REVIEWS United 93
While walking out of the solemn theater after seeing United 93, I overheard someone sum up the experience perfectly:
"I feel like I'm walking out of a funeral .. A mass-marketed funeral complete with concession stands and dramatic music."
United 93 is not that bad of a film. The acting could have been better and the cinematography made me horribly dizzy. But it does what it aims to do — make you horribly depressed.
think you morning depressed.
For the first hour, I felt wrong for
watching it. I wanted to slink out of my
seat because I had just contributed S6
to something that's using a tragedy, and a main justification for war, to make millions of dollars.I tried to swallow my guilt and focus on positive aspects.The film is shot in real time and director Paul Greengrass' background in documentaries certainly comes through. The air traffic controller characters seem truly befuddled and in denial about what is going on, which is probably how they actually felt on September 11,2001.
The film focuses solely on Flight 93, and it's done with more tact and taste than I could have imagined. It's obviously terribly sad to watch
the doomed passengers call their loved ones and say goodbye for the last time. It's frightening to watch the bomb-strapped terrorists stab first-class passengers and the pilots. It could have been done in a more dramatized, desperately-pulling-at-your-heartstrings way, however, I was thankful the film didn't sink to that.
The heroism of the passengers is evident. Why Hollywood felt a need to remind us of something we can still vividly recall is not so evident. It's one thing to have something on the Discovery Channel about 9/11. It's quite another to make a blockbuster out of it.
Mr. Beast
The passengers of United 93 certainly deserve more respect than they can ever be paid. Their bravery is profoundly admirable.I just wonder how they would have felt about this film.
Rated: R, 111 minutes South Wind 12
Ashley Thompson
Mogwai brings an epic sound full of powerful peaks and subtle lows. The band's mostly-instrumental music recalls Sigur Ros, but unlike the Icelandic musicians, whose songs generally climb into the six or seven minute range and feature long, repeated parts, Mogwai keeps its songs to about four minutes and features a variety of melodies.
My favorite track is "Acid Food," which despite the biting name, is one of the softest tracks on the album. It features electronic drumbeats and a descending guitar part to go with the vocals.
"Friend Of The Night" is another great track, with its powerful chord progression, leaving listeners moved by the strong emotional piano parts.
The album loses some appeal because of its lack of vocals on most songs, which could leave listeners kind of bored. But other than that, the music is great and makes for a good album.
★★★★
Chris Brower
7
OAL