alexandral (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
alexandral) wrote2007-09-18 03:12 pm
alexandral) wrote2007-09-18 03:12 pm
Entry tags:
The Departed + Blood Diamond
The Departed Or "A film that made Alexandra change her mind about Leonardo Dicaprio"
As much as I still can't quite understand why an Academy Award was given to a remake I want to say that this film had a huge impact on me. Martin Scorsese's films were always something of "I admire the way it is made but it doesn't make my heart beat faster and it doesn't make me cry" category up to "The Departed". Oh, it all has changed. I was crying and I was clutching Mr.Alexander's hand and I was laughing. And all this considering I already knew the ending. :D
- I had some small squibbles, mostly to do with the ending. I preferred the open ending of the original film "Infernal Affairs" where Sullivan (Lau Kin Ming) is left to live with himself and where he is destroyed by his own conscience and madness at the end.. In "The Departed" a character of Sgt. Sean Dignam was seemingly invented for the only purpose of killing Sullivan at the end. This to say, Mark Wahlberg was awesome beyond anything as Dignam. But still – what is it with the open endings? Why Hollywood films never have them?
Oh, but this is really quite a small squibble because of course I was glad to see Sullivan die (die, die! You bastard!) and everything else was so wonderful:
+ There were essential, Scorsese's alone elements of beautiful complexity and manly world of men that don't tell anyone about their feelings.
+ I liked film's cinematography with it's minimalism, it's steely blues and elegant greys.
+ I am converted into a crazy Leonardo DiCaprio fan because he was amazing as Billy. He also strongly resembled Tony Leung's Chan Wing Yan from "Infernal Affairs". Oh, he did wreak my heart and my guts with his vulnerability! I couldn't help but feel angry with Queenan and Dignam for what they did to him. And I am confused why DiCaprio was nominated for Oscar in his role in "Blood Diamond" rather then in "The Departed".
+ Jack Nicholson is the best
My favourite scenes:
Capt. George Ellerby vs Sgt. Sean Dignam:
Ellerby: Go f* yourself.
Dignam: I'm tired from f* your wife.
Billy and Madolyn:
Billy: Do you lie
Madolyn: Honesty is not synonymous with truth
Billy: Yea, you lie..Is it to do some good, to get somewhere personally or what.. just for the f** of it?
Madolyn: I expect that some people do it to keep things on an even keel.
Billy: So you had a parent who was a drunk..
Billy and Madolyn:
Madolyn: I have to say your vulnerability is really freaking me out right now. Is it real?
Billy: I think so
Billy and Frank Costello:
Frank Costello: [slams a fly on the table] You know what I like about restaurants?
Billy Costigan: The f** food. I don't know, what?
Frank Costello: You can learn a lot, watching things eat
Billy and Madolyn: Hair ruffling scene. I was crying here
PS: I watched these scenes about 10 times each. :D
On a wave of my new interest to Leonardo DiCaprio I re-watched "Blood Diamond"
Blood Diamond
It isn't a bad film and it definitely strives for a great idea. But as much as I think something MUST BE DONE about the diamond trade I can't say I liked the film wholeheartedly. Is it possible to wholly uphold the idea that is behind a film and not like the film itself? This is my dilemma with "Blood Diamond".
Almost straight away I felt manipulated as some of the details of the diamond trade were omitted or mentioned in passing. In the film we are shown the horrors of the blood diamond market and the suffering of the African people. But the main problem I see with the diamond trade is that it is a monopoly where De Beers companies control the market. There are reports about appalling conditions in their mines where they still refuse to use dust-suppression methods. So even when a diamond is coming from a legitimate source this still means the suffering of the African workers and their low pay. And there are serious criticisms that "Clean Diamond Trade Act" and the Kimberley Process are helping in maintaining of the monopoly on the diamond market by De Beers.
I was also very surprised that we are still not over "a nice white American journalist will come on a great white horse and sort all the problems of the people in Africa" idea. Yes, white people should feel responsible for what is happening in Africa because the root of all evil is really in the hundreds of years of slavery. And I don't see any way forward here yet but may be the first thing we should do is to let the people in Africa decide their problems..This absolutely doesn't mean that we shouldn't help. (I apologise for the opinionated nature of this paragragh).
(All this said – Leonardo DiCaprio was fantabulous as Danny Archer.)
As much as I still can't quite understand why an Academy Award was given to a remake I want to say that this film had a huge impact on me. Martin Scorsese's films were always something of "I admire the way it is made but it doesn't make my heart beat faster and it doesn't make me cry" category up to "The Departed". Oh, it all has changed. I was crying and I was clutching Mr.Alexander's hand and I was laughing. And all this considering I already knew the ending. :D
- I had some small squibbles, mostly to do with the ending. I preferred the open ending of the original film "Infernal Affairs" where Sullivan (Lau Kin Ming) is left to live with himself and where he is destroyed by his own conscience and madness at the end.. In "The Departed" a character of Sgt. Sean Dignam was seemingly invented for the only purpose of killing Sullivan at the end. This to say, Mark Wahlberg was awesome beyond anything as Dignam. But still – what is it with the open endings? Why Hollywood films never have them?
Oh, but this is really quite a small squibble because of course I was glad to see Sullivan die (die, die! You bastard!) and everything else was so wonderful:
+ There were essential, Scorsese's alone elements of beautiful complexity and manly world of men that don't tell anyone about their feelings.
+ I liked film's cinematography with it's minimalism, it's steely blues and elegant greys.
+ I am converted into a crazy Leonardo DiCaprio fan because he was amazing as Billy. He also strongly resembled Tony Leung's Chan Wing Yan from "Infernal Affairs". Oh, he did wreak my heart and my guts with his vulnerability! I couldn't help but feel angry with Queenan and Dignam for what they did to him. And I am confused why DiCaprio was nominated for Oscar in his role in "Blood Diamond" rather then in "The Departed".
+ Jack Nicholson is the best
My favourite scenes:
Capt. George Ellerby vs Sgt. Sean Dignam:
Ellerby: Go f* yourself.
Dignam: I'm tired from f* your wife.
Billy and Madolyn:
Billy: Do you lie
Madolyn: Honesty is not synonymous with truth
Billy: Yea, you lie..Is it to do some good, to get somewhere personally or what.. just for the f** of it?
Madolyn: I expect that some people do it to keep things on an even keel.
Billy: So you had a parent who was a drunk..
Billy and Madolyn:
Madolyn: I have to say your vulnerability is really freaking me out right now. Is it real?
Billy: I think so
Billy and Frank Costello:
Frank Costello: [slams a fly on the table] You know what I like about restaurants?
Billy Costigan: The f** food. I don't know, what?
Frank Costello: You can learn a lot, watching things eat
Billy and Madolyn: Hair ruffling scene. I was crying here
PS: I watched these scenes about 10 times each. :D
On a wave of my new interest to Leonardo DiCaprio I re-watched "Blood Diamond"
Blood Diamond
It isn't a bad film and it definitely strives for a great idea. But as much as I think something MUST BE DONE about the diamond trade I can't say I liked the film wholeheartedly. Is it possible to wholly uphold the idea that is behind a film and not like the film itself? This is my dilemma with "Blood Diamond".
Almost straight away I felt manipulated as some of the details of the diamond trade were omitted or mentioned in passing. In the film we are shown the horrors of the blood diamond market and the suffering of the African people. But the main problem I see with the diamond trade is that it is a monopoly where De Beers companies control the market. There are reports about appalling conditions in their mines where they still refuse to use dust-suppression methods. So even when a diamond is coming from a legitimate source this still means the suffering of the African workers and their low pay. And there are serious criticisms that "Clean Diamond Trade Act" and the Kimberley Process are helping in maintaining of the monopoly on the diamond market by De Beers.
I was also very surprised that we are still not over "a nice white American journalist will come on a great white horse and sort all the problems of the people in Africa" idea. Yes, white people should feel responsible for what is happening in Africa because the root of all evil is really in the hundreds of years of slavery. And I don't see any way forward here yet but may be the first thing we should do is to let the people in Africa decide their problems..This absolutely doesn't mean that we shouldn't help. (I apologise for the opinionated nature of this paragragh).
(All this said – Leonardo DiCaprio was fantabulous as Danny Archer.)