Reviews by Alexander

All reviews - Movies (315) - Books (1) - Games (1)

Baby, you make me wish I had three hands.

Posted : 2 weeks, 1 day ago on 13 November 2009 09:15 (A review of Total Recall)

''If I am not me, then who the hell am I?''

When a man goes for virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real, or does he?

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Douglas Quaid / Hauser

Total Recall, based on We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, a short story from 1974 by Philip K. Dick (and novelized in conjunction with the film production by Piers Anthony), had a laborious history getting to the silver screen. Tens of drafts were written. Production companies were attached then went out of business. Many directors and stars were attached who either changed their minds or who were dropped. Luckily, Arnold Schwarzenegger talked Carolco into picking up the project for him with Paul Verhoeven, who subsequently already proved his dazzling directorial talents on the similarly toned RoboCop(1987).

While Total Recall certainly has influences, including The Martian Chronicles(1980),Dune(1984) and the first major movie project based on a Philip K. Dick work, Blade Runner(1982), it's more notable for the films that it has influenced in subsequent years, including The Fifth Element(1997) and many of the "rubber reality" films such as Abre los ojos(1997),Vanilla Sky(2001) and The Thirteenth Floor(1999). It's also yet another film on the very long list that have had various elements "adapted" into part of The Matrix(1999), most explicitly here, the bug that Quaid has to remove from his body with a high-tech machine and the possibility of waking up from a particular reality by taking a red pill.

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 20 years then you probably know that with Director Paul Verhoeven (Black Book), nothing is not doable and he loves to show violence and sex to the extreme. This film is no exception, as the carnage is wonderfully graphic and oddly satisfying similar to Robocop, in terms of violent proceedings. We see people get their arms blown off and their necks snapped in delightful ways. Pleasingly, CGI isn't used to enhance the violence but rather to alternate with make up and prosthetics to achieve the gore factor. Uncertain on this, but I am under the impression, this was the last movie made before CGI overtook the industry, so everything we see in the movie is eclectically real. From the train stations on mars, the three breasted woman, and the mutant living inside a man was all done on set in the camera without any effect wizardry. It really draws you into the story and gives you this sense that this place has been around for an age, and we're just being given a rare insight into this world. The production designer deserves huge credit for the realistic look that attributes to the film in everyway.

''I'll be back!''

Most of the locations used, were successfully created, with the usage of expertly created miniatures and they look fantastical considering when Total Recall was created. It's not as impressive as the work that Alex Funke did on LOTR but it's still pretty successful, in the sense it still manages to hold it's own in todays film making world. The actors all are just perfectly cast in this movie, and while Schwarzenegger may be touted as the star in the movie, the real star is Michael Ironside. This is essentially Ironside doing what he does best which is playing the bad guy so brilliantly and also avoiding all the usual bad guy cliches like speaking with some accent or smoking in every scene. Sharon Stone essentially has a less dazzling role than the other players, but the little she does give every scene she partakes in, is greatly acted and fun to watch. Rachel Ticotin plays the other woman in Schwarzenegger's life and she does an amazing job of playing the woman that Schwarzenegger dreams of. She is smart, cute, and can kick your ass if she has to. Then there's Schwarzenegger who basically does what he does, in every movie which is to run, shoot, make a joke, then run and shoot some more. But you know what, that cliche formula works...So why change a good thing right?

A movie no matter how good or well written will be nothing without the support of great music and in this case, the late great Jerry Goldsmith provides a fantastic score that is just pleasing to the ears. Really adore the score he plays in the first 2 mins. of the picture alone, when we see Schwarzenegger walking around on mars. It's these weird dreamlike tones that makes you feel the same way that Schwarzenegger does, it helps us connect with what the character is feeling. The great piece he plays for when Quato tells Quaid to open his mind is without a question an epiphany of grandeur in the score. Usually action music consists of loud brass and strong drums but Goldsmith narrowly avoids that tired cliché and provides a smart intelligent score that enhances the movie at every turn. The great Howard Shore has been the only composer that I know so far that has written a decent action music for a movie and that was the amazing score he did for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The two composers seem to have a lot in common when it comes to music so someday I hope that Shore will reach that level of respect and admiration that Goldsmith has achieved.

This is NOT a family friendly sci-fi flick in the vein of Star Wars, it's rated 18 for a very good reason, so parents can hide the little ones and enjoy. If you want an adult sci-fi movie that doesn't require CGI or confusing dialog, then you'll be in heaven with this Philip K Dick adaptation.

''You are what you do. A man is defined by his actions, not his memory.''

1 comments, Reply to this entry

Command & Conquer.

Posted : 2 weeks, 1 day ago on 13 November 2009 08:23 (A review of Commando)

Cooke: You scared, motherfucker? Well, you should be, because this Green Beret is going to kick your big ass!
Matrix: I eat Green Berets for breakfast. And right now, I'm very hungry!

A retired elite commando has only a few hours to find and rescue his daughter from an exiled dictator.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: John Matrix

If there were a number of Arnie movies I would watch as a child and for what they were, it was Predator, Terminator, Last Action Hero, Total Recall and Commando is yet another. There are no pretensions here, as director Mark. L Lester creates a thoughtless, macho, no-nonsense parade of exciting violence with plenty cracking one-liners along the way. The climax especially, as there's no mercy with a rampant Arnie taking on a small army, spectating all opponents dropping like flies in a glorious array of bullets and some garden shed tools. It's entertaining, addictive and yet wittily resourceful. It's a beautiful sight for action and Arnie fans alike. It makes the powerfully violent bloodshed in the Rambo films seem poetically meaningful, as a distant relative perhaps. No flashy edits, too-close camera-work and mechanical staging (found in most latter action films) taint the glorious proceedings.

Lester's no hold-bars approach shoots the vigorous activity well with expansive scope in the devastating set-pieces and exhaustingly taut pacing. Steven E. de Souza's silly script makes little headway, but plays it straight with its welcoming humorous tongue. Quotably campy dialogues and a barrage of puns. The cast do a respectable task of bringing the action and story to life. Arnold Schwarzenegger delivers the lines and action with heart-pounding vitality. Rae Dawn Chong perfectly holds her own and Vernon Wells is eccentrically palatable as Arnie's main foe. Dan Hedaya storms in as the head villain and a cute Alyssa Milano plays Arnie's kidnapped daughter. The support cast are just as interesting with the likes of Bill Duke, David Patrick Kelly, Drew Snyder, Bob Minor, Gary Cervantes, Branscombe Richmond, Matt Landers and a brief Bill Paxton. A muscularly robust engraved music score is courtesy of James Horner.

Arius: Your father appears to be cooperating. You will be back with him soon. Won't that be nice?
Jenny: Not as nearly as nice as watching him smash your face in.

Commando simply stands alone as one of the most overblown, frankly silly pieces of film, which you will ever see. And this is the very reason why I love Commando so much. Schwarzenegger started his nearly decade long winning run of wisecracking hard arses with Matrix. The body parts of who the camera lovingly paws before the opening titles, he is simply a masculine GOD! A paradoxical man who can kill someone with a his little finger alone, shows absolutely no trepidation in taking on a heavily fortified enemy stronghold single handed yet has a doting daughter and is shown feeding a deer with her in the starting credits! Plus, this monosyllabic killing machine has the dry, cutting wisecracks of Oscar Wilde – come on!.. who are the filmmakers trying to fool?? All the plot-holes and shoddy production values simply add to the film's attraction and appeal.
Muscles, guns, knives and bullets, shooting and fighting, blood, bodies, death and black humour. This is just the kind of a lovable movie I enjoy to see Arnold Schwarzenegger in and John Matrix is just the type of crazy macho character for him I could call perfect in every way. The year was 1985, Arnold 38 years old and Twins", "Kindergarten cop", "Junior" and "Jingle all the way were all thankfully, still dormant fantasies of things yet to come. If you want to once again hear that beloved "I'll be back" line, marvel at all that brainless violence and hilarious dialogue..."Remember Sully when I promised to kill you last? I lied"..., then witness that final mass slaughter and see Arnold like the way we all want to remember him as, watch Commando and enjoy the ride. It's FUBAR all the way!

Matrix: Don't break radio silence until they see me.
Cindy: How will I know?
Matrix: Because all fucking hell is going to break loose.


0 comments, Reply to this entry

West side story.

Posted : 2 weeks, 3 days ago on 11 November 2009 05:37 (A review of Once Upon a Time in the West)

''If you want to, you can lay me over the table and amuse yourself. And even call in your men. Well. No woman ever died from that. When you're finished, all I'll need will be a tub of boiling water, and I'll be exactly what I was before - with just another filthy memory.
-sighs-''You make good coffee, at least?''


Epic story of a mysterious stranger with a harmonica who joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.

Henry Fonda: Frank

Claudia Cardinale: Jill McBain

Jason Robards: Cheyenne

Charles Bronson: Harmonica

There were three men in her life.

One to take her...

one to love her...

and one to kill her.

C'era una volta il West by Sergio Leone the man who made The Good, The bad and the Ugly has crafted something of legend, of finesse, of grandeur.

Never before have i seen a Western that feels like a fairytale and music and tuneful heavenly melodies that jump out and set the scene, the mood. Music that tears your soul apart in vibrant doses. Harmonica playing, whistling, shanties, some harpsichord/piano playing oh god I'm in heaven. There's some tunes that will stick in your head all day on this, the scenes pay gladly, and it surely pays off.

Combine that with performances that are as timeless as eternity and you have something that really does glow. Claudia Cardinale is so beautiful, she really cannot be faulted with how her face shows such soulful sorrow and yearning and such beauty. Although I'm always amazed how a woman living in the turbulent West can have perfect make up and perfect eye lashes.
Henry Fonda as Frank plays a cool calculating villain with those radiant eyes of sea blue. The beginning massacre reminded me of Kill Bill, where him and his men wipe out a whole family.
Charles Bronson also has a shroud of mystery and wonder, he's a legend and screams this with just a look everytime he's on screen. Plus that damn iconic Harmonica hence his alias which adds to the mystery of his character.
Jason Robards has a voice that makes David Carradine sound like his long lost brother from yonder, he adds alot to the amazing trio that is Fonda, Bronson & Robards.

Gunwork, cinematography, score, did i mention Claudia. This movie is a dazzling magical Western Classic that combines tunes with emotion, and has character's who know what there doing.

There's a final revelation between Fonda & Bronson that clicks everything in place.

A Sergio Leone triumph. Masterpiece and inspiration for many movies to follow after 1968. Definitely ahead of the game and it's time.

''He's whittlin' on a piece of wood. I've got a feeling when he stops whittlin'... Somethin's gonna happen.''

3 comments, Reply to this entry

Life is like the surf.

Posted : 2 weeks, 4 days ago on 10 November 2009 02:20 (A review of Y Tu Mamá También)

''Truth is cool but unattainable... the truth is totally amazing, but you can't ever reach it.''

In Mexico, two teenage boys and an attractive older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life, friendship, sex, and each other.

Maribel Verdu: Luisa

A Mexican rite of passage story framed as a road movie, Y tu mama tambien is funny, rude and eventually quite touching. The road in question leads to an imagined beach named Heaven's Mouth, the spontaneously created fantasy of two horny sex mad seventeen year-olds, Julio (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Tenoch (Diego Luna). Cheekily flirting with Luisa, a 28 year-old from Madrid, the lads unwisely invite her to join them on an unplanned trip to their mythical beach, not for one moment expecting her to say 'yes'. She does, after having her own personal problems.

The motivations of the hormonally-charged Julio and Tenoch are not hard to fathom. They want to get laid, and Luisa duly obliges by seducing each of them in turn. But the seductions prove to be a catalyst for some painful self-discovery as the young men come to realize that they know rather less about women, about each other, and about themselves, than they presume they do. Luisa's motivations remain enigmatic, until a dramatic revelation at the film's climax.

''Who cares who you two fucked when you come that fast!''

Writer-director Alfonso Cuaron is here heavily indebted to Francois Truffaut, whose Jules et Jim this movie strongly resembles in two particular ways. It's not simply in the time-honoured theme of two close male friends besotted by the same alluring and slightly mysterious woman. It's also in the use of the distancing device of a narrator who serves to provide a degree of hindsight to an extremely up-close-and-personal story, locating it in a wider social context. In this latter regard, where Truffaut used newsreel footage, Cuaron cleverly incorporates fleeting glimpses of events taking place along the road as the journey unfolds: fatalities, drug busts, folk festivals. These brief sightings reveal almost subliminally an alternative Mexico of political corruption and economic poverty, but also of the endurance of the human spirit.

It's a world that the over-privileged but under-nurtured Julio and Tenoch have scarcely begun to connect with. Cuaron's knack for displaying social injustice is as acute as his ear for raucous teenage banter and it gives his film a resonance beyond the reach of the average teen comedy. There's a raw, improvised feel to the script that is entirely successful in conveying the fluctuating moods and energy levels of its testosterone-fueled protagonists. Bernal and Luna fling themselves into their roles with engaging enthusiasm and humour. Verdu is pleasingly understated in a role that seems a little under-developed. Perhaps deliberately, Cuaron never allows us to get too close to the heroine.

Y tu mama tambien is an entertaining and perceptive snapshot of a very distinct moment in its characters' lives. Julio and Tenoch are captured on the verge of adulthood, and Luisa on the threshold of a mental and physical journey concluding.

''Life is like the surf, so give yourself away like the sea.''

1 comments, Reply to this entry

An Immortal performance...with mixed storytelling.

Posted : 2 weeks, 4 days ago on 10 November 2009 01:57 (A review of Immortal Beloved)

''It is the power of music to carry one directly into the mental state of the composer.''

The life and death of the legendary Ludwig van Beethoven.

Gary Oldman: Ludwig van Beethoven

Firstly, everyone knows Beethoven in his childhood was forced live up to the child prodigy Mozart. A nice analogy can be made with this film, this adaptation, this conjuring of his life. Because of the semi-biographical, semi-fictional nature of the story it is impossible not to compare it to Milos Forman's Amadeus. And where Beethoven (in my opinion) surpassed Mozart later in his career, Immortal Beloved does not. I'm not saying that Immortal Beloved attempts to mimic Amadeus, but the comparison is certainly unavoidable.

If, however, we judge Immortal Beloved in it's own right, it comes out quite well. Gary Oldman's performance is spectacular to say the least and carries the story into the heavens.
The story is very well constructed, although it is sometimes buried under by psychological complexity of its character. It seems to want to focus on to many aspects of Beethoven's personality, life, and surroundings all at once. A little more simplicity might have served the story more believability. The plot, though historically inaccurate in places, has enough impact to satisfy all the mystery and questions that arise in the web of storytelling. And though it very probably didn't happen that way, it serves very well to explain Beethoven's psychological problem, and, in all fairness cast this into legend rather than mythical proportions.

''You think that because I do not stop you, that I am not listening.''

So if all this is so right, what's wrong with it? The flaws of Immortal Beloved, I feel, stem mostly in the often unjustly ignored facets of mixed cinematography. The composition though never irritating, also never over come our senses. The same goes for the colours, they are always good, but are never a reflection of the emotions in the powerful extreme sense. This applies to the editing and use of music as well. And it is in these respects especially that Immortal Beloved does not reach the greatness of the emotion grabbing Amadeus.

All in all a powerhouse of a story with amazing potential. Tons of praise to Gary Oldman in one of the best performances of his career. The movie is very well researched in places and epic in it's own ambition. That these ambitions aren't completely fulfilled is an immortal tragedy.

For those who are interested what parts of the movie are historically correct (which one tends to wonder when watching a biopic like this), all major characters are correct, as are the basic relations between them. the letter around which the story revolves actually exists, and most anecdotes truly happened in some shape or form. Historians and music scholars alike are still baffled about the identity of the immortal beloved...thus mirroring the mixed opinions of this adaptation, but certainly there is no doubt in my mind, Gary Oldman gives a performance worthy of repeated viewing alone, saving Immortal Beloved from disaster.

''The comedy is over.''

0 comments, Reply to this entry

The shining example of horror.

Posted : 2 weeks, 4 days ago on 10 November 2009 12:23 (A review of The Shining)

''Darling. Light, of my life. I'm not gonna hurt ya. You didn't let me finish my sentence. I said, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm just gonna bash your brains in. I'm gonna bash 'em right the fuck in. Ha, ha.''

A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.

Jack Nicholson: Jack Torrance

Shelley Duvall: Wendy Torrance

The Shining as soon as it begins, as soon as the music eerily plays and the landscape zooms in and past, you instantly know this is a piece by Kubrick. I mean it's so blindingly obvious.

The film is based on Stephen King's novel and the combination of Stanley Kubrick bringing it to life on the big screen, we have before us gold.
We get a boy who right from the off is made apparent he has a psychic gift and visions of things best not seen.
Danny Lloyd plays Danny Torrance with remarkable skill for a boy so young which is a wonder to behold.
Shelley Duvall who portrays Wendy really annoyed the hell out of me. I mean here we have this strange looking woman who delivers her lines in such a flimsy fashion, and I mean some of the clothes she wears are so distasteful it makes The Shining in areas a horror movie for all the wrong reasons. Her scared disposition is believable in parts though and she doesn't do a totally bad job.
Moving on to the main attraction of Shining and yes you have guessed it, it's Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance who steals the limelight and ultimately the show. He's so insanely nuts and off the chain, my humour called for me to laugh every single time he went psychopathic. I mean he totally captures and freezes onto frame the sheer madness of Jack's character. Whether it be visions from his mind perhaps of figures from the past or real supernatural influences from the Hotel, we are treated to his mind and left to make up our own conclusions. Are the figures real or merely part of his sub conscious being drawn out? It's definitely an excuse for discussion and Jack going completely ape is an excuse to re-watch this horror masterpiece.

''Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in. Not by the hair of your chiny-chin-chin? Well then I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in.''

The Shining features some of the most warped music which reminded me of the other greats of Kubrick like 2001 and Orange. The Cinematography especially the last scene in the dizzying maze and the start with the countryside being shown is virtually faultless.

Be it the creepy visions the boy has of past occurrences, rooms splashing with blood, or a pair of twins who were blatantly murdered by a previous caretaker. Be it Jack's spiraling maddened journey into the dark side, or his conversations with a surreal bar man who appears to be from the past and part of Jack's weathered conscience. Shining really shines as a masterful piece in the horror stakes and will remain a shining performance for Jack Nicholson and a directorial achievement for the late Kubrick.
The REDRUM and ''HERE'S JOHNNY!'' has become iconic and it's not hard to see why.

Overall I felt Shining is a work of genius that obviously will be replicated and copied by many more horror films trying to achieve the same shocking outcome but alas they all pale in comparison. The ending wasn't as bloodthirsty as I would of hoped, and the closing part with him in the picture wasn't totally understood by me. But the more I think about it, the cleverer it appears to be, like The Shining is telling me Jack has been consumed and become one with a Hotel and place that has buried an ancient angry foreboding embodiment of anger.

The shining grand achievement of Kubrick.

''Heeere's Johnny!''

0 comments, Reply to this entry

Waterfront refuses to lose and comes out a winner.

Posted : 3 weeks, 1 day ago on 6 November 2009 04:54 (A review of On the Waterfront)

''You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it. It was you, Charley.''


An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses.

Marlon Brando: Terry Malloy

Karl Malden: Father Barry

Lee J. Cobb: Johnny Friendly

Rod Steiger: Charley 'the Gent' Malloy

On The Waterfront tells the captivating story of Terry Malloy previously an Ex-Fighter and now currently doing errands for Johnny Friendly. The Gangster-esque turbulent trouble that follows, we the viewers are treated to, begin when Terry leads an interfering yet charitable and good worker to his demise on a roof by some of Johnny's men.

Waterfront then proceeds to introduce characters and an unlikely romance blossoming out of the impending strife. When Terry meets Edie Doyle you can feel the chemistry there between them but also the revelations that lie, lurking under the surface about her brother who happens to be the worker who died.
The complications are apparent and Waterfront does not hide this in any way.
Terry's guilt is plain to see although really it isn't all his fault. What's fascinating to behold is the evolution of his character, the change or turn if you will, which manifests as his redemption. What we find is that Terry at heart is a good soul and that shines ever so brightly amongst the darkness that is the Waterfront.

Marlon Brando as Terry justly won Best Actor for his performance in Waterfront in 1954. To comprehend what that means you really should witness this pivotal man at work and this film, absorb yourself and bask in it's glory.
Eva Marie Saint as Edie Doyle gives a connection of immense magnitude with Marlon who deserves credit again for her, as mentioned before, chemistry.
Lee J. Cobb as Johnny Friendly plays a good lead Mobster and a fitting villain. Another Vintage Actor from a fave film of mine 12 Angry Men.
Rod Steiger as Charley the Gent manages to play the crooked brother with flying colours.
Karl Malden as Father Barry sees whats happening to the people around him, sees the corruption and helps Terry see it too. Wonderful to behold as he is jeered by his fellows.

Directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg, you instantly know you've struck gold. A drama that haunts, that electrifies and leaves you in awe.

The harshness and hardship of the Waterfront is wonderfully realised. The taint of the Mob has infected and submerged the dock, not to mention it's denizens, as Terry begins to see this and stand up against it, this is what makes great men great. Without a doubt, Waterfront is what makes a film great, like it's hero Terry, it refuses to be beaten down and comes out triumphant.

A timeless masterpiece.

1 comments, Reply to this entry

Freedom Forever!

Posted : 3 weeks, 1 day ago on 6 November 2009 09:42 (A review of Braveheart)

''It's all for nothing if you don't have freedom.''

William Wallace, a commoner, unites the 13th Century Scots in their battle to overthrow English rule.

Mel Gibson: William Wallace

Braveheart is a story blessed with many endearing nobilities and notions, but more than anything a dual sense of honour and liberty: on the one side William Wallace, a legendary figure who accomplished the impossible by leading the Scots when no one else would; and on the other hand Mel Gibson, who demonstrated with this movie a directorial talent that many of us doubted. Previously, I had Mel labeled as a likable albeit type-cast action hero from series such as Mad Max or Lethal Weapon. His dual personality never indicated a passion for directing, an intensely romantic and dramatic epic. The Man Without a Face proved that Gibson could direct a good film, Braveheart proved that he could direct a great one.

Gibson's greatest achievement in Braveheart (besides the mesmerising battle sequences) is that he envoked excellent performances from the entire cast: every actor and actress (even those who appear for only a few moments) hits exactly the right mark. In fact, I'm outraged that Braveheart received no Oscar nominations for its acting: Why honour Gibson as Best Director of 1995, yet ignore the performances which are the fruits of his labours? I'm not saying that any particular person in Braveheart (Mel Gibson, Patrick McGoohan, Angus McFadyen) should have won an acting Oscar, it's the fact that nobody was even nominated that bothers me.

I am aware that this film is at times historically inaccurate: Even in 1995, when I first saw Braveheart, I knew enough military history to know that the battles of Sterling and Falkirk were not being accurately presented. But this awareness did not and does not interfere with my enjoyment of the movie, because Braveheart exists outside the borders of history: mirroring the same artistic license as Dances With Wolves, Robin Hood, The Last of the Mohicans, Gladiator and The Three Musketeers, it is an emotionally rich epic inspired by history yet not confined to it's chains, less concerned with accuracy to every detail than with the eternal struggles of good and evil, love and hatred, freedom and oppression. And isn't that enough? Braveheart is one of the most stirring films of storytelling: If you can't reconcile yourself to its inaccuracies and simply enjoy it on its own terms, then maybe you are missing the point.

Patrick McGoohan's performance as Longshanks has, in my opinion, not received nearly enough praise: He masterfully plays the king as a man who embodies the phrase 'absolute power corrupts absolutely'; he commands an entire nation, yet covets what he does not or cannot have. He answers to no one, and can barely restrain himself: he does not even try to conceal his contempt for his homosexual son, his lust for his daughter-in-law, his rage against any obstacle to his will. The performance is also physically impressive. We see the king gradually consumed by tuberculosis through the movie, and McGoohan makes the ordeal so believable that, though Longshanks is unrepentant to the end, we are moved to feel remorse for him in spite of everything.

Besides McGoohan, Angus McFadyen (as Robert the Bruce) gives the most impressive performance in Braveheart. When I first saw the movie, I identified with William Wallace; but now I identify with Robert the Bruce, who is in fact the key figure of the story. He is not a great man like Wallace, but he wants to be great, and he idolizes Wallace so much that he is almost overwhelmed to hear Wallace tell him "If you would lead us, I would follow you." But the Bruce is warned by his sly, leperous father (played unforgettably by the late Ian Bannen beneath Oscar-winning makeup) to not live a life of action, but rather a life of calculation. As he wrestles with the dual influences of Wallace and his father, he embodies a theme at the movie's heart: the eternal conflict between youth and age, idealism and cynicism, uncompromising heroism and craven opportunistic nature.

When I first saw Braveheart, I was most impressed by the power of its battle sequences; after seven years, I am most impressed by the enduring power of its story. It is a great movie because it seriously argues that one man's lifelong personal experiences and struggle can make a difference, if not in the world then at least in the lives of others, it is a great movie because it is ultimately an inspiring story of perseverance in the face of considerable brutality and heartbreak, greatness because a thousand words are not adequate to express all of its emotional power and impact. I do not have the heart to give Braveheart less than a perfect score, even if I wished, because it is much more to me than mere entertainment...It is a constant reminder to me that I must never lose heart, to stand up for what one believes in, to be true to ones self.

"You have bled with Wallace...now bleed with me!"

0 comments, Reply to this entry

A dream of patriotism.

Posted : 3 weeks, 3 days ago on 4 November 2009 08:46 (A review of The Patriot)

''I have long feared that my sins would return to visit me, and the cost is more than I can bear.''

Peaceful farmer Benjamin Martin is driven to lead the Colonial Militia during the American Revolution when a sadistic British officer murders his son.

Mel Gibson: Benjamin Martin

Films exist for lots of reasons but especially - to entertain as well as educate. In this regard, The Patriot does a fine job in thrilling us. The acting is excellent, and all the characters were well cast in their respective roles. The pacing was generally good, and I was never tired due to the unrelenting drama and action which unfolded. The battle scenes were exceptionally brutal, which must be typical of combat situations throughout history. Most war films depicting the American Revolution are fairly sanitized or rely upon drama and acting to carry the story. Not so with Patriot - I'm surprised they didn't try to depict the carnage that undoubtedly resulted from firing grapeshot or cannister shots.

Although realism is not typically a word I would choose for any film, I felt that the depiction of combat here was probably much more realistic. Many history books will try to teach us that warfare in the 18th century was a bit of a gentleman competition of sorts, where quarter was given if asked, and honour was observed in such matters as the beginning and end of conflict, prisoner exchanges, and the like. This may have sometimes been the case between fully professional forces like those of England and France, but such countries seem to have held a different opinion entirely of rebel forces. These were apparently regarded not only with disdain, but outright contempt. Afterall, those guilty of treason have traditionally been treated much more harshly than other enemies.

''You know, it's an ugly business doing one's duty... but just occasionally it's a real pleasure.''

With Patriot it seems to take this probability and run with it. The colonists who fought against England in the American Revolution were regarded as traitors, and were likely treated very harshly if captured or engaged in battle. The British in general were portrayed as pompous and at times villainous, but this is certainly not out of line for the way they undoubtedly felt about the rebels. Concurrently, I'm certain that the colonists who took part in the rebellion had a great deal of contempt for the British as well, but particularly for the Loyalists, or those colonists who remained loyal to and fought for Great Britain.

My criticisms revolve around the flow of the movie. There are many, many tragic scenes that were obviously a plot device to hammer home the horrors of war. I felt that one or two would have sufficed to make such a point, but instead we receive multiple such scenes. Some chopping would have definitely been appreciated.
Jason Isaacs makes for a wonderfully sadistic, villain whom loves being unmerciful and brutal, and the late Heath Ledger excels as Benjamins son. Mel Gibson replicates his hero role from Braveheart, and he really plays reluctant father turned war hero very well.
Overall, Patriot is an intense, interesting take on a theater of the American Revolution that is not often depicted in film. I would recommend it to those who appreciate the genre of historical drama, perfect costumes and for bloody climactic battles.

''Before this war is over, I'm going to kill you.''


2 comments, Reply to this entry

By His wounds we are healed...Love is sacrifice.

Posted : 3 weeks, 3 days ago on 4 November 2009 08:21 (A review of The Passion of the Christ)

''You are My friends. There is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for his friends. I cannot be with you much longer, My friends. You cannot go where I am going. My commandment to you after I am gone is this: Love one another. As I have loved you, so love one another.''

A film detailing the final hours and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

James Caviezel: Jesus

From the enigmatic beginning to the climactic credits, Passion of the Christ demands full control of ones body, mind and emotion. So visually spectacular and physically effecting, Passion had me literally convulsing and writhing in uncomfort. Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, starring Jim Caviezel, is a retelling of the last hours of Jesus Christ. Believe me when I say that this production is more than a story, more than a movie, this film can only be described as an ethereal spiritual experience.

This Passion of the Christ is fantastically brutal, gory and sadistically torturous. From beginning to end, blood drenched flesh is smeared across the screen in a ghastly fashion, putting even SAW or Hostel films to shame. Gibson defends his incredibly graphic depiction by noting that the bible states Jesus was beaten beyond recognition. I assure you, beaten beyond recognition hardly describes soft tissue being torn to the bone as blood drips into puddles on the ground. The violence shown in this film is unlike other Hollywood violence - it's uncomfortably personal, it's in effect unforgiving. The scenes are moving, the violence perhaps repetitive, that the chapters appear to take place in your very mind; imagine before you a man being torn to bloody shreds; you're powerless to intervene, you're reduced to a spectator.

''You have heard it said you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. For if you love only those who love you, what reward is there in that?''

As any appreciator of the finer things in film might see, The Passion of the Christ is artistic genius. Mel Gibson stated that his film follows the last 12 hours of Christ in accordance to the Gospel, and although biblical scholars have confirmed this to be true, it is also true that a certain artistic license was taken to particular moments in the story. Nothing anti-biblical was added, but inside a sense deep meaning was inserted through symbols and actions not actually recorded in the gospels. This artistry serves to aid the story and engage the audience - artistically and culturally, expect nothing less that a film superbly crafted. Set your expectations high, this one can handle them.

Addressing accusations of anti-Semitism against this movie: its going to rekindle a hate for Jews, its depicting the Jewish leaders of the day as monsters, and its showing that the Jews were solely responsible for the death of Jesus. I trust that once the movie is seen by the general public all of these statements will fade into memory; this Passion's greatest defense will be itself. It is true that the Jews were involved in the crucifixion of Christ, just as it's said in the bible for nearly two thousand years. Hearing this story doesn't swell up a hatred for the Jewish race, no more than watching Schindlers List makes one hate current day Germans. This film is going to be many things to many people - anti-Semitic is not one of them.

No matter your personal background, no matter your skin colour or race, no matter your beliefs on the afterlife or views on heaven, this Passion needs to be seen. The art, the culture, and the magnificence - see The Passion of the Christ and you will have seen a glimpse of history spanning over a thousand years ago.

''Forgive them, Father. They know not what they do.''




1 comments, Reply to this entry