basford_mark Reviews

Danger Close (2019)

Could easily be a classic

[9/10 · 11 August 2019]

The opening shows a napalm strike and a NVA being killed superimposed over the top, then the camera pans past a table with a pistol. Almost like an ode to Apocolypse Now. It follows the documentary close enough while adding tension between the chains of command. I was surprised how much tension this film had, just before or during an attack by the NVA and the Aussies trying to hold them back with m-16's. FN FAL's or an m-60. And the way they were shot and killed was quite shocking as it happened so unexpectitely.

There is something different here than i have seen in any other war film, but i am not sure what that is exactly. Down to earth realism, maybe. The NVA were running through artillery to try and reach the Aussies, which really happened.

One thing i didn't expect is to feel sad towards the end when certain characters died, and for me knowing that many of the returning soldiers would be shunned by Australian society and even physically attacked because they were veterans of an unpopular war. They were there because the government sent them there. The best thing about this movie for me is that it speaks for Vietnam veterans in general and will help shed light on their suffering and pain.

Prometheus (I) (2012)

should have been renamed to "****heads in space"

[6/10 · 1 August 2015]

Alien and aliens are my favorite films. One reason is that the characters are believable. They really do seem like marines or space truckers but the characters in prometheus are almost opposite of how they would really be and they are really dumb and inconsistent in their behavior. The 6 rating is based purely on the great set design and special effects. But even the ship itself is nothing particularly original. The head designer max states how they invented the ideas of the rocket engines that turn into landing gear. Avatar beat them to it. I remember Scott arrogantly announcing how great the film was before it was even released. I am not going to go into details as it has all been covered before. It is better watched as a silent movie. francis ford coppola said in an interview about apocalypse now. "If you aspire to make something really great and meaningful and don't pull it off, the film is scum" and that pretty much sums it up for me.