Typical month. Starting out way behind, struggling to catch up, yada yada yada. Here's three capsules to start off with...
The Great Debaters. Denzel Washington’s directorial efforts tend to try and reflect his persona. They’re friendly, charming and want to make you feel good to watch them. The problem with them unfortunately is Denzel himself, well, Denzel the director. You can tell he has fallen in love with his own story… as he did with Antwone Fisher and he does again here with The Great Debaters. To a certain degree I can understand that a director has to be emotionally vested in a story to warrant the dedication it takes to transfer that story to the screen… but Denzel is speechifying the importance of education and knowledge here from the very first scene (no joke, Forest Whitaker is literally preaching about it from the first shot), but Denzel also wants to hint at racial issues and have an ever-so-slight dark side that our heroes can rise above and overcome. That way Denzel can stand in the back of the room, looking on proudly at all that he has accomplished by bringing this story to life. C+
Eastern Promises. A nurse helps deliver the baby of a dying woman and uses her diary to track down her origins, unknowingly leading herself right into the arms of the Russian mob. Seems like a straightforward storyline, but director David Cronenberg has the wonderful ability to immerse the viewer in the story. The atmosphere he creates, the tension he builds, and the performances he gets out of Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Vincent Cassel are all top notch. There’s deception and hidden agendas, but also a brotherly bond between Mortensen and Cassel that seems bizarre but genuine. And I got caught up specifically in the plight of Mortensen, a driver trying to earn his stars and become a made man in the mob. Then there’s that brutal, gratuitously naked knife fight. In the hands of a less talented director, it could be painful to watch. Cronenberg just makes it painful to experience. A
For Your Consideration. This topic was ripe for ridicule. Hollywood, filmmaking, Oscar buzz and award nominations, stars begging for attention… given all the possibilities, I can’t even fathom how poorly done this movie is. I should never have started here as an entryway to Christopher Guest’s work, because it seems whatever remnants of a style he stole from Rob Reiner while working on the classic rock mockumentary This is Spinal Tap… has long since evaporated. And there’s hardly a laugh leftover. This is one of the worst, straight-faced satires I’ve ever seen. Eugene Levy is mugging again (see any incarnation of American Pie after the leads start refusing to show up). Plus, it gives work to two of the worst actresses in Hollywood… Catherine O’Hara and Jennifer Coolidge. Ricky Gervais shows up for a too-brief cameo but is mostly wasted. Honestly, it’s like these people know nothing about show business. D
10 comments:
Everything Is Illuminated: This film was not at ALL what I expected. It is very stark and odd. My downloaded copy didn't have subtitles which I think may have helped (although I don't know that there aren't subtitles intentionally?). But I feel I missed a lot as 2/3 of the movie is in Ukranian. It seemed like a powerful story, although oddly packaged. Will have to rewatch if there are, indeed, subtitles.
Blood Simple: Thank the heavens for the Coen brothers. Their first crack at writing and directing is clearly a blue print of everything to come. I loved its dry, dark, and unsettling unfolding. Even better is how only the audience has the full picture. It makes for even more fun as the tension builds up because you have knowledge that could straighten out the whole thing and save everyone from travelling down the wrong path. But you can't!! Can't wait to see No Country... as I'm sure it's more of the same "goodness!"
Elephant: Another Gus Van Sant that I was impressed with. Or rather, he made an impression on me. This is an unsettling witnessing, first hand, of the massacre of Oregonian high school students at the hands of two of their fellow classmates. Essentially, a quiet over-the-shoulder view into what it must have been like to witness the Columbine shootings. I especially enjoyed the tracking of a handfull of students and then backtracking to show the same slice of time from each student's perspective. Quite disturbing mostly because you are left without any sort of resolution.
Goodfellas: I'm gonna go ahead and say it. This is probably my favorite M.S. film overall. The Departed would have been my #1 if the ending hadn't sucked. Anyway, this is just a really solid film, and while monumentally long like all the others, this one seemed to pass by faster and with more purpose. Great acting by all and an advantage to seeing it for the first time now, is that I got to see all the Sopranos actors pop up throughout!! This one has earned its reputation in my book.
Idiocracy: I wasn't so sure about this one but it turned out to be brilliant and hilarious. While not consistantly either throughout, it is just so over the top and blunt that you can't help but get a kick out of it. The premise is simple: the year is 2590 (or something) and humans have regressed in intelligence. Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph have been cryogenically frozen and are released when The Great Garbage Avalanche happens. Cameos and firm tongue in cheek satire ensue.
Jesus Camp: After viewing this, I told my roommate that I have not seen anything so horrifying since Schindler's List and I'm not being dramatic. This is a documentary about Evangelical Christans who essentially are brainwashing their children to be in "God's Army" and how the separation of church and state is becoming less and less difinitive. What ever your religion, this is a must watch. I'm still trying to pick my jaw up off the floor.
The Prestige: I'm glad I watched The Illusionist first because this was way better and my feelings would have been bruised had it been the other way around. Jackman, Bale and Caine are all very good while Johansson is really there to sell tickets. I loved the story and how it was both visually and intellectually appealing. I was pleased with the ending as well (and the Bowie cameo!!).
Before I post a couple of my recent watches (from like a month ago, I'm getting ridiculously behind), let me just comment on Rebecca's recent watches. The comments section is my favorite part of this site and I like to get some back-and-forth debate going on.
Straight off, I've never seen either Everything is Illuminated or Jesus Camp so I can't comment. Both sounded interesting but neither has grabbed me and forced me to throw the disc in the DVD player, maybe down the line though.
As for Blood Simple... it was the first Coen's masterpiece and honestly No Country has the same type of feel to it. Dark, brooding, menacing, thrilling with some fantastic visuals and performances. It's like they've come full circle in their career and I can't wait to see what direction it spins off to next. Of all the Coen's films I've seen, I've only seen it once but it's one I'd love to revisit. Probably only in my Top 5 Coen's films, but that's only because they've done so many fantastic movies.
Love how you described Elephant as an "over-the-shoulder view" into this high school on the day of the massacre because that's exactly what it was. It sat back and observed a Columbine-like event without really offering explanations. Stunning to see unfold, but not something I'm keen to watch again. It's definitely in the mold that Van Sant and Paul Greengrass have made famous with these real life reinventions (United 93, Last Days, Michael Winterbottom's A Mighty Heart and the best of the bunch, Greengrass's Bloody Sunday).
GoodFellas is just perfect filmmaking. Still probably only my second favorite Marty movie (Raging Bull), but it is every bit the gangster epic and classic that The Godfather series has become. Deserves mention in the same breath. Hell, as does "The Sopranos." There's just something about the mob that makes for brilliant entertainment.
Idiocracy had it's moments of satirical genius (the explanation for how the world got so stupified and even the concept itself is great) but I'm just not a Luke Wilson fan. I would have preferred the director reteaming with his Office Space star, Ron Livingston. Still a solid, mostly enjoyable little film. Just not as great as I would have liked.
The first time I saw The Prestige I thought it was good, but I was disappointed in the ending. The second time I saw it, I thought the film was a masterpiece. Truthfully it's probably somewhere in between... which still means it's pretty damn great. Christopher Nolan is definitely one of my favorite directors working today (alongside P.T. Anderson and Wong Kar-Wai). I'll see anything he does, and so far he's batting 1000. And you're definitely right, this one is leaps and bounds above The Illusionist (which wasn't necessarily bad either, it just doesn't compare). Also, no doubt it's Jackman's best performance.
Dial M for Murder. While not one of Hitchcock’s best, Dial M is still a pretty great, totally suspenseful film about a man’s (Ray Milland) botched plans to have his wife (Grace Kelly) murdered (she is instead able to kill her attacker). The whole film takes place within the confines of one apartment, much in the same way Hitchcock kept things to one location in films like Rope and Rear Window. And it’s all explanation and backtalk, as Milland doubles back over the failed murder scene trying to cover his tracks and create a reliable story that ultimately pins the real crime on Kelly herself. It’s mostly brilliant, thoroughly entertaining and the more I think about it, the more I like it. A-
True Crime. Okay, so maybe Clint was getting a little long in the tooth to be the romantically bed-jumping ladies man he plays in True Crime, but he’s absolutely perfect for the embittered reporter who seems to get under everybody’s skin. There’s just an air of anti-authority that Eastwood exhibits dating back as far as Dirty Harry and is refreshing to see even in the late 90s, nearly thirty years post-Callahan. This film is about a reporter assigned to write a human interest story about the impending lethal injection of a man on death row but being Clint (I refuse to acknowledge his character’s name), he digs into the back story and things start to smell a little fishy. I don’t think Clint ever went so deep as to consider this film was a condemnation of lethal injections… but it does bring up some interesting concerns. Plus some nice supporting work from James Woods and Denis Leary. A solid, unjustly forgotten gem in Eastwood’s canon. B+
Uhhhh apparently I didn't ever go back and offer some further insight to my Atonement reaction...not that you didn't get the gist already haha. So here ya go.
Atonement: Well first there is the sheer beauty of the cinematography. There aren't too many movies that can make me feel like I can almost feel the warmth of the sun or smell war. The lighting was awesome...just perfect in every scene. Second, there was the acting. I thought the entire cast was great especially Saoirse Ronan. I really got caught up in those close up shots of her...I could see the little wheels in her head churning and trying to make sense of everything when clearly her vivid imagination was getting the best of her. I hadn't seen McAvoy in anything before this but I'm now a fan. Generally, I'm hot and cold about Knightly, mostly cold...this was one of her best roles. And the great Vanessa Redgrave...she got me...she got me good. Finally, there's the story. I went into the film not knowing exactly what I was in for. I'll agree that the middle portion dragged a bit but not enough to severely detract from the whole. I loved how tragic it was and how the end played out with you seeing them getting together but finding out that the true ending of the story is far more tragic. And that's when you realize the weight of the title and it all comes together in a swell of emotion. At least it did for me.
Next: As I described it to a friend the other day: Yet another action film where Nic Cage get's to show off his abnormally toned midsection, act in a manner that is fairly void of true emotion and in real life would come off as extremely creepy, and somehow make a hot young girl half his age (this time the lucky winner is Jessica Biel) fall madly in love with him in 10 min flat. I seriously got uncomfortable watching them kiss. Anyway, he can see 2 min into his own future and the govt knows this (represented by Julianne Moore--wtf Julianne, why are you anywhere near this movie?!?!) and so tries to get him to help them find some nuclear bomb. Some pretty cool action sequences and the idea of having that power is pretty cool but overall the plot is pretty weak and flawed AND there's no resolution. Not the best movie but okay for mindless entertainment. Or if you don't mind the "ick" that is Nic Cage: Rico Suave.
No Country for Old Men: Unfortuntately, I had to watch this one over the course of 3 days. I hate to do that with movies cause you always lose something in the overall presentation. And in this case, I definitely did. I found myself surprised when everything sort of falls apart for Brolin's character and then how much emphasis was placed on Tommy Lee Jones' character...I don't know...I'm going to go back and watch it again to see if it comes out clearer for me. But for now, it was a pretty intense movie (as we all probably know by now). Javier is chilling. It's insane how you can see how every person he meets is teetering on life and death and often they have no clue that that's the case. The man kills arbitrarily and that not only makes him incredibly dangerous but incredibly scary too. Not to mention the fact that he is basically a zombie. Anyway, I'm not going to speculate further on the meaning of the film til I see it again more thoroughly. But for now, I like what I've seen.
Juno: I wasn't blown away by this film. And this surprised me considering all the buzz surrounding it. Don't get me wrong, I liked it. I just didn't fall in love with it like everyone else seems to have done.
And here's why I think that is. I think the majority of people swept up in Juno fever are enamored with Ellen Page's emergence, seemingly "out of nowhere". But I've already gone through that before, after I saw Hard Candy. Her performance in this is very enjoyable and I can't picture any other young actress today doing it as much justice as she does. But I've come to expect this from her and thus are not as amazed that she can deliver. I especially liked Jennifer Garner's performance (from what I know, her first non-action, not really comedic role to date?). I feel like Cera was a little flat and while quirky, not a perfect fit for the role of Paulie Bleeker.
The film adequately captures that in-between stage teenagers go through where they are teetering between childhood and adulthood and grapple with the difficulties of that transition. There was a little disconnect between the extreme independence/confidence of the Juno character and her social status though...I feel like if there had been a Juno in my high school (minus the pregnancy factor) that she would have been one of the most popular kids because of her style and not the outcast she was in the film. I mean after all, her best friend appeared to be a popular, socially accepted cheerleader and if we're stereotyping then it doesn't really make sense?
But whatever...I'm glad I watched it but I can't say I'd race back to watch it again. As I've said in the Actor/Actress tournament comments, I can't wait to see what Page does next, but I can't say the same for Diablo Cody (even though her name does kick ass haha).
Grizzly Man: I'm not sure which side of the fence I come down on as far as if he was right or wrong to do what he did, but I will say that Treadwell was definitely an interesting character.
His demise was horrific but I think I admire him for going against convention and finding something that truly made him happy. As Herzog states, from a film makers point of view, the images (both filmed and still) Treadwell was able to capture are incredible.
I feel like the documentary could have been a bit shorter but it depicts Treadwell with an honesty some would have been afraid to show.
Overall, pretty interesting but it dragged on a bit long for my taste.
Pi: Darren Aronofsky is awesome. Requiem for a Dream was the first of his films I'd seen and if you've seen it you know why it would have made an impact on me. Then I saw The Fountain and was blown away again.
I didn't watch Pi knowing it was an Aronofsky film. But I instantly knew when that distinctive film style presented itself. The combination of quick shots one after the next and vivid sound effects. It just makes for a completely unique viewing experience and I love that about him.
The story is pretty cool too. But this film takes patience to watch. Its presentation is disjointed and stark (purposefully of course). I liked the black and white filming as well. It really allowed from some great contrast shots.
Probably not a film for everyone, and not even my favorite Aronofsky film but if you are a fan of his, definitely give it a once through.
Well, I’m absurdly behind at this point (30 films behind or so, honestly), so I’m gonna try to make this a little more manageable. If I write 2-3 capsules a day, I could probably catch up in about a month… factoring in any new releases in the time being. Oh good Lord, let me just get started.
I Am Legend. Take the Times Square sequence from Vanilla Sky and elongate it into a feature film. Then add some cruddy-looking CG vampire/zombie creatures. That pretty much encapsulates it. You’ve got Will Smith giving a Tom Hanks-like Cast Away performance, where you need to like the star to like the movie (so much so that the film relies on that relationship since it’s largely a one-man film). And it works… for the most part. Will Smith has that likeability factor to make you care about him and there’s something endlessly fascinating to me about an entire city being emptied out (this was also the best sequence from 28 Days Later…). There is a point about 2/3rds of the way into it when an anguished Will Smith gets behind the wheel of a car, where you can almost see the entire movie crashing right before your eyes, but at least until then it’s a fun ride. B
Lions for Lambs. If a movie doesn’t have a true plotline and revolves around three stories that are largely long conversations about politics… isn’t that kind of the definition of speechifying? There’s some interesting chatter taking place in Lions for Lambs, the Meryl Streep as reporter/Tom Cruise as congressman scene in particular… but there’s nothing to get invested in. No characters. This is a prepared political speech come to life. At times it can be a little rousing and even make you think, but in the long run there’s little to remember. And how does Redford somehow make the war scenes by far the least interesting part of a heavily dialogue-driven movie? Amazing. C+
Gangs of New York: This is one of those films I wish I'd seen back when it came out so I could partake in the conversation about it with everyone. Alas, I'm a bit late but I'd like to hear what others thought if they would share.
I personally really enjoyed it (as I think most people did). It was long but purposeful in it's longevity. I loved the necessity and futility of all their struggles and how chaotic the world those characters lived in was.
Day-Lewis does give an amazing performance as well as the rest of the cast. I didn't much care for Diaz in this but she did a decent enough job. DiCaprio I think was just beginning to flex his dialect muscle and while his accent wasn't very strong, his performance made up for it. Great additions were John C. Reilly, Brenden Gleeson and Jim Broadbent.
Stand out cinematography: the zoom out shot of New York City covered in snow after the gangs fought at the start and then the final scene showing the passage of time, the development of the city and the fading away of the headstones.
Okay this is going to be long, but I've put off writing about them for that very reason. I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and post on it. These are the films I've seen in the past months that I haven't talked about yet. (at least the ones I remember)
On DVD:
1. Black Sheep- I wanted to see this not because I thought it would be any good, but I thought the idea was pretty funny. Too bad that was all that was funny. Premise is that animal experiments have led to a disease in which the sheep of New Zealand become carnivorous and kill people. The effects are terrible, the acting naturally was bad, but I thought I would at least have fun. I didn't
2. Elephant Man- brilliant film from David Lynch. I'm trying to juggle between Bergman and Lynch in my Netflix queue. This is such a beautiful film about a beautiful man who had a most unfortunate condition. Lynch in particular could easily trot him out for scares or unease, but we see Merrick in all of his form as a human rather than a monster. There are moments here where it got a little dusty. All the actors are great, particularly John Hurt as Merrick and Anne Bancroft as well. Produced by Mel Brooks, who'd a thunk.
3. Brothers Solomon- Pretty bad concept with some really bad situations, but dammit if I don't giggle just looking at Will Arnett and will Forte looking stupid. I will follow Arnett to anything even if it is as bad as this was. Still laughed enough for it not to be a complete waste of time.
4. King of Kong- fascinating documentary about the competitive video-game world. Classic good vs evil, but all over Donkey Kong, and the well-made flick makes the stakes seem infinitely higher than they actually are. Billy Mitchell is hands down the biggest douche and one of the best villains in film ever. Doesn't do anything new for the medium, but it is still one of the most entertaining times I've had watching anything last year.
5. Sawdust and Tinsel- early work of Ingmar Bergman before he became internationally known with Seventh Seal. This one tells the battle of the sexes using a circus coming to town as the backdrop. Throw in class issues and you have quite a complex story. Per usual, it is great looking, well acted, and has some wonderful scenes, but there is some odd editing/plot choices that keep it from being as great as his later work. Still, check it out if your a fan.
6. Once- this is the only film I watched twice in a row this year. This film was such an amazing experience. Not since Eternal Sunshine, have we seen two people connect on a level that no script could conceive. This is a film all about the accomplishments of the actors and the music. It's not flashy, in fact it cost like $500k, it stars nobodies, the character don't have names and it takes place in Ireland. Yet everybody, I hope, can relate to these two. We witness two people who are hurt or in a state of arrested development, and they can't move forward without some help. They help each other overcome there fears...fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of intimacy, fear of the future. The movie is perfect in my eyes. I wouldn't change a thing. We see the birth of music much like the brilliant scene in Hustle and Flow, but here, this scene also sees the connection being made between our heroes. Is is lust? No. Is it pity? No. Its love and a film that can show "love" in all of its complexity against a simple backdrop, deserves all the praise in the world. This is the best film of 2007. It may not be the most ambitious or do things that are new, but it does something even harder. It takes what we think we know, and shows us all that we have been missing. I cried like a 8 yr old girl with a skinned knee. Oh and the music is sensational. If "Falling Slowly" doesn't win the Oscar, I will boycott Hollywood and only watch this film over and over again.
In Theaters:
7. I Am Legend- I had a really good time with this film. Yes the creatures should have just be real human actors and not the awful FX creations they are, but still I thought it was a summer film with a brain. Will Smith proves he has enough charisma to hold our attention for a entire movie. The ending is a cop out to the book, but than again, no film has gotten it perfect yet. Omega Man anyone? I recently lost a dog, and having to sit through "the dog scene" here was absolutely terrible, but it is a terrifying scene and that is its intent whether you bring something personal to the table or not. A lot of fun nonetheless.
8. Cloverfield- you want to talk fun. I had a blast with this film. I thought the use of the "diary" was very smart and made a apocalyptic event all the more intimate. We do discover enough about these characters to invest in their plight. The production values are spectacular and the monster is actually kind of cool. Pay close attention to the final scene. You may notice just how this monster cam to Earth in the first place.
9. Golden Compass- great looking film, but also the most convoluted mess last year. I didn't understand hardly anything at all, and I thought the little girl was annoying. The found out the actual ending to the book and man it would have made for a really dark children's film. Wish they had the balls to go with it, but I heard the studio really made this a mess for Chris Weitz to work under.
10. National Treasure 2: Yes it is fun, but it is also mindless and require us to really stretch our imaginations. I think it goes a bit far. One thing leads to another and I find it all boring. Cast has fun though and I guess that is what people love about this film. Whatever, to each his own. Better than Pirates by a long shot.
11. Orphanage- not as good as Pan's Labyrinth, but still a wonderful film that merges horror and whimsy very well. But this one gets the horror down a lot better than the whimsy, which I think prevents it from being as good as Pan. The knocking on the wall scene had my so effing tense and terrified. Much like Pan, the ending manages to have it cake and eat it too, that is it manages to take a sad ending and somehow make it happy. Completely screws with my mind.
12. Awake- Not as bad as I thought it would be. With Hayden Christensen and Jessica Alba, I assumed it would suck, but it didn't. Still not a good film, but it passes the time. Creep concept with some decent twists.
13. Charlie Wilson's War- far from a great film, but still fun. Fascinating tale about one man trying to end the Cold War, but it all ends way to quick for me. The war is a montage as we come to an end. Really weird. Doesn't have enough satirical bite to be as good as it should have been. Hoffman is a hoot, but really, best supporting actor of the year, I don't think so.
14. Sweeney Todd- I loved this film, but than again I love the play. Burton did a great job bringing it to life. Everyone is in top form here. The songs are impeccable. They may not be memorable like Sound of Music, but they do serve the purpose of the story better. We get a real sense of emotion and the story is driven through song. A musical shouldn't be about filling a soundtrack (I'm looking at you Across the Universe), it should use music as a way to understanding the conflict and turmoil within the characters. At least I think so. Bloody fun, and sets are marvelous. Depp knocked it out of the park.
15. Aliens vs Predator: Requiem- awful film, but still a 1000x more fun than the first AVP. I knew it had to bee rated R. Stupid Paul W.S. Anderson.
16. Walk Hard- kinda of disappointing. It does a good job of spoofing the genre (I particularly like him crying and ripping sink out of the wall), but it does get old fast. Reilly is great and is having a blast, but he doesn't have much to work with in terms of character. It is all about the absurdity and don't the filmmakers know that nothing is more insane than real life. I expected more from Apatow and Co. but still this film can be absolutely hilarious at parts. Other times it is downright stupid. Still recommend watching at least once.
17. Atonement- already talked about this during the Golden Globe talk. Overrated.
18. Before the Devil Knows Your Dead- another film that is overrated. Well done, well acted (particularly by Marisa Tomei's breasts), and well directed, but there is not a likable person here. Everyone is rotten and doesn't deserve anything good. The film justs puts us through bad people having bad things happen to them over and over and it just isn't any fun. Not awful by any means, but not great either.
19. Juno- Now here is a film that has plenty of likable people to connect with. This film is so much fun. Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Gardner, J.k. Simmons, Allison Janney,..they all get moments to shine here. We really grow to love them even with there flaws. The first few scenes do have too much quirk and the dialogue doesn't feel natural yet, but eventually it becomes apparent that the dialogue, while witty and fast, isn't the point of the film. We see a true coming of age tale as Juno finds out about love and life. We understand everyone's motives here and it is refreshing to see a film with a "good" step mother, and parents who don't kick their prego daughter out of the house. This film is one you want to take home to your parents and have babies with someday, and give to yuppie adoptive parents.
20. There Will Be Blood- the best film of the year in terms of scope, acting, direction, music, pacing, complexity, etc. I can't believe a man in his mid 30s wrote such a dark tale about the corruption of capitalism and salesmanship behind all career paths. We get a absolutely mindblowing first 15 min as no dialogue is uttered. It plays just like a true silent movie. We than see Daniel Plainview build an empire as he uses his son and his words to get oil from naive landowners. What could easily have been a monstrous film about the birth of America, becomes much more intimate as we see a man spiral downward into insanity as he punishes his son and anyone who dares get close to him. His feud with Eli Sunday is one for the books. They battle one another as they try to win the hearts of the landowners inorder to further themselves. Plainview is selling bullshit and tells it to you, but Sunday is selling bullshit, but sugarcoats it as prophecy. Two bad men, where one may be better because he is at least honest in his intentions, while the other isn't. Daniel Day-Lewis deserves the award based purely on the trailer. Nobody can come close I'm afraid. This is a performance that towers anything done since Raging Bull. It is monumental and poor Paul Dano has to stay in its shadows as he tries to hold his own. Alot of critics have had problems with the ending, but I thought it was a necessary conclusion full of humor ("I'm finished", and that milkshake speech was brilliant), dread, and revelations. Yes Daniel Day-Lewis is unrestrained, but it works. This is a marvelous achievement and succeeding even past my highest expectations. If it doesn't win the Oscar, it is only because it is more polarizing than No Country was. But I couldn't be upset with a No Country win, but anything else is a downright joke.
Fin
Oh and I forgot about Rambo. I thought this was an absolute blast. Stallone tries to whip up a message, but it kinda gets drowned out by all of my hooting and hollering, as Rambo cuts an evil dude's head right off. This films plays to the primal nature in all men. We, at times, need to see the worst of men be brought to justice in an eye-for-an-eye fashion. They toss babies in a fire for Christ's sake. They deserve anything and everything Rambo does to them. Stallone shows a world without rules, where anarchy would be a welcome change of pace, where violence is a matter of necessity.
He also has made the most atheistic film ever. There is no God present as these missionaries are captured and tortured. They believe and follow God's word and try to convey the message to the pleasant peasants (awesome band name!), but in the end it is those who live by there own rules who will either kill them or save them. Either way Stallone made a balls-to-the-wall action film that made the kid in me all giddy. The last 15 minutes...well needless to say that "carnage" would be a understatement.
John Rambo for president! He'll end the war, and do it all by himself!
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