Alexander (2004)

Genre

Adventure| Biography | Drama | History

Director

Oliver Stone

Country

Germany | USA | Netherlands | France | UK | Italy

Cast

Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Anthony Hopkins, Jared Leto, Rosario Dawson, Christopher Plummer, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Gary Stretch, Joseph Morgan, Raz Degan, Neil Jackson, Francisco Bosch, Denis Conway, John Kavanaugh, Nick Dunning, Rory McCann, Ian Beattie, Annelise Hesme, Garrett Earley

Storyline

The story of Alexander the Great (Colin Farrell), the King of Macedonia and one of the greatest military leaders in the history of warfare that conquers much of the known world.

Opinion

None of the history teachers I had made Alexander the Great interesting so I really never cared about him. I thought an Oliver Stone movie starring Colin Farrell could have made a difference. Boy, if I was wrong.

"Alexander" is a rather slow and at times tedious and soporific film that is far away from being great.

Even though Alexander the Great has never been one of my favourite historical figures, studying him over and over again produced some results. For instance, I know what a complex figure he was. The tactical genius and indomitable character I was expecting to see isn't in the film. Instead we get an Irish boy with bleached hair.

Other than failing to properly portray both the greatness of such a character and the greatness of his exploits, Oliver Stone decided to focus on the homosexual relationship between Alexander and Hephaestion. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but Stone should have approached to it differently. The values in Alexander's day were different from the values of our day, and the homosexual relationship between Alexander and Hephaestion would have not been the same today. He decided to portray both men like two girls - apparently that's how a man that does have sex with another man acts like -, but this is no sitcom, Mr. Stone.

The film doesn't even have a proper narrative structure. It keeps on flashing back to the past throughout the whole thing, and the plot is so incoherent it needs Anthony Hopkins's constant narration to make sense. Also, there's the embarrassing dialogue.

The cast doesn't make it better. Colin Farrell is awful in here, and plays Alexander as a weak and emotionally distraught man whose facial expressions are painful to watch. Angelina Jolie plays Alexander's mother and for some weird reason she has a Russian kind of accent. The out of place accents are all over the place and very distracting - I mean, Greeks having Irish accents? Can't you do better than that? -, and the acting is over the top.

The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

Genre

Drama | History | War

Director

Ken Loach

Country

UK | Ireland

Cast

Cillian Murphy, Pádraic Delaney, Liam Cunningham, Orla Fitzgerald, Laurence Barry, Mary Murphy, Myles Horgan, Martin Lucey, Roger Allam, John Crean, Damien Kearney, Frank Bourke, Shane Casey, Máirtín de Cógáin, William Ruane, Fiona Lawton, Sean McGinley, Kevin O'Brien

Storyline

Ireland, 1920. Workers from field and country unite to form volunteer guerrilla armies to face the 'Black and Tans' squads that are being shipped from Britain to block Ireland's bid for independence. Driven by a deep sense of duty and love for his country, Damien O'Donovan (Cillian Murphy) abandons his burgeoning career as a doctor and joins his brother, Teddy (Pádraic Delaney), in a dangerous and violent fight for freedom. As the freedom fighters' bold tactics bring the British to breaking point, both sides finally agree to a treaty to end the bloodshed. But, despite the apparent victory, civil war erupts and the families, who fought side by side, find themselves pitted against one another as sworn enemies, putting their loyalties to the ultimate test.

Opinion

Brutal, intense, and heartbreaking, The Wind That Shakes the Barley wonderfully outlines a tragic period of Irish history.

A decade after Land and Freedom, following the Spanish Civil War, British Ken Loach came back with another piece of twentieth-century history. This time he deals with the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. 

Obligated to take a stand, Loach he takes the side of the oppressed, the Irish. But he is clearly not intentioned in making IRA propaganda, or portraying Irish as unblemished heroes and martyrs, and that is shown by two pretty much identical scenes, one in the middle and the other at the end of the film. Those two scenes show brutality and atrocity of civil war, and underline its ability to set nation against nation, man against compatriot, and brother against brother.

The writing is a good and bad. While the dialogue is good, and the story works fine, the characters lack of something. The portrayal of the characters might be maximised by body language, but the character development is rather poor, and the film fails in creating characters you care about.

The photography is superb, and the costumes are excellent, but the sceneries are a bit monotonous and repetitive considering all Ireland has to offer.

The acting is overall good. Cillian Murphy convincingly plays Damien O'Donovan, even though Pádraic Delaney does a better job in the role of his brother Teddy, as he is blessed with a more interesting character. Liam Cunningham stands out among the supporting cast.

This may not be a masterpiece, but it's worth the time. 

Quotes

Damien: It's easy to know what you are against, but quite another to know what you are for.

Hotel Rwanda (2004)

Genre

Drama | History | War

Director

Terry George

Country

UK | Italy | South Africa

Cast

Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Nick Nolte, Joaquin Phoenix, Fana Mokoena, Cara Seymour, Jean Reno, Tony Kgoroge, Desmond Dube, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Leleti Khumalo, Antonio Lyons

Storyline

During the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), an ordinary man, summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages.

Opinion

To tell a historical event is never easy, figure an event like this one, when in just three months about a million people were brutally murdered. But Terry George succeeded, mainly thank to a stratospheric Don Cheadle. 

Hard to be watched, but necessary to open our eyes, Hotel Rwanda is a poignant, heartfelt tale about a massacre, and a genuine hero.

The film does not sweeten the situation nor makes a saint out of the main character, but simply tells the story that our consciousness and our media have canceled because apparently not interesting enough to be remembered, as well as not important enough to do something back then.

The representation of the fighting is so disturbingly realistic that fills the film with drama and suspense until the very end.

Also, the film has several powerful, and touching scenes, during which holding back tears will be impossible. Just think of when Pat Archer reports the last words of the orphan (Please don't let them kill me, I promise I won't be Tutsi anymore) slain by the Hutus, or when the white people are being evacuated and they are told Rwandan children aren't allowed on the bus, or when they drive over the bodies.

Don Cheadle impressively carries the entire film, delivering a terrific performance as Paul Rusesabagina, the brave man who stood to do the right thing, and did something while the rest of the world looked away.

Quotes

Paul Rusesabagina: I am glad that you have shot this footage and that the world will see it. It is the only way we have a chance that people might intervene.

Jack: Yeah and if no one intervenes, is it still a good thing to show?

Paul Rusesabagina: How can they not intervene when they witness such atrocities?

Jack: I think if people see this footage they'll say, "oh my God that's horrible," and then go on eating their dinners.

Apollo 13 (1995)

Genre

Adventure | Drama | History

Director

Ron Howard

Country

USA

Cast

Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan, Chris Ellis, Joe Spano, Marc McClure, Clint Howard, Ray McKinnon, Todd Louiso, Loren Dean, Xander Berkeley, David Andrews, Christian Clemenson, Ben Marley, Brett Cullen, Ned Vaughn, Tracy Reiner, Mary Kate Schellhardt, Max Elliott Slade, Emily Ann Lloyd, Miko Hughes, Thom Barry, Rance Howard, Jean Speegle Howard

Storyline

Based on the true story of the 13th Apollo mission, astronaut Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) leads command module pilot Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) and lunar module driver Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) on what is slated as NASA's third lunar landing mission. All goes smoothly until the craft is halfway through its mission, when an exploding oxygen tank threatens the crew's oxygen and power supplies. 

Opinion

Houston, I have a problem. I did not like this film as much as I would have. I'd like to start by saying that I did not know what happened back in 1970 in the space, and while a part of me was feeling ashamed for being such an ignorant, the other part was happy because in this way the film would have been way more exciting. But I guess there is no worst way to kill tension than opening the film saying, "Based on Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger's book 'Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13'" when it's pretty clear Jim Lovell is going to be the main character - unless he wrote the book while he was exhausted on the Apollo 13, and he somehow managed to send it back to the earth, the result is pretty obvious.

Unfortunately this is not my only complain. Apollo 13 is extremely dull for the first 30 minutes of the film - revolving around Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landing on the moon, and our astronauts preparing for their mission -, and even though it gets back on track after that, and it minimally manages to engage the audience and make them feel some empathy for the astronauts, it is overfilled with sentimentality.

Ron Howard does a pretty good job, and tells the story in a very accurate way, but, as I pointed out before, he linger on emotional scenes with the astronaut's family members and friends, that seems shallow, unnecessary and put there just to fill some time.

However, the editing is brilliant and perfectly manages to show at the same time both the difficulty encountered by the astronauts and their will to survive, and the efforts made by the base of the NASA to bring the guys back home. The musical score by James Horner is spectacular, and so are the visual effects.

The acting is great. Tom Hanks does a job, even though he is not much believable as an astronaut. Ed Harris excels as Gene Kranz. Great performances also come from Gary Sinise, an actor I like, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton respectively as Ken Mattingly, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise. Kathleen Quinlan is also very good as Jim Lovell's wife.

Quotes

Gene Kranz: I don't care about what anything was designed to do, I care about what it can do.

The Last Samurai (2003)

Genre

Action | Drama | History

Director

Edward Zwick

Country

Japan | New Zealand | United States

Cast

Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shin Koyamada, Tony Goldwyn, Masato Harada, Shichinosuke Nakamura, Timothy Spall, Seizo Fukumoto, Koyuki, Billy Connolly, Shun Sugata, Sosuke Ikematsu, Scott Wilson, Togo Igawa

Plot

Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), a veteran of the U.S. Civil War, is hired by the Emperor Meiji (Shichinosuke Nakamura) to train an army capable of wiping out the samurai. But when Algren is captured by the samurai and taught about their history and way of life, he finds himself conflicted over who he should be fighting alongside

Opinion

I wasn't expecting much from this film, I thought it would be just another high-budget film starring Tom Cruise, without any depth. I've never been more wrong in my life. I absolutely loved it and I regret not watching it before.
The Last Samurai is a brilliant story of honour, tradition and courage, and glorifies the Samurai lifestyle in a sublime way.
The film, masterfully directed by Edward Zwick, manages to capture Japanese men living in a transition world: the fall of the Bushido and the rise of a modern empire.
The action/fighting scenes are spectacular. The sublime music, provided by Hans Zimmer, contributes in making the film even more fantastic.
Tom Cruise - actor I don't particularly like, and the reason why I watched this film only now - gives his best performance ever. However, Ken Watanabe, who plays Samurai leader Katsumoto, steals the show with his intense and mesmerising performance, and the Oscar is definitely worthy, but the Academy rarely fails to disappoint.

Buy on Amazon.com

Quotes

Katsumoto: You believe a man can change his destiny?
Algren: I think a man does what he can, until his destiny is revealed.

Emperor Meiji: Tell me how he died.
Algren: I will tell you how he lived.

Katsumoto: The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life.

Katsumoto: Perfect... They are all... perfect...

Simon Graham: [narrating] And so the days of the Samurai had ended. Nations, like men, it is sometimes said, have their own destiny. As for the American Captain, no one knows what became of him. Some say that he died of his wounds. Others, that he returned to his own country. But I like to think he may have at last found some small measure of peace, that we all seek, and few of us ever find.

Rating

10/10

The Iron Lady (2011)

Genre

Biography | Drama | History

Director

Phyllida Lloyd

Country

France | United Kingdom

Cast

Meryl Streep, Alexandra Roach, Jim Broadbent, Iain Glen, Olivia Colman, Anthony Head, Nicholas Farrell, Richard E. Grant, Susan Brown, Martin Wimbush, Paul Bentley, Robin Kermode, John Sessions, Roger Allam, David Westhead, Michael Pennington, Angus Wright, Julian Wadham, Nick Dunning, Pip Torrens, Ronald Reagan, Reginald Green

Plot

An elderly and prisoner in her own home Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep), Britain's first woman Prime Minister, talks to the imagined presence of her recently deceased husband (Jim Broadbent) as she struggles to come to terms with his death while scenes from her past life, from girlhood to British Prime Minister, intervene.

Opinion

The Iron Lady is not as good as I thought. The storytelling is a huge misfire. Boring at first, enhances a bit, and it gets boring again. This film is mostly about an elder and mentally unbalanced Margaret Thatcher, which remember her life through flashbacks. I would have liked a deeper insight into how she run the country.
Meryl Streep is outstanding and mesmerising as always, but she slightly uplifts the film.

Buy on Amazon.com | Buy/Rent on Amazon Instant Video

Quotes

Margaret Thatcher: Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. What we think, we become. My father always said that. And I think I am fine.

Airey Neave: If you want to change this party, lead it. If you want to change the country, lead it.

Rating

6.0/10

The Imitation Game (2014)

Genre

Biography | Drama | History | Thriller | War

Director

Morten Tyldum

Country

United Kingdom | United States

Cast

Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Mark Strong, Charles Dance, Allen Leech, Matthew Beard, Rory Kinnear, Alex Lawther, Jack Bannon, Victoria Wicks, David Charkham, Tuppence Middleton, James Northcote, Steven Waddington

Plot

The film shows Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his team of code-breakers in Hut 8 racing against time as they attempt to break Nazi Germany's Enigma code at Britain's top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. 

Opinion

Alan Turing, not a man, a genius. If I am able to write this and you are able to read it, it is because of him. But let's return to the film, shall we? The Imitation Game is a wonderful film, and, if you haven't already, I highly recommend you to watch it. It gets emotional at some point, and I will not deny that I cried.

Don't be fooled by the plot, because the essence of this movie is not breaking the Enigma's code, but the diversity: the protagonist's behavioural diversities and homosexuality; but also being a woman in a man's world.

I read somewhere on the Internet that Benedict Cumberbatch's performance was not that good after all. Well, may I dissent? Benedict Cumberbatch was almost perfect. I don't think there are many actors that could have portrayed with such sensitivity this forgotten genius.

Quotes

Alan Turing: Are you paying attention? Good. If you are not listening carefully, you will miss things. Important things. I will not pause, I will not repeat myself, and you will not interrupt me. You think that because you're sitting where you are, and I am sitting where I am, that you are in control of what is about to happen. You're mistaken. I am in control, because I know things that you do not know.[pause] What I will need from you now is a commitment. You will listen closely, and you will not judge me until I am finished. If you cannot commit to this, then please leave the room. But if you choose to stay, remember you chose to be here. What happens from this moment forward is not my responsibility. It's yours. Pay attention.

Alan Turing: Do you know why people like violence? It is because it feels good. Humans find violence deeply satisfying. But remove the satisfaction, and the act becomes... hollow.

Joan Clarke: Do you know, this morning I was on a train that went through a city that wouldn't exist if it wasn't for you. I bought a ticket from a man who would likely be dead if it wasn't for you. I read up, on my work, a whole field of scientific inquiry that only exists because of you. Now, if you wish you could have been normal... I can promise you I do not. The world is an infinitely better place precisely because you weren't.

Joan Clarke: Sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.

Rating

9.5/10