Children of Men
Barely made it to "Children of Men" today, just in time realizing it's on its last week, although I wanted to see it for ages - a dystopia with a director that's not likely to fuck up, Alfonso Cuaron, the man who made the furst Harry Potter movie (yes, the first, because the previous two weren't movies but a string of bland moving illustrations of a book) and actors such as Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine.
It's year 2027, and the youngest person on Earth just died at age of 18. Civilisation goes down the drain, with countless groups of terrorists creating chaos in the streets and governments answering with atrocities that a military regime can come up so easily. U.K. is a festering cloaca of anarchy and cruelty -- and at the same time, still the best country to live in, hence the hoardes of refugees, who are outlawed, hunted and banished into closed ghettos - if they aren't very legally shot by some power-crazy soldier before. That is the world the first baby in 18 years is about to come, a baby of a young refugee still uncaught. Owen's character, Theo, is a former radical, now a jaded bureaucrat, is asked to forge documents for a mum-to-be, so that she could reach a mysterious ship that'd take her to some vague scientific paradise, where a baby would be taken care of without endangering him. The movie is about their journey.
Well...ovations to all the cast: director, who can build a world both horribly realistic and subtly metaphorical; the cinematographer for atmosphere, Clive Owen for a hero who is The Hero without ever wielding a gun in all the shooting frenzy around him, Michael Caine for his elderly wisecracking hippie with own field of ganja in his house and everyone else, actually. Definitely not a movie to forget the next day.
The world...well, it was seriously depressing - and I love decaying buildings, burning cars and suchlike postapocalyptic sceneries. It's just that was a tad too realistic, I suppose. Also, constant gloom or twilight, no sun at sight in entire length of the movie; little details - such as advertising of drugs for suicide that makes you ask yourself what happened to religion and morals in general. Lots of unglorified guns -- again, it sticks out a lot that the hero doesn't ever use one. Lots of unglorified deaths. Message, that freedom fighters can be just as selfish sadistic bastards as evil governments they fight against. No dot over i in the ending.
And so frighteningly believable, all that...I remember having an argument with a friend after "V for Vendetta" -- whether a society with long history of democracy can succumb to a herd of sheeple steered by militant dictatorship in such a short period. I was saying no, she was saying totally possible (and between us two, I'm the jaded cynical bitch and she's a romantic with head full of elves...heh). In this case however, I believe it could happen - because it's not some pathetic coup d'etat - it's genuine end of the world. No kids, no future, it's all very simple. And doomed species, I believe, are capable of any crime.
Issues aside, "Children of Men" is an adventure movie as well, and them adventures are directed just as good, fast-paced and attention-gripping, so bored you will not be (although I admit in a few moments I wanted to have a fast-worward button, because the suspense was killing meeeee, nd I sooooo wanted to make sure they're alriiiiight, waaaaaah!)
In conclusion, one of the best things of this year, definitely. I'm getting me a DVD of it later, because I'm sure I missed tons of little details.
It's year 2027, and the youngest person on Earth just died at age of 18. Civilisation goes down the drain, with countless groups of terrorists creating chaos in the streets and governments answering with atrocities that a military regime can come up so easily. U.K. is a festering cloaca of anarchy and cruelty -- and at the same time, still the best country to live in, hence the hoardes of refugees, who are outlawed, hunted and banished into closed ghettos - if they aren't very legally shot by some power-crazy soldier before. That is the world the first baby in 18 years is about to come, a baby of a young refugee still uncaught. Owen's character, Theo, is a former radical, now a jaded bureaucrat, is asked to forge documents for a mum-to-be, so that she could reach a mysterious ship that'd take her to some vague scientific paradise, where a baby would be taken care of without endangering him. The movie is about their journey.
Well...ovations to all the cast: director, who can build a world both horribly realistic and subtly metaphorical; the cinematographer for atmosphere, Clive Owen for a hero who is The Hero without ever wielding a gun in all the shooting frenzy around him, Michael Caine for his elderly wisecracking hippie with own field of ganja in his house and everyone else, actually. Definitely not a movie to forget the next day.
The world...well, it was seriously depressing - and I love decaying buildings, burning cars and suchlike postapocalyptic sceneries. It's just that was a tad too realistic, I suppose. Also, constant gloom or twilight, no sun at sight in entire length of the movie; little details - such as advertising of drugs for suicide that makes you ask yourself what happened to religion and morals in general. Lots of unglorified guns -- again, it sticks out a lot that the hero doesn't ever use one. Lots of unglorified deaths. Message, that freedom fighters can be just as selfish sadistic bastards as evil governments they fight against. No dot over i in the ending.
And so frighteningly believable, all that...I remember having an argument with a friend after "V for Vendetta" -- whether a society with long history of democracy can succumb to a herd of sheeple steered by militant dictatorship in such a short period. I was saying no, she was saying totally possible (and between us two, I'm the jaded cynical bitch and she's a romantic with head full of elves...heh). In this case however, I believe it could happen - because it's not some pathetic coup d'etat - it's genuine end of the world. No kids, no future, it's all very simple. And doomed species, I believe, are capable of any crime.
Issues aside, "Children of Men" is an adventure movie as well, and them adventures are directed just as good, fast-paced and attention-gripping, so bored you will not be (although I admit in a few moments I wanted to have a fast-worward button, because the suspense was killing meeeee, nd I sooooo wanted to make sure they're alriiiiight, waaaaaah!)
In conclusion, one of the best things of this year, definitely. I'm getting me a DVD of it later, because I'm sure I missed tons of little details.