Change Your Image
wamaitha
Reviews
Searching for Debra Winger (2002)
upsetting.
This movie was insulting. While issues to do with sexism and gender are very pertinent especially to do with film, this "documentary" addressed neither sufficiently.
Instead the film operated as a forum for a bunch of over-paid and over-privileged women to sob about aging. It was PAINFUL to have to watch their collagen filled lips and tight stretched faces whine about only being valued for their looks and then being discarded as they aged. What on earth would they expect when they continue to SUPPORT these institutions by playing superficial roles and succumbing to mainstream beauty standards?
Half of them have never had acted a decent role in their lives, yet they mope about wanting to play "REAL" characters, with "REAL" meaning.
The only saving moment was Alfre Woodard gracefully reconciling the struggles she faces as an actress, with the privilege which her profession allows her. She pays much needed respect to women AROUND the world who do NOT make millions of dollars for a few months of work, yet still struggle to be good mothers, wives, and career women.
Moreover the film was not shot documentary style- I am not a film-maker so do not know the logistics of different filming, however Arquette chose a style that was NOT reminiscent of documentaries. Looked more like a thriller DVD. And so the total effect was staged and over-produced.
The film was just plain rubbish. And though I would usually like to be less one-sided, i find it absolutely impossible to see this film any other way.
Jungle Fever (1991)
contentious film. overzealous film-maker.
In short:
Spike Lee clearly has a lot on his mind. He's thinking about racism color-ism, media and hegemony, consumerism and capitalism, religion, sexism, 'hetero-sexism', politics of the drug war etc etc...
That level of consciousness on is own is great. I think it is a blessing that more and more people are choosing to critically examine fundamental aspects of our daily lives; the silent and invisible forces that govern our societies. However, just because Lee is making contentious films does not make him a good film-maker.
What comes across in "Jungle Fever" is a superficial understanding of these socio-political forces. This is largely the result of two main failures:
firstly, Lee is simply trying too hard. He seems to be desperately trying to accommodate every political/social statement he can think of into the 90mins. And as such, the end result seems confused and irresolute as he allows himself no time to develop characters that can fully embody the ideas he hopes to present. And so he exhausts stereotypes and we are left with rushed testimonies and very loaded dialogs. The end result is very staged and unrealistic.
Secondly, by attempting to make statements about such a wide variety of societal functions, he appears to have no concrete or original interpretation of the social/political issues presented. What comes across is a puddle of regurgitated non-sense. You feel that he bought an elementary level sociology text book and spewed out all 500 pages.
These are highly problematic features because the artistry of film is sacrificed and the work is transformed into a loudspeaker for the voice of the voice of the filmmaker. He is unable to distance himself from the work, and allow it to speak for itself.
It functions neither as a piece of art nor a sound political argument.
Although I still do appreciate Lee bringing up these important issues, I must say:
Two thumbs down.