Video Reviews

Being that the glut of holiday movies has not yet arrived, I've decided that it would be of

interest to you all to recommend some videos to watch for those of you already fatigued after a few days of school. Here are two movies that are great to pass the time by: one tests a person's preconceived notions of time and space, while the other hits close to home as a tightly knit emotional tale.

Dark City

Dark City, is directed by Alex Proyas, and stars Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland and

William Hurt. Combining identity crises, superhero myths and a new concept, a city whose

architecture changes every night as do the minds and memories of its citizens, "Dark City" is a powerful vehicle. The "Strangers" as they are called, are responsible for "tuning" the city as they like, but what roles Sewell and Sutherland play is even more mysterious and prophetic. Unfortunately, not much detail can be disclosed about the plot for enjoyment purposes, but rest assured, it's thrilling as it is thought provoking.

Interestingly enough, the film has as much significance as Fritz Lang's 1927 b&w film Metropolis, which it drew inspiration from; it's an effect-driven story, not an effects-driven movie. The visuals are necessary not as a neat trick, but as a conceptual plot device. It's an idea, along with the mad scientist role that Sutherland provides and the score by Trevor Jones, that pay respect to the innovative film which began the sci-fi genre.

People might be suspicious how such a phenomenal film passed them by, and may dismiss it, yet it is these same group of people who would have flocked to it, if say, Harrison Ford were to

star. If you want to see a sci-fi film as thrilling as The Fugitive and as cool as Batman, this one's it.

The Deer Hunter

There are many people who don't believe that movies exist if they have never heard about

them, especially those that showcase an already famous actor's early talent. If you want to see a

great Vietnam film, a great Robert De Niro performance, Christopher Walken's Oscar winning

performance and the Best Picture of 1978, you simply must see The Deer Hunter, directed by

Michael Cimino.

The Deer Hunter is a film that manages to balance an accurate portrayal of the Vietnam war

with the experience of coming home. Many films have tried to show both, but end up being

weighted down by one of the two topics, or by their preaching of a self-imposed agenda. For

example, Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July was a film that tried to be everything: a war

movie, an anti-war movie, and a piece of America that wishes to be forgotten. All of this adds up to one broad portrait that soon loses steam. The Deer Hunter's focuses on war and returning from it, yet by cross-cutting the two ideas during the film and keeping both intensified, it succeeds triumphantly as not just a great film on the subject matter, but as a great piece of storytelling.

The film is about how the Vietnam affects a group of friends in a small Pennsylvania town. Meryl Streep, along with De Niro, offer stoic performances as people who seem to always be able to hold in their emotions. Christopher Walken offers a character who isn't really sure what he wants from the war; he just got married, but doesn't feel like coming back into it.

The film is noted for an absolutely mesmerizing finale, one that if simply seen out of context

will still raise goosebumps. It's also a film that finally showcases a real life character that hasn't

been done enough justice in the cinema - the soldier who returns and just doesn't want to talk about it.