Thoughts: Gettysburg, the historical epic that chronicles the battle of Gettysburg and the events leading up to one of America's bloodiest battles. Originally Gettysburg was set to be a TV miniseries until producer Ted Turner decided to have it release in theaters were it flopped despite some high critical ratings. In terms of historical accuracy, in both story and set/costume, Gettysburg is one of the best historical films. The shear scale of the battles is amazing, especially considering it was without use of CGI. The battle of Gettysburg at the end of the film is massive, using hundreds of reenactors to recreate the historic battle. However, the fact that it was originally a miniseries definitely shows, in its length (4 hours, 14 minutes, one of the longest films ever released by Hollywood ) and episodic narrative. It almost fells like episodes were it follows a particular character for nearly 40 minutes yet said character rarely reappears throughout the rest of the story. Also the film starts rather slowly and does drag in a few areas. Some may claim that Gettysburg is pro-Confederate, which is absolute absurdity! Even if the film was pro-Confederate why would a critic fault the film for being so? Neither side during the Civil War was necessarily wrong. The war was not fought because of slavery, many people living in the Union states owned slaves and did not expect Lincoln to free the slaves, which a common misconception.
Directed by: Ronald F. Maxwell
Genre: War,
Release Date: October 8, 1993
Running Time: 262 minutes
MMPA rating: PG
The Good: Epic battle scenes, Great performances, Historical accurate, Amazing production value and scale, Good soundtrack,
The Bad: Overly bloated,
Plot: The following plot summary is copied from Wikipedia.com.
The film starts with spoken exposition over the image of a map that establishes the location of the battle and how the two armies converged at Gettysburg. Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia are making an offensive through Pennsylvania to lure the Union Army of the Potomac into a decisive battle that will end the war. The narration states that Confederate President Jefferson Davis has prepared a letter of peace to be delivered to the desk of Abraham Lincoln once the Army of the Potomac has been destroyed somewhere outside of Washington.
Early scenes depict actor-turned-spy Henry Thomas Harrison spotting Union cavalry. Shortly thereafter, Harrison locates a major body of Union infantry and, immediately, crosses the Confederate picket line in order to notify Lieutenant General James "Pete" Longstreet, the senior lieutenant general in the Confederate Army and second-in-command of the Army of Northern Virginia. Major General J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry, the “eyes” of Lee’s army, has gone off on raids without keeping in touch with Lee’s army. Meanwhile, U.S. Brig. Gen. John Buford and his cavalry division arrive at Gettysburg. Buford surmizes that if Lee's army is allowed access to the town, the Confederates might easily take a strong defensive position that could destroy the Army of the Potomac. Buford decides to deploy his division along Seminary Ridge in order to obstruct any Confederate advance on Gettysburg from the west. The day ends with Buford writing a letter to Maj. Gen. John Reynolds, commanding officer of the nearby Union I Corps infantry, inquiring if he should hold his position.
Watch the movie to see what happens next.
Plot: 8.6/10- Although the pacing was slow in the first hour, the characters and historical accuracy more than makes up for that.
Action: 9.2/10- While there is not much action in the beginning of the film, there are two massive prolonged battle scenes, which are among the best realistic battles ever filmed. The amount of reenactors used is staggering. The camera work is great, lacking the now cliched and dredded "Shakey-Cam".
Acting: 8.0/10- Martin Sheen as Confederate General Robert E. Lee was stiff and did not fit the role well, especially in the beginning of the film. However, Tom Berenger as Lieutenant General James Longstreet gave the strongest performance of the cast
Special effects: N/A- It is difficult to determine if Gettysburg used what would be considered special effects, but the production design was phenomenal.
Soundtrack: 8.7/10- The soundtrack fit the classic epic and historical atmosphere perfectly.
Comedy: 5.0/10- Occasional humor in an overal serious film.
Overall: 8.3/10- Overall Gettysburg is a great war film with epic realistic battles and attendion to detail. It is a must see for any Civil War history buff like myself.
Closing comments: Despite the slow pacing, the film creates an excellent telling of true history of the Civil War. However, if you have a short attention span and do not like very, very long movies, you should probably avoid it.
Recommended for: War movie fans, Historical films fans,
Here is a hilarious dubbing of The Dark Knight Rises. While I have a unique sense of humor, and many do not find what I like funny, this is my favorite video on YouTube. It is ridiculously funny and has a great sense of humor, that I just can't get enough of. I have literally seen it more than 20 times over the last 4 months. Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I do and warning it is packed with spoilers. Also there is another video Dark Knight Rises Holiday parody by video the Auralnauts, which I enjoy almost as much. Check back tomorrow for my review of Gettysburg.
If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.
Since I have not posted a funny pictures post recently, here are some that I found around the internet but mostly from Tumblr blog Alive. Also if you have not read my Skyfall review, please click on the links below and comment.
Here is part two of my James Bond Skyfall review. If you have not read Part 1 of my Skyfall review, please click here to check it out. For Part 1 of this review, please click here.
Plot: 9.7/10- Despite a few very minor plot holes and clichés, the film
brilliantly showcases why a man with a gun is still needed in this age of
technology. The dialogue is often clever and well written, with some perfectly
placed references in many of the classic James Bond films. However,
the opening and climax is where the film truly shines, with shocking plot
twists and intense character moments. Bond is portrayed as being human and is
given a real back-story, which had only been hinted at in previous films.
Action: 9.4/10- From the opening action set piece (more below) to the
climatic finale, Skyfall's action was filmed brilliantly. One fight reminded
me of the Odd Job fight from Connery's Goldfinger complete with a villainess pit of giant reptiles, yet it fit within the world and did not seem unrealistic (except for the obviously CGIed Komodo Dragon). The
final battle was completely unique, there has never been anything
like it in any Bond film and it had a lot of tension. Even though it was filmed at night, there was enough lighting to clearly see what was going on throughout the film. Fortunately was almost no use of the dreaded "shaky-cam", which permeates far too much of modern cinema today, every shot was framed with skill by the director. As stated previously
even the silhouette fight was also filmed well. My only slight problem with the action is that there could have more because it was all done so well.
Acting: 9.8/10- Due to the sheer amount of fantastic performances, I parts
about each major actor.
Daniel Craig gives a role defining performance as Bond, forever solidifying
him as one of, if not the best James Bond. He gave great depth to the role,
even improving upon his performance from Casino Royale.
Judi Dench as M gives the best performance she has ever had in the role. She
was given a large role in the film and it certainly worked out perfectly. In a way, Dench is the "Bond Girl" of the film but more in a motherly sense.
Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva was great in the role, but as I stated
above, was not quite as good as I expected.
Ben Whishaw as Q was great in the role, even if he did look a little
ridiculous in his funny hipster outfit. Nonetheless, Q is back in the
Bond franchise and I am happy about it.
Naomie Harris as Eve, an MI6 field agent who assists Bond on several
occasions and she was good in the role.
Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory gave a top notch performance in his role and was given more development than I expected.
Bérénice Marlohe as Sévérine is basically the "Bond Girl" of the movie, and given a surprising amount of depth in her very minuscule role. Despite this, she is attractive and memorable in her role.
The other actors were all great in their roles, including a character who I will not name as to not give away possible spoilers.
Special effects: 8.6/10- While I want to give the effects a higher score for some incredible practical effects shots, there was a CGI animal that looked ridiculously fake for a moment. It was not too distracting but worth mentioning, considering the budget of the film.
Soundtrack: 9.9/10- One of the best James Bond soundtracks to date. Seamlessly blending the iconic Bond theme with Thomas Newman's dynamic score. However, there were a few too many hard percussion similar to some Hans Zimmer scores like The Dark Knight.
Comedy: 8.2/10- Definitely the most humorous of Daniel Craig's Bond films, particularly the clever references to the classic Bond films, those were often hilarious.
Opening Scene: 10/10- Possibly the best James Bond opening yet with a nearly 15 minute long chase scene that seamlessly ended into Adele's "Skyfall" song. Opposed to Quantum of Solace "shaky-cam" fest, Skyfall's opening was done great style and finesse, yet retained a perfect mix of brutally and fun. It is on par with "The Spy Who Loved Me" Union Jack ski jump parachute. Some may argue that the film opens too big, but I see it as a way to get the action out front, thus making the next 30 minutes of character development not to feel boring or out of place.
Gadgets: 8.1- Finally, Craig's Bond gets to use some gadgets! Albeit still within the realm of reasonability and something similar to what was used in "License to Kill". There were a few other gadgets used but that would require going into spoiler territory.
Title Sequence: 10/10- Visually Skyfall's Title Sequence might just be the best one yet. Everything about it was visually stunning and reflecting upon the film's opening sequence and what is to come. Adele's Oscar Winning song was fantastic and actually has much to do with the actual film. One of the Bond opening songs with the likes of "Goldfinger" and "Live and Let Die", truly beautiful work by Adele.
Would I Watch This Again: I want to watch it again right now, and have already seen it twice in one week.
Overall: 9.6/10- Now, the big question: is Skyfall the best James Bond film yet? And I can confidently say that Skyfall is not just the best Bond film, it so much more than a Bond film, it is one of the best films I have ever seen.
Closing comments: Not only is Skyfall the best Bond film to date (in my opinion), it is a celebration of what makes Bond a timeless classic that will endure throughout the ages.
If you are unfamiliar with the extra categories that I use when reviewing James Bond films,
Note: Skyfall is very accessible for newcomers to the Bond franchise. To have the best experience without watching every film, watch Casino Royale, Goldfinger and maybe Dr. No., fortunately, it is not necessary to watch the dull and derivative Quantum of Solace but definitely watch Casino Royale. However, long time fans like myself will find the most enjoyment out of Skyfall.
Recommended for: Everyone, Action fans, Thriller fans, Espionage fans, Spy fans, James Bond fans, Cinematography fans,
Plot Summary: The following plot summary is copied from Wikipedia.com.
In Istanbul, MI6 agents James Bond and Eve chase a mercenary, Patrice, who has stolen a computer hard drive containing details of undercover agents placed in terrorist organizations by NATO states. Patrice wounds Bond in the shoulder and, as the two men fight atop a train, Eve inadvertently shoots Bond, allowing Patrice to escape. Bond falls into a river and goes missing, and is presumed to be dead.
In the aftermath of the operation, M, the head of MI6, comes under political pressure to retire from Gareth Mallory, the Intelligence and Security Committee Chairman. On her return from the meeting, MI6's servers are breached and M receives a taunting message via computer moments before the offices explode, killing a number of employees. MI6 relocates to its emergency offices underground. Bond, having used his supposed death to retire, learns of the attack and returns to London. Although he fails a series of physical and psychological examinations, M approves his return to the field. Shrapnel taken from Bond's shoulder wound helps identify Patrice, and intelligence places him in Shanghai, where he is planning an assassination. Bond is ordered to identify Patrice's employer, recover the stolen hard drive and kill Patrice.
Watch the movie to see what happens next.
