Change Your Image
elizamichls
Reviews
The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
One of my favorites
I have this listed as one of my favorite documentaries of all time. I saw this in a sociology of gender course a year ago, and I thought that this is the perfect film for all members of homophobic Western cultures to see. It is very moving and memorable, and the piecing together of interviews and video clips was perfect.
Harvey Milk was a man of intelligence, talent, and an openness to the world that a lot of people are so frightened to achieve, and it pains me that those who are so scared to see things that contradict with the ideology choose to have good spirits like Harvey Milk go to waste.
This is a sad, angering documentary that should inspire the good in every one of us to make society more receptive to diversity.
Jupiter's Wife (1995)
Very thought-provoking documentary
The first quarter of this movie went by so slowly that it almost put me to sleep. Fortunately, I hung onto it until the end, and I must say, it was one of the most thought-provoking documentaries I have ever seen. It made me more healthily skeptical about how much the modern sciences "medicalize" human behavior and make people fit under "boxes." Maggie's use of symbolism fit her own story that she was trying to weave, and it was sad that what others, specifically those who diagnosed her with a mental illness, could really look at was how it was not coherent with their own stories. Hence, they pushed her to fit into a box that supposedly deviates from that which is normal.
If you plan on watching it, make sure you watch it from beginning to end and pay attention to what Maggie says. You don't want to miss anything important.
An American Haunting (2005)
Not the best, but I enjoyed it a lot.
I see that everyone is raving about the performances delivered by genre icons Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek, and I couldn't agree more, although I'll have to say that without the exhibited talent of Rachel Hurd-Wood, James D'Arcy, Thom Fell, Matthew Marsh, and Gaye Brown, the film wouldn't even be half as good as it is. Rachel Hurd-Wood, who played the role of the Bells' youngest daughter who was tormented by an evil spirit, was amazing. That hauntingly innocent look on her face makes this movie especially memorable. I am also impressed with James D'Arcy's performance, although that does not come as a surprise because I have seen him in a couple of other movies (Dot the I and, Exorcist: The Beginning, Master and Commander), and I've always thought he's a great actor. Thom Fell's acting was good, too, and Matthew Marsh gives a nice flavor to the movie. Gaye Brown, who played the angry female who supposedly cursed the Bells, was chillingly compelling, despite the fact that her role was really small.
Anyway, apart from the acting, I liked most of the movie. There are some things that I did not like about the editing, like that one scene where Betsy Bell woke up screaming from a nightmare and one of her girl friends was suddenly beside her in her bed I mean I had no idea why she was there, and maybe if they included a scene before that which explained that the little girl was there for a sleepover or something, it would have been less confusing. However, I did think that most of the movie was easy to follow and generally enjoyable to watch, and there were some scenes that really made me jump off my seat. The sound and visual effects were good, too. And the cinematography amazing!
I won't go as far as saying it's the best horror film to hit the screens, but it was a pleasurable experience seeing this movie, and I'll even get it on DVD once it comes out.