Friday, January 28, 2011

Movie Review: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Well, folks, after a long hiatus, I'm back. I figure it's time to review some more movies. I have been viewing many TV shows and fewer movies as the years progress. My budget requires mostly Redbox movies or streaming on Netflix. I have a few reviews in mind and will be reviewing TV shows but reviewing them in a somewhat different fashion. Let's get to the Christmas released movie Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Voyage is the third book in the series by CS Lewis. It is one of the most beloved and also one of the most difficult books to translate into movie form. More details to come later. The first movie, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, was excellent - an almost perfect adaptation of the book with a little extra flair added in. Most changes worked, though some made no sense given the Narnia fantasy world. I reviewed the second movie on this blog, so please read it at this link: Prince Caspian. In an unusual twist, I found Caspian's changes from the book were more thematically and internally consistent than the book. I'm not sure how that happened, but the movie was the more compelling piece of fiction.

Gains: +5
Eustus amazed me, from the actor selection (Will Poulter) to the acting itself. Of all the characters, Eustus brought more to the movie than the rest. As usual, Georgie Henley (Lucy) and Skandar Keynes (Edmund) gave good performances.

The movie tried to teach some values - fighting temptation, being who you are, heroism, selflessness, faith. Good for them. These are rare qualities found in movies these days.

The scenery of water-based movies carries significant difficulties. Voyage handled the sailing ship activities seamlessly. Also the sets, animation, and costuming were pretty cool.

Losses: -4
Plot, plot, plot, plot, plot. Oh, and internal consistency and mixing realism into your fantasy. But I get ahead of myself.

First of all, let's deal with the easy part that requires many words to explain. Shots frame the movie and form a line or a series of lines connecting characters to scenes and the plot and the environment. Framing shots correctly and putting them into movies in the correct order gives the audience an idea of how and why one character was in one place and got to another place. For instance, you don't need to show the audience my entire trip home. You can take things out, but if you take out too much, you lose your linear consistency. Showing the entire car ride is not necessary. Conversely, if you show me sitting at my work desk, then the next shot shows me sitting at my home computer desk, you have lost the audience. How did I get there? Why did the camera shot change? There is no transition. Sometimes you can convey this change with words or with short shots of me grabbing my coat on my way out, then showing me entering my house and sitting down. Etc. Etc. You have a myriad of options, but the point is that you have to show the audience what and why and how in some form.

In Voyage, for instance, how did Eustus get into the water after meeting Aslan and putting the sword on the other swords? All of a sudden, "Hey, guys, there's Eustus, in the water next to the ship." I counted 3 such instance in a single viewing. I'm not a professional, so when I think I could do a better job, the videography has gone terribly wrong.

Plot, plot, plot. I knew heading into Voyage that the plot of the book was fascinating but would have trouble being translated to modern audiences on modern film. When faced with this problem, producers and writers can either change the script or stay true. I believe staying true to the book is most often correct. Prince Caspian proved to me that changes can benefit a movie, so I had hope for this movie. I got suckered.

When a book has a loose plot like find 7 lords (and visit weird islands) and no over-arching plot with a big battle at the end for conclusion, then you must change the paradigm. Only one story element connected each of the islands - sailing on the Dawn Treader. So the story absolutely needed to have a little bit of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) in it. We needed to live and breathe the ocean life, with mini-adventures on the islands.

I knew something was going wrong right away. The first island is cool in the book. It is not wildly fantastical like the other islands, but the slave trade has taken over and corruption rules the populace. The option in the book was to return with soldiers to siege the city or to bluff that the Dawn Treader was just the negotiating wing of a larger army. That's the book. They bluff and win. That's so cool. In the movie, they fight, but it's like an 11 v. 11 football match. It should be 1 whole city versus 1 tiny ship. The fantasy movie instantly became disjointed from its own internal reality. In fantasy/sci-fi movies, connection to reality is paramount. Only specific laws of nature can be broken, and only if they are explained. If too many situations become ridiculous - if the simple math of us vs. them doesn't add up - people's brains register the unreality and the movie fails to create suspension. It loses the audience.

So what can bring the audience back into the movie? Character! This movie needed to be a character piece as well. It tried, but it missed on so many levels. Caspian, Edmund, and Lucy were all flat, 2D characters. Eustus was the only character that could grow in the story. The other characters seemed to be rehashing book 1 and 2 problems. Wait, was that the White Witch again? Edmund had already shown in Prince Caspian that he could resist her, so why is she back?

So the sea serpent, instead of just being a monster, is temptation incarnate and has grown it's own dark island and requires a tithe of sacrifices from nearby islands for some never-explained purpose. Somehow it controls green smoke that does something - not explained. Those sacrificed people all survived in the end, but were adrift at sea in their small row boats with only the Dawn Treader to ferry them home. But there were almost twice as many people as there were crew on the ship. The ship seemed small and cramped already. Food and water are huge sailing issues, but the movie never addresses these basic sailing aspects and the need for harsh discipline in the harsh conditions of olden-day sailing. Anyway, rambling.

Then they had something about swords that were connected to Peter's old sword that glowed blue so Edmund could stab the sea serpent, though we never saw him attempt to kill it before the sword turned blue. For some reason the swords were a critical element to killing the sea serpent. But if so, then why did the original 7 lords separate and take their swords with them. Was there a prophecy about the sea serpent and the swords? How did they know about getting the swords to the table if they didn't know about the green smoke in advance of setting sail? If the green smoke can make rowboats ships disappear, why didn't it make the Dawn Treader disappear? Were those rowboats in stasis? The people all survived. If not in stasis, how did they eat? What water did they drink? I could go on and on.

Basically, the story unraveled. Once the writers decide they don't have to explain things, then they can do anything they want - at the cost of the plot and the audience's patience.

As bad as these issues were, I'm only taking 1 point away for inconsistent plot, 1 more for lax videography storytelling, and a 3rd point for not explaining anything. I'm taking a 4th point, plus their union membership cards, for changing the book. If you cannot make interesting movie adaptations when changing the book plot, then don't change the book plot. I'd rather have the boring old book in movie form, than a boring new story that mangles the book.

Final Judgment: +1

It's not as bad as some morally and ethically defunct films. In the end this matters more than filmography, plot, or even monetary success. Still, the movie made so little sense that I couldn't bear to sit through it again.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Most Awesomely Sad Song Ever

In Dr. Who, a show I enjoy, there is a conversation between two people:

K: What did you come here for anyway?
S: I love old things. They make me feel sad.
K: What's good about sad?
S: It's happy for deep people.

I love that quote because it helps me feel okay about being sad sometimes. In the realm of sadness is the very powerful song Snuff by Slipknot. I'm not usually a Slipknot fan, but this song radiates depth in sadness. Here's the song with lyrics and no pictures.



I find psychological catharis in depressing songs - makes me feel that my fate isn't quite as down as I sometimes think it is. I have too many cheerful things in my life that when I hear a song like this, my mind grasps harder onto what I'm thankful for.

Now to breakdown the song - most of you can do the basic lifting for yourselves. What strikes me is the lack of mercy, compassion, and any kind of forgiveness. He has experienced so much rejection that he reached a breaking point where he just wants to walk away. The song isn't only sad but hopeless - which is much worse than sadness from loss or emptyness.

Hopelessness is the natural response when there are no answers but only emptiness. It is the lack of emotion or connection. Having studied hopelessness from the inside, I realized something. Servanthood is the primary act of restitution.

For me, Acts of Service is the love language (of the 5) that I understand and value the least. But this revelation has increased the value of this love language in my eyes, but only situationally. When the others have been misused and distrust has grown, Acts of Service can finally play a powerful role. It may be the greatest love language, because it speaks of help with no call for reciprocation or payment. Who can argue with the behavior of someone who self-humbles to the point of service? Certainly not me.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Mecum Omnes Plangite

Hello, old bloggites of mine,

We have Trans Siberian Orchestra tickets. Once again we will get to hear O Fortuna live in concert. Lyrics here. See the last line for title translation.

This will be my third time seeing them - my second time here in town! We are taking several family members for their first time - our Christmas present to them. I can't think of a better gift, honestly. Hopefully they will enjoy the rock show.

Best concert ever. Poor Charlotte will have to wait until she's older.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

My second college degree

It's accomplished! I had a goal of getting a second bachelor's degree, and so I have done.

My side quest was to receive straight A's. I received 15 A's and 1 A-minus (in Copy Editing of all things, but I had good reasons for slipping a little).

I also bought the student version of the entire Adobe collection of programs, many of which I now have some experience on - all of which I need more experience on. I want to be a jack of all design trades, given the fact that I'm very good at most things in life but great at none of them.

I have decided not to touch the programs, though, until I have time to properly welcome in the newborn in my life. I'm considering this time to be both my vacation with absolutely no homework allowed, while also catching up on things like the yard, washing the dogs, reading some informational books about liz...I mean, babies, some movies, friends I have barely seen, play testing the game I built, projects at work that I now have more brain room for, and basically just lining up all my ducks before the arrival of the tiny loaf that's currently in my wife's oven.

Homework is a terrible drain. I understand the need for summer vacations now. It's not particularly hard all the time, but the constant nagging thoughts of having some big deadlines coming up and the pressure to succeed with every single assignment is quite draining.

Still, I succeeded at school. I survived the homework. Soon I get to press the world to find a better place in it. I like my job, but I need more money.

So, the scholastic break is over. Time to tackle full parenthood and the world wide workplace options.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Couplet

I don't have much to say about having a baby yet. Can't figure out if I'm a father now or when I have one in hand. Anyway, getting started with some writing a smidge early. Enjoy.

Little woman, petite and feminine,
like an angel, bringer of good news.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

My board game

As I mentioned in my last post, starting in the middle months of my school program, my creative brainwaves were struggling with the lack of creativity. I have a steady creative streak in me that I need an outlet for.

The interesting timing of this particular creative streak is that I was praying for a way to make more money, because I need to support my family. Within the next few weeks, I was consummed by ideas for this game. This strikes a chord in me from a sermon I heard a couple years ago. The sermon spoke about God filling our brains with money-making ideas when we ask Him for help. We just have to follow through. I haven't made a dime on this yet, but I'm putting this out there now - I think this idea is a God thing. I'll be crushed if it's not. When building/thinking about my game, I feel a sensation that comes most often when the Holy Spirit is actively working in my brain.

Anyway, the game is fun. Really fun. I'm not going into game-specific details here, but it has potential to be a big hit in the market, if there's still a market for board games. I just have to find the right company to work with.

I pulled some rules together, then made some horrible game pieces and a rough board. Let me talk about a few things: the board, the pieces, the game design, the play testing.

The board was a seed of an idea I planted into Microsoft Publisher, which grew into a mighty solid foundation. The idea led to a design that led to further ideas. I had the idea for hexagonal spaces that would lend to more board movement ease. Then I just started copying and pasting these spaces together. They began to form a board. The shape they formed was brilliant, and the spacing allowed me to create further design elements. I'm being purposefully vague here. Hopefully, I'll be able to say more later, or hopefully, you can just buy the game.

The pieces started out on paper, and I had to cut them out. It was rough. We're talking over 300 little pieces of paper. When these failed, I tried to make them better and printed them on better paper. When that failed, I bought colored wood pieces. These worked okay, but I could see big problems with them - like they were just to big for the board spaces. So, now I have circular pieces with numbered stickers on it. It's functional. Not ideal, but workable.

The rules of the game are layered with strategy. The key to good game strategy creation is to know what behaviors you wish to reward and what behaviors you wish to punish (usually simply by making it harder to win because you lack the rewards others are getting). I layered the strategy by making small rules that must be worked in conjunction to maximize effect. Those of us who are testing my game have ever-evolving strategy based upon the little rules I have set in place.

The play testing has evolved as well. The beginning was rough, I'm not going to lie. But now, as small tweaks are made, the game is becoming a robust, fun, strategic game. Friends are signing up to play when I am able to schedule tests. Those who play report to me that they want to play more. This is a good sign.

Everything is proceeding as I have forseen.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Consider my brain stretched

My wild ride of school is exactly two weeks from being over. During these last 18 to 20 months, I have defeated my sleep-mares of failure by throwing giant letter A's at them. My wife and I have become pregnant. I invented a board game (more on this later). I started and have been successful at a new job.

So far, I have 14 A's and 1 A-minus, with one class to go. My brain is stretched. I have been really past my homework limit for about 3 months. It's time to be done.

Can't wait.

Will be blogging more in the near future.

Friday, June 4, 2010

A-B-B-A

My world is precarious
a circle - fate and destiny
in the balance, eternity,
large and small and various

moments of passion and rage
the respite of competing
and the mind-numbing bleating
the oncoming storm of age

birth and burial, bookends,
a middle full of means
conscience light and clean
and choices without amends

violence without action
pain without remorse
justice without recourse
choice without redaction

truth and consequences
faith that fractures might
those lonely in the night
fools who sit on fences

fall upon your pride
bleed to save your life
upon the skin the knife
free the poison inside

for pain defies the reasons
and pleasure refines the peace
hold strong till breaths cease
when purity defines your treasons

breathe in the scent of pander
breathe out the words of tripe
ignore ad hominem and hype
the allegations of slander

truth overcomes the muse
words destroy the illusion
of love, kindess, inclusion
and secret hidden abuse

throw off tyrannical reigns
put on the belt of truth
grasp the undeniable proof
until it courses through the veins.

Friday, February 26, 2010

An interesting coincidence

Yesterday was a horrible day for me. I'm feeling down - not blue like when the weather is constantly dreary. Down like when people who should love me and continuously say they love me demonstrate rejection by their silence.

My drive to work is 8 minutes - 10 if I hit both lights as they turn red. My drive to school is 15 minutes. These times are important.

I headed to work in the morning yesterday. Normally I listen to AM sports talk radio. They just went to commercial, so I flipped to FM and scanned the channels. A powerful song was on the Christian radio station. It touched me in my sadness and breathed a small breath of hope in my soul. I nearly cried in the car.

I left work to go home. Dr. Laura usually accompanies me for those brief minutes. She was interesting, but her caller was super boring, so I switched to FM and flipped through the channels. The same Christian station (by the way, it's #6 on my dial and I almost always go in order from 1-6) was playing the same song. Again, I caught the song moments after it started. It really touched me deep in my soul once more. It was an interesting enough coincidence that I mentioned it to a couple people at my class later that evening.

So after class, I'm driving home. I normally listen to Love Line because after class is the latest I'm ever up listening to the radio. Well, my project group had been working a little late, so I was about 20 minutes later heading home than normal. Love Line went to commercial, so I started flipping. No station was playing a song, so I kept flipping for 60 seconds. I landed on the same station as before for about the third or fourth time and found the same song playing once more - it was at the beginning.

What are the chances that in the total of about 15 minutes that I listened to music on the radio that I'd hear the same song, 3 times, and catch it near the beginning every time? I did not hear another song on the radio in that time either.

Coincidence, maybe, but God's fingerprints are all over it.

Oh, you want to know which song, huh? Here it is.



I try to hold on to this world with everything I have
But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that trys to grab
The many trials that seem to never end, His word declares this truth,
that we will enter in this rest with wonders anew

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

There will be a day with no more tears,
No more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place,
Will be no more, we’ll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we’ll hold on to you always

I know the journey seems so long
You feel your walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you’ve walked out all alone

Troubled soul don’t lose your heart
Cause joy and peace he brings
And the beauty that’s in store
Outweighs the hurt of life’s sting

I can’t wait until that day
where the very one I’ve lived for always will wipe away
the sorrow that I’ve faced
To touch the scars that rescued me
from a life of shame and misery
this is why this is why I sing….

There will be a day with no more tears,
no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place,
will be no more, we’ll see Jesus face to face

There will be a day,
He’ll wipe away the stains,
He’ll wipe away the tears,
He’ll wipe away the tears
There will be a day.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Catching up on all things bloggy

1. I'm still getting straight A's.

2. I was very sick for about 3 weeks. I used 70 hours of paid sick leave. I lost 10 pounds in 12 days.

3. The sickness made me miss 2 periods of 1 class, which is normally cause for dropping the class. My teacher decided to reward my perfect attendance up to this point by giving me an Incomplete until I get the work caught up.

4. Having a pregnant wife is interesting but not as interesting as people say. I've seen it before. It's the same, except it's happening to me. She's also calm and happy to be pregnant, so she remains sweet instead of whiny, despite the growing pains.

5. Regardless of issue, my viewpoint will be different from most people. This is not a new characteristic for me. I always end up in a different place by a different path. One thing remains consistent - I want to be the best (not my best, but THE best) at everything. Fatherhood is no different.

6. Seeing my grandparents and aunt, uncle, and cousins has become one of my favorite traditions during the November/December holiday season.

7. I emailed my father. He called me presumptive. So nothing's changed in our dynamic.

8. I've seen several interesting movies. Wish I could remember which ones. Moon was disappointing. HP 6 was disappointing. Saw a Hitchcock film, Rebecca, that ruined the coolest parts of the book of the same name. I guess Hollywood has been ruining great books for at least 70 years, then.

9. I only have 8 weeks until I'm done with classes. (Well, not entirely. I dropped our online class when the teacher gave us too much homework in the syllabus and wanted to have us meet for class twice at the school. Kind of defeats the purpose of online, then, doesn't it? I'll have to take this class during the summer.)

10. I'm sure there are more things. Maybe I'll have the time or inclination to write more after I step out from under the rain cloud of never-ending homework. I wanted to give homework up for Lent, but my wife thought my idea wasn't truly in the spirit of Lent.

Later, folks.

Followers