Thursday, August 03, 2006
crushed and trapped in the darkness, but still there is light...



I just back from an advance screening of Oliver Stone's new movie, "World Trade Center", and I was quite impressed. To be honest, I sort of expected Stone to take a more controversial look at the events of 9/11, given the intricate conspiracy theories pictured in JFK, his critique of the US government and our political system in Nixon, or even the way he's looked at American culture and the media in Natural Born Killers.

Instead, Stone's "WTC" is much more straightforward, even melodramatic, effort that frames the events of 9/11 in an intimate narrative - based on the true stories of two port authority police officers, "WTC" gives a ground-level view of what happened on that day in September. Seeing everything happening through their eyes, and the eyes of their families, allows a very personal and non-political look at the World Trade Center attacks, and of course, gripping drama. Stone cleverly cuts between real news footage from that day along with the events of the film.

Perhaps the most difficult (but captivating) moments in the movie to see are the scenes with the trapped policemen, John McLoughlin (played by Nicolas Cage) and Will Jimeno (played by Michael Peña). Pinned beneath the rubble, the two men struggle to survive and encourage each other, alternating between talking about their families and their lives as cops. In some of the most beautifully shot parts of the film, Jimeno and McLoughlin lay trapped and crushed in the darkness of the ruined WTC, but they're still able to catch small glimpses of light shining through the cracks above them... what a great metaphor for the stories of so many "ordinary heroes".

"WTC" was definitely not a "light movie", but I think it's worth seeing. The events of that day and its aftermath ought to be reflected on by the people of this country.

You can check out a trailer for the movie right here.

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Comments:
not sure if i want to see that.

i never cry in movies.
 
heh>
Not even in Korean ones? ;)

If you do happen to peep it, let me know what you think of it. I'm interested in what a "real" Neeew Yaawkaa thinks of the flick.
 
especially Korean ones.
 
heh>
you tough cookie, you. ;)
 
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in?scrip?tion (n-skrip-shun)n.
1. The act or an instance of inscribing.
2. Something, such as the wording on a coin, medal, monument, or seal, that is inscribed.
3. A short, signed message in a book or on a photograph given as a gift.
4. The usually informal dedication of an artistic work.
5. Jeremiah 31:33

the facts.
name. Gar AKA "that Chinese guy" "Sleepy.McSleeping"
ethnicity/nationality. Chinese/American, 4th gen.
location. Sea-Town, WA, USA Kawanishi, JAPAN
occupation. less-cynical poor grad student
age. younger than you think, older than you know

 



 

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