heszyfilm Reviews

Politics (2019)

Excellent spoof

[8/10 · 12 October 2019]

This movie was a thoroughly entertaining spoof of the PiS party, a certain church leader, and the PO. The several chapters definitely leaned towards the PiS caricatures. Unbalanced? Perhaps, but since PiS has been in control of the government in Poland for years, they obviously would be able to do more that would be worthy of spoofing and mocking. It would have been funnier if it wasn't based on real people who have done real damage to Poland.

It was disappointing to see all the other bad reviews which were obviously written by PiS supporters. Based on how little they actually wrote, I wonder if any actually even saw the movie.

Hatred (2016)

Powerful, difficult to watch, but an important story

[8/10 · 28 October 2017]

A very powerful movie. The acting and cinematography were excellent. Michalina Labacz especially shines in her lead role. Although the movie is two and a half hours long the pacing keeps your attention throughout.

As many have noted, this film has a great deal of graphic violence. Not only quick killings, but also gruesome torture. It is a testament to the director that for the most part he does not linger on such scenes. For me, it was not always the case, and there were several times that I had to look away.

The characters are numerous and of many nationalities and religions, but the movie rarely casts anyone as black and white caricatures. No side comes out as pure and innocent, or completely evil. Along with the massacres by Ukrainians, we also see the arrogance of Polish upper class village residents, and even protection by some German soldiers.

The swirl of death on all sides and by all sides leaves one numb by the end, but it important story. In addition to telling the story of an often overlooked part of East European history, it also is a more general warning of how easily the dark side of humanity can come forward in times of adversity.

The Whistleblower (2010)

Difficult yet important story

[8/10 · 29 May 2011]

The previous reviewer obviously didn't know that this is a true story. The specific victims were fictionalized, but the overall story of what was happening and what Rachel Wiesz's character went through are true. They are not a contrived, or "generic" "CSI" story.

That said, as a movie, Whistleblower delivers in telling about this difficultand important event. Some of the scenes were hard to watch, but, as the director mentioned at the Q&A after the screening I saw, it was just scratching the surface of what was going on. Vanessa Redgrave's character, though her scenes were relatively brief, really shined. I appreciated that the cinematography didn't involve any fancy styles or overly dramatic music. The director let the impact of the story itself, and Rachel Wiesz's fine acting, carry the movie.

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction (2009)

Everything a Zombie Movie Should Be

[10/10 · 2 June 2009]

I just got back from seeing this movie at the Seattle International Film Festival and must say I thoroughly enjoyed it. The movie had just the right balance of comic elements, gore, good consistent pacing, and bouts of scariness. There was an occasion or two where the movie almost veered into more serious violence, but nothing that spoiled the overall fun-horror mood. Once the zombies start making their appearance, the movie just doesn't stop giving the viewer laughs, chills, and a constantly advancing story. The acting was very good, especially from the female lead. And the story actually made sense within its own context; I get tired of those who think a zombie movie doesn't really have to have a storyline that makes sense. Great light-hearted fun!

Chef's Special (2008)

Too much anti-gay rhetoric

[3/10 · 26 May 2009]

First, I should say that the movie definitely had some funny, enjoyable scenes. However, the movie was laden with way too many derogatory gay jokes. I was uncomfortable hearing so many bigoted, insulting, ignorant jokes. Many in the audience I was in laughed, but I squirmed at every "joke." Even in the movie's context of perhaps mocking homophobes, it was not necessary to have some many. Could you imagine a movie about African-Americans full of white characters spouting out a constant barrage of jokes about fried chicken and bananas and athletic prowess? And was it necessary for the main character to be such an effeminate stereotype? As for the plot, the director's soap opera experience was obvious; the plot had several wrenching shifts from light humor to attempts at deep seriousness. If you want to see good Spanish humor without the stereotyping and gay-bashing "jokes," I'd suggest Almodovar's many excellent comedies.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Too Bloody

[2/10 · 12 December 2007]

I'm not against blood and violence in and of itself, but the amount of blood and the overly-long visual of the first kill in this movie were much more than necessary to contribute to the story. Gratuitous blood and violence is just disturbing and gory, and takes away from the movie. I had to look away several times. And I've had no problem with such movies as 'Saving Private Ryan,' with its considerable amount of death and dismemberment. Leaving detail and length of a killing to the imagination can be much more scary and conducive to setting a mood or developing a character, without just grossing out the audience. At the end of the movie during the screening I saw, the audience was just silent; probably in shock at the level of gore.

And this was unfortunate since the acting and singing were otherwise quite good, but instead of appreciating these positive aspects, I keep thinking about the gore. Lowering the blood level by 80% would probably have increased by vote to a 7 or 8.

Eating Out (I) (2004)

Hot guys, but I wouldn't want to be their friends....

[2/10 · 27 December 2005]

Warning: Spoilers

Two parts of the movie really irked me:

1) When Gwen is trying to seduce Caleb, she says something about him trying "normal" sex first. For someone whose best friend is gay, that seems like a pretty homophobic thing to say, as if gay sex is not "normal," but straight sex is. 2) After the horrible things Gwen has to say about Kyle at the end, Caleb (who earlier professed how much he cares for Kyle) doesn't even bat an eye and still wants to be with Gwen.

Gwen is a bad person, the acting is bad, the story weak; it's only good for admiring Ryan Carnes' and Scott Lunsford's hot bods. Just rent it and watch with the sound off.