Pearl Harbor

For me, Michael Bay movies are a guilty pleasure. He directs his films in the style of a music video, with lots and lots of cuts and jump-shots. The editor of this movie had the hardest job of all. Up until now, Bay has only made big action films that were typical summer fare - lots of one liners, chicks, and explosions. With Pearl Harbor, he shows us that he can handle a bit of drama pretty well, too.

The big screen has found a new gem in Kate Beckinsale. I have loved her ever since I saw her performance in the wonderful film Cold Comfort Farm. She's got what Kate Winslet does not, and we'll be hearing from Kate B. again. She's a gorgeous brunette with an accent. Watch out Catherine Zeta - there's a new girl in town and she doesn't have the attitude you've got.

Ben Affleck takes another step into solidifying his pretty impressive movie career. He can lead a movie and has proven this before. Can you say "20 million dollar man"?

Josh Hartnett has had a handful of movies in the past, with his most recognizable role being in The Faculty. Pearl Harbor could be his big breakthrough movie, but he's got to get a better haircut and stop squinting so much.

Look for other actor's in smaller roles, including Alec Baldwin, Dan Aykroyd, Jon Voight (as president Roosevelt). Cuba Gooding, Jr. has a very small role in this. In fact, he has only a few minutes of screen time.

Pearl Harbor runs about 3 hours long. The first hour and a half are the story building and character development time. There's a few little action bits here and there, but most of this time is used to let us get to know the characters. I think Bay handled this pretty well, and gave us just enough about the supporting characters to like them, but not so much that they distract us from the main characters.

There is a long triangle between Kate, Ben, and Josh. Ben and Josh are boyhood friends and both are pilots. Eventually, they become seperated through a series of events, and thus begins the love triangle. I won't say too much more about it, because some IDIOT reviewer already spoiled a plot element for me. I don't read movie reviews any more. I've had too many movies spoiled for me.

In Titanic, there was a love story, but the real reason people saw it for the first time was to see the boat sink. When they saw it for the second time, they wanted to see the love story part. I think Pearl Harbor is going to go the same way. It will consistently make money for a while, and will no doubt be among the top 10 movies of all time. At this point, I really can't tell if it will beat out Titanic, but watch out Star Wars!

So is Pearl Harbor any good? Oh heck yes it is! The battle scenes are spectacular and big and heart wrenching. There is a lot to cry about in this movie, as things go from good to bad to good to worse to bad and back again. It really makes you respect our armed forces and their sacrifices.

Pearl Harbor, much like Titanic, is an 'event movie'. This means that sooner or later, pretty much everybody who watches movies is going to see this one. Despite it's historical errors and a few other things, it is a solid film and an overall great movie.