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LuckyStriker
Reviews
I Now Pronounce You Black and White (2010)
Not very good
Another jungle fever movie from a country who thinks they are experts on racial relations. That may even be so but the actors are certainly not experts on comedic timing. The biggest sin probably lies with the blind director and the editor who clearly had both arms amputated. Not terribly good even though I couldn't help myself rooting for the actors. I really wish this this movie won't kill their careers. On the up side, the production is fair so big up to the crew!
I'm not going to waste any more time with this review so I'm filling up the required space with rubbish...
Ju
Ju
Ju
Hello stereotypes
Faith Like Potatoes (2006)
Technical critique of a propaganda film
I'll rather not comment on the plot or motivations of the film. Suffice it to say that the film is aimed at religious (specifically Christian) denominations. Nothing wrong with that, it should be encouraged, rather than avoided.
The first thing that caught my eye was the use of digital filming. African landscapes and lighting is particularly suited for real film emulsions and to see it spoiled by cheap digital footage was a real disappointment. The colour was dull and the digital artefacts are very obvious. I don't want to dwell on the poor film quality so I'll move on.
The acting was particularly cringe worthy. Every time Casper Badenhorst started to speak I wanted to stick popcorn in my ears hum Sarie Marais. Francois Rautenbach and Matthew Roberts weren't bad and I could actually feel real empathy with their characters. Unfortunately the rest of the cast were hollow cardboard cut-outs. Richard van den Berg was particularly revolting. While the lead character was giving a particularly heart felt confession in his 'Green Cathedral' we had to endure the Mr. van den Berg slobbering on a piece of fruit and going "mm, mm, um, ja" before ripping off a corn cob and scribbling in the sand like some prophet.
But the thing that shocked me most of all was the graphic depiction of a child suffering. Several audience members gasped and wept achingly when a small boy was run over by a tractor and started coughing up blood straight into the camera lens. The broken posture of the child was particularly upsetting. A little girl sat in front of me and I dreaded what went through her mind. When my wife started to cry I got very angry and lost the last bit of respect I had for the film. I felt the director had dealt a very low blow by using such a gruesome visual tool to advance his own religious agenda.
Unfortunately this film can never appeal to everyone since it excludes all who do not share a particular church's view. It is a great film for showing at church or prayer groups but technically and visually this film is one of the worst I have seen from South Africa. It should have been screened on television on a Sunday evening only.
Nochnoy dozor (2004)
Very 'Other'
A drawn out war rages between the forces of Light and Darkness. When one such conflict threatens to destroy both sides, the Lords of the two domains agree on an uneasy truce. Neither side are allowed to coerce or directly recruit humans into their faction. To ensure that the balance between the forces are maintained, the Night watch and the Day watch are brought into being. Each side policing the other.
Anton Gorodetsky is an 'Other'. Anton is a human who was reborn through a traumatic event that revealed his accursed gift. Anton can see the future and it looks bad for everyone. Each night on the watch is a night closer to him slipping away into madness. His latest task is to track down and arrest a pair of vampires who prey on innocent humans. It is during this mission that he meets a human boy who, unbeknownst to him, holds the power to upset the balance between Light and Dark. But first Anton must find a cursed woman who brings suffering and sorrow to everyone she touches.
***** This film feels very anti-Hollywood indeed. The line between 'good' and 'evil' is blurred to the point where you begin to wonder if you are cheering for the correct side. The protagonist is a sullen junkie constantly on the verge of a breakdown and his colleagues seem more like corrupt cops than the protectors of all that is 'good' and 'wholesome'. The 'bad' guys appear almost victimised and forlorn at times. This may be the finest example of Euro-trash and Russian kitsch I have ever seen! Colours are over saturated one minute and almost monochrome the next. The camera motions/angles are brutal and the focus seemed to change every time the guy behind me slurped his drink. The characters are mafia style caricatures and the mood sombre. You can tell that a few jokes are cracked in the film but the humour is completely beyond me. I found myself smiling at the novelty of watching a very strange film that reminded me of lots of other films and yet at nothing I have ever seen. I cannot make my mind up if it's cool or if it's just trying to be cool