How quick we humans are as young people to judge our parents actions. Young men as a general rule think they know everything, so why aren’t grown-ups asking? It’s because youth has a lot to learn, in spite of their energetic ideas and passions.
In this story, we have two young men, pre high school it would appear. They are friends because ones mother is a seamstress in a tailor/dressmaker shop that the other parents own. It was handed down by one boy’s grandfather which makes that boy just slightly more wealthy than the other boy. It is in fact enough to matter.
There is a clear distinction between the filthy rich and the poor lining the homeless shelters but the lines that exist in the middle class are not as defined. The “landlord” son has different ideas from his parents when they decide to sell the store. That’s when things get quite ugly with the other boy’s mom. It shows a separation of values based on income and education.
This is a truly gritty, well-made drama. It was a nice surprise for me at the end of 2016. I recommend it to fans of Kinnear as well as lovers of well-produced dramatic films.
Hello out there. Just informing my readers that I will be commencing with a goal! (Wow! From me even!)
I’ve selected these 7 films because they have 70% or higher on both IMDB and Metacritic. They are all from 2016.
Starting tomorrow, Wed 12/28, and ending 1/6 (I know that’s 9 days, I need a couple days extra to do back of house stuff. ) I will watch and review each film for you here on my blog.
I hope you enjoy! Wish me luck on my goal, it’s been a long time since I set one for blogging. I hope you’ll subscribe and comment on this small brief venture.
Zombies! Where have they come from and into modern culture? I’d say George Romero might tell us. His B&W low-budget scares in 1968’s Night of the Living Dead scared a generation and continue to do so up to the present day. There are some similarities in every zombie movie. Some eat only brains, some move slow, and some move fast. The common denominator is that they’re dead … and they’re walking!
Rick Grimes is the central character but there are many many more side characters. This show can often appear like a soap opera. Of course, in between some of the sappy lines you have buck knives slamming into zombie skulls, putting them out of their misery. There is something here for everyone: abject violence (and I mean that adjective 100%), romance and sex, gore, horror, thrills, mystery … a whole lot of all these things and more.
Currently, there is a power struggle going on with a dictator of sorts. How should we treat dictators? If you say we should rise up against them to take them down, just remember there are no organized systems to protect you. I am enjoying this season quite a bit as we see what this psychopathic leader will do and more importantly, how long will the people let him.
What I find most cool about TWD is the way people treat each other in a zombie apocalypse. It tackles issues of sociology and government. Some segments resemble The Lord of the Flies and others Utopia. It’s not just about zombies you see, you get a look at us and how we are. Us, of course, meaning humanity. After 5 seasons, it has less to do with stabbing them in the brain and more to do with how we will rebuild the world. The dead are walking but just ahead, so are we. I highly recommend this as a binge watch to anyone really but horror and drama fans the most.
I waited months in anticipation of this movie based on my favorite childhood book, Where the Wild Things Are. My parents used to read it to me at bedtime and I recall such vivid images of Max’s bedroom, the far-off land of the wild things, and those creatures with their yellowy eyes. It was oddly scary and comforting at the same time to hear that story each night. That’s probably why I was curious to see what director Spike Jonze would do with the big screen adaptation. Unfortunately, this movie had few positives for me.
It’s the kind of movie I wait and wait for and then wind up feeling empty once it’s over. I will concede that my opinion is not the norm. I read five reviews on Blogcritics alone before I decided I must be from another planet. I felt this movie was like cheap merchandise with nothing to back it up.
The movie begins with a sort of “grunge” look to it. The beginning scene is very short and the title of the movie sort of “freeze frames” in sloppy strokes reminiscent of Flowers for Algernon. That was cool but after that we get a contrived character of 9 or 10 years of age. He is stricken with fury at his mother, his sister, and those around him in those scenes. My wife and I have a debate going over whether he shows evidence of mental illness. Make no mistake … this is decidedly not the “Max” of the original book.
The Max in the book is a garrulous young boy of about six years old. He is sent to his room without his supper. The Max of the movie is deeply disturbed and much older and he ends up running away from home. There is serious convolution of character and plot here.
When the “movie Max,” played by child actor Max Records, gets to the island on his boat, the book’s magic is lost. The movie has already cashed in on the book’s familiar appeal.
I should say here that this movie is decidedly not for kids. My daughters were on the verge of tears a couple of times. A friend of mine has a daughter who cried uncontrollably through the opening snow tunnel scene. Well, maybe that was an over-reaction, it’s not terrible I suppose. More than that, it is a bait and switch from the book we all read growing up.
One particularly scary aspect of the movie is the character Judith, played by Catherine O’Hara. She is not a playful character and seems to show direct and unbridled hate toward Max in a few scenes. I have a feeling the movie wants to be a statement about refusing to grow up. This is the opposite of the book’s message, which brings acceptance of growth and maturity upon Max’s return. I could accept the Judith scenes if he grew somehow. Instead, he just seems to eventually run away again.
If you want to watch disturbing images in and out of realistic fiction, this movie will appeal to you. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate disturbing images when they make a point. For example, I thoroughly enjoyed the 1970’s Pink Floyd movie The Wall. It made excellent points through disturbing images. The difference from WTWTA is that The Wall didn’t claim to be a big screen adaptation of a beloved children’s book.
If I had to pick one positive aspect of this film I’d say it’s the Jim Henson muppet wild things. They look awesome. If that alone is worth your trip to a movie, I won’t steer you away. However, if you want a warmhearted adaptation of a children’s book, pass on this one.
Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, known most recently for directing “Birdman,” has created a visually stunning movie of survival and revenge. It’s clearly the fruit of much labor on behalf of the director and all the actors. It shows and works in the movie. Unfortunately the audience has to labor as well through a lot of slow scenes, some of which are probably unnecessary.
The two main roles are played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. Their characters are rough, gritty, and at times difficult to watch. There are some scenes in this film that made even me feel like hiding my eyes. Is this any surprise since this movie is about frontiersmen surviving in sub zero temperatures. There are Indians, hatchets, musket type rifles, buffalo, and bears. Aside:This film contains the most frightening bear maul I’ve ever seen on film. Even Paul Bunyan would recoil.
Short synopsis: Hugh Glass is a frontiersman alongside Jon Fitzgerald and a group of rough ones. They are making their way through the snowy forest terrain. Through a course of events and a bear mauling of Hugh, the story becomes one of survival. Hugh is determined to survive the attack and take revenge on those who abandoned him for dead.
My conclusions: There is a signature drum soundtrack but not as extensive as the one in “Birdman.” The camera pans and zooms are also signature of Iñárritu. It’s a long sit but I can say that fans of “Birdman” and westerns about revenge will probably really enjoy this movie. The cinematography is incredible. My wife and I actually felt cold in some of the scenes even though we had a raging fire going with the heater on. Movie lovers and reviewers especially will enjoy this movie. I foresee Oscar nods. It’s one of the best of 2015 for sure. I did find it overly long and belabored at times though and that made it lose a star with me.
DAMIEN RILEY | World Music | HQ Blog 
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