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jabradle
Reviews
Îlé Aiyé (1989)
Spirit Possession Ritual Documentary
Very interesting attempt to explain the actions of a foreign culture without stooping to the level of simplifying it or altering it to fit a western paradigm. Byrne successfully conveys the emotional, cultural, and religious meaning of this spirit-possession ritual through imagery using a split screen to associate various semiotic visual `clues' which are then repeated later and used as a sort of `visual language' to illustrate `meaning' by associating what is happening in the Ile Aiye ritual with cultural observances made earlier in the documentary. A very interesting and educational film which takes several viewings to `decode' and comprehend. A few years ago I taught a `Cultural Diversity' course for Western Kentucky University and I used this film in class.
The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)
Take a PASS on RAGE.
This is without a doubt the WORST movie I have seen in a long time. And, please don't just write this review off as thinking "horror movies are not his cup of tea" - I thoroughly enjoy horror movies, I enjoy good horror movies as well as bad, I even enjoy VERY BAD horror movies as a source of amusement (as a teen of the 1980's I watched all the schlock horror films I could get my hands on). But trust me, if you rent this movie the only "Rage" you'll be feeling is the fact that you actually shelled out money to watch this claptrap. (I got it from the 99-cent rental shelf and I still feel ripped off!) The plot is dreadfully predictable. The dialog is moronic. The acting is amateurish. Take it from me, save your money and rent the original Carrie instead. (Or, if you are a horror movie buff and feel you MUST watch this movie despite bad reviews - at least grab another video to take up the slack when you are horribly disappointed with this one.)