7.13.2008
Movie Review: Hellboy II
"Mexican director Guillermo del Toro has started to look like a legitimate successor to Ovid. Del Toro is not so much a creator of myths as a collector of them, a transhistorical myth nerd whose pantheon of influences ranges from Hesiod to Harryhausen (with liberal helpings of steam punk and Catholic iconography)." - Dana Stevens, Slate.com
The thing that startled me the most about "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" was that the emotional climax of the film, at least for me, didn't involve any of the main characters. Instead, the longest and most lingering sadness comes after a confrontation with a forest elemental. I won't give anything away, but this scene, and several smaller scenes like it throughout "Hellboy", underscore a theme director Guillermo del Toro has been exploring through much of his work. Most notably in the Academy Award-winning "Pan's Labyrinth". The conflict between a world filled with enchantment, and one that denies the imagination, that eradicates the sacredness of our world.
Hellboy vs. the forest elemental.
While the representation of soulless clockwork progress is represented by Spanish fascists in "Pan's Labyrinth", in "The Golden Army" humanity itself is suspect. As the Christianity Today review ponders: "Is the human race worth saving?"
"In the original Hellboy, the villains were adversaries like demons, Nazis, gods of chaos, assassins and necromancers—characters understood to be evil more or less by nature or by definition ... Hellboy II shifts from this kind of mythic good-vs-evil storytelling to something more like classical mythology, with variously flawed characters on all sides."
The character of Hellboy, wanting nothing more than to be "out" and loved by the people he secretly protects, is stunned when he isn't greeted as a hero and is instead treated as a spectacle at best, and a danger at worst. The movie asks, in a variety of ways, should he really be on humanity's side? Does humanity, with its various sins against a dying world of faerie, and an increasingly poisoned Earth, even deserve saving? The film never directly answers that question, though you can be fairly certain that Del Toro himself would prefer a humanity that didn't seem so eager to do away with the strange and fantastical.
Guillermo del Toro supports HETFET!
Of course "Hellboy" is also a big summer action film, and there are plenty of explosions, fights, comedic moments, and one-liners to please those who want nothing more than two hours of entertainment. However, unlike the stupid and nihilistic "Wanted", or the enjoyable but uneven "Incredible Hulk", Del Toro wraps his entry into Summer blockbuster season with layers of insight and deeper meaning for those looking for something more. What other summer blockbuster can successfully pen love-letters to James Whale and Hayao Miyazaki while including a Barry Manilow sing-along?
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" isn't "Pan's Labyrinth", but it is an enjoyable Summer film that reaches further than any genre film is expected to. Do yourself a favor and experience the amazing visuals on a big screen, you'll be glad you did. Wild Hunt approved and recommended!
Labels: Faerie, film, Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy II, movies, otherworld, Pan's Labyrinth, review
6.15.2008
Man-Witch?!?
This past week entertainment news sources have been abuzz about Jack Black dropping out of a starring role in the upcoming Warner Bros. movie "Man-Witch". For those already dreading the answer, here is the "plot" of "Man-Witch".
Jack Black
"Man-Witch centers on a man who learns he's a witch and goes off to teach the craft at a Hogwarts-like all-female witch school."
No doubt that hi-jinks ensue. One would hope that this high-profile defection will shelve plans for the film, but Warner Bros. seems committed to keep going.
"Man-Witch had a tentative January start date before Black disengaged, and is moving forward on schedule, according to Warner Brothers."
The writer/director of "Man-Witch" is Todd Phillips, who sports a resume of cinematic garbage like "Road Trip" and "Old School". One can only imagine what "treats" are in store once this film hits theaters.
So let's hear it for Jack Black's aesthetic judgment, and let's hope this film doesn't inspire any misguided press releases or "synergy" from Wiccan/Witch groups looking for a few seconds in the journalistic afterglow.
Labels: film, Jack Black, Man-Witch, movies, Witchcraft
5.19.2008
Crowley at Cannes
While a large amount of press coverage for the Cannes Film Festival has focused on the screening of a new Indiana Jones film, it isn't the only occult-laced thriller to debut at this star-studded event. The Bruce Dickinson-penned film "Chemical Wedding", a movie starring Simon Callow as a Cambridge scholar who becomes possessed by infamous occultist Aleister Crowley, also premiered.
"Metal god, actor, novelist, swordsman, pilot, DJ - and now screenwriter. Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson is a man of many parts, and this weekend he showed up in Cannes to show off a new film called Chemical Wedding. Dickinson, a registered commercial airline pilot, flew himself to the south of France, along with a bunch of journalists, fans, and suitably attired hangers-on (they carried tote bags bearing the legend "Bruce Air Flight 666")."
So how was the film? Early critical response is mixed. Andrew Pulver, who covered the Cannes screening, admires Dickinson's drive to see the film made, but finds the final product somewhat lacking.
"Without Dickinson, Chemical Wedding would have remained one of the submerged nine-tenths of gunk films clogging up the Cannes film market. Hampered by ropey performances, it never reaches the levels of weirdness and humour it is aiming at."
Meanwhile, the website Den of Geek calls "Chemical Wedding" formulaic, and quite dull outside the electric performance of Simon Callow as the Crowley-possessed Haddo.
"...the film isn't entirely without merit. Callow, as I said, is phenomenal, some of the photography is pretty, it's evidently well-researched and there are one or two very funny scenes. In fact, the film is at its strongest when playing up the comedy angle (a sick gallows humour that the Mega Therion himself would have guffawed at) but weak when it tries - and fails - to be scary or thrilling. A shame because the ideas are sound - it just feels like it was shot from an unpolished first draft. Do what thou wilt probably shouldn't be the whole of the law when it comes to writing coherently..."
The most damning review comes from Ivor Davies, who decries the treatment of Crowley (or at least his spirit) as uncontrollably evil and amoral.
"Numerous examples of exactly "just how evil could a person possessed by Aleister Crowley be" continue in a procession of visual and conceptual shocks ranging from relatively innocuous excrement deposited on an office desk to the crucifixion of a prostitute. Now, controversial a character as Crowley was, I really must ask what Bruce Dickinson is up to here. I listened to Callow emphasise that his portrayal of Haddo was "Playing the part of someone possessed by Crowley... and not actually Crowley Himself" but I see this as a pre-emptive excuse on his part for what we saw on screen and some of the issues that we might have with it."
So, taken together, not a very flattering portrait of the film. You might want to wait for the DVD, if you see it at all. It's too bad. A drama, even a horror film, involving Aleister Crowley could have loads of potential. A shame that "Chemical Wedding" seems to make Crowley just another murderous rampaging spirit, instead of a nuanced and complex figure.
Labels: Aleister Crowley, Chemical Wedding, film, Magick, movies, occult, Thelema
5.10.2008
Guillermo del Toro's Fairy War
Life has been good for director Guillermo del Toro lately. His 2006 film "Pan's Labyrinth" was widely acclaimed by critics (winning three Academy Awards), and he was recently tapped to direct the two Hobbit films (under the watchful eye of Peter Jackson). In between these two momentous events comes the July release of "Hellboy II: The Golden Army", which continues to mine the rich themes of myth, faith, choice, and the imagination.
"I think it's the primal motor of human endeavor," said del Toro about his fascination with exploring mythology and fantasy in his films. "All human endeavor: spiritual, physical, social. I think myth makes humans what we are, it is the essence of being human, the capacity to invent. No raccoon worships the god of the trash can and we do. There are plenty of people that worship in search of a spiritual meaning. Anyone that says, 'Okay, we are this or that many chromosomes away from being an ape,' they should consider imagination as one thing that is a huge chasm between us."
The old, horned, king of the otherworld.
In this follow-up to the 2004 cult-hit, del Toro seems to be expanding on his fascination with the fairy-inhabited "otherworld" from "Pan's Labyrinth". This time with the threat of an all-out war between fairy-folk and humanity. Hellboy creator, and film co-writer, Mike Mignola, compares fae/human tensions in the movie to the history of American Indian struggles.
"The focus is more on the folklore and fairy tale aspect of Hellboy. It's not Nazis, machines and mad scientists but the old gods and characters who have been kind of shoved out of our world. I kind of equate it to the whole American Indian situation. The Indians were shoved onto reservations. You had your old, wise Indians who said, "You know, this is the way it is. We can't fight anymore. We just have to accept our fate." You then have your Geronimo character saying, "Or we could just kill the White Man." That's kind of the situation we have in the film. We have our elf characters resigning to the way things are and then there's one saying, "Or we could take the world back." The main difference is - what if the Indians had a nuclear warhead? The elves have their equivalent of the weapon that is too terrible to use. What if this guy decided to use it?"
Building on that theme, a viral marketing web site called HETFET, Humans for the Ethical Treatment of Fairies, Elves, and Trolls, has emerged.
HETFET logo.
"We know that every minute of every day, all across the world, terrible crimes are taking place all around us. But the victims of these crimes can't ask for help because humanity turns a deaf ear to the segment of society that we once called "mythical creatures." Not anymore. At HETFET, it is our unwavering belief that these misunderstood beings deserve the same rights as those given to animals or people. No more, no less; just the right to coexist and be left alone."
Needless to say, the Pagan overtones of the site, complete with a real petition to save old-growth forests, are palpable. With the otherworldly action, a film preview sporting massive pre-historic Venus figurines, and a trip through a "Troll market" (not to mention a horned god/king!), this Hellboy film is shaping up to be a real treat for the Pagan film-goer. I'm very much looking forward to seeing it in July.
Labels: Faerie, film, Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy II, movies, otherworld, Pan's Labyrinth
4.17.2008
Crowley the Supernatural Villian
The official trailer for the movie "Chemical Wedding" has been released. Directed by Julian Doyle, and written by Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson, the film stars Simon Callow as a Cambridge scholar who becomes a reincarnated Aleister Crowley.
From the trailer it seems fairly obvious that Crowley's spirit will be portrayed as downright diabolical, with hints that there may be a bit of human sacrifice, if not some violent magical mayhem, involved. It also looks like he is being played as ardently heterosexual, despite Crowley's intense love-affairs with men in his lifetime. The other major themes of the movie seems to be Crowley's relationship with Jack Parsons and L. Ron Hubbard, and a sci-fi "interactive suit" that transforms meek Haddo into Crowley.
"But did the issue [over producing a Moonchild] end with these three deaths [Crowley, Hubbard, and Parsons]? Would Crowley, as he claimed, ever return from death to rule the world? Why did US astronauts name a crater on the moon after Jack Parsons? Is L. Ron Hubbard really dead? What had been generated by the ceremony in California that seemed to signal Crowley's demise? And what happened to the missing pocket-watch? Unanswered questions till, late in the twentieth century, when Dr. Joshua Mathers brought a 'state of the art' interactive suit from Cal Tech California to Cambridge in England to be hitched up to the Z93, the biggest super-cooled, super-conductive computer in the world."
Bizarre rituals! Young naked people! Conspiracy theories! Looks like it might be the occult popcorn flick of the year. Plus, with Crowley being a spirit, you can bring him back for innumerable sequels should "Chemical Wedding" prove successful. The film is being released in the UK on May 30th. No word yet on a US screenings.
Labels: Aleister Crowley, Chemical Wedding, film, Magick, movies, occult, Thelema
3.28.2008
Hypatia Comes to the Screen
Filming is currently underway on "Agora", a work directed by Alejandro Amenabar ("The Others", "The Sea Inside"), that centers on the efforts of female philosopher and mathematician Hypatia to save the collected wisdom of Alexandria. Starring in the role of Hypatia will be Academy Award-winning English actress Rachel Weisz.
Max Minghella, Alejandro Amenabar, and Rachel Weisz.
"I never imagined in my wildest dreams that Hollywood would make a film set in the ancient library of Alexandria but, as Sophocles would say, polla ta deina (or, roughly translated, wonders never cease). According to Amenabar, 'It's amazing to think that [ancient Alexandria] should be condemned to oblivion, not least by filmmakers. Our entire team is devoted to bringing ancient Alexandria back to life by using a hyper-realist approach. We want the audience to see, feel and smell a remote civilization as if it were as real as the present day.'"
This film, more than any other recent film set during the classical period, will be closely watched by modern Pagans (especially Hellenic reconstructionists). Many of whom consider Hypatia to be one of the primary martyrs of pre-Christian pagan religion.
"Yet even she fell a victim to the political jealousy which at that time prevailed. For as she had frequent interviews with Orestes, it was calumniously reported among the Christian populace, that it was she who prevented Orestes from being reconciled to the bishop. Some of them therefore, hurried away by a fierce and bigoted zeal, whose ringleader was a reader named Peter, waylaid her returning home, and dragging her from her carriage, they took her to the church called Caesareum, where they completely stripped her, and then murdered her by scraping her skin off with tiles and bits of shell. After tearing her body in pieces, they took her mangled limbs to a place called Cinaron, and there burnt them." - Socrates of Constantinople
Hypatia was renowned for her knowledge and virtue, and reportedly remained a virgin until her death (she once repelled a suitor by showing him her menstrual rags). But virgin or not, such things can't stop a romantic sub-plot from being introduced into the film.
"Set in Roman Egypt in the fourth century, "Agora" tells the story of the legendary astronomer Hypatia (Weisz), trapped in the legendary Library of Alexandria, and her fight to save the old world's wisdom from the religious riots sweeping the streets of Alexandria. Her slave Davus (Minghella) wrestles with his yearning for freedom and his professed love for his mistress."
All the same, the director (who also co-wrote the script) seems passionate about the film, and according to Rachel Weisz the work "gets to the heart of the ugliness and the beauty of what it is to be human." So for now, I'm feeling quite positive about the film's prospects. With "Agora" currently filming, and "Cowboys for Christ" scheduled to start shooting in April, it looks like 2009 may be a very good year for Pagan-friendly films.
Labels: Agora, Christianity, film, Hypatia, movies, Paganism
2.06.2008
Wicker Man: The Musical
Back in 2006 I reported that Robin Hardy, director of the 1973 cult-classic The Wicker Man, was "very committed" to making a musical production of the film for the stage. Now it looks like plans for a musical stage adaptation are well underway.
In the woods there grew a tree...
"Innovative theatre company, The Motion Group, have the rights to stage The Wicker Man in the UK. Working with the 1973 screenplay and music they are adapting the film for the stage with Robin Hardy and Gary Carpenter. They may even use some of the original cast. The aim is to realise the original film on the stage in as loyal and exciting a way as possible. Artistic director Andrew Steggall believes that in its essence the story is inherently theatrical - being about a ritual as it is, and including so much 'role-playing' and music."
To make the production happen, The Motion Group is approaching funding in a unique manner. They are urging fans and supporters to purchase a piece of the play.
"We are selling "pieces" of the Wicker Man to you! Each "piece" (like a share) costs 100 pounds and could earn you a return on your investment based on later ticket sales."
There are 400 shares/pieces available for purchase, those who buy ten shares or more will be invited to a pre-production party featuring stars from the film in attendance. The Motion Group says they are coming from a place of "sincere belief in the theatrical brilliance of the original movie", so terrifying visions of a singing Nicolas Cage can be put aside.
In other Wicker Man-related news, actress Britt Ekland, who appeared in the original film as the free-spirited Willow, recently told television host Jonathan Ross that she regrets refusing to appear fully nude in The Wicker Man. Eklan's resulting body double, now said to be a local stripper from Glasgow, had an inferior posterior according to the actress.
"'I didn't want to show my bottom but I shot myself in the foot,' Ekland said on BBC1's Friday Night With Jonathan Ross. 'They put in the ugliest, biggest bottom in the world. Mine was much smaller and much nicer. I recently found out it was a stripper from Glasgow' ... 65-year-old Ekland said she was less than pleased with her mystery body double and wished she had felt confident enough to bare all."
Ekland's famous nude dance-scene has elicited quite a bit of speculation over who the body-double was. Many fans believe the double was a local by the name of Jane Jackson, while Gary Carpenter insists the double is Lorraine Peters, an actress who appeared elsewhere in the film.
In a final note, director Robin Hardy has released more information about his forthcoming "re-imagining" of The Wicker Man entitled Cowboys For Christ. Joan Collins has signed on to replace Vanessa Redgrave, and folk musician Keith Easdale has been tapped to produce music for the film.
Labels: Britt Ekland, Cowboys For Christ, film, Paganism, Robin Hardy, The Wicker Man
10.09.2007
Entertainment News
Some movie and television news that should be of interest to my readers.
The first item is a bit of good news. Kathryn Price NicDhana, at her blog Paganachd Bhandia, reports that the film "Spirits for Sale" has won Best International Film at the 2007 South Dakota Film Festival. "Spirits for Sale" is a documentary that tackles the appropriation and exploitation of Native religion and ceremony by outside groups.
"Europe has also seen a growing interest in so called Native American spirituality. Ceremonies and rituals together with sacred objects are being sold on websites and in papers. Cults and organisations offer people to become 'an Indian shaman' or a medicine man during a weekend course. Seldom or never do Native voices get heard and because of the lack of information, con-men make a considerable amount of money while they violate the spirituality of mostly Plains Indians. This film will address the issue of spiritual exploiters and the harm they do towards Native cultures but also to followers who, in many cases, 'don't have a clue'."
This film currently in the process of applying to other film festivals, no word yet on distribution or sale of the film is available at this time.
We turn from the appropriation of Native culture, to the snubbing of a native language. In this case it involves a striking new film that explores the folktales and mythic landscape of Scotland. The film, "Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle", has been getting rave reviews from critics and many expected that it would submitted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for consideration as a foreign-film Oscar contender.
But instead, "Seachd", a picture filmed entirely in Scots Gaelic, and a Welsh-language film "Calon Gaeth (Small Country)" were both rejected by the London-based BAFTA film committee causing an uproar of controversy in the UK.
"AMPAS rules state that only an "outstanding" film should be submitted. BAFTA has given no official reason why its jury, comprising six members of the film committee, rejected both candidates this year. But insiders say none of the jurors considered either film strong enough. Problem is that this verdict, based on DVD screeners, is at odds with the response "Seachd," at least, is getting out in the real world, on the big screen. Pic was warmly reviewed at the Edinburgh fest, and is in competition at Rome this month."
The row has turned political, and even the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has questioned BAFTA's rejection of "Seachd". The cast and crew of the film have been asking those who want to support the film to help put pressure on BAFTA so the picture can be considered for a foreign-film Oscar. A Oscar nomination, even if they don't win, would be a huge boost for Celtic-language film-making in the UK, and would help ensure a wide distribution in America.
Turning from movies to television, Lifetime television is airing a two-part miniseries during the Halloween season entitled "The Gathering", about a man searching for his wife who has seemingly been kidnapped by an evil coven of Witches.
A crow! It must be Witches!
"Michael Foster seems to have it all: a great job, a beautiful wife and a teenage daughter who's only a bit of a handful. But on a particularly romantic evening, Michael's beloved wife disappears from their locked home, and his world collapses. Michael soon discovers that his wife's vanishing act may be linked to other mysterious disappearances and that the explanation for them may be a mystical one. Something scary is happening, and there's no one for Michael to trust when it looks as though everyone is a part of the conspiracy. Before he knows it, Michael is mixed up in a case involving witches, black magic and murder. Can he save himself and his daughter before it's too late?"
The series premiers this Saturday. I don't have cable so someone will have to watch it for me and tell me how bad it is (or isn't). Will there be blood sacrifice? Ambiguously ominous rituals? Inquiring minds want to know!
In a final quick note, for fans of the theologian Jack T. Chick (you know who you are), a new film re-enacting Chick's loopy and demented cartoon ravings entitled "HOT CHICKS" is hitting the film-festival circuit. You can purchase a DVD of the nine Chick-inspired film shorts via their web site.
Labels: BAFTA, film, Hot Chicks, Jack T. Chick, Lifetime, Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle, Spirits for Sale, Television, The Gathering, UK
10.08.2007
Stay True to the Story
The Walden Media film adaptation of Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising", ultimately renamed "The Seeker", has seemingly flopped with critics and is doing badly at the box-office. While I would like to claim that the reason is due to their decision to remove all pre-Christian references from the work, the most likely culprit is the fact that they didn't respect the original story.
"'The Seeker' is based on the young adult novels written in the 1960s and '70s by Susan Cooper. Lyrical, magical and steeped in Celtic mythology, Cooper's beloved series seems like ripe material for audiences hungry for magic and epochal battles between good and evil. But screenwriter John Hodge strips Cooper's story of its details and charm, reducing it to a kind of characterless, elemental video game - an apocalyptic scavenger hunt punctuated by sonorous pronouncements instead of dialogue: "You and all your kind will be destroyed," intones The Rider (Christopher Eccleston), the leader of The Dark."
While author Susan Cooper admits that you "do violence to a book to make it into a screenplay"
* Check out my exclusive interview with Herne the Hunter on why he ultimately decided to drop out of filming "The Seeker".
Labels: film, Herne the Hunter, Paganism, Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising, The Seeker, Walden Media
10.02.2007
Will "The Seeker" Rise?
Yesterday on NPR, Margot Adler interviewed Susan Cooper about the upcoming movie adaptation of her classic Newbery Medal-winning book "The Dark is Rising". As you listen to the audio, some portions are almost heartbreaking as you hear Cooper talk about the extreme changes that have been made to the book.
"Cooper has written many screenplays herself, and she hastens to say she hasn't seen the film yet. She has only seen the trailer and read the screenplay. "You do have to do violence to a book to make it into a screenplay - the two mediums are so different," Cooper says. "But the alteration is so enormous in this case. It is just different." ... Cooper is waiting for the movie, but with a certain sadness. She says she sent a letter requesting changes to the film's script, but she's not sure any alterations were made."
In a separate essay posted to NPR, Alison MacAdam, a producer with "All Things Considered", fears that the movie is so different that it won't encourage children to read the source material.
"Sure, I hope the movie will lead new readers to Cooper's books. But I fear an opposite scenario: that it will be so unrecognizable from the original story that it won't drive kids to Cooper's novels; it will replace the novels. As if to confirm my fears, I got word one week - one week! - before the film's release on Oct. 5 that its name had been changed. Not that the strangely-punctuated The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising had struck me as a winner, but now the filmmakers have erased The Dark Is Rising altogether: The film will hit theaters as simply The Seeker."
Also worrisome is the fact that the movie hasn't been screened for critics yet, even though the film opens in three days. Usually when a smaller film like "The Seeker" cancels advance screenings, it is to avoid bad reviews on opening weekend. Perhaps Walden Media is hoping their core audience of parents and children will trust they are getting a good, safe, family film and will care little about how true to the books the film is.
At this point I hold out little hope that the original spirit of the work has been preserved. It is obvious that anything that was too "difficult", or embraced themes that weren't Christian, have been sanitized from the film. So even though "The Dark is Rising" is one of my favorite young-adult novels, I can't in good conscience recommend seeing it. I suppose that is the end-result when you have a conservative-Christian director and a conservative-Christian owned movie studio get together to film a book chock-full of mythic and pre-Christian themes.
Labels: Christianity, film, Margot Adler, NPR, Paganism, Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising, The Seeker, Walden Media
9.13.2007
Documentaries of Note
There are two new documentaries being released that should be of special interest to my reading audience. The first is a documentary concerning the legendary occultist Aleister Crowley. The film, "In Search Of The Great Beast 666", purports to reveal the "shocking facts" about one of the most influential Britons of all time.
Surprisingly, it seems that despite the melodramatic press copy, the film is actually pretty decent according to a review at Lashtal (home of the Aleister Crowley Society).
"So, what of the film itself? Well, the narration is provided with typical workmanlike skill by Joss Ackland. Rather than following the usual dry format, the time flies past as a result of some really rather impressive reconstructed period interview: actors playing some of the most significant parts. This is so much more watchable than the usual voiceover extracts and works rather well ... Especially good is the account of the events leading up to the reception of Liber AL and the attempted ascents of K2 and Kangchenjunga."
The film is available for purchase in Britain now, no word yet on an American release
The second film covers the thorny subject of cultural appropriation. "Spirits For Sale", tells the tale of a Swedish woman who receives an eagle feather from a Native American visiting her country. Feeling that perhaps the item shouldn't belong to her, she journeys to different Indian communities in the Americas and explores how the growing popularity of "Native American spirituality" within New Age communities in Europe is actually a form of cultural theft and exploitation.
Image from the "Spirits for Sale" web site.
"The information in Europe about Native Americans and Native Canadians is most often full of fantasies and lies. People in general know very little about American Indians and their general view is based on stereotypes, mascots and film cliches. In some cases the belief is that 'Indians do not exist.' Europe has also seen a growing interest in so called Native American spirituality. Ceremonies and rituals together with sacred objects are being sold on websites and in papers. Cults and organisations offer people to become 'an Indian shaman' or a medicine man during a weekend course. Seldom or never do Native voices get heard and because of the lack of information, con-men make a considerable amount of money while they violate the spirituality of mostly Plains Indians. This film will address the issue of spiritual exploiters and the harm they do towards Native cultures but also to followers who, in many cases, 'don't have a clue'."
The film is having its American debut at the South Dakota Film Festival on September 22 2007. No word yet on further American showings, or when a DVD will be released. Thanks to Kathryn Price NicDhana for tipping me off about this documentary.
* Also of note is the fact that prog-rocker turned evangelical Christian Rick Wakeman provided the soundtrack, which merited a bit of controversy for the now-devout keyboardist.
Labels: Aleister Crowley, American Indian, documentaries, film, In Search Of The Great Beast 666, indigenous, Lashtal, Native American, occult, Spirits for Sale, Sweden, UK
9.01.2007
My Chemical Wedding
There is a new film coming out about the life of legendary occultist Aleister Crowley entitled "Chemical Wedding". The film, which is scheduled for release in Fall of 2008, is written by Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson and will star veteran British actor John Shrapnel as Crowley.
John Shrapnel
"It was back in 1904 that colorful Brit Aleister Crowley had what he describes as a mystical experience in Cairo, Egypt. Figuring that his wife's sudden strange behavior on holiday was due to contact with some mysterious entity, Crowley summoned up the Egyptian god Heron, who further took hold of his spouse and through her told him a new magical era had begun and that he was destined to be its prophet. For our money, that should be the opening scene of Chemical Wedding, a film about Crowley currently shooting that was written by Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson. Dickinson tells DigitalSpy.com that he came up with the idea for a film about an individual he has long been a personal fan of after working with director Julian Doyle on the music video for "Can I Play with Madness." Doyle is also directing Chemical Wedding. Crowley, who passed away in 1947, led a spectacular life."
Also starring in the film is Kal Weber as MacGregor Mathers, and Geoff Breton as John Symonds. No word on what period of Crowley's life the film will cover, or if it will deal with Crowley receiving "The Book of the Law" as the FilmStew article hopes. Metal news-site Blabbermouth claims that the film will deal with a professor (Simon Callow) that thinks he is the reincarnation of Crowley.
"Produced by London-based Focus Films, the movie, entitled "Chemical Wedding", stars Simon Callow as a Cambridge professor who becomes a reincarnation of Aleister Crowley."
Whatever the outcome, this may be the "biggest" (in terms of budget and distribution) film
* For some smaller-budget thrills, you may want to check out this trailer for "The Abbey of Thelema" or perhaps the films of Kenneth Anger for some Crowley-influenced cinema.
Labels: Aleister Crowley, film, Magick, occult, Thelema
8.28.2007
Horror Films and Religious Illiteracy
John Morehead has posted a brand new interview with author and academic Douglas Cowan (author of "Cyberhenge: Modern Pagans on the Internet") concerning the interface of religion and horror films on his excellent TheoFantastique blog. In the interview Cowan discusses popular Pagan-themed films like "The Craft" and "The Wicker Man", and how movies and other popular entertainment mediums have helped reinforce the notion of the religious "Other" as dangerous.
"In terms of new religious movements - or any religion, really - three things are significant here: a basic religious illiteracy that is pandemic in our society; the sociophobic power of the word 'cult'; and three decades of media stigma and stereotyping that has contributed to both of these."
While exploring these topics, Cowan mentions Stephen Prothero's recently released book "Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know-and Doesn't" (which I'm currently reading) which posits that religious education has deteriorated to dangerous levels in our society. As a side effect, many people learn about Catholicism through films like "The Exorcist" or Wicca through "The Craft".
"People who watch The Exorcist or The Craft - the former allegedly based on a true story, the latter which had a real Witch as a consultant on the production - cannot discern which are the 'real bits' and which are pure Hollywood. In The Craft, actual lines from the First Degree Initiation into Gardnerian Wicca is mixed with more sensationalized action sequences. The problem is that many people seem unable (or unwilling) to make adequate distinctions between these, and this is something filmmakers can exploit."
I suggest reading the entire interview, which goes into quite a bit of depth on these subjects. You should also check out the first interview (part one, part two) Moorehead conducted with Cowan that covered similar ground. Douglas Cowan also has a book coming out soon entitled "Sacred Terror: Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen" that explores these subjects further. Perhaps Cowan's work (and Moorehead's) marks a positive step towards de-emphasizing the unhealthy "sociophobic" effects of these films on minority faiths by encouraging a more critical attitude towards religious themes exploited for popular entertainment, and advocating for better religious literacy across the board.
Labels: Douglas Cowan, film, Horror, John Morehead, Paganism, Religion
8.12.2007
Review: Stardust and Rome
My schedule allowed me to see the film adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "Stardust" during its opening weekend (a rare occurrence in my household), and since I plugged the movie on my blog earlier this week I thought I would provide a review. But let me preface by quoting a small bit from Roger Ebert's review that mirrored many of my own feelings concerning "Stardust".
"There are lots of other good things in the movie, but they play more like vaudeville acts than part of a coherent plot. It's a film you enjoy in pieces, but the jigsaw never gets solved. I liked it, but "The Princess Bride" it's not."
There are many good small things in the film. Michelle Pfeiffer is charming as the witch Lamia, and the Greek chorus of dead brothers are entertaining throughout, but the film itself is something of a mess and the romance lays the syrup on so thick diabetics should be warned. Though it has been some time since I read Gaiman's original work, I don't believe it was so openly mushy and sentimental. That more than anything else separates this film from the modern classic of swashbuckling fantasies "The Princess Bride" (which it has been compared to several times), a film that wasn't afraid to add a generous dose of cynicism, sarcasm, and doubt (not to mention a script as tight as a steel drum).
Perhaps the greatest sin of "Stardust" is that it doesn't trust the audience to make connections for themselves, everything is explained and narrated to a point where the characters don't have a chance to expand and breathe. We all know that fairy tales involving dashing heroes will (generally) end up with a happy ending, but most of us don't watch for the pay-off happy ending, we watch to see how well the storyteller convinces us that it might NOT work. In "Princess Bride" we are shown an array of characters with their own fully-formed motivations helping, hindering, or confusing the main quest for true love, in "Stardust" every plot point seems like just another tick on a check-list to "happily ever after". "Stardust" isn't a bad film per-say, like I said before there some bright moments that can charm you, but I was hoping for a classic and ended up with a trifle.
On a completely different note, I started watching the second (and last) season of the HBO television drama "Rome", which recently came out on DVD. I don't have cable, so it has been quite awhile since I visited these characters, and I must say that I had forgotten how fresh "Rome" is in its ambition and scope. The aftermath of Ceasar's death (which happened at the end of the first season) is handled very well (though history is always fudged a bit in this show), and as always religion is everywhere in the series.
"If the past is a foreign country, then ancient religion may be its most exotic locale. The HBO series "Rome," which returns for its second season on Sunday, is hardly "Fodor's Guide to Paganism," but by venturing off some well-worn cinematic paths, the show has given the worship of the gods a generous treatment in a genre dominated by stories of gladiators and the advent of Christ. The creators of the serial drama, which focuses on the power struggles during the last days of the Roman Republic in the first century B.C.E., wanted to portray Roman religion not as a doomed prologue to Christianity but as a vibrant and meaningful part of everyday life."
Religion is taken so seriously that when a character commits a major act of blasphemy in the second episode, you feel truly shocked by the action. It is a shame that "Rome" will not see a third season (due to the staggeringly large budget), but we can at least enjoy the two soap-operatic seasons of the Roman Empire's rise.
Labels: film, HBO, Neil Gaiman, Paganism, review, Rome, Stardust
7.30.2007
Ingmar Bergman 1918 - 2007
Acclaimed film director Ingmar Bergman died today at the age of 89. Bergman is perhaps most famous for his existential masterpiece "The Seventh Seal", and his life-affirming tale of love and repentance "Fanny and Alexander".
Liv Ullmann with Ingmar Bergman in 1968.
"I want to be one of the artists of the cathedral that rises on the plain. I want to occupy myself by carving out of stone the head of a dragon, an angel or a demon, or perhaps a saint; it doesn't matter; I will find the same joy in any case. Whether I am a believer or an unbeliever, Christian or pagan, I work with all the world to build a cathedral because I am artist and artisan, and because I have learned to draw faces, limbs and bodies out of stone. I will never worry about the judgment of posterity or of my contemporaries; my name is carved nowhere and will disappear with me. But a little part of myself will survive in the anonymous and triumphant totality. A dragon or a demon, or perhaps a saint, it doesn't matter!" - Ingmar Bergman
For Pagan film buffs he will be fondly remembered for his classic take on the uneasy co-existence between Christianity and paganism "The Virgin Spring".
"Based on a ballad of that era [13th c] by Ulla Isaksson, it's both one of the more unusual and accessible of Bergman's pictures. Tore (Max von Sydow) is a lord who, with his wife Mareta (Birgitta Valberg) is a recent convert to Christianity, with different degrees of devotion. Their teenage daughter Karin (Birgitta Pettersson) is both devout but also somewhat vain and flighty. When she insists on wearing an elaborate dress to take candles on an overland journey to the local church, she attracts the attention of several herdsmen (Axel Dyberg and Tor Isedal) and their younger broher (Ove Porath). They rape and murder Karin, stealing her garb, under the observant eyes of her adopted sister, Ingeri (Gunnel Lindblom), a pagan worshipper of Woden, who brought a curse down upon Karin. But the herdsmen make the mistake of coming to Tore's home and attempting to sell Karin's dress, triggering an outraged paroxysm of vengeance."
Bergman's films have influenced directors as diverse as Woody Allen, Wim Wenders, and Wes Craven, and his penetrating observations about faith and doubt were groundbreaking.
"Bergman was the first to bring metaphysics - religion, death, existentialism - to the screen," - Bertrand Tavernier
Bergman was one of the great modernist filmmakers, and because of his vision, the art of film-making is a richer and more thought-provoking medium.
Labels: film, Ingmar Bergman, philosophy, Religion
4.18.2007
India and Hollywood
According to some recent press it seems that India is the next big thing for Hollywood, with several American production companies and directors making films about or in the subcontinent.
"While the Walt Disney Company is all set to shoot a historical in India by the year-end, Bosnian filmmaker Danis Tanovic, of the Oscar-winning No Man's Land, has planned a visit later this year for his next film that will supposedly include Indian actors. Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited, starring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman, was filmed across colourful Rajasthan three months ago."
Also planned is a film starring Johnny Depp. The planned epic from Disney seems particularly ambitious since it aims to portray the entire history of the nation.
"Though representatives of Disney's mega-budget film are not ready to make a formal announcement, the film, which will present a panoramic journey of India from the Aryans to Independence, will be shot at Nitin Desai's picturesque Karjat studio."
It should be interesting to see how much religion ends up in these films. Much of the Indian-influenced entertainment that is seen by Americans glosses over Hinduism (or makes jokes concerning it), often sticking to the much more relate-able issues of class and familial struggles. But I can't imagine how Disney could make such a film without dealing with religion, a central part of life in India. Though it is important to note that the film will end with independence (most likely featuring a lot of Gandhi), and won't try to tackle the thornier political, social, and religious issues that have developed since then.
In any case, it should be interesting to see how this rash of films will be greeted in America. Will Disney encounter any flack from the Christian right over making an "un-Christian" film, and could this trend spark a new interest in all things Indian?
3.12.2007
It Seems "300" Did Pretty Well
Newsarama reports that the film "300", based on the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, has broken box-office records in its opening weekend.
Gerard Butler as King Leonidas
"On Friday, those with their eyes on such things knew something was up. Online movie ticket site Fandango.com was reporting that 92% of all online ticket sales for the coming weekend were for the film adaptation of Frank Miller's 300. And then - the film brought in $27.7 million on Friday. When it was all said and done, the film, directed by Zack Snyder had laid waste to the competition, bringing in an estimated $70 million, making it the biggest opening weekend for a film in March since records had been kept. In Spartan fashion, the film made more than the nine other films in the top ten, combined. The film also came in as the 3rd largest R-rated opening of all time, and the fifth best debut for a film based on a comic book. The movie opened both in regular theaters and IMAX theaters, bringing in $22,567 per traditional theater and $55,000 per IMAX screen (62, total)."
Those felt that the fate of "swords and sandals" epics rested on the success of this film can now breathe a bit easier. All that is left now is for Warner Bros. to count the money (the production budget was 65 million), and for the critics to hash out what the relevance of this film is.
In general, criticism of the film seems pretty split (it just barely squeaked out a "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes). Some admire the unique look and feel of the film (it was mostly shot against bluescreen), while others were troubled by what the political "message" (intentional or not) of the film was.
"But what's maddening about 300 is that no one involved - not Miller, not Snyder, not one of the army of screenwriters, art directors, and tech wizards who mounted this empty, gorgeous spectacle - seems to have noticed that we're in the middle of an actual war. With actual Persians (or at least denizens of that vast swath of land once occupied by the Persian empire)... One of the few war movies I've seen in the past two decades that doesn't include at least some nod in the direction of antiwar sentiment, 300 is a mythic ode to righteous bellicosity."
Other reviewers brush aside such critiques as attempts to read too much into the imagery of the film (based on a comic book that was written before our current "war with Persia").
"The first person who uses any aspect of this flick to justify the American debacle in Iraq is getting a swat across the nose with a copy of My Pet Goat. Which King Leonides of Sparta does not sit reading while his country is threatened and attacked. And if that's not enough, I point to the villains here: politicians who are in it for the money, a tyrant who thinks he's doing the work of a god (even if that god is himself), and priests whose advice and counsel can be bought. King Leonides of Sparta holds those priests (and their crazy-ass religion) in disdain, actually, and does not invite them to the White House -- er, palace. Oh, and Sparta is the invadee, not the invader."
Writer Frank Miller, while personally pro-war, rejects any attempts to twist his film as some sort of pro-Iraq-war epic.
"I see a lot of that on both sides of the political front these days - taking whatever facts are out there and screwing up the language to make it fit a preconceived notion...I don't think anyone would mistake my Xerxes for Osama bin Laden."
While technically a "pagan" film (or at least a film full of pagans), the issue of religion hasn't come up much in discussions of the film (not entirely surprising considering the action-packed nature of the story), and has even won the blessings of Christianity Today's film reviewer. So I think its a safe bet that we can see more ancient Greco-Roman action on the big screen in the future (including a possible sequel to "300"). Lets just hope the quality of these future films surpass "Troy" and "Alexander".
3.07.2007
Accepting Monsters Into Our Hearts
Matthai Chakko Kuruvila, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, takes a look at the broad religious appeal of the film "Pan's Labyrinth".
"Pan's Labyrinth," which won three Oscars, is not explicit about its images, prompting Christians, pagans and others to claim the movie as a parable about their own beliefs. The film subtly criticizes the Catholic Church's complicity in fascist Spain. However, the U.S. Conference on Catholic Bishops as well as Christianity Today gave the film glowing reviews for its Christian themes.
Some see the film as a sign that we are moving into a "spiritual but not religious" future. The article quotes evangelical author Robert Johnston, who claims that the film promotes a "practical theology" that stems from "lived experience" instead of a fixed doctrine (like Christianity). Kuruvila also speaks with Starhawk about the film, the Pagan author and activist seems strangely fixated on the "dangers" of Ofelia's "subjective" reality.
"The darkness and violence of Ofelia's fairy tale echoes her real-world existence. But it also reveals the dangers of a completely subjective, self-defined spirituality, says Starhawk, a nationally influential pagan and author who lives in San Francisco. "Opening up to the other world without the training or guidance, you can get lost and sidetracked," says Starhawk, noting that other faiths also warn against carelessly dabbling in spiritual practices. "You can get lost in the nightmare instead of being able to find the dream." A hallucination can easily be mistaken for a spiritual vision, she says. "Nobody ever sat her down and said (to Ofelia) here's how you travel in the afterworld, fix your mind on the destination," says Starhawk. 'Everything in her culture would have told her this was dangerous, possibly satanic and scary.'"
I'm curious as to why Starhawk felt that was the message to send when giving the Pagan response to this film. Christians are talking about how groundbreaking it is, and how it is a sign of our changing religious culture (organically, it should be noted, in comparison with the manufactured "message" of "The Da Vinci Code"), and Starhawk discusses how Ofelia should have gotten proper training and warns against the dangers of a "self-defined" religion?
I believe "Pan's Labyrinth" presents a unique opportunity to discuss Pagan/polytheist theology in contrast to the dominant monotheisms. Unlike "The Da Vinci Code", this film isn't bogged down with questions about Christian heresy and Gnosticism and can be referenced without having to talk about our views on Mary Magdalen's marital status. If this film continues to seep into public conversations about faith and religion, Pagan commentators should be ready to move beyond disclaimers regarding Ofelia's actions and instead talk about what elements in the film accurately portray Pagan ideas and beliefs.
Labels: film, Paganism, Pan's Labyrinth
2.23.2007
The Very Best and Worst of Pagan Film
This weekend the very best, and worst, in film will be celebrated. On Sunday, the 79th Academy Awards (The Oscars) will be handed out to those films thought to be the very best of the past year, and the day before that you'll see the Golden Raspberries (The Razzies) handed out to the very, very worst. Films with pagan themes hold the strange honor of holding several nominations in both.
In the category of the very best is Guillermo del Toro's masterful "Pan's Labyrinth". This dark fairytale, set during the rise of Franco in Spain, has garnered six Oscar nominations. Achievement in Art Direction, Achievement in Cinematography, Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, Achievement in Makeup, Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score), and Original Screenplay.
Guillermo del Toro with Doug Jones as 'the faun'.
Del Toro's film has earned high praise from critics (including Stephen King), and won the "Golden Tomato" award from Rotten Tomatoes for being the best-reviewed foreign film of 2006. This film was widely anticipated by many in the Pagan community, and few (I think) were disappointed with the final product. You can read my review of the film, here.
"It's a matter of creating a fairy tale that is in favor of disobedience - obedience disguised as blind patriotism is often invoked for the worst causes. It's at a time when we are supposed to be better people by not questioning anything and in reality we are better people by doing it." - Guillermo Del Toro, Oscar Watch
On the opposite side of the scale is perhaps one of the most ill-advised remakes in movie history, "The Wicker Man". Based loosely off the amazing 1973 film about a police officer running afoul of a island of Pagans off the Scottish coast, and starring Christopher Lee and directed by Robin Hardy, this remake by Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage and Neil LaBute discussing their bizarre hatred of women.
Thus, one of the most beloved pagan-themed films is remade into one of the worst pagan-themed films of all time. As a consequence it has racked up an impressive five nominations in the Razzies. Worst Picture, Actor, Screenplay, Remake and Screen Couple. I never formally reviewed the film on this blog, but I did eventually see it on DVD, and it truly is one of the worst films I ever had to sit through (the director's commentary is the only truly scary thing about it). Here is what HecklerSpray had to say about the film in their Razzies betting odds.
"You tend to get an idea that a film remake is bad when the director of the original angrily instructs his lawyers to remove his name from all promotional material for the remake, and that's just what happened with The Wicker Man. In years to come, The Wicker Man will be used as a blueprint for what not to do when you're remaking a classic film. You don't swap a creepy pagan island for a town full of feminists. You don't replace Edward Woodward's righteous fundamental Christian virgin policeman for Nicolas Cage being a bit scared of bees. And you absolutely don't tack on a ridiculous ending starring the angry boy from Spider-Man just for the hell of it. The Wicker Man is so profoundly awful it almost verges on sacrilege but - incredibly - The Razzies say it wasn't the worst film from the last year. Current Razzies Worst Movie betting odds - 6/1"
I hope both films sweep their nominated categories.
*Perhaps not so coincidently, Nicolas Cage ruined another of my favorite films with his "Wings of Desire" remake "City of Angels". Maybe he should stick to playing roles like "Ghost Rider".
Labels: film, Paganism, Pan's Labyrinth, The Oscars, The Razzies, The Wicker Man
2.13.2007
Greco-Roman Fantasy
Salon.com reviewer Gary Kamiya analyzes (and praises) the sweeping historical cable television drama "Rome". The show, now in its second (and last) season, is playing out the rise of Octavian (Augustus) the first Emperor of Rome. Kamiya seems especially impressed with the boldly un-Christian woldview of the show.
"'Rome' is based on solid historical research. But what makes it draw imaginative blood is the fact that it's uncensored scholarship, audacious history. "Rome" is incredibly entertaining, while also being incredibly shocking. It's history porn. It dares to depict an alien worldview, one untouched by Christianity and the moral ethos introduced by that strange little sect. Perhaps those Catholic watchdog groups should stop worrying about heretical fluff like "The Da Vinci Code" and pay more attention to 'Rome.'"
Kamiya also favorably compares "Rome" to the BBC series "I, Claudius" and declares it the better work of the two.
"The key here is "graphic." This is where "Rome" separates itself from such earlier efforts as the superb BBC series "I, Claudius." A highly intelligent work, "I, Claudius" might in certain ways be superior to "Rome" -- its intrigues are more exquisitely intricate, and it avoids certain melodramatic narrative clichés. But it cannot match the way the new series violently immerses the viewer in history. Based on Robert Graves' novels, "I, Claudius" is essentially a work of theater, not film; it uses language, not action or setting, to pull in the viewer. It is a subtler approach to history, brilliant in its own way, but it does not succeed like "Rome" in truly evoking the past in all its radical and banal otherness."
But while "Rome" is winning accolades on cable television, according to some, the "swords and sandals" epic films in theaters are in trouble and the upcoming film "300" is the last chance to save the genre from slipping back into obscurity.
"Hollywood is pinning hopes on 300 to rediscover the kind of success enjoyed by Ridley Scott's Oscar-winning Gladiator in 2000. Since then the ancient epic has suffered setbacks with Troy, starring Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom, which was derided by critics as a travesty of Homer, and Alexander, with a bleached-blond Colin Farrell, which flopped at the box office and earned director Oliver Stone some of his worst reviews. Both films were made by Warner Brothers, as is 300. Another turkey could destroy studios' willingness to invest in the genre, just as in 1963 when the Richard Burton-Elizabeth Taylor version of Cleopatra killed such productions for decades."
300's ultra-stylized version of the Battle of Thermopylae seems to be winning over advance test audiences, so it looks like this won't be the last film to venture into our ancient Greco-Roman (pagan) past.
1.24.2007
Pagan Author to Produce Fantasy Film
Denise Channing, who under the pen name of Jaq D Hawkins has written several books on Chaos Magic and other esoteric subjects, is producing a film in England based on her first fantasy novel "Dance of the Goblins".
Denise Channing aka Jaq D Hawkins
"The 50-year-old from Norwich, whose pen name is Jaq D Hawkins, has begun work on turning her debut novel, Dance of the Goblins, into a feature-length film. So confident is she of the book's impending success, she has set up her own production company, Goblin Films, and has already snapped up British actor Kevin McNally, star of Hollywood blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean, in the leading role. It is hoped other stars will soon follow and with the film being shot in both Norwich and London, Denise is looking to source local talent as well."
If Channing manages to get the necessary funding, this could be a big step in Pagan-produced films. Outside of underground film-maker and adherent to Thelema Kenneth Anger (who just saw his early film works re-released as a deluxe DVD set), there hasn't to my knowledge been a film (outside of small documentaries) helmed and guided by an openly modern Pagan. Could Denise Channing become the Gwydion Pendderwen of Pagan film?
Labels: Dance of the Goblins, Denise Channing, film, Jaq D Hawkins, Paganism