Sunday, January 27, 2008

Just came back from watching "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford". Gosh. It was... actually quite interesting, I felt, despite the occasional Brokeback-Mountainish feel at times that made me and Peter and Don (Shuhui's friend) cringe a bit at times.

But the acting is very good, actually, and the expressions, body language, and psychology as Jesse James attempts to outwit the traitor in his midst... especially seeing how the emotional ambivalence of Ford assassinating his one-time childhood hero takes a toll on his own mental health. And seeing how he and his accomplice visibly and steadily broke down, with one of them increasingly imitating the late Jesse James... shows the impact of this bigger-than-life hero on their own lives.

In a sense, I guess you could say that when they killed Jesse James, they killed a part of themselves as well. Think this film is an insightful commentary into the cult of hero/celebrity-worship, and with the implicit comment that we become who we worship.

Isn't it the same with ourselves? We become who we worship... If we worship the one true God, we will become increasingly like Him. But if we worship idols, we will become increasingly like them.

To conclude, this reviewer from Rotten Tomatoes, a movie-review site, commented:
"Although there’s much to appreciate here, both behind and in front of the camera, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is likely to be most admired by art-house fans rather than a general audience. For moviegoers looking for something different, especially in art film-deprived Baton Rouge, this is the ticket."

But anyway! Just want to thank God for some really wonderful news... a dear friend of mine shared with me about a relationship that he's started... really so happy to hear the wonderful news! :D

Ok, v tired, gotta sleep now.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

haha that movie was sheer crap in my opinion. totally awful. i still feel rather annoyed that i wasted my money and time on it.