The Power of 7

 

 

This is an entry for the Legends of Western Cinema Week hosted by Hamlette's Soliloquy and Along the Brandywine

 

 

The magic of 7 has a power. The number 7 is "universally considered one of the most fascinating and mystical digits, holding deep significance across mathematics, science and human culture". (quoted from AI)

It is important in many religions. For instance, in the Judeo-Christian mythology, 7 is the number of days assigned to the creation story (6 days creating and 1 day of resting for the efforts God put into making the Earth). In the Islamic mythology, there are 7 Heavens, and one must circle Mecca 7 times when visiting. In the Hindu mythology there are 7 higher worlds and 7 underworlds. In the Buddhist mythology, it is a legend that the Buddha took 7 steps on the day of his birth.

There were 7 Wonders of the Ancient World: (The Colossus at Rhodes, The Great Pyramid of Giza, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Lighthouse at Alexandria, The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, The Statue of Zeus at Olympia and The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus).  As well as there are 7 Wonders of the Modern World: (Chichén Itzá, Christ the Redeemer, The Colosseum, The Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, Petra and Taj Mahal).

There are "7 deadly sins" (envy, gluttony, greed, lust. pride, sloth and wrath). There are 7 continents on the Earth (Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Asia, Australia and Europe). Pretty much every school child is familiar with the mnemonic ROYGBIV, which denotes the 7 colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet). And, of course, 7 is considered a lucky number by a major portion of the human race. 

And let's not ignore the fact that there are numerous films with "seven", or 7, in the title: Snow White and the 7 Dwarves, 7 Men from Now, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and one of my favorites, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (just to name a few). It is clear that the number 7 has had a profound influence and for good reason.

So, to celebrate the mystical number, as well as celebrating western cinema, I present these two great westerns, both about 7 iconic figures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Magnificent Seven (2016):

 

The inspiration for the 1960 version of the film came from a Japanese samurai film by Akira Kurosawa, Seven Samurai. The Kurosawa film was such a huge impact on many of the actors and people behind the cameras. Interesting to note, in 1960, a band of fairly unknown actors came together to produce an iconic film. 

In retrospect it might look like an all-star dream cast, but here's something you may not know: Yul Brynner gets the starring role and he had a pretty good cache of roles (12 or more), including an Oscar winning performance in The King and I. But the rest of the cast were basically just starting out. Steve McQueen, who was second headliner behind Brynner, had become well-known through his starring role on the TV series Wanted: Dead or Alive, but he had only been credited in 3 movies prior to this one. Charles Bronson had been in a few movies (about 15 or so), but many of those had been in uncredited roles as minor characters. Robert Vaughn had only 7 movie roles under his belt, Eli Wallach had only 3, and James Coburn was the "newbie" with only 2. The guy with the biggest background in film, Brad Dexter, had 17, although many of those were minor roles, like his co-star, Vaughn. Horst Buchholz, credited here with an "introducing Horst Buchholz", also had a pretty good background, with 15 movies, but those were all in his native Germany. It was indeed his first appearance in an American film. 

On paper, this film might have been a second feature to a more cast-enhanced major picture, but it did become an iconic film, possibly because of the retrospect of it's perceived "all-star" cast. Indeed, the talents of the seven do come through, some more than others. Aside from it's ostensible star, Brynner, the characters played by McQueen, Wallach and Buchholz make this film worth the time. The rest of the cast do hold their own in the scenes they are in, although a couple of them don't really stand out. (I would put Coburn's "knife guy" in that category, but if I have to be honest, it's probably just because he didn't get that much screen time).

The basic premise is that a Mexican bandit by the name of Calvera (Wallach) has been raiding villages and using his band of outlaws to take whatever he wants to survive, (instead of, I don't know, actually working for a living...?) The band raids many villages for this purpose, but the focus is on the one village that is the center of the film. The villagers are at a loss as to how to get out from under the thumb of Calvera until they are advised by an elder of the village, played by veteran Vladimir Sokoloff. (Fortunately, with the exception of Wallach and Sokoloff, most of the Mexican characters were actually played by Mexican actors).

The old man suggests they actually fight to save their village. Since none of them apparently know how to use guns, they end up deciding to hire gunmen. In a town across the border in America they find a guy who is willing to take on the role of finding some fellow gunmen to help the villagers, despite the pittance that the villagers are able to scrape together to hire them. Chris (Brynner) is their first, who manages to attract some other gunmen, including Vin (McQueen). This gang is rounded out with a Mexican/Irish gunman, Bernardo O'Reilly (Bronson), a knife expert, Britt (James Coburn), Lee (Robert Vaughn) and Harry (Dexter), a guy who is absolutely sure there is a hidden stash of valuables that Chris is not being honest about. The last member, Chico (Buchholz), is an ambitious but immature kid who wants to prove himself, despite Chris' reluctance to include him in the band.

The interplay between the main characters is what drives the film, as needs be, and even the minor characters, the townspeople put in a good appearance, especially when their unfamiliarity with firearms comes into play. Although, how an entire village could be comprised of only incompetent people with regards to guns in an Old West setting is a bit of a mystery. You mean to tell me that absolutely none of them have ever even gone on a hunting trip? Maybe you could find one in modern-day, when the panty-waist PC crowd is doing it's best to eradicate the existence of guns, but this is set in a time where the primary food source, outside of the farm, involved good old-fashioned hunting for it yourself.

I think the primary downfall of the story was this need to add a love story into the mix, as Chico attracts the attention of one of the native girls. Given the relative short window of the seven in town, it seems highly unlikely, and you just know, even before it happens, how this is going to turn out. (To be fair, there was a love interest subplot in the Kurosawa film, too, so maybe I'm just being overly critical, but it still comes off as contrived to me...)

In this later era it seems that the story may be somewhat reminiscent of modern movies of the same theme: a band of strikingly different "heroes" come together to defeat a common enemy. MCU's The Avengers, anyone? Easy ones would be Chris as he enigmatic duty bound leader compared to Captain America and the eager but over confident newbie Chico compared to Spiderman. A case could be made to compare Britt, who comes off as rather stoic and introverted to Hawkeye and Harry as a rash and maybe loose cannon type to Hulk. I can also see similarities between O'Reilly and Thor, both of whom are hiding a compassionate heart behind a gruff exterior.

The ultimate showdown occurs as Calvera gets the drop on the seven and encourages them to leave town with their lives intact (although not necessarily their dignity, which is why they ultimately have to return to the town and do battle with the enemy. Not all of them are going to come through intact, however, and it's probably a sure bet you can figure out which ones will be the last men standing if you know anything about how Hollywood played out these kinds of stories.

The essence of the film is the message that it flings, without shame, into your face, along the lines of "would you rather die on your feet or live on your knees?" If the answer is the latter, then maybe this movie is not one that would appeal to you, but if you are like me, a staunch believer in not letting any man govern how you will live your life, you will love the message, even if you feel sorrow for the heroes who have to "die on their feet".  

In the 2016 sequel, although the basic premise is still there, the characters and their goal is a bit different. In this outing, instead of a roaming bandit, we get the ultimate enemy, a capitalist land grabber who is trying to muscle the townspeople to sell their land and move, so he can have sole exclusive rights to the gold mine in the neighborhood.  

The same basic background comes into play as the villagers in the remake seek to find some hardy heroes to help them drive off the land grabbers. The bad guy in this film, Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), is basically a cardboard cutout of the unscrupulous industrialist you get in most films of this type these days. Your opinion of the characterization may hinge just on which side of the political fence you are on. To me it seems that the film makers went out of their way to present a negative depiction of a capitalist. In other words, Bogue is a Republican and, therefore, the ultimate in evil as far as Hollywood is concerned. Not to defend his character, but would anybody really go to such lengths in real life to get what they want? For God's sake, they even have him intentionally burning down the town church. 

Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) is hired by a citizen of the town, which is called Rose Creek (and if that isn't an apt name for a town full of innocent "flower children" {my observation}, then I don't know what is...). Chisolm goes about gathering an assortment of malcontents to help him go to Rose Creek to take charge of the town over the nefarious Bogue. 

His first compadre is a man he meets in a bar, Farraday (Chris Pratt). Next he tracks down an outlaw named Vasquez ( Manuel Garcia-Rulfo). Chisolm is basically an officer of the law / bounty hunter, but he promises Vasquez, who is a wanted man, that if Vasquez joins his team, and comes out alive, that Chisolm will no longer be one of his, Vasquez's, hunters. Next up is the Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), who just happens to be accompanied by a fellow outlaw, Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee). After convincing these two they track down a mountain man, Horne (Vincent D'Onofrio). The last man to join the team is a renegade Comanche, Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeir).

Note: One of the things I like about this film is that the main characters are not, as was true in earlier days of filmmaking, white people posing as other races. Vasquez is played by a Mexican actor, Billy is played by a an Asian actor and Red Harvest is played by a Native American. 

The first battle in Rose Creek is a bit on the unbelievable side, if you ask me. Sure, the seven catch Bogue's men unawares, but they kill off an astounding 22 of the bad guys without so much as a nick from a whizzing bullet. (I think Robicheaux just hurt himself on his hand in the fight...) Chisolm sends the town sheriff off to tell Bogue the battle is on, and then the seven begin their preparations for what is bound to come next. (You don't REALLY think Bogue is going to throw in the towel and say "oh. well, it was worth a try...", do you?)

There are many similarities to the 1960 film here, not the least of which is that the town is basically full of incompetents who seemingly have never fired a gun in their life. But, stacked up against Calvera, Bogue could put him to shame when it comes to sheer determination to win at all costs. The characters that Chisolm amasses to help in the fight are a bit more intense than the original seven. They are sympathetic members, to be sure, but somehow most of them don't really exude the charisma to make themselves likeable. 

I personally would like to hang around Billy, just because he's a real "knife" guy, but I would be nervous about ticking him off.  The standout character, for me, however, is Horne. Maybe it's just because I have an affinity for loners who prefer the company of nature as opposed to the company of people. (Also, I can't think of any role that wasn't improved just by having D'Onofrio in the role. Even his much-maligned stint as Edgar in Men in Black).

Ultimately, as in the first film, the plot boils down to an action packed battle between the good guys and the bad guys, and in case you were hoping differently, some of the seven don't walk away from the fight unscathed. 

In terms of box office, the remake just barely made a profit in the U.S. ($93 million to a budget of $90 million), but if you include the European sales. which added another $68 million to the coffers, it fared fairly well. By comparison, the original also struggled initially. It would be ranked as a "bomb" by today's standards if it had only relied on it's original release. But after becoming a huge box office bonanza in Europe, it was re-released in the U.S. and really hit it's stride on the second release.

The 2016 version paled by comparison to the 1960 version, as per the critics. The 1960 version stands on Rotten Tomatoes at 93% Fresh, while the 2016 version only gets a 64%. This could be easily understandable, since remakes are usually viewed through a lens that distorts it. If you already have a high opinion of an original, then anything that comes along and tries to create the same magic in a bottle will usually have at least some negativity associated with it, pre-viewing, unless the viewer is astoundingly open-minded to it. (I can't be eternally classed as "open-minded" to a remake... God forbid they ever follow through with the threat to remake The Warriors. But I think I'm more receptive to them than most.)

All in all, I would say I much prefer this remake, plot-wise, to the original, although if I were picking one solely on the acting, I would go with the 1960 version. Despite the aforementioned fact that I like the Billy character, I wasn't overly impressed with Lee as an actor. Even Pratt and Hawke pale by comparison to the likes of McQueen and Vaughn (whose characters they are embodying in this remake). Washington, on the other hand, (dare I say it? or is it sacrilege?) gives Brynner a run for his money.

Once or twice over the span of this blog I have referenced an older blog that I had run that has since gone on to the cyberspace ghetto of "Where Is It?". That earlier general interest blog had a weekly feature that involved me reviewing a movie. So, at that time, I did a watch of the first incarnation of the theme, Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. I remember it only vaguely here, some 20 years later, but as I recall it was a fantastic movie. I'm going to add it to my re watch list and hopefully visit it once again for The Midnite Drive-In. Warning: If you decide to watch all three "Seven" movies in succession, better set aside a whole day. You are going to need 8 hours, not including restroom breaks! Which is one of the reasons why this entry only covers the two American productions.

That's it for this time. Drive safely, folks. 

Quiggy

 

When Food Fights Back

 

 

 

 

This is my entry in the Food & Film Blogathon hosted by 18 Cinema Lane.

 

"Sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes, well, he eats you." 

                                                                             -The Stranger in "The Big Lebowski" 

 

 

Man vs. Food. Dating back to even prehistoric times, man had to struggle to survive. Whether he was  trying to kill a saber-tooth tiger before the tiger killed him, or trying that new plant over there, only to find out, "whoops, that wasn't such a hot idea...", man has struggled to find some middle ground in the battle to put food on the plate.

 

But usually, in these modern times at least, it's safe to go to the local supermarket and stock up on food.  The eggs aren't going to suddenly erupt and hatch a dozen rabid zombie chickens running through the store. And you can be reasonably sure that there won't be a revolt in the canned food aisle as customers are assaulted by demonic corn. (Unlike the threat that you get from the "corn" of your humble blogger...)

 

But what if there was a threat from this "innocent" food for which we take for granted?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978):

 

From the opening sequence of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes-

 

In 1963, Alfred Hitchcock made a motion picture entitled "The Birds", a film which depicted a savage attack upon human beings by flocks of the winged creatures. People laughed.

 

In the fall of 1975, 7 million blackbirds invaded the town of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, resisting the best efforts of mankind to dislodge them.

 

No one is laughing now.... 

 

 

 The opening involves a woman working in her kitchen when she hears an odd noise coming from the sink. Out of the sink comes a tomato. The tomato springs on the woman as she screams in horror. As the theme song introduces the threat on the horizon (just in case you may not have gotten it from the title...)

And by the way, the theme song reminds me of an old song I heard on the Dr. Demento radio show, "The Cockroach that Ate Cincinnati"...

 

"Attack of the killer tomatoes!

Attack of the killer tomatoes!

They'll beat you, bash you, squish you, mash you, chew you up for brunch!

And finish you off, for dinner or lunch!

 

They're marching down the halls! 

They're crawling up the walls!

They're gooey, gushy, squishy, mushy, rotten to the core!

They're standing outside your door!"

 

 

 

Featuring a cast of unknowns (except Jack Riley, who you may recognize as one of Dr.  Bob Hartley's (Bob Newhart) regular patients on The Bob Newhart Show), along with "The Royal Shakespearean Tomatoes", and based on the best selling novel "The Tomatoes of Wrath", Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is one of the first ever horror parody movies, later to be a more common theme with such movies as The Evil Dead movies, Student Bodies,  Zombieland, and who can forget Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Revenge of the Terror of the Attack of the Evil, Mutant, Alien, Flesh-Eating, Hellbound, Zombified Living Dead Part II (In Shocking 2-D)?

 

The  film is chock full of one-liners, visual gags and (to be forewarned) some decidedly racist and misogynistic jokes. The ensuing opening scenes get the ball rolling with an investigation of the woman, now dead, and no clues except for the obvious bloody corpse. But wait! That's not blood! It's... tomato juice! 

 

But, ah friends, this is just the beginning.  It seems that tomatoes have taken on a life of their own and causing havoc throughout the city! A guy is strangled after drinking a cup of tomato juice! An older couple sit on their couch watching a giant tomato chase little Timmy (off screen). The tomato eats Timmy. "He ate him all up... poor Timmy."

 

 

 

The scene shifts to a farm where the police are attacking a marauding gang of tomatoes. One of the tomatoes apparently causes a helicopter to crash. Side note: Apparently that crash was real. Since no one was actually injured the producers decided to keep it in the film... Might as well, since that helicopter probably cost as much as the rest of the film's budget combined...)

 

The authorities are trying everything to contain the tomatoes, but bugs, chemicals, bullets... nothing seems to work.A security chief for the President (Jack Riley) has called in the top generals, scientists and experts of varying fields to solve the problem and try to keep the outbreak under wraps. His main guy, Mason Dixon (David Miller) is so far undercover that no one eve knows who he is. All this because the powers that be just wanted to develop a bigger healthier tomato...

 

In a converted clothes closet, a bunch of army personnel meet to try to figure out what to do. 

 

 

And here is one of those scenes that, in retrospect, comes off as a bit insensitive. The leader of the group introduces Dr. Fuji Nokitofa (Paul Oya). The Japanese scientist is obviously a parody of Japanese sci-fi scientist in such Japanese movies as Godzilla, as he is obviously speaking Japanese from the way his lips move, but is dubbed by a ridiculous overdub by an American voice. Not only that, but he refers to tomatoes as "fags", when he means fruits. (BTW, tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables, just in case you didn't know...)

 

Dr. Nokitofa's plan is to bring in a half-man, half robot super human to do battle, but the robot is a bit under developed. So the back up plan is team up Dixon with a highly qualified team of helpmates; Sam Smith (Gary Smith), a disguise expert,  Greta Attenbaum (Benita Barton), a swimming expert, Greg Coburn (Steve Cates), an underwater expert, and Lt. Wilbur Finletter (Stephen Peace).

 

 

 

Meanwhile the local newspaper editor, desperate to have someone cover this new developing story about tomatoes is forced to send his only available reporter, the society column reporter, Lois Fairchild (Sharon Taylor) out to cover the story, mainly because she has a "good sense of organization, fluid style, a dark mind... and a nice ass..." (I warned you about the misogynistic aspect...)

 

 

 

So did I mention there is a musical aspect to this film? Occasionally we are treated to the top 10 hit, number one with a bullet as they say, "Puberty Love". Sung off key with a horrendous voice, the song crops up occasionally. And if you can't see where that is going before the movie ends, you obviously aren't familiar with this particular trope in these kinds of movies. Needless to say that "number one with a bullet" is a propos, because by the time the movie reaches it's climax, you may want to put a bullet in an appropriate place. 

 

 

 

The experts on Dixon's team are finally gathered together. After dropping off the underwater expert and the swimming expert in the dusty desert (why? how should I know?) Dixon decides that the undercover expert, who by the way is a black man who seems to be fooling people that he is George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Adolph Hitler (!) could be best put to use disguised as a tomato (!!). He is to go undercover and infiltrate the tomato camp.

 

 

 

From here on out the film is padded with plenty more gags that will boggle the mind, including a street view of a trolley climbing a hill in "New York". The "New York gag crops up several times, even though it is obviously San Francisco. In "New York" the representative of the President, Jim Richardson (George Wilson), is sent to get an overzealous ad executive (Al Sklar) at Myth Maker to come on board to help deceive the public that there really is no threat from the recently overactive tomato population. And here we get another of those musical scenes as the executive points out the value of being able to manipulate public opinion through advertising.

 

 

 

Eventually it comes down to an all out battle for the control of the city of New York (or possibly San Francisco...)  But with all the fire power that the army can muster, those pesky tomatoes seem to be winning the battle. A newscaster intones: "Across  the length and breadth of the nation the tomatoes continue on their rampage of wanton destruction! Burning! Pillaging! Raping!" (Raping??!!). Nothing seems to be effective.  And yet another of those musical interludes as a squad of soldiers lament about their inability to defeat the horde of tomatoes.

 

 

 

Spoiler alert!: If you want to watch this film, stop right now and go watch it. I'll still be here when you get back. Watched it now? 

 

It seems that Jim Robinson, the press secretary has a nefarious plan with these tomatoes; he plans to use them to cause havoc and then step in as the savior, causing the people to reject the current President and eventually make HIM leader for life. (What does all this have to do with it? Maybe he was the one behind the animating of the tomatoes in the first place, although that part isn't really clear.) 

 

But wait! There is hope! It seems the tomatoes do have an Achilles heel.  Remember that horrible number one song? Think to the last time you were forced to listen to Debbie Boone's You Light Up My Life. Remember the nausea that song had upon you? Well, the tomatoes seem to feel the same way about "Puberty Love". The finale comes when the city lures the tomatoes to San Diego Stadium (San Diego, I thought this was New York... or was that San Francisco?..)

 

 

 

As the credits roll, there is another stirring in the garden as the carrots start to come to life... "All right, you guys... they're gone now..." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attack of the Killer Donuts (2016):  

 

Oops! Somebody made a mistake. That somebody would be the demented Uncle Luther (Michael Swan). Luther is the uncle of our movie's hero, Johnny Wentworth (Justin Ray). Johnny lives with his mother, Emma (Kassandra Voyagis). Mom is always nagging on her son, especially about his lack of ambition, and his failure to mow the lawn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Johnny is an employee at Dandy Donuts, where he works with his childhood friend, Michelle (Kayla Compton). Michelle has had a crush on Johnny since childhood, but Johnny fails to see it.  In fact, Johnny is apparently blind to everything in the realm of love. 

 

 

 

He considers Veronica (Lauren Elise) to be his girlfriend, even though the two have never been intimate, and it is obvious from the very beginning that she is just using him for money. She has been in a physical relationship with a pseudo-surfer dude on the side, Bobby (Aaron Groben).

 

 

 

Johnny has a rough relationship with his demented Uncle Luther, a mad scientist who lives in a shed on the Wentworth property and is constantly stealing Johnny's laptop for use in his crazy science schemes. His current formula is a serum that is supposed to reanimate the dead. When Johnny goes to Luther to get his laptop back, Luther is none too pleased.  He determines to go to the doughnut shop and retrieve the laptop so he can continue his work.

 

At the doughnut shop, Luther gets into a scuffle with the owner of Dandy Donuts, Cliff (Chris DeChristopher). During the fight Luther loses a vial of his serum which lands in the doughnut fryer.  The icky green fluid mixes in with the grease and causes the doughnuts to become animated. (Well, what were you expecting from a movie titled Attack of the Killer Donuts??)

 

 

In this mix comes, what else... police officers. Although Officer Hammerstein (Cliff Burbank) is reluctant to take advantage of the doughnut shop, Officer Rogers (C. Thomas Howell) is salivating over the free doughnuts he knows the doughnut shop is going to give them.  The two go into the shop, leaving a suspect they have arrested.  The suspect almost frees himself, but is still there when they return. The suspect begs for a doughnut and the officers give in.

 

 

    

Meanwhile, a rival doughnut shop owner, some nut who thinks he can make health conscious doughnuts arrives to taunt cliff with his new creation.  Cliff gives Flanagan (Michael Rene Walton) one  of his own doughnuts, which he claims is fat-free and sugar-free. (It's not...) Flanagan and the suspect both become victims of the killer doughnuts. 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, back at the doughnut shop, three rather unsavory characters come in and start sexually harassing Michelle. She pepper sprays them, but when Cliff finds out he takes their side of the story as the truth and fires Michelle.  Johnny quits because Cliff won't listen to him tell the truth of what happened.  Cliff gives the three hoodlums a box of free doughnuts. (I don't think ANYBODY in this movie paid for any doughnuts.  You gotta wonder how Dandy Donuts stays in business).

 

The pair meet up with Johnny's friend, Howard (Ben Heyman), who unbeknownst to Johnny has been making time with Johnny's mother. The three discover the threat of the killer doughnuts and go to crazy Uncle Lester to find a solution to the problem.  He has an anti-serum that he has created (that was thoughtful of him). The serum, which is pink, will reverse the process. Unfortunately it seems that requires injecting the serum into each doughnut individually.  Johnny and Michelle end up trapped in a closet in the doughnut shop and their chances for survival appear to be slim.

 

 

 

But fear not! Johnny has a plan.  They can blow up the doughnut shop and take out the doughnuts. (That's your plan, Johnny?  How do we escape the explosion? asks Michelle.)  But Johnny is resourceful.  

 

It was a great plan by the doughnuts, and it would have worked... if it hadn't been for those meddling kids... (Sorry, but that Scooby-Doo line always seems to come to mind in these kinds of movies).

 

Well folks, time to crank up the Plymouth and head home. And I'm seriously considering not stopping off for a pizza or ice cream on the way...

 

Quiggy

\ 

MCU Sunday #14: Doctor Strange

 Preface: As promised last year, I plan to review every single currently available movie in what is known as the  Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) over the year 2024. These will appear in order of their release over that time period. This is the fourteenth installment. (Oh, and by the way, after I've exhausted all of the currently available MCU movies I will be rounding out the year with some of the other available movies made from the Marvel comics pantheon.)

Notes: In each of the MCU installments you will be seeing references to two recurring events that occur in nearly every MCU movie.

Where is Stan Lee?: Stan Lee was the driving genius behind Marvel Comics.  He usually shows up in a cameo.  Sometimes these are so quick you gotta be sure you don't blink. Occasionally he gets a line  of dialogue.

And the Credits Roll: You should always stay in the theater for the credits when watching a MCU movie, because during the credits and at the end there is a teaser (or two) that is worth the wait.  Often they were a teaser for the next installment of the films.

 

 

 

The star of Doctor Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch, was not entirely unfamiliar to me going in.  I had first seen him in Sherlock Holmes, the BBC series in which he stars with Martin Freeman in a modernized version of the title character.  And sometime afterwards I saw him in the reboot of the Star Trek universe,  Star Trek: Into Darkness, in which played the character previously made famous by Ricardo Montalban, Khan.

But also in the film, as the star villain, is Mads Mikkelsen.  Don't know much about him.  The only things I remember him from was as the villain in Casino Royale, the first James Bond movie to feature Daniel Craig, and later as the villain in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. (Obviously I haven't seen him as a sympathetic character, but he must have played at least one or two.  A fellow blogger of my acquaintance thinks he's hot stuff, and I doubt she is enamored with him because he's such a cute bad boy.. or maybe not...)

Doctor (or "Dr." as his name appears on the front of the comic book series) Strange appeared first on the scene in 1963. I honestly don't remember seeing this title during my days in my father's store.  Remember back in my Marvel post I mentioned that I got into the Marvel comics through the magazine rack my father stocked at his gas station/convenience store/garage when I was a kid.  Of course he occasionally appeared in some of the comics I read, but I don't recall reading specifically a "Dr. Strange" issue.

As with about 95% of all comics I read back in those days, the character of Dr. Strange had already been established before I ever came across him. (Being born only in 1961, Marvel had several years jump on me in characters by the time I was old enough to read...)  I have to say that I was fairly unfamiliar with the Doctor before the movie came out.  

BTW, it turns out this is not the first film introduction o Strange.  Although I missed it, a TV pilot movie was made in 1978, starring Peter Hooten (a name probably no one here has ever heard of, myself included). I probably would have watched it if I had the opportunity, but a check of the TV schedule reveals that it was my sister's turn to pick the TV shows, because there were shows on that night I remember she always watched.

 

 

 

Doctor Strange (2016):

The film opens with a raid on a library in a  monastery library in Nepal.  The sorcerer Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) and his cohorts kill the librarian an steal some pages from an ancient text.  Even though .another sorcerer, known as the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), attempts to stop him, he escapes.

 

In New York City we meet Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). Strange is a brilliant big time neurosurgeon, with a brilliant  big time ego to match.  (Something like Tony Stark, maybe?)  Of course, without his ability to prove his own ability is not just overinflated self-importance, he wouldn't be worth it.  But he really is as good as he thinks he is.  He saves a man whom a fellow doctor has already pronounced dead.  A skilled man whose hands are his life.

 

Oh, did I mention he is rich, also? (Ego and rich? This Tony Stark comparison is getting more gelled...) So, Doc has a speaking engagement which he tries to get a fellow female colleague, Dr. Palmer (Rachel McAdams) to attend with him, but she declines.  So off he races to the show by himself in his fancy car.  While driving he has a subordinate find him a new challenge for his surgical wizardry. And has him text him the pictures...  Which he looks at...  While driving... Seems to me that even as egocentric as he is, a "brilliant" guy would know that you need to keep your eyes on the road while driving...  ("Stay Alive. Don't Text and Drive", people.) Oh, well, maybe next time.

Because, of course, he gets in an accident. He is lucky to survive.  But the accident ends up costing him anyway.  He no longer has the steady skilled hands he had.  Nerve damage during the accident caused almost irreparable  damage to them. But is he thankful?  Hell, no.  He tells the doctor who saved his life: "You've ruined me."  And all the money he has can't help him, because the nerve damage is too severe.

So the doctor is forced to find other avenues.  He seeks out a man whom he had previously refused to treat because, in his opinion, the situation was hopeless.  But the man found a solution and, instead of being paralyzed from the waist down, he is not only mobile, but physically active.  The guy turns him on to gurus and a secret place that he went to called Kamar-Taj. In Nepal, of course.

And guess what?  When he gets there, his whole world is going to HAVE to change.  The completely logical and rational mind with which Strange approaches life will have to be expanded.  Such things that he does not want to accept as reality, such as chakras and spirits, will have to be accepted if he is to continue.  And the Ancient One is going to help him, if only he will put those narrow visions of the world on the back burner.

(The CGI used during this sequence, and the rest of the movie, for that matter, will blow your mind.  But I would like to add, if you have access to it, a stereo, or multi speaker, system, will enhance the mind-blowing somewhat.  I listened with my primitive headphones, but when the Ancient One talks to Strange during this sequence the vocal part is also a bit impressive.)

But the Ancient One initially rejects helping Strange because of his arrogance,  He reminds her of a former student, Kaecilius.  But a master, Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), convinces her that despite the failure to keep Kaecilius under reins, that Strange may be the one hope of defeating Kaecilius and preventing the end of life as we know it. See, those pages he stole at the beginning are a threat if he figures out their secret.

 

The training of Strange in the ancient arts means that he will have to learn to surrender to grow stronger.  While that may seem cryptic, it is actually quite useful. (Side note from the blogger:Trust me on that one.  I have 15 years of sobriety because I surrendered in order to have some control over my addiction...)

This film has what seems at the outside to be an interminably long training session before we get to the real action.  But, really, it doesn't seem all that long.  What happens during the training never grows dull, and this from someone who really craves action over exposition. 

The exposition turns out to be necessary however, as Strange is far more advanced a student.  He gets one of the sacred books that he has been told are farther beyond his comprehension and manages to use the Eye of Agamotto, a relic, to control time. And repairs the missing pages from the book.  But is stopped and warned of the potential dangers of tampering with time.  Such as creating alternate timelines. (Boy, gotta love those...)

So Mordo and the current librarian Wong inform him of the ancient past, which includes the creation of three shields (Sanctums) which were made to protect the Earth from dark demons, specifically Dormammu (which is something akin to the Devil, if you wish)  from beyond.  One in Hong Kong, one in New York and one in London.  And he is told that the masters of the ancient One's temple are the only thing helping keep the dark demons from taking over the earth.

Except Kaecilius stole the pages from the ancient text in order to facilitate just that.  And though Strange intimates that he is not there to become one of the ancient One's cadre of defenders, it becomes aparent that he will not have much choice, as Kaecilius has taken the first steps in his goal by destroying the London Sanctum.

A battle ensues, but Strange is wounded and has to use a portal to get himself to the hospital where Dr. Palmer helps keep his body alive while he defeats one of Kaecilius' minions on the astral plane.  Strange is devastated that he, as a doctor who is committed to SAVING lives has taken one.  But it's not going to be so easy to dismiss his (unwanted) mission to save the Earth from the Dark Dimension. 

 

 Where is Stan Lee?:

During a battle between Kaecilius and Strange and Mordo, a scene focuses on a bus going by where Stan is one of the riders.  He is engrossed in reading and doesn't even notice the action. 

 

Ultimately, the Ancient One is killed, but not before passing on one final truth to Strange; he needs to over come his ego. "It's not about you" she tells him, and in that truth, maybe he has more power than he ultimately thought he already had in his own life as a doctor.

And thus the final battle between Kaecilius and his people against Strange and Mordo. Sounds a little one-sided? Well, actually Strange can use the time amulet to repair the damage that Kaecilius caused, And, eventually, cause Dormammu to give up his quest to conquer the Earth (or there will be Hell to pay...)

Ultimately we find out that the Eye contains one of the Infinity Stones, which is taken back to nepal. (Where it won't stay for all that long, but that's for a future movie.) And Mordo decides he no longer wants to be a part of the "saving the world" society and departs.

And the Credits Roll: 

In mid-credits, Doc confers with Thor where Doc informs Thor that one of his missions is to keep an eye on inter dimensional beings who may be a threat, and that Thor's brother, Loki, is one of those perceived threats.  He tells Thor he will help him find Loki. And in  post credits we find Mordo may have his own agenda.

OK, I absolutely loved Doctor Strange.  I don't understand why it ranks so low on the lists I've seen of the MCU rankings.  Maybe some of that has to do with some of the spiritual enlightenment I got from it.  I make no apologies for that. (see the above references to my own path to redemption from addiction.) So as of this posting, Doctor Strange is now ranked very high on the list.

And despite that fairly long build up, it doesn't lose anything because of it.  Which is probably astounding to some readers considering how I've railed against long sequences in these films with no action .  I still crave action sequences, and will probably revert to my former impatient self by next movie, but it was worth the build up in this one.

Time to fire up those engines on the Plymouth now. Unfortunately I can't warp time and space, so I'm dependent on the 8 cylinder primitive engine in the car to get me home.  Drive safely, folks.

Quiggy

 

MCU Sunday#13 Captain America: Civil War

 Preface: As promised last year, I plan to review every single currently available movie in what is known as the  Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) over the year 2024. These will appear in order of their release over that time period. This is the thirteenth installment. (Oh, and by the way, after I've exhausted all of the currently available MCU movies I will be rounding out the year with some of the other available movies made from the Marvel comics pantheon.)

Notes: In each of the MCU installments you will be seeing references to two recurring events that occur in nearly every MCU movie.

Where is Stan Lee?: Stan Lee was the driving genius behind Marvel Comics.  He usually shows up in a cameo.  Sometimes these are so quick you gotta be sure you don't blink. Occasionally he gets a line  of dialogue.

And the Credits Roll: You should always stay in the theater for the credits when watching a MCU movie, because during the credits and at the end there is a teaser (or two) that is worth the wait.  Often they were a teaser for the next installment of the films.

 

 

 

 

First: A big reveal.  Although this movie is titled Captain America: Civil War, it is basically another Avengers movie.  After all, even with the beginning (after the opening sequence), several members of the pantheon makes it's presence known in the first sequence.  We get Captain America (of course), but helping him in his endeavor are  Wanda Maximoff and Falcon.

Civil War took as it's basic story line, the story that had appeared previously in the graphic novel of the same name.  In this one we would also end up getting introduced to a couple of "new" superheroes, one that had been previously introduced in a separate (non MCU story line; see the last portion of this review) series, Spiderman, as well as a preview to one that would be on the horizon for his own future MCU movie, Black Panther.

Most  of the rest of The Avengers appeared later, during the Civil War part. Notably missing was Bruce Banner as The Hulk and Thor, which is probably one of the reasons this wasn't labelled as  another Avengers movie by title.

Captain America: Civil War (2016):

At the start of the movie, Russians, who later turn out to be a part of Hydra, revives Bucky "The Winter Soldier" Barnes (Sebastian Stan) from cryostasis to do a hit on a vehicle and retrieve some samples of super serum.

Flash forward to present day (sometime after the events in The Avengers: Age of Ultron). As stated above, Cap (Chris Evans)  and Falcon (Anthony Mackie)  and Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) are on the trail of  Brock Rumlow (Frank Grillo), a renegade former SHIELD agent who is out to steal a biological weapon in Nigeria (which is a neighboring country of Wakanda... see it coming?).

 

It's almost, but not quite, more than these three can handle.  Rumlow (who has become a super villain known as Crossbones) has a lot of fancy weaponry and is not afraid to use them (but then what kind of super villain would he be if he were...?)

 

In the process and his ultimate defeat at the hands of Cap, Crossbones blows himself up, attempting to take Cap with him.  But Wanda, with her power of telekenisis sends the blast to a nearby building. (Remember that...)

In New York, Tony Stark addresses a group of students and tells them, basically, that they are the future, and that the Stark Foundation is going to fund their projects. After the event, Stark meets the mother of one of the people who were killed in the battle with Ultron in Sokovia.  Tony has some guilt over his actions, which becomes relevant as this movie continues.

Well, the building that was inadvertently damaged during the battle in Nigeria included 11 Wakandans who were on an outreach mission. (see the Wakanda connection now?). As the king of Wakanda says in a TV interview "Victory at the expense of the innocent is no victory at all." 

Which leads to the appearance of the US Secretary of State, Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt), who informs the collected group of Avengers assembled (notably missing Thor and the Hulk)  that some people consider them "vigilantes" and a "threat" and that therefore the nations of the world have created a protocol, called the Sokovia accords, which deem the Avengers to not be able to act independently, but be under the control of the United nations.  Thus they would only be able to act if that group decided their help was "necessary". He says they can talk it over, but if they do not agree to it they will be forced to retire.

(Author's interjection: Having witnessed for most of my life how such committees like this can "work together" so "well", I'm sure you can see which side of the coin I would fall on.) 

Tony, for his part, because of his guilty conscience, more or less, is behind the idea. Cap on the other hand says that if they sign the agreement they will surrender their right to choose.  There are some good points to both arguments (but once again interjecting: if you know me, giving up the freedom to make my own decisions, and giving them to another, is an anathema to me. Sorry. This may be the one movie that gets me on my soapbox.  I apologize.)

Meanwhile Helmut Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) has appeared on the scene.  He kills a Hydra bigwig and steals a book which will help him revive the brainwashing that activates The Winter Soldier.

 

Cap attends the funeral of his enamorata from the 40's Peggy, where he hears her daughter deliver a eulogy which inspires him to stay firm in his conviction. as he tells her later, despite the agreement of some of the others on The Avengers, he just can't agree to the accords.

At a conference to sign the accords, while the king of Wakanda is speakin,  the event is bombed, killing the king.  His son, T'Challa (Chadwick Bozeman) vows revenge. It turns out that The Winter soldier was behind the bombing. Rogers, still having a deep friendship for Bucky, thinks he can reform him and wants to take him alive, however.

Cap and Falcon track Bucky to Bucharest, despite the fact that others have orders to either arrest or kill them. He finds Bucky, but his attempts to try to take him peacefully are thwarted by the appearance of a group of police forces.  Bucky attempts to escape and runs smack dab into T'Challa, now transformed into the Black Panther, who attempts to exact his promised revenge.  None are successful however, as Rogers, Wilson, T'Challa and Bucky end up arrested. Tony attempts to get Steve to give up and sign the accords, promising that they can be amended later. (yeah, right.)

Zemo appears, disguised as a psychiatrist to talk with Bucky.  Meanwhile, he initiates a plan which shuts down the security grid of the prison, among other things. And says the words that reinstates his brainwashing.  Goal? To discuss what happened in 1991 (Remember the opening sequence?) 

During an ensuing battle, Rogers discovers that Bucky was framed and it was actually Zemo who bombed the accords and framed Bucky. And that Bucky is not the only "Winter Soldier".  It seems Zemo has some ulterior motives.

Eventually Cap and Falcon decide they can't wait for "authorization" to go after Zemo and recruit the help of Wanda, Hawkeye and Ant-man.  Iron Man, on the other hand, still trying to keep the Accords in action, forms his own team which consists of Black Panther, Vision, War Machine, Black Widow and newcomer Spiderman, not to go after Zemo, but after these renegade superheroes who are acting of their own initiative.  (The "civil war" of the movie's title).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(And Spiderman by the way has already been established as a viable superhero had an arc that created his background, but is only briefly touched on in the film. If you want to know his background watch this site after the MCU cycle and I'll get to those).

Allies and brothers should NOT have to fight each other, and it usually doesn't go well when they do. (Remember that disagreement from the US history past?)  Things go better when you work together for a common good. And these guys are much better when they do that.

We get to find out in the battle that Ant-man has another power in his suit that no one else knew about which helps the situation get better.

The ultimate outcome is that eventually there is sort of a reconciliation as everyone has to come together.  Leading up to our final battle. Which is a battle on on one with Cap and Iron Man.  Which as it turns out was Zemo's whole plan in the first place, as revenge for what happened in his home country.

Where is Stan Lee?  

Stan shows up at the end of the movie, as a FedEx driver, delivering a package for Tony "Stank"...

 

And the Credits Roll:

In mid credits Bucky, now in Wakanda, . voluntarily goes back into cryostasis, hoping that some time in the future somebody may figure out the secret to getting him un-brainwashed.

And post-credits: Peter "Spiderman' checks out a new gadget that Tony made for him.

 

Captain America: Civil War has some problems. For one thing, the villain is not all that impressive.  He's just a psycho and doesn't even have any super powers.  So he ought to be a quick meal for the Avengers, right? But then if you watched until the end you know the REAL reason he was doing what he was doing. Despite that, I really, really liked it.  Especially that battle between the two sets of friends.  So this one ALMOST, but not quite, ends up surpassing The Winter Soldier. 

Well folks, that's it for this installment.  See you next week.  Drive safely.

Quiggy