The Silver Screen: Campus Cafe -- the Student Webzine of McCook Community College, McCook, NE

A Movie in Review: Master and Commander

by Jessica Jo Bair

Strength of a Nation, Courage of a Few

“The strength of a nation depends upon the courage of a few.” This is the byline for Master and Commander: Far Side of the World, and it effectively sums up what the entire movie is about: courage, the huge human cost of war and holding fast. It is the year 1805, Jack Aubrey is captain of the H.M.S. Surprise, and the lives of 197 men are in his care. He receives orders to pursue the Acheron, a much larger French warship, and the chase begins.

The cast of Master and Commander is dynamic. Russell Crowe is wonderful as Aubrey; it is impossible not to cheer for him. At the same time, he lets us see his struggles, his responsibility to the crown against a promise to a friend, his responsibility to an individual against his responsibility to the many. Often he is forced to choose the lesser of two evils, or weevils if you will.

Paul Bettany shines as Doctor Stephen Maturin, Aubrey’s friend and verbal sparring partner. Maturin is a biologist who became the ship’s doctor because biology wasn’t putting food on the table. He is an anarchist and firmly believes that power always corrupts, which of course leads to many, sometimes heated, discussions with the captain who is, himself, in a position of power and who believes men must be governed. Nevertheless, their friendship remains strong, and each eventually gives up his heart’s desire for the other’s good.

Master and Commander is a sweeping tale of naval warfare, complete with marvelous costumes, gorgeous sets and breathtaking battles at sea, but in the end, it’s not about those things. It’s about boys growing to be men in the midst of battle. It’s about friendship, loss, honor, and duty. It’s about men taking a stand to protect their homeland, and, in our world today, it seems surprisingly relevant.

A Movie In Review: Kill Bill, Vol 2

By Josh Knott and John Benda

Now that the final volume of Quentin Tarantino’s epic revenge masterpiece is on view Kill Bill emerges from the depths of the editing room as a brilliant work destined to be described as nothing short of classic. In Tarantino’s new film, the writer-director crafts a detailed journey of revenge, birthed from hundreds of action and exploitation films, including everything from spaghetti westerns to martial arts cinema. Tarantino creates an orchestration of images and sharp dialogue that demands the audience attention to the aspects of cinema that he regards as Holy Scripture.

In Volume 2 the Bride continues her quest for vengeance against the remaining members of the Deadly Viper’s Assassins Squad (D.i.V.A.S.) for the murder of her fiancée, and as she still believes, the murder of her unborn daughter. Her quest takes her to the outskirts of the California desert, where she attempts to assassinate Budd (a.k.a. Sidewinder), but instead, an expecting Budd disposes of her in a fashion culled from an Edgar Allan Poe short story. During the Bride’s down time, Tarantino takes the opportunity to jump back into the Bride’s past and sheds light upon her training under the cruel tutelage of Pai Mei. In this chapter, the Bride is schooled in crucial martial arts techniques that will assist her in the final steps in her quest for vengeance. After thwarting Budd’s attempt to end her life, she crosses Hanzo swords with Elle (a.k.a. California Mountain Snake) in an epic battle scene that seamlessly blends western saloon fistfights with the slapstick gross-out humor of Jackass, The Movie. After crossing off two more names from her “death-wish five” list, there is only one name left: Bill.

Whereas volume one consists of sweeping landscapes and spectacularly choreographed fight scenes, volume two focuses on the emotional aspects of revenge. In this two part masterpiece, Tarantino managed to contrast the violent, eastern tone of volume one with the emotional undertone of a spaghetti western in volume two. While both films are completely different in tone and pace, they are the perfect compliment to each other, and when combined, they create a pop culture homage to the pulp fiction and grind house story telling of past decades. All in all, a classic film. Tarantino at his best.

A Movie In Review: Snatch

By Josh Henderson

Guy Ritchie takes us on a wild ride through London 's criminal underworld in the follow up to his critically acclaimed film Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch. When a jewel thief with a gambling problem steals a valuable diamond, it sets off a chain reaction of hilarious and cynically ironic intertwined events between a pair of pawn shop owners, their fat get away driver, two unlicensed fight promoters and their boxer, a big city boss who owns a pig farm, an American boss, a man with bullets for teeth, a Russian who dodges bullets, a dog who eats everything and a group of Irish gypsies. Starring Brad Pitt (Seven), Dennis Farina (Big Trouble, Stealing Harvard), Benicio Del Toro, and Jason Statham (The Italian Job) among others in this all star cast of old favorites and new stars. With his signature style of comedy and twisted, twisting plotlines, Snatch proves Guy Ritchie's film making brilliance.

Also check out: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Fight Club

A Movie In Review: Fast Times at Ridgemont High

By Kayla Sanders

When I first sat down to watch this movie, I was ready to punch something. You see, every copy of School of Rock in the entire town of McCook was rented; my Jack Black fix had not been fulfilled. Regardless, I was determined to enjoy this “classic” 80s movie.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High starred Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, and Judge Reinhold, among others. The movie was initially hard to follow because there’s no main character or central plot. A few minutes into the movie, you meet all the characters and kind of see what they’re about. One angle follows Stacy Hamilton, a fifteen-year-old girl who comes to know the consequences of unprotected sex. Another angle follows her brother, Brad, who is in his senior year and learning that life’s not all about girlfriends and jobs. Yet another angle follows Mark and Damone, two friends who are always looking for girls. Lastly, there’s Jeff Spicoli, the stoner-surfer always making trouble in Mr. Hand’s class. You also have to understand that these are not separate plot lines, they are all intertwined with one another. I know it sounds really complicated, but as the movie progressed, it all gets sorted out.

This movie is essentially a teen romp, but not the She’s All That kind. There’s no Freddie Prinze, Jr. strutting around here. This move is classified as a comedy and, don’t get me wrong, it is funny, but it also has a serious element to it. It’s not sad or anything, but it does make you think. It makes you think about high school in a way that you may not have thought of it before. Overall, it’s just a great movie. As Spicoli would say, “Awesome, totally awesome.”