Sunday, January 24, 2010

The Boy Who Could Fly




There are people who say that the mark of a good movie is the impression it leaves on the viewer at the conclusion. Is this the case with "The Boy Who Could Fly?" I don't think so, as it was years since I misguidedly rented it and I was incapable of washing the bad taste from my mouth. This movie is a dud of massive proportions-sporting Godawful dialogue, ridiculous 80's 'special' effects, and painful sentimentality. I have not seen a film in a good long time that tried so hard to move me and failed so miserably.

The main character is Milly, short for Amelia, who has just moved into the new house with her tough guy little brother and grieving mom. Her dad is out of the picture, for reasons Milly averts her eyes explaining. Milly is the picture of 'ideal family character-' sensitive, tolerant, and gorgeous, with a bit of edge put in to add dimension. At night she meets a mysterious boy who won't, or can't, talk. He sits on the connected suburban roof between them, mimicking an airplane.

The boy, Eric, lives with his alcoholic uncle next to Milly. In a horrifically contrived scene, she describes Eric's apparent autism to her mom. "Since his mother and father died, he's never spoken a word to anyone." A compassionate teacher intends to keep Eric in his clueless uncle's inept care. She says he almost died last time he was put in a hospital, because, apparently, 'he just gave up.' She convinces Milly to look after Eric at school, and keep an eye on those social workers prowling the streets.

Eric is severely autistic and can't so much as catch a ball, but he has one thing Raymond Babbitt doesn't- despite the lack of any special skills, interests, or personal (not autistic) traits, he's a MAGIC special person. Why, you ask? Rumors run about of Eric's telepathic abilities (he stopped talking the moment his parents died in a plane crash) as well as his uncanny ability to gain access to surfaces that he couldn't logically climb to.

Milly meets Eric's eye with an open heart, despite his lurking and horror movie-style tendency to pop out on the roof while Milly looks into the mirror. Then they subject us to a series of cringe-inducing dialogue ("maybe all he needs is the kiss of a fair maiden to make him well again," Milly says of her silent crush Eric,) syrupy anti-climaxes, and ludicrous dream sequences (including the magical realism finale) that seem to have little to do with anything else.

On the up side, the acting is decent, with the possible exception of Fred Gwynne, playing a terribly one-note character (the drunk uncle) in such an overblown and grating way that I was unsure if he intended to be humorous or pitiful. Jay Underwood proves he has talent in the institution scenes, whereas he spends the rest of the film staring blankly into space (probably thinking about his paycheck.) They do their best, but are stuck with an inevitable train wreck of a script.

The ending was fairly idiotic, I think, but when I think about the deep (cough) implications, the more pointless and even disturbing it becomes. Special people cannot function in the real world, so the must fly away in a cheesy anti-climax. Autistic people can levitate. Drunks can cure their drunkenness in a matter of days. Pathetic movies like this one can actually gather good reviews.

In the end, the movie that is so desperate to be bittersweet and heart-warming comes out more like a cross between a schizophrenic artsy indie and an after school special. People may tell you this is a hidden gem. They are lying. This may be a pseudo-classic movie on a hot topic, but some things are better left buried. (Rated PG)












Thursday, January 21, 2010

Castle - Season One




Some shows start out with an excellent debut episode, than lose steam. This is not one of those shows. When I watched the first, I was just about the polar opposite of impressed. The problem was, it worked too hard to introduce it's characters. The serious branch of the operation, Detective Beckett (Stana Katic,) is somewhat likable, if only because she takes her work seriously and and doesn't consider herself likable.

Unfortunately, Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) is one of those self-satisfied characters who is mildly grating at best, unbearable at worst. He considers the murders they investigate a personal gain (he's a writer,) and is clearly in love with himself and his 'masterpieces.' Why, why, must there be the inevitable romantic tension between he and Kate? Why does Richard think police procedures are an excuse to shoot snippy remarks and quips? What is funny about murders, anyway?

Richard Castle is a writer of pulp murder mysteries, and is quite popular with the masses for some time. He ignores scathing critics bashing his latest money-making operation (one newspaper reviewer says a book made them want 'to go screaming out into the snow,') and prospers until he suffers mass writer's block. So, why not start tracking a no-nonsense (and of course pretty) female detective, using other people's tragedies as a basis for his next scrap of anti-literature?


Kate Beckett is a hard-working woman with heavy emotional baggage, which Richard immediately attempts to divulge. Of course she has no desire to work with him, but he always shows up, there to save the day. The first episode was rather awful, as it did little but elaborate on Castle's obnoxious personality, padding it with a paper-thin mystery plot point. I became so intensely bored with his antics that I tuned out and contemplated a possible idea for fortune "If I got a buck every time Nathan Fillion smirked, I would be a very rich woman."

Ah, but it gets better! The directors catch on by episode number two that the full Castle personality (stingy on plot) is only acceptable in small doses. He can be sufferable and even almost pleasant when given something to do, so when the mysteries started, I quickly became more involved.

I enjoyed visits with the side characters, namely Castle's perfectionist teenage daughter Alexis (Molly C. Quinn) and his mother. Alcoholic grandmas are hardly a new topic (demonstrated in "Spanglish" and the upcoming "The Lovely Bones,) but Susan Sullivan solidly provides comic relief.

Some shows were better than others- dialogue ran the gamut from hilariously offbeat to annoyingly corny, and the mysteries were, as all things, a mixed bag. Another perk of having Molly C. Quinn on screen was that, working as a protective and affectionate dad, Castle revealed his most human side, and his shrillness decreased. As it went on, I found myself entertained by a enjoyable (if guiltily) show. As a plus the victims and suspects usually provided solid performances. After a dreadful first show and a handful of good ones, I will be awarding three stars, which is fair since I'm willing to try the second season.

I hope that Fillion's Castle grows on me, and it spends more time catching the killers and less time developing dull tension with the relatively thin leads. Though Richard has become bearable of late- maybe he could suffer a semi-serious injury, still able to write his tragedy-exploitation pulp and look after his daughter, but incapable of trailing Beckett? Castle Beckett- Season 2? I look forward to it. (Rated TV PG.)











Trailer Not Available