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Korczak (1990)
Hard To Watch...But Not For The Reasons You Might Think!
I saw "Korczak" for the first time in the late 1990s when a young teen, and even then I remember cringing at the amateur way the production had been handled.
Why? Because I also saw "Schindler's List" prior to it and realized that, by comparison, "Korczak" feels like a high school video project...a very bad one at that!
I've recently rewatched it and the impression was even worse.
Now, don't get me wrong, the subject matter is important, the story is incredible and this film needed to be made, just not by the people it was...unfortunately.
I think Wajda is hugely overrated. His movies always struck me as excessively "theatrical"...as in they look like someone only knew theater but wanted to try cinema for a goof; sort of "let's put the camera in front of the stage and hope for the best" approach.
"Korczak", by comparison with the rest of Wajda's movies isn't the worst actually...if it wasn't for the horrendous production value!
And it's not even about the budget; it's more about the craft.
I realize it's a 1990 movie but only three years later a true timeless cinematic masterpiece followed - "Schindler's List"! And Spielberg spectacularly achieved what he had intended by using his groundbreaking and innovative imagery (credit to the great Janusz Kaminski here) - he wanted the film to look and feel so no one could tell when it was made. "Schindler's List" stomped "Korczak" to a pulp.
My main criticisms are:
- Horrible sound
- Horrible cinematography
- Horrible editing
- Just bad directing overall, which reflects on acting
I honestly think someone should reintroduce Korczak's story to world cinema in a manner it deserves as the 1990 film looks like something hastily put together in 1950.
Deliver Us from Evil (2014)
Deliver Us From Catholic Nutcases!
Bought this on blu-ray after a friend recommended it to me.
I like Eric Bana, I like horror (paranormal or otherwise), I do believe in other realms, but one thing I cannot stomach is Christian bulls*it and Hollywood "based on real story/accounts" propaganda!!!
Best recent example of Hollywood gone Joseph Goebbels is "American Sniper".
Both "American Sniper" and "Deliver Us From Evil" are good movies production value wise. But the sheer amount of bulls*it that comes with films like that is sickening. But I guess you don't notice it much if you're American ;-)
Once you've watched the extras on "Deliver Us From Evil", you'll walk away from the whole experience needing a sanity mouthwash pretty ricky-goddamn-tick!
First, you'll find out the whole story is a fairy tale (very, and I mean very loosely based on the dude Eric Bana is portraying), and secondly, you'll learn the actual dude (Ralph Sarchie) is as cuckoo as they come. He actually says "If you're not on God's side, you're with the Devil. End of story."
Well, I think it's time NYPD, or any other law enforcement organization for that matter, started psych-testing people before pinning shields on their chests; don't you!
The movie itself is alright, I guess (in terms of popcorn value). Nothing special. Generally, it's quite unfulfilling. I mean, after two hours, you're learning that the whole plot of the movie is about the cop taking part in an exorcism of some spastic looking like the poster boy for an NGO campaign raising awareness about self-harming :-D
And what's with the damn demons anyway!? They seem to have the IQ of a fruit basket, don't they!? You catch a cat possessed by a demon, you strap him/her to a chair or bed and you start playing word games with the poor bastard! Does it really matter what the demon's name is? Just call him Steve and be done with it! What, is there a file on every demon out there listing its demonic deeds so you can look it up in your database and go "Well Azazel
I'll be damned, it's you again! I mean, didn't we tell you back in '68 to bugger off!? With your record, Jesus gonna send a SWAT team after yo as*"? What's wrong with you?! Azazel, I got a barbecue at 1 o'clock and I don't have time for this. You leave poor Angie here alone and vacate the premises at once! I command you! If you don't, I'm gonna have to splash you with some super duper magic water and it's gonna sting! So
what do you say!?" :-D
And if it's a demon, why would you even assume he's not dic*ing around telling you his name is Mammon or some damn thing!? Maybe his name is Dolph
but he doesn't wanna be embarrassed about it so he came up with a cool alias for the occasion, huh!? And demons are always male too, I find :-D Wouldn't it be fun to watch a movie where the demon's name is Stacey!? And are demons really so scared of the word Jesus and Lord!? Some "black dress wearing" as*wipe waves a cross in front of a demon possessed "client", shouts "In the name of
'and the magic word" and all hell breaks loose (pardon the pun)!
I mean, demons inhabit a realm/dimension where time isn't really a major factor, right? It's not like a demon has to bounce an hour earlier 'cos' Lucifer paged him to get his as* back in Hell quick and attend a board meeting at which a quarterly possession records of all the employee demons out in the field are reviewed! Why wouldn't a demon just play possum for a week and trick the idiot exorcists he was gone and come back after everything blew over!? I cannot imagine exorcists keeping a "possessed client" strapped to a chair or bed in a basement somewhere for three years making the whole "we gonna make this demon leave" thing their life mission, do you!? One of them would be bound to finally snap and go "Right, screw it! I'm hungry, I got car payments outstanding, my kids failed three spelling tests in a row 'cos' I've been talking total s*hit with a demon for the past two months
that's it, I'm outta here!"
:-D
See, this is where you hit a giant smelly wall of bulls*it - the moment you enter the bizarre world of medieval superstition (a.k.a religion). The further we venture into the 21st century, the more insane the whole dogma becomes.
It's actually scarier than any horror movie to think that the Vatican actually runs a freaking exorcist school!!! I suspect it's all a Vatican scam! They make up demons and wait for overly religious folks with learning disabilities to start acting all crazy. Then a Constantine-style bass-as* kicks their door in with his arm extended holding a replica of an ancient execution scene nicely compacted into a pocket-size crucifix saving the day! Oh, and he often charges money
'cos', in the end, we don't live in heaven where money doesn't matter; we're still here and someone's gotta pick up the gas bill, don't they!?
:-D
All in all, "Deliver Us From Evil" is an acceptable Friday night flick to watch with your squeamish girlfriend munching on burgers with salty Polish cucumbers :-) If you want something a hell of a lot scarier, and you haven't seen it yet, I recommend "Sinister" instead...
Standard Operating Procedure (2008)
Responsibility
It is a fine documentary but, as a tax payer and a thinking member of society (American or otherwise), it makes you angry – that was probably the filmmakers' intention (I hope). It boils down to a very simple human - if not more so - social thing. Responsibility. I'll sound like one of those Al Qaeda propaganda videos but I don't really care – as "western" societies, we should tread very carefully when it comes to interfering with "other people's business". Having powerful armies does not buy us the monopoly on being right.
But let's get back to the responsibility thing. Sending thousands of "PlayStation Generation" children (especially the American ones, educated to a level of an infant, over privileged, immature, shallow, religious and totally convinced of their superiority, too boot), trigger happy and loaded with testosterone morons to a "far away land" for the purpose of pacifying it is irresponsible! Those people need moms and dads, not automatic weapons and armoured infantry fighting vehicles!!! And just so we're clear, dear "far right" friends - to me, it is personally insulting when "you" or the media call those people "heroes"! I think, Nazi Germany did it once – let's not copy them too much, shall we?
I realize that there are many good servicemen and servicewomen who have something more in their heads than, pardon me, spunk, but they are outnumbered by idiots. Sorry. Intelligent, well educated, responsible, sensitive, critically thinking and open minded individuals don't make it to the army! Period. They just don't. Few do but that's as rare as a hooker with a doctorate.
So who are those "heroes" if all the reasonable and responsible folks are sitting in their homes and watching "the other" part of society - the iron fist of democracy - represent them on CNN? Well, answer that question yourselves...
The Abu Ghraib incident, I'm sure, is not an isolated one. Common rather, I'd say. No wonder the whole planet despises the United States and Great Britain. I understand that hatred. I am privileged though...to be on the other side of the argument and not worry about some cluster bomb blasting my asss to smithereens even though I don't even comprehend the reasons for the bombs falling. Feels good, doesn't it? To be save knowing that your side is the one delivering the blows and not receiving them. I'm sure that Wehrmacht and the SS personnel would tell you, with at most conviction, they were fighting the good war and for all the right reasons.
That is the "responsibility" I'm talking about. Social, moral and human responsibility for one's actions. From the Government down to the least important private in the service. But that's the kind of thinking we're not ready for yet. Too forward. Army responsible for their actions, ha ha! See, if the military is a profession, why don't they have unions? It is because they are slaves! Obeying orders is a domain of slaves...or animals. That's what I could never understand – how can you possibly, as a sovereign individual, act simply because "someone" tells you to? And that "someone" is not at all obliged to explain themselves to you or explain the reasons for using you to carry out their wishes. Someone defined war once by saying "War is old people talking and young people dying". A truly profound quote.
I think, ultimately, the power and responsibility for wars and what happens within their chaos lies with the man/woman holding the rifle. Let's leave it at that...
Red State (2011)
Into The "Schizophrenic Bucket"
Right...after seeing "Red State", I can say this – this movie goes straight into my "Schizophrenic Bucket". Created by myself, the Schizophrenic Bucket is a classification group. Several titles, such as "Mulholland Drive", "Inland Empire", "Requiem For A Dream", "Irreversible", "Antichrist" and many many others already dwell there. To explain, for a sensitive individual, films like those mentioned above are simply too..."hyper real". I always say to people that film cannot be a fine art (as in form of expression). It just can't (this opinion wasn't very popular among my lecturers when I did my Film & TV course).
"Red State" isn't "exactly" one of the schizophrenic films as a whole but some of the characters in it sure as hell are; particularly John Goodman's character. Some of the other characters' behaviour, to me, is strange, to say the least. It's like the story is happening in an alternate universe. Every law enforcement character is an overblown caricature of the profession. Unlike the religious nut cases, who I think were the only ones that made sense and behave accordingly, the law side of the bunch could happily swap places with them and the film wouldn't be much different. Perhaps, that was the intention of Kevin Smith's.
That's why my rating of "Red State" is only 5. Other than what I said above, the film is well made in almost every respect. It won't go down in the annals of cinematic history as an extraordinary achievement but it will find its audience.
See it if you must but don't put it on your "must watch" list...