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Reviews
Until the Light Takes Us (2008)
Excellent documentary.
Very well done. I've read just about anything I could get my hands on regarding the subject of Norwegian black metal and its media-enhanced notoriety. Until the Light Takes Us covers just that. The film focuses on 1) sensationalism (Varg being labeled a Satanist by both Norwegian and American media), 2) cultural dissonance (particularly Christianity versus traditional Norwegian culture), 3) the frustrations of artists like Fenriz and the trends stemming from their body of work (regardless of whether or not the new generations of artists even understand what it is they're doing and where these ideas came from), and 4) the extreme nature of certain black metal ethics (Dead's suicide being documented on the cover of "Dawn of the Black Hearts") and the feud between Varg & Euronymous (or even Frost's openly masochistic behavior, for that matter). These are all very central and relevant themes in black metal. I don't see how this documentary could fail in bringing up these issues when each one was so plainly articulated. Furthermore, the soundtrack was quite focused on black metal. To my knowledge, the very dense and lengthy soundtrack contains only 4 non-black metal acts (mum, Black Dice, Boards of Canada and SUNN O))), who composed "Black One" as a tribute, more or less, to the black metal genre as it influenced them). The rest is all Mayhem, Burzum, Gorgoroth, Enslaved, Thorns, Darkthrone and so on. Don't see what's not black metal about that. Until The Light Takes Us, like American Hardcore, is primarily for people not only interested in the genre and its related stories but also anyone who doesn't know a whole lot about these subjects. No harm in that. If anything, I'd rather newcomers hear about black metal through this documentary than picking up a recent Dimmu Borgir album.
Repo Men (2010)
It seems critics are missing the point.
SPOILERS ARE INCLUDED. THIS IS BOTH A REVIEW AND CRITICISM, SO PLOT DETAILS ARE NECESSARY.
I find that most people who review this film are hung up on the premise, special effects, gadgets and the many cinematic references. It's my personal opinion that the film uses "artiforg" repossession as a backdrop for the true conflicts, such as the cognitive dissonance we face in certain occupations and/or the desensitization it takes to do our jobs.
For example, we know that Remy was in the military, where dehumanization of the enemy is common practice. If an institution can convince its subjects that the enemy is deserving of cruelty, violent acts are subsequently less difficult to perform on another human being. So, it makes perfect sense that an individual like Remy has been socialized into doing his line of work. It's not apparent to Remy how atrocious his occupation is until he starts to recognize 1) his role in the violence and how it affects other people in his life and 2) what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a system that profits on suffering and loss.
This, in itself, is a commentary on how corporations profit in our society today. Pharmaceutical companies would be out of business if our society had easily accessible cures for modern infectious diseases. It's necessary for a population to treat symptoms rather than solve a problem at its roots. "Artiforg" sale and repossession is the same thing. Thus, as a gear in the machine, Remy has to decide for himself whether or not his line of work is ethical.
That's where the cognitive dissonance comes into play. I think the film did an excellent job of portraying. The metaphor here is are we correct in criticizing corporations while supporting them and working for them (I guess you could say it would be hypocritical then for this movie to be made, mass produced and distributed by a corporation also)? Now, I keep hearing a lot of criticism about the movie once Remy experiences (spoiler) the Neural Net reality (or alternative virtual consciousness) in which he and Beth repo one another, kill Frank, bomb the place and run away to some tropical paradise. All this complaining about the many cinematic references is kind of ridiculous, considering we know that this is Remy dreaming, essentially. Are anyone's dreams completely original all the time? I know a lot of my dreams borrow from movies I've seen. I know a lot of books and movies borrow from other stories, too, which has been the case for centuries. Why is this so criminal now?
But anyway, Remy is (in my opinion) experiencing a fantasy while distracted from physical reality. That was the whole point of the Neural Net product in the first place. It's a means of deterring terminally ill people from experiencing painful deaths and/or soothing retired folks in convalescent homes dealing with prolonged loneliness. Remy's subconscious is borrowing from his vicarious experiences. It's quite possible an individual like Remy has seen movies like Old Boy, 2001 Space Odyssey and The Matrix. Why not?
Anyway, I think this was a great film with a lot to say and it resonated with me quite well. I think what people look for in movies these days spoils a lot of the major ideas. If you get caught up in "the ending" or working your damnedest through copious Google searching to find blurry images of yet unrevealed movie monsters, you're not enjoying movies anymore. You're beating them to death with a spoiled outlook on plot, cinema and characterization. Repo Men is going to be misunderstood, in my eyes, for a long time because of this. Sorry so many of you let that happen.
Æon Flux (2005)
Die-hard Aeon Flux fans, beware.
If you were into the original cartoon Aeon Flux, I would suggest not seeing this film. I don't know exactly what went into making this movie or why they decided to change the plot so much, but either way, the story line and character development does not reflect what I think made the show so unique and interesting. For starters, this movie portrays Aeon Flux as more of an emotionally charged avenger rather than a calculating rebel. Meanwhile, Goodchild is sort of a weepy-eyed humanitarian style scientist who wants to preserve what is left of human procreation. Does that sound like Aeon Flux to you? It certainly was news to me. Secondly, from what I remember, the intentions of Goodchild in the cartoon were far more diabolical and self-serving rather than progressive. By the same token, the original cartoon doesn't attempt to moralize the events. What happens happens. You can choose to take sides, but depending on the episode, your favorite character may die while the rest of the cast moves on. Yes, Aeon Flux does get shot and killed sometimes in the cartoon. I thought that was pretty cool. The movie, however, focuses on Trevor and Aeon's relationship as a couple in their past lives. That's cute, but... not really what makes Aeon Flux so compelling as a story. Lastly, let's think about the exposition this movie provided. From what the trailers said, a disease wiped out almost all humans on earth, leaving a very small remaining civilization within a walled city called Bregna. Meanwhile, the Monicans are plotting to overthrow a corrupt government. That's cool, but not too accurate. The cartoon show had no disease. Plus, Monica was more or less its own civilization. Either way, most of that was implied in the cartoon, not spoon-fed to the audience. The characters and scenarios of the cartoon simply were. No narration, no justification, no nothing. It was a fun, strange and sometimes challenging cartoon. Why couldn't the movie be the same way? So many films out there contain a hero, a villain, a love story and a violent climax. This all seems rather over-simplified and boring at this point. Aeon Flux, the cartoon, didn't really have any of those things. It was a breath of fresh air, really. The show contained a strange relationship of sex and violence (yes, sometimes both), a warped landscape of wastelands and industrial zones, arguably steep philosophy, and enough ambiguity to please fans of La Jetee. Because the movie contained none of these qualities, I don't even see it as a true adaptation of Aeon Flux, which is too bad. I'm quite disappointed. However, if you've never seen the movie and don't care about whether or not the story is true to a cartoon that you might never watch, by all means check it out. You might like it. It's visually very interesting. Lots of really cool special effects. Trevor Goodchild and Aeon Flux are often likable protagonists. But once again, fans of the original show will be quite annoyed to find out that Bambara wasn't anywhere in this film. If you don't know what I mean, check out the cartoon.