Maggers Wrote:I was disappointed in "Letters from Iwo Jima." I think highly of Clint Eastwood and have really enjoyed most of the films he directed.

Quote: "Letters from Iwo Jima" is a well-intentioned film and everyone involved with it worked very hard, that's clear.

Quote:The acting is fine, but the lugubrious pace of the direction left me time to think about things other than the film, not a good sign.

Quote:Here's my barometer for good filming making - at no time during the movie should I be thinking my own thoughts. I should be with the characters on film, into the action up to my neck and viscerally experiencing everything that is on the screen. That did not happen for me during this movie.

Quote:Granted, the film is ambitious and does succeed in bringing a very different point of view of WWII to Americans.

Quote:But ultimately, I found "Iwo Jima" to be uninvolving, though it worked VERY hard to manipulate me to feel for its characters. In a war movie where action takes second place to the relationships amongst the characters, I should have been much more involved with their outcomes. I wasn't. In addition, much was telegraphed loud and clear so very little came as a surprise.

I didn't dislike "Letters from Iwo Jima." It just did not meet my expectations of a Clint Eastwood directed movie.

Bluesman Mike Lindner Wrote:The Madison Gamblers had a movie night yesterday. We watched FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, also directed by Clint. I was very disappointed. I don't think the movie gave a clue about the grim reality of invading a defended island. Once talked to a D-Day vet, asked him what his greatest impression was. The old soldier was wry, answered, "Beyond my piss dripping down my leg, Mike? But serious, the noise. The Navy was shelling the Nazis without a stop. Air Force planes above us, really loud. Ike said, if you see a plane overhead, it will be ours. I can't even count how many there were. Any Nazi planes got through, I didn't see any. And on the landing ship, hell, there were guys, the Navy officers with bullhorns, trying to maintain order to get us organized to land. That was my biggest impression. The noise. It was really loud."

And what was the point of the flick? "War Is Hell"? Gee, Clint, thanks. Didn't know about that.

And the flag-raising guys went on a War Bond tour. Like that's evil? To my knowledge, every War Bond drive met its goals and more. The country was =solidly= behind that war. And if a drive fell short, so what? Uncle Sam can =print money!=

And another point, Ira Hayes was allegedely not treated with proper respect. A bad thing, no two ways about it. But not too important in the context of civilization, armed by science, immolating itself.

I found it a poor flick. If I'm missing points, please clue me in, gang.

Kenji Wrote:Disappointed? Ah.....it's too bad for you, Maggers.

Quote:Ah......yes, that was lugubrious pace. But this movie is not like Chuck Norris or Stallone's war action movies.

Quote:I can see your point. Maybe you didn't know about Japanese actors, their personality, except Ken Watanabe.

Quote:By the way, this movie had English subtitles/Japanese dialogues? Or English dubbed version?

Kenji Wrote:I can see your point. Maybe you didn't know about Japanese actors, their personality, except Ken Watanabe.

Maggers Wrote:I don't feel bad, so you shouldn't either. Movies are a crap shoot - the audience may like them or they may not.

Quote:Come on, Kenji, you should know me better than to think I would mix up a Stallone or Norris film (which I've never paid to see) with a Clint Eastwood film. "Iwo Jima" dragged along. As I said in my previous post, I had time to think about many other things as I watched the movie, and that means the director didn't catch my attention and keep it.

Quote:It was subtitled. In fact, I've never seen a dubbed film in a movie theater; I wouldn't pay to see a dubbed film.

Quote:Bottom line, Kenji, we disagree on "Letters from Iwo Jima," and that's OK.

Ken Valentine Wrote:As I see it Kenji, it's not the actors. The actors didn't write the script, or cut the movie. And they -- for the most part -- acted according to the Directors . . . um . . . directions.

Ken V.