Zero Dark Thirty review

 Number 865 on the top 1000 films of all time is Kathryn Bigelow's 2012 historical-drama-thriller film Zero Dark Thirty.

On the ninth of September 2001, America bore witness to its worst terrorist attack in history. And so started the war on terror as well as the man-hunt for the leader of Al-Qaeda Osama Bin Laden. Jessica Chastain stars as Maya, a CIA intelligence analyst who is in charge of the operation to bring OBL to justice. The huge ensemble cast includes Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke, Mark Strong, James Gandolfini, Chris Pratt, Harold Perrineau and John Barrowman.

In creating this film, Bigelow and writer Marc Boal wanted to highlight the efforts that women played in the catching of OBL. Maya was reportedly a composite of several female CIA analysts who spear-headed the operation. Of course the CIA have never formally acknowledged the existence of these analysts out of fears for their safety. But, either way, Bigelow and Boal did these women justice. It was a great way to showcase female representation on the screen especially because of all the obstacles Maya faces. I'm not even talking about Al Qaeda, but her male superiors constantly undermining her ideas.

Jessica Chastain received an Oscar nod for her performance. It was well-earned. She played the role of Maya with a quiet confidence. And she was very convincing. I think it was a powerful portrayal of a character who despite being constantly set back never loses faith in herself, her abilities or her mission. As for the rest of the cast, I may argue it was bloated. There were a lot of characters that blended into each other. I don't think there was need for all of them. And, unfortunately, that led to some brilliant actors being absolutely squandered e.g Mark Strong, John Barrowman or James Gandolfini. The cast could have definitely be trimmed.

Zero Dark Thirty did receive some criticism for glorifying the use of torture as an interrogation method. This refers to the opening sequence where CIA officer Dan Fuller (Jason Clarke) waterboards and otherwise brutally tortures a terrorist. Torture not being an effective method to gain information aside, I would not agree that this sequence was glorified at all. Granted, it makes for unpleasant viewing, but you can see that Dan is not a sadist. He doesn't enjoy doing what he's doing, but he has a job to do. Later on, he laments on his actions.

But I think Bigelow's direction excelled in the final half-hour of the film where we see a Navy Seal team infiltrate OBL's compound. This was a brilliantly-directed sequence that always kept the tension high. It was gripping to watch. A lesser director may have added on a cheesy and grandiose score, but Bigelow made the excellent decision to not have an incidental music at all. And that was a great way to keep me on the edge of my seat.

Yes, Zero Dark Thirty has a bloated cast - Maya was a composite of many characters, why couldn't they have done that for the other characters - but Chastain gave an Oscar-worthy performance and the final sequence was fantastic film-making.

Airplane! review

 Number 475 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1980 parody Airplane!

Parodying disaster movies especially the 1957 Zero Hour!, Airplane! follows Ted Striker (Robert Hays,) an alcoholic combat pilot with severe PTSD. Still yearning after his lost love, air stewardess Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty) Striker buys a seat on her plane to win her back. But when an epidemic of food poisoning cripples half of the flight crew including the pilot, it is up to Ted to save the day.

They certainly don't make movies like this anymore. They couldn't because they would get cancelled. And that's because Airplane! is as un-PC as you can get. From the white woman translating jive speak to the passengers killing themselves after hearing Ted pine for Elaine to Elaine inflating the autopilot in a rather provocative fashion, Airplane! is as outrageous as can be. And this outrageousness is what made it so funny. In today's day and age, it feels like everybody is so sensitive, so it's nice to see a comedy that does push the envelope.

And this was only complimented by the great cast. From Leslie Nilsen to Peter Graves and Lloyd Bridges, these actors were deliberately cast, because they were well-known serious and not comedic actors. It was great to see well-known tough men play more comical parts and they played them well.

Airplane! is packed full of jokes from the start to the end - from the squabbling tannoy announcers to the inflatable autopilot having an inflatable girlfriend. And Airplane! utilises so many comedy styles from slapstick to surrealism to physical comedy to gallows humour and running gags. This variety helped keep the film fresh, for the most part - more on this later. One of my favourite scenes is when the passengers sing River of Jordan for a terminally ill child only for said child to start convulsing while everybody else sings on.

However, I would also argue the film's greatest strength was also its greatest weakness. With so many jokes, some were bound to flop and flop they did. Some of the jokes were predictable or cheesy. But I have a bigger gripe with the running jokes. Running gags can be funny as long as they're not overused, but the very nature of running jokes means they will be used a lot. Striker is an alcoholic who throws drink anywhere but his mouth. It was funny seeing him throw drink in his face once or twice but after a few times it became very tedious.

All that said, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Yes, at times it was daft and silly, but it was also a refreshing and hilarious comedy, especially for today's stifled climate.