I finally got around to seeing this movie -- it's been in my Netflix queue for a while. It was an interesting, if somewhat confusing, examination of a lie, its consequences, and the lifetime of the liar to make amends.
Thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis sees her older sister, Cecilia, and the housekeeper's son, Robbie, through the window, and misinterprets their actions. Robbie's been educated at Oxford as a result of the benificence of the girl's father, and plans on attending medical school. He's walking the border between two social classes, and gradually letting his attraction to Cecilia overcome his better judgment. Briony sees him and Cecilia playfully tugging on a vase of flowers. That interaction, and an intercepted letter from Robbie to Cecilia, form the basis of Briony's later lie that ruins both Robbie and Cecilia's life.
The story is told primarily through Briony's eyes, although there is some jumping back and forth to tell the story from another's viewpoint. This is where it is difficult sometimes to track where in the story you are.
It was an interesting movie, and I'm glad I finally saw it.
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Monday, September 01, 2008
Traitor
I saw "Traitor" this past weekend. In it, Don Cheadle plays Samir Horn, a Sudanese American who, as a young boy, saw his father murdered in a car bomb. He and his mother moved to Chicago, where he spent his formative years in the projects. Now, he is apparently a terrorist, involved in a plot to bring terror to the US.
After he and others are arrested in Yemen for a terrorist plot, he comes to the attention of a couple of FBI agents, played by Guy Pearce and Neil McDonnough. (I love Neil's blue eyes!) A game of cat and mouse ensues, and ultimately, Samir's true purpose is revealed.
This was a good movie, but very violent. It was rated R for the violence and language. It was most disturbing to sit behind a woman and her (presumably) three kids -- an older boy, maybe 16, a girl, 12-ish, and a boy about 8. I can't imagine what she was thinking. Aside from the violence, the topic of terrorism -- and the constant beat of it in our daily lives -- must surely be the cause of nightmares for those young kids. That's what REALLY disturbed me.
After he and others are arrested in Yemen for a terrorist plot, he comes to the attention of a couple of FBI agents, played by Guy Pearce and Neil McDonnough. (I love Neil's blue eyes!) A game of cat and mouse ensues, and ultimately, Samir's true purpose is revealed.
This was a good movie, but very violent. It was rated R for the violence and language. It was most disturbing to sit behind a woman and her (presumably) three kids -- an older boy, maybe 16, a girl, 12-ish, and a boy about 8. I can't imagine what she was thinking. Aside from the violence, the topic of terrorism -- and the constant beat of it in our daily lives -- must surely be the cause of nightmares for those young kids. That's what REALLY disturbed me.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
The Kingdom
I finally got around to watching this last night -- I've had it from Netflix most of the summer.
The movie is a fictional account of a terrorist bombing in Saudi Arabia. The victims of the attack are western oil workers and their families, relaxing in their highly-secured compound at a Sunday softball game. A special agent for the FBI is on site, and is killed after the first wave of attacks by a huge car bomb that destroys an apartment building(a la the Kobar Towers blast in the early 1990's).
An elite team of FBI agents -- Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman and Chris Cooper -- finagle their way into the country to investigate the deaths of the Americans. They join forces with a reluctant Saudi police chief, who grows to appreciate the American's dedication and expertise.
As the movie ends, and loose ends are tied up, we are reminded that the terror will continue so long as revenge figures into motivation for violence. The movie was very engaging, and I found myself several times with muscles clenched, ready for the next bomb. Yeah, it's very violent.
The movie is a fictional account of a terrorist bombing in Saudi Arabia. The victims of the attack are western oil workers and their families, relaxing in their highly-secured compound at a Sunday softball game. A special agent for the FBI is on site, and is killed after the first wave of attacks by a huge car bomb that destroys an apartment building(a la the Kobar Towers blast in the early 1990's).
An elite team of FBI agents -- Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman and Chris Cooper -- finagle their way into the country to investigate the deaths of the Americans. They join forces with a reluctant Saudi police chief, who grows to appreciate the American's dedication and expertise.
As the movie ends, and loose ends are tied up, we are reminded that the terror will continue so long as revenge figures into motivation for violence. The movie was very engaging, and I found myself several times with muscles clenched, ready for the next bomb. Yeah, it's very violent.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Tropic Thunder
Crude. Obscene. Profane. Offensive. And very, very funny.
That is all.
P.S. I am so glad Robert Downey Jr. found his way back into acting. He is tremendous in his role as an over-invested method actor. He's also got beautiful blue eyes.
P.S.S. This is the first movie I've paid to see Tom Cruise in a very long time. He is very good as Les Grossman(perfect name), an over-the-top Hollywood producer in search of big box office $$.
That is all.
P.S. I am so glad Robert Downey Jr. found his way back into acting. He is tremendous in his role as an over-invested method actor. He's also got beautiful blue eyes.
P.S.S. This is the first movie I've paid to see Tom Cruise in a very long time. He is very good as Les Grossman(perfect name), an over-the-top Hollywood producer in search of big box office $$.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Iron Man
I finally saw "Iron Man" on Sunday, in an attempt to spend some time in air conditioning. Har. The theater was warm, but the movie was surprisingly entertaining.
The movie tells the beginning of the Marvel Comics superhero "Iron Man." The man is Tony Stark, played here by Robert Downey, Jr., a billionaire playboy who runs Stark Industries. Stark produces the latest in technical armaments for war. Tony's inheirited the company from his father, a developer of the atomic bomb, and is mentored by Obediah Stane, played by Jeff Bridges.
While on a look-see in the Middle East, presumably Iraq, Tony's humvee caravan is attacked, and Tony is kidnapped by what we suppose to be terrorists. Tony is severely injured in the attack with a shrapnel bomb -- produced by Stark Industries. He is saved by a doctor, also a captive, who inserts an electo-magnet into Tony's chest cavity to prevent the fragments from piercing his heart.
The terrorists want Tony to build them the newest Stark missle, dubbed the "Jericho." Tony and the doctor spend many days dimantling old equipment, welding, etc. and produce not a bomb, but Iron Man's exoskeleton.
As you might guess, Tony escapes the clutches of the evil doers, and returns to LA a changed man. He wants Stark Industries to stop making weapons, a move not endorsed by an increasingly menacing Stane or the stockmarket.
The movie tells the beginning of the Marvel Comics superhero "Iron Man." The man is Tony Stark, played here by Robert Downey, Jr., a billionaire playboy who runs Stark Industries. Stark produces the latest in technical armaments for war. Tony's inheirited the company from his father, a developer of the atomic bomb, and is mentored by Obediah Stane, played by Jeff Bridges.
While on a look-see in the Middle East, presumably Iraq, Tony's humvee caravan is attacked, and Tony is kidnapped by what we suppose to be terrorists. Tony is severely injured in the attack with a shrapnel bomb -- produced by Stark Industries. He is saved by a doctor, also a captive, who inserts an electo-magnet into Tony's chest cavity to prevent the fragments from piercing his heart.
The terrorists want Tony to build them the newest Stark missle, dubbed the "Jericho." Tony and the doctor spend many days dimantling old equipment, welding, etc. and produce not a bomb, but Iron Man's exoskeleton.
As you might guess, Tony escapes the clutches of the evil doers, and returns to LA a changed man. He wants Stark Industries to stop making weapons, a move not endorsed by an increasingly menacing Stane or the stockmarket.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Mamma Mia!
I've been trying to post all week, and haven't been able to get in. I can't leave comments on websites, either.
I saw "Mamma Mia!" on Wednesday afternoon, with a theater full of other women. Most reviewers panned this movie, but at least Roger Ebert was honest about it: he admitted the movie wasn't made for him, but for women and girls. And it is a woman's movie. I enjoyed the movie, and so did my audience-mates.
The plot is paper-thin. Donna, an aging hippie, runs a hotel on a Greek Island. She's raised her daughter, Sophie, as a single mother, and is in the midst of preparations for Sophie's wedding. Unbeknownst to Donna, Sophie invites three men who might be her father. You can tell almost from the first instance who Sophie's dad is. But, much singing and dancing will have to occur before the happy ending, and a couple of mysteries will be revealed.
The music is very catchy, even if you weren't a particular ABBA fan in the day. I bought a pricy Diet Coke at the snack bar as I entered the theater, and the 16 or 17-year old girl who waited on me let me know she LOVED the movie, and she'd sung along with it when she saw it at the drive-in. She bought the soundtrack, and knew all the lyrics by heart. She was very cute.
I saw "Mamma Mia!" on Wednesday afternoon, with a theater full of other women. Most reviewers panned this movie, but at least Roger Ebert was honest about it: he admitted the movie wasn't made for him, but for women and girls. And it is a woman's movie. I enjoyed the movie, and so did my audience-mates.
The plot is paper-thin. Donna, an aging hippie, runs a hotel on a Greek Island. She's raised her daughter, Sophie, as a single mother, and is in the midst of preparations for Sophie's wedding. Unbeknownst to Donna, Sophie invites three men who might be her father. You can tell almost from the first instance who Sophie's dad is. But, much singing and dancing will have to occur before the happy ending, and a couple of mysteries will be revealed.
The music is very catchy, even if you weren't a particular ABBA fan in the day. I bought a pricy Diet Coke at the snack bar as I entered the theater, and the 16 or 17-year old girl who waited on me let me know she LOVED the movie, and she'd sung along with it when she saw it at the drive-in. She bought the soundtrack, and knew all the lyrics by heart. She was very cute.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Hancock
Summer wouldn't be complete without a Will Smith movie, and Hancock is this year's offering.
Smith is an angry, hungover superhero with a bad attitude and a penchant for saving humanity with maximum destruction of property. As an example, in the opening sequence he helps the LAPD apprehend a careening Suburban filled with machine-gun toting bad guys. When Hancock arrives at full-speed, he breaks through the freeway signs, which land on a number of police cruisers and destroy them. He eventually lifts the Suburban, and, flying over downtown LA, crashes into several buildings with the vehicle before he impales it on the tower over the Capitol Records building.
Into this public relations nightmare steps Ray, played by Jason Bateman. He has a plan to revamp Hancock's public image. Ray is the movie's moral center, an ad-man with a heart for the world. He's been trying, unsuccessfully, to get a big pharmaceutical company to donate a tuberculosis drug, in exchange for use of an "all Heart" logo. Not surprisingly, big business is reluctant to bite.
A fun movie. Will Smith is always entertaining, and he sees to quite enjoy the havoc he creates as Hancock.
Smith is an angry, hungover superhero with a bad attitude and a penchant for saving humanity with maximum destruction of property. As an example, in the opening sequence he helps the LAPD apprehend a careening Suburban filled with machine-gun toting bad guys. When Hancock arrives at full-speed, he breaks through the freeway signs, which land on a number of police cruisers and destroy them. He eventually lifts the Suburban, and, flying over downtown LA, crashes into several buildings with the vehicle before he impales it on the tower over the Capitol Records building.
Into this public relations nightmare steps Ray, played by Jason Bateman. He has a plan to revamp Hancock's public image. Ray is the movie's moral center, an ad-man with a heart for the world. He's been trying, unsuccessfully, to get a big pharmaceutical company to donate a tuberculosis drug, in exchange for use of an "all Heart" logo. Not surprisingly, big business is reluctant to bite.
A fun movie. Will Smith is always entertaining, and he sees to quite enjoy the havoc he creates as Hancock.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
WALL*E
Wednesday was my half day, so I saw "Wall*E" the new Disney-Pixar animated movie. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Wall*E lives on Earth, quite alone except for his cockroach pal. He goes to work as a trash compactor; he is cleaning up an abandonned and despoiled Manhattan, by all appearances. All human life has fled the planet, ruined by the megaconglomerate "BNL" or "Big and Large."
His routine is set aside one day by the arrival of EVE, a drone sent by the orbiting humans to check to see if life has returned to the planet. Wall*E falls in "love" with EVE, and presents her with a green plant he's rescued from an abandonned refrigerator, and has growing in an old shoe. EVE's sensors respond to the plant, and she is drawn back to the orbiting ship, Wall*E tagging along.
The humans have all become very round, nearly boneless creatures whose only work consists of sitting in motorized chairs and drinking all their food in big slurpies, their every need attended to by numerous robots. The Captain is likewise round and attended to by the menacing "Auto-Pilot," whose presence nearly prevents the Captain from responding to the positive indicator of a rejuvenated Earth.
A good movie, many out-right belly laughs.
Wall*E lives on Earth, quite alone except for his cockroach pal. He goes to work as a trash compactor; he is cleaning up an abandonned and despoiled Manhattan, by all appearances. All human life has fled the planet, ruined by the megaconglomerate "BNL" or "Big and Large."
His routine is set aside one day by the arrival of EVE, a drone sent by the orbiting humans to check to see if life has returned to the planet. Wall*E falls in "love" with EVE, and presents her with a green plant he's rescued from an abandonned refrigerator, and has growing in an old shoe. EVE's sensors respond to the plant, and she is drawn back to the orbiting ship, Wall*E tagging along.
The humans have all become very round, nearly boneless creatures whose only work consists of sitting in motorized chairs and drinking all their food in big slurpies, their every need attended to by numerous robots. The Captain is likewise round and attended to by the menacing "Auto-Pilot," whose presence nearly prevents the Captain from responding to the positive indicator of a rejuvenated Earth.
A good movie, many out-right belly laughs.
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