Three Kings
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Movie Reviews of Three Kings
Movie Review: Getting the color and framing right
Summary: 3 Stars
I would give the story line a four star rating, but I have a difference of opinion with the director's choice of color production in certain scenes in this movie. He claims he wants to set a mood with the off color and tint in some scenes. I've always felt that the dialogue and the accompanying music should set the scene, and not the color tint, particularly when the tint casts unsightly hues on a character's face. It's one thing to shoot a scene where there is, let's say, a sole blue bulb in the room, but it's totally another thing to change the natural lighting of a scene in order to create a certain mood - it doesn't happen that way in real life. I'm not saying you can never use it, but it is akin to using "and" & "but" to start a sentence - it can be done, but should be done very sparingly. In fact, this director can take a page from the movies that feature predominantly black stars. They consistantly shoot in full spectrum light which gives the scenes a very natural look, and make it a pleasure to watch. These movies are great to revisit for the sheer beauty on how they were shot. Whether the scene is shot indoors or outdoors, whether the scene is shot in the daytime or at night, the end results are good. They rarely cut off peoples heads due to photographical choices. Come on guys, that intimate close up shot can only go but so far - a close up on someone's smile, or of someone's eyes is very undesirable when viewed on a 90' x 40' movie theater screen, and still looks just as bad on home theater systems in the 50" to 200" range. The makers of Three Kings should get some pointers on how to make a film look good and natural by contacting Miramax. In their film Shakespeare In Love, they turn out a film that had so many of the aspects of photography correct. Whether the scene was brightly or dimly lighted, the colors were well saturated, had good shadow detail, had great texture detail, great contrast and framed well. I have revisited this movie many times just for the sheer joy of watching good photography on film. On the other hand, I'm not going to revisit the Three Kings until I make a personal dub of it, and record all questionable scenes in black and white with my DVD burner, or maybe I'll just watch it in black and white.Movie Review: Shows why liberals suck
Summary: 4 Stars
If it wasn't for all the anti- war liberalism, we could've freed the Iraqi people in the gulf war. the movie demonstrates how bleeding-hearts are responsible for Iraqi suffering. And today we stil hear anti=war protests against freeing Iraq. Incredible.Movie Review: Surprise package
Summary: 4 Stars
While still resembling the disposable summer entertainment it pretends to be, "Three Kings" is actually a savage indictment of American foreign policy and the sorry implications of Western ignorance when it comes to the Middle East. Most young men don't want to think about all that challenging stuff, so perhaps pitching this as an action-comedy about American boys kicking sandy butt was the only way to get the audience which most needs to see it into the theatres. The result is a film with just enough action to be enjoyed as a purely visceral war story, but which more politically aware viewers can admire for its bracing and balanced take on modern imperialism and the politics of oil - although everyone may feel let down by an anachronistic Hollywood ending which reeks of studio interference or post-preview jitters. But the real tragedy is that in the current political environment which Bush has strategically dumbed down into the dishonest polarity of "Good vs. Evil", this is precisely the kind of forthright, sophisticated film we should be seeing more of - and precisely the kind of film which now has little chance of ever being made again. Treasure it.Movie Review: Kings Amoung Men
Summary: 4 Stars
Ok, I have to admit, I have resisted seeing this film because of one name, Mark Wahlberg. Its this thing I have, the psychologists haven't been able to put a name to it, but I have a fear of viewing films with certain "actors", Wahlberg being one of said "actors". It's probably why I haven't seen The Matrix yet, the same symptoms seem to appear anytime I see Keanu Reeves. But my friend Jack tempted me and I did partake.Writer-Director David O. Russell, deliverers a film that takes a unique perspective at modern warfare, examining the beauty and pain of the human character. I'll have to tell you, it made me reexamine my view of war. Four soldiers go AWOL in search of gold bullion (not the small cubes used to make soup) that Saddam Hussein's army has stolen from Kuwait. Finding and retrieving the gold was easy, but getting out of the country with the gold and their lives becomes the crux of the story as the soldiers struggle with the worth of the gold versus the worth of protecting the Iraqi civilians they have befriended. This for me made the film; I have seemed to have lost hope with humanity as of late. I think it is the drive I make to work everyday. I see these cars with images of the American Flag or Calvin pissing on Bin Laden clinging to the rear windows, it's suppose to say I'm a good citizen or something like that, but they drive like terrorists, putting lives at risk, they obviously don't care about their fellow man. Anyway, Three Kings forces those involved to make a choice between doing the right thing for humanity and doing the right thing for themselves.
If you saw Traffic, this movie has a similar feel, kind of grainy, makes you feel as if you really are in the heat of the desert. Oh, we can't leave out the bullet cam; this could very easily have been a scene from Fight Club. We have seen this before, helmet cam, ball cam, goal cam, but this is bullet cam, we actually see the bullet tearing through flesh and organs from the bullets point of view, odd really.
I also really enjoyed the small role played by Jamie Kennedy; this guy is really funny and extremely talented. If you haven't seen his show, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, I highly recommend it, check it out on the WB, I know the WB, but this show really has substance.
So go out and get Three Kings and if your friends ask, just say that Chet beguiled me and I did partake.
Movie Review: Why we fight Why we feel
Summary: 4 Stars
Is it for honor? Is it for glory? Is it for money? Perhaps it is for all three of these reasons. This film reminded me of THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY except the three in the title were all GOOD. The backdrop of the film is war. The motivating factor is greed and lust. Through the transgression of man's ability to commit war, humanity surfaces in the most unlikely places and at the most unlikely times. Even though this film looks more offbeat every time I watch it, it seems to make greater sense with each viewing.