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Reviews
Shoe Shine Boy (1943)
Example of Hollywood producers obsession to humiliate the Black male
Yet another sad example of how far the Hollywood executives go to make Black males look stupid, without basic knowledge or understanding about life, in other words, the low of the low in society. They seemed determined to convince average hardworking Americans that Black males really are totally different and more inferior than every other race of American male, therefore no guilt should be felt for any treatment past, present or future is put upon them. Look at the attention given to Snoop Dog, Jay-Z and 50 cent compared to educated articulate Black males who are primarily ignored by the mass media. And yes, Black Entertainment Television is owned by Viacom. Thank God the Canadian and European movie producers of the same period and today treat Black males equally and do not seem to hold this bias.
Strange Voices (1987)
Underrated Film
This is a good attempt to show some of the symptoms and family issues which occur when a member develops the illness. A very good movie considering that it was made for television. This film is better than most of the stuff shown on lifetime movie network. Not a great film but one worth watching. Some useful information can be learned from it. I believe the progression of the illness, when it occurred and the effect is had on her family was fairly accurate. It seems as though some critic expect this film to be on the level of " A Beautiful Mind". That just is not realistic. The film was made years ago and for much less money. Yes it is a shame that money has such an effect on film production but it does. I disagree with other reviewers who are too hard on the film. Considering the "Made for TV" budget constraints on actors, script and direction I think the total package is good.
The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
One of the worst movies I have seen
This movie was so horrible that it went from bad to good, like an Ed Wood film, back to bad again. The plot, the one that barely existed, was so poor that there was no care given to insure the movie had some basic logical or realistic qualities whatsoever. I will give the movie maker credit for making the previews look interesting. The content of the previews was the only interesting part of the movie. They should have released the film as a collection of natural disaster special effects and left it at that. The acting was passable but the plot, script and direction was so lacking that academy award performances by the whole cast could not make up for it. One thing that really struck me as being particularly disgraceful was the big time 'green house effect' preaching throughout the movie. Although I do not claim to know a lot about global warming or the green house effect it is a very bad practice to use a major motion picture to shove a particular point of view on the subject down our throats. I heard several people in the movie audience making "whatever" and "Oh God, give me a break" comments whenever the characters made one of their heavy handed global warning comments. Even the case the people behind this travesty tried to make about the dangers of global dependence on fossil fuels and global warming failed as they contradicted themselves several times when the star of the movie, Dennis Quaid, states that the fallout from global warming would be in 100 to 1000 years and then it happens days after he says it. His character also tried to make a link between the advent of another "ice age" 10,000 years since the last one as "our fault due to our polluting the environment but does not explain how an "ice age happened 10,000 years ago when mankind was not polluting the environment at all. In conclusion, this movie is a stupid, non logical, boring piece of political propagandist garbage
Till Human Voices Wake Us (2002)
Great file played like a fine painting
Thsi film reminded me of being in a museum looking at one of my favorite paintings. As I view it many thoughts moved through my mind as the aspects of the piece hit all of my senses and mental states. There were parts of the film that made me well up with good feelings and others that made me feel a subtle tug of the sadness of mortality and the fraility of mankind and life. The sweetness of youth and the sweet romanticism of the young version of the main male character made me see how much people lose as they grow up. You could just feel the soft tender bond between him and the girl as children. Rarely do grown men and women dare to have such intimacy and what a shame they do not. I give the file an 8.5 out of ten because the the ending could have been a bit stronger and better directed.
Triumph des Willens (1935)
This film is very well done
I recently saw this movie and I was very impressed with the camera work and the use of motion and sound. Very artistic. The director did a great job. It is a shame she was black listed later. It is our loss. It amazed me how we are super sensitive to anything that happened in Germany during the Nazi period. Not everything was bad during that time. The autobahn was initiated, the Volkswagon beetle was born. At the same time, we as Americans still give credence to the so-called confederate side of the civil war. Attempt to show the humanity of the slave owner during the American holocaust of Africans and Japanese internment of WWII and allow directors of such racist films a "Birth of a Nation" D.W. Griffith a great career and still honor him as a great producer. Shame we are such hypocrites. Maybe we are only appalled by inhumane treatment to people with white skin. As long as those being oppressed do not look like us, we can justify it. We give credence to their oppressors. Shame on us. If this film is so disturbing then hopefully we are as disturbed the black face images in the movie "The Jazz Singer", "White Christmas", "Amos and Andy" and the list goes on. Of course we are not. These are different, not the same as the Nazis films, not as bad or evil. How long will we continue to lie to ourselves? Let us admit our race bias and twisted view of history and treat all films and directors equally.