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Reviews
Que Horas Ela Volta? (2015)
An elegant and beautiful film
This movie is based around a live-in servant Val and the three people she serves: the father, his daughter and her son. Despite living in the same house as her three masters, Val is very subservient and looked down upon. She does not swim in her master's pool, does not eat at the same table as them, nor does she eat the same food. Val's life is turned upside down when her daughter Jessica comes to stay in order to sit the university entrance exams; a university that is only for the elite. Despite her mother's insistence and pleading, Jessica refuses to conform to the role of servant's daughter with interesting consequences that are not stereotypical.
The second mother is beautifully done. The acting is superb. The story is told elegantly showing not just the injustice of class, but presenting it for the ugly beast it is. What I particularly liked about it was that Jessica's role was not overdone and stereotyped. The character was not deliberately being antagonistic, she was simply being herself and that meant refusing to conform to class social norms. If you get the chance to see this film I urge you to do so.
Snowden (2016)
A must watch
For those of you who follow the news, Edward Snowden will need no introduction. For those of you who don't follow the news, Snowden is either a traitor who committed treason, or a whistle blowing hero who awakened the world to global cyber spying. The movie is Snowden's story. It begins when he was training to be a Special Forces soldier and was forced to quit due to a life altering leg injury. Still very much a patriot, Snowden joins the CIA. A computer genius, he helps to develop programs with disturbing consequences. Disenfranchised, Snowden leaves the CIA and gets involved with the NSA. In time, he steals classified material and flees initially to Hong Kong where he contacts journalists (See the film Citizen Four). He later ends up in Russia where he was give political asylum.
I think the story of Snowden is one of the most important films of this era and people should be discussing the implications of cyber spying. People need to know that Snowden is a patriot of the United States and he did what he did because he loves his country and the people in it. By becoming a whistle-blower, Snowden lost everything including his country. For him and me, spying on people is not okay; I don't care how it is justified. It is a small step from knowing what everyone is doing every minute of the day, to complete global fascism which Nazi Germany could easily have achieved. Regardless of your standpoint, I urge everyone to see this film. At least then you will have Snowden's perspective, as opposed to just the official narrative.
Hidden Figures (2016)
An incredible film that can't help but move you
Based on a true story, Hidden figures follows the story of three Negro women who were employed at NASA during the height of the space race. This is the 1960s when racial segregation was still in place and racism was rife. As coloured women, they were considered the lowest of the low, yet in reality that were all geniuses who went on to play a major part in the USA's space program.
Hidden figures, is one of the best films I have ever seen. It deals with deep issues such as racism and sexism in a feel-good way that leaves the watcher gunning for the heroes. The film also demonstrates the incredible power of mathematics in a subtle way that does not detract from the awe you feel for the people using it. Until I'd seen the film, I had no idea that black women were even employed at NASA, let alone played a critical part in calculating orbital geometry. I could not recommend this film strongly enough.
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
So powerful it is tear inducing
Based on a true story, Hacksaw ridge is the story of a young man with incredible courage and unshakable faith. Having almost killed his brother and his father in two separate incidents Desmond made a pack with God ― thy shall not kill. Not only does he hold to this, he will not touch a firearm. The problem is, WWII has broken out and he has enlisted in the US army. As a Conscientious Objector, Desmond is beaten, harassed and court martialled. Quoting the constitution, his father, a veteran of WWI, convinces the military court to not only re- frame for jailing his son for disobeying a direct order, but to let him fight. Trained as a field medic, Desmond is sent to Japan to help fight the war.
The idea that a medic would remaining behind on an horrific battle front swarming with Japanese soldiers who do not give quarter, would seem implausible, if it were not true. Armed with only an unshakable faith in God, Desmond rescues seventy-five men. Not only does he drag them across the front line, but he lowers them down a cliff-face on a rope. Desmond, is the only Conscientious Objector to receive a medal of hour for bravery.
The story is well told and moves along at a fast pace. It is however, graphically violent and not for the fainthearted. If you have a strong stomach, this film is so powerful it is tear inducing. It is easily one of the best war films I have seen since Saving Private Ryan. I highly recommend it.
The Great Wall (2016)
A bitter disappointment
Set in China during the height of a Chinese empire, a small band of Westerners are searching for the legendary black powder. Having been attacked by pursuing cavalry, along with some sort of creature, only two manage to make it to the Great Wall. Here they are taken captive and soon afterwards the Wall is attacked by the creatures. Very unoriginally, one Westerner, William (Matt Damon), emerges as a hero, while the other, along with a previously captured Westerner, seek to steal black powder. Predictably, William, along with a gorgeous Chinese female Commander, must save the Emperor and his kingdom from the creatures.
This film had all the makings of a blockbuster, but it failed to deliver. The story was too predictable, lacked depth and emotion and relied too heavily on action and special effects to pull it through. The idea of having a Western saviour, was completely unnecessary to the story and was probably offensive to the Chinese. The potential for romance didn't go anywhere and, turning Damon into Legolas was just plain silly. Add to this, implausible wall jumping female spearmen, although nice to look at, really finished this movie off. Although the film has good action, the movie was crap and I was bitterly disappointed. I would not recommend watching it. At best, wait until it comes out on DVD and borrow someone else's copy and only if you are bored.
The Mothman Prophecies (2002)
A chilling film but very interesting
John is a reporter for the Washington Post. His life takes a bad turn when he and his wife have an encounter with Mothman that results in a car accident. Neither are seriously hurt, but the wife is discovered to have a rare brain tumour. Before she dies, she draws pictures of Mothman. Two years later John is driving late at night and breaks down. He discovers that he has mysteriously ended up in a small town in West Virginia — nowhere near where he was travelling. Befriending the local policewoman, John discovers that the town has had a number of paranormal disturbances. John's life is thrown into turmoil when he tries to investigate.
The Mothman prophecies is chilling and disturbing. Made more so by the fact that the film was based on real events. Although the movie has no doubt been dramatized, I found it very interesting. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in unexplainable paranormal events.
Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
An awful film
This is the worst film that I have watched this year and probably this decade. Having really enjoyed the first Independence Day, I was so disappointed that I almost switched off the film twenty minutes in.
The story is set twenty years into the future. Humans have advanced Earth's technology by using the alien technology they now have access to. They now have bases on the moon and other planets in the solar system. Despite the fact that the world is supposedly unified, it is still the USA president in charge of the world. In typical American style, she authorizes an attack on a UFO shooting it down moments before the bad aliens turn up. This leaves those who are still alive from the last attack, along with their children to defend Earth.
The film is so convoluted that at any given time I had no clue what was going on or where the story was going. Characters are not introduced or developed leaving the viewer trying to figure out who they are and why we should care about them. The film is also fragmented switching from one scene to the other without any real linkage between them. In addition to this, the film tries to replicate as much from the old film as it can and fails miserably. There are no inspiring speeches, the acting is fifth rate and the film attempts to get by on action and special effects alone. If this is not bad enough, the film tries to include female heroes, but they are still emotionally dependent on men which makes them sexist and pathetic. I'm guessing Will Smith's absence was because he refused to star in such rubbish and I can only commend him for that.
I would not recommend the film to anyone. The scary thing about this trash is that not only did it use resources on a film that was worth making, but it promises more to come. If they are stupid enough to make another film, I can only hope it will go straight to DVD. Don't waste your time or money on this one.
Doctor Strange (2016)
A good Marvel film
Doctor Stephen Strange in an extraordinary surgeon who can save lives where others can't. When his hands are damaged during a car accident, he doesn't just lose his livelihood, but his purpose in life. Sliding into despair, he even drives away the love of his life and one of the few people who still care about him. There is no hope left until Dr Strange investigates a rare case of a miraculous recovery of a man who was left a paraplegic. This investigation leads Strange to a Mystery School in Nepal and unwittingly into an inter-dimensional war.
Doctor Strange is a typical Marvel film. It combines light humour and special effects action to create a SciFi Thriller. Given I went in knowing pretty much what to expect, I did not leave disappointed. If you follow Marvel then you'll like this film.