I saw this movie a bit differently than most reviewers I have read in here. It is so full of irony - the Preacher who is more of a con man selling "exorcisms" to the rubes who still believe in that holy-roller stuff...and then he encounters not just the real deal, but the really big real deal and is totally ill equipped to handle it. That appealed to me. The Preacher was not stupid and had some pretty good "book learnin'" But, his whole sense of reality- his faith, his knowledge of how things are supposed to work, his sense of justice - all if now challenging him and he has to think on the fly how to handle this situation. I truly liked that. As for the shaky camera work, it did lend a sense of reality to it and I did not find it all that much distracting. I even liked the ending- which I will not discuss- It is a movie well worth seeing.
Reviews
15 Reviews
Kick-Ass 2
(2013)
Aw, too bad!
9 September 2013
I am absolutely in love with Hit Girl, Mindy. I wanted more of her. But, this movie just falls so flat trying to get in all the "teen girl" problems and leaves out the Hit Girl ruthlessness and exciting fight scenes, I was left empty. It is just sad.
The story is about how kids who want to change thing for the better put their lives on the line to make it happen. Instead, most of the movie is all about the social pressure facing kids in school these days.
Also, they way overloaded with the good heroes v the bad villains. It was more like Braveheart than a few successful kids step up and change the world for better.
The uber villain was not scary- just nuts. His assembly of minions just motivated by money and not that bad or so bad as to be unbelievable in the extreme.
And Mindy/HitGirl was just not that powerful anymore. Like Puff the Magic Dragon losing his scales- just plain sad. "Oh, I'm grounded- sorry, I can't come out to save the city." No way Hit girl would go that way- She's much more committed to her Hit girl mantra. Sad, sad, sad.
I wanted this franchise to succeed as I am a huge fan. But, now, I can only hope the producers/powers-that-be learned a lesson. Sadly, this movie sucks. And I really, really wanted it to be a good money maker because I wanted more. Not likely to happen with this stinger messing up the money for future investment. Too, too bad.
The story is about how kids who want to change thing for the better put their lives on the line to make it happen. Instead, most of the movie is all about the social pressure facing kids in school these days.
Also, they way overloaded with the good heroes v the bad villains. It was more like Braveheart than a few successful kids step up and change the world for better.
The uber villain was not scary- just nuts. His assembly of minions just motivated by money and not that bad or so bad as to be unbelievable in the extreme.
And Mindy/HitGirl was just not that powerful anymore. Like Puff the Magic Dragon losing his scales- just plain sad. "Oh, I'm grounded- sorry, I can't come out to save the city." No way Hit girl would go that way- She's much more committed to her Hit girl mantra. Sad, sad, sad.
I wanted this franchise to succeed as I am a huge fan. But, now, I can only hope the producers/powers-that-be learned a lesson. Sadly, this movie sucks. And I really, really wanted it to be a good money maker because I wanted more. Not likely to happen with this stinger messing up the money for future investment. Too, too bad.
My Dinner with Andre
(1981)
A great film to be with for a while
20 December 2011
The film requires an audience of thinking, engaged people. People engaged with life and who are concerned or at least somewhat interested in their part in the whole scheme of being human. If you are unimaginably self absorbed, you will not get what the film is trying to give you. At the same time, occasionally, you seem to wake up from the trance the discussion seems to lull you into and you want to scream at the actors- "Stop it!"- "Just live life and forget about all the silly, meaningless deeper meaning to it." And then, you go back into the spell. Something catches your deeper curiosity and you seem to want to learn more, to sail on with them into their world of ghostly, phantasmal, futuristic, imaginary, thought and questing to get at the deeper meaning of their lives. You somehow drift along with them, hoping their quest will reveal something about yourself and your relationship with your own world. It starts to make sense, in a chaotic sort of way. You begin to say, "Yeah, what about that?", or, "I never thought of things like that- it's true!", like you have suddenly been given some sort of spiritual or universal meaning to very deep, involved and meaningful questions. I was fascinated how Andre's visionary thought process grasps for the meaning of the whole world, the past the present and the unknown, and yet, Wally's fundamental, individuality of simply being "Wally" made it snap back into the reality of how everyone has to just get on in life. We can't get at the macro of things for being so involved with the micro necessities of life itself- the true meaning of life is just waking up every day, opening a copy of your favorite newspaper and sipping a bit of cold coffee left over from the night before- and being glad there is no bug in it. We identify immediately with Wally's vision and rational concepts. It's the same thing for all of us. Then, we get Andre's visionary, almost spiritual, assessments of life and we suddenly feel empty and, perhaps a bit embarrassed that we are not able to just automatically join him- a kind of "Sure, I knew that- I've thought of that myself". I tried to get into the divine side of things, to see that we can't escape our reality for the total imaginary little prisons we create and lock ourselves into- and wonder why. I really did try to worry about those things I found to be personally true for me that both actors and the dialog made me, again, aware of. I wanted to sort of 'meditate' for a while after watching the film and develop a little wider meaning to my life. It was interesting. Existentially, most of us just can't delve too long on those things we might need to understand. We really are in a self imposed imaginary, yet very real confinement. Andre points out, we can't escape because we have come to believe we love our self imposed imprisonment, and our communally created construct of it's walls and towers and parapets. But, it is only a belief, not a fact. Yet, I have to say, "What's the difference?" Isn't the planet itself a kind of 'prison' we can't escape? I did not find the film to be a waste of time. I did not find the film to be a great memorial asset to be remembered and prized. It was just an interesting diversion that let me participate in an oddly compulsive view of both observations of life and the meaning or meaningless of it all. Something to think about for a while and then get back to doing the laundry, taking out the trash, dreading Monday and opening the mail.
The Shield
(2002– )
A cop fantasy not for everyone
7 May 2011
The shield is not to be taken seriously. Think of it as a depiction of cops in another plane of existence. But, not here, not now. That said, it is an excellent fictional portrayal of fantastic people trapped in a frightening world. Honestly, I, as a viewer, had trouble holding it together just watching. It makes your heart race. You feel like you are in the tube with them, on the street. It is done so well, with the rapid fire documentary style, it seems totally real. The acting, the writing, the video - everything comes together with this show like no other. But, taking a breath, stepping back, thinking about the characters and the situations, no human being could last under the circumstances of the show. The situations Mackey and his lunatics get into are why cops commit suicide. But, Mackey's team gets into that kind of trouble constantly. No one is that gutsy. People who are, have a mental problem and end up dead or crippled or in prison very quickly in real life. and, that is what makes the show so exciting to watch. it is not like any other TV show - ever! In fact, I had to finally quit watching it. I hated walking away from it. I loved the characters. They gave me what my primal self wanted - hate, blood, revenge, and supreme power over anyone else in the room. That's what we all want if you take away our sense of self preservation. To be Mackey and his team members would be like being Superman - or a werewolf. Nothing can stop you, no one can beat you. But, as human beings, they all must pay an ultimate price.
I loved the show and highly recommend it as a daring cop adventure fantasy that is well worth the accelerated heart rate.
I loved the show and highly recommend it as a daring cop adventure fantasy that is well worth the accelerated heart rate.
Pitiful - Just Pitiful
8 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I have never been so let down by a remake of a film I really liked as a kid. First of all, we must realize the original story is not all that fulfilling. It is a difficult concept to present in logic. The alien is not going to make contact with officials, end up in their hands and then escape without some one having taken pictures of it. Once the alien escapes in both makes of this story, no one seems to have thought to have taken a photo of the guy. Also, Gort is underutilized in both films. But, that is the nature of the story.
However, in the remake they have destroyed any sense of suspense the audience may have ever hoped for. Keanu Reeves is flat and unemotional. The kid, played by Smith is just so over bearing and snotty you just want to slap him. The Secretary, played by Kathey Bates is some kind of over-powered "Wunder Matron" with apparently no need to report to the President or the Military...she is the "Uber Commander" Klaatu probably wanted to speak to in the first place, considering the power she seems to wield in this film.
Klaatus omnipotent powers over all things mechanical make him apparently more powerful a creature than the statuesque Gort.
I wanted to see flying saucers, and flashes of heat rays and some better moves on the part of the terrifying Gort. I wanted to see the girl endangered and then blessedly rescued by the scary dude. I wanted to see the scientists and the militarists truly humbled before a greater, benevolent power.
Instead, I saw destruction on a mindless scale, with no compassion, and a cast that were well rehearsed, but about as involved in the script as the little nanites that composed the massive, but shamefully inert Gort.
I gave this film a 2 only because the digital effects were pretty good, though much over used. Like, the space ship(s) were really un-imaginary...orbs with strange shifting colors...they could have used a lava lamp. And, worse, the producers/director seemed devoted to issuing the audience with Al gore hand out leaflets with their green message of "Save the planet...do your part or some disinterested alien will come along and take away our dolphins." It just sucked! Make a Gorebot Global Warming Fiction disaster movie or make a really cool sci-fi movie. But, leave the proselytizing out of my sci-fi movies.
However, in the remake they have destroyed any sense of suspense the audience may have ever hoped for. Keanu Reeves is flat and unemotional. The kid, played by Smith is just so over bearing and snotty you just want to slap him. The Secretary, played by Kathey Bates is some kind of over-powered "Wunder Matron" with apparently no need to report to the President or the Military...she is the "Uber Commander" Klaatu probably wanted to speak to in the first place, considering the power she seems to wield in this film.
Klaatus omnipotent powers over all things mechanical make him apparently more powerful a creature than the statuesque Gort.
I wanted to see flying saucers, and flashes of heat rays and some better moves on the part of the terrifying Gort. I wanted to see the girl endangered and then blessedly rescued by the scary dude. I wanted to see the scientists and the militarists truly humbled before a greater, benevolent power.
Instead, I saw destruction on a mindless scale, with no compassion, and a cast that were well rehearsed, but about as involved in the script as the little nanites that composed the massive, but shamefully inert Gort.
I gave this film a 2 only because the digital effects were pretty good, though much over used. Like, the space ship(s) were really un-imaginary...orbs with strange shifting colors...they could have used a lava lamp. And, worse, the producers/director seemed devoted to issuing the audience with Al gore hand out leaflets with their green message of "Save the planet...do your part or some disinterested alien will come along and take away our dolphins." It just sucked! Make a Gorebot Global Warming Fiction disaster movie or make a really cool sci-fi movie. But, leave the proselytizing out of my sci-fi movies.
Mars Attacks!
(1996)
Best Modern SatireFilm
8 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I am always surprised when I hear people panning this film. It is a complete hilarious satire on modern American life. The surprise of the liberals as the Martian ravage every thought they ever had of Utopian unreality is hilarious. And, the ignorance of the super elite government types of what is actually going on is so close to reality it becomes a sad joke that would not be funny if it were not so on the mark.
Mars Attacks gives us a bitter/salty taste of who we probably really are and how screwed up we have become as a fractured, self centered, fantasy living society.
When the Martians first appear, the President seeks advice from people who have no clue what to do. But, they do not hesitate to give powerful presentations of crack pot advice and in the end; the President is shown to be a charlatan of a politician who is so in over his head he can't see daylight. This is probably true of all people who get elected to that most high office.
I also enjoy the way Burton shows the strength of the common, every day persons who care about each other and who seem to instinctively become heroes, willing to sacrifice themselves to save total strangers.
Of course, the Martian steal the show. Their idiotic "Brain with bug Eyes" characters are completely without mercy and yet, they are shown to be cynically sympathetic, even to the point of almost shedding a tear before they lay waste to everyone in the room. It's hilarious.
The scene where the Martian disguised as a woman in order to sneak into the White House is a classic. Martin short plays the philandering adviser so well, you can not help but laugh.
Mars attacks is a work of high entertainment, excellent comedy, and biting satire. Originality reigns supreme as always in a Burton film. If you did not enjoy the film, you probably have a less than full understanding of American politics and society.
Mars Attacks gives us a bitter/salty taste of who we probably really are and how screwed up we have become as a fractured, self centered, fantasy living society.
When the Martians first appear, the President seeks advice from people who have no clue what to do. But, they do not hesitate to give powerful presentations of crack pot advice and in the end; the President is shown to be a charlatan of a politician who is so in over his head he can't see daylight. This is probably true of all people who get elected to that most high office.
I also enjoy the way Burton shows the strength of the common, every day persons who care about each other and who seem to instinctively become heroes, willing to sacrifice themselves to save total strangers.
Of course, the Martian steal the show. Their idiotic "Brain with bug Eyes" characters are completely without mercy and yet, they are shown to be cynically sympathetic, even to the point of almost shedding a tear before they lay waste to everyone in the room. It's hilarious.
The scene where the Martian disguised as a woman in order to sneak into the White House is a classic. Martin short plays the philandering adviser so well, you can not help but laugh.
Mars attacks is a work of high entertainment, excellent comedy, and biting satire. Originality reigns supreme as always in a Burton film. If you did not enjoy the film, you probably have a less than full understanding of American politics and society.
Island in the Sky
(1953)
Good Story, Weak Movie
14 June 2010
This story was one of my favorites. The movie was mediocre at best. But, of course it had some of my favorite actors; John Wayne, Andy Devine...I was very surprised to learn that it was closely based on a real story of even more drama and which turned out to be even more of a miracle.
The movie depicts the crashed airplane as a C-47, twin engine cargo aircraft. The true story, it was a C-87, cargo version of the famed twin-tailed B-24 "Liberator" bomber. The C-87 was notoriously difficult to fly and it was said by the pilots who flew them it would not carry enough ice to make a high ball...meaning, it would quit flying when just a little bit of ice would form on the wings, which is what brought the aircraft in the story down after getting lost over the Canadian wilderness.
One of the things that make the real story more fantastic than the movie was, no one died in the real story, in spite of the fact the survivors had to spend almost two months on the ice before getting evacuated. Also, there was an attempt by another rescue aircraft pilot to land on the frozen lake to bring the crash victims out and that rescue aircraft mired in the deep snow on the ice. Eventually, it turns out everyone was saved, and all the aircraft were repaired before the spring thaw and flown out, including the original four engine C-87 that crash landed on the frozen lake.
Some critics have been saying the story is fake because the area of the crash is covered by numerous bush pilots. That was not so in the days of WWII. The area of the crash was so remote there were not even any maps of the area and most of the mountains were not even named many of them today are named after the pilots who were part of the search team to find Dooley's aircraft, since they were probably the first persons to see them and locate them on navigation maps.
Read Gann's book, Fate is The Hunter for the best details of this story. It is really an excellent read. Gann was an amazing writer with some unusual and delightful ways of gripping the mind of the reader.
The movie depicts the crashed airplane as a C-47, twin engine cargo aircraft. The true story, it was a C-87, cargo version of the famed twin-tailed B-24 "Liberator" bomber. The C-87 was notoriously difficult to fly and it was said by the pilots who flew them it would not carry enough ice to make a high ball...meaning, it would quit flying when just a little bit of ice would form on the wings, which is what brought the aircraft in the story down after getting lost over the Canadian wilderness.
One of the things that make the real story more fantastic than the movie was, no one died in the real story, in spite of the fact the survivors had to spend almost two months on the ice before getting evacuated. Also, there was an attempt by another rescue aircraft pilot to land on the frozen lake to bring the crash victims out and that rescue aircraft mired in the deep snow on the ice. Eventually, it turns out everyone was saved, and all the aircraft were repaired before the spring thaw and flown out, including the original four engine C-87 that crash landed on the frozen lake.
Some critics have been saying the story is fake because the area of the crash is covered by numerous bush pilots. That was not so in the days of WWII. The area of the crash was so remote there were not even any maps of the area and most of the mountains were not even named many of them today are named after the pilots who were part of the search team to find Dooley's aircraft, since they were probably the first persons to see them and locate them on navigation maps.
Read Gann's book, Fate is The Hunter for the best details of this story. It is really an excellent read. Gann was an amazing writer with some unusual and delightful ways of gripping the mind of the reader.
Meet Joe Black
(1998)
A strangely fascinating film
17 May 2010
Every time this film comes on I watch it...not because I really want to. But, for some reason, I just can not help myself. It's like not being able to take stop stealing glances at a beautiful woman you see on a bus.
I read many of the reviews above and I am taken by how long they are. People are wanting to tell how much this film touched them in a place that is both tender and worrisome. We must all face death eventually. We don't know what that will be like...probably not nearly as traumatic as our birth was. But, we like to imagine we can somehow deal with it....that is, to face it, accept it and then be able to look back over our days and hope we see something there worth leaving behind...that we regret leaving behind as much as Joe and William do. We end up envying them rather than feeling sorry for them. "Meet Joe Black" is that imaginary inevitable moment in color.
I don't think the film is that good in any one specific thing. It is great, though, when all the parts are assembled. It lingers too long...wanting the audience to dread the leaving of it...as the actors do as they portray the characters, savoring, enjoying the last slowly vanishing morsel of flavor from that favorite dish...like lovers tasting and holding and feeling and smelling each other for the last time before a long time apart...like watching the last sunset from the front porch of your home before leaving it for the last time.
Yet...in spite of the flaws....the long facials, the continual lingering of it all...I simply can never get this film to leave me alone when it is on. I just have to watch it.
I read many of the reviews above and I am taken by how long they are. People are wanting to tell how much this film touched them in a place that is both tender and worrisome. We must all face death eventually. We don't know what that will be like...probably not nearly as traumatic as our birth was. But, we like to imagine we can somehow deal with it....that is, to face it, accept it and then be able to look back over our days and hope we see something there worth leaving behind...that we regret leaving behind as much as Joe and William do. We end up envying them rather than feeling sorry for them. "Meet Joe Black" is that imaginary inevitable moment in color.
I don't think the film is that good in any one specific thing. It is great, though, when all the parts are assembled. It lingers too long...wanting the audience to dread the leaving of it...as the actors do as they portray the characters, savoring, enjoying the last slowly vanishing morsel of flavor from that favorite dish...like lovers tasting and holding and feeling and smelling each other for the last time before a long time apart...like watching the last sunset from the front porch of your home before leaving it for the last time.
Yet...in spite of the flaws....the long facials, the continual lingering of it all...I simply can never get this film to leave me alone when it is on. I just have to watch it.
Day the World Ended
(1955)
What a scary movie in 1955
30 April 2010
I was 9 years old when I saw this movie. I was being "babysat" by a friend of our family while my parents were out of town and he took me to see this. Afterward, when I had gone to bed, he went outside, and scratched on the window of my room, I looked and he flashed a flash light under his face and he had some sort of masking tape and tree bushes on his face...Jeezeus Keehriest! He scared the crap out of me. So, this film always stuck in my mind.
I loved the music...very, very creepy and well timed. The monster, though stupid by modern standards, was all the rage in it's day.I remember the screams in the theater when it was first seen full view.
The story was rather frightening for the era, too. We all were thinking quite a lot about nuclear war happening to us right at home. People were really building bomb shelters int heir backyards...or had "escape kits" pre-loaded in their station wagons. Yes. It really was that bad.
I believe this film would be well worth re-watching, although, I have only seen it once again since I saw it on the big screen and the second showing it seemed a bit less spooky to me. But, the acting was good, the story was practical though of a totally unimaginable theme, and the monster, though rather "over the top", and a bit corny, was scary enough when combined with the well timed and creepy music.
I definitely would watch it again, just for the memories.
I loved the music...very, very creepy and well timed. The monster, though stupid by modern standards, was all the rage in it's day.I remember the screams in the theater when it was first seen full view.
The story was rather frightening for the era, too. We all were thinking quite a lot about nuclear war happening to us right at home. People were really building bomb shelters int heir backyards...or had "escape kits" pre-loaded in their station wagons. Yes. It really was that bad.
I believe this film would be well worth re-watching, although, I have only seen it once again since I saw it on the big screen and the second showing it seemed a bit less spooky to me. But, the acting was good, the story was practical though of a totally unimaginable theme, and the monster, though rather "over the top", and a bit corny, was scary enough when combined with the well timed and creepy music.
I definitely would watch it again, just for the memories.
Invaders from Mars
(1953)
Excellent SciFi and Scary for Kids
29 April 2010
This was my first scifi movie when I was a kid. My older sister and I could not wait for it to come to our small town theater. Just seeing the previews scared the beejesus out of us.
My dad was in the Air Force at the time and we lived in Roswell, New Mexico, so this movie really had an impact on us. Often, my dad would be away for long periods of time, and we lived on the edge of town, so some nights, after seeing this movie, my sister and I would watch outside the bedroom window, just like the kid in the movie, watching the night sky for "aliens" to land.
Although many today would think this movie hoakie or down right infantile, it really was a scary movie in it's day. Just the thought of these bug-eyed goons from outer space kidnapping your mom and dad would give any kid the willies. And, to make it worse, the "Brain Guy" from Mars sends them back to you as creepy Martian Zombioids.....and then the real scary fun begins.
This movie, though badly dated now days, is well worth watching. It seems to me, as an adult, that it was really made just to scare the crap out of kids, so don't pay much attention to the goofy sets and the really stupid costumes. As a kid, I can tell you, it really gave us something to think about.
My dad was in the Air Force at the time and we lived in Roswell, New Mexico, so this movie really had an impact on us. Often, my dad would be away for long periods of time, and we lived on the edge of town, so some nights, after seeing this movie, my sister and I would watch outside the bedroom window, just like the kid in the movie, watching the night sky for "aliens" to land.
Although many today would think this movie hoakie or down right infantile, it really was a scary movie in it's day. Just the thought of these bug-eyed goons from outer space kidnapping your mom and dad would give any kid the willies. And, to make it worse, the "Brain Guy" from Mars sends them back to you as creepy Martian Zombioids.....and then the real scary fun begins.
This movie, though badly dated now days, is well worth watching. It seems to me, as an adult, that it was really made just to scare the crap out of kids, so don't pay much attention to the goofy sets and the really stupid costumes. As a kid, I can tell you, it really gave us something to think about.
Burn Notice
(2007–2013)
At last! Good TV writers.
28 June 2009
I enjoy the dialog, the look, the characters and the bang-bang.
The scripts are a bit stretched and the players really are way too smug ...there really should be an element of fear to heighten the drama.
But, that is all off set by the beautiful Miami area, the show moves right along, and all the main characters have a very good chemistry between them.
But, the writing makes up for most of the "campy" atmosphere. Originality and great fun for a dramatic comedy quasi "spy" or "PI" show...I especially like the main character's mom...she reminds me of my mom. Regardless, I like the show...pretty good when compared to all the pieces of fluff out there.
The scripts are a bit stretched and the players really are way too smug ...there really should be an element of fear to heighten the drama.
But, that is all off set by the beautiful Miami area, the show moves right along, and all the main characters have a very good chemistry between them.
But, the writing makes up for most of the "campy" atmosphere. Originality and great fun for a dramatic comedy quasi "spy" or "PI" show...I especially like the main character's mom...she reminds me of my mom. Regardless, I like the show...pretty good when compared to all the pieces of fluff out there.
Flash Gordon
(2007–2008)
Pititful, pitiful, really pitiful
26 September 2007
I am an avid fantasy and sci-fi fan. I have even developed a taste for the surreal and absurd versions of such things(yes--I really liked the first Dr. Who and his long neck scarf and huge interior phone box). I loved Flash Gordon all the way from Buster Crabb and the card board space ships. But, this latest Sci-Fi channel effort to continue the FG legacy is just a disgrace. Did they hire imbeciles to write the scripts? Have they no sense what-so-ever of faithfulness to the theme they are trying to represent? Did they go out and collect aluminum cans to get the money to produce the show? I mean, there's no doubt the first FG serials were done on the cheap, but at least the producers and directors tried to make costumes and sets and write exciting scripts. In this latest effort, Scif-Fic Channel would have done much better to present their scripts in "Black theater" with no sets but empty black backgrounds over a single spot lighted stage, no costumes but black leotards, and no special effects but a tin drum! Sure...go ahead, call me a Neanderthal of art and interpretation. I don't care. You see, I have seen what the Science Channel is really capable of in their "Far Scape" adventure...and what they can do to shoot themselves in the foot when they canceled it. They really should change their name to the "Scatology Channel" if this is the best they can do now days.
3:10 to Yuma
(2007)
Poorly done, challenges every sense of reality
24 September 2007
I was stunned at the blatant disregard in this movie for reality. First of all, they treat a serious point blank gun shot wound to the gut as if it were a mere splinter...! I was so disappointed in the way the entire posse managed their deadly prisoner they have I was actually cheering for the bad guy. When I saw the torture scene and one of the posse declare," You can't do that...it's immoral." I almost fell out of my seat. The ending is totally unbelievable. The imprint of modern day political correctness superseded what could have otherwise been an excellent film. Revisionist westerns might as well be cartoons for their reliance on the "plausible impossible". The only actor to stay fully in character was the kid playing the Rancher's son! The ending of the film was equally disappointing for its absurdity...I wont' go there though...go see for yourself.
If you want to compare this film to just about any spaghetti western or to something more alluring like "Unforgiven" or even a surreal film like "High Plains Drifter", forget it. "3:10 to Yuma" is just a modern PC liberal's attempt to insinuate the people of those days were something akin to our politically correct and asinine world and is an insult to human intelligence throughout. If you know anything about 19th century Americana circa the post Civil War west, avoid this film like the plague, unless, of course, you are just looking for a good laugh.
If you want to compare this film to just about any spaghetti western or to something more alluring like "Unforgiven" or even a surreal film like "High Plains Drifter", forget it. "3:10 to Yuma" is just a modern PC liberal's attempt to insinuate the people of those days were something akin to our politically correct and asinine world and is an insult to human intelligence throughout. If you know anything about 19th century Americana circa the post Civil War west, avoid this film like the plague, unless, of course, you are just looking for a good laugh.
Apocalypse Now
(1979)
Most just don't get it!
27 December 2005
Reading many of the comments here, I am stunned that I found none who actually got it. This is a film about the study of humanity and what it means to be human. Kurtz is not mad because of the war...he is mad because of what he must do to win against barbarians...he had to sacrifice his humanity and he did it willingly. He teaches us that in order for civilzied human beings to survive an onslaught of barbarians, you have to immerse yourself...defeat your own humanity. And then, when you have defeated the barbarian, you look around...and you are not human any more. In essence, the barbarian wins by forcing this sacrifice on civilized warriors. I left the theater in amazement that such a topic was even thought of for cinematic art. I got it just about everyone else missed it. And I felt contempt for those around me in the leaving crowd who were complaining they were disappointed in the film. They completely missed the point. Now, civilized people are faced again with a decision against barbarians who saw peoples heads off on TV. Will we immerse ourselves and our humanity to do what we must to survive...or will we surrender to the alternative if we don't? Is a surrender to barbarians as bad as becoming one of them? I think everyone should review "Apocalypse Now" once again because we are about to find out.
The Jackal
(1997)
Excellent Drama
28 November 2005
Bruce Willis should have received an academy award for this film for the various characters he played as the Jackal. I especially liked the elaborate planning the assassin used...he was extraordinarily calculating and cool. The script was very close to the original story except for the "good guys". I thought it was a superfluous reach to include the Richard Gere character. He added very little to the story and seemed in fact to be a distraction with his petty grievances and mad man terrorist attitude. It was quite unbelievable the investigators would consider someone like him worth the effort just because he had once met the Jackal and lived. the part of the film where Lamont and the Jackal are testing the remote controlled sniper rifle is really interesting and very well written. It demonstrates the Jackal's cold blooded nature...he becomes utterly inhuman. Overall, a thoroughly entertaining use of imagery. Very well done!
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