The Pacific

Band of Brothers is far and away one of my favorite movies, if one could call an HBO mini-series a movie. HBO is seeking to recreate the success of Band of Brothers with a new WWII mini-series based on the Pacific campaign. Note to self: Watch this.......

Collateral

Collateral.

A favorite gun scene, a favorite movie.

Shame about the actor.

I may have to watch it again tonight........

Friendly Dogs

Reservoir Dogs

I confess. I don't like cuddly fuddly chick flicks. I like exploding wham bam shoot 'em up guy movies. I like Quentin Tarantino movies. When it comes to guy movies, few can surpass Quentin Tarantino's 1992 directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs. Like the characters themselves, Reservoir Dogs came out of no where. In typical Tarantino form, the film does not move linearly. The storyboard shuffles forward and back in time to reveal information about the characters to take the viewer on an unexpected journey of story telling.

Reservoir Dogs is not for the faint of heart. It is a bloody, vile, gritty story without redemption. My wife doesn't like it. At all. The story begins with a group of men having breakfast and animatedly discussing the lyrics of the Madonna song, "Like a Virgin." The discussion then turns towards the social courtesy of tipping waitresses. My wife found the dialogue to be offensive and left to delve into her latest crime novel. As a man, I found the conversation vaguely familiar.

A rough cast of then unknown actors play a group of criminals unknown to each other. They are brought together by Joe, an established criminal leader to pull off the "perfect crime." Only things go wrong. Horribly wrong. We never see what happens inside the bank. Instead we see the result. We see criminals running like rats, fighting to survive, turning on each other, all the while trying to determine just what went wrong. None of the actors are leading man types. They all look like the guy who might be selling shoes in the Women's Department of the local department store.

The sordid story is not only driven by masterful direction, but also by Steven Wright's voice as K-Billy playing the "Super Sounds of the 70s", a soundtrack that can only be described as quintessentially cool. Mr. Blonde, Mr. Blue, Mr. Pink, Mr. Orange, Mr. White, Mr. Brown, Nice Guy Eddie, and Joe all come together to present a film that absolutely transformed the movies produced in Hollywood. Said critic Jami Bernard at Sundance: "I don't think people were ready. They didn't know what to make of it. It's like the first silent movie when audiences saw the train coming toward the camera and scattered."

If you liked other Tarantino films, but have not yet watched Reservoir Dogs, you have a treat coming your way. Get it. Watch it. Every dog has his day.

Downfall - "Der Untergang"

For civilized people, the murderous repugnancy of the Third Reich tends to make one want to look away whenever this evil chapter in human history is opened. Never the less, it is a chapter, and if anything is going to be gained by opening it, it is imperative that the depravity and perversion be illuminated in the non-judgemental light of accuracy. This is what the German film "Der Untergang" does.

Released in 2004, "Der Untergang" is a factual account of the last days of Hitler's Germany. It draws heavily on the memoirs of Traudl Junge, Adolph Hitler's personal secretary. The film begins with her hiring in the fall of 1942, and quickly advances to April, 1945. The remainder of the film takes place in and around the claustrophobic Führerbunker, located underneath the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. It condenses into a time span from Hitler's 56th birthday on April 20th, 1945, to his suicide on April 30th, and a couple of days beyond.

The Russians are relentlessly advancing towards the bombed out skeleton that was once Berlin. Germany's military machine has been severely crippled and is facing total annihilation. Officials of the Third Reich are forced to chose between loyalty to a disconnected and delusional leader, capture by a merciless enemy or a chance to escape as a fugitive for life. Choices are made, and heavy prices are paid, both for loyalty and treason, as Adolph Hitler refuses to surrender or listen to reason. Above ground, artillery is exploding. There is virtually nothing left to lead, other than a few conscripted children in Nazi Youth uniforms, young women in ill fitting greatcoats, and old men hastily given weapons and discarded uniforms. Vigilantes prowl the blackened and debris filled streets, hanging those who refuse to take up arms and placing makeshift traitor signs on the strung up corpses.

Below ground, Bruno Ganz is a demented and delusional yet somehow fatherly Hilter. Ganz prepared for the role using the only known recording of Adolf Hitler in a private conversation with Field Marshal Gustaf Mannerheim of Finland. Recordings of Adolf Hitler speaking are nearly all of him giving speeches to large crowds. His normal speaking voice was quite different. Bruno Ganz also studied Parkinsons patients in a Swiss hospital to prepare for his role as Hitler. His gait and pill rolling hand motions are utterly convincing. While some may desire the abbreviation of the fatherly aspect of Hitler's personality, doing away with it turns him into a caricature. The inclusion of the fatherly aspect only serves to magnify the maniacal and deranged hubris of a despot facing his inevitable defeat.

Like a modern Marie Antoinette, Juliane Kohler becomes Eva Braun, a glassy eyed nut job, first wanting to jitterbug on her grave as Berlin crumbles above the tomb of a bunker, then finally accepting her fate as the concubine of the world's foremost mass murderer. Nazi Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda Joseph Goebbels depicted by Ulrich Mattes, and his wife Magda played by Corinna Harfouch, display the true sinister and obscene evil of the Nazi party. "I feel no sympathy …. The German people chose their fate," sneers Mattes as a heinous politico from beneath a brown peaked cap. Meanwhile, his wife is planning the execution of their six children, believing they are "too good for what will come."

As a screenplay, "Der Untergang" is a tragedy only because most of the primary characters commit suicide. It is a reminder that victory for one country is defeat for another. While one society is jubilant, another society, along with it's people, suffers and perishes. Just as the film begins with Traudl Junge's hiring as a secretary, it ends with her escape as a refugee. Thankfully, the curtain closes with a metaphorical ray of hope towards the return of civilization for a people who were deprived of it for over a decade.

As a film, "Der Untergang" knows few peers. It is a deviant and pathological "Band of Brothers". I could not help but be reminded of the World Trade Center as I watched papers flutter to the ground outside the Reich Chancellery. The imagery may have been unintentional, but it was an irrevocable and unwanted visual association, regardless. The result was profound introspection. "Der Untergang" portrays the absolute savage debauchery of war while attempting to illuminate with historical accuracy the mystery of what occurred in the Führerbunker beneath Berlin. In many ways, it is a purging of a poisonous bile for the German people. It blitzkrieged to the top of the German box office. Almost half a million tickets were sold in its opening weekend. It pulled in 480,000 viewers in its first four days despite poor reviews. It was the catharsis the German people had been long denied.

As a United States released DVD, "Downfall" has a few problems. Characters who may be quickly recognized by Germans are not so easily recognized by people in the United States. Many of the generals and other uniformed cronies are nameless and appear the same. It is only later in the film that the identities of critical people are realized. It would have been very helpful and informative had the DVD contained a visual primer for the uninitiated. Perhaps a special features menu with simple photos of the characters and a historical description of their place in the Nazi regime.

Obviously, the film is in the German language. Subtitles are provided. They are, however, rather diminutive on the small screen, and they flash by rapidly to keep pace with the dialogue. As a result, I found myself pausing the DVD to read them. After I paused to keep up with the dialogue, my wife wanted to examine the architecture and stage sets. A viewer selection for translations into English, possible on a DVD, would have preserved the pace of the film.

Some might think Downfall - "Der Untergang" to be aggrandizement of the Nazi aberration that once strode across Europe. Others may find it to be an atonement for the sins of those they can not disassociate themselves from. I found it to be an arresting blend of historical accuracy and the absolute horror and insanity of war. I am thankful I viewed it from my couch rather than in reality.

The World's Fastest Indian

At 63 years of age, after his first heart attack, Burt Munro left Invercargill, New Zealand and arrived at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1962. He brought along an Indian Scout motorcycle that he had modified and re-modified after his own design over the past 40 years. Munro had a burning dream of testing himself and his creation of cobbled parts in the real theater of speed.

His passion helped him get into the door at Bonneville, although several officials were opposed to his running due to safety concerns. Burt Munro was a rebel in ways that the tattooed black clad greasers of speedways only hope to aspire to. When he needed slicks, he simply cut the tread off his tires with a knife. Right out of the gate, Burt set a world speed record of 288 km/h (178.97 mph). He went on to set the under 1000 cc world motorcycle land speed record, which still stands, at 295.44 km/h (183.58 mph). To qualify he made a one-way run of 190.07 mph, the fastest ever officially recorded speed on an Indian, regardless of cylinder volume.

If you have a love of motorcycles, if you have ever felt the need for speed, or even if you have a rebellious tattoo of a skull and crossed pistons from years ago, you will love this movie. If you have ever felt the pain of a dream dying and yearned to revive it, you must see this movie.

ΜOΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

In 480BC, in the mountain pass of Thermopylae, Xerxes, emperor of Persia, with his 800,000 invaders, offered to spare the lives of Leonidas and his few hundred Spartans, if only they would lay down their arms. Instead, Leonidas told Xerxes to come and take them. Molon Labe.

Million Dollar Baby

First, I know it was released in 2004. I prefer to wait in blissful ignorance about movies until I know they are worth my time. I also prefer to crash on the sofa with reasonably priced snacks and beverages and enjoy the damned show without loud greasy kids, big haired women, or stupid comments from the crowd. So it was when I finally purchased a previously viewed DVD of Million Dollar Baby. I knew the film had achieved aclaim at the Oscars, I just did not know exactly why. Now I do.

I suppose I was expecting an updated Rocky. I got that and more. Eastwood was sublime in his approach. Hell, you hardly even knew it was him. That is no small accomplishment for an actor of his stature. Likewise, Morgan Freeman slipped into the role of Scrap so easily that Morgan's familiar face disappeared from my conciousness.

Then there was Hillary Swank. Damnation. She did what few actors or actresses have done. She created a person so believable that every character she plays afterwards will be Maggie Fitzgerald playing someone else. Billy Bob Thorton did that in Slingblade. As the director, Eastwood never, never, forgets that less is more, and gives just enough information to tell the story. And what a story it is. If you have managed to remain ignorant of the story like I did, you think you know it. You do not.

Since I am likely to be the last person ever to give a review of Million Dollar Baby, I will let my predecessors' exaltations stand. I can hardly give it any more significant praise. This movie was unique. You can live without seeing it, but your life will be richer if you experience it. If you have not seen it yet, stop reading here. Get the movie and see it.

Now for my criticisms. I wish this film had been researched as much from a medical standpoint as a boxing standpoint. Any nurse or physician who has worked with paralysis can tell you this was not done. Three errors in Act 3 were glaring. Decubitus ulcers do not form in the popliteal area. Thier placement there was necessary only for cinematic camera angles. People who are taken off a ventilator rarely go gently into the night. Finally, epinephrine (called adrenaline in the movie) does not cause asystole.

Movies and TV have long used the nasal cannula to show that someone was really, really medically compromised. Every nurse I know snickers when they see this cinematic device. Seeing a trach vent to indicate the same was refreshing. Of course Christopher Reeve made that idea acceptable in Hollywood. If they had done a little research, the third act of the movie could have been as plausible as the first and second. But then, I'm not a boxer, so what do I know?

Kill Bill

While googling through Kill Bill images for a prior post, I craved to see the movie again. I was only going to catch a few favorite scenes shuffling through the DVD but I got hooked. Damn but Quentin Tarantino can make a great flick when he gets it right! I watched the whole damned thing, again from beginning to end. Now I'm ready for Volume 2,,, again.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!

What does a man who swore he would leave America if GWB was re-elected, a kleptomaniac petty thief, Batman and a ficticious US President all have in common? At one time they made a hilariously funny movie named Beetlejuice.

I watched it with my daughter as her Halloween movie, and had forgotten what a rolicking good time it was. Beetlejuice was inspired. Here is proof that liberal moonbats can produce a decent product when they just shut the hell up and act. If only we could hire a Bio-exorcist to deal with these folks in real life.

Idiot Gun Quote of the Week

Daniel Craig has no problem playing the James Bond even though he hates guns. Salaries can do that to a bloke.

"I hate handguns. Handguns are used to shoot people and as long as they are around, people will shoot each other," said Craig, "That's a simple fact. I've seen a bullet wound and it was a mess. It was on a shoot and it scared me. Bullets have a nasty habit of finding their target and that's what's scary about them."

As long as handguns are around people will shoot each other eh? Handguns have a way of changing placid brain waves to homocidal impulses. Just ask anyone who has witnessed the carnage that occurs at any gun show! Every gun should come with a teddy bear to counter those impulses.

I've seen bullet wounds too, stopped the hemmorhage, extracted the projectile, and moved on.

I want some of those bullets that have a habit of finding their targets! That would be a good thing. Target seeking smart bullets. If only it were true. Rob Leatham would have nothin' on old Xavier if he had those kind of bullets!

Get your damned finger off the trigger. Idiot.