This right here is a little gem that seems to have been overlooked. I was under the impression that this was somehow basically the same thing as Letters To Iwo Jima but no, this is really quite a wonderful story. It's a remake of a 1957 film of the same name, and it is indeed a western. You really don't see many westerns being made these days, and this film makes you wonder why not. I haven't seen the original, but I have to assume it isn't as graphic as this one, as there are several scenes that were honestly jaw-dropping. The basic premise is Russell Crowe is a notorious thieving, murdering outlaw, and Christian Bale is just a simple farmer trying to survive a drought. Through circumstance, Crowe is captured, and has to be taken to jail, so the mission is to get him on the train to Yuma prison. Yes, the train comes at 3:10 in the afternoon. Crowe's gang is still on the lose and desperate to get him back, and here lies the problem. They are understaffed, so townsfolk are recruited to guard the prisoner on route to the train station, Bale being one of them. It's really quite good. Crowe is deceptive and ruthless, but he has a side of civility towards Bale, and the pair make an interesting connection. A film about honour, respect and struggle in the face of certain death, this some I highly recommend.
9/10
Film#82 - The Bourne Identity, 2002, dir. Doug Liman
It took me forever to get around to seeing this, and it wasn't what I expected. Anyone who doesn't know, the basic idea is Matt Damon is found floating in the ocean by some sailors, and he has no idea who he is. Interesting, he has the reflexes of a God and seemingly out of control will react to dangerous situations. It's like he's on autopilot and it's working wonders for him. Other than that plot element, it's a fairly typical action movie, but a good one at that. It has everything you'd expect, car chases, gun shoot outs, seemingly superhuman enemies at points as well as hopeless guards who are dispatched just too easily. A love interest to top it off. But still, it went about the whole thing very well.
8/10
Film#83 - Das Weisse Band (The White Ribbon), 2009, dir. Michael Haneke
This film not only looks like it's 70 years old, but it's overall style of filmmaking is reminiscent of something you might be forced to watch in a film course. I would normally have some reluctance getting into those types of films, but this was just enthralling. Set in what I believe to be set in the early 1910's in Germany, the film revolves around a small village. The movie is starts with the town doctor being tripped on his horse by a trap set for him, and he is sent to the next town for treatment. Later on, at the town's annual festival all the cabbage crop is destroyed by an angry townsman. The plot really picks up when the son of the family of nobles (is that a correct thing to say?) is found hung upside down and badly beaten, although still alive. They leave town, and later on another boy is found in a similar situation. No one confesses to this crimes, and suspicions are on high. Meanwhile, there are several stories being told, namely of the town school teacher and his new love interest, the doctor and his family issues, and the town priest and his disobedient children, although by anyone's standards today they would be some of the most disciplined children you've ever seen. The film is narrated at times by the school teacher, in a voice that seems as if he is retelling the story as an old man, while in the film he is in his early thirties. It's interspersed with wide shots of fields of wheat, and with the high contrast of the black and white film, the wheat glows bright white. It's really quite beautiful. In contrast, much of the film is very dark, playing on the lack of electricity of the time. It doesn't even seem like actors in the film. It's stunning. Some key scenes really do stick out, particularly one where a young boy, maybe 4 years old, asks his sister about what death means. Really touching stuff.
9/10
Film#84 - Blue Velvet, 1986, dir. David Lynch
I don't even know what this was. David Lynch, he's a nut job in my opinion. This right here is a film that's 'visual art' and I have to say, in my view of what makes a good movie, this is pretty much terrible. The story is bizarre, but more importantly it's told in such a strange fashion, with characters that seem under-developed while at the same time just so distinct it's difficult to put my finger on whether or not this is actually good acting. There's some intense cursing on the account of Dennis Hopper, who is just out of his mind. Many scenes are very uncomfortable to watch, and make me wonder why it's necessary at all. What point does have a film have if it's just to make you uncomfortable? I'm not sure. I just don't know about this film. I did however watch it all attentively and it never really lost me, which is really it's redeeming quality.
5.5/10
Film#85 - Observe And Report, 2009, dir. Jody Hill
This is another film I just don't know what happened to. I thought this would be a hilarious movie. No no, not at all. I've seen Paul Blart: Mall Cop before and it was terrible. This is pretty much the same movie. The dialogue may be the worst I've ever heard. There is just so much unnecessary swearing, it goes far beyond the shock value of a joke and into a place where it's just an embarrassment. The basic idea really is quite basic: Seth Rogen is a mall security officer and he feels under appreciated. Crazy I know. Where this film really confuses me is what it's trying to be. On one hand, it's marketed as a comedy. On the other hand, Rogen's character is bipolar and it's really just weird. It's like it had the potential to have depth and be a real story but it goes around with these strange scenes where I'm not sure what's funny. There is no comedic timing in this at all; the jokes are told like someone who is trying to be funny but no one in the room is laughing, and they just keep pushing it, getting more and more shocking, but it just gets awkward. I can't stress enough how much this film relies on shock value. I think the film actually sums itself so well when a character who has been eavesdropping comes out and says something like, "I thought this was going to be funny, but it's really just kind of sad."
3/10
