National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Fun to Watch

“National Treasure: Book of Secrets”, starring Nicolas Cage(Benjamin Franklin Gates), Justin Bantha(Ripley Poole), and Diane Krueger(Abigail Chase), is the sequel to “ National Treasure.” The film also features John Voight(Patrick Gates), Ed Harris(Mitch Wilkinson). John Turteltaub (Constantine, Phenomenon) directed, and Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of The Carribean) produced the film(IMDb). The budget for the film was about 100 million dollars(TV Guide).

As Benjamin Franklin Gates finishes a public lecture, he is suddenly interrupted by Mitch Wilkinson, who presents one of the missing pages from John Wilkes Booth’s diary. The page reveals one of Gates' relatives was involved in the murder of Abraham Lincoln. After meticulously analyzing the page, Ben, Ripley, and Abigail find a clue suggesting the contrary. Traveling from France to England and back to the United States, the clue ultimately leads to the book of secrets, which is key to clearing Gates’ family name. However, while seeking vindication through superb detective work, Ben and his crew discover something marvelous.

The sequel is comparable to the first; no inadequacy of action is a factor. There are plenty of thrills and puzzles to keep the fans of this movie entertained. Ben, Ripley and Abigail are still fun to watch as they entangle themselves in noble mischief. Constantly finding ways to get in and out of trouble seems to be the signature of the film. Watching the trio solve clues without violating the law, certainly would deduct from the essence of National Treasure. Deception is a key part of the trio’s group identity. They are wiling to deceive, steal and use people for their own purpose but in the grand scheme, their deceptive ways are harmless because the ends justify the means. Kidnapping the president, sneaking into the queen’s office, these violations of the law are grand in stature, but they are committed in such a harmless manner, one tends to overlook that kidnapping the president to clear one’s family name is not such a good idea. Kidnapping the president may require loftier planning but this is what makes National Treasure so fun to watch. The impossible circumstances the trio are involved in provokes thought, and makes one wonder how will they get out of this one? In any event, the movie is fast paced, blessed with the attribute of action and acumen, a very smart film that is loaded with action but with the absence of gunshots and deaths.

One theme in the film that is imperceptible on account of the action being in the forefront is the moral of reconciliation or forgiveness. There are two major acts reconciliation in this film. One is very endearing, and the other is endearing as well but not as potent as the former. After witnessing these on- screen acts of reconciliation, I felt hopeful that people could forgive each other even after a long time. Afterward, I thought about how much my x-girlfriend hates me, and I concluded perhaps the maxim of forgiveness does not apply to everyone. Good Lord! That girl hates me. In closing, I give praise to Mr. Bruckheimer for amazing production.

Sweeney Todd: There Was A Barber and His Wife

The film features Johny Depp(Sweeney Todd), Helana Bonham Carter(Mrs.Lovett), Alan Rickman(Judge Turpin), Timothy Spall(Beadle Bamford), and Jamie Campbell Bower(Anthony Hope). John Logan and Steven Sondheim wrote the film. Tim Burton(Batman, Sleepy Hollow, Planet of The Apes) directed, and John Logan, Laurie Macdonald, Walter F. Parkes, Richard D. Zanuck produced the film. Four Golden Globes nominations has been credited to the film(IMDb). Rated-R.

Sweeney Todd, formerly known as Benjamin Parker is accompanied by Anthony Hope on a ship steadily approaching the port of London. A disenchanted man, Todd expresses his disgust for people while conversing with Hope. Both men continue to speak briefly after reaching London, then part ways. As Tod makes his way Trough the streets of London, he encounters Mrs. Lovett, and she treats him to one her disgusting meat-pies. Later, the two develop an arrangement bonded by mutual mayhem, which becomes the avenue Sweeney Todd travels as he seeks vengeance on Judge Turpin.

The somber tone of the film was galvanized by the production. Colorless and mildew like, London was crafted as if a city to lure goths searching for real estate. The contrived darkness of London's architecture corresponded well with the sociopathology of Sweeney Todd, Mrs.Lovett and Judge Turpin. Retardation of the conscience painted the hearts of these three characters black, and noticeably, there is very little color in the film with the exception of certain scenes such as when Todd remembers his past, and when Mrs. Lovett is trying to hint or confess her feelings to Todd. With the production matching the dark tendencies of some of the major characters, one appreciates the disconsolate feelings experienced while watching the film. The on-screen milieu is not evidently jovial but morose, and while watching the film one's dark side may experience a gothic orgasm. The point is, the characters are just as dark as their surroundings, and a major explanatory aid of the dreadful state of the characters' affairs was the production.

Sweeney Todd carries a face countenanced with stoic death. A death existing as the side-effect of a blissful life lost. His stoicism communicates callousness belonging to the genre of those cursed with malformed empathy. Todd's stoicism is at times interrupted by anger when he senses his quest for vengeance is being encroached by the faults of others. His former self Benjamin Parker, seems to appear only when memories of a blissful past grants him resurrection from beneath the surface of Sweeney Todd's pale deathly countenance. Repugnant morally indeed, but one can understand why Sweeney Todd was born and why Benjamin Parker died. After experiencing such a loss many may believe vengeance is the only form of justice that will compensate for the breadth of such loss, and Benjamin Parkers transformation into Sweeney Todd may seem natural. As pathological as Sweeney Todd may be, movie-watchers were probably supporting Sweeney Todd's quest for vengeance.

The singing, oh damn the singing! as I watched this movie I developed a "Fuck", and the singing managed to annoy it out of me. If the script was modified to have less singing, joy to the world. The person's singing that annoyed me the most was Jamie Campbell Bower(Anthony Hope), " I feel you Johanna", aaaaaargh. Complaints aside, the film was a musical and the singing did not take away from richness of the story. This was a great film.

No Country For Old Men: A Thoughtful Film

The film features Tommy Lee Jones(Sheriff Ed Tom Bell), Woody Harrelson(Carson Wells), Josh Brolin(Llewelyn Moss), Kelly Macdonald(Carla Jean Moss) and Javier Bardem(Anton Chigurh). Ethan and Joel Coen wrote, produced, and directed the film. Four Golden Globes nominations has been credited to the film. Rated-R.

Llewelyn Moss is in an isolated area where he finds dead men and guns that subsequently leads him to find over 2 million dollars related to a drug deal. Leaving this amount of money behind proved difficult, but even more difficult to report to the police. After Llewelyn hides the money, Anton Chigurh, a cunning and ruthless killer with an air gun and a peculiar disposition, methodically tracks Llewelyn while leaving a trail of blood shed.

No Country For Old Men has an independent film quality that may be an acquired taste for movie fans who are inured to the feel of mainstream movies. The writing is thoughtful and funny. At times the comedic and thoughtful content of the writing is treated with eariness, providing a dark comedy element to the film. Being a movie about a drug deal that went wrong makes the story mainstream , but the movie is idiosyncratic. The action scenes are designed differently, focusing more on strategic bloodshed rather than bloodshed for shock value, although certain action scenes were shocking. Movie fans witnessed a different brand of killer who used an air-gun as the killing machine of choice, and that, amongst other factors made the film exceptionally unique.

Gaining a deep understanding of Tommy Lee Jone's character, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, is key to appreciating the title of the movie. Throughout the film Sheriff Bell appears unmotivated and intellectually outdated. Bell is not acute enough to pick up on certain clues that could potentially give him leverage on Chigurh, and in one scene Bell is unwilling to actually partake in the investigation, but not for lofty reasons. As Sheriff, Bell is an antiquity of law enforcement who feels outmatched while waiting for the impending doom called old age or older age in this case. In conclusion the film is impressive, but it does require movie fans to see it with as much of a creative eye as possible due to the brilliant idiosyncrasies of the film.