In Bruges is a film that will be reverberating within your head long after you finish it. It is the first movie I have seen in a long time that successfully combines a number of different genres into one exceptional work. Centered on the exploits of two hitmen hiding away in Bruges, Belgium, the film slowly builds up an intense story of murder, revenge, and redemption. Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) are the two hitmen, on the lamb from a botched murder attempt in the medieval Bruges. Director Martin McDonagh infuses the beauty of Bruges into every possible scene, which comes to reflect the double-sided beauty of so many things in the film.
One thing that struck me as an important part of the film's message was the beauty and morality of Bruges and it's inhabitants which was often skin-deep. The lovely picturesque Bruges ensares the eye of any visitor, yet is infamous for the child abuse rampant in it's streets. The beautiful young woman who steals and sells drugs to townspeople. The boss of an organized crime operation specializing in murder that refuses to harm women or children. And last but certainly not least, the two hitmen that each possess a hidden morality. Each one of these situations exemplifies the saying "beauty is only skin deep" because even the most beautiful characters in the story (including the city of Bruges itself) are morally corrupt, while every murderer in the story posesses a certain honor and regret for lives lost. A big part of the movie is a discussion between Ray and Ken, who speak about Heaven and Hell, and what happens after death. *SPOILER* The last thing Ray sees before (dying?) is the beautiful tower in Bruges, and he says:
"Because at least in prison and at least in death, you know, I wouldn't be in f***in' Bruges. But then, like a flash, it came to me. And I realized, f*** man, maybe that's what hell is: the entire rest of eternity spent in f***in' Bruges. And I really really hoped I wouldn't die. I really really hoped I wouldn't die."
This just shows how the most beautiful place in the world, a "fairytale" city could also be the most hellish place on earth. McDonagh delivered his message beautifully in that there is a world of good and bad in the least likely of places, if one just cared to look beneath the surface.
I strongly urge you all to see this movie if you seek to be entertained, but even more if you wish to have your brain stimulated and your thoughts provoked.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Platoon vs. Full Metal Jacket
I saw the movie Platoon the other night, and I thought it was pretty interesting. Throughout the duration of the film I couldn't help but compare it to Full Metal Jacket. Both films are about the Vietnam War, shown from a soldier's perspective. Platoon features a more well-known cast (Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Forest Whittaker, Johnny Depp and many more) and was made a year before FMJ in 1986. Charlie Sheen in Platoon is a rich young man that decides to volunteer to serve his country. The story flows fairly smoothly, and I enjoyed this particular film over FMJ, and I'll list some of the reasons why.
1. Better cast list. Everyone knows that in war movies, it is extremely difficult to tell the difference between characters in a frantic battle scene. Lots of similar-looking people running around, shouting who know's what. I find this confusion immensely annoying. I thought Platoon was superior to FMJ in this aspect because their cast/supporting cast was much stronger. They skill of the actors in Platoon caused their characters to develop a little better. In FMJ, I didn't even know where Private Joker was half the time, and it was difficult to see what separated him from the rest of the people in his squad.
Also, another reason that Platoon was less confusing, and thus more enjoyable to watch for me was because of a simple, (but unrealistic) tool. Pretty much every single character had hair. They were all sporting movie star-styled full-length hair in the midst of the Vietnamese jungles. I was under the impression that soldiers all had crew cuts, and if not, very very short hair. I mean, the first 3 minutes or so of FMJ is just of a barber shaving hair off of various soldiers. But the fact that each character had hair allowed people to identify them much easier.
2. Storyline. I thought Platoon's storyline was more interesting, and less choppy than FMJ's. FMJ was like two movies, one while they were at training camp, and one during the Tet Offensive. Platoon followed a single plotline, and it was much easier to get immersed in the experience of the soldiers. When you are trudging through a jungle for an entire movie, you can almost feel the fatigue, the hopelessness of the soldiers, just from watching it for so long. You are tired of the jungle, and you are not even there, so I think this makes you feel more for the men. FMJ has many different locations, and there is never really much direct conflict, so it barely feels like a Vietnam movie at all.
3. Better action sequences. There really isn't much to this one, but I thought it was obvious that Platoon's action sequences were more captivating, considering in FMJ there wasn't much of any.
4. Better message. The message I gleaned from FMJ was that soldiers were unemotional machines, and that was the only way they could survive. Private Joker ends the movie much different and colder than he was pre-war. Gone is his joking demeanor, and in its place is a killer of a young woman, begging for mercy. Did he kill her out of mercy? Or was it revenge?
Platoon's message seemed to delve a little deeper than FMJ's. yes, war can dehumanize you so that you become a killing machine to your enemies, but it also has effects that are much more complex. Destroying hundreds of innocents, turning on your friends, these are all things that you become capable of.
After all, if a dead man falls in the jungle, does he make a sound? I think not.
1. Better cast list. Everyone knows that in war movies, it is extremely difficult to tell the difference between characters in a frantic battle scene. Lots of similar-looking people running around, shouting who know's what. I find this confusion immensely annoying. I thought Platoon was superior to FMJ in this aspect because their cast/supporting cast was much stronger. They skill of the actors in Platoon caused their characters to develop a little better. In FMJ, I didn't even know where Private Joker was half the time, and it was difficult to see what separated him from the rest of the people in his squad.
Also, another reason that Platoon was less confusing, and thus more enjoyable to watch for me was because of a simple, (but unrealistic) tool. Pretty much every single character had hair. They were all sporting movie star-styled full-length hair in the midst of the Vietnamese jungles. I was under the impression that soldiers all had crew cuts, and if not, very very short hair. I mean, the first 3 minutes or so of FMJ is just of a barber shaving hair off of various soldiers. But the fact that each character had hair allowed people to identify them much easier.
2. Storyline. I thought Platoon's storyline was more interesting, and less choppy than FMJ's. FMJ was like two movies, one while they were at training camp, and one during the Tet Offensive. Platoon followed a single plotline, and it was much easier to get immersed in the experience of the soldiers. When you are trudging through a jungle for an entire movie, you can almost feel the fatigue, the hopelessness of the soldiers, just from watching it for so long. You are tired of the jungle, and you are not even there, so I think this makes you feel more for the men. FMJ has many different locations, and there is never really much direct conflict, so it barely feels like a Vietnam movie at all.
3. Better action sequences. There really isn't much to this one, but I thought it was obvious that Platoon's action sequences were more captivating, considering in FMJ there wasn't much of any.
4. Better message. The message I gleaned from FMJ was that soldiers were unemotional machines, and that was the only way they could survive. Private Joker ends the movie much different and colder than he was pre-war. Gone is his joking demeanor, and in its place is a killer of a young woman, begging for mercy. Did he kill her out of mercy? Or was it revenge?
Platoon's message seemed to delve a little deeper than FMJ's. yes, war can dehumanize you so that you become a killing machine to your enemies, but it also has effects that are much more complex. Destroying hundreds of innocents, turning on your friends, these are all things that you become capable of.
After all, if a dead man falls in the jungle, does he make a sound? I think not.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Have you ever wanted to live someone else's life? Catch Me If You Can is a movie illustrating the life and crimes of a man who did just that. Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, Catch Me If You Can is an engrossing film. Based on a true story, the movie follows the life of Frank Abignale Jr. (DiCaprio), one of the biggest thieves that 1960's America had ever seen. Through the use of fraudulent checks, fake jobs, and pure charisma, Abignale appropriates over 4 million dollars in stolen money before the age of 19. Never far behind, FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Hanks) chases Abignale across the world and back again.
At first glance you wouldn't think an audience could empathize with a criminal on the run, but Spielberg infuses such a like-ability in Abignale that you cannot help but root for his escape. Although he was one of the biggest thieves of his time period, Abignale didn't steal anything in hopes of personal gain or advancement. He just wants to restore the old life he lost due to the shortcomings of his down-and-out father and his adulteress of a mother. On a quest to make something of himself so he can restore his family's relationship, Abignale finds himself pretending to be an airline co-pilot, a doctor, lawyer, and a teacher, just to name some of his jobs. He uses these occupations to pretend to be something he isn't, because he cannot bear to think that his life has become so lonely and different than it was in his childhood. By living a life that is not his, he is able to avoid his own problems. In a series of letter narrations(over the course of time) to his father, Abignale tells of the many new fantastic jobs he has, and always ends his note with a promise to get the family together for a Sunday dinner, which becomes clear that it will never happen. This makes the audience empathize with Abignale, because he is after all, just a kid trying to make things right as best he can.
One reason I think this movie is an amazing one is because of the parallels that are displayed between the two main characters. Each character in a way, is extremely lonely and isolated from their respective families. Even though they are on opposite sides of the law, Abignale calls Hanratty on Christmas every year, because he has nobody else to call. Hanratty is the same way, and that leads to their great friendship after the capture of Abignale. These characters are alike in so many ways, so much so that they can't help but become the best of friends by the film's end. Loneliness is such a huge theme in this film, but Spielberg shows that it only takes one friend to drive you out of a withdrawal, even if they aren't on your side.
This film has phenomenal lead characters, and they help make Catch Me If You Can the great movie that it is. There is never a moment of boredom through the duration of the film, and the twists and turns will keep you guessing, even as they take you all over the world. I strongly recommend anyone to go see this film because it is, in my opinion, flawless piece of film-making. Even when you can escape the life you live to lead a different one, you always have to come back to reality, no matter how bleak it may seem. We all are meant for certain things, and if we pretend to be someone else we are just fooling ourselves. Catch Me If You Can is a must see.
At first glance you wouldn't think an audience could empathize with a criminal on the run, but Spielberg infuses such a like-ability in Abignale that you cannot help but root for his escape. Although he was one of the biggest thieves of his time period, Abignale didn't steal anything in hopes of personal gain or advancement. He just wants to restore the old life he lost due to the shortcomings of his down-and-out father and his adulteress of a mother. On a quest to make something of himself so he can restore his family's relationship, Abignale finds himself pretending to be an airline co-pilot, a doctor, lawyer, and a teacher, just to name some of his jobs. He uses these occupations to pretend to be something he isn't, because he cannot bear to think that his life has become so lonely and different than it was in his childhood. By living a life that is not his, he is able to avoid his own problems. In a series of letter narrations(over the course of time) to his father, Abignale tells of the many new fantastic jobs he has, and always ends his note with a promise to get the family together for a Sunday dinner, which becomes clear that it will never happen. This makes the audience empathize with Abignale, because he is after all, just a kid trying to make things right as best he can.
One reason I think this movie is an amazing one is because of the parallels that are displayed between the two main characters. Each character in a way, is extremely lonely and isolated from their respective families. Even though they are on opposite sides of the law, Abignale calls Hanratty on Christmas every year, because he has nobody else to call. Hanratty is the same way, and that leads to their great friendship after the capture of Abignale. These characters are alike in so many ways, so much so that they can't help but become the best of friends by the film's end. Loneliness is such a huge theme in this film, but Spielberg shows that it only takes one friend to drive you out of a withdrawal, even if they aren't on your side.
This film has phenomenal lead characters, and they help make Catch Me If You Can the great movie that it is. There is never a moment of boredom through the duration of the film, and the twists and turns will keep you guessing, even as they take you all over the world. I strongly recommend anyone to go see this film because it is, in my opinion, flawless piece of film-making. Even when you can escape the life you live to lead a different one, you always have to come back to reality, no matter how bleak it may seem. We all are meant for certain things, and if we pretend to be someone else we are just fooling ourselves. Catch Me If You Can is a must see.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
American Psycho (2000)
American Psycho was an interesting movie to say the least. Directed by Mary Harron, American Psycho is a perverse thriller about a rich, young, Manhattan investment banker named Patrick Bateman. Bateman seems like the average 1980's rich guy, he goes to clubs with his friends, talks down to his coworkers, that sort of thing. He uses ten different kinds of moisturizers in the shower and does 1000 crunches every morning. He blends into society perfectly, so much that no one suspects anything beneath his act.
A major theme in this movie is Bateman's desire to maintain a facade of normality. He has a snobby wife to go with his snobby friends, and he possesses no real feelings for any of them. In fact, he often mocks (in his narrations) the kind of lifestyle that his friends and wife live. But beneath this facade of a harmless businessman lies a sadistic murderer. Bateman often vents his frustration by committing heinous acts of physical and sexual violence, often done on complete whim, with no thought to any consequence. He decides he dislikes a rival banker, he hacks his face off with an ax. There is a lot of drug use in the film, and since it is narrated in the first person by Bateman, you aren't sure what is real and what actually happened. Nick pointed out that the story could've been just a big coke trip that Bateman imagined, which I thought was a good point.
I thought that Bateman could've been imagining the murders because they become more sadistic and elaborate as the movie progresses, to the point that it would be EXTREMELY infeasible to not get caught. There is one scene that is a salient feature of the film, where Bateman, covered in blood and wielding a chainsaw, chases a hooker through his apartment building. (They're both completely naked) She bangs on doors, screaming and yelling, and then runs down a circular staircase. We see her nearing the bottom, with Bateman at the top, with his chainsaw poised to fall. And he drops it right through her back. I mean come on.
American Psycho was an interesting movie, but it was a bit too perverse and "out there" for my tastes. It is a movie full of metaphorical messages and subtle undertones about people's social behavior, and it is all very dark and twisted. I would not reccommend it for a family viewing, but still, you could learn a few things about society from watching it.
A major theme in this movie is Bateman's desire to maintain a facade of normality. He has a snobby wife to go with his snobby friends, and he possesses no real feelings for any of them. In fact, he often mocks (in his narrations) the kind of lifestyle that his friends and wife live. But beneath this facade of a harmless businessman lies a sadistic murderer. Bateman often vents his frustration by committing heinous acts of physical and sexual violence, often done on complete whim, with no thought to any consequence. He decides he dislikes a rival banker, he hacks his face off with an ax. There is a lot of drug use in the film, and since it is narrated in the first person by Bateman, you aren't sure what is real and what actually happened. Nick pointed out that the story could've been just a big coke trip that Bateman imagined, which I thought was a good point.
I thought that Bateman could've been imagining the murders because they become more sadistic and elaborate as the movie progresses, to the point that it would be EXTREMELY infeasible to not get caught. There is one scene that is a salient feature of the film, where Bateman, covered in blood and wielding a chainsaw, chases a hooker through his apartment building. (They're both completely naked) She bangs on doors, screaming and yelling, and then runs down a circular staircase. We see her nearing the bottom, with Bateman at the top, with his chainsaw poised to fall. And he drops it right through her back. I mean come on.
American Psycho was an interesting movie, but it was a bit too perverse and "out there" for my tastes. It is a movie full of metaphorical messages and subtle undertones about people's social behavior, and it is all very dark and twisted. I would not reccommend it for a family viewing, but still, you could learn a few things about society from watching it.
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