Director: Harold Ramis
Starring: Bill Murray
Written: Story by Danny Rubin, Screenplay by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis
Film Distributors:
Year: 1993
PLOT SUMMARY:
What would you do if you were stuck reliving the same day over and over again? How would you react? Would you go crazy? Would you try to kill yourself? Would you take advantage of the fact that everyone but you knew it was a time warp you were living in? Groundhog Day answers these questions and more. Bill Murray stars as Phil Connors, a arrogant weatherman who cannot stand the fact he is being sent to report about the annual Groundhog Day event. (For those who do not know about the holiday, Groundhog Day is celebrated every year on February 2nd and what is so special about this holiday is if the groundhog sees his shadow, winter will last for another six weeks. If the ground hog does not see his shadow, spring comes early for the year.)
For the most part, Connors cannot stand his assignment as he feels its degrading to go to some small town to cover something he believes to be trivial. After filming his piece, Connors and his small crew head home. However an unexpected blizzard traps Connors and his crew into Punxsutawney. This is only the beginning as Connors wakes up the next morning to find out it is Groundhog Day all over again. To Connors' amazement, nobody but him recognizes it's the same day all over again.
At first, Connors takes advantage of the time warp he is in by doing things differently every "day" he is reliving. For example, Connors learns all he can about one woman and then on the very next replay, he uses what he learned to impress the woman he saw the previous go around impressing her with what he learned from before. Other times Connors uses this to obtain money and other favors from the townspeople as he continues to relive each day over and over again. On some occasions, Connor even goes as far as to do random acts of kindness or even goes as far as to learn certain talents such as music and However, things become boring for Connors as he soon attempts suicide many times over only to wake up back in his hotel room safe and sound with no injuries whatsoever. Eventually Connors becomes associated with one of his crew members and develops a relationship with her and thanks to the constant repeats of the day, he learns all he can about her.
Groundhog Day ought to be a part of Bill Murray's greatest hits. The way he carries himself in this film is truly how any Average Joe forced to relive the same day over and over would feel. Thanks to Murray's convincing performance, the viewing audience can sympathize with his character and the many times he relives the the same day over and over. In fact, many people watching this film tend to develop bittersweet feelings because of the prospect of reliving a single day. While most will find Murray's antics hilariously funny, some may be lamenting over the fact that there is always a great day one wishes he or she could relive all over again.
OVERALL SCORE: 9
The writing, the acting, and Bill Murray make this film great in every way shape and form. A superb recommendation.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Movie Review: Titanic
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Written: James Cameron, based on the actual disaster.
Film Distributors: 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures
Year:1997
Recollections of an Earlier Time and a Film Review
The movie Titanic brings back a lot of memories, not just of the movie or the actual disaster itself, but the very time it was released. I can remember back when in 1997, I was around 12 years old and never will I forget the craze and hype generated behind this one movie. I recall when girls and guys alike were all crazy over this. Girls went insane over Leonardo DiCaprio, whom they regarded as a hunk, and guys went nuts over the fact that Kate Winslet was naked for a few good scenes here and there. Oh yeah, there was also the steamy car windows where Jack and Rose made some "forbidden love". Believe me, a lot of hormonally charged teens all regarded that as the best "part" in the movie.
However, unlike most people within my age demographic at the time, I did not care about how people thought of Leonardo DiCaprio being a hunk or the fact that Kate Winslet was naked, I merely sought to see this movie because of the historical significance relating to the Titanic disaster. I wasn't interested in seeing two lovers from two different worlds falling in love on board a doomed ship, I was more concerned about the ship itself sinking right then and there in the ocean. I could have done without the romance, yet James Cameron obviously needed a plot for his story as there had been way too many retellings of the ship sinking.
I doubt it if any of my fellow 12 and 13 year olds at the time knew ANYTHING about the disaster itself. Prior to seeing the movie, I can recall reading books written by Robert Ballard regarding the topic of the Titanic, its sinking and the condition of the wreck itself, along with a good number of documentaries here and there on television. So I really had a greater grasp of the actual events surrounding the ship than most of the people who were my age at the time. However, as it goes, everyone thought I was crazy for ignoring the two characters in Titanic for the sake of watching the actors portraying historical figures and the fact it was based on a true story.
As we all know, The Titanic was labeled as being unsinkable. Meaning nothing could sink this boat. However, in one of history's saddest of all ironies, Titanic strikes an iceberg and sinks on its maiden voyage, and in part because of a lack of lifeboats, two-thirds of the passengers and crew die in the sinking.
Of course, the story doesn't end there. After being recovered by the Carpathia, the survivors are taken to New York City where word gets out that Titanic sank in the North Atlantic will most on board, shocking the world that an unsinkable ship has gone under. During the American and British Inquiries regarding the sinking, surviving passengers and crew were able to testify whether or not the sinking was a result of Human Error or an Act of God. During these two inquiries, the crew testified in good nature that they were acting with good responsibility.
Regarding the issues that the Titanic sank in one piece, the crew continuously argued that the ship did in fact sink in one piece, as opposed to the passengers who testified that the ship actually broke in two as it sank. Despite what was said, the Inquiry ruled in the Crew's favor and as a result, the commonly accepted history was that Titanic sank in one piece. That is until 1985 when Dr. Ballard and his research team rediscovered the wreck and confirmed that the passengers were correct in saying that the ship broke up as it sank.
Although it was a tragedy, the Titanic Disaster itself has made a large impact on our culture. Many games, movies, and television shows have paid a visit to the doomed ship on its collision course with an iceberg. Yet, none of these movies, films or games have made an impact on the viewing audience as much as James Cameron's version of the disaster. Looking back at the time, I have now come to regard the love story in Cameron's movie as watchable. Perhaps its because I got over the notion of watching this movie just for the sake of the disaster and now have come to regard the entire movie as something worthy of being called a classic despite using the old formula where two lovers from different backgrounds fall for each other.
Titanic starts off with a descent down to the wreck itself. We are introduced to two submarines both of which are maned by a group of treasure hunters under the command of Brock Lovett are in search of something from the ship itself; a long lost necklace called "The Heart of the Ocean". Sending an underwater robot into the first class cabin where it searches for a metal safe. After carefully removing the safe and then bringing it up to the surface, our intrepid crew of treasure hunters begin opening the safe on board their research ship where they find, much to their dismay, a bunch of papers. Regardless, the papers themselves may have a clue as to what these treasure hunters are looking for.
As Lovett and his crew are cleaning up the papers, we discover that they the papers are actually drawings of a nude woman wearing The Heart of the Ocean that Lovett is after. Meanwhile, we focus in on an elderly woman who seems to know what Lovett and his men are after. Here we are introduced to Rose, one of the protagonists of the movie, and the woman in the picture. After introducing herself, Lovett and his crew invites Rose out to the research ship where Lovett's crew are very skeptical of Rose and who she claims to be. In fact, one of Lovett's men go as far as to accuse this woman of being a fraud and simply into this as a publicity stunt. However, Lovett is not listening as he believes Rose to be who she says she is. Yet, Lovett is simply inviting her out because he is far more interested in finding The Heart of the Ocean.
On board the Research Ship, Rose begins looking at her old belongs with a sense of bittersweetness at the state of both the items and her reflection, she begins to tell her story to the eagerly listening Lovett. From then on, the entire movie is Rose's recollections of her time aboard Titanic.
The story goes that back in 1912, on Titanic's maiden voyage, Rose was set to marry Cal, the son of a steel tycoon. Although Rose and her mother are able to show off their wealth, it turns out that Rose and her mother are actually in deep debt and they are hoping that Rose's marriage will eradicate the debts placed on them. On the other side of the Southampton docks, we are introduced to Jack, a drifting artist who wins his ticket in a card game. Two people whose lives will be changed forever onboard a ship that is doomed to sink.
After convincing Rose not to kill herself, Jack becomes someone dear to her. It seems that Cal, and Rose's mother for that matter, cannot stand Jack as he is not a member of the wealthy. Therefore both Rose's mother and Cal do all they can to prevent the two from ever seeing each other. However, Jack and Rose avoid those problems and manage to meet with each other and associate with each other, even it is against social taboo to do so. From their encounter at the Titanic's stern section, to their ordeal regarding the sinking, Jack and Rose's love develops into something so powerful that by the time the movie ends, even the toughest person will be in tears.
Cameron makes use of the tired old story about two lovers from different worlds coming together. Rose being from a world of wealth and Jack from a world of constant drifting. However, because of social structure and societal customs, neither of them can ever be with each other. Yet, Cameron makes that same cliched "boy-meets-girl-from-different-worlds" genre new with a sense of impending danger as the Titanic is on its way to smack the iceberg of doom.
All the while we, the viewing audience is observing the ordeals involving Jack and Rose, its clear that the audience also forgets that the ship will sink and most of the people on board will freeze to death or drown or both. When Titanic finally reaches its climax (that is, strike the legendary iceberg that sank the ship) the audience has now come to the realization that this movie was just more than a love story.
As someone who has researched the Titanic disaster, I absolutely love this movie for its classic story relating to a real historical event. I give credit to James Cameron and his production crew for their exhaustive efforts in this movie. For one thing, the actors playing the historical figures are dead on accurate. For example, Victor Garber who plays Thomas Andrews, bears an uncanny resemblance to the real Thomas Andrews. The actor who plays Captain Edward J. Smith, Bernard Hill, looks, acts and even sounds like one would have expected of the late Captain Smith. Even the actress who plays the "unsinkable" Molly Brown, Kathy Bates, brings Molly Brown back from the pages of history with such a passion, that even I tend to believe to be a fantastic performance. I could go on how the actors who played the historical figures such as John Jacob Astor, Archibald Gracie, Charles Lightoller, Henry Lowe and Benjamin Guggenheim resemble the actual historical figures. Titanic did a superb casting job. Filmmakers who aspire to create a historical film should take some pointers from Titanic, as it pays to have actors who resemble the historical figures they are portraying.
Ever since it sank, the sinking of Titanic has affected our culture. Various movies, books, television shows, and even parodies of the disaster have been created as a result of this tragedy. Even if one has no knowledge of history, one can still claim they know about Titanic. As for the survivors of the tragedy, there are none left alive who can tell us their story as the last survivor died in May of 2009, a mere three years before the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking. For this I am upset because I really wanted to have met someone who was there when Titanic went down as it would have been my only personal connection to the history itself.
OVERALL SCORE: 10
Hands down, this movie is a classic worthy of its title. James Cameron pulled off a masterpiece with this movie, a masterpiece that may never be duplicated or repeated.
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Written: James Cameron, based on the actual disaster.
Film Distributors: 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures
Year:1997
Recollections of an Earlier Time and a Film Review
The movie Titanic brings back a lot of memories, not just of the movie or the actual disaster itself, but the very time it was released. I can remember back when in 1997, I was around 12 years old and never will I forget the craze and hype generated behind this one movie. I recall when girls and guys alike were all crazy over this. Girls went insane over Leonardo DiCaprio, whom they regarded as a hunk, and guys went nuts over the fact that Kate Winslet was naked for a few good scenes here and there. Oh yeah, there was also the steamy car windows where Jack and Rose made some "forbidden love". Believe me, a lot of hormonally charged teens all regarded that as the best "part" in the movie.
However, unlike most people within my age demographic at the time, I did not care about how people thought of Leonardo DiCaprio being a hunk or the fact that Kate Winslet was naked, I merely sought to see this movie because of the historical significance relating to the Titanic disaster. I wasn't interested in seeing two lovers from two different worlds falling in love on board a doomed ship, I was more concerned about the ship itself sinking right then and there in the ocean. I could have done without the romance, yet James Cameron obviously needed a plot for his story as there had been way too many retellings of the ship sinking.
I doubt it if any of my fellow 12 and 13 year olds at the time knew ANYTHING about the disaster itself. Prior to seeing the movie, I can recall reading books written by Robert Ballard regarding the topic of the Titanic, its sinking and the condition of the wreck itself, along with a good number of documentaries here and there on television. So I really had a greater grasp of the actual events surrounding the ship than most of the people who were my age at the time. However, as it goes, everyone thought I was crazy for ignoring the two characters in Titanic for the sake of watching the actors portraying historical figures and the fact it was based on a true story.
As we all know, The Titanic was labeled as being unsinkable. Meaning nothing could sink this boat. However, in one of history's saddest of all ironies, Titanic strikes an iceberg and sinks on its maiden voyage, and in part because of a lack of lifeboats, two-thirds of the passengers and crew die in the sinking.
Of course, the story doesn't end there. After being recovered by the Carpathia, the survivors are taken to New York City where word gets out that Titanic sank in the North Atlantic will most on board, shocking the world that an unsinkable ship has gone under. During the American and British Inquiries regarding the sinking, surviving passengers and crew were able to testify whether or not the sinking was a result of Human Error or an Act of God. During these two inquiries, the crew testified in good nature that they were acting with good responsibility.
Regarding the issues that the Titanic sank in one piece, the crew continuously argued that the ship did in fact sink in one piece, as opposed to the passengers who testified that the ship actually broke in two as it sank. Despite what was said, the Inquiry ruled in the Crew's favor and as a result, the commonly accepted history was that Titanic sank in one piece. That is until 1985 when Dr. Ballard and his research team rediscovered the wreck and confirmed that the passengers were correct in saying that the ship broke up as it sank.
Although it was a tragedy, the Titanic Disaster itself has made a large impact on our culture. Many games, movies, and television shows have paid a visit to the doomed ship on its collision course with an iceberg. Yet, none of these movies, films or games have made an impact on the viewing audience as much as James Cameron's version of the disaster. Looking back at the time, I have now come to regard the love story in Cameron's movie as watchable. Perhaps its because I got over the notion of watching this movie just for the sake of the disaster and now have come to regard the entire movie as something worthy of being called a classic despite using the old formula where two lovers from different backgrounds fall for each other.
Titanic starts off with a descent down to the wreck itself. We are introduced to two submarines both of which are maned by a group of treasure hunters under the command of Brock Lovett are in search of something from the ship itself; a long lost necklace called "The Heart of the Ocean". Sending an underwater robot into the first class cabin where it searches for a metal safe. After carefully removing the safe and then bringing it up to the surface, our intrepid crew of treasure hunters begin opening the safe on board their research ship where they find, much to their dismay, a bunch of papers. Regardless, the papers themselves may have a clue as to what these treasure hunters are looking for.
As Lovett and his crew are cleaning up the papers, we discover that they the papers are actually drawings of a nude woman wearing The Heart of the Ocean that Lovett is after. Meanwhile, we focus in on an elderly woman who seems to know what Lovett and his men are after. Here we are introduced to Rose, one of the protagonists of the movie, and the woman in the picture. After introducing herself, Lovett and his crew invites Rose out to the research ship where Lovett's crew are very skeptical of Rose and who she claims to be. In fact, one of Lovett's men go as far as to accuse this woman of being a fraud and simply into this as a publicity stunt. However, Lovett is not listening as he believes Rose to be who she says she is. Yet, Lovett is simply inviting her out because he is far more interested in finding The Heart of the Ocean.
On board the Research Ship, Rose begins looking at her old belongs with a sense of bittersweetness at the state of both the items and her reflection, she begins to tell her story to the eagerly listening Lovett. From then on, the entire movie is Rose's recollections of her time aboard Titanic.
The story goes that back in 1912, on Titanic's maiden voyage, Rose was set to marry Cal, the son of a steel tycoon. Although Rose and her mother are able to show off their wealth, it turns out that Rose and her mother are actually in deep debt and they are hoping that Rose's marriage will eradicate the debts placed on them. On the other side of the Southampton docks, we are introduced to Jack, a drifting artist who wins his ticket in a card game. Two people whose lives will be changed forever onboard a ship that is doomed to sink.
After convincing Rose not to kill herself, Jack becomes someone dear to her. It seems that Cal, and Rose's mother for that matter, cannot stand Jack as he is not a member of the wealthy. Therefore both Rose's mother and Cal do all they can to prevent the two from ever seeing each other. However, Jack and Rose avoid those problems and manage to meet with each other and associate with each other, even it is against social taboo to do so. From their encounter at the Titanic's stern section, to their ordeal regarding the sinking, Jack and Rose's love develops into something so powerful that by the time the movie ends, even the toughest person will be in tears.
Cameron makes use of the tired old story about two lovers from different worlds coming together. Rose being from a world of wealth and Jack from a world of constant drifting. However, because of social structure and societal customs, neither of them can ever be with each other. Yet, Cameron makes that same cliched "boy-meets-girl-from-different-worlds" genre new with a sense of impending danger as the Titanic is on its way to smack the iceberg of doom.
All the while we, the viewing audience is observing the ordeals involving Jack and Rose, its clear that the audience also forgets that the ship will sink and most of the people on board will freeze to death or drown or both. When Titanic finally reaches its climax (that is, strike the legendary iceberg that sank the ship) the audience has now come to the realization that this movie was just more than a love story.
As someone who has researched the Titanic disaster, I absolutely love this movie for its classic story relating to a real historical event. I give credit to James Cameron and his production crew for their exhaustive efforts in this movie. For one thing, the actors playing the historical figures are dead on accurate. For example, Victor Garber who plays Thomas Andrews, bears an uncanny resemblance to the real Thomas Andrews. The actor who plays Captain Edward J. Smith, Bernard Hill, looks, acts and even sounds like one would have expected of the late Captain Smith. Even the actress who plays the "unsinkable" Molly Brown, Kathy Bates, brings Molly Brown back from the pages of history with such a passion, that even I tend to believe to be a fantastic performance. I could go on how the actors who played the historical figures such as John Jacob Astor, Archibald Gracie, Charles Lightoller, Henry Lowe and Benjamin Guggenheim resemble the actual historical figures. Titanic did a superb casting job. Filmmakers who aspire to create a historical film should take some pointers from Titanic, as it pays to have actors who resemble the historical figures they are portraying.
Ever since it sank, the sinking of Titanic has affected our culture. Various movies, books, television shows, and even parodies of the disaster have been created as a result of this tragedy. Even if one has no knowledge of history, one can still claim they know about Titanic. As for the survivors of the tragedy, there are none left alive who can tell us their story as the last survivor died in May of 2009, a mere three years before the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking. For this I am upset because I really wanted to have met someone who was there when Titanic went down as it would have been my only personal connection to the history itself.
OVERALL SCORE: 10
Hands down, this movie is a classic worthy of its title. James Cameron pulled off a masterpiece with this movie, a masterpiece that may never be duplicated or repeated.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Movie Review: Ninja Vs. Ninja
Director: Nick Cheung
Starring: Kwan Cheung and Norman Chu
Writer: Unknown
Film Distribution: Unknown
Year: 1987
PLOT SUMMARY:
Plot...yeah if there ever was one, regardless I will do my best regarding this piece of trash. This movie has to got be the WORST movie ever made! I mean, I saw some really bad movies in my time, but...damn. This one really takes the cake. I mean even if I have seen a shitty movie or two, at least they had a plot you could AT LEAST understand. Ninja Vs Ninja is anything but a movie as there is a great deal of inconsistency with the plot, absolutely no character development, and such horrid special effects, music, acting, etc that just by the sheer act of watching the first five minutes is enough to tell anyone watching that this, for a lack of a better term, movie is a giant pile of crap.
I am seriously at a loss of words in what to write here as the sheer fact of even THINKING about this movie is enough to drain ones intelligence. So for the sake of creating a decent review, I am going to try the best I can in regards to explaining in depth as to why this movie is.
From what I could gather, this "movie" starts off by featuring a ninja training to the tune of some pathetic music. Then our Protagonist Ninja gets into a fight with another Ninja and then afterward, the two Ninjas talk about how the other uses his ninjitsu for money. (How else is he going to make a living? I mean if I were a Ninja, sure I'd want to make money doing it! Like charging a fee to protect someone or take out a badguy here and there.)
Then we fastforward to a family scene where the wife is always cooking, the husband never leaves home for anything, and their son is so annoying that it drive you up the wall! Actually, it turns out that the husband is a cop and he is after a gang of thugs who operate...get this...out of their rundown, apartment that has the bad guys as roommates!
As for the ninjas, we then watch a scene where a group of ninjas massacre an entire family! As for our Protagonist Ninja, he arrives too late to be of any use as he simply is a poor excuse for a hero! It seems that our protagonist has NO IDEA he is in a shitty movie. I mean its like some ass of a director edited together various movies and then give it a catchy title just to make the gullible viewing audience watch the damn thing!
Next, we focus on our villians just sitting around doing nothing. However, there is this one villian who, by putting on some red tape, gains the ability to become resistance to any form of cutting, slicing or stabbing. Uh...what does that have to do with the film? To make matters worse, we are then introduced to a villain who acts like a pathetic retard who has a porn fetish and goes on a rampage on a piece of paper because some girl the villian was watching in a movie or something was being teased.
Oh, as for our Hong Kong Cop Character, there is a scene with him at home AGAIN, however, this time, he takes his family out to the mall. However there is something amiss as our antagonistic ninjas have a plot to blow up................The Women's Room! Ugh! After the bomb goes off, the Hong Kong Cop's wife and son are injured in the explosion. In retaliation, the Cop goes after the villians, eventually going as far as to kill the villian who wears the idioctic red tape.
While the red tape may have worked on knives, it sure failed to withstand bullets.
Shortly later, the Cop's wife dies and he later learns his son will be blind from then on. As the Cop goes off to reflect on these terrible things, the Retarded Villian With A Porn Fetish returns and causes havoc on the hospital, taking the Cop's son as hostage. To make things even more moronic, is the fact that the Retarded Villian, and even I am at a loss over WHY, decides to put flowers in the child's hair and BLINDFOLDS him! Yeah! You read that part correctly, the Retard blindfolds someone who cannot see!! Talk about a self defeating purpose!! I mean, if you take a blind person hostage, what good does it serve you, or your hostage, if you blindfold them!? The
Cop then gets this idea as where he gets a nurse to pose as the Retarded Villian's "lover". When our stupid villain finds out he's been had, he goes crazy only to end his worthless existance by jumping out a window. I give credit to him for doing that as anyone would after finding out they were in such a pathetic movie like this.
In the last scenes we return to our ninjas, who for the most part appear sporadically in this movie, where we find our Protagonist Ninja looking through someone's underwear drawers! After finding what seems to be a tape, he runs out only to be ambushed by our main Antagonist Ninja one last time. In a cheesy ninja fight, our Protagonist Ninja beats the Antagonist Ninja so bad that all that remains of the villian is his ninja uniform! Victorious, the Protagonist Ninja runs off, Thus ending this god awful movie and leaving the audience to wonder what the hell just happened.
Now, as someone who values my eyesight, this movie made me very envious of the blind. I mean it is just painful to sit back and watch this garbage. A few minutes into it and you couldn't help but feel the urge to gouge out your eyeballs. This movie is just that horrid! I cannot help but wonder WHAT WERE THE PRODUCERS THINKING!!? Come to think of it, the sheer fact I remember this GARBAGE is enough to drive me crazy! Yet, I probably did everyone who reads this blog a favor by watching this trash so you wouldn't have to.
Had Ninja vs. Ninja been done right, and I mean done right, prehaps this COULD have been a movie worth watching, all it needed was a plot, somewhat believable characters and maybe consistancy, yet sadly it is not there or anywhere in this worthless garbage. Based on the the fact thefilmmakers ruined this piece of trash, I hold nothing but contempt for this pathethic excuse for a "movie". Based on other reviews I have read on IMDB, Amazon, and other websites, this piece of trash is just...beyond pathetic.
OVERALL SCORE: 1
What more needs to be said? Avoid this trash at all costs. However, if you are into shitty movies, for the sheer fact at laughing at their insanely idiocy, then this might be for you.
Starring: Kwan Cheung and Norman Chu
Writer: Unknown
Film Distribution: Unknown
Year: 1987
PLOT SUMMARY:
Plot...yeah if there ever was one, regardless I will do my best regarding this piece of trash. This movie has to got be the WORST movie ever made! I mean, I saw some really bad movies in my time, but...damn. This one really takes the cake. I mean even if I have seen a shitty movie or two, at least they had a plot you could AT LEAST understand. Ninja Vs Ninja is anything but a movie as there is a great deal of inconsistency with the plot, absolutely no character development, and such horrid special effects, music, acting, etc that just by the sheer act of watching the first five minutes is enough to tell anyone watching that this, for a lack of a better term, movie is a giant pile of crap.
I am seriously at a loss of words in what to write here as the sheer fact of even THINKING about this movie is enough to drain ones intelligence. So for the sake of creating a decent review, I am going to try the best I can in regards to explaining in depth as to why this movie is.
From what I could gather, this "movie" starts off by featuring a ninja training to the tune of some pathetic music. Then our Protagonist Ninja gets into a fight with another Ninja and then afterward, the two Ninjas talk about how the other uses his ninjitsu for money. (How else is he going to make a living? I mean if I were a Ninja, sure I'd want to make money doing it! Like charging a fee to protect someone or take out a badguy here and there.)
Then we fastforward to a family scene where the wife is always cooking, the husband never leaves home for anything, and their son is so annoying that it drive you up the wall! Actually, it turns out that the husband is a cop and he is after a gang of thugs who operate...get this...out of their rundown, apartment that has the bad guys as roommates!
As for the ninjas, we then watch a scene where a group of ninjas massacre an entire family! As for our Protagonist Ninja, he arrives too late to be of any use as he simply is a poor excuse for a hero! It seems that our protagonist has NO IDEA he is in a shitty movie. I mean its like some ass of a director edited together various movies and then give it a catchy title just to make the gullible viewing audience watch the damn thing!
Next, we focus on our villians just sitting around doing nothing. However, there is this one villian who, by putting on some red tape, gains the ability to become resistance to any form of cutting, slicing or stabbing. Uh...what does that have to do with the film? To make matters worse, we are then introduced to a villain who acts like a pathetic retard who has a porn fetish and goes on a rampage on a piece of paper because some girl the villian was watching in a movie or something was being teased.
Oh, as for our Hong Kong Cop Character, there is a scene with him at home AGAIN, however, this time, he takes his family out to the mall. However there is something amiss as our antagonistic ninjas have a plot to blow up................The Women's Room! Ugh! After the bomb goes off, the Hong Kong Cop's wife and son are injured in the explosion. In retaliation, the Cop goes after the villians, eventually going as far as to kill the villian who wears the idioctic red tape.
While the red tape may have worked on knives, it sure failed to withstand bullets.
Shortly later, the Cop's wife dies and he later learns his son will be blind from then on. As the Cop goes off to reflect on these terrible things, the Retarded Villian With A Porn Fetish returns and causes havoc on the hospital, taking the Cop's son as hostage. To make things even more moronic, is the fact that the Retarded Villian, and even I am at a loss over WHY, decides to put flowers in the child's hair and BLINDFOLDS him! Yeah! You read that part correctly, the Retard blindfolds someone who cannot see!! Talk about a self defeating purpose!! I mean, if you take a blind person hostage, what good does it serve you, or your hostage, if you blindfold them!? The
Cop then gets this idea as where he gets a nurse to pose as the Retarded Villian's "lover". When our stupid villain finds out he's been had, he goes crazy only to end his worthless existance by jumping out a window. I give credit to him for doing that as anyone would after finding out they were in such a pathetic movie like this.
In the last scenes we return to our ninjas, who for the most part appear sporadically in this movie, where we find our Protagonist Ninja looking through someone's underwear drawers! After finding what seems to be a tape, he runs out only to be ambushed by our main Antagonist Ninja one last time. In a cheesy ninja fight, our Protagonist Ninja beats the Antagonist Ninja so bad that all that remains of the villian is his ninja uniform! Victorious, the Protagonist Ninja runs off, Thus ending this god awful movie and leaving the audience to wonder what the hell just happened.
Now, as someone who values my eyesight, this movie made me very envious of the blind. I mean it is just painful to sit back and watch this garbage. A few minutes into it and you couldn't help but feel the urge to gouge out your eyeballs. This movie is just that horrid! I cannot help but wonder WHAT WERE THE PRODUCERS THINKING!!? Come to think of it, the sheer fact I remember this GARBAGE is enough to drive me crazy! Yet, I probably did everyone who reads this blog a favor by watching this trash so you wouldn't have to.
Had Ninja vs. Ninja been done right, and I mean done right, prehaps this COULD have been a movie worth watching, all it needed was a plot, somewhat believable characters and maybe consistancy, yet sadly it is not there or anywhere in this worthless garbage. Based on the the fact thefilmmakers ruined this piece of trash, I hold nothing but contempt for this pathethic excuse for a "movie". Based on other reviews I have read on IMDB, Amazon, and other websites, this piece of trash is just...beyond pathetic.
OVERALL SCORE: 1
What more needs to be said? Avoid this trash at all costs. However, if you are into shitty movies, for the sheer fact at laughing at their insanely idiocy, then this might be for you.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Movie Review: Star Trek Two: The Wrath of Khan
Director: Nicholas Meyer
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Ricardo Montalban
Writers: Jack B. Sowards, Harve Bennett, Nicholas Meyer
Film Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Year: 1982
PLOT SUMMARY:
"Revenge is a dish best served cold," is a Klingon Proverb that could apply to any circumstances regarding revenge. That seems to be the main message in this Star Trek movie. As many Trek fans will remember, Khan Noonien Singh first appeared in the Star Trek Original Series episode Space Seed where we first learned that Khan was an ousted superhuman who was forced to flee aboard a "primitive" ship known as a Sleeper Ship. However, things didn't go too well aboard the Enterprise where Khan wrecked havoc and even went as far as to kill Captain Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise crew. At the end of Space Seed, Kirk and crew decide for the best interests of Khan is that the former world ruler be exiled to the harsh, but hospitable environment of Ceti Alpha Five.
In Star Trek 2, we return to find that Ceti Alpha Five is now an even harsher environment where desert winds continuously blow on a desolate world that is anything but hospitable. When an unsuspecting starship, Reliant, arrives to the desolate world, none of its crew members are prepared for what lies in store for them, save for a former Enterprise crew member who clearly remembers the time Khan was aboard causing trouble aboard the Enterprise. This don't sound good at all. Seems good old Khan is mega pissed at that fact Kirk left him on Ceti Alpha Five and now the twice exiled superhuman wants payback as Khan holds a giant, galaxy sized grudge against Kirk.
Around the same time, Captain...pardon me...Admiral James T. Kirk is rather melancholy. Why?It seems the former captain of the Enterprise is now reaching his fiftith birthday as he feels like his place in Starfleet is over. This, and the fact that Enterprise is now composed of a crew of raw cadets, it seems that James T. Kirk is feeling that the years are finally catching up with him. To sum it up, he tells his good friend and doctor, McCoy, that "Galloping around the galaxies is for the young." clearly shows that Kirk is aware of his old age. Also, Kirk has to deal with a former girlfriend and his estranged son whom Kirk has had no contact with for almost his entire Starfleet career.
In keeping with the one films messages concerning the issue of aging, Starfleet scientists are hard at work creating a device that is gaureented to aid in the process of terraformation. The Genesis Project, named based on the fact that it is capable of creating life, becomes another focal point of the film. While this device is capable of creating life, the Genesis Torpedo is also capable of destroying life where life already exists. Talk about a two edged sword and the perfect weapon for Khan to use against Kirk.
Eventually, word gets out that there is a problem regarding the laboratory where Genesis is being developed and, with the Enterprise being the only ship in the area, is ordered to investigate. Forcing the cadets to mature early as this will turn out to be more than a training mission.
Oh yeah, remember the Reliant from earlier in the film? Well it seems that Khan has taken it for a joyride and using his spacejacked starship, he decides to wreck havoc yet again on the Enterprise just to get back at Kirk exiling him to a desolate world. However, Kirk and crew decide to strike back and manage to beat back Khan temporarily. Yet, the Enterprise knows that Khan will return later for another round as Khan's obsession with Kirk knows no end. From their first encounter on the way to the Genesis Laboratory to the climatic fight in the Mutara Nebula, Kirk and crew are forced to do battle with the vengeance obsessed Khan as he wants Kirk and crew dead. While Kirk eventually gains the advantage, his victory over Khan comes at a great cost of a beloved crew member who gives his life to save the Enterprise.
Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan has been considered to be one of the best Star Trek stories of all time. While six of the actors who starred in this movie have now passed on, its good to know that those late actors live on through this movie. The classic performances of both James Doohan and DeForest Kelley, as Scotty and Dr. McCoy respectively, act as though they were born to play their characters. I mean these two actors clearly are remembered as being part of Kirk's intreped crew and whenever one thinks of either Doohan or Kelley, there is always the fact that these men were part of something as historical and culturally significant as Star Trek.
The late Merrick Butrick and the late Bibi Besch as Doctors David and Carol Marcus both are believable in their characters as being related to Kirk. The former looks like he could pass for a young Kirk while the latter looks as though she could pass for the maternal parent. Who ever did the casting of these two characters truly did a superb job at hiring these two actors to play their respected roles. I have seen actors and actresses in various movies whose characters were said to be the offspring of a certain main character, however the offspring characters themselves look nothing, or at least resemble, the main character with whom they are "related" with. Here we see that a casting director actually did something right when it came to casting two new characters who are supposedly related in someway with James T. Kirk. While Kirk and his son, David have seemed to make up for lost time, the sequel to this film, Star Trek 3, reveals that won't come to pass.
Lastly we look at the remaining two actors in this flim who have passed on; Ricardo Montalban as Khan and Paul Winfield as Reliant's Captain Terrell. While the former is best known for appearing in Chrysler Commercials featuring cars about Corinthian Leather and Fantasy Island, the latter is remembered by Trek fans for appearing in an episode of The Next Generation. Both actors play their parts very well. Montalban as Khan is a priceless opportunity of an actor showing off his talents. When Khan first appears, we find the exiled superhuman unmasking himself to reveal himself to the helpless Reliant crew member and captain. Take one good look at Khan in the beginning where he verbally rapes the helpless Captain Terrell, as Khan tells Terrell that he is, "in position to demand anything", while Khan is in,"no position to grant anything." From then on, as Khan is calmly informing his prisoners that they know belong to him and his henchmen, its clear that Khan is a truly dangerous foe.
A review about the Wrath of Khan would not be complete without mentioning Kristie Alley as the Vulcan Navigator, Saavik. Although this was Alley's first major Hollywood role, she nonetheless acted professionally on the set and in the film itself. It's hard to tell she was merely a novice regarding the way she carried herself throughout the entire film. I mean she acted as though she was an experienced veteran of Hollywood. As for the character of Saavik herself, there were many memorable scenes featuring her. One notable scene is in the beginning where she deems the Kobeyashi Maru to be an unfair test of her leadership as the test was a no-win scenario; a fate that all Starship commanders must eventually face and the simulation is merely a means of showing how the aspiring starship commanders face those no-win circumstances.
OVERALL SCORE: 8
While I consider Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan to be a great movie overall, there is one thing that bothers me regarding this movie's plot. How in the world does Khan manage to take over the entire Reliant? Can anyone explain how a handful of exiled superhumans could have easily taken over a ship that had at least five hundred or so crew members that could have made up for the lack of strength with sheer numbers. Also, why didn't the security teams bother to assist Captain Terrell and the former Enterprise Crewmember to the planet surface, let alone defend their starship from some exiled maniac? Perhaps no one will ever know. Just ignore this simple plot inconsistency as it will only make your head hurt while trying to debate it. Perhaps the best possible answer to how this happened was that it occured off camera in between scenes. Other than that, Please check out this film. It is classic Star Trek story telling at its best!
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Ricardo Montalban
Writers: Jack B. Sowards, Harve Bennett, Nicholas Meyer
Film Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Year: 1982
PLOT SUMMARY:
"Revenge is a dish best served cold," is a Klingon Proverb that could apply to any circumstances regarding revenge. That seems to be the main message in this Star Trek movie. As many Trek fans will remember, Khan Noonien Singh first appeared in the Star Trek Original Series episode Space Seed where we first learned that Khan was an ousted superhuman who was forced to flee aboard a "primitive" ship known as a Sleeper Ship. However, things didn't go too well aboard the Enterprise where Khan wrecked havoc and even went as far as to kill Captain Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise crew. At the end of Space Seed, Kirk and crew decide for the best interests of Khan is that the former world ruler be exiled to the harsh, but hospitable environment of Ceti Alpha Five.
In Star Trek 2, we return to find that Ceti Alpha Five is now an even harsher environment where desert winds continuously blow on a desolate world that is anything but hospitable. When an unsuspecting starship, Reliant, arrives to the desolate world, none of its crew members are prepared for what lies in store for them, save for a former Enterprise crew member who clearly remembers the time Khan was aboard causing trouble aboard the Enterprise. This don't sound good at all. Seems good old Khan is mega pissed at that fact Kirk left him on Ceti Alpha Five and now the twice exiled superhuman wants payback as Khan holds a giant, galaxy sized grudge against Kirk.
Around the same time, Captain...pardon me...Admiral James T. Kirk is rather melancholy. Why?It seems the former captain of the Enterprise is now reaching his fiftith birthday as he feels like his place in Starfleet is over. This, and the fact that Enterprise is now composed of a crew of raw cadets, it seems that James T. Kirk is feeling that the years are finally catching up with him. To sum it up, he tells his good friend and doctor, McCoy, that "Galloping around the galaxies is for the young." clearly shows that Kirk is aware of his old age. Also, Kirk has to deal with a former girlfriend and his estranged son whom Kirk has had no contact with for almost his entire Starfleet career.
In keeping with the one films messages concerning the issue of aging, Starfleet scientists are hard at work creating a device that is gaureented to aid in the process of terraformation. The Genesis Project, named based on the fact that it is capable of creating life, becomes another focal point of the film. While this device is capable of creating life, the Genesis Torpedo is also capable of destroying life where life already exists. Talk about a two edged sword and the perfect weapon for Khan to use against Kirk.
Eventually, word gets out that there is a problem regarding the laboratory where Genesis is being developed and, with the Enterprise being the only ship in the area, is ordered to investigate. Forcing the cadets to mature early as this will turn out to be more than a training mission.
Oh yeah, remember the Reliant from earlier in the film? Well it seems that Khan has taken it for a joyride and using his spacejacked starship, he decides to wreck havoc yet again on the Enterprise just to get back at Kirk exiling him to a desolate world. However, Kirk and crew decide to strike back and manage to beat back Khan temporarily. Yet, the Enterprise knows that Khan will return later for another round as Khan's obsession with Kirk knows no end. From their first encounter on the way to the Genesis Laboratory to the climatic fight in the Mutara Nebula, Kirk and crew are forced to do battle with the vengeance obsessed Khan as he wants Kirk and crew dead. While Kirk eventually gains the advantage, his victory over Khan comes at a great cost of a beloved crew member who gives his life to save the Enterprise.
Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan has been considered to be one of the best Star Trek stories of all time. While six of the actors who starred in this movie have now passed on, its good to know that those late actors live on through this movie. The classic performances of both James Doohan and DeForest Kelley, as Scotty and Dr. McCoy respectively, act as though they were born to play their characters. I mean these two actors clearly are remembered as being part of Kirk's intreped crew and whenever one thinks of either Doohan or Kelley, there is always the fact that these men were part of something as historical and culturally significant as Star Trek.
The late Merrick Butrick and the late Bibi Besch as Doctors David and Carol Marcus both are believable in their characters as being related to Kirk. The former looks like he could pass for a young Kirk while the latter looks as though she could pass for the maternal parent. Who ever did the casting of these two characters truly did a superb job at hiring these two actors to play their respected roles. I have seen actors and actresses in various movies whose characters were said to be the offspring of a certain main character, however the offspring characters themselves look nothing, or at least resemble, the main character with whom they are "related" with. Here we see that a casting director actually did something right when it came to casting two new characters who are supposedly related in someway with James T. Kirk. While Kirk and his son, David have seemed to make up for lost time, the sequel to this film, Star Trek 3, reveals that won't come to pass.
Lastly we look at the remaining two actors in this flim who have passed on; Ricardo Montalban as Khan and Paul Winfield as Reliant's Captain Terrell. While the former is best known for appearing in Chrysler Commercials featuring cars about Corinthian Leather and Fantasy Island, the latter is remembered by Trek fans for appearing in an episode of The Next Generation. Both actors play their parts very well. Montalban as Khan is a priceless opportunity of an actor showing off his talents. When Khan first appears, we find the exiled superhuman unmasking himself to reveal himself to the helpless Reliant crew member and captain. Take one good look at Khan in the beginning where he verbally rapes the helpless Captain Terrell, as Khan tells Terrell that he is, "in position to demand anything", while Khan is in,"no position to grant anything." From then on, as Khan is calmly informing his prisoners that they know belong to him and his henchmen, its clear that Khan is a truly dangerous foe.
A review about the Wrath of Khan would not be complete without mentioning Kristie Alley as the Vulcan Navigator, Saavik. Although this was Alley's first major Hollywood role, she nonetheless acted professionally on the set and in the film itself. It's hard to tell she was merely a novice regarding the way she carried herself throughout the entire film. I mean she acted as though she was an experienced veteran of Hollywood. As for the character of Saavik herself, there were many memorable scenes featuring her. One notable scene is in the beginning where she deems the Kobeyashi Maru to be an unfair test of her leadership as the test was a no-win scenario; a fate that all Starship commanders must eventually face and the simulation is merely a means of showing how the aspiring starship commanders face those no-win circumstances.
OVERALL SCORE: 8
While I consider Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan to be a great movie overall, there is one thing that bothers me regarding this movie's plot. How in the world does Khan manage to take over the entire Reliant? Can anyone explain how a handful of exiled superhumans could have easily taken over a ship that had at least five hundred or so crew members that could have made up for the lack of strength with sheer numbers. Also, why didn't the security teams bother to assist Captain Terrell and the former Enterprise Crewmember to the planet surface, let alone defend their starship from some exiled maniac? Perhaps no one will ever know. Just ignore this simple plot inconsistency as it will only make your head hurt while trying to debate it. Perhaps the best possible answer to how this happened was that it occured off camera in between scenes. Other than that, Please check out this film. It is classic Star Trek story telling at its best!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Movie Review: Full Metal Jacket
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: R. Ermey Lee, Matthew Modine, Vincent D'onofrio, Arliss Howard, Alec Baldwin
Writers: Stanley Kubrick, Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford (Screenplay) Based on the Novel "Short Timers" by Gustav Hasford
Film Distributor: Warner Brothers Productions.
Year: 1987
PLOT SUMMARY:
"I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your senior drill instructor!" The lines of R. Ermey Lee are just as memorable as the movie itself. Stanley Kubrick's famed war epic takes many movie viewers where no war movie has ever taken its audience before: Basic Training where it all begins. Where the new recruits themselves are torn apart and dehumanized in an effort to remake the raw recruits into killing machines.
The film starts off with everyone being shaved bald as though they are now undergoing the process of dehumanization. Moments later, we are introduced to Sergeant Hartman, played by R. Ermey Lee, who begins telling the recruits that from that moment forward, they are no longer human beings but instead, as Hartman puts it,
"Unorganized grabastic pieces of amphibian shit" as Hartman is there to weed out those who simply do not meet the expectations of the Marine Corps.
As Hartman is continuously belittling the Marine Recruits by taunting them, attacking their masculinity, and giving them nicknames like Cowboy and Snowball, Private Joker makes his appearence here by speaking out loud that provokes the anger of Hartman. It is here we are introduced to the main character of our film. After being reprimanded by Hartman, Joker is reminded that Hartman has "his name and his ass".
Gomer Pyle, played by Vincent D'onofrio, is also introduced at this point and becomes the focal point of the dehumanization that most recruits endure in basic training. Hartman first begins attacking the overweight Pyle by asking questions about whether or not Pyle "sucks dicks" and then comment that Pyle could "Suck a golfball through a garden hose." Apparently Pyle seems to find the entire ordeal funny as he has a funny look on his face. After Pyle fails to remove the silly grin, Hartman orders Pyle to choke himself.
For the rest of Act 1, the movie features our characters enduring the physical conditioning of Basic Training like running and obstacle courses, as well as the occasional belittlement put upon them by Sergreant Hartman who tells them that "Their days of finger banging Miss Mary Jane Rotten crotch are over". Pyle it seems has trouble telling left from right as he gets mixed up and he also isn't able to do most of the physical work. Causing Hartman to make him into an example of those who don't meet up to the standards of the Marine Corps. As for Joker, he seems to be the only one who has somehow retained his identity and manages to take a hard slap for denying the belief in the Virgin Mary. As a result of his tenacity, Joker is made into Platoon Leader by Hartman as he is impressed. Joker also has one more assignment: To help Private Pyle in his training process.
For the most part, Training goes well with Pyle gaining some degree of confidence. However when Hartman discovers a contraband doughnut within Pyle's belongings, Hartman now begins a system of collective punishment every time Pyle screws up. As payback, the rest of the Platoon engage in giving Pyle a Blanket Party. From there, we see Pyle undergoing a change as he becomes increasingly withdrawn from reality, causing Joker to notice as Pyle begins talking to his gun, whom Pyle has named Charlene. We also see Pyle eventually finding something he is good at: Shooting his gun. This becomes evident later on when Pyle finally snaps.
Act 2 takes place in Vietnam, we now see Joker as a Military Journalist who has been given the assignment of joining a group of Marines who are situated in the front. Joker at this point is reunited with his friend, Cowboy, from then on, the movie becomes very much like a stereotypical Vietnam War movie, complete with bombed out buildings, Vietnamese hookers, and the Vietcong. Animal Mother for instance, a character that Joker and Cowboy meet up with, is the stereotypical soldier who has belts of bullets across his chest and carries a giant machine gun complete with a tough soldier mentality.
I do not want to give away anything else as this movie is a complete classic in every way imaginable. Kubrick has taken the concept of a war movie and made it more than just soldiers shooting each other and things exploding as Kubrick explores what turns a raw recruit into a ruthless killer. Most war movies seem to ignore that, yet Kubrick chooses here to explore it and exploit it.
While I do rate Full Metal Jacket very high on my scale and a classic worth watching, there are some issues I have with this movie that mainly relates to the character of Private Pyle. For one thing, at no time does anyone, with the exception of Joker and perhaps Cowboy, notice that Pyle is becoming more and more withdrawn. Perhaps the recruits were to busy focusing on becoming a Marine to notice. Either that or Pyle kept his descent into madness by keeping to himself and concealing it. Whatever the case is, Pyle's descent into madness could have been prevented had someone, anyone have gotten him any form of help.
OVERALL SCORE: 9
I give Full Metal Jacket a score of 9. This movie has just about everything worthy of being a classic: A moving plot and strong, believable characters as we see what makes them become killers. I recommend this movie to anyone who loves more than a good war movie, but a movie with emotional depth and a story that is more than about warfare. However, my main gripe concerns the character of Pyle and how his descent into madness could have been prevented, but wasn't. Regardless, this movie is a classic you don't want to miss!
Starring: R. Ermey Lee, Matthew Modine, Vincent D'onofrio, Arliss Howard, Alec Baldwin
Writers: Stanley Kubrick, Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford (Screenplay) Based on the Novel "Short Timers" by Gustav Hasford
Film Distributor: Warner Brothers Productions.
Year: 1987
PLOT SUMMARY:
"I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your senior drill instructor!" The lines of R. Ermey Lee are just as memorable as the movie itself. Stanley Kubrick's famed war epic takes many movie viewers where no war movie has ever taken its audience before: Basic Training where it all begins. Where the new recruits themselves are torn apart and dehumanized in an effort to remake the raw recruits into killing machines.
The film starts off with everyone being shaved bald as though they are now undergoing the process of dehumanization. Moments later, we are introduced to Sergeant Hartman, played by R. Ermey Lee, who begins telling the recruits that from that moment forward, they are no longer human beings but instead, as Hartman puts it,
"Unorganized grabastic pieces of amphibian shit" as Hartman is there to weed out those who simply do not meet the expectations of the Marine Corps.
As Hartman is continuously belittling the Marine Recruits by taunting them, attacking their masculinity, and giving them nicknames like Cowboy and Snowball, Private Joker makes his appearence here by speaking out loud that provokes the anger of Hartman. It is here we are introduced to the main character of our film. After being reprimanded by Hartman, Joker is reminded that Hartman has "his name and his ass".
Gomer Pyle, played by Vincent D'onofrio, is also introduced at this point and becomes the focal point of the dehumanization that most recruits endure in basic training. Hartman first begins attacking the overweight Pyle by asking questions about whether or not Pyle "sucks dicks" and then comment that Pyle could "Suck a golfball through a garden hose." Apparently Pyle seems to find the entire ordeal funny as he has a funny look on his face. After Pyle fails to remove the silly grin, Hartman orders Pyle to choke himself.
For the rest of Act 1, the movie features our characters enduring the physical conditioning of Basic Training like running and obstacle courses, as well as the occasional belittlement put upon them by Sergreant Hartman who tells them that "Their days of finger banging Miss Mary Jane Rotten crotch are over". Pyle it seems has trouble telling left from right as he gets mixed up and he also isn't able to do most of the physical work. Causing Hartman to make him into an example of those who don't meet up to the standards of the Marine Corps. As for Joker, he seems to be the only one who has somehow retained his identity and manages to take a hard slap for denying the belief in the Virgin Mary. As a result of his tenacity, Joker is made into Platoon Leader by Hartman as he is impressed. Joker also has one more assignment: To help Private Pyle in his training process.
For the most part, Training goes well with Pyle gaining some degree of confidence. However when Hartman discovers a contraband doughnut within Pyle's belongings, Hartman now begins a system of collective punishment every time Pyle screws up. As payback, the rest of the Platoon engage in giving Pyle a Blanket Party. From there, we see Pyle undergoing a change as he becomes increasingly withdrawn from reality, causing Joker to notice as Pyle begins talking to his gun, whom Pyle has named Charlene. We also see Pyle eventually finding something he is good at: Shooting his gun. This becomes evident later on when Pyle finally snaps.
Act 2 takes place in Vietnam, we now see Joker as a Military Journalist who has been given the assignment of joining a group of Marines who are situated in the front. Joker at this point is reunited with his friend, Cowboy, from then on, the movie becomes very much like a stereotypical Vietnam War movie, complete with bombed out buildings, Vietnamese hookers, and the Vietcong. Animal Mother for instance, a character that Joker and Cowboy meet up with, is the stereotypical soldier who has belts of bullets across his chest and carries a giant machine gun complete with a tough soldier mentality.
I do not want to give away anything else as this movie is a complete classic in every way imaginable. Kubrick has taken the concept of a war movie and made it more than just soldiers shooting each other and things exploding as Kubrick explores what turns a raw recruit into a ruthless killer. Most war movies seem to ignore that, yet Kubrick chooses here to explore it and exploit it.
While I do rate Full Metal Jacket very high on my scale and a classic worth watching, there are some issues I have with this movie that mainly relates to the character of Private Pyle. For one thing, at no time does anyone, with the exception of Joker and perhaps Cowboy, notice that Pyle is becoming more and more withdrawn. Perhaps the recruits were to busy focusing on becoming a Marine to notice. Either that or Pyle kept his descent into madness by keeping to himself and concealing it. Whatever the case is, Pyle's descent into madness could have been prevented had someone, anyone have gotten him any form of help.
OVERALL SCORE: 9
I give Full Metal Jacket a score of 9. This movie has just about everything worthy of being a classic: A moving plot and strong, believable characters as we see what makes them become killers. I recommend this movie to anyone who loves more than a good war movie, but a movie with emotional depth and a story that is more than about warfare. However, my main gripe concerns the character of Pyle and how his descent into madness could have been prevented, but wasn't. Regardless, this movie is a classic you don't want to miss!
Introduction to Interventus Recenseo
Greetings,
By now I assume you have reached this page to it would be appropriate to explain the purposes of this site. As you can tell, Federation Film and Game reviews is a blog devoted to reviewing the numerous movies and television shows I have watched along with the various video and computer games I have played as to give you, the reader of this blog, a chance to see my opinion on said game, show or movie as I have more than my two cents to offer on the aforementioned topics.
RATING SYSTEM:
The Rating System I use on this site goes as follows with a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, meaning that this is one game, tv show or movie that you must watch or play because it is truly a classic worth experiencing. Any games rated with a score 1 is movie, show or game that you must certainly avoid at all costs as it is a pure waste to even watch or play.
10-Truly a Classic. Never again will such a film, show or game even reach the greatness of this.
9-While it is deserving of a classic, there are a few elements lacking in it.
8- A great game or film that has some flaws here and there, but otherwise great over all.
7-This game or film is perhaps the norm as while there are a lot of great things about it, it could use some improvement.
6-Now here we have is a film or game that applies only to a certain genre. Fans of the Genre should look into this one.
5-This here is a film or game that would fit in category 6, however there are some problems with it that even the fans of the aforementioned genre would agree with me on like characters and maybe plot details.
4-An attempt at trying to make a game or film. Perhaps a first time screenwriter or director who needs to practice more.
3-A Cult Classic. What more needs to be said?
2-The only thing worth watching or playing this garbage is to riff into it.
1-DO NOT WATCH OR PLAY AT ALL COSTS!! Your brains will melt out of your ears as its horrible.
FAQs:
What will you be reviewing?
Movies and television shows I have watched along with video and computer games I have played.
Why aren't you reviewing anything currently in the Theaters or games that have been right now?
The reason I do not not review the latest is that the lastest is relatively new and fresh in the minds of today's audiences. I review games and movies I have played as I know what to expect from them and why I either think they are classics or clunkers.
Will you review a movie or game for me?
I am open to any and all suggestions for what to review, but it must have been something I have played or watched.
What if its a game or movie we can't find? How will we be able to play it or watch it?
In this day and age of the internet, I will summit links as to where you maybe able to watch the movies or television shows. As for the games themselves, I will send you links as to where you maybe able to purchase them.
Why films, tv shows and games?
Mainly because they are the latest forms of entertainment in the world.
This should conclude any and all questions you may have, now its time to read the reviews!!
By now I assume you have reached this page to it would be appropriate to explain the purposes of this site. As you can tell, Federation Film and Game reviews is a blog devoted to reviewing the numerous movies and television shows I have watched along with the various video and computer games I have played as to give you, the reader of this blog, a chance to see my opinion on said game, show or movie as I have more than my two cents to offer on the aforementioned topics.
RATING SYSTEM:
The Rating System I use on this site goes as follows with a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, meaning that this is one game, tv show or movie that you must watch or play because it is truly a classic worth experiencing. Any games rated with a score 1 is movie, show or game that you must certainly avoid at all costs as it is a pure waste to even watch or play.
10-Truly a Classic. Never again will such a film, show or game even reach the greatness of this.
9-While it is deserving of a classic, there are a few elements lacking in it.
8- A great game or film that has some flaws here and there, but otherwise great over all.
7-This game or film is perhaps the norm as while there are a lot of great things about it, it could use some improvement.
6-Now here we have is a film or game that applies only to a certain genre. Fans of the Genre should look into this one.
5-This here is a film or game that would fit in category 6, however there are some problems with it that even the fans of the aforementioned genre would agree with me on like characters and maybe plot details.
4-An attempt at trying to make a game or film. Perhaps a first time screenwriter or director who needs to practice more.
3-A Cult Classic. What more needs to be said?
2-The only thing worth watching or playing this garbage is to riff into it.
1-DO NOT WATCH OR PLAY AT ALL COSTS!! Your brains will melt out of your ears as its horrible.
FAQs:
What will you be reviewing?
Movies and television shows I have watched along with video and computer games I have played.
Why aren't you reviewing anything currently in the Theaters or games that have been right now?
The reason I do not not review the latest is that the lastest is relatively new and fresh in the minds of today's audiences. I review games and movies I have played as I know what to expect from them and why I either think they are classics or clunkers.
Will you review a movie or game for me?
I am open to any and all suggestions for what to review, but it must have been something I have played or watched.
What if its a game or movie we can't find? How will we be able to play it or watch it?
In this day and age of the internet, I will summit links as to where you maybe able to watch the movies or television shows. As for the games themselves, I will send you links as to where you maybe able to purchase them.
Why films, tv shows and games?
Mainly because they are the latest forms of entertainment in the world.
This should conclude any and all questions you may have, now its time to read the reviews!!
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