Dark Knight Review

                The Dark Knight is the 2008 released Batman film directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale. This movie follows Batman’s continuous struggle to create peace and a crime free Gotham, but this endeaver becomes impossible with the expansive mob underworld in Gotham and when the Joker comes to the limelight, his mission is made nearly impossible. The Joker is the ultimate symbol of chaos as he is  hellbent on  causing as much  terror in Gotham as possible just for the pure enjoyment of watching people suffer . While at the same time, Batman is fighting with himself over his decision of being a masked vigilante, since no one seems to want him and more people seem to be dying because of his presence. This brings a struggle in the city as many want Gotham to be saved from such danger, but at the same they want Batman to be incarcerated for bringing such danger to the city. 

                The Dark Knight is the pivotal Batman film, super hero film and even action film because of its iconic characters, incredible acting and superb script. This film will for sure become a classic film that everyone will see and if anyone hasn’t seen this film yet, I say that they need to right away! This is the best that a superhero film can be as it stays strong with the source material and doesn’t try to soften the characters up in any way and stands its ground with the mature themes and violence. This is the epidemy of what a Batman film should be like and ultimately makes it hard for anyone to ever try to remake Batman after the way Christopher Nolan was able to portray him. The script was incredible in this film as so many of the quotes were so powerful and deep that it made for a lot of thinking during an action film, a rarity these days. The acting was also superb where Bale was able to portray the brooding and psychologically distraught Batman as well as the confidant, relaxed Bruce Wayne. As well Heath Ledger was able to show the Joker incredibly as you are truly scared about this mad man and yet at the same time he is very comical about such dark themes.

                The setting in this film was incredibly realized as from the very beginning you could tell that the city of Gotham was a corrupt and crime ridden city that was being manipulated by the criminals. This creates a very dark tone for the movie as you truly feel that there is no way for Gotham to come back as a civillized society , but with the first time you see Batman and Dent, you begin to feel a sense of hope for Gotham. This feeling of hope is continuously played with and tinkered with in the movie as when Dent begins to do more to save Gotham, the Joker does more to cause chaos. This constant struggle for control of Gotham is incredibly interesting and really adds a lot to the personal connections to the characters, as different people will side with different characters to win in the end. 
              The filming was also incredible as in some action films it is hard to understand what is happening because of the quick cuts, but in this film the use of camera work was very effective as we are able to fully appreciate the fighting scenes and all the quiet scenes. Music was also used very well as it was always used to create a sense of suspense for what is coming, foreshadowing that something important is coming. But since the story is so great the thing that happens is always such a surprise that the obvious suspenseful music doesn’t spoil anything, but instead plays on it. The use of props was also very interesting as what would Batman be without his belt of gadgets and weapons. His different gadgets provided a lot of surprises with the shear amount of unique things he had. In conclusion this is a great film, I give it a 10/10. Go watch this movie!

From Hell review

                From Hell is a movie based on the graphic novel by acclaimed writer Alan Moore, that focuses on the controversial and ambiguous murders of Jack the Ripper. The movie stars opium using, detective Abberline as he is given the case to find out who is responsible for the murder and mutilation of several prostitutes in East London. Abberline, through the use of opium, is able to see visions of the future in his mind, which he uses to uncover the truth behind the ripper murders. With these visions he is able to uncover a giant conspiracy that lies within the Free Masons and even the parliament. He is then able to find and arrest the man who was committing the crimes in order to save one of the prostitutes.

            This perspective of the Jack the Ripper case is incredibly interesting as since it is such a controversial subject no one could ever know what happened and since it did revolve around the prince it definitely could have been a job done by the government. Where the movie shines is from the sheer amount of detail to pitting the crimes against the surgeon of the Queen and the ability for the audience to have closure with the murderer being caught. But I think the man that played the surgeon was  way too obvious as the murderer, as whenever he spoke to the detective he never looked him in the eyes and always seemed very shaky. His excuse for not being the Queen’s surgeon any more was he had a brain amorism which was obviously a lie, so the film should have had more than just one obvious suspect to make the case more ambiguous to the audience.

            Also I did really like the art direction this film took as it really went for a dark and psychedelic look for when the murders are happening and for when the inspector is on drugs. In these parts the use of colour is very dramatic and creates a dream like sense to the visions he has, making him seem more like a super human than like any other detective. The manipulation of natural light was also very effective as when during the nighttime the murderer was always concealed by the darkness giving him a very monster like quality as you can’t see him and he moves with the shadows of the night. The physical appearance of characters was also very important as the constables and heads of the police department all looked very stern and corrupt as they automatically wanted to blame the jews for the murders without any evidence. As well the use of props was very important as grapes, a food meant only for the richest of people, was used to court the prostitutes into trusting the man as they were escorted to their death. In all, the costume design was very effective in portraying the 18^th century and made it believable that these people were livings in this time frame.

            In conclusion, I enjoyed this film from the beginning, but near the end it started to lose me as it ended up being very obvious that the surgeon was the killer. Also I believe the suicide of the detective was very random as there is probably a deep meaning made to this in the novel that the film didn’t deliver effectively with. That is what I think the whole film is like, that the novel created a great foundation for a deep story, but the film work didn’t click with the story and didn’t become the best it could be. That is why I am giving it a 6 out of 10, I will recommend it to be people to watch as it is very interesting but don’t expect something on the level of V for Vendetta.

Born on the Fourth of July Review

           Born on the Fourth of July, is a film that follows the true events of Ron Kovic, an American man ,and his experiences with the Vietnam War. Ron lives his life idolizing the men who fought in previous wars and when the Vietnam War comes along, he enrols immediately leaving behind his old life to serve his country. In Vietnam, Ron is put in a chaotic environment and accidently shoots another American soldier and is then shot in the legs. He is then paralysed from the waist down and must return back to the US, where he discovers the growing anti-war movement that has caused the majority of the nation to reject the Vietnam war and show little respect to its veterans. Adjusting to life becomes very difficult for him as everybody becomes against his efforts to fight for his country and this leads to him to go on a downward spiral in his life. 

            I believe this was an excellent film representing the anti-war movement in the US and the effect it had on the Vietnam veterans. This film really realized the feelings that a person might have after coming from a war, losing the use of their legs and then be treated like a sort of criminal. The fact that this generation of people chose to fight in a war that so many people opposed must have ruined the rest of their lives as everything that they believed in was thought of in disgust by the everyday people. But Ron was able to overcome this great obstacle in his life as he was able to reconnect with the person that he was before the war, by talking to the family of the boy he killed. Ron’s ability to bring his life around and become a very outspoken person in politics is very inspiring and supports the theme of self-actualization.

            The acting in this film was very engrossing as Tom Cruise was able to portray such a vast range of emotions from happiness to utter turmoil and sadness. This allowed for the audience to connect better with the fact that Ron will never be able to walk, reproduce or make love again. Setting was also used very effectively in this film, whereas the scene in the university had such a good contrast of emotions to it as a place of learning and intelligence was being disturbed by such barbaric and unjust rioting. The parade scenes were also very effective as we can see where he begins to idolize war veterens and then when he is in his own parade, he is spit on and yelled at for fighting for his country, showing conflicting values with different time periods. His costume and make up were also very effective in portraying his ability to maintain his composure in society, as when he becomes more disconnected he is dirtier, has a longer beard and seems much more stressed. Dialogue was also very well done as all the characters were very unique and had interesting dialogue, such as Ron’s veteran friend who had a lot of controversial ideas about the war and life and this made the dialogue very spontaneous and exciting.

            Overall, I think this is a good movie in general and a great Vietnam film as it really doesn’t glorify war in any way and tries to make the point that the war was wrong. This strong stand on the war is very refreshing compared to other films that try to appeal to both sides. The fact that this is actually based on a true story also adds validity to the things happening in the film that seem like acts of fiction. I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who has seen any other Vietnam film and others who want to learn more about the effect of the peace movement on the veterans. Therefore, I am giving this film an 8 out of 10. 

Apocalypse Now

            Apocalypse Now is a film that was made in 1979 and focuses on the events that follow Captain Willard as he works toward assassinating an American general who has supposedly gone insane during the Vietnam war. Willard is a very distraught character who from the very start suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has difficulty adjusting to the quiet of everyday life compared to the war. Then when he is asked to assassinate Kurtz, an American general who has quit the army and has gone “insane”, Willard must go back into the battle with a group of men escorting him on his mission. Throughout Vietnam, the men show little regard to the Vietnamese as actual people and perform atrocious acts that depict fictional representations of documented acts of war, such as the killing of innocent civilians. As the time goes by Willard learns more and more about Kurtz from intel, and as the journey goes on, he starts to become just as Kurtz was and doing some of the same things that got Kurtz on a hit list with the US. In the end, Willard sees what Kurtz is like and must decide to either kill him and become the new Kurtz or leave him to live, but Willard chooses to kill the man in order to complete his mission.

            Willard’s transformation into the beast that he was hunting was a very interesting idea and I believe the director was able to realize this very well in this film where man must become what he is looking for in order to succeed in their journey. This is true as Willard becomes exactly what Kurtz was and I think this was incredibly realized by the acting, as Martin Sheen was incredible as Willard as he was able to show such striking and disembodied emotions. AS well Martin Brandlo did a great job as Kurtz as even though we only see him for a bit, his role is none less important as he comes to be the great evil of the story, but when you meet him he is just a normal man who has chosen his own fate.

            Apocalypse Now was also a very different look at a Vietnam movie as it had a more artistic feel to it with all the dramatic lighting and psychological colours. This is true for when you see Kurtz, he is not fully shown and has a sepia tone to him to make him look otherworldly. Also the use of movement was very important as a lot of time the characters were moving, the camera was able to create a sense of speed or danger as when they are flying in helicopters and running away from the tiger.

            The use of the Philippines as Vietnam also worked very well as it really seemed like a lush tropical paradise riddled with war . The ending where Willard was going to kill Kurtz was also very well done, as it was dark outside to symbolize the immoral and unjust act Willard is about to commit. Also the use of the boar as a prop was very symbolic as the Vietnamese killing of the boar as a way of foreshadowing what Willard is about to do. Costume and makeup was also effective in this film as many of the characters looked really rough and dirty because they have been in duty for the past while and many have tattered clothing, making it convincing that they are in a war.

            In conclusion, I think this is a great film as it is neither a pro war film or anti war film, and it is for the viewer to decide as it is very ambiguous like that. This was a very interesting and well made look at the Vietnam war. I am giving this film a 9/10 and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the war as well as who want to see a good movie. 

Forrest Gump Review

                Forest Gump is a film starring Tom Hanks and is directed by Robert Zemeckis. The film begins with a young Forest Gump who is developmentally disable as well as has braces on his legs that prevent him from being normal as everyone else. He is picked on as a kid, but from the care and guidance from his mother, he is able to stay in a regular school and have the self esteem he needs to survive in society. Then when Forest meets Jenny, a girl who is abused by her father, they become lifelong friends and Jenny is able to get away from her father and live with her grandparents. Forest is then able to get his leg braces off when he must run away from bullies, this is when he experiences complete freedom and is able to finally run. Later in his life, because of his incredible speed as a runner he is able to go to college to play football as a running back. After this he is enlisted in the army to fight in Vietnam and after seeing his whole platoon being shot down and his best friend, Bubba, die he is brought back to the US. Here he sees Jenny many times but dos not notice her downward spiral to drugs and an abusive relationship, where she tries to commit suicide. Forrest then becomes very wealthy from his luck in the shrimping business, so Jenny comes to live with him to get a hold of herself and her ability to function in normal society, but her love for Forrest becomes too much as she sleeps with him and then must run away. Forrest is really upset about this and the fact that his mother died, so he goes on a run around America, Jenny then writes him and he finds out that she was carrying his child and that Jenny is about to die from HIV. Forrest overcomes all obstacles and prejudice in his life to live a very successful and fulfilling life in the end.        

The acting in this film is very believable as it is easy to tell that there is something “off” about Forrest from the way he talks and the way he is able to tell his life story to any random person. Tom Hanks portrays this character very well as he acts very oblivious to everything around him and he creates an accent for Forrest that makes him sound very slow. The use of weather in this film was very funny when he was talking about how in Vietnam, there was always rain and the different types of rainfall there was, this was a very funny way at poking fun at how obvious the use of weather for tone was. The use of the leg braces as props for when Forrest was running away from the bullies was very important as with this he was able to embark on his life of running, the breaking of the leg braces was the beginning of Forrest’s life of good. Also the film music was very effective as the film makers chose to use a lot of popular rock songs from the 60’s and 70’s, with this it was very effective as most people associate that time period with the music and this music added a sense of truth to the events.

Honestly, I didn’t want to like this movie at first because I thought it would be very crude and dumb, to watch a movie about a person who is developmentally handicapped as I thought it was just a film about making fun of people like that. But once I started watching it, Forrest grew on me as I started to see how pure of a character he was and how nothing seemed to bring him down. This sense of optimism was very refreshing to see in a movie covering such serious aspects of history; for once I think the “ignorance is bliss” attitude somehow brought things for the better for Forrest. This is true as without trying he was able to go to college, survive in the Vietnam War, grow a very successful shrimping business, become a ping pong all-star and have a son. By contrast I think the character of Jenny was very interesting as she was the complete opposite of Forrest, as she seemed to try to find trouble and had an abusive parent. Her constant feelings of wanting to be like a bird and flying away, made sense for being a person who was sexually abused and when she tries to kill herself, you wonder what could make her want to be away from her closest friend. Ultimately, I think she didn’t want to be around a person who was so perfect as it would discourage her as she is so damaged.

In conclusion, I think this is a very interesting and entertaining film that I think every should see. It is a very touching tale and I would give an 8.5/10. 

Shake hands with the devil documentary review

            After writing his book, Shake Hands with the devil, Romeo Dallaire has come back to Rwanda ten years after the tragic events of the Rwandan genocide. As he is brought back to the place where he saw brutal murders and dead bodies everywhere ten years earlier, Dallaire is swept away at how much Rwanda has changed to a peaceful place where Tutsi and Hutu can live together. Dallaire meets with people who lost their entire family because of the genocide as well as gives lectures at stadiums and press conferences. I think this was a very strong story as you get to see the man who had the most responsibility to save the Rwandan people and see how the people of Rwanda treat him with such respect and admiration. His lecture at the stadium was also very honest as he fully said that the imperial powers of the world didn’t care about Rwanda and didn’t care about blacks, which they let die without any remorse.

            The film was also showed what the locations Dallaire was visiting looked like 10 years before thanks to footage during the genocide, this footage really put what Dallaire must have been feeling in perspective as we were able to see what he saw. It was also very interesting to see how the leader of the Red cross group that was stationed in Rwanda during the genocide though of Dallaire. He showed that people who were trying to help out Tutsis during the time like Dallaire, saw him as a hero and a leader, while at the same time some people blamed him for what happened. I was shocked that the Belgian man at the press conference was blaming Dellaire for what happened to the Belgian peacekeepers, as this was highly inappropriate as it was an event to commemorate the lost lives of the Rwandan people. The fact that the Belgian man was yelling at Dallaire made me really angry as his country was responsible for the civil wars, and they ignored Dallaire’s fax that warned that Belgian peacekeepers were going to be killed, yet they blamed Dallaire.   

            In conclusion I believe this was a very powerful documentary as it did show how he is very distraught for allowing the genocide to continue. Also it was very powerful for us to be able to see his first time back to Rwanda and how he felt being back in the place where he failed to save almost a million people. The fact that he can live day by day after such a tragedy shows how strong he really is, as he did do everything he could to help but was given no support by the UN. I really enjoyed this film and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who knows about what Dallaire did in Rwanda, so I am going to give this documentary a 9 out of 10.

Ghosts of Rwanda Review

              Ghosts of Rwanda is a documentary looking at the events of the Rwandan genocide and uses interviews from people who were there in Rwanda during the genocide as well as historians.  With this film, the experiences of people who aren’t as well-known as Paul Rusessebegina and Romeo Dallaire are able to tell their story of how they contributed to saving refugees in Rwanda. A lot of gruesome footage is shown of skeletal bodies lying on the floor in Rwanda without any burial, which leaves the viewer with a feeling of sadness and disgust that such an event could have happened without any international aid. There are many powerful stories in this film, such as the one from the one American left in Rwanda, who was able to save a group of orphans who were in hiding by sticking up to the leader of the Interhamwe and telling him he had to do something to save those children. This is very touching as beyond all odds, he was able to convince the person most likely responsible for the genocide, to not kill any of the children.                     

            As a documentary, Ghosts of Rwanda is a very informative and interesting film that provides a lot of information on the genocide and its effect on the people who were trying to help stop the genocide. There was also a story, where a girl must hid under dead bodies in a church to escape being noticed by the interhamwe and their dogs. This was already powerful enough, and then to add more there was footage of the church that she was hiding in, where there were just hundreds of dead children, men and women sprawled on the ground as skeletons. The filming in this documentary was very effective as most shots were medium shots or close ups to establish the person speaking about their experiences and because of little camera movement, we were able to focus more on what the person was saying than what they were doing. In conclusion, I think this is a very effective documentary on the genocide and it is very informative, I would recommend this film to anyone who has already seen Hotel Rwanda or Shake Hands with the Devil so they could learn more of the event. I am giving this film an 8/10 because it was a very effective documentary and I learned a lot of things I didn’t know already.