rex-10 Reviews

Forrest Gump (1994)

Hollow

[3/10 · 21 August 2005]

Well, if you are in the mood for a hollow "feel good movie" this will fit the bill. But if you are looking for substance, or a film that makes you think, this film will leave you knowing you can never get the time back you just spent watching this movie. The soundtrack probably causes movie-goers to connect to the film more than the flimsy plot.

At the time this film was released, Hanks was perhaps the most sought after leading man. In some ways, it is as though the studios were on a quest to turn him into his generation's Jimmy Stewart. Hanks is a solid actor, and has acted in many excellent roles, but this is not one of them. But this film certainly helped launch the "Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Restaurant" found at tourist traps all across the United States. In many ways, that is this film's legacy - made for theater tourist looking for a vacation for the mind.

Nobody Knows (2004)

Not as good as "Afterlife" or "Grave of the Fireflies"

[5/10 · 15 March 2005]

I like this director. I liked this touching story. But to emphasize the passing of time the director, Hirozaku Kore-Eda, allows so much time to pass that I started getting restless in my seat. This is not normal for me, as I can watch a Terrence Malick film like "Badlands," or "Thin Red Line" or a Jim Jarmusch film like "Stranger than Paradise" where the director takes his time, and still find the film enjoyable. So be warned, in watching this you may wish that more was edited out. However, one could argue that the strength of the film is the attention to details. The favorite candy of a little girl... The weeds growing between the cracks and on the balcony... The flirtations between a boy and a girl... The brush with shoplifting to make friends... it is vignettes such as these that make the film so true to life.

In terms of similar story line you may be interested in a 1988 Japanese anime, "Grave of the Fireflies" (aka "Hotaru no haka") about a brother and sister abandoned after the fire-bombings of Tokyo in WWII.

If you are looking for an interesting film by this director that is more likely to make you think, rent "Afterlife" (aka "Wandafuru raifu").

The Goddess (1960)

provocative psychological drama - NOT bollywood

[9/10 · 10 October 2004]

This film was made in 1960. This is interesting because it is highly doubtful that the same film could be made in India today, in spite of India's massive film industry. The film does a great depiction of the crisis faced by people struggling to be modern yet encumbered with the traditional systems and the specter of having been colonized.

The younger son is ready to walk away from the bondage of traditional and as he sees, the superstition of the traditional life. Of course, he is reaping the benefit of life as a high caste. His young wife becomes the Devi - the embodiment of the goddess. This film also works well for its psychological content for the way we see the father project his desires onto those around him, and the choices faced by each character. In light of the fundamentalism worldwide - Christian, Muslim & Hindu - it is hard to image that this film could be made today in India since it leans to a skeptical view of Darsan and the goddess.

Heaven & Earth (1993)

Heaven and Hell

[6/10 · 2 August 2002]

Heaven and Earth does present us with a welcome and new perspective. The Vietnamese peasant has rarely been considered other than as a prop or static / background characters. Sadly, Le Ly, the village girl does not tell an unusual or unique story. The film succeeds in depicting how literally damned villagers were if they do and were damned if they don't, when it came to the forces that swept through constantly molesting and looting them.

Le Ly was guilty of signaling the ambush (the scene where she is taking off the jacket as she walked through the field.) This speaks to Michael Herr's comment on innocent, which again is something that we are being brought to believe about Le Ly. How innocent one is when they give the signal to someone waiting in ambush becomes rather untenable, especially when it results in death. She is then rounded up as a VC. I certainly don't advocate the physical and psychological torture administered to her by the ARVN and supervised by an American. But she had certainly become more than an innocent bystander.

Her mother wins her release through a bribe, depicting the often-represented theme of corruption within the GVN/ARVN ranks. The idealism of the propaganda fed to the villagers (her included) is quickly shattered as VC boys of her own village rape her. Sadly, this situation, being suspect by both ARVN and VC operating in her village's area compels her and her mother (who has also become suspect by winning the release of her daughter) to go to the city where they can live and become more anonymous.

The `master' seduction scene demonstrates that it is not only the Anglo foreigners with a `Lord Jim' wish to fulfill. He is quite happy to have a young county-bumpkin wrapped like a dog ‘round his feet. But even this misfortune is too good to last. As tortured physically and psychologically, as she has been, dear old mom supplies another assault by demeaning her while pleading to the master as she tries to maintain their position with the aristocratic family.

The Chinese had a saying during the Cultural Revolution, `alive in the bitter sea' and such is Le Ly's saga. No matter where she turns she is stymied. The corruption of the government is again seen on its operative level when the infamous `white-mice' shake her down when she is caught hawking goods on the street. (Her life is one big shake down. So were many of the lives of the boat people, who also had to endure Thai pirates pulling out gold filled teeth and other depravations on the high seas...)

Up to this point she had all my sympathy. Enter Tommy Lee Jones. `Steve' is, to borrow a line from Mad Max, 'a one-way suicide machine.' His fuse had been lit long before their lives collide. By the time his time bomb detonates, there is already plenty of wreckage for the family to crawl out from. His detestable objectifying of her `a good oriental woman' and Larry's Thanksgiving comment `I had me one of them in Okinawa' expresses an amalgamation of chauvinism and racism. Le Ly's resilience is a nice quasi-feminist answer to those self-destructive male characters.

The so-called Buddhist elements were lacking in what they seemed to be attempting. The compulsion Stone has for heavy-handed platitudes in the narration of his films, such as `Same suffering, different skin' actually erode the compelling nature of the story for me. Ultimately, though I like and appreciate Stone's work in films such as Salvador, Platoon, and others that he has been involved with directing or producing, he also maintains a body of work that aren't quite there. I thought Heaven and Earth was an important film, but I feel that this film might have been better if Tony Bui or someone else directed it.

Lastly, the true-life story of the actor who played Le Ly's father, Haing S. Ngor, is HIGHLY recommended for those who haven't seen `The Killing Fields.'

Maryam (2002)

thought provoking - see it now

[9/10 · 25 July 2002]

This film is so relevant to today. It is sad to see that similar hatred has erupted in 2001 as in 1979. These are issues facing American society and the discourse of race/ethnicity. How Maryam negotiates the already challenging world of high school cliques and competitiveness is complicated by her heritage. She sees herself as a typical American girl, but with the Iranian hostage crisis that world quickly burns away... This movie should be made available to schools and should have the professors and teachers engage their classes in discussion on "otherness".

Platoon (1986)

Not just surface Violence (see book Tropic Thunder, Red Lightning)

[9/10 · 17 July 2002]

I may be over analyzing the film. It certainly appears at first glance that other than the deer appearing after the battle, and the talk of soul in Chris's/Charlie Sheen's final narration there is very little symbolism in the film… basically every thing is what it is.

However, I believe that even if Mr. Stone didn't intend it, the fact that Chris picks up an AK-47 to kill SSGT Barnes is important. There are weapons (and bodies) all over the battlefield but he picks up the AK-47. It must be noted that the Armalite Rifle or M-16 as it became known had become the weapon of the ARVN forces and the US troops (and is still the primary issue for US forces today.) This weapon then, represents the `establishment' or the status quo power. The silhouette of an AK-47 on the other hand, had come to represent revolution the whole world over. Chris's use of the AK-47 was not to hide the fact that Barnes was killed by an M-16, as Bergerud's book points out, ‘friendly fire' casualties were a fact of life in Vietnam.

When I combine the integrated `potheads' dancing to ‘tracks of my tears,' I wonder if the tears are related to the civil rights struggle back home. Taylor's `I volunteered' speech when he gives his reasons that it shouldn't just be black kids and poor kids doing the ‘s**t jobs' also add to my belief that the AK-47 is relevant as a taking up the opposition to fight the establishment. Barnes also represented the `lifer' or career military and from there one can extrapolate that to include the Pentagon establishment who tenaciously clung to the belief in some kind of victory in spite of evidence that the population rejected the Saigon government could be had. By killing Barnes, it seems Oliver Stone might shed a different light on the comments Chris Taylor/Charlie Sheen makes at after the rampage at the village and the divisiveness it brought the platoon: `…I can't believe we're fighting each other when we should be fighting them!' In this view the ‘Them' could be the establishment that created a world in which a Vietnam could take place. His platitudes at the end don't dissuade me from seeing Chris Taylor (as Oliver Stone) having undergone a personal sea change. `We didn't fight the enemy we fought ourselves…'

Stone could very well express these sentiments, `The war is over for me now… but it will always be there the rest of my days… as I am sure Elias will be fighting with Barnes for what Rhah called the possession of my soul... Those of us who did make it have an obligation to build again and try with what's left of our lives to find a goodness and meaning to this life.' `…To teach others what we know…'

This obligation statement is almost a verbatim reprise of the defeated Japanese soldiers in the movie `The Burmese Harp' (1956.) They say the same thing about a duty to go home and rebuild after the war, though there isn't a statement accepting or even acknowledging any wrongdoing. Thirty years separate these films. I would not exactly say they claim ‘war is senseless,' though they both overwhelm the viewer with the senseless waste of lives caused by war.

Other points of note: when we see the APC (armored personnel carrier) roll up behind the patrol looking for survivors after the battle, there is a Nazi flag on the top of it (it is very close to the top of the screen and hard to make out, and is not the typical hakenkruz on the white circle in a red field, but the one that was meant to express a ‘pan-Aryanism' with the Scandinavian people by having a red field with a black cross outlined by a white cross and the swastika in the crux.) Is Stone implying a fascist nature to this war?

Secondly, we briefly see the men who are the despicable `ear collectors' I had read about in a 1981 book called `Nam.' They would string the ears on their dog-tag necklace as a show of bravado of how many ‘confirmed kills' they had. (Though there are some interesting perspectives brought out by ‘Nam' much of that book reads like war crimes…)

The shot of the lynched soldier was a strange inclusion, considering the Blacks marching against the war at home carrying a banner that stated, `The VC never called me a nigger'. I wondered why Stone did that. Furthermore, except for a glimpse at a suspected VC in the tunnel shot by Elias, we never actually see a VC in the film. The person shot by Elias is not attacking. We see their tunnels, the arms caches, their posts, campsites and bunkers. It's always only hints of them. The only Vietnamese we see attacking are NVA regulars. Is this saying Stone does not blame the popular Front forces for attacks on US troops?

`Gook' is also used through out the film, as it was in Vietnam. This word entered the GI lexicon through the Korean War. ‘Han Gook' is Korean for Korea/Korean. The Korean's would see the American's and say `Mi Gook' which is Korean for America/American. The GI's thought the Koreans were saying they were ‘gooks' Me Gook. The carrying of the word from Korea to Vietnam shows the tendency of latent dehumanizing racism ‘they all look alike'…

Speaking of Human, David Lynch, the director of The Elephant Man (1980) was furious that Stone used Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings since he had used it in his film and hoped when people heard it they would reflect on it. He must have sensed that people are now more likely to associate Adagio with the ‘Elias crucified' scene. However, there is another connection to the Elephant Man. Think of Taylor stopping the gang rape. The GI's respond, `she's an animal!' to which Chris shouts back, `She's a HUMAN BEING, man… a human being! This is an echo of John Hurt's line in Elephant Man, `I am not an animal! I am a human being! I...am...a man!'

There are a few more interesting points worth comment, but I will close by mentioning the suicide attack. Stone himself was the actor playing the Battalion Commander in the bunker that suffered the suicide attack. It is interesting that In response to the suicide attack, Captain Harris, the Company Commander calls in an air strike right on his own position. In other words it is as though he answered the suicide attack with a suicide attack. This seems analogous to the continuing inflow of US troops to Vietnam as a suicide. I will leave it off here in hope that someone else discusses the intentional inflicting of wounds on oneself as a means to be sent home.

Made Men (1999)

Lousy and ridiculous

[2/10 · 9 February 2001]

Right away, this film was ridiculous. Not that it didn't have redeeming aspects… For example, the best thing about this film was the beautiful background scenery. Anyone not living on the East Coast should know the South doesn't have beautiful mountains like those found in the West. I knew it was Utah right off the bat, but perhaps Dalton couldn't suppress his English accent, so they had to excuse it by saying this was a southern town. Subverting his accent into a Southern one was easier. Sure the film has plot twists, but its phony sense of place was something I couldn't get past. It's not like Utah doesn't have meth labs... so why the writers thought it necessary to pretend it was in the South is beyond me.

One other thing in action pictures always puzzles me. Why do they always make the "cocking" sound effect when the character pulls out an automatic handgun? It seemed every other sound effect in this movie was a "chuk-chich" signifying a 9mm was loaded and ready to fire. Of course, the weapons already had rounds chambered so this was unnecessary.

Lastly, the pyrotechnics were WAY over the top. But hey, this film was targeted to a certain 'market segment' I suppose... It's too bad. Each of the actors can act, but this film was lame.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Direction, Cinematography yes! Plot & character development, no.

[5/10 · 11 January 2001]

I suppose that many people in the West are awed by "Crouching" and hidden animals... but in Hong Kong, every other month there is another period piece with characters who can run over hedges, and glide through the air, and do other mystical things. The fact is too few understand anything of Taoism, but so many love to throw in the mystical Taoist crap, (similar to the recent interest in Wicca and the glut of teen-age witch programs on the WB network in the US...)

It is too bad, because I like Chow Yuen Fat, and Ang Lee films. I really wanted to like this one, too. In fact, each of the actors acted their hearts out, and the sets and scenery and backdrops were epic. But the story hardly moved me. I would have to be a pre-teen or teen-aged boy to go for the 'mystical sword, must return it to rightful owner, and avenge master' fare.

Hong Kong is the third largest producer of films in the World. They have made so many films like this for both TV and cinema... Oddly the two good guys (Michelle Yeo and Chow Yuen Fat) are Hong Kong stars, with Cantonese as their native language, but yet they do this film in Mandarin. Most Cantonese speakers in Hong Kong don't speak Mandarin... so, their Mandarin might be hard on the ears of some of the Mandarin viewers... But this is not the films flaw. The flaw is that the plot is mediocre and the character development is weak... making the actors have to overcome this roadblock in order to be compelling... Unfortunately, this film is shallow. I advise viewers to watch "King of Masks" instead. That is much better Chinese cinema. If I want to see Chow Yuen Fat avenge someone in an action picture, I'll pull out my old copy of "A Better Tomorrow." Or if you're looking for an action packed period piece requiring the suspension of disbelief see "A Chinese Ghost Story".

All About My Mother (1999)

All about excellent acting

[9/10 · 11 January 2001]

I saw this film because I loved "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown." This, though it has comic moments, is for Drama and acting lovers. In fact, if I were to compare the two films, I think of the two masks that symbolize the stage -- you know the two masks... One is happy and smiling, the other is frowning and sad. This is the counterweight to "Women on the Verge..."

It is sad, but not depressing. This film was so well acted, it is a shame it did not receive more attention in the USA (as in AWARDS). Perhaps the lead character, Manuela is just too Christlike in her acceptance of the flaws in people, and too ready to help those around her for it to make headway in the US.

True, there is some subject matter that may be a little too difficult for some viewers (transvestite prostitute, drug usage) but for someone looking for a story that is not canned and predictable, and not like anything offered from Hollywood, then this film is for you. The film does not ask you to accept everyone, it just depicts someone who does. Enjoy.

Chocolat (2000)

Some may think it's sweet... wasn't rich enough for me

[5/10 · 8 January 2001]

I agree with the earlier comment of another viewer, if you are caught up in anger over paganist themes, get over it and just watch the film... (but I will make an additional comment on this subject below.) Somehow Chocolat left me unsatisfied. It wasn't terrible, but it was hardly magical, despite striving to be.

Maybe my seat was uncomfortable, or I was restless, or guilty from playing hooky... but this show, though it had nice sets, great actors and nice scenery in a French gothic town, just was never able to win me over. I really wanted to enjoy it, but some of the stuff was so forced. It was simply not compelling.

For Hallstrom, this missed the 'judge not' theme of `Cider House Rules' by a wide margin. The `Christ taught acceptance, not exclusion' theme in Chocolat was so heavy handed, it became tiresome. In fact, if anyone is under siege from anyone, it is the Catholic Church from all the neopaganism that is so hip today in pop culture. On the other hand, it is sad that anything that is considered 'occult' by the current standard is immediately met with opposition by the American bible belt.

Maybe the international cast of characters were having a hard time understanding the director or each other... Again, I wouldn't dissuade you from seeing it, it just didn't work for me. I love Juliette Binoche & the other actors. Unfortunately, I just don't think this is their best.

The girl who plays the daughter was the actress who played "Ponnet". (A film which I highly endorse, it is very worth seeing. Perhaps it is easier to be 'wrangled' as a baby/toddler than as a pre-teen.)

Alfred Molina seems to be somewhat type-casted playing a similar character as Mellersh in "Enchanted April," only somewhat more uptight. Too bad. At any rate the depth of each character seemed lacking compared to the human-ness found in Cider House rules. If there is anything worth promoting in film it is the nature of being human.

Children of Heaven (1997)

Beautiful story... possible hidden meaning?

[13 December 2000]

`Children of Heaven,' (1997) Directed by Majid Majidi, is the story of a young boy who accidentally loses his sister's newly repaired shoes. They are a poor family and the lost pair happens to be her only pair. The remainder of the film is spent with the two children trying to figure out how to replace them without their father (who job is serving tea) and mother (who is seriously ill) finding out.

The film is special in that every moment seems to add to a deeper understanding of the compassion and humanity of each character. Furthermore, it is impossible for me to imagine a Hollywood film coaxing performances out of its stable of actors in the way this director achieves with these amateur actors.

As mentioned, the family is dirt poor. The father is of Turkish decent and works a menial job serving tea. When he returns home from work, he shows the duplicity that makes us all human. On the one hand he yells at his son, Ali, for not accomplishing his chores. Ali offers no rebuttal, because to admit where he was would be to admit he has lost his sister's only shoes. He scolds Ali, `What are your duties in this house?! To eat, sleep and play?! You're not a kid anymore! You're nine years old!' he goes on to say that by Ali's age he was already working to support the family. Then, within moments his softer side comes out. `I serve tea all day at the company… but Zahra's has a special taste.' This makes his daughter beam with pride.

The mom has a need for a surgery that they can't afford. The dad knows he can't afford it so instead, he uses scare tactics to discourage her from hoping for the surgery. He tells her he knows of other women who have been crippled by the surgery.

The story later focuses on Ali's running ability. There is going to be a race for children. The third place prize is a new pair of sneakers. Ali promises Zahra he will come in third and win her the shoes.

The suspense builds as he runs the race. Just at the end, as he is jockeying for third position, another boy intentionally knocks him down. With Herculean effort and determination Ali gets up and bolts for the finish line. He accidentally comes in first. His coach and classmates cheer, but he cries (partly because his shabby shoes have caused numerous blisters and lesions on his feet, but mostly because he has won the wrong prize.

The father on the other hand, has been window shopping for shoes, and finally has the money to buy some for his children. The film ends with Ali staggering into the shared courtyard where he lives. He sticks his blistered feet in the central fountain with his head hung low, not knowing the father will be returning home with shoes for them.

`The Color of Paradise' (1999) also directed by Majid Majidi, is a gorgeous film, both for the film's story and characters, as well as for the beautiful mountain scenery as a setting. The story depicts the life of a blind 8-year-old boy. His widowed father wants to get rid of him (because he doesn't fit into the father's plans for a new marriage.) Mohammad is brilliant boy; we figure this out just in the opening scenes. Just as in `Children of Heaven,' the director richly develops the characters. Mohammad is loved by just about everyone, except for his father. The father sees the blind boy as a burdensome. But to everyone else, he is a gift, and provides insights hitherto unseen (as depicted in several scenes both to the sighted – as with his sister's classmates & teacher -- and to the unsighted, as with the blind carpenter with whom he is sent to apprentice.) The film is a great tragedy though moments of the joys of life are well depicted.

Bear with me now. Just as George C. Scott's character, Justin Playfair, in `They might be Giants' pulled clues out of thin air that may not have been actual, he nevertheless came to a conclusion. So play Joanne Woodward's role and be Dr. Watson to my delusional fantasy for a moment.

In the films I have seen from Iran, I ask, `Why children as the actors?' My instinct is that telling subtle stories through children means one is less likely to offend Government censors. But if the story is about more than the beautiful drama and story on the surface, (which are worthy in their own right) then what are they about?

A little history and a few facts. (Stop rolling your eyes.) 90% of all Muslims today are Sunni. In Iran, the population is largely Shiite. The majority of Iranians are Persians, not Arabs (this is part of the reasons behind the tension between Iran and Iraq.) The Iranians speak Farsi and not Arabic. Once upon a time, the Shiites were persecuted (they still are in Iraq and in some other Arab nations.) To escape persecution the Shiite's adopted a practice called `tagiya' (concealment), hiding their beliefs. All this concealment changed in Persia in 1502 when the Safavids won control of Persia, and proclaimed Shiism as the state religion. They invited all Shiites to move to Persia. (Just for the record, what was left of the adherents of Zoroastrianism of Persia had already moved to India to avoid having to convert to Islam.)

The divisions between Sunni and Shiism immerged almost immediately following the Prophet Mohammed's death. Since Mohammed had no heir apparent, most of his followers sought to have an elective Caliph (successor). Others (who became the Shiite sect) believed that his successor should be someone from Mohammed's bloodlines, and favored Mohammed's cousin Ali. (I find this aspect of Islam fascinating considering Mohammed gave such specific instruction on wills, divorce and other aspects of life. It seems strange that he left out instructions on succession.)

This 7th century question resulted in a bloody schism. Ali was eventually elected Caliph, only to be murdered. One of Ali's sons was ambushed an another poisoned. This points to why martyrdom is admired in the Shiite tradition, being traceable back to the murders of the innocent son's of Ali.

In reference to this admiration of martyrdom, professor Thomas Magstadt states, `Similar motives led Iranian children to walk through the minefields ahead of soldiers during the war against Iraq: the Ayatollah Khomeini assured them that martyrdom in the jihad against Iraq would give them immediate entry into heaven. (in his book "Nations and Governments," italics added.) I believe this is the key if there is a story hidden in the story. Perhaps the children in Majid Majidi's movies are allegories for the children mentioned by Dr. Magstadt.

Consider the titles – Paradise & Heaven... the place where martyrs go. Ali is fearful of his father's wrath. Though fearful, he is willing to help his sister by using his feet in the foot race to help his sister get some shoes. The children who walked ahead of the soldiers must have been terrified. Perhaps not at first, but certainly after the first explosion from a mine perhaps tripped by a friend. In the case of the Color of Paradise, it is a blind boy. Perhaps his blindness signifies the fact that the children who walked these minefields were blind (innocent) to what their role was in the eight year long war between Iran and Iraq.

If this is so, do the father characters represent Khomeini? He is a harsh man, but also (more in the Children of Heaven, than in Color of Paradise) is shown as a man who loves his children (this is not until the end in Color of Paradise when he is full of remorsful love.) It's just my rank speculation… but that passage from Magstadt will leave me a believer in the possibility of deeeper meaning in the films on Iranian Children.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)

The Amazon as the Heart of Darkness

[10/10 · 25 November 2000]

This film is an excellent depiction of the melting away of Esprit de Corps, loyalty and humanity when the possibility of wealth is thrown into the mix. I had lamented that German cinema was lost after World War II, but I just wasn't looking hard enough.

Kinski plays the perfect manipulator who is driven mad both for riches and power in this epic Herzog production. Anyone up for an excellent adventure and the psychological aspects of that drive men to face impossible odds (and lose their sanity in the process) will enjoy this film. Think in the vein of "The Man Who Would Be King" and perhaps what had caused Col. Kurz to settle in the jungles of Southeast Asia before they sent Capt. Willard after him in "Apocalypse Now."

Face (I) (1997)

great acting, not convinced of other elements

[7/10 · 25 August 2000]

This is one of those unusual films where the actors all did their parts quite well and convincingly, however, the film itself seemed to be lacking something. I am sorry to say that part of the issue is with the editing.

I don't mind edits that tend to jump between past and present, but there just wasn't enough to demonstrate why Ray the alleged former socilist had turned to a life of crime. Therefore the jump-cut references fail to make the connection between his memory of a fateful protest in his youth and the man he was today.

The acting was brilliant, and each artist did a superb job, which is why I give it a 7. You could see that perhaps the writer had intended a more meaningful story, but some of it must have ended up on the cutting room floor.

A Pure Formality (1994)

You will continue thinking long after the credits roll

[10/10 · 14 August 2000]

It is difficult to comment on the film without alluding to the plot or the ending. I would recommend this film to anyone old enough to ponder on life and death. Of course this does not deal so much with the meaning of life, as it does with the meaning of death. Hopefully I have peaked your interest. See this film. I think it might end up as one of your all time favorites.

Such a Long Journey (1998)

Uplifting Slice of Mumbai

[27 June 2000]

This film was well scripted, well acted, and beautiful. It captures so much of what life is like for millions around the world not just in Bombay. We all have to deal with the human condidtion. We all have a parent-child relationship. We all have concerns about the quality of life in our immediate community, and are all ultimately affected by events on the international stage. I especially liked the philosphy of the street artist.

We have seen some of these actors before in bit parts in more mainstream films, but they all did such a fine job that I hope they continue to find parts in films worthy of their talents.

Such a Long Journey (1998)

Uplifting Slice of Mumbai

[27 June 2000]

This film was well scripted, well acted, and beautiful. It captures so much of what life is like for millions around the world not just in Bombay. We all have to deal with the human condition. We all have a parent-child relationship. We all have concerns about the quality of life in our immediate community, and are all ultimately affected by events on the international stage. I especially liked the philosophy of the street artist.

We have seen some of these actors before in bit parts in more mainstream films, but they all did such a fine job that I hope they continue to find parts in films worthy of their talents.

Time of the Gypsies (1988)

The bigger picture

[8/10 · 30 May 1999]

If anyone is wondering about life in the Balkans/South-Eastern Europe, this film, and other great films such as "Before the Rain," (Macedonia) "Requiem for Dominic" (Romania) and "L'america" (Albania) give an excellent picture of what it is to live in South East Europe.

We are fortunate this film was made in between the fall of the communism and the ethnic frenzy that has filled the power vacuum that exists now. I would comment that this film would never been made in current day. With the US led terror bombing, no film could be produced. Of course, Yugoslavia under Milosevic's Nationalist fervor would also make the production of this film unlikely. Equally guilty are the ethnic Albanian Kosovars (now refugees themselves) who (while the majority in Kosovo) forced Gypsies to give their children Albanian names in effort to eliminate their identity as Gypsies. For a glimpse into another seldom seen, but often maligned culture SEE THIS FILM!

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)

Spinning like the wheel of fortune/this one ends in tragedy

[21 December 1998]

One of the most common motifs of the Middle Ages was that of the wheel of fortune. The apex being the best of luck, good fortune and plenty. The low point being misery or that of the dispossessed. The idea that one could at one time or another end up anywhere on the wheel must have been great solace to those who felt they were at the bottom.

In Sydney Pollack's 1969 film, `They Shoot Horses, Don't They?' we are given this idea of life in a microcosm. The film, set during the Great Depression is a perfect representation of the same kind of desperation felt during the Middle Ages (or any age, for that matter). This film looks at the Great Depression, and the gimick of a Dance Marathon as a depiction of times in history when the fear of utter loss is very acute. The people facing this challenge are represented in the film by the marathon dancers. The dancers are an ensemble cast including: Jane Fonda as Gloria Beatty, Michael Sarrazin as Robert Syverton, Susannah York as Alice LeBlanc, Red Buttons as `Sailor,' Bonnie Bedelia as Ruby, Bruce Dern as James, and other minor characters.

Of course, certain people have always seemed to be outside of the desperation of life. There are peoples whose fortunes seem set, and sometimes may even seem to be puppet-masters pulling the strings. This was represented in the film by the characters such as Gig Young as `Rocky,' and his partner Al Lewis (III) as `Turkey.' Even an audience members seemed to be one of the quasi-puppet-masters (the audience were people who paid to come see these grueling marathons as entertainment) most notably represented by Madge Kennedy as Mrs. Laydon. In this respect it reminded me of Greek Tragedy (mainly the Ilyad,) with the non-dancing cast as part of the pantheon of gods. Sometimes they are empathetic to the mortals (the cast on the dance floor). Just as in the Greek stories, the gods are pulling for their own personal favorite.

This film is an example of good acting. The acting is so critical to the enjoyment of an otherwise very depressing story. Each of the actors was completely believable in the part the played. No one's acting was `over the top.' I would note however, that Jane Fonda's character, Gloria, was a bit too void of emotion, other than bitterness, until the very end. Her story-telling scene with her second partner was delivered a little too flatly. On the positive side, it she is also in one of the best scenes in the film, which I will address in a minute.

It was the lesser characters that really brought the most credibility to the story and the film. Each of the folks were merely background and then, we are sucked into the film, just as though we were in the audience of the dance hall, they'd pass near... where we could almost hear their individual stories... just for a moment, and then they'd swirl, sway or stagger away... back into oblivion.

As we watched the film we can feel their desperation. In the scenes of the track, One might get the sense, `that's what I am doing. I am one of them... a hamster on the treadmill, all for the next silver dollar. For someone else's entertainment...'

The female character I liked the most was a difficult decision. The Mrs. Laydon character (fits the Greek Goddess Hera role, to continue my earlier analogy...) sat with her kerchief waving, her eyes full of compassion. Alice LeBlanc, the platinum coifed, her eyes hollow as she finally lost touch with the only thing she had to cling to... her hope for stardom extinguished in the shower, just before she is escorted out, `exit, stage right...' As touching and real as these two women played their parts, I felt that Rocky had it right when he told Gloria, `I may not know a winner when I see one, but I sure know a loser...' and Ruby was certainly not. Ruby was determined to give the baby she was carrying a fighting chance in life... even off screen, you could sense her determination. So, Ruby gets my vote for most convincing female role.

The male character that provided the best acting was tough, but the competition was not as stiff as competition between the women. Rocky played the Zeus role to a `T'. But it was the feisty determination and ultimate collapse of `Sailor' that won me over. His character was perhaps the most human of the men. He really wanted to win it, you could sense that. At the same time he was not above feeling for some of the people he was competing against, encouraging them.

I enjoyed the picture, and I found it relevant to today's marathon. The silicon-valley is full of folks all competing for that somewhat empty promise and the same dollar. One of the wisest scenes of the movie was the dialogue between Rocky and Gloria. She enters his office to ask him to change the rules. He's busy at something else. She asks what he's doing and he points out that he's been keeping tabs on everyone. The prize will be reconciled after the bills are exacted. This is life. Anyone who's had a run of misfortune could relate to that. I was reluctant to watch the film after all these years, especially with my aversion to Jane Fonda. Nevertheless, it was perhaps one of the best films of the late sixties/early seventies.

La haine (1995)

I disagree with the comments of the other viewer

[9/10 · 13 October 1998]

This is a powerful film. Assuming as the previous commentor does, that this film demonstrates the American influence of "life in a ghetto in Paris" or gang life is somewhat arrogant. Class struggle, gangs and the styles assumed by kids in Europe are not defined by the United States of America.

One of the things that makes this film intriguing is the subtle uses of background props. Consider the Escher poster in the background in one of the scenes. This conveys a world turned upsidedown. Early in the film we hear Vinz mention that he feels isolated and insignificant as an ant floating out in the universe. Later we see the boys walking into the background while the camera keeps a poster of the World as seen from space in the foreground. This is an ingenious representation visually of the idea we heard expressed earlier.

There is some irony in that Jodie Foster helped bring this film to fruition. We see Vinz acting out the role of DeNiro from Taxi Driver in front of a mirror one scene. This made me think of Jodie Foster's Army (a punk band from Phoenix) and Hinckly's assassination attempt on Reagan... are all these kids "catcher in the rye" types waiting for their chance to snap? Not likely. Regardless of these ramblings, it is a film worth seeing.

Requiem for Dominic (1990)

Powerful usage of time, place and true events

[10/10 · 13 October 1998]

Requiem for Dominic powerfully portrayed the upheaval in that liminal space between revolution and order. This drama is captured partly on film, partly on video adding to the gritty reality of the time, place and events as they were unfolding in Eastern Europe as the "Iron Curtain" collapsed. This picture needs to make its way to video to reach a wider audience and gain the recognition it deserves.

Requiem for Dominic (1990)

Ingenious twist on docu-drama style

[10/10 · 4 September 1998]

The film was shot in Romania even as the revolution overturning communist rule was taking place. The realism of this film was accented by certain portions being shot with video rather than on film. This is a high impact movie that made me as a westerner walk away with a greater appreciation of the freedoms I enjoy.

Highly recommended, not for general audience.