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Reviews
The Man in the Moon (2004)
good short flick. Kinda eerie
I didn't know what to expect from a title like "The Man in the Moon," and though it had children in it, it wasn't a fairy tale. Set in a big house owned by two old ladies with that one room that hadn't been touched for years, two children, a boy and his older sister (relatives of the old ladies) visit to explore the room and search for a secret of the past. Things quickly become Gothic and more eerie as the movie goes on. There was minimal acting- just enough for the story to flow, but they did a good job. Likewise, there were pretty much only two rooms and a staircase that comprised the sets, but it was just right for what the movie communicated. The lighting did a lot to create the mood and guide the viewer through the scenes. The plot was not so unique as to be seen as a breakthrough, but what really added to the film was that it is based on a true story as told by girl that the older sister portrayed.
Prayers from Kawthoolei (2004)
opened my eyes to a conflict I was not aware of
This documentary pulls you into the lives of a few friends from Burma, now entangled in the struggle for independence for their people, the Karen people. This is a conflict that has been going on for awhile, but the western press has not been giving it attention. Since the one friend is involved in the Karen army, most of the focus is on the armed struggle, but we see parts of a refugee camp and get an overall sense of the Karen people's suffering. The camera even takes us with some Karen soldiers through the jungle on an planned attack of Burmese troops. Prayers from Kawthoolei incriminates Thailand in this struggle, also, and for me, puts the Thai government in a different light. The film's real value is in introducing the struggle to those of us (most/all of us?) who were not aware that this was even taking place or had any up-to-date news about it. This then silently incriminates our news media, who for many of us defines the reality of the world around us.