I have been waiting to see the Movie" Atonement" for over a month but it didn't start showing in Medford until after Christmas and then my wife came down with a bad cold so finally last weekend we went and I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it is a good movie and yesterday it got a "Best Picture" nomination but it was not as good as I had hoped. Basically the story starts in 1930's England were a young man is falsely accused of sexual assault and goes to prison and then is released to join the English Army in France during the early months of World War II. He ends up at Dunkirk on the French side of the English Channel when the British Army is evacuated as France is falling to the Germans. He is in love with the older sister of his accuser and their love story is a major part of this movie. The movie is beautiful to look at, there is good acting, and the sets, costumes and music are very well done. I love movies about the English during World War II and I like this story but the Director harms the movie by intruding on it. You end up being distracted by how he directs the movie rather than being able to set back and become emotionally involved in the story. You always know you are watching a movie. Basically he tries to be too "artsy". The first half of the movie is very slooooow. I have always been intrigued by Dunkirk and the movie has the longest enactment of that "battle" in movie history with a cast of thousands (or so it seems) but again the Direction get in the way of the drama of the moment. If I had not heard about the movie and just watched it I would have probably been pleasantly surprised but with all the build up it didn't meet my expectations. I wanted a 5***** movie an all I got was a 4****. Before I went someone described it as another "English Patient" and I didn't want to believe it but it is true. The movie also has a certain amount of revisionist history cynicism that I dislike. On the other hand there a are some very moving scenes that show the horror of war and the kindness of people. It didn't get nominated but "Charlie Wilson's War" is still my pick for movie of the year.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Movie: "Attonement".......... Very Slow! ****
I have been waiting to see the Movie" Atonement" for over a month but it didn't start showing in Medford until after Christmas and then my wife came down with a bad cold so finally last weekend we went and I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it is a good movie and yesterday it got a "Best Picture" nomination but it was not as good as I had hoped. Basically the story starts in 1930's England were a young man is falsely accused of sexual assault and goes to prison and then is released to join the English Army in France during the early months of World War II. He ends up at Dunkirk on the French side of the English Channel when the British Army is evacuated as France is falling to the Germans. He is in love with the older sister of his accuser and their love story is a major part of this movie. The movie is beautiful to look at, there is good acting, and the sets, costumes and music are very well done. I love movies about the English during World War II and I like this story but the Director harms the movie by intruding on it. You end up being distracted by how he directs the movie rather than being able to set back and become emotionally involved in the story. You always know you are watching a movie. Basically he tries to be too "artsy". The first half of the movie is very slooooow. I have always been intrigued by Dunkirk and the movie has the longest enactment of that "battle" in movie history with a cast of thousands (or so it seems) but again the Direction get in the way of the drama of the moment. If I had not heard about the movie and just watched it I would have probably been pleasantly surprised but with all the build up it didn't meet my expectations. I wanted a 5***** movie an all I got was a 4****. Before I went someone described it as another "English Patient" and I didn't want to believe it but it is true. The movie also has a certain amount of revisionist history cynicism that I dislike. On the other hand there a are some very moving scenes that show the horror of war and the kindness of people. It didn't get nominated but "Charlie Wilson's War" is still my pick for movie of the year.
