Conflicted about Kick-Ass

I can say with all sincerity that I did not expect to be putting this much thought into a movie called Kick-Ass. But then, life is full of surprises.

For those unfamiliar with the plot, the movie is about a nerdy teenager named Dave who decides to become a superhero, because hey, no one else is doing it. So he gets himself a wetsuit and a couple of batons, sets out to fight crime, and promptly gets himself knifed and hit by a car, in rapid succession. Luckily for Dave, things begin to look up once he gets out of the hospital.

“We are the same.”

(I originally wrote this in August of 2009, soon after seeing both the films in the question.)

I recently saw two excellent new films: Ponyo and District 9. Excellent, but very different, as anyone will be able to see. And yet, after seeing Ponyo (which I saw after District 9), I couldn’t help but notice an element common to both films: that of the character who becomes “something halfways,” a figure somewhere in between two different peoples which have a less than peaceful coexistence. It’s this common theme which I want to discuss here. (Warning: spoilers will almost inevitably follow.)

Alice in Wonderland

Today I went to church. Then I went to see Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Then I went to a friend’s house, talked and read for a few hours, ate supper, and went to Evensong. Only as I was driving home did I realize what the glaring problem with this movie was – besides the clichéd and typically Hollywood believe-in-yourself/make-your-own-destiny messages spouted by characters throughout, in addition to all the now-tiresome elements which characterize much of Burton’s work (Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter with pale makeup, Danny Elfman score, exaggerated costumes, over-simplistic good guys/bad guys dichotomy, etc.).

Hitchcock and Antonioni

It’s no secret that Alfred Hitchcock is my favourite director. I’ve never really been sure why this is, especially since his code of filmmaking contradicts mine on many accounts (he considered himself an entertainer rather than an artist, for one), but there you have it. He’s still my favourite director. The 39 Steps, from his earlier British period (which I prefer to his later, more well-known American period), remains one of my all-time favourite movies.

Recently I’ve been getting into the work of Michelangelo Antonioni, who, if not quite the polar opposite of Hitchcock, is pretty close. For some reason, though, while I do not see a lot of comparisons between the two directors, I see their names frequently appear in close proximity. It may be that each one popularized a certain genre of filmmaking: Hitchcock was the master of suspense, and Antonioni the master of alienation. It may be simply that they were two well-known directors producing their most famous work in the ’60s and ’70s. I really can’t say for sure.

Theory of Film

My theory of film, while constantly developing as I am challenged almost daily by what I watch and read, is essentially the same as my theory of art: art is meant to be a meaningful dialogue between artist and beholder by means of God’s light shining forth.

I do not think that conversion stories, end-times scenarios, or overt moralizing are the only ways God’s truth may shine through film — indeed, it is often obscured thereby. God’s light may shine forth in such simple things as a depiction of a beautiful sunset, or the compassion with which the filmmaker views his characters. God’s light is also the light of his truth, and this may manifest itself as a bleak parable about the consequences of sin, or as a story of how Christians have fallen short. All these are examples of God’s light of which Christians may not be inclined to think positively, but there is a great deal of virtue in all of them.

Renovations

I’m currently in the process of updating this blog considerably. I began it when I was young and foolish and thought I knew everything about film and art and a lot of other things. I am now slightly older, slightly less foolish, and know that I have much to learn.

In reading through what I once had the audacity to call “reviews,” I found myself cringing at every paragraph. I’ve purged the archives (with the exception of one review, which I didn’t find cringe-worthy enough to delete), therefore, saving them for posterity’s sake, but out of the public eye.

With any luck – or grace, I should say rather – this marks the beginning of a new chapter in the life of the Moviegeist.

“We are tonight’s… entertainment.”

THE DARK KNIGHT

I was not expecting this. When I saw the trailer, I expected a film that would glory in the iconic struggle between Batman and the Joker. I was looking forward to this. But I didn’t get it. I got something way better.