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Reviews
Asylum (2005)
Heavy Handed and Predictable!
"WOW, what a cast!" I though when I read the free ticked I had just been handed at the Coffee shop round the corner from the office. "The advert looks kinda lame, but it could be cool." My friends and I make sure to get there early because sometimes it can be a bitch to get into these sneak previews... No worries though we get in and find decent seats. We all chat as the places fills up and I listen to this new band, my friend Michaela is trying to turn me on to via her Ipod... "Good stuff!" I tell her as the theater dims and the show begins.
That however was the last happy thought I had for then next hour and an half... though it did feel like we had been trapped in there for a good two and a half hours...
Now I'm not saying it's the worst movie I've ever seen, indeed it most certainly is not (see The Quest for that title). But it was soooo damn over the top. From the start when our star takes a miss step and meets the obligatory 'old crazy woman' who, of course, tells us what's going to happen to the endless array of obvious twists and turns until we end up going "thank god it's finally over and I can go home." And Good God the ambiance was suffocating! ...and yet, all-in-all, it was mildly interesting due, in most party to the characters/acting chops displayed, most notably, by Natasha Richardson. But to say they forced this passionate attraction with our two "lovers" down our throats would not be a lie. I was force feed so must garbage in that film it was tough to find the nuggets of the real film buried there in. I almost missed the few tidbits of humor and clever dialogue that flickered on screen between the horse hockey that made up most of the dialogue.
No! I saw no spark between Stella and Edgar, nor did the director trick us into being swept away into this affair... if anything it degraded (and rather quickly too) into the old late-night HBO soft porn/thrillers that we all used to stay up to watch. Sadly this film tossed away the most important part; the energy, the sexual attraction that made films 'Under Suspicion' worth the watching.
As for the music and the photography... well I liked the framing of shots, but the music... again with the hitting us over the head with ambiance.
My suggestion, wait until it comes to HBO... and try not to fall asleep.
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
"Don't believe the Hype!"
I just watched this movie (I know, took me long enough) and I was very surprised at the large amount of one-sided information Mr. Moore gave us. Now I've always known Moore to be bias in his films, but the beginning of the movie was so filled with personal opinions that I could not imagine a better way to invalidate the fine film the was to follow then if Moore had mooned the audience.
That being said I thought the film was pretty darn good! And at times, very touching.
But Ladies and Gentlemen this was as much a documentary as Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathustra was a Hallmark Card. And do to get me started on the supposed 'truth behind Fahrenheit 9/11' flicks (i.e. Celsius 411 and Faherhype 911)!! I mean honestly people, if Fahrenheit 9/11 was bias these folks take the cake.
BTW if I hear another take off on a movie title that was a take off on Ray Bradbury classic, I will hold the makes responsible for the illiteracy rate in this country today :P
Now getting back to my comment, if you can make it past the first portion of the film then there is hope, for beyond the Bush Bashing (and poor Al not getting support from the Senate) we have some of the first candidate looks at America and the Middle East since this 'oil-wash' began. And for a 'documentary' it was quite a well produced film, very deserving of the awards it won.
So I would very much recommend this movie to anyone interested in what is going on, but remember any one who takes only one person's perspective at the truth is more dangerous then nuke in the hands of a child. Look into this yourself please!
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." -MLK
Battlestar Galactica (1978)
There are those who say that life here, began out there...
When Battlestar Galactica came out I was too young to know which end of a blaster to hold ;) But I was lucky and in the late 80's the show was syndicated. And I was transported across the universe to the Egyptian/Greco Alien word of Cobalt. It's sun slowly fading away. I followed Starbuck, Apollo, Sheba and the Galactgang search across the star systems with a killer robot army at there backs, mysterious aliens to the right, Lucifer Morningstar to the left, and the Confederation (the warmongering and dangerously uncaring reflection of our future) between them and that 13th Colony, Earth.
I consider myself lucky, and I've seen from some other posts here (comparing Galactica with Star Wars) that I was not alone. But I just wanted to follow say that my favorite part of Galactica was how they did follow the Warrior Philosopher world that Star Wars touched on with the Jedi Knights. Except this time our heroes only special powers were there compassion and intelligence. Adama, the military leader who's spiritually made him an tragic champion who's idealism and human identity helped motivate his country men (and women).
Now granted that the many of the civilian leaders were corrupt and the military were not, but I saw that as Spartan-esk and wonderfully Arthurian. And lets not forget our noble Apollo, his hot-head buddy, Starbuck (the man with the lady troubles). And Baltar the Betrayer. You are in for a treat when watching Galactica.
Now sadly I've caught the new 'Battlestar Galactica' and this, thankfully, is in no way that. Nor is it 'Galactica 1980' (lame) but hey at least that had Lorn Greene ;)