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hami5150
Reviews
Zipper (2015)
Well done technically, enjoyable to watch, falls flat with stereotypes
Somewhat typical drama about another rich and powerful man becomes a hypocrite. The difference with this film is that just about everyone else in the film is a hypocrite as well.
What the film does well... the acting, cinematography, and the script (to an extent). I do enjoy nudity, and this movie does do it in a way that isn't over the top and overly graphic.
The problems I had with the film were that it's another film about how rich and powerful men do pretty much whatever they want and get away with it, while all the women in the film are weak "whores". They get what they want by using sex, be it for drugs or power, and in the end it still gives the impression that's all they are really good for, which is surprising being that the film was directed by a woman.
While it does deliver a message that you can be a "whore" in more ways than just having sex for money, it still doesn't exactly "punish" the hypocrites, but rather seems to blame the weak. Which, I suppose, is what life is actually like.
I found myself feeling only for one character, and that was Jennifer. It isn't because she is gorgeous (which she is, but so were just about all the women), but because she was the one that not only was the most innocent, but also the one that was taken advantage of the most. And when Ellis had the chance to help her, he chose rather to treat her even less like an escort and more like a streetwalker, especially after seeing that she had a drug problem and exploiting that weakness. But even after she made clear that she actually liked him, and even after he treated her like a hooker, she still showed some real emotion and humanity. What makes the scene even more powerful is that is shows that Ellis is even more of an addict, yet is still the one in power and control.
If the aim of the film was to cast a light on how misogynistic hypocrites can continue their addictions without any real recourse since some one (in particular, a woman) will come to their "rescue" by whoring themselves, then this movie did a great job. I gave the 8 stars based solely on the fact that the film was very well done technically and the acting was worthy of praise, but the ending fell flat and just played into more stereotypes, which even independent films are falling prey to now.
Circle (2015)
Good movie...and then the typical ending happens
It's a surprisingly nicely done psycho-thriller, much like the movie Cube, only without all the Saw-type booby traps and gore. There were a few holes and flaws in the characters thinking (i.e. how did the "couple" manage to hatch a plan to lie about being married so fast without anyone hearing them, what did the girl whisper to the Latino man who didn't speak English just before she was eliminated, and once they realized they had a minister in the room, why didn't they vote him off? After all, if he believes, then he has the least to fear of all of them). I really liked how I thought it was going to end, and actually felt myself tearing up a bit that this little girl was going to sacrifice herself, only to have that ruined with the guy tricking them. Then, it just turned into a typical forced ending of ambiguity. And, of course, the young white guy is the survivor. Not only did this movie lose me at the end, they also lose serious creativity points. The ending made no sense, and brought zero closure to the whole thing. I personally would have liked to seen an ending more along the lines of the last guy is the "winner", but the prize is that he gets to be a guinea pig for the aliens, while we see the others who were "eliminated" waking up together back on Earth, realizing that they actually "won". But, that's just a thought. It was an enjoyable film, just went into the ravine at the end.