Dunkirk Review

 

        This was the first war movie that I watched in theaters. I was hyped due in large part that Christopher Nolan was directing it. Having watched his previous movie Interstellar, I was disappointed but I won't say it was his worst film. When I watched the trailer, I felt it was a return of the director to tell a story of one event in World War 2 that not many people were aware of. To be clear, this wasn’t the only movie about Operation Dynamo. Back in the 20th century, movies like Mrs. Miniver and Weekend at Dunkirk were mostly about or taking place during the event. The former even won Best Picture in 1942.

1. Three Perspectives

        It’s not a Christopher Nolan movie when he manipulates how a story is told. Here, it’s mostly told in a nonlinear way. Three separate stories happen during the evacuation: The Mole details one soldier named Tommy attempting to escape Dunkirk through sneaking into ships, eventually meeting other soldiers, The Sea details a father and son, along with a friend sailing to Dunkirk to rescue any soldiers. Lastly, The Air details two pilots attempting to stop enemy fighters and bombers from killing the surviving soldiers. 

        Simple idea in the least bit. What makes it more enthralling is that those three individual storylines are told in varying times. This is probably the most experimental Nolan has done in terms of telling a nonlinear story. While I can understand that some casual viewers might be confused by the way the story is being presented. Such as when the father and son see the two British pilots, and then cut to the only surviving pilot chasing a bomber. The main thing about the whole interconnected story is that it shows a single event in various angles. 

        I love how it’s being presented, for the fact that we get to see just how heroism and simple survival is shown. The best way that its shown is when the sound makes the tension even worse. It just adds to the overall dread of the Nazis slowly surrounding the British and the only help their getting is just a week away. 

        Another thing that I like is that mostly all the main characters have a personality. While most of them don’t have an arc since there’s no time to divulge on who they are and what they were doing. We see the camaraderie with the people they are around. To make up for it is when the characters present doubt in themselves. Such as when the mariner’s son Peter asking his Dad if it’s possible to turn around. 

2. Aerial Combat

        The dogfights is probably the best moment when we switch to the pilot’s perspective. It can be difficult hearing them due to their breathing apparatus. Just a side note, is there a clause in Tom Hardy’s contract to have him wear a mask or something obstructing his face? Anyways, the aerial dogfight is something unique. It’s doesn’t have any quick cuts or anything fancy, just a gritty view of how an air combat is being presented. 

        Probably the most anxiety triggering sound is when we hear the Nazi bomber approaching the beach. Just that sound and Kenneth Branagh’s character turning to see it just adds that moment of dread. That specific shot where we see soldiers one by one look up at the sky and all crouching to avoid being hit just contributes to the tension. 

3. Heroism

        To make a great war movie in varyingly degree is to show the heroism. How it’s being presented is when we have that moment when the Colonel sees that a fleet of affluent civilians approach the beach to bring in the soldiers. It was cool seeing that happen, since I was not even aware that it really did happen. With some creative liberties but I’ll allow it. 

        This is probably those rare war movies where there isn’t blood drawn. No one should expect a shoot ‘em up with these movies, but really takeaway of just how an honest to God act of selfless service like that is the most bravest thing anyone can do when the odds of rescue was just logistically impossible.

4. Overall 

        This is one of Christopher Nolan’s best film. I may even say this is even better than his Dark Knight Trilogy films. Dunkirk is those rare films that it didn’t need to be rated R. But to show how the brilliance of British ingenuity in rescuing soldiers in a tough situation. 

        Dunkirk gets a four out of five. 

1917 Review

 

        This is my second film that I have watched from director Sam Mendes. He gained fame when his film American Beauty won Best Picture in 1999. The British director continued making great films like Road to Perdition and Jarhead to name a few. It can be interpreted that he reinvented James Bond when he directed Skyfall, which is still the highest grossing James Bond film to be released. 1917 is a departure from the espionage films to a more intimate look at war. A very simple film that easily had me hooked with having the background of World War 1, and its film aesthetics. 

1. Messengers

        So the film is very simple to follow. Two Lance Corporal’s Blake and Schofield are ordered by their superior General Erinmore to deliver a message to Colonel Mackenzie to delay an attack on a seemingly retreating German front. Making the mission personal to the duo is when the General says that Blake has a brother in the attacking front. 

        The two then depart to relay the message. One would think that it would be a boring film, given how the story and the situation seems mundane and not having that much action. What ultimately remedies that problem is by giving the two leads a personality. For Blake, he wants to make sure that his brother is safe from any attack. Whilst Schofield at first wants to wait at night to begin the mission, we see that he is hesitant on the endeavor since he feels that it’s suicide. 

 

        As the film progresses, the duo encounters various terrain as they try to maneuver through corpses, barbwire and booby trapped German trenches to deliver a letter. The film is ingenious with the whole approach. I’m just stalling because I really want to talk about the selling point in the film. Anyways, the main complaint that some people have with the film is that there’s nothing to draw on about the characters. Or not have anything to relate or care about them. 

        I think the point that we can infer is that when they strike a conversation or go through a trap is when we see just how close they are as friends. I feel that the synergy between the two make up for the fact that we don’t know their background. It’s not necessary since the film isn’t about them, but more so on the actual mission at hand. All the while that it takes place in a span of two days to really drive home that time is not on their side. 

        When seeing the trailer, one would think that Blake is the main lead. And perhaps they get separated throughout the film. Well, I won’t go more into the film since, it’s a big plot point and I’ll leave it at that. Another thing that I found interesting is that they casted actors that weren’t marquee names. Yes, the movie has Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and Benedict Cumberbatch in minor roles. I feel it was necessary since if the film had a recognizable name, it would’ve made the situation a bit of a stretch and not personal. Given that they have very little time in the film, they do a good job of being the superior officers that the duo encounter in their journey. 

2. My Favorite Scene

        I remember watching the trailer and being so tuned in with the previewing sequences. What really made me watch 1917 was the music that the trailer had. The song “Poor Wayfaring Stranger” went along with the overall tone of the movie and well solidifying my money being used to buy a ticket. I honestly thought that the film wouldn’t use the music since, it’s common for a film to not have the music that was used for the promotion. 

        Here though, my expectation was subverted and surprised. The moment it’s used is probably one of the best scenes or shot in the movie. Just after Schofield escapes from an abandoned town overrun by Germans, he jumps to a river. After swimming and climbing over dead bodies, it seemed to us that he is dead when he hears someone singing faintly. He walks and the song gets subtly louder. It’s calming after everything he went through. And the fact that it is shot in one take, just makes it better. 

3. One Take Film

        Now I can talk about the film’s gimmick. It’s a good gimmick given the fact that not every filmmaker shoots his or her movie in one take. Nowadays, you can’t watch a movie without having different camera angles of what exactly you’re watching. Either it be an action scene, a romantic one, or something mundane as a conversation. Here, it’s a welcome back of an aesthetic that is considered a technical nightmare. Keeping in mind that there is much attention to make sure that everything is synched up right and having little errors. 

        As I mentioned before when Schofield hears the song being sang by a soldier. We see that the camera is behind Scho. and glides through the company that he sees. The shot conveys just how young the battalion is, only when we see their faces and being sad that they are young and not ready for what’s coming. 

        I will attest that not all the movie is shot in one take. Given the fact that the story takes place in a span of two days, no one would really sit a good 48 hours of butt numbing cinematic experience to watch the movie play out in its time accurate length. There are moments that signify what is spliced in to make the illusion that it was shot in one take. If you pay attention, anytime the camera does a swoosh from side-to-side, it’s to signify that it’s spliced footage. In either case whatsoever, the gimmick is utilized so greatly. 

4.     Hope in the Midst of War

        One last thing that I want to bring up is the recurring color of white. Now, it could be just that filming was particularly cloudy. In all seriousness, the color white pops up to really symbolize this basic idea that the color is associated with, hope. We see it when both Schofield and Blake walk in an abandoned farm. 

        They notice that the Germans intentionally damaged the land to leave no trace. While seeing a white cherry tree, Schofield thinks that the plants are dead. Which leads to Blake to say that it doesn’t matter, the tree will once more sprout and blossom. It goes to show that no matter how futile the war is at the time, everything reverts back. I feel that it’s refreshing to have that central theme pop up in a war film. Since there’s a sense of cynicism which is prevalent, but one where there’s compassion that is related to us by who these two main characters are.

5. Overall

        This was the last movie I saw before the pandemic in a theater. I was blown away, and it is the one of the best films of 2019. After the viewing, it made me want to see more of Sam Mendes’ work, including his two James Bond films. 1917 is probably one of the best World War 1 movies you will ever see. 

        1917 gets a five out of five. 

Freedom Writers Review

 

        You may have noticed that the two films about teachers teaching students that come from harsh backgrounds have one thing in common. That is because those two movies are part of the genre called Hood Films. Typically, Hood Films deal with life that involves around Hispanic or African Americans that mostly includes gang violence or bad living situations. Freedom Writers is probably up there among best Teacher movies and having a diversifying view about Hood life. 

1. Erin Gruwell

        My first exposure to the film was during my Eighth Grade English class when I was in middle school. I forgot the reason why the teacher put it on, but I assume it was a lazy kind of day, so we watched it. It was a sight to see when the students were talking and immediately grew quiet as they were glued in with what the film was about. Hillary Swank plays the teacher Ms. Erin Gruwell. 

        We first see her as being an optimistic teacher who goes into Woodrow Wilson High. She then meets the Department head Margaret. I know that the actress plays an annoying professor at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series. At least she is type casted in a “Karen” teacher role. Anyways, Erin sees the high school as deeply divided. With various cliques aligning with different ethnicities. 

        She enters her class and isn’t that turned off when she encounters the room as being in disarray. Even the desks have deep cuts of drawings. Like with any movie, the kids don’t listen to her and joke around. She really gets a handle of how bad it is, when one of her students Eva, lets in her gang to fight a kid who walked by them. 

        Throughout the film, Erin goes above and beyond to change her teaching style and to really be invested with the kids. I feel that this is the definitive way of any new teacher dealing with an bad social environment, which mostly involves students wanting to instigate violence among other students. She tries to be hip with the class, not that it comes across as cringy, but it works that she’s attempting to relate to them.

        Obviously, the best scene involving Erin and the class is when they pass around an offensive drawing of a classmate. She asserts herself and says that most of the stuff that they believe in is nothing since they think by force is how they get respect. Gruwell even attests that no one will remember them based on their actions. Even comparing the drawing to Nazi propaganda. 

        It’s from there that the film really starts. That conversation really gets the ball rolling, including the whole class not knowing what the Holocaust was. What I love is that the film is real, granted yes that it is a movie. What I mean is that, the film doesn’t shy away with what the kids go through. Or what Erin goes through in her personal life. There are moments where his husband, starts to get jealous at Erin’s successes. 

        The whole movie has Gruwell going up against so much that it’s a recurring motif. Such as her class ruffling the feathers on Margaret and the Honors teacher. Since they see Erin’s students as lost causes. The key thing is that she genuinely cares about them and even exposes them to new literature and going above and beyond to give them more. Since I’m slowly pivoting to the class, let’s talk about them.

2. The Students at Room 203

        These students are the main highlights in the film. I honestly thought that the student Eva was going to be our only perspective to life outside school. Luckily, the students provide their brief perspectives to us as they write and narrate on what they have to deal with. I know that the book goes into more detail and I have not read that yet. The main idea about them is that they’re not that different from each other. 

        It’s stressed when Ms. Gruwell creates a Line Game for them to answer questions that hits home for all of them. For the kids, all the talk of turf or any form of divide is done away when they’re all dealing with the same thing. One of my favorite moments involves her reading their journals after no parent visited during parent teacher night. She reads them, and we see just how much of an unfortunate life the kids go through daily.  

        All that leads to Erin taking the kids to the Holocaust Museum. Most of the kids learn about it, and really put it into perspective that all the things they’re dealing with is nothing compared to what happened a century ago. Even more admirable is that they generated enough money to bring in the woman who sheltered Anne Frank. All of that from Erin teaching them about humility and to be open about what their life experiences are for their classmates. The only downside is that most of the student actors are about 20. Although, I’ll let it slide since they give in a good performance and to really sell the struggle of what they constantly go through. 

3. Overall  

        Freedom Writers is a feelgood movie for anyone to watch. It’s rare to have an MTV Films movie be good, since the stuff they churn out mostly involves cheesy dramas and Jackass movies. The film invites teachers and potential ones to see that not all students are problem makers. 

        Freedom Writers gets a four out of five. 

Mean Girls Review

 

        It seems that after The Breakfast Club, each decade would have that one popular high school film that is considered the best in their decade. Such as the 90s belonging to Clueless, and the 2010s with the film Easy A. Mean Girls is the definitive high school film of the early 2000s. It showed just how toxic being a popular girl is. What makes it interesting is that it utilizes a literary device called “Defamiliarization” to show people a weird and exaggerated look of high school, albeit with a new perspective. One more thing, this film is loosely based on the book "Queen Bees and Wannabes". Add it to the list of great films based on books. 

1. Cady Herron

        Lindsay Lohan portrays the new girl Cady in her first school. It’s been established that her parents were researchers studying animals in Africa. She also narrates to the audience about attending high school and what goes on in it. I like that she’s our eyes and ears. Sort of like a nature documentary narrator who goes and documents the different animals in their biomes. In this case, junior students in high school. 

        She has a difficult time making friends, but soon is invited to hang out with two oddballs: Janis and Damian. We are then introduced to the main group of the movie, The Plastics. Janis explains who the group is to Cady and to never talk to them. For as you see, The Plastics spread gossip and rumors among the other girls, to the satisfaction of their leader Regina George. One day, the group invites Cady to sit with them. Prompting Janis to have Cady infiltrate them and to break them apart. 

        The overall film has an approach where Cady tries to break up the group, but unintentionally changing herself and becoming the new leader. This is probably the only time where we see a character completely change for the worse and have it be authentic when she acknowledges what she is doing is wrong. I have to give major props to the screenwriter Tina Fey, who acted and wrote for Saturday Night Live and creating her show 30 Rock. Only she can be that talented and portray high school as a cesspool of drama and toxicity. 

        Besides Cady being the new girl, she does fall for a guy. Here, the way the film goes about it is very nuanced. Since she likes a guy in her advanced math class, she tries to play dumb with the mistake that makes her gradually fail math. All for getting his attention. There are moments where she corrects him in her mind when he tutors her. It shows just how difficult adjusting to a new environment she’s in.

        In one way she can be innocent for the audience, but when she acts like a “Plastic” is the disheartening fact about her. She goes above and beyond to have the girls turn against Regina, even insulting and creating a rumor about her math teacher. This is the kind of arc that has an amazing depth that makes me really like the movie. What makes Cady Herron work is that she knows what she’s doing and owns it when the film progresses in the end. 

2. The Plastics or Toxic Femininity 

        This is the main highlight of the film. The group that is so toxic and hilarious that there are endless gif memes that are made about the individual members. With Regina, Gretchen, and Karen making up the group that they look down at the other girls to make themselves feel good about each other. As I mentioned before, they invite Cady to sit and eat with them. Regina is the leader and boy oh boy she’s a vindictive, well you know. 

        What’s so interesting is just how quick she is with breaking down other girls. Albeit upfront and being sly about it. When she talks to Cady, she notices her African bracelet and asks about it. While also asking questions and making Cady look dumb unintentionally. This is one talent where any girl has and is probably the most unlikeable in life. The best scene to represent them is when Cady calls Gretchen. Who calls Karen, which makes her call Regina. There is no honesty, just talking behind their back and to see it just how much awful they are. 

        There is one part that I like when Cady proceeds to usurp control of the group. That is when she talks to Regina and sees her compliment a skirt from another girl. Who without missing a beat then proceeds to tell her that the skirt looks awful. There’s even a flashback when Cady remembers her complimenting her African bracelet. It’s personal to Cady, now that she knows just who Regina really is and ruin her.

        Thinking about the film more, the overall idea is that every girl in the school is a “Mean Girl”. Or just someone who talks gossip. Including Janis who tells Cady to go into the group to get back at Regina for an old rumor from middle school. While yes, she doesn’t change throughout the film, but she couldn’t let go of the vendetta she had against Regina. Having her use the new girl was out of line to get back at her. Clearly the only good girl or woman was Ms. Norbury who figured out Cady when she noticed her failing the class. Even realizing Heron wrote the nasty rumor about her. 

3. Legacy

        This film is beloved by my generation through the constant use of the gifs to the catchphrases. It’s astounding that probably two of the main characters have an excellent career. Especially Amanda Seyfried who plays Karen appearing in a lot of great films including David Fincher’s Mank and getting nominated. As well as Rachel McAdams gaining award nominations for her appearance in Spotlight. It’s such a shame that Lindsay Lohan hasn’t appeared in anything else special. Probably due to her personal problems and appearing in B-Movie type films that usually feature in Lifetime.

        More so, I think this film should be a case study with dealing with high school girls going through the motions of toxicity. Every now and then I hear about Toxic Masculinity and I’m glad it gets attention since every guy doesn’t have to be treating anyone like a dick. With the film, I think that every girl should learn to not be vengeful or care what anyone has to say. Although, cliques will always be a part of high school. 

        One last thing, there's a sequel. I don't know why, but it's obvious it was made to ride on the popularity of the first film. Will I watch it? Nope.         

4. Overall

        Mean Girls is a great film. I still laugh at all the hilarious moments, and it has great characters to make me care about. 

        Mean Girls gets a four out of five. 

The Breakfast Club Review

        This film needs no introduction. It’s practically a gateway film for every teenager to watch when they become that age or go into high school. The Breakfast Club has become a ubiquitous high school film that is the standard of portraying high school students in their honest views. This film is so good that I can guarantee that Hollywood would never want to reboot the idea of the movie for a new generation. It transcends the time it was released. 

1. Saturday Detention

        So the film is simple. Five high school students each have to serve detention on a Saturday for eight hours. At the start, we see the shots of the high school. It’s empty yes, but when we hear Brian narrating his essay, it cuts to the sections of the high school that is associated with the five students. 

        With all that, we have Claire, Andrew, Brian, Bender, and Allison arrive and choose the seats to sit. It’s one of those things where you don’t notice it but where they’re sitting is supposed to represent the high school structure. From the popular and athletic students to the outcasts. The Vice Principal arrives and tells them at the beginning that they must write a long essay on what they think of themselves. 

        This is where the film kicks off when Bender trolls Vernon and antagonizes the group. Judd Nelson was older than the other actors and actresses, but he manages to be a convincing bully with what he’s given. Most of the time, it seemed that Andrew would be the leader of the group. The one to really stop and threaten him to quit pestering on Claire. 

        The film’s greatest strength is that the entire characters have great synergy and chemistry when they interact. One key thing that is practically stressed when watching a high school film is the believability of the performances that makes us think that they are high schoolers. All the young actors are committed to their performances that, it would be one thing to bump into them in a high school hall, and not think twice that they are students.

        That and it would be very easy to screw up the concept if they were just one-dimensional characters. What I mean is that if they just have one personality and don’t change from when we see them at the start to the end. It wouldn’t be as engrossing when we see them escape the library and get high on Bender’s weed. And just act like high school students with real problems. I will applaud the film on that since for most films taking place in high school, the idea of personal problems of a student is almost taboo. Since a film is mostly an escape from real life. 

        Here, they all admit that they have a messed-up life when they aren’t in school. While we don’t see that, they are committed to telling their peers of their problems at home. From abusive parents, controlling parents, or parents who just ignore them. The best example is when they each leave their parent’s cars. It’s one of the best scenes and establishes one small glimpse of what they are like outside. All except Bender who walks, and Allison trying to say something but the car leaves. 

        One last thing is just what exactly is the film about? I think it’s about the saying “There’s more than meets the eye.”. Almost everyone assumes what the students are clique-wise. When the pivotal scene is shown, they hate that they’re associated with the cliques and their parents wants to have them be more than they are. Vernon is the one to assume everyone’s high school stereotype. 

        For instance, Vernon has it really out for Bender. He constantly tells the other students just how much of a scum of the Earth John is. Going above and beyond that he expects Bender to be a criminal and to be there when he sees it. So much so that he drags him into a storage room and offers Bender to punch him in the face. Bender is freaked out by this and the Vice Principal tells Bender that he's a turd. 

2. John Hughes

        The 80s is when John Hughes dominated the teen movie. It seemed that he has this talent of being the teen whisperer or someone who has enough writing talent to make people become empathetic to teenagers. Or he’s that good of a writer. Since he did the double duty of writing and directing, I must praise that the film has a very simple premise and is shot mostly minimally. 

        Although, it’s easy to do a checklist on a John Hughes movie like having it located in Illinois, or in a fancy Chicago suburb. As well as having some representation of the local teams like the White Sox when the Janitor, Carl wears their jersey under his uniform. As well as having that mean authority figure being the adult who doesn’t understand the younger generation. 

        While he has that last thing appear in The Breakfast Club, there is one scene that I like that involves the only two adults. It’s when both Vernon and Carl talk about their past and what they think. Carl wanted to be somebody and in fact, we see his face in the portraits. Vernon wanted to be someone who is respected, but is jaded when he says that the students walk over him. He’s afraid of the new generation but can’t seem to put in the work to care as Carl suggests he do.

3. Legacy

        My first exposure to the film was a visual gag on Family Guy in one of the first season’s episodes. It was parodied in the film Not Another Teen Movie with Chris Evans. Then as years went by, I finally sat down and watched it on what was ABC Family. The film has become a standard or a cinematic bible of how to portray a high school student. As many more films about high school have been released. Either through spoofing or trying to emulate how a high school should be. Mostly its hit or miss since it requires genuine talent and performance to sell what it’s like to be a teenager with problems. 

4. Overall

        Need I say more? The Breakfast Club is a real gem of the 80s and it still holds up. Maybe not a lot of kids would understand or relate to the film but will always get that to never judge anyone just on who they are. 

        The Breakfast Club gets a five out of five.

Stand and Deliver Review

 

        It’s August so you know what that means. Back to school for some kiddos and college students. High School movies is a very particular genre since it can range from drama to musicals. What can make and break a high school movie is if the school location doesn’t feel authentic or the students being too old. And then there are those where the focus is on the teacher, usually leading a motley crew of students to academic success. I remember the first time being exposed to this film when I was in middle school. Stand and Deliver is one of those films to get the ball rolling for that sub-genre of high school films. 

1. Jaime Escalante

        This guy is the quintessential math teacher every new teacher wants to be. Edward James Olmos plays Mr. Escalante. We see him enter Garfield High and looks around the front office being covered with graffiti. He initially was hired to teach computer classes. Although the school didn’t have computers, so the principal makes him teach mathematics. 

        One would think immediately that he would be just a stick in the mud teacher and then becoming a source of inspiration for the students. He has an idea of what he’s going against, such as dealing with unruly kids and the whole classroom’s chalkboard being covered with white markings. Eventually, when he returns the following day, he gets their attention by having this comedic act. Mostly it involves having his kids call him Kemosabe which is the nickname of The Lone Ranger from the tv show of the same name.

        He has a barrio approach to him and is comedic when dealing with the students. Not stooping to their level or talking down to them but utilizing one of the students for a math problem. Like any teacher he must confront the gangster students. The one on the poster, Angel is the heart of the classroom. Escalante manages to bargain with him to be a good student and to show up in the class. So much so that Jaime gives Angel three Math books to make sure he doesn’t lose his standing in the school. 

        The overall drama that is plaguing the high school is losing their accreditation. Throughout the film, Mr. Escalante goes above and beyond to make sure the students learn calculus to pass the test and take the AP test. What works in the film is Olmos’ take on the teacher. He never loses his patience easily and works with the students to learn advanced math. The only reason why he makes them take the test is that he wants them to have the motivation or “ganas” to succeed.

        So much so that to be even more prepared, he decides to have them take summer classes. It’s the dedication in him that he wants his students to have successful careers. It’s justified since he wants them to grow beyond the stereotype of Mexicans being lazy. We see that when he is having dinner with his wife and notices that the tab is wrong. The owner calls his daughter over who appeared to drop out of school. Mr. Escalante tells the owner that his daughter has to potential to do more than working in his restaurant. 

        One thing that the film doesn't shy away from was revealing that he had to deal with petty problems involving some of the math teachers. I think it was just pettiness from them since they're jealous at how Escalante was handling his students. I like that he was willing to defend them and advocate that they should be able to be taught calculus if all of them wanted to succeed. Although, some had preconceived notions that their confidence will be ruined if the students failed. 

2. The students

        The students in Escalante’s class are also the main highlight in the film. As far as I know, mostly all of them are fictional creations. They show just how well Escalante manages to reach the kids to teach them math. It would’ve been easy to make them just one note tokens who don’t get the subject and then understand it. 

        What fixes that potential issue is that we get scenes where they are outside of school. It mostly amounts to gossiping about Escalante and just regular life stuff. I feel that the personal lives with Angel and his friend was more interesting. Since Angel kept arriving late to class and he was just driving along with his friend.

        The moment that I like is that it’s one of those rare moments when Angel is participating with the students. I’m glad that he wasn’t just a gifted prodigy who just chooses not to be smart. Instead, he accepts a bargain with the teacher and gains the respect of the students. Such as when the few of them go to the beach and Angel is just hesitant of going in the water. 

3. Overall 

        Just the fact that the movie was moderately successful, and the USPS released a special stamp of Mr. Escalante shows just how much he influenced his students. Stand and Deliver shows those rare instances where a minority teacher manages to impact his students. 

        Stand and Deliver gets a four out of five. 

Underrated Gems: Dredd (2012)

 

        Three months ago, I had an ambitious idea of doing three movies a week. That culminated with 37 reviews of classic, foreign, and recent films. I never thought it would be feasible but, I did it. To wrap up my retrospective of summer movies, I decided to look at a supremely underrated superhero film Dredd. Created for the magazine 2000 A.D. in the United Kingdom by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, Judge Dredd is a law enforcement officer for Mega-City One. As a Street Judge, he has the authority to arrest, convict, sentence, and kill criminals. Dredd from 2012 defines all those features. 

1. Not Your Standard Comic Book Film

        This wasn’t Judge Dredd’s first film. Back in the 90s, Sylvester Stallone starred as the character. Although he did his best with the material, he couldn’t save the film from being a turd. And just by seeing the images here and seeing him in Stallone’s film is that the cardinal sin that he made was taking off his helmet. This time, Karl Urban portrays the perfect Judge. He never reveals his face and has a permanent scowl that gives Batman a run for his loads of money. 

        He’s not alone in this film. A rookie shadows him named Cassandra Anderson, who is a mutant with psychic abilities. As they investigate a triple homicide in the massive 200 floor apartment building Peach Trees. An infamous gang leader “Ma-Ma” locks down the entire complex and orders her gang to find and kill Dredd. It’s about as basic as you can get in terms of what our two protagonists have going for them. Although the great thing is that the side story ties in with their predicament. 

        As Dredd gives Anderson the assessment, we get to see her character for who she is. When confronted with a gang member, she hesitates since she has the old-fashioned way to administer justice. I think my favorite scene of her is when both her and Dredd enter a civilian's apartment to hide from the gang. She has a vision that the gang member she killed was the tenant's husband. Anderson doesn't tell her as she and her mentor try to survive. 

        As Dredd is assigned to give an evaluation to Anderson if she is worthy of being a Judge. What works is that the action between the two coincide if she is good enough to be good as Dredd. Let’s hold off on the action. While the film is unique, I think it has the same structure as the foreign action film The Raid. With a cop and a rookie attempting to stop a drug gang in a tall building. Dredd is different due in large part with having the action show just how efficient Dredd is as a Judge. Okay, now we can talk about the action. 

2. Bloody Good Action

        What can I say about it? Oh lordy, it’s good for a blast ‘em up kind of movie. Since it’s rated R, it doesn’t hold back with the excessive violence. Some might think it’s a bit much. I say that it represents who Judge Dredd is and who he is supposed to be. Now, I’ll admit that I haven’t picked up or read a story of the famous authority figure, but everything is immediately set up with who he is and what he represents. 

        Anderson is a representation of us when we see her in the beginning. Dredd tells her the code of the Judge within the city. Mostly, the criminal is subject to life in prison or death. Inside the complex is where the entire action takes place. All the Judges including Dredd has a special gun where he can alternate with different bullet types and stun features. With the even fancy feature of having that gun explode if someone else pulls the trigger. 

        The main problem with any sub-standard action film is that while the action is at least tolerable, the main characters is the Achilles heel. Mostly since with the action to be good, there needs to be proper tension to at least make us care for the characters. If that’s lacking, what you’re basically going to get is what amounts to watching a video game cutscene, cool to look at, but boring or just not caring. Dredd remedies that issue by having it be that while yes, Dredd is the supreme Judge. The context is he tests Anderson to see if she can be Judge material. 

        So not only does Dredd have to contend with gang members, but also rogue Judges. Four are sent by the gang leader to hunt and kill Dredd. Not only does it amp up the action, but we get to see just how different Dredd is. From seeing the other Judges, Dredd represents who he is supposed to be and be one step above them. 

        Anderson is good too and as I mentioned earlier, she is a mutant. When the duo brings a prisoner, Dredd assigns her to use her abilities on him to extract any info. What I like is that we see the power and we think for a moment since she’s a rookie the prisoner will overpower her. The awesome part is that she gives him the illusion that he is in control. Slowly but surely be the next perfect Judge. 

3. Why Did it Bomb?

        When looking at how much it made in the box-office, it did not do well. It grossed four million dollars less than its budget. The main reason why it underperformed is that as Karl Urban points out, the studio barely marketed it. While there were commercials for the film. Not enough promotion to advertise the film may have doomed it. The good thing is that when it came out on home video, 750,000 copies were sold. Thus making it a cult classic among the Judge Dredd fans. 

4. Overall 

        Dredd is one of those underrated comic book gems that should be seen by both action and comic book film fans. Karl Urban does a great job with portraying the authority figure. And it’s a bloody good time. 

        Dredd gets a four out of five.