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Reviews
The Last Wave (1977)
White Liberal Guilt Trip
First few times I saw this I saw it as a fun mystical apocalypse I was sorta into apocalypse masochistic thinking in the 70s. Weir does set a hell of a mood.
However I see an agenda here...white people disillusioned loosing faith in their own science, religion and mystical rites turn to foreign exotica. Add to this guilt for something their ancestors did. This time its not just to the Brit convicts the anti-hero is descended from but we goes back thousands of years to a white culture that survived an apocalypse, moved to South American and built the Mayan civilization then moved to Australia!
Our anti-hero is the sole survivor of Atlantis! Odd that no whites are depicted anywhere in South American Indian art as shown in this movie, perhaps that civilization was wiped out and all evidence?
Well back to the agenda, there is a strong apologia for Aborigine ritual murder, (its tribal so its legal!) (Just like the ritual rape of nubile females by tribal elders in the outback as part of their coming of age...now that's really self serving male porkchopery!)
Finally the 300 foot wave comes and I guess wipes out Sydney and drowns the whites....so do the aborigines escape or do they sacrifice themselves for the other tribals in the outback?
Apocalypse Pompeii (2014)
US tourists try to save tour group from Mt Vesuvius Volcano SPOILERS
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If your a fan of B disaster movies I cant recommend this "C" movie highly enough. Starring Adrian Paul (still looking good) ("The Highlander) as a ex special forces commando who is negotiating a big international security company deal that he is the CEO of. So he and his wife, 18 year old daughter (who is an amateur volcano and geological expert) she dresses like Lara Croft Tomb Raider (but so does every female tourist in the movie) but she has the longest legs, the lowest cut t-shirt and the shortest shorts!. Lots of overhead shots (from the viewpoint of falling ceilings) peering down her blouse. She and everyone else runs through the movie flashing the long legs and jiggling along. Obnoxious tourists get fire bombed by the Volcano etc. Paul quickly assembles a command special forces team to rescue them. His old war buddy is now the Colonel in Charge of Naples NATO base and by coincidence the Colonel is able to get old friends that everyone knows (except Lara Croft Senior) (Where did SHE come from) to help. They steal a NATO chopper. Its full of cliff hangers bad science bad history (dont try to ride out the volcano inside an old underground villa (thats what killed the Romans 2000 years ago! Lots of other B and C and D disaster movies on Amazon prime streaming
Broken Side of Time (2013)
Model considering herself over the Hill at 30 goes for one last hurrah
Possible Spoiler * * * * * * * * * * *
As a retired professional photographer (corporate advertising and documentary) who 7 years ago decided to try to become a fashion/glamour photographer and wound up doing it as a hobby this film spoke to me. I've photographed many models some of them approaching retirement as our heroine is in this film. Many of the scenes were familiar to me. Allowing for exaggeration for dramatic effect (I've yet to snort cocaine with a model or to expect sex)I know that this does happen. I know that the career of a model is very short and many start thinking of retiring at age 25.
Now this film does not speak for modeling in general or all models. All models don't snort cocaine on the set or in bathrooms, not all are alcoholics or act as prostitutes with cover of modeling, all models don't become anorexic or consider it a destructive lifestyle.The script does have a judgmental attitude toward the photography/model industry.
I liked the part about the model become a photographer herself which is quite common actually many do it way before retirement. I traded my old film camera gear to a model for photo shoot once as I had gone to digital photography.
The most annoying thing about the film was the music soundtrack, the constant noodling of a guitarist was aggravating and made the 2 hours seem much longer. I swear every independent movie seems to have the very same guitar soundtrack! I suppose its because its the most affordable although its supposed to make you feel more introspective but dead silence would be preferable.
That said I enjoyed the film, the actresses were beautiful and the lead was a very good actress.
La sapienza (2014)
A French architect resolves his inner conflict on a tour of Italian Cathedrals
Slight Spoiler This film is for all lovers of art house Foreign films But even those might find it challenging. The exposition is unnatural and stilted deliberately. The Director is a French born American citizen. He uses the classical Baroque conventions and conceit of 17th century French theater, think Moliere for example in which characters do not always talk to each other but to the audience and they do not interrupt each other. This way the director conveys his thoughts and philosophy to the audience. At first I was puzzled by this, I do know of Shakespeare's "asides" to the audience (which many Americans are familiar with) so that is something we can relate to, but this was different and extreme. Then I realized that it was a theatrical convention of the director.
American conservationists can relate to the protagonist an architect who tries to build an ecologically and human scale development to preserve the ancient beauty of a south of France city and is overruled by the CEO of the corporation who wants the old town torn down, open spaces built over and replaced by flower boxes on the high rise apt balconies! The CEO suggests he take some time off to reconsider his objections. He takes a tour of Southern Switzerland, Northern Italy,and finally Rome. Along the way he and his wife Aliénor meet a young brother and sister. The sister has taken to her bed in illness exacerbated by the young brothers immanent departure for university to study architecture in Venice. Aliénor suggests to the mother that the brother and sister had an unnatural closeness and that might be part of the problem of her illness. This suggestion of incest was not explored or commented on after that so I am not sure what Aliénor meant beyond that.
Aliénor stays in Ticino (southern Switzerland) while Alexandre and the brother, Goffredo travel to Rome. Along the way they explore the architecture of the cathedrals and we are treated to a visual and academic narrative by Alexandre which I found interesting and educational.By the end (there are no surprises ) there is a somewhat satisfactory resolution of the characters inner conflicts.
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
Worst movie of all time!
This film is way up there in the competition for "worst movie of all time" It can challenge "Ishtar" and "Gigli" in the competition. I almost walked out 1/4 of the way through but it had the horrible fascination of watching a train wreck.I don't know where to start.Bad script, bad taste. dumb jokes, clichés, overacting I could go on and on.
This seems to be the product of "high concept" put a bunch of top stars together, make a satire of the 50 years of USA military-political adventures and try so very very hard to be "hip". They covered everything, the lack of intelligence of "military intelligence", new age silliness, how comical it is to see straight arrow people get high on drugs. That's $6.50 of my money and almost two hours of my time I will never get back.
The Dancer Upstairs (2002)
Pretty good, but
Pretty good, but..., 12 January 2003 7/10 Author: cyberpix says....
>"I may be called a language extremist, but I was very disturbed by the >fact that they were all speaking English. Yes, Malkovich speaks English, >as most of his potential public. But still, there is no reason for >Spanish-speaking actors in a Spanish-speaking story set in a >Spanish-speaking country to do so !!!"
Are you disturbed by so many English Speaking films set in English speaking countries that are dubbed into Spanish?
Why am I required to post ten lines when cyberpix got his posted with less than ten lines?
Masked and Anonymous (2003)
Pretentious and awful
I can't tell you what I really think of this film for they would not publish it. I came in the middle and left after 15 minutes when I realized it made no sense. First I thought it was set in Latin America because of the latino mestizo Dictator and latino mestizo peasants. I could not understand all the Americans there I thought maybe they re expatriats but there were too many of them. Then I finally figured out that it was set in the future when latino peasants move into the USA in such numbers that a latino peasant becomes a south American style military dictator.
All it all its another one of those pretentious films where long silences and nonsensical monologues are supposed to be profound. It was profoundly awful.
Masked and Anonymous (2003)
Pretentious and awful
I can't tell you what I really think of this film for they would not publish it. I came in the middle and left after 15 minutes when I realized it made no sense. First I thought it was set in Latin America because of the latino mestizo Dictator and latino mestizo peasants. I could not understand all the Americans there I thought maybe they re expatriats but there were too many of them. Then I finally figured out that it was set in the future when latino peasants move into the USA in such numbers that a latino peasant becomes a south American style military dictator.
All it all its another one of those pretentious films where long silences and nonsensical monologues are supposed to be profound. It was profoundly awful.
Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 (1998)
A completely phoney sentimental cliché ridden movie
I had high hopes when I found this film while channel surfing. I came into it 20 minutes into the film but soon found that it was a rip-off of several small town coming of ages films including 9/30/55, "The Last Picture Show", etc.
None of the characters rang true. I could see each cliché coming a mile away. The annoying manipulative little sister, the trailer trash boy with the alcoholic father, the town's one rich kid, the kid with the rancher father who wants the son to follow in his footsteps, and the one alienated kid with no real attachments.
Everything about the film was annoying. The self righteous phoney salt of the earth portrayal of a wonderful future in an isolated town of 80 people for the boys. The waitress with a heart of gold who is going to reform the drunken father. (I think the kid really stayed because he is attracted to his fathers girlfriend and hope to have some involvement with her.
The only thing I liked was that the oil rich family turned out to be nearly bankrupt and the father advised the son to leave town rather than join a failing business.
The way the whole town turned out to see the boys off on the bus to L. A. Silly, never would happen.
The way such a big deal was made of them going to L. A. like it was going to the ends of the earth or something. In small Okie towns half the town generally has relatives all over California and lots of visiting back and forth.
A stupid stupid movie.
Laurel Canyon (2002)
Uptight whiney Snobbish Self righteous East coast couple go Hollywood
Well the dude did have a stick up you know where. Its such an East coast conceit...."we are the serious people doing real things and good in the world and we are so miserable with our crime, bad weather, etc we just hate you people because you seem to be havin so much fun"
Serves the dude right his gf goes Hollywood and goes it one better and has a threesome with his MOTHER and bf...whoo haaa great fun! Then the whiney dude is getting it on with a Brainy Doc co-worker..... he he it says I have to have ten lines but it does not deserve ten lines so it says I have to have ten lines but it does not deserve ten lines