Movie catchup roundup #2

My second round of ensuring that I am cultured in the way of movies that I should have seen in my lifetime: completed.

The Last Samurai

This was supposed to be another one of those tear-jerking movies, but it took me a long while to watch it (about 6 hours or so). What I particularly enjoyed about this movie was its commentary on industrialisation and colonisation: civilisations that ran effectively stood no chance against the machines that the arrogant West brought. It was also touching to see the development of a hardened character, such as Tom Cruise (who it was nice to see in a different role), into an empathetic and peaceful individual who now fights for what he believes is right, and he fought for the underdog - doesn't that just make him truly dreamy? I am exaggerating, but it was a nice development of a character. I wasn't expecting the (spoiler alert) months spent in the peaceful Japanese village, but the filmmakers did pull it off quite well, luckily. I'm glad that I can say that I've now seen it, but I don't think it will stand out in my mental movie bank in future.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I loved it. It was wonderful escapism and it had a really entertaining cast. It was beyond weird, yet it didn't seem to be trying too hard to be so. It was almost like a commercialised Dr Who, but without making the viewer feel like a niche nerd. It was funny and it was serious: how would you feel if your planet was demolished? Overall, I feel like I have added a little bit of culture to my life, but only a small amount: I need to read the book because the books are always better. (Maybe one day I'll even watch other versions of it...)

21 & Over

I had not heard good things about this movie, but I don't think it was all that bad. I would say that the quality of our teen comedy movies is declining - this movie was unoriginal, drawing from movies like Project X and The Hangover. I'll also admit that they really do say the main character's name far too much: "Jeff Chan!" It was mindless and stupid, and sometimes that's a good thing. It was pretty far-fetched, of course. I could relate to the "college life" situation portrayed, but not too much, thank goodness. While I've seen a fair amount of bush-diving injuries around campus, we tend to be a lot more conservative here in South Africa, so luckily this Jeff Chan situation is not that likely to happen.

The commentary on friend relationships and the way they deteriorate as we move away from teen years really did hit home: I find myself missing "the good ol' school days" when things were simple and you knew exactly what was going on with everyone's life (I went to a really small high school - less than 400 students). I don't miss being in high school, it wasn't "the best time of my life", but it certainly was a lot simpler back then, and maybe I just miss having so much free and lazy time... And not having to make life-changing decisions, which is where I am right now, and it is seriously stressing me out, eep!

Movie catchup round #1

When I find out that someone has not seen movie greats like Star Wars and Titanic, I am struck down with mortification. Sure, it doesn't necessarily have to be your cup of tea, but how can you not have watched it? Do you want no culture in your life? Then I realise that I am probably pretty uncultured as well. I know and have seen some pretty spectacular movies in my lifetime, but there are those that crop up, and I am horribly embarrassed to say that I have not had the pleasure of enjoying them.

I have thus taken it upon myself to catch up on all these movies, and reflect on them and make recommendations as I go. Join me, if you feel the need: we could all use a little culture.

The mission was inspired by a conversation about which movies have made you cry. Hachi: A Dog's Tale is the first of mine that comes to mind, about a dog and his owner. If you haven't seen it, you should really do yourself the favour. And that's all I'm going to say about that.


Gladiator

A classic featuring Russell Crowe (and some other cool people), who we know can pretty much do no wrong when it comes to epic movies. He lived up to his usual standards, I would say, and the movie lived up to its reputation: it was most enjoyable. I was in the right kind of mood for an action movie, which was lucky - there is a fair amount of blood and gore about, the makings of any great "boy's" movie. There was more to appreciate than the strength of the men as they swung their heavy blades and dodged spears, at least. There was a tragic story of a man who loses his family, of past and forgotten loves, and of fighting for your country and what you believe in. The ending worked well as well: it was not unrealistic, and not hopeless - it didn't leave you feeling that empty sadness deep within your soul, rather an uplifting inspiration where you walk away with a heavy heart, eager to do something meaningful with your life.

Then I had a cup of coffee and a slab of chocolate and went to bed. Sorry, Inspiration, next time, I promise.


Armageddon

I love space and I love end-of-the-world movies. There seemed to be a period in movie-making history where this was quite popular. I think it happens each time there is a long-gone prediction for this, like 2012. That was almost disappointing. And then we realised that we get to carry on living our lives, and that's pretty cool.

This movie had a truly top-notch cast: Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler (every time I saw her face I could only think of Lord of the Rings...), Billy Bob Thornton and some other familiar names graced my screen. I kind of feel like this movie was made before a lot of them were cool, as well, so "hey, waddup, hipster movie?" There was a nice balance of comedy and seriousness in this film, a break in the tension without losing the threat of eminent death. Also, not bad graphics for a 1998 film: some of it reminded me of Star Wars (Episodes 1-3), which kind of made me giggle. I don't know how to explain why...

It was also a tragic film, and I was accused of being a hard-ass for not crying. Sometimes, though, I just get so involved in the story that I don't get caught up in the emotion of it. Which sort of doesn't make a lot of sense, but that's me, sometimes my brain is backwards and doesn't understand what it's supposed to do.


New Movie: Gangster Squad

I also watched a new movie, just to offset the complete old-school nature of my movie-viewing behaviour. Ok, fine, I also watched it because Ryan Gosling is dreamy. Until he opens his mouth that is... He's hot in a David Beckham way, where the voice just doesn't match the face. Gosling's suave, smooth-talking, cheeky eyes thing just works though. He and Emma Stone work really well together as well.

I really enjoyed the way it was filmed. On the whole the movie felt like a combination between Guy Ritchie (directed Sherlock Holmes) and Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge and the latest Great Gatsby), so it was a lot of sensory fun to watch. It was pretty cool as a gangster movie, but at the same time, it didn't really present anything new in the way of story or expectations. I did enjoy it though, and it is definitely worth giving a watch.