Movies
X2 – Evolution
 Description:
A month plus after the events of the first movie, a mysterious attack on
the
president sets in motion plots by mutants, plots by non-mutants, plots
within plots and hey look Peter Wingfield in a really minor role. Ahem.
I liked the first X-men movie. It was good fun. And now, as if in a
dream I can see that it was but the first chapter. The prelude that sets
the action in motion.
X2 accomplishes that rare thing, it is better than the first. There
isn’t a single scene that doesn’t move things along. Set things in motion.
Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman, as in the first movie is, well, Wolverine
stepped from the pages. Plus, this time out he gets to kill people. Cuz,
come on, he’s Wolverine.
Although, this time out, the scene stealing character for me was Nightcrawler,
a wonderful addition played by Alan Cumings. One of the most differentiated
of all the mutants and yet he still has faith. I loved the reason for the
ritual scaring. The opening scene of the movie managed to articulate just
why a teleporting mutant would be so effective. Scary. Cool. And oh, so
that’s what Bamf sounds like. Huh.
Actually, this could be a list of every character and how they were
cool. Jean’s growth from the first movie. That flash of a plot point that
thrills every fan boy and girl’s hearts. Professor X, who I’ve decided
is very scary and maybe shouldn’t have Cerebro. Magneto getting his magnificent
moment. To see such a proud person so jessed grates. The way that every
time Mystique changes, the person she becomes subtly moves and acts like
Mystique. Her relationship with Magneto, so very old married. Old friends.
And. And. and.
I liked the movie.
Moreover, I enjoyed thinking about it. Beyond the hidden cameos and
tidbits, it’s interesting to think about this movie in a post 9-11 world.
That the basic premise of the first movie was a terrorist attack. That
the events in this movie are in many ways a military reaction to that attack.
That Magneto is not without reason for his plans. Mutants are feared
and persecuted. That Commander Stryker isn’t without reason, the mutants
are dangerous. That it’s all about fear with the majority of the mutants
middle caught.
It’s all about choice. Power. How you choose to use it. Wield it. Shape
the world around you.
Accepting yourself as you are. The curiosity of shape changing Mystique
being the one to say that she shouldn’t have to be anyone other than who
she is. Thus though she could fit in, she chooses so often to walk in her
own skin.
Matrix Reloaded
 Description:
Follow Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus further down the rabbit hole.
Karen left this movie feeling powered and bouncy. I left afraid to drive
my car. All I could think was that everything is Maya. Set adrift to question
the very nature of reality is all very well and good. But not the best
attitude for driving concentration.
Following our theme of the month, it’s all about choice. What does choice
mean? Is it a biological subroutine written into our internal matrices?
The contrast between love of humanity in the abstract and love of a woman.
The moving of the mass of humanity in celebration. The intimate touch in
a safe womb, candles gleaming in the dark.
Look. There are chase scenes. Battles and gleaming swords. They even
drove through the Alameda tunnel, which was cool. And as Seraphim says,
to know someone you must fight them. Interact. Deal. Contact. Explore.
I could write an essay on the significance of the names. The Merovingian.
Morpheus, god of dreams. But through which gate do these dreams come, the
Gate of Ivory or the Gate of Horn. The cold Architect. The warm Oracle.
Mother. Father. That Neo is in his way is the seventh son. Trinity bound
in plastic. Neo flowing in cloth.
I could write an essay on the philosophy. The artistry. How every single
aspect of the movie signifies. Stands. Points deeper into the rabbit hole.
And as Anya from BtVS would say, rabbits can be scary things.
All I can really say is that I can’t wait to see how all layers on layers
are resolved. Except of course I can wait. The nature of reality may be
a dream and time is but an illusion within which I construct my feeble
conception. But it is the only conception, the only dream of reference
that I have to work within.
Secretary
 Description:A
troubled young woman discovers her self, love, and alternative lifestyles
when she applies for a job as a lawyer's secretary.
Secretary is a facinating, and visually stimulating, movie. Our main
character is Lee, who has recently been released from a mental institution.
She was hospitalized because of her unhealthly methods of coping with her
troubled family life - drunken, abusive father and passive, dependent mother.
That all changes when Lee answers a want-ad for a secretarial position.
Through her interactions with her very strange boss, Lee becomes a strong,
independent woman and learns to embrace who she is and what she wants -
a sadomasochistic relationship.
This is a wonderful coming of age story as well as a love story. It's
also gorgeous. The sets (particularly the lawyer's office) are rich in
color and texture that highlight the emotions of the story. I love the
director's style - the way he comments on how we choose to hide from people
or reveal ourselves when speaking to them which he shows in some lovely
shots of people speaking with their backs to others.
We loved it. We rented it, watched it the first night, rewatched it
the next morning with the director's commentary, and bought it the day
after that.
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