Last Thursday I went to the premier of The Men Who Stare At Goats, starring George Clooney, Euan McGregor & Kevin Spacey, directed by Grant Heslov. The film is based on a book of the same name by Jon Ronson, who has made documentaries about 'The New World Order' as well as the US military. I thought the film was great: funny & informative.
It reveals the extreme lengths the American military will go to in order to maintain world domination. The film also looks at the crazy and bizarre ideas and experiments that go on behind doors closed doors within the military industrial complex, such as remote viewing and psychic warfare. Highly reccomnended.
On Sunday I saw the French film MICSMACS directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who also directed Amelie & Delicatessen. The film is about weapons manufacturers and a man who's been shot in the head but survives. MICSMACS is incredibly funny, well written, beautifully shot, intricately detailed and effective.
The film acts as a vehicle of protest against the arms industry and looks at the morality of an industry which makes a living off death, it also looks at the the way arms companies often make illegal deals with dangerous regimes. The film also mentions the fact that the French President Nicolas Sarkozy is friends with weapons manufacturers. Certainly one of the best films I've seen a long time.
Last night I saw The Limits Of Control written & directed by John Jarmusch who has also made Ghost Dog Way of The Samurai and Coffee & Cigerettes. The film explores the life of an assasin, excellently played by Isaach De Bankolé about to perform a hit, who remains silent and focused on the impending task even whilst beautiful girls hurl themselves at him The film was shot on location in Spain and features actors such as Bill Murray, Gael Garcia Bernal & Tilda Swandon whom the protagonist meets and has strange, philosophical meetings which seem to echo each other, which lead him ultimately to his target who is Bill Murray playing an American Neo-Con. The film is beautifully shot by Christopher Doyle, it relies more on shots and framing, than dialogue or action. Jim Jarmusch explained before the movie started that framing and angle can often affect perception, especially one's perception of a person, whether in real life or movies.
The film is really slow, but the shots, characters, the setting and mis en scene all tell a story. The shots are rich in symbolism and cinematic reference, they are a snapshot of Western Society and a study of how Cinema or Hollywood portray themes of Western culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment