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A River Between Us (2014)
Great Film About an Important Water Issue
This is a very well done documentary about something that's become all-too familiar in the American West. A story about water, water rights, oppression of native people and the healing that simply must take place in order for us as Americans to move forward on multiple issues. A must-see for anyone who cares about our natural resources.
Producer is former Oregon State Senator Jason Atkinson and director is J. Martin. How likely does it seem that a politician could craft a documentary about an important subject? Not only is the possibility extremely unlikely, but Atkinson pulls it off with aplomb. How? He's talking about a place and subject he's most familiar with. In what's essentially a video memoir about his own life and the people he's met on all sides of this important issue, Atkinson and Martin have created a stunning portrait that's not to be missed.
Gaining Miles (2003)
Thoughtful Approach to Serious, Complex Subject
It's not very often that you see a movie that thoughtfully approaches the effects of epilepsy or seizure disorders, on families. As a former board member of the Epilepsy Foundation of America, I heartily recommend this movie for several reasons.
It explores the trauma suffered by a young man whose father died in front of him. But it does this in an interesting way. We don't know why the child is escaping into his imagination, creating his own world, and generally avoiding reality. As we watch the story unfold we are drawn into the situation, constantly asking ourselves questions.
What does the door represent? At first it's not clear, but as the film progresses it's clearly a metaphor for the bridge between reality and his own imagination. He struggles to face the loss of his father. This would be a traumatic event for any child.
So frequently in today's media, seizures and people with seizure disorders are poorly portrayed. They are either made fun of or we see some other type of medically improper reaction to the situation.
There is a reason this film won the grand jury prize at the New York International Film Festival. It is just a great movie.
Dirty Mary (2005)
Granny panties?
For me, the best part of this movie was the end. It started off really "thkary" because some supposed gay guy was hanging out with Mary at this bar. I couldn't figure out what her character was really after. I saw this movie twice and I'm still not sure. Was Dirty Mary just trying to keep herself from being her typical slut self by wearing those blood stained granny panties? It wasn't so much the vomiting that bothered me, it was really, truly and honestly the gross-out spittle hanging off the side of her mouth the next morning. I wondered whether the guy she came home with was gay when all he did was clean her kitchen.
The lead actress is good though, I give her credit for that. I just think the material needed some rewrites. But that's just my opinion. And I'm not saying it's terrible because I am giving it 4 stars because it was amusing in most spots, just too gross for my taste, and I can actually take a pretty gross movie.
The coffee in the crotch thing was pretty funny - it wasn't something I had seen before a hundred times. And when Mary locked herself out of the apartment in her underwear - now THAT I actually thought was hilarious, especially because the camera-work in that scene was terrific.