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auralis Blog

  • Letters from Iwo Jima

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. [What do you think?]
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    I found this a touching movie which really makes you think. I like how it shows the war from the perspective of the people who fought it, and explores the personal battles they had between their duty and their will to stay alive. It also shows that what they perceived as a cruel, faceless enemy is actually made of people just like them, with hopes, fears, family and friends.

    I enjoyed watching two movies that deal with the exact same conflict but from opposing sides. This movie and “Flags of Our Fathers” are really two sides of the same coin and one benefits from watching them both. Although I definitely liked this one best, you’ll be missing out if you see one but not the other.

    Both this and "Flags of Our Fathers" had a kind of gritty, greyish look that I really liked. Also, great cinematography, very dramatic. I especially liked the use of side and backlighting to achieve the silhouette look.

    I also liked the fact that they used the true language instead of just using Japanese actors speaking English with a accent. The actors all did an amazing job, but Ken Watanabe’s performance is particularly touching.

    In short, I recommend watching both movies, which together make a very interesting and thought-provoking reflection on war.


  • The Fountain

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    The Fountain  (2006)

    This isn’t an easy movie to watch. I’m still not sure I completely “got” the movie, but then again, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to see it at a late hour after I had just spent the second half of my day watching other movies. I definitely want to watch it again because this isn’t a straightforward movie – it really makes you think. In fact, I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I saw it.

    To me personally, this was a movie about death and our relationship with it. Human beings naturally fear and dread death, and so we try our best to fight our own mortality, either by having children, by trying to leave a mark in this world, something to be remembered for, or by looking incessantly for a “cure” to aging, decay and ultimately, death. It’s also a very emotional love story, but even in this it is driven by the search for eternal life – and the realization that immortality isn’t what most think it would be.

    The movie has a predominance of golden/dark tones which I found really beautiful. I was particularly struck by the scenes at a hospital which were unlike any I’ve seen. Some people might argue that it’s not very realistic, but then again, extreme realism isn’t the point, and it succeeded in creating a very fitting mood and atmosphere to the story. The way it was shot and edited was also very effective and beautiful, and managed to bring together the three timelines present in the movie.

    The actors alone make this movie worth watching. I’ve always loved both Rachel Weisz and Hugh Jackman as actors and they are simply fantastic in this movie.

    In short, don’t watch this movie if you’re looking for something simple to watch or an easy plot to follow. This is a very unique and thought-provoking film which I’m pretty sure won’t be to everyone’s taste, but it’s well worth watching simply for the experience.


  • Crank

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    Crank  (2006)

    I admit, I'm getting a little tired of plotless action movies just for the sake of the action, which at some point always try to introduce some "drama" into it in an effort to make people take them seriously. This movie, however, actually surprised me in a pleasant way. It doesn't make any attempt to take itself serious and it's all about the action. I'm the kind of person who has a tendency to pay attention to the story first and the rest later, but you really can't do that with this movie - and that's perfectly ok. After you accept this fact, it's actually a very entertaining and fun movie.

    When I started watching it I was, at first, completely bewildered. I had never heard of it so I didn't know what to expect. I was almost too dumbfounded by the sheer absurdity of some scenes to appreciate it, but this movie is so outrageous that those scenes are actually part of its charm. Some things were really unexpected and above all, really, really funny.

    The action scenes are very interesting and the use of wide angle lenses helped create the mood. I was kind of annoyed by the use of high contrast and high saturation in some scenes mostly because, personally, I'm not a big fan of that particular look. But I have to admit it did help create the whole "crazy" atmosphere they were after.

    Jason Statham plays a professional hitman who gets poisoned and has to keep his heart rate from falling if he wants to stay alive, and is flawless in his character. I really liked him in Snatch and he doesn't disappoint here. The other actors also did a good job, although Amy Smart's character can be a little annoying (at least in my opinion!), but maybe that was the point, who knows.

    This movie works because it was made for the sake of action and succeeds at it. It also has some really unexpected and unique scenes which will stick in your mind. I know they do in mine. It may not appeal to everyone, but if you like action movies, you will certainly like this one. In a word, it's kickass.


 

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