In March 2007, I was stoked for Zack Snyder's 300, while the girl I dated was even more excited. And with good reason - it's based on one of the most amazing battles in history, the promotions showed a striking visual style, and the cast had plenty of solid actors. We watched an A&E special on the fight, I got two IMAX tickets far in advance, & she brought two tiny bottles of wine.
The result was "no joy," which was a complete shock. I walked in with basic expectations; my date did the same. I couldn't believe that this insanely-hyped, every-reason-to-work blockbuster was so overdone and tiresome. We did our part (buying tickets, showing up), only to find the movie wouldn't hold up its end of the bargain.
The problem lies in the story and characters. It's contrived and melodramatic, as well as cliched, cynical, and incredibly simple. Even the director's unique artistic style is excessive to the point of looking like self-mockery.
300 tells the movie version of Frank Miller's comic book adaptation of the real-life Battle at Thermopylae (complex, much?). Always remembered, 300 Spartans picked a perfect natural choke-point, then fought back more than 100,000 troops from Xerxes' near-unstoppable Persian Empire.
And they freaking won. This really happened, with two of the biggest civilizations in 480 BC (so it influenced history), and it's a classic (but actually more complicated) underdog story. This tale should be... just perfect for the screen. C'mon, guys, Zulu.
Unfortunately, since 300 is such a non-story, it doesn't deserve as in-depth a review as I usually give. Let me just highlight two problems:
The characters are paper-thin and unappealing. Anyone knows that Spartans weren't benevolent altruists - they were the toughest soldiers in Antiquity, but also religious extremists who loved slavery. It's not horrible when "the good guys" are historically inaccurate, but loud lines about "democracy" make me call massive bullshit...
Showing posts with label War Films. Show all posts
Showing posts with label War Films. Show all posts
Friday, April 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Where Eagles Dare... to Blow ---- Up
I have no idea how I never managed to see Where Eagles Dare, the 1968 World War II action pic. I've enjoyed a lot of these genre movies in the past - The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape... I can't say how I overlooked it, only that I watched it and am so happy I did. Since this is a such a famous action film, I can review it differently, run straight through the usual info....
Where Eagles Dare is exciting, intense, and fun. The action sequences are inspired, and have a great use of practical effects combined with miniatures. It's impossible not to be pulled in, whether Burton and Eastwood are sneaking around, stealthily knifing people, or whether they're climbing walls, planting bombs, and engaged in prolonged gun fights. This picture shows do much prep, the mechanics of how the best soldiers tackle nearly-impossible missions; it should qualify as a heist flick.
This film's cast is really down to Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton. The film opens with beautiful shots of Bavarian/Austrian mountains, where a plane crashes. Soon, we're in a room with a handful of men. Seven top soldiers, all hand-picked from different units, are being sent deep into Nazi territory to rescue a general who crashed in the beginning sequence.
Where Eagles Dare is exciting, intense, and fun. The action sequences are inspired, and have a great use of practical effects combined with miniatures. It's impossible not to be pulled in, whether Burton and Eastwood are sneaking around, stealthily knifing people, or whether they're climbing walls, planting bombs, and engaged in prolonged gun fights. This picture shows do much prep, the mechanics of how the best soldiers tackle nearly-impossible missions; it should qualify as a heist flick.
This film's cast is really down to Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton. The film opens with beautiful shots of Bavarian/Austrian mountains, where a plane crashes. Soon, we're in a room with a handful of men. Seven top soldiers, all hand-picked from different units, are being sent deep into Nazi territory to rescue a general who crashed in the beginning sequence.
Monday, February 13, 2012
MRQ XI, the "whatcha watchin" edition
People ask me all the time what I watch. Right now, this is my answer. As with every Movie Review Quickie, I cover 7 films in one go: Red State, Hart's War, BASEketball, [•REC], Escape from New York, Hard Target, and Mortal Kombat: The Movie. Yeah, it's a mixed bag, but it's a sample of my viewing.
Let's take a walk, huh?
Red State
I won't repeat my feelings about Kevin Smith much. I think he's incredibly funny, quick-witted, thoughtful, and intelligent. He has a satirical mind that's down-to-earth and familiar to a Tri-State boy. I was pleasantly surprised by Red State, then, because it was a complete departure from his previous work.
RS is about a group of teens who find, through the web, a woman who'll sleep with them; the unfortunate trio are being trapped by a religious cult under investigation by aggressive government agencies. There is a strong focus on the empowered ecstasy felt by the "wrongful righteous," as I like to call them. It's balanced, however, by time spent on the calculated inhumanity of the agents who might ditch their jobs and settle on a chilling form of justice.
This was not a fun movie to watch (it might be best at a drive-in, actually) because the material was dark and grim, with a deliberate pace. Occasionally, it has an atmosphere straight out of a "torture porn" slasher, but that's just in the sense of dread or distress that builds up at times. The pic is, in fact, a sort of anti-violence PSA.
The cast is very good. I found the sermon scene to be way too long, but it's hard to complain as it's a fine bit of acting by Michael Parks. The plots do not necessarily play out as you would expect. Red State is a good movie. It gets intense, so that might steer you away from it. I'm happy to see some signs of maturity and effort and change from Smith.
Hart's War
This is a technically well-made, low-key war picture that's totally skippable because it's just not "enough" anything. Colin Farrell plays the newest officer to be sent to a German POW camp. He encounters Bruce Willis, the prisoners' leader, and sees the tenuously respectful relationship between the captives and the camp commander.
Soon, a POW is murdered, with the evidence pointing to a black serviceman who'd been bullied. Farrell is assigned as the defense for the prisoners' own court martial, and this has him pushing against everybody. At once, it's A Few Good Man as well as The Great Escape. Or, at least, a much less engaging version of those two.
Let's take a walk, huh?
Red State
I won't repeat my feelings about Kevin Smith much. I think he's incredibly funny, quick-witted, thoughtful, and intelligent. He has a satirical mind that's down-to-earth and familiar to a Tri-State boy. I was pleasantly surprised by Red State, then, because it was a complete departure from his previous work.
RS is about a group of teens who find, through the web, a woman who'll sleep with them; the unfortunate trio are being trapped by a religious cult under investigation by aggressive government agencies. There is a strong focus on the empowered ecstasy felt by the "wrongful righteous," as I like to call them. It's balanced, however, by time spent on the calculated inhumanity of the agents who might ditch their jobs and settle on a chilling form of justice.
This was not a fun movie to watch (it might be best at a drive-in, actually) because the material was dark and grim, with a deliberate pace. Occasionally, it has an atmosphere straight out of a "torture porn" slasher, but that's just in the sense of dread or distress that builds up at times. The pic is, in fact, a sort of anti-violence PSA.
The cast is very good. I found the sermon scene to be way too long, but it's hard to complain as it's a fine bit of acting by Michael Parks. The plots do not necessarily play out as you would expect. Red State is a good movie. It gets intense, so that might steer you away from it. I'm happy to see some signs of maturity and effort and change from Smith.
Hart's War
This is a technically well-made, low-key war picture that's totally skippable because it's just not "enough" anything. Colin Farrell plays the newest officer to be sent to a German POW camp. He encounters Bruce Willis, the prisoners' leader, and sees the tenuously respectful relationship between the captives and the camp commander.
Soon, a POW is murdered, with the evidence pointing to a black serviceman who'd been bullied. Farrell is assigned as the defense for the prisoners' own court martial, and this has him pushing against everybody. At once, it's A Few Good Man as well as The Great Escape. Or, at least, a much less engaging version of those two.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Movie Review Quickies, Part V
This time around, I'm sticking to movies made in my lifetime. The NYC weather was sorta schizo for the last seven weeks, and Winter's coming. It makes sense to take comfort from movies I know pretty well... Along with some format changes (trailers are now at the end), I give you a little selection of short, long, and mid-sized reviews that cover Signs, Last Man Standing, Eraser, Single White Female, In & Out, Johnny Dangerously, and Starship Troopers.
Signs
In the end, I think audiences felt let down that Signs wasn't a gutsy and shocking creature feature; or maybe they hated a quiet alien invasion where the heroes only save their two kids. Somehow, Signs is a controversial movie; I guess everyone agrees that it looks good, but director M. Night Shyamalan's appeal was already losing momentum... It's true that the man famous for his "twists" featured a game-changing moment that many found laughable, but the film's actual quality is more... complicated than that.
Story: Aliens come to earth and everything goes dark and screwy, although most of the roles act like they're on Xanax. We follow the lives of a troubled Pennsylvania farming family as things get: odd, a little spooky, then weird, then scary, then scarier, then incredibly worrying, then scary, then really quietly weird for a while until it gets first scary, then terrifying, and so on; throughout, there are little pauses that are informative, endearing, dull, odd, and so on.
If you're willing to ignore some issues - my frequent dislike of Joaquin Phoenix, a "twist" that threatens to overwhelm the story - you'll be surprised at how well the movie can handle the build and release of tension. The invasion itself is nifty, and I like the way the characters find out about the aliens, who are really creepy. I jumped from at least one scare in this picture, so maybe I feel a need to be as kind as possible to MNS?
Unfortunately, a lot of the facts surrounding the aliens are really sketchy/dumb - there's a general rule that everything artistic works better when it's shown, not told. That goes triple here, so I guess that's no compliment to the writing or script. I have to point out that Joaquin is very stiff here; it's as if the pic is suggesting he has an official "problem." The pace truly is slow, but it envelops the narrative so well that it mostly works.
I can't blame the masses that despise and mock this odd take on a War of the Worlds scenario, in spite of its cool (but simple) score, and the general originality of its setting and progression. But I wonder at the reactions, and whether people really didn't notice the thing that I liked, even if it might seem corny: that the "twist" was in a defeated man who questions life, then suddenly gets answers at the time that he really needs them most. There's also the weird subtext that the ETs are after our kiddies, since they're mostly seen with/near kids. I couldn't suggest "Signs without a heavy warning, but it can/could be an entertaining movie.
Last Man Standing
A depressingly incomplete hyper-action extravaganza. The skilled Walter Hill directs his "1930 Prohibition Texas" version of Yojimbo. Bruce Willis is John Smith, a mysterious badass (go figure). It's "Bruce as Bruce" here, so he looks cool even though he seems annoyed or weary at anything, right up to tying his shoes.
As the film starts, John drives into a small town that only has: (a) two rival gangs and (b) one neutral bar/inn. His bad luck seems to be the result of being on the run, but he feels he can't just leave. Smith is also so damn good at what he does that he easily wows the locals, who look to use him to win their little mob war. Just like in Kurosawa's classic, one master-level warrior bumbles into a pair of villains in stalemate, then decides to wipe out both of them.
Signs
In the end, I think audiences felt let down that Signs wasn't a gutsy and shocking creature feature; or maybe they hated a quiet alien invasion where the heroes only save their two kids. Somehow, Signs is a controversial movie; I guess everyone agrees that it looks good, but director M. Night Shyamalan's appeal was already losing momentum... It's true that the man famous for his "twists" featured a game-changing moment that many found laughable, but the film's actual quality is more... complicated than that.
Story: Aliens come to earth and everything goes dark and screwy, although most of the roles act like they're on Xanax. We follow the lives of a troubled Pennsylvania farming family as things get: odd, a little spooky, then weird, then scary, then scarier, then incredibly worrying, then scary, then really quietly weird for a while until it gets first scary, then terrifying, and so on; throughout, there are little pauses that are informative, endearing, dull, odd, and so on.
If you're willing to ignore some issues - my frequent dislike of Joaquin Phoenix, a "twist" that threatens to overwhelm the story - you'll be surprised at how well the movie can handle the build and release of tension. The invasion itself is nifty, and I like the way the characters find out about the aliens, who are really creepy. I jumped from at least one scare in this picture, so maybe I feel a need to be as kind as possible to MNS?
Unfortunately, a lot of the facts surrounding the aliens are really sketchy/dumb - there's a general rule that everything artistic works better when it's shown, not told. That goes triple here, so I guess that's no compliment to the writing or script. I have to point out that Joaquin is very stiff here; it's as if the pic is suggesting he has an official "problem." The pace truly is slow, but it envelops the narrative so well that it mostly works.
I can't blame the masses that despise and mock this odd take on a War of the Worlds scenario, in spite of its cool (but simple) score, and the general originality of its setting and progression. But I wonder at the reactions, and whether people really didn't notice the thing that I liked, even if it might seem corny: that the "twist" was in a defeated man who questions life, then suddenly gets answers at the time that he really needs them most. There's also the weird subtext that the ETs are after our kiddies, since they're mostly seen with/near kids. I couldn't suggest "Signs without a heavy warning, but it can/could be an entertaining movie.
Last Man Standing
A depressingly incomplete hyper-action extravaganza. The skilled Walter Hill directs his "1930 Prohibition Texas" version of Yojimbo. Bruce Willis is John Smith, a mysterious badass (go figure). It's "Bruce as Bruce" here, so he looks cool even though he seems annoyed or weary at anything, right up to tying his shoes.
As the film starts, John drives into a small town that only has: (a) two rival gangs and (b) one neutral bar/inn. His bad luck seems to be the result of being on the run, but he feels he can't just leave. Smith is also so damn good at what he does that he easily wows the locals, who look to use him to win their little mob war. Just like in Kurosawa's classic, one master-level warrior bumbles into a pair of villains in stalemate, then decides to wipe out both of them.
Monday, October 25, 2010
"Rescue Dawn" - I promised quality, not quantity, in this blog!
I've had an injury to deal with, and tons of work. But I'll have 1 a week for my 2-year anniversary, and I'll start my late push with a good movie. I won't say "Rescue Dawn" is mandatory - just that it's a rewarding character study set as a 'Nam POW film. Since that business is now out of the way, let's begin with the words I wanted to begin this review with (but didn't deserve to because I'm posting late):
As we join him, the last big moment in Dieter Dengler's life was spent sitting with his fellow pilots in the US . They watched a film on pilot procedures, laughing and making jokes while the footage covered "Downed in Enemy Lines" tactics. After their briefing, they flew off to attack enemy positions in Southeast Asia. Dieter's plane got crippled.
And so an awful experience plays out beautifully.
"Rescue Dawn" is very much like Vietnam films you've seen before. Yet the words "directed by Werner Herzog" mean you won't get a typical war story. The experienced and skilled artist's hand shows itself in some surreal moments, like Bale's brief aside while resting at a cave-pool. If you watch arthouse cinema, you know to either these scenes flow through you or to think about what they mean in the film. Herzog isn't heavy-handed about it, though, so you watch a fairly straight-forward and familiar picture.
But "RD" is much better than the average movie. In themes and in characters, it is strong - a pretty-looking picture expressing a lot about human virtue and weakness (both physical and mental), power, and the strength of the human spirit (not as corny as it sounds). As the credits rolled, I was shocked by how much Herzog stuck with POW/'nam film convention; I wasn't shocked by how well the effort turned out, nor the strength of its ideas.
Compassion, desperation, and determination are the dominant emotions here. Beauty flourishes and dies in front of you, many times; and so does ugliness. You get to see a lot of both in this picture.
Repeatedly, the values of a man like Dieter Dengler are contrasted - and deflated - by the practicalities of life. A proud American pilot, Dengler refuses to denounce his country; within minutes, we learn that he's soiled himself after being tied to the ground for a day... Your body just doesn't care about noble intentions. Sometimes, people stand together, helping the weakest in the group even though it slows everyone down.
The struggle within and among people remains a constant element, despite our hero's virtues. The POWs that the lead joins can dislike or begrudge each other. They can get pushed to the brink, but their little society enforces some professionalism. They common hope for freedom means that some survive their awful lot because of the companionship alone. And yet sometimes you're chained inches away from a man with severe, nightly, bowel troubles.
These issues are worse since captivity and cruelty tend to damage a person - Davies' typical nervous energy seems like full-blown crackhouse nut-jobery. Zahn often acts like he receives unearthly orders from a dog. When things are at their darkest, the protagonist talks to and interacts with visions of a dead friend. The surprise party (you'll understand) feels sad, yet pretty - and yet truly insane.
Though everything is top-rate, Christian Bale's stellar Dieter pulls you in. It's not just the actor's ability and charisma, it's in the character itself. Dieter Dengler is a model of virtue. He's also a perfect version of what kids dream of being - clever, athletic, upstanding, and heroic.
As we join him, the last big moment in Dieter Dengler's life was spent sitting with his fellow pilots in the US . They watched a film on pilot procedures, laughing and making jokes while the footage covered "Downed in Enemy Lines" tactics. After their briefing, they flew off to attack enemy positions in Southeast Asia. Dieter's plane got crippled.
And so an awful experience plays out beautifully.
"Rescue Dawn" is very much like Vietnam films you've seen before. Yet the words "directed by Werner Herzog" mean you won't get a typical war story. The experienced and skilled artist's hand shows itself in some surreal moments, like Bale's brief aside while resting at a cave-pool. If you watch arthouse cinema, you know to either these scenes flow through you or to think about what they mean in the film. Herzog isn't heavy-handed about it, though, so you watch a fairly straight-forward and familiar picture.
But "RD" is much better than the average movie. In themes and in characters, it is strong - a pretty-looking picture expressing a lot about human virtue and weakness (both physical and mental), power, and the strength of the human spirit (not as corny as it sounds). As the credits rolled, I was shocked by how much Herzog stuck with POW/'nam film convention; I wasn't shocked by how well the effort turned out, nor the strength of its ideas.
Repeatedly, the values of a man like Dieter Dengler are contrasted - and deflated - by the practicalities of life. A proud American pilot, Dengler refuses to denounce his country; within minutes, we learn that he's soiled himself after being tied to the ground for a day... Your body just doesn't care about noble intentions. Sometimes, people stand together, helping the weakest in the group even though it slows everyone down.
The struggle within and among people remains a constant element, despite our hero's virtues. The POWs that the lead joins can dislike or begrudge each other. They can get pushed to the brink, but their little society enforces some professionalism. They common hope for freedom means that some survive their awful lot because of the companionship alone. And yet sometimes you're chained inches away from a man with severe, nightly, bowel troubles.
Though everything is top-rate, Christian Bale's stellar Dieter pulls you in. It's not just the actor's ability and charisma, it's in the character itself. Dieter Dengler is a model of virtue. He's also a perfect version of what kids dream of being - clever, athletic, upstanding, and heroic.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
The Most Appropriate Independence Day Films
Since it's our anniversary, I figured I would highlight some quality movies that reflect the character of this country. By "character," I mean the positive aspirational sentiments of this nation and its people, so exclude "The Scarlet Letter" and "Missing" (the Jack Lemmon pic). By "quality," I mean fairly good movies, so "Independence Day: ID4" and "National Treasure" are out.
The Right Stuff
This is an exceptional movie. It's hard to find a flaw as the picture charts the creation of NASA and the space race. It follows the lives of pilots who became astronauts, scientists who both helped and struggled against them, and the government officials who brought them all together. Courage, patriotism, and ambition are writ large across the screen throughout.
But the movie isn't exactly jingoistic fluff. There's enough "bite" in some of the dialogue to express serious practical and human concerns - like LBJ being forced to wait outside the home of an astronaut's wife. Johnson is there for a state visit and publicity op, while she's just terrified that her beloved man will die horribly. Another brave astronaut is humiliated and demoralized when he learns he won't get a ticker-tape parade.
Silverado
"Silverado," like "TRS," is a film with a broad cast and a hoard of themes. It moves fluidly back and forth between folks in the Wild West : a pair of free-spirited brothers (Kevin Costner and Scott Glenn) who lack any bad intentions despite the trouble they get into. A black rifleman's family is being crushed by a despotic cattle baron and a pimp. An honorable crook (Kevin Kline) finds he's almost always getting double-crossed or manipulated.
I'm impressed enough by the determination and hope inside these disparate men, all rough but good-hearted. And it's all the more appropriate since they have to work together and risk everything they value to stop rampant corruption and murder.
The Right Stuff
This is an exceptional movie. It's hard to find a flaw as the picture charts the creation of NASA and the space race. It follows the lives of pilots who became astronauts, scientists who both helped and struggled against them, and the government officials who brought them all together. Courage, patriotism, and ambition are writ large across the screen throughout.
But the movie isn't exactly jingoistic fluff. There's enough "bite" in some of the dialogue to express serious practical and human concerns - like LBJ being forced to wait outside the home of an astronaut's wife. Johnson is there for a state visit and publicity op, while she's just terrified that her beloved man will die horribly. Another brave astronaut is humiliated and demoralized when he learns he won't get a ticker-tape parade.
A beautiful fireworks display, too pretty to matter that it's in Sydney, Australia.
Silverado
"Silverado," like "TRS," is a film with a broad cast and a hoard of themes. It moves fluidly back and forth between folks in the Wild West : a pair of free-spirited brothers (Kevin Costner and Scott Glenn) who lack any bad intentions despite the trouble they get into. A black rifleman's family is being crushed by a despotic cattle baron and a pimp. An honorable crook (Kevin Kline) finds he's almost always getting double-crossed or manipulated.
I'm impressed enough by the determination and hope inside these disparate men, all rough but good-hearted. And it's all the more appropriate since they have to work together and risk everything they value to stop rampant corruption and murder.
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