Story and Film

50 Dead Men Walking

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:53:00 +0000

50 dead men walking follows the life of an IRA soldier/terrorist/freedom fighter who actually works for the British. it is a story of a double agent whose loyalties are torn because he doesn't like killing and wants to end the war, yet has loyalty to his own people. Martin saved the lives of at least 50 men, thus the title. ben kingsley plays the handler on the side of british intelligence, who risks his own career to save the life of the main character. all in all, this is a great film, with actors grappling with questions of conscience and ultimate loyalty and deepest values. it was based on a book, which in turn was based on an actual case of a high ranking IRA agent who was actually spying for the british and who saved at least 50 lives. the music and the acting is first rate. you want the main character to gain some wisdom and stop taking risks, yet without the risks, there would be no movie. this movie shows that for some people, risking everything for a friend is more important than saving one's career---- ben kingsley does what he can for martin, showing that he does, in the end, have a conscience.

echelon conspiracy

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:14:00 +0000

echelon conspiracy relies on the idea that somewhere, somehow, (according to rumors about operation echelon that are on the internet) the u. s. government monitors every phone conversation, every email, every form of communication through the n. s. a. as a movie, echelon conspiracy entertains but has no star power. still, everything fits in place. you have the romance with a beautiful girl, the thrill of winning in casinos, and other spy plot staples. the too-pat ending reminds me that this is a pg-13 film. t for teen mentality. still, if i had made this film, i would not be ashamed, but i would not be too proud either. but it does bring up good ideas with the power of the n. s. a., encryption, the balance of power in the world between nations and intelligence agencies, as well as the power of true love. (the love interest even "takes a bullet" for the main character.) it is the people who know what life is worth who value life infinitely, while the ordinary man has only ordinary interests. if you know life is infinite in value, then you don't want to waste a minute. a movie is good for some thrills, but what exactly is a movie, if not something to take your mind off your life? but you can get good ideas from a movie, such as the idea that romance, in a dangerous and deadly world, has infinite value because life itself has infinite value. the villain potentially in this film is that of a police state that would know everything about everyone. and so we have 1984 thwarted... for now. as you grow older, you wonder what the trade offs are, if it would be worth having a full body scan if we can ensure that the flight wouldn't have any crazy terrorist hiding explosives in his underwear. so a film like this is an introduction to the philosophy of government, totalitarian government, but it really raises more questions than it answers.

the girlfriend experience

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:23:00 +0000

the girlfriend experience, directed by steven soderbergh, is an intense film. among the questions it asks are: can a relationship survive if one of the two partners in the relationship is a prostitute? is it possible for a woman to share who she really is, in a prostitution type exchange? i loved this movie, but it was painful to watch. why? because it is quite possible that the main character, the young female prostitute who gives "the girlfriend experience" by acting more like a girlfriend than a simple prostitute---- it is possible that she is either too naive or is too inexperienced in life to be comfortable in the role of a prostitute. she says she started the life of prostitution because she needed money. well... it's a bit of a painful movie because she opens her heart and risks having her heart broken. yet in a relationship where money governs the exchange, is it ever possible to find true love? yet there are people for whom love, even in the twisted form of prostitution, is better than nothing at all. and it seems there are people who need to go to the extreme of hiring a prostitute just to get a hug for an extended time from the opposite sex. is she a "hooker with a heart of gold?" there is a sense that she does what she does not only for the money, but also to express compassion, as we see in the final scene, where she merely gives a hug to a man in the context of being paid to do so. yet it seems that this hug has all the meaning in the world to this observant Jew.

the world of henry orient

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:54:00 +0000

the world of henry orient is without a doubt an amazing film and one of my favorites. the actors themselves are amazing, but most of all when you see peter sellers acting a bit crazy, that's one of the things that makes the film spectacular. he plays a sleazy musician who has a weakness for married women, so it seems he's always saying things like "exactly where is your husband right now?" the main characters are two girls, one of them from a wealthy family, but she has to see a psychiatrist. the other girl is her best friend and from a more loving and conventional family. the two of them "go adventuring" and role play a lot of different characters in public, narrowly avoiding serious trouble with the law, but end up starting a cult that essentially worships henry orient, the sleazy second rate musician who is loved from afar by the wealthy girl. the film explores a lot of issues, such as removing the stigma from having to see a psychiatrist at a young age (the girls i would guess are about 15 years old, maybe a little younger.) yes, this is an amazing film and i would recommend it to any film lover or lover of peter sellers films.

the international

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:54:00 +0000

clive owen and naomi watts are investigators into a huge and corrupt bank that sells arms to third world nations and rebel forces, arranges assassinations of political figures, and so on. good film. one criticism i have read of this film is that in its violence and big buildings, there is an emptiness. but i think that's one of the strengths of the film: the big buildings, the architecture, the way architecture can play a role in the emotions of how a film is experienced. solid performances from all the major characters. and if it is a violent film, maybe that simply points to the fact that we live in a violent world, where if you are going after corruption, you will be in danger.

transsiberian

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:48:00 +0000

woody harrelson is a christian volunteer in this film, taking the transsiberian train with his wife from china to moscow, when the plot of course gets more complicated. they befriend a young couple who turn out to be on the run. all in all, a good film, and i'm glad i saw it. ben kingsley plays a corrupt cop. it is a reminder not to get in trouble with corruption, drug running, or police in a country like russia.

the hobbit

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:12:00 +0000

the hobbit, as a book, i have read maybe 3 or 4 times. i read it again within the last month. as a story, it could be said to be metaphysically separate from the book version or movie version. in other words, after reading the book, can you put it into your own words? a Story, in a metaphysical sense, exists prior to book or movie versions, although the most authentic version might be said to be the original book.

once again i was blown away by how great the book is. i especially liked when the chief of the dwarves is dying and he says he put too much value on the gold around him, and that the world would be a better place if more people valued the simple things like food and drink and dancing, like the hobbits.

part of the genius of the book is that not one word is wasted. it is an amazing book, that children and young adults can enjoy, but also that adults can savor as well.

part of the lesson of it is that the hobbit himself, bilbo, was very much a middle class person, living under a hill, until gandalf called him to an adventure. gandalf, in my view, represents one's guardian angel, a wizard, a spirit that calls you to become something greater than what you already are, through tough times and horrible times, as well as good on your adventure. even though he is a very middle class person, bilbo does not hesitate to speak in riddles to a dragon, which interests the dragon to the point that a weakness can be spotted. in other words he keeps going forward despite his terror and potentially his death is near, and he does not hesitate to keep doing what he needs to do to restore to the dwarves their treasure.

he is a burglar, though in the beginning he does not know it. he is a master of getting out of tricky situations, and it is through his cunning and hyper-awareness that the dwarves stay alive and are free. it is through his hyper-awareness that the weakness in the dragon's scales can be seen. i would highly recommend this book. the cartoon that goes with it is also good, but one of those cartoons was never finished, because they ran out of money. if you have time, the book version is better---- but the cartoon is also good.

the big lebowski

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:06:00 +0000

there are some who say the dude, the main character in the big lebowski, is a zen master. the dude abides. i love this film. and there are some really funny moments, great dialog. i especially like the emphasis on voluntarily observing the sabbath day (shabbos) (sp.?) i also like the way the vietnam veteran had a way of turning every conversation into a reflection on the tragedy of the many soldiers lost in the war. and i mean that in both a humorous way and a respectful way, as there are moments of tragedy in this film. bowling is a key feature of this film, which is cool. it's a sport that comes complete with cup holders for beverages. i'm reading "i'm a lebowski, you're a lebowski" at the suggestion of a friend. the book has further reflections on the genius of this film, which has certain similarities to film noir, particularly the big sleep.

what's eating gilbert grape

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:36:00 +0000

for whatever reason, when the film first came out, what's eating gilbert grape, i didn't go to see it, even though i had a chance to see it (all my friends were seeing it.) a friend of mine named katy kept saying to me, you have to see this film. and then a year or so ago my brother Jon again told me i should see this movie. so i ordered it and i have seen it, and i can say it's one of the best movies i've ever seen. there is a young romance in this film, and there is a handicapped person who doesn't really know how to behave, how to act his age, and through it all johnny depp is the centerpiece, the one holding the family together, a strange family, in a small town where being strange is a source of awe and amusement by the ordinary folks of the town. the mother is obese, and a lot of the plot is around that, her contention that she "never wanted to be a joke." johnny depp has to come to terms with his own family, accepting them as they are, and doing his duty taking care of the others.

die hard

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:59:00 +0000

die hard is one of the best action films i have ever seen. bruce willis plays a wise cracking tough guy (in another of the white cop black cop buddy movies) who goes through hell foiling the plans of a group of terrorists/thieves. i have seen the movie many times and every once in a while watch it again for the fun of it. what do i get from this movie? bruce willis never gives up, though he apparently is outnumbered about 15 to 1. in a way it is a film about not giving up, about continuing to fight, and hoping against hope that the end will be a good ending, that you will survive. he's a tough guy. he's a warrior. and he will fight to the bitter end for what he knows is right. he will not back down. and he will survive and win out against all odds. the music is also great. the beethoven's ninth is great as well. yes, to be honest, i am interested in cop movies, about police detectives, about tough guys, because being a police officer or a police detective is a tough job. say what you want about them, they're putting their lives on the line every single day they're on the street. in that sense it is a samurai (warrior) film.

frailty

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:53:00 +0000

at the beginning of frailty, matthew mcconaughey has gone in to see an fbi agent about the knowledge he has of the identity of a serial killer known as god's hand. i've basically seen the film twice now, because the second time i rented it, i had forgotten that i had seen it the first time (kind of embarrassing but true) and it is a bit of a forgettable film, but there are some good parts to it and i would recommend it. there is an entire genre, which includes twin peaks fire walk with me, that is about fbi agents tracking down serial killers, and i have an interest in these stories of psychic fbi agents and the evil they track down. ----although in this movie the fbi agent himself isn't the psychic. there is at least one twist in the plot of this film, which to my mind doesn't make it any scarier. but it is an interesting plot, told in flashbacks, about bill paxton as the father of two sons, one of whom grows up to be the god's hand killer. bill paxton tries to convince both his sons that he has had a vision of what God wants him to do, to eliminate demons from the world. as such, it is a rather silly plot, but take it for what it is---- it's worth seeing.

ferris bueller's day off

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:22:00 +0000

in part in honor of the late film maker, but also just because i hadn't seen it in a while, i decided to watch ferris bueller's day off. it occurs to me that the entire film in some ways is a celebration of what it would mean to explore the city of chicago. i mean go to the highest building. go to the most interesting museums. go to a baseball game. go to a parade. and so on. so i love the film. it's a cheer me up on a cloudy day. it's about people who care about each other, and about cameron, who has problems with his family. he has to stand up to his father, and by the end of the film, he has decided to take responsibility for what he has done and stand up to his father. the film reminds me a lot of the 80's, of the last year of high school, of carefree days when it seemed we would always be young. the music is also great. all in all it is a well made high school type of film, but you have to take its sunniness with a grain of salt---- sometimes the movie heathers has more truth in it, about the high school experience.

good u2 quote, mellencamp

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:44:00 +0000

good u2 quote from the unforgettable fire: "on a spiral staircase to the higher ground"

i used to think john cougar mellencamp was singing, "it'll please the World."

and i thought about the World as a goddess.

now i know it is "in a peaceful world"

gotta get hip to what the King had to say.

Martin Luther King Jr.

blue state

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:38:00 +0000

blue state is a relatively small budget film about a campaign worker who, deeply disappointed that kerry lost the 2004 election, decides to honor his promise to move to canada if bush wins. he finds a girl to go with him, to share the ride and the expenses, and along the way the story gets more complicated as love enters the picture. it has some genuine laughs, some funny moments, and the sense of humor is right on. in the background is the iraq war and what that means to a family, to america, and which highlights the division between the main character and his father, politically. the actress who plays the girl does an amazing job, and as the movie progresses we receive further revelations and surprises about the main characters and what they really feel about america.

more thoughts on the one ring in the lord of the rings

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:17:00 +0000

more thoughts on the one ring in the lord of the rings (the story, in general, both in its form of books by tolkien, and also in the movies)

the temptation of the one ring, to rule over everything, and always have your way, is kind of like what in the 12 steps they call "the King Baby." you know, "i want what i want, when i want it." King Baby or Queen Baby.

what if you had the power to have absolutely anything you want, with no limits?

of course, with the emperors Nero and Caligula in the Roman Empire we saw how absolute power corrupts absolutely. absolute power drives people insane. at least some people. then we have the example of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, who wrote on the subject of Stoicism. that is the opposite of evil. that is wisdom.

so, to me, on this day, perhaps the one ring signifies the ability to have anything you want, any time you want it. as such, it is the ultimate temptation. the temptation to be God. Satan, we are told, wanted to be God. he wanted an entire universe of his own. he wanted to dethrone the good God and replace him with himself.

as Christians we struggle against Satan. we struggle against evil in high places, evil in heavenly places. does that mean that there are aliens that are pure evil? i don't know if they are aliens, or if they are just demons, but i genuinely believe there is evil outside of oneself, and there is evil inside of oneself. "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the bringing down of strongholds."

among the vulnerable population, the psychiatric patients, there can be, in some cases, a person who wants to avoid the fate of a Christian. "oh no, that's not for me. i won't be tossed to the lions. i won't be crucified. oh no, not me." of course, we know that at some point the Roman Empire actually became Christian. with the emperor Constantine. philip k. dick had the realization that the Roman Empire never died. but because of the dialectic, the thesis combined with the anti-thesis and as a result the Empire became Christian. now we have Christendom. the realm of Christianity. which moved west to America. America and the Empire are now to a large extent overlapping. now we have China vs. America, or China and America as a part of each other. Chimerica.

so we have some vulnerable people saying "oh no, not me, i will not be a martyr." some others embrace the betrayal aspect of it, and would gladly become a selfish and malicious emperor if they could.

that is the ring. the temptation of the ring. the temptation of the world. to become worldly, of this world, fleshly, succumbing to fleshly lusts. but we know that whatsoever a man sows, that also shall he reap. he that sows to the flesh shall reap corruption.

i think it is best sometimes to be a Stoic, to be a Buddhist, and to embrace the middle path. and to find out where the frontiers are.

i think America is dealing with this overlap of contradictory things: is everything destined to happen as it happens? or is it "chance?" or is it a matter of free will of the individual? does each individual create his or her own reality? how much responsibility can one individual take over all of his or her life?

the Empire at one time threw Christians to the lions. then the Empire became Christian itself. i am still of the opinion and belief that there is a Good God up there in heaven. there is a meaning in life. there are meanings. each person to some extent has to create his or her own meaning in life. yes, there is suffering. but you just have to "keep on rolling."

whoever or whatever created this reality evidently, as philip k. dick says, had a flaw. that flaw was the source of all the suffering in the world. this is gnosticism. but we can help correct that. we can bring love into the world. with meaning, the meaninglessness fades away. so your job is to create meaning or reveal meaning or find out what the meaning of your life is. i get a lot of these ideas from viktor frankl. logotherapy. the creation or revelation of what is meaningful in life.

i say that because if you take 100 percent responsibility over all of your perceptions, how then do you account for painful and suffering filled experiences? the Christians, some of them, would suggest that the devil did it. but every coin has two sides, but what is between those two patterns is what is really important: the coin itself. what does that mean? maybe the Buddha meant to say that things go in a cycle. all you can do is to do your best and take as much responsibility as you can but also try to find out what life is all about. the game of golf (or frisbee golf) is all about letting the swing (or the throw of the frisbee) be at the same time an effort and also effortless, as you merge into the process. it's the journey, not the destination, that is important. it seems once you reach the destination there will always be another journey, to keep going, to keep on rolling.

killshot

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:23:00 +0000

killshot is an elmore leonard based plot---- i always like those books, those movies. those stories. mickey rourke and his low life buddy terrorize a house wife and her ironworker husband. even after having been put into a witness protection program, they are not safe, and have to protect themselves. it's a good film. someone close to me once said the thing about elmore leonard is that he seems to create characters that are unique---- people who take offense at slights, who take revenge, who live according to their own set of rules, yet seem to be small time criminals, mixing it up with mafia hitmen---- and when some of them meet their violent end, you almost feel a sense of relief---- they are scum, and can't keep their mouth shut. yet there is a freedom in their conversations, a three dimensional aspect to their characters.

the curious case of benjamin button

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:09:00 +0000

i have a few things to say about the curious case of benjamin button: first, it is a moving film. you can't get around that. ----despite the fact that it's more of a chick flick than something i would normally go out of my way to see.

it is an epic film. it follows the entire life of a man who ages in reverse. so when one stage of his life is over, he moves easily into the next stage. at one point he's living in an old folks' home, then soon he's off to sea, living and working on a boat travelling around the world. it seems to suggest that life is an adventure, that you should move on to the next stage, and enjoy life for what it is.

it is a story about love, a love between cate blanchett's character and brad pitt's character, a love that does not diminish when he gets to be a child again.

my favorite part is probably when he was in russia and has an affair with a married woman. they follow a certain set of rules, one of which is that he is never to say "i love you" to her. yet i don't think you can deny that there was love between those two people. it makes you think about what love is, that love does not necessarily have to lead to long term commitment.

yes, his life is an adventure, and there are lasting values in the story, but all in all, i would say i would probably not buy this film for myself. watching it once is enough.

bilbo, gandalf, frodo, the ring

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:52:00 +0000

a few thoughts on the hobbit, the lord of the rings: bilbo seems to be a typical middle class hobbit, someone who loves comfort and having plenty of food and wine in his larder. he is well off by hobbit standards. yet gandalf shows up and tells him he is about to embark on an adventure. to kill a dragon. or die trying. to return the dwarfs to their treasure, and bring back some treasure for himself as well. he has tookish blood. in other words, the tooks were related to him. adventurous hobbits who were bigger than average, especially bull roarer took, who was adventurous, courageous, a warrior. i have to say i love these films and books. gandalf will come to those to whom he will come. it is destiny. gandalf, the soul guide, will bring you to your conflict, your war, if you are a warrior and not a coward. frodo, which sounds a lot like fraidy-cat, keeps hope alive despite all odds. he hopes against hope. and by destiny at the end the ring and gollum sink into the molten lava and sauron is banished or destroyed and the age comes to an end. what does the ring signify? i guess i don't know with 100 percent certainty, but i can offer a thought experiment: imagine that it is the year 100,000 a.d. in other words, many many years in the future. computers and technology can basically do anything. are the computers in control of everything? i don't know. i just would suggest that they are very very powerful computers. and i would suggest that that is the ring. that right there. the use of technology to get something done. to manipulate something or someone. to make someone feel something. people spend money. what do they spend money on? and so there are computers somewhere that keep track of what people spend money on. what does that mean? well, there are people who keep track of what the computers tell them. and there are people who create the advertisements. or rather, perhaps there are computers that can instantaneously create an advertisement. this is the year 100,000, after all. yet all indications seem to suggest that it is only the year 2009. so what is my point? it's when you want something, when you really want to buy it, that you become "alive" insofar as capitalism is concerned. if you save and invest your money, you become one of the owners. otherwise if you spend money you're a consumer. being a consumer, or being an owner. is there another alternative? i would suggest being a Taoist, being a Stoic, and studying Zen and the samurai traditions, and the Quakers, and the Catholic traditions is an option. St. Francis of Assisi came from a wealthy family, yet became poor for the sake of serving Jesus Christ. the Quakers believe in a simple life. a Taoist was once asked what was the natural way, the Taoist way? he said, riding a horse without a saddle. with a saddle, that is not Taoist. without a saddle, that is closer to being a Taoist. so turn off your lights. go to bed when it's dark outside. get up in the morning. do nothing for a while. do what is most important. what is most important is not being a consumer. and talking about things related to money is not what being an adult is all about. rather than saying, what's in it for me, ask, how can i help? so the ring is this infinite point in the future when anything is possible through technology. computers then keep building more and more intelligent computers. etc. even now, in 2009, capitalism is apparently about building up a lot of money, even though nature is being destroyed. butterflies are declining in number. no, there has to be some counter-movement. taoism is a good answer, but not the only good answer.

david copperfield (1999)

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:35:00 +0000

daniel radcliffe stars in the first half of this version of dickens' david copperfield. the narrator points out that while david himself is a rather bland and very good hero, with not much exceptional about him other than his will to keep going and to survive on his own terms---- one of my favorite moments is when he walks all the way, many miles, to his aunt's house, running away from his horrible factory job in london---- the best characters, though, are the supporting ones. mr. micawber is an interesting fellow, always in trouble with his debts and being hauled off to debtor's prison. and the characters are many, many good people, and a few bad ones. but it is friendship that redeems this story, and love. yes, i can safely say i love this film, i love this story, and i am grateful to dickens for having created it. a few notes on the villain of the second half, uriah heep---- there is a part of me that enjoys how evil and loathsome he is, just as he is, but there is a part of me that resents just how evil his character is, as if the audience must hate him for being as evil as he is. he is a criminal. he steals money. he tries to ruin the main character. he wants what he should not have, the love of a woman who does not want anything to do with him. and yes he has to be stopped. but a villain this evil is a bit bothersome. maybe it is that i think that in a modern novel a villain should be a bit more of a round, three dimensional character. the same holds true, in the opposite sense, with david copperfield himself---- he is a survivor, and he is good, and he eventually becomes successful and a good father and husband. but there is something i don't quite like about a main character who is always virtuous and good. still, it is a film about a somewhat naive person becoming more experienced and successful in life, and as such the story redeems itself. i have to be honest and say that i have put my study of shakespeare on hold for a time, and my other pursuits, the films of hitchcock, and jimmy stewart movies. i am going to spend some time with the stories of dickens, whether in the form of a film or a book. charles dickens is a master of reversals of fortune over a long period of time, the ups and downs of a person's life. it is good to see a main character like david copperfield being hospitable and generous with those who were in the past hospitable to him, yet are now down on their luck. a good book asks the question, what is human nature? at its best? at its worst? and illuminates wisdom through the characters in the book. there is much wisdom in this book, in this story, in this movie.

incendiary

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:22:00 +0000

incendiary with ewan mcgregor is an intriguing, at times sexual, story. it is an exploration of what it would mean to have a major terrorist incident in london. it is seen through the eyes of a woman who loses her husband and child in the bombings. ewan mcgregor, an investigative journalist, is one of the love interests of the woman in question, with the other, a high level anti-terrorism spy. we are still, as a society, dealing with 9/11 and when films like this come out they are a working out of what just happened, what we had been avoiding. it is easy to get angry at the terrorists, or to return hate for hate, to see them as a cancer that has to be eradicated, or to torture them, but it is harder to see that blame can be on both sides. toward the end of the film the main character is writing her letters directly to osama bin laden even though of course she knows they will never be delivered to him. and she acknowledges that any struggle has two sides, so she is going to write letters as well to the leaders of the western world. she struggles with the loss of her son and it is a very emotional film.

taken

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:35:00 +0000

liam neeson, in taken, plays an ex-spy who uses his skills to try to get his daughter back after her trip to europe goes awry. she's kidnapped, to be brought into the slave trade. it is a great film. i especially liked the group of friends, at the beginning of the film, who help out the main character by giving him a job protecting a pop singer, where we first get to see and understand that he is a tough street fighter, adept at hand to hand combat. it's a tough film. a tough film about a tough world. and it seems to me perhaps there are parts of the film that are unbelievable, but all in all, a great film about, ultimately, a father's love for his daughter, and his willingness to do anything, to risk his own life, to bring her back home safely.

public enemies

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:20:00 +0000

John Dillinger runs wild until getting taken down by the feds in Public Enemies, the first film in a while that I saw in the theater. --Not so much that I wanted to see it, but a friend of mine wanted to see it in the theater. To be honest, I wasn't all that impressed, in part because I knew the ending before the film began. The government was going to win. The bank robbers were going to die or be captured. This was not a fault of the film, rather, it was simply an effect of making a historical film. However, it has some value in terms of bringing back into consciousness the folk heroes of the 1930's, what it meant that there were people, criminals, acting like pirates (another Johnny Depp role) running wild and taking whatever they wanted (at least for a time) when the mass of people were quietly suffering deep poverty. I think for the audience, the fact that this was a doomed romance between Johnny Depp and his girl, made it all the more romantic, kind of like the doomed friendship between the two main characters in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Unfortunately there was no reference to the FBI director in women's clothing (as a rumor has it that J. Edgar Hoover secretly sometimes wore women's clothing) but then again, it would not have fit into the movie. Johnny Depp often plays characters like the pirate and now the bank robber Dillinger, who are a little crazy in their self-belief. But the world would be a more mundane, more boring place without Johnny Depp. If you don't believe in yourself, who's going to?

the spirit

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:32:00 +0000

the spirit is a somewhat comedic take on a superhero movie. the main character runs around the city in which he lives, like a superman or batman character, taking care of the city and working with the police. the villain in this film is samuel l. jackson's character, who glorifies adolf hitler. i liked the style of this film, with memorable female characters in a cartoonish plot.

blow up

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:25:00 +0000

blow up is an interesting film in many ways: the main character is a photographer who catches proof of a murder plot in the background of one of his photographs. it is a classic film in many ways, and raises more questions that it seemingly answers. it is directed by antonioni, set in london, and raises the question of whether life itself is absurd, with no guarantee of justice for crimes done. i especially like the mimes and clowns who travel around in a car, yelling, laughing and screaming. vanessa redgrave is attractive as someone who tries to seduce the main character into turning over the film.

appaloosa

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Heimarck) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:58:00 +0000

ed harris and viggo mortensen star as law men, gun men, friends, who are up against a villain, jeremy irons, in this western set in the 1800's. all in all, i would say this film is definitely worth watching, though the dialog can get a bit slow sometimes. this film poses the question: is it possible to love a woman who is not at all loyal to you, and only you?