Apocalypse Now: Not Sure I Get the Title, But Great Movie

As with all Coppola films, there is excellent cinematography and creative shots. The story telling is slow but captivating. Humanity is almost alive in his films, therefore making the violence even harder to watch. I read 'The Heart of Darkness' over a year ago and finally re-watched this film in order to make comparisons. The script eloquently replaces the time and place into this amazing story of humanity without rules to confine our actions or to tell us what is morally right or wrong. Apocalypse Now shows how close war comes to the border of 'insanity' just as Joesph Conrad uses colonialism in his book. In the book though, it seems like the orderless mayhem would be prevalent with or without Kurtz. Maybe this is true of some early civilizations, maybe this is how people of Conrad's time saw early civilizations, or maybe all civilizations are really this way and only use law to mask our inhibitions. This would mean that Conrad and Coppola already get what we pretend does not exist: we will always be animals, no matter how 'advanced' our technology becomes or how pervasive our species is. Great movie.

Bella: Beautiful or not, Life is Real

To be honest, I'm not sure what to say about this movie. Did I like it? Yeah. I think that it has a powerful story, creatively edited scenes, and an accurate depiction of family relationships. Would I watch it again? Probably not. The main actress was not great, although the others were pretty good. There were several very cheesy scenes. And I did not have a strong emotional reaction to the movie which is essential for any repeat viewing. I did like how the main female role does not end up with the hot soccer player and instead continues on as a single woman despite her pregnancy.

Inception: I've Got the Original Idea that this Movie is Unsurprisingly Dull

I swear, I think I see a preview for a good movie and then it turns out to be a chaos of abstract specifics that attempt to distract the viewer from convenient omissions of necessary and quality components of a story line. I could list examples but I feel like that would be a waste of my time and yours. There are too many holes in this movie. During parts of the movie, I would pretend that the music, which I must admit was somewhat unique, was silenced. That was when I realized just how truly boring this movie was. And lots of random fighting scenes. Everyone just keeps trying to make a better psychological thriller than the Matrix and its not happening.

On a side notes, Leo is still hot. But he keeps playing the same roles...someone should let him know.

Philadelphia: Introspective but Average

This movie highlights a very real sequence of events that occurred recently in America: the discovery, acknowledgement, and development in fear of AIDS. While it is somewhat melodramatic, as most mainstream Hollywood films are, the excellently cast actors and their performances bring it closer to home. In the beginning, you understand and are told by Denzel’s character how AIDS frightens people; they are scared it will follow them home. The most well-crafted part of this film is how this fear is shown invalid and then turned into a beautiful example of humanity and the relationships between us when Denzel finally sees Hank as a real person with feelings just like him, which he then relates to and carries this feeling of love and respect home to his child and wife, in the opera scene. If you are open to it, you can see the unique beauty in any person for we are all individuals and no one is deserving of disrespect due to fear and/or ignorance.

The Boxer: What Are Ya Talkin' About?

Of Daniel Day-Lewis's Irish films, In the Name of My Father wins, The Boxer finishes last. It was frustrating to watch because I kept thinking, "With these great actors and such a passionate setting, how is this movie so bland?"The Boxer has a weak script and average direction. Irish history is so full of emotion and yet the story of The Boxer is a sensational love story. Do we really believe that after fourteen years, these full grown adults are ready to die for each other and put their loved ones at risk? The final boxing scene is well directed/edited - it connects the audience emotionally to the characters for the first time, showing Danny's courage and loyalty and Harry's evilness and dissent.

However, this movie Does win for Day-Lewis's best looking film- God bless him!

Shutter Island: Order Vs. Chaos

There is a lot I could speculate on about this movie. But I think the running theme is order vs. chaos. Is prison and the act of keeping prisoners any different than keeping patients at a hostpital? Is either one more moral because it attempts to control chaos? Are the prisoners any different from a patient? Similarly, just because our brain is seemingly in chaos, does that mean it is in need of being controlled? Who determines mental chaos vs. mental order? And how has our society dealt with human beings that behave or think in a more chaotic manner than most? How much of the chaotic thought and behavior is natural instinct, of which we are now, as a society, trying to eliminate?

While there are some boring moments and it is somewhat predictable, the movie is entertaining and thought-provoking. There are other realms of thought that our brains can wander into. Extreme stress or depression can bring this about and the final scene depicts this well. Leo struggles to view his two realities side by side, when both are equally real to him. It is hard for most people to imagine but I believe the brain is very capable of creating its own reality. From the brain of a great thinker, "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth would that mean that it is not real?". Dumbledore gets it.

In Good Company: Alone is Okay

Not a bad flick. The message is a good one: if you allow it to happen, you can learn from life's experiences. Topher Grace's character does just this and instead of letting his desire of finding 'the one' to settle down with and having a idealistic life control his actions and emotions, he takes a good relationship he had with Scarlett Johannson as just that. She, along with her father, gives him the gift of having passion in life, not just drive. And he accepts the gift, because he was willing to see it and it was what he was looking for. Johannson is better in this film than in others I see her in and Grace is pretty good as well. Good acting is always a great benefit to mediocre films.

yes, this was a cheesy review...