The Critical List – 10 Scenes That Made Me Love My Job in 2012

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Loey Lockerby

I’m not doing a Top Ten Movies list this year, because everyone does them and mine won’t be much different. Instead, I’d like to share the individual scenes that made being a critic worthwhile for me in 2012. This list doesn’t cover every great movie I saw – I loved Argo, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, several documentaries, even (gods help me, I can’t believe I’m saying this) Les Misérables, but I can’t name a specific scene from any of them that plugged into my brain the way the ones below did.

So here’s my very personal list, in alphabetical order. There are probably spoilers, but you should see these movies, anyway:

1. Hushpuppy faces down the monsters in Beasts of the Southern Wild – When the title creatures finally appear in Benh Zeitlin’s apocalyptic fable, we can’t be sure if they’re real or a projection of 6-year-old Hushpuppy’s fears. One thing is absolutely certain, though – this child, played by the extraordinary Quvenzhané Wallis, is more powerful than anything her harsh world can throw at her. Monsters included.

2. Man vs. unicorn in The Cabin in the Woods – Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard made this movie. A guy gets impaled by a unicorn. That is all you need to know.

3. Schultz and Django meet in Django Unchained – Any Quentin Tarantino movie will have countless memorable scenes, and his blaxploitation spaghetti western is no exception. My favorite comes early on, when bounty hunter Schultz (Christoph Waltz) encounters slave traders and their captives in the woods. He wants to have a word with one of the shackled men, who happens to be our titular hero (Jamie Foxx). Hence the “unchained” part.

4. The giant mutant zombie turtle attacks in Frankenweenie – Only Tim Burton could make a black-and-white animated homage to Frankenstein that also sets up a marvelously elaborate shout-out to the Gamera series. When the supersized former pet rampages through a small-town carnival, Burton creates a moment of pure geek transcendence.

5. Bilbo finds a shiny trinket in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - In case anyone has forgotten, Gollum is a terrifying character, despite Andy Serkis and Peter Jackson’s successful efforts to make him sympathetic. In what is technically his introduction in The Hobbit, Gollum is creepier than ever, and his life-or-death “game” with Bilbo is remarkably suspenseful for a scene whose outcome we already know.

6. Maria emerges from the water – and into hell – in The Impossible - In a movie about a family’s survival of the 2004 tsunami, you’d expect the initial catastrophe to have the biggest visceral impact. But it’s what happens next that really brings the anxiety, as Maria (Naomi Watts) comes up for air and is immediately swept into a torrent of death and debris. Then she sees one of her kids, and things get really exciting.

7. The universe comes alive in Life of Pi - Ang Lee’s stunning adaptation of the Yann Martel bestseller is enhanced mightily by the 3D format, something too few films can claim. This is most true in a sequence involving a book of Hindu legends. Suddenly, the audience is pulled inside the book’s images of the universe, and gets an enchanting lesson in magic realism.

8. Freddie is “processed” in The Master –
This entire movie is an actor’s showcase, especially when Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman team up as a brain-scrambled veteran and the Hubbard-esque guru who takes an interest in him. Their first big scene consists of these two complicated men facing each other for a therapeutic “processing” session, and it should be required viewing for acting students everywhere.

9. The Shanghai skyscraper fight in Skyfall –
There are so many great action scenes in the latest James Bond entry, it should be difficult to pick a favorite. It should be, but it’s not. When Bond confronts a bad guy in an empty skyscraper, while enormous neon advertisements blaze in the background, no other movie showdown could hope to compare.

10. The bin Laden raid in Zero Dark Thirty – Kathryn Bigelow’s take on the hunt for Osama bin Laden is not a documentary, but it has the straightforward, no-nonsense approach of a great one. Everything leads directly to the climactic raid on the compound in Pakistan, a nerve-wracking sequence that gets viewers as close to being Navy SEALS as any of us would likely want to get.

The Critical List – 7 Musicals I’ll Watch Without a Gun to My Head

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Loey Lockerby

I’m still not sure if I’m going to see Rock of Ages. I was a teenager during the big-hair rock era, so I am a little nostalgic for the songs it contains, albeit ironically (I was/am more of a New Wave fan myself).

I have an almost physical aversion to musicals in general, which is what will likely keep me away. With very few exceptions, I find them cheesy, over-produced & too dependent on big production numbers to make up for bad scripts and non-actors. Even when there’s plenty of talent involved, they usually only work for me in segments. I love a great dance sequence or a memorable song, if they’re completely out of context. Usually, my highest praise is, “It was pretty good …. for a musical.”

There are exceptions to every rule, of course, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised a handful of times. So, in chronological order:

1. Duck Soup (1933) – The joyous anarchy of the Marx Brothers’ best movie carries over into its musical numbers, which is why I love them. Later efforts, like A Night at the Opera, would try to shoehorn in a love story or some such nonsense, but Duck Soup is utterly, wonderfully bonkers. When Margaret Dumont starts belting out the Freedonian national anthem, the boys respond in the only acceptable manner – by throwing produce at her.

2. The Wizard of Oz (1939) – I avoided this movie for most of my adult life, thanks to its association with my home state. Any Kansan who travels elsewhere can tell you how many dumbass “Where’s Toto?” jokes we get. It’s enough to make you hate everything Oz-related, which is completely unfair. Thanks to my tornado-obsessed nephew, I’ve been re-introduced to this classic, and it’s even more exciting and imaginative than I remember from childhood. For me, it’s almost the only tolerable thing Judy Garland was ever associated with, coming well before her tragic diva years (although it probably helped lead to them).

3. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) – It figures that a movie about Hollywood history would make a list of my favorites. I’m a sucker for more than its depiction of the silent era’s last hurrah, though. The whole movie just soars, all the time. Plus, Donald O’Connor runs up a wall and does a backflip. That’s enough to make any film worth seeing, especially one that also has Gene Kelly and gags about sound-on-disc failures.

4. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) – It’s a terrible movie, of course, if you try to watch it at home. With an audience, it’s the best time you can have in a theater without getting arrested (although you’re not doing it right if you don’t break a couple of local obscenity laws). I’ve seen this thing at least 50 times, and Tim Curry’s performance never loses its fearless brilliance. Poor guy got typecast from this point on, but it’s only because he’s so awesome.

5. Beauty and the Beast (1991) – As far as I’m concerned, this is the perfect “traditional” Disney movie. I usually have to fast-forward through at least one song in every Mouse House cartoon (don’t get me started on the live-action stuff), but I happily soak up every single moment of this masterpiece. It may be sacrilege to put it above old-school classics like Dumbo or Snow White, but I like a little blasphemy now and then.

6. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Once More With Feeling” (2001) – It’s not a movie, but it’s one of the greatest episodes of one of the greatest TV series of all time. Leave it to Joss Whedon to write several great songs, play to his cast’s strengths and find a way to have the song-and-dance make sense in the show’s universe. It’s got more humor and emotional depth than most movies, especially in this genre. Also, singing demons. You can never go wrong with singing demons.

7. Chicago (2002) – Maybe it’s the cynical nature of the story. Maybe it’s the complete absence of sappy love songs. Maybe it’s the actors (I can even stand Renee Zellweger in this, and that doesn’t happen often). Whatever the reasons, this is probably the most conventional musical I can enjoy without reservation. And it ain’t exactly My Fair Lady, unless Eliza Doolittle suddenly started packing heat. I’d totally watch that.

- Loey Lockerby

The Critical List – 8 Things I’ve Learned from Working with Walt Bodine

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Loey Lockerby

Local legend Walt Bodine is retiring on April 27th, finally taking a break at the age of 91. I’ve been a regular guest on his KCUR-FM show since about 1998, and it’s been a terrific education. Working with Walt is truly learning at the feet of the master. Check out the station’s tribute page here. Mine begins below…..

8 Things I’ve Learned from Working with Walt Bodine

1. Keep it moving, keep it interesting. The last thing you want on your broadcast is dead air. The second-to-last is boring drivel. Walt never let anything slow down the momentum of a show, and when he wasn’t as quick himself anymore, he let others take the lead. He also had a real knack for shutting down Chatty Cathys without insulting them. Even when they deserved it.

2. Perspective is everything. That calm, no-nonsense radio presence was not an act. Walt simply has one of the best attitudes of anyone I’ve ever met. The vagaries of the business – and the world in general – just don’t rattle him the way they do most people. That’s why his career and his life have both lasted so long.

3. Lack of professionalism is the 8th deadly sin. The only times I’ve ever known Walt to lose his cool was when someone didn’t seem to care about the program as much as he did. Major outbursts aren’t his style, but you can usually tell if he’s unhappy. Mess up the show, there won’t be any doubt.

4. The “kids” are not your enemies. Instead of feeling threatened by the presence of younger talent, Walt nurtured it, mentoring countless fellow broadcasters throughout his career. He didn’t care who you were or where you came from – if you deserved his support, you had it.

5. You can appreciate the past without trying to live in it. Walt loves local history (he is local history), but he understands the fallacy of “good old days” thinking. Even while sharing tales of KC’s past, which he does better than anyone, he remains engaged with the present and sanguine about the future.

6. Just because your name is in the title doesn’t mean the show is all about you. I’ve chatted with Walt about meeting celebrities, the evolution of the Plaza, our favorite Winstead’s orders……yet I have only a vague idea of his politics, and no clue what he thinks about religion. He rarely talks about his personal life, and gets embarrassed if you make a fuss over him. That seems almost quaint in this age of over-sharing and endless pontification, but it’s the mark of a true class act.

7. There are few greater pleasures than sharing a nice meal with your friends. By the time I got to know him, Walt could barely see or walk. Now, he can’t do either, but that hasn’t stopped him from indulging his love of good food and great conversation. He has one hell of an eclectic social circle, so even if the cuisine doesn’t measure up, lunch with Walt is still a guaranteed event.

8. Kansas City is a great place, and don’t you forget it. Walt could have gone national, like fellow KC broadcaster Walter Cronkite, but he remains devoted to his hometown. I’ve never heard him lament that decision. His affection is not uncritical, but he knows what this city can be. He loves it, and it loves him back.

So, enjoy your permanent vacation, my friend. You’ve earned every minute of it!

- Loey Lockerby

The Critical List – 6 Reasons “The Cabin in the Woods” is the Ultimate Joss Whedon Movie

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Loey Lockerby

If you’ve known me for more than, say, 5 minutes, you know I’m a devoted Joss Whedon fan. Since they won’t let us line up for The Avengers yet, I recently joined some friends to see The Cabin in the Woods, the long-delayed horror film Whedon co-wrote with director (and Buffyverse alum) Drew Goddard. Which brings me to my new – and hopefully ongoing – feature, The Critical List.

WARNING – CABIN IN THE WOODS SPOILERS AHEAD!! IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT, YOU PROBABLY WON’T KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT! SO GO SEE IT!! THIS’LL BE HERE WHEN YOU GET BACK!

6 Reasons The Cabin in the Woods is the Ultimate Joss Whedon Movie:

1. It deconstructs an entire genre……then reconstructs it, turns it sideways and draws a mustache on it. Cabin isn’t just about winking self-awareness of horror tropes. It’s about why those tropes exist, and what it means that we enjoy them. Whedon doesn’t blend as many genres here as he did with his TV shows – not enough time! – but he puts what he has under one hell of a crazy microscope.

2. It continues the Lovecraftian mythology that emerged on Buffy & Angel. It could, in fact, take place in that universe, and many fans have pointed out the similarity between it and Buffy‘s season 4 “Initiative” storyline. Whedon loves the idea that ancient, powerful forces are manipulating us to their own ends, when they’re not actively seeking to destroy us. Our puny human efforts to appease them are never of much use, and fighting them is a noble, doomed cause.

3. It’s a lot deeper than it looks. While you’re laughing at the unicorn attack (which really happens) and playing “spot-the-copyrighted-horror-villain-knockoff,” you’re also chewing on some serious questions. Why do we enjoy watching others suffer, even when the suffering is fictional? What social roles are we pushed into, and what ones do we choose? Is it ever OK to do something evil for the sake of a greater good? Is that “greater good” really so great – or good? How much free will do we have, and what are we obligated to do with it? Those issues are all over Whedon’s original work. They’ll probably turn up in Avengers, too, albeit under layers of special effects.

4. It has surprisingly broad appeal. Horror fans can enjoy the creep factor and general mayhem, film theorists can dig into the genre commentary, philosophers can debate the Big Issues, Whedon cultists can revel in seeing Fred, Topher and Andrew in the same movie. The only thing missing is a tortured love story for the romantics, although the Buffyverse contained enough of that for several lifetimes, IMO.

5. Its evil is banal – and hilarious. The corporate drones who terrorize our heroes/victims are just guys who drink coffee and play around with the speakerphone. Sure, they place bets on how the kids are going to die, and cheer on the carnage, but they’re just letting off steam – kind of like the audience. They remind me a little of Sunnydale’s Mayor Wilkins, who could chuckle over the antics of Marmaduke while plotting apocalyptic destruction.

6. It never quite does what you expect. I kept developing theories about where Cabin was headed, only to have them erased 30 seconds later. Eventually, I remembered one of the cardinal rules of Whedon’s stories: You never really know what’s going to happen, yet it all somehow makes sense in the end.

So, seriously, go see this movie. Then…..Avengers Assemble!

- Loey Lockerby