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todmbold
Reviews
Gardens of the Night (2008)
Everything you hoped and more.....
....unfortunately. It made me viscerally ill to watch. The message, as told, was poignant to the point of discomfort in the watcher. Yet, it's still a must see movie.
Everything begins with a confusing opening scene of a young woman in an obviously less than ideal situation contemplating. Her life, her options, her choices? We don't know. The reason becomes clear as we are driven to accept the worst through the following scene of the innocuous morning routine of an elementary aged schoolgirl that quickly grows recognizable for the darkness it portends.
Astoundingly well written, and equally well portrayed, "Gardens" doesn't simply rely on the shocking subject matter of child abduction and exploitation to grip it's audience. The play of absolutes being blurred (with accompanying emotional turmoil) while never losing sight of the abomination of child sexual exploitation are what truly captivated this viewer.
Kudos to all involved with "Gardens". It's rare a when a movie can treat it's subject matter so honestly while retaining cinematic quality. Don't miss this movie, but, get ready for a gut wrenching story that will leave it's mark on your thoughts for years to come.
The 100 (2014)
Complete dreck
Let the tween girls swoon and melt per typical CW fare. If you want Sci- Fi look elsewhere. If you want quality writing, look elsewhere. If you want a plausible storyline, look elsewhere. If you need simple cause and effect with rational forward thinking from the director, writers, or anybody else involved with "The 100".....look elsewhere.
Of the most glaring, and yet to be mentioned, back story disasters is the simple thought that birth control is simply nonexistent. If humans are put into space stations to survive for generations with extremely limited supplies, doesn't one think that birth control would be very very high on the agenda? Of course twists of logic are needed for Sci-Fi to work as a genre....but absolute loss of coherence to any rational forethought is unforgivable to followers of space Sci-Fi.
Of course, if everything else is quality most fans can accept poor logic. The problem with "The 100" is everything else is terrible also. With the obvious exception of the attractiveness of every "teen" who has been crash landed on earth. That is the one thing CW is obviously resting it's hopes on.
A question to CW. Is Hollywood really so devoid of intelligent writers and directors, or, are you so cheap that the good ones never cross your doorstep? If the original literary authors also did the adaptation......they should rejoice that they got paid for obvious sub-par work.
As a qualifier. I watch CW too much with two teen-aged daughters. "The 100" is the worst of the worst and even they think it's a laughable farce. Such a promising premise with a weak follow through. Too bad really.