Oh Yippy Ki Yay Mother...

JFK(dir. Oliver Stone)
In Roger Ebert's Great Movies entry for this film, he talks about how the film might be factually wrong, but in terms of the emotions of the time and even now towards the assassination of JFK, it rings true. I don't entirely buy this because as a film, it seems like first and foremost, it tries to sell you the idea that these people were responsibe for JFK's death even though it is factually untrue. He could, however, have made the film as Ebert says about the emotions towards the incident, but do you really need to accuse real people for crimes and activities they did not commit to make a film that is about these emotions? I don't think so. The film's best quality is that it makes you believe there is more surrounding to the incident even if the conspiracy it presents is not entirely factually correct. I'm fine with that notion that the filmmaker realized it was fictional and wanted to make a film that made people think about the incident and question authority, but a lot of viewers accept most movies that are based on true events, stories or whatever for face value and don't question it. I'm fine with it's message to question and search for the truth, but shouldn't you also question the questioning? The film is also a tad too preachy especially with Garrison's last speech, which screams Oscar reel footage if Kevin Costner was ever nominated for his performance in this . Stone isn't a very subtle and seems to take after most Hollywood directors who hit you over the head with messages, which some could view as a bad or good thing. In this, I feel being obvious with the message is the right way to go, but I can't shake the notion that the director is taking his film a little too seriously especially when it's as fabricated as this. I'm fine with a film like The Black Dahlia because it knows it's a fictional account of a real incident, but this film spends so much time trying to explain the details that it seems like it wants you to actually accept it's story and believe that it's true. There probably was some conspiracy surrounding the Kennedy assassination, but why present a false truth when you condemn the government and all the parties that were probably involved in this "conspiracy" for lying and presenting a false truth? It seems contradictory to use an art form like cinema that is basically based on lies and fabrications and using it to attack a party for lying and besmudging the truth. But I guess the government influences our lives much more than any film could.
*** out of ****
Die Hard 2: Die Harder(dir. Renny Harlin)
Bruce Willis screaming + Exploding snowmobile = Awesome action movie.
***1/2 out of ****