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Nefarious (2023)
Blathering Guilt Trip
I knew it was a film with a religious bent going in.
I expected it to get truly dark and gripping, since it was a low-budget dialogue film. But, no.
It's the only film, in about 20+ years of appreciating the art, that I just turned off. The darkest bits of the film are just preying on human guilt created by puritan culture run amok.
It's a "horror film" for people who are traumatized by the "but if there is a god, and you reject him?" quandary. Really! There's not even the most minuscule hint of any other source of fear in the film. "What if there is a god and the evangelicals are right!?" Oh my, how will we sleep after this one, folks?
I shut it off about 40 minutes in. I wasn't gripped, thrilled, enthralled, or horrified. I was tired of being preached to and bored from the mythology.
Save yourself some time, ignore the reviews claiming to be nonreligious. This movie is tedious, boring, preachy garbage. Don't bother.
The acting was just good enough to suffer through forty minutes of the writing. Anyone saying otherwise is detached from reality.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014)
Oliver's Twist on the News
Intelligent and well researched, Last Week Tonight does some hard-hitting segments that leave most other news shows way, way behind.
I used to watch Comedy Central's back-to-back "news" shows every night. But, the formula for those shows has devolved into tedium. The writing is good and, luckily for them, there is always something incredibly stupid going on in politics. But, I can't watch those shows anymore; I don't even want to.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver has the laughs. It has the "stupid politician does stupid thing" segments. But, those two aspects of the show are just the potatoes served alongside a thick, juicy slab of deep, serious news brisket. No subject is safe while the camera is on Oliver. He hits the nail on the head when discussing the death penalty, issues with advertising, the Ukraine situation, Net-Neutrality (thank you), equal rights in Uganda, and so many other issues.
I have two complaints: Sometimes the mic on the crowd sounds like a laugh track. It's not, though; the show is filmed in front of a live audience in NYC. Sometimes Oliver gets so carried away that he starts to doubt himself and you can see the cognition on his face. Just let it all out, John!
Those are the cons! Watch this show, it's worth every penny. And now, this...
Unmistaken Child (2008)
What Faith Is
In Unmistaken Child, Baratz paints his viewers a very clear picture of the role faith plays in the lives of modern Tibetan Buddhist "Clergy".
I use the word "paints" above because beauty permeates the film in every aspect; from a deep look into the Eastern culture to the psychosocial intermingling of love, faith and family. Altogether, The film offers an astounding experience.
My only qualm with the film is the lack of a realistic amount of counter "evidence". After some time, I couldn't help thinking that the young costar's behavior was a little too "on point".
To counter this, Baratz does little explaining and opinion stating. Thus, the viewer's cognitive and emotional interaction with the film come quite naturally. Creating his or her own opinion of the scenario, the viewer is engrossed in a wellspring of previously unexplored trails of thought. One begins to see the film, not as evidence of some truth, but as a window peering into the truth of another.
If Eastern culture, spirituality, or real life drama interest you in the least, watch Unmistaken Child ASAP. It is available to stream on the leading online movie rental website :).