Posted on 08/12/2006 5:21:21 PM PDT by UnsinkableMollyBrown
'World Trade Center' Opened Starring Nicolas Cage as Port Authority Cop
You don't expect an inspiring story to come from the terrorist horror of Sept. 11.
Nor would you expect filmmaker Oliver Stone to tell it almost exactly as it was, without surreal embellishments, moral ambiguities or political arguments.
"World Trade Center" isn't about opinions or conspiracies. It's a straight-up dramatization, set during the most devastating 24 hours in recent American history.
As the fifth anniversary of that agonizing day approaches, the film reminds us not only of the despair and destruction, but also of that brief moment when the entire nation was united in spirit. There will be tears shed at this movie, but they'll be more hopeful - even joyous - than you might think possible.
"World Trade Center" starts in the wee hours of that fateful day, as Sgt. John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage) rolls out of bed in upstate New York and drives an hour and a half to his job at the Port Authority Police Department. As the sun peeks over the horizon, he sees the twin towers of the World Trade Center dominating Manhattan's skyline. (Computer-generated images of those skyscrapers fit seamlessly into the picture.)
(Excerpt) Read more at officer.com ...
Anyone seen it?
I just have my doubts since it is an Oliver Stone movie.
I always question the motives of Oliver Stone but I have heard nothing but rave reviews about this film. I was surprised to hear that Stone left his paranoid political B.S. out of the film. I plan to see it.
I pass.
Wife and I both had tears in our eyes pretty much throughout the second half.
Stone steered away from all politics.
President Bush's voice is heard in one scene, and his image is briefly shown, appearing on a television screen.
The theater was surprisingly full, especially for a late-Saturday matinee. Maybe 60 people, in a suburban Mall theater in upstate New York.
One creep booed when the President's voice was heard. No one joined him.
(steely)
I'll wait until I have a free rental
Good flick. Take a hanky or two.
Too bad it's produced by Stone. My money will wait for Flight 93 on DVD.
I will never *ever* trust the communist stone with my time or money.
Go to a multiscreen and buy a ticket for another flick, Then sneak in and watch this one. You'll be moved and be screwing Oliie at the same time. Best of both worlds.
I've thought alot about this. I've actually argued with other Freepers who said they wouldn't go to see it, arguing there are many sides to every story, and this is one of them. HOWEVER, I've changed my tune a little.
I've been thinking...I don't need another movie to tell me how wonderful Americans are during times of crisis. How God and family keep us together. I know how brave Americans are and how willing we are to put our lives on the line for strangers. I KNOW ALL THAT.
When future generations think of 9/11, I want them to remember the event as when the war with Islam started. That there is a cult of religion across this world who wants us dead and on that day, they killed over 3,000 of us in a matter of hours. I don't want 9/11 to be remembered as a "FEEL GOOD" event.
It is another way of whitewashing the whole thing. I'm not saying this is Stone's conscious objective...but that's what it comes down to.
I had not seen Flight 93. What's you're take on it? Anyone?
I own Born on the Fourth of July and Platoon {which I have seen} and Alexander {which I haven't watched yet}. I have seen plenty of Oliver Stone's other movies including Nixon, JFK, Any Given Sunday and Natural Born Killers.
If I boycotted movies based on someone politics, then there would be many I wouldn't get to see.
We just got back from seeing World Trade Center and it is a film invoking stong emotions of sadness and pride and memories of the real event. I live in CT about 30 miles from the city - we could see and smell the smoke from our beaches. My two best friends were in the city that day for work. My boss had been in the tower during the truck bombing in '93. I worked on software for first responders and we lost a lot of our clients that day. I felt like I couldn't breathe for a month.
They seem to have used actual news footage as well as re-enacted scenes. I was down there a month after the attack and that is what it looked like. As we came out of the theater it occured to me that Stone did not take any pot shots. Christians, Marines, the FD and PD were all the good guys this time. the clip of President Bush was inspiring and treated in the context I remember of all of us united for a time. Good guys (FD volunteers from Michigan) referred to the terrorists as bastards and one ex-Marine had a great line saying he wouldn't be returning to his office job as there would be a need for a few good men to avenge this.
They showed the message boards of missing which I remember so well. They actually showed some of the roughest footage from that day including one person who jumped from the inferno. Most of the movie takes place buried in the rubble and it really brought home to me the horrors of what they endured waiting and hoping for rescue. I would definitely recommend it. And I also had my suspicions since it was Stone.
I saw it last night and thought it as pretty good. It is worth seeing. It is not overtly critical and contains numerous positive references to Christianity.
At a deep level there is something ominous. The protagonists who is a Marine and a Christian behaves in an oddly wooden and robotic manner. The portrayal is still one of admiration but it is clear that Stone has a hard time relating to this patriotic, Christian, driven, soldier. I was left with an ominous feeling of how difficult it is for hollywood blue staters like Stone to relate to red blooded red staters.
My sense of the message from Stone was, "in times like 911, I need people like you-- grudgingly-- but apart from these small unique moments-- you are not human and I do not understand you."
It was an honest effort to reach out and understand the red state but it was disturbing to see how strained it was . For me it was a good measure of how far apart the red state and blue state worlds are. It was also sad to see how the audience rushed to leave without even seeing the list of names of service personnel who died at the WTC.
I saw Flight 93.
Or rather, I boarded Flight 93...
if that tell you how I feel about the movie.
You dislike the film solely because it doesn't show planes slamming into the WTC towers?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.