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Reviews
The Island with Bear Grylls (2014)
A bit fake
Season 2 review. First of all, the women all died twice. Nothing to celebrate there. Fakeness comes with "lucky moments" and "wild pigs." You don't just find and eat rusty cans of baked beans in the forest and not get botulism. And there's a big difference between wild pigs and domestic pigs. No chance in Hell you will sneak up on a wild pig just snoozing in the sun. Then the random fisherman who comes by and gives you food without compensation. It feels like nobody actually learned any survival skills at the end of it, men or women. Really, it's Naked and Afraid with half-wits in clothes. And an exercise in why Socialism doesn't work.
River's Edge (1986)
Very good, but.....
There is a lot to like about this movie. The performances, story, script, and message are pretty outstanding, especially for the time. Perhaps even more relevant in2024. What makes the film suffer is the cinematography, soundtrack, lighting, and some direction. It did bug me that a major-minor character has zero lines. He just motions and has facial expressions. Less money for the Asian kid I guess. Wasted opportunity to add a much needed layer to the story. I can see this being remade and done better, without changing much. The story and message are arguably timeless. As a Gen-Xer, I understand that every generation is more apathetic than the one before, and also more selfish and evil. That's what this film is about.