Hail Mary (Jean-Luc Godard, 1985)

What could I expect in this film? Jean-Luc Godard taking on the story of the Virgin Mary in a modern era. It was typical Godard style - more gazing then advancing the story (speaking of, there wasn’t really a complex plot) and some female nudity of course. It was a shame I didn’t find the story as engaging as it could have been given that the religious story was transposed into a contemporary setting. (And also a shame that the DVD I was watching was a little scratched so I missed some of the last half hour). It was about a teenage girl, that plays basketball, who falls pregnant having never been intimate with a man. She had a boyfriend who of course finds this hard to accept but they marry and she has the baby. The film was actually banned in some European countries and the USA, as well as condemned by the Pope − so you know that Godard was pushing the envelope on this one.

2/5

Annapolis (Justin Lin, 2006)

After watching (and loving Pineapple Express), I made note to watch this film, which also stars the talented James Franco. I was glad I did because Annapolis turned out to be more enjoyable than I thought. There was good drama and I found it to be a really engaging movie.

The story is quite familiar: a young man is trying to pursue his dream against all odds: in this case, it’s Jake Huard (Franco) who has his heart set on attending the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Huard works at a shipyard, building vessels for the Navy, working for his father, who doesn’t seem to have faith in his son (we find out Huard’s mother died). Anyway, Huard’s application is successful but life is not so smooth in the academy − there is plenty of tension and frustration, and Huard even considers quitting (though he returns to prove his father wrong). One of his roommates attempts suicide, which prompts Huard to punch one of the officers, almost getting him expelled. But one thing I can’t really comprehend is how a fellow student gets kicked out for lying, and Huard punched lieutenant and isn’t immediately expelled from the academy.

Anyway, the main focus of the later half of the film is Huard entering a boxing tournament at the academy. Though no one really seems to believe in him, Huard shows admirable determination and I though the training montage featuring Huard was great. I couldn’t look away during the boxing scene, which I thought was really well done. It made me think that Huard might have had a good career as a boxer if he left the academy. Nevertheless, Huard actually loses the final match but the film ends on a realistic and positive note.

What I like about this film is it has a number of elements: drama, action, there is a clash of personalities, a love interest for Huard, and the expected clash with authority. Overall, Annapolis was well-worth seeing, with a good story and a strong skilful portrayal from the versatile James Franco.

4/5

Les Carabiniers (The Riflemen) (Jean-Luc Godard, 1963)

I was curious to see how Godard was going to depict war in one of the first films he made. And not surprisingly, it depicted the real ugly side of war, as if playing on the mainstream audience’s love of action and war films.

The film is about two men who receive letters, delivered by soldiers from the King, to enlist in war, promised they will be rich afterward. They return with postcards (as Michelangelo calls them “deeds”), and seem to be under the impression that they will inherit these monuments, etc (while I had thought they brought the postcards in defeat and realising they weren’t going to get the real treasures) − so that was clever on the part of Godard. Also, another thing to note, was that I couldn’t really get where they were − they seemed to have Swiss-like crosses on their hats, etc but I thought the Swiss were neutral and it seemed like they were fighting in Mexico at one point? So I was confused but I actually don’t think Godard wanted to depict a particular place or time (or war). I think it was more of the general idea of war he wanted to examine.