Temporary Leave of Absence

 

    
     You may have noticed that I have not posted anything in two weeks. The reason for this is that I've been busy with school, work and helping my brother with his youtube fan series. As a result of this I've decided to take a break from blogging for a while. Hopefully I'll pick it up again by the end of November. If not I'll let you guys know.
Thanks for reading and I see you guys in a month or so!

Western Wednesdays: The Magnificent Seven

     The Magnificent Seven is directed by Antoine Fuque, It is a remake of the 1960 film of the same name (which itself is a loose remake of the 1954 classic Seven Samurai). It stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke. It tells the story of seven gun men who are hired by poor villagers to defend them against a gang of bandits.

     The plot of Seven Samurai has been re-used so many times it begs the question: why remake it again? What, if anything, does this film have to offer that previous retellings don't? For one thing the social commentary, which deeply informed Samurai and was brushed over in favor of more traditional western tropes in the original Magnificent Seven, is more pronounced this time around. That is to say, it's less subtle and, as a result, the film is more broadly appealing. That can be said of this film generally. It's more mainstream and, while it's to the films credit that it retains some of the social themes of Seven Samurai, it's also, unfortunately, more action driven and less character driven. This isn't a crippling flaw. There's still enough character development to make you care about what's going on, but it is disappointing, especially considering the quality of some of Fuque's earlier films. There's also a third act reveal about one of the characters motives that I didn't really care for.

     The movie features solid performances, especially from Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke though Chris Pratt's a bit of a weak spot and can't help but feel a little out-of-place in a period piece. The action is fun and fairly coherent, though nothing amazing. There are nods to the original, which are appropriately subtle and well integrated into the film. Overall The Magnificent Seven is a pretty fun little western.

     In my review of Jane Got a Gun I noted that it was somewhat old school in the way it was shot and edited. I can't really same the same for this movie. It's much more frantically edited and uses hand held camera work most of the time. For most of the runtime it looked as if the movie would avoid any noticeable use of CGI. If only it ended sixty seconds sooner.

Score: 8/10

Deepwater Horizon Short Review

     Deepwater Horizon is directed by Peter Berg (Lone Survivor) and stars Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, and Gina Rodriguez. It tells the story of the April 2010 explosion of the offshore drilling rig, Deepwater Horizon, which lead (according to the film) to the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

     I didn't have a lot to say after watching this film. However I stumbled on some behind-the-scenes drama that I found really interesting. BP, the oil company who rented Deepwater created a lot of legal issues for Peter Berg and the rest of the people involved. For one thing they we're prevented from renting an existing oil rig and had to build one themselves. There were also details about the incident that they were prevented from portraying in the film. In an interview Berg said "we had a scene that might have suggested that workers were under pressure to say the rig was safe because BP managers wanted to move on to another oil well. It was 100% true and very well documented, but the lawyers were concerned it was making BP look too responsible for the blowout." One of the biggest arguments was about the cement poured into the well to control it's pressure. BP sent the team who were supposed to test the cement home before they could test it. This is considered to be a major factor in the incident but the writers had to be very careful about how they portrayed it in order to avoid a lawsuit form the subcontractor who poured the cement or the company that failed to perform the test.

     As fascinating as (I think) some of this behind-the-scenes drama is, it doesn't speak much to the quality of the film itself. Berg's direction is solid. He really knows how to make a biting thriller and the down-to-earth script helps to place the viewer in the middle of the events. The movie does a good job setting up the main characters and making them sympathetic, if not all that nuanced, and the cast does a really good job all around, especially Walhberg. My only real complaint, besides the lack of character development, which is mitigated somewhat by the strength of the performances, is that the film feels a little too conventionally Hollywood at times. There is a lot of (not so subtle) foreshadowing which seems somewhat unsuitable for a more realistic movie like this. There are also a few over-the-top moments in the climax that strain credulity a little. But these are fairly minor issues.

     Many have criticized Deepwater Horizon for its apparent lack of conviction in taking a stronger stance against BP and the oil industry which is somewhat ironic given that BP seems to have the opposite stance. I think that, given the circumstances, Berg and his crew did the best they could. The real point of the film is to highlight the heroic actions and sacrifices of the workingmen on board the rig. Honoring the common man seems to be an emerging pattern in Berg's films. Lone Survivor paid tribute to the infantry soldier and the upcoming Patriots Day looks like it may do the same for police officers. In the end, I'm just glad that this film has elements that are worthy of serious discussion. If your tired of disaster movies like San Andreas or Independence Day: Resurgence, Deepwater Horizon will seem like a breath of fresh air.

Score: 9/10

(If anyone wants to learn more about this film and the events that inspired it I think the article I quoted above, The 'well from hell' – my fight with BP to film Deepwater Horizon, would be a good place to start.)