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doug1984
Reviews
Ship of Fools (1965)
This movie has not aged well
Throughout its introduction, Ship of Fools is interesting. It introduces several characters and begins to craft a story based on their mutual journey. As time passes though, many of the key players reveal themselves to be uninspired or one-dimensional. You can call them archetypes but in my view many, for example the the American and the German Jew, prevent this ship from casting off with their stilted dialog, lack of character change and shallowness. The ship's doctor is a notable exception. By about an hour into the movie most of the main characters have shown us all their cards. Unfortunately the film goes on for another hour and a half. These characters' messages are delivered with little subtly. What may have seen as a bold attack against racism at the time today seems like it should not need to be said. The movie is heavy-handed and has not aged well.
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Pretty good movie, pretty pretentious comments
I finally saw Hotel Rwanda and I thought it was good, not great, and not terrible. I agree that you didn't get the FULL horror of the genocide but I think there certainly was a sufficient amount of brutality to get what occurred across; scenes like the one on the foggy road were very disturbing.
What annoyed me more than any problems I had with the movie was the level of pretension in some comments I read (this one not excluded). Where are the, "the scene where Don Cheadle is shirtless was hot" posts? Instead, I just see people writing "I am better than everyone because I know what REALLY happened" under the veil of a leading questions like, "I liked the movie a lot BUT I would like people to share their thoughts on if the film's distortion of reality was justifiable in that it led to the ends of greater mass appeal?" Hmmmm.
The Frighteners (1996)
Nice, don't let the cover fool you
The cover might look like every straight to video horror flick but The Frighteners is a fun, well-done movie. Michael J. Fox stars as Psychic investigator, Frank Bannister. Ever since he had a near death experience, Bannister has had a special link to the dead. Since receiving his power, Bannister has befriended a few ghosts with colorful personalities that help him scam people into paying him for some unflashy ghost busting.Bannister's ghost buddies and his general Marty Mcfly-like quirkiness keep the mood light. There are a few, arguably too many, plot twists in The Frighteners but I did not think they were forced. I give this movie an 7-8; it's a fun movie and its cool seeing the work that somehow convinced studio execs that Peter Jackson was the man to make or break their companies with LOTR.
It's Pat: The Movie (1994)
Ween
I remember renting this movie after hearing that the band Ween was in it. I figured, why not? I mean it probably won't be the next Blues Brothers or Wayne's World but it should be OK right?
This movie is awful. It may be the most bored I have ever been during a movie. I laughed once or twice but there was so much painfully bad humor that it canceled out any good parts. I never watched Pat on SNL but a big fan of the skit might love the movie.
The scenes with Dean and Gene Ween were all that kept this movie from getting one star. If you want to see this movie because you are a Ween fan then watch only their scenes.
Try (2000)
A disturbing short
Jonas Åkerlund's short film Try (2000) is a graphic depiction of the lives of a homeless couple addicted to heroin. Åkerlund gives us a gritty vision of life on the drug that, in my opinion, is as disturbing as Requiem for a Dream (2000) and all other depictions of heroin use I have seen.
Despite having seen scores of graphic films there are moments in Try that I find difficult to watch. Throughout, it seems as if Åkerlund is being excessively graphic, not to enhance the narrative, but instead merely for shock value. I would not say the film changed my outlook on heroine or added to my knowledge of it. Still, how much character development can you expect in a 15 minute short?
Overall, Try is pretty well done. The ending gives me chills every time I watch it but the story itself is nothing spectacular. It can be found on The Smashing Pumpkins DVD: 1991 - 2000 Greatest Hits Video Collection.