I haven't seen many documentaries that have stayed with me as much as this one has. Reflective, tragic, beautiful, and well-written. It poses an interesting question about Marilyn's death: did delving into her psyche contribute to her early death? That's the question that this documentary poses, but it does not get embroiled in conspiracy theories like so many other Marilyn Monroe documentaries do. Truly a thoughtful reflection on a troubled icon who left us too soon.
Reviews
6 Reviews
Marilyn, dernières séances
(2008 TV Movie)
Far and away one of the best documentaries out there.
15 February 2021
The Tracey Fragments
(2007)
a unique, thrilling film experience.
7 June 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I am very much at a loss for what to say about this film. It's unique, definitely, and I believe that's what people find so intriguing about it. Of course, with Tracey's frequent display of apparent rage, this also gives the film a turbulent quality. This is a look into the mind of a girl who is somewhat mentally deranged and confused, a probable product of her loneliness, neglect, and overall mistreatment. We follow Tracey on her journey to find her brother Sonny, who supposedly has been hypnotized into thinking he is a dog. On this journey, we figure out just how Tracey got where she is, in the back of a bus, wrapped in nothing but a shower curtain. Ellen Page does an absolutely amazing job in this role; not many actors her age could act the way she did. Such power and emotion was packed into the role, and there could not have been a better choice for it. Overall, this film is gritty, real, and powerful. A worthwhile film experience.
Bridge to Terabithia
(2007)
Easily One Of The Best Movies Ever
19 April 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Those who walked into the theater for Bridge To Terabithia probably expected what they saw in the trailers, which was some version of The Chronicles of Narnia. Instead, however, they got one of the most beautiful films ever made.
Bridge To Terabithia is in all respects a kid's movie, but it isn't the kind where nothing that has a resounding impact on the characters or the plot. Those movies are very kind, and don't introduce any real-life topics. This particular film is a mixture. It has fantasy creatures, which makes Terabithia even more enjoyable for the audience as well as Jess and Leslie. But it also introduces to the viewers a harsh fact of life.
Death. Leslie dies. I'm sorry. This may seem a little much for a children's film, but it just shows the younger people of the audience that life is not always so gracious and that it can be snatched from anyone at any moment. There are hints. They're just very subtle. It is very heart-wrenching when you follow these lovable characters throughout the movie, and then Leslie, who you saw running around the day before, is suddenly gone, just like that. This is why so many audience members (including myself and my friends) were reduced to or nearly reduced to tears.
Leslie's death, of course, leaves Jess heartbroken. But this brings in another topic: denial, anger, bargaining (or guilt), depression, and acceptance. In short, the five stages of grief. Jess goes through these. At first he refuses to believe Leslie's dead, then he becomes angry that she went and left him. After this it is implied that he feels like he could have saved her (as he weeps in his father's arms) if he had stayed behind from his field trip and been with her. The depression stage is Jess finally breaking down and crying in Terabithia over his friend, for whom Jess probably felt more than friendship. Maybe a kind of love. But in the end, Jess learns to accept it. He won't get over it right away (if at all), but he learns to accept it in the end. This is shown when Jess makes Leslie a little funeral boat and lets it float away in the stream where she died.
Long story short, a beautiful masterpiece. Buy the DVD, read the book, whatever. Just make contact with this story in some way. I guarantee you will enjoy it whether you're 9 or 90.
Bridge To Terabithia is in all respects a kid's movie, but it isn't the kind where nothing that has a resounding impact on the characters or the plot. Those movies are very kind, and don't introduce any real-life topics. This particular film is a mixture. It has fantasy creatures, which makes Terabithia even more enjoyable for the audience as well as Jess and Leslie. But it also introduces to the viewers a harsh fact of life.
Death. Leslie dies. I'm sorry. This may seem a little much for a children's film, but it just shows the younger people of the audience that life is not always so gracious and that it can be snatched from anyone at any moment. There are hints. They're just very subtle. It is very heart-wrenching when you follow these lovable characters throughout the movie, and then Leslie, who you saw running around the day before, is suddenly gone, just like that. This is why so many audience members (including myself and my friends) were reduced to or nearly reduced to tears.
Leslie's death, of course, leaves Jess heartbroken. But this brings in another topic: denial, anger, bargaining (or guilt), depression, and acceptance. In short, the five stages of grief. Jess goes through these. At first he refuses to believe Leslie's dead, then he becomes angry that she went and left him. After this it is implied that he feels like he could have saved her (as he weeps in his father's arms) if he had stayed behind from his field trip and been with her. The depression stage is Jess finally breaking down and crying in Terabithia over his friend, for whom Jess probably felt more than friendship. Maybe a kind of love. But in the end, Jess learns to accept it. He won't get over it right away (if at all), but he learns to accept it in the end. This is shown when Jess makes Leslie a little funeral boat and lets it float away in the stream where she died.
Long story short, a beautiful masterpiece. Buy the DVD, read the book, whatever. Just make contact with this story in some way. I guarantee you will enjoy it whether you're 9 or 90.
It Means So Well
19 April 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This film is about a boy named Ben who is repeatedly neglected by his hapless parents, who are clearly unfit to raise a child since they are infused with their own lives.
Then one night, a car wreck happens right near their diner. There is one survivor: a girl about Ben's age named Cassie. As Ben narrates, this changes his life forever. And it does. Cassie, after a brief stretch of time, wakes Ben in the middle of the night. This is where Cassie suggests that they leave Ben's home and live with her aunt and uncle, who are evidently supposed to be hip. So the whole journey starts. Ben agrees, and they head to Baltimore. As the movie progresses, Cassie suggests they get married. "It's a major part of the plan." She says. Ben seems not to believe it, but when they have a small ceremony in a farm, Cassie is all smiles and Ben gets extremely nervous when asked to kiss her. This shows that some sort of bond has formed between them.
But all the while, you notice Cassie continues to lose sleep because her dreams keep leading her back to the horrible night that she lost both her parents in the car wreck. Soon after one of her first nightmares, Cassie questions Ben about what kind of plan he has for his life. When he tells her he wants to play baseball, she seems to use this to try and distract herself from her nightmares. Ben starts to notice something's going on, but when he questions her about it, she refuses to tell him anything.
In Baltimore it becomes clear that something is deeply troubling Cassie. She becomes depressed, snappy, and she starts to seclude herself from her aunt and uncle, and even Ben. Cassie also clings to Ben's dream of being a pitcher more tightly and becomes angry with Ben when he reminds her that he's only thirteen and can't get signed right away. Ben by now is extremely worried about her, and it leads to their first fight. Afterward Cassie apologizes because she knows that it's not Ben's fault that she's having a hard time. And when Cassie has yet another nightmare that has her lying on the other end of the bed, moaning, Ben quietly and desperately pleads her for an explanation. But all Cassie does is start to cry.
The next night is when it happens. Cassie's refusal to get her problem off her chest has rendered her mind extremely unstable, and she loses her mind that night by collapsing onto the floor, sobbing in a very frightened and upset way. It is as if she herself does not know what has happened to her. Ben kneels by her side, no matter how frightening it is for the both of them at that moment.
Basically, this story is trying to make a few points. Point one, experiencing other people's deaths (especially the deaths of your parents) can effect a person in ways people may not have believed possible. As we find out later, Cassie's father tried to sexually harass her while he was driving and drunk, and Cassie's mother did nothing. Cassie then dived onto her father screaming, causing the wreck. Because of these reasons Cassie has irrepressible guilt about her parent's deaths.
Point two, a single moment can change your life forever. And it was that single stroke of the moment that Ben met Cassie. It was also in the single stroke of the moment that Cassie's parents died. Had these events not taken place, Ben and Cassie never would have met.
Point three, you can take friends for granted, but true loyalty is tested when your friend needs you the most. Cassie is admitted to a psych ward and is upset, confused, and very scared. And Ben, ever faithful, sticks with her to the end, which is somewhat happy for the both of them.
Point four, if you don't make your dreams happen, chances are they won't happen. Cassie got Ben out of his boring, might-as-well-not-even-exist life and awoke him to the world around him. When he goes to visit her, Ben decides that since Cassie helped him to break out of the dull life he once led, he is going to break Cassie out of the psych ward. At first, she refuses, telling Ben "Ben, I'm sick. When you kill two people it makes you sick." Ben takes her out anyway, and they continue their lives together. In the end, the film has an epilogue where Ben ends up becoming what he wants to be, a pitcher. Cassie is shown cheering in the stands at one of Ben's games. They also have two children (unnamed).
I believe the reason this film got bad reviews is because when people see a movie, they want one of those movies where you can predict what might happen. They don't want an unpredictable movie. That's the reason I enjoyed it so much. I myself have seen too many movies, and they are almost too predictable. This movie was not predictable at all, and I took pleasure in that.
All in all, a movie with good messages. Good enough for DVD, however. The reason for this is plot holes, lighting issues, and the director. Either he was a first-time director or he just didn't try as hard as he could have. Luckily the acting was good. Cayden Boyd and AnnaSophia Robb were both wonderful and proved themselves to act. AnnaSophia is proving herself over and over to be a brilliant actress, and Cayden shows his potential to act here as well.
See this film. You may learn something.
Then one night, a car wreck happens right near their diner. There is one survivor: a girl about Ben's age named Cassie. As Ben narrates, this changes his life forever. And it does. Cassie, after a brief stretch of time, wakes Ben in the middle of the night. This is where Cassie suggests that they leave Ben's home and live with her aunt and uncle, who are evidently supposed to be hip. So the whole journey starts. Ben agrees, and they head to Baltimore. As the movie progresses, Cassie suggests they get married. "It's a major part of the plan." She says. Ben seems not to believe it, but when they have a small ceremony in a farm, Cassie is all smiles and Ben gets extremely nervous when asked to kiss her. This shows that some sort of bond has formed between them.
But all the while, you notice Cassie continues to lose sleep because her dreams keep leading her back to the horrible night that she lost both her parents in the car wreck. Soon after one of her first nightmares, Cassie questions Ben about what kind of plan he has for his life. When he tells her he wants to play baseball, she seems to use this to try and distract herself from her nightmares. Ben starts to notice something's going on, but when he questions her about it, she refuses to tell him anything.
In Baltimore it becomes clear that something is deeply troubling Cassie. She becomes depressed, snappy, and she starts to seclude herself from her aunt and uncle, and even Ben. Cassie also clings to Ben's dream of being a pitcher more tightly and becomes angry with Ben when he reminds her that he's only thirteen and can't get signed right away. Ben by now is extremely worried about her, and it leads to their first fight. Afterward Cassie apologizes because she knows that it's not Ben's fault that she's having a hard time. And when Cassie has yet another nightmare that has her lying on the other end of the bed, moaning, Ben quietly and desperately pleads her for an explanation. But all Cassie does is start to cry.
The next night is when it happens. Cassie's refusal to get her problem off her chest has rendered her mind extremely unstable, and she loses her mind that night by collapsing onto the floor, sobbing in a very frightened and upset way. It is as if she herself does not know what has happened to her. Ben kneels by her side, no matter how frightening it is for the both of them at that moment.
Basically, this story is trying to make a few points. Point one, experiencing other people's deaths (especially the deaths of your parents) can effect a person in ways people may not have believed possible. As we find out later, Cassie's father tried to sexually harass her while he was driving and drunk, and Cassie's mother did nothing. Cassie then dived onto her father screaming, causing the wreck. Because of these reasons Cassie has irrepressible guilt about her parent's deaths.
Point two, a single moment can change your life forever. And it was that single stroke of the moment that Ben met Cassie. It was also in the single stroke of the moment that Cassie's parents died. Had these events not taken place, Ben and Cassie never would have met.
Point three, you can take friends for granted, but true loyalty is tested when your friend needs you the most. Cassie is admitted to a psych ward and is upset, confused, and very scared. And Ben, ever faithful, sticks with her to the end, which is somewhat happy for the both of them.
Point four, if you don't make your dreams happen, chances are they won't happen. Cassie got Ben out of his boring, might-as-well-not-even-exist life and awoke him to the world around him. When he goes to visit her, Ben decides that since Cassie helped him to break out of the dull life he once led, he is going to break Cassie out of the psych ward. At first, she refuses, telling Ben "Ben, I'm sick. When you kill two people it makes you sick." Ben takes her out anyway, and they continue their lives together. In the end, the film has an epilogue where Ben ends up becoming what he wants to be, a pitcher. Cassie is shown cheering in the stands at one of Ben's games. They also have two children (unnamed).
I believe the reason this film got bad reviews is because when people see a movie, they want one of those movies where you can predict what might happen. They don't want an unpredictable movie. That's the reason I enjoyed it so much. I myself have seen too many movies, and they are almost too predictable. This movie was not predictable at all, and I took pleasure in that.
All in all, a movie with good messages. Good enough for DVD, however. The reason for this is plot holes, lighting issues, and the director. Either he was a first-time director or he just didn't try as hard as he could have. Luckily the acting was good. Cayden Boyd and AnnaSophia Robb were both wonderful and proved themselves to act. AnnaSophia is proving herself over and over to be a brilliant actress, and Cayden shows his potential to act here as well.
See this film. You may learn something.
The Breakfast Club
(1985)
One Of The Best Movies Ever
28 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Even though I wasn't even thought of when this movie came out, I saw it on TV Land because it looked interesting. And it was. It really was. The characters each have their own unique personal lives and are the personalities that everyone eventually will see in school: a jock, a princess, a bully, a brain, and a person who doesn't really belong anywhere, just sticks around for the ride. It has a very good lesson behind it as well, that some people in school may seem perfect, but in truth they all have stories behind them. And when you put these different kinds of people in the same room for a day, The Breakfast Club has signaled what will probably happen. In short, brilliant film. I highly recommend it.
Wonderful film, although a lot was omitted
1 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
In my opinion, this was a absolute masterpiece. They could have put in a little more, I'll admit, but it had wonderful emotional value.
There is still the matter of things being omitted, but that's understandable, since if they had added too much, the whole thing would have been a mess. Therefore, it was probably better to make it seem to go really fast.
Ron plus Hermione fans, be on the lookout! They don't seem to fight as much as in the last one, Ron seems to care a little more, and when they are in the forest and Grawp picks Hermione up, Ron rushes to her defense, taking a huge branch and hitting Grawp with it. This has absolutely no effect as Grawp knocks him down too. When Hermione is released, Ron says in a quavering voice, "Are you all right?" to her, then turns to Grawp and says "Just leave her alone from now on, all right?" and is at her side to make sure nothing else happens to her.
And lastly, Umbridge. The new power-loving, sickly smiling character you love to hate. She doesn't work for Voldemort, but she certainly could pass as one of his Death Eaters. She shows no remorse to causing pain, considering that detention is writing in your own blood.
All in all, a great movie. I almost personally guarantee that the money you spend to get tickets is absolutely worth every penny.
There is still the matter of things being omitted, but that's understandable, since if they had added too much, the whole thing would have been a mess. Therefore, it was probably better to make it seem to go really fast.
Ron plus Hermione fans, be on the lookout! They don't seem to fight as much as in the last one, Ron seems to care a little more, and when they are in the forest and Grawp picks Hermione up, Ron rushes to her defense, taking a huge branch and hitting Grawp with it. This has absolutely no effect as Grawp knocks him down too. When Hermione is released, Ron says in a quavering voice, "Are you all right?" to her, then turns to Grawp and says "Just leave her alone from now on, all right?" and is at her side to make sure nothing else happens to her.
And lastly, Umbridge. The new power-loving, sickly smiling character you love to hate. She doesn't work for Voldemort, but she certainly could pass as one of his Death Eaters. She shows no remorse to causing pain, considering that detention is writing in your own blood.
All in all, a great movie. I almost personally guarantee that the money you spend to get tickets is absolutely worth every penny.
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