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Dead Man Walking (1995)
Uncompromising
"Dead Man Walking," directed by Tim Robbins and released in 1995, is a gripping and thought-provoking film that explores the contentious issue of capital punishment in the United States. The movie is based on the true story of Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic nun who becomes the spiritual advisor to a death row inmate in Louisiana.
Set in the late 1980s, the film begins when Sister Helen, portrayed by Susan Sarandon in an Oscar-winning performance, receives a letter from Matthew Poncelet, a death row inmate played by Sean Penn. Convicted of the brutal murder of a teenage couple, Poncelet maintains his innocence and reaches out to Sister Helen for support. Despite initial reservations, Sister Helen agrees to visit him in prison, and their meetings become the core of the film.
As the narrative unfolds, "Dead Man Walking" delves deep into the complexities of the death penalty and the impact it has on all those involved. The film explores the perspectives of the victims' families, the prison guards, and Sister Helen's own internal struggle as she attempts to reconcile her religious beliefs with her growing empathy for Poncelet.
The historical context surrounding the true story is vital to understanding the film's impact. Sister Helen Prejean's experiences as portrayed in the movie are based on her real-life interactions with two death row inmates, Patrick Sonnier and Robert Lee Willie. Through her work as a spiritual advisor, Sister Helen became a vocal advocate against the death penalty, witnessing firsthand the human toll it takes on both the condemned and those tasked with executing the sentence.
"Dead Man Walking" is a deeply humanistic film that refuses to take sides or offer easy answers. Instead, it challenges the audience to confront their own beliefs and moral convictions. By exploring the complex dynamics between a condemned man seeking redemption and a compassionate nun seeking to understand him, the film forces viewers to question the notion of justice and the humanity that exists even in those society condemns.
With its outstanding performances, profound themes, and unflinching examination of a contentious social issue, "Dead Man Walking" remains a timeless and relevant piece of cinema. It leaves a lasting impact, encouraging conversations about the death penalty and the potential for compassion and understanding to transcend even the most extreme circumstances.
By Night's End (2020)
Horrible Movie
Badly written and badly acted. Would have been a good concept but horrible.
Enemy at the Gates (2001)
Law and Harris Shine in Annaud's Enemy at the Gates
The Siege of Leningrad serves as the backdrop for Jean-Jacques Annaud's tenth film Enemy at the Gates (2001), starring Jude Law, Ed Harris, Joseph Fiennes, and Rachel Weisz. A more grim setting could hardly be imagined, but the movie will have you transfixed as Law and Harris face-off as crack snipers on opposites sides of the siege. The drama is intense and should have received more attention at its release in 2001.
Jean-Jacques Annaud has brought such memorable and truly different films as Quest for Fire (1981) and The Name of the Rose (1986) to the screen. This film is also very different from the usual fare, and that is part of its appeal. Based on the book Notes of a Sniper (1956) by Vasili Zaitsev, in which he recounts his real-life experiences as a sniper during the Siege of Leningrad, Annaud takes us on tour inside that siege.
We witness the Soviet troops thrown into battle with one rifle between each soldier. We see the civilian deprivation first hand and death lurks around every corner. We feel the futility and desperation of the siege that lasted 872 days and resulted in the deaths of nearly two million Russians.
In the center of a spectacular set, ironically built in Germany, we see a recreation of the Barmaley Fountain as it was during the siege. A poignant and emotion-evoking setting to be sure. One wonders if the child-eating Barmaley, the fountain's namesake, has taken the form of the German Army. In true Russian fashion, would that make Jude Law, and his character Zaitsev, Doctor Aybolit (or maybe the Alligator)?
As eluded to Enemy traces the story of Zaitsev, played by Jude Law, as he becomes a bastion of propaganda and hope for the Soviet forces and people. Thrust onto the battlefield without a rifle; he is lucky enough to escape the slaughter of his newly arrived comrades by hiding amongst the dead. It is while hiding that he meets a Soviet Party official, also hiding amongst the dead, played by Fiennes. Fiennes fire and fervor are unquelled by his surroundings. Using a dead man's rifle, he urges Zaitsev to kill some nearby Nazi officers. Zaitsev astounds him by killing five in less than a minute.
Zaitsev quickly is promoted to the sniper corps, and as he racks up kills, the party machinery immediately pounces on the propaganda opportunity. He meets a younger Nikkita Kruschev, played memorably by Bob Hoskins, who congratulates him. Zaitsev becomes a hero to the nation, yet the siege drags on, and so does his grim task.
The Nazi's are being embarrassed, and they bring in their crack sniper Major König, played by Ed Harris. Harris plays König very cooly and with the poise we've come to expect. On König's arrival, the film's actual story emerges as the true-life dual between these two harbingers of death commences.
Rachel Weisz puts in a somewhat forgettable role as a woman soviet soldier, Tania Chernova. Tania's existence is true to history, but the love story is somewhat half-hearted. The film's real interests lie elsewhere. Indeed if you had seen this film in the spring of 2001, I would bet you have forgotten she was even in the movie.
You will not forget Jude Law and Ed Harris' performances and the true-life story of Vasili Zaitsev, though.
Monkeyfist.life
Ad Astra (2019)
Heart of Darkness Meets 2001: A Space Odyssey in Ad Astra
In 1861 John James Ingalls suggested that Per Aspera ad Astra, "through hardship to the stars," be the motto for the state of Kansas. The idea being that hardship is the forge through which great heights are attained. James Gray's Ad Astra (to the stars) borrows half of this phrase, but it might have been more apt to use the full title. Ad Astra is chock full of hardship. The hardship of space travel. The hardship of being estranged from your father. The hardship of loneliness. The hardship of madness. Yet, as in the motto, the film is hopeful, desperately sad, and oh boy, is it gorgeous on the big screen.
Ad Astra's director, James Gray, is previously known for the Lost City of Z, The Immigrants and We Own the Night. Films that were not particularly known for their big box office appeal, but were often critically acclaimed. That should have been everyone's first clue that his latest production would not be the usual space adventure.
Gray stated back in 2016 that he intended to create "the most realistic depiction of space travel that's been put in a movie." Gray accomplished this task handily. The film feels like a sibling to Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey, without the grand cosmic mind trip at the end. Instead, we are treated to a different sort of odyssey, one that is reminiscent of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness or Apocalpyse Now if you prefer.
Brad Pitt plays a veteran astronaut, Roy McBride, who is the also the son of legendary astronaut Clifford McBride, played by Tommy Lee Jones. The senior McBride, it seems, departed years before on an expedition to Neptune essentially abandoning his family, never to be heard from again. That is until some 30 years later, at which point the Earth starts to receive anti-matter generated high-energy pulses that threaten the solar system. Of course, the origin of the pulses is Neptune and Space Command immediately suspects the lost expedition wasn't lost after all.
Ad Astra Trailer
Roy McBride is ordered to travel to a secure transmission facility on Mars in an attempt to make contact with his father. Roy's effort is successful, but he is also deemed too emotionally unstable and conflicted to continue to Neptune. It is at this juncture that the story turns into Heart of Darkness or Apocalpyse Now in space. The younger McBride becomes obsessed with finding his father, who has gone around a murderous bend in the road, complete with a Martin Sheen like narrative and mission to kill the Kurtz like Clifford McBride.
Brad Pitt's acting is pretty amazing. Pitt is given very little in the way of expressive lines, the desperation, the sadness, and at times the madness are all conveyed through his eyes and a series of remarkable facial ticks. He is clearly a broken man and has been for some time. Donald Sutherland and Liv Tyler put in forgettable walkthrough performances. Tommy Lee Jones' does a reasonable job with maddened Clifford McBride, but in the end, comes up short.
The other major character in the film is space. Much like the jungle in Apocalypse Now, it is a dark (literally), ominous and foreboding place. Space is not the fun, exciting place we have to come to expect in our movies, but is instead the harsh cold, deadly place it truly is. Gray's love for this subject matter, in this case, shines through. It is a stunningly beautiful film to watch and to enjoy it fully, a big screen is needed, but do yourself a favor leave the comic book hero kids at home. This movie is meant to be meditated on.
Monkeyfist.life
Jessica Jones: A.K.A. Start at the Beginning (2018)
No idea
No idea what the negative reviewers are going about. I didn't detect any misandrist behavior in the show at all. Perhaps the reviewers are insecure, decent mystery beginning although somewhat slow pace.