Reviews: film
MOVIES
Jarhead
R, 115 minutes, Southwind Theatre ★★★★☆
In Kevin Wilmott's anti-war film class here at KU, we are taught the basic elements of an anti-war film: How does the film treat the enemy? Does the film discuss the moral implications of the war? We also discuss different kinds of
war film such as the "war is hell" film or "war porn." Going in to Jarhead, I was ready with all of my new knowledge of war films to really understand and classify it, according to the classic war film model. I, like the characters in the film, was left with nothing but disappointment, because Jarhead defies classic war film classification. It is something different. Powerful, brutal and beautiful all rolled into
something that could have been distributed as a Marine Corps recruiting video, but comes off as a surprisingly unbiased account of a soldier just trying to do what he was trained to do: kill something.
Based on Anthony Swafford's 2003 memoir, Jarhead, centers on the experiences of the author (played to perfection by Jake Gyllenhall) and his military cohorts, including his Staff Sergeant (Jamie Foxx, reminding us why he won and Oscar) and Swafford's best friend (Peter Sarsgaard, reminding us that someday he should), in the first Gulf War. The title Jarhead is the self-imposed nickname of soldiers in the Marine Corps, and it not only refers to their haircut but also to the fact that these men are supposed empty vessels like that of a jar. From basic training to the desert, Swafford, first
questions, but then is embedded with, a desire for war. At one point, a reporter asks him why he fights and after disposing the standard military responses, he looks into the camera and says, "I'm 20 years old, and I was dumb enough to
sign a contract." He means it. But then the rest of the film is a series of vignettes, showing the soldiers, now in a holding pattern, waiting for the real war to begin, just passing the time. This section slows the film down considerably as the soldiers patrol the desert for nothing, play a football game in their gas suits in 114-degree heat and slowly lose their minds. The fact that this section slows the
film down is one of showing, not telling. The audience feels the soldiers' frustration. Director Sam Mendes doesn't just tell us the waiting before the supposed storm was torture on these young soldiers' minds, he shows us. We want them to go out and kill something just to break their boredom.
As for classifying Jarhead, it deserves a new category. It's a "boys and their toys war film." One where the soldiers watch Apocalypse Now to get pumped up for war, one where they repeatedly worship the rifle they were give and ultimately, one where the boys have their toys. They're all ready to go but they aren't allowed to use them, thereby causing madness and the destruction of that military dream, the desire to kill for a cause.
- Lindsey Ramsey
PG-13, 100 minutes, Liberty Hall
☆☆☆☆☆
Proof
Proof, a tense, cerebral and dramatic film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Auburn, explores with delicacy and depth a family of mathematical geniuses.
The film stars Gwyneth Paltow as
Catherine, the incendiary and aloof youngest daughter of a modern math genius, Robert, played by the alwaysfantastic Anthony Hopkins. Catherine's older sister, Claire, up-tight yet well-intentioned, is played by Hope Davis and Jake Gyllenhaal plays Hal, Robert's cute math student. It's an eclectic and small, yet powerful cast.
Initially, the film deals with Catherine's bitter grief over Robert's sud-
gner over nobile surr den death, after he suffered for most of his life with mental illness. The story's plot focuses on Catherine and Hal's search through her father's 103 notebooks, filled with dazzling math equations. But the more poignant plot line follows her fear that she may have inherited her father's mental illness. After culling through the notebooks, the duo stumbles upon a breakthrough proof. One of the many intriguing questions Proof raises is who the author of such incredible work is and the strength it takes someone to reach their true creative potential. This resonant film's potency lies in its display of the vibrant tension between Catherine and Robert and questioning the impact of mental
illness on a person's work. The extensive use of flashbacks adds a wonderful layer to the plot and yet are often confusing.
Paltrow truly shines in one of her rawest and most layered performances to
date. Anthony Hopkins is phenomenal as the brilliant father who is plagued by doubt and loss of mental control. Gyllenhaal proves he is more than a handsome face, amply keeping up with the celebrated leads.
Although the film is intense, it has several subtle and hilarious jokes, which provide welcome relief.This is a beautifully-written film, especially during Catherine's closing monologue. Proof demonstrates that even mathematics, in its rigid language and tiring execution, can be funny, thrilling and heart-breaking.
- Sarah Tucker