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Reviews
I Am Divine (2013)
The Life and Times of the Filthiest Woman in the World
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I watched this movie. Being from Baltimore, I knew vaguely about John Water and Divine, and really almost nothing about drag queens, so I viewed I Am Divine as a complete outsider. This documentary could have gone wrong in so many ways, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a sensitive and respectful documentary about a legendary figure.
As far as biographical documentaries go, I Am Divine was pretty standard, starting at the beginning of Divine/Glenn Milstead's life and concluding at its end. There usage of archival footage of Divine both in and out of costume was excellent, while the interviews of his close friends and family were very thorough. I found that the talking heads, rather than being too distracting, served to really painted a comprehensive picture of who Divine was. Though the documentary did touch on the issues that Divine faced throughout his life, such as his initial financial struggles, I would have liked to see the movie address them with more depth. However, on the other hand, I think that it's pretty understandable because I Am Divine was clearly meant to be a celebration of an influential figure's life.
I'm glad that I watched this movie. I learned quite a lot about someone who turned out to be enormously influential. Divine had huge hand in shaping current-day drag culture from the prim, debonair queens of the 50s-60s to the loud and colorful drag performers we are familiar with today. I would have loved to see them explore Divine's contemporary impact more in the movie, but alas. I Am Divine could have so easily veered into something that was offensive and mocking, but it stayed so respectful to Divine and who he was as a person. Watch this movie!!
Into the Abyss (2011)
Interesting work by Herzog
What struck me about Into The Abyss was that it wasn't so much a true-crime documentary, but more a thoughtful exploration into one crime and its subsequent consequences. I know that Herzog documentaries aren't always the most objective, but while I was watching Into The Abyss, I didn't get the impression that there was a particular theme or message being pushed at me. At some point, Herzog mentions that he is averse to capital punishment, but this opinion does not dominate the documentary.
One interesting thing that Herzog did was that he presented the interviews in a particular way. One of the very first interviews is of death row inmate, Matthew Perry, and Herzog then delves deeper by questioning law enforcement, relatives of the deceased, friends of the perpetrators, etc. We immediately learn that Perry is sentenced to die in 8 days, though it is not until the very end that he has died via lethal injection as scheduled. This creates an effective yet not jarring or overly distracting shock for the audience. Someone that they had just witnessed living and talking has died. It is strange and sometimes uncomfortable to process, and I think Herzog had this in mind when he finally put together the film.
As a documentary, Into The Abyss was intriguing, engaging, and emotional. It was full of very human interviews; people wept and sighed and stuttered, adding to the realism and the rawness overall. This is not what I would call a "beautiful" film, but it is a film that is thoughtful and well-made. I didn't enjoy this as much as Cave of Forgotten Dreams, but then again, that can be attributed to the difficult subject matter of Into The Abyss.
However, after finishing the movie, I wasn't left with any deeper insight or revelations than when I started. This film is undoubtedly well-made and carefully shot, but not as introspective as some of Herzog's other documentary films. I felt the movie skimmed the surface of what Herzog could have potentially addressed: the criminal justice system, capital punishment, the nature of grief and death, etc, yet in the end Into The Abyss seemed kind of bare. I wish Herzog could have just explored the topic(s) touched in Into The Abyss a bit more; nevertheless, I am looking forward to more of his works.
Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
My Favorite Dreamworks Franchise
Even better than Shrek.
It's amazing how every single iteration of Kung Fu Panda is somehow as good or better as the original.
Rather than being a typical talking animal children's movie, Kung Fu Panda is sensitive and funny and smart all at the same time, and KFP3 is no exception. Besides from some questionable moments of slapstick humor (but whatever, it's a kids movie what else can you expect) this movie was great. I actually laughed aloud at some parts because this movie was Actually Funny. Based on the trailer, I was prepared to be disappointed, but I was surprised they didn't shoehorn a romance between Po and Mei Mei (the lady panda in the trailer), and they resolved the conflict between Po's goose dad and real dad in a very touching way.
Also of course, there was a very satisfying and loud happy ending (my favorite part).
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Just watch it
When I first heard about this movie, it was because it showed up on some "Worst Movies of 2015" list, but rather than one of the worst movies of 2015, I watched a pretty entertaining innovation on a beloved series.
Guy Ritchie movies tend to be fast-paced, and TMFU was certainly no exception; appropriate since this is supposed to be a spy movie. However, it was a spy movie that didn't take itself too seriously, so it was still a lot of fun to watch.
Another feature of Guy Ritchie movies seems to be actors doing over the top accents (e.g. Snatch), but despite this, Vikander, Hammer, and Cavill have great chemistry. The movie included some background on Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin that wasn't really present in the original series, which certainly added depth to the characters.
Also Elizabeth Debicki!! This was the first time I've seen her since The Great Gatsby, and I'm looking forward to seeing her more! She played a very cool and sophisticated (but still ruthless) villain.
Anyway, I've never actually watched the original series, so maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about, but regardless of what mainstream critics say you should watch this movie! I think it has something fun for everyone, and I would definitely watch it again.