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jcalladm
Reviews
Gummo (1997)
Crappo
This is a waste of time made by director with nothing to say, who still wants to be a filmmaker. Trash like this inevitably triggers reviews rife with words like "genius," "misunderstood," "surreal," and "cult." The lower-middle-class white Midwest has become the happening place for hipster artists to go slumming for material, but all Korine seems to have done is slap together a shock-value home movie featuring some cheesy film-school-assignment cinematography and editing. Too bad, because the film's premise (a town recently ravished by a tornado) could have made for a truly edgy exploration of an American social stratum that's usually ignored.
Vakvagany (2002)
Troubling for a Number of Reasons
I cannot recommend this documentary, but I'm afraid that, like me, you'll find yourself drawn into it. Watching "Vakvagany" is sort of like rubber-necking when you drive by the scene of an accident; it's human nature to gawk at others' misfortunes. The scenario is truly intriguing: the directors comes across a family's often disconcerting home movies and attempt to track down the children in them. What they find are two badly damaged human beings who belong in a mental institution. The film features three "analysts," who spend far too much time trying to figure out the home movies and the children. They state the obvious, ramble, and over-intellectualize. Worst of all is the utter contempt the directors show for the now-adult children, going so far as to break into one's home. Even the music, some kind of crappy neo-Hungarian cabaret, trivializes the daily struggles of Erno, the male child. Had the directors kept their vile attitudes out of the film, it would have been a solid documentary.
Sátántangó (1994)
What's the Hungarian word for "editor"?
There really is a plot to "Sátántangó," and it's an interesting one. We have far too few films that deal with the end of communism in Eastern Europe, and it's a truly fascinating subject. "Sátántangó" does present the problems people face when their way of life changes and examines how communities can come apart.
But all of this gets completely diluted by the painfully monotonous cinematography. There are many beautiful scenes and haunting shots in the film, but because they go on forever, they lose their effect.
Six hours into this "epic," you lose your regard for the Hungarian countryside and start aching for something -- anything -- to happen, like the appearance of strip mall in the middle of a field, where the peasants can see what the future holds for them.
But no, there's still and hour and a half of cinematic root canal to go.
"Sátántangó" could have been a benchmark film about a significant point in European history . . . if the editor had done his job.
Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who (2007)
Worth Seeing
For die-hard Who fans, this is definitely worth seeing. Lots of good, rarely-seen footage of concerts and interviews.
Of particular interest is the dynamic between the two surviving original members, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey. Townshend often comes across as an utterly conceited asshole, especially in his assessment of Daltrey's role in the band. Nevertheless, he makes it clear that the band and his own songwriting would not have been what they were without Daltrey. Daltrey comes across as the uncompromised survivor of the Who's "amazing journey," the spirit that held them together.
One of the band's most powerful eras -- the late 70s and early 80s -- is given short shrift, as is Townshend's near-fatal tangles with heroin during this period. Kenney Jones, who replaced Keith Moon and solidified the Who's live performances during these years, is practically ignored.
Even for those who aren't true Who-heads, "Amazing Journey" is a decent introduction to one of the most important groups in the history of rock music.