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Reviews
United 93 (2006)
A direct, powerful film
There is a lot of media commentary about this film. Much of the discussion has been over whether or not is has been too soon for a film about 9/11 to be released. After watching United 93, I feel that those doubts are irrelevant.
Greengrass' directorial style, the same that he displayed in the Bourne films, is to let the characters and the action tell the story, without fanfare or fluff. This style works very well in this instance, where the film could easily delve into political or patriotic territory. Rather, it allows the actions of the passengers (or rather, what their actions are believed to have been) and the ground crew to stand on their own.
A powerful, moving film, about the courage of ordinary people on an extraordinarily terrifying day.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
Spot On!!
Being a sincere fan of the book (not the other formats), I was incredibly surprised how well the film was made. The actors were each well-cast in their roles, and the effects were astounding. I especially like the way that they cut to the Guide for the spicy interludes that made the film so memorable. It really seemed that, almost without exception, just about every part that I had remembered being essential to a faithful adaptation of the book was included. I only hope that those viewers who have not yet read the book will understand the material, and find it as hysterical as I did, but I really think it was accessible to all viewers regardless. It was such a wonderful surprise to see the book come to life so completely! Good show!
For Love of the Game (1999)
More a romantic drama than a baseball movie...
I know what you're probably thinking... Kevin Costner in ANOTHER baseball movie?? To be fair, while I like Field of Dreams and Bull Durham, I know that I would have been more receptive initially if this wasn't another movie about "America's Favorite Pastime," but I have to admit that this is probably my favorite of the three.
This is less a "baseball movie" than a movie about a baseball player. While the movie prominently features a baseball game (perhaps the last in Billy Chapel's storied career), it is much more about Chapel looking back on his long career, and especially his love affair with Jane Aubrey, a magazine writer that he stumbles into one day while in New York.
As the movie opens, it's the end of a losing season. Chapel finds himself in the worst day of his life: his team is about to be sold and he is about to be traded from the only team he has ever played for. To compound things, his longtime girlfriend tells him that she can't handle being the second priority in his life behind baseball. So as he takes the mound in the last game of the season, and perhaps the last of his career, realizing that his whole life is about to change, he spends the time thinking about his relationship with Jane. And on this day when nothing else is perfect, maybe Billy can salvage something from his life before the day is through.
This movie also surprised me for a few other reasons. Sam Raimi, the director, is better known for his "Spider-Man" movies, which he made later, and for his "Evil Dead" movies. He leaves behind his action sequences for this touching film about life and relationships. What surprised me more was that the film was based on a story by Michael Shaara, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Killer Angels," which should be required reading for all courses dealing with the Civil War (and which was made into the film "Gettysburg"). The manuscript was found in his desk after he died, and published posthumously.
Having read the book, and seen the movie, it is clearly a labor of love. Costner, Raimi, and Shaara clearly love the game of baseball, and yet all three recognize that there are more important things in life than a game.
Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (2004)
Controversy unfounded - Foxx displays amazing range
While packing up my apartment to move, Redemption just happened to come on the TV. I had heard about the controversy surrounding the movie, how it was supposed to "glamorize" gang behavior and justify it. Needless to say (or else I wouldn't be writing this), I got hooked on the film, and didn't get much packing done.
Tookie Williams co-founded the Crips in LA, but after his arrest and death sentence for the murders of several people, Williams embarked on a different path. While on death row, he has written a children's series of books aimed at preventing gang violence. For his efforts, he has been nominated multiple times for the Nobel Peace Prize, and is credited with a truce between the Crips and the Bloods in Newark, NJ.
The film, which chronicles Williams' life, shows how he grew up and got involved with gangs. However, the main thrust of the film is clearly that violence is not right, and that Williams, knowing what he knows now, is seeking to undo as much of his own actions as he can.
Williams does not discount the glamorous lifestyle that gangs allowed him, but recognizes now the pain and destruction that they cause. Williams himself understands the seductive nature of the gang, and is striving to help young people understand the consequences of their actions, before they do them.
Jamie Foxx, up to this point an underrated actor, displays amazing range in his portrayal of Williams. We are meant to see Williams, not as a great man, but rather as a flawed human being, one who has made mistakes and now is fighting to atone for them. If we cannot learn from our mistakes, we are no better than those we criticize. Foxx's performance, for which he has received many accolades, is incredible to watch.
If you are still reading this, you have enough of an open mind to appreciate this film. Please don't let the negative criticism dissuade you from watching this film. The film does not shirk from attempting to show the seductive side of gangs, but it also leaves no question about which side Williams is on. Williams' cause to eliminate gang warfare is a righteous one, and if he succeeds, we all win.