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Reviews
The Fall of Minneapolis (2023)
Exceptionally good film; disgusting (understatement) story
From the corrupt governor and attorney general right on down to the Minneapolis mayor and city council members, and undoubtedly many other corrupt officials, not to mention the media sellouts who carry their water, the bad guys have a firm grip on power in Minneapolis, along with much of the rest of Minnesota. In the George Floyd spectacle, they didn't just buckle to the mob, and they didn't just kiss the backside of the mob, they actually nurtured and egged the mob on. Hopefully, the wonderful people of Minnesota can find a way to start fresh with a clean slate of honest and honorable politicians.
City Island (2009)
Not bad, not great, mostly entertaining, but containing one disgraceful element
I enjoyed this movie, and felt it deserved a rating of between 6 and 7, but one pretty irritating thing nudged me in the direction of the lower number. There were at least a couple points in the movie (not going to specify so as to avoid the inclusion of spoilers), in particular at times which were supposed to be emotionally moving, that the music blatantly copied a very famous Chinese song which was popularized by Teresa Teng (Deng Lijun), namely "The Moon Represents My Heart." However, no mention of this was to be found in the credits. Instead, full credit for the music and orchestration was claimed by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek and Dylan Maulucci. That's on them and them alone, as it's likely that no one else involved with the movie had any clue about it. Makes me wonder how much of the rest of "their" music was pilfered. Lazy, disgraceful and unnecessary.
Sayonara (1957)
A powerful truth hiding in plain view
One of my all-time favorites, I have watched this movie a half dozen times or so over a period of several decades. For its handling of the disgraceful scourge of bigotry alone, it's deserving of high marks. And, we are treated to some fine acting performances as well.
That it deals so bravely with the bigotry issue, especially considering when the movie was made, is admirable. And, the inter-racial love stories are genuinely touching. But, what is it about this movie that elevates it to be deserving of a "10" rating? This is the secret that hides in plain view.
The universally compelling power of elegant, guileless gentleness, which we see in the two leading Japanese women, Katsumi (Miyoshi Umeke), and most especially Hana-Ogi (Miiko Taka), is beautifully displayed in this film. We are persuaded by this power, whether or not we're consciously aware of it.
50 to 1 (2014)
Entertaining. Heartwarming. Timeless.
I've watched a zillion horse racing movies, and haven't seen a better one. And, it ranks right up there with the best of the "underdog" movies. This movie is well done from start to finish. Have watched it 2 1/2 times (so far), plus the final race scene and build-up to it about 30 times. Recommended it to my daughter. She reported that she and her husband laughed and cried in parts, and loved it, too.