Recommended Viewing......
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Give us a brief summary, your personal rating, and make a suggestion about preferred audience. e.g. "for those who love historical fiction / action movies, etc.
I can hardly wait to read these!
posted by Ms Watt @ 3:23 PM
13 comments
13 Comments:
I'll start by re-recommending Hotel Rwanda. Historically accurate, great acting, no gratuitious violence (and there could have been!), very interesting in terms of the UN involvement. Two thumbs up! Check with your parents, but I think you'd really enjoy it.
Also, for history buffs - black history in particular - I just watched Malcolm X. Very thought-provoking. Again, check with parents, but if you see it, I'd love to talk to you about it! (Simoncrates - I assume you've seen it??)
Ruby Bridges - A great flick to watch!
I just watched The man in the Iron Mask-very interesting!!!!!!
*********From The Realms of the Craig Comes....****
ATTACK OF THE KILLER MUTANT MOVIE REVIEWS FROM THE FIFTH DIMENSION!!!!
Review #1: The Power of One
My Rating: ****
Genre: Fictional Biography/Historical Fiction (1930s-1950s), Documentary of Racial segregation in Africa
Synopsis: It's the Dirty thirties in South Africa. A young English boy's father is dead, leaving his mother to tend the farm with their native African household maid, and her son. He hears both the fascinating stories of life in England, and the magnificant African folklore. But when plague strikes his family, he is forced through turmoil after turmoil, as he is sent to a Nazi- controlled school and imprisonment, among other things. Throug the help of his mentors, the Medicine man, Doc, and Giel Peet, he eventually rises to free the tribes of Africa and end the conflict herein, officially becoming the legendary "rainmaker," the one who cools things down.
Verdict: Great acting, top-notch symbolism, and an ever- growing plot with a turbulent climax precisely demonstrate the pre-and early postwar maltreatment of the African nations, and one white man's resolve to stop it. An inspring tale.
Background information (before you watch):
As according to my gr. 8, 'normal' school teacher:
"South Africa is a country blessed with an abundance of natural reasources, including fertile farmlands, and unique mineral reasources. The climate is mild and is surrounded by the Atlantic and Indian Oceans."
"South Africa was colonized by the English and Dutch in the 1860s. The British Empire wanted this land for themselves, so they could gain control of the land, gold, diamonds, and millions of Native Africans. The Dutch and other European settlers (Germans, French, etc.) called themselves "Afrikaners," or "White Africans." For the next 250 years, the British fought the Afrikaners for control of the country."
"In 1948, (after WWII), the Afrikaner National Party was voted into power. They invented the aparteid as a means to cement their control over the economic and social system. The aim of the aparteid rule was to maintain white domination while extending racial separation."
The Power of One begins in the 1930s, pre-war, and ends in the early 1950s.
Hope you can see it! It's recommended to all!
Rocking On,
Postman Craig
My son and I watched the Power of One last night - thanks for the recommendation Craig! You're right, it was a great film representation of the time and the issues. Unfortunately for me who hates to SEE violence, it was a little too graphic for my taste. It is an extremely difficult time and place in history and this movie shows you a lot of it. For me, the ugliness of many scenes clouded the beautiful story of the rainmaker and the coming together of the tribes, etc. However, I'm glad I watched it, and I can certainly appreciate Craig's wholehearted recommendation.
Anyone else see it?
Movie Review
Movie: The Day After Tomorrow
Rating: * * * * 1/2
out of * * * * *
Summary: Global warming goes too far, and a new Ice Age is unavoidable. Through the sub-zero temperatures that could literally kill you, a brave guy tries to convince the government to evacuate the northern States, all the while trying to save his son who is in the North. He's in a bit of a pickle when the Northern States become too late to help, but his son's still there.
Why I'd reccomend it: It really made me think about the possibility of a new Ice Age and the effects our consumption of fossil fuels has on the environment. Heard of Hurricane Katrina? Rumour has it global warming was a big factor in this and many other recent hurricanes and tropical storms. No one seems to care, but if we don't cut down on fossil fuels, the events depicted in this film could become reality. I loved how although the scientists are panicking, the government is trying to convince everyone that it's okay. Everything stays the same, life goes on, and yet outside the biggest storm EVER is about to wipe off half the world! This film has a beautiful ending and although, yes, it is fiction, I strongly believe that it will come true if we don't do something about fossil fuel useage. Something I didn't like: In this movie, Canada is just considered lost and frozen before the storm even hits. I mean yeah we're pretty far North, but couldn't you at least mention Canada in the movie? Oh well. Still one of my all-time favourite movies EVER.
OHH! I think I had heard of this movie before from my amazing science teacher! I gotta see it! Thanks!
THE DA VINCI CODE is a MUST SEE!
I just got back from seeing it tonight! I thought it was just excellent! I read the book 2 years ago, and I went to the movie with 2 other people who also had read the book a while ago. All of us loved the book AND loved the movie. I thought Tom Hanks played a very convincing Robert Langdon - in the book his character is quite understated and so it is played by Tom Hanks in the movie. Well done. He never steals a scene, yet brings importance to lines and scenes when necessary. I loved her too - can't remember her name. I do remember she was AMELIE (a movie I did not enjoy) but she was great in this. Sir Ian McKellan was GReAT! So were all the other characters. My favorite scenes were the ones where using special effects, past and present 'merged' in a very surreal way. Beautiful. I want to run back and see it again. Of course the whole 'holy grail' thing is most controversial and thought provoking. We could talk about it endlessly in class.....
sigh.....
Highly recommended!!!
Unfortunately, I can't go see that movie, but I've read the book, and whenever something controversial came up I could automatically shoot it down on why Dan Brown's writings are purely fictional. I also have a really good movie that I found WITH A DISCUSSION GUIDE! Oh... oh... oh... booyah! The book's good, the movie sounds good as fascinating and enjoyable fiction... but what really ruins it is how he writes historical fiction. Traditional historical novels (Think Tom Sawyer, the Clan of the Cave Bear series, the Red Badge of Courage, etc,) were all written in this sense: Have a plot based in historical facts and around real events, ora real background, but have the foreground (characters, plot) be fictional. Dan Brown's novel has fictional foreground and a fictional background, (the early church's falsity.) To me, that's was truly ruined the novel and movie... and who would want to play the video game, anyway?
Rocking On,
Postman Craig
I glad you were able to see it, Ms. Watt! I can see how the violence comes in and clouds it for you... but I personally think it's important to realize that that's how bad it was, and it's hard to portray that effectively without violence. If it wasn't in there, you wouldn't get the full picture of what actually happened. it also wasn't as bad as some other movies, effective disturbing, but I think that's the point. It also symbolizes that it truly was a fight for freedom, and, like I mention previously, we see from violence a good outcome. I also got from that that P.K. or the tribes never actually wanted that climactic battle, as obviously they were peace- driven, but it was force upon them as a last stand by the "bad people." And it's safe for me to say that I don't like violence either, and it hurts to see it happen in real life before you, like at school (non-McQ,) where it feels liek it could escalate to this.
Rocking On,
Postman Craig
P.S. Coming soon: Review #2: Finding Forrester!
I saw Da Vinci Code too. I agree, it was amazing!!!!!
I would like to recomend Walk the Line. If you are in any way a fan of Johnny Cash/June Carter, you will greatly enjoy this movie.If not, you should check it out anyway. The performances are superb, the writing is great, the story is totally compelling, and the music is wonderful.If this movie can give a younger generation an appreciation for this music, like it did for me, then it will be a true sucess.
It sounds really interseting!
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