Movie Review: Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker is a great movie, possibly the best movie so far, about the Iraq war. I don't know if it's in the list of classic war movies (see Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, Full Metal Jacket), but it is the best recent war movie. Hurt Locker follows a sergeant who has chosen to be on the bomb squad. His duty is to disable roadside bombs, suicide bomber jackets, human cavity bombs, etc. He doesn't really know why he enjoys his duty but he does, even though it creates so much stress and depression for him. He could die at any time. His colleagues die in explosions or get injured by friendly fire. But at the end, he realizes that the one thing he cares about in life is his job. And so, he reenlists for another year. For him, the war is a adrenaline drug. It keeps him going.

Movie Reviews (2 for 1!): Ocean's Twelve & North by Northwest

Okay so I grouped these both together because they were equally awful. I honestly have no clue why North by Northwest is an "American classic". If it truly represents the epitome of American cinema, that's pretty sad. Cary Grant may be a good actor but this is truly a silly role.

The movie simply has no believability. Cary Grant wears the same impeccable suit the entire time he's chased by assassins, the police, and the CIA. His dialogue is stilted. The plot-line takes FOREVER to develop and tries too hard to be funny. The story is implausible and unbelievable. Let me give you a couple examples:

Movie Review: Shawshank Redemption

This is a movie about hope. About a man who refused to be bowed down by his circumstances. By the unfairness of life. By the institution. The Shawshank Redemption is a movie about Andy Dufresne. Andy is a well-off banker who is withdrawn and quiet. His wife finally fesses up to cheating on him and openly drives to her lover's house. Andy follows them there, drunk and contemplating murder. He loads his revolver, steps out of the car...and then? According to the prosecutor, Andy is a criminal. A man who committed cold-blooded murder. Witness the facts: Two dead victims, riddled with 12 bullets, a broken bottle nearby with fingerprints on it, revolver bullets, and tire tracks that match Andy's. It doesn't help that after leaving the place, Andy throws the gun in the ocean. He claims he thought better of his actions and simply drove home, but the judge doesn't listen. A double life sentence. In the Shawshank prison. The movie chronicles Andy's life in prison, as told from "Red's" perspective.