clifee57 Reviews

The Ground Beneath My Feet (2019)

Excellent commentary on a society where Human needs are not a priority

[9/10 · 16 June 2022]

I enjoyed very much, though it really needed to be an hour longer to flesh out the interesting charachters besides the protagonist. Wonderful " involving " cinematography. Lola (Pachner) is superbly portrayed & there's many pointers to her motivations. The ending encapsulates what i see as the central theme, as doctor says to Lola a dramatic something is a good reason for ending up in hospital.....as if there's a "bad" reason!

Adoration (2019)

beautifully shot and compelling

[8/10 · 7 February 2021]

I give any movie i find so compelling a High rating, even though it's kinda forgettable. The acting from the boy was outstanding, such strength of compassion conveyed , despite his seemingly disturbed Mum. The mood and ambient music was enhancing and the connection to nature prominent. There's a great message but it seemed to be put over too obviously, so i suspect i missed something.

A Minute's Silence (2016 TV Movie)

Agreeable Romance

[8/10 · 29 January 2021]

Sags a little midway, but recovers gracefully into a spellbinding climax epitomising what may be the essense of 'true love'. Excellent performances from the leads, especially the young man; his facial expressions convey so much.

Shell (I) (2012)

crafted consideration of existential questions, a cinematic treat

[10/10 · 10 October 2014]

I rolled along at a comfortable slow burning pace, lapping up this visual naturalistic treat, which caught the light and spaciousness of the Highlands beautifully. Top acting especially from Shell, so committed, yet so "at ease" too. I like films that trigger a process, where in time insights emerge. Ties to blood & soil or freedom to a new relatedness to the world, devotion, purpose, meaning, self acceptance. I was engrossed by each interesting, believable character. The scene where the guy who'd bought Shell some jeans and went on to invade her space by a prolonged hug was quite moving despite its awkwardness, as the empathy conveyed by Shell was a rare phenomena and it's so refreshingly to see.

Bullhead (2011)

A warning about our excessive macho culture;. brilliant film making

[10/10 · 1 April 2014]

Outstanding on many levels, i was left stunned by its impressive impact, especially on what this film says about human relationships. The protagonist says to his childhood (true)friend near the end "all i've known is animals....i feel like a bull....i haven't lived a natural life.....to protect a wife, children..." His friend embraced him in empathy, but this was questioned "are you a faggot". Any sign of apparent "weakness" ie. tender emotions, are suspect in this world. He lost his testicles as a child and the treatment he received from his culture was utterly insufficient to compensate for this in many key area's. The response to the traumatic incident completely omitted any restorative justice, leaving him at the mercy of vengeful passions, though his father blindly raged for "justice". At least the child did get a sense off a kind of love there. The family were just left to manage as best they could, in the spirit of the worse kind of "independence", which is another aspect of the wider culture, it's just a question of degree. How can someone inject themselves into a permanent stupor for years and this not be inquired into. Well in a world where introspection and emotional intimacy are marginalized, to be remote from the alpha male world of grunt work, brothels, rat race commerce and criminal tendencies, a wholesome human expression is prevented. The talk of only knowing animals said a lot to me about how our society as a whole functions too much on an animal level and has yet to give birth to its humanness. The child longingly looking at his adult version at the end was just heartbreaking and for me at least, reminded me to cherish our young, to give the utmost support to all their development as a rounded human being.

Panopticon (2012)

Compelling, well made doc. highlighting the dangers of OTT surveillance

[9/10 · 31 March 2014]

Very watchable and well put together doc. Well paced, so i could digest the many startling developments of invasive surveillance into all of our lives. From Supermarket loyalty cards, travel cards, CCTV to mobile phones and myriad ways of getting stuff onto our PC's to detect what info we're sending out. Much of this has always been openly carried out But RE: 'sensitive' info which we previously thought was subject to privacy protocols has been subject to the insidious creep of more ingenious ways of getting at it. Ways have developed to circumvent these and very often, even encryption isn't sufficient to keep the nosy parker's out!

Along with this, the creep is justified by governments "we need to do this for your security and well being" citing around 500 deaths due to terrorism in Europe (more deaths are due to falling down stairs!) yet Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain, 2012: Killed 1,754; Seriously Injured 23,039; Slightly Injured 170,930; Technology is available to reduce these casualties to almost zero. Also, the welfare/NHS cuts/rise of food banks etc, while The super-rich – the top 1% of earners – now pocket 10p in every pound of income paid in Britain, while the poorest half of the population take home only 18p of every pound between them. I ask "is our welfare's so important to governments"?

Impression is that most people accept this invasiveness because "they have nothing to hide" yet a question "why have curtains?" to some members of the public revealed to them just how important privacy is and as to why they should be concerned. I'm convinced that if a referendum was carried out in UK with all the facts/arguments presented (as in this doc) the result would be for at least a substantial reduction of the surveillance, if not an outright rejection - as they have in Germany; where they have historical experience of dictatorships, Gestapo, Stasi. They know the dangers of data gathering, with potential abuse, ID errors, tech flaws. There seems poor prospects of a referendum for such huge surveillance which is deplorable for a so-called "democracy". Governments can change goalposts too and i remember when non-violent protesters around the time of Occupy St.Pauls, were labeled by Police as potential terrorists. http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/12/05/london-police-listed-occupy- protesters-as-potential-terrorists/ It's necessary to campaign hard for the rejection of the unnecessary surveillance, while no one is protesting the targeting of legitimate suspects of terrorism.

You don't have to do anything wrong, you simply have to fall under suspicion from somebody, even via a wrong call. They can use this system PRISM to scrutinize every decision you've ever made, every friend you've ever discussed something with & attack you on that basis. To derive suspicion from an innocent life and paint anyone in the context of a wrongdoer.

ED SNOWDON: The primary lesson from this experience was that "you can't wait around for someone else to act. I had been looking for leaders, but I realized that leadership is about being the first to act." I don't want to live in a world where there's no privacy and therefore no room for intellectual exploration and creativity."

"Oh, I don't do anything wrong, I don't care if they listen". Well, over the course of a lifetime you have conversations through electronic mediums that can be twisted to make it look like you are a bad guy. Maybe you don't really mean it, maybe you are just musing or blowing off steam. But you said it, there is record of it, and someday maybe will be held against you in secret court to secretly detain you indefinitely. The potential for blackmail is so great that there is no way that this won't be used for nefarious means. It's the thought police at worst, and things like this will always eventually be at it's worst.