strawberryfields747
Lifetime Total
1+
IMDb Member
11 years
Reviews
The BFG (2016)
Wonderful and mesmerizing, in every aspect artistry.
It is much easier (for some people like myself) to expound on criticism than write a positive review enumerating the incredible aspects of a film. I found this so beautifully well-done on all levels that I find words hard to expand this brief synopsis. The IMDb requirements for posting do not allow anything shorter than 5 lines for submission, and so I have done my best to simply say, so much fun watching this film, engrossing and fun. Someone wrote a review claiming that Spielberg's monochrome black and white accounts of historical moral lessons in his previous films are, to put it plainly, a bore. I can't say that every Spielberg film is my favorite, but of the films that are in black and white genre, absolutely fascinating and not trite or boring or trivial or poorly done. He's one of the film masters of our era and I hope the audiences can see the charm so cleverly dispersed and intertwined with cinematic genius. Yeah Spielberg.
The Ninth Gate (1999)
Perez-Reverte's take on women vying for power.
I am currently engrossed in another of Perez-Reverte's takes on women fighting for power in a male-dominated sector, in the English version of Queen of the South. As in the above film, the Ninth Gate, a woman is fighting to hold sway and power over her husband in a near epic battle not of good-versus-evil, but of women fighting against men to hold scepter in a violent and, in the case of this movie above, to be first in a Satanic dimension and clique (combined).
Not wanting to write any "spoiler" without making an alert, I only think of a comparison with the Ninth Gate and Queen of the South in a complex battle of male-versus-female in a male dominated system. Since the current showing of Queen of the South in the English version has not been completed, I do not know if the wife will conquer the husband in this epic battle of symbolic proportion in the TV series, but this is a recurring theme in these two Perez- Reverte film/TV series adaptations.
The Ninth Gate is special for the artistic rendering produced by Polansky, just as the casting of the lead protagonist actor is a Satanic perfect match. I watch this film, however, only to compare and contrast the Perez-Reverte version of this wife/husband female versus male power struggle, and how it plays out in the power struggles in a corrupt system where all claws are exposed and there is no moral guidepost to lead the struggling contenders. Pure power machinations are thus employed, and it does lend to a powerful power contest but mostly put into criminal and other dark force realms.
The Ninth Gate,as well as The Queen of the South, are powerful feminist statements as well, but as for the Ninth Gate, it appears that as far as the Satanic realm of covens and empowerment goes, oppressive Patriarchy surmounts the struggle with full support of the material and dark spiritual- dimension where these struggles are also carried out.
I still have to wait and see if The Queen of the South carries out the success of patriarchy over a matriarchal power play or not, I hope Perez-Reverte has gained a different perspective or more of a leaning towards women achieving success outside of marriage, in a - pseudo-feminist approach to this dilemma, written by a man in a male-dominated genre of movie and entertainment corporate structure,than in The Ninth Gate which has offered the usual male- dominated hierarchical theme.
Not wanting to write any "spoiler" without making an alert, I only think of a comparison with the Ninth Gate and Queen of the South in a complex battle of male-versus-female in a male dominated system. Since the current showing of Queen of the South in the English version has not been completed, I do not know if the wife will conquer the husband in this epic battle of symbolic proportion in the TV series, but this is a recurring theme in these two Perez- Reverte film/TV series adaptations.
The Ninth Gate is special for the artistic rendering produced by Polansky, just as the casting of the lead protagonist actor is a Satanic perfect match. I watch this film, however, only to compare and contrast the Perez-Reverte version of this wife/husband female versus male power struggle, and how it plays out in the power struggles in a corrupt system where all claws are exposed and there is no moral guidepost to lead the struggling contenders. Pure power machinations are thus employed, and it does lend to a powerful power contest but mostly put into criminal and other dark force realms.
The Ninth Gate,as well as The Queen of the South, are powerful feminist statements as well, but as for the Ninth Gate, it appears that as far as the Satanic realm of covens and empowerment goes, oppressive Patriarchy surmounts the struggle with full support of the material and dark spiritual- dimension where these struggles are also carried out.
I still have to wait and see if The Queen of the South carries out the success of patriarchy over a matriarchal power play or not, I hope Perez-Reverte has gained a different perspective or more of a leaning towards women achieving success outside of marriage, in a - pseudo-feminist approach to this dilemma, written by a man in a male-dominated genre of movie and entertainment corporate structure,than in The Ninth Gate which has offered the usual male- dominated hierarchical theme.
The Skulls (2000)
Plot becomes easily unbelievable but the evil vaguely hinted
This contains a "spoiler": I don't expect to see a Hollywood movie about a secret society as prominent as Skull and Bones to have the reality of the loss of morality that entails such membership, and the resulting cruelty involved in interpersonal relationships which parallel the outer violence the creed of "War" entails, but at least there is a Hollywood movie that touches on this subject.
The plot engrossed me up to the point of the "murder"/"accident" which was made to look like a suicide. The players involved in the cover- up appeared sad and sentimental about what had happened. I think the actual reality would be much more sinister. There would be callous indifference to the death and it would probably have been more like murder than an accident. An outsider who violates the privacy of the inner sanctum of the ritual chamber will get "suicided", and not in an accident. This was indeed hinted at, but made to look viewer-friendly as if the people involved in the cover up were sorry and sad. It might have been more realistic and thus the film more believable if the people who put the body into a fake suicide might be smirking and gloating in their power, since that is most likely the honest and real response. It would have shown the cruelty and violence inherent in such an organization. In addition, that bribe offered to the "hero", with a prepaid law school acceptance into any law school as a "get out of jail free" card would greedily and easily have been taken up and the glittery party would have continued for all involved. That would have shown the absolute lack of morality and concern for other human beings that this type of "power" does to the human spirit. Instead the movie relied on a well-used formula of the mundane hero resisting evil on the path to righteousness. That does not reflect the actual state of morality in the US nor in the fight to be accepted into the halls of power.
The plot engrossed me up to the point of the "murder"/"accident" which was made to look like a suicide. The players involved in the cover- up appeared sad and sentimental about what had happened. I think the actual reality would be much more sinister. There would be callous indifference to the death and it would probably have been more like murder than an accident. An outsider who violates the privacy of the inner sanctum of the ritual chamber will get "suicided", and not in an accident. This was indeed hinted at, but made to look viewer-friendly as if the people involved in the cover up were sorry and sad. It might have been more realistic and thus the film more believable if the people who put the body into a fake suicide might be smirking and gloating in their power, since that is most likely the honest and real response. It would have shown the cruelty and violence inherent in such an organization. In addition, that bribe offered to the "hero", with a prepaid law school acceptance into any law school as a "get out of jail free" card would greedily and easily have been taken up and the glittery party would have continued for all involved. That would have shown the absolute lack of morality and concern for other human beings that this type of "power" does to the human spirit. Instead the movie relied on a well-used formula of the mundane hero resisting evil on the path to righteousness. That does not reflect the actual state of morality in the US nor in the fight to be accepted into the halls of power.
3096 Tage (2013)
Subject matter taboo and excellent it's been brought to light
Some of the reviews for this film reveal the "blame the victim" mentality held by society towards victims of sex crimes. The hints of blaming the victims echo the usual excuses, that these victims in some way got what they "deserve" for not apparently fighting back, for "letting it happen", and on and on. These rationalizations are some of the worst blows to the victims and conversely one of the greatest supports of the perpetrators.
It is necessary for films like this to be made so the myths and lies of sex slavery are viewed for what the reality is: torture, plain and simple. In one of her newspaper interviews after the film was made, Ms. Kampusch stated that the reality was far worse than the film depicted, so this glimpse into the world of sex slavery was watered down considerably.
I also was glad that there were hints of mysterious behavior from other characters involved in the story who may or may not have been involved in what the Austrian police later publicly claimed may have been the machinations of a pedophile ring, which may have helped this perpetrator abduct and psychologically torture the victim. Too bad this statement from the Austrian police was not included in the film.
It is necessary for films like this to be made so the myths and lies of sex slavery are viewed for what the reality is: torture, plain and simple. In one of her newspaper interviews after the film was made, Ms. Kampusch stated that the reality was far worse than the film depicted, so this glimpse into the world of sex slavery was watered down considerably.
I also was glad that there were hints of mysterious behavior from other characters involved in the story who may or may not have been involved in what the Austrian police later publicly claimed may have been the machinations of a pedophile ring, which may have helped this perpetrator abduct and psychologically torture the victim. Too bad this statement from the Austrian police was not included in the film.