crookedmouth2003 Reviews

Some Mother's Son (1996)

moving yet underrated film

[9/10 · 11 May 2005]

With an excellent cast, soundtrack and photography this film's one flaw is that it must over-simplify a complex and pivotal episode in Irish history. Despite that it does a fairly good job of capturing the essence of what happened, smartly exposing the viewer to this rarely seen world through the eyes of a middle-class mother whose son, unknown to her, is caught up in the incendiary world of 'the Troubles' of Northern Ireland.

Convicted of taking part in an attack on British forces as part of an IRA Active Service Unit, her son quickly finds himself the cell-mate of soon-to-be-IRA-icon/martyr, Bobby Sands. Although the film does not really explore the personality of this seminal figure (for ex: that he was a poet), it does convey the gravity of the situation he was thrust in as well as the huge impact the hunger strike had on the Northern Irish, indeed people around the world.

But more so, this film is about the suffering that the women in these situations, particularly the mothers (hence the title) must endure. They have no choice in the tragedy that forces itself on their lives, yet they must find ways to overcome and affect what positive change they can.

Some say there is not enough "action" in the film. It is not an "action" movie. There are plenty of Dolph Lundgren vehicles out there if that is all you want. This film is about how episodes of moving history effects everyday people's lives.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

THE zombie masterpiece

[18 March 2004]

One may or may not appreciate the zombie genre (or horror sub-genre of zombie films), but if one does, then you can bet that 'Dawn of the Dead' is what would be considered the undisputed masterpiece. This film is epic. It is the zombie 'Citizen Kane.' Taking off where 'Night of the Living Dead ('68)' (truly the cornerstone of the contemporary zombie film) left off, this second installment more than ups the ante on the franchise opener. The tone is set from the outset in a live TV studio with people fleeing the city left and right. Its the beginning of the fragmentation of society. Then on to a huge raid/bloodbath on a housing project. Here our heros take flight, seeking refuge in an abandoned shopping mall infested with the undead. Yeah its the '70s and a little corny looking, dated. Yeah the film stock has that '70s orange tint to it. Yeah the blood looks like tomato soup. But they were working with what they had at the time. And what they come up with, ESPECIALLY in relation to what anyone else could do (and without major studio backing!!!), is truly landmark. The effectiveness of any zombie film is going to rely on how well the collapse of civilization has been presented. '28 Days Later' did a commendable job of presenting us with a deserted London. However, we've all seen films that fall way short of the mark and at times are an outright joke. 'Dawn of the Dead' establishes this collapse thoroughly. Hell, its happening right before your eyes. People can't agree on what the problem is, nevermind what to do about it. And while the frustration mounts, the problem is overwhelming us. A perfect theme to reflect the state of world at the time of this film's creation. A theme that has as much relevance today. No zombie (possibly even any horror) film made before it or after it can rival the sheer scope and complexity of George Romero's masterpiece. This is no bubble-gum-chewing models-posing-as-high-schoolers in a formula 'Friday the 13th' rip-off. The characters all have backstories which are deftly handled. Their relationships with each other are complex and multidimensional. And their survival depends on each other. Will the remake stay true to the well-made original? Will we care about the characters? Or have people with little respect for zombie films taken the reins? In which case they will further to cheapen the horror genre by populating this remake w/ stock caricatures waiting to die as we ho-hum through the digital effects. Maybe they got it right and we'll all have a reason to see it more than once. My fingers are crossed.