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tw1zzlers
Reviews
Blindness (2008)
a Holocaust metaphor?
there are plenty of holes in this movie, but if you instead view it as a metaphor... it works perfectly... and really well. Let's call all the blind people Jews, and Julianne Moore the gentile who's married to a Jew. Being blind isn't a problem, even white blind, the problem was that people were scared of them. Once people were scared of them and decided they might 'infect the world' they needed to be quarantined = ghettos. Rations of food were provided to the ghettos, originally I'm sure the polish ghettos were very organized/civilized. but as time moved on and food became more and more scarce, and people were left trapped to die, unspeakable things I'm sure occurred, things we'd all be ashamed and embarrassed of as human beings. Both for creating the situation by being scared of something we don't understand and locking it up, and also those who are caged losing their morality. Were there Arians in the camps? of course there were. Did spouses occasionally choose to hide their Arian identity and masquerade as a Jew so they could stay with their family? sure. And I'm sure there are people who were in hiding or in Bergen Belsen, or in an attic somewhere who didn't know exactly when the Nazis pulled out. Just at some point, they sniffed outside and found there was no one guarding them anymore, so they ventured out into the world, only to find it entirely in ruin. ...That they weren't the only ones affected by the World War, ahem, white blindness.... . and while there were several years following the war where people still lived in immense poverty and still behaved very immorally, eventually, people regained their "sight" and started to rebuild the world we are fortunate to live in today. The metaphor works all the way through... this can't be an accident by the writers/director.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Not worth your time. super-yawn.
Groucho Marx said there's no worse thief than a bad movie. (steals your money and your time) and that's exactly what this film is.
Do not, I repeat, do not tolerate the comparisons to Forrest Gump - a film filled with history, humor!, star-studded cast, a solid script, jam packed with history, one clever gimmick after the other and brilliant effects.
Spoiler - Benjamin Button had one effect, that was make-up: Take one of the world's most attractive men and make him look unattractive for 75% of the film, while he moans and groans about the deal he's been dealt in life. don't get me wrong, they did this well, but he's never sympathetic. Y'just don't care about him at all... to be honest, the whole film struck me as a giant, drawn-out metaphor for a midlife crisis: a man pines after a girl who's not ready for him for years and years, then when she finally takes him into her bed, they spend a glorious year between the sheets, and as soon as responsibility shows up in the form of a child, he runs away from commitment, blaming his condition. And what's the big deal with his condition??? So his body is getting younger.. not his mind. That would actually make him a great father... he'd be around for the same number of years as many fathers are for their children.. 30/40 years, and during that time he'd only have gotten stronger and younger, while his mind was still maturing. What a gift! Great, cherish it! Live it! Accept your lot in life, challenges and all, and be a remarkable human being. That's the challenge laid upon us all.
But no - Instead of facing his problem and taking on life and love and cherishing every moment, he lets down the woman he loves terribly and runs out on her, for what? to have sex with a few women? Preposterous.
And then of course, when he comes back, she forgives him for being a coward and a stinker. Well why? Why be so forgiving. What's so tough about his life, oh poor guy, he gets to get younger everyday, he gets to get stronger and better looking as he sleeps.. where was the appreciation of this miracle? Where were the papers who would have been making a big deal over him? Where was the major history that he lived through which we never saw? Where were his amazing slew of life experiences, we watched 90 years of a man's life and all he did was run and hide from who he was. Where was a p-l-o-t? - the guy had no appreciation for the people who loved him, never knew his mother was sick? Nope, just came home one day to find she'd died. Did he not stay in touch with anyone? He did have a sister. I guess she didn't want to call to let him know their mother was ill? Clearly no one cared enough about him to tell him. Classic. Well if they don't, I don't either. And why did Cate's character keep his postcards from their daughter once the journal was found? Made no sense. Cate moved into the house and lived with him for 5 years as he went through Alzheimer's as an infant - where was Julia's character during this time? Also not speaking to anyone? Was she not curious why her mother chose to spend 5 years of her life this way? Why did she never tell her about her father? Why did I watch this piece of drivel and waste my time??? Save yourself the agony.
I'm sorry F. Scott Fitzgerald. I'm sure you wrote a lovely short story. But that's all it was, a short story, and should have remained so. Before someone drags out your piece to a 3 hour sedative they ought to maybe actually write a s-t-o-r-y to justify the running time.
**Watch the trailer**. That's all you need. And really, do watch it. It's interesting, it's pretty to look at, and really that's the entire story right there, a minute-and-a-half, you can see all of the make-up and special effects, you can pretend you've seen the film, cause nothing more happens - save yourself 3 hours and go spend time with your family instead, appreciate the gift of life instead of squandering it on bad films, or watch a different movie, (ooh, Juno, that was a good flick with an actual script - about dealing with life, hardships and all without boring people to tears), or go bang your head against a wall, something remotely entertaining. Brad, Cate, Julia, you're wonderful, all of you, the whole cast, you're lovely, you got pummeled by a lousy non-script and mind-blowingly uninspired direction. I'm sorry for you all.
South Pacific (1958)
A great man, Emile
We all know this is a brilliant movie... telling, true, and so well executed. I'm curious if anyone has drawn the connection that I just did... I just saw the Life of Emile Zola for the first time (with Paul Muni) - amazing film, true story, about a Frenchman named Emile, from the end of the 19th century, who knows that affluence is not all there is to life, and that it is each of our responsibility to stand up to fight injustice and change the word to make it a better place. Sound like the hero of South Pacific perhaps? The one with the same name? Coincidence? Both movies are gems. I'd love to know if the connection was purposeful.
The Rats (2002)
It's no Indiana Jones
So according to this movie, rats outnumber humans in NYC nine to one. I accidentally got caught up in this predictable piece of cheese while flipping channels, error. Avoid this if you can. I don't think it's a good sign for a movie when you find yourself pulling for the rats - hoping they eat all the actors ...and the cameraman. Though I will hand it to them, they made me not want to ride a subway ever again. And while I'm sure a 3am viewing of this film would be more creepy-crawly, even the 2pm version was enough to make y'squirm. But why? Why do we need this movie. I guess there's an answer: 30 years ago, they brought in cats to handle the rat problem in my neighborhood (true story), and after this film, I feel I owe the then-mayor a thank-you note. Maybe I'll track him down.
Tadpole (2002)
A fun evening you don't want to miss.
A very entertaining and intelligently scripted comedy, "Tadpole" focuses on 15-year-old Oscar Grubman (Stanford) who is mature beyond his years and finds himself in a web of adult play which leads to a series of humorous intrigues only the silver screen can capture so well. No spoilers here, just see it and enjoy. Bebe Neuwirth shines, as do Sigourney Weaver, John Ritter and the entire cast, tightly knit, all on their toes, led by brilliant newcomer, Aaron Stanford. Watch for him; he's clearly going places.
Dancing in the Shadows (1999)
Tragic and timely, extremely well written
Heather Bergdahl stands out as a shining newcomer to the silver screen in this tragic tale of the abandonment of youth in today's society. The script, is extremely well written, thought provoking, and the filming is complimentary to the innovative direction and blocking. There should be more poignant films of this nature reaching the world today. Maybe we would all live in a better place.