Change Your Image
cristo111
Reviews
Sons of Liberty (2015)
Such a captivating, accurate portrayal of history
I'm pleased that someone has finally captured the character of Sam Adams, as the "Assassin's Creed" style ninja and impoverished pub-keeper he truly was - not the rich middle-aged brewer I mis-remembered from supposed history books. And John Adams, his wise, established older cousin. I was so surprised to hear that John was older after having read the fictional account in David McCullough's novel "John Adams". Silly David. Though I must confess, I love your voice-overs on Ken Burns' fictional movies about America!
Imagine the chilling frisson of historical recognition as you hear Benjamin Franklin deliver his historical and immortal line to our intrepid trio of freedom-seeking Bostonians: "Come on in, just don't ransack the place". Wow. History comes alive. Totally believable. This is so believable you don't need to ever believe anything else. Bravo.
The Happening (2008)
A good movie if you can suspend disbelief
Like everyone else, I thought "Sixth Sense" was brilliant - the twist at the end made this a magnum opus. With such a debut, the level of expectation for Shyamalan has been set very high. I've been disappointed with most of his films since, but I did like the atmosphere he created with "The Village".
Now to "The Happening": The beginning of this movie conveys a completely gripping and horrifying crisis. It has a sense of immediacy, and grabs your throat: what's going on? When you finally get the reason, it seems very far-fetched. If you can suspend disbelief for that part, I think you'll enjoy the rest of the movie, as I did.
Red Dawn (1984)
An anachronism, with political undertones, but still fun
I will admit that this story seems like a ridiculously dark fantasy dreamed up by a right-wing wacko now. Most liberals will consider this laughable - and I agree with that, being slightly left-of-center myself.
However, it's unfair to judge this movie without understanding the historical context. This was a time when Ronald Reagan was calling the Russians' bluff. A time when the nuclear war clock read "5 minutes to midnight". A time, months after North America (OK, I'm Canadian) had watched a miniseries of nuclear holocaust, "The Day After".
If you can escape into this contemporary paranoid context, I think you can have fun watching this movie.
It's a film that captures the paranoia of the times, like "The Manchurian Candidate" or "On The Beach" during the Cuban Missile Crisis, even though it doesn't stand strongly in comparison to those works of art.
The Kite Runner (2007)
The most powerful story of friendship I've ever seen
I don't want to give any spoilers away, so I'm going to be appropriately vague.
I have not read the book (but I will now). I have only watched the movie.
If you're bored within the first 25 minutes of this movie, TRUST ME, hang on to your popcorn, it's worthwhile to keep watching.
This is a story about 2 boys who truly go through a hell I can't imagine for each other.
The backdrop is a visceral picture of Afghanistan, just before the Soviets invaded, during their invasion, and under the rule of the Taliban. This is a reality that I think all us adults should understand.
The film is not explicit or gory, but deals with a very difficult subject - child rape.
Ultimately, this is a story of redemption.
Fubar (2002)
I laughed so hard I snorted my pilsener, eh?
Just Give'r!
If you've ever wondered whatever became of those stoners from High School 10-15 years ago, look no further than this hilarious yet serious mockumentary.
****possible spoilers****
At the great opening sequence, which is essentially a lesson on how NOT to drive, I knew this was going to be a hilarious movie. But I was also pleasantly surprised at the ironically serious message at the heart of the movie - hedonistic escapism may be fun for a while, but ultimately everyone has to face reality, however grim it may be. This is a coming-of-age movie about a couple of guys who should have came of age years ago.
Paul Spence and David Lawrence are instantly recognizable and genuinely believable in their headbanger roles. Michael Dowse does an excellent job of balancing the humour (sometimes light, sometimes dark) with the pathos to make a funny yet touching tale of cancer.