Change Your Image
joachimj
Reviews
The Rape of Europa (2006)
Rape of Europa --
Wow, it is so tempting to comment on how the release of this film casts a dark shadow over the destruction of Babylonian manuscripts in Bagdad, Iraq a couple years back. I will not, though.
Hitler, according to one of the talking heads in this film, "was not a bad painter at all, but he certainly was not great or innovative, either." That's well-stated, in my opinion. Of the three artists applying for the scholarship, he was easily the least talented. This fact is suggested, as well. I suspect that while he was not an artist of note himself, the most that could be said was that he did have an eye for artwork. Whether that would be a "remarkable" eye remains to be suggested, but it hardly matters.
There are a few scenes in this film that are so incredibly harrowing, my mind had wandered into thoughts of how destructive was the damage in Europe: peculiar that that's precisely the objective of "good art," that it causes the mind and imagination to wander as such.
The last twenty minutes offers a noticeable glimmer of hope (and it is not a too-little-too-late message, either): Give Back. At least that's what I heard.
That said, this film offers a novel voice to the narrative presented. Thumbs up.
O.J.: A Study in Black & White (2002)
Offensive, in a pleasing manner ...
I'm probably like every other American, and regrets the fact that he knows exactly where he was when "the verdict" was read. So why view this documentary eight years after the fact? Because that's the time it took us to resonate the "truth" that had there been no O.J. Simpson, there would have been no sense of inequality (nor groans for equality) between black and white Americans. That's right: there was no Civil Rights Movement, there was no Martin Luther King Jr., there was no Rosa Parks. No, there is "black," and there is "white," and there is "O.J.," because the Juice is a part of that equation. Are you offended by this proposition? Perhaps you are, but you needn't be, because of all the names listed above, only O.J. Simpson's story unfolded (and, in many persons' views, also unraveled) on National Television - from appearances on the college field, to commercials, to cameos on TV shows like "Dragnet," to tiny little criminal trials that might have *seemed* like a good idea to get regular civilians interested in how law operates in this country. All the talking heads agree (although none actually say it), we have race relations only because it was good for Simpson's career, and he knew how to use the camera (even in his clumsier "Naked Gun" roles, which, conspicuously, are not mentioned in this hour-long expose).
Pay It Forward (2000)
"Look how much depth we're working with here"
***** SPOILER INCLUDED ****
The most satisfying part for me of this watching the film (on VHS) was the ten minutes or so while the credits were rolling where my wife and I discussed the "Pay it Forward" chain of events as they occurred. That we had to think about it throughout the film - and changed our minds a few times in the process - doesn't hide the fact that this wasn't a very good movie. You'd think that the chronology shifting would had hooked us, and true to form, it kept us interested *in the chronology*. The surprising and tragic ending should had made us really care about the message of the film, and yet I feel this was just another gimmick to get us to think that *this film had everything necessary* for the "thinking person's appetite" .... not the case at all.
And that's really too bad, because the "Pay it Forward" is certainly a wonderful premise. So what would it had taken to get a recommendation from me?
1) Since the chronology is a main focus of the film, add some moments of Arlene (Helen Hunt) looking for her mother. Maybe then I would have believed her to be a charecter of consequence, instead of just a mother struggling to be a mother. Besides, what indication were we given of the effort Arlene went through to speak to her mother, other than the mountain she moved in getting to the point of forgiving her mother, and that "people who know who I am will know where I am" ? Yep, Grace (Angie Dickonson) was exactly where Arlene thought she would be.
2) Give Eugene a little more depth. Perhaps the most depth he has is that he knows that he shouldn't get romantically involved with a student's mother, and yet can't express this to anyone but his own demons. But I would question how well even this was revealed. It's like you almost need to be a teacher to understand the politics of how taboo that is.
3) The stalest part of the entire film for me was when Eugene and Arlene are watching a news story of how "there is no evidence at this time if there's a link between the 'Pay It Forward' movement and the anonymous donation of computers". Were they trying to suggest something here? I'm more touched by the idea of "Pay It Forward" than its sentiment portrayed in this film.
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
An underrated over-the-top film
The funny part about this movie is, Norville Barnes indeed "represents high hopes and bright ideas, and when he starts out his intentions are pure..."
But he's pure schmuck. He becomes the CEO of the company because the Chairman of the Board KNOWS he can push Barnes around. And sure enough, he IS pushed around. Even Barnes' attempts to entertain his own money-making schemes ("you know .... for kids !!") are thwarted because he's such an idiot. Leigh's character knows this too, and SHE pushes him around, too: just when she thinks she's been had, he proves to her that he's an idiot (one of the big laughs of the movie).
The argument could be made, too, that Father Time can barely save Barnes because he's so stupid (instead, Barnes becomes the anti-climactic hero, clumsiness and all).
There are so many implicit thematic jokes here, one has to view it just to believe how unbelievable it all is !!