MaxDMensa Reviews

The Delinquents (2023)

From one world to another

[10/10 · 4 November 2023]

A very realistic start where we see a bank employee carefully steal $650,000 and later turn himself in - without the money. His plan was to slip the money to a fellow employee, serve an anticipated three and a half years in jail and then split the hidden money with his accomplice. We might expect this plan to get uglier than anticipated - and it does, as a leader of the inmates threatens to kill him if he doesn't arrange to funnel some of the missing loot into the other prisoner's account. The bulk of the loot gets hidden under a rock in a remote rural location. But then the story takes a left turn where the two protagonists at different times are drawn iinto a a film crew and locals in the countryside trying to record independent forces of nature. Where time seemed like everythng before it is almost nothing for a while as we are captive to a long unplanned experience, including relationships with a local woman. The movie takes much of its three hour running time to immerse us in this unstructured world where the acting and the setting rather than the plot keep us engaged. The film juxtaposes the necessary rigid struggles of living and working in the city versus living more freely among the elements. As nice as the latter sounds, it would take money for the two main characters to find eventual freedom - and the money was not theirs and they were not heroes. A pervasive blues record that gets played here and there tells it like it is.

La femme de Rose Hill (1989)

White Lie

[10/10 · 9 August 2023]

An older White Swiss farmer sends an invitation to a beautiful Black woman from a distant nation for the purpose of marriage. He mislead her regarding his age, giving her a photo taken decades prior. She is unhappy upon arrival. The farmer justifies himself, saying, "I didn't lie - that was the only photo I had." (White lie). Since she becomes unresponsive as a wife and as farm help - he hands her an empty dinner plate - representing that she didn't earn anything. Watch this guy gloat as he actually believes he has the moral high ground! So funny and so sad at the same time. The story develops from there with disastrous consequences. There was a price to be paid for the White Lie.

Left Over (2022)

Painful to Watch

[8/10 · 3 October 2022]

A well acted short film about a father who appears to be nearing the end stages of life and his daughter who is visiting and getting ready to move him out of his house. I'm getting pretty old and it's hard to contemplate what someone will need to do for me when I can't do anything for myself. The truth is not always beautiful when examined so closely. We see that the father is not a particularly nice guy, however subtle rays of warmth seep in here and there, and it seems that love can transcend heartbreak if we stay with it. I found the film painful to watch, but somehow I knew that not finishing the film is tantamount to skipping out on life. I also initially thought that I would not watch this a second time, but now I believe I will remember it and likely return at least once.

Miss World (2017)

Sad but still engaging.

[10/10 · 31 August 2021]

A young Taiwanese woman living abroad visits her father before he has to serve a prison sentence. A study of how people very close can still be so far apart. Answers are nowhere to be found. Well acted and directed.

Moving (2019)

Let's Get Physical

[10/10 · 1 May 2021]

A young woman struggles to move in nasty NYC. I feel bad for anyone who actually had to do this by themself - but the video is wonderful to watch - real eye candy. Actress Hannah Gross takes off her jacket and goes to work. Great shots from all angles. Also soulful as well - as it looks like the young woman's past has deserted her. Oh yeah - NYC - my favorite place to visit (but not to live).

Candy Jar (2018)

Good but could have been more

[7/10 · 11 August 2020]

I have never witnessed a high school or college debate - which I would now find more interesting after watching Candy Jar. The movie shows debaters Lona and Bennet speed talking to cram as many facts as possible in a short time limit. Serious presentations in the real world are more about framing selected ideas with compelling delivery. Lona and Bennet have also crammed academic achievement into their lives at the expense of normal socialization. It was a good development in the film that Lona and Bennet did not get accepted to Harvard and Yale - possibly because the universities were seeking more well rounded applicants. The film sends a good message that a constant struggle for success without fun and social interaction amounts to short changing your life. At least Candy Jar ends with the two characters discovering each other.and letting their guard down. Sami Gayle who plays Lona has a great range of expression. In the film "Detachment," after a rough start, she turns super sweet. In the film Hareship/Loveship Sami gives us a good look at a "mean girl. It will be interesting to see what Sami does next.

Computer Chess (2013)

Chess & People

[10/10 · 15 August 2013]

Just like a chess game has almost endless possibilities, so do people. In "Computer Chess" set decades ago, a bunch of mostly nerdy introverts assemble to test their chess programs in competition. The programs are pretty awful, with some amazing glitches evident in the games played (by contrast, today's chess programs are killer). "Computer Chess" is set in a hotel and we encounter other folks no less strange in their own way. Surprisingly good theater in this film - lots of quiet laughs as people and their strangenesses interact - or not. Really shades of both Kafka and Andy Warhol. Two unexpected encounters at the end of the movie wrap it up very well. The batter takes the first pitch for a called strike, but the second pitch winds up in the bleachers.