Green Zone Blu Ray Review
June 28, 2010
An action movie starring Matt Damon should have been a box office hit. Instead, Green Zone barely made any noise at the box office. This is despite mostly good reviews from the critics. On an estimated budget of $100 million, Green Zone only managed to bring in $35 million domestically and $58 million in foreign box office. In today’s market place, it is hard to actually lose money when both domestic and international box offices are added together. According to the rumor, the studio green lit this film even though it didn’t like the script just to lure Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass to do the 4th installment of Bourne film. After watching Green Zone, I can definitely see why it failed at the box office. The overall plot and tone of the movie is so anti-Bush and Republicans that the film effectively cut out half of the domestic audience. You can see why studios usually shy away from very political movie.
The plot involves the aftermath of the second Iraq war. Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller is tasked with finding the WMD left behind by the Iraqi army. When each intelligence fails to pan out, Miller is suspicious of the “evidence” provided. Miller gets suspicious and starts asking questions. CIA operative named Marty is also suspicious about the existence of WMD in the first place. Together, they piece together clues that point to massive lies and cover up that initiated the second Iraq war.
Without giving away the main plot, it is fairly obvious what the overall point of the movie is. That is to blame the previous administration for going to war Iraq. While the movie is very good speculation on what might have happened, it will polarize the audiences with the heavy political message. On a very objective level, the movie is quite good painting a picture of what could have happened that led to President Bush going to war with Iraq. Overall, if you were expecting a Bourne type of movie, you will be very disappointed. Instead, this is more of a political movie than an action movie.
What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.
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Linksys AE2500 Dual-Band Wireless-N USB Adapter
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The Book of Eli Blu Ray Review
June 15, 2010
The Book of Eli doesn’t disappoint the targeted audience. The post apocalyptic western film is as advertised. The plot isn’t really original. It’s your standard post nuclear war movie where civilization has taken a giant step back into chaos and anarchy. Small pockets of communities exist with warlords controlling the population. Murder and rape is rampant and food and water shortages persist throughout the World. This is the setting where Eli is on a mission to deliver a book to the western part of the United States. It is the year 2043 he is nearing his goal of reaching California. However, there is mad warlord in a town that is searching for a specific book. It wouldn’t be a big spoiler to mention that the book is in fact the Bible. There is not very subtle hint about the war and the cause. It seems that Bible was burned along with other books in the aftermath of the war.
The movie’s strong point isn’t the philosophical ideals. Instead, it is the action that makes the movie enjoyable. There is a deeper meaning the directors are trying convey. But, it is very thin and overly employed in other movies. It feels like they tried to thrown in religious angle where it was not needed. This isn’t to say that it detracts from the film. In fact, it does have the uplifting feeling once the credits roll. All that aside, the action is very slick and well choreographed. If you are a fan of the post apocalypse genre, you will be right at home with this film.
Danzel Washington is perfect as Eli, the wandering warrior with mission. Gary Oldman once again plays the villain. It seems like Gary Oldman was made to be a villain in most movies. Perhaps it’s because he does it so well. You really can’t argue with Oldman playing a villain. The Mila Kunis character seems to be an afterthought. Her character isn’t really needed or serves any purpose except to have attractive female cast. Even so, she is a terrific actress and does her role without any problem. Overall, the film was enjoyable and well worth the purchase.
What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.
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Jack Frost
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Shutter Island Blu Ray Review
June 8, 2010
The trailer for the Shutter Island was little misleading about the overall plot of the movie. While people that read the book would recognize the story, the rest of us would think it is a little super natural mystery. Never the less, you usually can’t go wrong with Martin Scorsese films. This psychological thriller seems to have combined great elements from previous films like Silence of the Lambs and other great psychological thriller movies. You get hint of Hitchcock’s influence in suspense and overall atmosphere. This isn’t to say Scorsese ripped off other great works. It just feels like a very well constructed film.
Without giving away the twist, the plot involves a U.S. marshal named Teddy Daniels. In 1954 he is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from a mental hospital located on Shutter Island. He has personal reason to want this assignment. The rumors or crazy experiments and cruel treatment of mentally ill patients propel him to further his investigation of the disappearance. Once at the island, he pursues the missing patients as well as a man related to his past. While on the Island, a hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland forcing him to extend his stay and finally figure out the mystery behind Shutter Island.
After watching the movie, I felt I had similar experience watching the Sixth Sense. After you watch the film, you want to rewind and watch each conversation and each interaction between the main character and everyone around him. You know the twist is coming from a mile away. You just don’t know which side is on the sane side. You get nothing less than a stellar performance from the lead and the legendary director.
What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.
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Shutter Island [Blu-ray]
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