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kwreiss
Reviews
The Grass Harp (1995)
Without peers
Oh how sad it is that Hollywood cannot yield a work of this magnitude more than once every decade--or so. Capote's work is rendered to perfection by such well-selected players that it is nothing shy of breathtaking. In our times of violent action movies filmed by folks in the left coast who otherwise claim to abhor guns, etc (yet make livings from them), The Grass Harp is a beacon of gentility and literary fiction of the first magnitude. At least in 1995, my respects to their craft--a posteriori!
Eye in the Sky (2015)
Well done, but trash.
This film depicts the horror of a single death in the process of removing a significant cell of terrorists. The notion is as trite as could possibly be. And as inappropriate is it could be. I suppose the film makers would have us give the evil doers a free hand. The operate in civilian areas and of course we should not attack them (at all). That is the pathetic message. Alas, the allies would not have won the war against the Germans or the Japanese given such a ridiculous precept. And the teary USAF UAV flight controller gals was another demeaning element of this flick. Obviously innocent life matters, but the greater purpose of protecting civilization from evil intending domination trumps the bleeding heart point of view. Do not wast your time with this!
Something the Lord Made (2004)
Something the Lord Made is not liberal hype
Being a conservative politically and a PhD molecular biophysicist, it must be stated that many who have reviewed the film are unaware of the truths that irrefutably underlie this story. Sure, the first human surgery was not a success, nor was it an utter failure. It was, however, the beginning of a new epoch of medical science. And for that, history has properly recorded the step as giant.
The racial overlay of the times is also undeniable. Thomas was as portrayed--and so was his mentor Alfred Blalok. Blalok was of course tainted by his times and like all but the would-be few, he was imperfect. Yet his stature cannot be denied.
The film is not liberal hype. Many, of course are. This, on the other hand, is not. The film compresses the nascent open heart surgical experiences at Hopkins for dramatic purposes, but the sense of the moment and its sentient portrayal of that pinnacle moment in medical time cannot be understated.
The film is accurate where accuracy counts, and it is a dramatic work of high merit. Phooey to those uninformed doubters. Do some research and re-watch this marvelous film.