An Inconvenient Truth

Movie: An Inconvenient Truth

Review:

I know, I know, my blog is "turning into a movie review place" - it's just because I use reviews as practice/fodder to keep me writing. I have a couple o' things on the way, this just happened to come along first.

Anyway, An Inconvenient Truth is a documentary starring Al Gore. In one way, it is a documentary about global warming, but more accurate perhaps is that it is a documentary following Al Gore's presentations on the subject. It is a filming of a presentation given, sometimes showing him talking, and sometimes showing the slides or videos he uses. Spliced in throughout this presentation are videos with voice overs, showing Gore on the road, in hotels, creating the presentation, and discussing personal reasons and reflections. These aren't necessary, but do add a nice touch - it makes the movie seem more like a movie and less like a videotaped lecture. Unfortunately, it's very easy to tell when it switches from his presentation to voice overs, which could peeve those who expect seamless editing.

Gore does present a very strong case, from demonstrating clearly that global warming exists and is linked to CO₂ emissions to showing that doubt of its effects are manufactured by the media and state. He does not give any alternative theories or viewpoints (if they exist...), but is convincing enough without mentioning any - he is speaking to persuade as well as inform. He was also shortwinded when mentioning how we can act to prevent global warming, but then again, his point is that we can act.

In general, Gore had 3 goals, which he definitely achieved. He spoke to inform us of the problem, and even a skeptic would be doubting their doubt after seeing this. He spoke to tell that the consequences of inaction are dire, and this was a very well covered section. His main point, though, was that there are many things we can do, reasons against them are weak if not nonexistant, and that they stem from apathy and ignorance. The title is his case in point, that politicians do nothing because people either doubt any problems or don't care. When people start to realize the issue, he argues, politicians can no longer ignore this inconvenient truth, and will have to act. With that in mind he made the film, and it was effective - it's well known, having won an Oscar, and is well done and convincing. Though this is by no means an answer, it has turned into an effective means of spreading word.

Flaws: Gore's manner of speaking, with his blatantly American speech and annoying pronunciation of a few words was a little annoying for a good part of the film, though it let up at the conclusion. Also, the interludes, although nice, could irritate some people - they aren't completely relevent.

Bottom line: It achieves its purpose to spread word and convince, and was well done to boot.

Rating: 8.6/10

300

Movie: 300

Review:

Arthur Millar's graphic novel comes to life in thi-wait, sorry too cliché.

Arthur Millar's graphic novel becomes a movie in this...well...movie. Full of gore, action, shouting, and even a narrator, this movie was sold out, cramped when I finally got in, and full of high expections. And it met 'em.

300 is all about atmosphere. The movie looks and feels exactly like a graphic novel - the camera acts more like a still life for half the shots. The rest use slow motion to capture the feel of different panels. They reflect perfectly on the genre - blood is everywhere and captured in full spray, with bodies flying from the impact, capes flowing. I came in expecting the slow motion to get contrived and tired, and though it was applied liberally, I wouldn't change any of it. The lighting is also extremely well done - you can almost see the pencil lines where shadow would be drawn in. It was like watching a picture book, only one with Dolby Digital and a 50' screen.

The acting, for the most part, was good. Gerald Butler, as Leonidas, tended to shout a lot - more than necessary - and was a slight bit too flippant when he was in a joking mood. However, when the warrior king was introspective and reserved, as he had to be in some key parts of the movie, he looked the part. He also looked the part when fighting, which was about half the movie. And since the atmosphere relied heavily on appearance and how you carried yourself, he did a marvelous job. Lena Headey, as the Spartan queen, does a fantastic job of showing the placid, hard front of her people's values, and the inner emotion she has to hide.

The dialogue was mediocre, in a grand fashion. Everything that was said was sweeping and huge, and every third word was either "Sparta" or "Spartan". And of the other 2 words, one was usually "Honour" or "Duty". But the script was good enough not to interfere with the action or the atmosphere, and the grandiose nature was almost needed.

In short, this movie was gorgeous, grand, and had some of the best action I've ever seen. The Persians were given a bit of a fantastic streak to make it just that much more legendary. The rest of the movie's aspects were good enough that you won't notice anything wrong with 'em, and the focused parts - namely, the camera - are absolutely awesome.

Rating: 300 9.0/10

The Departed

Well, I have a blog. Let's try a movie review!

Movie: The Departed

Review:

Having heard good things about this movie, I stuck it near the top of my "To See" list. After it won an Academy Award, well, that kinda clinched it. And man, was it worth it.

The movie offered little paradigm-changing aspects, and was nothing ground breaking. It's merit, though, rests on simply how well it was done, as well as some innovative little quirks. The acting was exceptional; both Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio captured the duality and conflicts of their characters, and Jack Nicholson was right at home as a mob king. The entire movie was surprisingly believable, the story was complex and engaging, and it dealt well with the themes of loyalty and identity. The confrontations between the characters - which happens a lot with a story of symmetrical moles - were tense and would've had me on the edge of my seat, if I weren't lying on a couch.

Some of my favourite aspects, though, were the little touches with the music and editing. The movie had a ton of quick little cuts that set up the mood and caught the eye - a scene with DiCaprio's character, frantically packing a bag, has bits of footage simply taken out, so his hand jumps around. The music, too, was often cut mid song, coinciding with a scene change, and then after a few seconds immediately continued. As the climax is approaching, the heavy music cuts out with a scene change to the police headquarters as Damon's character makes some key decisions - and half a minute later, the tension is built and the chase continues, with the music blaring.

There are a couple contentions against the movie that I can think. One is its length - you think the movie is 15 minutes in before you see the title flash - although I paid attention all the way through. Also, its focus on Irish American life and customs, though adding realism and depth, makes the film less accessible to everyone. It also did not quite deal with its theme of father/son relationships as thoroughly as one might hope - it started out strong, but started to fizzle out later on.

Rating: With everything said and done, it's been a while since a movie has held my attention so raptly for so long, and made mob dealings seem real. And the editing kicked ass. 9.5/10.