Posts Tagged ‘rent’
persepolis »
Monday, August 25th, 2008
… is an entertaining memoir put to well-done animation. Like most Americans, I had no idea Iran had a history beyond giving us oil while hating us and Isreal. Oh, and something about them having a bomb that could hit Kansas. In any case, it was a cool look at a little dramatized history through a childhood-memory perspective.
The animation was cool and the story was fluid. It was entertaining and smart. It followed a young girl who lives before the Iranian revolution and then goes to school abroad in France. Her adult self sits among the chairs of the airport as the events are recounted.
It’s good and interesting. It’s in French, so there are subtitles, which, like you other Americans, make my head hurt but it was still fun from end to end.
******
war made easy »
Monday, August 18th, 2008
… is an interesting look at the media’s role in military conflict. It spans from the Vietnam War to current conflicts, discussing how media work together to push for war instead of asking pertinent questions. It’s narrated by Sean Penn.
The narrative is strong, going through the lead-up to conflict, through the conflict and then the aftermath. It’s cohesive and keeps the interest well. For me, seeing the clips of presidents past and media outlets was intriguing. The parallels and repetitions are entertaining.
It’s not as preachy as I was expecting. Most of the information comes from clips, the storytelling left to one source, and Penn’s relogated to transitions. It’s a smart film that makes a clear point without being overbearing.
*******
stop-loss »
Monday, August 11th, 2008
… is an entertaining look at another deplorable US policy. To stop-loss a soldier is to order him back to active duty after he’s already served his required time. This is an easy way of keeping active forces numbers up while recruitment continues to lag.
The story revolves around a sergeant and some of his friends that happen to be from his hometown and under his command (convenient). It starts out with them driving into an ambush where one of his team is killed and another is critically wounded. On the day he’s meant to be released he’s given orders to report back to base for redeployment out to Iraq. He refuses and is immediately on the run.
There aren’t many reasons for me to praise the direction, but it’s not bad. Conceptually, it’s strong, but falls short in the end. (It’s a heavy topic for MTV in any case.) The acting is decent but the characters are too set in stereotypes to really feel for them. It’s worth watching, but nothing to write home about.
***** (out of 10)
the fall »
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
… is what I expected from the guy that came out with the cell. The visuals are dynamic and the acting is terrible but the story is grandiose and dramatic. It was quite surreal.
The story revolves around a five-year-old girl who meets a man in the hospital. He starts telling her a story about adventure and intrigue and love and loss. The lines between the story and real life blur as the characters develop.
It’s a fanciful drama that kept me entertained, but wasn’t necessarily interesting. It was filmed in many beautiful locations and the costumes and action are majestic, but it’s superficial and dry. That he financed this on his own is a testament to his dedication, but he could have waited longer and spent more time on the story.
***
everything is illuminated »
Monday, June 2nd, 2008
… is not at all what i expected, but not in a bad way. I was drawn in by the cover, but it took a few dozen trips to the rental shop before finally picking it up. I didn’t read the back and figured it best to be surprised.
The story is strong. The acting is decent, but the characters are so extreme that it’s easy to ignore real technique. The directing is awesome. It’s almost surreal. The shot of the house within the vast sunflower field still sits with me.
Jonathon (Elijah Wood: Eternal sunshine, sin city), a young Jewish American, goes back to the Ukraine in order to thank a woman who helped his grandfather escape before the war.
The climax sort of came out of nowhere for me. I liked that. It may have been more predictable if I had looked into the synopsis beforehand. It’s sort of an oddball journey with a downer climax and satisfying resolution. I wasn’t overly impressed but it’s good for a night you’re looking for something with a little more meat.
**