Tuesday, August 2, 2011

JFK (1991)



New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) sets out to investigate and prosecute one of the men (Tommy Lee Jones) he feels was involved in the conspiracy to assassinate President Kennedy.

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When it comes to "show-offy directors", you don't get much more show-offy than Oliver Stone. His use of film clips, different film stocks and Eisensteinian montage make damn sure that you understand what he wants you to understand. It was after seeing Natural Born Killers in 6th grade that I really became aware what a director does/can do. But like any style it can easily become overdone and look hokey/labored (ie: The Doors and Any Given Sunday). Probably the best use of this style is in his film JFK where it allows him to cover in 3 hours what it would take another filmmaker 6 to do. And in this compacted running time you are barraged by so many questions that it becomes impossible to walk away without at least questioning the "official story". And if you ask me, skepticism is a healthy trait when it comes to power and politics. This should be mandatory viewing for middle-schoolers.

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