Reviews

This is perhaps one of the most pertinent and valuable films to reach our cinemas in the past few years. Especially now (or indeed because of what is happening now) the probing of Michael Moore into the American obsession with its right "to bear arms" (which was actually their right to bear arms against the british, but this latter piece of information seems to be ignored) raises a lot of significant questions and even answers a few, that the world, and the USA, should be asking itself.

Bowling for collumbine is surprisingly rich with emotion and heart. It is at times relentlessly hilarious and at others chokingly horrifying. The highlights are the animated version of American history which attempts to find a reason for the readiness of the average American to reach for their gun, and the integration of video footage from various shootings, including the one at Collumbine, where America's liberties came back to bite them.

An array of interesting and quite different people are interviewed, the best of which are the brother of one of the men responsible for the Oklahoma bombing (who comes off as a particularly stupid redneck), Charlton Heston (the president of the NRA - who Moore interviews at his home), and Marilyn Manson, who was blamed for promoting violence and hate through his music because the two boys at Collumbine had listened to his music. Of all those interviewed, it is Manson who perhaps comes off most level-headed and thoughtful. His insight into the "culture of fear and consumption" is enlightening.

Overall this is a superbly structured documentary, and one which everyone should see. 10/10

This is one of the most beautifully crafted and haunting films that I have ever seen. Not only is the amazing ensemble cast give truly beautiful, effective performances, but the direction and cinematography combines to create a magnificent visual and mental feast.

This story about the Guadalcanal campaign during WW2, based on the James Jones novel, weaves the lives of many characters together seemlessly, creating a philosophical/emotional experience of war. It's not just about war. It's about love, faith in yourself and others, friendship, humanity, morality and also works as a startling indictment of man's conflict with nature. The amazing opening sequence, sets up a tranquility as the character Witt, finds peace on a secluded island among the natives, a peace which is shattered by the war.

What follows is not a mindless battle-after-battle onslaught of pyrotechnics, smoke, dust and blood, but a thought-provoking, visually and verbally poetic analysis of war and humanity. In my opinion it is the greatest war film since Apocalypse now, which I believe bears more flaws than this. It's not an Us-and-Them war story about the glory of the USA defeating the evil Japs. It sticks close with the characters, as we hear the thoughts, their hopes, their fears, leading to a moving experience.

This film was released a few months after Saving Private Ryan and unfortunately did not experience the same attention that the latter film did. Ryan was an excellent film, but to offer a comparison, The Thin Red LIne treads where Ryan didn't dare. Ryan sat in the safe territory of Good vs Evil with a bit of Futility of War and a lot of American Patriotism. It seemed to be more about America at some points than about war. The Thin Red Line is about war, the people involved and the destruction it creates for the mind, the soul and for nature. It does not deviate from this to make simple contrasts and offer easy binary oppositions.

In fact, TTRL is not an easy film. Gasp, it even tries to make you think. Though the title is not really explained in the film, I believe it is implied, and could have many meanings - the line between sanity and insanity, morality and immorality, love and hate, companionship and loneliness, nature and man, war and peace. While the characters share their thoughts, deeply poetic as they are, the meaning is not thrown in your face and neither is the answer to the questions raised. In this way it is the most thought-provoking war film I've ever seen and one of the best films of all time in my book. Top ten easily.

Now to my whinge. I think TTRL was shunned unmercifully at the 1999 Oscars. Shakespeare in Love beat two brilliant films - TTRL and Elizabeth - to get that oscar, and don't get me started on Gwyneth's award. This is the best film of 1998/9, in line with Elizabeth. It's unfortunate that the two, thoug h greatly revered, did not achieve the success and attention they deserved.

Don't be afraid by its length, it's a beautiful journey, full of rich colour, sound and the reward is a deeply moving human experience, unlike any other that the past decade has offered.