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Reviews
The Mission (1986)
Possibly my favorite
Not many movies have the ability to bring tears to my eyes as this one does.
It is about the life and death of a tribe, a priest, and a warrior.
SPOILERS BELOW
A first-rate historical drama that treats controversial subject matter (religion, race, personal motivations) through the perspectives of fundamentally different protagonists who nonetheless share close personal relationships. Irons plays a gentle, inquisitive priest who tries to spread the beauty of faith to a tribe of Indians. De Niro is a violent rogue who is confronted with the emptiness of life through his own irresponsible actions. Neeson plays one of his earlier supporting roles.
The humanity of the Indians, who were regarded as "heathens" by most Europeans of the time, is shown to us in heartwarming fashion, and we are touched by the noble efforts of the missionaries. And we also see the self-centered profiteering motives of the Church and European policy that come to a head with those people that truly wish to connect with a totally foregn race. An existential choice is made by thee men of God, and the events unfold in epic fashion.
East Is East (1999)
Serious subject matter, but handled a bit irresponsibly
Though the subject matter is interesting and relevant, I didn't like the absurdly unrealistic character portrayal of the father. I am familiar with the demographic that this movie was trying to depict, and this paints a throughly unredeeming picture of a dysfunctional family. Nothing goes right in this family, from the sibling relationships, to intrafamily communication, to religious education, to anger management... Not to say that some of these issues don't exist in some Pakistani families living in Britain, but the fact that this is a rare glimpse into this population, the viewer can be easily misled into thinking that these backwards-ass families are the norm.
Also, it is transparent that the screenwriter has a bone to pick with a character like the father in this movie, because the father is portrayed as one-dimensional, and hypernegativestereotypical in every way (manipulative, self-centered, violent, grammatically challenged, vulgar, and overall not too savory) and it portrayed almost comically.
There is so much positive, vibrant, and beautiful in the Pakistani culture, and I'm not just talking about the clothing, as it was portrayed here. Most families are much stronger than what they have become in Western society. I wish this film would have had included some of these aspects and not so much ugliness passed off as slapstick.
East Is East (1999)
Serious subject matter, but handled a bit irresponsibly
Though the subject matter is interesting and relevant, I didn't like the absurdly unrealistic character portrayal of the father. I am familiar with the demographic that this movie was trying to depict, and this paints a throughly unredeeming picture of a dysfunctional family. Nothing goes right in this family, from the sibling relationships, to intrafamily communication, to religious education, to anger management... Not to say that some of these issues don't exist in some Pakistani families living in Britain, but the fact that this is a rare glimpse into this population, the viewer can be easily misled into thinking that these backwards-ass families are the norm.
Also, it is transparent that the screenwriter has a bone to pick with a character like the father in this movie, because the father is portrayed as one-dimensional, and hypernegativestereotypical in every way (manipulative, self-centered, violent, grammatically challenged, vulgar, and overall not too savory) and it portrayed almost comically.
There is so much positive, vibrant, and beautiful in the Pakistani culture, and I'm not just talking about the clothing, as it was portrayed here. Most families are much stronger than what they have become in Western society. I wish this film would have had included some of these aspects and not so much ugliness passed off as slapstick.
Random Encounter (1998)
Pleasant surprise
I was surprised at how watchable and unpredictable this was. I don't think it was overtly obvious which suspect was behind this mystery, which is pretty good in my book. ALso, I liked the CHicago ambience. I noticed the cop's name was Royko, a tribute to the old time legendary CHicago journalist of the same name. I was blown away when the credits rolled and it was revealed that this was a purely French Candaian production.
SPOILER ALERT BELOW
THis was one of the worst endings to a film I have seen. What kind of ending is that? What happened to her boss (walking out of the board meeting is not symbolic enough for me. Does she get away with it? Was the intention to have the murder or was her boss telling the truth about his intentions? And what the heck was up with the credits rolling over shots of ELizabeth on golden pond with her dad?) I am dead sure that something halted production of this film for the ending to be so carelessly presented.
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
The number of 10's
People commend style over substance with a heavy hand.
Or maybe it is the perverse substance they really do condone. Either way, this film does not deserve such consummate praise as a 10 rating.
Calendar (1993)
Tedious
I have to speak out at how mediocre I felt this film to be. It has some creative gestures, such as the use of the calendar sequence and the once a month dinner dates, but these wore thin; I found the film not to be dynamic and highly predictable, if not in its outcome then at least in its process. The dialogue lacks, consisting mostly of monologues. It can be perceived as poignant and inventive, but not nearly enough to redeem it.
Good Housekeeping (2000)
If you don't think mulletsgalore.com is funny, you won't find this funny either
Being someone who is familiar with the debauched, entitled (yet somewhat innocent) lifestyle that we see in this film, I found this movie a refreshing take on a man who is living in a perverse version of his own American Dream. Although it didn't really know where it was going at times, and often was repetitive, the story really had some memorable characters and was frighteningly real at times (though comedy was the overarching genre).