It has been a while since I’ve seen a movie that has sparked this much thought. I’m not saying I liked it, I’m just saying it was interesting, Before you spend $11.50 at the movie theaters and sit through 2 hours you will never get back, keep reading this and save some time and cash. Or, if you’re into being highly disappointed ¾ of a way through an otherwise provocative and somewhat intriguing story, don’t let me discourage you with this.
Because of all the hype about this movie I really did have my doubts. Usually, the bigger the buzz, the more disappointing. The first part of the film, and really the entire screenplay as a whole (up until the last 15 minutes or so) I thought was very well done. There was intrigue, mystery, a main character you could sympathize with, a definite sense of urgency, creepy guys in black coats, a killer score, and even the token creepy little kid that everyone seems to be into these days.
It begins in 1959 when Lucinda (the creepy kid… the name kinda gave that one away, huh?) wins a school contest with her idea to bury a time capsule commemorating the first year of the school being open. Each child is told to draw a picture of what they think the world will look like in 50 years, all of which will be placed in the capsule to be opened in the year 2009. As the other children draw pictures of spaceships and robots and such, Lucinda covers her entire paper with numbers… did I forget to mention Lucinda happens to hear whispering voices and sees dead people?
So, fast-forward to present day, 2009. Nicolas Cage’s character, John, a preacher’s son, (that’s important to note, kids) is a recently widowed professor of astrophysics at M.I.T. John lives in an eerie, secluded house with his son Caleb. Caleb coincidentally attends the same school that buried the time capsule 50 years before. The day capsule is opened, each child is given an envelope containing one of the drawings of the alumni from the class 50 years before. As all the other kids are getting crayon drawings, Caleb is highly disappointed to find that his envelope contains a full page, front to back, list of numbers. Being the son of an astrophysicist he decides to take it home to show his dad. Because who knows, it could mean something… not to mention the minute he opened it he started hearing voices… and seeing dead people.
That night, John happens upon the list of numbers and discovers that all the major disasters in the world were predicted right down to the time, place, and number of people killed in each tragedy, with only 3 dates left (which happen to fall within days of each other AND the encryption being found).
This is where it gets interesting. Did he happen to find all this by chance, or was there some greater plan to him finding this? The preacher’s son background in him tells him yes. The scientist in him tells him no. Throughout the hi-tech, mostly computer-generated events that follow, we see John as he struggles with this notion and tries to stop the next two events that are predicted. Meanwhile, poor Caleb is left with voices in his head and visions and the creepy men in trench coats following him everywhere. After stalking Lucinda’s daughter and granddaughter (Lucinda O.D.’d in a trailer park in the middle of the forest years earlier) John convinces them to help him figure out the last event predicted, which is set to take place within the next 24 hours, leaving no survivors. Here’s where I ruin the ending. After running away from John, leaving him to figure out the location of the last catastorphic event, Lucinda’s daughter dies in a car crash, and both the children are kidnapped by the men in black trench coats. John tracks down the creepy trench coat wearing men who have stolen the children. and When he finally confronts them, they turn out to be aliens or some other sexless, voiceless being that travel in a spaceship. Caleb walks to John with Lucinda’s granddaughter, each holding a rabbit. Caleb tells John that it’s ok and they aren’t hurt and that they have come to take everyone to a safe place to start over. One catch. Only the kids get to go. They will take a ride on the spaceship to run in wheat fields with their new bunnies towards a scene that looks like something out Genesis chapter 2 on an acid trip, while the rest of earth gets blown to Kingdom come by a giant solar flare.
As I said before, I think the way this film was written, technically, was very good. And it had the potential to be something great, philosophically speaking. The main question brought up in the film was whether or not we are here by chance. Whether or not we are all part of some divine plan, or if everything can be explained away through science. And while throughout the first half we are led to believe that there is a divine plan, it is very disappointing to find that the answer lies in telepathic blonde aliens in long black coats. There were, of course, gentle nods towards the Biblical truth, but they were flippant and barely subliminal. For instance, while rummaging through Lucinda’s trailer, John found an old drawing of a passage in Ezekiel thumb tacked to the wall. At that point I thought they might actually lean towards something somewhat Biblical, a real prophecy perhaps? Would have made it interesting, but when the Bible on the nightstand barely got a second glance, I knew there was nothing but disappointment to come. My suspicions were confirmed when, after watching his son get sucked up into a space ship, John returns to his estranged fathers house, and spray painted on a burning van were the words “Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life”. And as the family hugged right before the incineration, John’s father consoles everyone telling them that this is not the end, and in his most innocent, almost reminiscent of his ‘City of Angels’ voice, Nicholas Cage replies, “I know”. As if seeing his son getting sucked up by aliens was enough to make him leave all of his scientific beliefs and Christian upbringing behind and hop on the right on the old L. Ron Hubbard band wagon. By the end of the film I realized that what I was made to sit through for over 2 hours was nothing more than a piece of Scientology propaganda. As a movie goer, I thought it was mildly entertaining but ultimately disappointing that they had to follow George Lucas’ last ‘Indiana Jones’ catastrophe and play the “aliens explain everything” card. Frankly I find it lazy and uncreative. In a nutshell, well-written screenplay, great special effects, entirely F&%*ed up message. If you do go see it, I suggest you go into it expecting nothing more than the sci-fi version of “Armageddon”… minus the good ending.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Monday, January 21, 2008
P.S. I Love You...don't cry, I dare you!
I now understand and have an appreciation for why some men actually take women to these kinds of movies. Movies with this degree of emotional value leave women vulnerable and willing to fall into the arms of whoever will take us. I have never gotten so emotional in a movie in my entire life (ok, yes i cried like a baby). I think you might have to lack a pulse not to feel anything during this film.
The opening scene is of of a married couple (Holly and Gerry) stomping through the city on the way back to their appartment, Gerry inquiring what he had done wrong that had made her so mad. As they get home they have an aweful fight, followed by the best (and by best I mean sweetest and highly unrealistic) make-up scene probably ever made...a great set up. The next scene is in a Pub (Oh yeah, thier last name was Kennedy...hint: Thier Irish) with a picture of Gerry setting on a table surrounded in shot glasses, in front of box containing his ashes. After the previous scene we're already pretty heart-broken over this whole ordeal, and if that wasn't bad enough, we are forced to listen to anecdotes and sad music to make us even more pathetically sad.
Post-funeral Holly stays in her appartment for a month, guarding Gerry's urn with her life, talking to him, watching old movies and eating crap and sleeping (and who can blame her...if my husband looked like Gerard Butler and died of a brain tumor i wouldn't want to go on with life either). On her 30th birthday her family and friends come over with cake and gifts to find her singing show tunes in Gerry's shirt and the appartment in shambles. Attached to the lid of the cake is a tape recorder, as she listens, she hears Gerry's voice and learns that he will be sending her letters in various mysterious ways instructing her to do things over the next year, because he wasn't ready to let her go. HEARTWRENCHING.
As the movie progresses Holly gets a letter about every 3 months or so, never knowing how or when it will come, telling her to do things that, while comical and endearing, will inevitably remind her of Gerry and in turn take a little piece of our heart out and stomp it on the floor of the theater. We are visually taken through thier relationship from thier meeting on led by all the things Gerry has instructed Holly to do. The entire time this is happening Holly's mother (Kathy Bates) is discouraging her, telling her that it's not healthy to keep living in the past and listening to what Gerry is telling her to do from the grave. Holly's quest to move on continues, including a few new love interests, including Harry Connick Jr. who leading up to the climax of the plot reminds her that Gerry is in fact dead and she cannot keep living in him. That throws her into an emotional breakdown and she does what every girl does in a time of emotional crisis...she ran home to mom.
As she and her mother have an emotional heart-to-heart about lost loves and regrets, Her mother reveals that she has been the source for all the letters Gerry had written before he died, and gave her the last one, which tells her that he will always love her, and a whole array of other things that brought me and nearly every one else in the audience to uncontrollable sobbing (no, Im really not exaggerating here, I had to muffle the sobbs with the inside of my sweatshirt).
Needless to say in about 4 months I will own this movie, and probably watch it until I can quote every line. What made this movie so effective I think was the first scene. there was so much packed into it that was intertwined throughout the rest of the film, and even though many of the scenes of Holly and Gerry together were sensational (and honestly a little unrealistic) they represented the little every day things that we would miss if our one and only was taken from us. It also showed a great example of a relationship between a mother and daughter. It was very honest, showing strife and resentment, as well as the unconditional love of a parent. That was another aspect that made me tear up just a little, but the concept of the story itself was amazing...not very often does a movie come out that can make you feel that much and allows you to connect with it on that kind of level.
The opening scene is of of a married couple (Holly and Gerry) stomping through the city on the way back to their appartment, Gerry inquiring what he had done wrong that had made her so mad. As they get home they have an aweful fight, followed by the best (and by best I mean sweetest and highly unrealistic) make-up scene probably ever made...a great set up. The next scene is in a Pub (Oh yeah, thier last name was Kennedy...hint: Thier Irish) with a picture of Gerry setting on a table surrounded in shot glasses, in front of box containing his ashes. After the previous scene we're already pretty heart-broken over this whole ordeal, and if that wasn't bad enough, we are forced to listen to anecdotes and sad music to make us even more pathetically sad.
Post-funeral Holly stays in her appartment for a month, guarding Gerry's urn with her life, talking to him, watching old movies and eating crap and sleeping (and who can blame her...if my husband looked like Gerard Butler and died of a brain tumor i wouldn't want to go on with life either). On her 30th birthday her family and friends come over with cake and gifts to find her singing show tunes in Gerry's shirt and the appartment in shambles. Attached to the lid of the cake is a tape recorder, as she listens, she hears Gerry's voice and learns that he will be sending her letters in various mysterious ways instructing her to do things over the next year, because he wasn't ready to let her go. HEARTWRENCHING.
As the movie progresses Holly gets a letter about every 3 months or so, never knowing how or when it will come, telling her to do things that, while comical and endearing, will inevitably remind her of Gerry and in turn take a little piece of our heart out and stomp it on the floor of the theater. We are visually taken through thier relationship from thier meeting on led by all the things Gerry has instructed Holly to do. The entire time this is happening Holly's mother (Kathy Bates) is discouraging her, telling her that it's not healthy to keep living in the past and listening to what Gerry is telling her to do from the grave. Holly's quest to move on continues, including a few new love interests, including Harry Connick Jr. who leading up to the climax of the plot reminds her that Gerry is in fact dead and she cannot keep living in him. That throws her into an emotional breakdown and she does what every girl does in a time of emotional crisis...she ran home to mom.
As she and her mother have an emotional heart-to-heart about lost loves and regrets, Her mother reveals that she has been the source for all the letters Gerry had written before he died, and gave her the last one, which tells her that he will always love her, and a whole array of other things that brought me and nearly every one else in the audience to uncontrollable sobbing (no, Im really not exaggerating here, I had to muffle the sobbs with the inside of my sweatshirt).
Needless to say in about 4 months I will own this movie, and probably watch it until I can quote every line. What made this movie so effective I think was the first scene. there was so much packed into it that was intertwined throughout the rest of the film, and even though many of the scenes of Holly and Gerry together were sensational (and honestly a little unrealistic) they represented the little every day things that we would miss if our one and only was taken from us. It also showed a great example of a relationship between a mother and daughter. It was very honest, showing strife and resentment, as well as the unconditional love of a parent. That was another aspect that made me tear up just a little, but the concept of the story itself was amazing...not very often does a movie come out that can make you feel that much and allows you to connect with it on that kind of level.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Alpha Dog...sad but true
Last night I sat at home with a bag of popcorn and watched "Alpha Dog", mostly out of morbid curiousity...morbid indeed. outside of the fact that it completely pissed me off by the end and further justified my views on capital punishment which I will discuss later, it was an all around badly made film. The back of the cover said "controversial"... the only controversy I could find after finishing it was whether I should take it back to the video store, or save them the trouble and destroy it myself. It's not that the plot was even that terrible...in fact, the plot was pretty much the only good part of it, mostly because it was based on a true story, and, lets face it, real life is so much more messed up than even the most vivid imagination. The story was based in the Inland Empire, Ca...yes, the 909 (home, sweet home) and was based around 2 white drug dealers and their "posse"'s. For some reason or another, one owed the other money, so the one owed, Johnny, kidnapped the other one's 15 year old brother Zack on a whim, with every intention of returning him for the money, until one of his guys told him that he would get 25 to life if he was caught. Frankie, (Justin Timberlake) who was in charge of making sure Zack didn't escape, basically made it so that he didn't want to go home, and by the time the orders came through to kill him, Zack was looking to stay and become a part of the gang, until, of course, they shot him in the face with a semi automatic. engaging plot, right?
Every other element was a trainwreck. The entire script consisted of three primary words; "fuck", "bitch", and "fuck" again. Cutting out these words would have dropped the roughly 120 page script down to about 50 pages, so naturally, they had to fill it with something, why not a few thousand unnecessary obscenities just for good measure?
And really, who decided it would be a good idea to cast JT as a thug? It was like watching a dog try to dance on it's hind legs...sad really....and what's even more sad, is that he actually ended up to be one of my favorite characters, mostly because I was just waiting for his skinny, stick-on tattooed ass to bust out with "I just wanna love you baby, yaa yaaaa".
I honestly have no Idea what Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone were thinking with this one....do they really need the work that badly? There was one point where they stuck Sharon Stone in a fat suit, and she bore an uncanny resemblace to Wynonna Judd. I think the film's only saving grace acting-wise was the kid who played Zack. He was actually pretty good. The rest of the cast, outside of the kid, JT, and the two out of work A-listers, were brought in from movies like "Lords of Dogtown", and the stupid girl from "Mean Girls"...can we say "typecasting"?
I hate that it had subtitles for every other scene. e.g. " Circus Liquor, Claremont, California, 11:48p.m." and, "Mrs. Sublette and her black Toyota Sequoia, Pomona, California, 12:27a.m.". Absolutely frustrating, first, because they were there, and second, they didn't stay up long enough to read once you got over the annoyance that you would be lost if you didn't read them.
They did find an interesting way to edit the under lit, hard to watch, and poorly acted scenes, however, the off-center split scene editing momentarily took my mind off how bad the rest of the movie was.
On a personal note...
But, being the eternal cinematic optimist that I am, i did manage to find that although technically, and really, artistically as well, "Alpha Dog" was like watching the Titanic sink for the 99th time, it did piss me off...a lot...I mean other than they allowed this film to be released mainstream. The fact that these ass holes are still sitting on death row for murdering an innocent 15 year old kid seriously desturbs me. We as taxpayers are paying 100,000 dollars a year for each of these little shits so that they can sit on death row in San Quintin for the next 25 years. It costs $8 to administer a leathal injection. we could save the state of California $299, 976 this year, and $300,000 every year after that if we strapped these murdering little bastards down and injected them. better yet, I heard an idea on XM comedy that really didn't sound so bad, and yes, you'll probably call me bad names after this one, but que sera. Since there are so many American soldiers dying in Iraq due to mine fields, and freak accidents, I say, if people are given a death sentance, instead of setting them in prison for 30 years to live, and take up our tax money, give them a one-way ticket to Iraq, put them in thier little orange jump suits, and set them running out in front of our brave soldiers (who don't deserve to have thier leg blown off by a landmine or be mangled by a handgranade) and have them clear the mine fields Alquida can use them as target practice instead. Not bad, eh? I bet the murder rate in America would drop by 50%. It's rediculous that they use the "scare" and punishment" tactic for DUI's but heaven forbid we deter rapists and murderers with the death penalty. just a thought.
Every other element was a trainwreck. The entire script consisted of three primary words; "fuck", "bitch", and "fuck" again. Cutting out these words would have dropped the roughly 120 page script down to about 50 pages, so naturally, they had to fill it with something, why not a few thousand unnecessary obscenities just for good measure?
And really, who decided it would be a good idea to cast JT as a thug? It was like watching a dog try to dance on it's hind legs...sad really....and what's even more sad, is that he actually ended up to be one of my favorite characters, mostly because I was just waiting for his skinny, stick-on tattooed ass to bust out with "I just wanna love you baby, yaa yaaaa".
I honestly have no Idea what Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone were thinking with this one....do they really need the work that badly? There was one point where they stuck Sharon Stone in a fat suit, and she bore an uncanny resemblace to Wynonna Judd. I think the film's only saving grace acting-wise was the kid who played Zack. He was actually pretty good. The rest of the cast, outside of the kid, JT, and the two out of work A-listers, were brought in from movies like "Lords of Dogtown", and the stupid girl from "Mean Girls"...can we say "typecasting"?
I hate that it had subtitles for every other scene. e.g. " Circus Liquor, Claremont, California, 11:48p.m." and, "Mrs. Sublette and her black Toyota Sequoia, Pomona, California, 12:27a.m.". Absolutely frustrating, first, because they were there, and second, they didn't stay up long enough to read once you got over the annoyance that you would be lost if you didn't read them.
They did find an interesting way to edit the under lit, hard to watch, and poorly acted scenes, however, the off-center split scene editing momentarily took my mind off how bad the rest of the movie was.
On a personal note...
But, being the eternal cinematic optimist that I am, i did manage to find that although technically, and really, artistically as well, "Alpha Dog" was like watching the Titanic sink for the 99th time, it did piss me off...a lot...I mean other than they allowed this film to be released mainstream. The fact that these ass holes are still sitting on death row for murdering an innocent 15 year old kid seriously desturbs me. We as taxpayers are paying 100,000 dollars a year for each of these little shits so that they can sit on death row in San Quintin for the next 25 years. It costs $8 to administer a leathal injection. we could save the state of California $299, 976 this year, and $300,000 every year after that if we strapped these murdering little bastards down and injected them. better yet, I heard an idea on XM comedy that really didn't sound so bad, and yes, you'll probably call me bad names after this one, but que sera. Since there are so many American soldiers dying in Iraq due to mine fields, and freak accidents, I say, if people are given a death sentance, instead of setting them in prison for 30 years to live, and take up our tax money, give them a one-way ticket to Iraq, put them in thier little orange jump suits, and set them running out in front of our brave soldiers (who don't deserve to have thier leg blown off by a landmine or be mangled by a handgranade) and have them clear the mine fields Alquida can use them as target practice instead. Not bad, eh? I bet the murder rate in America would drop by 50%. It's rediculous that they use the "scare" and punishment" tactic for DUI's but heaven forbid we deter rapists and murderers with the death penalty. just a thought.
The Last Kiss
Just got done watching 'The Last Kiss', yes, the OTHER movie with Zach Braff. Brielfy, it is about a guy named Michael who, has a perfect girlfriend, good job, the whole 9 yards, and they realize that Jenna, his girlfriend is pregnant. Michael has commitment issues as it is, and the pregnancy, as well as a close friend's marriage, send him into a state of "crisis", as the film says. At the wedding, Michael meets a cute little brunette who is ten years his junior, and who is also shamelessly hitting on him, all the while knowing full well that he has a girlfriend. At first he blows it off, until he has a fight with Jenna. One thing leads to another, a couple lies are told, he is found out, and 7 kisses later, Michael is kicked out of the house, and finds himself in the 19 year-old's dormroom. when Jenna refuses to take him back, after finding out that it was in fact MORE than just 7 kisses, Michael spends 3 days and nights on the porch, and realizing that all he wants is to be with her, he will "do whatever it takes" to get her back; including sitting on the porch, in the rain, no food or water for three days, until she finally opens the door and the credits roll.
Throughout most of the movie, after the first five minutes anyway, I found myself wanting to kick at least one of the characters in the head at all times. Whether it be Michael, for not walking away in the first place, the little slut Kim, for being a home-wrecker, or one of the various supporting characters for being absolutely stupid, even Jenna in the very end. As much as I did want her to forgive him, because, lets face it, realistically NO man would wait out on the porch for three days in the rain after being beaten and run away from, I couldn't believe she actually opened the door to him. I don't know if that shows incredible grace, or incredible stupidity.
I think the thing that had me the most confused was that here Michael had this perfect girl who loved him, yet he still found it necessary to go out and explore other options, which poses the question, are we ever truly able to appreciate what we have until we don't, or can't have it anymore? Is the grass always greener, or does it just appear to be so? And, does it take exploring other options before we can truly be happy with what we have? One might say that there's no doubt that Michael loved Jenna, but, as was pointed out in the film, it doesn't matter what you feel; what you feel only matters to you. It's how you treat the people you love that really matters. So no matter how he "changed" in the end, the fact still remains that he made the choice to go and explore other options. I thought it was very honest in how it showed the inability of people to control themselves, and the inclination to make poor choices, and the almost inevitable curse we have to hurt the ones we love the most. The thing that ruined it for me however is the dishonest depiction of Michael's remorse. I find it extremely hard to believe that if he loved her that much that he would sit out there in the rain with no food for three days, and was that devoted to her, he would not have cheated on her in the first place. He didn't have to go find Kim after the wedding. He didn't have to drive her home from school. I know that human beings all have the capacity to feel guilt and remorse, but the question still remains, what makes us do it in the first place? If we know we shouldn't, and we know it's wrong, why can we not stop ourselves?
Throughout most of the movie, after the first five minutes anyway, I found myself wanting to kick at least one of the characters in the head at all times. Whether it be Michael, for not walking away in the first place, the little slut Kim, for being a home-wrecker, or one of the various supporting characters for being absolutely stupid, even Jenna in the very end. As much as I did want her to forgive him, because, lets face it, realistically NO man would wait out on the porch for three days in the rain after being beaten and run away from, I couldn't believe she actually opened the door to him. I don't know if that shows incredible grace, or incredible stupidity.
I think the thing that had me the most confused was that here Michael had this perfect girl who loved him, yet he still found it necessary to go out and explore other options, which poses the question, are we ever truly able to appreciate what we have until we don't, or can't have it anymore? Is the grass always greener, or does it just appear to be so? And, does it take exploring other options before we can truly be happy with what we have? One might say that there's no doubt that Michael loved Jenna, but, as was pointed out in the film, it doesn't matter what you feel; what you feel only matters to you. It's how you treat the people you love that really matters. So no matter how he "changed" in the end, the fact still remains that he made the choice to go and explore other options. I thought it was very honest in how it showed the inability of people to control themselves, and the inclination to make poor choices, and the almost inevitable curse we have to hurt the ones we love the most. The thing that ruined it for me however is the dishonest depiction of Michael's remorse. I find it extremely hard to believe that if he loved her that much that he would sit out there in the rain with no food for three days, and was that devoted to her, he would not have cheated on her in the first place. He didn't have to go find Kim after the wedding. He didn't have to drive her home from school. I know that human beings all have the capacity to feel guilt and remorse, but the question still remains, what makes us do it in the first place? If we know we shouldn't, and we know it's wrong, why can we not stop ourselves?
Flags of Our Fathers
I went to see the new Clint Eastwood (who, I'm not a fan of acting-wise, but is an amazing director) "Flags of Our Fathers". In a nutshell, the film follows the lives of the three surviving men of the six who raised the flag atop Iwo jima. John "Doc" Bradley (Ryan Philippe), whose son the story is being told through, Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), and Ira Hayes (Adam Beach) are the three surviving soldiers who were brought home from the battle as heroes. They came home to help raise bonds for the war efforts, and their heroism is almost exploited in order to do so. All the while the men maintain that they were not heroes at all, and the men that stayed and fought and died were the real heroes. Each of the men had to deal with their own issues on top of being "overnight heroes". They were fighting memories of the atrocities they saw on the beach at Iwojima, watching their friends die, and feeling guilty for leaving to become celebrities.
This movie showed not only the graphic side of what our soldiers go through during battle, but also the demons they live with the rest of their lives after fighting for out country. the film also portrays the flippancy that our country has come to view war with. The three returning soldiers were seen by the government as fundraisers, and by the public as moral boosters, not as men who put themselves in harm's way so that we can live freely. I loved how the movie showed the mens human side; Ira Hayes' alcoholism, Doc's sensitivity and pain from the battle, and Rene's pride and spotlight hungry girlfriend. I think humanity is what makes a film real and honest, especially with the "hero" of the film.
I was half expecting this film to have an "anti-war" tone to it, as much of what is coming out of Hollywood these days does, but instead it had a message of appreciation, and I think it intended to help people realize and be grateful for what the soldiers did (and still do) for us, and that they weren't necessarily looking to be called heroes, they did what they did for other reasons, and its more comfortable for us as civilians to call them heroes because we have no realization of what actually happens to them, and it's the easy way for us to deal with it, whether it is because we just choose not to, or are to ignorant to recognize the sacrifice.
This movie did have a lot of things in common with your run of the mill war films, like "Saving Private Ryan" and "We Were Soldiers", the blood, the gore, etc., but it didn't necessarily revolve around it or need it for shock value... the story and the realness of the characters I felt set it somewhat apart, and the cinematography and over-all feel of the film was very cool, not quite as shaky as "Private Ryan", but still very "in the middle of the battle". The majority of the movie's mood was very sentimental, especially towards the end; I'm not going to say that I cried, but I was moved by the emotion and sentiment. When a war film is more than just blood and gore, when there is actual interpersonal relationships between the characters, and also between the characters and the audience, because you do feel for these characters, it's a very rare and beautiful thing.
highly recommended...very heavy...but recommended.
On a personal note, I think this film totally pertains to our country's current situation, on how much of the American public do not appreciate our troops and all the shit they have to face on an everyday basis, shit that God-willing we will never have to even hear about, but I think for some it would be beneficial, and they do it for us, so all of us have the right to bitch and complain about whatever the hell we want...but hopefully we can all recognize their sacrifice and be grateful.
P.S. If you DO go see this film...after wards go listen to the Johnny Cash song "Ballad of Ira Hayes"....it matches....or maybe I'm the only tard who didn't realize....
This movie showed not only the graphic side of what our soldiers go through during battle, but also the demons they live with the rest of their lives after fighting for out country. the film also portrays the flippancy that our country has come to view war with. The three returning soldiers were seen by the government as fundraisers, and by the public as moral boosters, not as men who put themselves in harm's way so that we can live freely. I loved how the movie showed the mens human side; Ira Hayes' alcoholism, Doc's sensitivity and pain from the battle, and Rene's pride and spotlight hungry girlfriend. I think humanity is what makes a film real and honest, especially with the "hero" of the film.
I was half expecting this film to have an "anti-war" tone to it, as much of what is coming out of Hollywood these days does, but instead it had a message of appreciation, and I think it intended to help people realize and be grateful for what the soldiers did (and still do) for us, and that they weren't necessarily looking to be called heroes, they did what they did for other reasons, and its more comfortable for us as civilians to call them heroes because we have no realization of what actually happens to them, and it's the easy way for us to deal with it, whether it is because we just choose not to, or are to ignorant to recognize the sacrifice.
This movie did have a lot of things in common with your run of the mill war films, like "Saving Private Ryan" and "We Were Soldiers", the blood, the gore, etc., but it didn't necessarily revolve around it or need it for shock value... the story and the realness of the characters I felt set it somewhat apart, and the cinematography and over-all feel of the film was very cool, not quite as shaky as "Private Ryan", but still very "in the middle of the battle". The majority of the movie's mood was very sentimental, especially towards the end; I'm not going to say that I cried, but I was moved by the emotion and sentiment. When a war film is more than just blood and gore, when there is actual interpersonal relationships between the characters, and also between the characters and the audience, because you do feel for these characters, it's a very rare and beautiful thing.
highly recommended...very heavy...but recommended.
On a personal note, I think this film totally pertains to our country's current situation, on how much of the American public do not appreciate our troops and all the shit they have to face on an everyday basis, shit that God-willing we will never have to even hear about, but I think for some it would be beneficial, and they do it for us, so all of us have the right to bitch and complain about whatever the hell we want...but hopefully we can all recognize their sacrifice and be grateful.
P.S. If you DO go see this film...after wards go listen to the Johnny Cash song "Ballad of Ira Hayes"....it matches....or maybe I'm the only tard who didn't realize....
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