The Deer Hunter (1978)

United States, 1978
Cast: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, Meryl Streep
Director: Michael Cimino
My Rating: **** / ****

If you knew me at all, you know that i'm going to love this film. A three-hour more film about characters development, about war, and its tragedy. Yeah, it's tragic drama, sometimes breathtaking but rewarding in the end which came with a full package of three-hour running time. Yeah, you know i love this kind of film.

Mike (DeNiro), Nick (Walken), and Steve (Savage) were three friends in which this film focused at. They and bunch of other friends lived in a small town where they worked on a steel-mill, spend their night on a local bar, and once in a while go out for Deer hunting. They were unique personality, and during the first half of the film, we're given much of their personality, even on some characters, enough to love him earnestly. My personal favorite was of course Mike, you (who have seen the films) probably scoffs of how i say that Mike was quite a resemblance of my character. The greater part of the hour of this film was spent on Steve's marriage prior of his (with Mike and Nick) departure to serve their country in the war of Vietnam. Now, this marriage scene was a very enjoyable scene to watch, all those costumes, all those tunes, and all those dancings, i loved the grand reception, and i found myself even dancing to the tunes. But it makes me also wonder, seeing how Steve who was unabashedly happy would leave all that behind and went to Vietnam where chances are that he won't be back to his family. All in all, the mood was perfect. The characters were developed nicely as we see how Nick and Mike were the best of friend promising each other not to leave another behind. However, the mood was gradually but surely turns into gray. And at least, i feel the heavy cloud hanging as the mood finally changes. To Vietnam.

Friends of mine who had seen this film all said in one agreement that the Russian roulette scene was fuckingly superb. They were right. The Russian roulette scene was a breath-taking scene and i found myself almost barely able to breath. That scene on the river and of course the final scene in Hanoi. They were violent, brutal, and most important of all, engaging.

The film was clock in at 183 minutes, but not even once i stiffled a yawn (even LOTR: Return of the King has made me yawn), not even once i detered my attention from screen even though that i was hungry at the time, or even though i had several real-life problems to deal with at the time. The length of film was proved necessary and almost enough to develop the characters to where the film was aiming at. It was a study on how war changes one's personality. How one treats love, and how one reacts to the unrequited love he has. And my god, i've seen Christopher Walken like in thousand different movies. But in "The Deer Hunter" he was so freakingly young. Still dancing, still singing, but so young. Eerie. Truth be told, nonetheless, i feel like this was his (Mr.Walken) best. And this film in overall, would be one of the film i liked best. Visually stunning, the film has a very much visible depressing feels which at the end, leaves me troubled. But of course, if you knew me at all, i loved depressing movies.

Superman Returns

No, the movie hasn't released yet. It scheduled to release worldwide on 28th of June. That would be, oh, next week folks. But, on the other hand, i was really fed-up about all this marketing-hype of the Man. Well, okay, it's two weeks away for the promotional team to really pull the hype, but with all these posters, teaser trailers and all, if i wasn't a comic-geek-fan and had a decent access to all i mentioned above, i would really questioned about the quality of the film itself when it's REALLY out.

Anyway, this is my favourite poster, so far.

Random Thoughts

I saw Ed Wood for the nth time last night. I've never did a proper review of the film, mind you for i've never seen the footage oustide the television box which of course, you knew, how much i hated watching films on TV (those commercial breaks, unnecessary cuts). Well, anyway, Ed Wood was a Tim Burton's film which depicted the live of one Edward D. Wood Jr. who many believed (i was excluded, for i've never seen his films) as The Worst Director of All Time. Now that was a grand title to be given to a person. And it didn't just merely said "A Bad Director", but "THE Worst Director" with capital "THE". Just waw.

It was one of the scene on the Ed Wood that actually prompt me to wrote about this random thoughts (what's so random about it anyway?). On one scene, Ed Wood was in bed with his lover, after a disastrous review he had received from his effort on theaterical play he directs. He says to his lover, "I was bad", and she says, in comforting voice all lover always seem to had, "You know, it's just one review". "Well, you know, Orson Wells wrote, stars, and direct 'Citizen Kane' when he was twenty-five and i'm already thirty", was his answers.

I was dumbfounded. Yeah, Citizen Kane a film that has been granted as the Greatest Film ever made by AFI (American Film Institute) was made by a guy whose age was 4 monhts away from my current-age. Immediately, my mind turned to Haute Tension. A 2003 horror film which i thought was one of the best and most original that the genre has seen for about.. oh, a decade? It was made by Alexandre Aja. And he was just twenty-three back then. And oh, its success has brought him to Hollywood where he was given a helmet to re-made The Hills Have Eyes, again, a decent re-make horror flicks if i ever see one.

All this success achieved in such a young age, always able to caught my attention and made me think. Damn! where was i? Where am i fit into this? i was practically going nowhere these last two years. I had so much wasted time. I was too concentrated on what other's think of me, and never thought of myself.. I was giving too much and never recieve any. Makes me really wanted to scream. Focus! Damn it! Focus!

Date Movie (2006)

United States, 2006
Cast: I dont care
Director: I really dont care either
My Rating: 0 / **** (only because i can't give negative scores on my sheet)

First of all, my man, James Berardinelli didn't reviewed this film so i dont put the movie's poster on this review as well. But instead, i grab a picture from New York Times which i think really say what i think about this film, "disgusting".

Once in a while, especially when my life was harsh, and my mind was heavy, i needed a stupid film so i could, you know, contemplating about what had happened to me, but mean-while, at the same time some foreign sounds would snapped my twigs and brought me back from whatever i had in mind before it's blogging my mind into further state of depression. And also, usually, i ended up cursing about the film in question and for a moment could really forgotten what i had in mind. And that was a very acceptable diversion.

Anyway, "Date Movie" was supposed to be a spoof from a several comedy/romance genre films that we've witnessed over the years. But, however, i used to say that a spoof film was worked well when the audience knew what film it spoofed of. On "Date Movie", despite several popular films to be spoofed, Darth Vader for instance, Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers, Kill Bill stuffs, there are few (far too many) references that left the common audience dumbfounded. I was watching this film with a friend of mine, he was a year older than me. He said that the movie was full with useless scenes. While i was fully agreed with him, mine was entirely on different reasons with him. Take this fake orgasms scene. I was surprised when he said, "what's the point of this scene?". That scene was stupid, not funny, and overlong, but i was immediately known that it was taken from "When Harry Met Sally" only the role was reversed. For on "When Harry Met Sally", Meg Ryan (female) doing a fake orgasm, on this film, it was the male (i dont care who he is) that doing a fake orgasm without any apparent reasons, and even without any apparent correlation with the scenes before or after. Hence, stupid, not funny, and overlong. But, alas, i was managed to give a chuckle. Only because i remembered Meg Ryan, not because the scene was actually funny.

All in all, let me back to where i started. This film was fake, stupid, and disgusting. I must warn you, only, just only if you were on my state (with weary mind, and harsh day) you should really consider of watching this movie. Hell, even Scary Movie's 2nd installment was better executed. And if you knew me, though Scary Movie series were my guilty preasure, to think about Scary Movie 2 always succeed in giving me shivers, and spat. Damn these stupid teenagers movies... i dont know, if this film was meant for teenagers, how come that there were several scenes that spoofed from the films that was made when they were still in their diapers, or worse yet, when they were still in their mom's womb, or still hinted on their pop's sperm... *what the hell am i talking about?*, *nudging head on the walls*.

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

United States, 2006
Cast: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tatou, Ian McKellen, Paul Bettany
Director: Ron Howard
My Rating: ** / ****

I was one of those guys who happened to think that Da Vinci Code (the book) was highly over-praised. Not over-rated mind you, just over-praised. Everytime people say that "Whoa.. the book was superb!" i was immediately going into disgusted state and tried to shown how much i disliked the book. But again, not entirely disliked but simply because i dont think that the book was priviliged to recieve such praise. Truth be told, i wish to be distinguished from the common-folk by spotting the tiny holes in the book and turned it into a bigger hole yet.

Well, now let's talk about the movie. As a purist, i was usually read the book before i went to the movie which adapt the book in question. And so was the case with DVC (the film). I went to the cinema with full knowledge of how the story would evolve and the secret hidden under its sleeve. You may think that it would made my judgement to the film would be biased. But, again, i'm not the one who paid any mind for being spoiled.

The Da Vinci Code (the film) was meant to be a mystery / thriller. Easily judged by the way they executed the credit title, the way they bought the atmosphere, and the way they put those creepy sounds (which actually at some point really-really annoys me) all around. But as it turned out, too much expositions was spent between the thrills. Well, i know, it was inevitable for such things to happen. Mr. Howard was however, wanted to put as much essence from the book's story into 2:29 hours of movie time. And with many jargons and technical stuffs, it was actually pretty understandable to built the plot in such manner. However, i found that the plot was a little bit overlong. I dont know why. Maybe it was because none of the characters and their chemistry raised my interest beyond those 'controversy' that has been talked about since the book hit the world-wide shelves several years ago.

Even though led by superb actors / actress whose some of which are happen to be one of my favourite, they weren't given enough time to develop their characters from beyond the thin-paper the book gives. I sometimes winced when Sophie (Tatou) and Langdon (Hanks) doing their conversations. Mr Mc.Kellen however, gave a rather enjoyable performance. If i was about to mention my favourite scenes of the movie, i would certainly mentioned the scene where Teabing (McKellen) explains to Sophie about "The Last Supper" as one of those scenes.

But well, my take was, if you haven't read the book, you may enjoy this film (even though i could easily point out several people who hasn't read the book, but found the film was equally boring). If you have, by the way, you may also found the film (as i was) rather boring.

All in all, i would remember this film. Not because the film itself, but the situation that enabled me to watch this film (at theater, by the way, which something i haven't done in quite some-time).