Pearl Harbor Review

        It’s the end of February and I’ve decided to spice it up a bit. Back in January, I wanted to do a comparison of The Godfather Part 3 and it’s 2020 recut. I feel it’s appropriate now to talk about a great historical romantic drama and a bad historical romantic drama. With the success of Titanic, it sent a ripple among Hollywood that some movies had to include a romance angle, even if it didn’t call for it. Pearl Harbor is one of those films. It’s a second Michael Bay movie I’m talking about now. And boy let me tell you it’s bad. 

1. Two Pilots and a Nurse

        Right as the movie starts, I honestly thought that the movie would just be about two friends. We follow Rafe and Danny as they’re highly gifted pilots for the Army. These two are the closest best friends where one of them defends the other from their drunken father. Aside from that, we really don’t get to know them. Well, except for Rafe who sometimes says in his dialogue that he’s a pilot and that’s his entire life. 

        This is from the Michael Bay school of characters where the characters have little to no depth at all. As I mentioned earlier, Rafe’s whole life is predicated on just flying. It’s his pride and joy and when given the choice to fight in Europe. He does exactly that and we have moments where he engages the Nazi’s in aerial dogfights. Now, just reading that, what exactly does that moment have to do with Pearl Harbor?

        I’ll get to that. I think, since there’s so much baggage that this movie has where I honestly think that watching it made me madder at it as a film. But I digress. We’re then introduced to Evelyn, alongside her fellow nurses as they’re transferred to Hawaii. Along the train ride, the new nurse tells her story on how she met Rafe. I think in one way, the film tried to do two things when she’s explaining the story. One is having her telling the story, and the other is when we’re shown that. 

        It tries to do the double duty, but I think it’s part of the film’s problem. Pacing is one of the film’s biggest problems. For one thing we don’t get a smooth transition when it comes to seeing what’s happening. We sort of just jump from one thing to another. Everything feels abrupt when we focus on the Japanese to the main characters. Like we have one scene when the enemy is planning the attack, then transition to a romance scene. 

        Compounding it is the overall runtime of the movie. Like, that whole moment when we follow Affleck’s character in Europe could’ve been cut. It’s inconsequential when it’s obvious that the main characters are going to see the actual attack. There’s so much padding in the film where it’s going about the laziest way to be an epic war film. Like with Cuba Gooding Jr.’s character, his whole story could’ve been an entirely different movie. It just feels shoehorned in to give the actual invasion gravitas. Or just making it more impactful.

        Lastly, the whole romance in the movie doesn’t work at all. I can understand when one of the friends hooks up with the love interest, but it just feels a bit wonky. One thing to make it work is chemistry, and this movie is missing that. Having two male leads loving one woman could’ve been more impactful. Although, the dialogue just ruins all moments of relating to the characters and the level of intimacy we see. We have this juxtaposition of masculinity and romantic intimacy clash that it literally is the film’s ultimate flaw. It’s literally putting a cube in a round hole, but forcing it enough where it fits. 

2. Historical Inaccuracy 

        The biggest sin for any historical film is to be completely inaccurate in terms of its subject matter and in the time of the event taking place. This movie is guilty of being associated with that. It’s obvious that it’s trying to be the masculine version of Titanic. With the backdrop of war and a friendship surviving an attack. Including the love interest who’s just there. I don’t mean to be misogynistic but that’s kind of how the film comes off to me. It would’ve been interesting to have a budding friendship nearly torn apart due to a woman and then come together as a way to stop the Japanese. 

        That’s one way the film could’ve been fixed. But the person who directed it was clearly so wrong for the role. Not to list the many historical problems since the official Pearl Harbor website listed some. And there’s more but I’ll leave it to that. The film treats the whole invasion as an unexpected attack. There’s no level of anxiety of something incoming when the characters are on the island. Like part of it feels boring since the characters don’t have that much depth to care. 

        Now we can talk about the actual bombing run. How it’s presented is an impressive feat of camera work and stunt work. But even with just how much explosions are shown when the Japanese bomb the battleships, it all just feels hollow. The way it’s shown is way too stylized and has that distinct Michael Bay flair to it. Especially when we have those moments when the regular civilians see the planes coming in. 

        The missed opportunity the movie has going for it was that it was rated PG-13. For such a turning point in World War 2, we see just a tamed version of how much is shown. Now, I don’t want to compare it with Saving Private Ryan due to superiority of the latter, but I’m going to. Ryan doesn’t shy away from the level of violence, but it wasn’t exaggerated. In this movie, it’s just eye candy seeing it and not having the sailors die gruesomely. 

        The whole movie could’ve been like a tension filled disaster movie. But it borders on action movie when we see the follow up retaliation attack on Japan. Even with me deciding what type of movie it could’ve been, it begs the question of why it was made. I can excuse any historical movie for being partly inaccurate. At least at the expense of telling the story and to shorten the actual event in the movie’s time. But I wouldn’t want a historical war movie be inaccurate to the point where it’s insulting to historians or veterans.

3. Overall

        With all that, Pearl Harbor is bad. I felt insulted watching it and it’s one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen.  

Titanic Review

        Titanic is one of the highest grossing movies of all time. No one at the time could’ve imagined that a romantic movie would gross a billion dollars in the late 90s. To put into perspective, this was before any superhero or an existing IP would dominate the box office in the 2000s or 2010s. In one way, it would’ve been too easy to make a movie on just the sinking of the ship. Adding a romantic side gave what could seemingly be a plain disaster movie the extra oomph that audiences weren’t expecting. 

1. Jack and Rose

        I get this feeling that the movie works simply for the fact that it fuses two different genres into one picture. Of course, the love angle steals the show. As well as the actual sinking of the ship, which I will get to don’t you worry. So, about the romance part. To me, it works in the film’s favor since it must be more than the actual event in question. 

        So, we mostly follow through Rose’s recollections about her being on the ship. Technically, we start with the sea explorers’ journey to get the famous necklace that is believed to be in the wreckage. Rose’s gets wind of the news and decides to tell the explorers the connection between her and the ship. This is one of the rarest films to be shown in a non-chronological order. 

        Right from the start, we see that Rose isn’t in a good place even though she’s living in high society. It’s ironic since she doesn’t believe in it and has a fiancée that is way to controlling and is just a plain dick. When she finally meets Jack, it’s the main highlight in the whole film. You believe the chemistry since he really allows her to break out of that snobbish role. Right down to inviting her to the lower decks party. Even teaching her how to hock a loogie. 

        The best scene that involves Jack is when he’s invited to the dinner along with Rose’s family. He feels out of his league, but Kathy Bates’ Molly helps him gain his confidence and really express himself with how he lives his life. He juxtaposes his rough and tumble ways with the affluent by just being someone who’s just trying to live. And it was a neat twist that it was him that sketched that portrait of Rose.

        As Old Rose is telling the story, it works in the film’s benefit since we get to contrast between the explorers and to the people who were in the ship. From how I see it, the crew of the Russian exploration ship are way too greedy about getting the prized necklace for profit. Even though the main captain states that he’s trying to preserve and save the artifacts. Not to say that they’re the baddies, Rose’s narration to her story really has them captivated.

        Like you couldn’t have gotten better actors than Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet to portray these two characters. As I mentioned before, their chemistry in the film works since it has that level of depth to them. It’s needed in this dynamic film where the runtime isn’t a factor. It’s three hours sure, but their relationship holds us over. Especially when the actual event happens, you want them to survive. In a way, their relationship is romantic and tragic. 

2. Titanic

        This wasn’t the first time that the ship was the focus for a film. At the time when the film came out, it was only the 11th film to be about the disaster. Some of them had the drama angle to them, while the others were a documentary and a propaganda film. It’s interesting to note that James Cameron is the director of the film. He was already an established director with his films The Terminator, Aliens, and Terminator 2: Judgement Day. His slate was mostly related to action films but credited with the smart action in his movies and overall ingenuity. I think it was during that moment where he wanted to do something different and stray away from what he was known for. Nothing wrong with that, and I can see his fascination with underwater when looking at clips from his underrated film The Abyss. 

        I give him credit since he went all the way to create the Titanic with a mixture of realism and special effects. You really feel like you’re in the time period when the ship takes off and being surrounded by the affluent of the vessel. The set design looks gorgeous and authentic to the time. This is when you have a director really care about the work to make sure that no shortcuts were taken when describing this story. Especially seeing the inner mechanism at work that powers up the ship’s engine.

        With all that squared away, let’s talk about the sinking of the ship. Let’s be honest, if the relationship aspect didn’t sell you or you just weren’t enthralled by it. Perhaps the ship sinking got you going. It’s like finally, after 2 hours the action starts to take shape. But before I talk about that, I want to connect the ship sinking with the Russian exploration ship. I feel that when Rose is telling the story, people want to know about the necklace, but hear how she survived. 

Then when she goes more in depth, people are just fascinated with her when she explains her relationship to Jack just before the ship collides with the iceberg. I can interpret the ship’s crew with the audience since they’re sold in with the romance that they represent us as to see just how the romantic duo will survive. 

        I just absolutely love how carefully crafted the sinking is handled in the film. It only took approximately two hours for the Titanic to sink and rip apart. Cameron perfectly showed that when we see the water gradually rise in the bowels of the ship. This is also where we get to see the film transition from a romantic one to a disaster film. It would’ve been exploitive to just focus on the disaster without any form of humanity. 

        And by humanity, we see in this event how far people go to survive. It doesn’t shy away just how desperate people can be. Through the violence and the desperation shows just the true nature of the disaster. I really like the special effects of the ship breaking apart and the people trying to get the higher ground. It’s shocking to see just how many people jumped into the freezing waters and get shot due to the flawed way the crew handled the evacuation.

        The whole disaster angle is just the background in terms of the romance aspect of the film. While the film takes place on the infamous vessel, people might be confused as to why not show the reason as to why the ship met its fate. It’s not about that but show just how far the couple survives aboard in the midst of danger. The whole romance can be applicable in any disastrous event but fits in the Titanic when one of them survives to tell the story.  

3. Legacy

        It’s shocking that this movie was for a while the highest grossing movie of all time. I can only assume that the events of the film really resonated with the general audience that they each got something out of the movie. As I mentioned earlier, the film appealed to a variety of people. And I feel that it was the last of the epic films. Meaning that the film has a massive cast, which it does, only to serve as the life that the Titanic had. 

        To this day, the film has a dedicated following whenever James Cameron releases the film to coincide with its anniversary. Especially putting in the correct star map as it was during the fateful night. More so that he made a documentary about him diving down to see the actual wreckage with his crew under the sea. 

        And it’s an accomplishment where Cameron has multiple films break the billion-dollar mark with this one and his Avatar films. It’s clear that he has a knack of creating exciting worlds and to really transport people into said worlds with interesting characters. He understands how to make a movie that appeals to anyone, without it feeling too niche or too genre specific. One last thing is that for some reason, Italy holds the dubious honor of releasing three animated Titanic movies. They’re bad, just bad. 

4. Overall

        Titanic is classic film by every stretch. The time doesn’t feel long in the least bit when you’re following the couple and seeing the actual event. 

Do The Right Thing Review

        About time I talk about a Spike Lee film. Especially one where it’s considered his best and helped establish a new kind of sub-genre in the early 90s. Granted, this isn’t the first movie I’ve seen from him. The first was BlacKkKlansman way back in 2018, a great bio-pic that maybe I’ll talk about in the future. For now, let’s talk about Do The Right Thing. 

1. One Hot Day

        The film perfectly captures the times its set in. It’s quaint now looking at it, but somethings remain. I’ll get to that in a moment. We follow this one block of Brooklyn on a particular hot day. Specifically, the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. We follow the main character Mookie working at a Pizzeria as a delivery man. The owner Sal has a son who is openly racist to the customers.

        The whole story is interconnected with the main characters, since we see them go about the particular hot day. What I like is that they all have distinct personalities. In this instance, you would think that with the cast this big wouldn’t have any screen time. This is one of those moments where the personalities manage to get by. Either by grouping them together or having them be shown as a duo. 

        The characters are one of the best things the film has going for. The dynamic chemistry they all have manage to sell the camaraderie that the whole neighborhood has. I think it works best when Mookie is interacting with them, or the camera focuses on them. Additionally, almost all of them don’t have actual names, but nicknames that are practically their names. One named Buggin’ Out, who instigates and kicks off the main conflict in the film. 

        I think what makes the film a classic is that the whole film takes place within a day. Duh, I gave it away with the tab title. Aside from that, it represents just how volatile the neighborhood gets when one person sets it all off. In one way, I think its representative of black culture and how it affects the people around. The pizzeria in the movie has existed for a long time, and the lack of representation sets off the ensuing conflict. 

2. Spike Lee

        So, let’s talk about Spike Lee for a bit. He’s one of the first independent filmmakers to start off small then make it big. In some ways, he’s one of the pioneers that made indie films cool before the 90s when the whole style exploded. Seeing just three films of his, the films are unapologetically black. Not to say that his films are a turn off to some curious filmgoers, but his style is mostly blunt and transcends this idea of being black. 

        One big takeaway visually is how Spike Lee uses the camera. One way that he uses the camera is when he uses it as a way to see what the character is seeing. Specifically, in the scene that comes after Mookie and Pino talk about their grievances with each other’s races. The camera faces the characters and have them spout off racial stereotypes. It’s supposed to be in your face and uncomfortable. Another is how long he uses the camera for the dialogue. He uses long takes for dialogue which really give the performances the believability.

        The last thing I want to bring up is the opening dance number the film starts off in. We see a woman dance to the tune of “Fight the Power”. Her dancing doesn’t match what’s playing. I didn’t get it at first, but sitting on it more as I thought about it more. Either that or watch the Eagles getting their feathers plucked in the Super Bowl. Anyways, her dancing sort of matches with the powder keg that we see in the movie. The attitude and power keeps up with the song as its playing. 

3. Doing the “Right” thing

        In this film, the title itself is about the overall question that the movie has. The phrase doing the right thing is visually presented as we see the various people hanging out and dealing with the heat. Some people try ways to deal with it, while others are perpetually stuck since they can’t move out. For instance, Mookie is confronted by the drunk Da Mayor, who tells him to “do the right thing”. It’s vague on purpose which leaves Mookie continuing what he’s doing. 

        Vague and subjective is probably the main reason what Spike Lee is going for. Especially in the final moments in the film when the character Radio Raheem gets killed by the cops. Everyone is upset about the arrest, but Mookie decides to throw the trashcan into the pizzeria. Which predictably gets looted and sets a blaze. What’s interesting is that Mookie doesn’t participate in it and just watch it happen. So the bigger thing to ask is, did you feel something when Radio got chocked or when the looting happened?

        It's one of those things where the film doesn’t give an exact answer and lets the viewer to decide. Rarely do films do that anymore, since audiences can’t have the extra neuron in their brain to think about a movie they just sat in for a good two hours. To me, it’s evocative with what it’s going for, and shows just how timely it is since we see what’s going on in other cities with the topic the film presents is still relevant. 

4. Overall

        Do The Right Thing is a classic and timely film. It gives us a lens of some of a culture that is alien to anyone who doesn’t have that skin color. Unapologetic to the core and endearing to watch if you’re curious. 

Rudy Review

        One month done and we’re in February. And as is tradition in this country, we got a big game coming up. And it only makes sense to talk about one football movie to celebrate such an occasion. Now this is my first-time watching Rudy so take this review as a genuine first impression. I’ve heard from everywhere that it’s considered the best football movie all around. After viewing it, I can see why. 

1. Daniel Eugene Ruettiger 

        If you’ve ever heard of the movie or you’re a big enough fan of the university, you’d probably heard of this guy. His story has been a source of inspiration where nowadays would seem impossible for any kid to try out for a legendary football program. The fact that he did it as a walk-on says a lot and how much he had to sacrifice is impressive.

        With all that, how does the movie represent his life? For the most part, I’m a sucker for underdog stories and this one is up there in that sports sub-genre. You see there’s a spectrum of sports movies where you can differentiate which is which. The most famous ones are the historical since they focus on a specific team or a player. Rudy is on that category. While the others are mostly fiction but retains that rugged individualism with mixed results. 

        What makes Rudy work is that he goes through so much just to play with his favorite team. We see that drive in the very beginning when he’s playing football with his brothers. Right down to reciting Notre Dame’s head coach Knute Rockne’s famous locker room speech. He loves the school and is willing to go through any lengths to be in the team. 

        While it takes a moment in the film to have him be a Fighting Irish. We see just how much Rudy deals with in terms of doubt, and the many obstacles. It’s ones of those films where that doubt is justified given how Rudy has everything going against him. His brothers don’t believe he’ll make it since they attribute his want to just being fanatical. Especially when his own girlfriend doesn’t go with him to South Bend.

        Sean Astin’s performance really sells just how much he can take it as far as pain and disappointment is concerned. Like, in anyone’s shoes when they get a letter of rejection. One would just walk and quit. For Rudy that’s not the case at all. He’s one to ride out the community college and try again in the application. Persistence is the theme of the movie. Like it’s not so much of him going in for the touchdown, but being in the team and contributing in any way is the main idea. 

        Lastly, I do love the supporting characters. I think my favorite out of all of them is Fortune who’s the groundskeeper for the stadium. He lets the idealistic man volunteer in the groundskeeping crew, but he sees through the façade that he wants to be a player. He’s a no nonsense guy that gives him the tough love when Rudy goes through the motion of everything not going his way. 

        The other is his best friend, Pete. That’s a guy who you want to be your friend since he’s the only one that sticks with Rudy. Going so far as to buying him a jacket to keep his motivation high. For as much as I like him as a character, he’s only in the beginning moments of the film. Not to give away what happens but it’s unfortunate that he had to bite the dust. On the flipside, becoming the motivation for Rudy go for his dream. 

2. Mystic of Notre Dame

        This isn’t the first time that Notre Dame was the subject of a feature film. Specifically, it’s in the background but the people associated with the university gives it the mystique of it. For instance, two films were made in the 1931 and 1940. The Spirit of Notre Dame and Knute Rockne, All American focus on the coach and the player in question. With that exposure, it’s unheard of to have a university get that level of awareness to the general audience. Now, there are other sports movies that have other universities, but they can’t quite match the uniqueness like Notre Dame. 

        In the context of the movie, how I see it is that it’s sort of like a tease to Rudy. In one scene for instance has the guy join a booster club, but is told to leave since he’s not an official student. Another is when he’s trying to get some tickets, all the while the camera zooms out and we see the game on his left side. It all works to have that underdog motif in the film. No matter how much far he goes, where he wants to be is right there. 

3. Legacy

        The film was a modest success and has gotten into the hearts of the sports film aficionados. I was surprised that there was two actors who actually got their start, as far as I’m aware. Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn appear in the film before they were house hold names. We’ve seen Jon’s work with his Iron Man film and in the Star Wars show The Mandalorian. In fact, Favreau wrote the screenplay for the film Swingers and had Vaughn show up. From there, he became one of the many faces of comedy in the early 2000s.

4. Overall

        Rudy is a football gem and another classic of the underdog films. It’s tough to rank it among the best football movies, but it’s certainly up there.