Three Movies in Four Days Part 2

Tags

action movie, Angelica Huston, crime drama, dogs, film, Halle Berry, John Wick, Keanu Reeves, movie music, movie review, Nicole Kidman

John Wick 3 (no spoilers)

OK, so I’m just going to get it out of my system. We all have our favorites and Keanu Reeves has been one of mine since I first saw him as dopy Ted. Then came the conflicted Neo, and later my all-time fave movie of his, Destination Wedding.  He flings himself into all sorts of career risks and all of them work in his favor. Because Reeves in person is so laid-back and gentlemanly, it’s easy to overlook his history, unless an avid fan. (Passivity is not in the lexicon or personality of anyone who yearned to play pro hockey.) The eclectic range of genres in his film history is all over the place. He personifies my personal adage of: If you can do comedy well, you can do anything. He swings from courtly aristocrat (Dangerous Liaisons) to deranged avenger (JW2) without a misstep.

Anyway, I liked JW3. I wasn’t too impressed with 2, as you can tell, but 3 has incorporated some very creative and outré enhancements to a genre I don’t usually pay to see. And it has Reeves in it, so off I went to the cinema, especially after seeing The Impossible Dream trailer.

What stood out:

Halle Berry. You have to see to believe the kick-ass-ness. And her dogs.

Next, fight scenes with numerous opponents attacking separately. What we are usually served is a situation where the hero/heroine is surrounded by assailants coming at them one at a time. Not in this flick. It’s all pile on the rabbit, if you remember that old Bugs Bunny cartoon.

Angelica Huston as a Russian mafia queen

Xbox addicts are going to mainline this puppy. Their fingers will twitch through all the shoot-em ups. I loved the unique use of music for the finale shoot-out underscored by Vivaldi. Classical music, for me, allowed for suspension of belief and enhancement of the choreography needed for sustained violence. After a while,  constant glass breakage and auto weapon discharge sags into over-the-top sensory overload.

Much of what occurs in films of this genre has to be taken with a sense of humor or a chunk of salt. I mean, how many times can you get kicked in the head, ribs and chest and still function?

Worry about the story arc started to nag about halfway through. I know what I hoped to see and started to lose confidence in the plotline. The worries got resolved by the film’s end when I understood the reason for the red herrings.

Thumbs are up for JW3.

On CD: Destroyer

Nicole Kidman does a tour de force in this grim odyssey of a cop’s relentless pursuit of a stone cold criminal in order to expiate her mistakes of past and present. Kidman is remarkable and believable, almost unrecognizable. She would have benefited from a less heavy-handed makeup artist. That was overdone, and I think unfair to Kidman, and because of that bit of distraction, stole from her ability to relate all that the character was and going through, without slathering on the makeup with a density more appropriate for stage than screen. Kidman’s work in this film is a revelation. I got lost in her, not the story.

Next up: Rocketman

M.L Rigdon (aka Julia Donner)

Follow on Twitter @RigdonML

Blog: https://historyfanforever.wordpress.com/

Website http://www.MLRigdon.com

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ANOTHER 3 MOVIES IN 5 DAYS

Tags

#BlackPanther, Bolshoi, films, movie review, pet peeves

Up first is Red Sparrow.

The draw for me was Jennifer Lawrence. Her dancing performance went on too long, an error in direction, not Ms. Lawrence. She is not convincing as a Bolshoi prima ballerina. Not saying that she did a bad job, but that it takes many years to become a prima ballerina of the Bolshoi caliber. This flaw bothered me more than the graphic sex, purposely grim and shocking, which was more acceptable than expecting anyone interested in ballet to believe that a mediocre dancer, who wouldn’t get an audition for the Bolshoi corps de ballet, could be viewed as a national treasure. Why am I harping on this? The wasted time could/should have been used to advance/enrich the story, to illustrate how the loss of career and years of study devastated Dominika. All we got was her anger. Not enough to draw us to empathize. The script is so-so. Figured out the end early on, which means it was a bit of a letdown. (A blatant spoiler was slapped right at the beginning of the movie like a big red arrow flashing “this is a clue” when she got revenge on the pair who ruined her career.) It wasn’t a waste of money because Lawrence is always interesting.

The only interest I had in seeing A Wrinkle in Time was because of Chris Pine. The trailers didn’t spark a need to see this film and that’s not a good sign. The art design was merely OK. The make-up and hair, a disaster. I liked the kids a lot, especially Levi Miller and Deric McCabe. And the pacing was so slow I caught myself falling asleep. A lot.

Saved the best for last, Black Panther. Originally, I wasn’t hot to see this film because it was hyped and I avoid films with rap. But…it’s a remarkable movie and a refreshing change from the usual grim, superhero violence that screams “see how fabulous I am with the CGI stuff.”

Wow factor is off the chart for some of the characters. Andy Serkis is deliciously nuts as Klaue.  Danai Gurira as Okoye, the General, is commanding, gorgeous and just plain-ole breathtaking. Chadwick Boseman made excellent use of his expressive eyes. I’ve always liked Martin Freeman and he didn’t fail my admiration with a well done American accent. Not easy for Brits and he did it while carrying off the token white guy role with subtle authority.

Script always gets my attention and this one had plenty of twists that wove nicely into the story arc and were skillfully placed. The graceful celebration of African cultures and a score inspired by haunting African Folk music enhanced what was happening on the screen and never detracted.

As I said earlier, I didn’t plan to go to see this film when it opened because I can’t tolerate rap in any form of the genre. I usually wait until it’s available to rent and mute the sound. As it was, I hustled out of the theater when the credits started to roll, overlaid with rap. I will confess that it sounded a higher quality than the usual hostile and monotonous monotone. Rap is essentially a form of poetry, and I ‘ve always wished the writers of this stuff would frame it without the childish backbeat. Even though simplistic and often vulgar, what they are expressing is important.

But what I loved most about this film was its groundbreaking adherence to the themes of ethics, honor, and duty. Movies of this type, superheroes saving the world, are crammed with and rely on loud, meaningless, glorified violence (with the exception of Ragnarok, which supplied some much-needed humor). The digital work in Black Panther was never glaringly obvious and gracefully enhanced the fantasy rather than slamming it in the viewer’s face. Granted, many film-goers like this sort of action, and that’s their proverbial bag. I reveled in this film’s elegance and celebration of African cultures. It may have been meant to be making a statement, but as I watched, I could only view it as splendid and exactly what a superhero movie should be.

P.S. Doing a blog tour this month. If interested, info is on the Julia Donner Facebook (see below) for a chance to win an Amazon GC.

M.L Rigdon (aka Julia Donner)

Follow on Twitter @RigdonML

Blog: https://historyfanforever.wordpress.com/

Website http://www.MLRigdon.com

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/julia-donner

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IGNORANCE, INNOCENCE AND LOST OPPORTUNITY

Tags

Barnum, film, Hollywood, Hugh Jackman, Jenny Lind, movie review, movies, musical, opera, oratorio, soprano, stage, The Greatest Showman

In some ways it’s understandable that the film producers of the LA studios thought that a flick about the best hype man who ever lived would make a good movie. Perhaps it would have been, if done with accuracy, class, and a modicum of understanding of what is entailed in the musical genre. The Greatest Showman has too many glaring problems.

I suspect that the creators of this fiasco hoped to appeal to a younger crowd, and probably sold the treatment as High School Musical- goes-to-the-circus. Uh, check out the aging cast, which means they missed their targeted demographic and are left with baby boomers weaned in the glory daze of Broadway musicals. If asked their opinion, the post-war babies would most likely say with a pained smile that it was merely entertaining. Ow, the dreaded E-word.

Glaring problems are overwhelming in this silly film, especially the cramped choreography better served on a proscenium stage. Costuming was a mess. The gowns from no era in particular. Then there was the alarming shock of no chest and armpit hair for the neatly hirsute bearded lady. (Apologies to Miss Keala Settle, who other than Jackman, did the best singing.)

That’s another thing. These are recording artists, not true vocalists, and there is a huge difference. Other than Settle and Jackman, they have voices ill-equipped for the stage unless a mic is taped to their heads. Many recording artists today share the annoying asthmatic style made popular by Michael Jackson. The problem with that has to do with Jackson being a genius in the industry and others trying to use a style he (IMHO) had to fall back on when his voice started to give out. I learned the inside story about that when I studied with Mia Phoebus in LA in the 70s. Jackson took lessons from her competitor, Seth Riggs, whom Jackson went to see about singing the pharyngeal style. (It’s the reason babies can scream for hours and not get hoarse.) It must not have worked for him because he went on to a breathy style and used a mic.

Then we have my biggest gripe, the bashing of Jenny Lind, who during her time was the most famed and respected singer in the world. Think on that. Engaging the entire world without any form of today’s technology and media coverage. Famous composers and performers drooled over her but she never veered from asserting her prim reputation. There was no reason to smear her legacy and too much delight in the doing of it on the screen. This is another example of Hollywood’s cultural ignorance and lost opportunity. Lind had listeners in tears and swooning in their seats. Tickets to hear her scalped for huge prices. Entire portions of cities needed to be blocked off when she came to town.

I’m not sure if the writers can be faulted. Often what they put on the page is different when producers meddle. Take the otherwise perfection of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing. The opening song is The Last Rose of Summer, one of Lind’s signature pieces, which was sung by Fleming’s heavy dramatic soprano style. It’s a song meant for a lyric or coloratura, to be light and haunting. The song is supposed to evoke the pain of grief and isolation, which would have set up the film perfectly, but Fleming’s rendition had all the light, airiness of sludge.

Coming back to the original point. There is a reason the High School Musical films work. They aren’t movies that hold my attention but they are perfect for their targeted audience and great fun for them. Watching the brilliant Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman slog through and do his very best with material that is mediocre at best was painful, but it proves that he is a great showman.

For some info about Lind:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=jenny+lind&view=detail&mid=3A6D4BF115313B7F863D3A6D4BF115313B7F863D&FORM=VIRE

M.L Rigdon (aka Julia Donner)
Follow on Twitter @RigdonML
Blog: https://historyfanforever.wordpress.com/
Website http://www.MLRigdon.com
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/julia-donner
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BRIGHT AND DARK

Tags

blitz, Churchill, Gary Oldman, movie review, movies, nostalgia, SAG, Southampton, WWII

When my oldest brother was a young man, he became engaged to a girl from Southampton, England. They never married, but Terri was absorbed into my family. I’ve always considered her a sister.

I learned about WWII and what this country escaped when Mom and I stayed with Terri’s family in Southampton. Looking for a specific gift for my father, Terri’s brother-in-law, Jimmy, walked with me to show the way, pointing out historical markers and uncovered Roman ruins. We turned a sharp corner around a lovely, ancient church, and I stopped when I saw blocks and blocks of modern, and IMHO, ugly stores and buildings.

While I did the fish-gape thing, Jimmy explained that the entire area had been hit by incendiary bombs, everything roaring sheets of flames. He’d been part of the fire brigade and also with the Home Guard, paroling the area during the day, carrying a carved-wood rifle because they had no weapons and wanted to be seen wielding something when Hitler’s observation planes flew overhead.

Terri was four and has clear memories of the bombings, has always been slender due to childhood malnutrition. In the US, we rationed everything, but in England, they had less and often nothing. Terri said one of her fondest memories of luxury during that time was when her father would bring his children steaming cups of hot water on freezing mornings. There was no tea.

The previous was written because of my only gripe about the Darkest Hour. I know it was all about Churchill, but I felt the absence of the honor that must be paid to those who endured the blitz. What they survived deserves to be highlighted at every opportunity. It is briefly shown in the “tube” scene, where Londoners relay their courage to fight, to never surrender, and made their determination absolutely clear to Churchill. Instead of opening the film with stock film of soldiers, I wish they would have shown some photos of the devastation of the blitz.

Elizabeth II is one of the last of that generation. It’s well known how her father decided to stay in London, keep his children with him, how his heir contributed to the war effort. You can bet that if her country is threatened by invasion again, that no matter how old she gets, she’ll be at the shoreline, just as Elizabeth I was to face down the Armada.

So I honor what the Brits survived. Yes, the US fought two wars at the same time. Yes, we rationed everything and lost family members, but I resent all the obnoxious cracks about America winning wars for others. The Brits were toughing it out long before the US arrived on their shores, and they didn’t boast about their unequaled measure of courage.

It was satisfying to see Gary Oldman win a SAG last night. As much as I like John Lithgow, I didn’t like how he and The Crown writers portrayed Churchill. On the other hand, the Darkest Hour shows all sides of Winnie’s mercurial personality and his puckish wit with the wonderful “Will you would stop interrupting me while I am interrupting you!” tongue-lashing. That is Winston’s quickness, his brilliance. To know him is to read his book My Early Life. After seeing this film, I think I’ll reread it for the third time.

M.L Rigdon (aka Julia Donner)
Follow on Twitter @RigdonML
Blog: https://historyfanforever.wordpress.com/
Website http://www.MLRigdon.com
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/julia-donner
https://www.facebook.com/Julia-Donner-697165363688218/timeline

 

 

LIVE & LEARN

Tags

dark humor, Dinklage, giveaway, Harrelson, humor, McDonagh, McDormand, movie review, Rockwell

There are some truisms we can’t get away from, especially the one about history repeating itself and people never changing. After seeing Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri those two and a few others come to smirking life. It’s a movie that slaps you in the face, a wake-up call like no other I’ve seen this year.

If a film has Frances McDormand in it, I go see it. The same when it comes to Sam Rockwell, who is vastly under-acknowledged. My favorite of his is the expendable crew/cast member from Galaxy Quest, since I’m a fan of the quirky, but now it’s the brutal and conflicted Dixon,  a brilliant piece of acting. No, there’s got to be a better description, because Rockwell mines every aspect and wart of man on the edge with a subtle and unnerving portrayal of violence about to go haywire.

The McDormand and Rockwell characters blast off the screen right into your face. I usually gush about ensemble acting but there is very little, if none, to be seen in this movie. The characters are all too self-involved and emotionally blinded, incapable of seeing/interfacing with others, unless venting anger and retribution. Everyone in the cast is astonishing, and each one crazy self-interested. It’s mesmerizing, like watching a car crash of the freeway pile-up order. The story flies along and there’s no escaping the wrecks about to happen.

On a side note, Mildred satisfies an urge we all wish we could realize, because she’s reached the point where there’s no turning back. She no longer cares what anyone else thinks, excepting her son. She’s become a reckless, avenging machine, and when two teens fling a mess on her car’s windscreen, she reacts to the schoolyard/high school fascism incident in a way we can only dream of doing. Go Mildred.

This is essentially Martin McDonagh’s sendup of how we are products of our environments and the vagaries of life. A lot of this script would fall flat and merely come off as vulgar, the messages lost, without the right delivery. IMHO, he is a better director than writer in this instance. There are a few ambiguous bits, the greasy burn smudges in the grass by the billboards that suggest the raped and burned girl had seen her end at that location, and the aggressive creep in the gift shop scene, who does and doesn’t commit to the murder.

After all is said, done, and acted, it’s just as Sheriff Willoughby (a polished performance by Woody Harrleson) summarizes in a letter to Dixon. It comes down to love, to forgiveness, to paying attention to another’s pain. Peter Dinklage’s sad-eyed James is the only citizen of Ebbing who has a clue, but kind as he may be, he also has an agenda. Having learned so many of life’s inescapable lessons, James doesn’t jump to conclusions and is ready to empathize, providing the moral of McDonagh’s theme. I believe every viewer will have a different take on this movie. For me it’s—what’s the point of living if we can’t learn to forgive others and ourselves?

Tis the season, so check out the freebies on 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway:

https://12daysgiveaways.blogspot.com/2017/12/ebook-winners-choice-from-mlrigdonjulia.html

http://12daysgiveaways.blogspot.com/p/grand-prize-100-amazon-gift-card.html

M.L Rigdon (aka Julia Donner)
Follow on Twitter @RigdonML
Blog: https://historyfanforever.wordpress.com/
Website http://www.MLRigdon.com
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/julia-donner
https://www.facebook.com/Julia-Donner-697165363688218/timeline

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PUTTING OUT FIRES

Tags

firefighters, humor, Marvel, movie review, movies, myth, thor

Some memories remain clear and never forgotten. One is of my father running through a jumble of cars to get to a fire. Sightseers had blocked the path, but the firetruck had gotten through. The other is from 9/11, firefighters running up steps into a building. Everything inside me knew they would never get out, and I was just as sure that they knew the same and still ran as fast they could.

I come from a family of firefighters; dad, uncles, cousins and a nephew. Dad volunteered when I was a child and later professionally with ordinance and flammables. When my family moved to So. California, he worked for Rocketdyne and Jet Propulsion Lab. Before he got those jobs, I asked him why he never accepted a fire chief position offered to him. He replied that he didn’t know enough about forest fires. I didn’t fully understand that reply until I’d been threatened by three and survived one. Fire doesn’t frighten me, but it should. Two movies I’ve recently seen have fire as a main component—two completely different genres.

Only the Brave is a movie that will stay with me forever. There aren’t many films about fires. Backdraft and Always are easy to remember, but most scenes in films with fires are unrealistic, even dangerous, giving viewers the idea that it’s okay to risk going into a building in flames.

(Two things to remember: there is NO AIR to breath. The fire is eating it, and it’s usually pitch black inside. Crawling along the floor, following a baseboard is the only chance of finding the way out. Scenes are lit bright red for movies, not the actual event.)

Only the Brave isn’t just about fighting forest fires, which is a visually spectacular component. It’s also about the people who do it to save others, how their families are impacted. Saving people is the primary goal, but also the forests. With climate change comes increased unpredictability and the problem of towns and cities that were once marginally safe now at high risk. This film isn’t only a cautionary tale, it’s wonderfully acted by a diverse cast. Some may think the portrayal of the firefighters a bit juvenile at times, but I’ve worked in high stress conditions in the ER and know that it’s one way to combat the stress. The laughter and silly-crazy stuff helps to compartmentalize the immense pressure of the work.

This is a film worth seeing, if for no other reason than to honor those who put their lives on the line. We honor our service people, but firefighters are sometimes neglected. If I had more than two thumbs, they’d all be pointed up for this movie.

On the other side of the genre spectrum is Thor: Ragnarok. OK, I did something throughout this flick that I never expected, laughed and laughed and laughed. Now, I knew it would be a hoot to watch Jeff Goldblum, but I didn’t expect the hilarious script and comedic timing of Chris Hemsworth. He does it with such ease, and comedy ain’t easy, folks. It’s the most difficult to perfect in an actor’s toolbox. Most don’t attempt it. (And look for cameo appearances.)

My usual gripes about the action film genre usually originate with graphics and music. No bellyaching this time. The graphics sparkle with splashes of color or majestic beauty. The charge of the Valkyrie is stunning, and the music lead-in clever—just a few Wagnerian notes to announce what’s coming. I liked this movie so much I’m going to see it again with a mythology buff. She’d already warned me that the movie didn’t follow the myths, but I don’t know how anyone can gripe about Cate Blanchett’s snarky Hela (aka Hel, Norse myth. Sort of). Some have panned Blanchett and this character, but I thought she was delicious. And Jeez, give it a break. This is a movie that’s supposed to be FUN, and finally, for the Marvel franchise, it is.

So, you’re asking how these two movies are alike? Forest fire devastation, the conflagration of Asgard, and life-and-death choices made with courage of conviction.

Shameless plug portion of the blog: my newest release—totally unlike the above genres except for a little violence here and there—Avenue to Heaven, written as Julia Donner.

https://www.amazon.com/Avenue-Heaven-Westward-Bound-Book-ebook/dp/B076HVGS98/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1509530295&sr=1-1&dpID=41zH8uAUeKL&preST=_SX342_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

M.L Rigdon (aka Julia Donner)

Blog: https://historyfanforever.wordpress.com/

Website http://www.MLRigdon.com

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/julia-donner

https://www.facebook.com/Julia-Donner-697165363688218/timeline

 

 

3 Films in 3 Days

Tags

acting, Blade Runner, Brit, film, inspiration, movie review, new releases, pet peeves, spirituality, survival, The Mountain Between Us, Victoria & Abdul

 

Ok, I admit it. I’m a movie junkie. There’s very little that I don’t like when it comes to films. I wish I could watch horror flicks, but the chicken-factor in me is off the chart in a darkened room. Out in the light or in real life, not so much. In real-time, it takes a lot to shake me up. This means I miss out on a lot of good stuff. Years after Jaws came out, I got up the courage to watch it and loved its humor. But I’ve strayed a bit. Back to the 3 day event.

Monday, The Mountain Between Us. Hadn’t planned to see this flick but went with a group of once-a-week movie buddies, and so glad I did. Some would say it was another bi-racial hook-up thing, but I didn’t get that anywhere in the story. Excellent script and screenplay. Superb and subtle acting. Magnificent scenic views of the remote majesty of winter-clad mountains in contrast to a profoundly intimate struggle for survival. This was a study in interior and exterior battles—two gifted people who are forced to change everything they thought they knew about themselves, to endure in the face of impossible odds. This film was so much more that I expected, and it has a wonderful dog!

Tuesday, Blade Runner 2049. Who hasn’t seen the original? Hold up your hands, I mean, hand. (I loved the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip Dick) There is no way to NOT contrast the former movie from this one. This version is more atmospheric, more artsy and stylish, but there is none of the personal investment in the story. I didn’t connect with anyone, nothing like the first one with its eerie tension and fear for the fate of the original Rachel. This second version has gorgeous art production and lighting but lacks  momentum. The slow pacing allows time to enjoy the brilliant artistry but gets a bit too slow in too many spots. The only character I could connect with was the police captain, Joshi, (Robin Wright), who balances her career, professional intentions, and an inappropriate attraction for her Blade Runner. Sykvia Hoeks “Luv” was scary but not as terrifying as Rutger Hauer’s relentless desperation to live. But in this one, the seasoned actor in Ford expressed volumes when he simply and brilliantly said, “Her eyes were green.” The unfortunate sountrack was repetitive, distracting and too loud in spots. Finally, certain aspects of the story were unnecessarily obscure and the ending unsatisfying.

Wednesday, Victoria & Abdul. We automatically expect fine acting in Brit films that are perfectly casted like this one is. No need to go there. Production-wise, the weird contrasts of the austerity and abundance of the Victorian/Edwardian eras are bluntly typified, especially the nasty racial-verses-aristocratic attitudes. Edward, eventual king, was accurately portrayed as the sleaze he was, absolutely no tribute to his amazing parents. Some have labeled this as another Mrs. Brown romance, but I didn’t see that. Victoria uses Abdul to uplift her loneliness, revive her flagging spirits, but she views him as a son. What mother wouldn’t with a schlub like Bertie for a first-born.

Ergo, my first pick would be The Mountain Between Us. Second comes Victoria & Abdul, and third, Blade Runner, which is really kind of sad since I’d had such hopes for it.

Feebies on Kindle:

Prophecy Denied (free 10-22 thru 10-24) Book One of the Seasons of Time fantasy:

https://www.amazon.com/PROPHECY-DENIED-Seasons-Time-Book-ebook/dp/B004S7EQ92/ref=sr_1_3_twi_kin_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1508707823&sr=1-3&keywords=m.l.rigdon

The Rake and the Bishop’s Daughter (free 10-24 thru 10-28) historical regency

https://www.amazon.com/RAKE-BISHOPS-DAUGHTER-Friendship-Book-ebook/dp/B00LWQAY8O/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1508707650&sr=1-4&keywords=julia+donner

Newest Julia Donner release on November 1st, Avenue to Heaven, first book in the Westward Bound series about adventurous women heading west to realize their dreams. On pre-sale now:

https://www.amazon.com/Avenue-Heaven-Westward-Bound-Book-ebook/dp/B076HVGS98/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1508708009&sr=1-1&keywords=avenue+to+heaven

M.L Rigdon (aka Julia Donner)

Follow on Twitter @RigdonML

Blog: https://historyfanforever.wordpress.com/

Website http://www.MLRigdon.com

 

 

WIND RIVER THOUGHTS

Tags

AIM, coal mining, exploitation, films, Kindle Scout, movie review, Native Americans, new relases, politics, reservations, Taylor Sheridan, Wind River, Wounded Knee

In 1973, I visited the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Lame Deer, MO, drawn there by a character in a story I was writing who was half Cheyenne. Forty years later, after endless rewrites and title changes, Avenue to Heaven is finished. Back then, I’d thought I’d done a lot of research but learned within moments of stepping inside the reservation trading post how phenomenally ignorant I was.

A lady behind the counter greeted me without words. Her stance was familiar from all I’d read about Native Ameican cultures. (A teacher at the grim parochial schools Indian children were forced to attend wrote of how disturbing it was to speak to a classroom of the tops of bowed heads.) I accepted that I was wicaśaśni, one of the takers, and a stranger on her land, and browsed, bought a lovely wristband, and mentioned that I loved the book on display, Cheyenne Memories by John Stand in Timber. She warmed a bit and pointed at a newspaper with a headline about the AIM movement at Wounded Knee, worry apparent in her subtle gesture.

I couldn’t stop myself from asking why the tribal council had allowed the harvesting of the surrounding hills. Trees had been completely scraped from the hillsides; the exposed red soil looked like a bloody wound. She answered that the government never asks. They come and take. That was when I discovered the vastness of my ignorance.

Indian nations were told they owned reservation lands but the fact is, they are leased, can be pillaged and left polluted, like the uranium mining on Navajo lands in WWII. The problem is that most Americans are too self-satisfied and bent on “affirmative bias” to accept reality, blissfully unwillng to acknowledge that what we’ve done to our native peoples is almost as heinous as the Nazi solution for Jews.

Fortunately, there are some who are gifted at getting the point across without stepping on ego-fragile toes. Wind River is a beautifully crafted film with satisfying twists at its end. It was a delight to see so many of my favorite Native American and Canadian actors in the cast, especially the delicious Gil Birmingham, the jovial snarkiness of Graham Greene, and always intriguing Tantoo Cardinal. Taylor Sheridan, who wrote the screenplay and directs, created a story to bring attention to missing Native American women—the TV series Longmire did an episode about forced sterilizations—and Sheridan gets his message across without sermonizing his theme. The winter setting is a perfect choice, bleak and beautiful, stark in its reality.

It is never too late for truth. We must jettison past romanticism of the West, look beyond the slop of government rhetoric and lies. If our leaders are culpable, so are we. The loathsome Andrew Jackson murdered the southeastern tribes with the Trail of Tears, and did it after the Cherokee helped him win in battle. His plan to eradicate Native Americans and steal everything they owned is alive and well today. The raping of the Indian cultures and lands goes on. The Northern Cheyenne have had to move legally to stop the Trump administration from coal mining on reservation land, adding to the travesty of a pipeline for fossil fuels we will no longer be using in the future. Makes no sense, so it must be political.

Sorry this was not an uplifting blog, but here is something that is. My books are always HEA. No release date yet and it’s is part of a Kindle Scout campaign.

(WARNING, you are approaching the shameless plug portion of this blogpost.)

Please click on the link below and vote in the blue box for Avenue to Heaven, a book dedicated to Marlane Sturm, who saw a need for her friends at Bear Creek and supplied it, not out of charity, but by the call of her faith.

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Time for a Changeup

Tags

Channing Tatum, dragons, Eddie Redmanye, fantasy, Jupiter Ascending, Mila Kunis, movie review, sci-fi, space opera, Wachowski

Usually there’s a dearth of good films at this time of year, but lots of interesting themes and flicks are popping up prior to the summer movie blitz. The one I’ve been waiting for FOREVER is Jupiter Ascending. I love fantasy and sci-fi when well done. Guardians of the Galaxy was a hoot, but the JA space opera is being brought to us by the Wachowski sibs. I admit up front that I’ve not seen all of their works, but the ones I have seen, I’ve enjoyed, especially their knack for production design and the world order themes they tend to like and do so well.

Not for the Wachowskis is the one-dimensional storyline typical of many sci-fi fantasy works. Their scripts are loaded with subplot, allegory, and analogy. Cloud Atlas had the difficult task of creating many world settings. V for Vendetta was soaked in shadows and bleak settings to match the mood of the oppressed. The Matrix required the same settings each time but the stakes intensified with every installment. The Wachowski’s have very specific thematic designs for every film. While watching their films, your brain whispers familiarity, yet there’s no blatant visual stamp, such those seen in Kurosawa, Huston, or Hitchcock films. There’s an almost palpable sense of restraint. The theme shapes the visual result, not the vision of the writer, director, or producer. Happily, in most of the Wachowski films, those three jobs are done by the sibs.

No spoilers but I can pass along impressions. I expected Jupiter Ascending to dish up an artistic canvas on film and it succeeded. The storyline follows the often-used plot of a downtrodden or misfit protagonist, who discovers a world-saving talent-slash-ability-slash-gift. (I guess it’s more appropriate to say universe-saving when referring to this movie.) I liked the impressive costuming, conservative and elegant when necessary. Lizard-dragon soldiers were amusing. The music was a pleasant surprise. No nasal, atonal rap. No ear-numbing metallica. The musical score is intelligently written and not heavy-handed. If you stay for the credits, you’ll hear a vocalise reminiscent of the 60’s Star Trek with a twist of Sondheim. Nice touch. And Eddie Redmayne, ooh-la-la, what a delicious villain.

All in all, I give it a four. I can’t make it a five star, because I tend to get bored with the digital mayhem of constant smashing and blowing up stuff. As a matter of personal choice, I think it would have made for a tighter flick after a bit of editing.

There were a few questions never answered/completed, perhaps because there’s a sequel in the creative minds of the Wachowskis. Either way, it could be a stand-alone or the beginning of more good things to come. Who would have thought it—an artsy sci-fi. It hit the spot after a long, hairy week.

M.L Rigdon (aka Julia Donner)

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