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Quinn, I know you won't see United 93, but I have to say it is indeed one of the best pics I've seen this year! It actually unfolds in real-time, i.e. around 8:15 am to 10:15 am (or whenever it crashed - that's exactly where it ends). I was astounded by the guy who plays the head of the NY air traffic control center - its actually the real guy, not an actor! He was so commanding and authoritative and you saw that he was making the best decisions possible given the situation. Smart guy and fantastic acting - the best character and best acting in the film.
The dialogue was so natural you would swear its a documentary. No cutesy or prophetic lines like "I don't want to fly today." Just scenes like people waiting at the gate or flight attendants prepping for flight - and with natural, overlapping, REAL dialogue to match. Kind of reminded me a bit of a Robert Altman film in that respect. And the director (Paul Greengrass, who did both - and finishing the 3rd - Matt Damon Bourne ID movies) was so deft at knowing the right scenes to show at the right time to keep the story moving forward and be interesting - especially showing who knew and who did not know information at a given time. Its kind of like Apollo 13 in that respect - you know what is going to happen, and yet somehow the director crafts this propelling, tension-filled story with acutely drawn characters. I also really liked what the director did NOT show: the other planes (mostly), the persons the passengers were calling (you see/hear only a one-sided conversation) - it kept the focus clear and melodrama down. Clearly, this was one of the most spectacular moments in U.S. history - a writer could not have come up with this. And at the same time it shows where great art can come from. The DVD extras showed several victims' families meeting the actors who portrayed their loved one - the families were quite moved, thankful, grateful, so many emotions were shown. And I thought "how can this film, which immortalizes a group of patriots, really, not be appreciated for what it is: great American war film in the tradition of so many others that shows Americans fighting for what they believe in." I was suprised, and then not suprised, that the New York Film Critics named it best picture of the year. From what I've seen so far, it deserves to be nominated for a best picture Oscar.
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Welcome to the Fab Film Forum!! :)
Now that we've got that nice title out of the way - this is our silly blog to indulge ourselves and pretend that someone cares about what we think. We are film fans who usually have nothing better to do than blog about movies and the people who make them. Well, no, actually its been a quite busy summer so we're trying are darndest to keep this up! The stuff's in our heads - we need to get it out to make room for more. Go ahead and comment, People!
Warmly,
Babs, Linda and Muriel
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2 comments:
Hi, Quinn, remember me? We sat across from one another at Joe's graduation party at Cafe 28 and talked Broadway through most of dinner. Joe pointed me to this blog and I hope you won't mind if I chime in now and then, though I am not particularly opinionated about film.
I'm sorry to hear that airplane films wig you out. If Airport 77 is too much to handle, then you definitely want to stay away from United 93. It was one of the most suspenseful films I've seen in a long time. I agree with Joe, it is one of the best films of 2006.
I take one issue with the film. After hearing the filmmakers brag about the extensive research they conducted to ensure the authenticity of the characters and the action, I come to learn that according to the black box recordings of the flight, the passengers never made into the cockpit. I'm sure Greengrass felt he needed to have that final confrontation between the passengers and the terrorist piloting the plane to provide a proper climax to the film, but now it calls into questions all other events in the film. Did Mark Bingham really "just" make the flight at the last minute, or was that inserted for dramatic effect? To what extent, exactly, did the FFA hinder NORAD from responding in a timely manner?
Regardless, it is still a well-crafted film and still not recommended for the airplane movie-sensitive.
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