Into The West

The movie "Into the West" is a classical tear-jerker.
A dead mother's soul continued to protect her children. A man chose to exile after his beloved wife passed away. And, you’ve got a grandpa who could tell a mythical story symbolizing eternity.

The movie was set in Ireland, where you can easily feel melancholy without any knowledge about the story. However, the tension between Irish travelers vs. the modern society was depicted in a flat tone. The filmmakers did not bother to put more layers on either side of characters. Yes, you probably already guessed what I am going to say next.

Nevertheless, I still enjoy seeing this movie. It fairly coveys some romantic ideas about life and love, which may be impractical but precious in this cynical world.

So, you may still want to check out this lovely story, and then think about having a trip to Ireland someday as I did :)

Click the following picture to see the clip:

Iliad (Troy)- the best story of all times

Usually some brilliant indie movies are underrated underdawgs. However, some made-in-Hollywood movies with A-list actors can be underrated as well. Wolfgan Petersons' "TROY (2004)" is one of the examples.

I first read the story of "Iliad" when I was about 10 years old. It totally blew my mind away when I entered the world of the Trojan war where you could see the fights between Greek Gods, Godesses, superheroes and human beings. It was a breath-taking journey. The name of Achilles was like a tatoo on my childhood dream. A superhero who was a son of God Zeus and sea nymph Thetis -- how cool was that!



It's really risky to have Brad Pitt and the new heartthrob Orlando Boom in an epic film like "Troy." Beautiful actors are tricky assets in a movie project where the story is supposed to be the focus. Although it's painful to watch Orlando Boom saying his lines on the big screen, I am not denying Brad Pitt is a talented actor. However, Brad Pitt is not quite cut out for a legendary figure of ancient times. Fortunately, Eric Bana's performance was adorable and convincing.

Wolfgan Peterson removed the religious parts of the original story, and added more humanity to the movie. I think this is the right decision. The movie kept its decency in everything we look for in an epic film. However, this movie did not get as much attention as it deserved, partly because this is a story already being told millions of times; or maybe moviegoers are expecting to see a sandal-and-sword epic film passing the bar raised by "Gladiator."

The unforgettable fight between Achilles and Hector: