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Reviews
Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front (2006)
Enjoyable, instructive family movie with value and values
We watched this with our 7 and 4 year olds and found it a very good family movie that was enjoyable to watch even though it dealt with very weighty topics.
I found myself explaining aspects of war to the kids, introducing very current topics as at the time of this writing the United States is at war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I felt this movie helped give an appropriate introduction of weighty topics such that the kids can understand a bit more about their world without being thrown into depression or overwhelmed with things they can't understand.
The movie also illustrates the value of persistence, hard work, studying, reading, being polite and considerate, altruism, compassion, helpfulness, and not giving up hope. All of that in such a way that you hardly notice; there's never a sense of preaching or proselytizing.
The acting is TERRIFIC... Molly's teacher does an amazing job of period acting, Emily plays her part well and Molly herself is done in a style that is rare in American cinema; a complete contrast to Samantha.
That being said I liked the character of Samantha better and there a few flaws in the movie. I have not read the books, so I'm judging the movie entirely on its own merits and vs Samantha which was the only other movie in this series that we've seen.
Overally hurray for this movie and the series.
By the Sword (1991)
Excellent "life lesson movie" about redemption- almost
Masterfully acted by F Murray Abraham (Amadeus) and Eric Roberts; this movie attempts to uncover one of the deep lessons of life. As such it is one of my favorite movies. The movie is tastefully done and underplayed- not a sports movie at all, but a spiritual one. Alas the directing is not quite up to snuff and the movie leaves me with a vaguely unsatisfied feeling.
The theme of the movie is very real- redemption. A young fencer (Suba) makes a terrible mistake and pays for it with years in prison. When he gets out he feels driven to make amends and he goes straight to the place where he can do that- which is also the only world he still knows, the fencing school run by the son of the man whom he killed.
When he confronts the man who he has come to redeem (Villard), he can only stammer "I have come to teach"- but his skills are so rusty he is offered only a humble janitor position. In Villard's school Suba regains enough strength to face his task... but this is where the movie lets us down a bit. It never explains why Suba must best Villard in combat in order to teach the lesson.
That, is the critical failure of the movie. It is the central thesis of the film, yet it is not explained!! Why must they fight??! If you know, please drop me an email. This is the critical piece of the lesson- without it the movie is incomplete. I can't help but wonder if the critical piece is lying on a cutting room floor somewhere, or whether the director intentionally left it out or whether the writers were content with asking the question without answering it.
Alas, I remain unsatisfied-- until and unless I become enlightened.
The Matrix (1999)
superbly crafted zen-like "experience" affects perception of time
We usually judge media by its presentation... this movie goes beyond presentation to manipulate the viewers perception. Many movies do that to some extent (usually via the soundtrack), but this film takes the manipulation of perception to new heights. Its almost a "ride" more than a movie.
For several hours after I left this movie my sense of time felt much faster. I felt highly alert, my movements were precise and my thinking sharp... like drinking lots of coffee but without the jitters. I almost believed I could exist outside of time... fascinating and dangerous. Be very careful driving home after this movie, or better yet, have someone else pick you up.