Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Culturally Awkward or Unsettling Sagas




UNBROKEN
BIOGRAPHICAL/DRAMA

PLOT: The true story of Louis Zamperini.

                            Louis Zamperini was an extraordinary man.  An Italian immigrant who had trouble with the law as a teen then started running and winning.  He was in the Olympics.  He then went to war, stranded on a life raft for 47 days then became prison of war in a Japanese camp and when the war was over he came home.  This is not a popcorn movie but amazing story of the will to survive, religious and forgiveness. English actor Jack O Connell is wonderful as Zamperini.  Actress Angelina Jolie (Salt, Mr. and Mrs. Smith) did an incredible directing job and cinematography Roger Deakins as he creates dark, bleak and banal atmosphere.  The bad part they only shown one area of his life read his book for the rest to understand how reliant this man was.


KILL THE MESSENGER
CRIME/DRAMA

PLOT:  The true story about reporter Gary Webb who exposed the CIA and drugs in LA.
               
                            When you write the truth the CIA begins to show interest in you and that is what happened to journalist Gary Webb who tells the story that CIA needed to fund the Nicaragua War they put crack/cocaine on the streets of LA. At first he was praised then smeared and disowned by his own newspaper that he put on the map.  You don’t know this story because at the time another scandal took its place Clinton/Monica Lewinsky.  Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye, Avengers) is very good as Mr. Webb telling the truth and getting blamed for it.  This is why we need to have independent movies to show films like this.


INTO THE WOODS
FANTASY/MUSICAL

PLOT: A twist on many fairy tales as a baker and his wife want a child.

They merge the fairy tales of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood into a story of a baker and his wife who can’t have children. They have to take belongings from each character and the witch will grant them their wish. It is clever and fun-at least the first hour and then it gets dark!! A few things you don’t see coming. It is based on the musical with the same name. I do hope the stage play was better. It is not bad just different. They sell it like it is for kids-not really.

KC Web Developer

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