Change Your Image
clarkcurtis3
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
And Just Like That... (2021)
So much worse than I imagined
I loved the original SITC.... But this made me cringe at every turn. Big/Chris Noth singing to Todd Rundgren? Make it stop. Don't waste your time on this drivel.
I See You (2019)
Surprisingly good
I had low expectations but gave it a shot based on other user reviews. It's a thriller with an unexpected twist. Try it.
First Reformed (2017)
understand the ending and you'll appreciate the film
The key to appreciating this film is in understanding the ending by...
1) understanding the camera dynamics employed by the director
2) understanding the parallels between First Reformed (written & directed by Paul Schrader) and The Last Temptation of Christ (written by Paul Schrader, directed by Martin Scorcese)
1) Camera Dynamics:
The camera is always fixed (never pans, never focuses in or out) except on 2 occasions
Occasion #1: when Toller lays on top of Mary and they float through space. The camera moves & pans. This is a clue for the viewer... when the camera moves... it's a dream sequence.
Occasion #2: during the last 90 seconds of the movie... the camera spins around Toller & Mary. This means it's a dream... not reality!
2) parallels between First Reformed (written & directed by Paul Schrader) and The Last Temptation of Christ (written by Paul Schrader, directed by Martin Scorcese)
The Last Temptation of Christ received a lot of publicity (much of it negative) when it was released in 1988 because of the way many Christians (particularly more conservative & fundamentalist Christians) negatively responded to the scene depicting Jesus hanging on the cross, bleeding from the crown of thorns on his head and dreaming of what life would have been like if he had married Mary Magdalene and lived a normal life - worked as a carpenter, had kids, grew old, etc.
In the last scene of First Reformed, Toller dons the barbed wire (similar to the crown of thorns) and DOES drink the drain cleaner. At which point, he goes into a dream state (similar to Jesus on the cross) in which he dreams of embracing Mary and living happily ever after with Mary (similar to Jesus dreaming of Mary Magdalene). The screen goes black and the movie ends because... the drain cleaner does it's job and he dies.
Now that we have this understanding that Toller dies at the end... we have a whole new lens to use in determining what are the potential messages of the film.
Could one of them be... extremism & martyrdom is no way to make a difference (to any cause - good or bad).