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British Monsoon
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The Killing Fields (1984) by Roland Joffé
The Killing Fields tells the real-life story of American journalist Sydney Schanberg (played by Sam Waterson) and his experiences as the last American journalist in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh as American forces flee in the face of Pol Pot's brutal Khmer Rouge regime seizing power. The first half of the film is an unhinged jumble of events as we follow Schanberg and his Cambodian assistant Dith Pran (played by Haing S. Ngor) in their attempts to report on the chaos that unfurls in Phnom Penh and show the outside world the real, unsanitised face of the war in Cambodia. However, as the Khmer Rouge party prepares to march on the capital American forces and civilians flee, but Schanberg is determined to stay despite the danger and convinces Pran to stay with him. As the situation further escalates Schanberg, Pran and the other journalists still in Phnom Penh find themselves isolated in the capital and at the mercy of the brutal Khmer Rouge. They hold up in the French embassy and although arrangements are made to evacuate the foreign journalists, the Khmer Rouge demand that all Cambodian citizens be handed over to them. Schanberg and his fellow journalists attempt to doctor a fake American passport to get Pran out of the country, but it's to no avail and Sydney is forced to abandon Pran to the hands of the brutal regime.
After the dizzying pace of the films first third, which is accompanied by a syth soundtrack that keeps the tension at a fever pitch at the best of times and veers too closely to awful-80's-syth territory at the worst of times, the second half of the film is a much more sombre affair as both men struggle to deal with their situations. Sydney, now back in the US, is convinced Pran is alive and sends letter after letter hoping to find some information as to his whereabouts, but is also struggling with the guilt he feels over abandoning Pran to his fate, while Pran himself is languishing under the savage rule of the Khmer Rouge. It's through his eyes and narration that we see the brutal crimes committed by Pol Pot's regime, as all traces of culture, learning and foreign influence are suppressed and eradicated, and it's through Pran's eyes which we see the titular Killing Fields that so shocked the world and where hundreds of thousands of innocent Cambodians met their deaths.
Despite the manner in which director Roland Joffé quite clearly often attempts to manipulate the viewer, tug at the heart strings, rationalise the Khmer Rouge's insanity and condemn American foreign policy in one fell swoop, the film never really feels too preachy or schmaltzy (except for the musical choice for the ending - Lennon's 'Imagine', really? Ugh) and that's largely thanks to wonderful performances from the lead actors. Waterson is brimming with indignant, righteous anger as the American journalist on a mission at the films outset, but paints a picture of a diminished, pained and guilt-ridden man by the second act. Haing S. Ngor on the other-hand provides a startling and powerful performance as Dith Pran that surely was accentuated by his own experiences in the Cambodian war where he lost his wife and child. Ngor won Best Supporting Actor for his role, and remains the only Asian man to have won the award to date. It was certainly well deserved as without Ngor's touching and emotive performance I seriously doubt that this film dealing ostensibly with the atrocities of the Cambodian war, but ultimately with themes of friendship and guilt would stand up to the test of time half as well.
4/5
The Killing Fields tells the real-life story of American journalist Sydney Schanberg (played by Sam Waterson) and his experiences as the last American journalist in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh as American forces flee in the face of Pol Pot's brutal Khmer Rouge regime seizing power. The first half of the film is an unhinged jumble of events as we follow Schanberg and his Cambodian assistant Dith Pran (played by Haing S. Ngor) in their attempts to report on the chaos that unfurls in Phnom Penh and show the outside world the real, unsanitised face of the war in Cambodia. However, as the Khmer Rouge party prepares to march on the capital American forces and civilians flee, but Schanberg is determined to stay despite the danger and convinces Pran to stay with him. As the situation further escalates Schanberg, Pran and the other journalists still in Phnom Penh find themselves isolated in the capital and at the mercy of the brutal Khmer Rouge. They hold up in the French embassy and although arrangements are made to evacuate the foreign journalists, the Khmer Rouge demand that all Cambodian citizens be handed over to them. Schanberg and his fellow journalists attempt to doctor a fake American passport to get Pran out of the country, but it's to no avail and Sydney is forced to abandon Pran to the hands of the brutal regime.
After the dizzying pace of the films first third, which is accompanied by a syth soundtrack that keeps the tension at a fever pitch at the best of times and veers too closely to awful-80's-syth territory at the worst of times, the second half of the film is a much more sombre affair as both men struggle to deal with their situations. Sydney, now back in the US, is convinced Pran is alive and sends letter after letter hoping to find some information as to his whereabouts, but is also struggling with the guilt he feels over abandoning Pran to his fate, while Pran himself is languishing under the savage rule of the Khmer Rouge. It's through his eyes and narration that we see the brutal crimes committed by Pol Pot's regime, as all traces of culture, learning and foreign influence are suppressed and eradicated, and it's through Pran's eyes which we see the titular Killing Fields that so shocked the world and where hundreds of thousands of innocent Cambodians met their deaths.
Despite the manner in which director Roland Joffé quite clearly often attempts to manipulate the viewer, tug at the heart strings, rationalise the Khmer Rouge's insanity and condemn American foreign policy in one fell swoop, the film never really feels too preachy or schmaltzy (except for the musical choice for the ending - Lennon's 'Imagine', really? Ugh) and that's largely thanks to wonderful performances from the lead actors. Waterson is brimming with indignant, righteous anger as the American journalist on a mission at the films outset, but paints a picture of a diminished, pained and guilt-ridden man by the second act. Haing S. Ngor on the other-hand provides a startling and powerful performance as Dith Pran that surely was accentuated by his own experiences in the Cambodian war where he lost his wife and child. Ngor won Best Supporting Actor for his role, and remains the only Asian man to have won the award to date. It was certainly well deserved as without Ngor's touching and emotive performance I seriously doubt that this film dealing ostensibly with the atrocities of the Cambodian war, but ultimately with themes of friendship and guilt would stand up to the test of time half as well.
4/5
Anybody who didn't like it needs to read this amazing frame analysis.hateradio said:
I found it to be uninteresting.
Literally the only thing I liked about this movie was the universe they had created. It was a really interesting premise, spent on an absolutely ridiculous movie. I will agree that the first half was way more interesting than the second, even with the shitty characters. The second half just turns into a less interesting Blade where they tried to through in as many people getting torn apart as they could.Mister Wilhelm said:
Really good cast wasted on a pretty terrible movie.
Edit: And that Social Network article is extremely interesting. Really makes me appreciate the film that was already my favorite of 2010 that much more. I love David Fincher.
British Monsoon
Member
The Mourning Forest aka Mogari no Mori (2007) by Naomi Kawase
Machiko (played by Machiko Ono) is a junior nurse working at a care home, but she herself is recovering from the death of her son and the burden of guilt her husband places on her, blaming her solely for their son's death. Under her care is Shigeki (played by débutante Shigeki Uda), an elderly man suffering from dementia and the death of his wife Mako some thirty years past. One day, while practising calligraphy, Shigeki notices that the characters of Machiko's name share characters with that of his dead wife's name and this sets him on a pilgrimage to her grave, unbeknown to Machiko, who is tricked into taking Shigeki on a drive for his birthday, where he escapes into the woods to find his wife's grave leaving Machiko to follow him.
'The Mourning Forest' is a somewhat perplexing film - it's often very subdued, sedentary and even jovial at the outset, but becomes thematically very heavy and much more melancholy as the film progresses, dealing with the grief both characters share and the redemption they seek. As they progress through the forest, their situations become reversed - Machiko, the care giver, has to rely on Shigeki, the cared for, and his insistence that he knows where he is going, but she becomes increasingly perturbed as the situation becomes more perilous and it falls to Shigeki to console her, offering cryptic advice that "running water will not return to it's source" which speaks not only of their immediate predicament, but of their individual personal losses.
I imagine some will have difficulty with this film. It doesn't offer much in way of explanation, many viewers even seem to miss the fact that Machiko is mourning a loss too, it requires a fair amount of patience for any sort of progression or pay-off and features a lot of symbolism and imagery that won't be apparent to non-Japanese viewers or those without an understanding of certain aspects of Japanese culture. For instance, the film's Japanese title translates to 'Mogari Forest', 'mogari' being a term to describe an ancient Japanese funerary ritual of temporary burial, while the number of years since Mako's death (thirty three) mark the time when Buddhists believe the soul of the departed travels to Buddha and the last chance for loved one's to say farewell.
Cinematically speaking, 'The Mourning Forest' features some wonderful cinematography and scenery, long, lingering shots of nature predominate much of the film when not directly following either character. However, when pointed at the characters the camera work often leaves something to be desired - shot in a shaky-cam documentary style, the camera moves far too much when centred on the characters and often switches between observing both characters, or presenting things from either of their perspectives. For a film that seems to seek to disengage itself from the need for exposition, this seems an unnecessary measure and the shaky-cam gives it an unwarranted amateur feel.
Overall I feel that 'The Mourning Forest' is at equal measures a beautiful and frustrating film. While I admire the director's decision to break from the need to explain every detail, this works both against and in the film's favour as at times it helps create a feel of intrigue and tension (especially towards the films latter stages) but it also makes the film somewhat impenetrable. However, for patient viewers who are happy to sit back and revel in the beautiful scenery and sedentary tone until the film gets around to explaining itself, 'The Mourning Forest' is quite a touching and sincere film with good performances from the lead actors and some arresting visuals.
3/5
Machiko (played by Machiko Ono) is a junior nurse working at a care home, but she herself is recovering from the death of her son and the burden of guilt her husband places on her, blaming her solely for their son's death. Under her care is Shigeki (played by débutante Shigeki Uda), an elderly man suffering from dementia and the death of his wife Mako some thirty years past. One day, while practising calligraphy, Shigeki notices that the characters of Machiko's name share characters with that of his dead wife's name and this sets him on a pilgrimage to her grave, unbeknown to Machiko, who is tricked into taking Shigeki on a drive for his birthday, where he escapes into the woods to find his wife's grave leaving Machiko to follow him.
'The Mourning Forest' is a somewhat perplexing film - it's often very subdued, sedentary and even jovial at the outset, but becomes thematically very heavy and much more melancholy as the film progresses, dealing with the grief both characters share and the redemption they seek. As they progress through the forest, their situations become reversed - Machiko, the care giver, has to rely on Shigeki, the cared for, and his insistence that he knows where he is going, but she becomes increasingly perturbed as the situation becomes more perilous and it falls to Shigeki to console her, offering cryptic advice that "running water will not return to it's source" which speaks not only of their immediate predicament, but of their individual personal losses.
I imagine some will have difficulty with this film. It doesn't offer much in way of explanation, many viewers even seem to miss the fact that Machiko is mourning a loss too, it requires a fair amount of patience for any sort of progression or pay-off and features a lot of symbolism and imagery that won't be apparent to non-Japanese viewers or those without an understanding of certain aspects of Japanese culture. For instance, the film's Japanese title translates to 'Mogari Forest', 'mogari' being a term to describe an ancient Japanese funerary ritual of temporary burial, while the number of years since Mako's death (thirty three) mark the time when Buddhists believe the soul of the departed travels to Buddha and the last chance for loved one's to say farewell.
Cinematically speaking, 'The Mourning Forest' features some wonderful cinematography and scenery, long, lingering shots of nature predominate much of the film when not directly following either character. However, when pointed at the characters the camera work often leaves something to be desired - shot in a shaky-cam documentary style, the camera moves far too much when centred on the characters and often switches between observing both characters, or presenting things from either of their perspectives. For a film that seems to seek to disengage itself from the need for exposition, this seems an unnecessary measure and the shaky-cam gives it an unwarranted amateur feel.
Overall I feel that 'The Mourning Forest' is at equal measures a beautiful and frustrating film. While I admire the director's decision to break from the need to explain every detail, this works both against and in the film's favour as at times it helps create a feel of intrigue and tension (especially towards the films latter stages) but it also makes the film somewhat impenetrable. However, for patient viewers who are happy to sit back and revel in the beautiful scenery and sedentary tone until the film gets around to explaining itself, 'The Mourning Forest' is quite a touching and sincere film with good performances from the lead actors and some arresting visuals.
3/5
First off, this is a lot different from previous Kevin Smith films. Not just in tone, but in direction and quality. Kevin Smith has referred to it as a horror film, but thats not quite the right term. There are Horrific scenes, but the movie as a whole is more unsettling than horror.The movie has some of the best acting from a Kevin Smith movie, and thats saying a lot since the majority of the actors in this movie are not well known(except for John Goodman, and maybe Melissa Leo since her Oscar win). But, this is really Michael Parks' movie, to say he steals every scene he is in is an understatement.His take on a militant version of Fred Phelps is a great role.They way he can go from wicked, fanatic religious leader to doting father and grandfather is just awe inspiring.
Another thing worth noting is the guns, and how brutal the gun scenes are. I do believe this has some of the best shoot out scenes since The Town. But thats not to say the film doesnt have issues, it does. The sudden shift in tone during the midway point could of occurred a lot better, and i think they could of focused a little more on the church and the horrific things they did. But with that said, i highly recommend this movie, even if you arent a Kevin Smith fan. A-
lunchtoast
Member
Lionheart1827 said:Watched a bunch of movies/documentaries lately:
Fat Head-If you saw Supersize Me, I highly recommend watching this as it goes against pretty much all of what it says. Very interesting and it'll make you do more research if you're diet conscious.
Watched this the other week. Pretty interesting stuff. With all this grain, I wonder if they'll ever update the food pyramid.
The Royal Tenenbaums
Brilliant movie, absolutely loved it. I'm a huge fan of Wes Anderson and had seen all of his other work, yet for some reason I always put off watching this movie. I finally decided to correct that mistake today. The movie has that Wes Anderson style, quirk and heart that I've come to expect from his work. Some scenes are truly touching, whereas others have you laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all, an extremely clever dead pan moment or a subtle joke. I could hardly contain myself at the end of the movie when the camera panned to show the epitaph on Royal's gravestone. It was a moment of perfection.
MetalAlien
Banned
Today I watched The Monolith Monsters from 1957. It's about a meteor that falls to earth and it grows in contact with water. I haven't seen it in at least 20 years and they have the whole movie on youtube! Definitely a cool forgotten 50s sci fi thriller. I swear there should be a channel just for showing these old movies. I could watch them all day.
Then I watched The Island of Terror. I bought this from someone over in england years ago. Very nice film. You might know it as Night of the Silicates. This one was released in 1966. Another gem that should be shown on TV more often.
There was a scene I remember as a kid, one of the creatures kills a horse and I remember seeing the dead horse, it was hollowed out or something by the creature. This version talks about the horse being killed but you never see it. Maybe the BBC thought it was too much and cut that scene. It appears the person recorded it from TV.
Next on my list in The Creeping Terror (also on youtube) and then I want to buy Day of the Triffids. I might be spelling that wrong. It's about those killer plants taking over the world.
Then I watched The Island of Terror. I bought this from someone over in england years ago. Very nice film. You might know it as Night of the Silicates. This one was released in 1966. Another gem that should be shown on TV more often.
There was a scene I remember as a kid, one of the creatures kills a horse and I remember seeing the dead horse, it was hollowed out or something by the creature. This version talks about the horse being killed but you never see it. Maybe the BBC thought it was too much and cut that scene. It appears the person recorded it from TV.
Next on my list in The Creeping Terror (also on youtube) and then I want to buy Day of the Triffids. I might be spelling that wrong. It's about those killer plants taking over the world.
train ride today meant watching whatever I could find on my computer, previously viewed or no:
Catfish (2010) - Liked it. It's obviously fabricated to a huge degree. Regardless, it's an interesting commentary on what effect modern long-distance communication and the internet have on our relationships with others.
Star Trek (2009) - After 4 viewings, I'll still defend this one. The lens flare effect is certainly overdone, but it's only bad in some shots. In many, it's successful in making space seem bright and wondrous. The plot is nowhere near as bad as people say.
Also watched some of Kick-Ass.
Catfish (2010) - Liked it. It's obviously fabricated to a huge degree. Regardless, it's an interesting commentary on what effect modern long-distance communication and the internet have on our relationships with others.
Star Trek (2009) - After 4 viewings, I'll still defend this one. The lens flare effect is certainly overdone, but it's only bad in some shots. In many, it's successful in making space seem bright and wondrous. The plot is nowhere near as bad as people say.
Also watched some of Kick-Ass.
Only type. Make words with mouth hard.Man said:
I watched Sword of the Stranger (2007) and Office Space (1999) yesterday. SotS was quite handsome and had spectacular battle scenes, but the story is pretty cliche. Enjoyable nonetheless. Office Space was good. The Milton character (played by Stephen Root) should be inserted into The Office 
4/5. Really good movie.I like China as a background to a movie, Jackie Chan is a legend and even Jaden Smith was good and came off way more like his dad. I never saw the original because it always looked dumb and cheesy but this one was good. Why didn't they just call it 'The Kung-Fu Kid' though?
AwesomeSauce
MagsMoonshine
Danielsan said:
The Royal Tenenbaums
Brilliant movie, absolutely loved it. I'm a huge fan of Wes Anderson and had seen all of his other work, yet for some reason I always put off watching this movie. I finally decided to correct that mistake today. The movie has that Wes Anderson style, quirk and heart that I've come to expect from his work. Some scenes are truly touching, whereas others have you laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all, an extremely clever dead pan moment or a subtle joke. I could hardly contain myself at the end of the movie when the camera panned to show the epitaph on Royal's gravestone. It was a moment of perfection.
How could you torture yourself as a Wes Anderson fan and not see this film till recently!!!
Anyway i love this movie a lot and its personally my favorite Wes Anderson film.
...SMHDarklord said:
4/5.Really good movie.I like China as a background to a movie, Jackie Chan is a legend and even Jaden Smith was good and came off way more like his dad. I never saw the original because it always looked dumb and cheesy but this one was good. Why didn't they just call it 'The Kung-Fu Kid' though?
MetalAlien
Banned
Shut up.MMaRsu said:
TheVisualizer
Banned
MMaRsu said:
I checked out Battle:LA this afternoon and liked it. Not sure why reviewers on GAF and other places on the web have singled it out as the target for this month's trolling campaign. You would think it reached Transformers 2 level of shittiness which isnt the case at all. It was an entertaining action movie that delivered what the previews/trailers advertised. People's main criticisms seem to be cheesy dialogue, which I only noticed once or twice mainly at the end. I thought they handled the military dialogue rather well. The other issue brought up was the undeveloped characters which is a legimate gripe as they only really focused on Eckhart and 2 of the civilians. One of the main points I thought the movie got across despite its PG-13 was the fragility of human life and horrors/sacrifices of war. Would some of the deaths have been more meaningful if we got to know the characters better, of course, but I thought they did a good job of not turning this into a cheesy movie. Also I havent seen Skyline (looked waay worse than this) so I'm not "burned out" by alien invasion movies like some of the critics,
Point blank, if you were interested in seeing this movie from what you saw in the previews, go ahead, you won't be disappounted, dont be turned away by some of these people who think this movie isn't intellectually stimulating enough for themselves...
Jack Scofield
Member
TheVisualizer said:
I watched this movie based ONLY on the previews and I hated it. My opinions weren't colored by any reviews (I only read reviews afterwards. Not surprisingly the vast majority of them were negative. Could've saved money and my valuable time if I knew so beforehand).
Oh please, stop with this shit. No one expected this movie to be Citizen Kane Part 2. If the ONLY way you can enjoy this movie is by having super low expectations, then that says a lot about the quality of the movie (hint: it's dog shit and you should feel bad for liking it).
BankaiZaraki
Banned
Saw Beastly last night and Battle:LA on Thursday night. They were decent for the genre they are in. Both 7/10
brotkasten
Member
Transformers 2: hugewasteoftime/10
I started the movie several times, but I always stopped after 20 or 30 minutes. This time I finally made it through the entire movie and I wish I didn't. Everything was so over-the-top and ridiculous and absolutely not funny and bleh. It's a shame, because I think the first movie is a pretty good action flick.
I started the movie several times, but I always stopped after 20 or 30 minutes. This time I finally made it through the entire movie and I wish I didn't. Everything was so over-the-top and ridiculous and absolutely not funny and bleh. It's a shame, because I think the first movie is a pretty good action flick.
TRON: Legacy (2010) said:
Saw this the other night.
Amazing soundtrack first and foremost. But I liked the rest of the movie in general as well. It was personally resonant on a father/son level, the action was good without being too over-the-top, the script was nothing special but remained adequate, the style wasn't revolutionary but still pleasing to the eye. And much of the acting was actually quite good. Garrett Hedlund was more than decent, defying early reports that his performance was atrocious. Jeff Bridges is still king. Michael Sheen provided some well-needed and delicious ham for much of the middle of the movie. And like many others I'm sure, I totally fell in love with Olivia Wilde.
All in all, not the greatest movie, and I can't defend some of its plot and pacing choices, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.
6 out of 10 -> Objectively
9 out of 10 -> Personally
Finally got around to Black Swan, one movie I was really looking forward to. It was alright, I think the hype got to me. The movie felt like it was always banging you on the head with ideas, it wasn't very subtle at all. It was definitely nice to watch though and the performances were all very good. Don't know if I could sit through it a second time.
tearsofash
Member
Just saw a movie called "Fetishes". It was decent, but I didn't learn much about anything besides BDSM related stuff. Still kinda neat to see how actual sessions go down, and interviews with mistresses.
Most of the people I've met that have only seen the Wrestler hate his other stuff. I on the other hand have seen everything but The Wrestler.
ramyeon said:
Most of the people I've met that have only seen the Wrestler hate his other stuff. I on the other hand have seen everything but The Wrestler.
Im_So_Pringles
Member
I watched Scarface a couple nights ago. It was pretty good!
TheKaeptain
Banned
HiResDes said:
DUDE you were right about these new juniors.
Today I Watched:
Tokyo Sonata
Tenebre
Discotheque
Banned
Im_So_Pringles said:
lol yeah. So many lines to quote in that movie. Shit's hilarious. And also "Push it to the Limit"
Everyone said that to me before Requiem. Sure there are some gross-ish parts of it, but it's not as bad as advertised.Nert said:Heh, make sure that you're ready
I've only seen Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, and Black Swan myself.
And all of DA's movies are cool, but if you've seen Wrestler, Fountain and Black Swan you've seen his best stuff, in my opinion.
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