movie review
Watched The Wind That Shakes the Barley today. It wasn't a great movie but it wasn't bad either. Stars Cillian Murphy who I happen to think is absolutely beautiful. He is. He's gorgeous and, if I can't have Mark Wahlberg as a grown-up Seamus, I will definitely take Cillian Murphy.
The movie is totally sticking with me. Like I said, not a great movie. It dragged in far too many places, the dialogue was too quiet in quite a few places. I don't know, I think if I hadn't watched it in the mood I was, I would've rated this movie much lower.
Thing is, though, I did watch in the mood I'm in and it hit me pretty hard. Basically, it's the story of two brothers just after Michael Collins timing. Two brothers, both deciding on opposite sides of the treaty. Knowing what I know and the history, it's that much more painful.
The acting wasn't the best but I did appreciate how the actors stuttered at times of high emotion, stumbling over their words instead of having picture perfect dialogue. It was basically heartbreaking and beautiful. The scenery was grey and overcast and depressing but it's also beautiful and warm and lovely, too.
IMHO, the ending was predictable from the beginning. The idealistic brother that hadn't wanted to even be a part of the war had to die. That's one of the few things that I wish had changed. I kept hoping that the movie wouldn't go the way of predictable and trite. I think, saying 'trite' here, though, means that I thought the way that the death happened was trite and it wasn't. It was painful and gutwrenching and not trite in the least. It's more that he died and had to die and that predictability that was trite.
8 out of 10
The movie is totally sticking with me. Like I said, not a great movie. It dragged in far too many places, the dialogue was too quiet in quite a few places. I don't know, I think if I hadn't watched it in the mood I was, I would've rated this movie much lower.
Thing is, though, I did watch in the mood I'm in and it hit me pretty hard. Basically, it's the story of two brothers just after Michael Collins timing. Two brothers, both deciding on opposite sides of the treaty. Knowing what I know and the history, it's that much more painful.
The acting wasn't the best but I did appreciate how the actors stuttered at times of high emotion, stumbling over their words instead of having picture perfect dialogue. It was basically heartbreaking and beautiful. The scenery was grey and overcast and depressing but it's also beautiful and warm and lovely, too.
IMHO, the ending was predictable from the beginning. The idealistic brother that hadn't wanted to even be a part of the war had to die. That's one of the few things that I wish had changed. I kept hoping that the movie wouldn't go the way of predictable and trite. I think, saying 'trite' here, though, means that I thought the way that the death happened was trite and it wasn't. It was painful and gutwrenching and not trite in the least. It's more that he died and had to die and that predictability that was trite.
8 out of 10