Confessions of a Liberal Puritan

Unlike the gorgeous double rainbow I enjoyed on my journey from Omaha back to Cedar Rapids on Thursday evening, the thunderstorms I ran into on my way through southern Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee, at the tail end of my journey today, were just nasty, with no redeeming natural beauty. These storms actually reduced visibility to the point where I was forced to go ten miles UNDER the speed limit, for a while, in order not to run into the big trucks whose tail-lights I could barely see though I was only about 20 feet behind them!

I need to write something coherent, one of these days, about the SLAYAGE conference and all, but for now, all I can do is enter my reviews/recommendations for two more movies I saw over the past couple of days: "Raising Helen" and "The Chronicles of Riddick." [no spoilers -- just thumbs-up or -down, basically] ( Read more... )

So, to recap: "Raising Helen" okay, but no need to see it more than once; "Chronicles of Riddick" excellent, narratively better than "Van Helsing" (though I enjoyed that film plenty, on the strength of Hugh Jackman's screen presence, if nothing else), and possibly even more re-watchable than "Hellboy", for my money (though I only had time to see "Hellboy" once before it left the theaters -- I'll have to make sure I don't miss my chance for a repeated big-screen viewing of "Riddick," as well).

I have a very enthusiastic review of my own for "The Chronicles of Riddick" (which I ran out to see right after lunch yesterday, because having finally seen "Pitch Black" on cable last year, I just couldn't wait to see the continuation of Riddick's character development), but before I had a chance to organize my thoughts beyond the brief "thumbs-up" response in my earlier journal entry, I received this much more detailed and thoughtful review from my sister. So, rather than reinvent the wheel, I forward her thoughts on "Riddick" and the state of sci-fi action/adventure films in general. I hope you enjoy her essay as much as I did!
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GO TO SEE "THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK" [cut for length; no spoilers at all that I could find] ( Read more... )

I'm happy with the way "Riddick" follows up on the characters of the first movie. And it doesn't sacrifice suspense in the pursuit of action: "Riddick" revisits "Pitch Black"'s moments of bated breath, the fear of being seen, of being caught; Riddick's gravelly voice-overs echo from the first movie. Unlike Deckard's forced exposition, they are a glimpse into the character's inner dialogue, his assessments, plans, and calculations.

Most importantly, "Riddick" expounds on the themes of "Pitch Black": sacrifice and redemption, individuals struggling to find the motivation to be good or pro-social. Misfits like Riddick -- outside of society, alone, and beaten down -- finding something other than self-service to believe in, one tenuous relationship at a time. Riddick has the religious belief of the Imam to contrast with again, and now also the political-religious-fascism of the Necromongers. ( Read more... )