ricmalic Reviews

Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

See it for the visuals; Balian is too 21st century for a knight

[7/10 · 1 April 2006]

I saw (and actually bought) this film because the visuals looked intriguing. I wasn't disappointed: the depiction of 12th century Europe and the Holy Land was stunning, as was the entire sequence relating to the siege of Jerusalem. These are among the best I've seen (for another view of Europe see The War Lord with Charlton Heston).

Most of the characters in the film portray either real historic individuals or at least plausible fictional ones. The acting was good, with Liam Neeson's Godfrey and Ghassan Massoud's Saladin outstanding. Orlando Bloom was also good, though the character he played was not characteristic of a 12th century knight.

I also enjoyed some of the other touches in the film: the mix of religion and avarice which really did characterize the time; and Baldwin's "live and let live" philosophy which was so important to the Kingdom of Jerusalem's survival--surrounded as it was by a resurgent Islam. Another very nice touch (and real by the way) was Bailian's knighting of all males capable of defending Jerusalem. In those days a knight could indeed make a knight.

What weakened the film for me was the character of Balian. Its implausible to me that this historical member of the Jerusalem nobility would be portrayed as a blacksmith (and then returning to be one!) working on irrigation projects at his Ibelin fiefdom. This portrayal of a 21st century "man of the people" leader projected back to the 12th century may resonate with filmgoers, but did not seem accurate to an era when nobles did not come from the forge and were rather brought up and trained for military activity. Godfrey may have been a wonderful teacher, but I doubt he could have taught Balian THAT quickly. I found myself agreeing with the character who told Balian that he would not take military advice from a blacksmith--even though his actions did result in disaster for the kingdom. And where did an ex blacksmith achieve such strategic insight? Orlando Bloom's character is clearly a 21st century person wrapped in 12th century costume.

Go see it for the visuals.

Crash (I) (2004)

Good acting, plausible assumption, implausible situations

[8/10 · 22 March 2006]

Like some others, I did not see this film until it won the best picture award. Having been a Brokeback Mountain partisan myself I wanted to see what all the controversy was about. I rented Crash from the video store,watched it and didn't particularly like it. Then it came to my local theater (post Oscar hype I suppose) and I went to see it again. It certainly gains on a big screen, and I was better able to follow the interweaving story lines. It came up in my estimation.

I thought the acting was uniformly very good, Matt Dillon in particular whose performance was deservedly nominated for an Oscar. Trouble was all the actors were working with characters that, while real, were overdrawn almost to the point of caricature and stereotype--the saintly locksmith, the spinning pol, the "oreo" TV producer, and the mother whose "baby" is a major felon to name a few.

The film's theme is racism and the unfortunate truth that it is in us all. So far so good. Most people I think are also aware that good and bad exists in all of us. But this film delivered the message with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. It may have been the filmmaker's goal but was not particularly to my taste.

I also found the plot situations somewhat implausible and contrived, particularly the subplot concerning officers Ryan and Hansen. Ryan molests a woman in one scene and rescues her in the next? Hansen witnesses the molestation, later saves the woman's husband from being shot, and subsequently kills another character by mistake? The final scene between the Iranian shopkeeper and the locksmith smacked too much of deus ex machina. And I also left the theater wondering how Officer Hansen was ever going to explain the torching of his car.

Despite all I've said here, I think that if you mute the preaching, suspend belief about some implausible situations, and enjoy the acting that this film is a good one though not a great one. As for its best picture nod, I disagree--I'm still a Brokeback Mountain partisan.

The Black Shield of Falworth (1954)

Thanks for the impression

[20 March 2006]

I guess this qualifies as an overdue "thank you" to this movie for getting me started in a lifelong love of history. I saw this movie originally as an 8 year old. I knew nothing about movies, stars, plots, directors or anything else about film, but Oh how I wanted to swash and buckle after seeing it!

It also got me interested in reading more about the era, and beyond that to other eras as well. Since then I have always been sympathetic to historical epics and movies on screen--and elsewhere. No matter how horrendous they might be (and some of them are pretty horrendous), I figure if it gets people interested they can go from there. The funny thing is is that the real history is often much more fascinating--and can be more fun--than the Hollywood variety. In fact I never fully understood why people thought history was boring--perhaps it was too many dates.

So thanks Tony, Janet, David, and Craig for getting me started.

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

A very powerful film

[10/10 · 28 February 2006]

Like Ennis and Jack, Brokeback Mountain got me good. I don't remember a recent film where I forgot the leads were actors playing roles. All of them have major emotional scenes and some have more than one. How often does that occur in a film? Not often. Unlike some of the other reviewers on this site I never checked my watch even once during the several times I saw the film. With advance apologies if I belabor the obvious or inadvertently include "spoilers", here's what I think.

Though Ennis and Jack are gay this is not the reputed "gay cowboy" film that has generated so much hype. Rather its a human story about love, loss, the choices we make, and the choices that are made for us. These dictate our lives, and it doesn't mean that we live happily ever after because of them. This goes for Ennis's and Jack's wives as much as for Ennis and Jack themselves. I drew a parallel between this film and Casablanca. Both films have love, loss, and choice. The difference for me is that in Casablanca the choices that were made felt right. In Brokeback Mountain that's not the case and that's the tragedy. You feel that Ennis and Jack should have been together. Given the 1963 Wyoming time frame it would have been dangerous for them and heartbreaking for their families. Even as things actually turned out there was heartbreak aplenty to go around.

A couple of striking things about the film

1. Lust vs. Love. What began as lust wound up as love. Initially Jack wanted Ennis more than Ennis wanted Jack. The first tent scene had a good deal of lust in it. The much more important tent scene was the second one,where Ennis took the initiative to come to Jack. I thought it was a marvelous character touch that he came in tentatively, holding his hat between him and Jack as some sort of barrier that Jack has to (and does)remove. That's the beginning of the love story, and it lasts over the years of "fishing" trips. And remember that the tender second flashback scene, though it occurs late in the film, chronologically occurred in 1963 and forms part of Jack's acute sense of loss.

2. The Ending. Though the circumstances are tragic, I felt that the "epilogue" left some room for hope. Ennis's question to his daughter ("This Curt fellow, he loves you?") indicated he has been able to process his own loss and hold on to the emotion so apparent in the shirt scene. Its even more apparent when he says he will give up his job to attend her wedding--something he was never able to do with Jack, to Jack's desolation. And what exactly did Ennis want to swear to Jack? Leaving this unsaid and up to the viewer was a wonderful ending.

3. The Acting. The most expressive eyes and non verbal acting I've seen in a long time. My very favorite (though by no means the most powerful) is Heath Ledger's "guilty child" look (complete with gnawing finger) when Ennis tells Jack at the last minute that he can't make August.

4. Review comments about the story being and "old" one. Yes it is--as old as human nature.

5. I did not find Ennis's mumbling to be the problem others did. He's SUPPOSED to be that way--repressed and inarticulate. Its a part of his character and how he grew up.

6. My favorite (most moving) scenes: the second tent scene; the meeting after Ennis's divorce; the final meeting between Ennis and Jack; Ennis's phone conversation with Lureen; Ennis's visit to Jack's boyhood home; and finally Ennis's conversation with his daughter and his last words.

This film deserves all the awards it has already won and may yet win. It is an incredibly well written, acted, poignant, and heartbreaking film (and I didn't even mention the cinematography, which is awesome). Kudos all around to Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway, and Director Ang Lee. Don't let the "gay/gay cowboy" label intimidate. If Monster didn't turn you into a mass murderer, chances are Brokeback Mountain won't make you gay. There's MUCH more to this film than that.