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sonofjive
Reviews
Live Forever (2003)
Not completely pointless
Live Forever is a worthwile attempt at documenting the interesting post-Thatcher revival in British music exports to the US, labelled as Britpop by the NME and other such music magazines. Previous comments have already highlighted the emphasis that the film places on Oasis, and especially on Noel Gallagher's commentary on the scene and the times, but what else (realistically) could you expect from a film that uses an Oasis song as its title, made by a director that makes no secret of his adoration for the band. Nevertheless, I was shocked to note that the film earmarks a Stone Roses festival gig as the genesis of Britpop, and makes no reference to the debt that the Gallaghers, Liam especially, owe to Shaun Ryder's bands the Happy Mondays and Black Grape.
Petty gripes aside, the film makes a clear and unashamed attempt to link the musical revival of Britpop with the revival of the Labour ideology - an easy task when Noel Gallagher is a valued customer at number 10. However, I believe that the political link that the film tries to make is at best tenuous, and at most non-existent. Specifically, Live Forever falls victim to its own hyperbole - that the music, created by youngsters who grew up during Thatcherite rationalisation, was among, if not the most important aspect to the general political and social change that ended God-knows how many years of Tory rule. I believe that the film deflates a little with this argument - it sort of chokes on its own self-importance.
As for the rock stars, only Jarvis Cocker comes out of the film with an improved stature. Damon Albarn seems bitter, twisted and fed up (all traits of the archetypal great artist I might add), Noel Gallagher is the original hypocrite as he puts on his best working class whinge while sitting in an antique armchair surrounded by the trappings of newfound wealth, and I won't even bother with Liam.
Before I close, I should mention that despite my own whinges, I actually did like this film. It was funny, poignant and affecting in turns, and it dealt with a subject that was very close to my heart. I can only say that I am glad that no mention was made of Radiohead or PJ Harvey.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
The jingoism that causes wars
Don't get me wrong. The first 20 minutes of the film were both visually
SPOILERS WITHIN
stunning and physically sickening. If I had ever held any foolish notions of the supposed bravado and glory of war, they quickly evaporated in a hail of gunfire, blood, brains and severed limbs. This short section of the film, with its cinema verite like hand held camera and grainy, newsreel-esque cinematography, is evidence of the calibre (no pun intended) of filmmaker that Spielberg could be.
The rest of the film (God knows how long it is) seems to be Spielberg's valiant attempt to ruin the effect of the first sequence. Mothers cry, villains are smoten, good guys manage to fit in a final, heartfelt sentence or two before they croak and Tom Hanks manages to keep the same deadpan, "this-is-the-demure-face-I-get-paid-$20million-a-movie-for" expression on his face throughout the whole film. And as if to rub salt in the wound, there is the final, disgracefully jingoistic image of the film (you know the one I'm talking about).
I wouldn't be so outraged at this pro- American big-budget moneymaker if it didn't pretend to be an anti-war masterpiece.