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Reviews
Gladiator (2000)
Maybe it's the genre, but this movie was awful
I thought the film was atrocious. Part of this was the mob
mentality that pervaded the college theatre where I saw it, with
hordes of frat boys cheering and applauding at the goriest
scenes. Do they not realize they are just like the Romans in
this sense? I couldn't believe some of the dialogue that was
allowed to come out of characters' mouths. Some of the special
effects were interesting, particularly the construction of the
Coliseum, but the sped-up look of the scenes was extremely
irritating. This film just seemed thoughtless and predictable,
while not particularly entertaining or insightful. Definitely
not worth 2 1/2 hours or $8 for the price of ad
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Definitely worth seeing---but.....
While I really enjoyed watching The Blair Witch Project, the experience would have been far better in an empty theatre. To become completely absorbed in the events on screen, there really needs to be utter silence in the theatre. Unfortunately, crowds in Baltimore haven't totally mastered the art of staying quiet during a film. That said, Blair Witch works much better if you take the events onscreen as factual. Actually, even knowing that it is fictional does not detract from the experience too much, but it's certainly far more frightening if taken as reality.
In some sense, the movie reminded me of Michael Powell's masterpiece Peeping Tom, made in the early sixties. Both films were far more frightening in a psychologically realistic way than in a gore/shock way. Blair Witch seemed as much a consideration of how we view films as an out and out horror film. It's quite short, and upon the fairly abrupt ending (which was perfectly fine by me), many people in the theatre said quite loudly, "That's IT?!?" Granted, it's impossible to escape idiots in society, but I would still highly recommend the film, only in a far more empty (or mature) theatre than the one in which I saw it.
Suture (1993)
A film about film
While I have some stylistic qualms about Suture, and several complaints about the acting, the film is an intriguing study of how we view films and identity. In some sense, it echoes Godard and the Brecht alienation effect by using the fact that Clay and Vincent are different races--something that we as an audience immediately see, but no other characters ever recognize-- to establish that we are watching a performance. In a film called Suture, we are never "sutured" into the narrative structure.
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
Absolutely brilliant
A tremendous look at the struggles that everyone went through (including Eleanor Coppola) to finally create Apocalypse Now. Perhaps the overwhelming impression that this film made on me was that I would never, ever want to have to work with Marlon Brando. In a cast and crew of hundreds of people working, suffering, and creating together, he stands out as someone who didn't care about the process, merely concerned with getting paid. Ugh. Of course, this does not detract from the quality of the documentary, which gives amazing insight into the filmmaking process, both as a broad concept and as relating to Apocalypse Now. Another idea explored is "what is an artist?" This is a film that no film aficionado should miss.
Caruga (1991)
So what is a revolutionary, anyway?
Caruga (I thought it was actually "Charuga") shows the danger of revolutionaries ending up as merely self-serving bandits. It also explores the question of whether or not a revolutionary figure is capable of having a libido and remaining true to his (or her) cause. A rather depressing film at times, Charuga is still a must see for anyone interested in the ideals of revolution.
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Lee's film falls short of its excellent premise
When I read Spike Lee's journals, I expected to be really impressed with the final product. I was extremely disappointed with the film. First, though, there were certain elements of the film that I thought were good: 1. I thought that Danny Aiello's performance stood out as extremely good. Of all the characters, he was the one with the most depth, I thought. 2. Spike Lee has a very strong aesthetic sense. Visually, the film was very interesting a lot of the time. I do think that he could have done more with the motif of extreme heat throughout the middle third of the movie.
3. Lee represents ambiguity well in places--for instance, he shows that despite certain racist elements ingrained in him, Sal/Aiello is not a bad person. Of course, I think he romanticizes the character of Sal in parts.
4. The scenes that did not have any dialogue (I'm especially referring to the riot scene) were very powerful. Lee builds suspense and interest extremely effectively.
Which brings me to my list of complaints.... 1. I thought Spike Lee's performance was atrocious, often comically bad. I think he should have skipped trying to be a complete auteur for the film and let someone more qualified play his role. The final scene with Danny Aiello is one of the best-written scenes in the movie, but Lee nearly ruins it with a wooden reading of his lines. 2. Much of the dialogue was extremely awkwardly constructed. Reading his journals, I had extremely high hopes for intelligent screenwriting, but I was really disappointed. I understand that Lee was trying to make many points about violence and about race, but I thought that he resorted to "speechifying" rather than assuming very much intelligence from his audience. By tacking on speeches about race relations, he missed a good opportunity to incorporate them more effectively into conversations.
3. Having Spike Lee's character of Mookie throw the trash can through the window of the pizzeria (by the way, did anyone else find it odd that they spelled it "pizzaria"?) was a mistake, I think. It would have been far more plausible and more satisfying if someone else had commenced the riot. Spike Lee could have gotten his point across much more effectively had his character simply not done anything. 4. The film seems extremely dated, to the point where something that may have been comical in 1988 is simply not funny, whereas other elements that were not intended to be humorous have become amusing. This isn't something that I can necessarily fault Lee for, but it was rather distracting as I was watching it. 5. I just don't think that the writing is intelligent enough to do justice to Spike Lee's very important ideas about the topics addressed in Do the Right Thing.
What worries me, however, is that my problems with this film stem from the fact that I, as a white male, might never fully understand Spike Lee's perspective on racial issues. I want to be as objective as possible in my assessment of the film, but can I escape my own cultural and racial pigeonhole?
The Shining (1980)
A horror classic
This film works so well because it is not only a very successful horror film, it is also a knowledgeable homage to previous horror films. Similarly, one can sit back silently and become absorbed in the narrative (in which case, the movie is terrifying), or one can view the film as a comedic piece (it is a VERY funny work of art). The film runs a bit too long and could have easily omitted at least 15 or 20 minutes of needless footage, but it is still extremely entertaining and thought-provoking (deconstructing the film leads to interesting results!).
W.R. - Misterije organizma (1971)
Worth watching
While this film can be difficult to watch, it is nonetheless a fascinating look at international politics and beliefs, especially as they relate to sex. Ideally, one should watch it with friends and discuss the message to get a fuller understanding of what's going on in the film.
La montaña sagrada (1973)
zowie
Watching this film made me really wish that I had more than simply a working knowledge of world cosmologies. It was often a struggle to decipher Jodorowski's symbolism, though the visual language was always incredible. The entire film held me spellbound. I thought the first and last half hours were absolutely brilliant, though parts of the last minutes seemed a bit muddier, both in visual and narrative impact. All in all, however, it is a film that makes me view the world differently.