DIRECTOR: Stanley Kubrick
CAST: R. Lee Ermey, Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio
THE PLOT: A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effect of the Vietnam war on his fellow Marines, from basic training to the streets of Vietnam.
BEN'S VIEWS: Stanley Kubrick employs the same style of biting satire that made Dr. Strangelove such a great movie and transplants it into Vietnam to make one of the most forceful ant-war films ever: Full Metal Jacket. Kubrick is truly one of the greatest directors of all-time and this is one of his top films. Vietnam has always been attractive material for filmmakers to get their hands on. There is so much that went wrong and so many attrocities that occurred in the conflict. This film is basically split into two parts: the boot camp sequence and fighting in the streets of 'Nam. The boot camp scenes are the best of their kind. Much of the strength of this half of the film comes from R. Lee Ermey in one of the greatest and most memorable supporting performances ever as the drill sergeant. He is a force of nature. The only problem one might have with the film is that this portion is so strong that it almost overshadows the second half. Thankfully the second half is strong enough to hold its own. The scenes in a rundown and abandoned Vietnamese town contain some of the best camera work and cinematography in the film. And the dialogue is consistently sharp throughout the movie. Full Metal Jacket is a must-see war film.
DIRECTOR: Richard Kelly
CAST: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jenna Malone, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Mary McDonnell
THE PLOT: A troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes, after narrowly escaping a bizarre accident.
BEN'S VIEWS: Donnie Darko is one of the biggest cult classics of the new millennium and rightly so. It�s dark, labyrinth of a plot dealing with time travel, destiny and the existence of God that may take numerous viewings to truly grasp but is well worth pondering and picking apart. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as the title character, a disturbed teenager who has visions of a six foot demonic rabbit named Frank. Frank lures Donnie from his room on the same night that a mysterious jet engine falls from the sky straight into Donnie�s room, saving his life. Frank also tells Donnie that in one month the world will come to an end. Sure the plot sounds ridiculous and in concept the film shouldn�t work. But Richard Kelly�s assured direction helps to pull it off and make it a truly memorable experience. The tone of the film is just right, eerie and ominous with a true sense of impending doom. You know that Kelly is building towards a huge denouement as Donnie attempts to piece together the meaning of his visions. And he doesn�t let down. The ending is a mind-bender that will haunt you for a long time.
