Letters from Iwo Jima.... you're up next!

[Guest Emperor]

So tonight, Yveva and I are going out to see Letters. For those of you unfamiliar with this film.... well it just got a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Feature and I think it will be nominated for an Oscar for Best Film. Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film is the story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.

 

I am sure Yveva and I will have a review up sometime over the weekend.

 

If you see a movie over the weekend, please post and let us know about it.

[Guest Yveva]

hrm. I guess the fact that we didn't put up a review here says more than if we had put up a review...

 

I've watched "war movies" before, and there are some I enjoyed more than others. This one had an interesting hook, showing the side of the Japanese during the battle for Iwo Jima. It was filmed in a monochrome colour, remeniscent of wartime photography, and almost all dialogue was in Japanese.

 

I liked the setup of the movie, showing the struggles between officers, the difficulty caused by a lack of supplies. When the Americans showed up the contrast between the small island with no support coming, and the number of ships and planes brought by the US was especially powerful to me.

 

Unfortunately, though there is a lot of Oscar hype about the movie I don't really think it's best picture worthy, and probably not best director worthy either. The beginning of the movie dragged, and the fighting became redundant. In a way it would have made a better movie if shorter? maybe? I'm not really sure what was missing, some depth to the characters perhaps. The idea is really good, and it makes a good movie to show a history class, but there wasn't really enough to stand out from the pack for me.

[Guest Emperor]

I was really excited about this movie but really, I got a little bored. There was hardly any fighting. It was very interesting to watch how the Japanese dealt with wartime and their traditions.. but the movie dragged way to much for me to give it an Oscar, not even a nomination. I am not sure how this beat out Pan's for a Golden Globe.