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georgekwatson
Reviews
Pistol (2022)
An eruption from the bottom of the British class system
For those looking for objective history, this is not it. It's close sometimes, but it wants mood more than truth. The series seems to capture the mood well and some of the players do a reasonable job, but it's uneven from the storytelling through the performances turned in. I would no more trust John Lydon (or anyone associated with the band) to tell the 'truth' than any other person, but I think this story waits for someone who will hew closer to the story and still capture the mood.
Malcolm McClaren's character is perfect, just as annoying and self important as I would have imagined. The 'Bodies' segment may or may not have much truth in it, but it's a reasonable effort to capture that horrifying little bit of the story.
The music is good, though someone on this production has a fascination with The Pretenders.
Overall this is a good look up from the bottom of a class system propping up a decayed former empire. The bursting of the punk scene from the working class is captured pretty well. England's culture needed an enema and got it.
11 settembre 1683 (2012)
Some good acting in a generally poor vehicle
The best part of this 'noble Catholic' hagiography is the acting of F Murray Abraham. The worst is the rest of it. The CGI is uniformly terrible (to see a proper battle ca this era 'Ran' is much better). The story has also been perverted from accepted history a good deal. The profound viewpoint bias is readily apparent. Though the Turkish motivations and the fact that most of the conflicts with the Ottomans until the 19th century were framed as religious conflicts by their leaders, this film degenerates into pure Catholic propaganda at times. It's too bad. Witnessing the apex of Ottoman civilization throwing itself repeatedly against European civilization would make a compelling film. This is not it.
Caligola (1979)
Historical Curiosity
As a piece of high film-making, this is acceptable trash. It's over-the-top blubbery and overblown. The 'I wanna be Fellini' italo-euro 70's stylings don't help. It's hard to believe that anyone ever thought this thing should be taken seriously... so I don't! I look at Caligula as a blowout-budget b-movie. It allows me to laugh at the effluvia on the screen while simultaneously looking at boobies, and heaven forbid, actual copulation (depending on the version). It saves the film from being a poorly lit, pretentiously staged, unevenly acted pile of rueful garbage. Each and every one of the big names that appeared in this probably rues the day they heard of Bob Guccione, but they all cashed the checks...
Nude Nuns with Big Guns (2010)
Exactly as titled!
No spoiler, the title is extremely accurate. A tremendous cheeze-ball B- movie that delivers every tumid, vacuous thing the lowest part of one's brain desires. There's (primarily)large firearm based violence coupled with copious amounts of full-frontal nun-udity. The nuns are young, attractive and play their parts with aplomb. This kill-em-all revenge flick otherwise follows the expected, pedestrian course through to it's complete end. A stout 6, the highest rating I will give to a B movie.
The First Nudie Musical (1976)
Cute!
This is a movie made on the cheap, with corny humor, somewhat stilted dialog and donuts. Lots of donuts.
Made at the cultural crossroads, at the peak of the 'porn chic' period where Johnny Carson very publicly attended a screening of 'Deep Throat', this movie attempts to make fun of the various bits of culture attendent to 'porn chic'. It's funny in a B movie sort of way with some fairly catchy songs, all with bawdy themes.
In the end, it works because of the awkward innocence of most involved. Oh, and the nudity, 1970's style, hairy and human. It's a glance at ourselves from a bygone time, before pornography transitioned, in the main, into mechanical overt abuse.
Facing Darkness (2006)
Excellent documentary
This is a beautifully filmed and highly accurate documentary on one of the more misunderstood pursuits. The cast of characters contains the principal actors in the early phases of Florida and Mexican cave exploration and their narrative is compelling. The documentary demystifies the act of cave diving, showing newly minted cave divers discussing their desires and experiences. It discusses the hard and fast rules that prudent cave divers use to give themselves the best shot at returning alive, all against a backdrop of some of the really wonderful cave systems to be found in Florida. One can only imagine the logistical difficulties in filming this piece.