jamigo4 Reviews

Nefes: Vatan Sagolsun (2009)

FAKE Reviews Here DON'T HELP this Film!

[5/10 · 29 April 2010]

I was considering viewing this film UNTIL I read the reviews here!

I am rating it a "5" because I learned little from these reviews, since I read at LEAST "5" that were written by the SAME PERSON and at least ONE was the SAME review with 2 different titles!

I DID learn that many STUDENTS and NON-ACTORS were used in this film, and in my opinion, these people were the SAME ones that submitted MOST of these reviews, in order to skew the ratings & give the film an artificially high IMDb score!

I could conclude this because of gross similarities in WRITING STYLE and CONTENT of the BULK of these reviews...

THIS IS CHEATING! ...I REFUSE to watch a film that has been so artificially HYPED!

I also am suspicious of all war films that show NOTHING of the OTHER side. Yes, some of these reviews admit that this is a PROPAGANDA film, and I feel there is little to learn from that type of film unless it is openly labeled as propaganda, such as Leni Reifenstal's "Triumph of the Will", not simply as a "work of art" or valid artistic expression...

Where are the NON-Turkish reviews of this film? I would also like to see at least ONE Kurdish review, just for BALANCE! So I will not waste any more time on this film UNLESS I can find some OBJECTIVE OPINIONS!

Cora Unashamed (2000 TV Movie)

Yes, PBS CAN match the best of the British TV Imports!

[10/10 · 3 May 2008]

Viewers unfamiliar with the Langston Hughs' short story are in for a moving experience with this thoughtful feature film. Not televised since 2000, you can catch it NOW on DVD!

As a white American Male I would seem to be an unlikely admirer of a film centered around a black female domestic worker in Depression-era Iowa. But Regina Taylor had me captivated as Cora, a character we can truly care about! Her charm and understated wit are played masterfully, and this film emerges as another testament to the Triumph of the Human Spirit. Bravo, Regina! And you also, Cherry Jones for your layered performance in counterpoint to Regina's character!

This film again proves that American Television projects can be top-notch if the will and funding are provided. There is so much acting talent in America that we could produce much more entertainment that has significant social substance if we were subsidized by the government Big Time, like the BBC is!

We love the BBC imports, but the cultural exchange should be a Two-Way Street! America Culture has much to offer the world Beyond Blockbuster Car Chases and War! Viva la Public Television!

The Gatekeeper (2002)

A Triumphant 1st Film!

[10/10 · 2 April 2008]

Few people saw this film outside of some festivals, but I was delighted to discover it on DVD at my local library. My impressions moved from mild curiosity into serious involvement within 30 minutes. The "illegal" Mexican Work Force is as vital to the American Economy Today as slavery was 200 years ago, and these hard workers are reviled politically at least as much as the slaves were during the time of the "Founding Fathers".

In music we recall their story in "Deportees" by Woody Gutherie and now "Sinaloa Cowboys" by Bruce Springsteen on the closing credits of this fine film, which echoes the theme of the story we have just witnessed. The director gives us characters we care about, supplemented with the use of "Non-Actors" in the tradition of Eisenstein,"Salt of the Earth" and India's Satyajit Ray! As a filmmaker myself, I say "Bravo"! If John Carlos Frey never made another film, he would have left us with "The Gatekeeper" as an important legacy of one significant aspect of America in the early 21st Century.

I will spread the word on this one to my friends, even as I investigate Frey's two newest films, not yet listed on the IMDb! Be sure to check out the "Gatekeeper Productions" web site!

Rhapsody in Blue (1945)

Worth watching.

[28 October 2003]

The music was wonderful, I enjoyed watching the father of Alan Alda in the title role & I got one "mini surprise"! That was the solo song of a very young, enchanting Hazel Scott, accompanying herself on the piano. She was a musical prodigy on the piano from the age of 4 and the youngist student admitted to the Julliard School of Music at age 16. This was the last of her early film appearances, as she focused more on musical recordings and a TV series, until the late 50s. She also married Adam Clayton Powell Jr., noted congressman from Harlem & civil rights activist. Her 1955 album, "Relaxed Piano Moods," recorded with Charles Mingus and Max Roach was recently reissued on CD & named Album of the Month by National Public Radio.