neongen Reviews

Lily & the Snowman (2015)

At least two ways to see this

[10/10 · 25 March 2024]

Although it involves a beautifully realized snowman and the winter season the impact is easily transferred to other areas of human life.

Little girl builds magical snowman who creates images of wonder. She loads him on a cart and places him in a refrigerator along with her teddy bear who is not animated to keep him company and comes back from time to time to just open the fridge door and say hello, that's it. The snowman inside becomes miserable immediately thereafter and goes into suspended animation.. As time goes by the girl becomes an adult and FORGETS HER FRIEND until a chance occurrence causes her to remember him and rush home to be happily reunited with him. The woman's look alike small daughter joins the her with the snowman in the snowy backyard for more magical times.

This is a variation on Frosty the Snowman and 2015's wonderful The Snowman and The Snowman and the snow dog.

Crushingly sad but with a great ending to make it an animation for the ages. Two minutes I'll always remember.

Still Life (I) (2013)

Not life at all

[9/10 · 24 March 2024]

This is two films : the one prior to the the last few minutes then what follows. Story is unique to me and the casting of the lead is just right. If any film is a character study this is the one . Did not see the key moment coming especially as it was set up in only two seconds. Feel that I've seen the same sort of closing before but never this effective.

The reality that life is cruel and merciless has ever been more dramatically presented. I could literally feel the shift in the protagonist's outlook from resignation to hope . The smile on his face at the end is the character's and the writer's telling you what life is about.

Watership Down (2018)

A 10/10 FOR VIEWERS WITH THE HEART AND MIND TO APPRECIATE IT.

[10/10 · 6 February 2024]

I'm coming to this masterpiece later than others and without having as yet read the novel or listened to the audio version of same or seen the 70's well known theatrical version or eleven hour Australian TV series...but I have been watching movies for over seventy years with animals films the heart and soul of my experience... and I've seen the BBC/Netflix production four times now... here are my views :

Coming new to the story I initially had rough going distinguishing one rabbit from another as they look very much the same. The voice acting is strong but the similarity in appearance was a stumbling block. Also the plot line was sometimes a jumble in my mind as the story unfolded in great part first in one warren, then another, then a third...all of which were ruled by tyrannical rabbits so the two mass escapes were in turn going from bad to worse to worse yet experiences.

All of the confusion and seeming repetitiveness however was cleared away bit by bit in each successive viewing such that eventually the plot was like a clear but rapidly flowing stream. The more times I saw the film the better I liked it. Not only was it much easier to follow but I could appreciate the skill of direction and quality of script that allowed images and plot points that had appeared for a brief time to be later fully understood or return for a most satisfactory dramatic impact.

At times the visuals are so impressive as to create reaction and mood that represent film making at its best.

Violent and sad moments are are not only powerful but are handled with talent, style and grace. Crucially the attentive viewer is rewarded with getting to know the individual rabbits as thoughtful individuals with distinct personalities.

My experience is that films that are dense in quality are always better appreciated with repeat viewings.... Watership Down is in the top tier of my lists of best animated/CGI films and most important animal films.

Twelve Nights 2: Back to Day Zero (2020)

Not much better for animals

[8/10 · 20 January 2024]

Twelve Nights 2013 Taiwan showed the lives and mostly deaths of dogs in a Taiwanese animal pound. It was great, one of my favorite films.

A law in Taiwan put into effect in 2016 forbade pounds from euthanizing dogs. The result was more strays, dogs who live out their lives in small rural shelters without being adopted< harried government animal rescue workers and overwhelmed volunteers.

The people of Taiwan have few pets compared to the U S and look at animals as possessions . Even offers of free spay/neuter are unwelcome as , "they like puppies ".

First parts of film shows the plights of strays then moves into difficulties by animals welfare people in dealing with the general public, then shifts to difficulties in building appropriate shelters in places where people will go and be ready to adopt. Not much improvement overall public education in helping animals is the only hope.

Twelve Nights (2013)

Not Anything Else Like It

[10/10 · 20 January 2024]

I'm not surprised that only a tiny number of Americans have rated this. By far the most realistic view of what governments do with unwanted animal anywhere to be found.

Group of Taiwanese documentary film makers spent a few months in a municipal animal pound and kept track of what happened to the dogs who were there. The film follows the fates of several dozen of the dogs. Many died of distemper and parvo while at the pound. The place did not provide any medical care at all.

The maximum time a dog can be there is 18 days. Viewers can witness the sadness of these poor animals as they wait in fear and grief for their fate while watching their cage mates die of illness.

The viewer gets to know many of these dogs very well as the narrator provides a history of their personalities. Some were adopted , the vast majority either died of disease while there or where euthanized. Very little food was given to the animals and most were very, very thin. At the end the film provides a history of the dogs who were adopted, several died of the diseases they picked up while at the pound , I won't refer to that place as a shelter .

While the documentarians were at the pound only 56 dogs were adopted and nearly 500 were euthanized. For the year that place only saw 1,000 adoptions out of 6,000 dogs taken in. Cats probably have it worse.

In 2017 the Taiwanese public voted in a law to ban the killing of dogs picked by cities , a job given to garbage men. A rarity in the world so conditions have improved. In America it's out of sight out of mind. Film makes a great pairing with the Taiwanese animated four part film A Dog's Life ( 2017) also showing the horrors that dogs suffer because of humans. My two favorite films

Film grossed 1 million usd . Americans would not care to know or see the truth. Sequel , Twelve Nights 2 Back To Day Zero ,released in 2020...not much in the way of improvement see my review.

Black Bum (2014)

Unforgettable short later incorporated into A Dog's Life 2017 ,

[10/10 · 13 January 2024]

Short started production in 2002 at Liuli Gonfang Studio ( became A HHA studios in 2009 ) and eventually released as an adobe flash in 2005 . CGI slightly expanded remake finished in 2014. ( name of 2005 production due to pup having a black rear end ) .

Story was intended to be a quartet about the pup but that idea was changed to a feature film with four stories about four different dogs. About four dogs. This accounts for the different endings of the 2005 and 2014 stories, Tale is of boy who twice mistreats a pup on a rain soaked street in a business center

and later has remorse and tries to find him . 2014 version has a less heart breaking conclusion than earlier simply animated version.

Final CGI product never got financing . Showed in a Chinese film festival. Later included as initial segment of A Dog's Life completed in 2017 by director/writer Chang Yi.

Four stories of the film feature were super sad and not anything like entertainment for a general public. Studio went under sometime between 2011 and 2019 . Feature film got limited release in Taiwan only may never have streamed anywhere. Unknown in The U S and Europe The Buddhist subtext here is learn from bad experiences and get on with your life., my view is hold onto your sadness never move on.

Can't believe the shorts and later full length film were financial failures and are not available anywhere. All three are at the very top of my favorite films.

See my full review of A Dog's Life 2017.

A Dog's Life (2017)

My favorite film

[10/10 · 4 January 2024]

Spoilers abound but since you're probably never going to have an opportunity to watch this masterpiece this is less of a concern than is the usual.

Animal movies made in the states are occasionally strong and well done. Those made primarily for a youth audience are not infrequently bland or cliche filled.

Then there's the four story "A Dog's Life" directed and written by Taiwanese filmmaker Chang Yi with four powerful segments about how dogs are brutalized by the world and mistreated by humans, frequently the humans they love.

This is an animated film with

three or four different styles of animation . I've seen complaints that the work is not up to the quality of PIXAR. Truth is that animation should set the mood of a piece. Here it does that and more each time. In the first story the detail and realism are the best I've seen in CGI. In all the stories the expressions on the animals' faces and movements of their bodies would be familiar to people who know the canine world. The atmosphere of each episode is of low key oncoming dread.

The initial piece, " Lost In The Rain " aka " Lost and Found " , showcases how fragile city life is for a puppy and if assistance is to be given it is essential to seize the moment. The animation style is Pixar like at times which is effective in presenting danger in the disguise of pleasing quality.

Lost and Found ( ironic title ) started as an adobe flash only release with simple animation and the title Black Bum. The 25 minute short as rarely shown in animated shorts screenings.

The original idea was to produce four shorts about the adventures of the puppy but that was changed to a four part feature about four different dogs. T First segment is a CGI 20 minute slight revision version of Black Bum in which a story of a young boy who first teases then later plays with a puppy on the rain swept streets of a business center of a metropolis only to desert him then go home and later tries to find him again but the dog has been found by someone else and at least has a home . This is a slightly different ending than the first Black Bum short but that story was expected to have three more parts. Bittersweet but the dogs in the other three segments have it worse.

" One Eyed Tiger " has a muted style that works well with the darkness of mood and violence of the piece. Dog loving man rescues injured old but none too friendly large dog who does not get along with the man's other dogs. Chaos ensues which ends in a fight between dogs which ends in Tiger being housed at the man's place of business. When Tiger escapes and returns home the dogs again fight which causes the man to put a choke hold on the old, injured, one eyed stray who was made violent by long term indifference of humans to animals and especially large strays. The good hearted man has to return the animal close to the area he first found him. One eyed Tiger is last seen dropping his head and looking wet and miserable outside the man's factory.

" Old Lady " has a flat style that befits the story of an old man who only at the end of an old animal's life appreciates the love that has always been there. Story is told in flashbacks and ultimately ends in tears. The expression on the old man's face as he lies in bed in the last shot after he has lost first his wife who loved the little dog and now the animal ass well is one of anguish as he is now alone with only his grief.

"Revenge " aka, " A Change of Heart ", is done is a simple , basic style but the wallop it packs will knock animal lovers backwards big time. A woman's very friendly pet succeeds in convincing her to take in an abandoned in a box adorable terribly frightened , tiny puppy. The small dog becomes very friendly with the woman's pet but soon upsets the household and causes her injury which frustrates her and causes her to mindlessly throw the dog into a room and isolate him, the animal dies of the injuries inflicted by the violent action. The segment title foretell the ultimate horror. My thoughts returned to the apprehensive expression on the pup's face when he was initially discovered in a box in the snow surrounded by a group of people. Woman and her pet are heartbroken at film's end. Puppy is dead.

The story ends with the woman and pet at the dog's grave with cherry blossom trees in full bloom as the camera slowly pans to the sky above.

Chang Yi's direction/scripting in every episode is faultless which makes the misery of the stories all the more powerful and heart - wrenching. Not a word of dialogue and none's needed .

The saddest film I've ever seen and I've been a film fan since the early 50's.

Film was shown in at least three Asian film festivals but even the prestige of Chang Yi and high quality of the production failed to garner a first place finish anywhere. Even Lost in the Rain which was shown in animated short film festivals did not win any awards. The general public did not care for the film thinking the animation was below par and the tragic subject matter not to its taste. ADL should have swept the awards maybe then it would have had a different future.

Feature apparently did not find a distributor so had only a limited theater release in Taiwan in April, 2019 . Don't know if it was even streamed anywhere .The small animation company that made the film, A - HHA studios, went out of business , just when is a mystery , and Chang Yi ,after having returned to film making after a twenty years absence, went back to the production of art glass and soon died of cancer.

The drain on time, effort and resources that went into the production was monumental for a - hha according to an inside report. The only full length film to come from the company.. Not a word on the net about the company's closure ,could have been due to the film's financial failure. Do not know who has the rights to the various incarnations of the project. It and Black Bum ( 2005 ) The Monk's Dog and another canine war short produced by Liuli Gongfang studios which later became a - hha studios are all lost films IMO.

I was initially shocked to find that every story is a disaster for the animal in focus. This is hardly entertainment, What the dogs encounter is danger, loneliness, cruelty,being misunderstood ,sickness, injury, neglect,anger,indifference,jealously,misery , disappointment and violence.

Truly this is a hard world and animals get the worst of it.

After some investigation I discovered a reference to a - hha studios incorporation of Buddhist teachings into the first Black Bum short which is namely learn something from bad experiences and move on ...a philosophy which I view as vile.

I suspect the reason the four stories have the endings they do is due to Chang Yi's idea to present the thought that the beneficent Buddha gives people a chance for happiness ...but here their actions fell short of what they should have been and consequently they and the animals suffered. The idea being do good in life and remember the good times. This is a mental construct that is alien to me.

The expression " A dog's life " means a bad life and that to me is the ironic real message of the title. There is a Buddhist, " get on with life" subtext to this film that fills me with disgust.

That being true it is a reality that a softer touch to the stories would have made the production much less significant and powerful.

The documentary Twelve Nights ( 2013 )showed things as they are for real stray dogs and was cause for a massive change in how the Taiwanese government treated unwanted animals. Many dogs died , mostly of shelter born illnesses,and the audience was able to get to know dozens of the animals but this animation hurts me even more as I can see the change from joy to horror in each of the canines in the animations. I can understand the emotions and thoughts of the dogs at every step of the stories. Still my favorite film for its ability to immerse me in the animals' plight.

The financial failure of the film causing the bankruptcy of a - hha studios and Yi Chang's demise on the heels of these disasters can be seen as a telling reflection on the absurdity of Buddhist thought. The film deals with " unsatisfactory enlightenment " and the impermanence of life. What that really means is eat dirt,.. see the bad times as learning opportunities and view heart breaking losses as just the way things are ...so buck up and be the best you can be in the future, be practical , don't daydream and most of all don't dwell on the past.

A Western priest might say you've got to play the hand you've been dealt. All of this is patent nonsense but ironically I know from the thousands of metaphysical experiences that have filled the second half of my life that there is a controlling force in the universe and it is not benevolent.

This project is so different from anything else of feature film length and so intimately focused on the relationship between living creatures that it should be revered , not thrown away. But that's people and that's life. More's the pity.

If anyone can get a copy of this film and/or the simply animated short Black Bum ( 2005 ) or The monk's Dog or another war/dog film ( name unknown ) made by the Liuli studio to me on disc I would compensate handsomely. Stephen DeMay 1061 Neck Lane Elizabeth New Jersey 07201.

The Platypus Guardian (2023 TV Movie)

Strong nature/animal/human film

[9/10 · 22 October 2023]

Not often a documentary allows for a focus on a human helping a wild animal that contains a meaningful message for its community. Viewer gets to care about the individual animals in the film and the circumstances in which they live. Narrator/human in the film makes a difference for the subject of his interest . Nice connection to film maker's medical condition and the problems of the animals he follows and helps. Good blend of mystery, emotional investment and explanation of the world in which these animals live. Don't recall seeing another animal/urban setting piece that has the same film maker involvement..

The Red Turtle (2016)

3 stars only because of the animal

[3/10 · 8 July 2023]

As an animal lover I was attracted to this animation . The art is third rate, the story does not make sense. Supposedly it deals with man needing to accept what nature provides In reality it is a clumsy attempt to substantiate this dubious idea.

The man murders a giant turtle which had prevented him from leaving the island on which he has been stranded. Why should he stay, why should the turtle prevent him from leaving ?. The turtle after being killed by the man transforms into a woman with whom the man comes to adore. Why would the turtle do this , as a thank you ? Later the couple's son swims away with other turtles, but now that's OK as he's in touch with nature...are you for real ? Later the man dies and the woman turns back into a turtle and swims away.

The idea of man learning to respect nature is good for an animal centered story . Animation only succeeds in showing man's cruelty. The rest is out of focus. Sort of dream like but dreams frequently are incoherent.

His Dark Materials (2019–2022)

Great start then nothing

[7/10 · 13 December 2022]

I was amazed when House of Dragons was given ratings as high as Game of Thrones. One was the best cinematic event ever the other a slow moving soap opera.

The ratings for season two of HDM followed the same route. Initial season great season 2 worthless. I can now see why the theater version of book one ( The Golden Compass ) did not carry the story to the end. Studio answer was, the latter part was " too dark ". Real answer studio knew book 2 was a stinker so idea was to have most of the second theater film be the end of book one and at least have part of another really good film.

Now it's time for book three and it looks like the united nations. Political correctness already all but destroyed the project . Follow this by having Lyra go from being a child to an older teen and you have an almost hopeless mess. But wait, there's more : the first season had strong relationships between good characters, strong dialogue and a great interaction between humans and their Daemons ( by far the best element of the story ), an easy to follow plot line and a great claustrophobic atmosphere. Season three reminds me of 70's US television's attempts to science fiction ...lousy.

I rate season 1 a 9, season 2 a 5 and season 3 so far a 2. Overall watch season 1 and that's enough.

House of the Dragon (2022– )

Even worse than expected

[1/10 · 29 August 2022]

The ratings for this production only prove that today's audience lacks any ability to appreciate the qualities that make film or tv memorable.

Imagine season 8 of GOT minus the two great battles sequences and the very acceptable end. That would be still be a presentation well above the slop the Martin and company launched as the House of the Dragon.

I was never interested ti the history of the families or of Westros inGOT, rather it was in the characters, cast, dialogue, stories, dragons and atmosphere of the story.

Remarkable depth was accomplished in virtually every storyline with my interest always piqued by the interactions of the characters.

What appeared in HOTD was a polar opposite of everything I admired in GOT. Remarkably flat in every way. Looks like a fourth rate copycat version of GOT. The dragons will have to be really terrific to make this garbage even watchable.

FairyTale: A True Story (1997)

Fairly Untrue

[2/10 · 31 July 2022]

Style of the piece is flat, that is does not cause the viewer to become emotionally invested in the events. Even worse virtually everything in the story is fiction using the real events as a scaffold. Don't like distortions of real life events. Did not last to the end.

Kung Fu: The Movie (1986 TV Movie)

Less than I remembered

[6/10 · 22 July 2022]

The 80's and 90's saw a lot of first rate tv movies but just off a rewatch made me feel the film had a cheap 70's feel to it. Carradine is older but film can be seen as a sequel to the 72 pilot ( just saw for the first time ) and series or as a remake of the first film. Brandon Lee is not much of a presence but I liked the ending.

They Drive by Night (1940)

combination of good and bad

[8/10 · 20 July 2022]

Best roles in the careers of Ida Lupino, George Raft and Alan Hale. Good support from Ann Sheridan and Bogey.

Seems to have been written with Joe Blow as the target audience and I did not buy the ending but Lupino is terrific as the bad girl and Raft is suitably noble as usual. Dialogue allows Lupino to go to town. Overall easy to watch.

Harry and Tonto (1974)

7 stars ...all for Tonto

[7/10 · 12 July 2022]

Film expects nvewer to accept that an elderly man who taught at a college at a college ( probably open admissions ) would refuse to leave his soon to be torn down apartment and have to be carried out. Cops would have taken him to Bellvue.

Neither Harry's journey to visit his children nor Carney's role or performance is of interest. Film is flat except for the man's catwho has a loot of screen time.

Another hard to take sequence is Tonto' death...Harry does not notice Tonto is acting strangelythen ct almost immediately dies at what seems to be an animal hospital...a place full of small cages . Film does not show what happened at hospital just the man saying good bye to his already dead cat in a cage. Shows the personality of the character...no more value minimal contact. Probably told the " hospital ..." vets rarely and I mean rarely do anything for ill animals that has value... to just get rid of the remains. Cause Harry is too busy living life to be bothered with cremains. Out of sight out of mind.

Without the cat film would get 0 stars.

Border (2018)

Not a fairy tale

[1/10 · 11 July 2022]

There's a difference between creepy/ugly and magical/suspenseful . There's a difference between fantasy and depravity. I liked the writer's other film, " Let the right one in " mainly because the central character was attractive in a slightly off center way and the action , though a bit cheapo, was of interest as the central character was the driving force. This is unpleasant to view with a plot that is distasteful as well.

Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000–2003)

Charm wins the day

[8/10 · 8 July 2022]

Threadbare animation but good cast of animal characters and good voice acting with reasonable story lines make this a better than good show. I like it as an adult. The reboot is very bad in every way .

The Old Man (2022– )

Slipping Away

[5/10 · 6 July 2022]

Best things are surprisingly John Lithgow, as an old hand espionage chief, Jeff Bridges as the lead and the dogs.

Did not like the flashbacks, female lead, daughter or the baddies who try to make Old Man a dead man.

Plot seems to be a tangle of several people about whom I care little.. Liked the first two episodes but not three and four. Seems headed down hill for some more time.

Clifford the Big Red Dog (2019–2021)

Less than worthless

[1/10 · 5 July 2022]

Just getting involved with the original and Clifford's Puppy Days and surprise ! I found this series which is on PBS Kids. The first shows are more than a bit cheesy but there is also charm with some good characters and voice acting.

The 2019 remake is dull, dull in story, animation style ( cheapo ) characters, songs and voice acting. So bad it does not need to be seen. Voice of Clifford is so bad it's painful. Watch the old shows on the net.

Mind Over Murder (2022)

Great Look At American Unjustice System

[9/10 · 28 June 2022]

Couple of years or so ago saw a HBO true life crime drama that never paid off so was slow to latch onto this. Mood of the piece is low key , suspense with interviews of the accused perps and cops being the meat and potatoes of the piece. False confessions and confessions under duress are not super rare but this crazy quilt of characters takes the hide right offin the hog.

This is indeed a tangled web with characters short on brain matter and long on coo coo craziness. After two episodes matters are already far off the beaten path of suspects should just keep their mouths shut. One one hand there's all the gotcha material a copper would ever want but on the other the picture that's been painted is just nutsoid. The accused are a sordid collection of low life but will the system try to sort out the wheat from the chaff . Seems certain to head down the path of law enforcement doesn't care if you really did it as long as they can convict you. Definitely unique look at strange doings as the train goes off the rails but lock 'em all up anyway justice system.

Edit : Chapter three was an expected trip down hill. One and two presented the procession of illogical confessions and accusations that as a whole was a one of a king look into the minds of several people with many screws loose. Even the explanations of the five of six who talked rubbish did not shed much light on their actions.

Episode 3 was mainly a lot of self - serving lawyer babble with the exception of one guy who started to peel away the torn wall paper to show how little anyone cared about the possible truths that could come from a more thorough testing of the crime scene.

Primary blame has to fall on the lawyer of the one guy who went to trial. He thought hid client was guilty so why bother with DNA.

The actions of the county DA and first appeals court panel more than anything reveal how evil is the " justice " system.

What remains of interest to me will be how any of the six , given the entirety of what happened, could get any compensation beyond a minimum state amount for serving time then being acquitted by an appeals court. Can see why the state would not want to retry after the DNA results and what came from that.

EDIT My concern as to how the defendants could get big compensation after confessing went away when inepisode 5 all of the misdeeds of the prosecution team were brought to light. Truly sad to see how people who represent the state just routinely get away with, what I see, as major crimes. The series is not slow at all , rather a great look at the psychology of the people involved.

The lawyers for the defendants in the initial state of the cases were all wretched and , for anyone with a modicum of intelligence, come over as such.

The actors in the staged version of the events serve the purpose of making insightful comments about the horror of what happened to balance the views of many city folk who think the 6 are guilty. Sad to see the relatives of the dead woman holding on to absurd views ...certainly because they are too stupid to realize that they swallowed the state's case...hook, line and sinker.

All in all series shows how rotten people are.

Look forward to the final episode tho no doubt the biggest shock came in episode 5 when then the story of the 6th person of the Beatrice six was revealed.

Detractors of the series who found the theater group to be a big negative should leave retractions as the play caused a major change in one key characterwhich was a huge part of the story.

Can't understand why the civil trials had 12 instead of 8 jurors and needed a unanimous verdict instead of a majority one. Should have been explained. Also a better job of explaining how much the 6 or families of the 6 got in the first yearand should have looked at the chances of their getting the full amount of the award.

Does not seem to be any young adults in this city, probably they left due to lack of opportunities there.

Only one of the state's players participated in the piece, without him it would have had far less of a human touch.

Piece combined crime , the legal system and human psychology very well.

Notre-Dame de Paris (1998 TV Movie)

" Most " over rated garbage ever

[1/10 · 21 June 2022]

Saw a blurb on the net about the musical coming to Manhattan soon , then found out that the thing is from late 90's and I thought , " are you kiddin me ? ". Full piece is on you tube so took a look....nose holdin' time.

Les Miz is a big time work but Miss Saigon ( both are French musicals ) is mediocre at best . Seems that the lead and Jonathan Price and the chopper sold it to undemanding ( clueless ) audiences.

NDdP is so bad it hurts to watch. Opening song mediocre, then bad, bad , bad.....French popular music bad.

Just paid a lot of dough to get an English dubbed release of A Man and His Dog and like a very few French films in general and was open minded about NDdP going in but almost immediately had to jump from song to song in a search for anything good.. Save the trouble , it stinks. Best version of the story is the Hallmark TV movie. From long ago.

This is dumb downed crap .

Les vampires (1915)

Long and boring

[1/10 · 19 June 2022]

The recent Irma Vep series nudged me to go back and have another look at the piece. Started it on TCM some time , thought the first 3 episodes OK then dropped out due to lack of anything of interest.

This time around I failed to connect with anything. Lasted about 20 minutes . Did not help to have full chamber music pieces as accompaniment on the you tube video. Had to jump around to see if I could find any dramatic or outre bit of interest. Nope I like some silents ; will eventually get around to watching The Wheel in its recently released 7 hour version. Liked the 4 hour cut.

This piece was worse than the worst bits of Lang for overly long scenes, at least the Lang films had some meat on the bone.. Can't recommend for anything. Was the bull killed for real ?

Dean Spanley (2008)

Was not aware of this film until now

[7/10 · 29 March 2022]

As both an animal lover and knowledgeable film film person I was more than surprised to just find and watch this fine film.

Much like Lost Christmas another UK film on basically the same idea tho that one uses alternate realities this presentation shows how basically the general public is to sensitivity of feeling and the mysteries of life.

All cast members are spot on and tho the screenplay takes a while to get going , once it does it packs a wallop.

What can be more immersive than a love of animals and the mysteries of life intertwined ? Whiskers ( TV movie hard to find ) is the best film about a cat's life tho told in a completely different way.

Any one who is not impressed by the many fine qualities this production has to offer is a zero. Did not like the exclusion of animals other than dogs in the idea of reincarnation but other than that it is a thoughtful , intelligent view of life on earth and beyond earth.

That said there are big problems : why should only dogs be reincarnated , seems like a foolish view created by man to puff up his own view of himself. Why would the knowledge that Wag died one day after running off rather than live a hppy long life on the road " open up " theold man's heart rather than make him even more unhappy. Why is the death of a rabbit seen as sport rather than a horror ? The fate of Wag's friend is not made clear , the farmer was using a one shot rifle, surely that dog's fate should be important. Fisk Sr. Rather than open up Fisk Sr. 's heart to the death of his son and adoption of another dog the knowledge of how , in this film , the world works should have made him angrier. Instead we get a feel good conclusion . I did not feel good.

Dadah Is Death (1988 TV Movie)

Not any of the other views is correct

[8/10 · 19 March 2022]

Two part Aussie TV movie I've seen three times. Strength of the film is the relationship between the two charachers, one slick the other a goof.

I take this as a fictional story rather than an accurate portrayal of the background of the two young men who , the story will have you believe , got into this mess due to traffic accidents.

Julie Christie as the mother of the goof sounds exactly like a U S welfare horror demanding " justice " for her problem child.. The strongest moment in the piece comes near the end when the experienced smuggler, now about to die , convict looks with sadness upon the picture of his beloved dog whom he will never see again in this life.

You either get into the lives of the two guys or you don't. As good a drug smuggling film as there is and I've seen all of them.

Robinson Crusoe (1997)

Better than I expected

[7/10 · 15 March 2022]

Have not read book and have only a passing knowledge of other film and Tv adaptations but I gave it a look to see how the dog is handled. Turns out the film is very watchable with Skipper's story very strong. Friday is dealt with in an interesting way and although some parts stretch belief I liked it. It's not as good as Castaway and the very last bit of the Dan O'Herlehey version is still the strongest memory I have of the films I've seen but I liked this variation of the story and the look of the cinematography the two leads and the dog 7/10.