Warrior
Just in case anyone wonders: the State of me:
I am still soooooooo busy at work I can barely think about anything else! My apologies for the less than scarce presence on LJ nowdays. I am alive and all is great, but the work is eating me up.
And today I had a HUGE disappointment : NO NEW EPISODE OF "THE GOOD WIFE" THIS WEEK. The Good Wife is probably the only show I am in serious love (and obsession) with at the moment. It took me a few rounds of thinking to realise that this is because of Thanksgiving. I must note: I do not approve of this habit of USA-based Network companies of not showing new episodes during USA holidays. I DO NOT APPROVE. Surely, this is the prime time for people to sit around the telly and watch their favourite shows? At least British networks understand this and do Christmas specials and such!
Few months ago I promised to myself that I am going to watch at least a film a week? I am still sticking to this, and I have seen some really good films I haven’t had a chance to post about, like Norwegian "The Bothersome Man". This was a great film!
But today is a "No New Episode of Alexandra’s favourite show" day, so I will tell you about "Warrior" instead.
Warrior: or A Clash of Tattoos
Having seen mostly "OMPH, this is awesome" reviews, at the beginning I was completely in a mood to love this film. And to tell the truth, there were some good emotional scenes between The Estranged Father (Nick Nolte) and his two sons in the first half. And there even was "Moby Dick" mentioned (although I still don’t understand why).
But it all went completely downhill in the second half. Let me tell you a little about the plot, especially about the point I found to be the most ridiculous. Brendon (late 30s, early 40-s) used to be an "Ultimate Fighting Championship" fighter. But now he is a teacher, with a beautiful wife and two daughters. He is behind his mortgage payments and about to lose his house. What does he do? He goes back to fighting, where he could be killed/injured/leave his family with nothing. Why? Because he doesn’t contemplate the thought of losing the house, the most important thing in his life. His wife objects at first, but later relents (as a good wifey should) and starts cheering for her hubby when he is smashing other people to a pulp in the Championship. Oh, and his brother Tommy (played by rather delectable Tom Hardy) is in the Championship too and the brothers eventually have a teary re-union..
There was, of course, an awful "Russian" character, the defending champion Koba (by the way, the name is of Georgian, not Russian origin).
Oh, and all the fighters were, of course, white, and the movie wouldn't have passed Bechdel Test. There was one guy of colour at the beginning but he has lost in the first round.
PS: I am especially miffed that the creators dared to use the song of one of my favourite Russian singers and songwriters, Vladimir Visotsky, as the background song for the awful character of monstrous Koba. Visotsky was the voice of freedom in the 80s Russia.. He died really early - conspiracy theories still abound, and to tell the truth his early death seemed terribly "convenient" for USSR government. I could not believe it when Visotsky’s song was used in this way. I am sure the director didn’t bother to check the lyrics, or the singer’s biography.
I am still soooooooo busy at work I can barely think about anything else! My apologies for the less than scarce presence on LJ nowdays. I am alive and all is great, but the work is eating me up.
And today I had a HUGE disappointment : NO NEW EPISODE OF "THE GOOD WIFE" THIS WEEK. The Good Wife is probably the only show I am in serious love (and obsession) with at the moment. It took me a few rounds of thinking to realise that this is because of Thanksgiving. I must note: I do not approve of this habit of USA-based Network companies of not showing new episodes during USA holidays. I DO NOT APPROVE. Surely, this is the prime time for people to sit around the telly and watch their favourite shows? At least British networks understand this and do Christmas specials and such!
Few months ago I promised to myself that I am going to watch at least a film a week? I am still sticking to this, and I have seen some really good films I haven’t had a chance to post about, like Norwegian "The Bothersome Man". This was a great film!
But today is a "No New Episode of Alexandra’s favourite show" day, so I will tell you about "Warrior" instead.
Warrior: or A Clash of Tattoos
Having seen mostly "OMPH, this is awesome" reviews, at the beginning I was completely in a mood to love this film. And to tell the truth, there were some good emotional scenes between The Estranged Father (Nick Nolte) and his two sons in the first half. And there even was "Moby Dick" mentioned (although I still don’t understand why).
But it all went completely downhill in the second half. Let me tell you a little about the plot, especially about the point I found to be the most ridiculous. Brendon (late 30s, early 40-s) used to be an "Ultimate Fighting Championship" fighter. But now he is a teacher, with a beautiful wife and two daughters. He is behind his mortgage payments and about to lose his house. What does he do? He goes back to fighting, where he could be killed/injured/leave his family with nothing. Why? Because he doesn’t contemplate the thought of losing the house, the most important thing in his life. His wife objects at first, but later relents (as a good wifey should) and starts cheering for her hubby when he is smashing other people to a pulp in the Championship. Oh, and his brother Tommy (played by rather delectable Tom Hardy) is in the Championship too and the brothers eventually have a teary re-union..
There was, of course, an awful "Russian" character, the defending champion Koba (by the way, the name is of Georgian, not Russian origin).
Oh, and all the fighters were, of course, white, and the movie wouldn't have passed Bechdel Test. There was one guy of colour at the beginning but he has lost in the first round.
PS: I am especially miffed that the creators dared to use the song of one of my favourite Russian singers and songwriters, Vladimir Visotsky, as the background song for the awful character of monstrous Koba. Visotsky was the voice of freedom in the 80s Russia.. He died really early - conspiracy theories still abound, and to tell the truth his early death seemed terribly "convenient" for USSR government. I could not believe it when Visotsky’s song was used in this way. I am sure the director didn’t bother to check the lyrics, or the singer’s biography.