Change Your Image
aazell1
Reviews
Body of Lies (2008)
Redemption ain't that easy...
Lots of reviews on here now so I won't bother with a synopsis but it's important to note that that this is Leonardo Di Caprio's movie and damn is he good in it. Roger Ferris, his on the ground CIA operative is a wonderful characterization of a man trapped in a world he can't change much as he might want to.
The story begins with flash shots of Ferris overseeing a the torture of a suspect and looking away. As we move through the story its his frustration at others recklessness and ignorance with a world that he is part of and understands better than most that finally leads to his own downfall.
Its a cautionary tale which sees Russel Crow (as Ferris's) boss being right all along. He's brash and unlikeable but he's right. You can't connect with anyone in this kind of war. Your on your own and as we watch Ferris veer off the tracks to his own peril we know its not going to end well.
I love this film for one reason. Its honest about a very complex subject and pulls no punches when it comes to the huge divide between the arab culture and that of the western nations.
Like Syriana it make no judgements for you and gives a balanceds view from all angles.
What a very messy war indeed.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Little Green Men (1995)
One of the best...
I've often despaired a little at Deep Space Nine. It often maintained a fairly bland story without enough key episodes to get your blood going but I have to admit I've always enjoyed the Ferengi episodes.
Its a very old story of wily cop (Odo) vs lovable rogue (quark) and both actors clearly enjoy playing it to the full. Its Armin Shimmerman as Quark who raises the.bar on character acting though. He plays Quark as a floored career swindler who is cursed with a moral centre. He hates the fact he can't be as ruthless as other Ferengi and we love him for it.
Throwing these characters up against 1950 America really brings home some resonant messages. The Ferengi as a race are vile profiteers who'll stop at nothing for some gold pressed latinum but even Quark is horrified when he realises "they irradiated they're own atmosphere!! They're insane!".
Time travel plots can be very clunky. See "times arrow" in TNG for how not to do it but get the right characters and set them against the right time period and your onto a winner.
This is also an episode that will please trekies and non-trekies alike. Highly recommended watching.
The Man Who Sued God (2001)
Interesting idea badly executed!
A nice idea and some great concepts in the script. It seems to me that whomever wrote the script was aiming to make an Aussie movie that would appeal to the US audience. This is a real shame as it sucks the punch out of the story and undermines some good performances and some good comedy.
Here's a few problems with the direction and script that bothered me while watching this: Characterisation: With the exception of the main characters all other characters are poorly drawn. The TV and Radio hosts are badly acted along with the TV interviewers who stand on the steps of the court house. The problem is that these are the elements that we as viewers are the most familiar with leaving me with the impression that they just couldn't be bothered to pay enough attention to the detail.
Music: Oddly, the music editing in this film is amazingly distracting. The music is often too loud over the actors voices which makes it hard to concentrate on the performances. Also it seems that the editors couldn't resist in laying music over almost every scene. Basically there's way too much music and it's used heavy handedly throughout.
The Love Story: Where the **** did that come from? There was a nice bit of friendship chemistry between the two leads but I don't think there's any element of the film that hinted at them falling in love until they start snogging. I think the film would have been stronger if they'd remained friends with a strong respect for each other.
Cop out ending: It seems that the writers wrote themselves into a bit of a corner and by the beginning of the third act you start to wonder how their going to get themselves out of it. For a film that raises a pretty serious issue they seem to abandon their principles at the last moment which is a shame because it's the main hook of the movie in my opinion. Plus and ill conceived "sign from god" episode which is completely pointless.
Summary A reasonable vehicle for Billy Connelly who is as watchable as ever but unfortunately it lacks the courage of its convictions.