In life there are peak experiences and valleys. Their are also plateaus. The men and women that journeyed to Everest in 1996 were looking for peaks. The joy of getting to the summit must be an irresistible urge. As Josh Brolin explains "the reason I am climbing Everest is because when I am not climbing I am extremely depressed." John Hawkes explains "I want my kids when I share at their school to be proud of me." Thinking about Hawkes point made me realize that for modern men and women's lives there comes a point where there is a struggle to find purpose and meaning. Climbing Mt.Everest is definitely an extreme choice. In a way it is totally crazy that the only way some people can feel truly alive is to be at the summit of the highest peak on Earth. For others actors like Jason Clarke and Jake Gyllenhaal they are tour guides and climbing Everest is a job. The visuals of Everest are spectacular. Baltasar Kormakur is an Icelandic director I have never heard of. However, being a native of Iceland he seems to have a gut instinct for shooting cold weather.
The performances by all the actors are well done. The movie will no academy awards because many critics feel that parts of the film are too syrupy. I vehemently disagree. I think the phone conversations between wives and climbers are the glue that holds the film together. I also believe it the best acting by Sam Worthington I have ever seen. Being allowed to use his native Australian accent. "We are going to get you some O and some hot tea, you just got to keep moving" was a powerful scene. Many deep scenes occur by radio and telephone.
The film touches on the theme on survival and mankind's willing to go to extremes to keep that happening. Being able to risk it all in order to do what you love.
That theme was exemplified in the year's Best Documentary Meru. Where Jimmy Chin, Conrad Anker , and Renan Ozturk climb Meru which is arguably the most difficult mountain to climb in the world.
Shout out to ITALIA, Iceland, and Sweden.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Sicario's: Shock & Awe
"Have you ever been to Juarez before?" Early on Benicio Del Toro poses this question to Emily Blunt's character in Denis Villeneuve's latest film Sicario. The question is the mineshaft a viewer finds themselves thrust into in Villeneuve's cartel drama. I myself saw Juarez from 100 yards away 5 years ago during the height of the cartel violence. Even from the Texas side the town seemed like a combination of skid row and criminal activity. Driving along the fence line in El Paso I could see the poverty in the form of shanty houses and the mountain of Ciudad Juarez. The mountain had a gigantic Mexican Flag and white spanish letters reading Ciudad Juarez. The energy seemed ominous and having actually visited Tijuana and Nogales Arizona the vibe was totally different. Perhaps as a reader you may ask why I am mentioning this so much. Well because when you watch the French-Canadian Denis Villeneuve's behind the wheel as director in his latest feature Sicario and it feels like going into Juarez in a military convoy to hunt for a cartel jefe you still don't feel safe at all even with the military in Juarez. The convoy of driving from El Paso into Juarez is the best driving sequence I have seen in a long time. Accompanied with an elegant and eerie score that bleeds in long sequences of reverb you feel like you are going into another dimension like Apocalypse Now.
Well Steven Soderbergh's Traffic will undoubtedly be compared to this film. Both tackle the drug war and border violence. In addition both features star the amazing Benicio Del Toro in which he won an oscar for the later. In this feature he vanishes into the shadows of truly creepy and tour-de-force acting. He does not yell in the entire film which makes him much scarier. He looks sleepy, but he is more alert and has a deeper understanding of what the cartels are doing than anyone in the film. He does not work for the CIA or Mexico, but is a personal contractor for himself for personal reasons and they are not money. I can't say enough about Del Toro in this film he truly walks away with it. That is not to diminish Emily Blunt or Josh Brolin's performances they are both outstanding.
Sicario wants to dig deep into the actual cartel and border activity itself in the supplying of drugs to the United States. The film wants show how a fiercely determined Emily Blunt similar to Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs, and Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty tries to do the right thing at all costs. In many ways Blunt has multiple titles she is an FBI agent, liaison, volunteer, bait, and most importantly an observer. She gets the filmgoer to observe the insane environment from a normal person's perspective and see how truly crazy it is. She keeps trying to convince all these people that they need to do things by the book and she wants to build a legitimate case. She is a fearless hunter for the truth and willing to go a great distance.
Brolin gives a performance that has shades of Oliver Stone's W. In the sense that he is a man with a mission and he is going to accomplish it regardless of the costs or harm it causes to others.
The shock and awe of the film is like No Country for old Men in that there is no comic relief from start to finish. The film digs deep into the darkness of the human condition and the war on drugs.
The film will never win oscars because it is too bold and goes for the jugular. Denis Villeneuve is building one hell of a resume. With just Prisoners and Sicario he has made more of a directorial splash than just about anyone. Everyone else is pretty well established. There is an intensity and a freshness to his perspective. He creates tension like few can. From the opening sequence of the armored vehicle piercing the stash house. To the final frame of Blunt's decision. He stays true to this concept of creating a tough as nails environment.
Can't wait for his next two Story of Your Life and Blade Runner 2.
Shout out to the hits from Italy, Portugal, Mexico, Russia, and France!!!
Go Fall Summit Cinema 2015!
Well Steven Soderbergh's Traffic will undoubtedly be compared to this film. Both tackle the drug war and border violence. In addition both features star the amazing Benicio Del Toro in which he won an oscar for the later. In this feature he vanishes into the shadows of truly creepy and tour-de-force acting. He does not yell in the entire film which makes him much scarier. He looks sleepy, but he is more alert and has a deeper understanding of what the cartels are doing than anyone in the film. He does not work for the CIA or Mexico, but is a personal contractor for himself for personal reasons and they are not money. I can't say enough about Del Toro in this film he truly walks away with it. That is not to diminish Emily Blunt or Josh Brolin's performances they are both outstanding.
Sicario wants to dig deep into the actual cartel and border activity itself in the supplying of drugs to the United States. The film wants show how a fiercely determined Emily Blunt similar to Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs, and Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty tries to do the right thing at all costs. In many ways Blunt has multiple titles she is an FBI agent, liaison, volunteer, bait, and most importantly an observer. She gets the filmgoer to observe the insane environment from a normal person's perspective and see how truly crazy it is. She keeps trying to convince all these people that they need to do things by the book and she wants to build a legitimate case. She is a fearless hunter for the truth and willing to go a great distance.
Brolin gives a performance that has shades of Oliver Stone's W. In the sense that he is a man with a mission and he is going to accomplish it regardless of the costs or harm it causes to others.
The shock and awe of the film is like No Country for old Men in that there is no comic relief from start to finish. The film digs deep into the darkness of the human condition and the war on drugs.
The film will never win oscars because it is too bold and goes for the jugular. Denis Villeneuve is building one hell of a resume. With just Prisoners and Sicario he has made more of a directorial splash than just about anyone. Everyone else is pretty well established. There is an intensity and a freshness to his perspective. He creates tension like few can. From the opening sequence of the armored vehicle piercing the stash house. To the final frame of Blunt's decision. He stays true to this concept of creating a tough as nails environment.
Can't wait for his next two Story of Your Life and Blade Runner 2.
Shout out to the hits from Italy, Portugal, Mexico, Russia, and France!!!
Go Fall Summit Cinema 2015!
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