Yeah just that
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My Review of “Old” – Horror by M Night Shyamalan
This film succeeded with me in presenting a background in front of which I can see a personal connection. It failed a little in preaching what the background would do for the close up characters, who we are invested in, maybe too much.
It’s safe to say this guy’s films are spoiled from their release. Even the title here carries a summary. Through peripheral unintentional spoils, I knew it was about people on a beach who either get old or discover people there who got old prematurely. Without spoilers, there’s something undefinable on the island and the film does have to do with that process.
I’m a high achiever so I know people will vary in their reactions to growing old. I would have drawn conclusions for characters that hadn’t been clearly lined out in the film. Why is the best ending _______? I like a more open ended film when it comes to It’s a Wonderful Life conclusions. Maybe he doesn’t want her back? As an example?
In conclusion, if you are introspective about life, this could be a good place to go. Don’t look for moral truths but use your imagination to marinate the troubles and mixed blessings in your life. For introspective fans of M Night Shyamalan, I recommend “Old” to you.
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The BBC Frankenstein is One Way to Look at it
Helen McCrory fans like myself were likely shocked and excited that the lovely actress was to play a female Dr. Frankenstein.
We know this only from the title however since her name is not mentioned as such. Along with the change of gender, this “incarnation” of the mythic monster film is highly protean. The things I liked best about it were: 1) The persona of a mother to the being, 2) The hideous yet credible creature, and 3) the veer away from reanimation in place of creation at a cellular level, like cloning it would seem.
The second thing to love about this film is the creature. It looks scary. There are shots where he’s moving where you can really believe the actor looks like that. If you’ve seen Tobe Hooper’s “Funhouse” film, you might compare the two creatures. What’s weird about it is it formed through cellular division and mutation as opposed to the Dr. digging up a corpse and reanimating it. In the tender shots with mom, the eyes are quite expressive. I have to admit I didn’t expect such a well formed creature in a BBC movie. I was wrong, it’s insanely cool looking. For the third thing, I want to share further about the angle of the film regarding cellular fusion and cloning.
Have you ever seen the “Dolly” lamb that was cloned? It’s creepy as all get up. The idea of a living thing that was born in a lab to me is terrifying. In the same breath I will say however it’s fascinating from a scientific perspective. It would have been cool to see the traditional path of these movies run its course but they made something new work. The more modern movies do that and as a result many have been made and have held the public’s full attention and praise. There is a sequence of images of amoebas and paramecium under the microscope. I loved that so much. The idea that life is relentless and will fight to live and even evolve.
In conclusion I highly recommend this film. It’s streaming now on Amazon Prime. I hope you’ll subscribe to my podcast and blog to get the latest monster movie I review in this series.
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MAGA Mockingbird: My quick connection of Harper Lee’s Novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird” and MAGA current events
Art mimics life and sometimes it’s so flawlessly done in film that it explains the news of the day. In this case. I’m referring to racism as portrayed in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Today we are hearing evidence of Republicans mistreating migrants. Governor Abbot had them bussed to Chicago in a defiant act against President Biden. I recall the scenes in Mockingbird where Mayella recounts for the court how she as supposedly raped by a crippled arm black man. I will say in the same paragraph however that I am not assaulting Republicanism as a group (though it is going that way dear friends. I’m astounded how low they have sunken under Trump’s dictatorship.
We find out quickly this rape could not have happened and it opens’ our eyes to the dehumanization of blacks in the 1930’s. You’d think we would have stopped this’s hurtful nonsense after all these years. Trump’s mug juts out at all of us reminding how we deserve more than another race. This is a lousy way to deal with “The Other” among us. He has grabby hands.
I think this film has replaced “A River Runs Through it” as my all time favorite. Every semester I teach entering Freshmen about respect for the “Other.” You see this perfectly embodied in the character played by Greg Peck, Atticus Finch. That’s the only comparison I will allude to regarding Republicans. If you are one, I hope you don’t get offended but rather heed the call to be better. I used to be a Republican, I shy away from that fact now.
The court scenes show a white man who has empathy for the Other in his awareness’ for the Other, who is a black man, his client, The film is charming because it paints a timely portrait of the South. The genius mind of Harper Lee has created a place on film where we all can go to address these issues. We’re all guilty of racial bias, I truly believe that. Some more than others can rise above. I can give this film no less than 10/10. Watch it, especially if you are a MAGA Republican. Let me know what you think in the comments.
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