Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Controversial Films on Sounds of Cinema
Independence Day is approaching and that means it is time for Sounds of Cinema's annual episode on controversial films. The show airing July 7th will celebrate freedom of speech with a look at movies that have been censored, banned, or were otherwise controversial. Like previous episodes, the films selected will include movies of past and present, ranging from the familiar to the obscure, as well as a few pictures you may never have realized were controversial in the first place. And even if you tuned in last year, be sure to listen to the 2013 edition as it will include all new material.
Be sure to check this blog on Sunday morning for additional commentary, online videos, and links to sources on controversial cinema. Until then, here are links to posts from previous controversial film specials:
And here is an interview with Joshua Wheeler, Director at the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, following last year's controversy over Innocence of Muslims.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Superman Retrospective
Today’s episode of Sounds of Cinema took a look back at the live action Superman movies from 1951’s Superman and the Mole-Men to 2013’s Man of Steel. You can find the full reviews in the Sounds of Cinema review archive. Below is a quick summary of the films covered on today’s show:
Superman and the Mole-Men (1951)
This film was created as a demo for The Adventures of Superman television show and was only intended for theatrical release in case the show wasn’t picked up. The show went into production but the feature was put into theatrical exhibition anyway. Although it was created as a sample for the television show, Superman and the Mole-Men is quite different in its tone. The movie does not have the humor of the show and it plays more like a 1950s Cold War era drive-in movie than a Superman film.
Superman: The Movie (1978)
Superman: The Movie is a nearly perfect superhero film. Every aspect of this movie, including its cast, production design, and score, is impeccably pitched and it makes for the kind of crowd pleasing popcorn film that viewers will want watch over and over again. Christopher Reeve’s performance has become the standard against which all future portrayals of the character are set and it has numerous images that can rightfully be called iconic. This is perhaps the single most important superhero movie ever made, as its style and approach to comic book material has influenced all subsequent superhero films.
Superman II (1980)
Superman II has significant shortcomings but it is a lot of fun and it does the duty of a sequel to raise the stakes and broaden the story palate. This is a campier movie than its predecessor and the love story is handled clumsily but it is also more action packed and it has a memorable supporting performance by Terrence Stamp as General Zod.
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980/2006)
In far too many cases director’s cuts are cynical cash grabs but at their best these new editions allow for artistic visions to be preserved or restored. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is superior to the theatrical version in almost every respect. It more closely matches the tone of Superman: The Movie, it excludes many of the campier moments of Richard Lester’s version, and the action sequences are edited more tightly.
Superman III (1983)
Most movie franchises deteriorate over time but the decline between Superman II and Superman III is staggeringly steep. Everything that worked in the previous two movies is gone and what is left is an incoherent story with attempts at humor that aren’t funny. This is among the worst superhero films ever made and maybe the only nice thing to say about Superman III is its contribution to the plot of Office Space.
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
After the critical and box office disappointment of Superman III, the rights to Superman were sold to Cannon Films, a small studio notorious for picking up discarded franchises and making quick-buck sequels and ambitious but frequently under-budgeted fantasy films like 1987’s Masters of the Universe. The results speak for themselves in Superman IV. It is a terribly cheap production that often looks like a made for TV movie. However, in the quarter century since its initial release, Superman IV has a gained kitsch value. It is frequently silly but it is also strangely entertaining in the way that cult movies often are and despite its faults (or maybe because of them) the movie is entertaining schlock.
Superman Returns (2006)
After Superman IV, the series lay dormant for nearly two decades. Superman Returns exists in continuity with Superman: The Movie and Superman II but ignores Superman III and IV. Like Peter Jackson’s remake of King Kong, this is a tribute by contemporary filmmakers to a picture that was important to them. The movie was intended for the audience who came of age watching the Superman pictures of the 1980s and in that respect it is a middle aged superhero film. Director Bryan Singer, along with screenwriters Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris, deserve credit for aiming higher than stunts and explosions but this probably isn’t the picture that moviegoers were looking for, especially those who were under the age of twenty-five as of 2006.
Man of Steel (2013)
The style of 1978’s Superman: The Movie has dominated all subsequent incarnations of the character whether on film or television and in both live action and animation. Man of Steel is an ambitious attempt to break from that tradition and whatever its faults the filmmakers of this picture have succeeded in pushing Superman into the 21st Century. The picture they have made is stylistically bold and thematically interesting but it lacks a soul. As in a lot of recent Hollywood tent pole movies, the filmmakers conjure grand images of mass destruction that invoke the imagery of the 9/11 attack while purging that imagery of all human emotion. This is violence without consequence and as a result the climax of the movie is frequently cold, plastic, and joyless.
Superman and the Mole-Men (1951)
This film was created as a demo for The Adventures of Superman television show and was only intended for theatrical release in case the show wasn’t picked up. The show went into production but the feature was put into theatrical exhibition anyway. Although it was created as a sample for the television show, Superman and the Mole-Men is quite different in its tone. The movie does not have the humor of the show and it plays more like a 1950s Cold War era drive-in movie than a Superman film.
Superman: The Movie (1978)
Superman: The Movie is a nearly perfect superhero film. Every aspect of this movie, including its cast, production design, and score, is impeccably pitched and it makes for the kind of crowd pleasing popcorn film that viewers will want watch over and over again. Christopher Reeve’s performance has become the standard against which all future portrayals of the character are set and it has numerous images that can rightfully be called iconic. This is perhaps the single most important superhero movie ever made, as its style and approach to comic book material has influenced all subsequent superhero films.
Superman II (1980)
Superman II has significant shortcomings but it is a lot of fun and it does the duty of a sequel to raise the stakes and broaden the story palate. This is a campier movie than its predecessor and the love story is handled clumsily but it is also more action packed and it has a memorable supporting performance by Terrence Stamp as General Zod.
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980/2006)
In far too many cases director’s cuts are cynical cash grabs but at their best these new editions allow for artistic visions to be preserved or restored. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is superior to the theatrical version in almost every respect. It more closely matches the tone of Superman: The Movie, it excludes many of the campier moments of Richard Lester’s version, and the action sequences are edited more tightly.
Superman III (1983)
Most movie franchises deteriorate over time but the decline between Superman II and Superman III is staggeringly steep. Everything that worked in the previous two movies is gone and what is left is an incoherent story with attempts at humor that aren’t funny. This is among the worst superhero films ever made and maybe the only nice thing to say about Superman III is its contribution to the plot of Office Space.
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
After the critical and box office disappointment of Superman III, the rights to Superman were sold to Cannon Films, a small studio notorious for picking up discarded franchises and making quick-buck sequels and ambitious but frequently under-budgeted fantasy films like 1987’s Masters of the Universe. The results speak for themselves in Superman IV. It is a terribly cheap production that often looks like a made for TV movie. However, in the quarter century since its initial release, Superman IV has a gained kitsch value. It is frequently silly but it is also strangely entertaining in the way that cult movies often are and despite its faults (or maybe because of them) the movie is entertaining schlock.
Superman Returns (2006)
After Superman IV, the series lay dormant for nearly two decades. Superman Returns exists in continuity with Superman: The Movie and Superman II but ignores Superman III and IV. Like Peter Jackson’s remake of King Kong, this is a tribute by contemporary filmmakers to a picture that was important to them. The movie was intended for the audience who came of age watching the Superman pictures of the 1980s and in that respect it is a middle aged superhero film. Director Bryan Singer, along with screenwriters Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris, deserve credit for aiming higher than stunts and explosions but this probably isn’t the picture that moviegoers were looking for, especially those who were under the age of twenty-five as of 2006.
Man of Steel (2013)
The style of 1978’s Superman: The Movie has dominated all subsequent incarnations of the character whether on film or television and in both live action and animation. Man of Steel is an ambitious attempt to break from that tradition and whatever its faults the filmmakers of this picture have succeeded in pushing Superman into the 21st Century. The picture they have made is stylistically bold and thematically interesting but it lacks a soul. As in a lot of recent Hollywood tent pole movies, the filmmakers conjure grand images of mass destruction that invoke the imagery of the 9/11 attack while purging that imagery of all human emotion. This is violence without consequence and as a result the climax of the movie is frequently cold, plastic, and joyless.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Superman Retrospective on Sounds of Cinema
Tune in on Sunday, June 23, for a look back at the Superman movies. This episode will include reviews of all the character's live action feature films from 1951's Superman and the Mole-Men to 2013's Man of Steel as well as music from these pictures.
Friday, May 24, 2013
'Apocalypse Now' on Sounds of Cinema
On Memorial Day weekend Sounds of Cinema will feature a condensed version of Elektra Records’ two-disc, 96 minute soundtrack to Apocalypse Now. The soundtrack album is unique in that it includes the music as well as the dialogue, sound effects, and narration featured in the motion picture, making the album play very much like a radio drama.
Based on Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse Now tells the story of Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), an American soldier in Vietnam who is given a secret mission to assassinate an American colonel who has gone insane deep within the Southeast Asian jungle. On Willard’s journey he confronts his own doubts about the war, his allegiance to his country, and even his own sanity.
Apocalypse Now is an unconventional war film. There are none of the typical war film clichés; no taking the hill, no waving flags, no Rambo-style heroics, no buddies in combat. Instead, Apocalypse Now is a journey from the order and relative civility of the military command through a progressively chaotic and uncouth battlefield, stripping away the social and technological signs of human advancement and returning the characters to a primal state of nature. By doing this, Apocalypse Now examines the roots of violence and the nature of warfare, making the film an exploration of the Thanatos drive.
Sounds of Cinema airs every Sunday morning at 9am on 89.5 KQAL FM in Winona, Minnesota and at 11am on 89.7 KMSU FM in Mankato, Minnesota.
Based on Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse Now tells the story of Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), an American soldier in Vietnam who is given a secret mission to assassinate an American colonel who has gone insane deep within the Southeast Asian jungle. On Willard’s journey he confronts his own doubts about the war, his allegiance to his country, and even his own sanity.
Apocalypse Now is an unconventional war film. There are none of the typical war film clichés; no taking the hill, no waving flags, no Rambo-style heroics, no buddies in combat. Instead, Apocalypse Now is a journey from the order and relative civility of the military command through a progressively chaotic and uncouth battlefield, stripping away the social and technological signs of human advancement and returning the characters to a primal state of nature. By doing this, Apocalypse Now examines the roots of violence and the nature of warfare, making the film an exploration of the Thanatos drive.
Sounds of Cinema airs every Sunday morning at 9am on 89.5 KQAL FM in Winona, Minnesota and at 11am on 89.7 KMSU FM in Mankato, Minnesota.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
What James Franco and 'The Great Gatsby' Can Teach Us About Adaptation
In an article posted at Vice.com, James Franco has reviewed Baz Luhrmann’s new film adaptation of The Great Gatsby. Although the review is being regarded with eye-rolls from some quarters of the internet (as is most everything by Franco, unfairly in my view), the piece has some interesting things to say about the film and the craft of adaptation. Among his observations, Franco writes:
Franco also gets at the purpose of adapting a previously published text. This is important to understanding and evaluating a film like The Great Gatsby. Filmmakers who adapt books or other narratives to film may have various intents. Many filmmakers working today attempt to recreate the original text on celluloid; such is the case with recent adaptations of popular fiction like Twilight and the Harry Potter series, which adhere slavishly to the source material (often to the movie’s detriment). Filmmakers of an earlier era were more prone to translate the source material, which often means modifying the text for running time and capitalizing on the strengths of cinema; Jaws and Psycho follow the basic structure of their novels but make drastic changes to characters and slim down the plots. Other filmmakers seek to comment upon the original text, as in Paul Verhoven’s Starship Troopers, while still others may use the original text to make broader connections, as in Frances Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Heart of Darkness into Apocalypse Now.
None of these approaches are necessarily better than the others. Fans of a particular title will often talk about filmmakers “ruining” a book by making changes but that’s often hyperbole that misses the point. Critics and viewers have to evaluate an adaptation first in the same terms they would for any other film: how well it works as a piece of cinema. The fact that the Twilight series was apparently very faithful to the books does not make them good exercises in motion picture making. But adaptations also have to be understood in terms of what they have tried to do in relation to the original text. If the goal was to recreate the book and they failed to do this then that is fair criticism. But if the filmmakers attempt something else—and Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby is an attempt to translate the text and make it palatable for contemporary cinemagoers —then the film has to be understood in those terms.
I’ll have a full review of The Great Gatsby on Sunday’s show.
When adapting Gatsby to the big screen, the main questions Baz Luhrmann faced were: What will work? And, like Romeo and Juliet before, How do I make this older material live in a new medium for a modern audience? And somehow Luhrmann managed to be loyal to both the original text and to his contemporary audience. The jazz music of the 20s was raw and dangerous, but if Luhrmann had used that music today, it would have been a museum piece—irrelevant to mainstream and high culture alike, because they would’ve already known what’s coming. . . . Luhrmann’s film is his reading and adaptation of a text—his critique, if you will. . . . Luhrmann needed to breathe life into the ephemera and aura of the 20s and that’s just what he succeeded at.Franco refers to the use of contemporary hip-hop music in the film’s soundtrack. His assessment is right on, as hip-hop is the contemporary descendent of jazz and its appearance on the soundtrack gives the audience a point of reference in the party scenes.
Franco also gets at the purpose of adapting a previously published text. This is important to understanding and evaluating a film like The Great Gatsby. Filmmakers who adapt books or other narratives to film may have various intents. Many filmmakers working today attempt to recreate the original text on celluloid; such is the case with recent adaptations of popular fiction like Twilight and the Harry Potter series, which adhere slavishly to the source material (often to the movie’s detriment). Filmmakers of an earlier era were more prone to translate the source material, which often means modifying the text for running time and capitalizing on the strengths of cinema; Jaws and Psycho follow the basic structure of their novels but make drastic changes to characters and slim down the plots. Other filmmakers seek to comment upon the original text, as in Paul Verhoven’s Starship Troopers, while still others may use the original text to make broader connections, as in Frances Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Heart of Darkness into Apocalypse Now.
None of these approaches are necessarily better than the others. Fans of a particular title will often talk about filmmakers “ruining” a book by making changes but that’s often hyperbole that misses the point. Critics and viewers have to evaluate an adaptation first in the same terms they would for any other film: how well it works as a piece of cinema. The fact that the Twilight series was apparently very faithful to the books does not make them good exercises in motion picture making. But adaptations also have to be understood in terms of what they have tried to do in relation to the original text. If the goal was to recreate the book and they failed to do this then that is fair criticism. But if the filmmakers attempt something else—and Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby is an attempt to translate the text and make it palatable for contemporary cinemagoers —then the film has to be understood in those terms.
I’ll have a full review of The Great Gatsby on Sunday’s show.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
KMSU Spring Pledge Drive
89.7 KMSU FM "The Maverick" is currently holding its spring pledge drive. If you
listen to Sounds of Cinema from this station, please consider making a financial
contribution. You can make a pledge by calling 507-389-5678 or 1-800-456-7810.
You can also make a pledge online at the the station's website.
If you listen to KMSU and enjoy its content, please help to ensure that the station stays on the air. In stressful and uncertain economic times we all have to take extra care in how we spend our money. But it is also important to remember that we demonstrate what we value by where and how we spend our money. Consider the impact that KMSU's program has on the community. Many of the programs, especially those that are locally produced, provide a very important service to the listenership and to the Mankato area as a whole.
It's also important to remember that pledges are not just about money. Space and funding are at a premium across higher education and in these times of strained budgets college radio stations have been sold to generate short term cash. When you make a pledge to KMSU you demonstrate that the station is valued by the community and that helps justify its continued existence.
On Sunday, April 28th, those listening to Sounds of Cinema from KMSU will hear a special pledge drive episode. Those listening from 89.5 KQAL FM in Winona will hear the regularly schedule program.
If you listen to KMSU and enjoy its content, please help to ensure that the station stays on the air. In stressful and uncertain economic times we all have to take extra care in how we spend our money. But it is also important to remember that we demonstrate what we value by where and how we spend our money. Consider the impact that KMSU's program has on the community. Many of the programs, especially those that are locally produced, provide a very important service to the listenership and to the Mankato area as a whole.
It's also important to remember that pledges are not just about money. Space and funding are at a premium across higher education and in these times of strained budgets college radio stations have been sold to generate short term cash. When you make a pledge to KMSU you demonstrate that the station is valued by the community and that helps justify its continued existence.
On Sunday, April 28th, those listening to Sounds of Cinema from KMSU will hear a special pledge drive episode. Those listening from 89.5 KQAL FM in Winona will hear the regularly schedule program.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
'Die Hard' Replay
Today's episode of Sounds of Cinema was a replay of the Die Hard retrospective originally broadcast in February. You can find additional commentary on the Die Hard series here.
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