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theretroperspective-blog · 8 years ago

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Is "Trolls" About Battling Depression? Or is it Just Me?

“Trolls” DreamWorks, 2016

So. “Trolls” came out November, 2016, but I didn’t get to see it until around March of this year. And I LOVES IT. While I really, REALLY loved all the songs and characters, what hit me hardest was the story they had to tell - at least, the story I heard them telling, which I thought was about fighting depression.

I’ve had depression and anxiety my whole life, and what’s helped me the most (well, the pills help, too), is movies. If you’ve followed this Tumblr, or know me at all, you’ve already figured that out. Movies have taught all of us a lot, and can be a helluva catharsis, therapeutic in many ways.

I also don’t seek out movies ABOUT depression. The subject might be part of a film’s subtext, or even a B - line, but not usually the main focus.

“Trolls” was just supposed to be a fun movie. It had Zooey Deschael, Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” as a major part of the soundtrack, and felt-like, stylized CGI I hadn’t seen before (well, not as much of it as is in this movie).

I guess quirky nostalgia is a thing of mine.

By the end of this thing, I was sobbing like a baby deer with a dead mom, all snotty and choking on my own spit. It was great! I told my best friend Missy that I wanted to blog about my ‘theory’, but wondered - I couldn’t be the ONLY ONE who made the connection, right? I figured that if I looked online (mistake #1), I would find a review (mistake #2) that thought the same (mistake #3).

Take a DEEP BREATH with me…

QUICK-ISH STORY BREAKDOWN

To begin, these aren’t the trolls from the 70’s and 80’s. The minute-sized pencil toppers with a shock of primary colored tuff have been replaced with neon-toned smurf-a-likes that (most of them) wear clothes and fart glitter. 20 years ago they escaped Bergen Town where they’d been trapped by the Bergens, gigantic in comparison to the trolls, and that reminded me of the trolls from the 1980’s Christmas cartoon “The Trolls and the Christmas Express”, both ironic AND nostalgic! The Bergens caged the trolls in a tree in the center of Bergen Town in order to use them to celebrate the annual Trollstice; wherein every Bergen had the chance to EAT a troll, and thus gain True Happiness.

However, King Peppy (sir Jeffrey Tambor) leads them all on a fantastic escape, and saves every - last - one (AKA - setting the precedent), and finds them all a new home - about a mile away, but the trolls are tiny, and have camo-effect, so they’re settled for the next 20 years (and start of the story).

Until Princess Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) decides to throw a rager on the anniversary of their escape, to celebrate not being dead. The only one who protests this plan is Branch (that’s Justin Timberlake), a broody, loner-type with a sad backstory who of course winds up helping Poppy (because every princess in every story needs help… #bitterfeminism). But their relationship feels authentic, showing the steps the two wind up going through to become as close as they do by the end of the movie.

And on that point - SPOILERSSPOILERSSPOILERS

Branch has to help her because her party included screaming-loud electronica, complete with blasting bass and fireworks. And that grabs the attention of the exiled Bergen Chef (oh god I love her Christine Baranski), who’s been kicked out of Bergen Town when the trolls escaped, and ever since then has just been waiting on the outskirts for her opportune moment. When she sees the party and reaches the troll village, she grabs all of Poppy’s closest friends, taking them back to Bergen Town and fully intent on coming back and finding the rest later.

Back in Bergen Town, Chef presents the captured trolls to Prince Gristle (Christopher Mintz Plase), and begins to work on programming him to believe completely that happiness can only come from eating the trolls, that only SHE can provide. But what the prince doesn’t know is that the scullery maid Bridget (Z.D.) is frantically in love with him, and ends up getting a makeover and friendship from Poppy, who of course travels to Bergen Town to rescue her friends, and has brought a 'reluctant’ Branch, who eventually gets his own chorus for the tragic backstory flashback where the reason why he doesn’t sing is revealed. In the end, everyone learns how to be happy on their own terms, people fall in love, and find their places in their world.

That is BASIC outline material. What I can’t show you are the musical numbers that hit you almost out of nowhere (I won’t hear Simon & Garfunkles’ “Sounds of Silence” the same way again), the most poignant being Kendrick’s spritely rendition of the original song “Get Back Up Again”, where she sings/screams about not letting anything stop her while dodging various predators and near-death experiences that gives it a sardonic twist, helps the medicine go down.

I’VE MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE

So I’m watching this movie, and I’m wondering to myself - is it just me, or is this movie actually about fighting depression?? And what better way to find out than to randomly peruse the internet, and a Google search later and I had me some revues.

YEESH….

It's fine that not everyone enjoyed this movie, I even expected some backlash of cynicism for something so unabashedly cheerful, bright, AKA 'spunky'. It's a cynical world, and I'm a weird, realistic optimist, but almost every bad review was following one central theme; that this flick is trying to sell you something, and it ain't happiness. Like the review from rogerebert.com by Susan Wloszczyna (11/4/16), who writes: "We are but mere humans, and it will be hard to resist the pre-fabricated pseudo charms of an escapist musical fantasia that invests most of its ingenuity into its insanely infectious soundtrack." I agree with the first part, it IS hard not to like this movie. It's bouncy. It's fun. But I believe she continues to say your enjoyment would be mostly due to the soundtrack only, which is overly critical of the narrative. While the characters aren't any study in depth, they do have actual conversations with each other, act as protagonists that MAKE things happen (as they should), and feel real. They're more than just CGI puppets on the strings of commercialism. You root for Poppy and Branch, both to save their friends AND find common ground with one another. From that same review; "Of course, love eventually conquers all but it can't camouflage the fact that the narrative is so weak that it is not just secondary to the musical numbers, but perhaps even tertiary, considering the merchandising push behind this enterprise." Which was actually pre-empted by "All you have to do is sit through the end credits to see how many bodies were devoted to securing licensing deals (Target.com alone lists 165 tie-in products)." I eye rolled so hard there I have permanent strain. Yes, the music is often spot lit, but in no way does it over-shadow the story that's being told here. From the beginning there's an undertone of empathy, like with baby Prince Gristle's prayer of "Please make me happy Princess Poppy." (Morbid, since he's gonna eat her, but we've all said a prayer that things go right), to King Peppy's regret when he realizes, "...I'm not the King I once was." These are thoughts and feelings we can all say we've had in our lives. That bit about Target - it's true, this movie had a LOT of tie-ins, but it's not shoving it down your throats. Do I believe there's a marketing element? Sure! I think there's marketing in ALL high concept, possible tent-pole studio releases. I'm paranoid like that. At least five of the eleven reviews I read continued on in this line of cynicism. Here's another one, from Matt Goldberg's 11/3/16 collider.com review: "But DreamWorks Animation saw an IP, assumed it was valuable, and that's how we've come to a 'Trolls' movie that no one particularly wants, needs, or should care about..." Now that's just mean. There are a LOT of unneeded, unasked for movies out there that still get made ("Smurfs", "Transformers", "Smurfs 2"). THIS movie has something those don't - a solid message. There was one person that made a critical and exceptional point. From pluggedin.com, "However, always being that euphorically enthused does have its drawbacks. For one thing, it emphasizes to those less happy sorts that they're kinda missing out." THAT ... is a great statement, and very true. In the film the Bergens only realize their inherent depressive state in comparison to the Trolls unending happiness. But it's an important tool in showing the audience the Bergens' state of being, an example of why these guys are searching outside themselves to find the joy they're looking for. THE GOODS OK, enough cynical, downer BS - to the good stuff! Let's start with those musical numbers and how they were used. From Owen Glieberman's 10/8/16 variety.com review; "The films' disco pulse gives it a throb of ecstasy, and this does more than create a handful of kicky musical sequences. It lends resonance to what it really means to be a happy troll - it lifts them out of the realm of the Smurfs or the heroes of a genial mediocrity like 'Gnomes'." That's what I'M saying! In the climax to Act 2, when all the trolls are captured and it looks like they're literally about to be in the frying pan AND the fire, Poppy has lost all hope, and actually turns gray, losing all color and, showing their solidarity, the rest of the trolls follow suit. It's at this moment that Branch finding it in himself to care, sings a beautiful rendition of Cyndi Laupers' "True Colors", and its haunting how well that song fits not only the moment, but the idea that this film is about struggling with sadness, not just in certain moments, but a life-long act of defiance for some of us. It also proves that there was definite thought given to the musical choices, to how they'd fit in the narrative. As Gwen Ihnat from avclub.com put it in her 10/31/16 article; "Trolls may have a lower bar going in, but the movie scales it quickly and admirably by defying conventions, adding both new and familiar musical numbers, and hiding a valuable, Zen-like message in plain sight...Trolls winds up transforming from a prospective toy commercial to a spiritual lesson about being content with what you already have." IS IT ABOUT DEPRESSION OR NOT? To me? Yup. "Trolls" hit that chord hard in me, and maybe it will in you, I'm not sure. I think a lot of moments reached that idea, plus the film has an overall optimism but doesn't punch you in the face with it like a lot of movies for younger audiences tend to do these days. I'd encourage anyone who leans to films that say a little more than intended to check out "Trolls". As for the grumpy pundits on commercialism that can't see the forest for the merchandising - I feel really bad for you, and if you need somebody to talk to, I'm here. "Trolls" is available to rent now or you can catch it streaming on Netflix.

#Trolls movies commentary depression

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theretroperspective-blog · 8 years ago

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Let It B

Ah, the B-movie. It had been a source of entertainment for many a stood-up date or theater talk-back participant about as long as the genre has existed. But what IS a B-movie? We've all seen 'em ( and know almost instantly when we have), but what makes a film "B"? What does a movie need in order to be "B"? And what of the iconic B actor? Who chooses to have a career that, in its basest form, means 'sub-par'? B-ACK STORY B-movies (the term) first came about during Hollywood's Golden Age. The name was for movies meant for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom-half of a double feature. In the later '20's (27-28), during the final days of the silent era, the production cost of feature films from major studios averaged between $190'000 to $275'000. During the time when bigger budgeted films weren't being made, studios still had to pay for sound stages, actors they had on retainer, and hired crew. These studios would make low-budget (i.e. lower quality) flicks in order to make extra cash as well as continue to use their people (mostly to keep them from fleeing to other studios), and would sell these lower films alongside their major productions. In laymens' terms, a B-movie is much like the B-side of an album. (For my youngun's, albums are what music USED to come on. Questions at the bottom, please.) Basically these smaller, cheaper flicks got put into theaters to cover run times between bigger pictures. This then led to micro-budgeted studios creating their own B-movies to sell to the studios at cost (usually producing them at around $30'000 and recouping cost plus). All of this comes about, again, due to the end of the silent era. During that time films were preceded by live acts and a variety of short films and news reels. Once sound became law, those were mostly dropped, and in came cartoons and serials, which were followed by a double feature, the first being the B-film, mainly to draw more money from the viewer. But the major studios soon caught on, developing B-units to produce those less expensive films on-site, nearly killing the indie studios (until the indie-wave of the 70's, but that's another blog). With this came the game of BLOCK BOOKING; or, to get access to a studios' more profitable features, theaters would HAVE to also buy their B-movie in a double-feature set. Along with this insidious scheme came BLIND BOOKING, where theaters would have to take the B-movie sight-unseen. In this way studios were assured a good profit on the lower-grade flick, no matter how awful it might be. The innocent years of Hollywood folks! However, many B-movies were serials, with an actor continuing to play the same character in each, such as the 'Andy Hardy' films staring Mickey Rooney. MOVING ON While the original meaning of the term B-movie ended with the double-feature production ceasing in the 50's, the term is still used for films that don't quite meet A-level criteria. "B-movie" now brings connotations of lower-quality films - which isn't ALWAYS true... To quote Wiki: "In it's current usage, the term has somewhat contradictory connotations; it may signal an opinion that a certain movie is (a) a genre film with minimal artistic ambitions ("Sharknado"), or (b) a lively, energetic film uninhibited by the constraints imposed on more expensive projects and unburdened by the conventions of putatively 'serious' independent film ("Turbo Kid"). Or, in more basic terms: A B-movie is a low-budget commercial film that's NOT art house. The term is now also used for high-budgeted flicks with exploitation-style content (such as much of Tarantino's work). But much good has come from the B-movie genre! Some high profile directors like Jonathan Demme began with B-movies. And it's where many A-level actors got their starts. Recent Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio got his start in "Critters 3". "June Bug" star Amy Adams got through in "Cruel Intentions 2". And Charlize Theron didn't even have a line in "Children of the Corn 3 : Urban Harvest". And one of the more well known is Jennifer Aniston's turn in the cult classic (and where's my blog on those?) "Leprechaun". And neat-o, there's my segway! BACTORS Both John Wayne and Jack Nicholsen got their start in B-movies, too. As well as our former president Ronald Reagan, who was a B-movie star before he ran our country. But there are MANY actors who are known simply for their B-movie work alone. Here's a list of them (in no order other than as I remember them). PJ SOLES: I know her from the 1979 "Rock 'n' Roll Highschool", about a young girl who idolized one of the world's greatest bands, the Ramones; but she also played the tomboy menace Norma in "Carrie", and doomed-to-die friend Lynda in "Halloween". CRISPIN GLOVER: He became a Hollywood staple, and Lorraine's 'density' in "Back to the Future" as George McFly, and recently was the Red Knave in Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland", but Glover got his start way back in 81 in a TV movie called "Best of Times", and as the star of the cult hit "Willard". MEG FOSTER: She was a woman looking for love - round 2 - in "The Step Father 2", and played 'Holly' in "They Live" alongside Rowdy Piper, but is most recognized portraying Evil-Lyn in the live-action He-Man movie, "Masters of the Universe". CLINT HOWARD: The brother of director Ron Howard, Clint began as a child actor, but has continued with films like "The Ice-Scream Man", "The Fun House Massacre", and "Nobody Gets Out Alive". TOM SAVINI: Tom was originally a SFX creator for "Friday the 13th", but he's also had quite the acting career in films like "Creep Show 2", "From Dusk 'till Dawn", and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower". BRAD DOURIF: He's now a part of the "Lord of the Rings" legacy since playing Wormtongue in "The Two Towers", but he's always been well known by voice, if not face, as Chuckey in every single "Child's Play" film in the franchise. He also stared alongside Jack Nicholsen in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". MICHAEL IRONSIDE: Most recently he portrayed the zealot Zeus in the fantastic "Turbo Kid", but Ironside's been working since the 70's, including "Scanners", "The Hitchhiker", and a personal favorite, the TV show "Sea Quest". CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT: The one and only true 'Highlander', Lambert's also known for playing Lord Rayden in the live-action version of "Mortal Kombat". CLANCY BROWN: I first spotted him in "Highlander" as well, playing psychopath Victor Kruger, but Brown's gone on to have a formidable career on-screen as well as with voice work, playing Lex Luthor in the animated "Superman" series. But I also knew him as Drew's step-dad Gus from "Pet Semetary 2". BRUCE CAMPBELL: Probably the most recognized B-movie actor of all time, Campbell started in the "Evil Dead" series, and has continued being our hero in shows like "Burn Notice" and "Ash VS. the Evil Dead". This might be where I'd say "All hail the king, baby!", but you get what I'm saying. Moving on. BUT THEY'RE A TO US 'We all have different opinions' blah-blah, 'they're like assholes' yadda-yadda. But there have been B-movies that have, through that grand test of time, been elevated to A-level status by their fans. Usually they're referred to as 'Cult Classics', but we all know we'd watch them in leu of some of the newer, block-busting behemoths of today, given the choice. Maybe it's because of previously stated stars, maybe it's the special effects, or maybe they're just so off the beaten path that we just can't help but fall in love with their weirdness. So here are some of the best - no real order, and nowhere close to the total list. THE EVIL DEAD SERIES There's lots of arguments over whether the original film "Evil Dead" should be included, but Sam Rami's occult trilogy is deeply beloved. From the supreme low-budget gore to Bruce Campbell's chin, this series holds one of the highest Rotten Tomatoes scores on the site, even beating out it's recent remake. Eat it, Dead-its! IRON SKY What IS it with Nazi's?? Why do we like watching them die so damn much? Think it was the genocide? Pretty sure it was the genocide. What-ever, this film's premise is enough. Nazi's waiting on the dark side of the moon to launch a final attack on Earth. Wow. I'm pretty certain I know THAT'S how the funding came through. DEATH BED: THE BED THAT EATS I don't know a film fan that hasn't seen this movie. Its premise is its title. It's a bed. It eats people. SHARKNADO There's FOUR of these fucking movies. No wait, FIVE. I don't get it, but it hit a large enough portion of viewers. Welcome back, Tara Reid. THE BLOB Classic (in general and actual terms) B-movie fare. A gigantic blob that consumes everything in its way. First appearing in the 50's with a young Steve McQueen, it got remade in the 80's and is supposedly being remade again. ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES So, mutant tomatoes decide to start eating us. Vegetarians in the 70's were shaking in their faux suede shoes, I'm sure. BASKET CASE Oh man, do I love this one. A man is born with a homicidal deformed Siamese twin that gets detached via surgery, so the two brothers decide to go after those that separated them. And the deformed one gets carried around in a basket. GET IT?!?! POULTRYGEIST:NIGHT OF THE CHICKEN DEAD Full disclosure - I know one of the SFX guys who worked on this Troma feature. Just look for the talking shit sandwich. BEASTMASTER A guy who can talk to animals goes after a power hungry war lord who sacrifices children. And man-bats. TROLL 2 The best- worst movie ever made. But sadly, no trolls. Just goblins. Please go check some of these films out. PLEASE. You're just hating yourself if you don't. So B-movies live on, as they should. Because we all need to be reminded of what a mediocre world we really live in.

#b-movies #film #education #fun.

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theretroperspective-blog · 8 years ago

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Concede to the Concession - a History Lesson

I LOVE going to the cinema. The act of viewing a movie I've been anticipating amongst a crowd of strangers, all of us reacting to thousands of images being shot into our eyeballs at 24 fps - it's a heady experience. And my favorite part of my favorite experience (besides the trailers) is Concessions. I've been known to save up for WEEKS in order to get my large Coke and small popcorn. Which got me thinking - how'd it all get started? Did some maniac walk into a theater with a pack of Red Vines, hold them above his head and shout “I got the goods! Who wants some?” No, that didn't happen (as far as I know). What DID happen was this … IN THE BEGINNING Film viewing began with the nickelodeons becoming popular in 1905. These were small theaters set up in store fronts, their names being derived from the nickel you'd pay to view them, and the Greek word ‘odieon’, meaning roofed theater. They were silent projections usually accompanied by a piano or organ player. By 1907 around 3’000 of these were up and running and in 1914 twenty seven percent of Americans were going to them every week. They offered quite a new form of entertainment – but no food. Sometimes the attendees would go to local restaurants beforehand, or to the vendors who would congregate outside, selling peanuts and popcorn, which the nickelodeon owners didn't like. And just like today, ticket holders ignored the rules and snuck in goodies like candy – Baby Ruth's – named after Grover Cleveland’s daughter – and such. The nickelodeons were a boon in themselves since they ran almost constantly, but the theater owners fought hard against the vendors and bringing in treats on their own. Showmen such as Sid Grauman (of Grauman’s Chinese Theater) began to build extravagant theaters for a more elite experience. Designed like their European counter parts, they offered marble-lined halls, crystal chandeliers, billiards rooms, and drop-off day care. These were for “posh” citizens and loud, disruptive munchers were being prohibited. If Grauman knew that his celestial palace would someday be littered with kernels in the aisles and gum under the seats he'd be ROLLING. But the patrons, and the vendors, could not be stopped. THE GREAT CONCESSION Then along came the Great Depression. As the market crashed and many grew desolate, people looked to films to raise them out of their misery, to give them laughs and hope. However, sales still dropped for entertainment as with everything else. Frantic to keep their businesses alive theater owners, much like the economy, collapsed, allowing for vending machines and street sellers to come indoors, leasing space from them. And because of this, the movie theater was saved. And due to THIS, the concession area became incorporated into the construction of theaters designs. Beginning in the 30’s, theater owners wised up, building smaller, less extravagant complexes and putting their Concessions front and center. Highbrow owners still offered items like homemade chocolates, candy apples and so on. But the lure of greed won out with mass candy producers, and the newer, cheaper candies began to emerge. Many of our classics appeared at this time, like Goobers (1925), Milk Duds (1926), Raisenets (1927, my personal favorite), and the Bob White (1922), which would later become Snow Caps. Around the same era the war of the red licorice whip commenced, putting Twizzlers (created in the mid 1800’s) against raspberry Vines, or Red Vines (1920). Speaking of war… WAR – WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? COMMERCE World War II was a travesty for the entire planet, but on the positive side, it was a hit for the concession market. At first there was a definite drop in sales, as sugar was being rationed pretty hard in the war effort, and candy production decreased. What would theater owners substitute all of that cane-goodness with? Popcorn to the rescue! It now became the concession star, though it has always been popular, ever since Chicagoan Charles Cretors invented the first popcorn machine in 1885. Popcorn was easy to store, cheap to make, and an easy seller with a large profit margin – a no brainer. Quick note: it's estimated that popcorn prices (which were once 10 cents a bag) have since jumped over 600% when adjusted for inflation. As with everything World War II came to an end, and thus came the end of the sugar rationing, and then a huge candy resurgence. As well as the 40’s, and television. Just another hurdle for the theater industry. So snacking and concessions got pumped up. BIG TIME. In Maggie Valentines’ The Show on the Sidewalk, it states that from 1948 to 1956, though having a 50% decrease in attendance, concessions were up by 40%. This may have something to do with concession attendants being pushed to ‘up-sell’ , or automatically offer larger sizes of snacks much as retailers still do now, along with price-hikes on drinks and ‘share-size’ snacks (that NEVER get shared). So mid-century options grew, and new treats were invented, like Junior Mints, named for “Junior Miss”, a broadway play-turned-radio show starring Shirley Temple. M&M’s became popular with GI’s coming home after WWII, as they got the sweets as part of their ration packs. And so the concession stand lived on, and thrived, and today has BOOMED. THAT SWEET SMELL OF PROFIT According to the National Association of Theater Owners (natoonline.org – no, really), concessions sales account for about 40% of a theater’s net. What accounts for this? Why are we paying $3 for a thimble of soda? Usually prices are much higher for being located conveniently close to an amusement – ball parks, water parks, THEATERS. We pay for the convenience which we fought for one hundred years ago. And it keeps going. Theaters now offer dinner menus – hamburgers, nachos, chicken and fries, and more. As well as alcohol, reserved seating and comfy blankets. Larger stadiums, venues and newer theaters have adopted fast food, or leasing space to them. McDonalds, Pizza Pizza, and Tim Hortons. There are grilling stations for hot foods like hot dogs, corn dogs, pizza, etc. , as well as deep freezers for ice cream and snow cones (please bring back Dippin’ Dots!!). Fancier places snub junk food for classier fare like coffee, baked desserts, and pastries. Though snobbish, it has its appeal. Beverages are usually sold in paper cups and plastic bottles, as venue owners are afraid patrons might use glass as projectiles if the entertainment doesn't stand up to their wants. As they should be. At many cinemas, like Harkins Theaters (the 5th largest independent chain in America), popcorn remains the number one best seller. But candy’s still going strong, and has grown along with the theaters. Like Sour Patch Kids, which appeared in the 70’s. These were first known as ‘Mars Men’, riding the wave of the many UFO sightings that were being reported at the time. They were changed to Sour Patch Kids in the 80’s when a new wave hit the zeitgeist – Cabbage Patch Kids. And “our” Skittels? That help us taste the rainbow? Those aren't ours. They were actually imported from Europe in 1979. Young cinemas like Nitehawk in Brooklyn offer movie tie-in dinners, such as the “Django Unchained” themed meal of shrimp and grits…yum. There are even regional variations. Citizens Bank Park, located in Pennsylvania, sells Philly-style cheese steaks, hoagies and such. Busch Stadium serves the regular fare, but has on hand such favs like pork steak sandwiches and toasted ravioli. The Alamo Drafthouse offers treats like green chili mac & cheese, and a nine course brekki to dinner served during “Lord of the Rings” marathons. AMC’s Fork and Screen wants to make theaters into TGIFridays with burgers, quesadillas and pizzas. Finally, there's Regal Entertainment, the largest US chain, that's opened six premium locations under its Cinebarre brand, where patrons can chow down on items like ‘Mystic Pizza’ and ‘When Harry Met Salad’. They obviously pride themselves on their CHEESE. THE CONCESSION CONCLUSION So the long road of movie munchies stretches as far as cinema has lasted, and even though it's still goddamn expensive, it's apparently as much a part of film tradition as 35mm. Doesn't mean I won't sneak in my bag of muddy-buddies though. Thanks to the websites slate.com, Wikipedia.org, bonappetit.com, and concession-supply.com for the info.

#Concessions #history #imanerd #theaters #movies

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theretroperspective-blog · 9 years ago

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The Retro-Perspective turned 1 today! Welp, been a hell of a year, and we have more content coming I swear... like finishing our triumvirate of "Movies That Made Me (Tara) Want to Make Them", as well as more blogs, and hopefully original works. Please stand by...

#tumblr birthday #tumblr milestone

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theretroperspective-blog · 9 years ago

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"Stranger Things & Strange Nostalgia"

So, nostalgia in my lifetime, especially for my generation (don't worry, you'll figure out which one that is by the things I bemoan), has been severely abused. Let's make a quick list: 1. Strawberry Shortcake 2. Jem & the Holograms 3. The Ninja Turtles (fuck you, Bay) 4. Transformers (and fuck you again, Bay) 5. A Nightmare on Elm Street 6. Total Recall 7. The Terminator And in my Hello Kitty diary of grief, the list goes on. What I'm trying to say is that the term 're-vamp' now makes my shoulders hitch and I quake like an abused puppy, in desperate need of a safe place. I started to hear about this Netflix series, "Stranger Things", and that it was bringing back 80's nostalgia in a massive way. So of course, I panned it. Scoffed. Turned my head and "naya-naya-you-can't-make-me'd" for a good month. And then, one friend posted about it. And another. And another. And - ok, you get it. "Give nostalgia another chance", one of them said. "Especially with this show. It will mend you." And it DID. Let's talk about the quality of the actors - Wynona Ryder, Matthew Modine - both 80's icons. And both still killing it in 2016. And these kids! Go youtube "Stranger Things kids sing". It's like little angels. (You didn't realize this was interactive?) People have been making a huge deal about the music, and I won't lie, it's pretty impressive tracks, especially for us New Wave freaks - The Clash, anyone? However, being the movie fanatic I be, it was all the references to the many different 80's genres/classics that got my motor revved. I think I'll list 'em here for you (ahem - SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS!; another list YEAY) THE ALIEN FRANCHISE: In this world, set in 1983, there are mysteriously missing children that are taken away by nefarious creatures, trapped in an alien, "upside down" world, and forced by these creatures (just the one, really) to incubate slug-like terrestrials via a port in their MOUTHS... If you know nothing about the "Alien" franchise, well, that's basically it. Even down to the Ridley Scott slow reveal. Creepy, dark atmosphere included. ALTERED STATES: While the main focus of the show is on a missing boy named Will and his friends' search for him, it is also about a young telekinetic girl, known only as "Eleven". She's kept in a lab run by her Poppa, silver-fox Matthew Modine, and when he wants her to connect to the "Upside Down", she's put into a sensory deprivation tank much like the ones used in the movie "Altered States". Unfortunately, nobody turns into human gelatin in the show, but hey - gonna be a season two so... Hope??? STEPHEN KING: With this series based on the sci-fi/fantasy/horror of the eighties, of COURSE they ain't gonna pass on the big poppa of each. Again, the creators focused on Eleven with this, and picked two novels by King to project that 'young girl outsider' motif to its fullest. Just like the main protagonist in King's "Carrie", Eleven has telekinetic powers, moving objects with her mind, and eventually paying an ultimate price for it. And like "Firestarter's" Charlie, there is an intense vulnerability to Eleven, as another young girl with mutangenetic powers she can't really control. STEVEN SPIELBERG : Of COURSE they did Spielberg! From the kids running rampant around their suburbs on their bikes, to mysterious and foggy shots of the nearby forests, an alien - type youth the boys try to befriend, to a child being trapped in their own house on a psychic level, it's all there - from "E.T" to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Poltergeist". All hail the king (baby). Ok, so the list I wrote down for this blog actually goes on a LOT longer, and includes other nods and winks to other 80's flicks, like "The Goonies" and "The Thing", I have to stop myself from just over-loading you with hype. To get real with you - a lot of you guys may not be into this show. Though it's only 8 episodes long, the pacing doesn't get moving until nearly episode 5, so there is quite a bit of set up to go through. And if you aren't the type of fan willing to possibly wait a year or more for the next season (where my GoT and Sherlock people?), you'll be miffed to know it may be that or longer before we discover if Barb will get her retribution (watch the show for that morsel - unless you read Buzzfeed, then you prob's have already had that bit spoiled). Overall, this is one hell of a ride. All 8 episodes of season 1 are stream ready on Netflix, so go spend a couple days unwasted on something phenomenal... It just may make a nostalgia re-believer in you too.

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theretroperspective-blog · 9 years ago

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"A Lego Brickumentary"

Runtime : 1 hour 32 minutes Studio : Radius Release : 2015 "The Lego Movie" was a hit. No questions asked, no irony here. A Rotten Tomatoes score of 96%. An anticipated sequel, along with a Lego Batman movie spin-off. Lego proved it had more worth in the 21st century than just plastic bricks that are hell on your arches. But there is another Lego movie that may be even better, just not as well known. Director Kief Davidson's 2015 documentary "A Lego Brickumentary". Now, most would watch it and view it as simply a history of the toy line and how far it's come... It's SO MUCH MORE. The script writers definitely give you great insight into the history of the company - founded in 1916 and now worth $4 million, also the 2nd ranked toy company world wide. It goes deeper than numbers and facts. It drops in on the psychology of the human mind and why play is so important, as well as what our future holds. A CRAZY HISTORY Lego was started in Denmark by wooden toy maker Ole Kirk Christiansen, himself quite a unique figure. Mr. Christiansen's ideas and principles for his company were grounded in the name itself, "Lego", which comes from the term LEIGO, which means 'to play well'. It could also be said it was founded in determination, as his factory burned down FOUR SEPARATE TIMES, and dude just continued rebuilding. This legacy would continue to today. It's a company forged by perseverance and change, redefining itself over, again and again. It started with the simple bricks, then as the people began to demand more, Lego followed suit. The doc flows from one of the first builder sets (the LL928 Galaxy Explorer), to the newest and largest sets ever to exist. The themed play sets, such as the Harry Potter and Star Wars licenses, brought Lego back into the mainstream after a decline in the 1990's. The doc itself is done in the same style as the quirk-world of "The Lego Movie", with it's own mini-fig (that's miniature figure in layman's terms *cough*) acting as host and narrator, voiced by the effervescent Jason Bateman. He speaks directly to you, and the first thing he does is ask you a question - what do Legos have to do with space? The answer, cheekily, doesn't come until the end. LEGOS - NOT JUST FOR KIDS (BUT THE KID IN US ALL) It's a major point that the film indulges us in. People such as singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran, who celebrated his first gold record by buying a Star Wars themed Lego set. And Trey Parker, one of the creators of "South Park", who rediscovered Legos while working on the show, in order to destress and get back that feeling of control and creativity, to B-ball star Dwight Howard, who uses Legos to relax and refocus after games. But it's not just a niche celebrity fad. The term 'community' comes up often when talking about Lego, but not in any inclusive way. We meet a lot of Lego fans at BrickCon (YES, Virginia, there is a Lego Convention), where AFOLS (Adult Fans of Lego), as well as TFOLS (Teen Fans of Lego), KFOLS (Kid Fans of Lego), NLSOS (Non-Lego Significant Others), and more, meet up to create even more quirky terms, trade bricks like currency, have competitions like 'blind builds', Lego Robot wars, as well as creating their own sets and worlds, sans instructions. All types of people from every walk of life - white collar to blue, scientists, construction workers, writers, teachers - everybody just really likes Legos! And their love has even led some to WORK for Lego, even being discovered at events like BrickCon, and leading some to get jobs as Master Builders - it's a real job! You can get paid to play. What intrigued me the most was how happy everyone interviewed was to talk about their Lego love. From children and adults who almost have a hero-worship for the bricks, to company employees who've apparently made all their dreams come true. And their love is founded in a sense of wonder, like 'Can you believe this is real?! This is our lives?!!' Everyone has that kid-like adventure and belief. It's so beautiful. THE BEST PARTS BEST LINE AWARD... Ok, not giving out meaningless trophies, but this kid should get one. A young boy from the Finch family who stated, "My definition of adults who play with Legos are just tall kids!" Also, he says the best builder he knows is his mom. There's also the mathematics professor from Denmark who's proving Legos' infinity, as well as the NASA engineer who built his own prize winning theme set based on the Mars Rover. The child psychologist proving Lego's worth by using them to help autistic children interact with each other and their world, as well as the hundreds of hours of original Lego fan films dating back to the 1980's. And that question from the start? About Legos in space? While there is a definitive answer, I'm going to be inane and tell you to watch the film yourself in order to get it, but in general it comes down to this - that our dreams are possible, if we're willing to work together to achieve them. Things like Legos are just the tools that get us there. You can find "A Lego Brickumentary" on Amazon Prime and iTunes. And make sure you watch it with a kid by your side to get the full effect. Now excuse me, I have nearly 40 years of Lego fan films to catch up on....

#Lego documentary films fun

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theretroperspective-blog · 9 years ago

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Making a Murderer

So as I am on a "work sabbatical" (aka unemployed), as well as dealing with some massive phlegm issues (aka "eugh "), I spent today watching the Netflix original series "Making a Murderer", about the duel trials and convictions of Steven Avery, dating back from 1985 to today. WHOAH First, let me put into perspective my position when going into this documentary - it's been a pretty crappy couple of months for me, personal - wise, so my mood going into the series was already grim. And then I watched it. EVERY EPISODE. And I gotta tell you guys, what happens to Mr. Avery made my issues completely insubstantial. Microcosmic specs of nadda in an infinite galaxy of 'nothing to complain about' (this includes dealing with eviction, job loss, marriage separation, and turning 36). If you've seen this documentary series (no spoilers guys, c'mon), it begins with Avery's 2003 release from a Wisconsin prison, where he served 18 years for a sexual assault. The entire first episode sets up his exoneration from the crime and a supposed bright future for he and his family. IT'S A TRAP! Without revealing anything about the rest of the series let's just say it's a rolling ball of batshit crazy. The county sheriffs office of Manitowok, its people, the situations - cray cray. The juxtaposition of law enforcement vs. the peoples rights and the responsibility each have to one another is a wider gap than the freakin' Milkyway... From 1985 to 2014, the filmmakers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos covered everything from the initial coverage of Avery's '85 case to profiles of the prosecution as well as local and national news coverage of his story. INTENSE doesn't begin to describe the tribulations of this community, of what the case did on a National level - changing laws and taking blame, yo. Bottom line is that after seeing what can happen to one individual in this country - the manipulation and the perseverance it takes to get through something so horrendous - I can now say, without a doubt, I have it GOOD. My phlegm will eventually go away, someone will hire me, and 36 isn't that old. I just read that last paragraph... I definitely have privilege issues. Watch this series, and contemplate our judicial system in a whole new light.

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