The Assassination of Richard Nixon

In 1974, a loner called Sam Bicke decided to hijack an airplane and crash it into the White House in an attempt to kill the president. He failed, and for a long time, history appears to have overlooked him. Until now, that is.

There really can be no spoilers for this film. From the outset, when you see Bicke (played by Sean Penn) get out of his car with a gun and walk towards the airport, you know something is up. Then you hear the voice-over as he relates his story in a series of tapes that he sends to the composer Leonard Bernstein. That the film will end in an assassination attempt is beyond doubt. The intrigue is in how will Bicke get there.

Bicke’s reverence for Leonard Bernstein is fascinating. Bicke believes that only Bernstein possesses the integrity and purity of spirit that practically all other Americans lack. That said, Bicke never expects Bernstein to fully understand him because the composer has never had to work for anyone else. For Bicke, employment is slavery, and forever marks out the elite from the masses to which he belongs.

Not only does The Assassination of Richard Nixon do an admirable job of recreating a time of crisis in American history and in the life of a loner, it also reflects on many issues that are prevalent today. The sacrifice of dignity and integrity required by a job like Bicke’s (he is a furniture salesman) is ever-present. There are numerous political similarities too. Bicke describes the moral certainty of the American elite as a “disease of kings.” He contrasts that certainty with the doubts he feels about his apparent mission. “Whatever else I was, I was never a king,” he says.

You see him screaming at Richard Nixon on television: “It’s all about money, Dick! It’s all about money, Dick!” You could just as well see him screaming at George W. Bicke is obsessed with lies and the naked greed that inspires them. It is a gut-wrenching moment when Bicke is forced to confront his estranged brother and realizes that he has himself become a liar. (After a rejection for a small business loan, Bicke fraudulently takes possession of hundreds of car tires from his brother’s business.)

After this moment, there can be no redemption for Bicke. His wife (played by Naomi Watts) has filed for divorce after being hounded to the limits of her patience. Even Bicke’s loyal friend (Don Cheadle) appears to be giving Bicke only grudging support. Bicke’s obsession with race appears to simply exhaust him.

And this is where the film truly twists the knife in. No one around Bicke can deny the veracity of his ravings about race, greed, deceit and the loss of dignity in working life. (At one point he even throws a glass of water on the face of a customer who is harassing his waitress wife.) But the necessity of surviving in the contemporary world means that they cannot join Bicke’s fight.

In the end, Bicke’s assassination attempt is fuelled by two desires. Firstly, to earn a place in the history books. Secondly, to prove that one man can shake the elite. He seems to want to inspire others.

Penn does such a fantastic job that even though one can hardly be inspired by Bicke’s “mission,” it is impossible not to empathize with the rage and frustration that provoked it. Even when you are laughing at Bicke (such as when he suggests to a member of the Black Panthers that the radical movement’s name be changed to the Zebras so as to be inclusive of whites) you can never deny that this man is in a terrible human predicament that confronts us all: just how many lies and how much bullshit are we willing to accept? Are we prepared to fight back, even at the risk to our own well-being?

DVD Review: The Incredibles

This review is a long time coming. Since buying the DVD for The Incredibles, I've watched the film four times (including both commentary tracks) and all of the extras at least once; some of them more. It's a solid 9 out of 10 in my books, both for the quality of the movie and the quality of the DVD extras.

There are a lot of factors that come into play when laying out what makes The Incredibles such a good movie, so bear with me here as I'm bound to miss a lot of points.

The Story
While other CG animation studios are churning out pop culture time capsules with hip jokes, Top 40 soundtracks and huge casts of celebrity voices and cameos, Pixar puts their stories first and foremost - and this film is no exception. IMDb sums up the plot fairly well: "Undercover superheroes, while trying to live the quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world." What makes this compelling, funny, and entertaining are the characters and the deep respect for cinema (and comic books) the creators of this film have in their hearts. And speaking of heart...

The Characters
...the cast of characters are the heart and soul of this movie. I think that The Incredibles would have fallen completely flat if it didn't have characters that were brought so convincingly alive by all the various departments working on the film. In terms of the story, each of the protagonists within the Parr family (i.e. "The Incredibles") have personal obsticals to overcome. Robert ("Mr. Incredible") and Helen ("Elastigirl") have to cope with being parents; the issues related to getting older, raising a family, and the fading of past ideals. Violet, their teenage daughter, is challenged to find confidence in herself. Dash, the son, is a kid who struggles with having to hold back his full potential in order to fit in. There's a baby too; you'll have to see that for yourself. As a brilliant touch, each of these characters' powers are related to their personalities. Bob, who doubts himself but tries very hard to support his family, has super-strength; Helen, who has to be everywhere and everything as a homemaker, has elasticity; Violet, who is insecure, possesses invisibility and force fields; and Dash, who is a typical hyperactive and impulsive boy, has super-speed. The voice acting on all of these characters are top-notch and well-cast. It's nearly impossible to imagine the voice of Mr. Incredible as anyone other than Craig T. Nelson (of "Coach" and Poltergeist fame). Who would have thought? A fair number of non-celebrities also do amazing work here - notably the voices for Dash and Violet. Holly Hunter is perfectly cast as Helen, and Samuel Jackson - the biggest name amoungst the cast members - plays a great support role as Frozone. Pixar emphasizes talent over box-office draw, which is refreshing.

The Animation and Visuals
Every action sequence is jaw-dropping. The movement is snappy and convincing, with a dynamic style and sense of timing that is strongly reminicent of traditional (2D) cel animation. Having said that, I really think the quality of the animation shone through in the highly effective dramatic and comedic scenes. The characters' expressions are well-crafted, emotive, and most importantly, believable. On some level I managed to forget that these characters are animated. I enjoyed the small nuances of expression and posture that really helped sell a gag or bring a sense of reality to the on-screen action. The stylization of the characters is clever, consistant, and appealing. They don't have the zombie-like look of Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within or the wooden, bad-videogame look of Dreamworks animated features. The overall look of The Incredibles has its roots in a "sixties future" motif that is explained in an interesting featurette on the second disc. As a random note, I have to say that one of my favorite visual looks of the film is the lighting at the very beginning - during the Golden Age of superheroes - everything is sharp, warm, and vibrant. It really reminds me of all the things I loved about comic books when I was a kid; they somehow captured that feeling through their use of colour and the overall aesthetic. Oh, and another thing about Pixar - they treat their virtual cameras like real ones, so you get some really great cinematography. It ends up looking more "animated" and less "cartoony", if that makes any sense.

The Music
It's brassy, it's James Bond-esque, and it's awesome. It has a timeless quality that you just can't capture with a song by Smash Mouth.

The DVD extras
The First Disc: You get the film, plus two great commentary tracks. I highly recommend listening to the one with director Brad Bird. The other track is comprised entirely of animators, which is a cool thing, but not quite as interesting to listen to. On both discs, the menus are well-designed and easy to navigate.
The Second Disc: About an hour total of behind the scenes footage; very well produced and not dumbed-down at all. They assume that you know something about the way 3D movies are made and concentrate on explaining the big challenges. There are also deleted scenes in animated storyboard format, a cheesy early-60's style cartoon spoof (with optional commentary by Mr. Incredible and Frozone), a slew of easter eggs, and the short film "Boundin'", along with a brief (but interesting) featurette on the short's creator. Also included is "Jack Jack Attack," a DVD-exclusive short that's a spin-off from the movie (a la "Mike's New Car" from Monsters Inc.). I'd recommend watching the movie before the short to prevent spoilers. I'm sure I'm missing a few things...

...but I think that about covers it. In closing, a fantastic movie that gets a top-notch 2 disc DVD set. 9/10, worth buying.

Album Review: "Funeral" by Arcade Fire

Only very rarely does an album come along that hits you so hard that for several days after discovering it you don’t want to leave your bedroom/car/living room, or wherever you happen to immerse yourself in music. “Funeral” is one of those rare albums. It was recorded at a cost of only $10,000 in November 2004, picked up by a Montreal indie label, and has apparently been hailed by critics as a masterpiece. As soon as I bought this album, I found out, to my surprise, that countless other people had heard of it too. It was playing at coffee shops – Remedy, Muddy Waters. Damn it. I thought I got to this album first! (First in my immediate circle, anyway.)

No matter. I suppose music this good deserves to get recognized.

For the most part, the singing for Arcade Fire is done by Win Butler, and his voice is so raw that you think the emotions are going to bury him at any moment. It’s not for nothing that the album is called “Funeral.” Apparently, several of the band’s family members died during the album’s creation. This isn’t “happy” music. But the music takes its sorrowful themes and transforms them into melodies that are incredibly, almost inexplicably, uplifting. On the opening track, “Tunnels,” Butler starts softly, almost inaudibly – his voice nearly disappearing into the instruments. His emotional intensity slowly builds and builds, until he is yelling out crazy lines that may or may not be profound (still haven’t decided that yet, but they sure sound profound.) "And then, we tried to name our baby!" he nearly shrieks. "But we forgot the names/ all the names we used to know." By now the beat is truly hopping, and the song has become one of those rarities: it is able to move your passions and your pelvis. If the sound can be compared to anything, think of Jarvis Cocker from Pulp singing “Common People.” Only this is so much better.

When track two kicks in, Laiki, you really know you’re in for something different. An accordion kicks in during the opening guitar licks, and you’re thinking, an accordion? Do they just want to be weird? But like all the instruments they throw at the music (especially strings), Arcade Fire makes everything work. Everything fits. The accordion refrain later morphs into something that sounds vaguely East Indian, then Win Butler’s band-mate and wife, Regine Chassagne, joins in, also sounding Middle Eastern and exotic, and it’s one of those rare moments where music truly takes you out of the mundane.

Maybe it’s the fact of being Canadian, or more specifically, Montrealers, but Arcade Fire just don’t sound like any specific nationality at all. “Crown of Love,” which is a little more conventional, could easy be a mid-sixties British ballad. “Power Out” has Seattle angst written all over it, and would not have been at all out of place on a Modest Mouse album.

Sometimes chameleon-like bands have the problem of sounding like everyone except themselves. Not so with Arcade Fire. No matter what crazy directions the music goes in, the consistently raw, emotional edge of Butler, joined by the sweeter tones of Chassagne, keep you grounded in a sound that is uniquely theirs.

Apparently, the major record labels are desperate to sign this band and are offering $1 million up front for the next album. It seems inevitable that before long, everyone will have heard of them. The downside is that I won’t feel so special. The upside is that maybe, just maybe, Canada will become known for more than producing schlock like Nickelback and Celine Deline. That’s the dream.

DVD Review: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

In 1995 the Japanese feature-length anime Ghost in the Shell was released worldwide. Mamoru Oshii's adaptation of Masamune Shirow's popular manga did not spark the interest of the general North American public during its theatrical release, but it became a cult classic. It was one of the first films to combine CG effects and traditional cell animation, and if I remember correctly, it was one of the more costly animated films of its time. The story focuses on Motoko Kusanagi, essentially a human mind in a robot body; a secret operative built for combat, called out to handle technology-related crime. In Ghost in the Shell, she is involved in the hunt for "The Puppet Master," a criminal who commits his crimes by hacking into the conciousness of humans. To quote Wikipedia: The setting of Ghost in the Shell is distinctively cyberpunk, similar to that of William Gibson's sprawl trilogy, though Shirow's work is more focused on the ethical and philosophical ramifications of the widespread merging of humanity and technology, the development of artificial intelligence, and an omnipresent computer network, in particular related to human identity and uniqueness. The manga, in particular, tackles these questions head on, as Kusanagi and her colleagues face both external threats and puzzles, and internal conflict over their own nature, being more machines than humans.

Which brings us to 2004. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, both written and directed by Mamoru Oshii, is produced. It furthers the first film in just about every way. It features more CG, more emphasis on thematic elements, and cost a lot more to make. In fact, it took the financial backing of two major Japanese studios - Production IG (Jin-Roh, Patlabor, Ghost in the Shell, Sakura Wars) and Studio Gibli (Nausicaa, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Laputa) - to bring the film to life.

Innocence takes place some time after the original story. Much more serious in tone, Innocence explores the themes of the first movie more fully as Batou asks himself many of the same questions that his former partner, Kusanagi - who has since gone missing - asked herself in the first film. The overarching themes related to the meshing of technology with organic life dominate Innocence: questions of what defines consciousness, life, and humanity. Batou finds these questions very relevant to the situation at hand as he investigates a series of grisly murders committed by gynoids (female robots) created for pleasure. More of a suspense/mystery/thriller set in a cyberpunk setting than an action movie, Innocence is thought-provoking and well-crafted.

The film suffers from a few flaws in its narrative, though. I personally feel that its 99-minute runtime could have easily been expanded to two hours. Extra time could have been spent fleshing out Batou's investigation, because as it stands, the plot becomes a bit lost in the midst of the abundant symbolism and philosophical discussion. I have no problem with the film being complicated and demanding of my attention, but I would have appreciated more time to absorb what was going on while I was watching the movie, rather than needing to mull it over after the fact. Having said that, I think this is a film that will get stronger over multiple viewings.

Even if you're not particularly interested in the philosophical side of Innocence, the film has plenty to offer. The visuals are absolutely jaw-dropping, as is the animation. It is a lush, well-designed piece of art. The score is also impressive, the haunting main theme in particular. Truly epic. There isn't an abundance of action sequences in the film (only two, I think - one at the middle and one at the end), so those expecting plenty of martial arts and gunplay should skip this movie in favour of something else. In any case, I really enjoyed Ghost in the Shell: Innocence, and since I'm still thinking about it two days after watching it, I'd definitely recommend it.

First Impressions: Devil May Cry 3 (PS2)

I picked up Devil May Cry 3 on the day I will label "yesterday" for the sake of convenience. It's at that late-night/early-morning stage of the day, so I have a hard time deciding if it's Saturday or Friday. As my state of mind might have you guess, I've been playing it for a while now; though I've been taking breaks to eat, let my nerve endings reconnect, and watch a bit of TV. Let my hands heal; help my brain regroup.

A little backstory here: The original DMC came out a few years ago. You played as the half-demon Dante, a wise-cracking, cocky bad-boy and son of the legendary demon Sparda. Sparda apparently fought alongside humans a good long time ago against his own kind during a big war; he knocked up some human lady and thus Dante was born. Present-day has Dante running a freelance business as a demon hunter, and one day he gets a job hunting the Big Evil from some chick that looks like his mom. Right. The game had you running around from a 3rd person point of view beating the crap out of demons with a variety of weapons; usually a sword and dual pistols (or another firearm of some kind). The thing that made this game unique was how stylish the action was, and how deep the battle system got as you became better at it. DMC was like a Badass Simulator; the controls were tight, and the action was awesome.

Then DMC2 came out. The story was both lame and underdeveloped, the controls were screwy, the graphics poorer, and the level designs boring. It introduced a second playable character whose name I've forgotten, and sucked the personality out of Dante completely (which, I was suprised to find, I missed).

Enter Devil May Cry 3.

This is a prequel to the first game. The story focuses on filling in the blank spots of the often obtuse plot of DMC1. Apparently, Dante has a twin brother named Virgil (whom we sort-of-meet in the first DMC). While Dante is hotheaded-but-kindhearted, Virgil is coldhearted and evil. Sibling rivalry is the story here, as Virgil is up to no good. As a younger, even more outspoken and reckless Dante than in the first game, you're treated to plenty of cheesy, ridiculous stunts and rudeness to authority figures (he openly mocks Cerebus, the three headed Hound of Hell, who stands a good twenty feet tall, by offering to take him for a walk, saying "here puppy!" and whistling). While being surprisingly story-based, the cutscenes are unintrusive, with generally pretty good voice acting. It should be noted that the action sequences in the cutscenes are spectacular, innovative, and amusing.

Which leads me to the gameplay itself. It plays very similar to the first game, yet it seems to pack in so much more. Like the first game, you can buy moves for your melee weapons with experience points (red orbs you collect from defeated enemies). Unlike the first game, you also have the choice of four "styles" (eventually six) that emphasize swordplay, gunplay, defense, or mobility. Each of these styles have different moves you can do with the circle button; these moves evolve as you gain experience with the style. You can switch styles at save points, so you're not stuck with one style for the whole game.

The combat is bar-none the fastest, most intense, and most stylish action to be found on the PS2. As with DMC1, you press triangle for your melee attack (i.e. sword) and square for your guns (i.e. twin pistols). Unlike DMC1, it's extremely fast and easy to switch weapons on the fly. Just press R2 or L2 to cycle through your melee or ranged weapons, respectively. So you can easily find yourself launching an enemy skyward with your two-handed sword, leaping up after him, ventilating him with your dual handguns, whipping out your shotgun while falling downwards, blasting him across the room - and finishing him off by bashing his skull in with your nunchuks.

DMC3's controls are precise, and they need to be, because the combat is insane. The fact that the game plays so well must have inspired an unearthly amount of confidence in the developers to assume that players would be having so much fun fighting for their goddamn lives that they wouldn't mind being so severely bootfucked by the enemies in this game. To put it simply, this game rewards attentiveness and skill by making you feel like an invincible badass; but it just as swiftly punishes weakness and ignorance by subjecting you to repeated severe ass-kickings until you learn your lesson. The real magic of the game is that balance right there.

Things I don't like about the game: The camera, while good enough, can be a problem at times. As with DMC1, you can save your stats at any time, but your progress is saved strictly on a beginning-of-stage basis. So that means if a boss kicks your ass (and it will), you'll have to go through the level again. On the bright side, if you save before you die each time, you can level up your abilities along the way. Still, it's easily the most frustrating part of the game. Speaking of frustrating, having an "Easy Mode" that was actually easy would be nice. The difference between "normal" and "easy" is pretty negligable, so far as I can tell, though "easy" is slightly more managable. The game's challenging nature is refreshing, but it would be nice to have the option available for people seeking a more relaxed experience.

*phew!* I think I'm done.
If I were to assign a score: 8.5/10, but only because it's a shade too tough (especially with the lack of checkpoints). Otherwise, a solid 9/10. Based on the first 4 hours or so of gameplay, that is.

Let's see if we're on the same page, Part 2

Well, following suit with Rendrag, here's my Top 5 favorite movies (at the moment):

1. Fight Club - From the screenplay down to the postproduction, an awesome film.
2. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly - An awesome cast, epic score, and beautiful cinematography.
3. Spirited Away - Heartwarming and brilliant; my favorite animated film.
4. Lost in Translation - I find this movie beautiful, entertaining, and potent on an immensely intimate level.
5. The Crow - A guilty pleasure from my high school days. It's dark, melodramatic to a fault, and far from brilliant, but I'm still a sucker for it. I've seen it enough times that excluding it from the Top 5 would be ridiculous.

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