Tag: reposts

As a coming of age story, I’m not sure this is much different from what we’ve seen in the past. Then again, Morris is one of two black people studying German and attending a German high school. That factoid does make it quite different, even though the basics of sexual curiosities and partying are the same. Unfortunately for this film, I saw a much better coming-of-age film at the end of 2016 called Moonlight. This one paled in comparison.

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There are spoliers ahead. Morris and his dad are in Germany. His father tells him they are the only two black men in the area. Morris, being around 14 or so, has to learn the German language and get along with a pretty abusive group of teens. You can feel his frustration day by day. He has his rapping that keeps him entertained. When a school talent show comes up, he decides to try out. The result is anything but productive.

The father and son have a unique relationship. The father will not deny when he has said curse words and punished his son for rapping them. His reasoning is slightly different though for his son. He wants his son’s raps to be rooted in reality and not in hip hop profanity. It’s almost as if however the father wouldn’t mind the profanity if the son really were living out the lyrics.

I have to be honest, I had a hard time finishing this one. There is a girl, as his father says there always will be, she is very odd. She asks Morris how long his dick is at one point and then next minute she’s kissing another guy in front of him. She’s a very dangerous person. At the same time, she seems to care for Morris so it’s complicated. As a coming of age drama with some comedy, I’d recommend it to young adults. There is some rave dancing and drug use and some of this is interesting to watch and listen to. Ultimately though, I think just a handful of people will enjoy and “get” this film. I can’t really tell you their exact demographic but I’m sure they’re out there. As for me? I would pass on this one.

There’s a type of movie that doesn’t adhere to the Hollywood formula. I call it an “art film.” Certain Women falls into that category for me. It doesn’t care to explain the three stories pasted together. Yet, the name as a banner is speaking to me saying, “There is a deeper meaning here for you to find.” I felt a similar way about Birdman and many independent films I’ve seen.

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The cinematography is pristine. All stories encapsulate parts of America. The second film especially really makes you feel like you’re camping among the characters. There are three women who take their place, each in her own story. The acting women are big names in film so the humble independent feel of the film belies that.

The film feels intentionally slow. Luckily for us, the actresses are so good, time travels quickly through these stories. I’m not sure what the director means by “certain women” but I was left feeling as if these three certain women can change the world. It could be reasoned that the fourth woman is the one watching the film. Certain women can change their world. They don’t need to be perfect, just resolute in their vision. It could be argued that each of these women are like that. I recommend this to fans of the actresses as well as people interested in the change women can bring to the world, however small.

The high school dramedy must be one of the biggest genres to break into with a film. People watch films like The Breakfast Club and Fast Times at Ridgemont High over and over again until their dying day. This film doesn’t come close to breaking in. In plain English, it’s awful. I call it a “wanna-be” high school dramedy.

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This film is about a high school English teacher who volunteers to take three high school teens to a drama competition. It is an overnight and she has her own hotel room as somewhere in the hotel the three unstable teens have their own rooms. I should have known when this was explained that this film was not based in reality.

There are numerous times when the teacher smokes while with the kids. She often leaves them unattended. She appears to be giving the most disturbed young man a chance to grow and go off his medication. When she doesn’t like his reactions, she blames him and tries calling the Principal back home. She is the one to blame because she is the one in charge.

In between all the “drama” (literally) we see all sorts of dysfunction. Writing as someone who has worked in the public school system for 17 years, I can tell you this movie is a legal nightmare and definitely not healthy for any of the characters involved. “Well, Damien it’s a comedy!” You might say. It’s not in the least bit funny. If you have a different view, let’s start a conversation in the comments. As for me, I can’t recommend this to anyone except to give an example of what high school dramedy should NOT look like.

How quick we humans are as young people to judge our parents actions. Young men as a general rule think they know everything, so why aren’t grown-ups asking? It’s because youth has a lot to learn, in spite of their energetic ideas and passions.

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In this story, we have two young men, pre high school it would appear. They are friends because ones mother is a seamstress in a tailor/dressmaker shop that the other parents own. It was handed down by one boy’s grandfather which makes that boy just slightly more wealthy than the other boy. It is in fact enough to matter.

There is a clear distinction between the filthy rich and the poor lining the homeless shelters but the lines that exist in the middle class are not as defined. The “landlord” son has different ideas from his parents when they decide to sell the store. That’s when things get quite ugly with the other boy’s mom. It shows a separation of values based on income and education.

This is a truly gritty, well-made drama. It was a nice surprise for me at the end of 2016. I recommend it to fans of Kinnear as well as lovers of well-produced dramatic films.

I waited months in anticipation of this movie based on my favorite childhood book, Where the Wild Things Are. My parents used to read it to me at bedtime and I recall such vivid images of Max’s bedroom, the far-off land of the wild things, and those creatures with their yellowy eyes. It was oddly scary and comforting at the same time to hear that story each night. That’s probably why I was curious to see what director Spike Jonze would do with the big screen adaptation. Unfortunately, this movie had few positives for me.

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It’s the kind of movie I wait and wait for and then wind up feeling empty once it’s over. I will concede that my opinion is not the norm. I read five reviews on Blogcritics alone before I decided I must be from another planet. I felt this movie was like cheap merchandise with nothing to back it up.

The movie begins with a sort of “grunge” look to it. The beginning scene is very short and the title of the movie sort of “freeze frames” in sloppy strokes reminiscent of Flowers for Algernon. That was cool but after that we get a contrived character of 9 or 10 years of age. He is stricken with fury at his mother, his sister, and those around him in those scenes. My wife and I have a debate going over whether he shows evidence of mental illness. Make no mistake … this is decidedly not the “Max” of the original book.

The Max in the book is a garrulous young boy of about six years old. He is sent to his room without his supper. The Max of the movie is deeply disturbed and much older and he ends up running away from home. There is serious convolution of character and plot here.

When the “movie Max,” played by child actor Max Records, gets to the island on his boat, the book’s magic is lost. The movie has already cashed in on the book’s familiar appeal.

I should say here that this movie is decidedly not for kids. My daughters were on the verge of tears a couple of times. A friend of mine has a daughter who cried uncontrollably through the opening snow tunnel scene. Well, maybe that was an over-reaction, it’s not terrible I suppose. More than that, it is a bait and switch from the book we all read growing up.

One particularly scary aspect of the movie is the character Judith, played by Catherine O’Hara. She is not a playful character and seems to show direct and unbridled hate toward Max in a few scenes. I have a feeling the movie wants to be a statement about refusing to grow up. This is the opposite of the book’s message, which brings acceptance of growth and maturity upon Max’s return. I could accept the Judith scenes if he grew somehow. Instead, he just seems to eventually run away again.

If you want to watch disturbing images in and out of realistic fiction, this movie will appeal to you. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate disturbing images when they make a point. For example, I thoroughly enjoyed the 1970’s Pink Floyd movie The Wall. It made excellent points through disturbing images. The difference from WTWTA is that The Wall didn’t claim to be a big screen adaptation of a beloved children’s book.

If I had to pick one positive aspect of this film I’d say it’s the Jim Henson muppet wild things. They look awesome. If that alone is worth your trip to a movie, I won’t steer you away. However, if you want a warmhearted adaptation of a children’s book, pass on this one.

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, known most recently for directing “Birdman,” has created a visually stunning movie of survival and revenge. It’s clearly the fruit of much labor on behalf of the director and all the actors. It shows and works in the movie. Unfortunately the audience has to labor as well through a lot of slow scenes, some of which are probably unnecessary.

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The two main roles are played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. Their characters are rough, gritty, and at times difficult to watch. There are some scenes in this film that made even me feel like hiding my eyes. Is this any surprise since this movie is about frontiersmen surviving in sub zero temperatures. There are Indians, hatchets, musket type rifles, buffalo, and bears. Aside: This film contains the most frightening bear maul I’ve ever seen on film. Even Paul Bunyan would recoil.

Short synopsis: Hugh Glass is a frontiersman alongside Jon Fitzgerald and a group of rough ones. They are making their way through the snowy forest terrain. Through a course of events and a bear mauling of Hugh, the story becomes one of survival. Hugh is determined to survive the attack and take revenge on those who abandoned him for dead.

My conclusions: There is a signature drum soundtrack but not as extensive as the one in “Birdman.” The camera pans and zooms are also signature of Iñárritu. It’s a long sit but I can say that fans of “Birdman” and westerns about revenge will probably really enjoy this movie. The cinematography is incredible. My wife and I actually felt cold in some of the scenes even though we had a raging fire going with the heater on. Movie lovers and reviewers especially will enjoy this movie. I foresee Oscar nods. It’s one of the best of 2015 for sure. I did find it overly long and belabored at times though and that made it lose a star with me.

I love this show. It’s a TV series that came out a few years ago called “Dead Like Me.” I give just a brief yet heartfelt recommendation of it.

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An English cohort on my podcast listed this as one of her favorite tv shows. I had to check it out because she and I usually have similar tastes in television. I was able to find it and I watched the pilot, as I am wont to do when starting a series. et me tell you, I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of a CSI only it began in 1996 without much of the techie fluff that came later (on CSI that is).

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The pilot consisted of a primary character who is a forensic pathologist. As we have learned through many crime shows in the years since, that means investigator who knows a lot about blood and trajectory of bullets etc. What I’ve learned as well is that a forensic officer has a lot of intuition and the ability to put many pieces of hard evidence together to make a case against a perpetrator (bad guy ha!). All these big words are coming out of me and it makes me realize how much I’ve learned watching television.

The woman playing the investigator is excellent. I don’t know how many seasons she remains on the show, there are a whopping 20 seasons. She seems to care more than most people on the force which is also a common theme for a CSI type show. In this pilot, a little girl is dead and we are left to discover whether she has drowned by falling off a swing over a river or if she was killed.

It’s a formula show to be sure but I am a fan of the formula show. Columbo any old timers? When it ait broke don’t fix it. Apparently, this show has discovered a formula to take it up to 20 episodes and still counting. Kira, thanks for recommending this one to me. My personal dilemma now is to decide whether to start from the beginning and continue or shoot up to modern 2016 episodes. Decisions decisions!