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pedgarshannon
Reviews
Chauthi Koot (2015)
A Bunch of Sikhs Sitting Around Doing Nothing...
I have to admit being mesmerized yet perplexed by this film. Maybe it's just a cultural thing, but I found all the characters to be dull, witless, zombies. Both story lines contain long scenes of people just sitting around with vapid expressions on their faces. What's with that? What was the film maker trying to convey?
The two story lines seem to have no meaningful connection. The train ride serves as a kind of lead-in to the rural farm story (which takes places a few months prior). But the drama of the farm family ends on an ambiguous note with no apparent connection to the train ride, (other than the conceit that the story was supposedly being related by one of the passengers). The train ride segment then resumes, inexplicably, and also ends on a meaningless note. I am left scratching my head in confusion.
That said, the visuals in this film are engrossing, and the glimpses into rural Indian life during the 80's are fascinating. I just wish the story(s) made some sense.
The film seems to lack a dramatic structure in favor of mood and visuals. All the same, I enjoyed it and I recommend the experience.
Realive (2016)
Low-IQ Viewers Need Not Apply
If you require lots of noise, mindless action, car chases, impossible jumps, and shoot-'em-ups with infinite ammo, this movie is not for you. If you have the attention span of a child, this movie is not for you. If you don't like to think about philosophical questions, this movie is not for you. But if you like languorous, elegiac, and introspective movies, and if you like thought-provoking but disconcerting projections of current technological trends, then this will be just your cup of tea: it's Terrence Malick meets Black Mirror.
The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
It's a Holocaust Chick Flick!
Several other reviewers have remarked how this film seems to be lacking any real visceral punch that one would expect from a movie about the Holocaust. When I finished watching it, my reaction was, indeed, "meh".
This is no Sophie's Choice, no Pianist, no Schindler's List, no Defiance, no Triumph of the Spirit, no Pawnbroker. The necessary elements seem to be present, but the chemistry is lacking. And I discovered the reason: an excess of estrogen.
It was the "making of" featurette that revealed the cause: this movie was made by women--- producers, writers, director--- and it shows. The featurette even proclaims that the story is told from a "feminine" point of view. The star herself opines that "to be a hero, you don't have to fight and kill; you can be a hero with compassion".
Well, yes, that's certainly true. So just be aware of what you're getting here... it's a chick flick. And a rather interesting study in that regard, from a film-making perspective. But... "meh"....
Dark Island (2010)
Typical Amateurish Fare...
Where to begin? I'll give you two reasons I gave up on this movie half-way through.
First of all, it would be nice to see a cast of adults, behaving like adults, working together in the face of mystery and danger to accomplish their mission. But no, here we have our typical 20- somethings, acting like bickering 12-year olds, because that's what passes for "drama" in silly films like this.
And, why, oh why, can't producers ensure that at least one member of the crew be a veteran if they are going to depict military personnel? I don't care if it's the grip, the caterer, or even the honey pot driver... if you're going to show Army soldiers in uniform, have SOMEBODY on board who knows how a uniform is worn. In this movie, we have two doofus characters portraying soldiers wearing "Class A" green uniforms. One of them has two rows of ribbons, and various unit citations, indicating significant time on duty. And yet he has no rank. I mean, even a soldier who has just completed basic training is at least a "mosquito wing" Private E-2. His "commanding officer" had Sergeant E-7 stripes displayed. And both of them, for heaven's sake, had no idea how to wear a beret. Anyone who's drunk a bottle of French wine knows that you pull it over to one side, but these goof-balls--- well, one of them had it pulled down tight on his head like a beanie, and his "commanding officer" had his pouffed up in an expanding circle like a big muffin. I gave it all up right there...
Mission Mars (1968)
Another Baby Boomer Thumbs-Up!
Like other reviewers on this page, I have a special place in my heart for this cheesy movie. I just re-watched the DVD, and I have to agree that it's best to just skip forward to the post-launch space adventures, and get on with it.
What I like best is the weird design of the Polarite. Yes, the effect itself is low-tech, but the basic design is really cool... it's like a Wally Wood creation right off the pages of a 1950's EC comic such as Weird Science.
The most frustrating element for me was the constant distraction of the hokey, form-fitting "long john" space suits worn by the astronauts, when they are out and about on the Martian surface. Do we really need to see the bulge of their private parts, along with the tell-tale outlines of their jockey underwear? Good grief...