Today is Friday, July 30, 2010
Today is Friday, July 30, 2010
While Hollywood may have given out all of their Oscars, The Talon has a few special awards to give.
Director Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” follows three members of the U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), who work together in Baghdad while serving in the Iraq war. While EOD is working to make Iraq safer for both its citizens and for Americans, the bomb squad endures the constant pressure of dismantling dangerous explosive devices.
Of the countless war movies this year, Bigelow’s film rises above all with its incomparable suspense of battling death from the soldiers’ perspectives. These perspectives truly give Americans insight into the war being fought in the Middle East for the last decade.
In director and writer Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air,” main character Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) makes his living by traveling to different businesses all over the country to fire people when their bosses can’t. The movie takes a sharp turn when Ryan suddenly finds his hands full with a young college graduate (Anna Kendrick) who is hired at his work and has the power to end his love for travel with her new ideas. But after falling for a fellow traveler (Vera Farmiga), Ryan is faced with the chance to have real relationships in his life. Through the sarcasm of Clooney and Kendrick’s characters, “Up in the Air” proves to be a serious reality check for the overstressed people of the 21st century. The film could not have been a more suitable end to the decade, showing the challenges of balancing priorities and reminding people about things that are the most important in life.
“Avatar,” directed by James Cameron, is about a group of human scientists that wants to conquer the newly discovered moon of Pandora, which is inhabited by blue aliens called Na’vi and filled with ore of great value to the human race (humorously called “unobtanium”). The film portrays a similar story to the Europeans conquest of the Native Americans, but “Avatar” has a twist: When main actor and human Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) falls in love with Na’vi princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), he finds himself torn between his duty to the human race and his love of the Na’vi.
The movie is also shown in 3D in IMAX theaters to feature its ethereal mix of animated characters, modern filming and digital special effects. “Avatar” explores the depth of culture clashes and power abuse and is guaranteed to leave the audience in awe with its futuristic style.
“The Blind Side” follows the true story of a white woman, Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock), who takes in African-American Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) after discovering him walking alone on the streets late one night. Michael joins the football team at his new high school, and despite the criticism and differences he faces from the other students, he matures into a talented athlete who makes it into the NFL.
This inspirational sports- based drama will make an audience cry, for it provides a new definition of family, whether it’s a football team or a cross-racial family. “The Blind Side” captures viewers’ hearts by demonstrating the miracle that occurs when one goes against all odds and achieves one’s dream.
“Inglourious Basterds” is a clever film that will awe viewers for its half-fantasy, half-war-like qualities. Hollywood’s sexiest man Brad Pitt stars as Lieutenant Aldo Raine (aka Aldo the Apache), the leader of an American group known as “The Basterds” that seeks revenge on Nazis during World War II. Raine’s team of psychotic killers travels to a Nazi- occupied France to murder as many goose-steppers as possible, including the infamous Colonel Hans Londa (Christopher Waltz), a cunning and merciless follower of Hitler known as “The Jew Hunter.” Though incredibly bloody and brutal to watch, the film is as amusing as it is violent. The constant switches of fake accents from Pitt’s southern character to German, French and even a few words of mocked Italian make this movie worth seeing, even for someone with a weak stomach.
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