Is "Jumanji" a Horror film for kids?

Confessions of a Film Junkie: Is “Jumanji" a Horror film for kids?

By: Brian Cotnoir

I am continuing my generation’s tradition of pointing out how freaky/scary some of the movies and TV shows we had as kids were over the internet.  Yes, for whatever reason we all like to point out the same stuff on the internet: “Freaky Fred on “Courage the Cowardly Dog” was creepy as hell!”, “How awesome and scary was “Are you Afraid of the Dark?”, “What was with that creepy a$$ clown in “The Brave Little Toaster”, and the list goes on.  In fact some of my Most Popular Articles are my “5 Films that you probably didn’t realize were too scary for kids”.  In one of those editions I briefly talked about the 1995 Family Classic “Jumanji”.  I remember my mom and grandmother taking me and my sister to see this in theatres.  Ever since the tragic passing of actor Robin Williams I’ve seen this film shown more and more on TV.  Now the more times I see it the more and more I start to realize, “Wow this is film is creepy as hell! This isn’t a kids movie, it’s more like a Horror film for kids!”    

    I mean just look at the opening title credits and scene: a spooky green mist comes out of nowhere and forms the title “Jumanji” before quickly fading out then we get a scene in 1869 where we see two brothers named Caleb and Benjamin out in the middle of the woods at night.  The two brothers grab a wooden chest and off of a cart and throw it into a whole, and begin to bury it.  While they’re burying the box the younger brother Benjamin falls into the whole and then this creepy tribal drum starts to play, Benjamin shouts to his brother “Caleb, help it’s after me!” and then wants to run away after being pulled out of the hole.  Caleb insists that they finish what they started and when his brother asks what will happen if somebody else finds it, to which Caleb replies “May God have mercy on his soul” as lighting flashes behind him.  Yeah just in the first two minutes of this film alone this film definitely gives off a horror movie vibe.  We know that the two boys must have played the game, but we never get to see what sort of things they endured.  I can only assume—based on what we see later in the film—the sort of horrendous things they must’ve encountered.  I actually wish there was a prequel film to “Jumanji” so we can see how the brothers came across this game (maybe the origins of the game too) and what sorts of things happened to them while they played it.          

I think it's Swahili for "You Gonna Die"

     In the next scene the film flashes 100 years later and we see young Alan Parrish riding his bike through the small fictional town of Brantford, New Hampshire.  The town is very reminiscent of the quaint New England towns in a Stephen King novel, and like in a Stephen King novel, our main character seems to be the target of bullying from every kid in town.  After being beaten up and having his bike stolen by a group of Bullies we see Alan walking home, and as he approaches a construction site he all of a sudden begins to hear the tribal drums.  As he explores the construction site and follows the sound of the drums he finds the edge of the chest that the two brothers buried one-hundred years earlier and pulls it out of the dirt.  He opens it up to find a game called Jumanji.  One thing I’ve always wondered about the game Jumanji is can only kids hear the drum noise or can adults hear it to?  When Alan finds the game at the construction site he appears to be the only one who hears the drums playing.  I know a construction zone is typically a noisy place, but even when they weren’t working how could none of them hear the sounds of tribal drums beating?  Or is the drum completely imaginary and it only exists in the minds of the people who get close to it?  Or is it possible the drum beats could be brought on by some kind of mental delirium?                      

Can't we just play Monopoly instead?

So Alan takes the game out and shows it to his friend Sarah and the two begin to play.  After Alan’s first roll he gets sucked into the board game as his friend Sarah looks on in horror.  Alan will eventually be trapped inside the game for the next 26 years.  Not only can Jumanji suck you into the game and keep you as its prisoner, but everything else that comes out of the game want’s to kill you! Oh yeah, amongst the many deadly things that come out of Jumanji at the roll of the dice include giant mosquitoes, man eating lions, killer plants, stampedes of wild beasts, and a English hunter who likes to hunt humans for sport!  Oh yeah, Jumanji is an absolutely terrifying game.  And God forbid you try to cheat in order to win the game because then you get punished for that too.  Peter tries to cheat and he gets turned into a monkey man with giant hairy hands, and a tail and everything.  It’s like a toned down version of Lampwick’s jackass transformation from “Pinocchio” or David Kessler’s werewolf transformation in “An American Werewolf in London”. Let’s also look at the Parish’s home.  After Alan’s disappearance, it is long speculated by most people in town that Alan’s father, Sam, killed his son and hid his body in the walls of the home.  After Sam and his wife pass away, the home goes unoccupied for years, because people believe the stories of Alan’s murder.  So when Peter and Judy move into the house with their Aunt, and they hear the tale of the disappearance of young Alan Parrish, it definitely gives the film the Haunted House vibe.     

Run!  It's a Stampede!

     Not only does the game mess with the people playing the game, but it also affects the people of Brantford too.  Carl Bentley (played by actor David Alan Grier) is constantly tormented by a group of monkeys that was released by Jumanji, and the stampede runs right through the heart of the town of Brantford creating mass chaos and destruction.                       

Please don't let me get cast in the "Planet of the Apes" remake

     Lastly when the game is over and all the deadly creations get sucked back into the game, life resumes off before they started playing the game in Alan’s living room 1969, and only Alan and Sarah have any recollection of what just happened.  What’s craziest is that Sarah had to live through 26 years of life already, and really you think of all the tragedies that have happened between 1969-1995 that she’s going to have to relive (the assassination of John Lennon, The Challenger Explosion, The Gulf War, etc.)  If Sarah and Alan have all the memories they have from the game, then can Sarah do anything to help prevent these tragedies? Not to mention the almost 3 decades of psychological damage she had to endure while she saw her best friend sucked into a board game and believed him to be long dead, how do you come to grips with that?    

     It’s amazing to think that this beloved children’s film might have been made more to scare them rather than entertain them.  Even today it’s probably one of the Best Children’s movies ever made, but is also one of the scariest one’s ever made, and I think there is more than enough evidence to suggest that this may be a Horror film for kids.

Classics: A Review of A Little Princess By Lauren Ennis

If you ask a little girl what she would like to be when she grows up, don’t be surprised if she replies with the lofty choice of ‘princess’. From fairy tales that date back hundreds of years to modern animated fare, princesses are one of the most instantly recognizable and enduring symbols of girlhood. In recent years, however, the princess tradition has been called into question by feminists and modern critics who claim that it promotes traditional values that are of little use in the modern world. One fairly recent film, however, challenges this criticism through its assertion that the term ‘princess’ can hold a meaning far deeper and more relevant than wearing a tiara and being rescued; the 1995 adaptation of the 1905 Frances Hodgson Burnett novel A Little Princess.

If only more kids' movies were so heartfelt. *I'm not gonna cry...*

The story begins with 10 year-old Sara Crewe living a carefree life in British occupied India with her widowed father. Conflict enters the pair’s idyllic existence when World War I breaks out and Captain Crewe is called to service (an update from the novel’s 1890’s setting during the Boer War), leading him to entrust Sara’s care to a New York boarding school that her late mother had attended. Upon arriving in New York, Sara is faced with the harsh reality of life within the restrictions of conventional society, as she is met with resistance from the faculty and students alike. With patience and diligence, however, she adapts to the rigorous rules and monotonous lessons of the school, and quickly becomes one of the most popular students through her imagination and charm. These same qualities that set her apart as a student -body favorite also make her stand out as a threat to the faculty, who view her advanced educational background and creativity as a threat to the status quo. When Sara’s father is reported killed and his assets are seized by the British government, the school's cruel headmistress, Miss Minchin, reveals her true colors and forces Sara to live in the school’s attic and work alongside African-American servant girl Becky until she can repay her debt to the school. Orphaned and outcast from her peers, Sara finds herself alone in a harsh world with only her imagination and her firm belief that “every girl is a princess” to cling to as she struggles to make her way in a world that seems to be coming apart all around her.

While children’s films too often resort to potty-humor and trite sentiment to entertain their young audiences, A Little Princess instead tells a story about children that is equally directed towards adult audiences. Rather than the fanciful tale of royalty in a far-away land that its title suggests, the film is instead an exploration of resilience in the face of hardship. While many children’s films feature larger than life villains and outrageous obstacles, Sara faces all too real adversity in the forms of poverty, grief, and societal indifference. As a result, her story is one which resonates with audiences of all ages and walks of life, and whose lessons will remain with children as they grow old enough to understand their full significance. Through its weaving of history and magical realism into what would otherwise be a simple tale of riches to rags and back again, the film transforms Sara’s journey into both an ode to individuality and a tale of the redemptive power of creativity. The film’s inclusion of scenes from the stories that Sara regales her classmates with allows viewers added insight into her mind and reveals the ways in which she uses fiction to cope with the contradictions and losses of her reality. In this way the film also encourages its young viewers to look to its own fictional heroine for inspiration.

Good friends and good stories; all any party needs

The recurring mantra of the film is that “all girls are princesses”; an axiom that Sara’s nanny in India first teaches her and Captain Crewe later reinforces before leaving for the trenches. At first glance, this notion could be viewed as a contrived theme that is too flimsy to sustain an entire film. As the film progresses, however, the idea of ‘a princess’ is redefined so that it bears little resemblance to the stereotypical image of a Barbie-esque beauty in a crown and ball gown. Within the context of the film, ‘princess’ is simply a fantasy term that Sara uses to express her belief that she and her classmates are people of value and worth despite what the world at large would have them believe. The wider range of the term in the film is evidenced when Sara responds to the teasing of snarky Lavinia that “all girls are princesses; even snotty, two-faced bullies like you”, as Sara’s definition extends beyond herself and her friends to all women, including her enemies. The emphasis upon princess as a non-discriminating term makes the word become a symbol of equality and unity in contrast to the divisions of class and race that permeate the time period in which the film is set. By the time that Sara reiterates her beloved mantra to Miss Minchin in the film’s climax, it has become a rallying cry for truth, equality, and dignity rather than the sugary catchphrase that it begins as in the film’s start. As a result, in Sara Crewe’s hands, princess is a term of female empowerment that holds resonance for women of all ages rather than the fanciful dream that critics have come to dismiss it as.

The film’s cast aptly brings its unique version of 1914 India and New York to life through a series of intelligent and heartfelt performances. The child actresses portraying Sara’s schoolmates approach their roles with an intelligence and variety that makes viewers feel as though they are actually witnessing the daily interactions of a group of real children, each with their own desires, interests, and distinct personalities. Heather DeLoach (of Blind Melon music video, ‘No Rain’, fame), and Kelsey Mulrooney particularly stand-out in their portrayals of the initially timid but eventually empowered Ermengarde and lovable but wayward Lottie. Vanessa Lee-Chester and Taylor Fry are excellent in their opposing roles as Sara’s loyal best friend and manipulative arch-enemy, each employing depth and individuality to ensure that their roles are characters rather than caricatures. Eleanor Bron and Rusty Schwimmer shine in their roles as the Minchen sisters, with Schwimmer’s well-meaning but utterly incompetent Amelia and Bron’s manipulative and cruel Headmistress Minchin personifying the ineptitude, hypocrisy, and brutality of the both the adult world and society at large. Liam Cunningham perfectly balances his role as Captain Crewe between the loving father that Sara knows and the dignified officer who is called to lead his men into battle. Liesel Matthews gives a truly commanding performance in her role as Sara, combining by turns wide-eyed innocence, self-assuredness, and steely resilience to portray the difficult role of a natural leader. In each of their varied roles, the cast evade the typical pit-falls of children’s films by avoiding the all too common hysteria, syrupy sweetness, and stereotypes usually dispensed to young audiences, and instead keep the sometimes fantastic plot grounded through a series of emotionally honest and complex performances.

At once a story of one girl’s experience in a distant time and place and a universal tale of love, loss, survival, and redemption; A Little Princess is far from your average family film. Through its enchantingly fantastic view of the world in all its beauty and severity, the film echoes the wonders, innocence, and fears of childhood. Even though I am now an adult and decades have passed since I first saw this film, I continue to find its central message of the importance of self-worth and maintaining one’s individuality both empowering and essential. This film is a must see for any adult who still believes in the magic of creativity and love and any little girl who has ever doubted that she not only could, but in fact should, be considered a princess.

Classics: A Review of Out of the Past By Lauren Ennis

Thomas Wolfe wrote that “you can’t go home again”, a quote that has proven ever more resonant with each passing year for each passing generation. For private investigator turned gas station owner Jeff Markham, however, the opposite proves to be true in the 1947 noir classic Out of the Past. Directed by horror master Jacques Torneur, Out of the Past is a twisting tale of the lengths to which we go to escape the past and the ways in which it continues to impact our present, regardless of how far we may run. From its ominous opening reel to its somber final frame, this film personifies the very best of film noir and continues to serve as a reminder of what it is that keeps viewers coming back for more of the genre’s signature darkness.

"Build my gallows high, baby"

The story begins with the arrival of sleazy mob underling Joe Stephanos (Paul Valentine) disturbing the peace of a small California town. It is soon revealed that Joe has come to town in search of mysterious newcomer Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum) at the behest of his boss, ruthless mobster Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas). After Joe tracks him down to the gas station he now runs, Jeff realizes that he has only stalled the hidden past that he believed he had finally escaped from and reluctantly agrees to meet Whit at the mobster’s Lake Tahoe mansion. Fearing the outcome of his meeting, Jeff stops to visit with his wholesome girlfriend, Ann (Virginia Huston), and in an extensive flashback relates the story of his former life as private investigator Jeff Markham and the events that have brought him into Whit’s clutches for the second time. Over the course of the flashback, Jeff relates how he was hired by Whit to track down the mobster’s sultry girlfriend, Kathie Moffet (Jane Greer), after she disappeared following a domestic dispute that ended with Whit shot and Kathie on the run with forty-thousand dollars of his money. After Jeff located her in Acapulco, the two embarked upon a whirlwind affair before escaping to San Francisco with the forty-thousand dollars, only to be discovered by Jeff’s partner, Jack Fisher (Steve Brodie). Determined to hold onto her new life, Kathie murdered Fisher and fled, leaving Jeff to elude both the police and Whit. Back in the present, Jeff meets with Whit and is forced to take one last job that reunites him with Kathie and forces both of them to face the ghosts of the past that continue to haunt them.

So much for honor amongst thieves

Released just two years after the end of World War II, Out of the Past perfectly captures the jaded attitudes and bleak atmosphere that permeated the early-post war years. Unlike than the ‘awe-shucks’ down-home everyman popularized by such actors as James Stewart and Gary Cooper during the 1930’s, Mitchum’s Jeff is world weary, cynical, and willing to bend as many laws as it takes to survive; in short, he’s truly a man of his time. While he continues to maintain a desire to do the right thing he’s seen far too much of life in an increasingly ruthless world to hold onto any illusions, and his first priority remains self-preservation. In many ways, Jeff could be viewed as a stand-in for the generation of soldiers who had only recently returned home at the time of the film’s release. Throughout the film he remains isolated as he cannot relate to the naïve locals he struggles to blend in amongst and strives to block out any remnants of the violence and pain of his former life. In this way, Jeff’s struggle to build a new life directly mirrors the same struggle that World War II GI’s faced transitioning to civilian life after experiencing the horrors of war. Beyond its central protagonist, the film is populated with characters of murky morals and conflicted motives. While plenty of noirs contain similar characters, Out of the Past succeeds in making each of its central characters unique and intriguing. Kirk Douglas’ mobster, for instance, retains a surprising humanity through his devotion to Kathie. Jane Greer’s Kathy maintains a fascination that few women in the genre can claim as she not only holds her own against, but actually bests the men in her life at their own ruthless games and serves as an excellent foil to the one dimensional temptress, Meta Carson, and the too good to be real Ann. The film tops off its cocktail of mystique and grit with cinematography that is among the best in the genre as it showcases the menace lurking within the bright skies of a small town and the dark alleys of the city streets alike.

The film’s cast superbly bring the film’s complex plot and equally complex characters to life. Kirk Douglas transforms what easily could have been a stereotypical role into an endlessly entertaining performance by imbuing Whit with equal parts charm and malice. Jane Greer is nothing short of electrifying in her performance as Kathie; a combination of razor-sharp wit, sizzling sex-appeal, and steely resilience. Dickie Moore shines in his necessarily understated role as Jeff’s mute assistant, bringing a level of pathos to the crosses and double-crosses that he witnesses without relying upon a single line of dialogue. The supporting cast lends apt support with Rhonda Fleming and Paul Valentine particularly standing out for their gleefully wicked portrayals of manipulative secretary Meta and vicious hired gunman Stephanos. Despite all of the excellent performances surrounding him, however, the film belongs to Mitchum, who in in his portrayal of the ultimate noir hero epitomizes cool. In Mitchum’s hands Jeff is a character whom viewers can’t help rooting for and identifying with despite his many transgressions and ambiguities.

With the array of private investigators, femme fatales, and complex criminals inhabiting its shadowy world, Out of the Past could be considered Film Noir 101. While the film certainly contains all of those typical genre elements, such a label would be a misrepresentation of the truly unique viewing experience that the film is. Rather than a mere exercise in style, the film is actually an in depth look at a society in transition and a generation coming to grips with a past they cannot escape from. Nearly seventy years later, Out of the Past remains a film that speaks to the present and will remain a fan favorite far into the future.

"A dame with a rod is like a guy with a knitting needle"

Cinema Debates: "Hostel" vs. "Taken":

Confessions of a Film Junkie: Debates “Hostel vs. Taken”

A Joint Review by Brian Cotnoir & Lauren Ennis

     For Whatever reason many people throughout the world have grown to resent Americans.  Why?  I couldn’t tell you, but it is because of this resentment that travel outside the U.S. is very dangerous for most Americans; especially young Americans.  There are two iconic films that deal with the subject of young Americans in Europe who are being attacked by hostile natives: “Hostel” and “Taken”.  Even though they have similar plots they do have some distinctive differences that help them stand out, and today Miss-E and I are going to debate which film is better.

Hostel (By Brian Cotnoir)

“Hostel” tells the story of 2 Yong Americans, named Paxton and Josh, traveling across Europe on trip of fun, debauchery, and self-discovery.  Paxton and Josh (along with their friend Olli from Iceland) wind up in Amsterdam expecting a world of nothing, but pot smoking and sex crazed locals, only to be disappointed to realize that Amsterdam is totally overrun with American tourists, and they want to get away from them.  They meet a European teen, who tells them that they have to go to Slovakia where the hostels there are crawling with young, horny, sex-crazed women who love American guys.  The three friends decide to take a train to Slovakia and after some skeptical uncertainty they arrive at the hostel to discover that it is everything the young man back in Amsterdam promised them it would be.                         

    However after all the binge drinking and promiscuous sex, one of the friends Paxton (played by actor Jay Hernandez) notices that his friends Olli and Josh have disappeared.  He asks the locals if they’ve seen his friends only to be told that they went home or they left.  However Paxton doesn’t believe his friends would just leave without telling him.  After some sleuthing and persistent questioning of the locals Paxton learns that he and his friends have been sold in an on-line auction by a group called The Elite Hunting Group.  The Elite Hunting Group offers people the chance to live out their homicidal and torture fantasies for a high-price, and they always get Top Dollar from people for Americans.  Paxton learns that his friends have endured horrendous deaths and now he is next.   

So the characters in “Hostel” aren’t the most heroic or even likable, but they still have to endure some pretty horrifying things even for a bunch of douchebags.  All they wanted to do was have a good time and have sex with lots of beautiful women.  That is something every guy in life wants.  Now I once had a discussion with a friend of mine and she said “’Hostel’ [was] scary, but totally unrealistic [because] who would every pay just torture someone?” to which I replied “I’m pretty sure if you gave me a baseball bat, and placed a child molester in front of me, I’m pretty sure I could make myself do some things I didn’t think I was capable of doing”.  They Agreed. Now while I can admit that being kidnapped and sold into the sex trade is not a better outcome, I still maintain my belief that being sold to be tortured to death is a much more gruesome fate.  Plus, who’s going to rescue those boys?  Let’s be honest; the first time everybody saw the trailer for the movie “Taken” we all knew that Liam Neeson was going to save his daughter and do it in the most kick a$$ fashion imaginable.  As for Paxton, Josh, and Olli, they only had themselves to rely on.  None of their parents were going to come to their rescue (hell, I don’t even think they knew where in Europe they were).  The only one who managed to get escape with his life was Paxton, and he did it with almost no help from anyone (and trust me: there was no happy ending for Paxton, as made evident by the intro to “Hostel 2”).                      

    The reasons why I feel that “Hostel” is a scarier movie than “Taken”.

  

Taken (By Lauren Ennis)

Unlike Hostel, which focuses upon the physical tortures that an unsuspecting group of tourists endure, Taken’s focus is instead upon its protagonist’s emotional anguish. Like Hostel, Taken involves young Americans who are abducted while on vacation in Europe, but rather than chronicle the horrors that the girls endure at the hands of their captors, the story is told from the perspective of one of the girls’ father as he struggles to find and free his daughter. While both films highlight the dangers that we expose ourselves to when in an unfamiliar place, Taken’s greatest punches are packed not by its many thrilling action scenes, but by the raw emotion at the core of its story. Through its honest portrayal of a parent in crisis, Taken reveals the fears that lie within all us of us and the lengths to which we will go when the people we love are put into jeopardy.

The story begins with former CIA agent turned private bodyguard Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) struggling to rebuild his relationship with his estranged teenage daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace ). When he learns that Kim and her friend, Amanda (Katie Cassidy), are planning a trip to Paris he is strongly opposed to the idea but eventually agrees to let her go after being pressured by his ex-wife (Famke Janssen). As he sees Kim off at the airport, however, he learns that the girls are actually planning a cross-continental trip following U2’s European tour, rather than the agreed upon stay with Amanda’s cousins. Despite his misgivings, Brian decides that it is too late to stop the girls’ plans and sends Kim off with a loving warning to be careful. Almost as soon as the girls land, however, they form a fast friendship with local boy Peter (Nicolas Giraud) and give him the address of the apartment they’re staying in after he invites them to a party. The seemingly harmless acquaintance quickly turns sinister when the girls arrive at the apartment only to find that Amanda’s cousins are in Spain and several men, using Peter’s tip, infiltrate the apartment and abduct first Amanda and then Kim. Fortunately, before she is kidnapped, Kim makes a call to Bryan relaying her plight and providing him with a description of her abductor. With only Kim’s few words to follow and a “specific set of skills” to aid him, Bryan sets out on a journey through the Parisian underworld to bring his daughter home and take vengeance on her captors.

Despite its status as an action film, Taken highlights a devastating reality and approaches the topic of sex trafficking with the seriousness that it deserves. Over the course of Bryan’s journey, the film depicts the various networks of organized crime and political corruption that run and maintain the vast and lucrative trafficking business. As he delves deeper into the mystery of his daughter’s disappearance he quickly learns how the industry thrives on a combination of greed, societal indifference, and fear. The film deftly shows the maze of networks that make up the trafficking industry, which leaves viewers with little doubt as to how easily its victims can disappear in broad daylight. When he finally gains access to the city’s underground brothels he is horrified to learn how the girls are psychologically and physically abused until they finally break, and are then provided with access to drugs under the guise of allowing them an outlet, which in reality puts them further under their captors’ control. The moment that Bryan finds Amanda dead of an apparent drug overdose is truly chilling in the way that it shows the desperate lengths that trafficking victims will go to in order to escape (at least temporarily) the pain of their existence and echoes the influence of heroin and other drugs in the midst of today’s opiate epidemic. Through its bleak depiction of the inner depths of the sex trade Taken delivers horrors of an all too real variety that will have you thinking twice before you book your next vacation.

While the film contains the familiar action flick elements of death-defying stunts, sadistic villains, and constant plot twists, at its heart Taken remains a tale of a man trying to hold onto his family. When the film first starts, Bryan has retired from the CIA, despite his exemplary career record and the agency’s continued demand for his skills, in an effort to lead a more stable, family-driven life. He then makes time to visit his daughter, even though it means facing remaining bitterness from his ex-wife and awkward interactions with her new husband. Through the film’s early scenes, audiences are able to gain insight into Bryan’s struggle to hold onto what remains of his family, while still leading the violent life that his career demands. As a result, his journey to rescue Kim can be seen as a metaphor for trying to reconnect with her before she reaches adulthood and is emotionally lost to him. Viewed from this perspective, Taken becomes more than a somewhat relatable action film, and is elevated to a universal tale of the need for family connection in an increasingly disconnected world. Therefore, Bryan’s fears of losing Kim both literally in the sense that she could disappear into the international sex trade and figuratively in the sense that his time to be part of her youth is running out are equally terrifying and relevant.

Through its combination of action-packed thrills, emotional depth, and chills torn straight from the headlines, Taken is a film that will maintain a hold on viewers even after they leave the theater. The film works equally well as an entertaining thriller, heart-wrenching family drama, and exploration of the modern black market. When I was first approached with writing this review, the Film Junkie asked, “What’s more terrifying, being kidnapped in Europe and sold to be tortured to death or being kidnapped in Europe and sold as a sex slave”. That is a question that still remains uncomfortable and difficult to answer, but I can answer that the anguish that Bryan withstands in Taken is truly the stuff of every parent’s nightmare that will undoubtedly leave any parents in the audience nothing short of haunted.

A Message from Miss E.

Dear Readers,

I will be writing a joint review with our own Film Junkie next week, which would have been scheduled as an off week. As a result, I will be adjusting the review schedule so that this week will not be featuring a new review and next week will feature our joint review.

In the meantime, I recommend that you check out my reviews of Funny Girl and Doctor Zhivago in honor of star Omar Sharif who died last week, and To Kill a Mockingbird as a prep for the upcoming publication of the original novel's sequel, Go Set a Watchman.

Until then, enjoy the summer sun!

Miss E.

Classics: A Review of Jersey Boys By Lauren Ennis

We as a society often look to historical figures and pop culture icons for inspiration. As a result, one of the most popular forms of storytelling in modern film making is the biography. One of the increasingly popular trends in the sometimes stale genre is the musical biography, which uses song and dance to incorporate additional depth and emotional resonance into stories that otherwise, by their very nature, follow a predictable structure. While it is a risk to blend such divergent genres, this week’s toe tapping subject, Jersey Boys, manages to not only blend, but transcend the trappings of both genres to tell the story of the rise, fall, and redemption of one of modern music’s most enduring groups, the Four Seasons.

A group you won't be able to take your eyes off of

The story begins in 1951 with group members Frankie Valli (John Lloyd Young), Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza), and Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda) along with Tommy’s younger brother, Nicky (Johnny Cannizzaro), forming their own doo-wop group. Despite their musical aspirations, the foursome find themselves spending more time dodging police and rotating in and out of prison than rehearsing, as they are increasingly drawn into the criminal element of their notoriously tough New Jersey neighborhood. The group continues on in their roller-coaster existence until Nicky leaves the group and Tommy’s friend, a still unknown Joe Pesci (Joseph Russo), suggests that they contact teen songwriting sensation Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen). After hearing Frankie sing just one song the initially hesitant Gaudio joins the act and the Four Seasons as they are best known are born. The film then chronicles the group’s rise after years of struggle and the devastating fall that comes when financial debt, in-fighting, and life in the spotlight threatens to tear them apart.

While the film covers the themes and plot points familiar to the biography, the characters’ gritty backstory and complex personalities elevates the story to an almost Shakespearean tale of honor, friendship, betrayal and redemption. Although Hollywood is notorious for sanitizing and glorifying real-life figures in its fictional portrayals, Jersey Boys not only acknowledges, but explores the ways in which the Four Seasons were shaped and nearly destroyed by the bonds and habits that they carried with them from their years in the neighborhood. From their beginnings as juvenile delinquents to their eventual breakup at the height of their success after a mob deal gone wrong, the film spares its characters from no ugly incidents or painful memories. Each of the band’s members demonstrate a variety of flaws and make their fair share of mistakes and questionable decisions. Whether it’s living beyond their means, neglecting their families to party on the road, or fraternizing with all too available groupies, none of the band’s members are immune to the lure of life in the fast lane. Rather than alienating audiences, the band’s faults serve to show them as multi-faceted people whom audiences can recognize and relate to rather than unattainable celebrities. As a result, the audience is able to invest in the band’s journey and root for its success, regardless of whether they are long-time listeners or casual viewers. The film’s incorporation of the band’s music highlights also the story’s highs and lows without ever becoming intrusive. When the band first starts performing, for instance, the audience is able to see is potential, but can easily imagine the long road that it will take for it to reach that potential. Similarly, the use of such fan favorites as “Sherry”, “Walk Like a Man”, and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” transports viewers into the world of both the band and the culture early 1960’s America that they inhabit. As a result, viewers are drawn into both the inner and public lives of each band member in such a way as to highlight both their unique success and universal struggles.

You can take the group out of the neighborhood...

Despite the story’s intriguing premise, the film would not have become the dynamic crowd-pleaser that it is without a cast who could adequately bring it to life. The cast, largely members of the original Broadway cast, turn in performances that combine raw emotion with a subtle understanding of their roles that ensure the film makes a successful transition to the screen. John Lloyd Young successfully tackles the difficult task of performing in Frankie Valli’s falsetto style without resorting to blatant mimicry, all while imbuing his performance with equal parts sensitivity and street-wise charm. Vincent Piazza nearly steals the film in his portrayal of the rakish Tommy, whose con-man charm endears him to audiences despite his reckless behavior. Michael Lomenda and Erich Bergen hold their own in the less flashy roles of Nick and Bob and round out the foursome with performances that are equal parts intelligent, comic, and emotionally honest. The supporting cast lend apt support with Christopher Walken and Mike Doyle particularly standing out as the mobster who first notices the group’s talent and the manager who brings them mainstream success.

Both an entertaining musical and an effective biography, Jersey Boys has the best qualities of both genres and more. Rather than focusing upon one individual, the film tells the story of each band member in a way that shows how the ways in which their paths both intersected and separated influenced each other’s lives. At once a rags to riches Cinderella story and a cautionary warning against the high cost of fame, the film is a truly dynamic tale of what matters most when the spotlights fade. Break out your records and put on your dance shoes for an experience that will leave you humming, and reflecting long after the final credits roll.

If only today's boy bands had such talent

Classics: A Cinematic Ode to Fathers By Lauren Ennis

Father’s Day was first celebrated in 1910 in Spokane Washington, two years after the first celebration of Mother’s Day. Like its predecessor, the event eventually went on to be observed by all fifty US states and is now considered a fully-fledged holiday that is promoted through national media. Ironically, the holiday’s greatest resistance has historically come from the very men it is meant to celebrate, who often dismissed the holiday as commercialism or sentimentality. This week, I’ll be honoring the fathers in our readership with three films that highlight the importance of fatherhood without resorting to gimmicks or clichés.

Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim...can't help lovin' that dad of mine

Finding Nemo: This 2003 Disney/Pixar film put the ‘family’ back into ‘family entertainment’. The story follows the parallel journeys of father and son clownfish Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Alexander Gould) as they struggle to find their independence while finding their way back to each other. The film begins with anxiety-ridden Marlin raising only child Nemo after the death of his wife, Coral (Elizabeth Perekins). Following the brutal death of Coral and their eggs, Marlin vows to protect his son at any cost; even if it means coddling Nemo to the point that their relationship verges on codependence. After Nemo is captured by scuba divers during a school field trip (his first real experience away from his father’s care) Marlin dives into action, and with the help of memory impaired blue tang, Dory (Ellen Degeneres), journeys across the Tasman Sea to Sydney to find his missing son. Father and son quickly learn about the dangers of life beyond their sheltered anemone home as Nemo is held captive in a dentist office aquarium and Marlin encounters fish-addicted sharks, deadly jellyfish, and a gluttonous whale. Through their trials they also learn, however, about all of the joys and thrills that they’ve been missing out on and all of the courage and resilience that they never realized they possessed. Over the course of both their journeys, Marlin and Nemo ultimately learn to see things from each other’s perspective as Nemo experiences firsthand the dangers that his father tried to warn him about, and Marlin finally learns that there is a time to hold a child’s hand and a time to finally let go. With its dazzling visuals that transport viewers to the vibrant world lying beneath the ocean surface, this film is a must see for fans of the art of animation as well as Disney and Pixar devotees. Through a sense of humor that appeals equally to adults and children and universal lessons that will resonate long after the cinema lights fade, Finding Nemo truly is entertainment of the highest order for the whole family.

Who needs movies with a one-man-show in the family?

Man of a Thousand Faces: Hollywood biographies, while prestige projects that often go on to become Oscar contenders, all too often fall into the trap of relaying recycled themes and familiar story arcs while trying to highlight the life of a unique individual. One biography that breaks this mold, however, is the 1957 biography Man of a Thousand Faces. Although the film does chronicle the early life, struggles, and eventual success of its protagonist, famed silent horror star Lon Chaney (James Cagney), the film emphasizes themes beyond the usual struggle, success, and redemption themes by focusing upon Chaney’s troubled home life and his greatest role of all as a dedicated father. The film begins with the recently married Chaney working in vaudeville alongside his actress wife, Cleva (Dorothy Malone), as the pair struggle to make names for themselves on the stage. The film then shifts its focus from his professional life to his complicated personal one when Cleva announces that she is pregnant and insists upon meeting Lon’s family before their baby is born. The painful reason behind his keeping his family hidden is revealed when Cleva meets Mr. and Mrs. Chaney (Nolan Leary and Celia Lovsky), both of whom are deaf and mute. Horrified by her in-laws disability and terrified that her child may be born with the same handicap, Cleva becomes furious with Lon for hiding his family’s secret and threatens to have an abortion. He eventually persuades her to have the baby, who is born perfectly healthy, but she proves ill-suited to motherhood and leaves the majority of the parenting duties to him. When their son, Creighton (played by four actors at varying ages), is still a toddler she insists upon returning to the stage, even though it means working as a second-rate singer in a sleazy nightclub, and leaves the boy backstage at Lon’s performances while she works nights and sleeps most of the day. The couple reach their breaking point when Lon learns of Cleva’s affair with a wealthy patron and Cleva suspects that Lon’s platonic friendship with sympathetic showgirl Hazel (Jane Greer) is something more. In an attempt to bring his wife home and save his failing marriage Lon asks Cleva’s boss to fire her. When she learns that her employment, and dream of fame, has been terminated she is unable to withstand the blow and wanders onstage during one of Lon’s performances where she attempts suicide by swallowing a bottle of acid. The incident ultimately ends their marriage as she disappears after recovering and the state deems that Lon is unfit to raise Creighton due to the fact that he is a single father working in the often unpredictable entertainment industry. The film then shifts its focus to Lon’s film career as he struggles to gain better roles not to achieve fame or fortune, but to gain the job and financial security necessary to win back custody of his son. After finally regaining custody of Creighton, Lon faces yet more adversity as Creighton adjusts to living with his father and Cleva reappears and tries to reclaim the boy. Father and son eventually overcome misunderstanding and estrangement, with Creighton going on to adopt the stage name ‘Lon Chaney Jr.’ and taking his place in his father’s business. Throughout the many ups and downs of his varied career and complicated personal life one constant remains; Lon’s love for his son. Whether arguing with Cleva for their son’s right to life, scrambling to revive their obviously failing marriage to provide a complete home, or working grueling hours in thankless roles to ensure that he regains custody, Lon consistently puts Creighton and his needs first. While an intriguing biopic, Man of a Thousand Faces best serves as a testament to parental sacrifice and the enduring bond between fathers and their children.

A little bit of pixie dust and a lot of love can go a long way

Finding Neverland: This 2004 film also provides an unusual twist on the biopic. Finding Neverland chronicles J.M. Barrie’s process creating his masterpiece Peter Pan and his relationship with the family who inspired him to write it. The story begins with Barrie (Johnny Depp) meeting his widowed neighbor, Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet), following the successful debut of his latest show. The film then follows the evolution of the pair’s relationship as they become deeply close friends and Barrie takes on the role of surrogate father to Sylvia’s four young sons (Freddie Highmore, Nick Roud, Joe Prospero, and Luke Spill). Despite protests from his suspicious wife (Radha Mitchell) and Sylvia’s skeptical mother (Julie Christie), Barrie continues to spend the majority of his time with the family, and begins to write a story based upon a fantasy version of their lives that will become Peter Pan. When Sylvia finally succumbs to lung cancer at the film’s close she makes a provision in her will naming Barrie and her mother as the boys’ co-guardians, a role that Barrie gratefully accepts and promises to fulfill to the best of his ability.  Like Man of a Thousand Faces, Finding Neverland takes the standard biopic tropes and moves beyond them to tell a truly original story that conveys both the transformative power of imagination and the importance of family. Although Barrie is not the boys’ father, over time he develops a bond with each of them that is nothing short of paternal as he shows genuine interest in their lives and teaches them about the importance of holding onto childhood and living life to the fullest, even in the face of loss. The film’s unconventional story sheds light on the ways in which parental figures can play just as crucial a role in children’s lives as their actual parents and shows that parental figures and role models can be found in the unlikeliest of places.