Movies: Mass Post... Part II

A bit more of a serious note today with some heavy dramas that I've seen lately.

We'll start with the amazing Dallas Buyers Club based on the true story of AIDS sufferer Ron Woodroof, set in the 1985. Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) fought the FDA for years over the illegal drugs he was taking that were actually improving his quality of life as a HIV patient. He goes from being anti-gay to having a transgender best friend and business partner. After his discovery of alternative treatment drugs he starts up the Dallas Buyers Club: a loophole in the laws that allows him to legally sell memberships rather than the drugs themselves. Who knows how many lives he saved / extended with this endeavor. After watching this movie I can see why Jared Leto and McConaughey won Academy Awards for their performances, they were both amazing, especially Leto. Worth a watch.

The Book Thief is an adaption of the book by Markus Zusak, which I haven't read yet but is still on my to-read list after having watched the movie, so that's saying something right? Narrated by Death (Roger Allam), set in 1939 Nazi Germany, we know this movie will have some tense / sad parts, and man does it ever. The story revolves around Liesel (Sophie Nelisse) who just loves to read books in a time when books and knowledge are dangerous things to have. I don't want to give anything away but it's a really lovely story...right until it's not. Also starring Geoffrey Rush, who I just found out was born very close to where I was born. I would watch it again, probably after reading the book.

I had been waiting for 47 Ronin to come out but I hadn't heard anything about it except that it was a samurai movie starring Keanu Reeves (The Matrix). It's based on an old legend about a group of ronin - samurai without a master - who avenge their fallen lord. What I didn't realise about it was that there was going to be such a fantasy element to it, I suppose I should have known better though... The first beast scared the hell out of me purely because I wasn't expecting it. The animations are obvious but the creatures and the art itself is fantastic, as is the film style. I enjoyed it but then again, I enjoy a lot of foreign films... This is pretty Westernised though considering. It didn't do very well according to the box office but it's another movie that I would watch again.

That'll do for today. I have some rather strange movies lined up for tomorrow's post, so stay tuned!

Love Gee
xoxo

Documentary: Jonestown: The Life and Death of the Peoples Temple (2006)

Jonestown: The Life and Death of the Peoples Temple
SBS Documentary

Cults are fascinating things aren't they? I cant help but think they're not all bad, I mean those people were all so happy living in their self sustainable, multi-racial farm of a home... at least until they were all poisoned....

I'm sure you've all heard about this before; in 1978 (on my birthday) 909 members of the Peoples Temple, including over 200 children, drank cyanide and died in what is the largest loss of American civilian life in a non-natural disaster until the events of September 11, 2001.

I'm still not exactly sure why they did it, except perhaps due to their blind faith in crazy leader Jim Jones. The few days beforehand congressman Leo Ryan had been visiting after receiving letters from concerned family members about the goings on in Jonestown, Guyana. While there, his reporters were secretly handed notes from Temple members begging them to take them away from Jonestown. The letters were immediately passed onto the Congressman and in my opinion, this is what started the whole disastrous chain of events.

Its devastating really and I don't understand it. I guess that's what makes it so fascinating to me.

I've tossed up on the rating for a few days now and come to the conclusion that its a documentary and if it informs while entertaining then I don't see why it cant have a full score... so
5 out of 5 angry dictators...

Movie: Black Hawk Down (2001)

Black Hawk Down (2001)
Action, Drama, History

Now I'm assuming you have all seen this movie before, unlike me. *gasp* Yes, I know, I should have seen this years ago. I mean its only won two Oscars and however many other awards. The cast is fantastic; Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana (Troy, Hulk), Ewan McGregor (Train Spotting), Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy), William Fichtner (Armageddon).

How can I not have seen this? *shrugs* No idea...

It's a Ridley Scott (Gladiator) film, based on a book by Mark Bowden, based on the very real events of the Battle of Mogadishu.

Seems to me that someone fucked something up really badly... lots of people got dropped into the middle of a hostile mob with lots of heavy artillery, not only that but they crashed not one but two black hawk helicopters, and then the convoy that was supposed to rescue them all is taking heavy fire and gets freaking lost?!?

Jesus Christ, what a mess!

This movie frustrated me to no end! I was pulling my hair out. My street directions are better than Base camps and I am hopeless at directions. I'm so angry, I feel like going to play Call of Duty just to even out the score a little.

Eric Bana was my favorite part of the whole thing. Not only is he Australian and awesome but the combination of Bana and the character is so kick-ass! If only they had more than one of him...or the team of SEALs from Act of Valor...

2 out of 5 Eric Bana's, cos I wish there was....

Bonus; The soundtrack! Alice in Chains, House of Pain, Faith No More!