don't see race" are usually white people who wish to ignore not only the existence of people of color, but pretend that we live in a post-racial society. This ultimately results in the erasure of black people and the issues that they face. I am not saying that this happens here, but I would argue that such an interpretation is possible.
Recommendation
While Cloud Atlas fails to make it all the way to the stars that it shoots for, it still manages to soar in the upper atmosphere above the clouds. Highly recommended, no atlas is too expensive if you need one to find this movie.
The Rating
***1/2 out of ****
Trailer
Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the Title Index, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.
Directors: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski.
Writers: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski. Based upon the novel by David Mitchell.
Cast: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, Keith David, James D'Arcy, Xun Zhou, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant,
Overview
This adaptation, brought to the screen by Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski, of David Mitchells' novel highlighting the interconnected nature of the human experience, is visually amazing, but also occasionally incoherent. Furthermore, a lack of subtlety and too much cross cutting between stories prevents Cloud Atlas from reaching the heights it so desperately strives for.
Synopsis
Cloud Atlas tells 6 different stories about those elements that tie us humans together and drive us apart, set across different time periods, starting in the period of American Slavery and going into the far distant future.
The Queering
Both the Wachowskis and Tom Twyker are easily among the most ambitious filmmakers working today. However, ambition does not always equal success. Fortunately, the filmmakers set the bar so high that the minor missteps do not derail the project as a whole. That does not mean that the problems are not serious in of themselves.
The biggest issue I had was with the frequent cross cutting between stories, which kills a great deal of narrative tension. I get that this was done to emphasize the connections between the stories, but frequently this method not only kills a lot of suspense, it ends up being too on the nose. In the same category is the overused voice-over, which tends to go about pointing out things to the audience that could have been demonstrated in a more cinematic or less obvious fashion.
While I'm bitching, I should also probably point out that Tom Hanks, while otherwise a fine choice for the roles he's playing, frequently sounds like he's chewing on marbles whenever he speaks while playing a character with an accent. Otherwise I had no issues with the acting.
Cloud Atlas has been described hyperbolicly as the most ambitious film ever made. There is an argument to be made that this is true. There are so many themes, ideas, bumping against characters who are all then reborn in different stories, that it gets difficult to keep track of everything and everyone.
There was so many ideas, motifs, and visual metaphors that I wanted to properly analyze and for which one viewing was nowhere near sufficient to do so. I can only offer up vague hints at what I think the Wachowskis' and Twyker were trying to say. Reincarnation is touched upon repeatedly. The idea of love conquering all. The lust for freedom from oppression. Consequence versus coincidence. These are ideas that have been present in the directors previous works. In fact Cloud Atlas highlights the similarities between these directors previous works in ways that I had not previously thought of. I would go into more detail here, but I don't feel like writing an entire novel and one would be necessary to do this properly.
Criticism has been leveled at Cloud Atlas over the fact that there are actors playing roles of different races. Things like black face and yellow face are things that have been used to mock people of color for decades. While I'm not going to tell people what they should be offended over, it's worth pointing out that the criticism tends to focus on the white actors who are playing Asian characters, and ignores the fact that pretty much every actor and actress (black, white, and asian) ends up playing a role of a different race at some point. Halle Barry plays a white woman in one segment and a male asian doctor in another. Donna Rae also plays a white abolitionist.
Berry is also not the only one who transgresses gender, Hugo Weaving also takes on the role of a female nurse. Other queer content includes a segment about a gay man who is blackmailed by a famous composer into being the older mans muse. This story ends tragically when the young man kills himself. While it gets tiring to have LGBTQ characters always ending up killing themselves, I could not help but wonder how much Lana Wachowski saw herself in this story, given that she recently admitted to having nearly committed suicide herself.
I get the criticism against films where a LGBTQ protagonist ends up killing themselves, but I think it is also possible to go too far the other way and end up erasing the fact that too many in our community are driven by the oppression we face to the most extreme solutions possible. Just saying.
Furthermore, going back to having characters who play roles that transgress race and gender, I think I should point out there are two potentially problematic issues. One is that the majority of the lead cast is predominantly white men compared to a smaller number of females and minorities. The second is that the filmmakers, in attempt to highlight the main themes of the films, are trying to get the audience to see past an individuals race. A noble effort, but this can still be seen as problematic in that people who claim that they "don't see race" are usually white people who wish to ignore not only the existence of people of color, but pretend that we live in a post-racial society. This ultimately results in the erasure of black people and the issues that they face. I am not saying that this happens here, but I would argue that such an interpretation is possible.
Recommendation
While Cloud Atlas fails to make it all the way to the stars that it shoots for, it still manages to soar in the upper atmosphere above the clouds. Highly recommended, no atlas is too expensive if you need one to find this movie.
The Rating
***1/2 out of ****
Trailer
Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the Title Index, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.
February 28, 2011
Queer Review: V for Vendetta (2006)
V for Vendetta
Director: James McTeigue
Writers: Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski. Based on the graphic novel by David Lloyd.
Cast: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, John Hurt, Stephen Fry
Overview
V for Vendetta is a complex sci-fi tale, set in Britain in the near future where the totalitarian government has absolute control over the populace. Utterly compelling, the provocative philosophizing it engages in gives viewers plenty of thematic material to think about.
Synopsis
Evey (Natalie Portman) is an ordinary woman who is stopped by the Fingerman (the movie's secret police), when walking on the streets one night past curfew. Before they can carry out their plans (which include rape and assault) she is rescued by the mysterious V, a masked vigilante whose plans include destroying the all powerful government and replacing it with anarchy. The first step in V's complex plan is blowing up the Old Baily, which sets in motion a series of events he hopes will end with the destruction of the current government led by Adam Sutler (John Hurt).
The Queering
Controversial for a very good reason, V for Vendetta is the type of movie that takes it's main theme of anarchy so far that it refuses to endorse a central thesis of any kind. Instead, we are required to decide for ourselves what to think of V's plans and actions. Stop for a moment to contemplate the following, V is a terrorist who uses violence and fear as his main tactics. There are more than a few parallels between Osama Bin Laden and V regarding tactics (blowing up buildings) and goals (bringing down a government).
Acting wise, Hugo Weaving does more with his face hidden behind V's Guy Fawkes mask, than most actors are capable of when they are not faced with such restrictions. Natalie Portman is good, although her occasional slip ups with the British accent can be distracting. Stephen Fry, John Hurt, and Stephen Rea all provide solid support.
I would also like to point out how impressive the cinematography is. There are many shots that obviously took a great deal of effort to create and from a technical standpoint, it's hard to find a better composed movie. More than one sequence has a ferocious and poetic grace capable of raising the neck hairs.
V for Vendetta does two things worth mentioning in regards to it's gay characters. For one, it "gays up" a character. Stephen Fry's originally in the comics straight character, Dietrich, reveals to Evey when she goes to him for shelter, that his deepest secrets are kept buried in the closet. Two, in a rather touching sub-plot that also shows the plight suffered by queers under Sutler's regime, it is revealed that it was a lesbian who inspired V to begin his revolution. While V for Vendetta may not be "one of the most pro-gay" movies ever - as suggested by Sarah Warn - as both of the gay characters die before the end, the positive steps forward made here are worth celebrating.
The Recomendation
Given the care the movie was put together with, the positive portrayals of it's gay characters, the entertaining storyline that combines action with philosophical provocativeness, I have to give this movie a high recommendation. V for Vendetta is worth seeking out for anyone, not just those who can appreciate over the top comic book adaptations.
The Rating:
Director: James McTeigue
Writers: Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski. Based on the graphic novel by David Lloyd.
Cast: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, John Hurt, Stephen Fry
People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.-V for Vendetta
Overview
V for Vendetta is a complex sci-fi tale, set in Britain in the near future where the totalitarian government has absolute control over the populace. Utterly compelling, the provocative philosophizing it engages in gives viewers plenty of thematic material to think about.
Synopsis
Evey (Natalie Portman) is an ordinary woman who is stopped by the Fingerman (the movie's secret police), when walking on the streets one night past curfew. Before they can carry out their plans (which include rape and assault) she is rescued by the mysterious V, a masked vigilante whose plans include destroying the all powerful government and replacing it with anarchy. The first step in V's complex plan is blowing up the Old Baily, which sets in motion a series of events he hopes will end with the destruction of the current government led by Adam Sutler (John Hurt).
The Queering
Controversial for a very good reason, V for Vendetta is the type of movie that takes it's main theme of anarchy so far that it refuses to endorse a central thesis of any kind. Instead, we are required to decide for ourselves what to think of V's plans and actions. Stop for a moment to contemplate the following, V is a terrorist who uses violence and fear as his main tactics. There are more than a few parallels between Osama Bin Laden and V regarding tactics (blowing up buildings) and goals (bringing down a government).
Acting wise, Hugo Weaving does more with his face hidden behind V's Guy Fawkes mask, than most actors are capable of when they are not faced with such restrictions. Natalie Portman is good, although her occasional slip ups with the British accent can be distracting. Stephen Fry, John Hurt, and Stephen Rea all provide solid support.
I would also like to point out how impressive the cinematography is. There are many shots that obviously took a great deal of effort to create and from a technical standpoint, it's hard to find a better composed movie. More than one sequence has a ferocious and poetic grace capable of raising the neck hairs.
V for Vendetta does two things worth mentioning in regards to it's gay characters. For one, it "gays up" a character. Stephen Fry's originally in the comics straight character, Dietrich, reveals to Evey when she goes to him for shelter, that his deepest secrets are kept buried in the closet. Two, in a rather touching sub-plot that also shows the plight suffered by queers under Sutler's regime, it is revealed that it was a lesbian who inspired V to begin his revolution. While V for Vendetta may not be "one of the most pro-gay" movies ever - as suggested by Sarah Warn - as both of the gay characters die before the end, the positive steps forward made here are worth celebrating.
The Recomendation
Given the care the movie was put together with, the positive portrayals of it's gay characters, the entertaining storyline that combines action with philosophical provocativeness, I have to give this movie a high recommendation. V for Vendetta is worth seeking out for anyone, not just those who can appreciate over the top comic book adaptations.
The Rating:
January 18, 2011
Queer Review: Bound
Bound (1996) was the directorial debut from The Wachowskis (although before Larry Wachowski became Lana Wachowski they went by The Wachowski Brothers). The Wachowskis would later go on to direct The Matrix and would write the script for V for Vendetta.
The plot of Bound is straight forward enough, but there are enough twists and turns to keep viewers guessing as to what will happen next. At the start, ex-con Corky (Gina Gershon) is trying to go on the "straight" and narrow when she meets Violet (Jennifer Tilly) who immediately seduces her. Shortly thereafter, Violet proposes to Corky that they steal 2 million dollars from Violet's boyfriend Ceasar (Joe Pantoliano) who happens to be a money launderer for the mob. Corky, although suspicious, soon agrees and the heist, not unexpectedly, does not go off without a hitch.
In my opinion, Bound is probably one of the best mainstream movie featuring two lesbians. There are many queer themes and imagery scattered throughout the film. The most obvious being that the title itself can be seen as a reference to being closeted, an idea confirmed by the opening scene. Although I do have to say that, while the film does not invite in depth analysis, there is still plenty of material that can be looked at for deeper meaning.
The Wachowski's provide solid direction and the film features a lot of darkly brilliant cinematography. Suspense is built to the sort of mind bending levels that few films aspire to, much less achieve. On the acting front, there is not a weak performance to be found. Each of the three leads -Tilly, Gershon, and Pantolino - gives a riviting performance.
On the whole, I highly recommend this film. It's smart and pushes boundaries in all the right ways.
The plot of Bound is straight forward enough, but there are enough twists and turns to keep viewers guessing as to what will happen next. At the start, ex-con Corky (Gina Gershon) is trying to go on the "straight" and narrow when she meets Violet (Jennifer Tilly) who immediately seduces her. Shortly thereafter, Violet proposes to Corky that they steal 2 million dollars from Violet's boyfriend Ceasar (Joe Pantoliano) who happens to be a money launderer for the mob. Corky, although suspicious, soon agrees and the heist, not unexpectedly, does not go off without a hitch.
In my opinion, Bound is probably one of the best mainstream movie featuring two lesbians. There are many queer themes and imagery scattered throughout the film. The most obvious being that the title itself can be seen as a reference to being closeted, an idea confirmed by the opening scene. Although I do have to say that, while the film does not invite in depth analysis, there is still plenty of material that can be looked at for deeper meaning.
The Wachowski's provide solid direction and the film features a lot of darkly brilliant cinematography. Suspense is built to the sort of mind bending levels that few films aspire to, much less achieve. On the acting front, there is not a weak performance to be found. Each of the three leads -Tilly, Gershon, and Pantolino - gives a riviting performance.
On the whole, I highly recommend this film. It's smart and pushes boundaries in all the right ways.
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