The Red Dawns: a comparison

Hollywood's constant idea of recycling old successful movies has become irritating(with the exception of Star Trek) More so than those other remade films, Red Dawn was a period piece which played into a specific '80s obsession: “The Cold War”...The Communists are out to get us! Updating the scenario to the 21^st century, who's the enemy now? Well initially the filmmakers made China the enemy, but shortly after finishing production realized, "Oh wait it might not be such a good idea to tick off China". So after being shelved for 2 years, changes were made to the remake and the bad guys became North Korea. The 1984 Red Dawn was about not backing down and fighting for freedom. 28 years later, we are totally happy to neuter our super-patriotic movies so as not to offend a country whose money we want and need.

Because of this (the remake) I didn't buy that it was guerrilla warfare. It seemed more like either a weekend survivalist retreat with some poorly staged battle sequences or a fun game of capture the flag. Even though there are some scenes that try to play homage to the original, such as the drinking of the deer blood, they mostly fall flat. When one of the wolverines states their situation is just like Modern Warfare, I have to disagree. Modern Warfare is more believable.

Chris Hemsworth as Jed, is likeable but the rest of the cast lacks the chemistry of the original  cast. I idolized the Wolverines of the first movie, they were fighting for our country. These new wolverines seemed like wannabe thugs who were given toys and spent most of their time blowing up stuff.

And if this wasn't irritating enough the filmmakers tried to convince us that the youth of America are just one bad-ass training montage away from becoming guerrilla warriors, a group that are suppose to stir up a lot of patriotic fervor defending their homeland. Instead we are shown whiny image-conscious, spoiled brats.(Like those self-involved kids in horror flicks you take pleasure in watching die at the hands of the hacksaw murderer hiding in the woods)

So the best advice I can give you is if you were around for the first Red Dawn you probably really don't want to waste your time on this new forgettable one! But if you aren't part of Generation X you might want to consider watching the remake before taking on the original.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the filmmakers and studio might be wanting to make the film into a franchise with sequels, due to how the remake ended.

If this is the case may God have mercy on our souls.

High School Never Changes!

American Teen takes its cue from the classic teen movie Breakfast club. Most politically correct people would say that there are no easy stereotypes in high school and that this movie does not represent the true American Teen. Well, I hate to break it to these people, but ... there are and even though our town of Warsaw might be labeled affluent it's what I would consider middle America. Every high school has its cliques, the privileged, the underprivileged, the in crowd, the out crowd, etc.

This documentary tells the senior-year story of four and a half(The half being Mitch) very different teens living in our small town of Warsaw. I found each story compelling in its own way. Hannah, the rebel, wants out of Indiana(I related to her the most). Colin, the jock, needs a basketball scholarship. Megan , the queen bee needs to be accepted to Notre Dame. Jake, the geek, wants a better social life. And last but not least is Mitch, the heart throb.(Enough said)What I truly liked about American Teen apart from the obvious fact that it was filmed in Warsaw, was the sheer brilliance of the director in how she was able to make us feel both the excruciating pain and overwhelming joy, that comes with being a teenager. When you're that age and in high school, all that really matters is your world and your issues and while most of those said issues are trite they are and will remain huge issues to teenagers.

 Some would say that this film isn't really a documentary because a few of the scenes and situations seem set up or scripted. Whether real or scripted I think American Teen skillfully captures the tumultuous time of Senior year and the mixture of optimism, uncertainty, and the transition of a group of complex young people trying to find their way into adulthood. And even though the times have changed the hopes, fears and stresses of high school remain the same for each and everyone of us.

No matter how long it's been since you've been in high school, you will find yourself identifying with these teens and also remembering those pressures of growing up(Now the issues and pressures seem so few). High school...you either loved it or hated it. You either grew and went on to bigger and better things, or you didn't and realize high school is all you have, meaning you peaked.

It's been close to 5 years now since the documentary was shown and I would be interested in catching up with these teens who are now adults and seeing how different or the same they are from their teenage selves. Each had the potential for awesomeness, just wondered if they achieved it!

Life of Pi, a beautiful Journey of faith

It's been days and I am still awestruck! Not since “Avatar”, has a movie left me so riveted! “Life of Pi” turned out to be nothing like I had anticipated. I went in with modest expectations, and came out truly amazed. This movie reaffirmed that there is humanity in cinema. From the trailer, I had anticipated amazing visuals, yet was not quite sure about the story. I figured mediocre, at best(I was mistaken) The story is incredible, a fascinating parable about faith and determination. The director, Ang Lee is impeccable(As always). His mastery of imagery is superb

The story centers on Pi, the son of an Indian zookeeper, who due to unfortunate events finds his family and himself on a freighter to Canada. All the animals are on board and are to be sold once they arrive. A shipwreck later, the boy finds himself alone on a lifeboat with a tiger, zebra, orangutan and hyena. The story is told in flashback mode to a reporter.(Normally I don't care for flashback story-lines) Pi, now a middle-aged man, promises that by the end of the tale, the reporter will believe in God.

I will not give away any more details, except that there are two versions of the shipwreck story and you have to discover which version is believable to yourself. What we do know is that a young man went on a hero's journey, resolved either by pure human perseverance and a Darwinian instinct for survival or by divine intervention. This, in my opinion, is the best part of the film. Long after the credits have rolled you will keep “Life of Pi” in your brain and ponder on this fantastic story's message...It makes no difference what religion you follow, or don't follow for that matter, as long as you're blessed and find reason for your existence, NO ONE has the right to tell you otherwise. We should learn to live and let live and above all never lose hope even when we are pushed to our weakest points.

So if you want a movie that will not only make you think, but captivate you visually as well, then be sure to make a trip to the Warsaw Community Public Library and pick up a copy of “Life of Pi” and remember to tell them Missy sent you!