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Reviews
Purgatory House (2004)
I can't believe I wasted precious minutes of my life on this "movie".
I'm always interested in seeing teenage angsty movies like this one, since I went through that rather melodramatic period when I was that age. Usually, I'm not disappointed. However, this particular film was horrible. Perhaps the idea was to make it "artsy", but it just turned out bad. The quality of filming is awful, even for a film that tries to use jittery, "chaotic" filming. I could have made a film of the same grade with my digital camera and a couple of lamps. Of course, the special effects were horrifically bad. The acting was absolutely ATROCIOUS, especially the main character. Regardless of her "talent" to write and direct this movie, she was horrible. She had zero acting skill, horrible timing, and the inability to properly deliver lines. The supporting cast was almost as nauseating, with large gaps between lines and huge pauses in the middles of sentences that couldn't even be disguised as "dramatic effect". The music was weak. It was as though the people in charge of music had done a Google search for lyrics corresponding to the topic of the scene. There were several good songs, but often, I found myself getting utterly distracted from the film because of the songs. Not to say it was hard to get distracted. I was literally bored to tears in some parts. The idea is interesting, however, the style it is written in is very amateur, which makes it obvious that it was made by an inexperienced playwright. The lines lack strength and emotion- they sound like bad poetry out of a B-grade emo teen magazine. In theory, a somewhat clever idea for a movie, however, it failed painfully in execution. As someone who is only a number of years outside of the age shown in this movie, I have to honestly say that watching this movie MADE me want to go do drugs and then kill myself. So what kind of message is that supposed to convey? The ONLY reason that I'm giving this movie a 2 is because the scene where the main character died had the potential to be interesting. That's it. And, of course, the ending was horrible and nauseatingly predictable. I won't even bother spoiling it for you- just read the back of the case and I'm sure you can accurately guess what happens.
Don't waste your time, unless you're a masochist. But even then, don't expect your type to be portrayed artfully. So it would probably be an insult either way.
Thirteen (2003)
Whaaat? Someone who LIKES the film?
Thirteen was a movie that I had glanced at for a long time on the Blockbuster shelves, but had never picked up.. So when I finally did, I was shocked. I, personally, was very touched by this movie, perhaps because I remember being kind of like that once and feeling that everything was hopeless like the main character (Tracy..?) does. Those first couple of years as a teenager can be really rough on anyone, and I think that the film does an accurate job of portraying how drastically life can change in such a small amount of time. Since then, I have watched the film on numerous occasions, and I have not tired of it. I suppose for some, it may seem a bit dull or amateur, but I think, at least, for girls like me who have been in that situation, it kind of sheds some light on what it's like to deal with that sort of stuff. Perhaps I'm just trying to defend it because I liked it, but.. I think it has a good message. Though I disagree that it's a film that every parent and child should watch together, I still think that it's worth a watch to someone interested in not only a rather dark theme but an artistic representation of a young girl's struggles.
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Forget DARE... Wow.. just.. wow..
I have seen this movie more times than I could count, and every time I do, it has an impact on me as though it were the first time. Every time I see it, I cry.. every time I see it, by the end, my heart is pounding and I feel ill.. Err, I suppose that's a bit.. sappy of me. This film is.. real. It shows the reality of the downfall of drug users.. It shows an in-depth and artistic view of the pain and struggles that so many people face, even those who don't intend to. If you are at all related to the topic of drugs or not, this is a movie that everyone should see at least once. Powerful, dark, and with a long-lasting impact, not to mention backed by an amazing soundtrack by the Kronos Quartet, I would recommend this film to anyone who is ready to step away from the airy sex-themed comedies all over the shelves and take a look at real life.