V for Vendetta

V for Vendetta (2006)

Directed by James McTeigue

Screenplay by Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski

Based on the comic book series by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

Currently #166 of the Top 250 Films of All Time on IMDb (as of this posting)

Stars: Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry, John Hurt, Tim Pigott-Smith, Rupert Graves, Ben Miles, Eddie Marsan and Roger Allam

I have no idea why it took me so long to watch V for Vendetta. It was a LAMB Movie of the Month as far as I know. It had to me take this blog-a-thon to make me finally see it. After the credits rolled, it made me feel I should be a martyr.

Set in a future Britain, where the government had taken over the daily lives of the citizens. Being more of a dictatorship than anything else. Chancellor Adam Sutler (Hurt) does not want subversiveness under his rule. There is one person that seeks to bring him down. It is shadowy figure with Guy Fawkes mask on known as V (Weaving). V rescues a woman, Evey (Portman) from being taken in by the secret police known as the Fingermen. After the rescue, V lets Evey watch as he bombs a building called the Old Bailey which set off a chain of events to shape the future of the colony.

I knew going into the movie that the film will obvious allegories to the Third Reich, concentration camps, Communism, etc. That's all fine and good. I didn't know that there was another aspect to V's plan that came into light. It sucked me into the story more. I wanted to standing beside V as the dictatorship crumbles from within.

I completely forgot to it was around the time that the group, Anonymous came into being as they declared war on Scientology. This movie has ignited a movement of protests and activism that made governments falls. They say that we are free, but we are not free. I don't want to spout off my opinions about society, because it might get me in trouble. I will stop it right there.

My Rating

Running With Scissors

Running With Scissors (2006)

Directed and Written by Ryan Murphy

Based on the memoir by Augusten Burroughs

Stars: Joseph Cross, Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Alec Baldwin, Gwyneth Paltrow, Evan Rachel Wood, Jill Clayburgh, Gabrielle Union and Patrick Wilson

It has been awhile since I have seen a movie or else being able to review it. Since my job can be mind-numbing amounts of boredom, I have been reading a lot of book lately. I have read the book "Running With Scissors" for almost a decade now. Recently re-reading it, I would to watch the movie based on it. I have seen the movie once before and hating it, but I decided to give it another chance. My opinion has changed, but not as much.

A teen-aged Burroughs (Cross) chronicled his unorthodox childhood when his mentally unstable mother, Deidre (Bening) gave him away to his kooky shrink that looks like Santa Claus, Dr. Finch (Cox). Augusten is quickly introduced to the rebellious daughter, Natalie (Wood), the stuck up daughter, Hope (Paltrow), the haggard mother, Agnes (Clayburgh) and the 30-something adoption son that he has a relationship with Bookman (Finnes). Augusten is trying to find his way in the world that has no rules. How can he cope?

The last time I saw this movie when in 2007 and I hated the ending of the movie. Looking at the movie now, I still think it was a shitty ending, because it was a cop out. Let me say that I love the book. It is hilarious, horrifying with its graphic details that may or may not happen.

The movie stayed true to the dialogue of the book, but I felt like the movie was soulless. I didn't care about the characters. Scenes were added that didn't need to be. I understood that they couldn't show the sexual romps of Augusten and Bookman or the Dr. Finches bowel moments being displayed on a picnic table in the backyard. The ending seemed to be straight out of an after school special. Urgh!

My rating: