Change Your Image
JustinJHyman
Reviews
Troop 1500 (2005)
I did not like this film.
I gave this film, what I consider, the liberal rating of 5 because of how hard it must be for the girls in the film to live the life they are leading.I don't know if this is the directors first film or how long they took making it but although, the subject matter is intense and worthy, under the poor direction it becomes nothing but a meandering piece of shoddy camera work, poor recording and terrible soundtrack choices. The film maker failed to capture any real understanding of what it must be like live without your mom and instead makes the girls seem more like characters rather than actual children. It should be noted that I am not referring to any of the interviews shot by the girls themselves. These were actually quite poignant and touching. In fact, the only time the film failed to seem contrived was when the girls themselves were in charge. Even so, the way these interviews were edited into the film felt like farce. This movie seems to me more of a celebration of the female spirit instead of a true look into these girls lives. Clearly lacking is why any of these mothers are incarcerated. This question, along with many other unanswered, would help to make this more of a real documentary. There needs to be a time when you step back from your own personal opinion, cut the rolling scenes of giggling school girls and decide if you are going to make a documentary or an op-ed piece. I would like to see this same subject matter covered by a film maker who has, at least, some talent in the art of objectivity. This is, of course, my opinion and if the filmmaker can not handle it then she will (again) have my review taken down.
The Prestige (2006)
Prestigious.....Not!
One might say that the best part of "The Prestige" is the ride to the theater. Those who say that are moronic. On the ride to the movie house you are mistakenly in the frame of mind that what you are about to see will be, in fact, entertaining and watchable. The best part of this film is the ride home for then the most arduous 2 hours spent in a theater in recent time are over. This film explains itself to you via Michael Cain's narrative of the three parts in a Magicians performance: at first an infant mewling and puking in his nurse....wait, thats something different. The First Act is called The Pledge, in which a magician displays an everyday object; act two is The Turn, in which that everyday object is made to do something extraordinary, such as disappear; and act three is The Prestige, in which the object reappears, dazzling an audience too afraid to applaud at the end of act two. The movie basically follows this pattern except The Prestige in this film is not dazzling at all, instead painfully obvious. Anyone who has seen the STTNG Episode "Second Chances" will not be in the least surprised. Those who haven't and have a brain in their head will not be. That said, my girlfriend and I were the only two people with brains in their head at the screening we attended. This auditorium was dazzled. People will come to see this film because all of the people involved are hot commodities right now. I suspect they will be disappointed.
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Boring Antoinette
So, OK. Yesterday I had the great privilege of screening the press showing (attending the press screening?) of Marie Antoinette. First the good news: From what the Ole fashioned Wikipedia (as accurate as we assume it is) has shown me, it was pretty accurate historically. Though, possibly Kirsten "you got me thirstin' " Dunst is a little hotter than our heroine, Marie. It was pretty. Lots of pornographic (in the sense that they were indulgent) food shots and plenty of Parisian Haute Cotoure. The bad news? It was long and boring. Turns out Marie didn't do all that much besides gamble and spend money on clothes and apparently gardening. The movie rolls on and on without anything happening and I do mean anything, her young prince husband would not even bed her for several ( a couple?....who can remember) years. The movie finally begins to heat up when Marie takes a lover after the birth of her first daughter. There is some hot Man on Kirsten action that at first makes you not totally regret seeing the movie but then he runs back off to Sweden and that is that. The movie's biggest let down is in the end as it completely washes over Bastille day and the subsequent French Revolution, one of history's bloodiest revolutions but at least there was cheese. There is no trial or beheading. In fact, the movie ends with King and Queen riding off in a coach. Though wait., do i smell a sequel?