Change Your Image
simondajo
Reviews
La vita è bella (1997)
A Moving Example of True Love In Reality and How Precious Life Is
Contrary to the comments of many, this is not a Holocaust movie;
anyone who wants to sit through 2 hours of unspeakable bestiality,
suffering and horror needs therapy. If you want to see the reality of
the Holocaust, watch actual film footage of naked bodies of
innocent men, women and children being bulldozed into mass
graves, as I have done because I am a historian who wants to see
the truth; or visit a Holocaust museum and speak to a survivor, as I
have done also. By now we should all know the reality of what
happened, which can never be convincingly depicted by actors or
sets in a movie. The survivors I spoke to dwelt on the human spirit,
survival, love, and even forgiveness of the Nazis involved. Most
comment that the movie is split into halves, but its theme is Love
in the fullest meaning of the word, and this gives the film total
continuity. More than half of marriages now end in divorce and
leave children with one parent, many of the other marriages are
unhappy ones, all leaving children scarred, not to mention the
prevalence of child abuse. This film is about how love can
blossom in good times and bad. The wife didn't run away, she
wanted and needed to follow her family, the husband used is
inventiveness and humour and most of all his love for his wife and
child to protect the son against all odds, and communicate to his
unseen wife that he and their son were alive; all of this because of
Love, not romance or sentimentality or sensuality as love is too
often portrayed, usually ending in disappointment, separation and
another search for Hollywood love or "romance". The movie is
intelligent and assumes we know the real Holocaust and never
attempts to be historical, apart from the brief view of a mass grave
just as a quick reminder to us of the true horror, its message is
love pure, in its joy as well as longsuffering and pain. Many will
attest that life is beautiful even more after brushes with death, and
the film is mainly centred on the son, who for the rest of his days
will never forget his parents love and attention, and the protection
his father gave him, allowing him to appreciate that life is truly
beautiful and to pass his experiences onto others and his own
family.
Minority Report (2002)
The importance of a Science Fiction movie/series lies in the writer.
Thank the wonderful fertile prophetic mind of P.K.Dick for this film;
the success and impact of Science "Fiction" movies lies in the
script / plot / ideas; forget Cruise, Spielberg, Special Effects etc; its
all in the storyline and how it relates to us today. Go read some
really good Sci Fi novels / short stories for the same effect.
Mulholland Dr. (2001)
Very old tired theme, trying to be resurrected using not a fractured plot but a mutilated one.
Same old theme; small town country girl with high hopes comes to
Hollywood and ends up in the "gutter". Lynch is so overrated; he
should have stuck to popular TV. This movie is so obviously
contrived and techniques plagiarised very badly. The whole story
is obvious and predictable from the start and completely unsubtle;
all the characters are cliches. There is not one single ounce of wit
or humour in the film. He needs two very attractive actresses to
prop it up. He uses an unsurprising but unnecessary erotic scene.
The violence is staged. You could leave about two thirds of the film
on the cutting room floor; it is so laborious. There is no sense of
mood in the film. No sense of LA...it could have been set in the
Mongolian film capital.Links in the film are either just put in there
or non-existent; if he is trying to portray Hollywood as all of the
above well I guess he succeeded, including its worst director. I
saw this film a couple of hours ago before lunch, and my
sandwich was more memorable than the film. The acting was ok
but I'm sure the actors were as clueless as the director about what
was going on; Lynch is a fake. Just compare the film to any Coen
Bros' film, and I think you will get my point.
We Were Soldiers (2002)
I hate patriotism, war, violence, and ignorant comments, but I admire courage and leadership, which is what the film portrays.
Great commanders in history led from the front, and suffered the
same hardships as their soldiers, such as Alexander and
Caesar...Moore was such a man. This film is about bravery and
leadership in the face of abhorrent violence and fear. Thats it. We
see it also from both sides, refreshingly, although the Vietnamese
commander was more of a tactician; probably the Vietnamese
saw the value in keeping such adept commanders alive, plus he
had the advantage of sheer numbers. We see the courage and
fear also of the families left behind, and are reminded poignantly
that the Vietnamese were human, when we see the photograph of
the brave bayonet charger's wife, and the respect the Vietnamese
commander showed for the "enemy" by leaving the small ragged
American flag behind. The image of the small dirty ragged flag on
a tree stump foretells the doom and humiliation the Americans will
eventually suffer, after years of meaningless slaughter. The
Americans lost the war but killed 40 times men than they lost; this
is a tribute to the bravery and commitment of the Vietnamese. We see Moore standing tall and vulnerable because at that stage
he didn't care whether he lived or died, as he had lost so many of
his men and felt severe guilt; like Alexander, pure luck kept him
alive. After his honest prayer with the young soldier in the chapel,
he adds a surprising comment about the Vietnamese having no
God etc; he remembers that he has to remain detached, or he
could never be an effective leader.
Miller's Crossing (1990)
Living on the edge.
This is a magnificent moody, atmospheric movie, always
maintaining a tension that keeps us glued to the screen. It shows
both the fragility and vulnerability of Tom as well as a sense of
invincibility. Coen Brother's movies are typically full of ironies and
apparent contradictions in the human condition; they certainly
understand human nature, as we often drift between these states
of being and feeling. Because they understand and portray human
nature so well, their films will remain timeless, as Shakespeare
has. Has Tom got a heart? The answer becomes clear, and his
motives become clear in the very last shot of him pulling his hat
down and staring down the track in the forest. Tom survives by
using his brain and tact; some live by instinct, such as Verna, most
rely on guns and violence, or a perceived code of underworld
ethics, or talking alot ( Bernie )... all of which Tom is very reluctant
to use. His mind is his weapon. He also has maintained contacts
in high places. He doesn't say too much or perform heroics; he
knows how to survive in this dog eat dog world. The soundtrack
superbly complements the mood, with its Irish melancholy. The
performances are immaculate. The plot is rich, and as complicated as allegiances and trust. Tom is very believable and
human, such as when we see him vomiting. We all have a heart,
emotions, and conscience; Tom supresses these elements as he
knows they will be weaknesses in this dangerous world. Do we
supress ours?
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Reveals common misconceptions about mental illness, in particular schizophrenia, using a brilliant mathematician as a vehicle.
This film is not meant to be a biography; if you want an accurate
biography go read a book...you cannot make a film into a
biography. The film does not set out to explain modern theories of
economics and quantum physics ( again, find an Idiot's Guide! ). I
have personal experience of mental illness, and the great worth of
the film is its focus on the nightmarish experience of
schizophrenia, and the general lack of understanding about it,
even in the 21st century; it has more impact as well by showing
how such an illness can possibly destroy the mind of a genius. Of
course in addition how it could wreck one's family, relationships
and career. The film is generally empathetic about how his wife
and close friends stick by him, which is so important, no matter
how scary things can get, and also shows the importance of using
available drug therapy. It also demonstrates the ability of the
sufferer of this illness to overcome it to the degree of being able to
live a successful life, by acknowledging the illness ( a physical
illness which attacks the brain...I do not like the term mental
illness ), and striving to fight those thoughts and images that you
know are irrational, even though they can be so real. In the film the
imaginary characters are more real to the viewers of the film than
they are to those not close to Nash; thus trying to demonstrate to
us the absolute reality of these figures in the mind of the afflicted
person. Throughout his life these "imaginary" characters were
always real, he just chose not to acknowledge them or speak to
them; he had the advantage of being supremely intelligent and
understanding his disease; and in his final speech he acknowledges mathematics, quantum theory, and his own imagination as part of his make up; he embraces them; they are
part of who is John Nash, thus raising the ever stimulating
question of what reality actually is.
Charlotte Gray (2001)
War is never black or white; it has many shades of "Gray".
In this evocative war film, we don't get the usual battle scenes or
soldiers etc ( such as Saving Private Ryan or Full Metal Jacket ).
We do not see the brutality and realism of death camps. We get a
refreshing perspective, showing how war affects everyday people,
such as Charlotte and the French villagers, and the two little boys ,
who we do not realise are Jewish straight away; just ordinary kids. This film works on a number of levels; how war forces people to
make unbearable decisions, such as Julien's decision to save the
children rather than his father. How war causes inherent distrust,
betrayal, and loyalty; bringing out both the worst and best in
everyday people. It comments on the fleeting circumstances of
love, and its fragility; Charlotte realises that because of her
experiences she cannot possibly love the English pilot; which is
what all of her motivation and desire originally was; war changes
people forever. Armstrong deliberately and cleverly gives Blanchett
the name "Gray"; in the process of the story she increasingly
becomes confused, guilt-ridden, distrustful; realising that war is
not the good guy against the bad guy ( an easy attitude for the pilot
who can just shoot down an enemy plane if it has German
markings, or bomb targets that are German...he was aloof and
"cold" because of this role, and Charlotte sees it in their final
meeting, after she had been immersed in the conflict rather than
flying above it ). War has so many shades of grey ( gray ), very
perceptively portrayed by the director; naturally, a woman. This will
be an eternal issue; carried on at this very moment by the
inevitable war with Iraq; politicians and those who brainwash the
military, if they haven't been already, can only see in black or white,
and will always face the consequences of this.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
There are "invisible" people out there who control the way we live more than we would care to think.
This is an immaculate movie experience without one low point.
The movie is brilliant in many ways: intricate twisting plot, action
packed, great character development, suspense, sinister mood,
black comedy, subtlety, realism and social comment. Well, there
you have a whole lot of skills to put in one movie, and all these
elements combine wonderfully to create a perfect whole by the
end, yet leaving you disturbed. The film will also entertain
teenagers, those seeking escapism, as well as intellectuals. The
casting goes a long way to making the film also. Spacey is simply
brilliant, superbly supported by the other main actors. The movie
teases and controls us. A major understated theme is that we are
being controlled to some degree by unseen, unknown people...in
a world of computer data and cross matching, we simply have no
idea about the extent to which we are known, monitored, even
controlled; a very scary and relevant issue.
Memento (2000)
A man's "memento" of his murdered wife is the fact that the sight of her lying dead was his last real memory.
I have read some critic's remarks about this marvelous film, and
many complain that it is too complicated and incomprehensible;
well, it is supposed to be; and there is no need to see it a second
time if you were confused. The intention of the writer / director was
to show how life for us is simply a combination of short memories,
which we can omit, extend, devote our lives to, confuse ourselves
with etc. The film demonstrates wonderfully what chaos happens
when we lose these short term memories, and combined with this
is a refreshingly fractured plot, which we can make no sense out
of, like Leonard himself. We are cleverly and disturbingly placed
into the mind of Leonard and leave the theater wondering and
confused, just like he drives off with absolutely no resolution. Don't
we get tired of films that are resolved in the end?; our own lives are
mostly unresolved, and the film magically reflects this feeling. One
criticism I read was the question of why Leonard didn't use a tape
recorder to capture his memories; the answer is simple, and he
points it out in the film; if he lost it he would lose everything ( most
of his important facts to remember are tattooed on him for this
reason ), and also he realizes the sheer impact of visual memory;
his "records" are either visual or written on himself. Remember he
is a very intelligent perceptive guy, which is why he was good at his
job testing insurance claims; and he also repeatedly reflects the
importance of speaking to someone face to face...here again
comes in the impact of vision ( seeing the eyes and body
language etc ) ...this may be an indirect criticism of the growing
trend of Internet friendships and dating, where mostly you just see
or hear words. Another criticism raised by the well known critic
Roger Ebert is the idea that if seeing his wife was the last thing he
remembered, why could he always remember he had short term
memory loss? Well the answer to this is pointed out in the film as
well, and also when you understand short term memory loss the
solution becomes simple ( these talented film makers do
research, unlike some well known critics ). Leonard points out that
he is different from the poor guy with a similar disorder but who is
completely incapacitated, and ends up in a nursing home;
Leonard would have been told by doctors about his condition, and
he sees it as crucial to remember he has a problem, which is why
he is constantly repeating it to people and I'm sure in his own
mind; he is fighting it all the time. Also the experts say the
condition comes in different degrees, and that a good method of
rehabilitation is constantly repeating things and thoughts; he can
also remember where he parks his car, leaves his keys; everyday
things. The problems he encounters in the film are not everyday,
making his struggle all the more difficult. Therefore another
message we may gain is to admit openly that we have a problem
and not repress it, such as alcoholism. For me the film is
faultless. It is absolutely confusing and disjointed, even
meaningless on the surface; well to me thats what life is.
Being John Malkovich (1999)
A puppeteer who is constantly misunderstood, finding solace in becoming other people and expressing their feelings, ironically portrayed and extended surreally when he discovers a means of actually BEING som
The puppeteer is isolated, and tired of his own life, like many of us, and nobody understands him at all; magnified in the filing secretary's constant and absurd bewilderment at what he is saying. This is not a comedy or a fantasy. It is a drama which gives us insight into something most of us have thought about but found it hard to conceive; the thought of what it is like to be somebody else. Added to this is the puppeteers' skill in learning how to control the character Malkovich, actually becoming himself again but in a different body; all he wants is the name of a star to be able to continue his passion and means of escape. So the means of escape is not being somebody else, its having circumstances to pursue your dreams...we are all hampered in our dreams by achievable things, such as money, or gaining recognition, but we are easily discouraged. So the film is not about being someone else, it is about realizing your potential and achieving recognition.
Malkovich comes across as dull and everyday; we see him, through the portal, doing everyday things; such as showering, reading the paper, dating...nothing special. It is only when the puppeteer is in control that we see Malkovich earning recognition...such as the TV report and the standing ovation. To Malkovich acting is just a job; he is nothing like the mysterious, sinister, witty character we often see him playing...when he was asked why he liked acting he gave a very bland, uninspiring reply.
The world is full of souls who believe they have no satisfaction in life or creative outlet, unlike the puppeteer, for example those lining up to be somebody else for 15 minutes were looking for brief escape from themselves. Of course we would all like that from time to time, so another theme may be the human condition of being trapped in our own heads; but no magical escape for us. But why would we want to be someone else; even movie stars are basically like us, they simply have work that makes them well known...so the main character's aim is to use this notoriety to his own ends, his OWN. Initially it was a basic animal instinct to have sex with a woman he desired, but he soon realized what this Malkovich face could do for him. So I think the writer is advising us to forget about envying other people, it is not only impossible to be them but even if you were them you would not find fulfillment. Be happy with what God gave you and use what you have to the best of your advantage. The old people regenerating were a symbol of the pathos of wishing to live forever. Seize the day! Fame is shallow. The real Malkovich was brave enough to demonstrate this fact. He is a good actor, but we are just as good at what we do well, like our friend the puppeteer.
High Society (1956)
A brilliant musical feist, with some underlying social commentary.
To see a movie more than once is rare for me, and I've watched this movie with great enjoyment a few times. What is the role of a movie? There are many. When I'm feeling blue this kind of movie always makes me feel happy; how can that be a bad thing? The music is simply wonderful, and I'm not really a "musical" fan; its just the sheer talent of Porter, Sinatra, Crosby, and of course Louis; a combination of such talent which you will rarely find. The music is also very skillfully and effortlessly placed into the story line, that you hardly realize it is a "musical". Some social commentary is relevant today, such as the "privileges" of the rich and superficiality of such, and the eternal problem of making bad decisions in marriage. I have a spirited creative friend who is involved with a "stable" secure guy, but remains uncertain and confused as to her reasons for marrying him, apart from the fact that she wants to make him happy, I gather for reasons of guilt about her self-confessed selfishness and need for absolution; Grace Kelly in her role has the same doubts and motives I think and is willing to go through with it for no obvious reason; just because "its there", and the guy is stable but absolutely lacking in spirit and soul. I have another friend who has never considered marriage because she is surrounded by "privileged" people or guys obsessed with money; she believes in 'True Love" and would marry for no other reason no matter the class or financial status of the guy...so these dilemmas are real in the 21st century, so I found the understated attitudes in the film relevant. Of course in those days the films had to have a happy ending; not so in reality, so the escapist element is good for the soul too, especially for a romantic and eternal optimist like myself. The music makes the film, but look for understated social commentary even in those supposedly lightweight plots common in those days.
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
I myself have been dealt a rotten hand of cards, and haven't used them well.
I have a keen interest in Quantum Physics, and the "Uncertainty Principle" as clumsily described by the lawyer is a key factor in the film and used brilliantly but also ironically. The more you try to analyze something the less you understand it. Ed never tries to analyze his actions, he is simply controlled by circumstances, and the great irony is that he also fails to understand more and more what is happening to him, thus disproving the theory!