Merry Christmas!

All the goodies have been baked and all the running around is done. It's finally time to kick back, relax and enjoy!

Have a great Christmas, everybody!

Tron: Legacy (Movie Review)

Long before Neo entered the Matrix, "Tron" presented an action packed visual feast that took us inside the world of computers. Decades later, we finally return to this amazing digital world in "Tron: Legacy", which follows the story of Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) as he searches for his father, Kevin Flynn(Jeff Bridges).

Kevin Flynn discovered a hidden digital world that exists in all computer software. It is populated by programs that have personalities and emotions, much like humans. Humans are referred to as "Users" and take the role of deities for the programs they create. But Kevin Flynn disappeared into this computer world when his son was just a boy and has been missing ever since. Sam, now 27, goes in search of his Father on a journey that takes him into the computer world where he must survive gladiatorial games and the multitude of enemy programs he encounters.

Although the visual effects are not the breakthrough that the original Tron was, they are rich and beautiful and mesmerizing to watch. The attention given to even the glowing trails of the light-cycles is worth the effort. And since much of the action is digital, the camera is able to go places it normally could not, allowing for some "Matrix-like" moments that provide further candy for the eyes.

There is plenty of action to be had in this movie, and don't let the PG rating fool you. The tone is dark, the danger is serious and the stakes are lethal. I have to assume that since the nature of the violence is purely fantastical, rather than bloody or realistic, the film didn't warrant a PG-13.

There are also some "dramatic action shots" that just plain feel good, such as the first time Flynn enters the battlefield and showcases some "User Power" in an understated (maybe a little too understated) but effective manner. Much like the first Tron, the action is a little weighted toward the first half of the movie, but not so much that things ever become boring. The story continues to move forward with almost no wasted time.

Along with the darker, more emotionally realistic tone comes some questions that we expect more realistic films to have answers for. What exactly are the Flynns experiencing in this "computer world"? They aren't inside a virtual reality program, so why do things look the way they do? An opening monologue by Kevin Flynn potentially hints at the idea that what humans experience in the computer world is stimulus created by their brains to make sense of an existence so abstract they would otherwise have no reference for it. (Much like the spirit world in the "Spirit Blade" audio drama trilogy, if I may so shamelessly plug.) But if this is the case, the script never clearly spells it out. Despite the more serious tone of the film, we are still asked to suspend a ton of disbelief about what all of this is and just go along for the ride. If you can do that, you'll have a lot more fun.

Performances are handled very well by all involved, and Jeff Bridges brings brief but wonderful emotional gravity to the movie when he first sees his son again. The writing is also fairly clever, with Kevin Flynn frequently using outdated slang from the 80's. (He's been in the computer world since then.)

An otherwise fantastic movie experience is significantly marred by using digital effects to recreate a young Jeff Bridges for flashback sequences and the character "Clu". Based on the plastic look of the final product, I'm assuming they animated him from scratch, rather than digitally manipulating footage of Bridges, as done for Patrick Stewart in X-men 3. I shaved a little off of an almost perfect score every time "digital Bridges" (or maybe "Dig-Bridge"?) came on screen (which was quite often), because the weakness of the effect took me out of the story and distanced me from the characters being presented. A real shame. They would have been much better off having Clu age in appearance along with Flynn and using some cosmetic tape(to pull skin back) and airbrushing for the Kevin Flynn flashbacks.

This film is less likely to induce meaningful conversation than the first one, though there are still elements worth talking about as we contemplate important real world issues. The significance and uniqueness of Users as deities is emphasized much less, and interestingly reflects (intentionally or not) our general indifference to God today compared to the 1980's. If Kevin Flynn IS an analogue for God (and I don't know that he intentionally is), then the theology presented is one of a flawed God who needs to apologize to his creations for making mistakes.

Of more central significance is the life form Kevin Flynn has discovered in the computer world. "Isoes" are genuinely sentient beings (unlike normal programs who only seem to be sentient?) that "manifested" in the computer world because "the conditions were right" for their development.

Despite the fact that Kevin Flynn refers to their appearance as a "miracle" on a number of occasions, this spontaneous self-creation of life under the right conditions closely parallels the atheistic evolutionary worldview which has to rely on ultimately undefined "conditions" as being responsible for the emergence of life. This is nothing new in the sci-fi world. Machines are gaining sentience all the time through undefined or ludicrous means. Terminator, The Matrix, I Robot, Battlestar Galactica, even the "evolutionary lightning bolt" in Short Circuit! (So far, power surges only seem to hurt computers, not bring them to life. But maybe we should try a few billion more times.)

Whether these issues stand out to you or not, this movie seems much less interested in making any kind of philosophical parallels when compared to its predecessor.

"Tron: Legacy" is an incredible visual feast with a lot of fantastic sci-fi action and an interesting story that no fan of the genre should miss. And if you found yourself examining the theological themes in the original "Tron" there are still a few things to ponder in this movie.

Rated PG for sequences of sci-fi action violence and brief mild language.

Quality: 9/10

Relevance: 8/10

www.spiritblade.net/paeter
www.spiritblade.net/podcast

Tron (Retro Movie Review)

In preparation for watching "Tron: Legacy" this weekend, I sat down and watched the original Tron and tried, as much as possible, to see this classic with new eyes and evaluate how it holds up.

The story takes place in the early 80's, when the arcade video game craze was near its peak. Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a brilliant programmer, has developed a number of wildly popular video games, but the credit was stolen from him three years ago by a co-worker who is now the President of Encom, a large a successful software company. In an effort to find the evidence that will prove his rightful ownership of the games, Flynn and his fellow computer industry friends, Alan and Lora, break into Encom to hack the system.

But the newly self-aware Master Control Program running things at Encom fights back, using cutting edge teleportation technology to pull Flynn into the digital world of computers, where he is forced to fight and survive alongside apparently sentient yet mundane programs who struggle for freedom against the MCP.

For the most part, the script is well-written with interesting and thought provoking dialogue and only a few head-scratching lines now and then. Some of the technology references are obviously dated, and a few others seem out of touch even from the time in which they were written. But an interesting parallel world is created here that is worth exploring and trying to figure out, and the story is modeled after classic adventure quests, where heroes seek a distant land and a powerful enemy, passing through trials and tests along the way.

The standout performances belong to Jeff Bridges as Flynn and David Warner as the software thief, Ed Dillenger and the evil program, Sark. Bridges plays the everyman wonderfully and helps us to both enjoy and fear the strange world he has entered. Warner mainly helps us fear it. Leave it to the British to give us really great movie villains.

The special effects, though dated, are still a lot of fun to look at. And the fact that most of them occur in a completely artificial world helps us set aside the imperfections and suspend disbelief. This is a visually rich and imaginative world being presented, and almost 30 years later it's still creatively inspiring to look at. It's amazing to think that the Academy Awards passed over even nominating Tron for special effects, claiming at the time that they "cheated by using computers".

The shortcomings of this movie come in the pacing first, which places the best action in the first half rather than the second. The solar sailor sequence feels a little slow and uninteresting (apart from Flynn's "User Power" energy diversion trick) and the climax might have been served better by something like the earlier, fast-paced Lightcycle sequence, instead of the strange, lumbering "Giant Sark" that serves as the final obstacle.

Another downside is the musical score, which is hit or miss in effectiveness. Mostly electronic, the score mimics real instruments, as synthetic music of the 80's tended, rather than create sounds completely unique to electronic music. Rather than an energetic electronic sound, the music feels flat and robotic, which fits thematically with the material, but falls short in the moments where it needs to capture and propel emotions.

There is so much worth talking about after this movie regarding relevant theological and philosophical issues. I'm no mind reader, so I have no idea if writer/director Steven Lisberger was presenting his personal theological suggestions and musings in this film. But the themes are there, whether he is advocating them or not. If I were to take this film and construct a worldview based on the ideas it seems to suggest in metaphor, I would come up with something like this:

Being religious is not necessarily bad. In fact, God (or gods) truly exist, and those in positions of power and influence try to deny this for their own gain. God is limited in power and knowledge however, doing his best and stumbling along the way, despite having considerably more power and knowledge than us. We are more than simply made in God's image. We are made of his spirit in some sense and may even be a part of him. When we die, our being is dispersed and becomes a part of the world around us.

Despite these somewhat weighty themes, the movie is pretty lighthearted and does not take itself too seriously. For example, at the end of the movie, Flynn jokingly greets his friends in the real world by saying "Greetings, programs", as though he remembers his time spent in the digital world. Yet he shows no signs of emotional trauma at having gone through a radically alien experience. The sequel, which looks to be darker in tone, may explore these psychological issues, but this movie does not, which may work in its favor. If this material is taken too seriously, there are a ton of questions that need answers. How did the MCP gain self-awareness? How do simple accounting programs become sentient? Why does a single "bit" of information know the answer to dozens of questions posed by Flynn?

The technical inconsistencies linger for only as long as we try to put the story in any kind of realistic framework. So for the most part, we're better off just shrugging our shoulders and enjoying the ride.

Tron is a sci-fi classic that should not be missed by anyone planning to see "Tron: Legacy". It stands the test of time well and provides a number of opportunities to "wax philosophical" with your buddies.

Rated PG for fantasy violence.

Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 9.0/10

www.spiritblade.net/paeter
www.spiritblade.net/podcast

Finding Time For It All

Today is the first day that my wife goes back to work after giving birth to our second son at the end of October.

We're grateful that she works from home and is still able to feed him during micro-breaks in her shift, but her job does require her to clock in and out very strictly, so there isn't much wiggle room for anything else. When she's working, I'm watching the boys and that's that.

The tricky part is that there are about 3 hours of overlap, where I'm watching the boys AND trying to work at the same time. Our 3 year old naps (or more realistically plays in his room) most of that time, but he's also potty training. And the newborn... well, he's a newborn.

So once again I'm having to adjust to a work style in which I may have to drop everything at almost any given moment (which I've done once already since starting this post) to be a dad.

I'm grateful that I don't currently have any production deadlines looming, but I can already tell that it will take a significant amount of adjustment (and deep breathing) to get through what I hope will be a relatively short season of reduced productivity.

Ugh.. Reduced productivity. That should be considered a cuss-word.

The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader (Movie Review)

It’s been about 15 years since I read the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and about two since I listened to the audio drama versions produced by “Focus Radio Theater”. So I’m hardly a purist and if you’re looking for a review that will compare the books to the movies, these aren’t the droids you’re looking for.

However, I am a big fan of the fantasy genre and love examining movies for relevant philosophical/theological themes. So naturally I’ve been looking forward to seeing “The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader”.

The story picks up a couple of years after Edmund and Lucy return from their adventure in “Prince Caspian”. They are now in the care of their Uncle and are forced to spend time with their snobby cousin, Eustice, who naturally thinks that Narnia is make-believe nonsense. Soon, all three children are pulled into the magical world for another adventure and we get to watch them struggle with temptation and grow in character as the movie progresses.

This movie continues the standard of high quality production we’ve come to expect from the franchise and one wouldn’t even notice that the franchise has moved from Disney to Fox studios. The sets and props are wonderfully detailed. The world is very cool to look at and one I would love to spend time in. The visual effects are on par with most any other big budget movie of the same type. Overall, the visual presentation of this movie helps bring a slightly darker tone to the material, which could otherwise seem pretty non-threatening and a little too safe.

The movie has a slightly lighter feel to it than “Prince Caspian”, despite some spooky imagery now and then. Unlike Harry Potter, this franchise seems to be keeping a consistent tone rather than becoming progressively darker or more edgy. For many who hope to raise future fantasy fanatics, this movie, like those before it, will probably serve as a nice early step before moving on to “Harry Potter” and eventually “The Lord Of The Rings”. Fans of darker, more intense fantasy flicks will likely find this too “safe” most of the time.

Further comparisons to the Potter flicks are inevitable as we look at how the young actors portraying Lucy and Edmund progress as actors. In general, their skill as performers is growing less noticeably when compared to the leads in the Potter films. If they have been simply cooling their heels between these pictures, rather than taking classes and aiming to improve their craft, I would not be surprised. Still they turn out acceptable performances that don’t distract from the story, given the already lighter nature of this material.

The story is a bit of a letdown this time through. The first two movies clearly had all of Narnia at stake. This is more of an isolated quest movie with little immediate threat to all of Narnia clearly presented. So in general, the emotional intensity is much less than the first two films.

The story is also hindered by the “fetch quest” format. For those non-gamers out there, this basically means that the story is taken up by multiple mini-quests to collect 7 of the same item in various locations in order to advance the main plot. A single, central story is somewhat absent, instead making episodic quests the focus, and the moral lessons built into each one.

There are a few metaphors and morals in this story that may spark conversation if you’re looking for it. But they are not strongly pronounced and for the most part, easily missed.

Contentment with self-image and self-worth is certainly a theme. As is temptation in general. Near the end of the story, a metaphor for Heaven is strongly presented, though based on the dialogue, one could argue that entrance to this “heaven” is based on personal character, rather than loyalty to Aslan. (Something C.S. Lewis probably did not intend.) And though you might miss it if you zone out for a line or two, there is a great metaphor about being changed by Christ(Aslan). Jesus can take a life that is monstrous in appearance and character and drastically change it for the better. But this kind of transformation often comes with “a good kind of pain” (as Eustice says) as the monstrous layers are stripped away.

What I found very interesting was the inclusion of a few lines near the end that implicitly validate the truth claims of Christianity in the real world. When asked if they will see him again, Aslan tells the children that in their world he has another name, and that they were brought to Narnia so that, by knowing him a little their, they could know him even better in their world.

This leaves us with the question of what Aslan’s name is in the real world, requiring us to notice the numerous metaphors and parallels in these stories to find the answer. In the films alone, one need only look as far as “The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe” for the obvious answer.

A good, light, fantasy flick that young families will enjoy together and veteran genre fans will likely find a bit tame, with a few things worth talking about if you’re in the mood and looking for them.

Rated PG for some frightening images and sequences of fantasy action.

Quality: 8/10

Relevance: 7.5/10

www.spiritblade.net/paeter
www.spiritblade.net/podcast

Southland Tales: The Movie You Didn't Know You're Glad You Missed

Decided to rent a movie the other night and remembered a trailer I had recently seen for "Southland Tales".

From the director of "Donnie Darko", I expected something weird. But I hoped it would at least make SOME sense.

The first trailers I saw for this movie made it look like just a modern drama. But a recent trailer I saw on another DVD promoted it as a "near-future" sci-fi flick. It looked like the kind of movie that would require some thinking and provoke some thought. Turns out it only provoked head scratching for me.

From beginning to end it's clear this movie has a social/philosophical/political message. But I honestly couldn't tell what it was. There was so much material that was either completely unnecessary or so covered in convoluted metaphor that the plot is almost completely missing.

I like movies that don't spoon-feed everything to you. I enjoyed Donnie Darko and other films like "Brazil". But this flick is so devoid of story that even the creativity of the remaining experience is totally unworthy of attention or emotional investment.

Bummer.

Cake Alternatives

Today is my wife's birthday, and one thing we share in common that is always fun at times like this is that we are not "cake-lovers". So when it's just the two of us celebrating one of our birthdays (as it is today), we go for a cake alternative. This time, it will be ice cream from "Coldstone". (I tend to go for cheesecake, myself, but luckily they have a cheesecake ice cream option that is frickin' amazing.)

I also dig pies. Particularly strawberry and chocolate pudding pie. (Not together, a pie for each flavor.) In fact, those might be the only two pies I like.

If I have to go with a cake, I'll take one with a more creamy frosting, over the really sweet kind. And chocolate is out of the question. (I don't even know why people think chocolate cake tastes anything like chocolate.)

I've also recently rediscovered a love for strawberry muffins with a cinnamon crumb topping.

...I'm hungry.

The Warrior's Way (Movie Review)

Although this movie hasn’t been hyped much via TV and online marketing, it’s one I’ve had my eye on since I saw the first cool looking trailer a few months ago.

This is a fantasy flick in the same way that “300” is. Based in real historical culture, but exaggerated well beyond realism.

The story is about an assassin-warrior from China (or was it Japan?) who is on the run from his own clan for not completing a mission. He finds refuge across the world in the wild west of America, but not for long. The troubles of this small ghost town and the warrior’s own catch up with him and the inevitable action begins.

Within the first five minutes of this movie, I said to myself “I’m totally buying this on BluRay”. But after another 45 minutes I wasn’t so sure. I’m still not.

This movie has some incredibly cool action sequences that fans of Zack Snyder’s (“300”, “Watchmen”) visual action style will enjoy. I almost wonder if Snyder was involved somehow, given the similarities. This movie is very stylized, using lots of green screen backgrounds (even for normal settings) and slow motion. From the beginning, the movie promises to give you a wild visual ride. And almost fully delivers.

A movie that spends as much creativity and money on action sequences as this one should not have the downtime this movie has in the middle. Although less than 2 hours long, this flick has about 10 minutes of fat that should have been trimmed from the waistline. Mostly it’s a case of scenes being longer than they need to be.

Kate Bosworth is essentially a place-holder for “female heroine”, not bringing anything compelling to the role and even going a bit too over the top in her comedic relief to be truly funny and unexpected. But her story is interesting enough and was satisfying to see play out.

Geoffrey Rush is an interesting character to watch. He plays the town drunk, but has one or two more layers that come into play later.

Danny Huston makes a wonderful villain, and boy his he bad! His level of depravity makes the desire for justice (or revenge) almost tangible. You want him to pay and it’s very satisfying when he does. His storyline(connected to Bosworth’s) is a pretty large part of the movie and goes a long way to keep things interesting and emotionally involving. It’s only a shame that he was not the “ultimate villain” in the film, who proved to be anti-climactic by comparison.

In the center of the story is Dong-gun Jang, who plays the Warrior, though mostly in silence, uttering a few English phrases here and there. The effectiveness of his “strong and silent” characterization varies and he mostly blends into the background, despite being the central character.

The action is the real star. This movie has some amazing visuals including a variety of camera speed manipulations and even a resurrection of the sadly underused “bullet-time” effect made popular by The Matrix. Action fans will not be let down by the extremely cool and epic fights, and Matrix and 300 fans will get a nasty itch scratched.

This movie is highly unlikely to stimulate meaningful conversation, but one theme that might be brought out is that of leaving everything you know and even making yourself the enemy of your entire social circle for the sake of doing what is right.

As I think of broken religious systems and philosophical worldviews, I can’t help but see similarities, as friends and family members lash out, ostracize or in other ways mistreat someone who is making the decision to break away from the same mold. It is this pattern that can make seeking truth in life so difficult for so many.

Ultimately, this is a very cool looking action movie with some compelling elements but too much fat in the middle and a slightly fizzled out ending.

Rated R for strong bloody violence.

Quality: 8.5/10

Relevance: 5.5/10

www.spiritblade.net/paeter
www.spiritblade.net/podcast

O Come O Come Emmanuel!

If you like dark, electronic music but you're also in a Christmasy kind of mood, I've once again uploaded my version of "O Come O Come Emmanuel" at www.spiritblade.net/freestuff for the month of December!

Or you can also download it directly from here:

http://www.spiritblade.net/downloads/O%20Come%20O%20Come%20Emmanuel.mp3

Enjoy!