Five Random Bits of David Bowie to Enjoy

Although I’ve liked everything I’ve heard of David Bowie’s music, my knowledge of his work is still very much at a surface level – stuff I’ve heard on the radio, on movie soundtracks, etc.  If I were to compile a Top Five song list for him, it’d be woefully unremarkable, because I just don’t know enough yet outside of the most famous songs.

It’s not like I’ve seen very much of David Bowie as an actor, either, but one thing I love about the handful of films and TV shows I’ve seen him in is that, in every case, it’s the absolute perfect role for him.  I suppose it’s because he wasn’t exactly an actor, so a casting director wouldn’t go after him unless the role was right, but I love each of these five parts just because of how loudly they scream Bowie.

Jareth the Goblin King, Labyrinth

No-brainer.  Sinister/seductive goblin king of ethereal mystery with the voice of a rock god and penchant for hanging out with a bunch of freaky-looking puppets?  Like they could’ve cast anyone else.  Absolutely iconic.

Phillip Jeffries, Twin Peaks:  Fire Walk with Me

Barely even a cameo, but it’s still perfect.  Twin Peaks is wonderfully offbeat, trippy show in every respect, and if the agents we meet are any indication, the FBI is quite the place in its world.  If a long-time-missing agent is going to show up and spout a bunch of cryptic nonsense in a crazy dreamish-sequence, of course he’s going to be David Bowie.  I’m pretty sure that’s Twin Peaks’ version of logic.

Andy Warhol, Basquiat

Yeah – actor or not, David Bowie was definitely born to play Andy Warhol.  It’s too perfect.  I can’t not grin like a fool at this.  That wig says it all.

David Bowie, Extras

Probably a cheat, but technically, he’s playing Extras’ character of himself rather than his actual self.  Although, like all celebrity cameos on the show, the version he plays of himself is pretty awful, he’s so cool about it that I don’t even mind.  He wants to put some upstart sitcom star in his place?  He’s not just going to snub him or insult him.  He’s going to compose a derisive impromptu song (complete with sing-along) in front of an entire club for the express purpose of taking the guy down a peg.  If nothing else you have to admire the dedication.

Nikola Tesla, The Prestige

If David Bowie was actually human in any of his previous lives and not just a glamorous alien wizard king, he totally could’ve been a Victorian mad scientist whose work did insane things with electricity and skimmed the edges of magic.  No question.

Jessica Jones (2015-Present)

Didn't get a chance to post yesterday, so I'll give you two today.

Marvel’s latest Netflix offering is a darkly fascinating story of incredibly earthbound issues told through a superhero lens.  With complex, compelling characters, one of the best villains Marvel has ever had, and a feast of really interesting relationships, Jessica Jones is definitely another check in the “win” column for this franchise.  (Premise spoilers.)

Spiky, self-destructive Jessica Jones has taken herself out of the superhero game.  Oh, she has powers, no question about it – super strength, increased durability/healing, and flying abilities that tend to more closely resemble jumping and/or falling – but she’s not trying to do the hero thing anymore.  Her last encounter, with a mind-controller named Kilgrave, was traumatic and violating, all but destroying any idea Jessica ever had of herself as a hero.  As she endeavors to live a more unremarkable life as a PI, however, she’s pulled back in by the very nightmare that pushed her out.  Kilgrave is back, and there’s only one thing he wants:  her.

More than any other superhero story I’ve seen, this show really feels like one where the characters’ powers are practically incidental.  Yes, Jessica can stop a (slow-)moving car and punch through walls, and the many demonstrations of Kilgrave’s power are absolutely sick (sooooo creepy, holy crap!)  At its heart, however, this is a story about a survivor being again confronted by her abuser, working through her own trauma in order to protect others from being hurt by him.  This could have easily begun its life as a “real-world” story and then had the superpowers worked in for a more intriguing slant.  The way the show deals with Kilgrave’s power and Jessica’s PTSD from her abuse is so honest, so real.  One of my favorite scenes in the entire season is a conversation between them in which Kilgrave is legitimately confused by Jessica saying he raped her.  It’s a horrible conversation, obviously, and Kilgrave makes my skin crawl, but this is so vital because it’s what some people actually think.  “You loved it.”  “You wanted it.”  “You were begging for it.”  “You didn’t say no, so…” “I didn’t use force, so…” “It can’t be rape, because…”  I commend the show for addressing these issues so explicitly, and even more, I applaud it for exploring the psychological aftermath of sexual abuse without actually showing any sexual abuse.  We all know it happened, and we all know it was horrifying.  There’s no need to see it.

Krysten Ritter (Jane from Breaking Bad) knocks it out of the park as Jessica.  She’s a mess of misplaced guilt, she makes bad decisions, and she’s way too insistent about going it alone, but she’s also tough, determined, kind (in her own way) despite everything, and monumentally brave.  David Tennant’s Kilgrave is so freaky that I had to mix some Tenth Doctor episodes into my viewing to wash out the creep factor.  Carrie-Ann Moss has a featured role as a shark lawyer, and while I’m not very familiar with the rest of the cast, there are some fantastic supporting characters here being played by some excellent actors.  I’ll single out Rachael Taylor as Jessica’s best friend Trish – that sounds like a throwaway part, but trust me when I say that Trish is amazing – and Eka Darville as Jessica’s neighbor Malcolm.

Warnings

Incredibly dark themes (including discussions of abuse and rape,) disturbing images, violence, sexual content, language, drinking, and drug use.

The Scarecrow (1920)

A sentimental favorite.  This short is a good romp with fun action, terrific comic touches, and heaps of Bustery ingenuity.  I think that last point is what makes it a real gem.  This isn’t a film you could have gotten from anyone else – it just had to be Buster.

Buster lives in a one of the original tiny houses with a friend of his.  Both work as farmhands, and as luck would have it, both are in love with their boss’s daughter.  Rival attempts at courtship lead to scrapping, which leads to chasing, which leads to fleeing, and so on.  Despite all sorts of mishaps and complications, our hero proves that you can’t keep a good Buster down.

I’ll admit that the plot is pretty thin on the ground.  The story takes its time, meandering with comic detours for the fun of it.  However, most of those detours are quite worthwhile, and in a roundabout way, the plot points lead into one another surprisingly well.  This is one that I at first tended to think of as an entertaining bundle of tenuously-related gags, but having now seen it a handful of times, I can recognize how well it holds together.

The best and probably most well-known element of this short is the wonderful Rube Goldberg house, much of which is based time/labor/space-saving devices that Buster dreamed up as a kid.  The whole house is just a treasure trove of fun, and while parts of it are dubious (I’m skeptical about a piano doubling as a Murphy bed,) a lot of the ideas actually seem workable, which I love; I’m all for a good cartoon gag, but crazy-fun things that really work are even better.  My personal favorites include the record player that can be overlaid onto the stovetop, the bookcase with the icebox inside it, and the plates attached with the removable tabletop, which can be hosed off after meals (granted, I’d throw some soap in there, too, but then, I’m not an early-20^th-century farmhand/unsupervised bachelor.)

Buster himself is a delight here.  I love his exaggerated heartbreak when he thinks he’s lost the girl to his roommate.  His truce with the dog who’s been chasing him ragged is fun and cute.  His scarecrow impression is fantastically legit.  Finally, I love him for walking through a stream on his hands to keep his shoes dry.  Along with Neighbors, this is one of my favorite versions of his little fellow character.

Sybil Seely once again supplies the girl, being generally winning and adorable in an undemanding role (side note – I really like that Buster announces his intention to marry her regardless of “how she votes.”  Since this was made in 1920, the reference to women’s suffrage would have been pretty timely.)  Big Joe Roberts takes on a featured role as Buster’s roommate, and a small gaggle of other past collaborators show up, including Joe Keaton (a.k.a. Buster’s dad) and Fatty Arbuckle alumni Al St. John and Luke the Dog.  Joe displays a bit of patented Keaton high-kicking, and Luke is used to especially good effect.  You don’t see too many dogs that can climb ladders!

Warnings

Some slapstick violence and a bit of drinking.

Doctor Who Revisit: Spoilery Twelve-Clara Edition

The last spoiler-rific end-of-series-9 post for the foreseeable future.  As always, we’re talking about “Face the Raven,” “Heaven Sent,” and “Hell Bent,” and today, we’re looking at the relationship between the Doctor and Clara.

I’m not sure what to make of the big realization in “Hell Bent,” that the Doctor’s relationship with Clara is so unhealthy that the only solution is for one to have all memories of the other erased from their head.  It’s true that the Doctor loses his frakking mind after Clara’s death in “Face the Raven” – between the epochs-long angst and the horrifying rules-of-time-and-personal-integrity-breaking, it’s not a good situation.  It’s also true that the seeds are there earlier in the season, with the Doctor belaboring his “duty of care” re:  Clara and acting irresponsibly with time whenever she’s in danger.  Ashildr/Me goes so far as to suggest that the team-up of the Doctor and Clara may be the prophesied Hybrid that the Time Lords fear so much.

The thing is, I don’t get why any of this is happening.  Obviously, the Doctor cares a tremendous amount for every companion, and if they’re a companion worth their salt, they care a lot about him, too.  The bonds are always strong, and the stakes are always high.  What is it about this particular duo that’s so obsessive and consuming that it’s in actual danger of breaking the universe?  I don’t buy the “they’re too similar” idea, because regardless of whether or not it’s true, I don’t see it as a relevant factor in the Doctor’s compulsion to go too far for Clara’s sake. 

That’s another thing; it’s not really about the two of them as a unit.  It’s about how the Doctor feels about Clara and what he’ll do for her.  This veers dangerously into “Clara is the most special of them all” territory, which won’t do her character any favors, but again, why?  If she’s the one that he’ll break all his rules for, why is that?  I don’t get it.  I’m genuinely not trying to knock on Clara here.  I actually liked her much better this year compared to series 8 (it helps when she acts like she cares about the Doctor – who’da thunk?)  But with this unhealthily-strong connection, I feel like I’m being told about it instead of seeing, and more importantly, feeling it.  Don’t get me wrong; Peter Capaldi acts the crap out of any material he’s given, including these scenes.  But I don’t think the scenes he’s given in this case make sense.

In truth, I could have much more gotten behind the “this relationship is too unhealthy” claim last year, but it wouldn’t have had anything to do with the reasons suggested in “Hell Bent.”  I’ve talked at length about my extreme feelings about Twelve-Clara in series 8, and if last season had ended with the revelation that things couldn’t go on because Clara can’t see Twelve as a good man or that she seems to be friends with him mainly for what he offers her in terms of traveling in space and time (but only when it’s convenient for her,) I might have physically cheered.  Yeah – not quite what they’re going for in this finale.  So how did we get from there to here?  Last season, Clara tells the Doctor that everything bad that happened is his fault because he didn’t kill the Master years ago, and in the very same episode, she calls him her best friend (without a hint of irony, by the way.)  This season, we seem to see the Doctor and Clara in a fairly good place – looking out for each other, going on adventures, having a little fun, caring about each other’s emotional well-being – and then are told their feelings for each other are so unhealthy they might destroy time if they don’t decide to call it quits.  Anyone see how A leads to B in either season, or, for that matter, how the second one follows logically from the first?

A Few Extra Hamilton Lyrics I Have to Mention

Since I’ve already talked about all 46 songs in Hamilton and picked a favorite lyric from each one, this isn’t really a Top Five post.  But the problem is, one favorite lyric per song can be pretty limiting.  Here are five more I can’t do without.

“My Shot” – “Scratch that. / This is not a moment, it’s the movement / Where all the hungriest brothers with / Something to prove went? / Foes oppose us, we take an honest stand. / We roll like Moses, claimin’ our promised land. / And?  If we win our independence? / Is that a guarantee of freedom for our descendants? / Or will the blood we shed begin an endless / Cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants?” (Hamilton)

I love the description of early patriots as “the hungriest brothers with something to prove” – it’s so Hamilton.  I also like that Hamilton gets that revolution isn’t without blood or consequences, and it doesn’t come with guarantees.  They fight in the hope that things will get better, but they can’t know that for sure going in.  They just know that it’s worth the risk.

“Non-Stop” – “The constitution’s a mess.” / “So it needs amendments.” / “It’s full of contradictions.” / “So is independence.” (Burr & Hamilton)

Short but so sweet.  Hamilton doesn’t take a blithely contented view of freedom or democracy.  Even as he loves America, he acknowledges its problems, and he knows that the path won’t be clear or easy.  Again, it’s a mess worth fighting for.  I don’t often see writing that’s both unapologetically patriotic and resolutely clear-eyed; I just love it.

“Non-Stop” – “Burr, we studied and we fought and we killed / For the notion of a nation we now get to build.” (Hamilton)

It’s the “notion” part that gets to me.  The war isn’t just for land or laws or power:  it’s for an idea.  A seed of something that will become.  In Hamilton’s mind, they fought to envision and build, rather than simply to own or control.  What a beautiful idea.

“The Room Where It Happens” – “The art of the compromise –” / “Hold your nose and close your eyes.” / “We want our leaders to save the day –” / “But we don’t get a say in what they trade away.” / “We dream of a brand new start –” / “But we dream in the dark for the most part. / Dark as the tomb where it happens. / I gotta be in…” / “…The room where it happens.” (Burr & Ensemble)

Even though Burr is a politician, I get a sense here of the divide between people and politics.  A lot happens behind closed doors between campaign promises and congressional votes, and too often, important decisions are stymied by a coming election or vital bills become bargaining chips.  Ostensibly, Congress acts on our behalf, but it can feel like our wishes have no part in it. 

“The World Was Wide Enough” – “Death doesn’t discriminate / Between the sinners and the saints. / It takes and it takes and it takes. / History obliterates. / In every picture it paints, / It paints me and all my mistakes. / When Alexander aimed at the sky, / He may have been the first one to die, / But I’m the one who paid for it. / I survived, but I paid for it.” (Burr)

The show speaks so astutely about history, and this is maybe its most poignant remark on the subject.  What Burr does on that morning in Weehawken is more than an action.  It’s infamy itself, ensuring that we still know his name today, but also that his story is defined by one bullet.  Whoever else Burr may have been, this is the moment around which his history revolves.

X-Men: United (2003, PG-13)

*Disclaimer: Bryan Singer again. This was the first film of his that I ever saw, and I really loved it. Singer is one whose films I have a hard time watching now, and, since X2 is the film I probably have the fondest memories of, it’s the one that was the biggest bummer to lose. Obviously, the worst thing about predators like Singer, by far, is what they did to their victims, but another thing about them that sucks is that their crimes retroactively taint things I really liked.*

 
I’d say this is probably still my favorite X-Men movie.  Days of Future Past is pretty darn good, and that Quicksilver scene is a thing of beauty, but for me, United is where it’s at.  It has some great action sequences and pretty decent character work, and the stakes feel real and immediate throughout.

An attack on the White House by an assailant bearing the slogan “Mutant Freedom Now” spurs a host of new anti-mutant measures, both in the legislature and through less official channels.  Professor X’s school is set upon by those intent on harming the students, forcing many on the run or into hiding.  In order to combat the new opponent rising up against them, the X-Men form an uneasy alliance with Magneto and his mutant-superiority supporters.

Foremost for me, this movie has such a “lived-in” feel.  For maybe the only time in the franchise, the school really, genuinely feels like an actual school for mutants.  The characters use their powers for the big stuff, obviously, but they also use them for little, everyday things that people with powers would do in real life.  I love these casual moments, like a nameless student using his technopathy to channel-surf, or Bobby cooling Wolverine’s drink with his freezing powers.  We also get more exploration of the personal and/or social impact of being a mutant – there’s a difficult coming-out scene, and (awesome) new character Nightcrawler has a neat conversation with Mystique regarding their physical abnormalities.

The action is pretty topnotch.  The opening scene – Nightcrawler’s attempt to assassinate the President – remains the X-Men gold standard for me, and I love the big prison break and Wolverine’s climactic fight.  Apart from that there are a lot of other good, tactical uses of mutant powers in action scenes.  I especially like the attack on the school, where we see a varied range of defenses, and the film culminates in a nice tag-team effort.

A few new cast members of note here.  I’ve already mentioned Nightcrawler a few times, and Alan Cumming is just great.  With relatively limited screentime, he conveys the loneliness, exploitation, and guilt Nightcrawler has experienced due to his mutant genes.  Also, both he and his powers look amazing!  Bobby and Rogue’s friend John (a.k.a. Pyro) is technically in the first movie, but there, he’s more of a one-off sight gag than a character.  In this film, he gets actual characterization and a new actor, none other than Aaron Stanford (Birkhoff on Nikita and Cole on 12 Monkeys.)  I was interested in John and his fraught character journey, thanks in large part to Stanford’s performance, back when I first saw United, and now that I’m a much bigger fan of Stanford’s other work, the character grabs me even more.  Finally, we have non-mutant scientist William Stryker.  I’ve liked Bryan Cox ever since seeing him in Kings, and here, as always, he’s reliably good.

Warnings

Comic book violence, language, brief sexual content (including naked Mystique,) and thematic elements.