Change Your Image
aubrey-clark
Reviews
The Man from Earth (2007)
Not as philosophically deep as the writer might think it is
Carl Sagan once said of humanity "This is what hydrogen atoms do when given 15 billion years of evolution." Well, 13.7 to be precise. The point is, the idea that a human might live for fourteen thousand years should provoke awe inspiring questions, and instead we get a film which ignores them in favor of a focus on religion, and not a very interesting focus either. The script is condescending, and none of the actors are believable as professors in their respective fields. The contrivance of the script is transparent, but that's to be expected- after all who wants to do much homework for a movie script? How is it that a man lives through 140 centuries and only knows English? He is a male of prime fighting age, but he was never pressed into military service? Ever? He was never shot at or stabbed? We are to believe that his special survival abilities extend solely to cancer and infectious diseases, but not trauma? If you want a low-budget philosophical and thought provoking sci-fi tale, check out Doctor Who and don't waste your time with this intellectually sophomoric drivel.
The Big Bang Theory: The Gothowitz Deviation (2009)
The Evil Spock Conundrum
The writing in this episode had me scratching my head as the credits rolled, my expression not unlike the one I adopt when I'm considering the propagation of an off axis Gaussian wave.
First we have Penny, being treated like a boorish idiot who takes phone calls in the middle of watching movies. It would have been more realistic (and more humorous) to have her texting while watching TV with Leonard and Sheldon. The Pavlovian training by Sheldon is an excellent bit of writing, but it has no follow through and Leonard's reaction to it is a flat, half-hearted protest.
The Wolowitz-Koothrappali portion of the episode was really the best part, aside from Penny dancing in the kitchen mid-breakfast. Sheldon's comment about not dancing in any universe, although witty, is uncharacteristic; Sheldon would have instead conceded that, although there must be a universe in which he dances, it is a universe in which he is a sinister version of himself, like Evil Spock.
The F Word (2005)
An attempt to say things not yet said
I watched this film the same day I watched a documentary on the Red Sox, both off of IFC. I felt as though I had watched the same film twice. They are both primarily about divisive fans rooting fervently but in vain for their team to win.
I was moderately impressed with the willingness of The F Word to include other political fields of thought in its discussion. At one point a journalist, republican and former Marine arrives on scene and tours part of Manhattan with the lead character. His view is fairly simple. Most of these protesters are here because disliking Bush is popular. It is easier to have an emotional investment in something than an intellectual one (ask any sports fan). As another minor character reminds us, it is not likely many of them have a nuanced understanding of things like foreign policy.
I did not appreciate the Waking Life-style digression of the park dream sequence. It felt too digressive.
The various 'We Hate Bush' posters and sentiments flood the screen as often as "Yankees Suck" shirts flood the Red Sox documentary. This is to be expected of a film about protesters of the RNC, but there seems to be little attempt on the part of the filmmakers to explore the specific political positions of these people, and so we are left with the sense that the majority of them are passionate lemmings. This was possibly the intent of the creators, but I am uncertain. Unfortunately, personal politics, like the home team mentality, tends to skew ones interpretation of things, and The F Word makes little attempt to clarify anything. Which is why I give it a 7/10.
Wired to Win (2005)
Educational and immensely entertaining
The Tour de France is considered to be one of the hardest physical challenges on Earth. It requires intense physical strength and endurance, but it especially requires mental discipline. In that spirit, the National Science Foundation set out to make a film about the intricacies of the human brain, seen through its ability to survive the Tour de France.
We follow two riders, Baden Cook and Jimmy Caspar, accomplished cyclists who both specialize in sprinting. Throughout their journey, we learn how the Tour de France is raced, and also how the human brain works. We learn how our brains deal with stress, pain, and decision making. Cycling proves an excellent medium for impressing this knowledge and its importance upon us. Filmed in conjunction with superbly accurate cutting-edge 3d imaging and an inspired musical score, it is visually and audibly pleasing.
I saw this movie at least five times while it played at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland. Though the film is only 40 minutes in length, it seems far longer through its sheer depth of information. As a cyclist and med student, this film might just be the greatest movie I've ever seen.
300 (2006)
Didn't like the 300?
Neither did I after my first viewing. I had just come of watching This Film is Not Yet Rated on DVD, and I was a bit jaded for gratuitous violence.
300 is a fairly decent film I've decided. What it lacks in the quiet dramatic passion seen in Heston-style historical films, it makes up for in visual acuity and battle sequences which speak volumes. You become aware quite quickly what it means to be Spartan, and when that is taken in the context of a world in which 'Conqueror' is more than a WOW handle, it soon becomes apparent that violence is also far more than an ingredient which the MPAA rarely chastises with NC-17 ratings. It is the 300. It is Sparta. And that makes it relevant, not gratuitous. Which is why I realized the 300 isn't the mediocre film it is being made out to be by people like myself.
I advise whomever reads this to do as I did not: Go watch 300, but check your preconceived notions at the door.