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cwmacdougall
Reviews
Tenet (2020)
Incomprehensible mess with wooden acting.
You need more than special affects and an interesting notion to make a film.
The Great (2020)
Dire, just dire
Hopelessly unhistorical. Why make a film about a historical figure if you're not going to even try to be close to the period?
Tsar (2009)
Banal, if well filmed and acted
We all know Ivan the Terrible was a mad tyrant, and many know that Philip was a Saint. The film shows little more, and little depth to Ivan, and none to any other character beyond Philip. Why does Ivan act the way he does? Is it just madness? Or is it related as some say to the death of his wife? Or to religious extremism? The film doesn't say. Why do the lesser characters behave the way they do? The film doesn't hint at any explanation. Why is such a mad tyrant able to rule? The film doesn't say (hint: he actually accomplished a lot in the earlier part of his rule). The film implies all the churchmen were saints, when in fact many (understandably) collaborated with Ivan. It is beautifully filmed, and well acted, but ultimately shallow.