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krusty_the_baker
Reviews
Classic Albums: The Grateful Dead: Anthem to Beauty (1997)
A Beautiful Trip in Pop History
This is a film that helped me really get into Grateful Dead - I already owned a couple of albums, but hadn't quite figured out what all the fuss was about, although 'Skull and Roses' was just about starting to come together for me. The key thing is that this is very human in the way the relate the way they arrived at 'American Beauty'. Robert Hunter and Phil Lesh are particularly articulate in the way they describe the development of the record. The only member of the band who didn't contribute to the film was Bill Kreutzmann, and that's his business.
When I first saw this, broadcast on the BBC as part of their 'Classic Albums' series, it was stated that this was Garcia's last television interview. I don't know if this is true, but it must be one of the last. Whatever your own reaction to 'American Beauty' - it can elicit tears and smiles from me - Jerry Garcia has a permanent wry smile when talking about it on this film. Ever the joker.
The Norseman (1978)
see where your magic has gotten us, wizz-ard!
This is an appalling film, and worth watching for that very reason. You'll struggle to buy a copy, and it probably isn't worth it, but in the UK we do get the occasional opportunity to see it on telly, so take them. This is a film with more ham than a Tesco deli counter, and Lee Majors, well, his own agent once described him as a 'somewhat limited actor'. The language - see my title, but to fully appreciate you'll have to hear the intonation in the movie itself, think Conan the Barbarian voiceovers - and the mock ritual and rite of Vikingness is hugely entertaining. Not unlike the sort of heavy metal that appeals to teenagers. Don't worry about history, it's irrelevant to this film - we all know the vikings must have been pretty sophisticated people, you'd have to be to conduct your trade from Teheran to St. Johns! And their business was arms and slaves, so they knew how to look after themselves. And this is not a film about sophisticated people. But the absolute star of this film is Jack Elam as the Death Dreamer, the wizard. The stereotypical shaman, Dr Samedi meets Don Juan meets Papa Lazarou. Honestly, folks, this movie is a hoot, but it is utter rubbish. If you want a quality viking flick, although again with questionable historical accuracy, go for The Vikings, with Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis and a brilliant Ernest Borgnine. At least you'll care about the characters.
Stachka (1925)
This is more than a film about communist idealism
I saw this film with live music accompaniment, which added hugely to it. But the thing which most struck me was the similarity with the 1980s miners strike in Britain, also a strike which became drawn around ideologies; the miners understood that their industry was under threat, but their leader Arthur Scargill would not hold a ballot and make it a legal strike because that would be to play by the Government's rules; and Margaret Thatcher's government, which was determined to do away with a coal industry that had become the last major bastion of organised labour, and so stockpiled coal in preparation for provoking the strike. Tremendous civil violence, with armoured riot police beating unarmed and unprotected pickets, murder of working miners, and other horrors, was the result, and divisions which over twenty years on have not healed; the politicisation of the police was one consequence, and the British now face a major energy crisis as natural gas was used as a cheap means to quickly subvert and make redundant the union movement, rather than being a managed resource.
So to say this film is of historic importance only is shallow - this is a tragic film, and it is a story which will not go away from human existence.
Hedd Wyn (1992)
You don't have to be Welsh to appreciate this film...
I'm not Welsh, although my father is, and I don't speak the language. It doesn't matter. The thrust of this film is that the hero sacrifices himself, both for his brother, and for his country, to go and fight, despite stating that he doesn't think that he can kill his fellow men. Along the way he comes across bigotry and prejudice; the persecution of his Welshness in the film is just as relevant to our society now, regardless of what culture or language is being mocked and derided. It seems that in early C.20 Britain we were suspicious of a man because he spoke a different language, so he might be a spy. Now we think he might be a terrorist. I guess we don't learn a lot.
The unity and bonding of the young soldiers being sent to fight in what we all know was a horrendous and particularly pointless war is touching, and the pointlessness of the millions of deaths of young men is made abundantly clear. A superb film. I watched it with my mother, and we cried too.
Smart Alek (1993)
This is a dark spectre of a film
This film has left an indelible mark on me, and I have made an effort to re-watch it on more than one occasion. It is both darkly funny - those who know UK telly might consider 'Monkey Dust' or 'Jam' - and horribly bleak in its depiction of human fate, set against the background of 1970s England. Cederic is right to refer to its nightmarish qualities, and for many there will be a character to empathise with, and be frightened by that empathy. There is so much drawn from a simple plot that it is long enough at twenty minutes. The roles are well cast, and features two of Britain's most exciting and interesting comedians - the ever adventurous Simon Munnery (Alan Parker-Urban Warrior, and The League Against Tedium), and Sean Lock, whose subtle but incisive wit is different from the cold rejection of mediocrity he portrays - and co-wrote - here.
I say this film has stayed with me; I took the time to visit Jaywick Sands, and I was rewarded by being able to even more enjoy the comedy of this amazing, and yet for me wholly credible film.
Watch it, and feel your jaw slowly drop...
Pinpon (2002)
a film with a lot to offer on human friendship
I've never seen a film about table tennis before, and this sheds a whole new light on the game by using it as a stage on which to illustrate ideas about the nature of friendship, honour and respect, both for oneself and others. This alone is ambitious, and well realised, as the relationships between the characters develop over the course of the film, but the game itself, and sport in general, are also shown in a very positive light. Dramatic cinematography of play, illustration of training techniques and acknowledgement of the roles of coaches, mentors and team-mates, wrapped with the importance of enjoyment of 'the game' being a crucial motive for those who compete in sport at the very highest levels, gave me a new respect for a game / sport about which I know virtually nothing, and for its champions. I think I probably missed something for seeing it subtitled - I was aware of ambivalence in some of the text, which understanding the spoken word, especially intonation, would have solved - but this is ever a debate when watching non-English language films. It isn't a massive problem, I was still able to empathise with credibly cast actors in consequently credible characters. This is a lovely film.