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Reviews
Los olvidados (1950)
Brilliant!
I really enjoyed Los Olvidados; its dark gritty and tough. Pedro tries to go straight after living a life of crime with his so called friends. Unfortunately Pedro doesn't get too far because of getting accused of things he didn't do. The film shows the complexity of these kids that are living on the street and dealing with issues of abandonment, crime and trust. When I was watching this film all I could think of was how it reminded me of Francis Truffaut's The 400 Blows. Both films are fantastically written, shot and acted. I was so impressed by The 400 Blows I didn't think anything could rival it but Los Olvidados is just as amazing.
Once Were Warriors (1994)
A great film
For most of the film, Once Were Warriors was hard to watch due to it being very dated and its poor production quality. The clothes and music scream 90's and there are many strange moments, most with drunken singing. Looking passed its faults the film really has a great story and fantastic acting. Rena Owen, Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell, and Temuera Morrison give memorable, heartbreaking performances that give a sense of reality to the story. I don't know much about New Zealand and its past, but from this film you get a glimpse into the history and culture of the Maori people. There's a kind of ceremonial chant and dance that the boys learned at school that they perform toward the end of the film that I found very moving.
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)
Maybe I missed something
I had a really hard time looking past the raw 80's of Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. I have to be honest and say I found it a little boring, maybe I missed something, but the story seemed bland and slow. I know all films don't have to have a lot of action, but I didn't feel much of a conflict and nothing happened to make me care for any character. There's also the strange flashback that confused me more. I couldn't really figure out what the relevance of it was, that he's not saint? It just didn't seem to have anything to do with Bowie's character. Besides my indifference with the film I really thought David Bowie and the rest of the cast delivered great performances.
La otra conquista (1998)
Amazing
I really enjoyed The Other Conquest. I learned very little about the Aztecs and the Spanish Conquest in school. The only thing I do remember is that it happened. I really liked that instead of the story being about the war its focus was on the survivors. It showed the audience how they struggled to balance their own culture with the one imposed on them. This story of conquering and forcing beliefs on cultures is universal and almost every country has dealt or is dealing with this idea. Also with a lot of films that deal with historical events some don't seem to stay true to them. You can see the care and time that went in to making this film as historical correct as possible.
White Dog (1982)
strange yet interesting
White Dog is the epitome of films coming out in the 80's; terrible acting, music, production, and effects. Despite all the bad things it has one good thing going for it and that is the idea that no one thing or person is born a racist. That racism is something that is taught and conditioned. I find this interesting and to be true, look at how pit bulls and rottweilers are perceived? They're seen as vicious and dangerous because "they" attack for no reason. They're owners beat them and treat them poorly, conditioning them to attack before they get hurt. I'm glad that this idea was brought up even in a strange 80's movie.