Stop-Loss

I went to see an advanced screening of Kimberly Peirce's new film "Stop-Loss" last night. Again Kim did a terrific job portraying a real life issue that can hit close to home for a lot of people. I personally wasn't moved emotionally most likely due to my knowledge on the subject and my disagreements with "why we fight." However I was the odd one out in this instance as many people at the screening were in fact moved.

Stop-Loss is a financial term co-opted by the government during Vietnam, which is a policy whereby enlisted service people can be kept in active duty up to six months "after the war is over." So in particular with the case of the Iraqi incursion, men and women are forced to fight long past their contracted or even normal tour, to fight in a foreign country for years after the official "war" was declared over (Dubya said it was over in 2003 right?). In the case of "the War Against Terror" or even at home with the "War Against Drugs" that could mean the rest of your life. According to Kim's research, some service peoples contracts for temporary service (non-career troops) were up to 26 years!

Ryan Phillippe was pretty amazing, paralleled by equally great acting from Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum. The thing that really struck me was the realism the film portrayed. I've watched a lot of the home movies coming out of Iraq from the troops over there, often only days before getting pulled from youtube.com or other sources. Kim was able to recreate not only the feel of Iraq, but the sentiments of the troops by working directly with them on this project.

This is definitely one of those films you either like or you don't, so before seeing it I would evaluate whether or not your comfortable with the subject matter or not. You'll also have to wait until March. =P

Plot- 3
Directing- 4
Acting- 5
Cinematography- 4
Gore-3 for gunning/fragging multiple children/civilians

ps. Just a word to anyone who has the opportunity to see a screening with the director, it is totally disrespectful to get up and leave at the end when there is a Q&A session afterwards. It's like if you took someone out to diner and they just sat there, ate the food you paid for, and got up and left with out saying anything. At least if you hated it so bad that you have to leave during the middle, tell them on you way out or something...

American Gangsta

Denzel does it again....sort of. Has anyone else noticed Denzel slipping into a funk. Like he characters are portrayed fantastically, but similar. I won't pigeon hole him into the same catagory as Costner *blah*...sorry I just puked a little, but seriously!
The movie was pretty good, only made worse by Russell Crowe.... oh god I just puked again... Russel continues to fight around the world, only this time in Brooklyn. I don't know what it is about this guy that makes me so sick....any ideas?
The story is a "based on a true story"+ New York+ BS formula that lasted nearly three hours. It was good, but not up to par with A Bronx Tale or Carlito's Way .
Anyway, I will probably own this one when it comes out, but I definitely slept through scenes too. Hey, it was late on a Sunday night, beat it.....

Plot- 3
Directing- 4
Acting- 4
Cinematography- 2
Gore-1 for a dude getting shoot in the dome

I like to Read Too

I think I will open up this unread blog to include other reviews/opinions of anything art or entertainment. So without further ado....

"The Player of Games" -by Iain Banks

This book is terrific. It is technically "sci-fi" however I feel that genre is another bullshit genre. Pretty much if it has space, robots, future or hi-tech its sci-fi? This book was much more of an exploration into the realm of social analysis then a story about aliens.
This is one of Iain's Culture Series, which explore the reality of people living in a interstellar association/regime. In the Culture, no one gets sick, everyone is genetically mastered so that as long as your head survives, you can grow a new body. That includes swapping sexes mid life. Of course, there is more then meets the eye to the Culture, as it aims to wipe out "barbarism" through out the known universe.
Iain is regarded as the greatest living author in Britain. I think he is pretty good, however I don't read enough from Britain to support this assertion. Next on my list from him "The Wasp Factory"

Plot- 5
Writing- 4
Dialogue- 5