Change Your Image
AndrewRobertsVoice
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
The War Tapes (2006)
Truth being told...
Keeping in mind that generally speaking, there are THREE sides to every story, his side, her side and the way it really is...and all of them are the 'truth'. That said, 'The War Tapes' was, to me, a confirmation of many truths I already knew and or suspected. I feel this film ought to be shown to every High School and college senior class.
TRUTH be told, war mongers and profiteers and their staunch supporters will more than likely dislike this film and probably call it anti-war 'propaganda'. 'The War Tapes' is not a masterpiece of film-making like Robert Altman's 1970 film 'M*A*S*H', Kubricks's 1957 film 'Paths of Glory' or Sam Peckinpah's final masterpiece from 1977, 'Cross of Iron' the video tape shot for this documentary doesn't lie. While this revealing film has that homemade shaky look, and not very clear footage of the gruesome fire fights and long shots of explosions after the 'boom' only adds to the films authenticity in a 'you are there' kind of way.
For hearing and seeing the soldiers explaining, specifically, their duties were to escort Halliburton's convoys of 18 wheeler's deliver profitable merchandise from point A to point B reminded me of 'fraud, waste and abuse' of American tax payers' money. It's so appalling that the soldiers get paid a little over $17,000 annually and the Halliburton drivers get paid over $120,000 annually made me vomit in my popcorn bag. Sadly, it was not pointed out that Halliburton gets paid by US, we the people, via the Federal Taxes we pay. It's even sadder that the film doesn't go into what kind of kick backs former Halliburton executive, our fearless Vice President 'tricky' Dick Cheney (who never once served in the military) gets funneled to his 'off-shore' bank accounts, but that would have to be another film.
'The War Tapes' is a great film for documenting the soldiers' as they are being traumatized for doing 'their job' is among of the sickest and saddest truths of the film, to me. But, it's just great that the 'on base Burger King' has a drive-through window that was widened to accommodate the military Humvees.
I think, I was sadly disappointed that after some of the soldiers cited the attack on US in September 2001 for wanting to go to Iraq, 'The War Tapes' did not point out that of the 19 hijackers on September 11, 2001, ZERO were from Iraq and furthermore, Zero had any ties to Iraq or Saddam Hussein.
Inside Moves (1980)
I have yet to meet anyone who even remotely disliked 'Inside Moves'
So friend of mine told me when she returned from her trip to DC, 'You gotta see 'Inside Moves'!' I remember asking her what it was about. She said to me, 'I don't know how to explain it, but I know you are going to love this one!' But it did not come to our hick town, forsaken by God, when it was released in 1980. Then, while practicing with a new surfboard of the day, in 1981 or 2, I crashed on HBO when I see a
something smash the top of a car! Director Richard Donner had my full attention. When it's revealed during the opening credits, this is a failed suicide attempt, I noticed a very promising actor, John Savage. However, I was wrestling with my then 'Catholic/Christian Compassion' I wasn't sure I wanted to see a flick about guy, Roary, who wants to send himself straight to the fiery pits of hell for eternal damnation! But, when we are immediately introduced to the other colorful characters that live in his building and pass the time of day in Max's Bar, "Inside Moves" had full-undivided attention of my body, mind and spirit! "Inside Moves" is a human drama about getting to know these real people whom we almost never talk to, while observing the humanity in the physically challenged and emptiness of emotional cripples. The entire cast of, then, unknown actors under the skillful fly on the wall direction of Richard Donner makes "Inside Moves" a film well worth watching...at Thanksgiving too..with the whole family!
Heaven's Gate (1980)
Heaven's Gate: Visual Poetry of American Corruption set to a Love Story in ¾ time
"Heaven's Gate" is a film I wanted to see since it's 1980 release. I read the horrendous reviews and the bad stories of the production overages, an ego gone wild and horses being killed. I ended up seeing the 1981 spring released 149 minute version, which I would not recommend to anyone, well not to any friends. I tried to watch the full version on beta in 1984, but it just didn't cut it on a 25 inch screen. Now, 2005, I feel I have to seize this opportunity to see this film as Michael Cimino intended it to be seen: On the Big Screen and decide for myself.
San Francisco's beautiful palace of a theater, The Castro presented all 229 mins (intermission included) of "Heaven's Gate" on a newly restored 35mm print January 31-Feb. 2, 2005. I went in fully armed, prepared to be bored silly and to have my ass so sore I could barely sit through the drive home, I brought a pillow to sit on. To the contrary, the extra seat padding was not necessary as it was when I saw the restored version of 'The Good, The Bad and the Ugly' a couple years ago in the same theater. Now, the seats are new and mostly comfortable. The organist played wonderfully, some music from the film before the show!
The only thing "Heaven's Gate" was 'missing' is an official visual "Overture" attached at the beginning of the film like all the sweeping epics of the 50's and 60's'. Heaven's Gate' is an American EPIC love story with a European flavor I'll call 'fairly accurate truth'. I saw this film as a yin/yang that makes up the melting pot America, the Beautiful through an unconventional audio/visual exploration of Love and Hate; Greed and Humanity; violence and peace, Trust and Betrayal of the American Dream, experientially. I was stricken by the awesome wonder of visual poetry before my eyes, that which is lost on the puny TV screen for America the Beautiful is the backdrop; brazenly big and breathtakingly captured by Hungarian born cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond! I was feeling like I was right there as the train pulled into in Casper, Wyoming! For the better or the worse, the young woman behind me was being like Clark Griswald observing the Grand Canyon in National Lampoon's Vacation! There I was buying into the illusion before me while getting caught up in the full ambiance of the scene! People in full costume are milling about as they would at a train station while Jim Averill was being brought up to date by his old Irish friend, the train porter. This is about when I heard the woman behind me say to her boyfriend, 'I understand why this is the worst movie ever made 'cause I can't hear what they're saying.' I thought aloud in a normal speaking voice, 'Be a fly on the wall and take in the scene babe, that's what it's there for.' Then, a few minutes later I hear her complain, 'they're holding the shots way too long.' Again, I thought aloud just above a whisper, 'But, isn't this a great shot of 'America the Beautiful' worth holding for a minute or so, even though it does break cinematic rules.
Indeed, 'Heaven's Gate' is the fictitious accounting of the Johnson County Wars of the 1880's when land barons, cattle barons and other marauders in suits were having immigrants killed for stealing a cow or two to feed their families and themselves. Sam Waterston is the All American leader of 'The Association'', a group of even more incredibly ugly members of the Human race on American soil, breathing the same air of freedom as the enemy to their bottom line. These are the hoity-toity 'self-made' men who put greed, power and profit above the 125 names they collectively put on a 'Death List' of immigrants. These American men in the Land of the Free, of course, hire others to do their killing for them.
"Heaven's Gate" is Love Triangle between ALL American Jim Averill, the French Madame Ella Watson and first son of Russian immigrants born in America, Nate Champion who is the Association's hired assassin. I saw each lead character represents an evolution of immigrants. Ella who is European, not long off the boat with accent and all who naively believes in the American Dream. Nate who is first generation immigrant is well on his way to being a corrupted American; a total sell out who collects $50 a head for killing his people; his Russian countrymen. Jim Averill is All American Lawman who stands up for the ideals of 'America', the laws of the land and in the end the Right to life of each immigrant on the Death List.
The one element cleverly absent in this film, but still fuels the motivation for the sins against Humanity, is religious rhetoric. However, there is an undercurrent of the puritanical Religious belief system that justifies the American male's maniacal motivations for corruption, hence 'Heaven's Gate'
Jim, not realizing until its over, the American Dream is only a 'dream'. And to add salt to the wound, again, sometimes the dreams are best left as dreams.
When the closing credits scrolled up the screen, I realized I would love to see this film on the IMAX screen or in 70 mm
with an 'Overture'.
End of the Spear (2005)
Maybe a1970's Walt Disney's flick shelved and updated?
I am not writing to 'dis' any one or any group of people. I am all about 'to each his own', 'Live and let Live' and want to let you live some too! I know, to many folks, I have some pretty strange beliefs, too. I don't shove my beliefs down people throat, so in return I REQUIRE reciprocation, exact as equal. Also, I strongly feel there is no merit to the attacks to the personal life of any actor, which has absolutely nothing to do with his performance, That said...
I'm no stranger to National Geographic documentaries. I was awe-stricken upon seeing 'Keep the River on Your Right'. As an informative film of a one-dimensional tribe presented in 'End of the Spear' it falls flat. Other than the tribe lived a code of violence, a true story about change & forgiveness. There is plenty of violence, and no tribal nudity for acceptable Christian family viewing.
I can't say I dislike 'End of the Spear, but I can't say I really liked it, more than in a tongue in cheek way. However, I'm certainly glad I didn't camp out to see it on opening day! As if the Production Company ran out of money.I felt like it just left me hanging, To me the movie ends when we ought to be getting into the meat in the drama of the third act. But, it just it ends. What's that all about?
Such is the difference between a film and a flick. I felt I was left hanging! I felt gypped! Right where the meat story REALLY begins, when the drama is about to unfold in the exploration in the ever-growing brotherly relationship between the Son, of the man who was killed, and his Killer, it just ends. It just stops: Roll credits! In this sense "End of the Spear" ends up as a run of the mill, over-acted presentation of a forgiveness theme flick that is long on Christian heavy handedness, in a Christmas special kind of way. But it's short on cultural depth of the tribe's way of life hurts the film. Other than the violence that was their code of living, there was really nothing interesting about this tribe. But, Christianity 'in action' in our face, is better than words piercing our ears. So, it works on just about every level that 1970's Walt Disney flicks would.
The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)
He wouldn't have had it any other way, The Ballad of Cable Hogue
An irony of the late great American treasure, film director Sam Peckinpah, who was accused by film critics of glorifying violence in his film 'The Wild Bunch', was ignored by critics and audiences, who did not review much less see his next crowning achievement. "The Ballad of Cable Hogue" is the perfect follow up film after the critical and box office success of 1969's "Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch". For 'The Ballad of Cable Hogue' is it's antithesis in just about every way, being it is a gentle western love story with comical overtones. Sam Peckinpah not only had poetic depth; he also had wide range in talent. This little film showcases the lighter side of Sam Peckinpah.
"The Ballad of Cable Hogue" may be a Masterpiece of film-making that is overlooked for its simplicity, jagged haggard look and lack of violence. It appears that Sam Peckinpah used 'Cable Hogue' to explore the experience 'Change' in a lonely man who's life long creed is:Treat everybody the way you want to be treated, as he gets second chance at life and seems to be reaping the karma from the good he has sowed throughout his miserable life. After we first meet Cable Hogue (Jason Robards giving one of his BEST screen performances), his 'partners' shoot him for his water in the desert and leave him for dead. He survives; meeting the likes of a wayward reverend played to the hilt by David Warner! Cable accidentally finds he's above an oasis of water. He goes to the nearest town and purchases the land, when meets an angelic prostitute Hildy, played by Stella Steven in her most acclaimed role of her career! Although she'll be damned if she knows why, they fall head of heels in love with each other. He builds his well for a watering stop for the stage coaches and his home he hopes Hildy will share with him in. Then his partners, who left him for dead, return.
I hope with the DVD release of one of Sam Peckinpah's finest achievements in film-making gains the wide audience it deserves.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
'Brokeback Mountain' explores the complexity of love with disarming freshness
I heard '"Brokeback Mountain" is A gay western' from a paranoid homophobic man who was acting like the wrath of God, convinced that anyone who went to see 'Brokeback Mountain' is gay. More ferociously he claimed to believe if one weren't gay when one went in, you would be when you...exit the theater. I won the bet that he was a card carrying Republican, not that there is anything wrong with that...just my casual an keen observation of a poker face. (no pun intended) I remember when I heard the term, 'a gay western', I thought 'Oh Great, just what the world needs!" as I started to imagine a Tim Curry-esqe 'Rocky Horror Picture Show-like' version of "Rio Bravo", "Red River", "The War Wagon", "Big Jake", and "The Train Robbers". The homosexual innuendos in these are unintentional, I'm sure! I can almost see it vividly, there they are tough guys one an all, talking like over the top bad actors acting like a sissy boy with not one good thing to say about a woman! It's peculiar how they give their horses high grades and better treatment! There will be no need to ever wonder what exactly those cowboys did to pull themselves through a cold and lonely night being as there were no women around for miles. Only men, alone, cold and scared are the sheep! Normally, when there was a beautiful woman, the Cowboy didn't know what to do with her, 'no damn way!' But, when he's got his horse, his dog and a penis extension in his hand and he knows exactly what to do! "Brokeback Mountain" is NOT about all that! This is a beautiful and daring film about the complexities in the dichotomy of love in the human being. This film is a superb showcase of provocative freshness from a fine director such is Ang Lee, and excellent cinematographer like Rodrigo Prieto and intense actors, all down with their chops, presenting the portrayal of the people in relationships of two men! Suffice to say, this film brings out the ugliest homophobia in men, (defining 'Homophobia' as fear-based core beliefs of men who are so insecure with their own sexuality, they 'act out', some resort to verbal abuse, some violence and some even murder homosexuals.) The ultra-insecure I have casually noticed hide behind the 'God' character in a religious based book, that quite a few have a strange, weird and wacky interpretations of! {I'm still trying to get over how the dinosaur skeletons in the Smithsonian in DC are delusions or figments of my imagination merely because they got no mention in their bible. However, this supports the theory of long-term mental effects of inbreeding since Adam and Eve, explaining a hell of a lot of human behavior!} It's too damn bad God has a problem with a superb showcase of Something different for a change! I feel it is a gosh-darn shame that God can't accept in His tiny little mind that the characters, too, were made in the image and likeness of Himself. That said, since God has a problem with what finally does what a voice of ART is supposed to do & gets people talking, then God obviously doesn't have a damn clue! So, God needs to sit on his hands in the corner to keep his bile filled fingers from stroking his keyboard or he'll end up screwing himself out of seeing a masterpiece of modern film-making!
If there is anything for the 'American God' to get riled up about, it ought to be how Canada doubled for Wyoming, not that there is anything wrong with Canada. It's All-American 'out sourcing' to be proud of!