Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Restrepo Movie Review
When given the assignment to review a movie, I instantly thought of my six-year-old self. I thought of how funny my aunt thought it was that at the age of six I decided I wanted to be a film critic. Almost 24 years later, I have changed what I wanted to be several times, but my love of films has never changed. Therefore, when I got a film critique as an assignment, my mind became flushed with ideas of what movie to review. I searched the depth of my Netflix account to find a movie that would be easy for me to review, something that I could relate with on a personal level. I found a movie that, as a veteran of two tours to Iraq, moved me and reminded me of those years. I found the documentary Restrepo.
Restrepo is the story of a platoon of soldiers deployed to Afghanistan's Korengal Valley to spend a year in the hot bed of Taliban activity. The title comes from the first of the platoon’s causalities Juan “Doc” Restrepo, who is in the beginning of the film in home movies, joking with his friends and comrades. The remaining soldiers soon name their outpost after him and continue with their mission. The film crew follows the platoon through firefights and unnerving silence between those firefights. In those quiet moments of the film, the tension is comparable to that of any horror movie. The filmmakers show the frustration of both the soldiers and Afghanis trying to communicate with each other’s. The film also shows the roller coaster of emotions that the soldiers go through. Whether it is dancing in their barracks or reacting to the death of a comrade, you feel it with them.
The editing of the film is what makes it so authentic. I know authenticity is not an unusual quality in a documentary, however, the day-to-day aspects of war have never been offered to the public in such a real way. The soldiers, at one point in the film, have to explain to an Afghani man why they killed his cow and how he will be compensated. It was interesting to see something as mundane as the death of a cow take precedent in the middle of a war, but that is war. The scene prior to that exchange was a firefight, showing the randomness of the battlefield. The editing also shines in the interviews of the soldiers after they returned from deployment weaved into the documentary.
The cinematography of the film adds to the overall mood. The Korengal Valley is vast and covered with trees, allowing the viewer to understand the frustration of not being able to see your enemy. While the cinematography at times leads you to believe the soldiers are trapped in an endless forest, at others, it feels isolated and claustrophobic. The film’s visuals push you into the depths of the valley, leaving you feel lost at times with those soldiers.
If this movie was not a documentary, I am sure that it would have garnered more acclaim. Very few movies have such compelling stories of frustration, anger, and perseverance. You laugh with the soldiers when they laugh, and you hurt when you watch them lose a friend. Restrepo leaves you understanding the complexity and harness that is war. The movie reminds me of a quote from the book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, “They all carried the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing - these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had a tangible weight. They carried shameful memories. They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide, and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down, it required perfect balance and perfect posture”.
Restrepo is the story of a platoon of soldiers deployed to Afghanistan's Korengal Valley to spend a year in the hot bed of Taliban activity. The title comes from the first of the platoon’s causalities Juan “Doc” Restrepo, who is in the beginning of the film in home movies, joking with his friends and comrades. The remaining soldiers soon name their outpost after him and continue with their mission. The film crew follows the platoon through firefights and unnerving silence between those firefights. In those quiet moments of the film, the tension is comparable to that of any horror movie. The filmmakers show the frustration of both the soldiers and Afghanis trying to communicate with each other’s. The film also shows the roller coaster of emotions that the soldiers go through. Whether it is dancing in their barracks or reacting to the death of a comrade, you feel it with them.
The editing of the film is what makes it so authentic. I know authenticity is not an unusual quality in a documentary, however, the day-to-day aspects of war have never been offered to the public in such a real way. The soldiers, at one point in the film, have to explain to an Afghani man why they killed his cow and how he will be compensated. It was interesting to see something as mundane as the death of a cow take precedent in the middle of a war, but that is war. The scene prior to that exchange was a firefight, showing the randomness of the battlefield. The editing also shines in the interviews of the soldiers after they returned from deployment weaved into the documentary.
The cinematography of the film adds to the overall mood. The Korengal Valley is vast and covered with trees, allowing the viewer to understand the frustration of not being able to see your enemy. While the cinematography at times leads you to believe the soldiers are trapped in an endless forest, at others, it feels isolated and claustrophobic. The film’s visuals push you into the depths of the valley, leaving you feel lost at times with those soldiers.
If this movie was not a documentary, I am sure that it would have garnered more acclaim. Very few movies have such compelling stories of frustration, anger, and perseverance. You laugh with the soldiers when they laugh, and you hurt when you watch them lose a friend. Restrepo leaves you understanding the complexity and harness that is war. The movie reminds me of a quote from the book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, “They all carried the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing - these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had a tangible weight. They carried shameful memories. They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide, and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down, it required perfect balance and perfect posture”.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Post 3
Deciding your top three favorite movies is tougher than I thought. I think about movies I could watch over and over, without it ever getting old. I think about all the genres I like, comedy, horror, action, thrillers, but I still find it hard to settle on just three.
The first would have to be Goodfellas. This violent crime drama is the greatest gangster movie ever. I often wonder about all those people that love Scarface have ever seen this movie. It is perfectly acted, the transition through the years of the movies is seamless. You actually feel like you're getting an inside look at the mafia. No matter where I am, if this movie comes on, I watch it. The last time I saw Goodfellas was at a bar at midnight. I couldn't stop watching it.
Another great film is Coming to America. On paper, the plot sounds Disney-like. A young prince of a rich African nation, leaves his homeland and heads to America to find his true love. He disguises himself as a poor college student and tells no one of his royal lineage. That is where the Disney similarities end. This raunchy comedy is hilarious. Directed by my favorite director John Landis (he also directed The Blues Brothers and An American Werewolf in London) and starring Eddie Murphy, Coming to America is endearing and gut busting funny almost 25 years later.
The last of my favorite movies has to be Edward Scissorhands. This is another fairy tale like film about a young man created in a factory by a kindly old man (Vincent Price's last role). However, before the man is finished, the old man dies and leaves him with scissor hands. One day, after years of living in seclusion, he meets a mother selling Avon like beauty products. She takes him home and chaos ensues. Directed by Tim Burton, this movie feels like a mixture of horror, romance, and a children's movie.
The first would have to be Goodfellas. This violent crime drama is the greatest gangster movie ever. I often wonder about all those people that love Scarface have ever seen this movie. It is perfectly acted, the transition through the years of the movies is seamless. You actually feel like you're getting an inside look at the mafia. No matter where I am, if this movie comes on, I watch it. The last time I saw Goodfellas was at a bar at midnight. I couldn't stop watching it.
Another great film is Coming to America. On paper, the plot sounds Disney-like. A young prince of a rich African nation, leaves his homeland and heads to America to find his true love. He disguises himself as a poor college student and tells no one of his royal lineage. That is where the Disney similarities end. This raunchy comedy is hilarious. Directed by my favorite director John Landis (he also directed The Blues Brothers and An American Werewolf in London) and starring Eddie Murphy, Coming to America is endearing and gut busting funny almost 25 years later.
The last of my favorite movies has to be Edward Scissorhands. This is another fairy tale like film about a young man created in a factory by a kindly old man (Vincent Price's last role). However, before the man is finished, the old man dies and leaves him with scissor hands. One day, after years of living in seclusion, he meets a mother selling Avon like beauty products. She takes him home and chaos ensues. Directed by Tim Burton, this movie feels like a mixture of horror, romance, and a children's movie.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Post 2
I recieve my news from numerous soources. However, one news scoures that look to for information is the newspaper. Whether local or national, I feel the newspaper only recaps the days previous events. By the time I see a paper, I've already read articles on the internet or have seen it on the news.
I check on the news with Yahoo!. I've noticed you receive a more balanced look at the news from Yahoo. Likely due to their use of the Associated Press. I try to stay clear of cable news. I've noticed it caters too much to political discourse and seems to be setting this country back.
I check on the news with Yahoo!. I've noticed you receive a more balanced look at the news from Yahoo. Likely due to their use of the Associated Press. I try to stay clear of cable news. I've noticed it caters too much to political discourse and seems to be setting this country back.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Post 1
Throughout the day I am bombarded by the mass media. I go to the computer as soon as I wake up, checking on NFL scores and columns. The Internet seems to be the triple threat of mass media mediums. I watched video of last nights games, read articles about up coming games, and listen to excerpts from sports talk radio. As I head to the store, I noticed countless billboards. Some were advertising products, others advertised ideals. Certain aspects of mass media and advertising seem to mesh together. While a sign for McDonald's may not be a billboard, it certainly covers the same real estate and gets the point across.
Television is still the staple of mass media. The majority of comerical on TV my kids know by heart. We often watch re-runs of "The Simpsons", out of habit.
Television is still the staple of mass media. The majority of comerical on TV my kids know by heart. We often watch re-runs of "The Simpsons", out of habit.
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