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Reviews
Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
Healthiest Dying Person I've Ever Seen
Has anyone associated with this film ever really had to gather around a loved one and wait out the last days and hours of their imminent death? There is nothing pretty or dramatic about it. It is horrendous beyond belief and their wasn't one thing even remotely realistic about Maggie Smith's graceful, talkative, snarky exit in this film. One call to Hospice to inquire what happens to a person in the last few hours before death would have lent some semblance of reality.
Saints and Soldiers: The Void (2014)
Jessie Owens was a Tank Commander? Seriously?
War films are astronomically expensive to produce so I actually admire what this film company was able to do with limited resources. I am well aware that many historical films often veer from historical accuracy regarding the events and personages they portray in the name of "artistic license." I also get that the filmmaker was attempting to stress the discrimination faced by African Americans in a segregated military, however, deciding to make up a totally fictitious account of four-time Olympic Gold Medalist Jesse Owens is not the way to achieve this goal.
Jess Owens spent the war years working as a liaison for a national fitness program sponsored by the Office of Civilian Defense and for the Ford Motor Company overseeing relations with black employees. Owens never served in the military in any capacity much less as the commander of a Hellcat Tank receiving the Silver Star as the script would have you believe. In a film that was striving for realism this was about as believable as F.D.R. piloting a B17 over Berlin. There literally hundreds upon hundreds of African-American soldiers who served in tank divisions as well as around 6,000 black soldiers assigned as truck drivers in the "Red-Ball Express." How difficult would it have been to do a little research and create a character based upon the experiences of some of these men? It would have made for a far more plausible film.
This film really did have a lot of potential. A credible script would have made it a pretty decent movie.
A Street Cat Named Bob (2016)
Extremely Underrated Film
A beautifully told true-life tale of humanity- hope, despair, rejection, helplessness, and love that will leave you greatly impacted. Without doubt one of the best films I've seen in a long time and also one of the most underrated. Everything from the acting, to the script, to the music was, in my opinion, far more Oscar worthy than what is currently presented as "the best." The beautiful and original songs alone should have picked up at least a nomination.
Erik: Portrait of a Living Corpse (2010)
More than Good
It's taken a long time to get around to purchasing this film and I'm sorry I waited so long because it really is quite good. In fact, when you consider this is an independent film made by a group of kids still in their teens, with no budget, and very limited experience it is outstanding.
Portrait of a Living Corpse is mainly the project of 19 year old Ryan Bijan who wrote, directed, and played the part of Raoul, and while the movie is far from perfect I think Bijan has a bright future ahead of him in the filmmaking industry and I won't be at all surprised to see his name one day associated with major motion pictures. This young man clearly has not only vision but the incentive to make a dream into reality. Making an independent film is a daunting task in itself- to make one that's any good and to do so at the age of 19 is almost too incredible to believe.
Bijan's Phantom does what other Phantom films do not- it makes a very good attempt to stay true to Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera. Most refreshing was the famous graveyard scene complete with skull rolling. No other Phantom film as ever included this part of the book and it was delightful to see it included. Also worth noting are the very cool and beautiful black masks, which in my opinion are the best looking I think I've ever seen in any Phantom film and the wonderful original soundtrack which set the mood perfectly.
Particularly impressive was Bijan's ability to build tension and suspense in many scenes and I must say that the Erik Bijan has created is truly frightening while managing to keep his humanity. Erik is most definitely a dangerous, criminally insane man who shows no emotion while Punjabbing, bludgeoning, or breaking someone's neck, yet you still manage to feel compassion for him. My favorite two scenes in the film are one in which Erik is seen reading the story "Beauty and the Beast." This scene beautifully sums up Erik's own perception of himself as a beast who yearns for a true love to turn him into a prince. My other favorite is when Erik falls to his knees in prayer not only for forgiveness but to be allowed to have a wife and live like any other man. This scene is only about 30 seconds in length but it is heartbreaking to realize the monster behind the mask is also a human being with the same need to appeal to God to be loved as anyone else. Well, done, Ryan.
It should be noted that this film only tells the story up to the unmasking of Erik by Christine- and you don't even get to see the actual unmasking or Erik's face as the film ends abruptly with the final shot that of Christine's hands moving in to snatch off Erik's mask. The plan was for there to be a part two and continue from there-probably in order to raise funds from which to proceed, but its been three years now since the first part was made so I'm not at all sure the second part will ever pan-out but I do hope so. Bijan is about 23 now and I would like to encourage him to somehow complete the second half of his film. As impressed as I was at what he could do at 19 I'd love to see what he could do now that he has some experience under his belt.
The Phantom of the Opera (1991)
Not a Collector's Piece
I'm a huge Phantom fan and I'm always open to different interpretations of this story be it stage, book, or film. I always look at each interpretation with an open mind. David Staller did a great job with the part of the Phantom and he has a beautiful voice. His solo perfect music was a great song that he carried well and whoever did the make up for him did an admirable job. It is clear Mr. Staller is on a professional performing level. However, those are almost the only positive aspects associated with this production. Everything else from the script, to the cardboard sets, to the appalling acting,to the lame "special effects," to the especially horrible directing is on such an amateur level I really do think most high school drama departments could have done a better job.
I did say "almost." There is one aspect of the script that stood out as most satisfying and caused me to up my review a star. In this production when Christine chooses Raoul over Erik, Erik has no intention of spending the rest of his life mourning over the girl he didn't get. He simply sets his sites on another love interest and tries again. Bravo! Why should Erik pine the rest of his life away in a dark, dank cellar because one girl turned him down? If Christine doesn't want him then why shouldn't he bloody well find someone who does? So good for you, Erik,-good for you!
If you are a die-hard Phantom fan who wants to see anything and everything Phantom related you may want to give this a try. Other than that, please take my advise and don't waste your time.