Dead And Buried and Jarhead

[Mr_Vindictive]

Dead And Buried - This is a film that I've been wanting to see since I first really got into horror.  I've always read great stuff about it, and I'm a huge fan of Dan O'Bannon's various other films (alien, return of the living dead).  Sadly though, the local Blockbuster nor any mom and pop stores carried it.

So, when I signed up for Netflix, it was one of the first DVDs I threw in my queue.  I got it a few weeks back but just haven't had the time to watch it until last night.  My wife and I sat down to watch it (despite her complaints) and I must say it was quite good.  Hell my wife even enjoyed it, eventhough she (sadly) loathes anything earlier than about '85 or so.  

The movie is about a sheriff in a small town in New England called Potter's Bluff.  Tourists are starting to show up murdered in the town, and something extremely strange is going on.  

The film is one that shouldn't be as forgotten as it is.  It has a few plot holes but it's a damned good film with quite a bit of tense.  The scene where the tourists ask the lady in the cafe about gas and she tells Freddie to go pump them some is an amazing scene.  When he turns around and the viewer sees his face....wow.....  My wife exclaimed "WHAT THE F**K".  Perfect.  This is one I will be buying very soon.

10/10!



Jarhead - Jarhead is a film that I've wanted to see since I first heard about Sam Mendes being attached to it.  I loved American Beauty and thought that Road To Perdition was pretty decent as well.

Jarhead follows Anthony Swafford, a young man who decided to join the marines in 1989 right before the Gulf War.  The first scene starts with him being lambasted and yelled at for no reason by his drill seargent and seriously sets the tone for the rest of the flick.  It also calls to mind Full Metal Jacket, which I have a feeling was intended.

Swafford is trained to be a killer, to love to kill and to be an all around badass killing machine.  He and his fellow marines get to Iraq and are welcomed by an oil company, naturally.  The rest of the film takes place in Iraq as the soldiers go through their time without any action at all.  

For these guys it is like having blue balls.  These guys want the headshot, they want the kill, they want to do as they were trained and yet they never really get the chance.  This drives each of them insane as they being to go a bit insane.

Jake Gyllenhaal gives a great performance and made me forget about Donnie Darko completely, but the real treat to see here is by far my favorite actor out there today - Peter Sarsgaard.  He plays the sniper spotter for Gyllenhaal and has a break-down in the film that is absolutely amazing.  

I will say though, if you are a conservative and see this film, then you will be offended.  It has quite a liberal view of war and military force, and sort of holds up a mirror to the current war in Iraq.  

I wouldn't be surprised to see Jake's name show up Oscar time.  This is a film that needs to be seen.  This is one that I will certainly be adding to my war DVD collection as soon as it's released.

Welcome To The Suck

10/10




King Kong Trailer - Saw this before Jarhead.  One word - WOW.

[Scottie]

I too enjoyed Jarhead, and believe your review accurately describes the themes and tone of the movie. Two moments that stick out in my mind as I think back on the film are the bathroom dream sequence on R&R and everything that happens in the burning oil fields, especially the oil slicked horse. Mendes obscures the reliability of our narrator by putting him in surreal situations alone, a trick he uses to reflect the pressures each soldier must be feeling. There comes a time when we begin to see our narrator's breakdowns and these small episodes mirror his mental state beautifully. Kudos to Industrial Light and Magic for removing the California mountains for the desert shots.

There's somethign about Sam Mendes that bugs me though. He's only directed five pieces for television and film, yet his work doesn't reflect it. Not only tdoes he work with the best actors and actresses, but he works with only the best shooters. For American Beauty and Road to Perdition, his cinematographer was Conrad Hall-- He shot Butch Cassidy! He's the best! And now for Jarhead, he's working with cinematographer Roger Deakins, the man who shot all of the Coen Brothers movies, including Oh, Brother, and Hudsucker, as well as House of Sand and Fog. Where does he get the gall to be so good? It's disturbing. I'm disturbed... and pretty jealous too.

[dean]

ARGH!

You just reminded me that I've had Dead and Buried as part of my DVD collection for at least a year and have yet to watch it...  I hate it when that happens!!  

I picked it up for the grand total sum of AU$2.99 on a whim without knowing anything about it and just today I saw a 2 disc collectors copy [not mine] on sale at a dvd store for $20.00 or so.

I have to admit I've seen a bit of it just after I bought it [just to see what the hell it was I bought: I only bought it because of the description of the plot on the back of the DVD case] and what I saw was interesting enough, but not enough to form any opinions on the darn thing!  Now I'm going to have to force myself to sit down and watch the darn thing just on principle [I can't have DVDs in my collection I haven't seen, that's just wasteful...]

I have to say that I'm pretty happy with the purchase now that it got such a glowing review from you Skaboi.  Cool!

[Neville]

Dead and buried... that one is a little creepy film that deserves more interest and kudos many other films discussed in this board. Guess it is too low key for some people, but it is  a great film.

[The Burgomaster]

Mike Judge has already announced a sequel to JARHEAD.  The title is BEAVIS AND JARHEAD.

 . . . and the audience groans at another attempt at humor by The Burgomaster.

[Scott]

I saw DEAD AND BURIED at the theater when it showed and thought is was a good one back then. Haven't seen it since, but I would like to.

Hoping to catch JARHEAD at the theater, not sure I'll be able to though. Looks like my type of film based on the ads and theater preview.

[LH-C]

I bought 'Dead & Buried' in the Limited 2-Disc edition when it was first released. Too bad it's out of print now. I absolutely love the movie! And I love Stan Winston's work in it too!

[BoyScoutKevin]

So, is "Jarhead" on the first Gulf War? There is a question on another board asking for films about the first Gulf War. And the only one I know about is "Three Kings."

[Mr_Vindictive]

Kevin,

Yep, Jarhead is set completely in the Gulf War

[ulthar]

Skaboi wrote:

>
> I will say though, if you are a conservative and see this film,
> then you will be offended.  It has quite a liberal view of war
> and military force, and sort of holds up a mirror to the
> current war in Iraq.  
>

I'm conservative (big shock, I know) and I want to see this film - even with this kind of warning attached to it.  Good films, as I anticipate this to be, good art in general, should challenge us.  I'm not afraid of that.

Thanks for the review, btw; I really want to see Jarhead.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Thanks, Skaboi. Now I can try to post an answer at that other message board.

[Shadowphile]

There are people who will dismiss Jarhead in the same way they dismiss Farenheit 911.  They are just so brainwashed that they refuse to even look at things with an open mind.  Watch it, then make up your mind, rather than the other way around.

[Mr_Vindictive]

Ulthar,

I do highly recommend it.  Check it out, and make sure to post your thoughts afterwards.

[LH-C]

I'm not seeing 'Jarhead' because I really, really, really hate Jake Gyllenhaal. I even change the channel if he's in a commercial.

[Shadowphile]

Did he kick your dog when you were kids?