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nikola1tesla
Reviews
The New World (2005)
Highly Recommend!! 10 out of 10!
The New World is a gorgeously hypnotic trance, otherworldly, passionate, sublimely surreal. I HIGHLY recommend it. 10/10!!
(SPOILERS) Smith starts as the chained up loner shipmate looking up from below deck, a harassed moody figure who was reprimanded for mutinous back-talk, but we see him delighting in what little natural sun and rain reach in to touch his cold, dark, solitary, locked-in dungeon. He bears the humiliation of nearly being hanged as a warning against future insubordination, but he is set loose to work and to prove his loyalty to those who chained him. His duties include establishing profitable and peaceful contacts with the tribe's leaders. Smith's quick defense of an accused Indian against an English vigilante is tactful, ethical, and fiercely emotional, establishing him as a quick-thinking underdog leader.
The battle scenes are fantastically choreographed, each thrust and parry, duck and tackle forcefully convincing. There are gorgeous flashes of various stunningly painted faces, naked muscles in contrast with Smith's solid iron armor, a heavy medieval helmet with a hinged face plate clanking shut beneath a swirl of feathers and fur, and Smith's knight swords converging explosively in a dark swamp teaming with wildlife and warriors. The sheer excitement of Smith's capture blows me away.
The dream-quality scenes of the tribe are so realistic, spiritual, and authentic I cried, happy goosebumps & shivers of recognition with the way everyone came together and rebuilt their people, embodied their spirit to the nth degree. They bring Smith into their world, reborn, wide-eyed, breathless, after the climactic moments of a last-minute reconsideration and intervention from execution, even with the suspicion that more Englishmen are bound to come no matter what they do. The way that she is never named, even when there comes a time near the end that the English say "she does not have that name anymore, right now, she has no name...." ring so true and so profoundly intimate it's without a doubt Malick and his advisers know exactly what they were doing culturally. The tribal moments were better than I ever could have imagined, and the level of artistry and authenticity is absolutely unrivaled in any other Native film. This will set new high standards.
Malick's vision of Pocahontas & Smith's alliance, and then Pocahontas and Rolfe later, is deeply romantic, loving, and sensually daring, but never unlikely or impossible, especially in light of Smith's own written record about the many ways she risked her life for his.
South East Coast tribes, like my own, made women marriageable when they reached puberty, around age 12 or 13. Romance at this age was not unusual then, it was the norm. She carries herself as a newly curious grown woman ready for finding a spiritually connected soul mate, rather than as a little girl. This is a TRUE depiction of our customs, as well as our customs of women choosing to grant clemency to condemned prisoners of war and to marry men outside their own tribes in order to extend the entire tribe's trade networks and sphere of influence into new cultures and territories, for mutual benefit and lasting peace with neighbors.
There are extreme depths of tenderness, natural and humane connectedness, sensitivity and ENORMOUS emotional upheaval, spectacular beauty and raw passion shockingly contrasted with the harshest, bleakest, & most bitter kinds of lonely personal losses. The closeness between them is sudden and strong, and moments as simple as her touching his face and exposing his pretty earring, caressing him gently as he soon beams with love and wonder are irresistibly erotic, exotic, yet genuinely loving as if they've each found their destined soul-mate-- until each realizes in time that what they've found together so naturally is forbidden fruit in the worlds each comes from, endangering the life of the very one they love.
The film as a whole is raging with the heartbeat of life, pulsing and breathing with the life of the natural world, the culture of the "naturals", aka the indigenous Powhatan tribes, and the hopes and anxieties of the more rigid and suddenly desperate English newcomers. It seems as if every moment is symbolically addressing life and death, birth and rebirth as all things change form, grow, diminish, attract, repulse, ignite, scatter, and regroup. There's a scene of smoke rising, billowing steadily into a frosty sky as snow gently falls and leaves blow-- and that scene is strikingly rich with movement and detail. I had NO problem whatsoever with the Kodak moments of birds flying, trees growing, or water flowing-- they were outstanding images of exceptional natural beauty, and continually supported the foundation of elemental imagery. It is one of the most intensely gorgeous films I've ever seen, and yet in spots there was so much that was so deeply poignant and tender, with a wounded wild child feel that it can be weighty with a deep tragic sadness.
Tremendously intense, surreal, & sublime, I will see this many many many more times, and I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it.
10/10!!
Lords of Dogtown (2005)
Much Better Than It Looks on the Box
I LOVED it-- especially how it came out at the end. I was incredibly involved in it by then, & all the characters were amazing as it developed. Even though I'm in North Cali now, I'm was born in Orange County hospital in '71 & spent hell of summers right there around Huntington Beach & Venice in the middle of it with all my uncles & cousins, the little girl of hippies & bikers & skaters & surfers.
The beginning was misleading-- as it looked like it was gonna be a Point Break macho unemotional action fantasy when the gang/locals/Vals crap was going on. I though they were going to get all that wrong & make it a stereotype, but later on, they got it very right & brought out those elements pretty much as they really were. All the actors really did a thorough job-- the young kids are gonna be great, & I didn't even recognize Heath Ledger he was so good at "becoming" his role. The cameos with the real characters was hilarious & very very cool. I was truly happy with the way the film went--it turned out to be very realistic, entertaining, sexy, & dramatic, & they obviously took hell of *beep* from real life events around Huntington Beach, Santa Monica, 12th & PCH & the Pacific Ocean Park pier up to the 80s through punk. There was plenty of violence & apathy around there then when all this started was developing, class warfare, asswhole rich "coke head freaks" from the affluent valley & poor lost hungry boys like that living in squats on the coast & fighting for fun, to feel alive, tearing up the town, raging against not having a place or purpose or future. It's not just a typical "skaters' movie"-- it's a great movie regardless for exploring all that in a thoughtful non-stereotypical, non-judgmental way, & for getting at the fact that these young men had so much heart & love for each other despite the hard knocks & the demands of trying to deal with the problems that came along with the come up.
Alexander (2004)
Blazingly Hot Cream of the Crop!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this film! It's rough, raw, & heartwrenching, elaborately thought out & deeply layered with profound & eloquent philosophical symbolism concerning the contradictory dualities found in nature, love, warfare, religion, lust, loyalty, family, identity, fate, free-will, & life purpose. It is lush with gorgeous sweeping camera-work, creative & intensely shot hand-to-hand & calvary battles, & stunning realistically raging dialog. The passionate Bactrian & Persian dancers & Indian war elephants ignite the film with exotic splendor.
Oliver stone synthesized every conflicting ethical, mythical, & familial influence that would have played on Alexader's blazingly hot passionate brain, & showed him agonizing to reconcile so many deeply powerful & volatile Promethian desires for the ultimate hope & betterment of mankind, driving him to the brink of insanity as he plunged forward into history, forever seeking glory yet running from his demons. I found this film to be like nothing I've EVER seen before-- and yet still deeply human & incredibly true to representing every single historically relevant point of view of the time-- mutually exclusive views with which Alexander wrestled so fierely. I'm appalled & disgusted by the negative & simplistic reviews of the film from people who can't grasp what this film is saying on so many levels. This is a divine gem, beyond the reach of those who were expecting a simple warrior's action flick. It's not a film for the simple-minded. This is absolute & pure genius, tip of the top, cream of the crop regardless of any irrelevant & minor pacing "flaws."
Ying xiong (2002)
ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!
Amazing, unique, and stunningly beautiful.
If you love films like Ju-Dou or Crouching Tiger-Hidden Dragon, you'll be blown away at the kaleidoscopic beauty & genius of this film.
There are various action sequences & stunts that are completely magical-- woven tightly into the fantasy of the tale, yet realistic enough to feel believable.
The evolving story is mysterious, colorful, emotional, and compelling-- told through several different perspectives with symbols that reveal their meaning over time.
Jet Li's character's conversation with the Qin Warlord King reveals conflicting versions of the truth through interrogation, analysis, debate, accusation, philosophy, confession & self sacrifice for higher ideals motivated by love of humanity.
The films's overall message is gorgeous.
10 out of 10!!
A Home at the End of the World (2004)
Stunning, Complex, and So Beautiful!
My sons & I saw the very first 2:30PM show Friday the 23rd at the San Francisco Lumiere theater. WE LOVED IT!! All the reviews are fairly sound-- great awesome wonderful sweet emotional very very touching & full of longing & love. Colin as Bobby was spectacularly adorable. This role shows so well how versatile Colin is an an actor-- what a talented genius he is and what a fully emotional person he's capable of being.
All the actors did an incredible job-- but in particular I was really impressed with the teens that played the young Bobby & Jonathan-- they were absolutely genuine in what these really complicated, mature roles.
Regardless of the necessary changes made from the book-- I was amazed at how so many moments were exactly as I'd pictured them when I read it.
Even though there's been a ton of reviews & the book to read-- there are some totally cute hysterical & goofy moments that knocked me out of my seat & completely surprised me.
And-- the one altered scene-- I'm thankful they changed it-- that scene without any irrelevant controversial distractions is an Oscar winner if I ever saw one-- completely beautiful & traumatic & sweet & loving. I don't want anything to stand in the way of the characters & what they care about there-- & if I'd been in a room of screaming fans I would have been annoyed for having anything interrupt those beautiful moments during the film-- though I wouldn't kick the deleted scene out of bed if it shows up on the DVD!
Saturday the 24th I saw it again. They're giving away Home books & CDs as raffle prizes, & though I wasn't lucky enough to win-- I was lucky to get a book anyway. One of the guys that won the CD/book set gave me his book because he already had one. It has the Home poster on the cover!
Everyone was filling out pink questionnaires for the film-- One of the guys collecting them said they had about 200 responses from the previous showings, & of those nearly everyone rated the film as excellent. Only 9 of that 200 rated it fair & only 2 poor (2 bastards!)
Colin's got some incredibly powerful moments in this film, and though I'm a fan of his anyway, I was happily blown away with how loving he is as Bobby. It's glorious to watch. I'm highly impressed with the whole film-- all the acting from everyone. It's a very emotional, poignant, & profound story.
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