The penguins are the real heroes

By Lady Liberty
web posted August 8, 2005

The movie pickings were somewhat slim for the weekend of
August 5-7. The only big opening was that of The Dukes of
Hazzard. Given that I didn't like the TV series, I couldn't imagine
I'd have much appreciation for seeing the same thing in an even
longer format. I have a feeling my decision was the right one
when I saw that People magazine gave it a rating of 1/2 star.
That's 1/2, as in even less than one. The reviewer also called it a
contender for the worst movie of the year. As much as she all
too often hates mainstream movies, I've never seen even her
come out quite that bluntly in her condemnation of a film!

In fairness, I'll tell you that I stood in the concession line on
Friday night with a 30-something man who'd just seen The
Dukes of Hazzard, and who raved about it. He told me it was
fun, and that it "honored the original series." He said the car
chases and jumps were just fantastic, and that he enjoyed the
film immensely. On the other hand, he also confessed that he still
lived with his parents. I think I'll stick with the People review...

I point this out not just to steer you in the right direction where
The Dukes of Hazzard is concerned (the right direction in this
case being any direction that's 180 degrees away from a theatre
showing the film) but to explain how it is that I ended up seeing
one of the movies that I did buy a ticket for, and that's

Sky High

** 1/2 out of ****

Let's see: I don't much like kids' movies. I don't care for silly
movies, either. Given those facts, perhaps it was particularly
brave of me to get a ticket to see Sky High. Either that, or
particularly stupid. As it turned out, whatever the reason I ended
up seeing Sky High, I'm glad I did.

Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano) is the 14 year-old son of
the two greatest superheroes who ever lived. His father, Steve
(Kurt Russell) is universally known and loved as The
Commander, a super strong superhero. His mother, the beautiful
Josie (Kelly Preston), is the famous Jetstream, capable of flying
at supersonic speed. Will knows he's got an imposing legacy to
live up to. The problem: Will has no superpowers. None. Zero.
Nada. Will's neighbor and longtime best friend is the sweet red-
headed Layla (Danielle Panabaker). She does have a power, but
is too self-effacing and gentle to take much advantage of it.

Layla doesn't really care — she thinks comparing or showing off
powers is divisive — but Will is worried sick on his first day of
school at Sky High. The school, established to train superheroes
and their sidekicks, is his parents' alma matter. His father
especially exerts a subtle pressure on Will to do well by
reminding him of the family legacy. It doesn't help that Ron
Wilson, Sky High Bus Driver (Kevin Heffernan) makes no secret
of his hero worship for the boy he obviously believes to be the
ultimate combination of the greatest superheroes ever. Once
arriving at the school, Will's worries are borne out when he
manifests no power whatsoever and is ultimately classified as a
sidekick by the obnoxious Coach Boomer (Bruce Campbell).

Will's final humiliation occurs when he has to see the school
nurse (Cloris Leachman) and he's told that it's possible he'll
never come into his powers. But his innate niceness and
optimism at least lets him establish friendships with some other
students relegated to sidekick status: Ethan (Dee Jay Daniels),
Magenta (Kelly Vitz), and Zach (Nicholas Braun) join Will and
Layla at the "loser" table in the cafeteria. All of the students put
their best face on their lot, and even begin to enjoy their sidekick
classes under the tutelage of Mr. Boy (Dave Foley) who was
once the sidekick to a great superhero himself. But no optimistic
attitude can possibly overcome the sheer malevolence toward
Will of the brooding Warren Peace (Steven Strait).

When Warren attacks Will without provocation, the fear and
anger Will experiences finally cause his powers to bloom. Like
his father, Will is super strong. Things continue to go Will's way
when Gwen (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), the beautiful student
body president, falls for him. But there's much more to almost
everything than meets the eye, and it remains to be seen if Will
can juggle a topsy-turvy personal life with the need to help fight
his enemies: Warren Peace, Lash (Jake Sandvig), Speed (Will
Harris), and the ultimate villain of them all whose plans could
bring down everything Will and his parents stand for.

Sky High is campy from its opening scenes to the end credits.
The special effects are really good when they need to be, but
some deliberately bad effects (you're going to snicker at the
flying school bus) are wonderful contributions to the overall
campiness of the film. The script is clever and silly all at once
(one throw-away laugh to watch for involves an English lesson
sidekicks are given), and the director steers the actors along a
very fine line between taking themselves too seriously and over-
the-top silliness without a stumble. Look for some inspired
casting as well (Dave Foley and Lynda Carter are especially
good choices).

Michael Angarano (who was very, very good as the tag-along
Sid in The Lords of Dogtown) is perfect as the confused but
anxious-to-please Will. Danielle Panabaker exhibits a maturity
beyond her years to give Layla exactly the calm acceptance and
decency her character requires. The other cast members are also
quite good, including Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston. Cloris
Leachman is a hoot — her delivery is brilliant. The "losers" are
as earnest as can be, and come across exactly as the screenplay
requires. I was particularly struck, however, by Steven Strait
who is making his major movie debut in Sky High. He's got the
onscreen charisma and the looks to be a leading man, and it
looks to me like the talent is there as well. With a little more
development, he's going to be able to give actors like Orlando
Bloom a run for their money.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Sky High is rated PG for "action
violence and some mild language." I don't believe the movie is
suitable for the littlest children, but I didn't see any significant
problems for kids of about age 6 and up. Perhaps the most
surprising thing about Sky High, though, will be that the parents
of those 6 and up kids are going to enjoy themselves, too. I
spent much of the movie bemused; at its high points, Sky High is
exciting, touching, funny, and filled with value lessons as well. I'm
still a little surprised to be saying this, but I'd recommend Sky
High for virtually everyone.

March of the Penguins

*** 1/2 out of ****

I'm almost embarrassed to say that, though I enjoy
documentaries, I rarely take the time to watch them these days
despite having the ready availability of many such films via my
handy dandy cable TV connection. To actually pay to see a
documentary is, for me, unheard of. I made an exception for
March of the Penguins, however, due both to a particularly slow
weekend for new movie releases as well as the critical acclaim
that's been heaped upon it to date. I cannot express how grateful
I am that I did. March of the Penguins is an unforgettable
experience!

March of the Penguins documents the extraordinary life cycle of
Antarctica's emperor penguins. These birds are big (3-4 feet tall
and as much as 90 pounds), and the obstacles they face to
continue their species are even bigger. The birds, graceful as
anything you've ever seen underwater, are comically ungainly on
land. But when it's time to breed, the birds not only beach
themselves but proceed to march some 70 miles inland. They
select mates and breed once they reach their isolated rookery,
and then must nurture their fragile eggs through the most horrific
winters on earth.

The females lose about half their body weight to produce their
eggs, and they must quickly leave the rookery to get back to the
sea where they can feed and replenish their energy. That leaves
the males — who have already fasted for the two months it takes
the females to lay eggs — to keep the eggs warm for another
two months or so. That they somehow manage to fast for about
four months even as they keep the eggs warm in temperatures
reaching 80 below zero and winds of up to 150 miles per hour is
astounding. It's no less miraculous that the females make it back
to the rookery, find their families just after hatching, and
regurgitate food for their hungry chicks.

Death is, under such circumstances, inevitable. Some of the
penguins die during their long march inland; some chicks are lost
during the transfer from female to male when only a few
unprotected moments is enough to freeze the delicate eggs.
Some females don't make it back to the sea after having fasted
for so long. Those who do make it into the water are prey for
orcas and sea leopards. Meanwhile, some fathers don't survive
the harsh winters; of those chicks that make it to hatching, some
freeze in the many harsh storms and others fall prey to predators.
In fact, the survival of the species at all is almost as surprising as
is the cycle that continues it!

The educational aspect of March of the Penguins almost goes
without saying. Our knowledge of emperor penguins is fairly
recent, and certainly our study of them is quite new. But what
will keep you watching is the truly breathtaking cinematography.
The long lines of penguins headed for the rookery would be
unbelievable if you weren't seeing it for yourself, and their
waddle is both amusing and a surprising testament to their
apparent courage. At the rookery, photographers were able to
capture some of the most intimate moments of the emperor's life
cycle in extraordinary detail. You can see the texture of the adult
penguins' oily feathers; you can watch their slitted eyes gleam as
they engage in a surprisingly sweet and gentle courtship. Footage
of the egg transfer from male to female is well documented; the
newborn chicks are shown in vivid and detailed close-up with
their round black eyes, their chubby-cheeked faces, and their
pear-shaped downy bodies.

Intersperse this spectacular footage with scenes of the ice from
above and below the sea level, swirls of blowing snow, a low
sun barely lighting a naked horizon, and film of the penguins'
underwater antics, and you've got a visual treat that's virtually
unsurpassed. The narration of March of the Penguins is provided
by award-winning actor Morgan Freeman. His performance is,
unsurprisingly, very good. The script with which he had to work
is perfect for the movie; sure, it's educational, but it's also
entertaining. The music, too, meshes beautifully with the
production.

Everything the critics have raved about is here and then some.
March of the Penguins is funny, suspenseful, touching, and
immeasurably sad in turns. Taken as a whole, it's just terrific on a
variety of levels, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

FAMILY SUITABILTY: March of the Penguins is rated G for
all audiences. I disagree with that rating. Nature isn't deliberately
cruel, of course, but she is never-the-less unforgiving under a
variety of circumstances. Small children aren't going to react well
when deaths are discussed or even detailed on screen; I frankly
didn't react too well myself to scenes of grieving penguin parents
or tiny frozen bodies on the barren ice. But older children and
certainly teens and adults should all find something of value to
take away from the experience, not least of which will be a
newfound respect for the ability of life and love to overcome
even the highest odds.

Lady Liberty is a graphic designer and pro-freedom activist
currently residing in the Midwest. More of her writings and other
political and educational information is available on her web site,
Lady Liberty's Constitution Clearing House, at
http://www.ladylibrty.com. E-mail Lady Liberty at
ladylibrty@ladylibrty.com.

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