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An error has ocurred. Please try againThey're new movies, most of them are from the past decade.
Reviews
Kiss the Ground (2020)
Please, with all of my heart, watch this.
This is the most inspiring, informative, and inspirational documentary I have ever seen; and I have seen many.
It will speak directly to you: to your common sense, to your rational mind, to your emotions, to your spiritual being, to your heart. With science, arguments, videos, real-life case studies and success stories: all of them coming seamlessly together to tell you that this is our only way forward, if we are to heal this Earth, and us.
And it will show you the small steps you can take each day to change-and to make a change. To ensure a nurturing, flourishing Earth for your children's grandchildren, for them to live, laugh, and love in it like it's heaven on Earth.
Watch this documentary. It will remind you what it means to Kiss the Ground,and it will make you see the soil for what it is: holy, life-sustaining, the stuff of Life itself. Of you, and I, and everything and everyone we love.
American Crime Story (2016)
Too good for words.
Season 1 of this series might just be the best thing I have ever seen among TV shows. Favourites of mine have been Dexter, season 1 of True Detective, Six Feet Under, Mindhunter-and man, oh, man, does this season, "The People vs O.J. Simpson" exceed the highest standard of quality.
I was not familiar with the case before, so I cannot judge the accuracy or faithfulness of the writing to events as they unfolded in reality. But I can say this: no other series, ever, managed to have me hold my breath for so long waiting for the next shot, the next line, the next episode-the next *anything*.
The relevance of the social, cultural and political commentary is out of this world. Some moments are loud enough to get our attention, while other pivotal moments are subdued enough to keep us pondering their meaning. Every line has a point.
The characters are truly well rounded and developed, and the show challenges you to resonate with both sides. It shows you their humanity, not only their role in the trial. It shows you their deep motivations and reasons, so that each one of their words (in the courtroom or outside it) lands all the more heavily on your eyes, your mind.
I have nothing else to add. The pacing was perfect. The last episode culminated so beautifully and naturally, though I didn't want it to end. The relevance our world today is eerie, as we are now witnessing riots in the wake of George Floyd's death. Darden's words to Cochran in the final episode are still true today, though we wish they weren't. You will know this for yourself when you have finished watching this masterful first season: The People vs O. J. Simpson..
After Life (2019)
Absolutely heart-breaking... in the best possible way. Depth and soul.
I love everything about this show. Starting with the basics: The cinematography is perfect. Each shot looks like a photograph, always capturing the heart of the moment. The music is as gentle, frail, and subdued as the whole show itself.
The acting is perfect. Gervais is... nothing short of an artist, in the original sense of the word. He does full honour to life, as it is. And he makes us see, feel, and appreciate more than we did before.
Although Matt tries to be hard and tough, his kindness shows through. I have just seen the season 2 finale, and at one point he said, "I just can't take kindness. I feel like I don't deserve it." If there's one line that sums up the whole development of his character so far, for me it's this one.
I was not bored for one second. I love how Gervais takes his time telling the story; he doesn't rush through the phases of grief. He doesn't force Matt to be better than he is. No. He only wants to show us, as through a mirror, his vulnerability; and so, face us with our own.
I cannot wait for the third season. I am so glad Netflix is hosting this. It is a gem of psychological insight, faithful to our fragile humanity, yet so full of potential for joy and for love.
By the Sea (2015)
A film of tender, subdued intensity. Intelligently and passionately made. A delight of a film.
Someone said in a review that this movie was of hyper-realism. Within the first 10 minutes, I realised this is exactly what it is. Yet I was not bored for even one minute of the 2 hours. I found myself glued to the beautiful imagery, almost anxious to see what the next exchange would be between the two partners, portrayed by Pitt and Jolie in a subdued, yet intense manner.
Most movies, in fast-pacing the flow of life, come to alienate us from our slow experience-from our reality. Distraction and dissatisfaction are the price we pay for entertainment. That's what's appreciated in the film industry these days. This movie doesn't cater to that. It follows moments, expressions, reactions naturally; it connects us with the slow, infinitely subtle nuances of our own lives, emotionally, sensually and so on.
All those 1-2 star ratings are given, perhaps, by people who cannot stand to see their all-too-human reality mirrored back to them-pain, envy, trauma-, so they bash the film because they can't stay present to it.
There's a feeling of ennui that permeates everything; there's quite an existential feel to it. She is closed off in her own world; he is lost in his. Disconnection, insecurity, jealousy, distrust, even malice born of frustration with oneself, and with one's partner.
The cinematography is beautiful; the whole film belongs, as someone else said, on a postcard. The lines are sparse, but they are not cheap. I found the characters to be quite insightful, though not necessarily overly self-conscious. There is perhaps a line or two that feel a little unnatural in the whole movie, but that's it. The rest was hyper-real human interaction.
This is a film for those passionate about beautiful cinematography, who seek to connect more deeply with life and its realities-not to escape from it. If you're disconnected from your own experiences, you'll be disconnected from this movie. And if you love to explore all kinds of aspects of the human experience, and of relationships in particular, you'll be grateful this movie exists.
Avenue 5 (2020)
This is not a show for everyone. And that's why I would urge you not to look at the rating.
This is not a show for everyone. And that's why I would urge you not to look at the rating.
The humour is so dry, and satire to sharp and unforgiving, the script pushed so far out to the edge of absurdity - and that's exactly why it works. Because our entire civilisation is on the verge of absurdity, with politicians and public personalities seeming more like caricatured than like well-rounded human beings, that this show does, in a way, do us justice. And that *is* why it works.
It's a breath of fresh air. It doesn't try to be intelligent, yet with it observant eye it is bewilderingly clever. No line is wasted. Often I find myself going back and replaying the delivery of a certain line, some dry joke or observation so dark and subtle and yet out-there that it's hard to grasp in its totality from just one go.
Relationship dynamics and disordered psychological behaviour are observed just as faithfully as global capitalism and politics, if a little exaggerated. The script has so many twists and turns, with characters' reactions and problem-solving skills probed to the max, and we get to see their deeply imperfect humanity. This show is a study, in much the same way that Black Mirror is. Only full of extremely dark wit, existential wisdom and muffled laughter. And I tell you again, that *is* why it works.
If you've ever read and loved Kafka, this is for you. Same if you've loved The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Watch it, try it yourself. Do not mind the ratings of those who don't understand its wonderful complexity.
Mrs. America (2020)
Try it for yourself. Keep your mind open. You will learn much if you do.
I have only seen the first two episodes back-to-back so far, and am just about to dive into the third. Before I do that, I feel the need to clarify some things that I've noticed in other reviews.
First of all, you don't have to listen to the nay-sayers. They don't know everything. The fact that this title rates at only 7.5 shows there are a lot of them. This series is, like many others, possibly to subtle in its intelligence to be understood honourably by many. Here are my main points, with my sole wish to you: keep your mind open, see this for yourself, and try to *pay attention*:
1. The acting is phenomenal. This has been said before. Cate Blanchett, and most of the other actresses, sustain a show that, while slow-moving to some, is enchanting at every minute. Blanchett, like always, claims the whole show, and portrays from the depths of her soul a woman who, while sincere, was very much understood superficially, perhaps. This is something the whole debate illustrates:
2. In episode 2, you can see one of the feminists claim something along the lines of, "we are against housewives." As in, acknowledging that the whole movement, meant to empower women, stands against a vast majority of women they claim to want to "free." NO one has ever obtained freedom by suppressing the experience of an entire group. This show, I think, might just be built around this ONE point, which i see repeat itself in every single movement we are seeing today: Claiming to stand for some "valid," "enlightened," "progressive" idealistic view, movements suppress the voices of people they supposedly desire to help, accusing them of ignorance and devilishness. This is not so. This series brings the point home so far, and I can't wait to see how the message unfolds.
3. If you read articles and watch videos of, say, Gloria Steinem, from the '80s all the way to the 2010's, you will catch this same ignorant bias in her interviews. Claiming to be for women's liberation, she abruptly and self-righteously criticises women whom she does not deem as "liberated," only because they have chosen another way of life. She puts down and looks down on women who do not conform to her "liberated" view. And I ask you, how liberating is any view, if it is built on the spine of the continually oppressed, the ones whose experience is nullified and deemed invalid?
4. Lastly, the cinematography is gorgeous. Well crafted and immersive. So are the costumes. The dialogue is sharp and reveals subtleties in relationships between women. THIS is what we must look for.
If you have read so far, I kindly hope you will keep these ideas in mind. So far, they seem to be the "philosophical" core of the series, though I could be wrong. Do not listen to those who think they know more than they do, criticising the pacing of the movie or other such aspects. Everything is subjective. I pray that people will not look at the rating for this one, as it is undeservedly low.
Try it for yourself. Keep your mind open. You will learn much if you do.