Cutting the cord, saving money, and pondering Hulu device restrictions.

So, my wife and I finally got around to canceling our cable and switching to streaming only on services such as Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu Plus. It's not for people who like to watch shows the minute they air, but the amount we are saving is now reaching the level of ridiculous, ludicrous, or you could even say:

Netflix and Amazon are great services with large catalogs of old (or at least two seasons behind) TV series and movies. For me, Amazon Free Instant Video is just a side bonus of the free two-day shipping on everything I order, but they do have Stargate (which Netflix doesn't have for some reason). I can talk endlessly about how awesome Netlfix is but if you want to watch current TV shows in season (and legally), Hulu Plus is the way to go.

Hulu is a very good service with "limited commercial interruptions" since all the TV networks have negotiated with advertisers to get more eyeballs on product ads. Though, it would be nice if there were no commercials, it would probably cost much more to have such a diverse catalog of current TV series.

Overall it's a great service with one major annoyance: device restrictions. You can get the Hulu Plus app for your Droid, iPhone, PlayStation 3, Wii, etc., etc., ad nauseum, but you may find that some shows will say "Web Only." If you look at their FAQ for the question "Why Can't I View Certain Shows on My Device?" you will see this answer:

"At this time, certain shows offered on the free Hulu.com service are not available through Hulu Plus mobile and TV devices. The rights required to stream content to devices differ from those required to stream content to computers, so you may find that some of your favorite shows on Hulu are only available for viewing from a computer. We work constantly with our partners to try to secure more content, and they've been great about reaching into their vaults on our behalf. Hulu Plus includes hundreds of shows, some of which haven't been available online before, and full runs of many of them."

 
So, you've made it so that I can't watch a show on my PlayStation 3, so what am I gonna do? Maybe I'll be so frustrated that I'll just call my local cable company and demand that they bring me cable again so that I can just watch the show when it airs? Maybe I'll just buy it on iTunes or some other service so I can pay more for content than I was paying before? What will I do?

I'll just turn on my computer, which is hooked up to my TV (just like my PS3) and watch the show through the website. So, what is so difficult about the device negotiations? Apparently, it all comes down to networks trying to negotiate for a bigger piece of the revenue pie. For every device Hulu adds compatibility for, networks would ask for an additional chunk of money for their shows. Rather than pay more money for newer content, they have decided just to make some content available only through their website. Maybe someday we'll have no device restrictions and I can watch any show on any device without commercial interruptions. In the end, the service saves enough money to be worth a few inconveniences.

Failure is Just an Attempted Success

Or Why Star Wars: Episode VII is Going to Rock!

I want to reassure you that this blog will not turn into a Star Wars only blog. It's just that there has been a lot of particularly exciting news about the franchise of late.

***SPOILERS***
This article will talk extensively about the work of Michael Arndt and JJ Abrams and previous Star Wars films. Though, if you haven't seen Little Miss Sunshine and Super 8 by now, I feel very sorry for you.


Michael Arndt
Michael Arndt seems pretty inexperienced at first glance. Taking a look at IMDB, you'll see that he has seven writing credits, four of which are for movies that haven't been released yet. So, how does a guy with only one SOLE writing credit end up writing the screenplay for one of the highest grossing franchises of all time? Little Miss Sunshine, that's how. For those of you who don't know, Little Miss Sunshine is the story of a little girl who wants to be in a beauty pageant. Her Grandfather is the only member of the family who seems to think it's a good idea, but they go along for the ride anyway. What the film teaches us is that success isn't about winning, it's about trying even when you probably don't have a chance. If Star Wars is about anything, it's about facing impossible odds and giving everything you've got anyway. Luke may have destroyed the Death Star, but only two pilots from the Rebel fleet survived the battle.¹


JJ Abrams
For those of you who use the internet, you will probably have already heard the news that JJ Abrams is directing the new Star Wars film. Even WiFi-ready mollusks are now aware.² So, why is this good news? Haven't many of his shows ended up being total bombs in later seasons? While this is true, every show he's been involved in has started out strong and stayed strong as long as he was directly involved in the direction of the show. I'd have a very bad feeling about this if I was only going by the final seasons of LOST. I believe that it's unfair to look at long-running series that ended with Abrams as a producer only. So, let's take a look at a couple of his films and see why there is a new hope in the galaxy.

Mission: Impossible III
After two kind of okay Mission Impossible films, I skipped this one entirely (that is, until I saw Star Trek). M:I:III is one of those films that you kick yourself for not seeing in the theater. So, what was so good about it? This movie presented two things that every Star Wars film must have³: high stakes for a protagonist that you really root for and a villain that you either hate or sympathize with. If only one or neither of those conditions are met, then you have wasted the movie-goers time. In M:I:III, Ethan Hunt's fiancée is kidnapped and he has to go toe-to-toe with a villain who likes to implant time bombs in people's heads. Simply put, this is the first Mission: Impossible film that made me care about the characters and really hate the villain.

Super 8
This movie was marketed as an alien invasion thriller, but critics were comparing it to Spielberg's E.T. and Richard Donner's The Goonies. Because of the marketing, my wife decided that she'd rather not see it. I went to a matinee showing and was gripped immediately by the very first shot of the film. The movie opens on a shot of a factory sign that says "Days since last accident: 784" and a factory worker taking the numbers off of the sign and replacing them with a "1." I knew at that moment that I was in for a very different film than trailers hinted at. What the movie is really about is friendship, coming of age, and coming to terms with grief. The alien story is just the backdrop for one boy's emotional journey. Star Wars was a big Sci-Fi movie with lots of explosions special effects, but its strength came from the story of a boy becoming a man through ridiculous hardship. Luke lost his uncle and aunt, who were essentially his parents, and this is the catalyst for him to take his first steps into a larger universe.

Star Trek
Star Trek is the number one reason that you should be excited. He has talked at length about the fact that he loved Star Wars growing up and that Star Trek never resonated with him. Despite that, he decided to direct the semi-reboot of the much revered Star Trek franchise. Not only did he create something that preserved 40+ years of history, but he also took it into a new direction and made everything fresh again. He directed a version of Star Trek that acknowledges that Star Wars existed and he made it fun for a much wider audience than would have typically enjoyed such a film. After seeing it once in the theater, my (now) wife wanted to see it again. Abrams also gave us a villain that we feel for. Nero is a man who lost everything he had and turned to revenge instead of reason. He had the power of time travel and could have prevented the tragedy that claimed his wife and entire planet, but instead he seeks revenge on Spock to make him feel the pain he felt. He is a Captain Ahab of sorts. He also gave us an imperfect James T. Kirk. A Kirk who is almost completely ruled by his emotions, who cuts corners and has failed mostly because he hasn't tried, who likes to get into fights but takes more beatings than he gives out, and who honestly believes he has no limits. And, in the end, it is his nerve and almost reckless bravado that ultimately win the day.

Conclusion
So, there is reason to be optimistic about the future of Star Wars. With JJ Abrams directing and Michael Arndt writing, I think we can expect an excellent story. What we will probably see is a coming-of-age story set amidst the backdrop of a threatened galaxy with memorable villains and, most assuredly, lots and lots of fun. But mostly, I expect to see protagonists that fail before they succeed and who ultimately remind us of who we are and what we can accomplish in spite of the odds.

---

<sup>1. [The Expanded Universe and Video Games have added support mission pilots to this tally. Also, despite his incredible timing, Han Solo was not a part of the attacking force.]↩
2. [Citation needed. There is some dispute within the scientific community as to the existence of internet capable shellfish]↩
2. [And three of them lacked]↩</sup>

Star Wars #1 from Dark Horse: A Study

Dark Horse Comics has begun an all new Star Wars series simply called Star Wars. I picked up Issue #1 digitally and after reading it, I highly recommend it. The story picks up a few months after the destruction of the first Death Star and finds Luke, Leia, and Wedge on a scout mission to find a new base for the Rebellion. They are discussing the feelings of pain and loss after the Planet of Alderaan was destroyed and after nearly every Rebel Pilot was killed in the assault on the Death Star. Of course, the Empire shows up and causes some issues for them, setting in motion a series of events that will possibly (in further issues in the series) lead to the discovery of a spy in the Alliance.

One thing that I was immediately struck by (other than the fact that Leia is an X-Wing pilot in the issue) is that the comic perfectly captures the feel and mood of Star Wars. There is action, adventure, and heart. Luke learns to rely on the force just as others are coming to trust him more as a leader and pilot. Han Solo makes a brief appearance in the comic, which sets up what is sure to be an ongoing theme with his money problems (he never did get around to paying Jabba, did he?). Everything just felt right, which is far more than can be said about the prequel films. They are planning the series to fill in the gaps between the movies, so it should be an interesting ride.

So, if you are a comics fan, a Star Wars fan, or both, I highly recommend Star Wars #1. But don't take my word for it. Look it up at your local Comic store or buy it digitally from Dark Horse Comics.

2012 Favorites: A Top 5

I've done my very best to neglect this blog, but I am finally done with the busy-ness of the holidays and over a wonderful bout with the flu. Here are my favorite films of 2012:

5) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - High Frame Rate 3D
This movie was very good on many levels, and I'm very excited to see the Extended Edition. On a purely technical level, the 48 frames-per-second 3D was brilliant. While watching 3D films, I usually get at least a little bit of a headache. Since there is no flicker at 48 Frames-Per-Second, it was a completely comfortable viewing experience. It wasn't perfect, but I believe that 48fps is the future of film. The reason this movie isn't higher on the list is simple: the story is only 1/3 of the way complete.

4) Lincoln
This film is about the passage of the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery. More specifically, it's about the political maneuvering that was necessary to allow its passage. A film for fans of history and fans of great cinema alike.

3) The Avengers
What can be said about The Avengers other than the fact that it was perfectly scripted, perfectly directed, and perfectly acted? The comedic timing of the cast was spot on and the action was perfect.

2) Les Miserables
This movie is all about Grace and how people respond to it. The decision to have the actors sing live was perfect and the emotion in the story was conveyed perfectly. Had they done it the typical way, it would not have impacted me as it did. I cried very much, but they were manly tears.

1) Skyfall
Simply the most personally satisfying film experience of 2012. The narrative had no fat, and Daniel Craig hits the ground running as Bond. The script, the villain, and the action blend together perfectly to make Skyfall the greatest Bond film of all time. Also, the film's ending perfectly sets up the threads that will go through at least the next two films.

Honorable Mention (***SPOILERS*** for those who haven't seen it)
The Dark Knight Rises
This film had the unfortunate task of being the sequel to the best Batman film of all time. I didn't enjoy the film very much as I was watching it as Batman didn't have very much screen time. It wasn't until the final shot reveals that John Blake was your Batman (pre-suit) for the majority of the film that it all clicked into place for me. Christopher Nolan set out to interpret Batman as modern mythology. His view is that Batman is a symbol that can live on regardless of who is in the suit. In TDKR, while Batman is away, John Blake makes himself busy doing everything that Batman would have done had he been there.

A Study in Film now on twitter.

You can now follow A Study in Film on twitter. Though, I'm not sure how much awesome will be able to be crammed into 140 characters or less.

If you are interested, just click on the "Follow @aStudyinFilm" button on the right side of the page under my poorly photoshopped picture.

Jingle All the Way: A Study in Schwarzenegger

Or How Arnold Made an Action Movie for Kids and Jake Lloyd didn't Kill Star Wars

My wife and I watched the Christmas "classic" Jingle All the Way this weekend. It is every bit as fun as I remembered it being, and even more ridiculous. I realized a few things about it that I never had before. So, in no particular order, here they are:

This is a typical Arnold Schwarzenegger action film, only with kids movie elements. This movie is framed like a Mission Impossible film. It has all the typical action moments: he takes on the seemingly-indestructible giant (Santa) in a fistfight, he has an arch-nemesis (a mailman that goes postal), he escapes a package bomb (left by said mailman), and he punches a reindeer (okay, so that one's not typical). The only difference between this and a normal action movie is that the orders come from the protagonist's wife and the mission is to hunt down an elusive toy for his son. This leads directly to my next point:

Jingle All the Way has a terrible message: If you can't be there for your family, then you can make up for everything by buying them something. Arnold's character Howard is a workaholic and often absent father who must hunt down the thing his son wants to prove his love for him. In the end, this isn't what the message is, but the message of the son just being glad to have his father as his hero is lost among all the madness.

There are things that were funny in 1996 that are no longer very funny. For instance, the store employee who was trampled upon by customers when he opened the store doors isn't funny in light of the fact that people have died from injuries caused by this very thing in the last few years. People getting into fisticuffs over products may have seemed far fetched then, but it's just part of  Black Friday now. The threats that Sinbad's postal worker make about having package bombs are not funny in a post-911 world. These threats are taken seriously, and he wouldn't have survived his confrontation with the police. Also, the slapstick scene that occurs when the officer detonates the package bomb accidentally no longer rings true in our modern world.

While watching this, I was also reminded of the tragic loss of Phil Hartman. He was incredibly funny and fit the role he was playing very well. That said, I was shocked at how "adult" his character was in the movie. He was trying to have an affair with every woman in the neighborhood (if not the world), and he wasn't shy about it. I'm not sure how I missed that in the 7th grade, but I was really struck by it this time around. I guess they decided the parents needed something, too?

Jake Lloyd is not the reason that The Phantom Menace and subsequent Star Wars prequels were terrible. Jake actually did a pretty decent job in the role for the age he was at the time. Many now associate him with the failures of the Star Wars prequels, but it wasn't. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong with the prequels (George Lucas), but it is clear that Jake Lloyd was not a terrible child actor. You may want to blame him for being miscast in the role of young Anakin Skywalker, but it was whoever had final say on the casting for that part that should shoulder the blame (George Lucas). And you certainly can't blame Jake for the quality of the scripts (that George Lucas wrote).

In conclusion, I still really enjoyed Jingle All the Way even though it feels different in our day and age. It's thoroughly entertaining (especially for fans of the Governator), and I would recommend it to anyone who just wants to watch a ridiculously fun Christmas movie.

The Art of Genre Parody: A Top 5

Today's Top 5 is all about films that parody a genre of film, rather than just one specific movie. Genre Parody is an art form and, in my mind, there are very specific rules for what it is. So, for my Top 5 Genre Parody films, here are five rules:

1) The movie must take on an entire genre of films that has a well established history.
This is the most obvious rule. If there isn't a long list of films in a genre, then you don't have decades of narrative baggage to make fun of.

2) It must directly exploit the staples of the genre being parodied.
For example, if you are going to do a parody of fantasy films, there must be elves, dwarves, knights, and/or dragons. There must be normal characters and magical characters. There should be a lot of nature. If there aren't enough of these things in combination, then you have failed to parody a genre.

3) The movie must not be an obvious parody of a specific film.
This disqualifies several favorites. Spaceballs is a Star Wars parody, Hot Shots is Top Gun, Hot Shots Part Deux is Rambo, The Austin Powers films are James Bond spoofs, etc.

4) A straight-up version of the genre with comedy elements does not count.
This rule disqualifies both Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland, as the former is a Romantic Comedy with Zombies and the latter is really a serious Zombie movie with hilarious characters.

5) It may not be a loose collection of skits that lampoon popular movies that came that year.
So, all of the Scary Movie, Epic Movie, Not Another Teen Movie, etc., etc., ad nauseum do not qualify.


Top 5 Genre Parody Films

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
This movie takes on the Police Procedural/Action film to hilarious effect. What if the protagonist is nearly smothered to death by a seemingly sentient pillow? What if Reggie Jackson was brainwashed to kill the Queen of England? This movie dares to ask these questions. Leslie Nielsen's deadpan delivery of non-stop one-liners elevated this to much more than a typical cheesy spoof comedy.

Blazing Saddles!
Mel Brooks has a made a career of parody, but few of them rise to the level brilliance that this film achieved. I believe that Robin Hood: Men in Tights is his best spoof film, but it is too specific a parody of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves to make this list. Blazing Saddles puts a black sheriff in an old west town scheduled to be demolished for railroad development. And it only gets better from there, putting a twist on the new-sheriff-in-a-rough-town cliche. There's the town drunk who is a washed-up gunfighter. It also shows the hilarious logical conclusion of a cowboy's bean-centric diet. And badges? We don't need no stinking badges.

This is Spinal Tap
This movie is what is now called a mockumentary. It wasn't the first film of its type, but it is the touch-stone for the mockumentaries. Fans of The Office have Christopher Guest and Rob Reiner to thank for popularizing the faux documentary style. The movie was loosely scripted, mostly improvised, and 100% hilarious. They also take on the Rock and Roll culture's excesses. Band member complaining about the catering? Check. Being caught with a suspicious package by Airport Security? Check. The girlfriend that nearly breaks up the band? Check. If you're rating comedies from 1-10, this one goes to 11.

The Fifth Element
This Luc Besson directed film was, believe it or not, originally intended to serve as a parody of the Sci-Fi genre. The movie took apart and reconstructed Sci-Fi so well that it has become a cult classic. For me, this movie was the best showcase of Bruce Willis' comedic timing until RED. Also, this is yet another film that you had no idea Gary Oldman was in. If you've ever wondered where the phrase "Multi-Pass" came from, you should definitely check this one out.

Airplane!
It's no mistake that a Leslie Nielsen film ended up on this list twice. Most of his career before Airplane! was completely dramatic, but his turn in this comedy started something of a career renaissance for him. Airplane is the grand-daddy of all genre parody films. The movie demolishes on the disaster genre and its stock characters. You have the reluctant hero pilot with the drinking problem, the doctor, the religious person, and the innocent kid. Also, this movie used just about every pun available at the time. Every parody film for the next couple of decades tried (and often failed) to duplicate its success. This film is surely a classic, but don't call me Shirley.