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Reviews
Her (2013)
Childish narcissism masquerading as sophisticated romance
So all you need to do to make a celebrated art film today is the following: Have the actors wear ironic retro clothing (and mustaches), use soft piano music and long, slow montages in an otherwise sparse soundtrack, sprinkle in a lot of adolescent angst pretending to be meaningful philosophy, and add in a few cheap sex scenes to show how liberated you are, and VOILA! The hipsters will be clamoring to see your petty little film.
I've liked previous stuff by Jonez. But I was younger, and maybe not as wise as I am today. One of my continual thoughts while watching this film was: "This is exactly how college students perceive and deal with relationships."
It's not mature, or deep (even though it pretends to be), and the entire message is not only emotionally stunted but downright Orwellian (as in, to achieve enlightenment, you need to become part of a group consciousness...while having tawdry affairs with 600+ people on the way).
We're told, among other things, that divorce is good, because life is short and therefore we deserve "joy" (whatever that means), that being poly-amorous is good because love doesn't fit into a "box", and that cheating on your partner helps you love them more. Orwell to the max.
"Her" has to be hands-down my nomination for the worst film ever made - why? Because it's immature junk masquerading as art. It takes itself way too seriously. And the director is clearly obsessed with sex! Here's a thought - why not have a romance where the characters do not have sex? THAT would be revolutionary today.
That sex scene with Theodore and the AI was so cheesy and stupid I laughed out loud. I just wish the Mystery Science 3000 robots were around to comment on it.
Furthermore, the director's views of women are subtly sexist. He clearly thinks that to be a sophisticated, advanced female (AI), you need to find potty humor and stupid sex jokes funny. (Sex in an armpit? The mom in the video game getting jiggy with the fridge? This would be funny to an advanced intelligence)? And why the need to throw in the porn shot of the pregnant woman? Gross.
If you are a 20something hipster guy then this will be the most profound movie you have ever seen. If you are more emotionally mature, and understand that real love requires sacrifice and is not about getting your way all the time, then you'll be as disgusted as I was with this film.
What's truly sad is that people watching this movie will take it as a cue for how they should be in relationships, and try to justify their cheating and worse because of it. For shame.
Odyssey 5 (2002)
Great premise, bogged down with side story
I rented this from the library and had never heard of it going into it. So I wasn't expecting it to be as explicit as it was. Other reviews have mentioned the swearing. The swearing is nothing compared to the sex. Warning to any parents out there - you'll be hit with a graphic sex scene thrown into the middle of the pilot without any warning. With not one but two naked women. But the explicit sex and gratuitous chest shots (which thankfully lessen as the series goes on) aren't the main problem here.
The main problem with this series is the badly written, awful subplot of the news anchor with the kid who died in the original reality. Rather than just sitting her husband down with the rest of the "5" to explain the issue, she goes behind his back and acts like a crazy person. This is painful TV you just want to shut off.
When they finally move on from that terrible subplot, they bring her back into focus with her romance with her boss. Why they waste so much time focusing on her personal drama in the series is beyond me - I really don't care!
On the plus side, I thought Peter Weller was amazing in this. And there are some really neat sci-fi concepts brought up, many before their time.
Definitely worth watching, even if the series ended on a cliffhanger that never got resolved.
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Utterly Dismal, and Not for Young Children
I usually enjoy Tim Burton and was absolutely shocked at how bad this adaptation of Alice in Wonderland was. Although it had its moments, it was bogged down by a ridiculous "sword and sorcery" type plot, unintelligible dialogue, and dreary visuals.
What was missing? Charm. And a playful whimsical quality that should be present in an Alice in Wonderland story. I wasn't drawn into the "Wonderland" world whatsoever. The "Harry Potter" type story was incongruent and turned Alice in Wonderland into Harry Potter having a bad acid trip.
Worse, the CGI seemed cheap and the landscapes had no scope nor gave us awe-inspiring wonder. The Red Queen's castle was neat to look at, as were a few other things, but mostly, this was a wasted opportunity visually.
Most importantly, the film was way too adult for the subject matter. Several gruesome scenes make this a movie I would not bring young children to see, when a movie like this should be precisely made for young children and those young at heart.
A total disappointment.