Posts

Showing posts from October, 2020

Film review: Resistance

 There is a reason why war films are made. Beyond the usual chicanery of making a movie - there is the overwhelming responsibility to remind people of the horrors of war. But beyond even that, beyond the horrors of war that are portrayed on the silver and small screen, is the tragic and sickening madness of the Holocaust. And especially now, when the world is reeling from unimaginable cruelties anew, we have to remind ourselves that we might be capable of not just seeing it but also stopping it. This film, Resistance almost plays like a Shakespeare production from the start. Ed Harris, is this film's 'Chorus' providing us with the introduction and conclusion to the tale. Only Chorus is now General Patton and he is speaking to soldiers, not theatre goers. Marceau Marcel, as he becomes, is portrayed with startling innocence by Jesse Eisenberg. That innocence is fleeting as he becomes more involved in the resistance, helping children escape the Nazis. His performance is one of

Film review: The trial of the Chicago Seven

There is a reason why so much care must be given to portrayals of historical events. A poor portrayal happens when the history is kept one sided, tamed or otherwise blunted. Claws removed, it has all the power of a wet tea towel and just as appealing. You can rest easy, knowing this film, the latest by the great Aaron Sorkin, has the power of a hurricane, volcano and a hail storm combined and like natural disasters, will have you breathless, tense and on edge until the crew and cast credits roll.  In this film, everything is turned up to eleven. The real life drama is compelling on its own but Mr Sorkin's steady hand on the script and as director - means that every angle of this story is covered. Pure perfection. It has been said before, he is a master of the political drama and here he proves it in spades. As I said, portrayals of historical events need to be carefully handled. It's not enough to merely show what happened, editing plays a huge part in keeping the whole thing t