Film views from Sarge

Platoon (1986)

I first watched 'Platoon' as a young kid. Think my Dad rented it on VHS and left it out, and whilst he was out I watched it.

I watched it again this week for the first time in maybe 25 years,

What a film!!!

As a kid I had seen the shooting and the war bits, and at that time that was all I was really interested in. Just like so many other films about the Vietnam war in the late 80s and the 90s.

This time I was gripped from start to finish, and asked myself why I had not re-watched this before now.



The cast is incredible, with some superb performances, notably from Berenger. (above)

The film was marketed with the tag line: 'The first real casualty of war is innocence', and the film captures that statement superbly.
Stone draws on his personal experiences to tell a story that shows that it isn't simply good guys versus bad guys, but rather that it's about individuals being changed through being placed into a horrendous environment that takes it's toll mentally and physically.

As the title suggests it is about a platoon of American soldiers in Vietnam.
The story is told through the words of Charlie Taylor (Sheen) who has dropped out of college and volunteered for combat over in Vietnam.
It shows the attitude of the others in the platoon to new recruits coming in.
They are seen as insignificant and expendable. Nobody wants to get to know them as they have not yet earned the right to recognition or even acknowledgement.

The film introduces the individuals within the group, each with their own story and personality, and documents their journey or combat, friendship, conflict and morality.
The way the different characters are presented so well is a real gift in this film.
Some films I watch, I struggle to differentiate between the personalities of the characters throughout the whole film. With this I felt as though I had the measure of each within minutes. That is down to the excellent writing, directing and acting that are so evident throughout.



Another thing that this really impressive about this film is the way that it shows the blurred lines of war, Many such films fail to do this by maintaining the moral integrity of the American solidiers whilst portraying the VC as savages. Platoon refuses to go down that route and shows that each man is individual and that their moral compasses are different and that causes struggles even for those fighting on the same side.

Platoon gives the viewer a glimpse into the physical and psychological impact that war has and shows that through the individuals.

I am so glad that I watched this again and it has instantly become a favourite of mine.

The Kite Runner (2007)

This was one of those films that you intend to watch but it just stays on your 'to watch' list for a while, Almost 10 years in this case.

I watched it last night and I am so happy that I did.

At the heart of my love of films is my love of stories. I can often overlook technical issues in film making, the odd continuity error, wooden acting etc, if the story is good enough.
The best stories are the ones that affect us, the ones that inspire us, the ones that bring us hope, the stories of redemption, the ones that have us seething with the injustice, the ones that make us sad, the ones that make us feel, This film made me feel.

This is a film about friendship, loyalty, betrayal, sacrifice, war, love, culture, morality, redemption and so much more.

The film starts with two young boys (Amir and Hassan) who are separated by class and social standing but brought together through friendship, their fathers and their own.
The film captures the relationship between these two boys superbly. The affection, the respect and also highlights the difference in character of the two boys.


Hassan (Blue and black) and Amir (with book) reading stories together

An 'incident' occurs that starts a series of events and decisions that effect both of the boys in different ways, but indirectly proves a challenge to their friendship and also to them as individuals.

Hassan is a character that I felt drawn to like few other characters in any film that I have ever watched. He is played by 'Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada' who is outstanding in a superbly acted film.

The film had me raging for most of the middle section, at various different characters. It brought a sense of helplessness as I just wanted to intervene. It is a credit to the writing, acting and the story that I got so wound up. I was thoroughly invested in the characters and in the story for the duration.

The second half of the film largely takes place with the boys now as adults and their lives have taken somewhat different paths.

I don't want to write any more things linked to the plot as I think that I benefited from going into this film largely blind. I had forgotten the trailer and any insight into the plot over the last 10 years and I would suggest that if you haven't seen it then just watch it.


What I liked
As I mentioned above, the key thing is that it made me feel. It stirred up emotions inside of me and fully immersed me in the story.
It is a film that is superbly acted, well shot, excellently written and all that combined it just comes together to make a powerful and emotive film.

What could be better
There is little that I didn't like about this film. I would say that the conclusion did seem a bit rushed, but I think that they were probably aware of the running time and that it is already over 2 hours.

Overall this is an excellent film that I considered a joy to watch.

12 Angry men (1957)

I had never watched this film before today.
I realised lately that I have mainly watched films from the year I was born on and onwards.
Since I started watching films, I had just watched what is current give or take a few years. I rarely watched films from man than a few years previous.
The exception was when I used to watch some films with my Dad if he said that I would like them, such as 'Zulu' 'The Italian job' ' Spartacus' and a lot of Westerns, but largely films out before I was born were missed.

Lately I have been looking at changing that as there are some highly rated films that I have never seen. I recently watched properly and enjoyed 'The great escape' for the first time.

12 angry men had been recommended by some people on here and I knew that it was rated highly on most film related sites. So I looked it up and was intrigued but wondered how a whole film set in one room would hold my attention. I needn't have worried.

This is a film about 12 men that are the jury on a murder case which seems fairly open and shut at the outset. The film documents and displays the deliberation of the jury in their journey to reach a unanimous verdict.

I really enjoyed this film. It felt a bit like being at the theatre and I loved it. It was originally written as a Teleplay and this showed in the set up.

The film was so simple yet the story was complex in a subtle way. So many themes were thrown up through the film and there are so many great life lessons and illustrations to take from it.

The acting is excellent and the writing is quite special. Each character is unique in appearance and attitude but representative of society in so many ways. I was drawn to each character at different times and that is a credit to the film.

I found it engaging, charming, political, humorous, challenging and it made me think about jurys and the role they play and the responsibility that they have.

A classic that is well shot, well directed, brilliantly acted and overall an excellent film.

Raging Bull (1981)

Finished this film about 10 minutes ago and I am still trying to digest it.
It has been in my collection a long while, but like many others I just hadn't ever watched it. At the moment I am trying to watch as many films that are considered classics that I haven't yet seen as I can

The film documents the life of Jake LaMotta a professional boxer living in the Bronx.
It shows his life inside and outside of the ring and the pressures and challenges that he faced.

Things that I liked
The acting was excellent, and it's easy to see why De Niro won the Oscar for this performance. I thought Pesci was excellent to as Joey (Jakes brother)
The screen play and the directing were superb as I expected.
I think that the film really captured the story of LaMotta as well as his personality and character as well of those around him. It captures and showcases his mental state and mood in a very realistic way

What I didn't like
I don't have any criticism with the film but more with the main character. I just struggled to feel any warmth towards him. That is a credit to the quality of the film but as a viewer I found him to be a paranoid bully.
I understand that was the point but it just frustrated me. So, the thing that I didn't like about the film is down to how well the film was made

Overall, I can see why this film is rated so highly. As a film I rate it highly too but as a story I prefer 'Rocky' because there is a boxer that I can cheer for

Kong Skull Island (2017)

My expectations of this film were fairly low and I only really booked to see it through lack of options. It was the only film at the cinema that I hadn't seen.

My expectations were so low due to the track record of this type of film. I was facsinated with King Kong, Godzilla etc as a kid but that fascination has not been maintained in later life due to the over complication of the films or the lack of direction.
Secondly, the reception for the film was mixed but many of the critics and reviewers that I respect gave it a hammering.

That said, I try to keep an open mind so I gave it a go...

Plot
The film is about a group of people with various roles, reasons and agendas going to an island that they believe to be undiscovered and uninhabited.
When they arrive at they island they discover more than they bargained for. Peoples official agendas and their personal agendas begin to conflict with each other and those of the other members of the group, whilst facing the various challenges that the island presents.
Kong presents himself and carnage pretty much ensues for the duration of the film with a full on battle for food chain supremacy occurring throughout.

One of Kong's calmer moments

What I liked about it
Firstly, I liked that the film is what it should be. A film about giant monsters getting all tetchy. The focus was not on layered dialogue and depth of backstories, it was about a giant ape smashing stuff up. It was much more than that in truth but that was the starting point.

The film was a tad cliched but I honestly think that it worked in it's favour. Like with Jurassic park and other such films, it is somebodies stupidity or selfishness that triggers the giant 'kick off' and chaos.

There was just enough depth given to the main characters to know who is worth rooting for but not so much that the screen time is taken up by character development rather than huge monsters going all postal.

In my opinion 'Skull island' was well thought out and really well presented. The various different forms of life displayed fit in well and were not just add ons.

The casting for the film was decent too, for what was required. Jackson and Reilly were prominent as I expected but I thought all of the cast did well. 'Shea Whigham' probably displayed the best acting in the film in my opinion, but the I didn't think that anyone particularly let the cast down. There were a lot of fine actors in this film, but I assume none would feel that it was their most challenging role to date.

Kong himself is magnificent and really well done. I also feel that the film keeps in touch with the sentiments of the other films in terms of Kong and his character.

The fight scenes were done well in my opinion. Wide shots and not too much of this jerky close up nonsense.


What I didn't like
The major thing that annoyed me was some of the music. Not the music per se but the way it was used. Helicopters flying against a backdrop of a sunset, soldiers looking moody and then some rock music blaring out. It could have been lifted straight from 'Apocalypse now' with the rock music rather than 'Ride of the Valkyries'. IT was bad enough once but it happens about 3 times.

Apart from that I think that I enjoyed the film for what it was. It wasn't a moving piece of cinema that challenges me with it's emotionally charged dialogue and makes me want to be a better person, but it's not meant to be. It was a decent start to the latest portrayal of Kong. It also leads the way well into the future films in the 'MonsterVerse'
film series.

Rating

Rewatched this again today as I always thought that I didn't really like it.

On this viewing I appreciate so much about it but still feel that it goes from the sublime to the ridiculous.

I would have to see that it's not the film it's me.

I know that it is meant to be quirky and meant to break some of the rules and in someway it is meant to be ironic.

I know that it's the Coens style to throw some weirdness around but with this those bit's irritate me.

I love the characters, I mean really think they are superb, especially Walter.

There are plenty of genuinely funny moments and some are so subtle.

The acting is excellent from so many talented actors that appear in this film.

So much is great about it but some bits just irritate me. Namely the two dream sequences - Just nonsense.

As I said, I know it's me and I also know that this film has a cult following but I know that I would enjoy this film even more if the 'weird bits' weren't in it.