| 日历 |
|
|
| 最新的评论 |
|
| 站内搜索 |
|
| 友情链接 |
|
0009037
|
|
Eat Pray Love (2010)
i was a little disappointed by this one...okay, that was a lie, i was VERY disappointed. in fact, i fell asleep after one and a half hour into it, woke up about 30 min later and felt like i didn't miss anything and went on and watched the rest 20 min.
Julia Roberts, i haven't seen her work in a while and this is what i got for my patience and expectation?! well, for the sake of saving some time, since the movie already cost me 2.5 hour, there was too much spiritual stuff in it, maybe it will speak to some people but definitely not me. too much soul-searching, too much fortune telling, too much finding balance...to sum up, too much whining! god help me if i have to listen to the word "meditation" again. honestly, the first part is somewhat entertaining as it echoes with the word "Eat" in the title and it was shot in Rome. you have to admit, Italy is a country filled with delicious food, passionate people, and beautiful scenery. even though it would be unrealistic for me to enjoy and practice the "sweetness of doing nothing" with my life here in the States or about 180 other countries in the world, still, i respect that attitude. the second part, "Pray", happens in India, that's where all the moaning begins. from what i can see, that is just a place for people who have had tragedies happen to them and are unable to deal with them in the real world to get together to mourn, to MEDITATE, to search for meaning of life, and hopefully one day to find the courage and serenity in their hearts to go back to their lives in the real world. the third part, "Love", happens in Bali, where we finally get to meet our academy award-winning leading actor, Javier Bardem. shortly after the destined couple met, i fell asleep so i really couldn't tell what emotion shattering events happened and made them fall in love with each other. but in the end, after a surprisingly short argue between the couple--i guess the director ran out of film and time, the couple went on a boat and traveled towards their dreamland--what can i say, way to be subtle about "living happily after"!
the whole movie screams "irresponsibility" to me, but i guess even though "being selfish" does not have the ring to your ear, it is the realistic way of living in the world today. honestly, i do envy the spontaneity of the heroine in the movie.
You Again (2010)
a bunch of cliche happened to the three female generations in a family. i was hoping for some conspiracy and some original lesbian story but it turned out to be just about love, heterosexual love. again, i dozed off approaching the end.
Dinner for Schmucks (2010)
several familiar faces from TV screen got together and made a comedy movie. the skills of Steve Carell's character in taxidermy was astonishing, and those meticulously decorated mice were real art. the speech that Carell's character gave at the dinner, "he is a dreamer", was beautiful.
even though it failed to me as being funny, which only speaks about my bizarre sense of humor, it is still an okay movie to watch. that's what i learned about lowering expectation.
The American (2010)
i was looking forward to this one, but it turned out to be a little more vanilla than i expected. the movie was shot mainly at several adjacent small towns in Rome, very European style, beautiful scenery and soothing music. i was almost bored in the middle of the slowly-paced story and started fantasizing various endings of the film. well, it hit one of my fantasies, no surprise there. Clooney's character, the meticulous assassin, i especially enjoyed the conversation he had with the priest, and when he built the firearm from scratch and finally placed it in a perfect disguise, very artistic. even though there was very little dialogue or action, the tension that you often observed in a spy movie was still successfully conveyed. anyway, a decent work by the crew.
|
An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
I've heard about this film ever since the 2007 Academy Award ceremony, and i instantly became respectful to this former vice president, Al Gore. however, i have never watched this documentary or anything related to the slide show until today. i had my doubts, not about global warming and other related environmental issues that we are facing today, but about the intention behind this production, since it came from a politician who had just been defeated in a national presidential election and reasonably unsatisfied with certain polices by the administration then. i would hate to see a politician spinning some scientific facts for his own agenda, which would just make me more cynical than i already am.
this is different. the slide show, the public presentation in different cities all over the world, the hard scientific stats, the personal experiences, and this. maybe i am gullible, but i saw a genuine dedication here, a man calling out for his peers to make their own contribution to rectify this human-caused crisis. however insignificant those work may seem at the moment, they will carry positive consequences in the near future.
the most amazing part of this film to me, is the great amount of material that Mr. Gore compiled over the years. not just up-to-date scientific data, but also the public views and the evidence that the previous administration tried to cover the knowledge. i was astonished by the various statistics from different fields showing not just the facts that directly causes global warming, such as the increasing amount of CO2 being released into the atmosphere over the years, but also the consequences reflected in environment (retreat of glaciers, rising sea water level), economy (insurance rate in natural disaster damages), and politics (oil company lobby...). the chain reaction is affecting everyone living on earth, and a fairly large amount of people are still confused in whether global warming is caused by human. the data is there, scientists may argue what is the most urgent or most effective measure that should be taken in order to manage the deteriorating situation, but no one is arguing about the validity of the facts or the cause. when a government becomes involved in an independent scientific discovery, the result of that discovery becomes no longer neutral when it is released to the public. scientists may be forced to alter their findings to serve the interest of the government, resulting the people being deceived. when the former US administration voiced against the human-caused global warming, creating skepticism on the issue and therefor people become doubtful. well, doubts on people's mind don't push them to the other side, in fact they won't push people to either side, but they make people hesitate and not acting, which is the worst outcome for damage control.
this is the only planet that we can live on, our children can live on in a universe that's beyond our imagination. barring any breakthrough in extraterrestrial sciences in the foreseeable future, if we don't act now, we will destroy ourselves. if that doesn't arouse a sense of danger in our minds, i don't know what will.
hope more people can appreciate the inspiration and education brought by this film, recognize the warning sent by our mother nature, and start acting.
|
Takers (2010)
watched this one right after "the town". well, i was exactly impressed with the plot of "the town"--seemed a little beige to me--but Afflect at least did his homework and covered all the bases. this one....em....simple story line, simple characters, and the actors' performance was....pretentious. it appears to me that the storyteller or the director was trying to present all the typical elements that you have seen in various crime films and ended up with dabbling in each field and creating a movie with no depth or sense whatsoever. i had a really hard time getting involved, and close to the end i started counting how many scenes that would've turned out to be some decent action moments but ended up being wasted by the director. and when the credit started rolling, i finally got the answer why this movie became what it is: a bunch of rappers got together, figured out a story that has all the cool/exciting elements: firearms, cars, money, woman, robbery, cop.....and starred themselves. in the end, i wondered what is the main theme of this movie: glorified honor among thieves? or dedicated detectives? it only makes you feel that they are trying too hard and failed in every aspect.
i was surprised to see Hayden Christensen's appearance, the only white kid in the company of Chris Brown and TI and other brothers. and he died in the crossfire first.....
you'd think a movie made by a bunch of rappers would have some cool music....there's 2-hr of my life i'll never get back...
The Town (2010)
Ben Affleck really outdid himself on this one, being the director, the writer and the actor. a romantic story based on the reality of Charlestown, Boston. i expected Doug, Affleck's character, to be either killed or went away alone in the end, but i guess the writer and director decided to be poetic about the crime and let him live leaving the audience with an imaginable "two become together" ending.
Blake Lively, a little surprised to see her. Jon Hamm, always delightful to see his face. i barely recovered from "Mda Men", his voice is just irresistible. i actually thought Claire may go for him 40 minutes in, well, who am i kidding, look who's the director.
hope Ben Affleck can get nominated for writing at the academy award, which would be his second after "Good Will Hunting".
Shutter Island (2010)
since i've watched "Inception", i felt it's only fair to watch his other psycho-thriller movie of the year. there are some similarities in the theme and some character designs, but no one would mistaken one for the other. Martin Scorsese is old-school: the narration of the story, the flashbacks of the main character, and the music. several scenes reminded me of some Hitchcock's horror films, especially when scored, which was a little overwhelming for me in the beginning.
the story is good, but what can i say, too much similar surprise and too much spoiler for me. the scenes about the concentration camp still upset me--massacre, genocide, no matter how much i would like to think that they only happened in last century and that they are far away from us now, the fact is that they are still happening today, in this world that we live in. civilization, democracy, we sometimes take them for granted and delude ourselves that we are already there.
back to the movie. the acting of Leo, is even better than his work in "Inception". maybe because the shooting this movie is more back to basic, taken off those glamorous visual effects brought on by technologies, the actors' effort began to stand out. between this and the "inception", the latter may sweep the academy award for all the other categories, this is a real shot of his best actor award.
the ending, like any other thriller movie, the ending is never just an end. i'd like to think that Leo's character didn't regress but was tired of living in a miserable way and so chose to have the surgery or, chose to die. everyone will have their own interpretation.
Inception (2010)
right after "the social network", the two most talked about films of the year. the movie is great, maybe i've had too much spoils beforehand so i sort of anticipated the ending. but the story is still fascinating enough for one to be deeply involved. personally i've developed a lasting interest about human minds and the correlation between human minds and their behavior. dream, or the interpretation of them, was almost an obsession for me when i was a kid, which led to the subsequent reading of Freud's work, such as the famous "the interpretation of dreams", and later basic psychology and so on. the reflection of daily events that you've experienced and the projection of your subconsciousness in your dreams may clear things away and enable you to look under the surface of usual distraction and examine the thoughts that are already on your mind. of course, as i grew older i became to look at things in a more analytical way and view the thoughts on my mind as the product of the electrochemical reactions among neurons. have to say, it's much less romantic.
okay, back to the film, the visual effect of the film is mind-blowing, especially for a person that doesn't watch a lot of sci-fi movie and is interestedless in the recent visual feast "Avatar". the folded Paris street, the loss of gravity in a hotel, the water, the collapse of the world that Dom built, .... to many to name.
and the score, fits perfectly with the film and as the plot goes, instead of taking the thunder of the picture or people. however, i guess i wouldn't want to listen to it alone unless i'm eager to relive the film.
Christopher Nolan, the British director, seems to be good at using mysteries, especially in a context of psychology, as movie themes. His story is never in a simple linear narrative structure, instead in a reverse, sometimes scattered order. Memento, a story tells a man with anterograde amnesia which makes his brain unable to store new memories. Later, Insomnia, and The Prestige, both about how you minds/brains can confuse you and blur the boundaries between reality and illusion. i wonder if his interest in psychology or neurobiological disorder has something to do with his personal life....oh, i'm over-analyzing...
Leonardo, our leading man, in my opinion he doesn't have to try to impress people or seek recognition from film critics any more. even though he hasn't been recognized by the academy award, well, hopefully soon will be, he has proven to the world since a long time ago that he is more that just a pretty face. me, i was convinced back when he was still co-starring for Johnny Depp during his early years. I thought he was ready for the academy award in 2004 with "the Aviator" but it fell through and only got him a Golden Globe, so i guess the academy was playing hard to get which they are notorious for. after 6 years, Leo came back with "Inception", which total sank for any acting award at Golden Globe but nominated with directing, visual effects...etc. well, i tend to think that it doesn't mean anything, and hopefully we can see Leo nominated by the academy award.
The Other Guys (2010)
it is a funny movie--i guess you are already expecting that when you see the "Mark Wahlberg + Will Ferrell" label. the standard play for a policemen-involved movie is either funny or dark, and compared to the similar themed films that i've watched recently, this is a little better considering that i actually laughed a few times during the movie. the rest of it is just a lot cliche and a lot of guest stars--i can see someone is playing his friendship cards. the ending is interestingly featured with diagrams and statistics of economic crimes, such as Ponzi scam. and the lyrics of the song that the two wrote is surprisingly hilarious. some critics gave this positive reviews against this year's other police movie "cop out". agreed, all i can remember from "cop out" is the noisy and wordy Tracy Morgan.
Charlie St. Cloud (2010)
i started to doubt my initial intention of downloading this movie during the first 30 min i was watching it. i guess it's been a while since i watched a Zac Efron film--actually, now that i think about it, this was the second one, and i kind of stumbled on the first one which is "17 again" and i was aiming for Matthew Perry at the time. it was an okay movie, but nothing out of the ordinary.
The Social Network (2010)
the amazing work that has been admired all over the world. the ability of transforming a 2-hour story that can easily be recoded as a documentary into a nice narrative story is extraodinary, thanks to David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin. suffice to say that this film made Jesse Eisenberg's career, and gave Justin Timberlake another shot at the bigscreen. i liked Eduardo, played by Andrew Garfield, he is, or used to be, a model. also the Winklevoss' brothers, it's interesting to find out that they were both played by the same actor, well, actually it's two actors but one of them is a body double and had his face superimposed with the credited actor.
|
Red Cliff (Asian release) (2008-2009)
Kaneshiro Takeshi is still perfect-looking as always, Tony…has aged gracefully, and i knew it had been right after the shooting of "Lust, Caution" and he claimed that he was "burnt out", but, to have the signs of "exhaustion" leaked through the screen…is that even professional? a little disappointed…
John Woo, still has the "pigeon complex", i see. also, 4 and half hours, wow, that's gotta be some sort of record in Asia–i could have someone read the episode from the original novel for me, out loud with emotions, and it wouldn't take that long. but from the impression i got from John Woo's previous work, Mission Impossible for example, he is very good at this, telling a relatively simple story with a rather enriched "visual feast".
the Changjiang scenery was spectacular, the battle scenes were magnificent and awe-inspiring, in another word, expensive. even though you can tell that some of those big scenes started with real actors and objects and ended with computer graphics, they are still breath-taking.
Yu and Liang–there's definitely something beyond simple friendship going on there, which i especially enjoyed. Cao cao is good, Liu bei is….well, the character was built to be a little, um, ordinary, especially in a story that is filled with extraordinary heroes, so the acting/actor seemed to be mediocre…..or maybe he was actually brilliant in appearing to be a mediocre character……=_=…
Up in the Air (2009)
Clooney and Farmiga
ever since the trailer or rather some movie clips that I saw at the latest academy award, I've been a little fascinated with Vera Farmiga. her face, her voice, her gesture, ever her name is enchanting to me. and i became so excited when i she appeared in "the Manchurian Candidate"–such a shame her character died close to the end but she was definitely radiant in the movie even along side with Meryl Streep. the director Jason Reitman, who did "Juno", cited her ability to walk a fine line between aggressiveness and femininity, which was an accurate assessment.
Clooney was undoubtedly brilliant in it, come to think about, the character was almost tailored for him. the director Jason Reitman, who did "Juno", was right about casting Clooney for it: if you wanna make a movie about a guy who fires people for a living and you still wanna be able to like him, then that actor'd better be damn charming, "and I don't think there's a more charming actor alive than George Clooney"–personally, i couldn't agree more with the last part, with that smile on that face, he could charm his way into anything or anyone. Clooney, costarred with Farmiga, they are like the male and female version defining "charm". if it's a fairy tale, they'd be living together happily after and have a lot of beautiful children.
the movie told an interesting story, about a man who fires people for a living, or a man who collects miles excessively, or a man and a woman falling in love even though both of them believe in living solo. it delivered an interesting philosophy on human relationships, and the comfort or burden that comes with them. "what if you decided to live hub to hub, with nothing, with nobody?"–oh, believe me that it is more tempting than it sounds, at least I've thought about it, and hope that someday i'll have the opportunity to try it.
there are several inspiring lines in the film making me wanna go back to read the original novel, some of them from Ryan Bingham's (Clooney's character) motivational speech at the "Goalquest", some of them from the talk that he had with his future brother-in-law convincing him to go through the wedding. and here at the end of the film:
"Tonight most people will be welcomed home by jumping dogs and squealing kids. Their spouses will ask about their day. Tonight they'll sleep. The stars will wheel forth from their daytime hiding places, and one of those lights, slightly brighter than the rest, will be my wingtip passing over."
Brooklyn's Finest (2010)
i've been dreading to watch this movie, because it just feels like another cop story with a bunch of big names, everything is typical: NYPD, gang, drug, struggling cops…
and it didn't prove me wrong–it was kind of a wast of good actors, but i guess once a while, those actors, after playing too many times of rich and handsome gentlemen in Hollywood-featured love stories, just need to get out of their systems and do a hardcore guy movie that stinks with testosterone. well, there you go.
Richard Gere, i guess his seniority bought his character the way of becoming the only alive one at the end the film.
Ethan Hawke, "Training Day" was great, but it's time that we move past that, don't you agree? don't we all?
and some TV stars guest-starred the film: Vincent D'Onofrio from "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"; Jesse Williams from "Grey's Anatomy"
Repo Men (2010)
just when i thought it's another action movie disguised with a British-accented, good-looking, 6-packed…well, Jude Law, it brought me a surprising ending, the type that is out of your expectation yet not totally unforeseeable, which instantly changed my view of the movie. an excellent ending, the type that i've longed for from various movies i had seen in the past several months, and finally! the original novel must be a hot seller.
the fictional background in the movie was interesting, so was the idea of mortgaging artificial organs. quite a few bloody scenes, or maybe just because i was watching the unrated version. it was also a pleasant surprise to see Liev Schreiber, although he seemed to have let himself go a little, or maybe just aged. most importantly, Jude Law spent some serious gym-hours for this movie.
The Brave One (2007)
Jodie Foster
New York, street crime, detective, revenge, vigilante, justice
not an original story–a woman became a city vigilante after a traumatic experience, yet Jodie Foster still manage to make it shine. her voice on the radio was a total surprise, that's why i especially loved her monologues in the film. maybe i've been medicating myself with too much drama CD, but her calming voice had such a fascinating effect on me that if she ever decided to retire from the big screen and started hosting her own radio show, i would LISTEN even if she was reading the statistic report on economic regression!
the writer was also brilliant: those monologues, those inspiring metaphors describing the feelings that Erica Bain had after the incident, that how everything started to feel different to her and how she was completely incapable of stopping herself from killing those people even they are criminals.
The Alphabet Killer (2008)
the leading actress didn't jog much memory until i checked her out…well, still not memorable…but as soon as Timothy Hutton showed up in a wheelchair I knew to 95% that who the killer would be….that's what you get when you mix TV shows and movies together–most time TV stars have insignificant roles in a big screen production, but sometimes you may have caught them on their prime time before they go into the TV business…
although the loosely-fact-based story line is a little interesting…
Accident (2009) 意外
interesting story about how to make a premeditated murder appear as an accident. i was purely intrigued by the short introduction of the plot and not motivated by a favorite actor or director to watch it, and it turned out to be good. have to say that Jonnie To's got a good eye for this type of production.
|
Daniel Wu's films:
started with the Brokeback mountain security guard role in Jackie Chan's "Rob-B-Hood" (2006), apparently that 2-min scene wasn't enough for me so i went digging….
Tripe Tap (2010) 枪王之王
Louis Koo turned out to be the leading actor in this one, but Daniel was way better-looking. anyway, "Double Tap", starring Leslie Cheung, was more interesting plot-wise.
Overheard (2009) 窃听风云
loved the music! loved Sean's role in it–to be fair i've always had a weak spot for his acting, and surprised by Louis Koo's sloppy character/image of the role. have to admit that the ending was surprising as i was expecting a slightly different/more corrupted-government-sense-related ending, it was touching and i hadn't cried over a Hongkong film for a while. not only the whole cast was good, the director/writer team proved that they still got it since the world-famous Infernal Affairs trilogy.
Enter the Phoenix (2004) 大佬愛美麗
it was a revisit, because i remembered what a fun it was the first time that i watched it. Daniel’s "quality" for playing a homosexual character is just overwhelmingly proved convincing….and Eason is also such a entertaining role to watch…and i've always liked Karen Mok. Stephen Fung apparently played a lot of friendship cards while making the film.
|
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Keywords:
Danzel Washington, Liev Schreiber, Meryl Streep
drug, war, soilder, conspiracy, (vice) presidential election
apparently, i was on a roll for Washington’s films, and this one became particularly attracting as Streep’s name appeared on the movie poster. however, what really surprised me and became memorable in the movie was the performance from Liev Schreiber as Raymond Shaw, the former Sergeant First Class and later Congressman/candidate for Vice-President. for the most part, i feel sorry for his character–having a controlling, manipulative, ambitious, and powerful mother…and the rest can be left unsaid. even so, i still felt the love, or whatever that strong emotion is, between the mother and the son. when the son finally stood up to her, plotted and succeeded in taking the life of hers and his very own, i think i saw the expression of relief and comfort appeared and stayed on the mother’s face as she was dying, which almost looked like that she was smiling. or, i could be totally hallucinating over Meryl Streep’s excellent acting. Washington’s part felt a little beige to me.
The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
Keywords:
Danzel Washington, John Travolta
NY, train/subway, stock market
i was strangely concerned about the scene where the PD rushing the ransom to the train station as demanded by the hijackers, particularly the lives of those police officers who were driving insanely reckless during daytime on the streets and of the innocent pedestrians who happened to walk by. and later it turned out to be such a waste when the plot revealed that they could have just taken a helicopter as transportation!? duh!
overall, i was a little disappointed as i expected more twisted plot…wished that there was a hidden ending after Garber got home and revealed that he had been working with the crew all along…
well, Washington plus Travolta, i hope it at least sold some tickets.
Inside Man (2006)
Keywords:
Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, Clive Owen
wished that Foster was given more scene….and i seemed to have read a fiction with a similar plot somewhere before so it was an anticipated ending…
Clive Owen, he looked rather familiar to me at the beginning of the film but i struggled through the entire movie trying to place him where i recognized him from. now, a couple of weeks later, i finally it was from his work with Julia Roberts in "Duplicity".
Washington smoothed the part out from head to toe….
|
The Da Vinci Code (2006) and its sequel Angels & Demons (2009)
yes, of course i watched them because of tom hanks. in The Da Vinci Code, professor Robert Langdon (T.H.'s character) was involved in the search of the Holy Grail, which was supposed to be Jesus's wife (lover?) Mary Magdalene in Paris and London. then it was revealed that Mary Magdalene was pregnant and the whole trip turned into the search for Magdalene's descendant, more importantly, the living descendant of Jesus Christ. the sequel happened in Vatican city. the very professor was helping the Roman Catholic Church to stop the Illuminati's revenging murders of the primary candidates for the Pope, which turned out to be orchestrated by the Camerlengo of the church.
the movies felt like a religious shower, i was overwhelmed since the beginning. have to appreciate the power of religions even though i'm not religious–the zealotry of millions of followers and believers are real. i guess it all comes down to rendering peace in the heart by believing the higher power, or at least that's how i could understand.
the music was excellent, so were the costumes. the scenery…those European cities are already beautiful enough. the only disappointing thing is that the character doesn't give Hanks a lot to space to show his talent, even though he was very convincing as a professor. needless to say that the story line was beautifully plotted–there were a series of books to prove that. but in the sequel, almost as soon as the debut of Camerlengo Patrick McKenna, i knew he was the man behind everything–of course, you cast Ewan McGregor as that character, who else can be the final boss?
Julie & Julia (2009) and The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
and again, yes, i watched them because of Meryl Streep. and congrats on the recent Golden Globe!
looking forward to Doubt (2008)
Ocean's Eleven (2001) and its sequels Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
The combination of George Clooney and Brad Pitt is just too attractive to resist, plus i've always got a soft spot for Matt Damon. Soderbergh's way of telling story is almost always full of humor, blatantly or subtly. i watched them before separately, but three in a roll is definitely a different feeling.
wondering if they'll do an "fourteen" in 2010…..
Burn After Reading (2008)
Coen brothers are really good at making two lady-killers look like idiots. and what does it tell us about THE agency…..
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
the make-up is amazing, when Benjamin (Pitt) gradually grew younger, they can actually make a 45-year-old man look like a college freshman, or even high school senior. and Cate Blanchett, elegant and breath-taking as always, and if anyone could age gracefully, it should be her.
Revolutionary Road (2008)
with the classical couple starring, i was expecting another romantic story. so when their marriage was in trouble and April (Winslet) suggested that they move to Paris and start a new life, i actually believed that that's what they were going to do, and assumed that that's what's implied in the title. i was hopeful, until the film passed 1.5 hr and they were still arguing about if they should drop everything and move to Paris. then i remembered, the screenplay was adapted from Richard Yates' novel–and everything made sense after that, the fights, the death…..
The Good Shepherd (2006)
a spy film directed by Robert De Niro and starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie
i was more touched by their son in the film, Edward Jr., who was neglected by his father in the childhood and yet still sought for his approval when he grew up, which eventually cost him his happiness.
Duplicity (2009)
a romantic comedy spy-thriller film starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, about two corporate spies with a romantic history who collaborate to carry out a complicated con. it was a little beige for a spy film considering they are fighting for hair products. but like people say, the war in business is nothing less than that in the front line. i guess the thrill lies in the suspicion and doubt between the two lovers when they play their little game. but even their love didn't move me at the end.
Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
the film, adapted from George Crile's 2003 book "Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History", tells a true story of U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson (Dem., TX) who partnered with "bare knuckle attitude" CIA operative Gust Avrakotos to launch Operation Cyclone, a program to organize and support the Afghan mujahideen in their resistance to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
the whole thing is about how the Congressman gets the money and the weapons to help the Afghanistanians to shoot the Russians. the Congressman successfully raised 1 billion dollars from the Congress for the military assistance, but couldn't persuade them to give 1 million to build schools in Afghan as part of the post-war support.
"These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world……and then we fucked up the end game." – Charlie Wilson
well, it's Tom Hanks, what more can i say, what more need i say. i honestly didn't even notice Julia Roberts was also in the cast until her appearance in the movie.
Inglorious Bastards (2009)
the film was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz and Mélanie Laurent. It tells the story of two plots to assassinate Nazi Germany's political leadership, one planned by a young French Jewish cinema proprietress, played by Laurent, and the other by a team of Jewish Allied soldiers led by Lieutenant Aldo Raine, played by Pitt.
Tarantino's peculiar sense of humor, and his signature scenes of violence are at full disclosure in the film. and this time, it's the human scalp–without any warning, there it was, just suddenly out there, the Bastards scalping German soldiers. i was surprised though, for the indirect depict of Brad Pitt carving the Nazi sign into one of the German soldier's forehead right after the scalping. but Taratino never disappoints, so there it is, the last scene, Aldo (Pitt's part) caving the sign into the forehead of the Jew hunter Landa, every bloody details.
i was repulsed by some of the scenes, but i should've known better–i guess it's been too long since my last Tarantino's film, and my so-thought immunity to bloody scenes definitely hasn't been updated to the big screen R-rated level.
the story was about revenge, needless to say there was killing. but in the director's way of telling the story, death, the loss of human life seemed almost insignificant, and emotion, affection for one another was neglectable.
the cast were excellent: Brad Pitt with his southern accent was delightful; i especially cared for the British lieutenant who was unfortunately only last for one of the five chapters; and of course the poor German private Zoler who fell for the wrong girl. it was said that the Nazi "Jew hunter" Landa was originally casted for Leonardo DiCaprio…uh, imagine that……..also, the HongKong actress Maggie Cheung played the beautiful French woman who owned the cinema where the ultimate revenge took place. too bad that all of her scenes were cut for length reasons. well, Tarantino and his hopeless Asian complex.
|
|
|
|
|
