I just watched this movie, and I am still processing what I think about it. I thought writing my thoughts out would help me to articulate.
The Good -
The examination of the truth behind God's statement: "it is not good for man to be alone." Smith's character has varying degrees of dementia as he struggles to save himself and humanity without any human contact. The movie does a great job of showing how lonely solitude would be and just how oblivious we are to the masses around us. It attempts to make some small statement about God and destiny, but ultimately fails because it does it so simplistically and without conviction. It was a nice try though.
The Bad -
I was really worried at the first scenes with Will Smith. It was shamelessly commercial and somewhat silly. I was afraid it would quickly go the way of "Minority Report", but was pleased to eventually find that the movie makers apparently just decided to get all the endorsements out of the way in the first 10 minutes. The CGI was a little too much, as well. In an attempt to make the scary creatures scarier, they are given super abilities via CGI. I really think it would have been scarier if they were simply real people in really good makeup; I found the graphics distracting at times.
Lastly, a note on Will Smith. I like the guy and I like his movies, but I've now noticed a trend with him. He is a really great actor when it comes to becoming engrossed in the story. He is not, however, great at becoming engrossed in the character. He is always Will Smith. In every movie, he does great acting at showing you how Will Smith would act if put in that situation. I would love to see a movie where he takes on a completely different persona (Albert Finney is a great example this). If he can do that, then he deserves the laud that is often thrown his way.
Overall, I liked the movie. A little weak in places, but better than a lot of other films.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Hero (2002)
At this point, I can probably stop saying "this is one of my favorites"... but this is one of my absolute favorite movies.
This movie is immensely rich on many levels, but let me start by saying something about foreign movies since this is the first foreign film I'm writing about. If you are a real movie buff, you probably don't have a problem with foreign movies. If you just really enjoy watching movies, you may avoid them since you don't like... subtitles (boo! hiss!).
A couple points:
1) It is arrogant to think that the only films worth watching happened to have been made in the United States (has anyone seen the 1998 version of "Godzilla"?)
2) To rule out an entire body of work produced by the other 80% of the world cheats you out of some wonderful direction, acting and cinematography.
3) Foreign films can often give you a perspective you would never get from a Hollywood movie.
Enough said. This movie is great, and I will make two points about it. First, it is remarkably beautiful. Director Zhang Yimou creates scenes that are completely dominated by one color or another, yet become stunning instead of boring. The colors are lush and engrossing where one might expect them to be distracting. It is stellar composition and cinematography.
Secondly, the movie understands itself. What I mean by that is everything in the movie points towards the moral it is trying to present. That there are things in life worth killing for and things worth dying for, and that many times these passions intersect. The way this all comes together in the end is beautiful and thought provoking. Many movies are wonderful throughout, yet fail in the final 15 minutes, leaving a sour taste in your mouth, but this movie ends exactly the way it should. I makes you wonder what drives you in your life and what you are willing to risk to advance towards that goal.
This movie is immensely rich on many levels, but let me start by saying something about foreign movies since this is the first foreign film I'm writing about. If you are a real movie buff, you probably don't have a problem with foreign movies. If you just really enjoy watching movies, you may avoid them since you don't like... subtitles (boo! hiss!).
A couple points:
1) It is arrogant to think that the only films worth watching happened to have been made in the United States (has anyone seen the 1998 version of "Godzilla"?)
2) To rule out an entire body of work produced by the other 80% of the world cheats you out of some wonderful direction, acting and cinematography.
3) Foreign films can often give you a perspective you would never get from a Hollywood movie.
Enough said. This movie is great, and I will make two points about it. First, it is remarkably beautiful. Director Zhang Yimou creates scenes that are completely dominated by one color or another, yet become stunning instead of boring. The colors are lush and engrossing where one might expect them to be distracting. It is stellar composition and cinematography.
Secondly, the movie understands itself. What I mean by that is everything in the movie points towards the moral it is trying to present. That there are things in life worth killing for and things worth dying for, and that many times these passions intersect. The way this all comes together in the end is beautiful and thought provoking. Many movies are wonderful throughout, yet fail in the final 15 minutes, leaving a sour taste in your mouth, but this movie ends exactly the way it should. I makes you wonder what drives you in your life and what you are willing to risk to advance towards that goal.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Amadeus (1984)
Another all time favorite of mine. This movie excels at a particular aspect of film that really excites me. The director finds a way to put you inside the character and see what it is like to be them for a moment. Other examples (which I will probably write about soon) are Frantic, Chinatown, Regarding Henry, and Memento.
In Amadeus, music obviously plays a vital role. The whole crux of the movie is that Salieri is able to recognize music of unmatched beauty, yet cannot produce it. For him, music is more than a diversion, it is like an extra sense that requires an extra organ to perceive it with. Milos Forman gives us an idea of this in two scenes particularly. The first is when Salieri is observing Mozart's music sheets and is able to call up an orchestra in his mind and revels in the music that is only playing for him. The second is when Salieri and Mozart are working together to compose the final requiem and the as they discuss the piece instrument by instrument we hear the different parts coming together. It really is a masterful scene composition.
The other aspect of the film that is fascinating is Salieri's antagonistic stance towards God. He hates God for giving this great gift of music to such a vulgar creature as Mozart. He vows revenge against God by hurting Mozart however he can. What makes you take notice is how Salieri states it outright. I found it interesting because many people have this same position of not only rejecting God, but hating him... but no one ever articulates it. It's a scary insight into what hatred towards your Creator can turn you into.
In Amadeus, music obviously plays a vital role. The whole crux of the movie is that Salieri is able to recognize music of unmatched beauty, yet cannot produce it. For him, music is more than a diversion, it is like an extra sense that requires an extra organ to perceive it with. Milos Forman gives us an idea of this in two scenes particularly. The first is when Salieri is observing Mozart's music sheets and is able to call up an orchestra in his mind and revels in the music that is only playing for him. The second is when Salieri and Mozart are working together to compose the final requiem and the as they discuss the piece instrument by instrument we hear the different parts coming together. It really is a masterful scene composition.
The other aspect of the film that is fascinating is Salieri's antagonistic stance towards God. He hates God for giving this great gift of music to such a vulgar creature as Mozart. He vows revenge against God by hurting Mozart however he can. What makes you take notice is how Salieri states it outright. I found it interesting because many people have this same position of not only rejecting God, but hating him... but no one ever articulates it. It's a scary insight into what hatred towards your Creator can turn you into.
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