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Reviews
To Save a Life (2009)
Decent Movie, If You Like Talking About God
I feel bc of the content and the backing for this movie, it's relevant to mention that I'm a Christian who is deeply attached to my Presbyterian principles but doesn't feel the need to proselytize to my non-Christian friends. I went to see this movie bc it looked interesting but also bc I was seeing reviews all over the spectrum. I can sum it up like this: the movie had a lot of strong points and a lot of weak points but if you're looking for a feel-good movie and can deal with the God talk, you would like this. The general theme of treating others well and following the path you feel is right was played out nicely, even if it was clichéd. The movie fell into the common media habit of vastly oversimplifying the complexities of high school social stratifications and the pros and cons of teen pregnancies. It wasn't that long ago I was in high school and I've never experienced or known anyone who has experienced the clear-cut social groups script-writers seem to believe exist. The film tried to juggle too many problems and didn't give enough focus to any of them bc after the lead, Jake, got his girlfriend pregnant, the movie seemed to gloss over the all the possible negative ramifications of having to choose a baby over a college scholarship. The ending was a little too idealistic considering the position they were both in and I also felt the message was a little too "pro-life." Another strong point the movie articulated was that it recognized even within the congregation of the church there are hypocrites and non-believers. It's not about what you call yourself, but about how you treat yourself and others. However, the movie tried to force another layer of complexity by having the pastor disapprove of Jake because he got his girlfriend pregnant. One of the most enjoyable parts was when Jake and Andrea brought a whole bunch of kids from the youth group together during lunchtime at school. It was nice to see the diversity and maybe it was because the film used regular kids (or so I've heard). Also I have to point out that Jake's "solution" to the bomb-threat problem was ridiculous. All he had to do was tell one of the teachers to check Danny's pocket for Jonny's phone. And there were so many opportunities the writers created and then missed to explore faith and beliefs. Like when Danny says, "I believe what I believe" after Jake sees him smoking pot, Jake could have responded, "What do you believe then?" But instead he just walks away, looking self-righteous. There was a later missed opportunity with Danny and Jake after Danny gets caught but I don't remember how it went. Also there were moments where characters were being hypocritical and I don't think the writers realized how that ruined their message. Like when Jake's girlfriend Amy comes to church, she gets weirded out and wants to leave because the other kids are judging her. However, not even two minutes before she was making derogatory remarks about a girl on stage. I walked out of this movie enjoying it but there was nothing to really make it memorable.
Miracle at St. Anna (2008)
Maybe not the best war film ever made but still worth watching.
Biggest comment about this movie was that the tone was much darker than I anticipated based on the trailers I saw. However, it was still fascinating and well-done. People talk about it being long but I didn't realize it was almost 3 hours until I walked out and didn't feel like I'd been in the theater that long. I liked that it felt very authentic and was not dumbed-down to please American audiences, referring specifically to that fact that much of the dialogue was in Italian or German. There were a lot of subplots that didn't come together until near the end and that made the film intriguing and sometimes suspenseful. I thought it was interesting how religion seemed to connect strangers on both sides of the conflict. The one major problem was I didn't understand was why the Italian girl slept with Bishop when earlier she seemed really annoyed with him and enamored with Stamps. Moreover, this love triangle seemed to distract from the plot without adding substance. The scene at the soda shop was maybe a little superfluous too and I was expecting Gordon-Levitt to be a larger player. Overall, though, this is a powerful, fascinating film.