Reviews

D-Day Remembered * * * */ * * * *

"If you're going to die anyway, move in and die!"

D-Day Remembered is simply the story of the Allied Forces in the first few hours of June 6, 1944. For those unfamiliar with history, it was arguably the most important single event of the war. The invasion of Normandy, France pretty much laid out the groundwork for the rest of the war; the Axis Forces were demoralized, battered and had little reason to go on fighting. The war for Europe ended a little less than a year after D-Day.

In what the L.A. Times calls "a kind of film-making miracle," director Charles Guggenheim ingeniously combines archive film footage and pictures with the narration of historians and soldiers who took part in D-Day. History buffs like myself will be deeply immersed in the historical beauty of a film of this scope. This is not a "war film," like Saving Private Ryan, The Pianist or Patton. This is more like an art film, rare film archives that one interested in the subject would yearn to see. It's absolutely amazing how each scene is precisely shot, scene breaks and angles are perfect. A thrilling score accompanies.

This is as real and as close one will ever get to World War II. Roger Ebert did not like the film because he claimed it not to be feature-length and probably did not appreciate the hard-to-find film footage. In the hectic lives most people have these days, there's nothing like a 53-minute break to relish the efforts of 150,000 brave men who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country on film. After seeing more than six hundred films so far (not having commented on them yet), I was looking really forward to seeing rare film footage of a historical event I admire so much. I was not disappointed and I assure you won't be either.

The film is not easy to find, although a large library may have it in their historical films section. You can see, only nineteen people voted for it on IMDb! But that 9.0 you see is very well deserved. Watch this film with an open mind, don't expect Spielberg or Polanski, and you will be pleased.

Kudos to Charles Guggenheim. He did what no other documentary filmmaker may ever do: keep the viewer thoroughly engaged while keeping a bearable time limit. 10/10

Martin Scorsese definitely has a gift of film-making. That said, many people want to know about this movie in terms of The Passion of Christ, a more recent film.

Wilem Dafoe is definitely not as convincing as Jim Caviezel in the role of Jesus, but then you have to remember that the two movies focused on entirely different points. This focused on and celebrated a twisted and fictional version of his life and the experiences that led him to become the savior that he is remembered to be today, while The Passion aims to show the last twelve hours of his life. Caviezel was more dramatic, but Dafoe was very passionate. They both embodied Jesus in very memorable performances. Why they were overlooked in awards selection is baffling.

Overall, this film, aside from being a work of fiction, had one flaw that took away potential viewership: timing. Scorsese's films are excellent but films such as this and The Aviator had lots of parts that could be fast forwarded. The ending music and overall score is one of the most memorable scores in film history. Keep in mind that this is a fictional epic and enjoy it for what its got to offer, forget about the controversy and for your money's and time's worth, you've got a pretty good deal. 7/10

Now, don't get me wrong. This movie did have its good elements, here and there, but it wasn't consistent as thrillers are. Being a huge fan of thrillers, such as those of Hitchcock and Mann, I can faithfully tell you that this movie did not make the cut. To start off, this was a straight up desperate effort to remake 2003's Phonebooth, with Colin Farell. Phonebooth was a keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller that had only minor flaws. Phonebooth was about a movie man who cheated on his wife and was corrected by an insane man. Cellular is a direct slap in the face to that movie. This is about, NO SPOILERS HERE, a woman who was kidnapped, and everything miraculously works out from there. For example, she can figure out lots of things because she's a science teacher. A weak story is sometimes helped by strong acting. In this case, Oscar winner Kim Basinger played an overly-emotional, easily distressed mother and teacher. Jason Statham, perhaps best known for hardcore action in Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels and Snatch was also a figure of weakness in this film. Like I said, somehow everything works out (I mean, c'mon, how often are you talking on a cell phone and your line mixes with someone else? Its not a two way) The ending was very good. It brought life back into the movie. I seriously thought of trashing this movie, but because of the last part of the movie, I changed my mind. So its up to you. You make up your mind: Is it brilliant or awful? Am I wrong by saying it's awful? That's for you to decide, as you can conveniently click that "Was this comment useful to you" button. For me, though, this was a 5/10 flick.