Without wishing to fall into the trap of critical hyperbole, I can honestly say that this is the most original and impressive American film that I've seen this decade, more so than the highly acclaimed likes of The Departed (2006) or No Country for Old Men (2007). Whatever problems you might have with Gibson, from his personal politics to his previous work, there is no denying the determination of his vision, or the sheer sense of daring and imagination in attempting to pull off a project of this size and pitch; taking elements of an already well-documented real life civilisation and abstracting it for the purposes of dramatic tension, to create a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic experience that genuinely takes us to a world that we've never before experienced on film. In my opinion, it is the very essence of cinema; developing a story and reducing it to the most simple and iconic of images, placing the emphasis on family and a race for survival, and all captured with a skillful combination of design, editing, music, performance, choreography, photography and character. Admittedly, you could always argue that the narrative is secondary to the atmosphere that Gibson and his crew so skilfully create, and yet, it is no less affecting or exciting as we come to know and respect these characters through the film's rich and amusing opening sequences - filled with a great sense of character and warmth - as well as a fairly pointed visual metaphor in the killing of an animal that will come to prefigure the subsequent actions of the final film. To counter some of the criticisms levelled against Gibson by historians and scholars alike, it is worth taking into consideration the subtle way in which the director plays with the notions of myths and legends; creating a heightened atmosphere of continual stylisation that stresses the influence of a film like Apocalypse Now (1979) or Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972), with the fevered madness of the jungle giving way to an unforgettable depiction of the Maya civilisation as an infernal hell on earth. The film can also be read as a story-within-a-story construct, in which the film we see becomes an extension of the folktales being told by the tribe's elder as the men sit quietly around the campfire in the scenes directly preceding the carnage. If we think about this particular interpretation, we can see the that the film is working on a level of fantasy, in which the more recognisable themes of the film create a parable related very much to the idea of becoming a man; illustrated by the journey that our central protagonist Jaguar Paw undertakes in order to prove himself to his wife and young family.
Edit - fixeduninstall or just update display adapter (card) i updated as i had a new recommended driver available under radeon. Before i did this i defrag the hdd, until SSDs big enough for games is cheap which i plan to do (takes time to get a good performance ssd), defrags for that will be a thing of the past. Update n restart. (never defrag a SSD!)if you have hl2 installed run first, if not tf2 i guess. The bottom stuff couldnt hurt.
Native Instruments Maschine Expansions - 23 Pack This contains all of the current expansion packs from Native Instruments. I put this together after my computer crashed as a way to re-install them all without the hassle of installing all the original packs and updates. KVR Audio News: Native Instruments has announced the release of Expansions. Based on the Maschine Expansions series, these 50+ genre-based sound packs contain everything a musician needs to create a full track in a specific style, say NI. From preloaded drum kits to specially-designed synth presets, construction kits, samples, and song patterns, Expansions have been designed to fully integrate.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |