Blog of Leonid Mamchenkov

I first saw “American Gangster” in the cinema.  I liked the film so much that I couldn’t wait to get the DVD.  Of course, the 3 hour duration is not a big helper for repeated watching, but even so, I still enjoy it once in a while.

This film is excellent on so many levels, it’s hard to mention them all.  There is moral, there is entertainment, there is an authentic trip back in time, there is plenty of good acting and directing.

This is now definitely one of my favourite films.  5 stars.

I went to see a totally other movie today, but somehow the schedules got all messed up and I ended up watching “W.“.  I haven’t seen any trailers or posters for the film, except at the time of buing the ticket.  And to tell you the truth, I wasn’t very pleased with the thought of watching more about George W. Bush – one man who has been on the screens way more than he deserves.  However, the alternative was a really bad remake of a really bad sci-fi movie of the 1950s, so I went for it.

And that turned out to be a good decision.  “W.” is one of those movies with the coolest cast, however very under-promoted due to not so popular ideas or angles.  “W.” was directed by Oliver Stone – one of the best directors to bring a controversial and unpopular discussion to the table.  Roles were played by Josh Brolin, James Cromwell, Scott Glenn, Jeffrey Wright, and a few other people that you will no doubt recognize.

What I liked the most about the movie was how the good and the bad were shown.  There was a whole range of characters, some of who were shown good with a few bad mistakes behind their belts, and some of who were bad with some good deeds done.  And while the film was mostly about George W. Bush, each and every character was given enough time and development.  Overall, it’s a really nice look at good and bad, morale and ethics, tough decisions, historical judgements, and rewards.

One other thing that I liked was how similar were the characters in the movie to their real prototypes. Not being an American, not living in the USA, not following the political scene closely, and havinga really bad memory for names, I was amazed with how fast I could recognize the characters.  Often I even had to look closer to see if the character was played by the actor or if any real documentary footage was used.  That, of course, is a combination of actors’ work with make-up, costume design, and camera operators.  In the end – an excellent result.

I’d rate this film as 7 out of 10.  Recommended to anyone who is interested in today’s world and an alternative look on how and why things ended up being as they are.

Today I watched an excellent movie “Planet Terror“.   It’s packed with action, zombies, quotes, comedy, and romance.  It has lots of special effects, great photography, and music.  If you ever watched more than three zombie movies which were released in late 1980s or early 1990s, you’ll love this film.

It is Robert Rodriguez’ re-incarnation of “Army of Darkness” in the perspective of bio-chemical accident with military personell involvement and a taste of Desperado.  That’s the best description I can come up with.  But really, you should better see this one.

7 out of 10.