Friday, June 7, 2013

Old Reviews: The Red and the White and Adaptation

Films that try to do more than entertain, if that. First up is Miklós Jancsó's 1967 "The Red and the White." This is a perfect example of what I wish Bigelow would have done with the material she had to make "Zero Dark Thirty." There's no single character. Just institutions or groups of people that engage with each other toward their respective goals. Of course, Jancso's film is also stylistically superb as well. Long tracking shots rule in this film, and the film is all the better for them. It's a very matter-of-fact account of the battle between the "Reds" (Communists) and the "Whites" (Tsarists). It's on Netflix Instant.

Second is Spike Jonze/Charlie Kaufman's 2002 "Adaptation." If I'm not mistaken, the first time I watched this film was in a hotel with my track relay team. I was blown away, and I think it's safe to say that they were too. LOL. It's a semi-autobiographical meta-film that portrays screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's (played by Nicholas Cage) difficulty in coming up with something original and interesting while his (fake) brother (also played by Nicholas Cage) is happy to write the same ole boring shit. What emerges in the actual movie, is an exciting combination of both. Watch it on Netflix Instant, y'all!

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