I had the opportunity to watch a favorite movie of mine once again, and thought I would do a throwback review. An all star cast comes together in Traffic, an incredibly suspenseful movie about the drug trade in the United States and its components in Mexico. Traffic is a so-called "hyperlink movie" - that is, the protagonists of the film rarely share screentime together, but their seperate storylines touch just enough to bring everything together in a central message. I personally am a big fan of this method of film-making - and nearly every movie I have seen that does this well has ended up as a favorite of mine (Babel is another notable film that employs this method of film-making).
Plot Summary
Traffic tells the story of the drug trade from four perspectives - a user, a DEA officer (played by Don Cheadle) and his partner, a U.S. politician (played by Michael Douglas), and a Mexican police officer swept up by circumstance into helping the drug cartels in Tijuana (played by Benicio Del Toro). The plot is a bit intricate, and as I said before, these four story lines barely touch, so I will let you read the plot at Wikipedia if you want a spoiler. However, I would recommend seeing this movie without reading too much about it - the plot develops in a way that is endlessly surprising, and very moving.
Why you should go out of your way to see this movie
This movie is very compelling on many levels. Visually, the film makers added a heavy yellow tint to everything that happens in Mexico, and a blue tint to everything that happens in the United States - which give the characters and storyline in the U.S. a detached and cold feeling, which goes very well with the politicians struggling to figure out how to wage the war on drugs, and the users who have a great deal of angst against the society in which they live - and give the characters and storyline in Mexico a hot and in your face feeling, which adds depth to those parts of the movie.
The acting is superb. Benicio Del Toro won an Oscar for his work here, and well deserves it. He is so authentic as a man torn by his morals and his instinct for survival as he gets swept up in the drug trade that dominates the Tijuana landscape. Douglas, Cheadle, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Dennis Quaid all round out the all star cast and really give great performances.
The plot as I mentioned before is intricate, and as the film wraps up, the resolution really resonates and conveys the ongoing battle and struggle that rages around drug use, trafficking, and policy. However, the movie doesn't seem to take one side or another on any issue - it does a great job of just laying out the problem and letting the audience soak it in. It definitely makes you think, and gives you a peek into a dark world that really exists out there, though many of us may never have realized it.
I highly recommend this movie to anyone.
Here is the trailer from youtube, but actually, I don't think it does the movie much justice - I couldn't find a better one, so here it is anyway.
June 11, 2008
June 10, 2008
Jumper (2008)
I heard that some critics didn't really like Jumper, the sci-fi flick starring young Darth Vader himself, Hayden Christensen. However, the trailer just looked to cool for a geek like me to pass up. I am glad that I didn't.
Summary
Christensen plays a guy who discovers that he can teleport at will to any place on Earth. After ditching his bum of a father, he robs a bank without leaving a trace, and is soon living the high life traveling the world at will. However, after eight years of this, he finally runs into a Paladin, played by Samuel L. Jackson with a wicked haircut - who is apparently a religious zealot who is sworn to kill all "Jumpers". Turns out there is a centuries old war between Jumpers and Paladins, and Christensen's character finds himself teamed up with another Jumper in a fight to protect his family and loved ones.
Why you should rent it
I thought the movie was a lot of fun. Contrary to what I have read about the film, the special effects were pretty cool, and there are some crazy chase sequences. The film didn't build to quite the climax that I was expecting, and the characters were a little dull, but all in all it was just a cool sci-flick. If you are not into sci-fi, you may not like it, but if you are, you probably will.
Summary
Christensen plays a guy who discovers that he can teleport at will to any place on Earth. After ditching his bum of a father, he robs a bank without leaving a trace, and is soon living the high life traveling the world at will. However, after eight years of this, he finally runs into a Paladin, played by Samuel L. Jackson with a wicked haircut - who is apparently a religious zealot who is sworn to kill all "Jumpers". Turns out there is a centuries old war between Jumpers and Paladins, and Christensen's character finds himself teamed up with another Jumper in a fight to protect his family and loved ones.
Why you should rent it
I thought the movie was a lot of fun. Contrary to what I have read about the film, the special effects were pretty cool, and there are some crazy chase sequences. The film didn't build to quite the climax that I was expecting, and the characters were a little dull, but all in all it was just a cool sci-flick. If you are not into sci-fi, you may not like it, but if you are, you probably will.
June 8, 2008
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
My wife and I were able to catch the new Indiana Jones flick this weekend. Being big fans of the first three films (who isnt?) we had high hopes.
While the movie was fun, ultimately I didn't think it was good as any of the other three. In this movie he is at odds with the Russians instead of the Germans. There are plenty of Indiana Jones moments that were a lot of fun - action and escapes at impossible odds, such as surviving going over three massive waterfalls, being chased by an army of killer ants, and getting out of the prehistoric temple just before it collapses. And there were some really funny scenes, like when Indy has to grab onto a snake to escape some quicksand, and nearly decides to go ahead and sink rather than touch the critter. And of course, the end had the mixing of the supernatural/science fiction with archaeological legend. So all in all, a lot of fun, and about what you would expect.
However, Harrison Ford is just a little too old to really pull this off and make it believable. The plot - though Indiana Jonesey - was a little too superficial, and there were several moments in the film that went unexplained.
Verdict, good not great if you are a fan of Indy, but just fair if you are not a fan.
While the movie was fun, ultimately I didn't think it was good as any of the other three. In this movie he is at odds with the Russians instead of the Germans. There are plenty of Indiana Jones moments that were a lot of fun - action and escapes at impossible odds, such as surviving going over three massive waterfalls, being chased by an army of killer ants, and getting out of the prehistoric temple just before it collapses. And there were some really funny scenes, like when Indy has to grab onto a snake to escape some quicksand, and nearly decides to go ahead and sink rather than touch the critter. And of course, the end had the mixing of the supernatural/science fiction with archaeological legend. So all in all, a lot of fun, and about what you would expect.
However, Harrison Ford is just a little too old to really pull this off and make it believable. The plot - though Indiana Jonesey - was a little too superficial, and there were several moments in the film that went unexplained.
Verdict, good not great if you are a fan of Indy, but just fair if you are not a fan.
Fargo (1996)
After watching No Country For Old Men a few weeks ago, I had to go back and watch another classic film by the Coen brothers, Fargo. The movie is a classic, and I believe one of a dozen or so that really stand out for me that were made in the 90's.
Fargo is set in North Dakota, and Minnesota, and follows the bizarre plot by Jerry Lundegaard, played brilliantly by William H. Macey, to have his wife kidnapped in order to get ransom money from his wealthy father-in-law. Things go awry, resulting in several murders which are investigated by a quirky pregnant police officer Marge Gunderson, even more brilliantly played by Francis McDormand (who won an Oscar for her role).
What makes this movie so interesting is that the setting highlights the ordinary and regular people of North Dakota and Minnesota, complete with their strong Midwest accents. This is juxtaposed with the ruthlessness of the two men who are hired to kidnap Lundegaard's wife. The intersection of these two complete polar opposites is of course Francis McDormand's character, who deals with the brutal killings, but at the same time keeps her small town and homey personality.
Another interesting message in this movie is that of unintended consequences. Lundegaard is a simple man, but gets himself involved with ruthless people, and the rest of the movie is a chain reaction - the results of which could never have been foreseen.
Particularly poignant is the final scene in the movie, which is truly horrifying and leaves the usually upbeat Officer Gunderson to wonder with her final words, "I just don't understand it."
Though the plot twists a bit, the movie is pretty straight forward - yet every time I watch it I find it impossible to look away, or do the "good parts version" as I commonly do with many other movies I have seen more than once. The acting and music are just great, and the drama and the comedy are sublime. I highly recommend this movie to anyone.
Fargo is set in North Dakota, and Minnesota, and follows the bizarre plot by Jerry Lundegaard, played brilliantly by William H. Macey, to have his wife kidnapped in order to get ransom money from his wealthy father-in-law. Things go awry, resulting in several murders which are investigated by a quirky pregnant police officer Marge Gunderson, even more brilliantly played by Francis McDormand (who won an Oscar for her role).
What makes this movie so interesting is that the setting highlights the ordinary and regular people of North Dakota and Minnesota, complete with their strong Midwest accents. This is juxtaposed with the ruthlessness of the two men who are hired to kidnap Lundegaard's wife. The intersection of these two complete polar opposites is of course Francis McDormand's character, who deals with the brutal killings, but at the same time keeps her small town and homey personality.
Another interesting message in this movie is that of unintended consequences. Lundegaard is a simple man, but gets himself involved with ruthless people, and the rest of the movie is a chain reaction - the results of which could never have been foreseen.
Particularly poignant is the final scene in the movie, which is truly horrifying and leaves the usually upbeat Officer Gunderson to wonder with her final words, "I just don't understand it."
Though the plot twists a bit, the movie is pretty straight forward - yet every time I watch it I find it impossible to look away, or do the "good parts version" as I commonly do with many other movies I have seen more than once. The acting and music are just great, and the drama and the comedy are sublime. I highly recommend this movie to anyone.
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