Kirk: Spock! Did we just see the beginnings of a new lifeform?
Spock: Yes, Captain, we witnessed a birth. Possibly a next step in our evolution.
Kirk: I wonder.
McCoy: Well, it’s been a long time since I delivered a baby, and I hope we got this one off to a good start.
Kirk: I hope so, too. I think we gave it the ability to create its own sense of purpose. Out of our own human weaknesses, and the drive that compels us to overcome them.
McCoy: And a lot of foolish human emotions. Right, Mister Spock?
Spock: Quite true, Doctor. Unfortunately it will have to deal with them as well.
The 1960 classic, The Magnificent Seven, has never been a film inconsideration for the title of “Greatest Western of All Time”. It isn’t as iconic and influential as Shane nor as intense or symbolic as High Noon. It lacks the epic expansiveness of The Searchers as well as the gritty, violent realism of The Wild Bunch. It failed to reinvent the genre or subvert expectations like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or Unforgiven. Yet in spite of all that, I’ve long counted The Magnificent Seven among my favorite Western films, possibly my very favorite movie genre. The remake of Kurosawa’s masterpiece Seven Samurai combined a talented cast, solid direction from John Sturges, and one of the most memorable film scores of all time to create a fun, exciting adventure with a surprising amount of depth. The new remake of the 1960 remake, therefore, has a lot to live up to, and when it adheres to its predecessor’s formula it largely succeeds, even in spite of a few missteps along the way.
Wash: Wuh duh ma huh tah duh fong kwong duh wai shung [Holy mother of god and all her wacky nephews!] do I wish I was somebody else right now. Somebody not… married, not madly in love with a beautiful woman who can kill me with her pinkie!
Saffron: I’ve been too forward.
Wash: No! Well, yes, but I actually like that in a woman. That’s part of why Zoe and I are, as recently mentioned, married.
Saffron: I thought she didn’t seem to respect you.
Wash: Not everybody gets me and Zoe at first glance.
To no one’s surprise, it’s been confirmed that Disney has another live-action remake of an animated film in the works. Following on the heels of last week’s announcement that Jon Favreau is “reimagining” The Lion King, news arrived today that Disney is also planning to bring us a live-action version of 1998’s Mulan. That’s right, the film that Vice Presidential nominee (debating tonight) and Donald Trump’s running mate Mike Pence once used to argue against women in the military (all while claiming that sexual assault is just a natural side effect) will be back in theaters once again, giving the “mischievous liberals” at Disney the chance once again to “cause a quiet change in the next generation’s attitude about women in combat.” This post isn’t really about Pence, but I couldn’t let such a perfectly timed opportunity to bring that article up once more pass me by. But here’s one more quote, just to make sure this is stuck in your mind during tonight’s debate: “Despite her delicate features and voice, Disney expects us to believe that Mulan’s ingenuity and courage were enough to carry her to military success on an equal basis with her cloddish cohorts.”
I’ve already spelled out my opinions on the new trend of Disney remakes in my post about The Lion King, so I won’t repeat myself except to say that unlike many Disney fans I’m generally in favor of the remakes, even if I have issues with some of the specifics. But I am considerably more excited about the prospect of a Mulan remake than I am about The Lion King. Continue reading →
The first teaser trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales dropped last night to a mixed variety of opinions. It’s easy to see why there have been some difficulties drumming up enthusiasm for this latest (final?) entry in the series. By the time it is released in May, it will have been almost fourteen years since The Curse of the Black Pearl took audiences by storm and earned Johnny Depp an Oscar nomination, and six years since Jack Sparrow’s last outing in On Stranger Tides. Dead Men Tell No Tales has had a troubled production, between rewrites, a ballooning budget (after the box office failure of The Lone Ranger, no less), and a plethora of issues involving Depp including illegally importing his dogs into Australia during filming, an off-set injury which required surgery and a delay in filming, and now his public split from wife Amber Heard along with allegations of domestic abuse. It’s easy to see how people might be a little tired of Pirates of the Caribbean, despite the seeming popularity of the series and its characters. It is possible to love something while simultaneously not wanting it to continue, and that’s an opinion I’ve seen repeatedly online the past few years.
But before I go any farther, take a look at the new teaser and then read on for my thoughts below:
The Love Pirate 