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Reviews
Mountain Men (2014)
Nice Canadian film
Watched this on a plane back from Winnipeg. The great Canadian experience, visit Winnipeg, then watch a movie about 2 guys stuck in the Rockies.
Although some parts of it is very typical Canadian, they do try to make it relatable to non-Canadians by adding a couple of interesting characteristics to each of the main characters in the movie. And I think they were on the right path but could have done more with it...become even more adventurous with the plot and explore the themes of fatherhood, wilderness, success (and failure), and in general the human condition.
But that might have compromised the realism and the message of real danger in situations such as this (which is very real). Canadian wilderness is very beautiful but can be dangerous as well if you're not properly prepared.
Dracula Untold (2014)
It resonated with me
I have read some of the reviews of people from Turkey and I understand they might have been somewhat insulted by the portrayal of the Turks/Ottomans in this movie.
But please understand, a good movie needs a good villain. I am part Hungarian and part Romanian from the Transylvanian region and I recognize all the historical inaccuracies. Yes it's true, the Turks weren't all bad, nor were they all good. No great empire ever is. And great it was...magnificent even. But the Ottomans, whether today's Turks like it or not, make a wonderful villain. Vast armies from a distant land wanting to take over the known world.
But back to the movie, and it is a movie. Pure fiction and nothing but. However it did resonate with me very strongly. This movie was quite artistic in fact.
The most powerful, symbolic and visceral images from this movie are in my opinion these two:
1. The climb to power when Vlad ascends the cliff to attain Vampiric strength.
2. The fall from power when his wife falls from the fortress and no matter how hard he tries, he cannot catch her.
In this dark light, the movie tells the story of a tragic hero not unlike those of Shakespearean plays. A man so desperate and obsessed to overcome his adversaries that he is willing to pay any price, including embracing the ultimate darkness that consumed nearly all his people, his wife and even himself. And yet he is a noble figure with redeemable qualities until the very end.
It is a cautionary tale that when you make a deal with the devil, there is often a price to pay.
And yet, as the movie portrayed, sometimes the darkness offers a comforting embrace.