MORE MOVIES
The Pianist-Another overwhelmingly realistic depiction of the horror that was The Holocaust. I've also recently watched Schindler's List, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Watching these movies was a truly disturbing experience; the Nazis weren't inhumane... they were absolutely possessed by a disgusting hatred against fellow members of the human race, and these movies capture these emotionless beings in a VERY realistic way. It is difficult for me to believe that anyone could actually manage to be THAT repulsively gross to another living being, but that's why I appreciate these movies; they show the reality that was The Holocaust.
Schindler's List was especially brutal, and there were many times where I honestly didn't think that I could handle any more of the violence. The realistic intensity of the film-although horrifying to watch-allows one to enter the world of Nazi Germany. It also allows the viewer the chance to see that Germans were not ALL as disgusting as Amon, the commander who shoots Jews from his balcony just for the sport of it. The movie is a reminder that sometimes we do things because someone says we should; sometimes we trust our leaders blindly, without justification. And sometimes, even Germans knew that what they were doing was wrong. It's easy to lump all of the Nazis into one big pile of hateful, angry killers... but this movie really made me wonder how many of them were just that cold because someone told them to be.
And that same thought continued when I watched The Pianist. Although not nearly as grotesque as Schindler's List, The Pianist still brought both the violence and human sides of the historical event. The music was, of course, fantastic, and I loved the way they incorporated his talent and passion for music throughout the film. I especially appreciated the fact that it was his ability as a pianist that softened the heart of the Nazi who could have killed him but decided instead to provide Szpilman with food and information that helped him survive to see his freedom become a reality. Another heartbreakingly brilliant film!
On a COMPLETELY different note! The Social Network-The Facebook movie! A very good movie, I must say. Although I need another watch before knowing for sure whether or not I really appreciate this film, the first watch did give me enough to want to see it again, at the very least. My only complaint is that the movie was difficult to hear; the college life (AKA noisy scenes with lots of party sounds and loud music) made the movie feel very busy, not to mention the fact that Zuckerberg's character talked a mile a minute about things that would be confusing to me even if I understood what he was saying. I feel like a second watch will solidify this as a good film, because other than that which I just mentioned, I did think that it was well acted, well scripted and overall a good movie.
There are more movies where that came from but at the moment I'm either A) not remembering which movies I've left out or B) not in the mood to write about them for various reasons. yeapy!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
BOOKS
Fortunately, I haven't read nearly as many books lately as I have movies! Although I sometimes prefer the books, I have been enjoying the movies for a change... and this reviewing movies thing is already beginning to feel old, so I'm glad for a change of pace.
For Love of the Game, Michael Shaara-LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I picked it up because I was looking for another war novel by Shaara (author of The Killer Angels... another great book that I read back in middle school). I had never heard of this book, but there is a quote on the front cover from the Los Angeles Times that reads, "Moving, beautiful... If Hemingway had written a baseball novel, he might have written For Love of the Game.". The quote hit the nail on the head; not only is the book beautiful and moving, it most definitely has a dry and cynical Hemingway feel to it.
The story is about a professional baseball player who has been loyal to one team his entire career, only to find out that the team plans to trade him as soon as the season is over. Because the information was spilled and no one else knows of the trade, Billy Chapel is able to literally throw every ounce of himself into his very last game. The story draws parallels to another of my all time favorite stories, Peter Pan. Chapel and his female companion of sorts learn to love each other, and to grow up. By the end of the book Chapel has conquered his loneliness and is prepared to leave his Never Never Land.... it's a fantastic and short, yet very well told story.
A Painted House, John Grisham-Grisham always tells a marvelous story. Well, he usually tells a marvelous story... unfortunately, A Painted House did not really hold my attention. I was able to finish the book only because I kept assuming that it would get better... Grisham has never disappointed (until, of course, this book). The story had no purpose; the characters were interesting enough, but there were so many empty points that I feel like Grisham is mocking me. Maybe my hopes were too high, but this book was nothing more than an utter disappointment.
The 100th Kill, Charles W. Sasser-One of the best war novels that I've ever read (and I've both read and loved a good many). It was violent, vulgar, and very much the story of American snipers in Vietnam. The protagonist is an American journalist who is in Vietnam to cover the war. He becomes intrigued by a Marine sniper who intends to kill 100 Vietcong. We follow Mike (the journalist) as he attempts to discover what it is that makes "Dog"/Johnny Abel (the sniper) such a cold-blooded killer, and also as he uncovers details of the young marines past that cause him to see himself in a new way. Great read, and great look into the soldiers that fought in Vietnam only to return home to protests and angry citizens who had no idea what was really going on. Loved it!
Fortunately, I haven't read nearly as many books lately as I have movies! Although I sometimes prefer the books, I have been enjoying the movies for a change... and this reviewing movies thing is already beginning to feel old, so I'm glad for a change of pace.
For Love of the Game, Michael Shaara-LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I picked it up because I was looking for another war novel by Shaara (author of The Killer Angels... another great book that I read back in middle school). I had never heard of this book, but there is a quote on the front cover from the Los Angeles Times that reads, "Moving, beautiful... If Hemingway had written a baseball novel, he might have written For Love of the Game.". The quote hit the nail on the head; not only is the book beautiful and moving, it most definitely has a dry and cynical Hemingway feel to it.
The story is about a professional baseball player who has been loyal to one team his entire career, only to find out that the team plans to trade him as soon as the season is over. Because the information was spilled and no one else knows of the trade, Billy Chapel is able to literally throw every ounce of himself into his very last game. The story draws parallels to another of my all time favorite stories, Peter Pan. Chapel and his female companion of sorts learn to love each other, and to grow up. By the end of the book Chapel has conquered his loneliness and is prepared to leave his Never Never Land.... it's a fantastic and short, yet very well told story.
A Painted House, John Grisham-Grisham always tells a marvelous story. Well, he usually tells a marvelous story... unfortunately, A Painted House did not really hold my attention. I was able to finish the book only because I kept assuming that it would get better... Grisham has never disappointed (until, of course, this book). The story had no purpose; the characters were interesting enough, but there were so many empty points that I feel like Grisham is mocking me. Maybe my hopes were too high, but this book was nothing more than an utter disappointment.
The 100th Kill, Charles W. Sasser-One of the best war novels that I've ever read (and I've both read and loved a good many). It was violent, vulgar, and very much the story of American snipers in Vietnam. The protagonist is an American journalist who is in Vietnam to cover the war. He becomes intrigued by a Marine sniper who intends to kill 100 Vietcong. We follow Mike (the journalist) as he attempts to discover what it is that makes "Dog"/Johnny Abel (the sniper) such a cold-blooded killer, and also as he uncovers details of the young marines past that cause him to see himself in a new way. Great read, and great look into the soldiers that fought in Vietnam only to return home to protests and angry citizens who had no idea what was really going on. Loved it!
NO STRINGS ATTACHED
Pretty good movie, actually... although I suppose that was to be expected considering it IS Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. The story worked a lot better than I had expected though; a couple of friends decide to use each other for sex and eventually fall in love-obviously. I feel like the characters were very believable, with one exception being Adam's (Kutcher's character's) father... do dads actually [knowingly] date and seriously consider reproducing with their son's ex-girlfriends in real life (and, for that matter, is there such a thing as an ex-girlfriend that would ever be gross enough to go for that?!)? Not that I've ever heard of. I guess Emma's mom is also a little goofy as a character, what with her hooking up with a guy called "Bones" whose biker-dude character seems completely contrary to her more sophisticated looking lifestyle only a few years following her husband's death. That ludicrous aside, I thought that the dialogue and flow of the movie was for the most part realistic and humorous. I'm not usually one for romantic comedies, but this one was entertaining. What I'd be interested in seeing now would be Friends with Benefits starring Justin Timberlake... as far as I can tell the only difference between the two movies is the actors (if you want to call Timberlake an actor....).
The Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Definitely a Franco fan through and through, but he's not the only reason I enjoyed this movie. As far as acting goes I think the cast was exceptional with another favorite (playing Caesar the ape), Andy Serkis. I originally assumed that the apes were all CGI and figured the job had been very well done... until later I had no idea that Serkis was behind yet another captivating character (Gollum was brilliant, you can't deny that). Especially in the last portions of the film, Serkis had me completely convinced that he is Oscar worthy. I think his performance blew Franco's out of the water (although I don't think that this was by any means Franco's best showcase of his acting abilities). At any rate, I'd love to see the Academy award Serkis for his efforts, but I guess that'd probably be reaching a little bit too far out of the comfort zone for them.
Other than acting I thought that the dialogue was also very good and told the story well; at no point did I feel confused or over-informed. The movie just seemed to flow well. Soundtrack was also quite good. Although I've only seen it the one time and might have a slight change of heart in future viewings, this movie is at least 4 stars in my opinion!
Pretty good movie, actually... although I suppose that was to be expected considering it IS Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. The story worked a lot better than I had expected though; a couple of friends decide to use each other for sex and eventually fall in love-obviously. I feel like the characters were very believable, with one exception being Adam's (Kutcher's character's) father... do dads actually [knowingly] date and seriously consider reproducing with their son's ex-girlfriends in real life (and, for that matter, is there such a thing as an ex-girlfriend that would ever be gross enough to go for that?!)? Not that I've ever heard of. I guess Emma's mom is also a little goofy as a character, what with her hooking up with a guy called "Bones" whose biker-dude character seems completely contrary to her more sophisticated looking lifestyle only a few years following her husband's death. That ludicrous aside, I thought that the dialogue and flow of the movie was for the most part realistic and humorous. I'm not usually one for romantic comedies, but this one was entertaining. What I'd be interested in seeing now would be Friends with Benefits starring Justin Timberlake... as far as I can tell the only difference between the two movies is the actors (if you want to call Timberlake an actor....).
The Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Definitely a Franco fan through and through, but he's not the only reason I enjoyed this movie. As far as acting goes I think the cast was exceptional with another favorite (playing Caesar the ape), Andy Serkis. I originally assumed that the apes were all CGI and figured the job had been very well done... until later I had no idea that Serkis was behind yet another captivating character (Gollum was brilliant, you can't deny that). Especially in the last portions of the film, Serkis had me completely convinced that he is Oscar worthy. I think his performance blew Franco's out of the water (although I don't think that this was by any means Franco's best showcase of his acting abilities). At any rate, I'd love to see the Academy award Serkis for his efforts, but I guess that'd probably be reaching a little bit too far out of the comfort zone for them.
Other than acting I thought that the dialogue was also very good and told the story well; at no point did I feel confused or over-informed. The movie just seemed to flow well. Soundtrack was also quite good. Although I've only seen it the one time and might have a slight change of heart in future viewings, this movie is at least 4 stars in my opinion!
Kandinsky
Kandinsky
That's all!
First Attempts at Reviewing Movies
MOVIES Shockingly, I'm having a hard time even remembering all of the movies I've watched recently.
(movies I've seen in theatres) Mr. Popper's Penguins- Jim Carrey... what else do I have to say? Although I don't possess the ability to REALLY focus and pay attention on the first watch (especially in theatres) to give a real critique, I definitely enjoyed this one and actually wanted to see it again. It was funny and cute, and the story made me happy but wasn't too outstandingly, lovie dovie perfect. Although my favor for the film may be accredited entirely to Carrey's acting, I do plan on watching this one again... so that's pretty good. Lord Of The Rings, Extended Versions of the Trilogy-Yeah, so I actually watched all three of the extended movies in theatres over a three week period. I didn't get LOTR'd out until the 4+ hour finale. They're beautiful movies and I'm sooo glad I could see them in theatres. Like I said, though... the 4+ hours was a bit much. There was a little too much information in the final installment. But of course this was an overall enjoyable experience! (movies that I've watched outside of theatres) The Witness-Harrison Ford... DUH! He's great, he really is. But this movie did tend to drag a little. Ford plays a police officer who is trying to solve a murder to which the only eye witness is a young Amish boy. Ford's character ends up hiding out in the Amish [village?] until his location is discovered, and in the meantime he falls for the boy's very-much-Amish mom. It's a pretty good story, but I wouldn't watch it again. Moved really slowly, and the music was disappointing. Not a bad movie, though. Edward Scissorhands-It was brilliant. I loved every minute and each element of it. I love Johnny Depp, I love[d] Danny Elfman's soundtrack, I absolutely LOVE what Tim Burton did with this film. I won't claim to understand any factor of this movie (not until a 3rd or 4th viewing, at the very least!), but I will say that it intrigued me. It plucked a heartstring and left me feeling slightly confused yet very content. The complexity of the characters and the mystery of the story kept me in a constant state of haunted, imaginative, dreamlike awe... and I haven't really recovered yet. Definitely loved this movie! 2001: A Space Odyssey-......... Well what else is there to say? Much of the movie was empty space, and an absolute waste of my time. The famous "Open the pod bay doors, Hal" and "I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that" lines were the movie's saving grace (although it would take a lot more grace for me to ever watch or recommend this movie again). The music had good moments, of course, but certainly not enough to make this film anything more than BORING. The Maltese Falcon-Loved this film! It was classy and smart. It moved along well and actually wasn't very long (I enjoy a good long movie, but a concise film [especially one that is a good as this one] impresses me!). It was a clever mystery, and I loved the romance... and especially how it ended! Great movie and I'll watch it again someday. Rebel Without A Cause-Mmmmm James Dean. HUNK. Almost cried when I realized that he actually died one month before this film was released... and, naturally, it was his most celebrated role. It's a very well told account of the emotions and resulting rebellion of suburban teenagers who "have everything", yet lack the most important things in life. Money don't make everything good. Sometimes you need love and REALITY. Great, great movie. |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)