Links
That awkward space between reality and reality television.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
No news on the job front yet, but I should hear one way or the other any day now.
But,
Blood Diamond
Director: Edward Zwick
Possum’s Grade: B+
Children of Men
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Possum’s Grade: A-
The 2000s, particularly the past two years, have brought a steady wave of geo-political thrillers from Hollywood, and I just eat them up. Last year, one of them won Best Picture, and this year another is the likely front-runner. Oddly, I feel like those two (Crash and Babel) are among the weaker of the sub-genre. This past week, I took in two of the latest, and while I think they are probably two of the best of these movies, seeing them within a few days of each other nearly killed me. Blood Diamond and Children of Men were two of the most intense movies that I have seen in quite a while.
These geo-political thrillers can take four forms. They are all either A) based on true events and/or individuals (Hotel Rwanda, The Last King of Scotland, Motorcycle Diaries) B) fictional stories dealing with real issues (Traffic, The Constant Gardener, Maria Full of Grace) C) fictional stories that deal with broad social issues (Crash, Babel) and D) fictional worlds that are a direct result of current issues (A Scanner Darkly).
Blood Diamond falls into category B and reveals the treachery of the African diamond trade and its effect on the locals. There are a lot of things that I could say about the movie, but I think Sarah put it best when at the conclusion she said, “I just want to sit here for a while and frown.” Though completely engaging, it was one of the most emotionally draining movies I have watched in years.
Children of Men can be grouped into column D. Set in the 2020s, we learn that all the women of the Earth become infertile in 2009 and the youngest person in the world was just killed at age 18. The world is in chaos, and London is the only city that has some semblance of civility even though their immigration policies are brutal. Clive Owen is entrusted with the protection and transport of a young girl who is pregnant. While not the feel good story of the year, and at times I wasn’t sure it made complete sense, it stands as one of the most well-made movies of the year.
Life is still a little up in the air for me at the moment, but here is the list of movies I would like to see before I present my top 10 list for the year around Oscar time:
Volver, Dreamgirls, Letters from Iwo Jima, Pan’s Labryinth
But,
Blood Diamond
Director: Edward Zwick
Possum’s Grade: B+
Children of Men
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Possum’s Grade: A-
The 2000s, particularly the past two years, have brought a steady wave of geo-political thrillers from Hollywood, and I just eat them up. Last year, one of them won Best Picture, and this year another is the likely front-runner. Oddly, I feel like those two (Crash and Babel) are among the weaker of the sub-genre. This past week, I took in two of the latest, and while I think they are probably two of the best of these movies, seeing them within a few days of each other nearly killed me. Blood Diamond and Children of Men were two of the most intense movies that I have seen in quite a while.
These geo-political thrillers can take four forms. They are all either A) based on true events and/or individuals (Hotel Rwanda, The Last King of Scotland, Motorcycle Diaries) B) fictional stories dealing with real issues (Traffic, The Constant Gardener, Maria Full of Grace) C) fictional stories that deal with broad social issues (Crash, Babel) and D) fictional worlds that are a direct result of current issues (A Scanner Darkly).
Blood Diamond falls into category B and reveals the treachery of the African diamond trade and its effect on the locals. There are a lot of things that I could say about the movie, but I think Sarah put it best when at the conclusion she said, “I just want to sit here for a while and frown.” Though completely engaging, it was one of the most emotionally draining movies I have watched in years.
Children of Men can be grouped into column D. Set in the 2020s, we learn that all the women of the Earth become infertile in 2009 and the youngest person in the world was just killed at age 18. The world is in chaos, and London is the only city that has some semblance of civility even though their immigration policies are brutal. Clive Owen is entrusted with the protection and transport of a young girl who is pregnant. While not the feel good story of the year, and at times I wasn’t sure it made complete sense, it stands as one of the most well-made movies of the year.
Life is still a little up in the air for me at the moment, but here is the list of movies I would like to see before I present my top 10 list for the year around Oscar time:
Volver, Dreamgirls, Letters from Iwo Jima, Pan’s Labryinth
Comments:
Post a Comment
