I Love the 70’s, 80’s , and 90’s
This week’s Netflix include nostalgic looks back to the last three decades — the FF7 reunion Advent Children, the first rap movie ever - Krush Groove, and David Bowie and Nic Roeg’s The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children just hit DVD last week, but watching it made me instantly remember Christmas morning 9 years ago when I played FF7 for the very first time. Its hard not to feel nostalgic for a game when you had to play it at least 30 hours to make any significant progress. To clarify though, this is not a movie based on the game, but a movie sequel to the game’s story. (FF8-11 are sequels in name only). It’s also an unofficial sequel to The Spirits Within, which it surpasses in every way. Even Tifa looks hotter than Aki Ross (it helps that she’s voiced by Rachel Leigh Cook too).
The opening title card calls this a “reunion,” and that’s what it feels like. All of the main characters make appearances, even Sephiroth and Aerith (voiced by Mena Suvari). The plot concerns 3 Sephiroth clones who are making trouble for the people of Midgar, and the unknown disease spreading over the city like some sort of Mono/AIDS combination. The animation, direction, and action are all spectacular, and its not hard to care for these characters when you WERE them for so long so many years ago. This is the best movie based on a video game I’ve seen (not that there’s much competition), but I’d only give it a minor recommendation to people who aren’t familiar with the game. Also worth noting is the 25 minute piece featuring cut scenes from the original game. I still tear up when Aerith dies.4 out of 5.
Krush Groove - the movie Matt Damon’s Dogma character predicted would eventually be bigger that Star Wars - is a dramatization of the beginnings of Def Jam records. Blair Underwood plays Russell, while Rick Rubin, Run DMC, Shelia E. and the Fat Boys all play versions of themselves. Not only was it the first rap movie, but it’s really the first rap musical. We see performances from all of the main acts, including a short song from the Beastie Boys - back when the name actually fit.
The two plot threads are Russell and his brother Rev Run feuding over the pressures of success, and strangely enough, the Fat Boys coming to terms with their girth and starting to rap about eating. It’s definitely amusing that the Fat Boys get equal screen time as Run DMC, and I’m sure it paved the way for Disorderlies, but it keeps the film from being taken seriously. Krush Groove is still worth seeing of course. 3 out of 5.
The Man Who Fell to Earth is one of those movies I always had preconceived notions for which we’re completely shattered once I actually saw the film. I imagined a 70’s version of Velvet Goldmine, only with more spaceships and less gay sex. Sadly enough, I expected it to be more like the Scott Weiland video that ripped it off (forget which song…something off of 12 Bar Blues). What I didn’t expect was The Monkee’s Head, 60’s Acid Trip, Rip Torn sleeping with teenage girls-ness of it. It’s also extremely slow, which isn’t helped by the additional 24 minutes the new Criterion version adds to it.
Bowie’s alien is very adept at some Earth customs (making money), and not so adept at others (driving over 30 mph, riding in elevators). He even finds something approching a long term love affair with a former hotel desk clerk (the film spans decades, though the alien never ages). He dreams about his alien family, and he strives to create technology to get water back to his parched planet, but we never sense that he misses it - or enjoys Earth. He’s more of a watcher, much in the way he watches 9 TVs at a time. When he is found out for who he is, he’s put in a posh hotel room version of the warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. It’s not really that sad for us, since Bowie doesn’t seem to care either. 3 out of 5.
May 5th, 2006 at 12:28 pm
I’m going to have to check out The Man Who Fell To Earth, but you can’t be serious in saying that FFIV: Advent Children beats the Mario movie?
Wait, actually that’s a completely reasonable claim.
May 5th, 2006 at 2:41 pm
yeah it easily trashes mario bros, but in terms of video game animation, i have a soft spot for Captain N