Category Archive
The following is a list of all entries from the Reviews category.
SPARTA!
Watched 300 today. I won’t comment much about it. Everything that should be said has already been said here and here.
In general, It was a fun movie, but not up to my expectations. I’ll give it a 6.5/10. Cinematography was great, but I preferred Letters from Iwo Jima. The plot could have been a lot better. they should have had a subplot involving someone from the Persian side. I know its a bit clichéd, but it would have worked.
EDIT: After thinking a bit more, I move 300 up to 7/10. It had great cinematography, an average, but acceptable script and good acting, which carried the script, taking attention away from its defects by throwing lines at us like javelins.
Letters from Iwo Jima
There are movies, and there are films. An example of a movie would be Star Wars or RV. An example of a film would be Blade Runner or Little Miss Sunshine. Movies simply entertain you – a deeper meaning may be present, but not emphasized. A film can entertain, but a clear and understandable deeper meaning is present. There is a communion of sorts, between the makers and the viewers. When I watched Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima, I was expecting a film, and was not disappointed.Letters is an incredibly well done movie. This, I was expecting. I mean, its Clint-goddamn-Eastwood. He was a bloody cowboy, for crying out loud. That exudes awesomeness. In some territories, it defines awesomeness.
I am not a photographer, but prolonged exposure to their kind has given me a degree to understanding on what constitutes great cinematography. Every shot is beautiful, and the (virtually) monochromatic tone of the entire film is both grim and slightly surreal.
The story itself is captivating, engaging the audience almost instantly. Not only does Eastwood manage to develop the plot and characters beautifully, he makes it look easy. I won’t give away to many plot details, since the majority hasn’t watched it yet.
Ken Watanabe performance is brilliant, as always, (Batman Begins is not counted, damn it!). His portrayal off General Kuribayashi is very real, and very powerful, almost disturbingly so. The rest of the cast act well too (alot better than the cast for most movies), but they pale in comparison to Watanabe. Other cast members of note include the Baron Nishi and Saigo – Baker-turned-Soldier. Apologizes, I can’t be bothered to find out more about them.
The score, apparently done by Eastwood’s son, was not remarkable, but it was suitable, and a bit haunting.
Well, I can’t think of anything else today, but basically, what I’m trying to say is that Letters is the best war movie I have ever seen; including Apocalypse Now. It manages to stay sincere and heart-wrenching, keeping to the classic themes of the war movie, while staying engaging and unique. I foresee it to become a truly timeless film, not to mention a cult classic.
Eastwood seems to have outdone himself yet again, and I’m genuinely shocked that the Departed managed to clinch Best Picture instead.
Bedroom Farce
Went to see JX’s play today. Good stuff. Its a play called Bedroom Farce, written byAlan Ayckbourn. They did a real amazing job of putting it together – considering they’ve only been working on in for a month.
The actors acted brilliantly- except for some minor issues – which, again is pretty amazing considering the time frame. I don’t really know any of the actors, but I’ll give a shout-out to Ashvin and JX for jobs well done.
The set was pretty professional – and except for some technical difficuties with the lights (MR!) – It was all in all a pretty damn good show. Great job guys! We in ACSIS have a lot of work to do before we can get up to that standard.
