Change Your Image
jimbecker1956
Reviews
John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky (2018)
Inspiring and Heartbreaking
I'm not a film critic but I am a big documentary fan and lived through the Beatles and John Lennon's life. (I'm 63). I learned a lot I didn't know from this documentary, mostly about John and Yoko's relationship and how she was really his muse. To be honest I mostly thought of her as the strange woman who howled unintelligibly and broke up the Beatles. But there's so much more to the story. This is a film about music, love, social change, war, art and the media (and a lot more!). I would say there are a few too many talking head interviews but none of them are superfluous and they all add to the story and commentary. Just wish I could have seen more of John and Yoko (there's a lot but the film alludes to thousands of hours of film). Mostly I was left inspired by their creativity and willingness to take on the critics and the media and blaze their own path. Their idealism and vision was so beautiful and yet the world is an even darker place today. Yet we can always Imagine and that gives hope.
30° i februari (2012)
Second Season Really Hits Home!!!
I enjoyed the first season of 30 degrees but had low expectations for season 2 as it was filmed 3 years after the first. But the creators really kicked it up a notch in terms of intensity, real emotions and characters you care about. Season 1 turned out to be more of a prelude and the characters, while interesting, never really seemed more than caricatures. In Season 2 their stories come alive and there is real drama and plenty of tears and laughter. I have to say that after watching each episode I said to myself (and my friends) "Wow". I don't know why it got so much better, if the writers changed or that they took the 3 years to really think through where they wanted the show to go. Either way, this is an example of why European television is so good. They find a way to integrate character development with social and moral issues and beautiful scenery in a truly unique way. All I can say is stick with it, I don't think you will regret it.
Autoreiji (2010)
Not for the feint of heart
This is a well-done gangster film, suspenseful, never-boring and convincingly acted. At first the story seemed very confusing and I thought I wouldn't be able to figure it out. But soon it becomes (mostly) clear that this is a power struggle between rival gangs and rivals within the gangs. I lived in Japan for 4 years and while I never had any dealings with the yakuza, everything in the film seems convincing and in character with Japanese culture. As for the title of this review, the film is also incredibly bloody. There were 3 or 4 scenes when I had to cover my eyes, I just couldn't watch. I'm not big on horror films or violence in general but I'm also not a prude. In contrast to movies like Kill Bill where the violence is almost cartoonish, this film's violence seems very realistic which makes it hard-to-watch. It's not a reason not to see the film: in fact in some ways the violence serves to make the film more powerful. But if you just hate violence or can't stand seeing some blood, then this is not the film for you . As for me, I very much enjoyed it.
My Week with Marilyn (2011)
Remarkable Performance!
I just saw this film at the Mill Valley Film Festival and was pretty much blown away. My expectations were low and the very beginning of the film seemed to bear that out. Seeing well-known actors playing very well-known actors can take a little getting used to. But both Kenneth Branagh and Michelle Williams did admirable jobs. Michelle was a revelation. She completely inhabited the role of Marilyn in all of her complexity: her vulnerability, her guile, her sweetness, and her insecurity. This is one of the few performances I've seen where I would say someone is a lock for the Oscar. But this is not only a tour-de-force of acting. It is also a compelling and well-told story of the making of a film and of the competing personalities and agendas involved. Eddie Redmayne was wonderful as Colin, the narrator and main character of the story. Judi Dench was her wonderful, wise self. The cast was filled with wonderful character actors who seemed familiar and comfortable. My brother and I agreed that this was a better film than A King's Speech so on that basis alone it should win Best Picture. At the very least, it was an very entertaining and moving night at the movies.
Into the Wild (2007)
Why wasn't this movie nominated for Best Picture?
I just watched this film on DVD after having read the book about 6 years ago. I found it to be an excellent film adaptation of an original story.The acting is excellent. Emile Hirsch gives one of those "career defining" performances. The rest of the cast was quite good. Hal Holbrook has a small but very touching part. What impressed me about the film overall is the excellent story telling. Sean Penn found a way to make the story compelling by using different voices to narrate the story. My major question is "Why was this not nominated for Best Picture?". I would say it is a better film than Michael Clayton or No Country. I wonder if it was hurt by the way it challenges contemporary social and cultural values? Of course one could just resort to saying that Chris was "crazy" but that doesn't really address the fact that he tried to live a life based on complete integrity without compromise. An inspiring story, a heroic tale? A great film.
Walk the Line (2005)
Formulaic biopic with excellent performances
This is one of the most formulaic and predicable biopics that I've seen. Almost every scene looks like it was written to present a significant event in the characters lives. As such it successfully tells a story but sacrifices any real character development or depth. Each piece fits together so neatly that I was left asking "What happened to the real people?". Of course this is hard to avoid when you have to tell a person's life story in 2 hours. That's why the best biopics avoid this trap and instead focus on a particular episode or a small chunk of time (i.e. Pollock). Nevertheless, the performances by the 2 leads are outstanding. Reese Witherspoon was either born to play the role of June Carter or else she has been hiding a lot of talent under the one-dimensional roles she has mostly played in the past. Joaquin Phoenix is very good as the Man in Black- especially since Johnny Cash was such a unique presence. Overall, even with low expectations for this film, I found myself disappointed. Come on Hollywood, Johnny Cash deserves better than this!