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grissnharr
Reviews
Off to War (2005)
Biased?
Calling Off to War biased when it is actually capturing the true gripes on the ground only goes to show a bias in the other direction! The bias where any depiction of Iraq that is less than rosy must have some evil liberal slant. Grow up. The soldiers in Off to War are expressing REAL complaints - lack of preparedness, hostility on the ground, lack of progress, etc. These are important gripes to hear and respond to. Dismissing them helps nobody! And by the way, Iraq can't be compared to Gettysburg. The reasons for getting into a war are very important. An unnecessary war can kill as many young men as a necessary one. We should save these lives for only the necessary ones.
Little Monk (2003)
Sad
Gut-wrenching documentary about a 6-year old Tibetan boy who is practically forced into leaving his dirt poor family to go live with the Buddhist monks in the local monastery. Sad in that the little boy obviously wants to live at home and be a kid. Instead, he's pressured into becoming an adult too young and accepting a life a celibacy. A life he had absolutely no say in. Only thing is, I could not tell what the filmmaker's point of view was. Were they as shocked as I was? Did they think this was an admirable thing? (there's some evidence of that). Or were they trying to maintain a facade of neutrality? Reminiscent of the children forced to go work in coal mines at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
Gakidama (1985)
Tasty!
Gaki Damashii, aka The Tastiest Flesh, is easily one of the strangest Japanese horror films of the Nineties (and that's saying a lot!) The plot involves a journalist infected by a ghost or alien which then grows or incubates inside his stomach for a fortnight before painfully coming back up and out his mouth. The "birth" scene is gross and dramatic, almost rivaling ALIEN. As soon as the baby monster is born, it is snatched away by a mysterious stranger. The journalist soon discovers that the stranger is actually a former infectee who has acquired a taste for the little monsters (they're good with vegetables). Apparently, their flesh is so good that once a person has tasted it they become addicted to it (hence "The Tastiest Flesh", get it).
Although packed with some good shocks, the film brevity makes it feel incomplete. Most of the plot lines are underdeveloped, and many key questions go unanswered. It seems that such a unique concept could have sustained a film twice as long. Still, its worth seeing if you get the chance. The only place I've ever seen it sold at is Video Search of Miami
The Sweet Ride (1968)
A much underrated film
The characters/actors really bring this together. Terrific chemistry all the way. The director was clearly not afraid to hang back and let the actors perform. And Tony Franciosa is great as usual. The film really captures the California beach bum/beatnik lifestyle. Highly recommended.