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Convoy: War for the Atlantic (2009)
Riveting documentary on a nearly forgotten topic
"Convoy" is probably the best WWII documentary I've ever seen, and I've seen nearly all of them. After watching about half of episode one, I was hooked, and quickly gobbled up the other three. This series was more compelling than most fiction! The fact all of these events actually transpired just makes it more so. Will the allies finally have the edge in this battle? Will the U-boats ever be stopped?
Even the most ardent WWII enthusiast will learn a shipping ton of new facts about this crucial part of the war. And the non-enthusiast who simply likes the war genre will find the effects, footage, and characters captivating. To boot, the series could almost be PG-rated as there is no gore or direct visual bodily violence; a plus for some. That said, there's plenty of explosions and destruction, but like many things naval, you miss the trees for the forest.
However, the human side is not lost, as interspersed throughout are myriad snippets from interviews with survivors from all sides of the conflict. Their stories are intriguing: what I wouldn't give to sit down and chat with them for a few hours!
For sure Convoy has a Canadian slant, being Canadian-produced. However, unlike some Canadian productions, they don't falsely play up the Canadian contribution to a cheesy level. The Canadian and British contributions to the Atlantic Ocean war are clear to see for all who seek out and watch Convoy. Los!
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Not for all, but great for some!
I feel compelled to write a note about this movie after having just seen it in the theatre. I hope to encourage those who may enjoy this film to go see it despite some of the iffy ratings and comments.
You'll enjoy it if the following is you:
1. has a sophisticated sense of humour
2. appreciates subtle humour
3. likes black comedy
4. "gets" off-beat humour
5. "gets" Far Side cartoons
See it with someone like-minded. Anyone else will probably get bored. That's not to say there's nothing else going for it because it does have a good plot, suspenseful (and funny!) action sequences and excellent acting, but without the jokes it probably isn't worth seeing. Fortunately, all of the above describes me, and I loved it!
Last, I must commend Dafoe (and the casting director!) for his amazingly funny performance. It's totally out of his usually type-cast as the "serious guy". Bravo!
Team America: World Police (2004)
Funny, but not as good as South Park
*** NO SPOILERS ***
The film was funny, as expected; but not dying-on-the-floor-in-the-isle funny like the South Park movie was. In that respect I was a bit disappointed. However, I haven't laughed so hard at a movie in a long time so it's still up there. Also, the model and marionette work were superb and the songs were good. The gore level may have been high, but the swear-word count was actually surprisingly low (compared to SP) -- I'm not sure what the fuss is about.
Definitely worth a see for Trey/Matt fans and like-minded non-fans, but don't expect another SP:BLU.
The Sum of All Fears (2002)
Not perfect, but satisfying for fans and non-fans alike
First, I will admit I am a fervent Clancy fan, having read all of his books at least once and seen all the movie adaptations so far. As a Clancy fan, I say to other Clancy fans: GO SEE THIS MOVIE! But, of course, that goes without saying -- you've already seen it.
From a fan's standpoint, the inconsistencies with the book were a bit irksome during the movie, and I found myself thinking back to the book I last read around 10 years ago. Nazi's? An unmarried Ryan? Looks like Hollywood was liberal with the adaptation. But it's nothing that we fans can't overlook in order to enjoy another big-screen view of the Ryan saga. And it's not like Hollywood has never mangled details like this before.
Second, I think non-fans will also enjoy this movie. I went with my girlfriend who has never shown much interest in Clancy novels, and she may have enjoyed it more than me due to the lack of any preconceived notions. That said, this movie definitely isn't for everyone! It's more of an intellectual thriller than a fast-paced action flick. The action/military scenes are sprinkled conservatively throughout and also, just as in Clancy's novels, there are a lot of light-hearted moments that will make everyone smile.
Third, I'd like to add that I went into the movie thinking Affleck was a horrible choice for Ryan. I would have much preferred to see Ford reprise his role: too old or not! But in all honesty, he wasn't too bad and surprisingly it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the film after the first few minutes. The rest of the cast was strong and believable. The direction and technical side was also quite good. There was a definite mood to the sets, locations and cinematography that effectively conveyed the darkness of the themes being explored.
Lastly, I'd like to comment on how bang-on Clancy is with his novels predicting actual events. After reading Debt of Honor I remember thinking that it was so plausible that it had to happen. Then September 11... I hope that political leaders take seriously what Clancy plausibly lays out in Rainbow and Sum and work hard to avert even worse disasters in the future.
Bottom line: see the movie if you're a Clancy fan, and see it if you're a non-fan who has some patience and can enjoy a slightly unconventional pace.
Storm Catcher (1999)
Rubber guns bending in slow motion
Need I say more? In several of the slow-mo gun fighting scenes you can actually see the silencers on the guns bend and wobble! In slo-mo! Close-up! What were they thinking when they decided that not only were those scenes to remain in the film, but that they should slow them down to make it easier to see the gaffes!
Add to that extremely bad (painful!) acting, a thin plot, and some highly implausible physics (continuing to fly the plane after ejecting one of the seats!), and you get a really bad movie.
It wasn't bad enough to just switch off, mind you, but then again I'll watch practically any movie.
The only saving grace, that gets this movie a 2 instead of a 1, was the rather cool footage of the stealth bomber.
Going Home (1971)
Interesting premise buried beneath a flawed execution and poor character development
"Going Home" explores a potentially interesting premise: a child who witnessed his mother's murder at the hands of his father grows up and confronts his parolee father. Where this movie fails is in its execution, which becomes progressively more confused and convoluted often leaving the viewer unsure as to where a scene is actually taking place. Frustratingly, most of the lead characters, especially Jimmy, come across as erratic. Their behavior at times seems entirely unrealistic and whatever motivations they might have are never really explored.
About the only thing that saves this movie from a lower rating is Mitchum's characteristically strong performance considering the confused story and direction he has to contend with.