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Welcome to the suck.

Based on former marine Anthony Swofford’s best-selling 2003 book about his pre-Desert Storm experiences in Saudi Arabia and starring Jake Gyllenhaal as the leading man, Jarhead tells the story of a young Camus-reading guy who got lost on his way to college and ended up in the United States Marine Corps. Jarhead accompanies Swofford and his comrades from the excruciating drills endured in boot camp to them being stationed in the Gulf where they have to maintain a ‘constant state of suspicious alertness’ for 6 months during which they practice, hydrate, party, booze and masturbate a lot before eventually the war breaks out and staff sergeant Sykes (academy award winner Jamie Foxx) designates the Marines ‘the righteous hammer of God’ against Saddam Hussein. With the launch of operation Desert Storm all hell breaks loose and the atrocities of war hit the marines full circle. But for Swofford who hasn’t fired off a single gunshot during the whole war it all ends without any satisfaction.

American Beauty director Sam Mendez and Donnie Darko lead Jake Gyllenhaal unite in this absolutely stunning movie. Mendez managed to direct a brilliant, rough and comic war movie that creates a unique atmosphere. For Gyllenhaal’s character, being a marine is not a career but rather a chapter in his life he has to endure. Even though Swafford is happy to serve his country and also more than willing to kill an Iraqi or two he doesn’t seem to make any kinds of judgments of what is going on right in front of his eyes. The movie’s nonchalance, indifference and unorthodoxy make this more than your average war movie. Jarhead is relevant, tries to make a point and plays with the notion of patriotism. Unfortunately, there are some minor flaws that slightly spoil an otherwise excellent picture such as a pop-heavy score that does not always hit the right tone and could generate misleading interpretations as well as the depiction of a rather stereotyped testosterone-fueled military life full of f-words, six-packs and male nudity. Nevertheless, it’s awards season (look out for Brokeback Mountain, All the King’s Men and Memoirs of a Geisha) and Jarhead as well as its brilliant cast should stick with you when nominating your year’s favorites.

Indulge in this beautiful hell. (3.5 out of 4 great dictators)
Rated R for pervasive language, some violent images and strong sexual content.

It’s a heck of a place to find yourself.

There are days in your life when everything seems to slip away. For Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) this is one of those days. When he gets sacked and publicly scrutinized for ruining a major American shoe label all on his own, he contemplates stabbing himself to death by getting on a self-made death-machine (i.e. a home trainer sporting tempting looking knives). Fortunately enough a phone call from his sister, saying that their father has passed away, interrupts Drew’s suicide ritual and forces him to represent the family at his father’s funeral. Convinced to get back on that bike the moment he returns, he embarks on a journey that holds more in store for him than he could ever have imagined. His trip to Elizabethtown, Kentucky, along with the acquaintances he makes (e.g. Kirsten Dunst), becomes a self-finding, life-fulfilling expedition reminding him of the very things that make us human.

Cameron Crowe wrote and directed this slightly overlong picture that doesn’t really fit into a category. If, however, you are desperate to stick some kind of label to it, it probably might best be described as a take on the pitch-black dramatic romantic comedy. Unlike Crowe’s previous flicks though (e.g. Vanilla Sky starring the always cheerful couch-hopping Tom Cruise), Elizabethtown seems to be less ambitious but still works extremely well most of all due to an excellent script and praise-worthy performances by the actors. Orlando Bloom who was never really able to show his acting skills (in all fairness, how could you in an elf costume??) does a decent job to portray the young troubled suicidal gentleman and so does Kirsten Dunst as an overzealous stewardess (even though I fear that she might end up being type-casted over and over again). The bottom line is that this is an extremely entertaining piece featuring an overwhelmingly prominent soundtrack that makes you want to download, I mean buy it immediately.

Everyone gets lucky in Kentucky. (3 out of 4 partial cremations)