If you’ve ever seen a friend. A loved one. Or a confidant on a downhill slope in his or her life, then “Half Nelson” will surely hit home for you. It hit home for me, and that’s because what occurs here is all too real. Basically, the universal message, the entire message of “Half Nelson” is that our heroes are in fact human, and eventually the people we look up to, people we think are invincible, are in actuality human with flaws, vices, and even addictions, and we’ll discover that eventually, and we may never be able to understand it. But our heroes will in effect be just human, that can not escape their trappings regardless of what you do for them. For Mr. Dunn, his fate is inevitable, and it’s only a matter of time before he faces that.
Tag Archives: Crime
The Depression of Detective Downs (2005)
Depression is no laughing matter. It can make you feel sick, ruin your day, put a big stall in your daily activities and worst of all ruin your train of thought. For Detective Downs, his worst enemy is not the kidnapper who just took a small child, or a job that is paying him very little, but a huge amount of depression that’s ruining how he thinks on the case. This is the most important case of his career, and this depression is ruining his chances in solving it.
Snakes on a Plane (2006)
Samuel L. Jackson has just bought himself a heaping helpful of infamy and prestige shamelessly bragging about and spearheading one of the most ludicrous ad campaigns ever enlisted for such a ridiculous movie. I admit I was one of the many who thought the hype, jokes, spoofs, et al were all overblown for what could have been a mediocre big budget crap fest. But you know what? When all was said and done, I’d rather have a fun ridiculous original film, then another remake of a childhood classic. And that’s what invariably won me over on “Snakes on a Plane”.
Miami Vice (2006)
Mann is in quite a predicament with “Miami Vice” a remake of his hit show from the eighties. He created a show that was ahead of its time, a gritty realistic show about two cops in the underground, years subsequent to the shows success and ending, over a thousand imitations popped up in film, television, and novels, and the formula became old. The sad state of Mann’s adaptation of his own work is that “Miami Vice” was edgy in its time, but these days we’ve had so many gritty cop flicks with a black and white officer partnership, that the concept presented here is just tired and feels simply like a vehicle for its two stars.
Amateur Porn Star Killer: The New Cut (2005)
This new cut of Shane Ryan’s “Amateur Pornstar Killer” (a film you must try to get a hold of) is much more sophisticated. Not only in terms of quality in which Ryan manages to improve his creation without tarnishing the original, but in technical aspects where Ryan is able to convey his story and imagery with much more coherency. While I loved the original, it was polarizing to one-minded people expecting a standard thriller and getting more of a thought provoking thriller. There’s no chase, no climactic battle, no back stories. It’s just a man running out of options and places to hide very quickly, and a young girl who gets snared in his trap. Much more is realized in this new version, and watching it a second time you begin to notice much of the nuances Ryan enlisted.
United 93 (2006)
Did we need this? No. Did we need to see this? No. Were we forgetting? I could live to be 99, and I’ll still remember it. So, why was it made? That’s up for debate. But it happened, and there was nothing left to do but watch it and hope for the best; Greengrasses depiction of the September 11th and the incident and eventual crash on United 93 is surely a tense and deft exploration that never really seeks to be fantastic or grandiose. I can tell you we didn’t need this, but does that devalue it? No way. I admit to you, I was prepared to tear this to shreds, and I was readying myself to loathe this. But a strange thing occurred. During this film, I had a lump in my throat and my chest was tight from the tension. And then suddenly I was back in September 11th, and the memories flooded back, and if you’ve had a more personal experience with that tragedy, I warn you that you will not be able to sit through most of it.
Fizzy Days (2005)
The plot is severely simple. Eddy (who bears a shocking resemblance to Roger Daltry) wants to impress the girls, and having a guitar just isn’t doing it. So, in order to grab some tail, he gets a job so he can afford a motorcycle. Bikes, which are affordable, just don’t garner enough attention aside from laughs. For the novelty of its plot and the time it’s set in, “Fizzy Days” is worth your attention; it’s not only entertaining, but utterly unique in terms of humor and characterization.