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Reviews
Three Christs (2017)
Better than it's given credit for
The movie is apparently based on actual an actual study done by an immigrant psychologist. Names have been changed and of course some of the story with it in order to make a movie. As well as the movie the story has been adapted as two stage plays and as an opera! I imagine the plays were a big influence here as sometimes the movie can look very much like a stage play with the small cast of characters and great opportunities for performance by the capable cast. Richard Gere is a good fit for the psychologist while Peter Dinklage and Bradley Whitford shine (or possibly compete with each other) as two of the three christs. I see some reviewers compare this to One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest and I guess I can almost understand the comparison. Certainly there is a critique of some of the more brutal methods emplyed in asylums and the reasons why they were often employed. A better comparison though might be Awakenings based on the work of Oliver Sacks because the focus of the movie leans more towards looking at an empathetic treatment of patients rather than simply criticising "the system". People somehow forget that OFOTCN was social commentary more than simply a movie about an asylum. In Three Christs (or State of Mind) the emphasis is on actual treatment of the mentally ill and of finding a more humane way to so this. Some comment has been made that the original experiments were not that humane or were unethical and that this was glossed over. On the contrary I think this aspect was dealt with throughout the whole film although certainly from the experimenters point of view. I don't know enough about the actual case to comment on the real story but as a movie it explores very well the risks of taking a new approach that there are no rules for, including the doctor's questioning of his own methods and changing his approach over time. So there you have it, a powerful, moving film about finding more empathetic approaches to treating the mentally ill, combined with a stage play giving actors a chance to show their range, combined with a true story about an actual psychological study carried out in the 1960's. A good use of a couple of hours for some.
The Mist (2017)
Underrated Stephen King adaptation - warning spoilers
From reading some of the other reviews my guess is people were looking for a different kind of show. Sure their is a survival horror element here (there were times I thought it would make a good video game and I think elements were borrowed from many sources) like the walking dead but there's a lot more going on here. It's a long time since I read the book so I can't honestly remember how true to the source material this is but it is certainly true to the spirit of a good Stephen King book. Stephen Kings strength has always been looking below the surface of people into their darker impulses and this is exactly what this show does. Rather than just look at what people do to survive, what we see is the mist working on people all the time, bringing up their underlying darkness even as they try to hide from it. So the priest thinks it's the apocalypse and believes he has to save people's souls. The old hippy woman, who sees her husband die in front of her, justifies it all as natures wrath and decides she is nature's messenger. The police chief's insecurities about his own parenting lead him to believe his son is a rapist... and so on. So of course bad, and downright crazy decisions are made but these are all very much in alignment with the underlying (rather than surface) psychology of the characters. I see some of the reviews complain about the subplots but these are always purposeful, showing new dimensions of the main characters or furthering the main the story. Of course it doesn't all happen at once. This is a series not a film and the story unfolds over the season. There was more of a story here to tell and sadly now that's not going to happen as the show was axed after the first season. Still there's a lot to enjoy here, if you know how to look at it.
The Piano (1993)
The reality of the body
Ada doesn't talk. This is important. When young, something happened (which is implied but not revealed) and she just decided to stop talking to people. The opening scenes show us a horse pulling away from the reins symbolising Ada's wilful nature. This sets us up a for a complex story about deep non-verbal human nature. Although there is plenty of symbolism here, (from the horse to George Baine's crippled dog, to the play of Bluebeard) this is a very physical film. Looks and glances tells us a lot as does the music Ada plays. This film contrasts the realities of the body and the mind and goes with the body in a way that will unsettle and upset some. And the music is spectacular adding a whole other dimension to an already deep film. The more you look, the more you will find in this film. Michael Nyman wrote the score based on Scottish folk songs and tailored to Holly Hunter's playing style and Anna Paquin gives an amazing performance for her age at the time.
Yôjinbô (1961)
Film Perfection
I love this movie so much, and why not when there's so much to love about it. For one you have a great director and a great actor in top form and in perfect sync. Kurosawa opens with a long shot following Mifune's back as he walks purposefully along the road before reaching a crossroads where he decides which direction to go by throwing a stick up in the air and seeing where it lands. There is a huge amount of raw humanity in this film along with a good dose of humour, which is important when your dealing with quite a dark plot executed with some well choreographed violence. It's Mifune's show and he dominates the screen, completely believable as this force of nature that rolls into town and decides to sort out the towns' gang rivalry problem by destroying both of the gangs. Famously remade as A Fistful of Dollars (and less famously as the Bruce Willis vehicle Last Man Standing) the influence of the American Western genre on Kurosawa is obvious although he makes it all his own, partly with the help of a great soundtrack by. Masaru Sato. If you're a fan of film-making, this is a must-see.
Enter the Dragon (1973)
Exit The Dragon
This was supposed to be Bruce Lee's big Hollywood introduction to western audiences. Sadly he died before the film was completed and we'll never get to see what he might have done. It's got a kind of Hollywood, James Bond feel to it but really it never manages to get far out out of B movie territory except in the big fight scene in the middle. There's definitely some interesting stuff here especially for Hong Kong martial arts movie fans with appearances from Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao, among others, plus a little commentary on race relations and police brutality in America. John Saxon legitimises the proceedings (kind of) for white western audiences although his lack of real martial arts skill is pretty glaring next to Bruce Lee and Jim Kelly. The plot is ridiculous, as is a lot of the dialogue, and a lot of the movie is funny for all the wrong reasons (the guards in their karate uniforms crack me up every time) and has dated quite badly. Probably worth watching for a great fight scene where Bruce uses his fists and feet, staff, nunchuks and Kali sticks, Considered a classic because it's Bruce's HIollywood movie, it still doesn't come close to Fist of Fury(1972) on any level.