The Dark Knight

Batman a series of television shows, comic books and films has finally blown itself away with the filmThe Dark Night directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan.  Nolan decided to sit back down into the directors chair and make an extraordinary sequel to Batman Begins.  This film, released in 2008 and right away made all other super-hero films look horrendous by including loads of special effects, having great costume and makeup, as well, getting the most amazing actors to play for all the different and interesting roles. 

Initially this film wasn’t the best I had seen, but I have to admit over time it will grow on everyone and anyone. Even if you are not the type to watch an action packed super hero film, you honestly can’t help yourself from getting sucked into this one!

A part of the movie that blew me away was the costumes and makeup used, especially on the Joker played by Heath Ledger.  This was what pretty much made his character all together- the green greasy hair, the white wrinkled face paint, the bright red creepy smile with old yellow teeth, all made him what everyone knows as the Joker.  

Heath Ledger’s acting for the Joker was outstanding as well, everything he did was perfect for the character he was playing, especially the different tones of voices he used.  I personally believe that Heath’s acting made the film what it was and without him the movie would have just been so-so.  There is really no surprise for why he won numerous awards for his fantastic role play. 

This movie is 100% one that I would recommend to several people, being older or younger I think that everyone will find this film fantastic and end up loving it for different reasons.  Overall I would rathe this movie a 9 out of 10.    

Shake Hands With the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire

Shake Hands With The Devil:The Journey of Romeo Dallaire was a very insightful documentary, which showed Romeo Dallaire’s journey back to Rwanda for the 10th anniversary of the Genocide.  This documentary is very interesting to watch yet alone, although, if you are someone who had previously seen Shake Hands With the Devil you will enjoy watching this film even more. In the documentary you are not only introduced to the real Romeo Dallaire but the audience also gets introduced to Dallaire’s wife, as he brings her along to show her Kigali through his eyes.  

This documentary allows the audience into Dallaire’s past life as being the present commander of the United Nations for the peacekeepings in Rwanda.  While watching Dallaire reveals a lot of information on how he felt during the genocide, number one being the guilt he endured after feeling like he failed his mission.  During this time the audience see’s all of the flashbacks Dallaire is imagining in his head and at this time some of the most disturbing images are revealed, while seeing the Tutsi and Hutu moderates getting beaten to death.  Another very interesting part to this documentary were the number of people that were interviewed alongside with Dallaire, that were also at some point involved with the genocide.  This film leaves a tremendous emotional and depressing toll on several individuals, especially while learning about the toll this played on Dallaire’s life, especially his heath.  

The scene that really shocked me was when Dallaire and his wife walked into a tiny hut where hundreds of skulls were lined up across the table, outlining the numerous amounts of people that were killed in the genocide.  I think this was the scene that made the genocide seem so much more realistic for the viewers who had not heard about it before hand.  

Although this film is hard to watch at times I think everyone should watch it at some point in their life, while it outline a horrific time in history.  I would give it a 7 out of 10 for sure.  

Born On the Fourth Of July

Born on the fourth of July is a great movie which illustrates the effects of the Vietnam war on soldiers.  This movie in particular is about a young “All American boy”  from a small town who enjoyed playing sports, named Ron Kovic. Ever since Kovic was born he dreamed of joining the army and fighting for his country, something that he was very proud and fond of doing.  Although this dream of Kovic’s did not turn out exactly as planned, when he enlisted in the war and was sent to Vietnam he was served to live in horrible conditions, accidentally shot someone and was paralyzed from the waist down from a gunshot wound.    

An element of narrative that I found the most interesting in the film was the acting of Ron Kovic’s character, because he developed so much over the years.  When he returns back from Vietnam to his hometown you see how is character had developed. Turning into being a very depressed and guilty person, who is confused on how to conduct his daily life without being in the war and not having all of his body parts functioning.  Ron’s overall spirit runs out and in the middle of the film he seems like he has nothing else within him, as he makes his life look hopeless and pointless.  

A scene in the film that really caught my attention was the two scenes of the Fourth of July parades.  The first time this scene is shown Ron is a young All American boy who has big dreams for himself, as going to war and fighting for his country.  While seeing this parade Ron pictures himself as being one of the war veterans walking.  The second time this scene is shown Ron is actually in the parade as a veteran who is then paralyzed. Both of these shots show Ron’s character as a before and after shot, which is really quite interesting.  

Overall, I would definitely recommend this film to a lot of people, I would even say that I would watch this movie again.  Although it talks about a serious world issue, this film is quite simple to watch.     

From Hell

From Hell is quite an interesting film which takes place during the Victorian Era in London.  The film itself is about Jack the Ripper and the social issues that were caused from his insanity.  Initially, I did not know a lot about Jack the Ripper .  Although I have to admit this film was able to demonstrate some of the problems that Jack the Ripper caused and was able to give a general background about his character I still don’t think this film was very good.  Very often I was staring at my clock to see how much longer I had to watch this film, meaning it was very boring and even a little creepy and disturbing.   Unless, you are the type of individual who enjoys watching mysterious movies, I would not recommend this film for you.  It was not exactly the most relaxing film I have ever seen!

One of the characters that caught my attention while watching was Johnny Depp who played Inspector Frederick Abberline.  Johnny Depp did a great job capturing the audiences attention and added a lot to the film.  In the movie, his character was a police officer who was sent to investigate the murder scenes which Jack the Ripper caused.  During the film Abberline takes loads of pills because this allows him to dream about the scenes of the murders which then allows him to find answers behind each murder.  

This film was definitely different from anything I have seen before, yet in this case I wouldn’t necessarily say thats a good thing.  At times this film was interesting to watch, but I personally don’t think its for everyone.   

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump

The film Forrest Gump is an excellent movie which takes place during the 1960’s and 70’s and which highlights the US involvement in the Vietnam War.  Forrest in the film is a less intelligent man than others, who travels charmingly and effortlessly through life; having great opportunities while being in the right places at the right time. 

Forrest fights in the Vietnam War, teaches Elvis Presley how to dance, becomes a football star and meets the president of the United States who at the time was John F. Kennedy.  These are only a few of the memorable moments which are thrown into Forrest’s life, although through these times Forrest never forgets the love of his life Jenny. 

Jenny grew up with Forrest and was abused by her father. While growing up Jenny comes in and out of Forrest’s life, while dealing with her own problems with drug abuse.  Forrest Gump is a must see movie, although it is quite old as it came out in theatres in 1994, it is a movie that will capture the audience.  

Watching this film several elements stood out, one of which was Tom Hank's stellar performance as Forrest.  Forrest is a simple-minded man who achieves greatness.  No matter on the situation Forrest was always a good friend and could be relied on.  Throughout Forrest’s childhood he was belittled and bullied, but with the unending support of his mother, he has the Midas Touch.  Tom Hanks is able to carry his performance throughout the film - staying in character consistently. Tom Hanks deservedly won several awards for playing Forrest’s character in the film.

The use of film music was also very effective for this film.  The music included a lot of old classics from the 60’s and 70‘s for example, the songs of the Beatles and Bob Dylan, all very well known artists from that specific time period.  This use of music was able to set the mood for the film, because all of these songs symbolized the events which were taking place during the film.  For example, during the Vietnam War protests, the Beatles were playing in the background. This music was able to symbolize what the nation wanted, peace and love.  

Overall, I would recommend this film to almost anyone over the age of 13.  This would allow the viewers to have some background information about specific events which take place during the movie.  As well, the film included a little bit of violence and substance abuse, which those under the age of 13 should not see.  

Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now is a very strange, but interesting story about the Vietnam War and the effects the war had on the American soldiers who fought in the war which took place from the mid-sixties to the early seventies.  
     Honestly, after watching I have still not decided if I like or dislike this movie. So many different events took place and personally it was a little too much for me to handle.  If you're the type of person who enjoys watching a movie that has tons of action, history and thinking involved, then this movie is right for you.  If not, then I am not so sure.  
     Something that stood out to me in this movie was the music.  An interesting fact about this film is that originally the producer wanted to include songs only sung by The Doors who were popular during the time of the Vietnam War and because their lyrics were political in nature. Another reason why the film music played such an important role during the film, in my eyes, was because for parts of the movie the music was used by the American soldiers to inform the Vietnamese that they were coming, to kill their population.  Although most would think it would be a nice gesture it was not used for that purpose; the soldiers intentionally did this because they knew it scared the Vietnamese people, which amused them.  

     The thing that I disliked the most about the film overall was the ending.  Although I guess it concluded the story, it just didn’t seem like a proper ending.  It was neither sad nor happy; it just left the audience with no emotion.  The main purpose here I suppose was to keep the audience thinking after watching.  

     Overall, rating this movie I would give it a 6 out of 10.  It really just wasn’t a movie for me, although I would still recommend it to some.    

Ghosts of Rwanda

Ghosts of Rwanda was a very informative yet difficult film to watch.  In this documentary, individuals are exposed to the after affects of the Rwandan genocide.  Ghosts of Rwanda included several different perspectives throughout the documentary including Rwandan citizens, their government, our government and several others.  Although very informative to watch, providing people with the advantage of hearing everyones side of the story, I would never watch this film for a second time.  The images displayed are very graphic and leave people with a horrible feeling.  In order to watch the entire documentary viewers must have a true passion and interest for learning more about the Rwandan Genocide.  

My recommendation for this film is that people watch Hotel Rwanda and Shake Hands With the Devil beforehand, because these two films will provide viewers with the correct information that they need in order to watch Ghosts of Rwanda.

Overall, I would give this movie a 7 out of 10, and would recommend it to individuals who already know background info about the genocide in Rwanda.