14.02.2010 - 'Brothers' by Jim Sheridan

Trailer
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A army officer (Tobey Maguire) goes missing and is presumed killed. His black-sheep brother (Jake Gyllenhaal) back home now feels out of his sibling's shadow and begins to feels grow into a reliable person that psychologically liberated. Released from his sibling's shadow, he begins to blossom into the reliable one and in the process, he gets rather too close to the 'window' (Natalie Portman).

Again reviews range widely from "satisfying" to "a mainstream Hollywood with a weird dollop of painful arthouse drama." As I am fond of Sheridan's previous works, I very much look forward seeing this title. At the meeting, I hope to hear from those who has also seen the Danish original [unfortunately this title has been on 'Long Wait' on my DVD rental list ... ].

Meeting Log
Gaya Ethaniel: Hello Yakuzza :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Hello Agatha :)

Yakuzza Lethecus: hey everyone

Agatha Macbeth: Hi Gaya Yaku :0

Gaya Ethaniel: Hello Tim :)

Agatha Macbeth: Thought I'd got the time wrong

Yakuzza Lethecus: I think this is the first movie I saw accidentally before you announced it :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Agatha you got the time right :)

Gaya Ethaniel: ah :)

Timbo Quan: Hello Agatha & Yakuzza

Agatha Macbeth: Yes, I know now :)

Agatha Macbeth: Hi Timbo

Gaya Ethaniel: Before we start, can I ask if any of you have suggestions for the future? Tried out adding things on wiki yet?

Yakuzza Lethecus: I might not be in the wiki ?

Gaya Ethaniel: Upcoming films are: Wolfman; Alice in Wonderland; The Ghost Writer; Toy Story; The Last Airbender.

Gaya Ethaniel: You can just register and start writing Yakuzza.

Agatha Macbeth: Alice in Wonderland sounds good :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Next month, shall we go ahead with Wolfman or we can change to A Single Man. What do you prefer?

Gaya Ethaniel: Yes I look forward to that one too Agatha :) Hope it goes out on time, currently boycotted in UK.

Agatha Macbeth: Wolfman sounds more interesting

Timbo Quan: good director too

Gaya Ethaniel: ok, let's go ahead with it then :)

Agatha Macbeth: Don't just ask my opinion tho! ;-)

Gaya Ethaniel: June & July are still to be decided so please feel free to add your suggestions or IM me.

Agatha Macbeth: :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Let's start. I chose this film because of the director. I kept an eye on what he makes since watching 'My Left Foot'.

Gaya Ethaniel: I highly recommend this film.

Gaya Ethaniel: So I jumped at 'Brothers'.

Gaya Ethaniel: Please share what you thought of it.

Timbo Quan: it was pretty intense

Gaya Ethaniel listens.

Yakuzza Lethecus: It was really intense especially the scene when the little girl lied while his farther was already paranoid in order to make him further upset.

Timbo Quan: yea she really pushed him over the edge

Yakuzza Lethecus: And I was constantly thinking, "what the hell could his wife do in order to make him trust her again"

Gaya Ethaniel: Hello Eliza :)

Yakuzza Lethecus: hey eliza

Timbo Quan: hello Eliza

Eliza Madrigal: Hi Gaya :) Hi Ya

Agatha Macbeth: Hi again Eliza :)

Gaya Ethaniel: I think she was doing it right by not trying if that makes sense.

Eliza Madrigal: Hi Agatha

Eliza Madrigal: Hey Tim

Gaya Ethaniel: What does one do when someone close changes so dramatically ...?

Eliza Madrigal did not see the film and will be quiet... also not staying long...

Gaya Ethaniel: Almost into a total stranger ...

Gaya Ethaniel: np Eliza :)

Timbo Quan: he was of course well messed up - not just changed

Gaya Ethaniel: And she wasn't scared of him, which was quite amazing.

Timbo Quan: I don't think that the 'people' back home fully realised the scale of the issues he had faced and so perhaps didn't realise the danger

Gaya Ethaniel: Still holding a space for him to enter so to speak :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Like his father, Sam couldn't talk about his experience ... guess that's what happens during war.

Gaya Ethaniel: It was sad him and his father couldn't talk to each other about it either.

Yakuzza Lethecus: especially since he killed his own lower rank comrade

Yakuzza Lethecus: he couldn´t tell that anyone, and didn´t even up to the end

Timbo Quan: yes - think that his experiences were far more extreme than just normal combat ones

henry Skeldergate: hello there

Gaya Ethaniel: He was already over the edge by the time he was pressurised to chose his or his colleague's life.

Gaya Ethaniel: Hello henry, please feel free to join us. We are talking about a film called 'Brothers'. Our wiki - http://mise-en-scene.wikia.com/ for more information.

henry Skeldergate: all right thank you

Gaya Ethaniel: What struck me again and again was it's never about one person. What happens to one affects all around him/her.

Gaya Ethaniel: It's obvious of course but easy to forget somewhat ...

Eliza Madrigal slips away quietly :) Hugs

Gaya Ethaniel: Sam couldn't see at all how he was affecting everyone else. In a smaller scale all of us one time or another do that ...

Agatha Macbeth: Mmm

Gaya Ethaniel: ?

Yakuzza Lethecus: Sure, he took the whole happiness out of his family.

Yakuzza Lethecus: Even his children didn´t love him because I wasn´t able to show true compassion anymore during his paranoid phase.

Gaya Ethaniel nods ... very sad.

Gaya Ethaniel: There was a link about surviving to get back to his wife as in the letter, 'I will do anything to get back to you'. I'm not sure it justifies what he did though.

Gaya Ethaniel: I kind of expected him to drop the bat and get killed instead.

Gaya Ethaniel: But then ... I'm not sure what I'd do unless I'm under the same situation ^^;;;

henry Skeldergate: good evening you all

Agatha Macbeth: You're not a soldier tho Gaya

Gaya Ethaniel: Have fun henry :)

Yakuzza Lethecus: Hmm, kind of the question might be did really "he come back" or was it "somebody else"

Yakuzza Lethecus: bye henry

Timbo Quan: don't think that expectations or rules apply in such a situation - his captors were certainly not following any

Yakuzza Lethecus: sure physically it was him

Gaya Ethaniel: Have you read/seen 'Kite Runner'? The father stands up for a woman, ready to die. How many people can do that ...

Yakuzza Lethecus: never heard of it

Gaya Ethaniel: That's true Yakuzza. Family expected to have 'same person', which isn't really possible with extreme cases like this.

Gaya Ethaniel: A good book/film Yakuzza, I recommend it :)

Gaya Ethaniel: But I thought the character Grace was amazing.

Timbo Quan: she was certainly a strong character - but suspect that might be required to be an army wife

Gaya Ethaniel: That's true ...

Yakuzza Lethecus: Hmm, I didn´t wanted to say that since I like Natalie Portman anyway :)

Agatha Macbeth: :)

Gaya Ethaniel: :)

Gaya Ethaniel: I like her acting too :)

Yakuzza Lethecus: Did anyone see I love new york ?

Timbo Quan: no

Gaya Ethaniel: no

Yakuzza Lethecus: But she was only a little character in there, just a recent movie that included her :P

Yakuzza Lethecus: GardenState was also a great movie :)

Gaya Ethaniel: New York, I Love You - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York,_I_Love_You

Yakuzza Lethecus: right

Gaya Ethaniel: ok I will look up and rent DVD.

Gaya Ethaniel: I saw her first time in Leon - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_%28film%29

Gaya Ethaniel: She was 13 I think and her first film.

Yakuzza Lethecus: Nods but by that time I was more a fan of Jean Reno and the evil cop.

Gaya Ethaniel: lol

Yakuzza Lethecus: Actually I still love that actor who played the cop in Leon

Gaya Ethaniel: :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Gary Oldman ... ok I will keep that in mind Yakuzza.

Yakuzza Lethecus: yes :)

Agatha Macbeth: Yeah, he's good

Gaya Ethaniel: Just going back ... do you think the film was anti-war?

Gaya Ethaniel: Was that obvious?

Timbo Quan: not particularly

Gaya Ethaniel: It wasn't obvious to me either, which was nice.

Timbo Quan: I think it was more tying to hi-light some of the issues involved through looking at an extreme case

Yakuzza Lethecus: Yes, it shows us the consequences of what happens to the soldier, that it´s not an heroic act to bring freedom and we come back home in glory.

Timbo Quan: exactly

Gaya Ethaniel: Some reviews made negative comments about this point but I disagree. Maybe it's because Sheridan has made 'socially conscious' works before?

Agatha Macbeth: True

Gaya Ethaniel: ah :) so some of you think it's anti-war film and don't.

Gaya Ethaniel: That's nice.

Yakuzza Lethecus: It´s not anti war it´s to make ppl more aware what might happen to the human´s who are involved.

Agatha Macbeth: Right

Gaya Ethaniel nods :)

Timbo Quan: yes - it so easy to forget the plight of the solider in wars & their families

Gaya Ethaniel: I guess that's why some just want to push buttons ... minimise casualities & detach from what actually happens on the ground.

Agatha Macbeth: Hi Vert

Gaya Ethaniel: Hello Vertigo :)

Vertigo Ethaniel: hiya gaya!

Timbo Quan: hello vertigo

Gaya Ethaniel: We are talking about this - http://mise-en-scene.wikia.com/wiki/14.02.2010_-_%27Brothers%27_by_Jim_Sheridan

Vertigo Ethaniel nods

Timbo Quan: it was also about relationship between 2 brothers as well as they other angle - the 'perfect' one becomes not so perfect and the 'black sheep' raises his game ....

Gaya Ethaniel: :)

Agatha Macbeth: Yes

Gaya Ethaniel: It was time for Tommy to wake up :P

Gaya Ethaniel: Do you all have siblings?

Yakuzza Lethecus: I do

Timbo Quan: (I am wondering how you remember all the characters names ?)

Timbo Quan: 1 brother

Vertigo Ethaniel: I do, but mine are both at least 12 years older

Gaya Ethaniel: Sam - older brother, Tommy - younger brother, Grace - wife

Gaya Ethaniel: Can you relate to the plot personally at all, I mean the point Tim raised?

Timbo Quan: that's 3 more than I remember

Gaya Ethaniel: ^^;;;

Gaya Ethaniel: I was thinking a lot about relationships of 'males' within a family in fact.

Gaya Ethaniel: I think there are a lot of similarities re: these relationships regardless of cultures, which was quite interesting to me.

Timbo Quan: yea side of things was pretty well done I thought

Gaya Ethaniel: So you saw something true in the film in relation to your own experiences then Tim?

Gaya Ethaniel: Or in general, stereo types you mean?

Timbo Quan: yes the way the brothers interacted reminded me of my own relationship with my brother

Gaya Ethaniel: Interesting :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Almost time to wrap, any final comments?

Yakuzza Lethecus: A wrap, where can I get one ?

Yakuzza Lethecus: :P

Agatha Macbeth: :)

Gaya Ethaniel: lol

Timbo Quan: yea almost dinner time I think

Yakuzza Lethecus: Ok, take care everyone.

Agatha Macbeth: Bye Yaku

Gaya Ethaniel: Good night everyone. Thanks for coming :)

Agatha Macbeth: Thanks Gaya, look forward to next time :)