OkayDoood Reviews

The Barbarian Invasions (2003)

Characters I've Grown Up With to Love

[9/10 · 22 December 2009]

The characters are the source of this movie's greatness. I watched Decline of the American Empire, and grew to like the characters. After Invasions of the Barbarians, I came to love them, and wept when one of them had to go.

This dialogue heavy movie discuss social ills, life and its passing, love, family, and friendship; all in the context of a dying Remy Girard. They touch on generational differences between children and their parents in an ever changing world, post 9/11.

I was deeply moved with how these characters still had such a love of life despite the fact that their friend was dying. I was touched - genuinely.

Precious (II) (2009)

How Can People Rationalize Actions Like That?!

[8/10 · 16 December 2009]

"You're a dummy, b**ch. You will never know sh*t. Don't nobody want you, don't nobody need you." Good jeebus - imagine being told that every day you come back from work or school, but not before getting things thrown at you. Your mom runs up the stairs to beat you, and rapes you the next day. You think about when your dad sexually molested you and raped you since you were 3. You think about what life would be like as a movie star, a glorious dancer wearing beautiful shimmering gowns with lights shining for you.

Scenes like this one were painted right from the start, to set the tone of the movie. If reading about it is hard to stomach, this movie leaves a stone in the pit of your intestines throughout it.

I enjoyed the performance of Precious (played by 'Gabby' Sidibe). There were moments that the tone of her voice didn't match the scene too well, but the tone of the movie was all over the place. She plays a refreshingly real teen who has internalized all of the physical and sexual abuse in her character to the point that you could tell when her demeanor changed into hopelessness, every time she walked into her apartment.

I've seen Paula Patton in Idlewild and am not satisfied with her acting chops. She seems too smug a character to make any real impact on Precious. But Mariah Carey... whew! What a change! Sober and on point, she fell into the roll of the social worker the instant she hit the screen.

Monique's performance warrants a separate paragraph. During her final monologue, she rationalizes and excuses herself of physically and sexually abusing Precious. She played herself to be the victim so convincingly, I felt sorry for her and disgusted with her at the same time. I couldn't help but be convinced by her minute non-verbal ticks and her self-pitying attitude - that she was a real person. Is it just me, or is the true test of villainy the ability to completely convince yourself that your actions were fair, and dare I say it, right and just? The tone of the movie was all over the place. There were extreme dark moments mixed in with glamorous high points, smoothed over by hip hop and gospel. It left me all icky inside. The only two story arcs that were pleasant and not tainted by the darkness were the scenes after Precious gave birth and the last scene in the movie.

So if I had to take a shot every time the word "b**ch" was used in the film, I wouldn't have been able to write this review. This is a great, fresh movie that deals with many psycho-social issues and its relationships in the ghetto. It was hard to take my eyes off the screen, even while I was eating.

The Class (2008)

A Look Into One School Year That Brings me Back

[8/10 · 15 December 2009]

I will start with saying that the subtitles made it difficult to understand the specifics of their dialogue. But notwithstanding, Entre Les Murs really feels like I've spent a year in the school with these students. We see the power structure between teachers, admin, and students. We see the problems and challenges that the system has. We also, more importantly, see the interpersonal relationships between the teachers and the students.

This movie doesn't sentimentalize or sugar-coat the learning experience. Lean On Me, this is not. This vision is as stark and cold as the fluorescent light bulbs above the class. The warmth, however brief, is provided by the students and their teachers.

I enjoyed the realistic acting. I never for once thought that I was anywhere else except for a real classroom. I enjoyed the characters, though I wish that I would be able to get in their heads more and see their motivation.

What I liked the most is that we saw an unbiased, holistic viewpoint of the school year. Some students learned a lot, some learned nothing, and life moves on like a soccer match in the school halls.

Paradise Now (2005)

Bone Chilling

[8/10 · 10 December 2009]

The ending literally sent shivers down my spine. Staring into the eyes of the most important characters of how they feel about the suicide bomber is intense. His friend looked so grief stricken, yet he looked so dead in the eyes. He had truly come to terms with what he had to do.

When I think about it, there was practically zero music in the movie. The pacing was quite brisk, and the acting was spot on. This movie is truly an unabashed look into the rationale and the emotion of the suicide bomber.

I found it quite compelling that of the two that would initially go, one would choose death and the other would change his mind and choose life. There was such a difference of mood and emotion in their faces between the first attempt and the second attempt.

Great movie.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005– )

A Low Vote for a Good Show Just to Even Out the Hype

[2/10 · 10 December 2009]

Commentator Tommy Nelson said it perfectly. This show has a cult-like following, and it's shows are funny, but it's nowhere near a classic.

I got into the show through a Reddit article about the DENNIS system. That was a great episode. It's a perfect episode for the fraternity-bound college male who read books like The Game and went to sites like becomeaplayer.com. I enjoyed that whole heartedly.

The recession episode was blatantly spoon-fed, but that was their point. They were bailing us out comically, like the government. The North Korea episode was funny, but bordered between stereotypical and full out 1970's Asian-style racism. 20 year old looking girl with a hybrid Vietnamese-Chinese accent is really a 12 year old North Korean. Ha. Ha. I get it. But in all fairness, Mr. Kim was great. Also, the relationship between the story and North Korean politics were well executed.

Most of the episodes border on absurdity and full-out misogyny, which I wouldn't have a problem with if the characters were more than one dimensional. No actor or actress show any motivation for their character beyond caricature. It felt like they were just a bunch of pals bouncing lines off of each other - each of their characters could be summarized in one sentence.

The only one who acts really well is Danny De Vito, although he acts like a monster reminiscent of his penguin past. Self depravity can only go so far in comedy.

So there were great episodes, funny ones, and forgettable ones. This is the type of show I would play on Hulu while I'm eating dinner, but I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it. I might buy the dick towel, though.

The Decline of the American Empire (1986)

Tired of middle-of the road, action driven film?

[9/10 · 9 December 2009]

Then get ready for a dialogue heavy, intellectually stimulating (among other things) film about 4 men, 4 women, sex, and sociology.

I enjoyed the conversations and how the director enhanced them with flashbacks. These were the evidence to the theses that the characters were proving. You could tell that there was as much physical humor as there was dialogue-based humor! When Diane (played by Louise Portal) described what sexual positions this 'real man' would put her in, she lied on the field and literally stretched them out! Another scene took place back at the vacation home with the 4 men. They got into a convo about how silly and mundane it was to pick up girls while dancing at a disco. They all got up and started dancing! While chatting up academics as small talk! The climax of the movie was particularly moving and heart-breaking. Can you see how I'm talking mostly about the plot? This is a great film that has a lot of movement in it, and it doesn't take a lot of walking and changes of scenery to keep it going!

Taxi Driver (1976)

Oooh, that music!

[8/10 · 8 December 2009]

This was a pretty enjoyable film. I understood and related with a lot of the themes that were present within Robert De Niro's character Travis. Isolation, loneliness, desperation, and the mundane repetitive nature of a twenty-something life with no direction. I can see how Travis would literally manifest his sense of self-righteousness and purpose into twisted violence.

I loved the music. I believe that the repetition of the theme song and the subtle changes of the orchestration due to the mood of the film were excellent! This movie tied the soundtrack to the streets of New York forever. I will always hear the music when I see NYC.

The editing and cinematography were top notch, especially in the last scenes. I found it very interesting that Travis entered a new relationship story arc near the last 3/4 of the movie with the prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster). I wished that they would have had breakfast in the middle of the movie. I didn't like the slower pacing during the last 1/4 before the shootout. It felt anti-climatic to me.

The screenplay and acting were great. There were so many memorable lines and parables for life on the streets that we could publish the screenplay as a book for how to live on the streets. Overall, I can definitely see how this movie is a classic. Although not one of my personal favorite films, I recognize how great and special Taxi Driver is.

Tuesdays with Morrie (1999 TV Movie)

Great Despite it's TV Corniness

[8/10 · 3 December 2009]

Ah, my first review. I've been reading so many of these, I've wondered when I'd actually post one up myself with dreams of self-importance and aspirations of becoming a 'critic.' I rented this movie with the intention of crying over the death of my grandma. I swept a couple of tears here and there, but then wondered if I was missing the point of this movie.

After all, this is a made for TV flick. That leaves the clichés to be heavy, the directing to be corny, and the pacing to be interrupted by commercial breaks. I didn't like how all of the emotions in the dialogue were explicitly stated, but I did expect, and it's not an entirely bad thing.

There were a lot of touching moments in the film. When Mitch (Hank Azaria) massaged Morrie's (Jack Lemmon's) feet, I thought about my last moments with my grandma. I was unexpectedly taken back by Morrie's first asthma attack; something about the man wearing an oxygen mask got to me.

Hank Azaria had a few shining moments on screen, but his narration throughout the film just killed me. Jack Lemmon's acting was great, and you could really see the man age.

I recommend this movie to viewers who are heavy on the sentimentality, and don't mind 90s studio cheese. Don't forget some of the great gems that blow through the clichés: "Death ends a life, not a relationship."