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Reviews
Dune (2021)
Dune, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Dune opens with a lengthy sequence of scenes introducing us to Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), his son Paul (Timothee Chalamet), and Paul's mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), who is of a secretive order known as the Bene Gesserit. We meet their trusted retainers, and find that they are about to leave their current fief (the planet Caladan since this is the far future) for the rich, but dangerous desert planet of Arrakis. Paul faces a painful test at the hands of Lady Jessica's former Bene Gesserit teacher, and we begin to find out more about the purposes and powers of that order. Upon arriving at Arrakis the Atreides and their followers quickly work to win over the native Freman, to gain "desert power", but before they can consolidate their position disaster strikes. In the aftermath, Paul and his mother must survive and find a way to regain what they have lost as much as possible.
The novel "Dune", was published in the mid-60's and is considered by many a classic in the field of Science Fiction (SF). It dealt with the ecology of another world (Arrakis) in a convincing way and to such an extent that it was almost a character in the novel, just one aspect of amazing world building by its author, Frank Herbert. I read the book many times, first as a teen, and most recently last month as an adult on the far side of middle age. So, my perspective might be somewhat different from someone who never read the book, but be that as it may below is what I call "the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly", of this movie.
***The Good***
Given the scope of the book I wondered if the movie could capture it visually in a convincing fashion, and need not have been concerned. The visuals are beautiful, with well done CGI for the space ships, but more importantly beautifully shot location work, seamlessly mixed with more CGI to make you feel like the movie was really filmed on Arrakis.
The casting by and large seems spot on. Some characters, like Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa), look quite different than described in the book, but Momoa nails the role wonderfully, and many others, including Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, also get the characters right.
Finally, the movie retains from the book the love and acceptance of the Duke toward his son, and the willingness to self-sacrifice of many of his men, especially Duncan Idaho. These were bright moments in a film that had many tragic elements to it.
***The Bad***
Paradoxically, one of the best parts of this movie is a bit of a weakness, in that it follows the plot of the novel very closely. If you have read the book you will find few surprises, and very little missing, even if the sequence of scenes or their length and importance are changed a bit. However, in so closely following the novel, the movie moves quite slow, especially in the first hour, to the point that I was impatient for something to actually happen. Strangely one item from the book that the movie omitted was a dinner party that served to really show what the civilization of the galactic empire, and Arrakis in particular was like. Movies cannot have everything from a novel on the screen if they are to be well done adaptations, but that particular event might have been of more help in setting the stage for following action than the all too slow and drawn out scenes on Caladan.
***The Ugly***
Movie reviews are always subjective, whatever a reviewer says, and this section of mine is particularly subjective as it describes why I found the movie "Ugly" at times (that not fun to watch). In re-reading the book for the first time in 20 years I found it somewhat darker and less pleasant to read than I remembered. One saving grace was the little interludes in which there was humor, joy, or a better insight into a character that made the book more enjoyable for me in spite of some dark themes. Virtually all of these interludes and dialogue are absent from the movie. Again, they could not possibly all be present, but retaining more of this would have given us characters we felt like we knew better, and perhaps made for a more pleasant movie. Below is an extended quote from the novel, that shows how Paul began to take on the role of Duke, and something of the initial nobility of his character, an example of something the movie did not retain:
Kynes stiffened. "My loyalty's not for sale, Sire." Paul stared across the desk at him, meeting the cold glare of those bluewithin-blue eyes, studying the bearded face, the commanding appearance. A harsh smile touched Paul's lips and he said: "Well spoken. I apologize." Kynes met Paul's stare and, presently, said: "No Harkonnen ever admitted error. Perhaps you're not like them, Atreides." "It could be a fault in their education," Paul said. "You say you're not for sale, but I believe I've the coin you'll accept. For your loyalty I offer my loyalty to you . . . Totally." My son has the Atreides sincerity, Jessica thought. He has that tremendous, almost naive honor--and what a powerful force that truly is. She saw that Paul's words had shaken Kynes. "This is nonsense," Kynes said. "You're just a boy and--" "I'm the Duke," Paul said. "I'm an Atreides. No Atreides has ever broken such a bond." Kynes swallowed. "When I say totally," Paul said, "I mean without reservation. I would give my life for you." "Sire!" Kynes said, and the word was torn from him, but Jessica saw that he was not now speaking to a boy of fifteen, but to a man, to a superior. Now Kynes meant the word. In this moment he'd give his life for Paul, she thought. How do the Atreides accomplish this thing so quickly, so easily?
"Dune" was visually stunning, followed a well written novel faithfully for the most part, and had some well cast actors who did a great job with their roles. However, it had issues with pacing, moving very slowly in the first hour, and perhaps as a result left out some important character moments in the later part of the movie.
Overcomer (2019)
Surprisingly moving film!
I went to see "Overcomer" with family and friends this morning, expecting a nice "faith based" movie, but one that might have poor production values. I instead found a move that was profoundly moving for me and had some surprises as far as how it was produced.
As to story, it starts with a high school basketball coach named John Harrison, whose team has high hopes for a championship the following season but is decimated when their small town's major manufacturing plant shuts down. John reluctantly agrees to coach cross-country, a sport he knows little about and does not enjoy. The other focal point of the movie is Hannah Scott, the sole student running cross country for the high school, who runs carrying an inhaler to deal with issues with asthma, and also engages in compulsive small thefts. As the movie progresses, John meets a man dying in the hospital who has a surprising link to others in town, and who ends up becoming part of transforming both John's and Hannah's lives.
The movie is the 6th one produced by the Kendricks, but the first of theirs I have seen in many years. The production values have improved greatly and while not up to those of a high budget Hollywood movie, it was amazingly well done given that the budget for the movie was a relatively small five million. Early on some of the acting, particularly one scene between John and his wife Amy (who also teaches in the same school) was a bit distracting, being not quite as well done as I am used to seeing on the big screen. However, the acting either got better as time went on, or more likely the story gripped me enough that I stopped dwelling on minor flaws.
Some critics have complained that this movie seems to picture drawing near to or praying to God as the answer to every problem. Knowing that I was prepared for a movie that was overly simplistic, perhaps portraying faith in Jesus as something that automatically leads to an easy and perfect life, something the Bible itself does not claim, and that real life does not demonstrate.
Instead of the overly simplistic approach I had feared, I found that even after a character had a life changing encounter with God she still struggled, had to work very hard toward her goals, and experienced both joys and sorrows, which is a more realistic take on life. Yes, there are several scenes that involve prayer, and people are affected by their beliefs in a loving and forgiving God in a way that motivates them to love and forgive others, but this was done in a way that for the most part was believable.
Not everyone will like this movie, but as a father, as well as someone who has watched others, as well as myself, struggle with the consequences of past poor life choices, I found this very moving. I do not often cry during movies, but the last 30 minutes of this one had my eyes moist with tears.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Good movie with some questionable choices (spoilers only at the bottom of the review)
A movie sequel is inevitably compared to its predecessor, with most suffering in comparison. This is particularly true when the first far exceeds expectations as the first Guardians movie was. Guardians 2 does not quite measure up, but was still a mostly fun movie to watch, with some surprisingly touching moments.
The movie opens with a lighthearted battle scene in which the Guardians are fighting an alien monster, while Groot (baby sized and with a personality to match in this movie), is playing and dancing to music. Rocket manages to alienate their employers, causing much havoc. The team later is forced to split into two groups as they deal with Peter's new found father, a broken ship, and troubles with the Ravagers. In the midst of this two of the more interesting supporting characters, Yondu and Nebula, become involved, both of which have considerably more depth added to their characters.
The special effects are generally well done, as is the acting, with Chris Pratt (Star Lord/Peter Quill) having some compelling scenes with a lot of screen time, but others including Zoe Saldana (Gamora), and Bradley Cooper (Rocket) also having some nice moments. The violence is amped up a bit, with a quite one battle having a very high body count (all bloodless to keep it PG-13). There were some genuinely funny lines and scenes, but some of the humor was forced, and dived down occasionally onto a level that was more middle school level , with "bathroom" humor that I did not personally enjoy.
Given some of the content, I was surprised how touching the movie was at times as it explored (superficially of course) ideas of family and of acceptance of others, including a new view into the relationship between Gamora and Nebula. Partly because of this, as well as some great action scenes and the occasional good humor, I did end up enjoying the move quite a bit, though nowhere near as much as the first Guardians movie. If you liked the first movie, chances are you have already seen this one, and if not you will likely enjoy it when you do.
**** Below are details on Peter's father and a comparison to some Christian themes, it contain spoilers **** *** ** *
This will be far deeper than I usually go, but this movie surprisingly got me thinking a long these lines:
Peter's father turns out to be the "living planet" Ego. He describes himself, in a rare and unconvincing moment of humility, as a god, "with a small g". In this he is accurate, as he is a Celestial, a being in the fictional Marvel Universe with immense, "godlike" powers. He has taken on a "real" human form, supposedly to allow himself to meet other lifeforms. Ultimately, he reveals he was deeply disappointed in what he found, and decide to mate with females from many species in an attempt to produce another celestial. His purpose is to join with that other celestial so that with their joint power they can convert all inhabited planets to become like Ego's planet, with no living life other than Ego himself (and his co-celestial).
Naturally, with this concept of a "god" who takes on human form, I thought of the version of this found recorded in the New Testament in which God (large G this time) the Son, takes on human form. The Guardians 2 movie envisions a "god" who has limited knowledge, takes on human form, is disappointed in what he finds, and decides to remake the universe until every living thing in it is only an extension of himself. In huge contrast, the New Testament speaks of a "God" who having unlimited knowledge already knew the sinfulness and weakness of humans, yet still took on human form, with the purpose of revealing the love and holiness of God, then of willingly dying to redeem people so that one day He could share the universe with many others who He loves. Full disclosure, I am far from objective as I make these comparisons, since though a Jew by birth (and still very proud of that heritage), I myself came to accept Jesus as the promised Messiah and my savior, a long story I would be happy to share with anyone who asks me to.
* ** *** ********* Above this line are spoilers that you may or may not wish to read *************
A Monster Calls (2016)
See it while you still can!
I went to see "A Monster Calls" earlier today, expecting a good movie, and instead found one that was amazing to watch. Below is a quick description of how the movie starts out, with some comments following.
The movie opens with a nightmare, apparently a recurring one, which Connor O'Malley (Lewis MacDougall) has. In it his mother (Felicity Jones) is falling into a pit, and he is holding on to her to save her life, but ultimately she falls to her death. It is a terrifying dream for him, but scarcely less terrifying than some other aspects of his life; including dealing with his mother's losing battle with cancer.
A monster (voice wonderfully by Liam Neeson) comes to visit him and while somewhat terrifying it simply says it will visit four more times, telling a story each time, and the fourth time listening to the true story of Connor's nightmare. In between visits we learn more about Connor's life, including his absentee dad (Toby Kebbell), his grandmother (Sigourney Weaver), and some difficulties he has with bullies at school. Not wanting to spoil the movie, I will not give away any further details. However, suffice it to say that the true enemy Connor battles is not the monster, but much more real life issues.
As the story goes on I found myself rapidly drawn in, and immersed in Connor's point of view, while as an adult still able to see things he did not, but in a way that did not distract from the story. Connor as the movie states is "too old to be a child, and too young to be a man", yet he finds himself face to face with sorrow and loss that is deep. The story uses the monster, his stories, and Connor's life as a moving example of dealing with loss and finding a measure of triumph in the midst of it. I rarely cry at any movie, but the ending of this one had my eyes moist with tears.
The acting is excellent, the special effects well done and not distracting, and the story deeply moving and engaging. The movie is a strange mix, since it is really a drama, and a well done one at that, but the title, age of the protagonist, and the partially animated sequences (for the monster's stories) might make some think it is a children's movie, which it is not. I suspect this, and a lack of effective marketing, might make the box office poor for this movie, a pity since it one of the best I have seen in a long time.
I watched the movie alone as I often do at first, but plan to return next week with the rest of my family to share it with them. Given the less than spectacular box office I suggest if you have not seen this movie you plan to do so ASAP while you still can.
Tomorrowland (2015)
A fun movie that is sort of "anti-dystopian"
Dystopian movies that predict or are set in a future that is dangerous and bleak, filled with hopelessness are common. Blade Runner, the Mad Max, and Terminator movies are all good examples, some well done, and enjoyed by many, including at times myself. Tomorrowland stands in marked contrast to these movies, with the prospect of the destruction of civilization very present in the movie, yet approached quite differently.
The movie starts with a narration by Frank Walker (George Clooney) and Casey Newton (Britt Robertson). A long flashback sequence involves a young Frank Walker at the 1964 Worlds Fair in Queens, NYC, in which he tries to get a prize for inventing an "almost working" jet pack. The judge, David Nix (later known as Governor Nix, played by Hugh Laurie), is dismissal of Frank. However, a young associate of Nix named Athena (Raffey Cassidy) meets with Frank, and gives him a "Tomorrowland" pin, and tells him to follow her and Nix into the "It's a Small World" ride. The ride ends up transporting all of them to another dimension where the futuristic city of Tomorrowland exists.
The above sequence ends with little details on the fate of Frank, and picks up shortly thereafter in the present with a teen-aged Casey Newton covertly entering a NASA launch area to sabotage cranes that were going to tear it down the next day. The next day her father, Eddie Newton (Tim McGraw), a NASA engineer, remarks that he heard of the cranes malfunctioning, but new ones are due to be flown in, and that following the launch area's destruction he will lose his job. In high school that day each of Casey's classes involve teachers predicting the doom for our civilization for various reasons, with Casey objecting that they should instead focus on finding a way to avoid that fate. That night she attempts to sabotage the cranes again, is caught, and also ends up being given a "Tomorrowland" pin, which gives her a stunningly realistic view of Tomorrowland.
The rest of the movie follows Casey as she seeks to discover what Tomorrowland is and how to get there, meets both Athena and Frank (who is now middle aged), and faces dangerous adversaries. It involves some really nicely done action sequences, human form robots (as you can see in the trailer of the movie), and a fair amount of humor. There is a strong dose of optimism, largely voiced by Casey, that the world can be changed for the better, regardless of how hopeless things appear.
All of the actors playing the main characters, Clooney, Robertson, Cassidy, and Laurie, do a good job with their roles. However, the standout is Raffey Cassidy, a teen-aged actor who does an amazing job of bringing the unusual character of Athena to life with a mix of smooth humor and at times pathos that is nicely done. Some have criticized the evident "crush" that an older Frank Walker has on this young character, but in the context of the movie (this is science fiction after all), it really does make sense, and the relationship itself is as platonic and chaste as you want.
Some critics have said that this movie has pacing issues and while filled with great ideas does not follow through as well as it could. In contrast I found the pacing was generally not bad at all, with the excitement of the story giving a nice sense of movement as the story unfolds. In fact one or two of the extended scenes, available on the Blu-ray release, could have likely been left in without harming the pace. My one criticism in this area is the part of the movie following the climax, which perhaps could have been handled better.
For parents who might be concerned about their children watching this movie, I can say that I watched it with my 12 year old daughter and had no issues with it. Younger children however could potentially be frightened by some occasional violence that while bloodless might still be upsetting to the very young. I do not recall any foul language or humor, and there is no nudity or sexual content at all, as expected with a Disney movie of this type.
Overall I found this a fun and satisfying movie to watch, and expect to come back to it often in the future!
Terminator Genisys (2015)
Much Better than expected
Terminator Genisys s the fifth movie in the Terminator (Tm) franchise, but in terms of continuity actually functions well as a sequence to the second Tm movie, T2. It has receive some bad press, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a fun movie to watch.
The first 30 minutes or so of the movie is similar in many ways to the first two Tm movies, with many of the same characters. However, there are changes, the nature of and reason for them being slowly explained as the movie goes on. This movie added a lot of depth to many of the characters and in that sense was more similar to T2 than to the first Tm movie.
The acting was not academy award winning level, but I do not think many people go to movies like this looking for the greatest acting in the world. However, all of the main cast do a nice job of making their characters interesting and generally believable, within the confines of the fictional universe they inhabit.
Not surprisingly the movie has some great action sequences. The action was non-stop enough to make the character interaction moments sometimes too brief, but the movie still had a recognizable plot with some cool twists along the way.
I saw this movie twice, once standard format and once in 3D. As is often the case in many recent movies the 3D was okay, but in my mind not worth the higher ticket price.
My own take on the Tm movies is that the first was good, the second (T2) was a classic of the action/SF genre, but the third and forth movies were not up to the same level of T2. Terminator Genisys is a great follow on to T2, with homages to it, but telling an exciting story of its own. Not quite to the level of T2, but still a fun movie to watch!
About Time (2013)
About Time is about right!
"About Time" is the story of a slightly socially inept your man, Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson). At the age of 21 his father reveals the family secret, all the men in the family can travel back in time, basically having their current consciousness temporarily present in younger versions of themselves. Tim decides to use this ability to get a girlfriend, which at first does not work out so well. However, when he later meets Mary (Rachel McAdams), his abilities come in handy to get a crucial first date to work out well.
The movie goes on to tell the story of Tim and Mary's relationship, and Tim learning the usefulness, and limitations, of his time traveling, to help himself and others. Along the way there are many humorous moments some that work better than others, along with some truly poignant moments, such as the day when Tim has to say goodbye for the very last time to his beloved father.
I saw "About Time" in a preview showing last week, and came with hopes for a good movie, but wondered how raw the movie would be (it is rated 'R"), and if it would have all of the typically romantic comedy clichés. I found it to be in general a pleasant movie to watch with characters that I genuinely came to feel like I knew and loved.
While a relatively minor part of the movie, some will be put off a bit by some vulgar language, a few isolated sex related jokes, and the frequent (off screen) premarital sex that leads to one couple getting married due to an unplanned pregnancy. There are a couple of scenes in which Mary is shown in her underwear, once topless, but covering herself with her hands such that nothing is visible. I was actually a bit puzzled that the movie was rated "R", since most of this material was not much different from what you can see any day on basic cable television.
Domhnall Gleeson did a convincing job of portraying Tim as a genuinely nice guy who cares about other people and goes out of his way to help people when he can. Rachael McAdams is pleasant as Mary and she and Tim make a nice couple on screen. I was pleasantly surprised that the movie avoided some of the romantic comedy formula, by not having an artificial way to separate and then later get the couple back together. The interactions between Tim and his dad (wonderfully played by Bill Nighy) were touching and realistic (not counting the whole time travel thing).
To sum up the movie was fun, interesting, and really much more pleasant to watch than I had initially thought it might be. It was a true "science fantasy" movie, in that it took ordinary people, introduced a fantastic concept, and then let things play out in a fairly realistic way. In the end it also had some surprisingly worthwhile things to say about the importance of making the right choices and living life to the fullest, but did it without hitting you over the head with it. I would gladly see it again sometime and recommend that you strongly consider going to see it yourself.
Courageous (2011)
Fun to watch, but also made me think afterward
"Courageous" is largely about four deputies in a large sheriff's department in a mixed suburban and metropolitan area. It details some of the dangers, temptations and excitement inherent in their job. However, even more so it shows us how they interact with each other and their families, especially how they deal with tragedy and learn from it.
The film does have some action scenes involving gang violence, arrests and shootouts. As such it is appropriately rated at PG-13 and I would not have brought my 7 year old daughter to it, but think it would be okay for most teenagers. The action scenes are not the bulk of the movie and happen early on to introduce the characters and then more toward the end, by which time I was at the edge of my seat to see who would live or die.
However, as I alluded to before, the action scenes are not the bulk of the movie and take a back seat often to the character interactions. The acting is generally good and the characters believable, with some only slightly over the top humor at times. The humor actually is used nicely to lighten things up a bit as some of the characters are forced to deal with a tragedy in their family.
The storyline is relatively linear, but not totally predictable as the actions of some characters came as quite a surprise to me. As part of this the story was made more believable by some revelations mid-way through the movie about some of the characters that showed their less than perfect lives and values.
I often do not see movies like this, since I am a somewhat typical man who prefers big blockbuster SF or other action oriented films. However, I went to see this movie at my local multiplex yesterday on a date with my wife and found myself really enjoying the movie. The people attending were a mix of adults and teenagers, with about an equal mix of men and women. I met a couple of people I knew there and they seemed to have enjoyed the film.
By the end of the movie I had cheered on the heroes, laughed at the humor, enjoyed the action scenes and even gotten somewhat teary eyed at parts (during which my wife did some solid crying). Overall I would say that this film was well done, with an engaging story, characters you could believe in and with a storyline that really makes you think hard even when it is over. I had fun with the movie, but also find it challenging as perhaps you will also if you choose to see it.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Excellent movie, best superhero film in years
I saw Captain America on its second weekend (in 2D) and while I expected a good movie, I was surprised to watch the best action genre movie I have seen in years. The special effects are excellent, and if you are looking for an exciting, fun movie to watch you need look no further.
However, if you want a story with more depth, this movie also delivers on that level. It is the story of one brave man, not gifted physically, but given a second change, willing to fight to make a difference where he could in the world. It is of course a fictional story, but at its core I think resonates, as I think of the many people who have given their own lives sacrificially for others.
Chris Evans, playing Steve Rodgers (Captain America), does a convincing job of playing a man who is "weak" outside, but made of iron inside. His adversary, Johann Schmidt (The Red Skull) is a bit over the top in his performance, but not so much as to become a campy villain. The supporting cast does a nice job, even if Tommy Lee Jones seems a bit wasted in a relatively small role with little opportunity to give his acting skills the workout they are certainly up to.
The movie could be seen as somewhat of a setup for the Avengers movie, as "Thor" and other Marvel superhero movies have been. However, I think this movie stands alone very nicely, and the setup part of it is not distracting at all other than perhaps the brief closing sequence that might have been better relegated to after the credits.
The movie is set in the 1940's and from what I know of the time seems to capture their atmosphere well. I did not think this a problem for today's audiences since the essence of the story has little to do with the time period and everything to do with heroism. Captain America as a person is obviously a man who is not perfect, but he is a true hero that I enjoyed being able to wholeheartedly root for. If you have not seen it yet I recommended you do so!
The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
The Forbidden Kingdom - Great mix of action, comedy and a coming of age story.
The Forbidden Kingdom starts in a way that is similar to The Karate Kid, with Jason (Michael Angarano), the boy new to his local high school who loves kung fu movies, but is helpless to defend himself against the neighborhood bullies. These same bullies force him to help them into a pawn shop whose owner is shot but still passes on a mysterious staff to Jason. The staff turns out to be that of the legendary Monkey King and Jason is transported into ancient China where he journeys to use the staff to free the imprisoned Monkey King. In the end Jason must prove himself as he faces both fantastical and real life foes.
Once in China Jason acquires several companions; Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) a wine drinking kung fu master, Golden Sparrow (Yifei Liu) a vengeance driven young women and later a monk (Jet Li) who protect him and later train him in the art of kung fu. Together they journey to Five Elements Mountain to attempt to free the Monkey King and end the reign of the evil Jade Warlord (Collin Chou) who sends innumerable troops to stop them.
This movie works on many levels, none too deep, but very satisfying none the less. First of all it is a great action movie with very well done kung fu action scenes involving Jackie Chan and Jet Li, two of the greatest kung fu movie stars in the past couple of decades. In the midst of all of this is a great deal of fairly well done comedy, sometimes not perfectly executed, but generally fun, especially during the kung fu training of Jason. Last but not least this is a classic coming of age story in which Jason journeys from being a boy who fantasizes of adventure to a young man who can fight and suffer for what is right.
This is a fantasy based movie, so expect some magical displays and references to immortal beings, but this is not too heavily done so the story is fairly easy to follow. Refreshingly the movie has relatively little in the way of moral ambiguity, with villains that are really evil and those who oppose them being flawed humans but still striving to that which is right.
In regards to the appropriateness of the movie for varied audiences, the violence in this PG-13 rated movie is never graphic, though possibly disturbing for young children. There is no sexual content with the exception of an implied impending assault by the Jade Warlord (we see nothing actually happening here). I saw the movie in a pre-screening with mostly college students whose applause and laughs made it clear they enjoyed it, but I am quite a bit past college and found it just as enjoyable.
One last comment, while virtually all of the dialogue between main characters is in English, there is a fair amount of Mandarin Chinese being spoken during the movie. In the few instances when knowing the content of this is important there are English subtitles and I did not find the un-translated portions to be an issue.
Overall this is a movie that is exciting, fun and generally very satisfying to watch.
End of the Spear (2005)
End of the Spear - a surprisingly good movie.
It is a quarter past midnight and I just got home from watching "End of the Spear" at a local theater on its opening night. It was quite an experience, but before I give my reactions, let me give you some background on the movie.
If you do not already know, the film is based on the true story of an indigenous tribe, the Waodani, in the Ecuador jungle who were known for their brutal murders of each other and any who entered their region. Five missionaries attempted to contact them before the government could wipe the tribe out, but all five of them were murdered by the Waodani because of a tragic misunderstanding. Rather than seek vengeance for this, some of the families left behind by the slain men went to live with the Waodani and seek to help them in both material and spiritual ways. The story is largely told from two points of view; that of the son of one of the slain men, and that of one of the Waodani leaders.
The film was gripping and moving and held my attention for most of the nearly two hours it lasted. It gave a window into a very different world and mindset than most of us in the "civilized" western world are accustomed to. If you are looking for great special effects, star actors or "fun" entertainment this is not the picture for you. However, if you want a to see a movie that has believable characters in a gripping tale based on a true story, then I highly recommend going to see this movie!
Serenity (2005)
Best Movie I've seen in a long time!
Serenity is the best movie I've seen in quite awhile. It has plenty of action, but unlike a lot of other science fiction oriented movies it also has *A story*. Seems like someone finally realized that special effects alone do not make for a great movie.
The movie is based on the prematurely canceled show "Firefly", but is easy to watch and follow without ever having seen Firefly. The actors are relatively unknown, but do a good job, helped along by some well written and witty dialog.
I read Ebert's review of this beforehand, and while I do not always agree with him, I have to say he was right on the money this time. The movie works on just about every level, and I have already seen it twice, something I rarely bother to do these days.
Unfortunately, it is doing fair at best in the box-office, likely due to a lack of aggressive marketing. If you have not seen it yet, go soon, because this is not one you want to wait until the DVD for!