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Lost: Ab Aeterno (2010)
Definitely a unique and likely a stand-out episode for the series
With so much praise for the episode, I want rate it a little more critically. I'd almost give it a 9 or 10 if it wasn't for the story dragging a little in the beginning with Ricardo's tragic fate on the Spanish island of Tenerife. We're also left to wonder if the season 5 finale had Jacob and the Man in Black looking at the Black Rock or was it another ship? And how did stormy waters drag a ship all the way into the jungle and throw it at the Island statue with enough force to destroy it completely (and if that's so, shouldn't the Black Rock been reduced to smithereens? wood hitting rock???)?
Nestor Carbonell indeed did a decent job portraying Ricardo in the 19th century. His Spanish accent was not bad (I've certainly heard worse, he kinda had more of a foreigner doing a Caribbean/Latin American accent rather than anything near a Castillian accent) though keeping a well- done Spanish accent when speaking English lines was a great touch! I was much more impressed by the casting of the other Spanish characters, with the doctor and the priest having near perfect accents for Spaniards (and I believe both are American-born actors of Spanish/Latin American descent). Hurley also fit perfectly I think as a Chicano character relating and translating Spanish. And kudos to the writers as well for keeping it historically accurate with the 1867 date for the story...the same year dynamite was invented. I really thought they might flub it, setting the story earlier in time, but no!
And I think the episode really pays off at the end, thanks to the writers, director, and Nestor's acting in the final scene. Very heartfelt (something that was missing when Richard's wife dies of TB, too rushed in getting to the prison scene) and leaving everyone now wondering what is the deal with the island based on the wine bottle analogy made by Jacob to Richard.
Samson & Delilah (2009)
Stylistic, beautiful, tragic realism coupled with an amazing soundtrack and a happy ending
I'm amazed that across the board, Aussie IMDb reviewers are hating this film. The complaint: not realistic, boring. Not a love story.
OK I will agree with the last statement. I saw the preview and it's being marketed as a love story...which in a sense is kinda true, one of the most offbeat love stories I've ever seen, though tagging Samson and Delilah as a love story is misleading. This film is much more a work of art, a successful creation of experimental storytelling on film, a harsh portrayal of Aborigine life, and ultimately a dual character piece. The movie is not about making a wholly realistic story of teenage Aborigines. If you have a problem with films with no dialog, this will be boring and please head to the next Hollywood blockbuster. And be warned, this is a very sad story of poverty, drug abuse, and disconnection.
I applaud the director, Warwick Thornton, who seems to be very well grounded in cinematography and documentary work in delivering us his first full-length fictional feature. Pacing was suburb, amazing shots of the Australian outback as well as executing brilliant close-ups of characters with the urban backgrounds towards the second part of the film. Very impressed by the actors as well, and how it was really their facial expressions and actions throughout the film that carried the narrative, and how we have two extremely introverted character studies and how in each characters' hardship, even though "Delilah" was much more the introvert and extremely stubborn, both their lives mirror each other and they do fall back on each other for support, even if Samson ultimately was the most dependent as he continually turns to "huffing" as his main help with his struggles.
And I should also return to the point of lack of dialog and the narrative being carried on through action. There was something very primal, very human about the way the film unfolds...reminding me a lot of physical anthropologists studying the social behavior of primates...of which all of us humans are also primates. And I mean no disrespect to anyone in their beliefs or as an insult at Aborigines. I believe the director was playing on one of the most ancient human societies on Earth, as the best tool to convey a "world" where human speech is almost nonexistent at the dawn of human evolution, as if going back in time to tell an ancient and minimalist story of heartbreak juxtaposed into the familiar modern Australian backdrop. Pure brilliance...something that rarely a filmmaker can be bold enough to try, let along make work as a film!
So as if this all wasn't part of the quirky charm of the movie, we have an excellent and oddball soundtrack, from Mexican mariachi, to reggae, to alt-country/folk music (this music by the director himself!) that brought this work to further heights.
While Samson and Delilah might be the most tragic stories I've ever seen within film-making's "hash realism", it's also a story of love...of how one person genuinely cares for someone else as their life goes down the toilet, and in the end come a sense of blossoming and hope. Excellent work, you can see how this was very much a labor of love by Thornton. Not the most brilliant work in the world (but I do give it 10 stars), but certainly something really worthy of praise and reception by open minds!
2033 (2009)
Some interesting ideas put forth, nice design but ultimately fails to deliver
Seems like the overwhelming tide of reviews I'd read were mixed or negative, minus one external review from a sci-fi website that praised it. Also the film won a best film award at the Cancun Film Festival, so my hopes were a little raised that at least it would be halfway decent. I also tend to take the bulk of Mexican public reviews with a grain of salt, as they're often a bit reactionary to films that throw social criticism towards modern Mexican society (case in point: the harsh reviews of Gael Garcia Bernal's directorial debut, Déficit).
I'll touch on the good points first: SFX were pretty well done. The futurist/steampunk redesign of Mexico City was OK, maybe a bit too over- the-top given the film only takes place 23 years into the future, maybe rips-off on much of "alternate/future Earth" sci-fi but still, it was a high point of 2033. The basic premise of the film also I though was great...which I won't elaborate on to avoid giving away spoilers.
However, how the details of story actually play out, well...it leaves a lot to be desired. The vision of future is so narrowly focused on Mexico, so narrowly plotted around one social issue that certainly will turn off a lot of folks, very simplistic. The characters likewise are one-dimensional. The acting and directing really most fitting for a telenovela/soap opera and commercials...cuts were very obvious to take out the worst moments but the final product is mediocre.
The film proves that once again, you can glitz up a film and try to market it as cutting edge, you can have a great idea for plotting, but in the end if your story is weak, poor/mediocre acting, amateur direction....well, it really falls flat in the end. Some of the best Mexican movies I've seen so far have been more bare-boned which maybe leads for more innovation on the directing floor, asking more of everyone for a better, more interesting film.