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Josh4981
Reviews
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Disgusting
No one will ever convince me that Quentin Tarantino is anything more than a lowlife, amoral, violence voyeur who has made a fortune on peddling his trash to like minded lowlife, amoral voyeurs. And they eat it like candy! There is a special place in hell for people like Tarantino and his junkies. A projection room...where he and they get to watch his depressing, death-affirming films over and over again for eternity. And then in despair, beat each other's brains out with baseball bats. YEAH!!
John Wick (2014)
Gratuitous violence start to finish...nothing more
I find nothing 'stylish' about gratuitous violence start to finish. And Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 85?? What is the world coming to? Seriously!! And so much for the 'crisp' gun-fu. During one scene I saw a flash from his gun, but only heard a click and no bang! HAHA...proves even the editors got bored watching this pointless crap.
Freedom Writers (2007)
No soul
This film has no artistic value at all. It is simply a "PC" money-making project.
I had hoped that Hillary Swank would focus her academy award winning cache on an inventive selection of projects, and the refinement of her art. But apparently, she just wants to be a cool Hollywood celeb.
*yawn*
(Hmm...now that I think about it, maybe she wasn't ALL that good in Boy's Don't Cry.)
The reason I feel this way is that this movie teaches us nothing new about the human condition (like all good art should). We all know that human beings suffer hardships in their lives; and this movie gives tacit approval to a dog-eat-dog way of dealing with hardship. The challenge this movie offers seems to be this: "If you can bring yourself to swear off murder, you're a hero."
huh??
A more inspiring theme would have been: "If you can find the COURAGE, build a life for yourself, step-by-step."
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
A very human story
Just saw this film, and I was more moved by it than I thought I would be. Actually had to blink away a few tears before the lights came up at the end. And being a red-blooded American dude, I NEVER cry at movies...or so I thought.
This film touches some very deep emotional chords. I have heard it said that the central American pathos is loneliness. And the companion to loneliness is an aching, unfulfillable longing for understanding and companionship through this all-too-brief sojourn on planet earth.
As with most of us, these two guys dreamt of the utopia that love promises...and then settled for a compromise better suited to the 'real' world. It is just there that the film makes its most poignant impact. Rather than arguing for a utopian vision (though Jack certainly keeps that ideal on the front burner), the film accepts the reality in which the story takes place; a reality framed, to some extent by the prejudices of society, but more importantly by the choices that the characters themselves make.
In America anyway, we CHOSE loneliness...rather than social ridicule, or personal turmoil and self discovery.
Why? I do not know. But this film is bold in its exploration of these very human issues.
Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D (2005)
A mild disappointment
I went to see DESOLATION this afternoon with the hope of it delivering on the hype: namely, a virtual walk on the moon.
Well...it does deliver that...but in frustrating snippets.
After all, with only 40 min of film time (for $10.50), I was really hoping for an immersion experience, start to finish. Instead...the actual scenes devoted to 3-D moonscape are rarely longer than 10 seconds each, interspersed with 10 MINUTES of inane filler material...like cute school kids trying to remember the names of the Apollo astronauts. Sheesh...very much 'spell breaking'.
So...you do come away with a few shots to remember. But a virtual 'experience' of being on the surface of the moon?? Not really. More like an MTV experience of being on the moon, for the attention span challenged.
Josh
Something's Gotta Give (2003)
The art of conformity??
This picture is proof patent that art and conformity don't mix. One gets the distinct impression that this talented group of actors agreed to do this picture because, well...it would have looked unfashionable to decline. After all, you can't be a cool person in Hollywood and not be quietly passionate about the "plight" of older actresses in the movie industry. (And don't say it's not true...or you'll get your head taken off)!!!
But alas, the hysteria and the sheepish groveling (that's you, Jack) have joined hands to produce a film that resembles, more than anything else, a corpse that has had all of the life sucked out of it.
The only thing missing is the canned laughter (from people who have been dead for fifty years).
Jack...please don't grovel anymore. It's beneath you.
Like It Is (1998)
No worries...you'll like it
With all due respect to those who thought this film had some problems with plot, lighting, or whatever, after just seeing it I would have to ask...what are you talking about???
Sure, it's not "Gone With the Wind" (thank god); but a very well made picture none the less. Steve Bell (who plays the fighter) is TOTALLY convincing in every aspect of his character: as a confident fighter, a novice gay man, and a genuine (from-the-heart) lover. In the largely unexplored genre of gay romance/drama films depicting everyday guys, "Like It Is" is an important step forward.
Steve Bell...make another movie, dude. You were great!!