Tigerland (1999)

Every once in awhile there comes a film that's simple and understated which manages to not only entertain you but also make you think. Such is the case with Tigerland. Before he was one of Hollywood's favorite "bad boys" and one of Jay Leno's most regularly expletive-laced and bleeped out guests, Colin Farrell got his start in this uncharacteristically low-key Joel Schumacher (ruiner of the early 90s Batman franchise) film.

The film is narrated by Private Jim Paxton (Matt Davis) who enlisted so he could write about the War first hand. A young idealist, the war for him holds the mystique and mystery of all the old John Wayne movies he grew up watching in his youth. The film starts as Paxton meets Private Roland Bozz (Colin Farrell). Bozz is the realistic counterpoint to Paxton's idealistic tendencies. Unlike Paxton, Bozz was drafted and has no interest in going to Vietnam.

Much to the chagrin of Bozz's superiors, he shows tremendous leadership skills and abilities that instead of using to lead the other privates in his group, he opts to use that cunning to help a few of the privates get discharged-- saving them from going overseas to serve in the war.

Despite their distinct differences Paxton and Bozz form a very close friendship and tight bond. And when given the opportunity to desert and flee to Mexico or stay and be shipped off to Vietnam Bozz is forced to choose-- if he defects it only means someone else will end up serving in his place-- a bullet that might be meant for him might instead take the life of another-- that someone could be his friend Paxton.

With as many movies as there are about Vietnam and despite the fact that this whole movie is set in the US before the soldiers even get sent over, this is easily the best Vietnam film I've seen since Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. Setting the film at Tigerland, the infamous final stop for training of US soldiers, before shipping off to Vietnam, sets it apart from many other films which tackled this subject matter, giving a tired genre a fresh voice and perspective.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Most Underrated Bond Film

Moreso than any other Bond film, this one remains most faithful to the Fleming novels.

Many people discredit Lazenby as being too "flat" or "cardboard" and dismiss this film out of hand because of Connery or Moore's absence. That dismissal is their loss-- for they're missing out on one of the most brilliant and dynamic Bond films.

Plot-wise this film has far more depth than any of the other Bond films. Lazenby's portrayal is nondescript and very human. He's not as suave nor as debonairre as the Moore or Connery Bonds-- it makes him more palpable and real.

One of the highlights for me is Diana Rigg, I consider her performance as Contessa Teresa de Vincenzo to be the strongest performance of any "Bond Girl" in any of the Bond movies (and right it should be)!

Some details from the book were left out or changed because they made reference to the first Bond novel, Casino Royale (which is supposed to be the next Bond film). Considering that book has not yet been made into a legitimate film (although a 1967 Bond spoof starring David Niven and Peter Sellers was given this title) yet leaving those details in the film would only have caused confusion with viewers.

If you're looking for the more super-human super-agent James Bond, this is the wrong film for you. But if you're looking for one of the deepest and most fleshed out Bond stories and one of the most human Bond portrayals-- this is the only Bond film truly worth seeing!

Star Wars Episode III (2005)

Excellent conclusion to an underrated trilogy

Many critics pan the first 2 Star Wars prequels commenting on how weak the scripts or story-telling were, how bogged down the plots were by the galactic politics and etc. But I think to fully appreciate the prequel trilogy one needs to change his/her perspective.

Watching Episodes I-III as the story about Anakin turned to the dark side-- the first 2 films are bound to disappoint. Watching the prequel films from the perspective that these are films not about Anakin's shift to the dark side, but from the point of view of the delightfully Machiavellian Palpatine, then a greater appreciation can be gained.

From Episode I we saw the strings being pulled as Palpatine played both sides against each other in such a way that regardless of the outcome, he'd get the results he wanted.

Episode II saw an extrapolation of his pure Machiavellian deviousness (was George Lucas inspired by "The Prince" when he dreamed up the Palpatine character?) The clone army had been created to serve the Republic... or had it been created to serve the dark side? Count Dooku's revelation that the Republic was being controlled by a Sith Lord mirrored Darth Vader's revelation in The Empire Strike's Back that Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker were one in the same. Also the scene with the Trade Federation discussing the weapon they are working on, and then seeing the plans for what, in Episode IV, would become the Death Star!

Episode III is the bookend, it's both a finale (for Palpatine's story, his plan is complete) and a new beginning (the birth of Luke & Leia). It ties up the loose ends and (as other reviewers) have stated adds a poignancy to the friendship/mentorship that existed between Obi Wan and Anakin/Vader. The scene where Obi Wan sees that Anakin has killed "the younglings" (okay, that term is utterly ridiculous-- they're "children"-- none of this "younglings" crap!). Ewan MacGregor's portrayal of Obi Wan at this point is spot on. You can both feel and see the hurt in his eyes-- reminiscent of that of a father of a prodigal son. Hayden Christensen's performance in Episode III, if anything helps vindicate and validate his performance in Episode II. While he may have been "wooden" in Episode II it's because he was trying to do what was right but he had that fear and anger inside of him that kept clouding his judgement. The wooden performance was of a man torn between the dark and light, straddling a line. In Episode III, we see that line snap along with Anakin! Christensen's performance in Episode III was probably his best since Life as a House with Kevin Kline a few years ago.

All in all, a joy to watch! George Lucas's return to the use of miniatures rather than relying so heavily on CGI (as he did in the first 2 prequels) was also a very welcome shift from Episodes I & II. While not the best of the Star Wars films it's certainly close!