peterdeuk Reviews

The Tale (2018)

Breathe deep

[10/10 · 27 May 2018]

This is one of the most honest, disturbing yet beautiful explorations of a subject that is all too often over-simplified or dealt with extremely heavy-handily.

The way that the abuse is discussed within the characters frozen in time in the main character's psyche, is profound and unflinchingly honest. The discussions in real-life between mother and daughter - painfully real.

I will be thinking about this film for some time to come, it is an invitation to look much more closely at the stories we tell ourselves, especially with regards to "love".

Fray (2012)

So accurate it hurts!

[10/10 · 24 May 2018]

What a perfect depiction of the life of a PTSD sufferer, understated and intimate - I have never seen such a candid portrayal of the day-to-day strife post-trauma!

As a film it is beautifully directed and skilfully carried in virtual silence by Bryan Kaplan who is painfully insular and brooding, yet longing for connection and joys of the life he once had.

Really enjoyed watching it and found it completely cathartic!

The Cleveland Show (2009–2013)

Open your eyes and minds!!

[9/10 · 10 January 2016]

I am so surprised and slightly disgusted at the amount of bad reviews there are on The Cleveland Show. As at least one other has said, I can only put this down to some form of obscured racism.

Objectively this is one of the funniest shows I have ever seen, if watched as intended. It is warmer than Family Guy but no less shocking, and it packs in as many jokes as American Dad. It really does stand it's own, with flying colours in my opinion.

It is absurd. It is supposed to be! It isn't particularly political, it doesn't delve too deeply in to anything in-particular, but it is consistently laugh-out-loud funny. It is intended for audiences who want to be entertained and don't mind if it's an over-weight, African American family doing it, no attention span required.

Think Spongebob, but longer, ruder, funnier. Do yourself a favour and open your mind, forget what you have heard and prepare to laugh, a lot. Or just copy what everyone else says and does and be a passive-racist.

Lost Highway (1997)

Hmm

[17 August 2004]

Lost Highway is neither good nor bad in my opinion, visually it is stunning and like others have said the sound track is excellent and brilliantly placed in the film, but once again David Lynch has succeeded in isolating the viewer from the meaning of the film. Like I say this is neither positive or negative, but it is surely pretentious and 'cocky'. After saying that even when writing this, which started off in anger and confusion, LH has found a way to sink into my mind somehow and replay itself. i had exactly the same experience with Mulholland Drive, it frustrated me to a rare extent but I couldn't get it out of my head. i want to believe that Lynch follows his instincts when creating a film and that the gaps in plot and absurdity happen organically and are not contrived, for what would be the possible reason for frustrating an audience on purpose and with no resolution? Don't get me wrong I am not naive and i understand that this is of course part of the appeal for many of his fans, it just grates me, perhaps I am just annoyed that his films seem to pride themselves on having me not understand them and then tend to laugh in my face because I still love them! regardless I cling onto the hope that we are experiencing certain aspects of the plot at the same level as him, for if he is not also denied access to meaning then he must think himself above his audience and i believe that would make him a childish, spiteful film maker.