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Reviews
Carol for Another Christmas (1964)
1964 foreseeing today
I'm floored--but not totally surprised-- by the critical reviews here. Yes, this movie is a product of it's time in 1964. It's good to know your 20th century history. That being said, I think the arguments it presents about war and morality compelling and refreshingly frank. Grudge shares his rebuttals; it's not all one-sided. What REALLY struck me though was its scarily prescient portrayal of today's culture in the Me Movement of Christmas Yet to Come. That's the Trump movement and the crumbling of the common good. Many years ago, I could imagine watching this movie and thinking there's no way society could devolve that badly; it's a writer's fantasy. Yet, painfully and terrifyingly, here we are. I think this movie and the hard topics it wrestles with need to be seen and discussed.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Missing charm & humor, violence too dark, disappointing
I REALLY wanted to like this movie. REALLY. The chance for a great send-off for an iconic character. But sadly, this movie was a disappointment for me.
The sweet humor with clever "winks" at reality are gone, replaced with overly long (& somewhat dull?) chase scenes. I don't ever remember hoping that a chase scene would finally end in a previous Indiana Jones movie. There were few if any times I was cheering for something. There are dark & needless deaths of good people we meet, not to mention a depressing backstory to almost everything in Indie's life on his cusp of retirement. The rollicking, playful, classic swashbuckling approach of previous films has disappeared.
Furthermore , I find the Helena character grating and unlikeable. Ok, she redeems herself somewhat in the end but it doesn't make up for her self-proclaimed money-obsessed morality early on. Harrison Ford does the best he can with what he's given but he can't save the movie single-handed. How I wonder what this film could have looked like if Spielberg was the director again.
How come the director and writers couldn't see this in advance? Many people share these views. Very sad.
Certain Women (2016)
There are limits...
I appreciate a pretty wide variety of films. I wouldn't call myself an indie junkie, but I like creativity that gets me to think or be aware in a new way and indie can certainly do that. Of course, sometimes aspects of a film will evade me (what was X about? what did Y mean?) and then I seek out others--and IMDb--to fill in the gaps.
I have to admit, I left this film lost and unsatisfied. Too MUCH of it was a gap for me. Sure, I had some basic insights: how the normal-ness of life is worthy of attention and how the painful constancy of loneliness exists in so many lives. The acting was good. I found the long pans and the "un-action" movie action interesting. At least for a while. But by about halfway, that was it. Those insights just repeated themselves. I spent the second half hoping for something to shed light, to at least tie some loose ends together. But it never came.
And it wasn't just me and my friend. As we sat in the emptying theater after the movie, discussing our thoughts about it, an elderly lady shuffled out behind us and said, "I don't mean to blow my own horn, but I have a Ph.D. in English Literature. And STILL I can't figure out what that movie was about! Do you?" So it wasn't just me.
This is all I can conclude: This film slowly detailed 3 vignettes, suggesting there was something being told. Then it had nothing to say. Maybe it's a Zen thing. But it wasn't a satisfying experience for me. The stories came out of nowhere and went nowhere, albeit with some beautiful scenes and emotions presented along the way and excellent acting. When it was over, there was no "there" there for me. I think that's what left me feeling unsatisfied. It was like a pretty mosaic left in pieces. I can infer that someone formed a design with it and I want to see that design. But it's in pieces and, try as I might, I can't put the pieces together. In fact, it feels like some pieces are missing. So I walk away baffled.
Maybe this says more about me than this movie. Whatever the case, I walked away unsettled and not in an enlightened way. That didn't feel good.
Risen (2016)
I LOVE this movie--thoughtful and creative view of a man's journey towards inspiration
I absolutely resonate with the 2 previous reviews (jbucher32 and McKenzie_Bryant). I have watched this movie twice in 2 days and could easily see it 10 more times. It takes a very familiar story (the Biblical account of Jesus' death and resurrection) and views it from a unique angle, inserting a fictional Roman centurion to open things up. The storyline creates wonderful opportunities to examine the deepest questions of life and death, truth and faith. The filming, the music, the script, and the acting are all first-rate, in my opinion. I see Clavius as the devil's advocate (no pun intended) in all of us, the part of us that desperately wants to put the pieces of life together in a factual way, a way that satisfies our minds and logic. Clavius's dogged pursuit of the truth pulled me in. What are my answers to the questions and experiences he faced?
Yes, I absolutely am a believer. But I think the gift of "Risen" is that it's respectful to believers and non-believers alike. I wondered if it would respect my mind (as a viewer) as well as my heart (as a believer). I feared it would either have a simplistic, overly-reverential gloss or else aim to wring the Biblical story dry of any faith dimension at all. I enjoyed "Risen" because--aside from 1 or 2 melodramatic moments--it did neither. Just watching Joseph Fienne's face was an experience in itself. The nuance and complexity he captured in his eyes just entranced me. I thought his last line was simply perfect.
I truly hope that Mr. Fiennes and the creators of this movie get the acclaim they richly deserve and that the religious theme doesn't push attention away. I know I will be seeing it many times again.