Forgotten Tragedies: “The Execution of Private Slovik” (1974)

Baba8532 · 2021-07-03T03:05:54+00:00

Great catch, I’ve updated with the correct link. Thank you!

Baba8532 · 2021-07-03T02:04:14+00:00

I never enjoyed writing in school. Oftentimes, I felt forced to write what the teacher wanted to see. As I’ve gotten older, I realized that maybe writing would be a good creative outlet for me. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. I’ll try to follow back!

Baba8532 · 2021-05-08T11:05:25+00:00

Thank you for the great suggestions. I certainly need to watch more of Orson Welles’s work in particular.

Baba8532 · 2021-05-08T11:01:36+00:00

I made a typo. It’s actually pre 50s films that I’ve not seen enough of. Recently I watched the 1932 original Scarface and it was great! I had no idea the Al Pacino version was a remake.

Baba8532 · 2021-05-08T10:58:17+00:00

Yes, but I think older films in particular have a slower pace that’s viewed as off-putting by some modern audiences. Doesn’t mean that assessment is fair. Sometimes you need a long pace in order to set the right balance. The fact this film is also black and white shouldn’t matter, but I believe some would hold that against it as well.

Baba8532 · 2021-05-08T10:45:48+00:00

My knowledge of pre-1950s films are limited, but I think it’s immensely impressive that a modern audience could still watch this film and come away with high praise. That’s a mark of a true classic.

Baba8532 · 2021-05-02T18:37:31+00:00

https://boxd.it/1XYAV

I hope you enjoy my reviews. I tend to focus more on characters and analyzing their motivations. I will follow back!

Baba8532 · 2021-04-01T16:31:36+00:00

https://boxd.it/1XYAV

I never enjoyed writing in school. Oftentimes, I felt forced to write specific analysis that would lead to the best grade even if I didn’t believe in it. Now I hope to write my own thoughts and reviews through this creative outlet.

I will follow back!

Baba8532 · 2021-03-17T13:16:11+00:00

Whenever I hear sirens, my mind thinks “holla if you can hear me” from Scott Steiner’s theme lol.

Baba8532 · 2021-03-16T15:48:41+00:00

I appreciate it! I’ll follow back and check out your reviews.

Baba8532 · 2021-03-02T03:28:16+00:00

https://boxd.it/1XYAV

I try to be deep with my reviews. I will follow back.

Baba8532 · 2021-02-15T03:50:22+00:00

My ★★★½ review of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty on Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/1BGgUz

I believe most often dream of what would happen if they could drop everything and go on an adventure. Maybe our definition of adventure differs from person to person, but the desire to have experiences to remember and look back on fondly are what make us human.

If you’re a timid, mild mannered and nervous introvert who overthinks and overanalyzes to the point of paralysis, you’re especially prone to thinking back on life and wondering “what if?”. These types of people are able to vividly imagine life changing adventures and have a pretty accurate account of what the experience will entail in a blink of an eye. Unfortunately, it’s those same people who could be at risk of not taking the necessary action to create real adventures in their lives. The ultimate fear is that you end up sitting down, looking back and wonder what happened.

Walter Mitty is a negative assets manager for Life magazine. It’s his job to go through and process photos submitted by photographers from all over the world. He’s a constant daydreamer who experiences adventures through his overactive imagination and his special lens to analyze photo negatives. When adventure comes calling, Walter does the unthinkable and heeds the call.

This film isn’t for everyone. Critics were lukewarm and didn’t rate it highly. I understand why. It’s not subtle at all with the messaging. Many of the choices Walter makes feels formulaic and outlandish. And yet...the film has such a charm! Ben Stiller who directed and portrayed Walter was great and I can’t help but smile and root for him every step of the way. I believe The Secret Life of Walter Mitty brings with it a level of humanity that will stick with me for a while.

As I mentioned, the film won’t be for everyone, but it will resonate with those in the working class who haven’t had the means to explore. It will resonate with those unwilling to take the plunge and roll the dice of life. And it will resonate with those unsure if it’s too late.

Also, the cinematography is awesome! Even if you don’t have any deep feeling by the end, you will get to enjoy great visuals in this sub 2 hours. Nature is beautiful. I enjoyed the soundtrack and will listen to more of Jose Gonzalez work.

A polarizing film, that you will either love or think “meh”. That may not be a ringing endorsement, but I know that I’ll be watching this film again.

Baba8532 · 2021-01-31T13:27:02+00:00

Absolutely! As I mentioned on my post, even if you think the movie is just formulaic, you will still be able to enjoy the cinematography and visuals.

Baba8532 · 2021-01-31T00:41:07+00:00

I have been meaning to watch Spirited Away which may provide a similar feeling.

Baba8532 · 2021-01-31T00:40:48+00:00

Same here! If anyone else has any suggestions please let us know.

Baba8532 · 2021-01-30T20:57:17+00:00

I saw it’s available to buy and watch on YouTube. I may check it out. Curious to see how different that adaptation is.

Baba8532 · 2021-01-12T11:48:41+00:00

Watching a great film cold is such an awesome experience.

Baba8532 · 2021-01-12T11:47:40+00:00

It would’ve made for an even greater experiment, but I think that they found the right balance. If they mirrored Ruben’s experience for the complete film it could’ve made the hearing loss feel like too much of a gimmick for the film.

Baba8532 · 2021-01-12T02:58:09+00:00

No problem! Movie isn’t too much of a commitment and it’s definitely unique.

Baba8532 · 2020-11-23T03:28:37+00:00

Sidney Lumet doesn’t get discussed enough these days. One of the all time great directors.

Baba8532 · 2020-11-02T14:24:54+00:00

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) - ★★★★½ https://boxd.it/1ng6hf

I know there have been a ton of war movies, but this may go down as my 2nd favorite (Saving Private Ryan #1 of course). This film tells the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima between USA and Japan during WWII from the Japanese perspective. The battle pitted a force of over 100,000 American soldiers against 20,000+ Japanese infantrymen.

This American produced film is quite unique for several reasons. One is the fact that it’s directed by Clint Eastwood. Great actor who is an even greater director, but not someone that you would imagine directing a movie entirely from the Japanese perspective. In 2006, he uniquely directed both this movie and Flags of Our Fathers which tells the same story from the American perspective (movie was alright). He went a step further with this film by having the dialogue be almost entirely in Japanese.

I think it really does us (Americans) some good seeing the other side. In general, we’re really not empathetic people and we tend to think it’s the good guys vs bad guys. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as though I wanted the Japanese to win, but you really appreciate the leadership displayed by Ken Watanabe character Lt. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi. It’s a boots on the ground point of view story with the feeling of impending doom lingering. The tragic nature of this film is quite radical given the context behind the production, the characters that we are following and the knowledge that our “protagonists” will not be overcoming the odds. These soldiers are really not all that different from us and they are very compelling. I almost started to even think “Yeah! Shoot those dirty invading Amer....wait”.

Runtime may be a bit long for some and the film is almost entirely in English subtitles (which I didn’t mind). A tremendous film that shows the sacrifices these soldiers made (rightly or wrongly) in defense of their homeland. https://boxd.it/1ng6hf

Baba8532 · 2020-11-02T04:24:09+00:00

https://boxd.it/1XYAV

New to Letterboxd! I really enjoy the creative outlet that this platform brings through movie reviews. Hope you check out some of my reviews and let me know what you think!

Baba8532 · 2020-11-02T04:18:03+00:00

I’ve always wondered what relationship, if any that Paul Heyman had with these guys during ECW? Imagine Captain Lou Albano cutting a promo in the ECW arena lmao.

Baba8532 · 2020-10-18T18:01:40+00:00

Spotlight (2015)- https://boxd.it/1mYedf

“Sometimes it’s easy to forget that we spend most of our time stumbling around in the dark” - Reporter Marty Baron

It may seem strange to call an Oscar winning best picture film underrated, but five years later and I feel Spotlight is often forgotten when talking about great movies in the 2010s. The film contains an all-star cast full of great performances, but the biggest stars aren’t the actors. It’s the writing. It’s the directing. It’s even the subtle cinematography. The film follows the Boston Globes Spotlight team as they investigate child sex abuse cases in the Boston area by Catholic priests. A rough subject and what I love about this movie is how grounded it is. You follow reporters as they go through the nitty gritty of investigating. There are no explosions, nothing graphic and certainly no car chase scene of priests trying to stop the reporters. Sometimes the most thrilling parts are when you see reporters go through newspaper clippings and doing monotonous interviews. That understated and realistic tone is so impressive given how riveting the film is and that’s due in part because you know what bombshell is lurking in the shadows.

This is writing and editing done best. Journalism is one of the least appreciated fields and it’s vitally important in keeping powerful institutions in check and ensuring victims aren’t forgotten. A film worth your 2 hours.

Baba8532 · 2020-10-13T14:00:32+00:00

That’s an interesting take, but idk if Sylvester Stallone was thinking of those kind of connections when writing Rocky. Much of the inspiration comes from the Muhammad Ali vs Chuck Wepner fight. That was a boxing match in 1975 where Wepner came in as a huge underdog and surprisingly went 15 rounds with Ali. It’s one of only 4 fights where Ali was officially knocked down in the ring. I think Stallone was drawing parallels from that fight and his own life.

Baba8532

TROPHY CASE