Summary: In American Son, the last few days of a young Marines life is chronicled before he has to report to be shipped to Iraq. It follows the life in a small town and how one man struggles with the choices he has made and what it means to be a warrior.
Review: This is my 2nd time rewatching the movie as I had forgotten the plot, but was reminded by my other blog Random Rants of Richard Hay that it was worth watching. The acting by Nick Cannon, is a little weaker, but the supporting cast was strong. Melonie Diaz gives a strong performance It was filmed well as the shots of the landscape of a small town was really brought to life. The plot doesn't touch upon the military as much as it does the decision to join it and that's a change from some other war films.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: Behind the statistics and reality of war, lies a human story within each soldier serving in the war that has yet to end. The idea of a home is also brought to light as the marine wanted to leave his small town because of various factors, but he sheds tears of leaving when he realizes what it means and when he falls in love with a girl.
Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: 3 This movie is a little slow, but it can be a nice change of pace to reflect. The main character thinks he is all grown up and often reflects on his past, but it should be noted that he is only 19. It makes me wonder if I've become old too having passed through the choices that he was faced with as a youth, or more disheartening, has life come to pass by me.
Favorite Quotes: "Live it up my man, it's all gone so fast."
"Maria likes to have her ass pinched when she's getting it from behind. I give you this information free of charge."
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Felon
Summary: In the opening moments of the movie, an everyday man who is realizing the American dream of growing his business, being a homeowner, and having a loving family has his life shattered when he accidentally kills a man when defending his home. The homicide victim was a burglar, but a manslaughter charge was applied and a 3 year sentence ensued. Despite the 3 years of actual time being less than half of that with good behavior, things in prison and life can change in a hurry. The struggle to survive in prison and its effects are the backbone of this movie. This movie is also a nice reminder that life changes in a flash, things can be going swell in one moment and in the next moment, you can be standing next to a prison gang leader being sentenced to additional time due to unfortunate circumstances in the worst place on Earth.
Review: Val Kilmer does put in one of his better performances here, and Stephen Dorff who plays the the main character does put in a riveting performance. The supporting cast is strong too as Marisol Nichols plays a torn wife perfectly and Harold Perrineau (Michael from Lost) plays a Jekyll and Hyde prison guard well. The prison politics and intricacies of effects of prison on human psychology on display make this film a very satisfying watch.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: There are so many questions that this film poses. The most important ones are probably about prison life in itself. Do guys really get that buff in prison despite the shitty food? How does prison psychologically effect the different members of prison life? Would I survive in it or even attempt to? How accurate is the portrayal of prison life or was it mostly hollywoodized? (It is suppose to be based on actual events of a CA prison and there are plenty of reports that support the themes in the movie.) Is the castle doctrine or lack of it in CA really that absurd and a man can have everything and lose it all in the next moment due to the circumstances of defending his family? There was also a nice feel of some important philsophy on revenge and life itself with Val Kilmer's character.
Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: I would rate this film a 4. The storyline was enrapturing, but the filming could have been done with a little bit more flair. It just felt too much like a made-for-tv or straight-to-dvd type of movie, but the suspense and thrilling "gladiator" scenes would nullify much of that. The most important take-away lesson from this movie is to not bitch about how you're running in life, because some people really do experience true bad luck and people who vehemently disagree should count themselves very very fortunate.
Favorite Quotes:
"When your life is defined by a single action...you change the concept of time." -John Smith
"Usually I'm quoting someone else's words. The least I can do is give you some John Smith originals. They won't be poetic. But they'll be the truth. Yes, prison desensitizes you. But it also forces you to see what's most important. Family. And loyalty. Because a con like you knows neither exists in this place. So don't run from who you've become, felon. Embrace it. Grow from it. And you'll never lose sight of what truly matters. That's my final piece of advice, Wade Porter. You protect your family at all costs. Even if you're forced to kill again. Because if i had to, I'd wipe out the whole planet to get mine back. So long, friend." -John Smith
"What a piece of work is man. And there is no good or bad, but thinking makes it so. Human beings are perhaps never more dangerous than when they are convinced beyond a doubt that they are right. Patience. Penance." -John Smith
"It's just that anytime I hang on to any bit of hope it gets taken away from me." - Laura Porter
Besides another good reason to show the 34B breasts of the gorgeous at-the-time 34 year-old Marisol Nichols, the scene did add value to the movie's context; but it's just a good reason to post a video here.
Review: Val Kilmer does put in one of his better performances here, and Stephen Dorff who plays the the main character does put in a riveting performance. The supporting cast is strong too as Marisol Nichols plays a torn wife perfectly and Harold Perrineau (Michael from Lost) plays a Jekyll and Hyde prison guard well. The prison politics and intricacies of effects of prison on human psychology on display make this film a very satisfying watch.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: There are so many questions that this film poses. The most important ones are probably about prison life in itself. Do guys really get that buff in prison despite the shitty food? How does prison psychologically effect the different members of prison life? Would I survive in it or even attempt to? How accurate is the portrayal of prison life or was it mostly hollywoodized? (It is suppose to be based on actual events of a CA prison and there are plenty of reports that support the themes in the movie.) Is the castle doctrine or lack of it in CA really that absurd and a man can have everything and lose it all in the next moment due to the circumstances of defending his family? There was also a nice feel of some important philsophy on revenge and life itself with Val Kilmer's character.
Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: I would rate this film a 4. The storyline was enrapturing, but the filming could have been done with a little bit more flair. It just felt too much like a made-for-tv or straight-to-dvd type of movie, but the suspense and thrilling "gladiator" scenes would nullify much of that. The most important take-away lesson from this movie is to not bitch about how you're running in life, because some people really do experience true bad luck and people who vehemently disagree should count themselves very very fortunate.
Favorite Quotes:
"When your life is defined by a single action...you change the concept of time." -John Smith
"Usually I'm quoting someone else's words. The least I can do is give you some John Smith originals. They won't be poetic. But they'll be the truth. Yes, prison desensitizes you. But it also forces you to see what's most important. Family. And loyalty. Because a con like you knows neither exists in this place. So don't run from who you've become, felon. Embrace it. Grow from it. And you'll never lose sight of what truly matters. That's my final piece of advice, Wade Porter. You protect your family at all costs. Even if you're forced to kill again. Because if i had to, I'd wipe out the whole planet to get mine back. So long, friend." -John Smith
"What a piece of work is man. And there is no good or bad, but thinking makes it so. Human beings are perhaps never more dangerous than when they are convinced beyond a doubt that they are right. Patience. Penance." -John Smith
"It's just that anytime I hang on to any bit of hope it gets taken away from me." - Laura Porter
Besides another good reason to show the 34B breasts of the gorgeous at-the-time 34 year-old Marisol Nichols, the scene did add value to the movie's context; but it's just a good reason to post a video here.
I Hate Luv Storys
Summary: Cliche love story with a man who believes himself to be a player, but falls in love with a girl who is in love with the idea of love. The problem is she is already engaged and they started out hating each other until they develop a friendship and much more.
Review: I hate that I enjoyed this movie. It is seriously making me question my taste in movies as a straight male as I really do enjoy Bollywood films. I'm not a fan of musicals, but I would characterize a large part of Bollywood films in its random "musical" moments. It intrigues me that they're often in "Hinglish," and forces me to pay attention rather than just multi-task in other windows as I have to read the subtitles most of the time. I also noticed that many Bollywood films love to make movies about making movies such as this one and Bluffmaster.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: This movie wasn't overtly deep, and it was a bit of a cliche from almost every angle so I'll refrain from this section. I did like the not so subtlety of its use of the idea "fate," in many key frames. You'll also find signs of destiny anywhere if you look hard enough.
Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: 3 It's a good movie to just entertain and I'll put it in the category of Hate that I Loved It. I don't think there is a ton of value in watching this movie for how it was filmed thematically or its plot, but Sonam Kapoor looks beautiful as always, and Bruna Abdalah playing a bimbo isn't so bad to look at either.
Here is a link to the movie on youtube that I found:
Review: I hate that I enjoyed this movie. It is seriously making me question my taste in movies as a straight male as I really do enjoy Bollywood films. I'm not a fan of musicals, but I would characterize a large part of Bollywood films in its random "musical" moments. It intrigues me that they're often in "Hinglish," and forces me to pay attention rather than just multi-task in other windows as I have to read the subtitles most of the time. I also noticed that many Bollywood films love to make movies about making movies such as this one and Bluffmaster.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: This movie wasn't overtly deep, and it was a bit of a cliche from almost every angle so I'll refrain from this section. I did like the not so subtlety of its use of the idea "fate," in many key frames. You'll also find signs of destiny anywhere if you look hard enough.
Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: 3 It's a good movie to just entertain and I'll put it in the category of Hate that I Loved It. I don't think there is a ton of value in watching this movie for how it was filmed thematically or its plot, but Sonam Kapoor looks beautiful as always, and Bruna Abdalah playing a bimbo isn't so bad to look at either.
Here is a link to the movie on youtube that I found:
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