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Reviews
Left Behind (2000)
For a planet going to hell in a hand-basket, it sure doesn't look all that bad.
I shall attempt to be Christian in my review of this "opus". I understand the religious message that is trying to be conveyed and how this production has been made for a particular audience. That said, it's just plain bad as a movie. Most End-of-time films tend to be big budget,lots of CGI disaster epics that help the audience endure the all-too-often feeble script and plot. Not here. Moreover, we hear of these massive "disappearances" around the entire planet. No word that the traditional hierarchical churches have been affected. One would think that the sudden disappearance of the clergy of the Orothodox, Catholic and Anglican churches might tip people off, if even atheists. Or perhaps this is a Fundamentalist production and all those organizations are evil and damned. Be it far from me to judge... Anyway, the acting is rather bland (Mr. Cameron does not really project the depth of panic that end times should naturally invoke in even the staunchest unbeliever), and the various plot holes make no sense. Spoiler ALERT : for example, we have the Israeli biologist who has created a new strain of wheat which shall alleviate world hunger; as a reward the AntiChrist character Nikolai Carpathia shows him a plan for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. When it is pointed out that the "Arabs will never allow it", he calmly states that when their children start dying from hunger they will allow it. Only problem is ALL children worldwide have been "raptured" by this time. There are no kids left anywhere. Apparently there are several more installations to this series, but I will not be forfeiting any more time on them. A shame, too, because with a subject as big as the rise of the Antichrist one would have wanted it to hold you more. Sigh. Back to "the Omen" series...
The Exorcist (1973)
still stands up after 34 years
I have just seen "The Exorcist" again, some 34 years after its initial release, and must praise this as an excellent movie.
Forget the hype of this being "The scariest movie ever made". It is simply excellent story-telling, and what makes the film work is the wonderful character development. Ellen Burstyn is outstanding as the distraught mother trying desperately to understand and cure her daughter's bizarre behaviour. Jason Miller is also wonderful as the priest whose own scientific training causes not only his own crisis of faith, but skepticism as to the nature of Regan's distress. Lee J. Cobb and Max von Sydow also do tremendous jobs in their supporting roles. Linda Blair's performance was so good that it ultimately ruined her prospects for any future career - she was the poster child for the term "typecast".
I will not rehash the story in my review; it has been adequately covered by others. Suffice to say, this is a story about people: Not only Regan and her possession, but most importantly the reaction of sane, logical, 20th-century educated people trying to make sense of inexplicable phenomena. And it is the increasing desperation in the face of no scientific, logical answers that plays so strongly on the audience. We are forced to ask questions regarding our own beliefs, and whether we have room for the supernatural in our own ideas of the universe.
The shock value of profanity and vomiting were novel in 1973; of course that's old hat today - although the spinal tap and other medical examination scenes still make me shudder - perhaps because they are all too real. But the overall thrill of the story hasn't aged a bit. In my view, that's what makes a film a classic - it stands the test of time in terms of its entertainment value. Well worth watching again and again.
The Mudlark (1950)
Charming from start to finish!
This is one of those delightful post-war British films that once seen is hard to forget. The story centers around Wheeler, a London "mudlark" (an orphan who scavenges the Thames at low tide), who, upon finding a cameo of Queen Victoria, sets off to Windsor to see "the mother of England." Victoria is secluded as the "widow of Windsor" and a desperate Disraeli is vainly attempting to urge her to resume public duties. However, when Wheeler finally gets to meet his Queen, Victoria is moved to return to her public life. Wonderful performances by Irene Dunne as Victoria, Alec Guinness as Disraeli, Finlay Currie as John Brown and Andrew Ray as Wheeler, the mudlark. If only Fox would release this on DVD or VHS!