Day 109: The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie & Brian Geraghty
Rated: R
Length: 131 min.
Released: June 26, 2009
Trailer

IMDB.com Synopsis:
US Army Sergeant First Class Will James, Sergeant JT Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge comprise the Bravo Company’s bomb disposal unit currently stationed in Baghdad. James is the tech team leader. When James arrives on the scene, Bravo Company has thirty-nine days left on its current deployment. It will be a long thirty-nine days for Sanborn and Eldridge whose styles do not mesh with their new leader. James is a renegade for who the thrill of the dismantlement seems to be the ultimate goal regardless of the safety of his fellow team members, others on the scene or himself. On the other hand, Sanborn is by the books: he knows his place and duty and trusts others in the army to carry out theirs as well as he. And Eldridge is an insecure soldier who is constantly worried that an error or misjudgment on his part will lead to the death of an innocent civilian or a military colleague. While the three members face their own internal issues, they have to be aware of any person at the bomb sites, some of who may be bombers themselves.

My Thoughts:
One of the things I love about this movie is that it’s just very real. It’s an honest portrayal of this line of the US military and a wake up call to the stuff they have to deal with. It’s just a phenomenal honest look at the war in Iraq.

The movie is shot almost entirely on handheld cameras so it has a slight documentary “embedded” camera feel to it. That really adds believability and authenticity to this true story. Perhaps the narrative of the entire story isn’t true, but much of the story is based on real events. That’s just crazy.

The acting is top notch, and the special effects are 100% believable. However, the thing I love the most about this movie has got to be that it’s not a heavily political film. Most of the movies about the Iraq war have been WAY too political (usually leaning to the left I might add)…and it’s just been tiresome to watch all of these political statements being made over and over. This one didn’t do that at all. It was just (like I said)…honest.

5 stars out of 5…and a high recommendation. It won all those Oscars for a reason. Watch it for yourself and find out why.

Day 98: Godzilla

Godzilla
Director: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria & Kevin Dunn
Rated: PG-13
Length: 139 min.
Released: May 20, 1998
Trailer

IMDB.com Synopsis:
Following the French atomic bomb tests in the South Pacific, an unknown creature is spotted passing eastward through the Panama Canal. Scientist Niko Tatopolous is called in to investigate the matter, and he quickly arrives at the conclusion that a giant, irradiated lizard has been created by the explosions. Godzilla then makes its way north, landing at Manhattan to begin wreaking havoc in the big city. Even with the combined forces of the U.S. military to fight the monster, will it be enough to save the people of New York?

My Thoughts:
When it comes to the Americanized Godzilla I am a bit of an anomaly because I am one of the few that actually enjoyed it. I know I’ll get a lot of crap for that…and I don’t care. It’s a great sci-fi/monster popcorn movie. Grant it the special effects didn’t age well and it’s nothing like the original Godzilla films…but I don’t care. I hated the original Godzilla movies. They were laughable, they really were. Even the “Godzilla 2000″ film was simply atrocious. The Americanized Godzilla was exactly what I was expecting and hoping for…less cheese and BS special effects, a more intresting and engaging story and a much better cast.

Yet, this film has gotten so many bad reviews. To many it was a “flop.” At the Japanese premier Heisei Godzilla suit actor Ken Satsuma walked out of film early (after the helicopter chase sequence) saying “It’s not Godzilla, it does not have the spirit.” I agree 100%…and I thank God for that. Never mind the fact that it grossed over $380 million worldwide when it was released in theaters. Yeah…some flop.

I also like the little jabs at the USA/French relations and cultural differences, the jabs at Siskel and Ebert by giving the air-head Mayor and his assistant their names, and the little wink at the “Godzilla” vs “Gojira” pronunciation (Gojira was the name of the first “Godzilla” movie released in 1954). They all make it quite entertaining.

Also, like in Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and more recently 2012, Roland Emmerich stays true to form by demolishing several iconic buildings and landmarks like Madison Square Garden, The Brooklyn Bridge and the Chrysler Building among others, and who doesn’t like that…right?

Is it a spectacular film?…no. Is it a ground breaking special effects movie…no. Is it a fun American interpretation of this classic monster that makes him more believable and keeps him grounded in reality… absolutely. If you have never liked the originals (like me) then you will have a better shot enjoying this one. I’m giving it 3.5 stars out of 5.

Day 32: Basic

Basic
Directed by: John McTiernan
Starring: John Travolta, Connie Nielsen & Samuel L. Jackson
Rated: R
Length: 98 min.
Released: March 28, 2003
Trailer

IMDB.com Synopsis:
Tom Hardy, an ex-Army Ranger turned DEA agent, is drawn into an ever-widening mystery surrounding the disappearance of the feared and often hated Sgt. Nathan West, as well as several of his elite Special Forces trainees on what appears, at first, to have been a routine training exercise during a hurricane in the jungles of Panama. Only two survivors are found, Dunbar, and a badly wounded Kendall, the son of a high-profile Joint Chiefs of Staff official. Neither is willing to cooperate with Capt. Julia Osborne’s investigation. So base commander Col. Bill Styles calls in ex-Ranger Hardy, an old friend and a persuasive interrogator. Osborne disapproves of Hardy who is on leave from the D.E.A. after having come under suspicion of accepting bribes from local drug traffickers. She is also uneasy when she learns that Hardy once trained under West and hates him almost as passionately as his current recruits. With time running out, Hardy and Osborne call a temporary, if uneasy, truce. Hardy cajoles a confession out of Dunbar, who claims that Sgt. West and the missing Rangers have been murdered and their bodies blown away by the hurricane. When they later interview Kendall, he confirms that the other Rangers and West are dead. But, in almost every other way, his story contradicts Dunbar’s. What happened to West and his Ranger team? And what were they really doing out there in the jungle? As each layer reveals more lies and greater deceptions, Hardy and Osborne inch towards the horrible truth about the fate of the missing Rangers.

My Thoughts:
This is such a smart movie! It will have you on the edge of your seat guessing over and over until the end! I loved it! It’s a “who-done-it” suspense/drama surrounding a military mystery. And it has great performances from a variety of actors beyond just the top three listed above. If you have this one figured out you must have been tipped off, because this one…you don’t know who to believe!!! I love movies like that.

It’s got moments of action, but it’s not at all an action driven movie. Like I said, the suspense and drama gets more intense as each layer of this story unfolds. You have to pay attention…or you’ll miss something and be even more confused than you should be, and you will be confused through much of it…trust me. If that kind of plot bugs you then stay away, but if you’re like me and you like the layers being peeled a little at a time and enjoy not knowing exactly where it’s…you will love Basic.

Stellar acting, and even better writing and story. This one gets 4 out of 5 stars.