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Reviews
Purdah (2018)
High quality documentary with a twist
Purdah may be a difficult documentary to relate to at first for those who grew up with liberties. To have those liberties monitored, scrutinized, and even withheld is simply unfathomable. Something as simple as a woman's right to chose what she wants to do in her life, for example, being denied to her by her patriarch is archaic to say the least.
I don't want to get too deep, but this story drives straight to the point. The young lady depicted is uncompromising, and is allowed to decide for herself the path her future takes as she attempts to catch up on years of cricket in a few seasons. We're left with hope, after learning about everyone involved, then we come back 3 years later and life has happened. So many elements have changed, the lives of all in the family, and it creates an interesting twist on the traditional documentary format. Now a new story begins to unfold, and we're treated to different directions, devastating discoveries, but ultimately still hope.
This was a good slice of life documentary that opened my eyes to a different culture, different people, places, ideas, but ultimately shows just how similar we all are as people. How fragile our lives are, how our decisions can have a lasting and sometimes terrible effect later on. How we all struggle, live, love, hope, and yearn for something more.
The whole piece is well executed, sporting good sound and visuals, and people you can get behind and cheer for.
Stadium Anthems (2018)
Heart, hysterics, satire, and the music industry.
Here we have a super smart satire, excellent comedy, excessively high production value, clever direction, sharp, witty (albeit vulgar) script, excellent wardrobe, sets, props. This movie is head and shoulders above most Indy films. Those involved should be commended for a nearly flawless execution, but none more so than Scott Douglas Brown... kudos. This is an independent project that rivals that of some big budget studio endeavors, and should be judged as such.
I must clarify the vulgarity. Though it manifests through both sight and sound, it's absolutely necessary to drive home some of the smarter and loftier goals of this film. Remember, this is a very vain, egotistical, self-centered, ouroboros of an industry, and this film doesn't hesitate to lampoon anything and everything. It's all fair game, to include family, sex, business, and Jesus in the pejorative sense.
One final note, beware the Herculean phallus and shattered pancreas.
The Farmhand (2019)
Decent short with caveats
This independent short is certainly a quality piece of work, but there are some caveats. Though the cinematography is decent, things like production design, wardrobe, and props are a bit hampered by the restrictive budget. It was certainly a feat to create a period based, budget conscious indie short, but the film falters a bit under the strain of it with some set, wardrobe, and prop nuances not entirely matching the period.
The acting for the most part was acceptable, but would have benefited from further editing. Though I enjoy period films, this grew long in the tooth at 42 minutes. There's simply not enough substance to command such a run time. The sound was another spot that could have used some work... there's wind noise and rumble from the mic when outdoors in spots. One last point, the heavy handed approach to the material made some of this feel long winded. If there were more humor, whimsy, fun or action, that 42 minutes wouldn't have seemed so long.
The directors were ambitious and show promise in future endeavors, I'm looking forward to seeing them grow and create more material. Having stuck the credits out, I can see they are both very talented and have their fingerprints all over this project. Here's to hoping their next budget can get them into the roles they are best at instead of forcing them to exhaust their efforts.
The Best Laid Plans (2019)
A fine indie feature
This is a well intentioned indie movie with cute and funny characters, minimalistic story, and (unfortunately) a very low budget. The latter fact doesn't really damage the movie per se, but money would have been able to improve virtually every aspect of the end product in very profound ways.
This is clearly an indie film right off the bat with heart, and it doesn't disguise nor apologize for that fact. The real victory here, though, is the writing. It's often clever and witty with banter from characters you like to invest in, and often feels reminiscent of early Kevin Smith.
The only real beef I had with "Best Laid Plans" was how the final resolution was carried out. It was a bit slapdash and rushed with very little crescendo. This too, however, plays ok for the movie as the affable characters continue, and really, we've stayed for the writing and fun anyway.
See the Dead (2008)
Stylishly filmed and satisfying zombie flick
***** Originally posted on openfilm.com in January 2009 by Miami Movie Critic *****
Wikipedia defines a zombie as a reanimated corpse, but what is it that causes the zombie genre to reanimate itself every few years or so? These movies have thrived ever since George A. Romero's groundbreaking Night of the Living Dead was unleashed on an unsuspecting public in 1968, and since then we've gotten sequels, remakes and "reimaginings" by directors as gifted and diverse as Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) and Zack Snyder (Watchmen). I think the appeal has something to do with the fear of death, specifically what death does to the human body. By the time we're in our early teens, we're fully aware that our friends and neighbors are all worm food, but at least we have the comfort of knowing our loved ones will be placed six feet under and out of sight. The zombie genre provides no such comfort - it takes the rot and the filth and puts it out there in broad daylight.
This theme is at the heart of See the Dead, Robert W. Filion's stylishly filmed and satisfying zombie flick. (It's even there in the title: "Look at these dead people.") The movie has spectacular makeup effects, and one of the most f'ed-up car accidents I've ever seen in my life.
The melodramatic opening scenes are there to soften us for the kill, much like Stephen King does whenever he wants the reader to gain his characters' sympathies. An attractive suburban woman named Sarah (played by the singularly-named actress Vanelle) wakes up from a bad dream and walks through her empty house. She then opens her front door onto a strangely purple sky and a neighborhood populated by walking corpses. These are some vividly imagined zombies, with flayed, peeling skin and blood that comes out in a watery splash. The effects and Vanelle's intensely committed performance create a rich atmosphere of dread that climaxes in one bravura shot of Sarah running down the street as zombies enter the frame from both sides.
Zombies always make for good social commentary, and Filion doesn't hesitate to have some fun with wide shots of identical houses and dead-looking neighbors. Stick around after the end credits for an amusing shot of a zombie stumbling down his driveway. He's carrying a briefcase and appears to be on his way to work.
X-Men: Evolution (2000)
what?
O.K., this one's for neither enthusiasts of the movie nor the original cartoon. I haven't read the comics, however, I don't think they're this bad.
What you get with this series is a bunch of prepubescent teenagers with poorly scripted dialogue, pathetic humdrum story lines, and character development that goes against the movie and the original series.
Go watch Batman Beyond, or better yet, the movie, or original series.