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Tell Your Children (1936)
Not Sure What To Think
I'm not entirely sure what to make of this movie even after watching it twice- which is about three more chances than I typically give movies that frequent lists of the worst. Usually, back story doesn't matter to me (just read my review of Heaven's Gate as an example), but it would help in this instance. If it was bankrolled by a church group, its wealth would likely put Joel Osteen to shame given the people involved. If it was always to be exploitation, then it has managed to transcend the genre. The acting is more wooden than the Amazon rain forest ever was, the direction (by The Perils of Pauline director Louis Gasnier) is at best static, the plot is way over the top, it distorts the facts royally, and it generally looks cheap. Then again, maybe all of the above- especially its distortion of facts- is the appeal. If it was done intentionally, I personally say, "Bravo." I'm generally not a "bad movie fan" to the degree some seem to be, but I can make an exception here. I'm only giving it a five rating because I don't know if it's supposed to be bad or supposed to be serious.
Heaven's Gate (1980)
Some Good, Some Bad
I'm not going to harp on the amount of money spent on this movie or how big of a flop it was, as there have been plenty who have done so.
Instead, as someone who has actually seen the movie, I will just offer my own views on it. I do see some good in it. Michael Cimino had a fanatical attention to detail, which I am willing to admit that he did. The cinematography- shot primarily in Montana- was easily the best thing about the movie, as it does exploit the landscape with awe. The music- mostly adapted from other sources- was nicely arranged, capturing the time of that movie. However, unless it's Koyaanisqatsi, one can't get away with just cinematography and music. The story is primarily where the movie falters. There are long stretches of this movie's three-and-a-half running time where nothing of note happens and, by the time it does, one generally has stopped caring. Most of the actors do their best with what they have. While I don't think much of Kris Kristofferson as an actor, he does what he can. Christopher Walken and Jeff Bridges are too good of actors to give anything less than their best. I have to say that Isabelle Huppert was gravely miscast. I'm sure that there were plenty of unknown American actresses (I say this knowing the names of those who refused it) who would have jumped at the chance to work with such a high-profile director of the time working on such a high-profile movie. In the end, it is neither the "unqualified disaster" Vincent Canby saw or the "tainted masterpiece" that people seem to currently see. Rather, it is exactly in the middle of those two.
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Close To the Bone, But Still Brutally Good
I knew of this movie's existence when it was released in 2000, but I was only 13 then, and, since no one under 17 could see it, it took me a while to discover it. At the time of its release, I was fascinated by the fact that a movie could be unrated and released. Well, I'm 25 now, and I finally got it on Blu-Ray. To me, it was worth the 12 year wait. After seeing it, I saw a form of idiosyncrasy between that movie and my own life. The movie deals with four people spiraling in their own worlds of addiction. At the time of the film's release, I was witnessing my own mother's spiral across many addictions. So, maybe it was for the best that I wasn't able to see it in 2000. It likely would have been too much to bear. I digress, but for good reason. Anyway, I think that the passage of time lent to my appreciation of the movie. I knew I heard that soundtrack somewhere before I saw this movie, and it's always nice to know the source. The story is absolutely unrelenting, and I can say the same about Darren Aronofsky's directing. And there are the performances. Before this, I have never seen anything that contained either Jennifer Connolly ("A Beautiful Mind" is not exactly one I'm hurrying to see) or Jared Leto (though I do listen to his music with 30 Seconds To Mars). I only knew of Marlon Wayans from "The Wayans Bros." and "Scary Movie" (I'm sorry to say), and was surprised with his performance here. Obviously, Ellen Burstyn gives the prime performance here, and it's easy to see why she was an Oscar nominee for this. This story did hit very close to the bone to me. My mother's fate was similar to that of the character of Marion, which is why she is is a non-factor to me except as a warning. However, I'm still glad I saw it. It is a well done character study and deserves some form of discovery.