OT: Movie reviews by American Jesus
- From: "American Jesus" <zz99z@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 26 Mar 2007 17:59:45 -0700
Blood Diamond
Fun to watch, I give it a B. Two guys run though the jungle to get
their hands on a rough version of the Pink Panther so the African can
be applauded by rich white people who don't actually give a damn about
Africa. BTW, he gets his family back at the end. Here's an idea:
Why not spend the money to stop this in the first place instead of
buying an African to speak for you? Or do you not know right from
wrong? Ah, I guess that would make for a boring flick.
Leo provides a good performance but Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator fame)
is the rich character here. He lights the screen with his refusal to
forget his family and his ability to trust those who, on the surface,
may appear to be scoundrels. Everybody gets a chance at redemption.
"I am the camera man", he says, and he watches the older-looking Leo
turn from a greedy diamond smuggler to somebody who actually cares
about people instead of money.
Babel.
Awesome movie title, bad movie. A so-called hyperlink cinema,
apparently the writers of this forgot what they saw in Crash, which
illustrated that the separate story lines actually have to have a
point other than that all of these people live on the same planet.
Instead we get to watch a frustrated Asian girl try to get sex and
that maybe she killed her own mother. And oh, by the way, her dad
gave somebody a gun that was used by some stupid goat herder to
accidentally shoot an American. We learn that at the end. Apparently
the writers pat themselves on the back for showing a picture of the
man on a hunting expedition earlier in the movie. Fantastic!
Did I leave out the part about the drunk Mexican who suddenly had a
problem with authority, AFTER his car was searched and nothing was
found? That is pathetic writing. You've got to give the character
something legitimate to be angry about, but, even then, he has nothing
to do with the story. Why am I watching a wedding in Mexico?
In Crash, everything that happened had something to do with being in
Los Angeles, and it was poignant because everybody fit together in
their own chaotic way in a city known for people not connecting. In
Babel we get the opposite: a few stories that have nothing to do with
each other, other than one person knew another. One could make a good
movie just with the Asian girl and her situation, but Babel sucks as a
whole. If you want to see how this is supposed to work then watch
Crash, Traffic, and Syriana.
Just a quick note: Crash and Traffic get an A while Syriana gets a
B. Babel doesn't even rate.
Flight 93
Good stuff, very straight to the point. There is no more drama than
needed, and it gives a step by step playbook of what happened. One
of the fascinating intricacies of this film was how the passengers
came to the conclusion that a particular terrorist who was strapped
with bombs either had fake explosives or no intention of using them.
Seeing regular, ordinary people in excruciating terror and trauma
display the ability to reason was remarkable. How would any of us act
in that situation? Would we have the guts?
The much hyped "let's role" line was just a blip on the radar and
did not in any way "over-Hollywood" the movie. The film was
tastefully done and it reminded me of something a friend of mine told
me a few years back. He related to me a story of when he was on board
a flight, preparing for take-off, and how the captain spoke over the
intercom and said "Hello ladies and gentleman. I hope you enjoy your
flight today. If anybody attempts to take this aircraft by force then
I want everyone to stand up and stop them." It's the world we live in
now, and one Israelis have known for quite some time. Enter now the
world, Americans.
The passengers on the jet weren't the only ones who suffered. There
are a few scenes where mothers and aunts are watching the horror
unfold before them, yet the children present don't understand what is
happening. These women continue to act normally in front of the
children, getting them breakfast and getting them ready for school,
while suffering over what they are helpless to do. They are strong
yet the agony and fear are unquestionably burned into their faces.
Your heart goes out to them.
Flight 93 is a classy reminder that we live in a dangerous world
filled with remarkable people. Beautifully and simplistically
directed, I urge people who haven't already seen it to do so.
----------------
I hope this was useful. Just thought I'd try to clear the air of
political smog, if only for a moment.
.
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