"Kick Ass" The (Mostly) Good, the (Occasional) Bad, and the Ugly (Implications)

Every once in a while a movie comes along that is truly "of its time", one that years after its release people will be able to look back upon and glean something of the age in which it was created. "Five Easy Pieces" captures the rebellion against convention and the anger of the early 70's, "Easy Rider" typifies the new social frontiers and wanderlust of the late 60's , "A Face in the Crowd" embodies (and satirizes) the growing materialism of the 1950's and the seductive influence of the then-new technology of television, "The Best Years of Our Lives" deals with the national sense of relief and uneasiness of adjustment to the post war period of the 1940's, "The Wizard of Oz" come immediately to mind as examples.

So does "Kick Ass".

"Kick Ass" is the story of David, a typical nerdy teenager with all the requisite teen issues. He's shy, horny, lonely and more than a little obsessed with fantasy, particularly comic books. He's got a couple of good friends, a dad that means well but is rather disconnected from his son's emotions and struggles, and a daily life that consists mostly of going to school, hanging with his buds, reading comics and masturbating. Fueled mostly by boredom and frustration with his life, David decides to act upon his curiosity about why no one has ever actually tried to become a 'superhero'. He orders a green scuba suit, picks out a hero name ("Kick Ass"), practices jumping in the alley behind his house, and embarks upon his newly found career as a neighborhood crime fighter.

His first outing doesn't go so well, though, as his attempt to thwart a car jacking leaves him stabbed and hit by a car. After a recovery period, David's back in the game, but this time he encounters two fellow crimefighters, an eleven year old girl with a penchant for and expertise with weapons of all kinds called "Hit Girl" and her father, "Big Daddy", who has been waging a vengeance filled war against local mob boss, . As David gets deeper and deeper into the violent world of vigilantism, he falls in love and also begins to realize he's bitten off a lot more than he bargained for.

"Kick Ass" hits all the right notes for an action flick. It's fast paced, with its action scenes full of menace and resonance. David's inexperience and naivete are balanced by his passion for justice and depth of character; we come to see that this isn't just a kid on a lark, this is a kid with real heart and character. And as dysfunctional and disturbed as the relationship between Big Daddy and Hit Girl is, you can't help but like both of them and sympathize with their quest, while cringing at bit at times too. The dialogue is crisp and smart, the acting is uniformly excellent. Aaron Johnson is a very believable David, shy but determined to raise himself out of the stereotype he's fallen into, and full of a surprising resolve and depth. Nicolas Cage puts in one of his best performances as Damon McCready (Big Daddy), a combination of Robert Young in "Father Knows Best", and the bloodthirsty avenger "Rorschach" from Alan Moore's "Watchmen". And Chloe is very impressive as the bloodthirsty yet charming "Hit Girl".

I can safely say I've never seen a movie quite like "Kick Ass". Sure, there've been films that explored what it would be like if the ordinary man decided to become a superhero, ranging in tone from the grim and apocalyptic "Watchmen" to the early 80's dramedy of "Hero at Large". But never has there been a film I can remember that mixed tones so liberally, combining comedy and pop culture zeitgeist with scenes of absolutely unrelenting violence and intensity. "Pulp Fiction" comes close, but "Kick Ass" catapults past "Fiction" in terms of originality by throwing in the youth angle.

None of this is necessarily "bad". The film is rated "R", which means that technically kids under 17 aren't going to see it without a guardian, but logic and experience tells us that pretty much any kid that wants to see this is going to even if it means forcing a parent along for the ride, and even so some of the material therein made me uncomfortable to experience with teens and tweens in close proximity, and I'm not even a parent. "Kick Ass" is a very modern creation, and it may in fact represent a whole new genre. It's rather schizophrenic take on its subject matter is nowhere more apparent than a scene where "Hit Girl" explodes upon the film in a true orgy of bullets, knives and blood, all set to the tune of a cover of the Banana Splits' "Tra La La Song".

I thought the world created by the creators was remarkably knowing and real. The dialogue never seemed forced or in the "old guys trying to approximate contemporary teenspeak" category, but flowed and sounded very natural. David and his friends' isolation and their reliance on fantasy and technology to escape their depressing daily lives was dead on target and really transcended time and place (speaking as a former, and current, I suppose, nerd).

The ending of the film is cathartic and only a bit predictable,as the protagonists confronting the uber villain in his sanctum sanctorum, with the filmmakers succeeding in creating a real sense of danger for its heroes, something that seems increasingly elusive in modern action films.
And without giving anything away, I was left wondering at the conclusion about how the creators really felt about the very intriguing premise they set up, given the fates of the characters and the effect of their actions upon them. It did seem as if they wanted to have things both ways; to really explore the consequences of violence and vigilantism and at the same time, glamorize it, and that ultimately, they weren't sure how they felt about it. It's kind of in the category of "Beavis and Butthead", "Family Guy" and "South Park" in that it uses a medium initially intended for younger people to convey themes that are quite adult, targeting an audience that grew up with cartoons and comic books. I'm OK with this, though I'm not sure that the young people that see it always appreciate or understand the irony, encapsulated as it is in such a sugary package. Do they get the fact that the characters are tragic, or are they misled by the throbbing rock score cheerleading all the violence?

All of that said, "Kick Ass" is a crowd pleaser from start to finish, with very few false moments. It's an eye opening, eye popping, hybrid superhero/John Woo/cartoon/teenflick/spaghetti Western/comedy/action-adventure film that may just usher in a new type of modern genre, depending on how successful it is.

Just be prepared to feel like an old guy, and beware girls selling cookies (you'll see what I mean).

Legacies

I've been thinking about "Ooh La La", the song by the Faces that enjoyed (?) a revival because of its use in a car commercial about four years ago. There's a chorus that goes "I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger...". I even referenced it in my blog entry yesterday.

It's a truism that most people of a certain age instantly understand. If only we had the wisdom of the aged when we were younger we might well have made better decisions about our lives. Of course the past always looks better in retrospect and it's hard to gain wisdom when you have little or no experience.

Still, we yearn for a second chance and we nurse regret in the dark, cold hours of the night when we are alone with our thoughts. The inertia of our lives makes it so very hard to change; it's so much easier to do so when you are young, or optimally, make decisions that won't necessitate change later on.

I wonder what on earth my personal legacy will be. In 50 years it's likely that very few people on this planet will even remember that I was alive. In 80 years it's a foregone conclusion that I'll be forgotten with the wind. I don't care about having some long legacy; very few are fortunate enough to achieve that kind of resonance. I guess it'd be nice to think that whatever footprint I leave here would be a positive one, that I could "pay forward" whatever I've learned and put back some of the gifts I've been given in this life.

I think of all the things I loved about my family; my mother's bright positivity and endless compassion, my father's loyalty and leadership qualities, my brother's wit. They seem hopeless lost to me now but I know instinctively that the trick is to transform those beloved qualities from memory into action, to find them within myself (and most of them are there) and use them to make the world around me a better place.

I find myself thinking that in many ways, I AM my parents now. Their DNA flows through me and our shared time together ensures that I'll live my life much as they did and react to things as they did, as well. I forget things like my Mom did, worry about loved ones, enjoy long conversations with loved ones, become fascinated with cultural news and stories, long for days past, enjoy playing games and TV and just relaxing with friends as she did. I'm a sucker for a sad story, I get angry when people "put on airs" or act as if they are better than I am, I hate injustice and cruelty, like to eat out, and love animals. All of that was my Mom. Part of her lives on in me. I don't presume to ever equal her kindness of character or ability to sacrifice her own needs for the needs of others, but I really do try to emulate her and often find that I'm doing so without even trying.

My dad's indignity at malfeasance or misuse of power, his ability to 'step up' in a crisis and do what he had to do to make sure everyone was OK, his work ethic and his stubborn refusal to 'follow the herd' and his sharp tongue all swim freely within me as well. I wish he would have lived long enough to see some of similarities I now see; I think it might have surprised him. I hope it would have pleased him as well.

As distant as my brother and I were, I find myself also noticing how similar we are in some ways. He didn't care for travel, enjoyed familiar people and settings and situations. He loved old television shows and good rock and roll. He was, like my parents and I, a small town boy who would have been totally content with staying in his hometown his whole life and being around people who knew his name. He nursed his wounds privately and not very healthily; in this I hope I can learn from his mistakes. But I do see the hurt and frightened and smart young boy in him also alive in me.

I hope I am able to not just hoard these qualities I share with my family, but to share them with the world in a way that makes me feel productive and fulfilled and that benefits those around me. These are traits I admire and cherish because they are like old photographs; tethers that keep my family always close at hand, and more simply because they are touchstones to my youth that made me feel safe, secure, loved and part of something larger than myself.

I won't be able to apply these traits to the world in the same ways my family did. I have no children to share them with, and living on my own makes my life automatically different than that of my family, who always had someone around to help define them. But I'm still here, and while I am there are always opportunities to put my best face forward.

Ultimately, maybe this is the only legacy any of us should aspire to; applying the lessons of our personal history and acting as a living conduit for those that came before us to bring to others the same joy that was brought to us.

Mom, Dad, and Dick...I'm trying. And thanks for giving me something to pass along.

Ghosts

I called my old college today in order to update my information for the upcoming alumni book.

Of course they wanted me to buy it, which will be two payments of $40 or a CD of $25. I declined.

The experience was a very uncomfortable one, partly because I once again had to admit to someone that a person with a Bachelor's Degree was working in a factory, and partly because it made me realize that I'm at a very different place in my life than I was when I attended the school.

In many ways, I'm still the same old mixed up guy who feared graduation and emergence into the "real world"; it's just that I'm that same guy over twenty years later. And the longer it takes for me to discover and act upon some notion of who I really am and what I really want, the harder it will be to find a place in the world and the shorter amount of time I'll have to cultivate and enjoy it.

I pat myself on the back for getting minor things accomplished and making incremental life progress every day, but none of it seems like it's moving fast enough. Meanwhile, my life just continues to rocket by at warp speed, the past receding quickly into the jet trail behind me and the future getting smaller and smaller in front of me. You really can't afford to procrastinate at middle age. You end up waking up one day and realizing that you've procrastinating yourself right out of a life.

So I dream my dreams and make my safe and considered plans and hope whatever good things remain in my life can be held onto as I try to move forward. There's no magic key or incantation that can unlock me from my fear and uncertainty; the only thing I can really seem to do is try to balance day to day survival and not give up on something better in the process.

It's difficult. It's like walking on two simultaneous tracks; one that's screaming at me that I'm dying inside and I need to wake up and make some major changes soon, and another that's reminding me how hard changes are for me and what limited resources I have to make those changes. I can't sell my house, get a new job that pays better and is more stimulating while holding onto the sense of security I've built up in the last few years. It's taken me so long to finally feel like I've constructed a tiny world that makes sense and that I can call my own, one that I can manage and live with. To risk losing that is terrifying but at my age it's really the only way to have any hope of being not just safe and OK, but truly fulfilled and happy.


For a long time after my mom died I just assumed I'd run on fumes for a bit then kind of gradually fade away. Who knows, that may still end up happening. But it seems like that would be a waste in so many ways. I wasn't born into this world to simply exist for a few decades then fade away; I was born, like everyone else, for a purpose. It may very well be a small and unremarkable purpose, but it is nonetheless MY purpose and I have an obligation to not only find it but to act upon it once I do find it.

I just wish that that process was easier and that I had gotten serious about it long before I did. But ultimately, there's no percentage in rehashing what has already been. What is done is done and cannot be undone. I did what I did for reasons that seemed right at the time and like everyone else I have no crystal ball to chart my course.

If only I knew what I know now twenty years ago. But then again, one can say that for one's whole life I suppose. Our wisdom is always playing catchup to our experiences.

Tomorrow is, as custom, another day.