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| Syd |
 Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:16 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Marc wrote: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS is a big budget Sam Fuller film. Not bad. But, I found it repetitive and the characters underdeveloped. Its heart is in the right place.
It has the problem that the material doesn't really resolve itself into a movie very well, although Eastwood and the scriptwriter tried very hard. The scenes on Iwo Jima and the use of washed-out color was effective. Adam Beach gave a very good performance. The lives of the other heroes tended to peter out after the war, which makes a resolution difficult. Letters from Iwo Jima works better partly because the story has a natural resolution. |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| mo_flixx |
| Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:27 pm |
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Joined: 30 May 2004
Posts: 12533
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Another difference:
I think the book _Flags of Our Fathers_ required a more pedestrian (or straightforward) approach to the material. IMO, LETTERS delved more into the realm of emotion and looked inward.
There were no war bond subplots, etc. I thought it was a simpler and therefore more intense story. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 12:24 am |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Half Nelson is a very good film, and Ryan Gosling richly deserves his Oscar and Blanche nominations. He reminds me strongly of a younger Edward Norton, who's one of my favorite actors. Shareeka Epps is equally good, and I have to think she would be in our supporting actress list, or even our lead, if the movie had had wider distribution or the DVD had come out a month earlier. I'd vote for her over anyone on our list (although I've yet to see Babel).
Gosling plays a crack-addicted school teacher who is in a downward spiral. The interesting thing is that he is a very good, charismatic teacher despite his addiction, at least until the addiction gets too severe. At least one of his old students is at Georgetown studying history, and you get the impression a lot of them are. Epps is playing a 13-year old student of his. Her brother is serving time in jail for drug running and he's covering for the real dealer; she is just about ready to follow in her brother's footsteps. When she finds her teacher strung out in the ladies room (I suspect he's there to hide from the janitors.), she helps him and a bond begins to establish itself.
The movie also has quite a bit of humor, although it also gets very dark. I like the fact that Gosling is teaching the Dialectic to eighth graders. I like it even more that it's a good and inspiring thing to do. It's his way to teach the civil rights movement. |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 12:34 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Very good review, Syd. Ironically, Gosling almost wasn't cast because the director and others thought he was too young for the role. I say "ironically" because I think his relative youth was definitely a plus for the character and more realistic as well. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 12:57 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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His relative youth works. It makes it more believable that he could connect with his students. I think his character would have to be around 27 or 28 for one of his former 8th grade students to be in Georgetown.
I liked the actor who played the drug dealer Frank as well. |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 1:37 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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Syd wrote: Half Nelson is a very good film, and Ryan Gosling richly deserves his Oscar and Blanche nominations. He reminds me strongly of a younger Edward Norton, who's one of my favorite actors. His relative youth works. It makes it more believable that he could connect with his students. I think his character would have to be around 27 or 28 for one of his former 8th grade students to be in Georgetown.
Not only did Gosling remind me of Norton, but a number of times during the film I kept thinking it was Norton.
I also did a quick mental calculation to see what his age would be if one of his former students was now in college. A small mistake was that the father said that his son was a Georgtown freshman, "majoring in history." While majors aren't chosen that early. Of course the father could just be exaggerating based on his son's interest, or have slightly mistaken parental information, or perhaps just trying to flatter a good teacher by emphasizing the importance of his role. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 1:49 am |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| Assuming no skipped grades, it would take five years for his former student to be in college, and he would have graduated when he was 21. If he went directly into teaching high school, he would be at least 26. If he stayed to take some education classes or spend a year student teaching, he would be 27 or 28. However, Dan Dunne is all that mature. He seems younger than he is, and Drey sometimes seems more mature than he is. |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 7:42 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Syd wrote: Dan Dunne is all that mature. He seems younger than he is, and Drey sometimes seems more mature than he is.
This quote requires deciphering. I think I know what you're getting at, but for a moment I thought you were referring to Drey as a male character, and I had to go to IMDB to find out the facts. But do you mean "NOT all that mature" about Dan?
I disagree slightly if that's what you mean. Dan is very immature in some ways and very wise in others. He also makes a really dumb misstep at the dance. In real life that level of intimacy might land him on the front page of the New York Post. |
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| ehle64 |
| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 11:33 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 7149
Location: NYC; US&A
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I'm anxiously awaiting a copy of Half Nelson from netflix.
The Science Of Sleep is soooo beautiful. As is Bernal. Bravo. |
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It truly disappoints me when people do something for you via no prompt of your own and then use it as some kind of weapon against you at a later time and place. It is what it is. |
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| chillywilly |
| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 11:35 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 8251
Location: Salt Lake City
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ehle64 wrote: I'm anxiously awaiting a copy of Half Nelson from netflix.
It's next on my list. Syd's review and others positive words on Gosling's performance pushed it up to the top of the queue. |
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Chilly
"If you should die before me / Ask if you could bring a friend" |
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| whiskeypriest |
| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 11:58 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 6916
Location: "It's a Dry Heat."
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gromit wrote: Whiskey, where did you see Ace in the Hole/The Big Carnival (1951)? Doesn't appear to be out on Dvd. I'd love to get hold of it. |
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I ask you, Velvel, as a rational man, which of us is possessed? |
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| ehle64 |
| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 12:23 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 7149
Location: NYC; US&A
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OMG. The DVD print of The Heiress is such a blessing.
I can't believe I'll be spending Oscar night in Washington Square. |
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It truly disappoints me when people do something for you via no prompt of your own and then use it as some kind of weapon against you at a later time and place. It is what it is. |
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| ehle64 |
| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 12:30 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 7149
Location: NYC; US&A
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the new mail is here, the new mail is here
and so is Half Nelson! |
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It truly disappoints me when people do something for you via no prompt of your own and then use it as some kind of weapon against you at a later time and place. It is what it is. |
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| bart |
| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 1:00 pm |
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Joined: 05 Dec 2005
Posts: 2381
Location: Lincoln NE
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Science of Sleep in my queue. Thanks for reminding me about it.
Saw, as part of my program of catching up with films I missed the past 2-3 years, "Junebug" --
what a sad misfire and misappropriation of southern stereotypes and cliches. And the slow pans across empty rooms thing wasn't as arty as it thought it was.
I did like Scott Wilson as the father, however -- kudos to him for creating a genuine and appealing character in such a ridiculous movie loaded with characters to which I could make no emotional connection whatever. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 1:10 pm |
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ehle64 wrote: I'm anxiously awaiting a copy of Half Nelson from netflix.
The Science Of Sleep is soooo beautiful. As is Bernal. Bravo.
I'm glad some more have seen The Science of Sleep. And liked it. I reviewed it way back when I saw it. Lovely movie. And at times extremely funny. |
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