Review on "Letters From Iwo Jima"

[jemz]

MERRY CHRISTMAS and SEASON'S GREETINGS!!!!!!

Now that I've sufficiently killed the flist with my squee, have a somber review.




So I managed to watch "Letters From Iwo Jima" on it's opening day in San Francisco. I was feening to watch this movie and it did not disappoint me. nerdinside was nice enough to be the sacrificial lamb and endure my squealing fangirly self watch the movie with me at the Embarcadero Center Cinemas.

This movie...is very impactful. It makes me think. Maybe because I've been stalking the news and reviews for the movie because of Ninomiya Kazunari (who's a part of Arashi, a jpop boyband that I fangirl. Not as much as I fangirl w-inds. but hey! I can fangirl bands that are not!w-inds. too. sort of. :-P ) or the fact that I became interested in this one pivotal battle that occurred during WWII, reading up on the historical facts.

Whatever the reason, after watching this movie, I find myself thinking about it at random times of the day. When is war ever good? Do the soldiers who fight in it really believe in the policies of the commander-in-chief? How damaging is it to the human psyche to kill another person and not think of it as killing a person who may be similar but an object or an animal known as the 'enemy'? How sad it is to not be remembered but only become a number in the statistics of the war. How sad that we cannot change our circumstances and must accept the fate that others had ordered in war.

As for the movie itself, it deserves all the praise it can get. I enjoyed the actors' performances, Nino's & Watanabe's the most. The music is hauntingly poignant. I really, really want the OST.

After reading so many reviews from the critics, I felt that I had an inkling of what to expect. But watching it, I was utterly absorbed in the story, sitting at the edge of my seat and biting my lip at various scenes. I'm the type that becomes emotionally involved in a movie, so I was crying at certain moments. I was blown away at how I felt after the movie. How contemplative I was and how I liked this movie much better than "Flags of Our Fathers".

I enjoyed "Flags of Our Fathers" but it definately was not as good as "Letters From Iwo Jima".

Also, as much as I fangirl Nino as an actor, singer, and overall JPop Idol, with this movie, you forget it's Nino and just remember it's Saigo, the simple baker who just wants to get off that island and home to his wife and newborn daughter. And he makes you think "What drives you to stay alive?"



Letters From Iwo Jima will open nation-wide on February 9th. I'll definately go and watch this again with sandpanther, yzo, and anyone else who wants to watch it with us. It is currently playing at the Embarcadero Center Cinemas, San Francisco for any who do not want to wait until February (and who is in the area) to go and see it.

Now back to work I go.

Comments

[adorabl3vtgrl.livejournal.com]

Merry Christmas to you too ^^
I can't wait to watch the movie! I should have just taken the bus to LA and watch it myself! But I'm glad to hear the movie was great, it sucks though that the movie couldn't get nominated for more awards because it's a 'foreign' film psshhh (>///<) it would have been great to see maybe nino get nominated!

[kirari.livejournal.com]

that's one of the movies we're thinking of watching today too... i really want to see it.. yes cause I actually KNOW who's in it ahaha but that's cool you got to see it first!

I thought it was open nationwide maybe its a cali thing LoL anyways Merry Christmas!

[melblue122.livejournal.com]

"One death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic." - Joseph Stalin

[preachelectric]

Merry Christmas to you too!

[swtjemz.livejournal.com]

Well, that's just for the Golden Globes. The Academy Awards won't be announced until Jan. 23, 2007. Letters From Iwo Jima will be eligible for best picture as well as other awards then. ^_^

I hope more critics watch it! So many good movies out at this time too...

[swtjemz.livejournal.com]

It's an excellent movie but it's not one that's a light-hearted one, despite who's in it. Kase Ryo is a very good actor and I think I want to see more of his work. I've been following more of Ninomiya's work than any of the other stars.

It opened on December 20 in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City to be in contention for Academy screenings for the Oscars and in those particular cities for the Academy members as well as critics to watch. It opens nationally to in Feb. 9th, 2007.

I really hope this movie does well despite the subtitles. The subject matter is a very important one given the political climate of the world as well as within our own country.

[swtjemz.livejournal.com]

Well-said.

I have no adequate quotes to quote back.

*snuggles*

[swtjemz.livejournal.com]

*snuggles* Thanks sweetie!

[dropsofme.livejournal.com]

Happy Holidays!