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Sheisse! Entry numero tres. If you think that this is going to be
another movie review by me, then you're absolutely right. I figured it
was time to finally let out my disappointment with the modern day
epic/historic films that succeed at being full of magnificent, special
effect induced scenery and action and yet fail miserably at being good
movies. I am going to concentrate on the most recent historical (I use
the word liberally to include most films that are based on famous
ancient wars, legends, myths, etc) film: Kingdom of Heaven. Everyone who knows me, is aware that I found Gladiator quite enjoyable while I scoffed at the pathetic attempt at an epic that was Troy. For those that cannot see a difference between the two, I am sorry :)
So, seeing as how Riddley Scott was the director of Gladiator
(and Kingdom of Heaven) and backed by a somewhat formidable cast(Irons,
Thewliss, Neeson) I had given myself a sense of false hope that this
[Kingdom of Heaven] movie would actually be good. Now, in its defense,
I can say that it wasn't BAD and that the script, dialogue and overall
presentation was much better that in Troy.
Here are a few things that I learned from Kingdom of Heaven:
Extremists are bad, priests are hypocrites, if one is knighted - one is
automatically a more skilled fighter, Orlando Bloom is not a very good
actor (facial hair or not), Muslims aren't all evil (there are some
Christians that are worse!), being an honest and true knight yields a
job as a blacksmith somewhere in a cold European village vs. a sin here
and there resulting in a key to an entire city of Jerusalem (both
options still allow for a princess as a sex slave, which is, of course,
totally awesome).
I must give credit to Riddley and others for not always tip-toeing
aroung sensitive issues and showing the clash between the two cultures
in a very bombastic manner. The very clear stabs at conservative
religious practices are also welcomed.
Question: where the fuck were the Jews? I heard the word Jew once
throughout the movie. I also thought that I may have heard it at other
times: "Jew-rusalem". Hee hee. Seriously, this movie needed to be jewed
a little more.
Now, I must admit that the battle scenes were technically stellar and
probably historically accurate to some degree, yet I am not at all
impressed with this type of choreography anymore. Give me content or
give me death. In this modern age of amazing technological advances,
technology should be used to enhance the story line not overshadow
it.
See one of the few movies to get it right: Elizabeth.
Yet, as much as I bitch and moan, I am as sucker for these typf of
films and I did enjoy this movie to a certain extent. The blacksmith
bastard becoming the potential ruler of Jerusalem, the hordes of
misguided crusaders plowing through defenseless Moors, the cute
princess (before she mangeld herself) enjoying some rough Orlando Bloom
spanking ( THE FUCK? was this movie pg-13, I NO SEE SEX!) and fucking
Leprosy. \m/ LEPROSY ROCKS!
2.7/5
Please don't pay more than 3$ for this. Everytime you do, God kills a kitten, or I am urged to masturbate. Can't remember which.
тут ничего нет |
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Nov. 23rd, 2004 @ 01:16 am
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Alright, it's time for my second entry. This is mostly going to be about my latest great accomplishment. I have finally finished watching the 15 serie Russian mini-series "Brigada" about the rise of the "new" Russian Mafia. I started watching the series about 5 months ago after my parents had borrowed the VHS tapes from someone, but I only managed to watch one of the series. The VHS quality was also quite horrible. Since then I watched a couple series with my friend Misha who acquired them through a friendly P2P program. Finally, I realized that our plan to watch the entire series together was ill fated due to time constraints and lack of subtitles for non-Russian speakers. So I borrowed the burnt cd's and watched the remaining 7 series in 2 days.
Now, for those of you who have already dismissed a modern mini-series as worthless, it's not so. This is the most realistic portrayal of the power struggle and corruption in the post-USSR Russia as well as the exploits of the Russian Mafia. The movie is about four friends growing up in the dysfunctional world of fake socialism, and choosing a life of crime after the collapse of the Soviet Union, because it inevitably chose them first. The acting in this movie is great. The main character, Aleksandr Belov - the head of the "Brigada" (literally translates to "Brigade", but "Gang" is more appropriate) is played by a an awesome Russian actor Sergei Bezrukov. He steps into the role and embodies the character perfectly as he struggles to survive in the dog eat dog world of crime through the 10 year time span (1989-1999). All the actors in the movie are also excellent. Brigda is the modern Godfather for Russians, and rightfully so.
Of course, the film lacked a Hollywood budget and hence the effects, but it more than made up for it in content. In fact, my only gripe with it, is that some parts seemed a bit too polished (probably due to the fact that it was filmed as a mini-series). Well, that and slight romanticization of the "Bratva" (brotherhood), which made me root for the "good bad guys".
"Brigada" is packed with action and twists while remaining full of symbolism and sticking to the story line. The best compliment I can offer is that it tells it almost like it happened. Lives immersed Crime, Corruption, Violence - everyday lives of the majority of Russian citizens.
Now, I wonder if someone will ever make subtitles for it?
Just to make this less boring, here's a picture of Monica Bellucci.
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I think that I'll mainly keep this thing as a canvas for my movie reviews and rantings. I'll start with a movie I just watched and while its effect is still fresh on my mind. Eternal Sunshine for a Spotless Mind. I like to consider myself to not be mainstream thinker. I don't really pride myself in having tastes that aren't usually the norm nor do I try to keep myself stuck on the outskirts of obscurity just for the sake of being individual. It just so happens. This little aside is related to the movie review to come, since this movie - although not the big blockbuster - has had quite a bit underground success, especially amongst college students. I am not about to shun something just because it has gained mainstream attention, although I do admit that I am less likely to seek something out that has been hailed as the new masterpiece by the People magazine. Back to the movie. It's the best film I've seen in a long while. Maybe I'm being impulsive since I really hadn't had the time to digest and analyze, but that's the way this movie is meant to be received and accepted. Things have flaws, people have flaws, I have flaws. Yea, there are different perspectives, different interests, but they aren't as important as everyone thinks. Don't let a good thing die out. Heh, that's probably the most non-analytical I get. Writing in my little journal like Jim Carey's character. In fact, fuck this, I am not going to make this review give away anything about the movie, just thoughts, reflections...snippets of memories. Aside for the obvious "some people are meant for each other" theme, this movie about ordinary people is quite extraordinary. It tackles silly human fears and serious phobias with such a light touch that it brought a smile to my face instead of a deep crease on my brain. There are serious overtones, but everything is slightly schizophrenic, slightly awkward and just really...warm. Jim Carey and Kate Winslet are both great in this movie. It really amazes me how Carey is able to take on these 'dramatic roles' after being pinned as the comedy guffaw with one of the worst movies ever made under his belt (Cable Guy). Eternal Sunshine is a movie for everyone, whether you've felt what the characters feel or not. Beautifully filmed with amazingly arranged scenes and a relatively simple message that's as old as relations between men and women. Oh, and it's not a sappy love story either, just in case it came off that way. I really hate to give this a rating out of 5, like I usually do since I think the movie would just hate me for it. Good art is there to bring about some change unless it's purely for entertainment purposes. So there. I'll leave it at 'This is the best movie I've seen all year'. |
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