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zanderxo
Reviews
King Corn (2007)
A fun look at the un-fun facts
If you've read Micheal Pollan's book "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals" the issues addressed in this movie will be more than familiar. The tone, however, is rather younger, more superficial, and lighter. Both are quite enjoyable, and highlight problems most folks would rather not think about. I'd suggest you read the book first, then watch the movie to get the aroma and visuals. It would also be nice if other "reviewers" would own up to a disclosure such as this one, now common and expected, for example, in reputable medical journals: I am not employed by, nor do I have any financial interest in, any of the industries discussed or affected by this movie.
The Mudge Boy (2003)
Great performance
Great performance by Emile Hirsch, who more recently appeared in 'Into the Wild'. He perfectly captures the impossible isolation, confusion, and tumult of an adolescent wrestling with his mother's sudden death, his father's stoic ineptitude, and his sexuality, all in a rural middle-of-nowhere populated by an older group of (unfortunately stereotypical) redneck teens. However, like the pet chicken, the movie seemed to die a premature death--another 20 minutes or so to add some denouement would have helped. Also, as in Brokeback Mountain, the sudden sex depicted was the Hollywood equivalent of Bruce Willis surviving a fall from a 20 story building--a normal person would have needed surgery afterwards.
C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America (2004)
It made my all time worst movie list!
If you liked "A Mighty Wind", a much better film, you'll like the bad mock-u-mentary quality of this film. But if you're like me, you won't like the gawd awful acting (you couldn't direct these kinds of performances out of people), confused script, unappealing characters, or the poor production values. The attempts at shock and humor wear thin after the first couple of repetitions--they all blur into a single bad joke that's not really funny. The only part of the film that I found worthwhile was the epilogue, where the audience is thrown some actual historical tidbits that are genuinely interesting. Ah, the film that could have been...
This tedious movie is a one-trick pony with a gimpy leg. You've been warned!