Us: "Spoiler Free" Movie Review

I'd been waiting to check out this movie since last week, and I only just happened to make it today; however, shockingly, they only had 2 shows - 10.30 am and 12.30pm at Prestige Cinema. I made the 12.30 showing, and surprisingly, I was the only person in the whole theatre. The only other time that's ever happened was, coincidentally, during a screening of The Grudge II in 2006. That was one hell of a scary movie, and I sat in there alone for about 70% of the movie before another soul just randomly popped in. I figured this would be a different experience, so I just braced for the movie.

First off, I was really fascinated that a big part of this movie revolves around the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. My brother and sister only lived a short 15 minute walk away from that beach and I got to visit them on holidays, and consequently visited that boardwalk once; 

It's really hard to explain this movie without getting into spoiler-territory, but I can at least explain some beats alluded to in the trailers. The story spans 2 periods - 1986 and present day. Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong'o) is vacationing with her husband, Gabe (Winston Duke) and her children: Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex) in the vicinity of the Santa Cruz area. Things seem to be normal for everyone but Adelaide, who has a strange sense of foreboding about the area. Soon enough, her fears are shown to be correct and she and her family encounter their doppelgangers - the tethered - who, as can be expected, are rather malevolent.

Just like "Get Out" before it, "Us" is an amalgamation of many genres. It has a Sci-Fi angle just like its predecessor, and also elements of thriller and horror; unlike "Get Out, however, this movie straddles the "spiritual horror" line a bit more. This movie is a bit of a slow burn, taking its time to build the elements of its story. The most interesting element - the tethered - remains something of a mystery throughout, with its exposition crippled by the dynamics of the story.

The scope of this story is a lot bigger than the trailers would have led you to believe. I don't know if bigger was necessarily better, because at the end of it all, like many other movies that have come out recently, a lot of questions remain unanswered. I'm talking "Bird Box" or even "A Quiet Place" unanswered. It might leave a lot of fertile ground for a future sequel, but in the here and now, it feels like something is missing.

Lupita Nyong'o and her co-stars do a great job of portraying a terror-stricken family that goes from being wholly unprepared to evolving into a fully battle-ready unit when disaster strikes. Their performance as their doppelgangers is also exemplary, with most of their menace being physically portrayed. In the case of Adelaide, her doppelganger - Red - is both physically and mentally menacing.

This is not a particularly scary movie; I am not a horror-buff by any means, and if I was able to watch this alone at the theaters, anyone can. There is some bloody gore, but it is tastefully done. There's even comedy here, occurring in the weirdest of situations; strangely though, it lands each time. (Kudos to Mr. Peele). This being a horror movie, there are of course some questionable decisions made by these characters (I thought black people have always made the case that they would never do half the stuff that white people get caught doing in horror movies).

Personally, I wasn't really surprised by the twists and turns of the movie. I could see them coming from a mile away. I don't consider it being exactly intuitive on my part, neither do I feel that the movie was telegraphing everything; I guess I just synced with the director's thought patterns for this story. That being said, it still feels like something is missing in the translation of this family's plight to the larger scale of the situation, and the movie suffers for it.

You're welcome to watch it and see what you come away with. I'm 50/50 about whether this needs to be watched at the cinema or within the comfort of your home. I think this deserves a B.

God Bless    

Medicine: The Gift of Giving

 For the first time in my life I had the opportunity to do some CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) at a "medical camp". I remember I had initially witnessed a couple of those clinics run at my local church (St. Elizabeth Ann Seton) while I was still doing my Pre-Med in Grantham, PA, and hoped it  was something I could do once I obtained my medical degree. Well, truth be told, it's been almost 6 years and a month between actually getting the degree and me doing the CSR. Part of that might be down to procrastination, but the bigger portion probably has to do with my proclivities towards giving. I'm not saying that I'm stingy, but I always feel like I never give enough...like I never can give enough. With such an internal monologue going on in my head, it's very easy to psyche myself out of giving. I appreciate the chance to give money when the occasion calls for it, but even more than that, I prefer to give my time. I don't put a premium on my time, and I'm still relatively young and devoid of any major commitments, so I have time to spare. 

I used the Bill Cosby pic at the start despite all that's happened with him lately because you can't knock the humanitarian work that he did. That little pic was a big part of my past because it was something I remember encountering in the back of Marvel comics. It is also my own personal mantra because I feel more comfortable donating my time more than anything else.

It turns out that you can achieve a lot if you have the right team, and in this regard I have to thank the Nairobi Hospital team that put it together. We had nurses, nutritionists, Lab techs, doctors, marketers and customer service reps working to make the whole experience seamless. It was my day off, but I was glad to be using all this knowledge I've accumulated to give back to the community. The medical CSR opportunity gave me the chance to interact with a bigger subset of the Kenyan populace than I have of late. It serves to remind me of the need that exists at the grassroots level. 

My most defining experience of the day was actually a paediatric case.

A grandmother shows up with her 7-year old granddaughter who is having a fit of coughing. So as I do the history taking, it turns out that the cough basically kept her up through the night; the cough has a diurnal variation (worse in the early morning and late evening), and it is worsened by cold weather. The child has been taken to hospitals, and usually receives a bunch of medications (last one being an antibiotic - Septrin), but the condition still recurs.

Off the bat, I'm pretty sure that the child is asthmatic, and on auscultating/listening to her chest, I hear the telltale rhonchi (wheeze); clearly she just needs an inhaler (Ventolin/Salbutamol), and measures need to be taken to ensure she's kept warm to avoid the cold, which is a trigger for her asthma. This is where things start to get interesting: turns out that when the girl was younger, she had been given an inhaler, but the clinician had given it with the caveat that she not use the inhaler so much because she would eventually get "hooked" on it. (The clinician must've been missing from class when they discussed ATOPY 101).

To add insult to injury, we have the child's mother who ascribes to a "name it and claim it" brand of religion. I initially thought that this specific mantra only worked for drawing blessings to oneself. Turns out there's an extension to that kind of thinking: basically the mother felt that if she "named" the ailment, then that would be her accepting the devil's curse upon her child's life. So she just wanted to live life as if her child's condition didn't exist.

I hold myself from going off on a tirade about the double dose of ignorance, and ask my superiors to arrange for the child to be nebulized (they were able to do this at no charge to the patient). However, this was only one mere battle to be fought; since asthma is a recurrent condition, this child needed an inhaler, and occasional follow-ups to assess the adequacy of the treatment. The grandmother already understood the importance of the inhaler, but it was the mother - the principal guardian - who needed some kind of counselling to come to terms with her child's condition. Unfortunately, the mother could not be reached at that moment, which was sad because she could also have received the counselling for free.

I ended up giving the grandmother a prescription for the inhaler, and hoped that she would at least succeed in convincing the child's mother that asthma is a common condition that has reversible symptoms, and can usually be managed with medication; and importantly, the patient can live an essentially normal life. Sadly, this is a case which will undoubtedly be lost to my own personal follow-up.

All in all, it was quite a long day, but it was worth it. I at least saved people some money and time in terms of consultation, and as doctors often do, provided reassurance about benign symptoms that may have troubled their minds. I think I might just actively seek out more chances to volunteer in the days to come. It might be a token effort in the end, but it probably makes a world of difference to lots of people out there. So if you're still sitting on the fence about volunteering, despite how much you feel you have to offer, take the leap and do whatever small part you can.

God Bless

Shazam: "Spoiler Free" Movie Review

After recently regaling you with the information concerning the "Captain Marvel" moniker, and all the controversy attached to it, it is fitting that I would be reviewing a movie from yet another of the characters to have used that name...this time from the DC stable.

Now, personally, I'm old school, and this was actually the first Captain Marvel I knew of. I even remember his old cartoon adventures that I got to watch, an episode of which I found on Youtube.

Right off the bat, choosing to name him Shazam seems like a very silly idea. It was always understood that that specific title belonged to the wizard that bestowed his powers upon Billy Batson, turning him into Captain Marvel. Because he is unable to say the name without undergoing transformation into or out of the Captain Marvel persona, he basically remains unnamed throughout the whole movie. Sure, they'll play it for laughs: his hype man, Freddie Freeman (Jack Dylan Glazer) gets in a truckload of silly sounding facetious names before the movie's through ("Thundercrack" was probably one of the worst of them).

All that aside, this is DC's foray into the realm of magic. They do have a couple of characters who straddle that line - John Constantine, Dr. Fate, etc - but Shazam is cut from a mould similar to Wonder Woman's, though he is skewed more towards the magical spectrum. This is an origin story, so it takes up the story of the wizard Shazam as he looks for his successor: a human who is pure of heart. (If you get a chance, watch the DC animated short "Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam", which is a barebones compact version of this story).

The villain in this scenario is Dr. Thaddeus Sivana played to maximum bad guy effect by quintessential bad man Mark Strong. I will not spoil his origins for you because it initially just hits you in the face, but his fate and that of Captain Marvel are deeply intertwined. This is quite a serious take on the character, because, if (like me) your experience with Dr. Sivana doesn't stretch beyond "Batman: The Brave and The Bold", you'd probably just think of him as a very comical villain. He got away with insulting Captain Marvel by calling him "The Big Red Cheese"; he even upped the ante when he met the Marvel Family, and referred to them as "The Big Red Cheese and his two Gorgonzolas."

  
This is certainly a dark take on the character, but it is developed organically throughout the film. In essence, he doesn't feel Nolanized. Surprisingly, one moment in which he settles family business will definitely produce a jump scare.

Changes have been made to more than just Dr. Sivana. They significantly darkened Billy Batson's backstory. I feel like they could've still gotten the family message across without changing his past so significantly...but at least they make it work by fleshing out the underpinnings of this re-imagining. Previous animated versions portrayed Billy as more innocent and naive; totally worthy of the "Pure of Heart" descriptor. This time Billy is streetwise, a bit of a smart ass, and displaying a singular drive towards a mission that puts him at odds with the foster families he's usually placed into. He basically isn't much of a team player, but the last foster family he's placed into is more than up to the task of dealing with his character quirks.

I'd have to say that with few exceptions, this movie was well done. They nail the dual personality of Billy Batson/Shazam thanks to great performances from Asher Angel and Zachary Levi. Zachary Levi channels that confusion that he did so well in his "Chuck" appearances so at this point he plays someone out of his depth quite well; and in a similar vein to that show, he has a sidekick who he can at once threaten, and also look to for advice on his unique situations.

Mark Strong can basically do no wrong as a bad guy; case closed. The foster family truly brought a lot of heart to the movie. All actors - adult and children included - did a stellar job concocting an environment where Billy could feel accepted without needing to conform to a set standard. Each of the foster children is unique, and the family dynamic works.

Also have to give props to the world building, and I'm focusing on the magical portion of it, because some of the real world portion is set in Philadelphia, and they even reference Rocky in one scene when they're seated on the "Rocky Steps"at the Philadephia Museum of Art. (Note: a lot of the movie was actually filmed in Canada). They tackle the magical realm in the "magic as a form of science" method that you've usually seen in the Thor movies. One scene in particular, which I cannot spoil, references this very well; mind you, the scene is not original (you'll get the animated reference when you see it), but it's no less creatively done.

Unfortunately, this movie has a less than stellar third act, and this comes down to that final fight. First off, since this is the Shazam universe, there's already an understanding that he comes laden with some baggage. I feel like it was a poor choice by the producers to include that this early in the game. All the seriousness (shrouded by all the comedy) built throughout the earlier two-thirds of the film is sacrificed for a comicky more childish finale. The fight choreography is also subpar, too busy, and lacking a crisp finish. It could have benefited from better editing.There is also something lost in the works about how Shazam finds Billy worthy of his powers; there is a dynamic that was set up by the story itself, and as the story proceeded this gimmick got written out, so something just felt amiss when Shazam chose Billy.

All in all, I had a great time with this movie, and it is definitely one worth watching at the cinemas. I'm tied between grading this as an A- for the first two-thirds, and a B+ or B for the finale. You be the judge.

God Bless 

P.S: Kindly desist from staying till the end for the end credits scene. Nothing new about it. It is that same Aquaman-esque scene already shown in the trailers where Shazam tests his ability to talk to fish. Stay for the mid-credits though.

The Things That Medical School Won't Teach You (10): [Good] Leadership

"Thrown under the Bus" by Jason Jones

My (Kenyan) medical internship was a treasure trove of experiences, and thus on this fine day we will be revisiting one of those many formative experiences.

So I'm in the Obs/Gyne department (little surprise), and it was one of our elective theater days (either Monday or Thursday if memory serves me right), and I was assisting a consultant as he performed a TAH (aka Total Abdominal Hysterectomy). We've gotten through the relevant set of procedures, cut what needs cutting, and tied off any bleeders that need to be tied off. All this was done with very little blood loss all around.

So, now comes the moment of truth. Patient has been adequately hydrated by the anaesthetists and it's time to make sure that the patient is able to produce urine. So the patient gets a dose of a diuretic (Lasix/Furosemide), and we keep our eyes on the catheter that's been shoved up their urethra waiting to see some magic happen. Unfortunately, after about 10 minutes of watching, nary a drop of urine has collected in the urine bag. Basically, my consultant ended up tying up the patient's ureters during the procedure - the most common complication your medical school teachers would warn you about concerning this procedure.

So, it's back to the drawing board, or the chopping block as luck would have it. We proceed to backtrack trying to figure out at which point the ureters have been tied, and undo the damage. What should have been a 1 - 2 hour procedure ended up being a 5 hour long procedure with not so much as a break taken in-between; however, we came out of it thinking that we had at least salvaged the situation.

We skip forward to her time in the ward, and it becomes painfully obvious that the patient still isn't out of the woods. Her urine still isn't making it through the catheter, but, it is now draining through the incision scar in her abdomen. On the one hand, we're glad that she won't be developing kidney failure; on the other hand, we still have a veritable mess and our patient's dressing and bedding keep being stained with urine.

Worst of all was my consultant's decision to go AWOL and leave me "holding the hot potato". Imagine having to explain that stuff to the patient and her exasperated relatives day in and day out. At this point, the consultant is only addressing the issue via phone conversations with me. Eventually, plans ended up being made to transfer her to a bigger hospital to address the issue, but then some haggling over the issue of footing the ambulance bill to get her there broke out and threatened to lengthen her stay at our hospital. I don't remember how things finally got sorted out, but eventually she left, and I had never been so glad to see a patient leave.

Medicine in its most classical form is learned through apprenticeship. Some teachers might go a bit overboard with the "See one, do one, teach one" approach to learning procedures, but at the end of the day you need to be learning the nitty-gritty from someone else. With that in mind, when you're starting out you benefit from having a good leader who can impart useful knowledge, teach you the complexities of patient care, and even act as a mentor. Some of these people will actually sway you towards choosing which field to specialize in if you come into the game unsure of which direction you feel called in.

However, as I was recently reminded by a friend of mine, a "God Complex" almost certainly seems to be associated with doctors. I did take some time to correct the misconception though; just like I had been reminded by my friend Javed (circa Wenzhou, 2007), people have multiple reasons for choosing to become doctors. The way he broke it down for me, there were basically about 10 reasons, but the more common ones (of the top of my head) are as follows:

1. Prestige
2. Feeling called to help in society
3. Prior interaction with medical professionals due to your own/relative's illness
4. Money
5. Following in a parent's footsteps.

If "Prestige" is someone's driving force, you shouldn't really be surprised if patients, colleagues and juniors end up being used like mere stepping stones. You've probably been in the presence of doctors who made you feel like they were only interacting with you for the purpose of making a pay cheque - unnecessary tests, needlessly excessive repeat appointments, excessive medication, aggressively scheduling you for surgical procedures, etc. If we are looking to put a dent in your wallet, or take advantage of your insurance, many are the ways that we could make that happen. Truthfully, any doctor worth their salt should be able to explain their reasoning and justification for everything they subject you to, and you can always seek a second opinion if you're not convinced.

Medical school does not endeavour to develop people's character. They might sneak in an Ethics class or two, but character formation is really up to the individual and those that you choose to mentor you. So when it comes to "God Complexes", that was probably the default baseline setting of the respective individual. They would have ended up being a difficult lout regardless of whether they had chosen Business, Engineering, Politics, Fashion or Teaching.   

I have interacted with many doctors in my time who were very humble and willing to show me the ropes. My most vivid memory was working with Dr. Onkunya who showed me how to perform an excision of a breast fibroadenoma when I told him I had never performed one before. It was my first day in the Casualty, and one of my initial interactions with Dr. Onkunya, and I really didn't know what to expect. Fortunately, he was so concise and precise about the whole thing, and encouraging as he tutored me such that I was able to flawlessly replicate his technique and perform the next one on my own, and eventually teach the technique to others.

Unfortunately, I have also interacted with a lot of doctors that are a disservice to the profession. Some doctors merely see the practice of medicine as a power play and a chance to browbeat you into submission. You'd think you were in a boot camp, and they were drill sergeants. These doctors are usually short-tempered, prone to chastising and insulting you at the drop of a hat. Learning from them is also a task as they can opt to show you up in public (among your colleagues during ward rounds), and without remedying your ignorance, simply tell you to go read a book. Seems like their amount of bravado is inversely proportional to their actual skill. These doctors encourage you to basically hide your imperfection and basically "fake it till you make it", which, in light of rampant medical errors and malpractice, is about the worst thing you could ever do. Even at a basic level, doctors are tasked with repairing/fixing the human body and its processes after things have obviously gone awry; and we are expected to do it to such an extent - whether by surgery or drugs, physical therapy, etc - that the verisimilitude would approach that of a normal functioning body. You can't really fathom how much things can go wrong until you have to "undo" the work of one of your colleagues. This could range from poorly placed implants, poorly sutured wounds, erroneous drug prescriptions, missed diagnoses and misdiagnoses, etc.

A good practitioner will teach you to own up to your mistakes early, and to fix them as soon as possible; if that entails getting help, then get the aforementioned help; in retrospect, my Obs-Gyn consultant did just that - I just wish he had had the guts to actually talk to the aggrieved family face-to-face. A poor practitioner, however, is likely to be averse to admitting fault and/or blame others or systems for their failings. When that happens, you best be prepared to have yourself thrown under the bus for someone else's follies. I remember so vividly being tossed under the bus by my Director of Medical Services last year for something that was obviously a systemic issue that stemmed from poor management practices at the hospital, one of which they immediately course-corrected after this particular misfortune. (I cannot divulge any further information because that specific case might be undergoing some active litigation). If you haven't been thrown under the bus a couple of times in your career, then you've probably had a hallowed existence...like a unicorn. Since it is such a common evil, you should make it a point to cover yourself accordingly:

1. Document, document, document!  (Rule of thumb: if it isn't written down, assume it wasn't done!)
2. Be careful about anything that you end up signing
3. Be careful about being sent to witness a post-mortem. If litigation ensues (and court cases can last a really long period - years), you will find yourself sitting in court because of just one case.
4. Don't assume that the hospital has your back during a court case. It would be great to assume that this great community of individuals that you spend so much time with is your family, but such sentiment can turn in a minute. Distinguish yourself as a consummate professional, but always remember, "it's everyone for him/herself and God for everybody!" 

On a more positive note, remember that the vast majority of doctors actually joined the service for more philanthropic reasons. In a world this crazy, there are still good people trying to make things work; and the best of them can teach all these skill and experiences, and can inspire a whole host of people in the process.

As a parting shot, I remember that during my pre-internship at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), an Obs-Gyn consultant was walking though the maternity ward, and he was giving this rousing speech in order to let people know what was up. Can't remember most of it, but this little snippet (paraphrased) stuck in my mind,

"We are here to do a job. If you do not know what needs to be done, kindly make yourself known to us so that you can be taught what that involves; but if you feel like you don't need to know, then keep yourself out of our way so that we can still do effective work"

Very blunt and straight to the point! This hallowed profession demands that we always propel it forward, and check ourselves if our egos or other shortcomings are an impediment to its practise. We should remember that we are called upon to lead, as much as to be led. Therefore, invest yourself in learning to lead as much as you hit the books to improve your skills; and always remain teachable - the effort will never be wasted.

God Bless.

 

Captain Marvel: "Spoiler Free" Review

The Captain Marvel character is something of an enigma, having a complex history that has involved many different characters inhabiting the role, and let's not forget that little Marvel-DC tussle over the rights to use the name (The DC character "Shazam" who has a new movie coming up was for all intents and purposes known as Captain Marvel, but they switched his name to Shazam as of the New-52).

This version of Captain Marvel (aka Carol Danvers) was initially known as Ms. Marvel, receiving her powers from the original Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), and has a very interesting history that intimately includes the X-Men character Rogue.

Anyway, nostalgia aside, the Marvel team has made some changes to her already pre-established history in order to bring her into the MCU. The story is a non-linear affair, basically starting off in her time spent among the Kree. Suffering from amnesia concerning most of her life - save for a few segments she glimpses in recurring dreams - she is trained to be a member of StarForce (which just happens to include a Pre-Guardians of the Galaxy (GoTG) Korath, reprised by Djimon Honsou). It is during one of her missions that she encounters the Skrulls, a race of shape-shifting aliens, who happen to have more than a passing interest in the fledgling Kree soldier whose past may pose some special significance for their futures.

As far as non-linear histories go, this one isn't too hard to follow. Pretty quickly she ends up thrust into 90s-era Earth, and runs across Pre-MCU versions of Nick Fury and Phil Coulson (wonderfully and seamlessly de-aged for this movie). Amid the throwbacks to that era, she has to make sense of her past memories, come to terms with her unexplained and mysterious powers, and basically figure out what her place is in this universe.

The look of this movie is a bit different from other MCU movies; I think this is as a result of the 90s aesthetic, and the fact that this is all happening pre-MCU (the only prior glimpses we've had of that thus far have been from Peggy Carter's initial SHIELD adventures). This makes for an interesting dynamic. One pleasant surprise occurs at the very start of the movie. The current Marvel Logo Intro consists wholly of Stan Lee imagery. It was a beautiful dedication to a wonderful icon.

As far as origin stories go, this is not one of the MCU's strongest efforts. As Marvel builds up this character as probably its most powerful superhero in the MCU, with a big stake to play in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame, they definitely have to present her history to us to at least get us invested in the character. Brie Larson is serviceable as the character, building up quite a good rapport with Nick Fury that makes this play out like a "Buddy-Cop" film. The addition of Goose, the orange tabby cat, will definitely be a treat for movie lovers. He actually has quite a fleshed out role in this movie (one of which will likely produce a what-the-hell-were-they-thinking moment for many a movie fan), and it will be great to see how the MCU uses him in future installments.

The movie producers play it by the numbers, ticking off respective checkboxes for building up this portion of the MCU, but there is something seemingly "alien" about this effort; don't get me wrong, I see none of the feminism that was supposedly meant to make this movie a "Social Justice Warrior"(SJW) darling; rather, it feels like the stakes aren't that high in the end. There's a segment with a Pre-Guardians of the Galaxy (GoTG) Ronan the Accuser - reprised by Lee Pace - but even he is unable to breath more depth or risk into this movie.

Marvel has taken a non-traditional route in covering Captain Marvel's story, and this leaves me optimistic that there is a lot to mine in this vein in order to give us compelling stories. They've also provided surprises aplenty that might digress from the lore of other characters, and I would love to see how that plays out.

When all is said and done, it's a good-looking movie, but it would definitely have benefited from a more invested story.

I unequivocally  give this movie a B-, but that still shouldn't stop you from checking it out.
God Bless

P.S: How on earth is Djimon Honsou being allowed to do all this Marvel-DC crossing over?     

The Music of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard: Batman Begins Soundtrack

Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy has earned much praise for the amount of realism that it was able to inject into the iconic character of Batman. Don't get me wrong, I grew up on Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns, and these were both great takes on Batman lore. Batman Forever (sans Jim Carrey's overacting) is also an enjoyably watchable movie. Unfortunately, Joel Shumacher took the comic gimmick to ultimate extremes with Batman & Robin. Batman Begins thus served as a course correction.

In my opinion, Batman Begins is the best installment in the whole trilogy because it shows Nolan's most seamless uncluttered vision for the project. The Dark Knight might have wowed us with an incredible joker, but it also offered us a terrible Rachel Dawes whom I was overjoyed to see killed off in the same installment. The Dark Knight Rises was a travesty and a cash-grab, worst entry in the trilogy hands-down.

As I've mentioned on more than one occasion, the musical score of a movie is in itself a character within the movie. This score was a collaboration by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard with Zimmer taking care of scoring the action scenes and Howard scoring the emotional scenes. Initially Zimmer may have come under fire for not using elements of Danny Elfman's score for prior Batman movies, but I can't argue with the finished product.

There is something somewhat "industrial" about some of the music. The heroic theme "Molossus", which plays when Bruce suits up for action, is one such example of this; set to a rapidly pulsing drumbeat that sounds like the heart of a gigantic mechanical beast (that meshes well with the "Tumbler"), it also consists of quickfire strings that are used to convey a sense of urgency. Some tunes are also rather "airy": the very first track, "Vespertilio" mimics the sound of Batman unfurling his cape. The effect is used on other occasions to make us feel like we're in the depths of a cave, or within the recesses of "the Narrows", the seedy underbelly of Gotham.

"Nycteris" sounds like something from a James Bond-esque movie, and it should really because it matches up with a very "Q" type of moment when Lucius Fox leads Bruce Wayne through R&D, showing him the ins and outs of the armoury. Portions of some songs trail of into the most dissonant weird sections in order to mimic the effects of the Fear Toxin or as a representation of the villainous Scarecrow.

"Lasiurus", which is the last track, is probably what I would classify as Ra's Al Ghul's theme. It is a sombre piece that enlightens the moment in which Ra's teaches Bruce about the nature of criminals, and the League of Shadows. It perfectly signifies the heavy loss that is at the heart of this dark character, which becomes the driving force for his resolution to enforce balance by any means necessary.

The heart and soul of this movie is the elegiac Wayne Theme sprinkled in multiple songs but chiefly found in "Macrotus" and "Corynorhinus". Corynorhinus is remarkable for having the most beautiful intro of this particular theme; Macrotus, on the other hand, is the full examination of the theme. Starting off beautifully with a melodic string portion playing a very striking opening motif, then sinks into the theme proper, and at the midway point it slows down and acquires that "airy" tone I previously spoke off, perhaps harkening back to "the Narrows"; then with a lick very much reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings (Sauron-esque), it segues into the Adversity Theme - a booming brass section that conveys the very insurmountable weight of Gotham's problems, and the arduous task of trying to fix it. A choir boy's shrill voice then pierces the background, and provides a scaffold for the strings section to be built upon. The piano then leads us back into the beautiful Wayne Theme motif, joined in by strings and the brass, and buoyed by that haunting shrill voice. The song then slowly winds down as the brass section crescendos.

One piece that they failed to name (nor does it appear in the score) makes a very prominent appearance during the burning down of Wayne Manor at the 2:21 - 3:57 mark. (prior to that, you can definitely notice Lasiurus playing).

 

The same unnamed tune is also part of the final credits suite and is an action-oriented version of the Wayne Theme. It's a pity that they omitted it from the score, but fortunately you can still get it on Youtube.

As far as soundtracks in this trilogy went, this eclipsed all other entries, and is the most emotionally vibrant of them all. The Dark Knight's soundtrack is particularly unpleasant to listen to because the grating strings that are used for the Joker's theme are like nails on a chalkboard; they may be fine for adding suspense within the context of the movie, but the music cannot be enjoyed on its own; and as for the Dark Knight Rises, it's all Zimmer with none of Howard's redeeming qualities.

Take some time to listen to this wonderful soundtrack and bask in its beauty. I recommend starting with Corynorhinus, Macrotus and Lasiurus.

God Bless

Driving Peeves

Driving in Kenya really isn't for the faint of the heart. Between the roads, motorized vehicles and pedestrians, circumstances conspire to give you an enraging experience on a regular basis. Matatus are obviously top on my list in terms of irritants with their devious ways, but it seems like everyone and anything can ultimately surprise you at any time. Here's just a list of some of my current peeves

1. Matatus stopping on the road
   This literally just happened to me today: I'd just made it up a precipitous hill, and was balancing my car as I waited for my chance to branch right onto the road. A matatu driver pulls off to my side of the road to drop people, blocking my view of oncoming traffic! It's hard enough trying to balance a manual car up a hill that steep, and be able to get enough thrust to gun it; however, doing this without a clear view of oncoming traffic (sometimes very fast approaching) is insane!
   
   Somewhere along the line, it became acceptable for matatus to just stop in the middle of the road, park on the side road preventing you from merging onto a road, or even just pull off ever slightly off the road but have enough of the vehicle jutting onto the road to cause some concern (or even an impending accident).
2. Grandfather with wheelbarrow on the road
   This particular entry is so specific, I just had to highlight it. The other day as I was driving to Kiserian, this (perhaps senile) old man was just standing square on the edge of tarmac in my lane, and he was just totally oblivious. There was an oncoming car in the opposite lane, and I'm pretty sure if I'd driven on I would've hit the man. I actually had to come to a complete standstill, wait for the other vehicle to pass, then maneuver past the idiot. I pray that he learns better road etiquette or he won't have many more days on this earth with that kind of behaviour.
3. Pedestrians crossing at idiotic places
   I have previously been accused of being very hard on pedestrians, perhaps signifying that I am a vehicle-snob. Granted, most of Kenya is a walking-nation (I would actively eschew driving for a walk or a decent bus ride), but none of that excuses rank idiocy on the roads. I once drove through Kawangware (hopefully never again), and it was a nerve-racking experience trying to steer clear of pedestrians who'd invade the road any chance they got.
   
   The sheer lunacy from pedestrians is mind-boggling. Some people have gotten into the habit of pointing their open palms at you to stop as if they're the police; others simply walk so slowly once they plant their feet onto the tarmac, it's as if they assume they have bragging rights to the road. I once saw a man walk directly into a roundabout (with freely flowing traffic mind you) in much the same way that a car would!
   
   Some of these pedestrians are just begging to get hit. Sad reality is that people think that if you hit them you owe them a ride to the hospital, and a responsibility to pay for all their medical procedures. If only people really understood the amount of convalescence and rehab associated with ghastly road accidents (in addition to expenses and lost productivity time), they might try to be more careful on the roads. I feel sad for all the children who have to learn to cross roads from these obviously deficient adults, because they'll end up making the same mistakes
4. Poorly marked/maintained roads
   It always astounds me how many bodies are charged with taking care of our roads, but then they seemingly can't get some simple things fixed. It's already a nightmare driving on roads with people from oncoming traffic veering into your lane on occasion, but this is magnified further by failing to mark roads with the occasional fresh coat of paint.
   
   Then there are those times when you encounter massive potholes that are literally craters. Sometimes you just find yourself waiting for the other shoe to drop, because in the back of your mind you're pretty sure that the pothole will undoubtedly end up being a "widow-maker". Don't the employees of these road maintenance bodies drive through these very roads everyday?
   
   With all the money we pay in form of taxes (particularly those tacked onto already inflated fuel prices), you'd think that we could get well marked and maintained roads. This isn't brain surgery!
5. Non-standardized bumps
   I remember that while I was learning to drive in the US, when it came to something like honking/hooting/beeping it was understood that it was something you did to warn people; thus it need not be used punitively. I imagine the same principle stands for putting bumps on the road. I can't understand why for the life of me some of the bumps on the road are erected so tall; there are some bumps so high, that they scrape the base of your car on the regular. Then there are those irritating bumps which you have to slow down to a measly 8 km/h to climb them, or face the prospect of a jolt in your ride.
   
   This, however, isn't the norm; there are some elegantly designed sections of road (both old and new) that get their bumps right. As a plus, they actually mark them so that you can be aware of the bumps much earlier. Can't we just aim for the best standards in our roads instead of playing russian roulette with quality?
6. People not using their turn signals appropriately
   Sometimes I wonder how many people actually passed their driving tests without having to pay a bribe to get the requisite pass. According to the way some people drive, you'd think that turn signals are just an unnecessary accessory on their vehicles. Many a time, I've had to employ defensive driving because someone randomly just slows to a complete standstill without any warning; there is nothing more insulting than seeing them then turn on their turn signal, as if that was enough prior warning that you required. Worse still, there are people who would never make any indication at all
7. People driving on unpaved shoulders
   Save for the few rains that have quenched the scorched earth in most of the country, it has been really hot and dusty outside. Of course I'd like to keep my windows open and soak up the breeze, but that becomes impossible when matatus, bike riders and cars resort to using unpaved shoulders to beat traffic. They kick up so much dust that is immediately suffocating, but ultimately also a nuisance because they make my car interior and exterior look like I've taken a drive through the Sahara.
8. Impatient idiots
   Sunny Bindra once remarked that Kenyans talk so much about (traffic) jams that you'd assume that it was our staple food! Granted, we do spend a lot of time sitting in traffic jams, but nothing stirs up my gall more than watching drivers jump onto the oncoming traffic lane to avoid the jam. Sometimes they even end up making the situation worse. It's as if they think they're better or more intelligent than everyone else.
   
   You can add self-important politicians and like-minded individuals to the list. I long for the days long gone of President Moi when there were minimal motorcades on the road. Nowadays you could even see run-of-the-mill diplomats with chase cars, and they're driving on the wrong side of the road. If our politicians don't have the decency to fix the underlying causes of the traffic jams (very well within their domain of responsibility), then by God they should have the decency to sit in traffic jams like the rest of us.
9. Roundabouts
   Lord knows I didn't get much experience with roundabouts during driving lessons, but with a little practice and attention to the rules it's a skill that you can easily acquire. I do have an issue with the people that don't understand that you can't use the 1st lane (right outermost lane) to make a 270 or 360 Degree turn about the roundabout. I almost had my car T-boned by someone as I was basically driving straight through the 2nd lane; similarly, my mother almost found herself between a rock and a hard place when her car was almost sandwiched between a lorry making such a maneuver in the 1st lane, and a bus in the 3rd lane. 
10. Motorcycle (boda boda) riders riding aggressively
    As if it wasn't bad enough that a huge number of motorcycle riders are unlicensed and poorly taught, they have the gusto to ride extra aggressive on the roads. I recall that once I was driving in Kileleshwa, and this lorry driver gave me way so that I could merge onto his lane. Would you believe that NOT one, BUT two motorcycles (with passengers in tow) came up from behind me, and without slowing down squeezed into the small gap between myself and the lorry. If I hadn't slammed on the brakes, I'm pretty sure I would have crushed those people to death.
    
    Now I've been around an orthopaedic ward or two, and could regale you with the variations of fractures and soft tissue injuries that I've come across when it comes to boda boda riders. The worst thing about these injured riders is that their friends visit them while they're in hospital, see the horrific injuries, dastardly surgeries and long recovery times that their colleagues undergo, but learn nothing from the experience, and go on to perpetuate the carelessness.

I'm pretty sure there's more I haven't highlighted, but that's enough for now. Just better make sure you say your prayers before getting on these roads because it's the rule of the jungle on these streets.

Stay safe.

Alita: Battle Angel (Review)

I'd been looking forward to seeing this movie since the very first trailer dropped. The massive mangaverse seems to be a treasure trove of wonderful titles just waiting to be discovered. The adaptation process hasn't always gone so flawlessly (a la "Ghost in the Shell"), but less bad press seemed to follow this project around so it seemed like it was at least off to a good start. It helped that it was a passion project anchored by none other than James Cameron; this didn't seem like the usual fare for director Robert Rodriguez, but I was willing to bet that their partnership would yield a great movie.

The movie is set in a bleak dystopian future already alluded to so well in the trailers. It is a tale of two cities as the dregs of humanity congregate in Iron City while a select few live in the floating city of Zalem (very much similar to the dichotomy displayed in Astro Boy when it comes to "Metro City"). Within the scrapyard of Iron City, Dr. Ido (Christoph Waltz) discovers the core remains of a cyborg, whom he takes home and rehabilitates. Since she is basically a blank slate, struck with a severe case of amnesia, he decides to name her Alita and acts as her surrogate father. As expected, he is overly protective of her as Iron City is very much a lawless land; he is also aware that there is more to Alita than meets the eye, something that would make her an easy mark for people trying to exploit her.

A fair deal of the story was shown in the trailers that preceded its release, but that still does not detract from the experience of watching the movie. Its creators have excelled at the massive task of world-building, giving us both the scope involved, but also giving us that very lived-in feeling that makes the world seem all too real. As a totally digitally rendered character, Alita seems very real; forget what initial impressions there may have been concerning her larger-than-life sized eyes: she never has any "uncanny valley" moments and you will fully empathize with her as you delve into the plot, discovering things just as innocently as she does.

The crew really did a great job in getting the character design down for this movie. Alita might be a fully digitally rendered character, but a lot of the citizens of Iron City are mechanically augmented individuals, and they don't seem out of place at all. You only have to get a glimpse of the character Zapan (Ed Skrein) in motion to see what's going on. The amount of detail in his design, particularly that of his back, is astounding. This kind of wizardry is reflected throughout the whole world, reflecting different classes of individuals who are augmented to perform different functions.

The fast paced spectacle that is "Motorball" is yet another highlight of the movie. The "street" alternative that Alita first encounters seemed like a more competitive sport; the true version of the game is more gladiatorial with a basic kill-or-be-killed mentality behind it. Truth be told, this will not sway you in any way from enjoying every single moment of its fast paced turbulent energy.

The multilayered characters also serve the story well. Alita (Rosa Salazar), an amnesiac who basically has to find her humanity by doing the one thing she was designed for - fighting - is both innocent, simplistic, but utterly fearless; a true berzerker.  Dr. Ido and Chiren (Jennifer Connelly) share a convoluted past, not fully explored in this installment, but events in their lives cause them to diverge along very different paths. Jennifer Connelly didn't have much material to work with, but she certainly makes Chiren a fascinating character.  At this point in his career, Mahershala Ali has played his fair share of villains (can't forget his recent turn as "The Prowler" in Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse); he plays "Vector" in a style very reminiscent of his take on "Cottonmouth" from Luke Cage. Last, but not least, I have to highlight the villainous Grewishka voiced so menacingly by Jackie Earle Haley; rendered as a monstrous behemoth, he has a loud bark, but unfortunately gets to endure a lot more punishment than he usually deals out (making him more of a running gag).

What we have at play here is a wonderful unique story, told with spectacular visuals that will totally immerse you in the whole experience. The movie is well-paced, and its 2 hour run time seems well and truly earned. With all the uncredited megastar appearances going on in this movie, it definitely will be getting a sequel, and I will definitely be lining up to watch those sequels.

This was a masterclass in movie making. A+

God Bless

Spoiler Free Review - "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World"

All things must ultimately come to an end. This movie ends the journey that began with a surprisingly wonderful "How to Train Your Dragon" (HTTYD) in 2010, that introduced us to the beloved duo of Hiccup and his trust Night Fury (Toothless), and the myriad denizens of Berk. It'd be pretty safe to say that that movie was a beautiful unique introduction to the world of dragons, and showed us that one weird kid with a knack for the uncanny could be the bridge between two totally different worlds. This was followed by HTTYD II in 2014, which expanded the mythos even further: we were introduced to the concept of Dragon hierarchy, we regained Hiccup's lost mother, but lost the brave Stoic in exchange, and thus Hiccup eventually ended up being crowned as chief. The second installment gave us tons in terms of world-building, traded in a human antagonist dragon-hunter (Drago Bludvist) for the monstrous "Red Death", but its predecessor was undoubtedly the better of the two movies.

HTTYD III delves deeper into Hiccup's chieftaincy: as usual, with his and the Berkians' penchant for embracing dragons, Berk is now filled to the brim with dragons. And since Dragon hunters are now a part of this story, all this has done is paint a big target on their backs; in this way, Grimmel the Grizzly is brought in as an antagonist to plot their end. Toothless is still the alpha, and tries to keep the dragons in check, but things change once a female Light Fury becomes the object of his affection.

In my opinion, the movie got off to quite a slow start. Something quite disappointing for me was how some scenes were rendered in the dead of night. There just wasn't that much contrast, and this made it hard to make out the details in some of the night scenes. There's also something misplaced about the comedy this time around. HTTYD has usually had many avenues from which to pull in some laughs: from Hiccup's deadpan musing about his quirks, the eccentricities of his age mates, Gobber's observations and the interactions with Toothless and other dragons. It just seemed like most attempts at comedy did not land. Granted, this is the end to the trilogy, and some weighty issues are expected (similar to the gravitas that Stoic's death posed in the previous installment), we're still in this for some fun. The weirdest thing they do is try to make Hiccup's mother (Valka) an object of intrigue for Snotlout and Eret. The most irritating thing they do is overplay the twins Tuffnut and Ruffnut's roles this time around. I can understand giving us small doses of irritating characters, but this was just excessive.

The law of diminishing returns seems to have set in rather deeply. However, the movie catches its stride in its 3rd act. Some of the decisions made by Hiccup are a bit suspect, but then again, this is merely a reflection of his eccentricity at work; the same eccentricity that saw him embrace dragons when most people merely saw them as a dangerous inconvenience. For so long he had come to rely on the oddity of loving dragons as his one true defining characteristic, but he's forced to come to terms with the fact that he is more than just the tamer of dragons. Similarly, there's a love story at play here: that of Toothless and the Light Fury. In retrospect, it shares the same odd beginning as Toothless' friendship with Hiccup, with Toothless now taking on the role of the hapless dolt.

Despite the initial slow pacing, the movie provides a great emotionally satisfying climax to the trilogy. Perhaps the movie will grow on me with yet another chance to view it, but I'm glad to have had the chance to be on this 3-movie ride. Please make sure to check the soundtrack (currently available on Youtube) for the delightful tune, "Once there were Dragons". It is the theme for the culmination of the movie, started off in beautiful Latin chanting accompanied by a soothing Harp. Bounding off into booming brass territory, the song encompasses a wide variety of emotion, eventually evolving into an all too familiar HTTYD tune. It brings all things full-circle.

I give this movie a B+, and hope to be as entranced by another movie as I have been by this collective trilogy as a whole.

God Bless

The Music of Robert Glasper: Canvas

Robert Glasper, as I've mentioned previously, is an artist I encountered while searching for an instrumental version of a Common + Slum Village collaboration known as "Thelonius". Robert Glasper has a rich tradition of blending Hip Hop sensibilities with his jazz music; on this occasion, he was paying homage to the Jay Dilla beat (which was originally sampled from George Duke's "Vulcan Mind Probe"), and he usually includes this tune (along with other Jay Dee staples like "Doo Doo", "Stakes is High" and "The Light"...and one time even threw in "Yum Yum") on a set he does called "The Dillalude".  This was basically a springboard to discover more of his work, some of which is straight ahead jazz, and occasionally he gets "experimental" with his Robert Glasper Experiment group.

In the course of searching for another rendition of the Dillalude, I came across a live recording of the Robert Glasper Trio from February 11th 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri. On that day his accompanying personnel were Alan Hampton (on Bass) and Mark Colenburg (on Drums). To cut a long story short, this version of the Dillalude (disappointingly) only consisted of "Doo Doo" and "Stakes is High", thus I decided to peruse through the other tracks, and there it was practically at the beginning of the performance: right after introducing his trio members and apologizing for previous no-shows, he presented "Canvas"

Now, Canvas was originally released in October 2005, and at the time he was basically fronting a quartet: Mark Turner (Tenor Sax), Vicinte Archer (Bass) and Damion Reid (Drums). Clocking in at 9:57, it is a beautifully sombre piece. Robert Glasper starts it off with a 3 note phrase (varied), which is answered by a variable length phrase initially from Mr. Glasper himself for a few measures, and then eventually the rest of the quartet joins in, echoing Glasper, and eventually plays the chorus to the piece. They cycle through this for some time, and then after a Glasper solo, followed by a Mark Turner solo, they bring it to a close by going in hard on the chorus.


This live rendition is a slightly different cup of tea; coinciding with the date of Whitney Houston's death, it ended up being dedicated to her memory. I don't know if this may have influenced Glasper to play a lengthy solo before getting into Canvas-proper, but it certainly made the music more memorable. He proceeds to play a ballad clocking in at 6:50 that is profoundly nuanced (possibly fully improvised). When I listen to it, I feel like it consists of 2 distinct portions: the first portion is more subdued, with quiet employed between the run of notes to place a delicate sort of emphasis, a yearning; this changes about the 3:20 mark whereby the mood in the music shifts. The tone picks up, and the stretches of punctuated silences are reduced, and he imbues the notes with more of a warmth; he then segues into that prototypical 3 note phrase of "Canvas".

Truth be told, there's something more intimate and magical about the trio rendition versus the original quartet rendition. I attribute this mostly to the saxophone that was particularly jarring in its solo portion. Don't get me wrong, the sax adds some nice layering in unison with the other instruments, but in this song it just makes the song seem more technical, but less musically enriching. In contrast, the trio's live rendition starts off with a very tasteful Bass solo, followed by a more grounded Piano solo which constitutes the vast majority of the song. Glasper plays it close to the heart. The drums are present as a muted element in the background, adding subtle shades of accompaniment. Come to think of it, this is yet another welcome change from the original version whereby the drums were something of an obtrusive element. Here, the drums flourishes are only really highlighted in the drum solo that precedes the song's ending as all three trio members finally let loose.    

By the end of it all, you'd have listened to a wonderful 21:54 gem that explores a huge range of emotions. Thus far, I've heard 3 versions of this song: the original, the Trio version, and the 2014 North Sea Jazz Festival version (backed by the Metropole Orchestra), and the trio version is my standout favourite. Sometimes the most laid back, grounded, simple version is just the best. In my opinion, this truly is the definitive version of Canvas.

May this song also breathe some light into your life.

 

Trio Version (21:54)

  

Quartet Version (10:00)

2014 North Sea Jazz Festival version (12:29)

God Bless

Glass: "Spoiler-Free" Review

Just got done watching the latest addition to the surprise Unbreakable-Trilogy. "Split" was a fascinating movie that clearly is an excellent standalone story; however, finding out that it actually shared a universe with "Unbreakable" opened up a whole bunch of possibilities, not least of which was the chance to delve into the superhero lore entailed in the fairly grounded world of Unbreakable.

The movie immediately thrusts us into the thick of things. David Dunn (Bruce Willis) continues his vigilante ways, now currently known as "The Overseer". His son, Joseph (reprised by Spencer Treat Clark), aids him in this effort as his "guy in the chair" to provide him with relevant info. They currently have their eyes set on Kevin Wendell Crumb aka "The Horde" (James  McAvoy). Since he let his beast persona run rampant, he has carved a trail of destruction throughout the city, and, as per his modus operandi, has kidnapped yet another set of individuals. The stage is set for these two individuals to meet and sparks do fly when they meet. Having never faced an equal, their initial encounter is humbling for the both of them. Suffice it to say, sometime after this encounter they end up confined to an asylum under the watch of Dr. Staple (Sarah Paulson); the aforementioned asylum also coincidentally happens to house our favourite antagonist Elijah Price aka Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson), conscious, but thoroughly sedated and kept under wraps. On cue, the appearance of the two super-powered individuals reinvigorates him and reignites his joie de vivre.

This movie is a fulfilling slow-burn, similar to both Unbreakable and Split; however, unlike its two predecessors, it runs at a faster pace. Unbreakable gave us a more grounded universe, and did not have much in terms of action scenes; this movie gives us a few more action scenes, but even better than that is an underlying intensity and sense of urgency that kept me enthralled through the whole movie. The acting chops of the 3 leads in their Protagonist, Antagonist and Deuteragonist roles is impressive; this movie sequentially follows their 3 arcs and makes extensive use of flashbacks to carefully knit this universe in some unsuspected ways. James McAvoy is a joy to watch. Seeing him dissolve into the various personalities is a thing of beauty. Even after all this time, I distinctly remembered the proper and domineering "Patricia", the OCD and ever serious "Dennis" and innocent "Hedwig". Impressively, we get to see more personalities exhibited this time around, if only for small fleeting moments. Undoubtedly, McAvoy receives more of the spotlight so that he can shine.

Samuel L. Jackson is ever the thunderous voiced villain. Some of his portrayal of Mr. Glass is merely physical, but even then you still get the impression that there's a lot bubbling under the surface - planning, scheming, mischief. Though he's up to no good, he's the kind of villain that you find yourself empathizing with.

Bruce Willis is subdued in his representation of the reluctant hero. The only sad thing is that his character supposedly disappears for an extensive portion of the second act (which is a tragedy). His David Dunn, far from being the kind of hero upon whom people heap praise, is held in deep suspicion and the police basically make him a marked man. Despite this, he continues to risk life and limb to do what only he can do to keep people safe.

The supporting cast is also great, adding more layers to the story; the movie also benefits from a great script and beautiful cinematography. I think most people will be fine with this movie, until it gets to its final act. Just when everything promises to propel us into a fiery climax, Mr. Shyamalan decides to take us on a different tangent. A lot of people who have reviewed this movie were turned off by this turn of events. This director is famous for his use of plot-twists in his earlier movies, so it isn't something unexpected from him; the direction he chooses is really anticlimactic. I can understand that this movie threatened to join the mould of other big blockbuster superhero movies in the manner in which it plays out, so Shyamalan chose to ground it further to fit in with his vision. It unfortunately unfurls a thread that leaves a big unanswered question at the movie's end. From a movie franchise standpoint, it means that he could pelt us with another sequel at any time if he so chooses; however, it feels like an injustice to the groundwork that was beautifully laid out in both Unbreakable and Split. A good analogy would be for us to be given "Avengers: Infinity War" without the prospect of an "Avengers: Endgame". It just can't end this way.

The ending is truly conflicting; this seems like too beautiful a movie for it to come down to this. As such, I will be splitting my rating for this movie:

1. the stellar work of everything that went into the mix: A
2. the ending: B-

However, even the ending should not detract you from experiencing this tour-de-force. Loving hands have crafted it; they may have wavered along the way, but the execution is wonderful.


God Bless
              

Titans: Spoiler-Lite Review

The 11-episode arc of season one has finally come to an abrupt end (one episode shorter than was originally touted), so now's as good a time as any to give my two cents about the show.

Now, if you had watched the trailers for the TV show, you knew that they were going for a really edgy feel with this series. In any case, that seems to be the baseline for most DCEU fanfare (with the exception of perhaps Aquaman). Once you heard a "pre-NightWing" Robin (Brenton Thwaites) drop the F-bomb whilst referring to Batman, you should've known that they weren't playing.

The central conflict on this story revolves around Rachel Roth (Teagan Croft) who will become the future Raven. Her inner demons have awakened, and a dark cabal of individuals come out of the woodwork to try to ensure that the darkest permutation of her potential future comes to pass. Fate, however, conspires to place her into the hands of Dick Grayson who does his best to keep her as his ward. Along the way, Koriand'r (aka Cory Ander aka StarFire), an amnesiac pyrokinetic  and Gar Logan (aka Beast Boy) join in to protect Raven.

The show is a slow-burn for most of its run because it decided to bring the team together when all its heroes are pretty new to their abilities, with the exception of Robin. Having to sit through an amnesiac StarFire, Raven and Beast Boy slowly coming to terms with their abilities saps the life out of the show. They chose a "Hero-of-the-week" type format to introduce us to other superheroes within this shared universe in order to propel the story in different directions. In some cases, this plays out interestingly because it answers the question concerning Robin's replacement in Gotham once he parts ways with Batman; it also serves to expose Beast Boy's comic book origins in which he was initially affiliated with the Doom Patrol. It also finds a compelling way to deal with the changed Hawk and Dove roster that also occurred in the comics with what proved to be one of the strongest arcs captured in the show (Episode: Hank and Dawn).

For all the potential teased earlier on, the show fails to deliver in a lot of areas. This new edginess, complete with extreme cursing, is a mere crutch that most times tries to disguise edginess for poorly written characters. The level of angst a lot of the characters portray doesn't feel earned in the least. Robin is extremely ultra-violent and blames Batman for just about everything, but this merely comes off as him being ungrateful, and the way events play out, he appears to be more "fallen" than his mentor. He is sanctimonious, but there really isn't a good display of core character to even make you side with him. His replacement, Jason Todd, is an even worse caricature and is an outright villain. If you've watched the impressive DC animated movie "Batman: Under the Red Hood", you'd know Jason Todd's future pretty well, and you'd see that this series is selling him pretty short. The only character who only really seems to organically shine in this faux pas world is Donna Troy, and even her cursing seems appropriate when she openly curses out Robin later on in the series.

Some of the CGI choices are also a bit questionable. Sure, it might happen in quick cuts in which they need to show us a hero jumping off some massive height, but it comes off as really poorly done. You can spot the digital duplicate from a mile away; it seems like even half-decent "wire work" would have made a better stylistic choice. They probably also bit off more than they could chew by choosing to bring Beast Boy into the mix. For whatever reason, we are only stuck with him transforming into his Tiger form for the entirety of this season; if that wasn't enough, they are choosing to have some level of realism in this, meaning that he has to strip in and out of his clothes to make these transformations. It gets annoying pretty quickly, and it makes you long for the animated Teen Titans  show whereby his suit just automatically changed with him in and out of transformations.

I have to go after the wardrobe department on this one too. StarFire (Anna Diop) seems to spend a lot of time in the same outfit. This is a lady who's dishing out $100 bills at the drop of a hat, but can't seem to change out of her purple suit. I can understand that they're trying to channel her costume from other media, but it left me cringing just as much as when I watched Marvel's Slob-supreme,  Jessica Jones. (Made me feel like I needed a shower). Come to think of it, Beast Boy also suffers from a similar setback. They definitely needed to be a differentiation for their costumes and their street-wear, which is obviously done well with Robin.

Lastly, I can understand that they're trying to shed the "Teen" from "Teen Titans", and so they've ramped up the maturity level a whole lot on this one. Relationships that occurred organically throughout the course of the comics will definitely be rehashed in this series. However, at this point they're just ham-fisting these relationships; and they're making it worse by mixing it up with some poor sex scenes. You can see some of these moments coming from a mile away, and it just leaves you feeling like the showrunners are striving for the lowest common denominator. This edginess for edginess' sake will be the end of the DCEU. The fundamentals still remain the same - people want to relate to these characters, empathize with them; and if we can't empathize, at least we need to understand their spirals down destructive paths.

Watching this season felt like an arduous task, and to tell you the truth, without any clear hinted saving grace in terms of interesting character development and proper plot-pacing for the next season, this might be as far as I go with this series.

I rate this a solid C.

Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse "Spoiler-Free" Review



It is indeed a rare occasion when an animated feature gives more traditional films a run for their money. This movie was stacked up against quite a number of odds: Sony hasn't had a good record of representing the web-head on screen since the critically acclaimed Spider-Man II; Sam Raimi's Spider-Man III fell short because of studio interference, and The Amazing Spider-Man franchise was an unnecessary addition that disintegrated when it sacrificed concise storytelling for the sake of trying to saddle us with a spin-off that no one requested (basically, the Blade Trinity treatment). Tom Holland's Spider-Man is basically touted as an MCU-property, and then we've had the strange spin-off that was Venom.

On top of that, they chose to give us an alternative protagonist choice in the form of the Ultimate Universe's Miles Morales, in addition to weaving the stories of multiple spider-folk from alternate universes. Lastly, they opted for an art-house look to this movie, to give us the feeling a comic was unfolding in front of our eyes.

I am glad to proclaim that everything about this movie works. It is a beautiful introduction to Miles Morales, his complicated relationship with his cop-father who tries to balance his love for Miles with the need to ensure that he can secure a better future for his son; we also delve into Miles' relationship with his uncle, Aaron Davis (his father's estranged brother), who embraces Miles' awkwardness and offers a respite to the turn of events bulldozing through Miles' life. Of course the spider bite throws an even bigger wrench into Miles' life, and leads him on a path of self discovery.

It might have been hard for Miles to pick up on the superhero biz if he was left to his own devices, but, luckily, the rest of the Spiderverse comes to his aid. Peter Parker (Sam Raimi's version) serves as Miles principal mentor, providing a sarcastic, grizzled and jaded outlook to the fledgling superhero's expectations. However, deep down, he still maintains the compassion necessary to empathize with Miles' innocence, confusion and slow start to heroism. Spider-Gwen (an alternate Gwen Stacy), is Miles' peer, and provides an alternative to Peter Parker's war-weary view on the world.

Going by the clips already released, you realize that Spider-Man Noir, Peni Parker and Spider-Ham get smaller roles in this movie; however, they chew up the scenes in which they star. Nicholas Cage's over-the-top black and white characterization gives Noir a seriousness that is very comical. Spider-Ham is something out of a Looney Toons short, fitting perfectly into the absurd mould cast for him, and even proving that a cuddly cartoon character is not one to be messed with. I feel like Peni Parker got the short end of the stick when it comes to vocal characterization, but she is a packaged deal (her and her robot sidekick), so we get something of a montage of her doing science-y things within the robot.

A lot of praise needs to be given to the assembly of the rogues' gallery for this spectacle. The Kingpin is a hulking behemoth of a man, and as if that wasn't enough, he has multiple enforcers (one of whom is such a lovely surprise that organically unfolds in the course of the movie). The Prowler definitely makes this seem like more than a PG-movie, because he is a scary character who provides a fair share of jump-scares. Whenever he's around, he's shrouded by an eerie guttural growl that makes him seem like a wraith. Tombstone plays out like a typical enforcer, and the (monstrous) Green Goblin and Scorpion are characterized as more brawn than brains. As the main antagonist, Kingpin's story borrows a lot from Netflix's portrayal by Vincent D'Onofrio, juxtaposing his ruthlessness against his ultimate motives.

Everything about this movie screams an appreciation for the rich Spider-Man lore that's preceded it, even poking fun at Raimi's Spider-Man III or an age old Spider-Man meme. The style of this movie is unique, and there's nothing jarring about it. From the very beginning, they set out to make a unique living comic book, and it provides a feast for the senses whether it's approaching the slower sentimental parts or wowing us with jaw-dropping action sequences.

The soundtrack also elevates this movie to another level. I've been on Youtube, and what's listed as the soundtrack is mostly current features, most of which are autotune and triplet flow heavy. Some of the tracks are more enjoyable when they're not divorced from the movie, and it is really sad that they haven't published a version of "What's up Danger" that's accompanied by the movie score as occurs in the "Becoming Spider-Man clip"; however, there are old school tracks peppered aplenty within the movie. Watching Miles' pursue a day at school to the tune of Blackalicious' "Chemical Calesthenics" is a godsend; listening to Aaron Davis play and then modulate the levels for Biggie's "Hypnotize" will have you wilding out in the theatre when you hear it. Congratulations to the crate-diggers who made this movie a reality.

Lastly, thanks are due for a writing team that respected both the source material and the audience to whom they present it. The comedy always lands, but they do not shy away from giving us the deep conflict that Stan Lee always sought to show us is inherent to being a hero like Spider-Man despite the insurmountable odds. They weave loss deep into the fabric of this movie, again reflecting that sacrifice and helplessness are also tied to the life of a hero.

I could not sing enough praises for this movie because it is the total package, a breath of fresh air in a movie landscape that has not posed too many surprises lately. I definitely have to watch it again to relive this experience anew. A world class A+ for this magical feat.

God Bless.

Reasons Why Matatu Culture Needs to Die!

Lord knows there's no love lost between me and the matatu industry, especially now that I've spent enough time behind the steering wheel of a car to know how infinitely hazardous they are on the roads. However, for a little reference, I will give you an experience from my time spent in China

Anyone who's been to China will no doubt be familiar with the dynamics of things during the Spring Festival (their Lunar New Year Celebrations). Things in a lot of places can come to a literal standstill as people travel to their hometowns for the celebrations, literally turning some locales into ghost towns. Such was the scenario I faced in Chashan, Wenzhou, which was the location for our university town. Well, as luck would have it, while everyone was disappearing for the holidays, I still had to commute to the city for my internship -commitments at the hospital. I remember setting off one morning, and there were only about 3 other commuters on the bus. The bus driver dutifully stopped at each bus stop, and kept time. I think there were never more than 10 commuters on that bus, but we suffered no delays and business went on as usual 

Compare this to the typical Kenyan scenario that takes place on the weekends, in my case on Sundays.

Kenya is a not a unique case when it comes to the issue of Matatus. Just the other day, someone made it known to me that even South Africa has something akin to the matatu industry; I remember my Ghanaian friends mentioning "Tro Tros", and even remarking about how glad they were that bus fares down in Wenzhou wouldn't suddenly shoot up for no apparent reason during the rainy season (exploiting people is definitely a cultural universal).

Personally, growing up in Kenya in the 80s was a diametrically different experience. Matatus were something of a rarity; we actually had a functioning Bus system (the Kenya Bus Service - KBS), which had been in play for the longest time. It had a wide reaching and functional network, with clearly laid out fares and bus times (unbeknownst to me, it was a private company). I don't think I even entered a matatu before the mid 90s. One would wonder why matatus were actually introduced when the formal bus system was doing such a good job of getting commuters to their destinations so efficiently. As with all things in Kenya, the reason was Greed. As I've heard it explained, seeking to capitalize on the transport industry, government officials in Jomo Kenyatta's government sought his permission to introduce the vehicles as an extra source of income. (Perhaps it was linked to someone's acquiring of a Nissan Urvan tender - tenderpreneurship has always run deep in this country). Never truly fully legislated, the matatu industry went on to grow in prominence like a cancer.

It was very sad that the Kenya Bus Company went on to flounder in the latter part of the 90s. For a private company with all its resources and reputation which was practically ingrained into Kenyan psyches to fail so dramatically was something of a miracle. However, after having dealt with a slew of such mishaps in the recent memorable past (Uchumi, Nakumatt), it has become increasingly clear that the issue is always mismanagement; sometimes it is merely mismanagement with an aim of scuttling a business so as to make it easier to establish a similar business in the same market space. At least, this appears to be what George Thuo did as he rose through the ranks at KBS, and then left it to form his own transport company - City Hoppa.

With few exceptions, attempts to regulate the matatu industry have really been failures. The "Michuki Rules" seemed to be a step in the right direction, but those truly only worked because they were one man's Iron-willed affront (backed by the President) to a practically rogue entity. The matatus initially rose up defiantly and went on a massive strike, but Hon. Michuki stuck to his guns and business sense prevailed. "The Michuki Rules" were not perfect, but they were a start in the right direction.  Only problem is that President Kibaki followed this massive success by moving Hon. Michuki to the Ministry of Environment and replaced him with Amb. Ali Mwakwere. The gains made under Hon. Michuki were eroded almost immediately, but the death knell happened during one moment Kenyans vividly remember: as usual, the Ministry of Transport had deployed its familiar routine of mounting roadside operations to put the matatus in check; shortly afterwards, Amb. Mwakwere called off the operation, citing the fact that even he as a matatu owner was suffering. After that, the plummet back to sheer lawlessness is history.

Recently, parliamentarians have been calling for a resumption of the "Michuki Rules" on our roads in order to try to bring some sanity to the transport industry. In my opinion, this is a rather lazy course of action. The "Michuki Rules"had their time and place: what they really were was a symbol that matatus could be controlled if the right kind of pressure was applied. However, they were not perfect and needed to be revised. Two immediate revisions are as follows:

1.  There is no need to outlaw standing in buses. The world over, people stand in buses: the buses are actually designed for it
   Solution: Dedicated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes coupled with larger buses would both help to ease traffic jams and aid in shuttling passengers to their destinations.
2. Wearing seatbelts in a bus is unnecessary.
   I realized this might have been a way for them to ensure that only a specific number of passengers were carried within a vehicle, but it is actually a safety hazard. People surmise that seatbelts will help in case of an accident, but the opposite is true. First off, the seatbelts have only been retrofitted, not designed with the specific vehicle from the beginning. Second, the seatbelts are usually poorly-adjusted, which was a reason why so many of them hang down to the floor, picking up all manner of dirt that will end up deposited on your clothing. Third, what exactly are you tethering the passenger to? The seats in our matatus are merely welded to the sheet metal that lightly sits on top of the chassis, and when an accident arises, the seats just tumble like dominoes, effectively trapping you under a cascade of chairs. The seatbelt would only further impede your ability to be extricated from such a wreck.
   
   In the short time that I worked at an Orthopaedic Department, I saw 2 leg fractures that arose from 2 matatu accidents with a similar scenario to the one listed above. Talking to engineers and orthopaedic surgeons will only make you aware of how precarious the situation really is.
   
   Solution: the institutions in-charge really have to tackle this from the start - ensuring proper body construction, and that the matatus are driven within proper speed limits.

I am sincerely amazed at the carelessness of matatu drivers on the road. The other day, as I was driving,  I witnessed a matatu basically force someone to swerve off the road to avoid an impending calamity. I can remember one policeman remarking during my driving license test that "Matatu drivers are probably the best drivers because they know all the rules, and thus how to skirt around them." His point was basically a rebuttal of the assumption that roads could be made safer by forcing matatu drivers to retake driving licensing tests, because they would basically pass them without any issues.

However, I'm reaching out to a higher ideal here. We cannot continue to have the most reckless foolhardy drivers transporting the majority of our populace and not expect a high level calamity to occur...it is just insane. I've ridden in buses in both the US and China, and can without a doubt attest that the bus drivers are the safest drivers on the roads. That especially comes in handy in a place like China because most other road users are resounding lunatics. I remember one time seeing a college student on a scooter just calmly merge carelessly onto a road, cutting off a bus driver, and forcing the driver to stop dramatically. Having a matatu in the hands of a reckless driver is basically turning the matatu into an armed missile; hurtling at neck breaking speed, it really is just a petrol bomb aimed at innocent bystanders and fellow road users, and also likely a sarcophagus for its passengers. We need to take the "maximum number of trips = maximum profits" away from the industry so that we can focus on safety and sanity. 

However, matatu culture is not merely the preserve of matatus; the whole transport industry also sadly indulges in it. I have a big issue with matatus stopping all over the place. One day a driver must just have been trying to test my patience: he stopped in the middle of the road to drop off a passenger; then, I kid you not, he drove 15 metres ahead and pulled off into a bus stop to pick up a few passengers!!! However, driving along some roads, it's very easy to notice that there is not one single designated bus stop for public service vehicles to pull into. Therefore, is it any wonder that matatus are so unruly if even the authorities cannot provide such simple fixes.

In the same vein, it has always been a foolish idea to use the police to enforce these "traffic operations". I was disgusted at how diligent officers appeared to be about stopping matatus once the "Michuki Rules" were re-introduced, yet they were the same ones previously abetting matatus in their bad behaviour so long as they got a bribe. At one previous point, I remember passing as many as 18 policemen scattered between 3 checkpoints on my early morning commute, and that didn't count for any sort of deterrence because perilous matatu driving was the norm. It is an infinitely foolish idea to underpay an entire rung of essential service personnel, and expect them to act honourably. Add to this the fact that Kenya lacks any sort of effective "Conflict of Interest" laws and you end up with politicians (the likes of Amb. Mwakwere) and even the very policemen who are supposed to protect us indulging in the very industry that they are meant to surveil.

We really have to go back to basics in order to deal with this colossal mess. Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja believes that the answer is for the government to provide a metro system that he feels could be profitable, which I feel is a bit misguided. Governments the world over heavily subsidize metro systems, to the point of incurring visible losses just so that they can ensure that people are efficiently shuttled to their destinations. It all balances out in the end because everyone knows that enduring traffic jams pose a financial impediment, as well as contributing additional stress and health hazards to the populace sitting in traffic. Quite simply speaking, there is no room for matatus and "matatu culture" in the considerations of a well-functioning Kenya; maybe as just a vestigial accessory, but not as the principal means of transporting our people around.

I wish Pres. Kenyatta would pursue this issue with more vigour than he does the SGR (Standard Gauge Railway). The SGR probably won't even be profitable before his term in office ends; however, 1 - 2 years of consistent attention paid to public transportation would have fully borne all its fruit. The question is whether anyone's really thinking about this issue; our slumbering Members of Parliament are simply slapping an outdated band-aid on a system that they've never even bothered to understand because they've never had to use it.

God Almighty, please show us the way