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Jarhead and Zorro
Nov. 6th, 2005 06:23 pmI wanted to like Jarhead. It has some fantastic performances (Jake Gyllenhaal's is outstanding), but, as is so often true of military films, I'm conflicted about it's portrayal of the military. As I get older, I'm more aware of the changes that have come over the military since I was born into it. I was genuinely shocked by how foul mouthed the officers were (not that we saw too many of the officers -- there are only two in the whole film.
Since it's based on an autobiography, I can't say it's wrong. The Desert Shield/Desert Storm War had several absurdities built into it, and Swofford, had an eye for the absurd. There are a couple of truly surreal moments. But I never connected with any of the characters to the extent that I felt sympathy for them. The moments involving blackened corpses were the ones that engaged me, but not on the side of the characters I'd been watching from the beginning.
I do think it will be Oscar bait. In a year when he's got three strong performances, I think the studio will promote Jake Gyllenhaal for a Best Actor nomination. I'd rather see him get the supporting nomination for Brokeback Mountain as that movie was able to break my heart.
Yesterday, Sis and I went to see The Legend of Zorro. There were too many exploding people in it (early experiments with nitro-glycerine are part of the plot line), and I think they could have cut out at least one action sequence and tightened the others.
This film deals with grown-up problems like divorce and love and parenthood, and I thought, oddly enough, that these were the strongest parts of it. Like The Incredibles, it comes down firmly on the side of being honest with children about larger issues. It also, in it's climactic scene, presents a ten year old with a genuine moral decision. More than anything else, his choice shows the type of upbringing he's had.
The first film was better, but this has some good moments. I enjoyed it. And, purely on the shallow side, any film that has Antonio Banderas and Rufus Sewall as duelling voices is pretty darn good right there.
Since it's based on an autobiography, I can't say it's wrong. The Desert Shield/Desert Storm War had several absurdities built into it, and Swofford, had an eye for the absurd. There are a couple of truly surreal moments. But I never connected with any of the characters to the extent that I felt sympathy for them. The moments involving blackened corpses were the ones that engaged me, but not on the side of the characters I'd been watching from the beginning.
I do think it will be Oscar bait. In a year when he's got three strong performances, I think the studio will promote Jake Gyllenhaal for a Best Actor nomination. I'd rather see him get the supporting nomination for Brokeback Mountain as that movie was able to break my heart.
Yesterday, Sis and I went to see The Legend of Zorro. There were too many exploding people in it (early experiments with nitro-glycerine are part of the plot line), and I think they could have cut out at least one action sequence and tightened the others.
This film deals with grown-up problems like divorce and love and parenthood, and I thought, oddly enough, that these were the strongest parts of it. Like The Incredibles, it comes down firmly on the side of being honest with children about larger issues. It also, in it's climactic scene, presents a ten year old with a genuine moral decision. More than anything else, his choice shows the type of upbringing he's had.
The first film was better, but this has some good moments. I enjoyed it. And, purely on the shallow side, any film that has Antonio Banderas and Rufus Sewall as duelling voices is pretty darn good right there.
