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Reviews
Healing Neen (2010)
Neen is Amazing
Paul Rusesabagina (the man brilliantly played by Don Cheadle, who should have received the first co-best actor Oscar aside Jamie Foxx, in his also fantastic portrayal of Ray Charles)is a person whose feats, triumphs, willpower, and heart is so great by comparison it makes one embarrassed to look back on his/her own accomplishments with any real pride. I have added Tonier Cain "Neen" to my list of greats and believe her story is worth seeing, sharing, and being inspired by. Not a slickly-made Hollywood documentary by any means, it is very low-budget and gritty. I say that matter-of-factly as it doesn't matter. Healing Neen is a startling personal account that shows people's possibilities despite circumstances and obstacles.
Pressure (2002)
MUCH better than it will ever get credit for
Unlike the reviewers who low rated it(my supposition is there won't be many)I couldn't justifiably in good conscience rate this film any less than a 10. Standard grade television fare? OK, lesser known stars (who based on this, will probably have had bigger titles by now)and an apparently formulaic setup: two friends on a road trip, yadda, yadda, yadda, seen it before. This flick, however, transcends that fantastically. Oscarworthy? No, but only because its not the type of film people who raved about Black Swan want to see. It is not fast-moving running,jumping, and gratuitous shooting, nor deep, thought-provoking fare. It is the perfect popcorn film. Great situations (oh, NOW what do we do?),the coolest sheriff this side of R. Lee Ermey,a most-depraved,sociopathic villain who you are "entertained" watching and waiting for to "get his" (possibly accompanied by what I thought was a great one-liner) and somehow, a sensible conclusion. Anybody who slights it on police-involved circumstances and procedures I'd strongly suggest talk to some police or ex-police without a microphone and camera running. Highly recommended.
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Are the "Beasts" the animals, the humans, or our society?
An American Indian cultural staple, the hush puppy remains a fried cornmeal treat especially embraced by southerners as a regular dietary substitute for bread. From personal experience in northern realms, it is also enjoyed by persons roundabout the upper proximity of the Mason-Dixon Line. Hushpuppy is not a child's name. That said, I still attempted to "enjoy" this tale of "impoverished ignorance" at my wife's bequest. Some can watch a film (such as Saw and its many sequels) that adopts the worst that the world has to offer— torture— and promotes it as entertainment. For that matter, as a war veteran, I can tell you some people enjoy seeing others tortured. I do not, and appreciate it when some expose a thinly-veiled "just a movie" excuse which would be otherwise pardoned as fun. Professional film reviewer Stephen Witty for one, and a number of non-commercial film watchers who remarked on it here on IMDb. Thanks for your astute recognition and refutation.
As a New Orleans 9th Ward denizen for years, I very readily recognized (as with Ice Age 2, where an animated character told my children "you live in a bowl" and the ignorant reply was "I was born and will die in this bowl!") an attempt to slander, denigrate, and apparently, justify, the ill treatment of a group of people. I've also never eaten cat food (shared with my prehistoric Nutria rat-like pig) as a child, but mainly enjoyed dishes cooked up by my grandmother on a century-old pot-belly stove, stolen from the evacuated home (which is still standing) unguarded at the time of Katrina. My father cried at losing that reminder of "Ma Dear," so I readily understand the decision by many NOT to leave "The Bathtub," but fail to see the entertainment value represented in the impoverished circumstances they were apparently celebrating. In decades of world travel, I've never met such characters and am always leery when such are displayed on film, "fantasy" world or not. Watching this, like Slumdog Millionaire and Precious, I was glad to see handsome actors and beautiful actresses of different hues, sizes, and environments represented on film, but saddened to see that it is still necessary to be raped(Precious), wallow through Port-o-Let feces (Slumdog), or dance and smile at filth (Beasts of the Southern Wild) to be seen. Such inaccuracy is derogatory, misleading, and saddening.
The Genius Club (2006)
Unexpectedly Fantastic
Thanks to the other reviewer who gave this a well-deserved 10, because had it not been for his/her glowing review, I'd probably never have paid attention to it. In the spirit of Pay it Forward, here are my own comments. When I rate a film, I think about it subjectively and what I felt it gave and simultaneously left unfulfilled; not unanswered, unfulfilled. An action film doesn't necessarily need 1000 explosions, but should, minimally, make you feel a sense of action. A romance should make you FEEL love, not just show you a thin veneer of people kissing, actually touch you in some way, fashion, or form. Ditto for the rest of the genres. A movie grade should reflect the magnitude to which it impresses you. This film, one that well after its finish compelled me to not only recommend it to others and seek out others' opinions, but ponder LIFE, deserves more merit and accolades than it received. An unsung 10.
Seung hung (2003)
Heroic Duo
Although this film received very little or no attention upon its release,even allowing for its minor shortcoming, I'd still rate it among the best movies I've ever seen. Take The Usual Suspects and The Sixth Sense, combine the two movies and throw in a little action and some seriously nerve-wracking, tense "heartless" villainy and you have Heroic Duo. One complaint: the weak title doesn't do this film justice. I still have to give it a ten-star rating. I know, you've never even heard of it, but compare it to the critically acclaimed Infernal Affairs (which I believe to have been highly overrated) and see what I mean.