shazbhathena Reviews

Righteous Kill (2008)

Dear God Why????

[3/10 · 12 September 2008]

Okay, I'll admit it, I wasn't in total pain while sitting through it. But for crying out loud, can we please stop taking old synopses and making them into summer blockbusters? Yes, so the film is about a serial killer who kills bad guys.....sound familiar? Like 'Dexter' maybe? And one of the people killed is a priest who molests altar boys....sound familiar? Like 'Primal Fear' maybe? And the film concerns two cops who want to give their life and soul for each other......sound familiar? Like every 80s guy movie that ever came out? I literally think that there are executives at studios who are supposed to come up with ideas for films, end up getting sloshed instead, and at the last minute, throw in a million different ideas that will 'sell' and chuck the ideas at a screenwriter, who adds more crap that he thinks is going to 'sell', like adding twists to the film that people can figure out 35 minutes into the movie, and then chucks it at a director, who adds his little input...I wish that his input involved a tripod.

I'm a little sick of handy cams watching things blow up, adding 3 second edits to the film, and then calling it 'genius' without any consideration to originality.

Apotheosis (1970)

Wonderful!

[9/10 · 5 September 2005]

What a perfect film.....short and simple, Ono takes a camera and a boom mike onto a hot air balloon, kicks the rope, and starts the camera and lets us watch as it goes above the clouds for a 17 minute shot. Key things to notice: A roll of 16mm film films only 14 minutes yet the film runs for 17, meaning somewhere in the clouds Ono had another camera loaded and started when the first one ran out, yet somehow the splice is not noticeable and there weren't any computers at the time to fix this sort of thing.....all i can say is optical printing tricks at its best. The last shot, as the balloon rises above the clouds, the wind silences, and the sun becomes visible, is alone worth checking out this timeless classic of experimental film. Contact MOMA to borrow a print for your film classes or local museums.

Getting By (1993–1994)

The Black and White Cookie

[9 March 2002]

That's what many of the people in our hometown of Waukesha, WI reffered to this show as when it first came out. it portrayed that the life of black people and white people are very similar. we saw this in watching separate shows, like Family Matters and Full House, but never saw the message in the same show. worth taking a look at if it ever comes back on syndication.