Chance's Corner: Bird Box Review

There’s an old adage that goes “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,” and this year there’s been two horror films that have toyed with this concept, one being A Quiet Place, which implemented the “speak no evil”, otherwise a creature will “hear” and kill you, and the other being Netflix’s newest release, Bird Box, where if you “see” something you’ll die. To compare these films, or to simply say that Bird Box is a rip off of A Quiet Place, would be foolish, especially considering that Bird Box was released as a novel in 2014, so I’m not going to do that. I’ll just say that there are some commonalities and move on to my review.

Right from the start, Bird Box grabs you by the throat with Sandra Bullock's "this is how it is and you better listen to me" spill, and I assure you that I was listening! She commands the role of Malorie, a reluctantly pregnant woman caught in dire circumstances, and delivers one of her finest late career performances... if not THE finest! Let's be honest, though, she's kind of been coasting since her Oscar winning performance in television's go-to movie of the week The Blind Side. As for the film built around her, Bird Box left me feeling genuinely terrified – terrified of the unknown. The film never dares to explain itself, and in an almost fourth wall approach, we never get a chance to see the entity, as if we too wouldn't be able to bear the sight of whatever is causing “The Problem”, as the novel defines it. “The Problem” is clear, though - if you see whatever It is, you die by your own hand, or if you’re lucky (?) enough, you basically become Its disciple and set out to make the remaining survivors “see”. Sounds more bizarre than terrifying, but you just have to see it (ha) to feel its chilling effect.

What makes Bird Box really unique is the way it unfolds. The film shifts its focus between two timelines - one is set just after “The Problem” begins, and takes place in a house full of strangers, some being John Malkovich, Trevante Rhodes, the lead from Dumplin', and a woman I could have sworn was a thin Sally Struthers (but it's not), and the other timeline is set five years later, which is where Bird Box's main gimmick comes into play - Bullock and two no-name kids (one is her own, but you’re mostly left to guess which one) have to traverse a raging river in a rowboat... blindfolded. This set up could have easily scuttled the film's pacing and tension, but the alternating timelines weave well together and ultimately lend real depth to the harrowing third act. *whispers* I cried.

Overall, I consider Bird Box to be one of the biggest surprises of the year, and if the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences weren’t so stuffy, Sandra Bullock could be easily in the running for her third Best Actress nomination. But that’s not going to happen! Anyways, if you’re interested in seeing Bird Box, you can watch it on Netflix, and if you’re interested in the novel, we have it available for check out here at the Franklin County Library!

New Year's Resolutions - 2019

Well, Christmas is over and it's time to start looking ahead to the new year.  In addition to discussing plans for the library for 2019, we have a few personal goals/resolutions as well.

Lisa:

1.  Slow down!

2.  Enjoy the little things.

3.  Take time to feed my creativity.

Julie:

1.  Learn new crochet stitches and create something to wear.

2.  Read at least 6 biographies, particularly of men and women of faith.

3.  Get outside and walk.

Chance:

1.  More positive outlook on life.

2.  Read one book a month.

3.  Get to my ideal weight.

Christian:

1.  Read 10 new (to me) authors' works.

2.  The old stand by:  Healthier eating, more H2O, and more exercise.

3.  Get back into painting and writing.

Tom's Two Cents : Mary Poppins Returns

Mary Poppins, this time in the form of Emily Blunt, has returned to Number 17, Cherry Tree Lane in London. Is the film a successful sequel to its legendary original? Well... yes and no. Sequels are nearly always difficult. The one film exception I can think of is “The Godfather II,” which outdid the original. (“Godfather III” did not.). This sequel in no way outdoes the original, but it does have its moments, and among the most successful ones are those involving Lin-Manuel Miranda, who clearly has star power the likes of which we have not seen since the hey-day of Gene Kelly. I suppose I am one of the last to acknowledge this, not being one of the thousands of “Hamilton” groupies, but the man clearly has extraordinary talent and puts it to superb use, perhaps at an advantage in not having to try to bring the original Dick Van Dyke character, Bert, the chimney sweep, back to life.

Emily Blunt, in my opinion, is not so lucky. Yes, she captures the Mary Poppins role satisfactorily, but she is no substitute for Julie Andrews. This is not to say she does not sing, dance and act well, but she does not bring that certain indefinable “something” to the character that Andrews did. I would go so far as to say that no one can. Andrews’ grasp of Poppins was, like her Maria von Trapp in “The Sound of Music,” a definitive interpretation, and one that another actress takes on at her peril. Mary Poppins does not have a range of characteristics like, say, Shakespeare’s Juliet—she is basically what we call in fiction a”flat” character, yes a very odd bird indeed, but even her oddities are relatively limited in scope. Andrews brought the character of Poppins totally to life, in that she was not playing a role—she WAS the character.

All this being said, the rest of the cast was quite superb, as were the musical numbers and production values in general. I would not agree with the New York Times review, which found the show “charmless.” It had plenty of charm and most of the elements that made the first MP a success. “The Place Where Lost Things Go” was a lovely, touching number, and “Trip the Light Fantastic” a terrific dance sequence. Cameos played by Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, Dick van Dyke and others were delightful and effective—only Colin Firth, in a stereotypical villain role, was wasted.

• No, I didn’t come out dancing and singing, as I did some fifty-four years ago, when I saw the original film, but I’m very glad I saw it. 

Now let’s wait and see what our Real Film Critic, Chance Crane, has to say!

Chance's Corner: Dumplin' Review

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."

                - Dolly Parton

Funny story here, but when I first saw the book Dumplin' on our shelves at the library, I thought it was about a young overweight drag queen who entered a teen beauty pageant to disrupt the status quo. I never read the book (not because of that), but I eventually figured out that it was really just about a girl. So, I went into watching Dumplin’ totally blind, and what should appear? Dolly Parton drag queens. I just knew there would be drag queens! One of them even treats us to a rousing lip sync of Dolly Parton’s "Jolene". If you didn’t know, there’s a lot of Dolly Parton in Dumplin’ – minus the actual Dolly, although she does provide the soundtrack with several of her classic hits and a few new songs penned especially for this film!

In Dumplin’, our small town Texas-livin’, Dolly Parton lovin’ heroine, Willowdean Dickson (Danielle Macdonald), is beautiful, no matter what they say. Words won't bring her down! Okay, so maybe the nickname "Dumplin'" will bring her down a bit, but as she comes to face her greatest enemy, which is herself, she comes to embrace it. The journey to that embrace isn't your typical journey, though. There's the threat of mean girls (mainly Dove Cameron), but they never strike - there's no moment where a group of them back Willowdean into a corner, call her names, and tell her she's not good enough, which causes her to bawl and have a spiritual Dolly Parton intervention – although Dolly’s classic tunes and near-philosophical words of wisdom help Willowdean pull through. Sure, the other girls in the pageant snicker behind her back (Willowdean brings it upon herself, to be honest), and some folks give her "girl, what are you doin' here?" looks, but, like I said, the threat is mostly internalized. Bo (Luke Benward), a good-ole burger-flippin’ country guy, does everything but take out a billboard for Willowdean, but due to her own insecurities, she pushes him away. What a dummy! Sometimes, I just really wanted her to snap out of it, but I have my own insecurities, so I know it's not just something you can snap away. So, I'm a dummy, too, at times. That flip of the script is what really sells Dumplin' as something different and unique in a market oversaturated with teen issues. Dumplin' is also grounded in reality, particularly concerning the beauty pageant results, and I respect that.

Performances all around ranged from good to great - the good are only limited to good because they didn't have much to do, such as Bo who disappears for way too long – he wasn’t even at the pageant! The greatest of the great, of course, is Jennifer Aniston, who could have easily come off as Willowdean’s wicked former teen beauty pageant winner (not step) mother, but instead brings a layer of complexity and sympathy to perhaps the most "villainous" character in the film. Others do shine, though, and Danielle Macdonald is one of them as the titular Dumplin', but she can come across as insufferably stubborn, at times. However, the one who shines the most is Maddie Baillio as Millie - I'm so proud of her!

Overall, this is the feel-good movie I've been needing lately, and no matter if she wins the crown or not, Willowdean Dickson is still a winner! If you’re interested, Dumplin’ is available to watch on Netflix. If you're interested in reading Dumplin', we currently have no suitable copies available for check out, but check back with us after the New Year!

Chance's Corner: Alternative Christmas Movies

Are you tired of watching films where exceptionally attractive people fall in love during Christmas? Tired of seeing romances set at Christmas cottages, ski resorts, or obnoxiously quaint small towns where someone may or may not be Santa? Or how about... okay, you get the picture! Well, if you answered yes to any of those questions, then I've got the best Christmas list for you - a list of alternative Christmas movies! Alternative Christmas movies? Yes, that's right! This is a list of movies that may not care about spreading the Christmas spirit, but they do take place during the Christmas season. They might just bring a little Christmas cheer, too, depending on how you look at it.

Gremlins - A lot of strange things came out of the '80s, and Gremlins was certainly one of them. It was so strange, in fact, that it (along with Temple of Doom) instigated the creation of the PG-13 rating. Now, I'm not the one to push what is appropriate and inappropriate for children, but I can imagine the sheer horror Gremlins brought to unsuspecting families upon its initial release - the ultimate horror being Phoebe Cates' Santa story. WOW, way to ruin Christmas. Sounds like I'm taking Gremlins to task, and I am a little bit, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fun despite its mean-spirited nature. What I especially love about Gremlins is all the little callbacks to past films it has in it - Back to the Future, E.T., The Time Machine, Forbidden Planet, Indiana Jones, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Alien, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, It's a Wonderful Life, and so much more.

Black Christmas - While John Carpenter’s Halloween gets most of the credit for developing the formula for the modern slasher film, Black Christmas pre-dates it by four years and sets the classic standards that have been repeated ever since. Black Christmas is definitely more of a slow burn, wrapped in mystery and a thick, claustrophobic atmosphere, but the wrapping comes off in the end and leaves you squealing like the kid who got what they wished for on Christmas morning. Funnily enough, the director of this film, Bob Clark, would go on to make another Christmas classic - A Christmas Story.

Die Hard - Die Hard is a Christmas story for the ages, where NYPD cop, John McClane (Bruce Willis), flies to California for the holidays to reconnect with his wife, and ends up eliminating a dozen or so terrorists - oops, I mean "robbers" - at his wife's company Christmas party. Whether Die Hard really is a Christmas film or not is up for debate, but it is a truly iconic action film. Bruce Willis delivers a career-defining performance as McClane - a performance that shadows him to this day. Poor Bruce has always been criticized for having no range, but he manages to keep pace and match wits (and expletives) with the formidable Alan Rickman, who is deliciously villainous as Hans Gruber. Thespian by nature, Die Hard virtually put Rickman on the map overnight. As I always say, a movie is only as good as its villain, and, as such, Die Hard is phenomenal.

Lethal Weapon - Here we have another iconic action film that just so happens to take place around Christmastime. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover make an excellent partnership, even if they don't believe it, and Richard Donner's direction and Shane Black's script bring a real gritty edge to the holiday season. Oh, and Gary Busey brings the insanity, as usual. Overall, if the sounds of "Jingle Bell Rock" and excessive gunfire doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will!

Scrooged - Bill Murray expertly lends his dry wit and cynicism to this modern (it's 1988) and darkly comedic twist on Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol. There's honestly a bajillion versions of this classic tale to choose from, but this one is my absolute favorite. The ending monologue may schmaltzy, but it brings me to tears every… single… time!

Batman Returns - While Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands could easily make its way on this list, Batman Returns is the Burton Christmas classic I turn to. The Christmas iconography at play here is truly through the roof, and as a young kid, this film taught me that mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it... and a kiss can even be deadlier if you mean it. Ooo la la! Christmas aside, Batman Returns is the greatest comic book film of all time, and you can quote me on that! After Burton proved that a "serious" Batman film was bankable (it was one of the highest grossing films of the '80s), Warner Brothers loosened his leash, which lead to this grandiose, absurd, dark and operatic sequel.

The Nightmare Before Christmas - You thought I had forgotten about this one, didn't you? While Tim Burton might have written the poem this film is based on, The Nightmare Before Christmas is actually directed by Henry Selick. While it grossed me out as a kid, this grotesque stop-motion animated opera has certainly grown on me, and has left its mark both on Halloween, with the song "This is Halloween", and Christmas, with the demented "Making Christmas" and the even catchier tune "What's This?"

If none of those are your style, then that's okay! I have a list of traditional Christmas movies, too, that offers a variety of viewing options. I'd like to know, what's your go-to Christmas movie? It can be traditional or non-traditional.