#GuyBoyd

[adamwatchesmovies]

Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984)

I have some affection for the Ewoks but I don’t loooooove them, not enough to crave a film centered entirely around the furry savages. I suspect most people feel the way I do and doubt most people even know Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure exists. It’s not a hidden gem. For the most part, this barely feels like a Star Wars movie. In fact, it does not feel like a “Star Wars” movie at all. It’s a generic magical adventure featuring "Star Wars"-like characters. I can’t recommend the movie on its successes, but I can recommend it on its faults as something “so bad it’s good”.

Set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi (although you couldn’t tell because there are no Stormtroopers or recognizable faces in the film), it stars Eric Walker as Mace Towani and Aubree Miller as his sister Cindel. When their parents disappear, they befriend the primitive inhabitants of Endor's moon: the Ewoks. To find the missing parents, the children and several Ewoks embark on a mystical quest.

The bulk of this movie isn’t that interesting. Mace doesn’t trust the Ewoks but Cindel does until then they finally bonding and become friends. Once that's settled, everyone can figure out how to communicate and then FINALLY start the quest. Even the adventure in question with the children, the Ewoks and their mounts (creatures that look suspiciously like Earth Ponies) isn’t that interesting. Before they can find the lair of the creature who parent-napped the adults two more Ewoks need to be recruited, and then they must all figure out what the magical artifacts they've been given do. Meanwhile, there's nothing to latch onto. All of the Ewoks speak their strange native language while a narrator tells you what’s going on. The actress playing Cindell is so young she can’t act, and her role is reduced to as little talking as possible.

The only people who would enjoy Caravan of Courage are the youngest, most undiscriminating audience members. The characters are one-dimensional, the plot is spoon-fed to you, and the peril is non-existent. Remember all the aliens and droids from Star Wars who stood out, who were memorable despite their lack of dialogue? You understood what they are saying because of the situation or from the other characters' reactions. It also makes the mistake of believing children can only relate to child characters. With such thin material, it would be a nigh-impossible ordeal for adults to make it work. Child actors? You might as well ask them to levitate their X-Wing out of a swamp.

I’ll give this movie a “recommendation” as something you can watch and make fun of for the last half hour. The special effects vary wildly, characters make incredibly stupid, borderline unbelievable decisions, people and objects change size from shot to shot. Throughout, there are plenty of moments to make fun of, courtesy of the bad acting or the fact that some of these Ewoks look more creepy than adorable, but the end is where you get all of the “so bad it’s good” money shots.

I hesitate to recommend Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure to even the tiniest Star Wars fans. It has some good special effects throughout, I’ll give it that and some of the comedy is pretty funny too. Ultimately, this is a novelty item, something for obsessive Star Wars fans to watch because they’ve seen all of the other material too many times. Or perhaps you want some laughs at your friends' expense as they get ready for the May 4th celebrations. (On DVD, December 18, 2015)

[doomonfilm]

Review : I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

This one has been in the queue for a long time.  I’ve always been fascinated with Charlie Kaufman’s wholly unique and immensely moving view of the world, and with each film, we get a bit more of a glimpse into the depths of his mind.  Needless to say, I’m Thinking of Ending Things blew me away.

A young woman, possibly named Lucy (Jessie Buckley), takes a trip with her boyfriend Jake (Jesse Plemons) to visit his parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis).  Lucy is contemplating ending the relatively new relationship, which puts her at odds with the feelings being created by the trip.  The trip to the farmhouse is an uneasy one, and even upon arrival, the meeting of the parents is delayed by a sorrow-tinged tour of the family barn.  Jake’s parents, after an uneasy delay in presenting themselves, welcome in Lucy, who is often referred to by similar-sounding names, but as guards are let down, oddities began to present themselves that make Lucy question what exactly she’s gotten herself in to, on multiple levels.

One wouldn’t know it from the description and initial promotion of the film, but there is a darkness present in this film that makes the psychological horror manifest in several ways.  From the onset, the feeling of being trapped takes priority... the Kubrick-esque use of the frame aspect ratio puts artificial barriers on the image, which not only makes it seem like our characters are fighting for limited space, but it makes us wonder what lies outside of the limited space we are shown.  Conversationally, several indicators of being trapped in politeness come in to play : Jake constantly overtalks others, as if he already has had the conversation (which we will get in to later), and he often assertively corrects others, even if he is incorrect; Lucy is appointed no less than three different professions, with poet, artist and various scientific disciplines being the most prominent; also, so much of what is presented to Lucy is either contradictory in nature or deeply coded, which makes the sense of worry hang around like a dark cloud.  Much of the narrative momentum seems bottlenecked into specificity, trapping Lucy in a gravitational pull towards whatever abstract fate awaits her.

Much of the horror is also present in how disjointed things are.  Right out of the gate, Lucy is providing a deeply personal monologue, but every visual we are shown is tied to Jake, and is all stuff Lucy would have no knowledge of.  Cutaways to a janitor (that may or may not be a projection of Jake, if Jake himself is not the projection) are extremely unclear in terms of their connection to the story, or the time they take place in.  Jake has an uncanny ability to pull objects and people into cued positions out of thin air, but at times, their appearance and nature emit a sense of personal fear that pop out as red flags to Lucy.  Even referring to our protagonist as Lucy brings inherent confusion to the table, as she is referred to by several names throughout the film, only claiming Lucy as an aside to one of Jakes speeches about Walt Whitman, which in turn serves to personify his ideal woman.  The feeling of everything taking place being part of an eternal cycle arises as not only an abstract idea, like the rotation of students in a school inhabiting fixed templates, but a potential reality, like the absurd number of unfinished ice creams in the high school’s dumpster.

The style of the film is total uncanny valley, with the production manufacturing unease to a fever pitch level.  The camera moves surprisingly freely within the confines of the frame aspect ratio, with the most stark moves consisting of it either finding ways to isolate characters through movement, spying on characters like an omniscient puppet master, or fleeing the scene.  The warm and inviting colors, as well as the rustic, Norman Rockwell-esque nature of the farmhouse and passing landscapes, create a welcoming unease that breeds curiosity and hesitation in equal measure, with the viewer undergoing a similar push and pull to that of Lucy.  The writing is quite often reflective on the nature of the medium you’re watching, right down to priming you in both directions while dropping very real bits of information into conversations, like Lucy’s rant on A Woman Under the Influence consisting of the entirety of a Pauline Kael article, whose book appears in Jake’s childhood bedroom.  The final third of the film goes into a bizarre wonderland that exceeds description, and must be seen to be fully appreciated.

Jessie Buckley is extremely likeable and personable, which immediately gives the viewer a sense of connection to her, and makes us exude true worry for how things will play out for her character... her wealth of knowledge also plays well against her ability to take (and dish out) jokes, which makes her fear-based breakdowns stark and shocking.  Jesse Plemons is perfectly cast as the seemingly all-knowing and all-powerful, maddeningly calculated antagonist, so much so that I will not be surprised if he garners multiple nominations for his performance.  Toni Collette and David Thwelis show masterful range in a dizzying span of time and presentation, totally immersing themselves into the various ages their characters swing through.  Guy Boyd and his creepy observational presence does lots of symbolic and tonal heavy-lifting, while also reminding us about how people that inhabit similar roles are often the eyes and ears of their locations and carry a deeper understanding of our experiences than we could ever know.  World-building supporting appearances by Hadley Robinson, Gus Birney, Abby Quinn, and Colby Minife, the dancing of Ryan Laughtner Steele, Unity Phelan and Frederick E. Wodin, and the voiceover work of Oliver Platt help round out this wholly immersive and unnerving experience.

This movie completely destroyed my to ten list, and is really and truly making me not only debate its final placement, but reassess my experience with a handful of other movies on the list.  The perspective it provides is as unique as the story it presents, and the impression it leaves builds the kind of intrigue that can only be satisfied by repeat viewings. 

[sibling-cinema]

Just a woman under the influence of this think piece. ~P #10wordmoviereviews #imthinkingofendingthings #charliekaufman #jesseplemons #jessiebuckley #tonicollette #davidthewlis #guyboyd #abbyquinn #hadleyrobinson #gusbirney

[cinemacinemas-fr]

Body Double de Brian De Palma (1984) #MrCinema 247

Retrouvez la bande-annonce du film Body Double ponctuée des secrets de tournage et d'anecdotes sur celui-ci. ■ Abonnez-vous sur YouTube ► https://goo.gl/dck70g ■ Suivez-moi sur Twitter ► https://goo.gl/IMyExb ■ Rejoignez-moi sur Facebook ► https://goo.gl/eWnGLq ■ Suivez-moi sur Instagram ► https://goo.gl/N7expq 🎥 Body Double est un film américain réalisé par Brian De Palma, sorti en 1984. ✎ Jack, jeune comédien au chômage souffrant de claustrophobie, occupe pendant quelque temps l'appartement d'un ami. Profitant de la vue panoramique, il observe sa charmante voisine, Gloria, dont il ne tarde pas à devenir fou amoureux. A force de l'épier, il assiste un jour à l'assassinat de la jeune femme... 🎬 Fiche technique ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Réalisation : Brian De Palma Scénario : Robert J. Avrech et Brian De Palma Musique : Pino Donaggio Photographie : Stephen H. Burum Date de sortie France : 20 février 1985 ☺ Distribution ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith, Gregg Henry, Deborah Shelton, Guy Boyd, Dennis Franz, David Haskell, Douglas Warhit ✎ Sources Wikipedia: http://ift.tt/2HfExxW ✎ Sources AlloCiné: http://ift.tt/ZrR9eQ #CraigWasson #MelanieGriffith #GreggHenry #DeborahShelton #GuyBoyd #DennisFranz #DavidHaskell #DouglasWarhit #RobertJAvrech #BrianDePalma #PinoDonaggio #StephenHBurum #HowardGottfried https://youtu.be/TKiZS6MYro4