Trailer Review 043 | Fences | Silence |
Two revered original materials in their own mediums with passionate talents behind the adaptations.
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Denzel Washington'sFences
Chance of Success = well over 80%
"What law is there say(ing) I got to like you?"
+ Highlights +
The Tony Award-winning play was a perfect material to adapt especially with the original playwright, August Winston, written the screenplay himself as the two award-winning leads reprising their roles,
beautiful cinematography setting up the city they lived in where they came from (the city overview and the shining sunlight in the background),
the natural chemistry between the two veteran actors playing against and off of each other,
the hurtful but truthful speech a father given to his son to make him learn of the real world although it was spoken to mask his own feelings,
a son rebelling against his constraining father that forbid him to do what he loved by possibly serving the country instead and going to the army,
the emotional breakdown and verbal exchange between the suffering parents.
? Points of contention ?
A father holding back his son to fulfill his own potential because of his own past failure when he took that route in the past. The conflict to let him follow in his footsteps and risking failing the same way he did,
the happiest of times between the couple were disturbed by the father's refusal to support his own son and then punctuated with a news that tore them apart ... what was it exactly?
would the son actually hurt his father physically?
- Lowlights -
Patchy track of record of successful play-to-movie adaptations as the excellent play could be hindered by Denzel's own direction since his two previous works didn't live up to expectation.
Cast
Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, ...
(Director - Denzel Washington, Duration - 2 hrs 19 mns,
Budget - $30 Millions, Genre - Drama)
"Some people build fences to keep people out and other people build fences to keep people in."
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Silence
Chance of Success = definitely over 90%
"The price of your glory is their sufferings".
+ Highlights +
Contrast of his hopeful speech with the defeated posture leaning against the post,
the constant haunting score humming in the background,
the beauty of the untouched mountains in Japan against the picturesque vista in their homeland,
shooting on location (although not in Japan) showcasing the natural beauty of the land,
the constant opposition by the higher ups in Japan with the new religion as they used their powers against them as well as their own ideology and the nature (tied to crosses in a rising tide),
the final quick cuts seeing their journey culminating in the extremes that pushed them over the edge, with the priests breaking down as devout followers were punished by drowning and burned to death.
? Points of contention ?
The mission of finding their mentor and uncover the truth behind his public denouncement,
the journey into a foreign land that's full of high danger visually illustrated with the biggest of ocean and the narrowest of alley,
the warm comforting room against the exposed seaside as the main character got out of his comfort zone and arrived in a foreign land welcomed by a devoted few although a whole small village did accept his teachings but facing heavy opposition by the higher officials as they captured the head villager while the priest hid away,
playing mind games (with execution on the crosses and thrown into the sea), they did everything in their powers to eradicate the teaching as the flapping white paper fans symbolized how much authority the ones sitting in the scene as their underlings did as they're told,
coming into terms on how much of responsibilities they have to take to execute their mission, having been running from the officials and finally captured, one priest stood tall as the other started to question it,
that Jesus Christ imagery reflected from the puddle, was it real or just in his head?
- Lowlights -
A movie based on faith and religion might not be someone's cup of tea despite how well it's made.
Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson ...
- Synopsis -
In the seventeenth century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor who had committed apostasy after being tortured. The story takes place in the time of Kakure Kirishitan ("Hidden Christians") that followed the defeat of the Shimabara Rebellion (1637–38) of Japanese Roman Catholics against the Tokugawa shogunate.
(Director - Martin Scorsese [Goodfellas, the Departed, the Wolf of Wall Street],
Duration 2 hrs 39 mns, Budget - $50 Millions, Genre - Drama, Fictional History, Religion)
"I pray but I am lost. Am I just praying to silence?"
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