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rickyfan3956
Reviews
Fearful Symmetry (1998)
A really good look back...
This is in response to a few of the comments posted below. (See comments below for more information.) I do believe, as at least one other person commented, that this is a very informative documentary. If it rambles a bit, so what? Let's give those rambling on a little bit of license to do so. After all, they were there and these were their experiences and, to be frank, they know more about their experiences than we do. (And if we don't want to know any more about their experiences, we can simply do the smart thing and TURN OFF THE MOVIE.) And if it makes them feel better to ramble on and reminisce, what's the harm? One day, we will all be old and someone will wish WE would quit rambling on and on about our experiences.
As for those "random Southern people" mentioned in an earlier post, if memory serves, those people were the people actually from the town where Harper Lee grew up. They knew her and her father. They went to school with her. They played with her as children. They shared some very personal experiences with the author which, when shared, lend a lot of personal and emotional depth to both the movie and the book which would not have been gained simply by viewing or reading. They offer a view of Harper Lee, and of the world in which they all grew up, in a very different perspective, a sort of "third person" perspective. And, as we all know, a third person perspective often helps us to see things about ourselves and our world, things which we would not have noticed otherwise--things which help us become well-rounded people. Similarly, these people--rambling and with their seemingly "pointless" third person points of view--actually help to make both the book and the film more well-rounded.
If the documentary had simply been about behind the scenes technicalities and about the stars of the film itself, I would have been very turned off. As we all know, the film which wishes to make a statement, as this one does, is not about the actors themselves. It is not intended to be a star vehicle, although that sometimes happens. It is much bigger than that. It is also not about the technicalities. Amusing and entertaining as they may be to learn of later, technicalities are what the finished film tries not to present. Instead, a film of this caliber tries to bring to life a human story and to make a statement about the human condition, whether to criticize it or to praise it. And it tries to make us better than we were before. Adding the Southern people from Harper's past, with their ramblings and anecdotes, only serves to reinforce that statement.
The 700 Club (1966)
About the above user's comments...
The above user makes this comment: "I don't believe there has ever been a more evil or wicked television program to air in the United States as The 700 Club. They are today's equivalent to the Ku Klux Klan of the 20th century. Their hatred of all that is good and sweet and human and pure is beyond all ability to understand." And then he goes on to state how ALL people who believe in any religion are deluding themselves. "Drugging" themselves, he says. He failed to understand in using his words above that words like "evil", "good", "sweet", "human", and "pure" are words whose meanings were derived based upon some understanding of a form of deity and what he expects of us. Ask and I will explain. But by his very argument that all persons who believe in a religion are deluded, he nullifies his above argument in which he uses the words "evil", "good", "sweet", and "pure".
The Best Bad Thing (1997)
An Excellent Movie!!!
I gave it a 9 out of 10 because nothing is perfect. However, I loved this movie! I just watched it again today for like the 900th time. I have always been one to love Asian people, especially Chinese and Japanese. I even had Japanese roommates in college, and one of them taught me a few things in Japanese, like how to write my name and such. Anyway, back to the movie...these characters are very endearing to watch. They give me courage to face my own troubles now. Being an adult and living on my own, I can appreciate the hardships someone like Auntie Hata would have gone through, raising two boys on her own. Also, having recently gone through a break-up (the pain of that is still fresh), I can only imagine what it must be like to lose my husband! I was watching the movie and, especially at the parts where Auntie Hata grasps her head in frustration/worry, I felt tense with her, because I can empathize! All in all, a must see!