Change Your Image
PreacherBrian
Reviews
These Final Hours (2013)
Numb & Number
To make the most out of "these final hours," James numbs his brain and five senses with cocaine and alcohol. He abandons his pregnant girlfriend to attend an end-of-the-world party where he can further numb himself to the realities of his hopeless situation. The mother of his baby is heart-broken by his decision to leave, but he's too numb to know it.
"These Final Hours" is a study of human nature. Specifically, it examines Maleness. James is a modern man. As such, he is disconnected from those who love him. He's detached from those who know him. He's indifferent towards the pain and problems of the people in his path. Even in "these final hours," James only concern is...James.
Yet, on the way to the Bon voyage party, James' deteriorating worldview is drastically changed. Two dastardly goons snatch a little girl and their despicable intent is so heinous that it breaks through James's habitual numbness! He faces a life-altering decision that will redefine his understanding of manhood.
Bark! (2002)
The Proverbial Straw
Anyone who longs to enjoy life must learn to live with limitations-- emotional limits, intellectual limits, physical limits, and so on. Each of us has the potential for personal growth that promises to increase our-- emotional stability, intellectual capacity, physical agility. It is inevitable that we will face situations that will test or break our limitations. When it happens, we'll gain firsthand knowledge of the adage: "The straw that broke the camel's back."
The proverbial straw pushes a woman's (Heather Morgan) sanity beyond the limits of her emotional normalcy. As a result, she believes she's the family's pet pooch! Bark! shows the agony of breaking the boundaries of one's emotional limits. Through the use of well-timed and strategically placed flashbacks, the director (Kasia Adamik) unfolds the story of an emotionally wounded person who is losing her grip on reality. Each flashback provides a peek into the progression of pressures that damaged her psyche so deeply that she transformed herself into a dog. They also reveal the origins of her habitual barking. Not for nothing, it isn't easy to train a dog to stop nuisance barking. One quick trip to PetSmart for a High Tech Bark Terminator 3 bark control collar would remedy her incessant barking. A few jolts from it and the movie's title would be meaningless.
Her husband (Lee Tergesen) struggles to comprehend what is happening inside the mind of his life-partner. POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT: I was extremely frustrated by the husband's reluctance toward committing his wife into a mental health facility. The character was deeply despaired and willing to try anything to aid his ailing wife. Sure, I get the joke in regard to finding a veterinarian to treat his pet wife.
Bark! is funny in a subtle, comical way. Bark! is sad in a sullen, painful way. Most of all, Bark! is entertaining in a caring, thoughtful way. So, as the daily pressures of life begin building up, take a step back, and review your limitations--then ask yourself: "What is my barking point?"