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Reviews
V for Vendetta (2005)
V for Vendetta (Spoilers)
V for Vendetta is the first fun, clever and entertaining political film that I have seen since The Crying Game and The Battle of Algiers. I thought that Hugo Weaving (V) and Natalie Portman (Eve Hammond) gave excellent performances. V is a man on a mission: revenge for the terrible actions of his government against him and enlightenment for the citizens of his world. He takes action and from his actions come the beginning of the "revolution". V understands that he must teach his fellow citizens--he teaches through the destruction of symbols: justice has been abandoned in a theocratic-fascist England, and so he destroys the Old Bailey. He encourages their small steps: symbolic actions (the small child spraying a graffiti V, etc.) and anonymous action (the Guy Fawkes outfits for everyone in London). All the while, he carries out his personal acts of revenge. As for Eve, he teaches her through kindness and ruthlessness--he drives away all her fear. He makes her a rebel. The film highlights two acts of rebellion, quiet, but costly, that cost two people their lives--one, Gordon, gets swept up in the "V mindset" and forgets about the Fingerman, and commits a revolutionary act (humor as revolution) -- he also wears a mask, he passes as "straight" but is a gay man in the frightening world of the Christian fundamentalism; even more important, his courage reminds Evey of her parents, their sacrifice, and now his sacrifice. And finally, Eve draws comfort and courage from the autobiography of a young lesbian, once again, who keeps her integrity . . . Evey finds her own courage and integrity . . . She is willing to die anonymously, in order to preserve V and the "revolution". An altogether lovely film.
Home Room (2002)
Intense emotional film
This is a very good film about two young women from very different backgrounds who bond in the aftermath of a Columbine type shooting in their high school Spoilers: Alicia Browning (Busy Phillips) and Deanna Cartwright (Erika Christensen) survive the day. Alicia is left blood-covered, but unwounded; and Deanna is shot in the head and survives. The principal of the school forces Alicia to visit Deanna in the hospital; and both quickly reveal that each suffers from the events of that day. Deanna is "a perky perfect girl" eager to please parents, school administrators, and the police, but she finds herself unable to deal with the "survivor's guilt" and emotional pain. On the other hand, Alicia is a cold, angry young woman who left school for nearly two years and now has returned and befriended the confused and angry young shooter. She is targeted as an accomplice by the police. We work our way through the emotional minefields of both young women; and arrive at an understanding of Alicia's anger/coldness. The film gets a bit preachy at the end, but leaves the rhetoric behind for an emotionally satisfying catharsis between the two young women at the school's graduation. Unlike many films dealing with such incidents, it focuses on the aftermath, and the emotional pain of the survivor (and how it will never go away, you just have to learn to live with it). It deserves a look.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
A brilliant adaptation of the Tolkien masterpiece
A brilliant adaptation of the Tolkien masterpiece--The Return of the King is a fitting end to the great film epic of our time. My favorite scenes in the movie are the lighting of the beacons, the muster of the Rohirrim and the arrival of the Rohirrim at the Pelennor outside of Minas Tirith. Of special note, I loved Bernard Hill's Theoden, the king of Rohan, and Miranda Otto's Eowyn. I also liked Jackson's subtle but obvious homages to other classic films in the trilogy--when the orcs leave Minas Morgul, I had a sudden vision of flying monkeys, and of course, the more obvious reference to Triumph of the Will in the Two Towers, and even Henry V (Tolkien was not quite up to St Crispan's Day, but Jackson created somewhat pallid, but stirring speeches at the Pelennor and before the Black Gate from his writings). I must give high praise to the film and all involved in the film--they captured the spirit of Tolkien.
Excalibur (1981)
A beautiful retelling of the Arthurian myth
I believe that Excalibur is the very best Arthurian film. It is a brilliant retelling of the Arthurian legend and it gets the story right--he is the once and future king, a messianic figure. Boorman beautifully captures the myth. Spoilers: Furthermore, a line that Sean Connery delivered in Zardoz dully and ineffectively is delivered by Helen Mirren to great effect in this film--you really believe that Morgana wants Merlin's knowledge so badly that she will sacrifice herself. And the ending works so well, you believe in Arthur. The ship heads toward Avalon, somewhere toward the setting sun, to the West. And I love the music, Wagner works so well in this film. A grand film.
The Arena (2001)
Remake of Naked Warriors
I have seen this film four times now. It is a remake of the film, Naked Warriors (Pam Grier and Margaret Markov). Grier and Markov also made a film called Black Mama, White Mama (1973), a women in prison film. The Arena is not a bad remake--it owes much to the original film and to two other films/series, yes Ridley Scott's Gladiator and the series, Xena, Warrior Princess. It treats the women with a certain amount of respect and quickly focuses on their love/hate/love relationship. Another film of the same type from the Sixties: Thor and the Amazon Women.
Excalibur (1981)
A beautiful retelling of the Arthurian myth
I believe that Excalibur is the very best Arthurian film. It is a brilliant retelling of the Arthurian legend and it gets the story right--he is the once and future king, a messianic figure. Boorman beautifully captures the myth. Spoilers: Furthermore, a line that Sean Connery delivered in Zardoz dully and ineffectively is delivered by Helen Mirren to great effect in this film--you really believe that Morgana wants Merlin's knowledge so badly that she will sacrifice herself. And the ending works so well, you believe in Arthur. The ship heads toward Avalon, somewhere toward the setting sun, to the West. And I love the music, Wagner works so well in this film. A grand film.
The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)
Real case information
Spoiler: My comments will refer to the real case upon which this film is based. The events depicted in the film actually happened in Texarkana, TX from February 23, 1946 until May 4,1946. An unknown serial killer murdered five individuals and wounded three other individuals severely. The film is accurate as to the murders themselves. The surviving witnesses described the killer as a powerful man, whose face was concealed by a flour sack. The end of the film is fiction. The killer was never chased into the swamp. However, it is true that the killer was never identified. In fact, the killer may have claimed a sixth murder victim, a tramp's body was found near the railroad track in Texarkana, and he had been stabbed to death. Once again, the murder was never solved. The actual Texas Ranger involved in the case was Captain M. T. Gonzaullas, known as the "Lone Wolf", a book about his career exists. For additional information about the case itself, please see Michael Newton's book, The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers, pp. 160-161.
La battaglia di Algeri (1966)
A brilliant political film
The Battle of Algiers is the film on terrorism and its impact on a people and a particular region. In light of September 11, 2001, it is very current and immediate. Although many individuals write much about its objectivity and accuracy, it is a product of the 1960's about a national liberation struggle of the 1950's. It reflects the concerns of the Sixties very well--the romantic notion of the revolution and the beauty and horror of violence . . . It is a brilliantly constructed political film. One should be aware that it is a political statement by the director and the writer on the necessity of struggle and the striving for freedom on the part of an entire people. It has a definite viewpoint--"for" the Algerians and "against" the French. However, it wisely humanizes the French, and shows the honor of "Le Colonel Matthieu" and the humanity of other Frenchmen (Spoiler: the French policeman who protects an Arab youngster from an angry mob of French citizens after a bombing at the horsetrack). I would recommend this film to anyone who seeks to understand the terrorist . . .