Mystery Science Theater 3000, comes Rifftrax. Think MST3K minus the figures in front of the screen.
Here's a sample.
http://www.rifftrax.com/ondemand/drugs-are
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
It's a Dirty Job, but Somebody's Got to Do It.
I know I haven't written in a few weeks, but I wanted to wait till I had something I felt strongly to write about it. That said, here goes.
I saw a movie Thursday night that I think you all need to see called The Hurt Locker. It is a brutal, thundering movie that follows three members of a US Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) unit on a duty hitch in Iraq during the Iraq War. This movie has been rave reviews from critics, paid and online alike (the movie currently has an almost unheard of 98% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website.) After seeing the movie, I can say that I think those rave reviews are well-deserved, and will add my own over the course of this posting.
Marc Boal, whose story also provided the basis for another recent Iraq war film, In the Valley of Elah, contributes a script based on two sources: his experiences as an embedded reporter during the war with an EOD unit, and recently declassified Dept. of Defense documents concerning other of these units. Kathryn Bigelow, whom many people know for her work on Point Break and Strange Days, lends her action film credibility to this film in her role as the director, providing just the right amounts of tension buildup and release to keep the viewer engaged. For a movie about bombs, there is surprisingly little violence. What little violence there is in the film is handled is very tasteful, acting more as a character in the film than a background piece of it.
Jeremy Renner plays SSgt. William James, leader of the EOD team focused on in the movie, joined by Anthony Mackie as Sgt. Sanborn, and Brian Geraghty as Spec. Eldridge. Renner plays the role of James, who upon first impressions as equal parts cocky and ice water in the veins, which I'm sure is what make someone who does that job good at what they do. What I found striking about his portrayal was how well Renner showed the human side of a soldier, calling home to his family and also watching out for a young Iraqi youth who sells DVD's near Camp Victory. He also has great concern for his team, even if in the beginning of the film, both Sanborn and Eldridge feel that he will get them killed, going so far as discussing "accidentally" blowing him up during a disposal mission. Several better known actors make cameo appearances in the film as well, including Ralph Fiennes (who is almost unrecognizable), Guy Pearce, David Morse and Evangeline Lilly, who plays James' wife. They appear in "blink and you'll miss it" roles, as if Bigelow is saying to Renner "I'm putting the movie on your back." Renner more than responds with an award-worthy performance, one that if he does not receive a Golden Globe and/or Oscar nomination, I will be greatly surprised and disappointed.
The only piece of Renner's performance that did not sit well with me occurred near the end of the film, after he finds a dead boy turned into a bomb (insurgents have packed his stomach with explosives, which Renner discovers and deals with in the most wrenching moment in the film). He reacts by going "cowboy," trying to avenge the boy, and continues his quest while investigating a tank bombing. If I say much more than this, I defeat the purpose of you watching the film for yourself.
As I've previously stated, I think Renner's performance should be honored during award season, but he is not the only one. Boal's script and the Bigelow's direction should be honored as well. If Bigelow were to be honored with an Oscar nod for Best Director, she would become only the fourth so honored (The other three are: Lina Wertmuller in 1976 for Seven Beauties, Jane Campion in 1993 for The Piano, and Sofia Coppola in 2003 for Lost in Translation). My reason for thinking she should be nominated is simple--she lets the movie direct itself. It's as if she went to the set and decided "I am just coming along for the ride, I'll let the film speak for itself." That is the best type of director.
Boal and Bigelow have put forth a film that I think will better help the American public understand the mindset of a soldier, and they have done so through the use of one of the more forgotten groups of them by using the EOD squad. By showing what this group deals with in the course of a day, I feel as though, while not being in their shoes daily, we can better understand the life of a a soldier by walking with them over the course of the two hours of the film.
Unfortunately, this film is cursed by the same fate some brilliant movies are left with, meaning no one ever gets to see them till they come to DVD. To be honest, I would have never heard of the film unless I had heard Boal and Bigelow interviewed on a local morning radio show. The fact that this movie is in a limited, but growing wider, release does not help. I almost missed the film, seeing it at the last show of the last night of it's run in my corner of Delaware.
Should you see it? It is the best movie I have seen in at least five years. Those of you who know the amount of movies I watch realize how strong of a statement this is. PLEASE find this movie and see it in the theaters in your area, or if you can't do that, add it to your Netflix queue immediately.
I saw a movie Thursday night that I think you all need to see called The Hurt Locker. It is a brutal, thundering movie that follows three members of a US Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) unit on a duty hitch in Iraq during the Iraq War. This movie has been rave reviews from critics, paid and online alike (the movie currently has an almost unheard of 98% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website.) After seeing the movie, I can say that I think those rave reviews are well-deserved, and will add my own over the course of this posting.
Marc Boal, whose story also provided the basis for another recent Iraq war film, In the Valley of Elah, contributes a script based on two sources: his experiences as an embedded reporter during the war with an EOD unit, and recently declassified Dept. of Defense documents concerning other of these units. Kathryn Bigelow, whom many people know for her work on Point Break and Strange Days, lends her action film credibility to this film in her role as the director, providing just the right amounts of tension buildup and release to keep the viewer engaged. For a movie about bombs, there is surprisingly little violence. What little violence there is in the film is handled is very tasteful, acting more as a character in the film than a background piece of it.
Jeremy Renner plays SSgt. William James, leader of the EOD team focused on in the movie, joined by Anthony Mackie as Sgt. Sanborn, and Brian Geraghty as Spec. Eldridge. Renner plays the role of James, who upon first impressions as equal parts cocky and ice water in the veins, which I'm sure is what make someone who does that job good at what they do. What I found striking about his portrayal was how well Renner showed the human side of a soldier, calling home to his family and also watching out for a young Iraqi youth who sells DVD's near Camp Victory. He also has great concern for his team, even if in the beginning of the film, both Sanborn and Eldridge feel that he will get them killed, going so far as discussing "accidentally" blowing him up during a disposal mission. Several better known actors make cameo appearances in the film as well, including Ralph Fiennes (who is almost unrecognizable), Guy Pearce, David Morse and Evangeline Lilly, who plays James' wife. They appear in "blink and you'll miss it" roles, as if Bigelow is saying to Renner "I'm putting the movie on your back." Renner more than responds with an award-worthy performance, one that if he does not receive a Golden Globe and/or Oscar nomination, I will be greatly surprised and disappointed.
The only piece of Renner's performance that did not sit well with me occurred near the end of the film, after he finds a dead boy turned into a bomb (insurgents have packed his stomach with explosives, which Renner discovers and deals with in the most wrenching moment in the film). He reacts by going "cowboy," trying to avenge the boy, and continues his quest while investigating a tank bombing. If I say much more than this, I defeat the purpose of you watching the film for yourself.
As I've previously stated, I think Renner's performance should be honored during award season, but he is not the only one. Boal's script and the Bigelow's direction should be honored as well. If Bigelow were to be honored with an Oscar nod for Best Director, she would become only the fourth so honored (The other three are: Lina Wertmuller in 1976 for Seven Beauties, Jane Campion in 1993 for The Piano, and Sofia Coppola in 2003 for Lost in Translation). My reason for thinking she should be nominated is simple--she lets the movie direct itself. It's as if she went to the set and decided "I am just coming along for the ride, I'll let the film speak for itself." That is the best type of director.
Boal and Bigelow have put forth a film that I think will better help the American public understand the mindset of a soldier, and they have done so through the use of one of the more forgotten groups of them by using the EOD squad. By showing what this group deals with in the course of a day, I feel as though, while not being in their shoes daily, we can better understand the life of a a soldier by walking with them over the course of the two hours of the film.
Unfortunately, this film is cursed by the same fate some brilliant movies are left with, meaning no one ever gets to see them till they come to DVD. To be honest, I would have never heard of the film unless I had heard Boal and Bigelow interviewed on a local morning radio show. The fact that this movie is in a limited, but growing wider, release does not help. I almost missed the film, seeing it at the last show of the last night of it's run in my corner of Delaware.
Should you see it? It is the best movie I have seen in at least five years. Those of you who know the amount of movies I watch realize how strong of a statement this is. PLEASE find this movie and see it in the theaters in your area, or if you can't do that, add it to your Netflix queue immediately.
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