Change Your Image
micha-hilliard
Reviews
Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)
The movie has to be just like I dream it
Jodorowsky's adaptation of "Dune" would have been wildly ambitious. He wanted to change the human consciousness, recreating the hallucinations of LSD. "For me, Dune will be the coming of a god." Jodorowsky is incredibly charismatic in his interviews. I can see why people wanted to work for him. He assembled an eclectic group of artists: H.R. Giger, Chris Foss, Jean Giraud, and Dan O'Bannon. It was important to him that everyone on his crew was not only technically savvy but also spiritually aware. They had to believe in "Dune." Once he found the right people, he gave them total freedom. He let Giger be Giger. "I was searching for the light of genius in every person, with an enormous respect, an enormous respect. And then, every day I was feeding them in order to be free, to do what, to do the best of them." Jodorowsky also cast Salvador Dali, Orson Welles, and Mick Jagger. He knew what it took to make people believe. After "Dune" fell through, O'Bannon wrote "Alien" based on Giger's work. Foss and Giraud were also part of that project. I'm not sure if "Dune" would have been any good. Jodorowsky wanted it to be 14 hours long. However, while watching the documentary, I couldn't help feeling awed by the grandiosity of his vision. He wanted to make a work of genius and he wasn't going to settle for less. "The movie has to be just like I dream it."
I Declare War (2012)
Great film about childhood and friendship
Caught a screening of "I Declare War" at CIFF. What a tremendous film! It really captured what it felt like to have a best friend during childhood (the sense of loyalty and exclusiveness). Those were the most intense relationships of my life, especially when they came to an end. I thought the casting was just right and the performances outstanding (some of the best child acting I've seen, the characters of PK and Skinner were particularly memorable). "I Declare War" also struck a great balance between lighthearted and more serious content. I was glad to see that the narrative did not descend into savagery (in the manner of "Lord of the Flies"). The humor added much. I absolutely loved the imaginary dialogue scenes between Jess and Quinn. All in all, the script was very tight and well thought out. Keep a look out for its theatrical release!