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Bitter Moon (1992)
It started off as a bit of fun... that went too far!
When I saw the film "Bitter Moon", I did not think the film would be what it was.
Throughout the film, you follow a story told by a paraplegic passenger on a cruise ship who shares his life and his past with another young married man. The handicapped gentlemen reveals to this young man why the decisions and choices that he has made in the past has cost him the ability to walk and why he is in a relationship with a woman younger than himself. As you follow the story, which starts off rather romantically, it eventually becomes more complicated as the relationship between him and his partner, in the story, become complicated in the way that they treat each other.
In the beginning of their relationship, he is a confident, good looking and talented man who wants to make the most of his life and of his youth. When he meets a young woman who is beautiful, foreign and intelligent, the relationship begins to change over time after they begin to engage in sexual games and habits that eventually warp their perceptions on each other and on themselves. They originally intended to make their sexual relationship more fun and so they encourage each other to satisfy each other in way's, that at first, seem like fun, but when the games start to become more deadly, the relationship starts to strain.
After being together a while, he begins to lose interest in her and she begins to feel like an after thought. As time goes by, his interest turns to other women and she begins to feel unimportant to him and so she does her best to keep his interest by doing things that just push him further away. This desperation on her behalf, causes his arrogance, because she will literally do anything for him, to take over him and he starts to become mentally and physically abusive towards her. The relationship get's worse and worse, until eventually. his reckless behavior and his attitude which is to take from life and not give anything back, causes him to drunkenly step in front of a vehicle. After breaking his leg, the woman he has treated appallingly, takes it upon herself to look after him, turning the tables, and now, she is in control of the relationship, whereas before, he was in control.
The injury leaves him vulnerable and the woman decides to remind him of how badly he has treated her. She does everything he did to her, which included, inviting random people back to their apartment, treating him with little respect and deliberately showing him that she could get any man she wanted, all in an attempt to get revenge and to hurt him the way he hurt her.
After the battle in the relationship had subsided and they realized that they needed each other, they get married and take a vacation on a cruise ship where he manages to meet a man who is in a relationship where he is bored, finding life predictable and is hiding with his wife behind a facade of snobbery and innocence when actually, he is as sexually frustrated and as open minded, as the man telling the story.
The end of the story left me thinking that the two relationships are so different and yet, so similar. They have two different approaches with dealing with their relationship and how they convey it to others day to day, however, behind closed doors, they are experimental, open minded and want to enjoy themselves as best they can. Just when the man hearing the story begins to feel his prudish wife is never going to satisfy his hidden sexual frustration, he finds out that his wife is suffering the exact same mental situation, thinking that he would never satisfy her sexual frustration.
Society has caused human beings to hide their animal instincts, which are in all of us, but we do this to make each other more comfortable in social interactions. Hiding our inner interests causes us to get creative and this film shows exactly that, in a relationship that appeared, on the face of it, to be perfect!
A really clever film that takes an issue that probably effects many marriages and relationships. I would definitely recommend watching it if you're open minded and don't mind a story that does not "sugar coat" anything when it comes to sexual fetishes.
Cujo (1983)
A realistic horror film that should be more appreciated
When I first saw the film "Cujo", I thought watching it was probably as traumatic for me as it was for the two characters who survive this horrific, yet realistic ordeal.
A dog is bitten by a bat and catches rabies which throughout the film causes the dog's behavior to change. At the beginning of the film, the dog is tired and reacts really quickly to loud noises, however, by the end of the film the disease has turned the dog into an deadly, killing beast!
The film follows a mother and son, who are trapped by circumstance and are forced to face "Cujo" who is now taken over by the rabies disease. The directing style shows us a relationship between a mother and son who are faced with a situation where death is the most likely result. Apart from being trapped by circumstance, they are also trapped in a car, causing their fear of "Cujo" to turn to tension, illness and anger. Eventually mental and physical deterioration forces the mother to go to extreme lengths to save her son and with any luck, save herself.
Dee Wallace, I think, should have won a golden globe or something for her portrayal as Donna Trenton, considering her acting in this film is incredible! Her acting is what made this film even harder to watch. She is so believable that when the dog attacks her, it actually made me want it to stop. It is gruesome, but it's really well directed.
This film is hard to watch, however, if you enjoy horror and appreciate incredible acting, then you should give this film a go!
Fatal Attraction (1987)
A bad decision could cost you your life!
The film "Fatal Attraction" is not only a film, but it's also a warning to all viewers that if you decide to play with fire because your life is getting boring, predictable and tiresome, then don't be shocked if you get burned!
A normal househusband has a life that many would say was pretty perfect. He has a beautiful and thoughtful wife. He has a well behaved and intelligent little girl. He has a tidy and well furnished apartment and a well paying job, however, in his opinion, his life situation has become restricted because of his obligations and responsibilities. His perception of his life and his life situation has made him think that he is stuck or tied down and so when he meets another attractive woman who shows interest in him, they begin flirting, establish that he is already married and the flirting continues, they both eventually give into temptation and have a sexual encounter.
After the sexual encounter, the difference in perception on each other and on the intimate interaction between them begins to show. He thought of it as a bit of fun, and she begins to develop feelings for him. As the film continues, he starts to see her as a threat to his life as she starts to harass him, play mind games with him and she even resorts to emotional blackmail to stop a man, she is beginning to fall in love with, from leaving her on her own. Her character is clearly emotionally vulnerable and he, not knowing, exploited it because he didn't know her that well. His guilt and regret begins to take over him causing him to lose his temper, threaten her and even become violent. The two characters hurt each other throughout the film and eventually, it begins to hurt everyone else who is involved in his life.
The moral of this story, I think, is that every decision we make has a positive and negative impact on our lives. Every decision we make can be short term, however, some can be long term, or even go away and come back to haunt us in the future. Being blind to how good you've got it and not appreciating what you have can persuade people to do selfish things and these selfish acts can effect those we love. We all have obligations and responsibilities in our lives, however, we must not let our inner resentment towards those life factors take over and be the reason for our bad and frivolous decisions.
I guess what i'm saying is, everyone should take a step back and really look at what they've got sometimes. Remember, there is always someone worse off than you and being greedy and wanting something you shouldn't have, will cost you and in Dan Gallagher's life, he almost lost everything because of a fling and Alex Forrest lost her life!
American Beauty (1999)
I thank this film for inspiring the series "Desperate Housewives". A drama that shows life go from bad to worse!
I had actually seen the series "Desperate Housewives" first and I always wondered where the unique directing style and perception on day to day life, household dynamics and social interactions between loved ones, friends and strangers, had come from. When I sat down to watch this film, I slowly noticed similarities between the series "Desperate Housewives" and this film.
The film "American Beauty" follows the lives of normal families living in one neighborhood and throughout the film, you get to see each family deal with their own problems as families and as individuals.
The film starts off with comedy and denial, and as the film continues on, you can slowly start to see each individual person start to break out of their own restricted life situations and this causes bigger problems and eventually the film ends with a climax where selfishness, self loathing, arrogance, lack of appreciation and desperation takes over and even results in the worst kinda of situation imaginable in what seems to be a normal neighborhood.
For me personally, I think this film is subtly showing how any human being, if they are restricted, push boundaries. If they are unappreciated, they develop feelings of worthlessness. If they are arrogant, then it might be because they are over compensating for a fragile ego. If they are selfish, it might be because they are desperate to get what they want, because in life, they are not getting something that they truly need and if they are desperate, then they can be capable of the most underhanded, extreme and shocking acts!
Human beings can only be pushed so far and I think if we are all pushed too far, then it becomes dangerous and this film clearly shows how any one is capable of anything!
Alien: Covenant (2017)
Alien and Aliens were amazing films! The films that followed... what the hell happened?!
I thought the film "Alien" was a masterpiece! Then, when I saw "Aliens" thinking that it couldn't possibly outdo the first film, and it actually did! The two films were original, cleverly put together, offered something you hadn't seen before, included characters that all had character and the dramatic tense intro and terrifying atmosphere that the directing style and soundtrack managed to create was not only what made the first film great, but it was also included in the sequel continuing the directing style that made the first film one of the best horror films of all time and making the sequel stand along side it.
After "Aliens" was released in 1986, the "Alien" series went downhill. "Alien 3" was average with major plot holes, "Alien Resurrection" was terrible and had nothing about it that you would remember long after it's release. I thought these films were bad enough, however, this film outdid those films!
As soon as the film started, I knew I wasn't going to like "Alien Covenant". The tense, dark, eerie intro that created the scary, uneasy atmosphere that made the films so iconic was removed for a more brighter and misleading intro. I say misleading because the intro was more fitting for a film in a different genre other than horror.
The characters in this film were forgettable! Another thing majorly wrong with the directing style of the film and I find it hard to believe that the same man who created a film with characters such as Dallas, Ripley, Lambert, Brett, Kane, Ash and Parker, created a film were not one character stood out!
There was no originality at all in this film! Everything in this film you will have seen before in the other films. The film became so predictable, that I even guessed the ending before it ended! That can never be a good thing when it comes to the "Alien" series when one of the elements of the films that made it so intriguing, was the mystery element.
I was really disappointed with this film! Not only was I excited about it and let down because the director was the same director who directed the first "Alien" film, but because of how lazy the directing style was, how flat the film was (no high points at all) and how I disliked it so much while watching it, that I even hoped every time the screen went dark or a scene ended during the second hour, that the film had ended and would say to myself "please finish" when the next scene began.
Don't watch this film if you are a fan of the "Alien" series. I myself love the first two films, however, the ones that followed, will hopefully over time, disappear from my memory all together. An amazing franchise that has taken a stumble and now keeps tumbling!
Entrapment (1999)
I think this film needs more appreciation
Well to begin with, the film "Entrapment" has Sean Connery as the main actor with co-star Catherine Zeta-Jones. Could you pick better actors to star in a movie? Probably. Although, I think they were well picked for this film in particular. Sean was perfect to play the suave and sophisticated gentlemen and Catherine was perfect to play the beautiful and confident lady. What do they both have in common in acting abilities? They both are convincing when it comes to playing intelligent characters who can survive in fantasy film plots.
I think Entrapment is a really good film! This action film actually has an interesting story where you more or less follow two criminals, who are working together, who are stealing rare artwork from famous museums and galleries from across the globe. They are also only working together because they are both using each other secretly, but neither one finds out until nearly halfway - to the end of the film. Action films, I think, are only good when there is an interesting and different story behind it to give it some substance. Otherwise, I get bored of watching films where there is just fighting and people firing guns when the plot is pathetic.
If you are a fan of Sean Connery or Catherine Zeta-Jones's as actors, then you should definitely see this film. I actually think they make a very attractive on screen couple, even with the big age gap, although, I am probably biased given that I love them both as actors.
This film is a lot of fun to watch, so don't miss out on it!
The Birds (1963)
This film is a classic and always will be
I am a young man, in my 20's, and I have to say, "The Birds" is a brilliant film! I state my age because most of the people I know who are young like myself, think the old films are boring or slow, but I appreciate films for what they are and you have to take into consideration, that this film was released in 1963. They didn't have the special effects and the budgets that the films have today, so you can't compare them.
"The Birds", in my opinion, is one of Alfred Hitchcock's best films! The film is typically 60's, which was an iconic decade. You have the pearl necklaces, the cigarette filters and people driving around in Cadillac's, however, the film also includes directing styles, that to me, are unusual and actually puts the film into a league of it's own and ahead of it's time.
The film doesn't include a soundtrack at all, which most horror films now rely on to create an atmosphere, however, Alfred Hitchcock manages to create an eerie atmosphere without it. The wealthy upper class snobbery that is given off by the main characters in the film misleads you at first, giving the impression that the film is all talking and sniping, however, the film takes a very dark turn towards the end, changing the characters attitude and priorities when they are faced with a problem that none of them understand and you realize that taking money out of the picture, they are all just people. The special effects used in the film are dated, however, the special effects in this film is sometimes better that the special effects used in films now and "The Birds" is 54 years ago! Also, the film will be forever a mystery as the main cause of the bird problem, is never actually solved or explained, making the film a timeless classic.
I would encourage people to watch this film and appreciate it for what it is. Don't watch it to just nit-pick and find fault in it. Watch it with an open mind and be fair to it when you judge it because like I said before, you can't compare it to the films of today.
"The Birds" is unique and different and it will always be one of my favorite films.
Desperate Housewives (2004)
I am a guy and I love Desperate Housewives
The title for the series "Desperate Housewives" was misleading when it was released for the first time in 2004, obviously, because you get the immediate feeling that the show is targeted at the female audience, however, the show not only includes female characters, it also includes male characters too, surprisingly enough.
In my opinion as a male, Desperate Housewives, is brilliant! Susan, Bree, Lynette, Gabrielle and Edie, are 5 very different woman/characters, who all live on the same street in Fairview. You are introduced to each character properly so that you can get a good idea of what each woman is like and how they act. From the outside, you would think their lives are perfect. They all have huge houses, manicured lawns, high fashioned clothes and expensive cars, but what makes Desperate Housewives so interesting to me, is that you get to follow these woman through their imperfect lives.
The series, at first, focuses on these characters, however, it doesn't take long for the other characters to be put under the microscope. Desperate Housewives includes nearly all life themes and problems that nearly every person watching it has experienced in their life. It has characters most of us can relate to. It has moments that require really good acting and my god... can the actors and actresses pull them off well!
After watching the series more than once, I have noticed that the episodes start off with the theme of what the episode is all about, which could be money, loss, grief, betrayal and so on, then the title sequence with all the famous paintings portraying domesticity and interactions between men and woman since early mankind, then the episode starts off with a rather light atmosphere and then by the end, it has quite a sad and reflective atmosphere. I think this is done deliberately because life isn't always easy and all of us human beings are trying to live our lives as best we can but we all learn our biggest lessons from the mistakes we make.
Desperate Housewives is original, clever, sometimes smug and offers really good socially awkward moments and really emotional sad moments. I think this series should be more appreciated. It definitely offered something new and different. I'm just gutted it ended.
Spectre (2015)
It's so sad to see James Bond being dragged through the mud
I have been a fan of James Bond for years and every bond film was good up until Daniel Craig took on the role.
In 2006, the James Bond films changed. The original creators were now no longer part of creating the films and the new generation has taken over and because of this change behind the scenes, it's had a major effect on what we see in the films.
The James Bond films that star Daniel Craig are terrible! He looks nothing like the original character. His presence on screen isn't suave and sophisticated (he has a typical lad look about him). The gun barrel sequence was removed which was an iconic trademark that draw your attention to the screen straight away and it was one of the elements that made the James Bond series different and unique to all the other spy thrillers. The one liners and double attendres that made the films a bit more fun have been removed to make the films more serious which James Bond was in the books but isn't in the films (there is a difference which the new generation has not got a grip of). The iconic sets and outfits have now been made to be more subtle and somewhat boring. The clever intelligent script writing has been changed to suit a more action packed film with no real substance. The iconic villains and bond girls are now just men with a grudge against humanity and girls who get 2 seconds screen time before they are put away to give center stage to an actor who doesn't even really want the role himself.
The elements that made James Bond, James Bond, have all been removed to suit a brain dead audience. It's sad to see that most of the new generation of film watchers actually prefer Daniel Craig's half arsed attempt at filling the shoes of the iconic hero, when all the actors who preceded him created something magical that will stand the test of time. The older films were innovative and creative. They were fun and dignified. The were typically British and iconic. They gave us an insight to the times when the films were made. There was so much to the older films that is overlooked.
The new films will be forgotten in 20 years. The 5 actors before Daniel will always be remembered. My opinion, is that really matters in film making, but then again, some directors don't care about that and just make something predictable and unoriginal to make money and this film made the money... but that's it.