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heididmoffett
Reviews
Voyagers (2021)
What is human nature?
I found this movie to be quite profound. To me, it turned the debate about whether humans are naturally good or evil on its head. According to the story, we are both good and bad, with some individuals leaning one way or the other, but the majority just trying to survive and making choices out of complacency and fear. Yet in the end, good prevails. With all the horrors in the world with people trying to dismantle society or commit genocide for selfish or fear-driven reasons, this movie got me teary-eyed with hope.
But I'll throw in one other interesting point - were any of the characters really "good" or "bad"? We tend to attribute those characteristics to intent. They were all so innocent when first off the drug and therefore were really going off of their base instincts, which varied as personalities vary. Choice did come into play, but mired in circumstance. While I personally think "good" and "bad" aren't inappropriate designations even in such circumstances, I think this movie showcases how they are more accurate when describing acts versus human beings. No one ever accused each other of being evil in the movie, and I think if the good side still prevailed but no one died, those who did the most harm would have been forgiven on a personal level (or really, not judged at all), even if not fully trusted. The in-between people, some of whom themselves participated in a brutal murder, didn't face any consequences, which was a let-down to my base desire for justice and revenge but I realized made perfect sense in the context...and probably any context. I think humanity could benefit from a similar approach to crime and the like. Intent is I think less a factor, as is often assumed, in the choices people make even when the circumstances aren't so starkly obvious as to innocence of experience. I like how this movie really pared down the complexities of the average human experience and explored the complexities of just being human.
American Nightmare (2024)
Be gone, Gone Girl
When I saw Gone Girl, I knew it was bad news. There's enough victim blaming without a movie providing more fodder for the imagination. I felt ashamed for Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck, who I both like, for starring in such an obvious incel wetdream. But I had no idea the impact the film really did have! For shame, Vallejo police and the media who ran with the narrative.
This is such a stark example of the power of the screen - how shows really do have impacts on society. They aren't just entertainment, and they don't just reflect society. They help shape it. They introduce new thoughts and enhance current thoughts, for good and for ill.
This particular documentary, I believe, has the potential for lasting good.
The Suicide Squad (2021)
Silly but fun
This movie was silly. I liken it to Tropic Thunder, which I didn't enjoy since I'm not a fan of silly. But for this movie, I was able to stay more aloof due to low expectations and I ended up actually enjoying it.
To be sure, I skipped past some things - I was warned about the birds, and a lot of the fight sequences were so long and brutal. But surprisingly I could handle the lab scene, which somewhat traumatized someone I know. I just saw it as cheesy, like in the many haunted Halloween tours that featured torture which I've been on.
The rats, though, were awesome. I had pet rats whom I miss like crazy, so I enjoyed every scene with them. While logically they probably got hurt whenever they came to the rescue, I'm happy to say not one hurt rat was shown. (That was my biggest worry.) And that scene at the end with Sebastian is possibly one of my top favorites scenes of all time.
After Maria (2019)
Really scary situation
I found this documentary really important for me to see as a fellow American who is very far removed from the situation.
I had tried writing more before my tablet lost it all, to try to educate the naysayers about the realities of welfare and homelessness. But I don't think I'll waste more of my time. Many of the other critiques have made me very angry and very sad, on top of how angry and sad I was for the people depicted in this film.
But to the folks in the film and others in similar situations, just know there are many like me who see you, and who would like to help, just as we would like help were we to be in the same situation, as can too easily happen. My love and best to you from an internet stranger. Ustedes estan fabulosas.
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (2021)
Hands down, one of my favorite documentaries
I'm disappointed by how many reviewers didn't get how amazing this documentary is. Yes, it's about lots of topics, and rightly so--the history of the hotel and the area it resides in has a lot of history.
There's Skid Row, which they do one of the best jobs out there of explaining the history of, and they of course go into specifics of the hotel's place in that history. Spoiler alert: It ends up not being directly part of the mystery, but many people thought it was a key part, and so both for that reason and because this documentary is really half history of the hotel and half the mystery, I thought it made a lot of sense to include.
There's mental illness, which is only touched on, but is done so in a very balanced and humane way. I won't say more because it may spoil things.
And there's the power, both for good and ill, of the "armchair" sleuths of the Internet. As one such person who very briefly got into the mystery online before it was solved, how the documentary portrays that side of things is fascinating, scary, and humbling. And it was enormously important to the history of the mystery, if not (spoiler alert again) actually instrumental to the solving of it.
I was in awe from beginning to end of how well balanced it all was. It took me on a roller coaster--at one point, I'd be mad at such and such people. Then I'd be mad at others. To be clear, the show didn't encourage judgment of anyone (which is one of the praiseworthy accomplishments of it)--I'd just insert my own preconceived opinions and fears of where things were going with the story. By the end, however, I was not mad at anyone--I was enthralled, and teary-eyed, by how many sides of humanity, and how we're all flawed, the show managed to pack in such a relatively short time. It was, frankly, damned beautiful.
Great Moments in Aviation (1994)
Rakie Ayola's character was a very fun watch
This movie apparently has two titles: Shades of Fear and Great Moments in Aviation.
Shades of Fear I guess alludes to a kind of mystery that goes on, but I don't recall it being very intense or interesting.
I don't recall anything about aviation, but I read here that apparently someone wants to become a pilot. But it's not very important to the show. The whole show takes place on a ship, btw.
Plus, the cover of the movie doesn't even show the main character, a young black woman. It strikes me as very strange they leave her off.
And the blurb about some art theft is not actually a major plot point.
Really, the movie is a romance. I'm not a fan of great age disparities in couples, but this movie pulls it off. The main character, Gabriel, played by Rakie Ayola, is a ton of fun to watch. Her personality is refreshing and the opposite of stilted.
If the show has any point other than romance, it's as a counterpart to social, stiff-upper-lip norms. Which I guess is why they had the two lesbian missionaries, whose love comes out to each other during the progression of the various minor plots. Otherwise, they seem kind of foisted on the show.
Gabriel is kind of a Pollyanna, spreading her forthright and accepting honesty, backed by humor and quirky fun. There starts to be some feeling of tension as you the viewer wonder if someone will showcase disapproval of some kind. Racism to the girl, antagonism towards a biracial couple, or anti-homosexuality. But there ends up being none of that, despite it being a period piece. Which is very refreshing. Like a glimpse into a world that could be.