mystemo Reviews

Women at War: Épisode 8 (2022) Season 1, Episode 8

Love it. Please more

[10/10 · 7 February 2023]

What an amazing production. Every character was enjoyable, even the nefarious ones, and by the end I was in tears. Some could accuse this of, at times, being soapy but I'd say the nearest comparison would be the pacing and tone of Downton Abbey that straddles that historical content and fictionalised characters. This all prefaced by the fact there is no sugar coating some of the horrors of war but never descends into sensationalism. This series could end here but possibly there is certainly opportunity to do more but so so well done to everyone and especially Audrey Floret for an amazing performance. If you need more proof how good she is also check out Un Village Francais and Spiral as well.

The Wheel of Time: The Flame of Tar Valon (2021) Season 1, Episode 6

Everyone take a breath

[9/10 · 12 December 2021]

'Woke' and 'trash' are getting thrown around here way too easily with this show. The show is BASED upon Robert Jordans books and not verbatim. Frankly if they were the show would not translate well and also frankly needs to be brought up to date with today's viewers who are fed superhero movies at breakneck speed.

I am thoroughly enjoying this series and I have actually read the book. Get over yourselves and enjoy the show.

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008 Video)

Well, not as good as the first, but much better than the second

[6/10 · 24 June 2008]

I tell ya I was dying to see this movie when I heard it was going to be released and it is a mixed bag. The Starship Troopers universe is explored in more detail - we see more of the Federation and their behind the scenes antics plus we also get to see what Rico is up to nowadays. You can tell Casper Van Dien has aged from the first movie, but he does such a good job in his role. You can tell his character has been amongst ongoing struggles and has such a commanding presence. And yes he gets his gear off once again (phew, I was hoping). The supporting cast is OK - the Admiral is excellently bitchy and authoritative and the Pilot was very tough and yet feminine, but the rest were merely bodies to fill the screen, in my opinion. The film does touch on a bit of this and a bit of that, but just falls short of feeling substantial, what the first film achieved so successfully. The special effects are adequate for the budget and often look quite OK - there are also a few gory moments for those into exploding heads and such. Probably the most disappointing aspect was not the fact that the ending was awfully soppy, clichéd and predictably going to lend itself for a sequel, but that the Marauder element was so miniscule that if you blinked you'd miss it (relative to the remaining bulk of the film). Hopefully in the next film they push the marauders more and don't get bogged down in too much unnecessary dialogue. But overall Starship Troopers 3 is a worthy watch and a decent followup to the other films. Thankyou for coming back to the series Casper, that's all I can say :)

Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story (2004 TV Movie)

Oh dear

[1/10 · 4 March 2006]

Tell me, what do you get when you squeeze as many cheesy clichés into a movie as possible? Answer - Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story. I am gay and I was very embarrassed by this film, how it deals with a very topical issue regarding religion and homosexuality and, more to the point, Marc Hall's struggle through this ordeal. The humour (or attempt at such) dominated the film, so by the time we reached an emotionally exhausted Marc at the courthouse we have not had much of a chance to empathise with him because of the annoying crap inserted everywhere. This means what could have been a moving drama with light comedic elements, now becomes a farce. On many occasions gay people are shown as the token butch lesbian, the highly effeminate hand-model, the bear, the P-Flag Mother, the twink - all superficial stuff and totally misses the point the film is trying to make that no matter who you are, we all have the ability to love and be loved for who we are (my favourite bit at the end when the schoolkids leave the school to support Marc, they all seem to find a huge crate of rainbow flags at the Catholic school and run out of the school carrying them - PLEASE!). The perception that could be taken is that gay people are so far stretched from the average joe that they are freaks and are completely different to you and me. So many other films have covered the innate meaning of being gay so much better and this film is so very naive in terms of this. I felt for the actor portraying Marc because as his character was getting so fed up with all the pressure from the public, I could see he was the only one who got the message at all and getting frustrated too. All I can say is, try again and let's not continue to push the tired stereotypes of what it is to be gay.

Hostel (2005)

A very pleasant surprise

[8/10 · 24 February 2006]

I must admit, Roth has redeemed himself with Hostel after an abysmal outing with Cabin Fever. In that film I could not care less if these characters lived or died because they were so unlikeable. It is SO important in horror or thriller movies to make the characters so relateable that you could imagine that it is actually you in their situation. I am pleased to say that Hostel works very well in this area. Three guys backpacking through Europe together get a tip-off that there is a bevy of beautiful women in a town in Bratislava who are ready and willing for anything. It happens that the guys aren't having too much luck in the people-saturated Amsterdam, so they decide to trek over to this town. And so the mystery and terror begins... One of the things I was shocked by was the polish of this film - not often do people describe horror movies as beautiful - from the cinematography to the score. A good example is the intro with the credits: snapshots of a dank place somewhere with someone whistling, cleaning up a room of some sort from many different angles, often blurred or out of focus - but never actually knowing what the heck is going on. Now, for a supposedly gory and ultra-violent movie, I found these sensoral moments very rewarding. For me, buckets of bloods splattering the screen is not scary - more often what you don't see will terrify the viewer much more effectively, so the actual goriness of the movie only accounts for roughly 20% but, because of the other 80% involved, the 20% becomes crucial to the telling of the story (YES, an intriguing story in a horror movie). After an intro of getting to know the characters, once events happen to take them away from the main action you feel for them and their fate. Even beyond this movie, it leaves you with a sense of what happens next? and not just a sequel for sequels' sake. Jay Hernandez is excellent in his role, showing a great vulnerability for a male lead when it was possible for him to become all 'Die Hard' on us - that said, he knows when to bring out the big guns when required. The other two includes Hernandez's friend who began the journey with him and tries to summon the courage to approach the very forward women in Amsterdam, and an Icelandic backpacker who is the complete opposite joined them along the way who bringing a lot of humour to the tale. The terror in the movie is excellent and the psychology of the characters, intriguing to say the least, albeit disturbing. As with most horror movies, the overall message is the same regarding our human ability to trust others and when it is misplaced. I am hoping with the sequel they can build on and enhance the atmosphere created in this movie and continue to chill the pants right off us :)

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

A view from both sides of the fence

[7/10 · 29 February 2004]

If there is something I must praise Mel Gibson for regarding The Passion of The Christ it is the amazing debate and discussion it has provoked before and after people have seen it. He has succeeded in creating a very discomforting experience for the viewer, creating essentially 2 hours of a man being beaten for his views and beliefs, caught up in a very tumultuous political and social environment. Conversely, however, I am worried that the focus on the violent/physical aspect of the story may have blindsided the intentions of Christ in his works. Think for a moment about someone viewing this film with no knowledge of Christ whatsoever. You can assume from the lead up that he is a man, connected to the world around him, causing no obvious harm. Suddenly, he is taken by force and soon enough the beatings begin until the close of the film. My point is that I do not believe there was enough empathy created, via the film, to sustain a long lasting belief in this man. Any reasonable person would plea for the soldiers to stop beating him, but the significance of these 12 hours of barbarity, I felt, was not present as it should be. As a showcase of Christ, I think this film has its pros and cons. The intensity of the pain and suffering that he endured is very clear - no questioning that at all - but I felt that the physical brutality overshadowed the significance of the events before and after the film. Gibson easily could have spent another half an hour identifying many of the characters and running down a brief history of Christ's work before introducing Judas's betrayal. In addition, the end of the film was very much masked in assumed knowledge of the resurrection - this section needed something more before ending. From a cinematic perspective, I cannot fault Gibson's portrayal - the screen was filled with very pervasive images of the environment, the people and, of course, Christ. The film in itself was only considered violent by people due to the ongoing repetitive punishment and the consistent and increasing blood content on Christ's body. People have a psychological association with the colour red - hence why in films such as Kill Bill Vol 1, Quentin Tarantino opted for Black and White to offset the effect it may have had on audiences. In Passion, I do believe the red was needed to create a sickening effect.

So, should you see this film? People with a knowledge of the Bible will be able to visualise events before and after the film, therefore enjoying the film immensely. People who know less will feel neglected by the film, questioning many aspects of the film and its issues unanswered by the feature. No matter which side of the fence you reside in, this film has succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams in creating discussions about each and everyone's values and beliefs in this very divided society of ours. 7 out of 10.