Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull

Raging bull is one of those films that gets mind boggling praise. Afi's #4 film of all time, Entertainments Weekly's #5, Premieres 5th greatest performance of all time(for Bobby D). Its about as good as films get.

Raging bull tells the story of New York boxer Jake La Motta. Jake prides himself on his ability to take vicious beatings in the ring and keep standing. Its a biopic of a violent muddled man played to near perfection

From its opening shot you know what you are getting into. De Niro boxes the air in slow motion while a sad bit of music plays. Its a brilliant shot that at first makes us see La Motta's ability as a boxer, but after a while it causes a sad and almost defeated feeling. The film is powerfully violent. Its not like Rocky, boxing isn't fun in this film, its ugly. But the real credit to the film is that some how, some way this brute of a man is sympathetic. Across the board the performances are amazing, they feel spur of the moment, so painfully genuine from Pesci and De Niro's brotherly talks to Cathy Moriarty's tortured wife the film hits hard.

Raging Bull never glorifies in anyway the life of Jake La Motta or of boxing in general, its dead serious and its honest in a way rarely seen.

5/5 "A Classic"

Lars Von Trier's Breaking the Waves

Breaking the waves is a film that really just feels inspired. Von Trier and company craft painfully realized characters that we ride along the highs and lows with.

The story is simple and powerful. Bess a young woman in a draconian Christian society marries a slightly worldly man named Jan. Jan works on an offshore Oil derrick and Bess can't deal with his absence. Disaster strikes and life spirals out of control.

The film is staged in such a manor that it feels painfully real. The lighting is never overt or theatrical but simply true to life (which makes sense for Mr Dogme95). The performance by Emily Watson is so real and filled with life it gives every moment of elation or depression a truly painful weight. Not to mention Stellan Skarsgard continues his fantastic screen presence, his calm to Bess's innocent excitability makes for brilliant chemistry.

It's not a ridicolous as Dancer in the Dark but when the film gets heavy its real heavy. It can be hard to watch and its not for everybody. But its powerful story and underplayed yet stylish feel not to mention a career making performance by Emily Watson make for a great film.

"Bess I'm so sorry"

5/5