Machine Gun Preacher (2011)

Starring: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Shannon

Director: Marc Forster
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1586752/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_Gun_Preacher

You know how Africa has a lot of problems? All those wars and child soldiers and everything? Ever wanted some guy to go around and kill all the bad guys with a machine gun and then make a movie about him with the guy from "300"? Then this is the movie for you! Or is it...?

Based on the true story of Sam Childers, Gerard Butler plays the protagonist, a drug addict just out of jail who does not seem too concerned about changing his ways. But after a night on the town goes terribly wrong, he decides to follow his wife's advice and becomes a born-again Christian. He starts to turn his life around by getting a job as a building contractor before eventually starting his own company. But things really start to change when he takes part in a Sudanese outreach program and becomes heavily involved in their cause. Wanting to build and run a church, he is constantly under attack by the rebels who are trying to either kill the children in the area or turn them into soldiers. Eventually he has enough, so he picks up a machine gun and starts wiping them out, determined to stop them at all cost.

This movie is one of those films that "is what it is." Despite its title, it is not really about religious faith, but it does highlight the moral issues surrounding the plight of African children. Childers represents these issues at various points in his mission and it becomes clear that he does not do well with the word "no." Despite his controversial ideas and actions, he keeps pushing forward until he gets his way. He gets very angry when a friend of his who shortchanges him on a check to give to his church while throwing a party at his multimillion dollar house. However, it also happens when his daughter asks to rent a limo for her formal, with her responding with the quote "you care more about those black babies than you do about me." It shows how people in the developed world can dismiss those in the developing world, but also that those who fight for a good cause can sometimes go overboard, however pure their intentions may be.

You have to give credit to Butler as he does a good job showing Childers in the various stages of his life. While it is not exactly an Oscar-worthy performance, for his own sake, it is good to see that he can actually act. Not that he did not do an amazing job in the classic that is "Gamer," (http://docuniverse.blogspot.com/2010/10/review-gamer-2009.html) but it just seemed like he got overshadowed by a masturbating fat guy and Dexter trying to pull off Frank Sinatra/Michael Jackson. Yes...classic...

There are probably two big flaws with this film. First of all, it does not have very good pasting, particularly in the beginning. It just bounces from Jail, Drugs, Redemption, Happy Life, Africa in really short order. I know that this first part is not really the main focus of the movie, but they could have slowed it down a little it by adding an extra scene here or there. Luckily it gets easier as the film goes on.

The second problem is that the film comes off as being really heavy-handed. This may seem a bit obvious since this is about genocide in Africa. I guess it feels especially so because it is very blunt; while it may talk about the big issues and how it effects people, there is no real subtly to it and at times it feels like it is being thrown in your face. But in a way, that is kind of the point. Childers is a very straight forward person and the style of the picture seems to put that upfront and center.

So that is that. Like always, I am judging the movie based on what I saw, not on what actually happened (they do show some photos of the real-life Childers during the end credits and it concludes with a video in which Childers poses a poignant, if rather disturbing question, to the camera). I cannot say that this movie is for everyone because of everything I just mentioned, but I personally liked it overall, and if it seems it suits you, I recommend it.

I do not own the rights to these pictures and links; they belong to their respective owners and are being used for entertainment purposes only. Please do not sue me.

United 93 (2006)

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001, so I thought it would be appropriate if I marked the moment by reviewing a film that chronicles the events and to this day remains one of the most powerful movies I have ever seen. I saw the movie a while ago and so I tried to watch it again to refresh my memory. Unfortunately, because of technological and timing issues, I was only able to watch the very beginning of it. So if some parts of this review appear to be little uneven or if I say something that does not quite match up with what actually happened, I apologize ahead of time. Like the producers of this film probably knew, not everything you try to create can be perfect, so you just have to go with what you have hope that it turns out for the best. So without further ado, here is "United 93":

Directer: Paul Greengrass

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475276/

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_93_(film)

(I have decided to keep the cast anonymous to preserve the feel of the film)

The film focuses on the flight of United 93, which was hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists, but was briefly retaken before crashing into a field in Pennsylvania.

I do not really need to go any further with the summery since we all know what happened on that day. The reason why this film is still worth watching, however, is because its point of view of the tragedy is subtle and yet intense at the same time. It does not glamorize anything and it does not feel contrived at all. In other words, it does not feel like a typical Hollywood production.

Humanity is a big theme in the film. When it first starts, it shows the soon-to-be hijackers praying and preparing for their last day on Earth. It soon becomes apparent that, while their is no sign that they will abort the mission, they are clearly very nervous. You have to give credit for being able to make the terrorists look like flesh and blood human beings and yet not overdoing it to make them sympathetic. We are then shown others who are going to board and they are shown to be, well, human as well. Just normal everyday people going about their daily lives, not knowing that they are about to be written into the history books. Sadly, they will not be there to seen it.

The technical aspects of the film are also well done. It is shot semi-documentary-style, which only adds to the down-to-earth feeling it emulates. The music is also present, but not overwhelming. Most importantly, it mainly focuses on the passengers themselves, with only occasional breaks that shows us the FAA as it tries to deal with the chaos that develops. We see passengers as they too attempt to understand what is going on, discover what is happening in New York and Washington, and ultimately what they must do to put a stop to the men who are set to destroy the Capital Building.

As I mentioned in the introduction, it would have nearly impossible to get everything right, though they do a really good job. It should be noted, for instance, that Ben Sliney, who was the FAA National Operations Manager on September 11th (his first day on the job, if you can imagine that), plays himself in the film. The only big thing that seems to stick out is that apparently there is a man depicted in the film by the name of Christian Adams who is seen as an appeaser even though in real life he was nothing like that. Again, it has been a while since I have seen the movie, so I cannot personal vouch for either side. Needless to say, if you make a film about September 11th, it is bound to get some criticism no matter what, fairly or unfairly. My personal opinion, however, is that this film, whatever its flaws, is a great piece of work because it manages to capture the mood and the raw emotions that were felt on that day: the shock, the panic, the confusion, the grief, even the (bittersweet) triumph. The ending, which occurs right as the plane and the people on board meet their final fate and we all see coming, is nonetheless very gripping and powerful, though there are no real words to truly describe it.

This film is excellent. Whatever films are made about the attacks in the future, this certainly sets the bar very high. If you feel very strongly about the 9/11 attacks and do not have the will to see it, I certainly do not blame you. But if you are willing, I definitely recommend it.

For the last time, I am sorry I could not give a more elaborate review of the film; it was just beyond my control. However, I still wanted to do something to commemorate the anniversary (even if it is a little late), because I was a child in September of 2001, and like so many other people of my generation, it was a turning point in how I viewed the world and life in general. For better or for worse, the events changed everything and while nothing can really explain all that transpired from that day, this movie at least helps put things in perspective and shows that, despite the tragedy, that we can always hope foe a better tomorrow. Yes, I know this all sounds a bit corny, especially after that "Captain America" bit I did recently, but it is the truth. And in the end, that is really the best I can really offer.

The image and links above do not belong to me. They are copyrighted by their respective owners and are being used for entertainment purposes only.

Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas) (2005)

Starring: Benno Furmann, Guillaume Canet, Daniel Bruhl

Director: Christian Carion

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424205/

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyeux_Noël

"Joyeux Noel" (or "Merry Christmas" in English) is a 2005 French film about the real-life World War I Christmas truce. It focuses on a number of German, French, and Scottish soldiers who in December of 1914 lay down their arms in order to put a stop to the fighting, if only briefly, and fraternize with each other.

This movie kind of has an unfair advantage. I say this because it was probably going to be good no matter what anyone did to it just because it is such an amazing story. Well, then again, anything is possible, especially in the realm of film making; I guess we should be thankful that this was a foreign film as opposed to one created by Hollywood. Anyway, whatever the case, it turned out very well. It did a fantastic job of showing the difficulties of fighting a war against those with such a similar culture and who under normal circumstances would be your friendly neighbors instead of the people who you are being ordered to kill. While there are strands of uneasiness and animosity, the troops genuinely want to be at peace with their counterparts, as they drink together, exchange information about themselves and their living conditions in the trenches, and even play soccer against one another (okay, they're European, so its technically football).

You know how when you are a little kid (or even as an adult) you get really depressed when Christmas comes to an end? Well...how do you think these guys must have felt? Almost needless to say, the soldiers on both sides find it very difficult to go back to the bloodshed after two days of harmony. They refuse to shoot the enemy, and even go so far as to hide them in their respective trenches during artillery bombings. Eventually, however, the military leaders intervene and the inevitable realities of war rear their ugly heads. Still, the extraordinary peace that these men experienced during those few days remains with them, if only in mind and spirit.

I know this review seems more like a summery than an actual critique, but that is mostly because the story itself does reveals most of the emotion and power involved in the movie. As I mentioned, there was the small possibility of that it would fail, but this was far from the case. The performances are excellent, there are a number of great lines exchanged between the characters and the music that is sung or played throughout the picture is fantastic. All of these factors make it a really wonderful and inspiring film to watch anytime of the year, but especially over the holidays, and I strongly recommend it.

This review, while a little short, seems like a fitting one to post on the site on Christmas Eve, though more reviews will be featured before the year comes to a close. Merry Christmas.