After seeing a series of dramatic movies I believed it was time to go to movie where thought and intelligence could be left at the door.
Epic Moive was terrible. That is pretty much all that ought to be said about this movie.
Trailor - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv4BYzmfk8I
Friday, March 09, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Letters from Iwo Jima
This was another great film directed by Clint Eastwood.
The film revolves around the experiences of Japanese soldiers tasked with defending the island of Iwo Jima from the impending American invasion.
Like Flag of our Fathers Eastwood is able to divulge into the actual story behind the events that took place leading up to and during the invasion of Iwo Jima. From the arrival of General Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) and his decision to tunnel through Iwo Jima to the eventual fall of the island to the American forces, the audience is treated to a wholly different perspective of that event.
The hopes, fears, and ideals of the Japanese stationed at Iwo Jima are for all in intents and purposes depicted as accurately as possible. We are able to see and understand why General Kuribayashi thought of defending the island in the manner in which he did, the feelings many Japanese solidiers held for their American counterparts, and the misgivings towards the war itself.
The film is shot in faux-black & white and tries to create the grainy realism of war. Though at times the film seems to run long it is a very well put together plot and story. As far as acting goes Ken Watanabe is great, he generally is though. Kazunari Ninomiya, who plays the young soldier and father Saigo does a fine job with the character he is representing. The supporting actors all play their parts well. The one criticism I have is the depiction of the Americans in the movie. Whoever was playing those parts did not seem convincing.
It was interesting to see certain scenes from Flags of Our Fathers also in Letters from Iwo Jima. I was hoping for that and that it would be cool to see two films concerning the same subject but different perspectives cross into one another.
I will say that I believe that storyline and acting was superior in this film, compared to that of Flags of Our Fathers.
The film revolves around the experiences of Japanese soldiers tasked with defending the island of Iwo Jima from the impending American invasion.
Like Flag of our Fathers Eastwood is able to divulge into the actual story behind the events that took place leading up to and during the invasion of Iwo Jima. From the arrival of General Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) and his decision to tunnel through Iwo Jima to the eventual fall of the island to the American forces, the audience is treated to a wholly different perspective of that event.
The hopes, fears, and ideals of the Japanese stationed at Iwo Jima are for all in intents and purposes depicted as accurately as possible. We are able to see and understand why General Kuribayashi thought of defending the island in the manner in which he did, the feelings many Japanese solidiers held for their American counterparts, and the misgivings towards the war itself.
The film is shot in faux-black & white and tries to create the grainy realism of war. Though at times the film seems to run long it is a very well put together plot and story. As far as acting goes Ken Watanabe is great, he generally is though. Kazunari Ninomiya, who plays the young soldier and father Saigo does a fine job with the character he is representing. The supporting actors all play their parts well. The one criticism I have is the depiction of the Americans in the movie. Whoever was playing those parts did not seem convincing.
It was interesting to see certain scenes from Flags of Our Fathers also in Letters from Iwo Jima. I was hoping for that and that it would be cool to see two films concerning the same subject but different perspectives cross into one another.
I will say that I believe that storyline and acting was superior in this film, compared to that of Flags of Our Fathers.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Children of Men
This was another great film in a slew of great films of the last 6 months.
The theater was packed tonight, I actually did not expect that many people to know of the film, or who would care to see it.
The film, which is based on a novel written by P.D. James, takes place in 2027 in London. Humanity has stopped reproducing and social decay has taken hold. Clive Owen's character Theo has been introduced to a group trying to get a pregnant woman to a scientific research organization known as the "Humane Project". That is all I will say without spoiling the entire plot line.
For starters, I have not seen a more intense film than Children of Men in a long while. Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter III) did a brilliant job with bringing the audience into the story. The setting for the film, though 20 years in the future, was not filled with flying cars and jet packs, a rather realistic version of technological progress. Mr. Cuaron really did a great job at making the story and setting as believable as possible.
The acting was great, I would expect nothing less than the best from Clive Owen. His character is thrown into an odd situation and Mr. Owen portrays weakness, uncertainty, sadness, and optimism so well. I would not be surprised if he is given a nod for an Oscar in 2008.
The supporting cast includes Julianne Moore, Michael Cane, Chiwetel Ejiofor. Moore does a fine job for the time in which she is actually in the film. Michael Cane plays an oddball Political Cartoonist and delivers a memorable performance. Chiwetel Ejiofor is neither here not there with the quality of his acting in this movie.
For me it was the intensity which made the film great. I highly recommend this movie. It makes one think about the future and the idea of there is more to life than the here and now.
Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwsgkurfCjE
The theater was packed tonight, I actually did not expect that many people to know of the film, or who would care to see it.
The film, which is based on a novel written by P.D. James, takes place in 2027 in London. Humanity has stopped reproducing and social decay has taken hold. Clive Owen's character Theo has been introduced to a group trying to get a pregnant woman to a scientific research organization known as the "Humane Project". That is all I will say without spoiling the entire plot line.
For starters, I have not seen a more intense film than Children of Men in a long while. Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter III) did a brilliant job with bringing the audience into the story. The setting for the film, though 20 years in the future, was not filled with flying cars and jet packs, a rather realistic version of technological progress. Mr. Cuaron really did a great job at making the story and setting as believable as possible.
The acting was great, I would expect nothing less than the best from Clive Owen. His character is thrown into an odd situation and Mr. Owen portrays weakness, uncertainty, sadness, and optimism so well. I would not be surprised if he is given a nod for an Oscar in 2008.
The supporting cast includes Julianne Moore, Michael Cane, Chiwetel Ejiofor. Moore does a fine job for the time in which she is actually in the film. Michael Cane plays an oddball Political Cartoonist and delivers a memorable performance. Chiwetel Ejiofor is neither here not there with the quality of his acting in this movie.
For me it was the intensity which made the film great. I highly recommend this movie. It makes one think about the future and the idea of there is more to life than the here and now.
Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwsgkurfCjE
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