I really like this movie. It's a window into another world that I knew nothing about previously: Mongolia. It's amazing hat the filmmakers actually journeyed there with Pena. That's the part I enjoyed the most. And the music is great, too. I've been looking for the soundtrack CD to this movie, but no luck yet. I think this documentary should have gotten the Academy Award - but I guess that's politics. I also enjoyed the character of the Mongolian throat singer. He seems like such a nice guy, and on top of that he is a politician in Mongolia. I highly recommend this documentary for anyone who wishes to be entertained and watch something of substance.
Reviews
4 Reviews
Nice doc about crazy event
15 August 2004
I saw this film at a film festival and thought about the event and people portrayed in it. These people who compete in the truck give-away are a sad bunch. They are willing to subject their bodies to an inhuman hardship just to be able to get a truck. Bit they already have cars, so what's up with that. Is it that area of East Texas that breeds these poor dumb son-of-a-bitches to lay down their health to maybe get a new truck? On top of that, some of them seem to have been in training for this. Some of them are religious fanatics, born again Christians: is this what Jesus would have done? To stand in heat for days to be able to acquire an earthly possession. This is a weird look into a weird group of rural Americans - somewhat exploitative of them.
Misplaced
(1989)
HIGH LEVEL ACTING MAKES FOR ABSORBING DRAMA
14 August 2004
I saw this film at the Toronto Film Festival and then caught it on American Playhouse on PBS-TV and I thought it was really well made.
John Cameron Mitchell plays a shy teenager making his way in a strange, often hostile new world. He speaks very little during the movie, but his eyes and the set of his mouth show us the tension that builds as his pride takes a beating again and again. His mother's (played by Elzbieta Czyzewska the model for the Sally Kirkland role in the film 'Anna') and his experiences are never played for just for laughs and their journey through their lives is satisfying. This boy has real steel inside him, but his emotions seem constantly ricochet between fight and flight. He is proud, smart, and hurting, and what we can see of his inner life is infinitely moving.
Viveca Lindfors, whose face seems to grow more beautiful with every gully, plays grandmother with a kind of wounded majesty that is right in keeping with the character's particular sort of misplacement. Talk about star presence: the frames she's in practically quiver with her power.
The emigrant struggle to build a new life in an alien land is familiar enough, but the observations of writer/director Yansen are especially revealing, giving us a picture of contemporary America through the eyes of newcomers that doesn't pull punches. Both mother and son face a very nearly overwhelming challenge in winning acceptance and opportunities worthy of them.
MISPLACED is a frank and fascinating picture of the stresses faced by immigrants to these shores. In scenes that are often short but telling, it handles a laundry list of situations, ranging from class distinctions to racism to sexual mores. The film's superb acting all but obscures any low budget flaw. The movie is funny, touching and beautifully modulated.
John Cameron Mitchell plays a shy teenager making his way in a strange, often hostile new world. He speaks very little during the movie, but his eyes and the set of his mouth show us the tension that builds as his pride takes a beating again and again. His mother's (played by Elzbieta Czyzewska the model for the Sally Kirkland role in the film 'Anna') and his experiences are never played for just for laughs and their journey through their lives is satisfying. This boy has real steel inside him, but his emotions seem constantly ricochet between fight and flight. He is proud, smart, and hurting, and what we can see of his inner life is infinitely moving.
Viveca Lindfors, whose face seems to grow more beautiful with every gully, plays grandmother with a kind of wounded majesty that is right in keeping with the character's particular sort of misplacement. Talk about star presence: the frames she's in practically quiver with her power.
The emigrant struggle to build a new life in an alien land is familiar enough, but the observations of writer/director Yansen are especially revealing, giving us a picture of contemporary America through the eyes of newcomers that doesn't pull punches. Both mother and son face a very nearly overwhelming challenge in winning acceptance and opportunities worthy of them.
MISPLACED is a frank and fascinating picture of the stresses faced by immigrants to these shores. In scenes that are often short but telling, it handles a laundry list of situations, ranging from class distinctions to racism to sexual mores. The film's superb acting all but obscures any low budget flaw. The movie is funny, touching and beautifully modulated.
All About My Mother
(1999)
One of the best films ever made
13 August 2004
I first saw this movie at the Seattle Film Festival and was really blown away by it. What a adventurous story this is. Almodovar has been consistently making one great film after another. He is one of the most prolific directors alive today. He never shies away from interesting material. And he is always pursuing new things stylistically. The acting in this film is superb also. High calliber actors everywhere doing the best work of their lives. I especially liked Cecilia Rath's performance - simple and no-nonsense stuff. How do we get more films like this made? I wander if Almodovar can sustain work on this scale in the future. I really hope he does and I plan to see every one of his films.
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