Change Your Image
edelwais
Reviews
Summer of Love (2001)
Belongs in any polyamory film list
Why isn't this film in every polyamory list? The dialogue may be cliched and the delivery stiff but still it presents a way to find yourself doing poly that is lovely, sexy and relatively believable. Obviously the pretty young bodies are great to look at and we need more films that present poly in a similarly positive way but with authentic humans with bodies of all kinds.
There are unnatural cuts, some terrible lines (It is her time of the month?!), but the beautiful coastal landscape, the gorgeous colors of the rock-face, the artwork, and the lovely ending make up for it.
The Good Fight: Day 443 (2018)
"Just say it"
Yet again brilliant writing exposing societal issues! The ending of episode 6 gives one of the most effective ways of dealing with the cheap pretend naïveté of the "reverse racism" argument. Asking for an explanation: "why can't we say the n-word of hip-hop singers say it all the time". Instead of falling into a doomed educational attempt, let them find the answer themselves! "Just say it!"
Stage Beauty (2004)
Don't look for a morality message on sexual identity and sexuality
A few earlier comments express the concern that the film does not "let the GAY man be gay". Some viewers feel that "Stage Beauty" sends a message that only hethero sex is normal and if there was sexual ambiguity at the beginning, all ends "well". Some of the negative critics' reviews on rotten tomatoes also have a problem with the representation of androgyny and sexuality in the movie. My perception is that the movie did not try to send a message or convey a judgment. Throughout the movie Ned Kynaston did not self-identify as either gay or straight, or as a man or a woman. This constant confusion was made clear in several scenes including the end of the movie. Today we understand that sexuality is better described on a continuum (Kinsey) and therefore it is almost absurd to classify anyone as gay or straight. In the case of Ned Kynaston the lack of self-identification was both in terms of sexual orientation as well as gender. Although the two identity crises were clearly related. A critic on rotten tomatoes begins his review with: "Stage Beauty" is "the ultimate fantasy for women who tend to fall in love with gay men". This statement is based on at least two wrong assumptions: 1. Ned Kynaston is gay 2. Ned Kynaston stops being gay. I think one of the many strengths of this movie is exactly this non judgmental, factual representation of the complexity of sexual identity. We seem to be making some progress in understanding these issues better as they are being addressed by more and more movies, like "Alexander", "Beautiful Boxer", "Brokeback Mountain".
Before Sunset (2004)
why it doesn't matter how it ends
It is interesting that most of the critics like this one better than Before Sunrise because the characters are "more mature". My take on this is: most of the critics are closer and above this age range (early 30s) and it is simply more difficult for them to relate to the first movie. However, these two movies are even more worthwhile considered together especially from the point of view of the audience that were 20 when the first one came out and are almost 30 now. Back in 95 Before Sunrise resonated with me because it was very relevant to the way I and my friends looked at the world, we had similar dreams, concerns, it was the way we talked. And of course we imagined meeting this one soul-mate with whom you understand each other without having to finish sentences, and you have exactly the same doubts and look forward your life ahead and are reluctant to commit right then because who know what else may come your way. Today Before sunset has exactly the same effect, I am almost 30 and I have changed just like the characters and I have similar problems and again this the way I would talk and the themes I would discuss in a conversation. I am sure this is roughly true for this whole generation. I don't think the open ending is intended for us to guess what happened in either of the two movies, although Jesse says in the beginning of Sunset: well it depends, if you are an optimist they meet in 6 months and if not.... I think the open ending in both movies emphasizes the fact that it does not matter whether they end up together or not. The point is that they are both enriched by meeting and spending a few hours together and by having a good conversation. Sometimes we choose not to be with someone that we feel is our soul-mate, simply because it would cost too much (kids, other people getting hurt) and that is fine, we still have experienced this connection and we will treasure it for the rest of our lives. It is not about letting your true love slip away, we don't know for sure if this is true love, what we know is that we made a connection. I find the brief episode when Jesse tells the journalists the topic of his next book very descriptive of what the movie(s) is all about. This connection that makes our lives richer and better may happen in a night, or in a few hours or in a few moments.