Post by Quorthon on May 28, 2006 12:09:39 GMT -5
Slaughterhouse-Five
Drama/Science Fiction/Fantasy
1972
Color
MPAA Rating: R
Directed by: George Roy Hill
USA
This film is not at all what one might expect in our world where we're familiar with horror and slasher films. It doesn't take place in a slaughterhouse and nor does the number five play a strong part in the story. In reality, "Slaughterhouse Five" is the address in which some American WWII POWs are housed by Nazis under a work program.
But, this is not a World War II film. Not in the least. It's, in the simplest of terms, a film about a man, Billy Pilgrim (Michael Sacks) who is "unstuck in time." Meaning, he's living various moments of his life over and over again, but fairly randomly. They take place in the 70's when he's an older man, with grown up children. They take place during WWII as he's captured by Germans. They take place when he meets his big fat wife who always promises to lose weight--and never does. And at various other moments in his life. Up until we find out why all this is happening.
Here’s the breakdown:
The Good:
--Very good story. Like the much more recent 21 Grams, we see bits and pieces of the overall story, from different time periods, until we're able to assemble them for ourselves to know what's happening.
--Some excellent cinematography. The film is assembled brilliantly. We have scenes of the protagonist's life bounding back and forth from one era to another, but with actions mirrored from the various times and events.
--Excellent acting over all. Michael Sacks seems a little dry at times, but it seems as though this is a side-product of his being launched back and forth to live and relive moments of his life. That would get pretty dull after a while. Rather than emotionally reliving many of these moments, he views them with wonder, as though looking at them in a different way.
--Generally good writing and dialog.
--Genuinely humorous moments.
--Excellent editing carries along the brilliant cinematography. Those back-and-forth scenes darting from two seperate, though similar moments, are really well done.
Didn’t Hurt It, Didn’t Help:
--This is a weird story when you get right down to it. The ending is very much in the realm of Fantasy/Science Fiction. It's like it was plucked right from the "Twilight Zone."
--Some scenes do not directly involve the hero, which is mildly troubling only that this is supposed to be his life that's being lived and relived--not someone elses. In a sense, it feels that we shouldn't be seeing things that the main character himself couldn't have seen. However, these scenes also add an extra layer of depth to the film so we know what's happening around the main story.
--Relatively light nudity and sexual themes.
--Mild violence, no real gore except for the decayed, crippled and blackened foot of an American soldier--which is actually focused on quite a bit. The blood that we see is an odd color.
--The film focuses fairly heavily on the hero's life in reference to his time in and around WWII.
The Bad:
--While it's similar to 21 Grams in execution, the story in Slaughterhouse-Five itself isn't quite as tight or fulfilling. It more or less just "is." The ending is more philosophical than satisfactory.
--May not be enough of an SF film for Science Fiction fans. But may also be too odd for drama purists.
--The Science Fiction weirdness in the end of the film look pretty decent, but are also dated and do occasionally feel a bit cheesy.
--These flaws may look numerous, but are typically pretty minor.
The Ugly:
--Despite the overall quality, there is still some really awkward and bizarre writing and dialog every now and then. It's stuff you hear where you go, "man, what an odd thing to say. Who talks like that?"
Memorable Scene:
--The wife's psychotically emotional "driving the Caddy to death" scene.
--The Brits greet the Yanks in the German Prison Camp. Wacky.
Acting: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Character Development: 8/10
Special Effects/Make-up: 7/10
Dialog: 7/10
Music: 7/10
Direction: 9/10
Nudity/Sexuality: 4/10
Violence: 4/10
Gore: 1/10
Cheesiness: 2/10
Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 8/10
Overall, and despite the setbacks, I still think this film deserves and "8 out of 10," because of the creativity of the story, the strength of the story, and the high quality of the cinematography and editing to tell the story. This is definitly a movie worth checking out.
Drama/Science Fiction/Fantasy
1972
Color
MPAA Rating: R
Directed by: George Roy Hill
USA
This film is not at all what one might expect in our world where we're familiar with horror and slasher films. It doesn't take place in a slaughterhouse and nor does the number five play a strong part in the story. In reality, "Slaughterhouse Five" is the address in which some American WWII POWs are housed by Nazis under a work program.
But, this is not a World War II film. Not in the least. It's, in the simplest of terms, a film about a man, Billy Pilgrim (Michael Sacks) who is "unstuck in time." Meaning, he's living various moments of his life over and over again, but fairly randomly. They take place in the 70's when he's an older man, with grown up children. They take place during WWII as he's captured by Germans. They take place when he meets his big fat wife who always promises to lose weight--and never does. And at various other moments in his life. Up until we find out why all this is happening.
Here’s the breakdown:
The Good:
--Very good story. Like the much more recent 21 Grams, we see bits and pieces of the overall story, from different time periods, until we're able to assemble them for ourselves to know what's happening.
--Some excellent cinematography. The film is assembled brilliantly. We have scenes of the protagonist's life bounding back and forth from one era to another, but with actions mirrored from the various times and events.
--Excellent acting over all. Michael Sacks seems a little dry at times, but it seems as though this is a side-product of his being launched back and forth to live and relive moments of his life. That would get pretty dull after a while. Rather than emotionally reliving many of these moments, he views them with wonder, as though looking at them in a different way.
--Generally good writing and dialog.
--Genuinely humorous moments.
--Excellent editing carries along the brilliant cinematography. Those back-and-forth scenes darting from two seperate, though similar moments, are really well done.
Didn’t Hurt It, Didn’t Help:
--This is a weird story when you get right down to it. The ending is very much in the realm of Fantasy/Science Fiction. It's like it was plucked right from the "Twilight Zone."
--Some scenes do not directly involve the hero, which is mildly troubling only that this is supposed to be his life that's being lived and relived--not someone elses. In a sense, it feels that we shouldn't be seeing things that the main character himself couldn't have seen. However, these scenes also add an extra layer of depth to the film so we know what's happening around the main story.
--Relatively light nudity and sexual themes.
--Mild violence, no real gore except for the decayed, crippled and blackened foot of an American soldier--which is actually focused on quite a bit. The blood that we see is an odd color.
--The film focuses fairly heavily on the hero's life in reference to his time in and around WWII.
The Bad:
--While it's similar to 21 Grams in execution, the story in Slaughterhouse-Five itself isn't quite as tight or fulfilling. It more or less just "is." The ending is more philosophical than satisfactory.
--May not be enough of an SF film for Science Fiction fans. But may also be too odd for drama purists.
--The Science Fiction weirdness in the end of the film look pretty decent, but are also dated and do occasionally feel a bit cheesy.
--These flaws may look numerous, but are typically pretty minor.
The Ugly:
--Despite the overall quality, there is still some really awkward and bizarre writing and dialog every now and then. It's stuff you hear where you go, "man, what an odd thing to say. Who talks like that?"
Memorable Scene:
--The wife's psychotically emotional "driving the Caddy to death" scene.
--The Brits greet the Yanks in the German Prison Camp. Wacky.
Acting: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Character Development: 8/10
Special Effects/Make-up: 7/10
Dialog: 7/10
Music: 7/10
Direction: 9/10
Nudity/Sexuality: 4/10
Violence: 4/10
Gore: 1/10
Cheesiness: 2/10
Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 8/10
Overall, and despite the setbacks, I still think this film deserves and "8 out of 10," because of the creativity of the story, the strength of the story, and the high quality of the cinematography and editing to tell the story. This is definitly a movie worth checking out.
