guevaradavid Reviews

Headrush (2003)

Wusses and Hard-Asses

[14 July 2004]

Honoring the tradition of independent movies this is a rather refreshing movie! Though, probably not intended, Dublin's bleak day-to-day existence gets driven home: Boy this is a godforsaken place!

When a looser gets dumped for being a looser, he tries to better his life. But before this gets accomplished he needs to overcome lots of difficulty: hilarious 'opponents', not-so-stupid cops, hard-ass gangsters in drags, an infuriatingly stupid best friend and last but not least world-class hilarious situations.

Though 'Train Spotting' and 'Lock Stock and Two Blazing Barrels' come to mind, this film certainly stands its own right. A must see!!

Blasphemy the Movie (2001)

Nice idea, poor script, waste of resources.

[4 June 2004]

This movie is pretentious at best. The DVD box promises to take it from where Dogma left, but no joy here. Like Martin I was brought up a Catholic and lost the faith as well, so to say. But never really converted to Martin's new religion: Atheism. Because let's face it the sheer zealousness with which these guys seem to need to attack religions is whopping and nothing short of being a religion with illogics and dogmas itself!

The script tries to sugarcoat it with some jokes, but it never outgrows the sketch level. Most of the 'logic' used to argue that religion is bogus is itself bogus, the writer failed miserably here. At best it focuses on the fact that organized religion is imperfect or that the notion of an omnipotent god that should take care of you like a welfare state is not real.

Martin is an idiot that has a pathological need to be right and his father and mother are caricatures at best. I did like some of the characters like the cousin that lost his wife, he had a legit reason to be disappointed, or the killer aunt and the bisexual cousin that despite their transgressions against the core of their own faith maintain their devotion they were surprisingly real, but the ill directed acting and poor decoupage reeked of high school or first year film academy at best and actually distracted from these characters. It is tragic that none of the craft, or technique as you will, that Hollywood does understand did not stick to the director.

I hope this movie was shot on digital tape, as the waste of precious cellulite alone, if real 16mm film was used, is a blatant crime for the scores of talented independent film makers out there.