gmharris Reviews

Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

I truly love this movie

[9/10 · 14 October 2022]

I am not even sure if it is as good as it could be. The animated sequences with the little tiger do underscore a point, but I am not sure that they add very much.

However, there is so much heart in this movie, coming from the subject, the people who worked with him, and the people working to carry on his legacy, that it makes this movie a work of beauty and inspiration.

The collection of footage is impressive, and I found it especially interesting to learn about his work with early child psychologists, where he is really part of the foundation of that work.

It was not my favorite show, because I liked the faster paced, more exciting ones, but the role this one played is beautiful, and the spread more of that love and kindness is worth doing.

Over the Garden Wall (2014)

Beautifully rendered, beautifully odd

[10/10 · 14 October 2022]

I saw a gif of pumpkin headed people dancing (from part 2, Hard Time at the Husking Bee) and it was so enchanting that I needed to see the rest.

All of the animation is beautifully done, with fanciful animals and costumes and charming expressions.

Some of the situations are so absurd, and a lot of the amusement comes from that, but ultimately the overall story is very moving.

No matter how much we want some things, not only can we not live with the price, but but we actually get what we want more effectively by not taking the bad bargain.

Protecting children, especially while they still have that sunny optimism, joy and faith, and that desire to make the world better, we should protect them and join them.

Moonage Daydream (2022)

Impressionism in a movie

[5 October 2022]

There is really too much about Bowie to cover it all in any movie of reasonable length, and this one doesn't try. There is some solid information, but also there is a lot unexplored, and a lot of (seemingly) random images from many other movies, bombarding the senses, especially visual.

The impression that is left will probably differ for every viewer, but these two were my strongest.

1. With Bowie's background and upbringing, it would have been easy for him to be a selfish, self-absorbed twit, with no curiosity or passion. Instead -- and this was not really covered by the film -- he became remarkably generous and thoughtful of other performers' also very curious and exploring, which the movie does cover.

2. Because it was based on a movie he did, based on a book, I had not thought of the music from Absolute Beginners as being especially characteristic of Bowie. However, in the music played, "Aladdin Sane" precedes "Absolute Beginners". Because of the talk of mental illness in his family background, some potential fear of that, and a drive to expression and creation to counteract.any tendency toward delusion, that juxtaposition of "-in sane" with "I'm absolutely sane" is powerful, and feels triumphant.

Also delightful to watch him painting later, and his enjoyment of it.

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)

So much fun!

[9/10 · 23 July 2016]

Good reminder that the current trend where everything has to be a remake or sequel or tie-in doesn't have to be horrible. There were good nods to the first two movies, but these are their own people, and they are given more humanity. Good energy and willingness to just go with things.

In this case, this especially meant letting Chris Hemsworth and Kate McKinnon do odd things that didn't necessarily add to the story, but did add to the charm. I know at least some ad-libbing was involved, and that may have added to a set where everyone felt supported and free.

It's a minor thing, but there's a Jaws joke that really made me happy.

Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show (2014)

Enlightening look behind the scenes

[9/10 · 18 May 2015]

Really well done. Not only does it teach a lot about the job of being a show-runner, but there is some good background on how television is changing, and media in general.

We are in a time where it might look good to start on the internet and then hope for a move to television, and then a realization that the internet might be the best fit. At the same time there are people who would have wanted to be in movies, but found greater freedom in television. The internet and social media plays a role that it didn't before.

So if you like thinking about entertainment - not just watching it, but also learning how it gets made, this is a great look at that.

Good interviews. There are a lot of affable show-runners out there.

The Act of Killing (2012)

Amazing and visceral

[10/10 · 12 September 2014]

There are a lot of interesting things about the movie, and things that you can think about and wonder about a lot. One thing that struck me was two of the main killers, Anwar and Adi, visiting with a newspaper reporter. The reporter commented on how smooth they must have been, because he never suspected that these interrogations and killings were going on right above his head. Adi, with some enjoyment I believe, points out that it basically means he was a lousy reporter, because they were not hiding anything. Normally that would just make me think about failure of the press, except for the way the reporter's face changes when he is told that his boss was in charge. His shock is so personal, that it takes him from a frustrating failure of a journalist to a person coming up against something he was not ready for.

The conversations are important to have, and the movie has been facilitating many conversations, but I want to emphasize how important the "acting", and staging, ended up being.

First of all, things came out. Anwar ends up being the main character, and he is charming. You see him being very sweet and gentle with his grandsons and an injured duck. You also see him demonstrating using a wire to strangle people, because beating them to death was too messy, with blood all over the place and stinking if you didn't clean it up. And you see him doing a little dance talking about this, but then there is also a list of substances used that keeps getting longer, and you see it has taken a toll that has not truly been acknowledged.

A little later they are using a neighbor to play the part of a Communist facing interrogation, and as they are talking before he is smiling and laughing, but then he shares a story that maybe they could use, about his stepfather's murder. The feeling changes as they decide the story is too complicated to share, but there is a hurt that has come up, and as they act out the torture the neighbor is just a mess, but then after he is changed.

To me it felt like he had suppressed that grief and everything bad it had done to him for years, and now it was back. He will have to face it, but there was a hollowness before, and there can be something there now. It felt like he was going to come to terms with it. The film gave him a chance to speak about it, and it gave him a chance to feel what his stepfather and others might have felt, and he can move forward.

With greater involvement in the process, there is a greater effect on Anwar. As he takes on the role of someone interrogated and executed and beheaded, it becomes physically harder for him. His sidekick Herman is having a great time playing with the fake organs, but Anwar is looking ill. He says he could not do the scene again, and the end has him basically dry-heaving at the same spot where we saw him cheerfully talking about his killing methods and dancing at the beginning.

Before the physical breakdown, but after watching the scene where he "dies", Anwar gets contemplative, wondering if he did wrong, and saying he knows now how those men felt. This is one of the view spots where you hear Oppenheimer's voice, as he argues that Anwar knew it was pretend, but those men knew they were really going to die, and it was not the same. Anwar insists that he can feel it.

I am willing to believe that Anwar did feel something close. I believe the creative efforts of staging and acting unlocked the empathy which he had silenced at the time. I say that because of other results of creative expression I have seen, so it makes sense to me, but also because of seeing the weight upon Anwar grow.

It is a hard thing. He is responsible for so much death, and he has stature and respect for that. He is the beneficiary of a cruel and corrupt culture because of his participation in it. He is also a human, and it hurts him, turning off caring about the suffering of others because they "deserve" it is an important step on the road to genocide.

It's kind of like you are watching two movies. There are the scenes that the executioners stage, where it is filmmaking, and there are costumes and effects and a script, but what we are really watching is the documentary about the people creating the other movie.

The other movie ends with a musical number with a waterfall and dancing girls and "Born Free" playing over the scene. In it, Anwar is thanked by two of his victims for sending them to Heaven and given a medal. It is telling that the ending he chose has to be one where it is okay that they were dead. Society has said that it was a necessary thing to get rid of the communists so they could have their freedom, but now he needs the victims to be okay too. That vision is not true enough, which leaves him on the roof struggling to get something out of him that won't leave.

It is horrible, but it needs to be seen and known. It needs to be talked about and felt for all the people who have shut it up inside. It needs to not happen again.

Duran Duran: Unstaged (2014 Video)

A lot like being there

[8/10 · 12 September 2014]

Duran Duran: Unstaged was a 2010 Duran Duran concert performed at the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles, filmed by David Lynch, and broadcast over the internet. Wednesday night it was turned into a Fathom event, in theaters for one night only.

I have reviewed concerts and films, but not both at the same time. I have been to Duran Duran concerts, but not since I have started writing reviews. Taking into consideration the merits of the concert, the film, and the theater experience will cover a lot of ground.

My previous shows happened on the Astronaut tour, which brought all five original band members together, and the All You Need Is Now tour. From that I know that Duran Duran stages phenomenal shows. Costumes, visual effects, and powerful performances combine into something that is obviously professional but doesn't feel stuffy or overdone. Copious amounts of charisma from the band members helps, but there is also a lot of expertise and savvy that is easy to overlook as you get carried away. Balancing those elements could be a difficult task for a filmmaker.

I am happy to report that being in the theater felt remarkably like being at a Duran Duran concert. I think making it available for only one night helped with that, turning it into an event that we had all chosen to participate in.

Most people did stay in their seats, which was different from a live show, but there was a lot of moving around in seats, singing along, and some shouting. There was that communal feeling and enthusiasm, even knowing that we were watching something from four years ago.

It was not just filmed as an ordinary concert either, because there was the broadcast going on. The primary different this made in the performance was the inclusion of special guests. They brought out Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance for "Planet Earth", Beth Ditto of Gossip for "Notorious", Mark Ronson for several songs, and Kelis for "The Man Who Stole A Leopard" and "Come Undone".

The guest performances were enjoyable on a musical level, but I think they were even more important for the sentimental factor. First of all you could see how excited the guests were to be included, reminding us how important and influential Duran Duran has been regardless of time periods and genres. In addition, seeing how sweet and supportive the band members were to their guests increased the emotional bond.

They are lovable. We know this, but seeing Roger hug Gerard at the end, after finally getting out from behind the drum kit, or seeing John wait for Beth to hug him, even though she had gotten in a hug earlier, gets the heart even more melted.

We had never known Kelis was pronounced that way, but then, Gerard isn't pronounced that way, so maybe Kelis isn't, but listening to Simon talk is so charming regardless. And then he told a total dad joke (How do you make a dog drink? Put him in the blender), but he is a dad now. They all are.

The film aspects worked pretty well for the most part. Often Lynch chose to overlay the visual effects over the band. These ranged from fairly amorphous objects like smoke, clouds, and flames to more concrete images like masks and houses. This made it possible to see both the visuals and what the band was doing, which was a good parallel for being at a show with a large screen behind the band. There were a few times when it was more obtrusive, with mixed results.

This was most distracting on "Sunrise", where the multiplying nude Barbies with blurred out faces could have been very effective for some type of commentary, but really did not seem to fit the song. Unfortunately, it felt like it deflated the song, which was tragic because that is a really good song.

On the other hand, the visuals for "The Man Who Stole A Leopard", while the initially appeared fairly abstract, shed a new light on the song for me which I hadn't been expecting at all.

Finally, while the footage for "Come Undone" was somewhat distracting, there is also something appropriate about completely ineffective grilling practices for a song about things coming undone, and I kind of loved the puppets. It felt so David Lynch, more than any other part of the concert.

Overall I have to call it a success, as a concert, as a movie, and as a Fathom event.

Stuck on You (2003)

Great Fun

[9/10 · 8 June 2004]

This was one of my top films for 2003. In general I am not a fan of the Farelly brothers, but I had enjoyed Shallow Hal, and Stuck on You got good reviews from our local paper, which is rare. One thing that had impressed me about Shallow Hal is that the things that you would think were completely illogical were addressed reasonably. The most obvious thought with the casting was that Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear are not even that close in age. Sure enough, early in the film they explain that Matt's character has most of the liver, so Greg's character is aging faster. I don't know if it is scientifically sound, but it works in the context of the film. That is one thing that is nice about the movie. The film has plenty of sight gags and easy humor, but there are also obscure references and delightful surprises that remind you that the film has a brain. It also has a heart, and Damon and Kinnear have a nice brotherly rapport.

Of the supporting cast, Eva Mendes is easily the most fun, and gets the best lines. There are also enjoyable turns with Meryl Streep, Griffin Dunne, and Cher starts out as her own worst caricature, but ends up showing a heart as well. Many other familiar faces pop up, including people you have seen as bit parts in the directors' other films.

Finally, I have to say I was really impressed with the connection between the two bodies. Very realistic looking make-up job.

The Singles Ward (2002)

I hated this movie

[18 June 2003]

I am LDS. I attend a singles ward. My ward is composed of real people. The movie ward is composed of stupid stereotypes. It's not that the jokes were in-jokes--it's that they were stupid. Through their uses in the film and a loathing to be associated with it, I was tempted to give up stand-up comedy and my sister was tempted to give up scrapbooking.

Please, if you were offended by the movie, don't blame the religion. Don't even blame Utah. Blame writers who are not as funny as they think they are and amateur actors. Cringe.

Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)

I love this movie!

[9/10 · 22 May 2001]

Just the opening sequence alone, with the failed rescue mission, leaves me in stitches. Every time I watch it I notice something new and funny. The movie is helped by some comic pros like Ryan Stiles and Rowan Atkinson, but it also gets good work from leads who are not known for comedy. Great use of Richard Crenna.

The 10th Kingdom (2000)

Fabulous

[10/10 · 7 April 2000]

I could watch it again and again. Scott Cohen was amazing. His mannerisms really made you believe he was half-wolf. Great costumes and sets, wonderful performances, but also very moving. Each night it just got better. Must-see TV for real.

In the Best of Families: Marriage, Pride & Madness (1994 TV Movie)

Interesting movie

[24 January 2000]

"Bitter Blood" is a really interesting movie. You watch Kelly McGillis' character change completely as she becomes more and more under the thumb of her completely insane cousin. Interesting performances all around, but somewhat disturbing. On a side note, it is really long. I did not want to stop watching, but you do feel that it's long, and wish it was a little shorter.

Cold Feet (1999– )

Uneven but has potential

[26 October 1999]

There are some really funny lines in Cold Feet. The problem is you see most of them in the ads (which is why I watched) The stuff in between feels like a way to get from joke to joke instead of a naturally flowing conversation that happens to be funny. Still, it is a new show and has potential to get better. Many of the situations are realistic and the case members are likable, especially David Sutcliffe as Adam. So the show has some growing to do, but don't write it off just yet.

Mystery Men (1999)

Awesome!

[10/10 · 13 August 1999]

I enjoyed this movie more than anything else I've seen this year. Very funny. Good performances by all the heroes and villains. Beautiful irony, especially with Captain Amazing. This will not suit every sense of humor, but I loved it.

Batman & Robin (1997)

Amazingly bad

[1/10 · 13 August 1999]

I have alway doubted the merit of sacrificing story and character development for elaborate sets, costumes, and choreographed fight sequences. If you do decide to go that way, though, you'd think you would at least use camera angles that would not cut off the parts of the action. Most of the sequences were a neon blur. A loud, clumsy, ugly mess. There were too many characters pulled in too many different directions to have a coherent story, and I hate that they made Barbara Alfred's niece instead of Commissioner Gordon's daughter. Apparently Joel Schumacher and Akiva Goldsman is a bad combination. I was just grateful I did not see it first run so it only cost me $1.50.