GummoRabbit Reviews

Twenty Cigarettes (2011)

Remember it's portraiture on film, that's it - and it's good

[8/10 · 3 March 2019]

I loved the subtleties and nuance in their expressions. When I view portraits in the form of a painting or photograph, I can appreciate it for it's technical qualities, like lighting, brush strokes, foreground/background, etc. but it's still just a moment frozen in time. The film adds lengthy minutes of watching a person close up; no selection, no editing allowed. The character in each scene had a choice to react to the camera's presence, which the director made no effort in concealing. I found it hilarious how some of the characters had such an issue with looking at it, one even turning their head more than 90 degrees away haha. This added a layer of complexity. This does make me wonder how the portraits would be different if they had not known they were being filmed. I must say though, some of the most powerful shots were when the person decided to look right into the lens..it's like they were staring into your soul. I found myself thinking all sorts of things in those moments: Why am I watching them? Am I violating their privacy and dignity? They knew back then that a future me was watching them right now! Which of the characters might have put on a front or a defense to their true expressions, knowing they were being watched?

I also found myself wondering whether or not the cigarettes were needed at all. In keeping with the realistic portrayal, why not just have them stand for a set period of time? On further thought though, it seems the physical act of having a task to perform was a great way in bringing out more natural expressions. There are so many choices to make: How long to drag, when to exhale, shaping the smoke, etc. And let's not forget the chemical relaxation of nicotine - each person grew noticeably less tense, and therefore more revealing, as time went on. There is also definitely something to be said about the atmospheric effect of swirling smoke around a head.

The younger male expressions were very different from the older ones, in that they seemed to harbor less worry, and were instead more jumpy, almost impatient, filled with a potential energy that seemed more depleted in the aged. Or perhaps the aged simply had something substantive to reminisce about.

I found myself wondering about my own projections of emotion onto the smokers. The fact is, they could very well be wrong. Without narration or dialogue, there is no knowing whether what I think they just thought, in a fleeting expression, is actually what they thought..I found this concept fascinating. Hell even with narration or dialogue, I still might not know for certain.

I watched this film sucking on a sugary lollipop the whole time. I found the act of engaging in something addictive while watching the smokers served both as an ironic amusement and a functional way to stay awake.

C'est déjà l'été (2010)

Soft and Sweet Feelings, or a Sickening Trepidation

[8/10 · 8 January 2018]

This is the story of a family falling apart. Close up shots of faces allowed me to dig deep into how the characters were feeling and reacting - I could see every wrinkle and twitch. A low string instrument was occasionally played in the background; used to create sounds invoking soft and sweet feelings, or a sickening trepidation. Plumes of billowing smoke were pictured throughout as a symbol for something; ironically, I don't have the words to explain what yet, but I understood it completely when I SAW it on the screen. The fact that film can do that fascinates me.

I've enjoyed films that portray the grit of a lower socio-economic class. Many shots seemed to allude directly to one of my all time favorite movies, Gummo. C'est déjà l'été shares many of the same techniques and overall style, but in a more wieldy sort of way. It was effective in and of itself - the scenes striking, memorable and even beautiful.

The Banishment (2007)

I have unlocked the enigma of the narrative, mid-review no less...

[10/10 · 2 January 2018]

The two and a half hour run time didn't seem like much, given how absolutely captivated I was by the breathtaking images in this film. Many of the shots were so beautiful, and more importantly, meaningful, that they reminded me of some of the great oil paintings I've had the pleasure of observing as an art connoisseur. The scene of the children asleep on the train in their parents clutch portrayed a powerful sense of innocence and security, foreshadowing what feelings would soon be put to the test.. Or the shot of Vera in a virgin-blue colored dress, sitting in contemplation on her bed. The usage of color gives rise to a new definition of "pastoral": of the quality of a pastel. These being just two of many examples of how such stunning imagery works in the film's favor and remaining entirely relevant.

Yes, the beauty of the film was even enough to keep me viewing, even when I started to lose my comprehension and understanding of what was going on in the final thirty minutes of the actual plot. When this occurred, I was left wondering if I was really so short sighted or if the director made something that was simply "complicated" and required a second viewing. Upon research and reflection, it appears there is nothing at all complicated about the story. If anything, the confusion was a result of how shrouded in mystery the wife's actions were. This, along with the sneakily added flashback scene at the end. It took a while to even realize I was watching a flashback and it was almost intentionally tricky to follow. This was frustrating as I had invested two hours of my time into the movie only to be thrown into a mild state of confusion at the last minute.

But even if you agree to label the flashback criticism as my own inept comprehension, let me come back again to the real source of frustration: The wife's actions. I simply cannot fathom how anyone in their right mind (haha, I just realized mid sentence that maybe she WASN'T in her right mind). And, oh my god... I don't think the women in the adapted novel this was based off of was in her right mind either! Actually, of course she wasn't in her right mind! She killed herself and her baby for Pete's sake! This explains everything!

*Please forgive my real time realizations mid-review, perhaps this will serve as more enjoyable or enlightening for any readers. I write these in part to enhance my own understanding.*

When I first became aware Alex was in fact the biological father, I was in shock, and almost disgusted with frustration over how Vera told him that "it wasn't his." "How stupid could she be?" I thought? Why would she NOT deny Alex's misguided thought that she was adulterous? Who in their right mind would do such a thing?! And that's the AHA! moment! She WASN'T in her right mind at all! And that, my peers of the internet, solves the enigma that is frustrating even the most astute of reviewers. It is so simple actually...As simple as a shot of water coursing through dried-up Earth.

And boy am I glad...because when I first saw this movie I was pouring over reviews trying to find reason and accountability for Vera. It took my own serious reflection with THIS written review to realize it. And...maybe I'm wrong? Maybe my realization is just as inept as my first-watch comprehension ability? But for me, my interpretation makes sense...With a reason discovered for Vera's actions, the movie's narrative becomes as beautiful as its cinematography... I recall one of my favorite movies ever, Tarkovsky's Zerkalo, to be in a similar vein: Demanding from it's viewer.

Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets (1971)

Politically Distracting

[5/10 · 7 December 2016]

On first look, this movie appeared to have everything I desire, but I was let down. My biggest problem was there were too many distractions from the actual story of the movie which resulted in boredom. The beginning and ending of the film serves as a breaker of the fourth wall which, however interesting, doesn't add one iota to the actual plot. Instead, it seems to serve other political intentions/themes for which I was just not interested in. You can research 1970s Japanese subculture both on the streets and in cinema to understand the connections, but even then, unless you're a film buff with this particular regional interest, it doesn't add to the actual story at hand.

The second plot detractor, was the incorporation of the random scenes. These included things like street dancing, some guys smoking drugs in public, a stutterer reflecting on his speech, and video recordings of personal ads. I'm all for the collage style, but again, I could not find any connection from these to the actual plot or the setting.

The story and the cinematic effects used had so much potential, but I ultimately found myself bored and detached due to all the unnecessary scenes. The director was trying to accomplish more than one mission in this film and the result was that the objectives clashed and eroded each other, mainly the story of our teenage protagonist.

Blackfish (2013)

Enjoyable, but full of fallacies and emotional appeal

[6/10 · 24 August 2013]

I found this movie to be very informative and entertaining. While most of the reviews agree with this point, I think there are some details that people are glossing over and I would encourage movie-goers to recognize. Some of these problems are implied or perceived by most of the audience.

1. Subjectivity: Like many documentaries, it is far from objective and offers a one sided argument. Intents of the filmmakers to include both sides do not change this fact.

2. Fallacy: "SeaWorld declined to interview because they were the wrongdoers." SeaWorld's reason for not participating cannot be derived. SeaWorld's exclusion does not validate or further any claims made in the documentary.

3. Emotional appeal: Emotion dominates reason as the primary method of persuasion.

4. Fallacy: "The part of the orca brain that handles emotions is very large and active therefore it should not be in captivity." The right to liberation does not necessarily follow from an animal's emotional ability.

5. Fallacy: "Whales have killed more in captivity then in the wild, therefore their captivity must be wrong." It is possible that the higher death rate in captivity is a result of much higher human interactions than in the wild. The ease of observing and documenting cases of aggressive behavior in captivity far surpasses that of the wild, biasing the results.

6. Fallacy: "Because of the high risk of working with these whales, SeaWorld is wrong to allow it." This argument fails to take into account the possibility of trainer consent.

7. Fallacy: "The aggressive behavior of Tilikum is a result of his being angry for being held captive." There is no evidence to support this connection that has any scientific value. It fails to take into account whales who are not aggressive, gene predisposition, and alternative reasons for the aggressive behavior.

8. Fallacy: "Showcasing whales is unnatural and therefore wrong." Because X is unnatural, X is wrong, is a natural fallacy. Ethical wrongdoing does not necessarily derive from being unnatural. The dorsal fin collapse is also used to support this argument.

9. Sampling bias: Over-reliance on Tilikum as representative of SeaWorld's show whales.

I rated 6/10 because the park footage and overall entertainment aspect of the film was significant enough to overpower the logical flaws.

Logan (2010)

Horrendous Acting. Beyond Cheesy.

[1/10 · 1 October 2012]

The reason I hated this movie so much was because I didn't realize it was sort of a kiddy Christian film versus a "real" movie that I was expecting. The main issue that brought this movie way down was the terrible acting. You can literally hear them reading off of the script. It was so bad that I only continued watching it for the comedic effect. And the Christian overtones were enough to make you barf. The one thing I did take away from this was a wonderful image of Tyler in those American Eagle shorts. Whoa...

Funny example of bad acting: "Stupid latte machine...Make lattes!" and (said totally seriously) "If it's that important, you can make a TV show about it." (reminds me of, why don't you marry it?)

Family Sins (1987 TV Movie)

Fell short on the acting in many scenes, but good story

[7/10 · 7 November 2011]

This movie has a great storyline for those who love to explore the dark side of psychology and the resulting family dynamics. As sad as the movie could be, the story was compelling enough to be enjoyable. If you're savvy enough to pick up on the parents' faults, you'll find yourself rooting for the kids the whole time through the movie.

Now for the flaws...Other than the character who played Bryan, there were many scenes where the acting fell short. The child character Keith had lines that often times seemed forced. I also found the parents reactions to big events to be ineffective. For instance, there is one very traumatic event in the movie and the parents have almost no emotion towards what happened leaving the audience member feeling the same way: unemotional. Acting is definitely not a detail to overlook when it comes to a drama such as this.

Overall, I gave this movie a seven because the storyline was one that interested me enough to keep watching and stay pretty content, but that will be very dependent on the viewer.

Saint Ralph (2004)

Thematically effective and emotional despite writing flaws

[6/10 · 5 September 2011]

I believe some people, especially the authors of the raving reviews, let the "feel-goodness" of this movie wash over some of its many flaws. So here, I try to offer a more objective review, if such a thing is possible. I will avoid circumlocution with a simple pro and con contrast.

Pros: Themes of hope and faith in spite of the odds. Spicing up a classic storyline with religious identification. Hilarious, mostly believable, comedic scenes that didn't distract from the drama and sentiment. Childhood innocence. Pre-teen romance, mostly Ralph's attitude and ways of dealing with it.

Cons: Unrealistic explanations regarding why Ralph was left unsupervised and unaccounted for in a house to himself for such a long period. Unrealistic ability to train for a professional race, especially given the time frame. Overused storyline: Typical feel-good competition movie with its ups and downs and eventual happy self revelation. Some unrealistic dialogue: Some of the pre-teen and priest conversations. Unrealistic social interactions: Major support for Ralph in the race, bullies' immediate turnaround in compassion for Ralph, continued negligence of Ralph, and senior father's dedicated suppression of Ralph's goal.

Despite some of these writing flaws, the film was still entertaining and emotionally moving. I personally wouldn't venture to call this movie inspiring, but more of an examination of the state of inspiration, which was powerful enough to shed a tear or two.

Benny's Video (1992)

Compelling to watch, disappointed in the outcome

[4/10 · 17 March 2011]

I was truly hoping that this fascinatingly disturbing story would come to fruition in film, but this did not live up to my expectations. Besides a few exciting parts, the film quickly became boring to watch and did not have much movement. The parents' reaction to their son's actions was largely unbelievable at times and I think undermined the entire purpose of the movie. What parent remains completely calm when they see their son committing murder? Did the father really chop up the girl into small pieces to shove her down the drain? Was this seriously their brightest idea? With a plot line so horrific, you would think there would be a lot of emotion involved, but with regards to maybe one or two scenes, it was nothing but blank expressions and a sense of carelessness. I wanted more from this film, but did not receive.

I do think this can serve as an exaggerated warning message to parents out there who do not have quality involvement with their children.