Lincoln (2012)

7.3/10

Abraham Lincoln: Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether." With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and 
lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations. 

Undoubted when one sits down to watch a Spielberg film, one should expect the very least greatness of a vast magnitude. However, every legend's glory can fade out. This does not necessarily apply in this case but objectively speaking, this film left me wanting and with a mundane expression when the end credits starting rolling. But let's take things from the beginning, shall we?

'Lincoln' is based on the true events of the life of Abraham Lincoln, the greatest, most remembered president of the United States of America. Following the real events in 1865, as the American Civil War winds inexorably toward conclusion, U.S. president Abraham Lincoln endeavors to achieve passage of the landmark constitutional amendment which will forever ban slavery from the United States. However, his task is a race against time, for peace may come at any time, and if it comes before the amendment is passed, the returning southern states will stop it before it can become law. Lincoln must, by almost any means possible, obtain enough votes from a recalcitrant Congress before peace arrives and it is too late. Yet the president is torn, as an early peace would save thousands of lives. As the nation confronts its conscience over the freedom of its entire population, 

Lincoln faces his own crisis of conscience -- end slavery or end the war.

So this film is a gigantic biopic based on one of the greatest minds that have ever walked on the USA soil, and ever since then there have been many who tried to follow in his footsteps, without the same success or glory though. This is without a doubt a one man show; without ignoring the rest of the cast, among them the astounding Sally Field, Spielberg created a filmic canvas around the figure of one man's consciousness against a nation's growing demands. The backdrop of the American Civil war was definitely a gigantic challenge for the master of war films, Steven Spielberg. Given the fact that during the past three decades, Spielberg has given us one of the most memorable war films, 'Lincoln' was particularly a challenge to him because it is very close to home, it is a film about a man that not only defined a nation and what it is today, but a film about the ethical principles of human freedom.

Cinematography for Spielberg always plays a key role, and this film was no exception. The gloominess and the rapture of the war-zone that loomed even from the first scene through our screen is reason enough to draw anyone's attention. The "bombartic" challenges of the interchanging shots between parliamentary negotiations and the battlefield, never gave out as they lured you in, first into Lincoln's presidential decision-making space and then into his own private space at home. Spielberg is clever enough never to miss out the opportunity of reminding us that his war figures as also simple people, with conflicts and personal crisis going on. This also applies here. 

However, one must look at the bigger picture and objectively critique; this film is long. Not in the meaning of running time, but in the meaning of stalling. Looking at this with an entire fresh view, from someone who does not know a lot about Lincoln's life or the American Civil war, it is my personal feeling that this film was dragging out, hopelessly waiting for the end. Gotta admit that there was a big emotional gap somewhere in the middle which left me indifferent towards the character's personal drama, thus making me lose an interest at the visual narrative action. Up until the last few scenes of the final negotiations, I found myself drifting at times. My reasons for that is in the execution; how was the average viewer supposed to be engaged in the drama, personal or otherwise, when I did not have the faintest idea whether I liked the main character or not, whether I wanted him to forgo the abolishment of slavery or forgo with all the bloodshed that the war was causing. All these feelings made me feel dull and bored, thus not being able to glorify the greatness of Spielberg's latest war masterpiece. Personally I do not comprehend the Academy's decision in opting Spielberg for a Best Director award as I believe with this one he was lacking in his skills and narrative story telling. 

Putting aside the directorial executions, I do have to whole-heartdely admit the greatness of choosing such an amazing cast to undertake such a big challenge. The leader of the cast, Lincoln himself, was appointed to none other but the mètre of excellence, Mr. Daniel Day Lewis (In the Name of the Father, My Left Foot, Last of the Mohicans, There will be Blood,Gangs of New York, The Ballad of Jack and Rose, The Age of Innocence, The Crucible). Even saying this man's name, boosts your confidence. I have decided that they should give this actor the title of the Midas Actor, because in whatever film I have ever seen him in he is golden and made me shudder. Lincoln was no exception. What a titanic role to portray and yet by what a grandiosity he managed to re-create the excellence of such a historical figure. Day Lewis, oozed brilliance throughout, whether script or directing wise the film was found lacking, Lewis literally salvages every single moment in the film with his performing discipline and his profound engagement to the character. Let alone the fact that he lures you into his world, into his vast consciousness of choosing between right and wrong for so many other people, he also makes sure you take a second and consider his personal drama, his own demons he was facing and ultimately leaving you the space to look at him with clarity and objectivity. That for me is a remarkable thing for any actor to pull through as it needs an excruciating amount of dedication and depth given to such a role.

Likewise, the same opinion applies for the superb performances of acting giants Sally Field (Norma Rae, Forrest Gump, Brothers & Sisters, Not Without my Daughter, Mrs. Doubtfire, Steel Magnolias) and Tommy Lee Jones (No Country for Old Men, In the Valley of Elah, Men in Black, The Fugitive). Both of them ooze virtuosity and thespian stamina, able to support and equally perform next to Day Lewis. A special thumbs up for Field, who portrays Linconl's wife. Her unwavering passion and focus for this role is another proof of what a remarkable actress she is. Not to mention the rest of the astounding cast with actors such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, David Strathairn, Hal Holbrook, John Hawkes, Jackie Earle Halye, Lee Pace etc. 

As always, the glorious music score was composed by world famous composer John Williams. Needless to say of how brilliant his score is. His music investment aides the editing perfectly and smoothly to fit precisely into the narrative.

In all, and to finally be done with reviewing this film, I believe this is not one of Spielberg's greatests, but that however does not imply it is not a fantastic film. Even if it is just for the acting, this film excels in its own right. Whether over-appreciated or not, the themes alone stand for a unique two and a half hours in dissecting the life of the greatest president of the United States ever had. 

Hope you enjoy it, if you decide to sit for a viewing. Let me know your thoughts!

Jaws (1975)

Rating: 8.8/10

"You're gonna need a bigger boat!"

Yes, this is the film that started it all. The film that was deemed as the first Summer blockbuster and that scared people off the bitches for more than two years. JAWS, was Steven Spielberg's world wide success as a big-screen director, and he stayed there on the highest directing ranks ever since.

The story in short goes somewhat like this:"When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist and grizzled fisherman set out to stop it." (www.imdb.com)

I know that we've had our share with the various films over the last decade with sharks, piranhas and all of those vicious fish that want to eat people up, but this one back in the day was the ultimate thriller. The puzzling thing about Jaws  is that it was set in broad daylight, with quite a few back-stories in the film and without showing the "villain" of the film until the very middle of it. Pay close attention to how cleverly Spielberg uses this as a decoy to draw attention to the drama going on around the characters and in building up the suspense until we get to meet this "white villain". Not only it makes us get to know the characters but also to the place that the plot is going on. The young and newly-experienced Spielberg shot this mostly in hand-held camera thus making it all the more challenging to shoot.

The gem of the film though was the "great white turd", as Spielberg also called the shark. It managed to scare off so many people around the globe and make the shooting location into a summer resort that it literally re-shaped the movies industry as we know them. He screen time is not much, but his built up is eventful. The CGI's back then granted were of a lacking quality in comparison to today's technological advancements, but nevertheless, Bruce, as the shark was named by Spielberg after his lawyer, made his on-screen debut a world-wide phenomenon. He was, and probably is one of the scariest creatures in cinema history and all thanks to the imagination of the author of the book Peter Benchley. Albeit Benchley knew very little about sharks, he managed to write a summer book that would soon turn into the first summer blockbuster.

The acting was, well, how can one put it when Richard Dreyfuss is involved? Spectacular. Not just by Dreyfuss but also by the wonderful and just lovable Roy Scheider, the fearsome Robert Shaw and  Lorraine Gary. All actors were simply top-notch for the simple reason, they bought into the story so much that truly gave people a scare to visit their local beaches. They were THAT convincing. Without this though, letting them do an excellent job in carrying forward the drama of the film, they entrusted in Spielberg to guide them into a film that would mark their acting careers.

This film is a landmark for various reasons. It is nowadays one of the first films that a Film Student will be taught at University or that a film junkie will have seen, because this film signals the visual spectacle that will bring in the audience during a heat wave. Spielberg got it right. With his fresh vision - he was 26 years old when he made Jaws -  he managed to create a cool, entertaining and visually stimulating thriller, that left everybody rooting for the good guys to take their revenge on the great white turd. What else could an audience need back in 1975 but a cooling, entertaining, scary flick during the summer days? Spielberg hit the box-office jackpot.

Many sources suggest though, that when composer, John Williams, first played the soundtrack he had written for the film to Spielberg, he laughed and said with a snide tone what the real soundtrack was. Had he changed this first composition of Williams, Jaws would not be what it is today in my opinion. Believe me when I say that half of the film's success is owed to that score. And the music speaks for itself. To get a sneak preview of it click here!

Many hailed this as the #3 Scariest film of all times, but for me it is indeed the reason why I'm always weary what's below the waters whenever I'll swimming, even if I know that  it is an impossibility to have a great white turd in the waters I might be swimming. I remember my mother always telling me that when she watched it for the first time back in the day, it took her three years to get back in the water. And THAT is the proof of how good of a job Spielberg did. He took something seemingly so tedious, as a shark, and turned it into this myth, this great on-screen villain that will still keep haunting youngsters from swimming far off shore and from nooby directors who have a vision of creating a similar thematology on screen.

Watch this with your pals during the summer days to cool of the heat and for a thrilling time! This is a keeper of a film!




Jaws (1975)

Empire of the Sun (1987)

Rating: 8.3/10

"Learned a new word today. Atom bomb. It was like the God taking a photograph"

First film suggestion for the day is a not-quite so relative WWII film by Steven Spielberg. Unlike his masterpiece 'Schidler's List', Spielberg begun his WWII fascination earlier on in his career. One of the films that drew critical acclaim to the magnitude of the WWII devastation was 'The Empire of the Sun'.

The Empire of the Sun was an adapted novel made into scrip by acclaimed playwright and script-writer Tom Stoppard ('Shakespeare in Love'). What really is fascinating in the script was the idea of given the unusual circumstances that the protagonist had to face during times of total destitute.

What separates this film from any other WWII that Spielberg directed was the spectacular choice of his protagonist, who is none other than Christian Bale. Bale took on the role when he was just 12 years old, thus marking this as the perfect beginning for an actor of his age to get distinguished. But this is not only what really made Bale stand out. His remarkable on-screen performance leaves the audience gushing for what that boy feels, for everything, every single emotional journey he goes through and it's like you can feel his frustration, his anger, his enthusiasm, his fears, his hopes...He truly gives in my opinion a virtuoso-performance.

It would be an underestimation to say that Spielberg's direction is as always moving. Cinematographer Allen Daviau does a superb job in his expedition of transfering us through the streets of Shanghai into the confinement camp in China. The waste-lands and the beautiful dialogue scenes between the boy-actor Bale and the always superb actor-heavy-weight John Malcovich, prove to be even bigger than the screen, thus giving memorable performances.

In summary the story is about a young boy, "James Graham, whose privileged life is upturned by the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, December 8, 1941. Separated from his parents, he is eventually captured, and taken to Soo Chow confinement camp, next to a captured Chinese airfield. Amidst the sickness and food shortages in the camp, Jim attempts to reconstruct his former life, all the while bringing spirit and dignity to those around him." (quote being taken from www.imdb.com).

Bale truly overwhelmes Spielberg's screen. This is not a world war II film, but a film of a young boy, who lost his family, his way, and is thrown into this unholy place of killings and survival. First time I saw this film was when I was 19 years old, quite old in my opinion. And yet through the vibrant and exhuberant performance that Bale gave, my heart went out to the longing for idealism and freedom that the protagonist felt.

This is probably the underrated WWII film of Spielberg, who stocked up on the DVD shelves once 'Schidler's List' made its appearance. But I believe that is an equal contender of the presentation of the horrific events that WWII brought to humanity and the courage that many unknown souls gathered up for their survival.

It's quite a serious film, I admit and many will find it a bit of unsual of Spielberg, since he does love his WWII war scenes with machine guns and that sort. However, this film is quite the opposite. It focusses more on the plot and the characters rather than the killing.

Also worthy cameos to mention by the always exceptional Miranda Richardson and the then not-so-known Ben Stiller. Trivia suggests that Stiller got his idea for 'Tropical Thunder' whilst on location for this film. Then again who wouldn't be inspired in making such a film, right?

It is fairly easy to get hold of this film on DVD. I haven't as yet read the book, but I hear is equally exceptional and is on my to-read-list. But if you are in the mood for a good WWII flick that doesn't just show fight scenes, this is your gem to look for!

Hope you enjoy it everyone!


Empire of the Sun (1987)