Movies reviews

Jarhead: Saw Jarhead with one of my friends on Friday. After the screening ended, I didn't feel satisfied with the movie until I thought about it. And thought about it again. Again. Again. And AGAIN. I'm still thinking about it and I believe it is one of the best films of this year. It is like a meal where you thought was unsatisfying until you remember its little subtleties and tastes until you find out that it is one of the better things in life. The film contains a phenomenal performance from Jake Gyllenhaal as Anthony Swofford, a marine who becomes a sniper and waits for combat in the 1991 Gulf War. I could not think of anyone else to play this role but I think doesn't belong to him but Peter Sarsgaard's Troy. Without him, the film would not have its humanity or a backbone. It is lifeless without Sarsgaard's Troy. He gives the film an undeniable depth that he gives in numerous other films (Boys Don't Cry, Shattered Glass, Garden State). This is a film without heroes or villains but complex characters. It is a film not about a plot but about character and how the absence of war can destroy a person. There is a most dramatic scene in this film that I will not mention because it is astonishingly intense. This may be the only movie where I the song "Jesus Walks" completely fits in with the movie. It is the perfect song to end the film and it is instrumental completely adding power to the film. A

Mysterious Skin: I read about this film in Pam's blog. She just mentioned it and said it was beautiful and painful. I immediately clicked it to my Netflix queue and rented it. Mysterious Skin is one of those films where not knowing about it is a great advantage. By the end of the film, I was taken aback at how the ending is beautiful yet so sad at the same time. This is a difficult film to watch (like Lilya 4-Ever) because of its subject matter but its rewards are many when finished. There is one tender scene (which I will not spoil) but describing it will rob it of its power. Joseph Gordon Levitt plays the character of Neil, a young man who hustles for money not because he needs it but because of early memories that force him to think it is right. Brady Corbet plays Brian, another young man who has a strong connection with Neil. He believes that he was abducted by aliens when he was young. He believes it so much that it blinds him from the shocking and disturbing truth. Both Levitt and Corbet give incredible performances in the film but the film belongs to Levitt and his extraordinary performance as Neil. His performance may be one of the best I have ever seen. My cousin Pam was right, it is beautiful and painful. But it is also intelligent, brave, challenging, engrossing, compelling, honest, and at its core, a masterpiece. A+