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jose-leonor
Reviews
Diary of the Dead (2007)
A Decent Addition to the "Dead" Saga
George Romero's Diary of the Dead begins with a bang. The first several sequences set the tone for what will surely be a stellar, jump-out-of-your-seat zombie survival horror film. I was wrong.
The film, shot entirely in subjective, takes us on a mildly entertaining roller coaster from the hilarious to horrific. We follow not Romero's camera, but that of his characters as they react to the cataclysmic development. The characters are oddly believable despite some instances of absurd (non-)decision-making.
Romero succeeds in defying expectations established by classic and more recent zombie fare. At times during the film, a scene so perfectly welcomes a zombie's arrival only to be deflated by mere discord between the characters. Romero constructs a film that will produce more questions and contemplation than enduring nightmares. It is a film that essentially turns the camera back on the viewer and encourages us to think about viewership and its effect on a world in which the line between truth and opinion is increasingly blurred.
Is this my least favorite of the "...of the Dead" series? Yes. Is it disappointingly not terrifying? That too. That being said, give this film a shot. You may have to grin and bear some corny lines and improbable situations, but what you must not be remiss to acknowledge is the film's thoughtful, intelligent composition and the questions it poses.
Enjoy.
Sin salida (2006)
Great Short Film
I just watched this remarkable piece on HBO On Demand.
I was drawn into this simple story at its outset with the endearing old Hispanic woman fervently praying for relief of some sort. The laundry scene initially seemed a little too dull and drawn out, but I eventually realized that as the scene was drawn out I became increasingly drawn in. I sat there for two minutes wondering why I as a viewer must sit there and watch this lonely woman in a lonesome place perform the loneliest of tasks. This aspect of the movie paid off once I realized that this woman's existence is taking place in the isolating crevices of her inner being. As Ms Clarke declares in the accompanying interview, this story marks a moment in this woman's long-running personal hell. The colors in the film beautifully represent that daunting and oppressive hell as does the emotional/emotionless interplay between the protagonist and her youthful counterpart. The neatest thing about the film is the director's decision to utilize two different languages. This, in a way, represents the dichotomy between the protagonist's cold and seemingly self-assured youthful self and her present, weary, and jaded existence. It is as if in her continued effort to come to terms with a very important moment in her past she must find an entirely new language or reconcile her native tongue with a new one.
I look forward to seeing more of Ms Clarke's work.
Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
The Kansas City Shuffle
--Spoiler-Heavy: Please read only once you've seen the movie--
Lucky Number Slevin is ostensibly merely a cleverly crafted story with somewhat forced "cool" Gut Ritchie-esquire dialogue. Beneath the surface, the movie is ultimately about a greater thing than just an eclectic cast composed of well-known actors offering great performances and what Bruce Willis' stranger in a wheelchair labels "The Kansas City Shuffle". The movie, when it is all said and done, is about fathers and sons and how prepared that soil is for miscommunication and the resulting misunderstandings.
The Boss and Schlomo the Rabbi play major parts in the demise of a little boy's family. They murder his parents separately and assign Mr. Goodkat the wholesome duty of taking the innocent boy's life. Having had no prior rapport with the kid, Mr. Goodkat demonstrates a gentler side and takes him under his wing. The movie's plot revolves around the result of years of planning the boy's revenge.
The Boss's son is murdered and, considering their long-standing rivalry since their collaboration in the murder of the boy's family, he immediately blames The Rabbi's people. In exchange, the Boss wants to murder Yitzchok The Fairy, The Rabbi's son who is homosexual unbeknownst to his father. These men are dearly attached to their sons despite their caustic, reclusive existences. Once Mr. Goodkat and Slevin succeed in bringing The Rabbi and The Boss together, the latter brags to The Rabbi about his success in killing his son, The Fairy. The Rabbi, realizing the certitude with which The Boss confesses, becomes choked up in what is the only truly emotional scene in the movie. It is at this point a film rather than a movie. Ben Kingsley clinches here as the best performer in the film as his heartbreak is as genuine and warranted as it was for him in House of Sand and Fog.
In the end, Slevin achieves his self-righteous retribution and fails to learn his lesson from the situation. He fails to trust his only father figure with the truth and incorrectly assumes Mr. Goodkat is incapable of a sympathy he had previously shown in saving the kid's, Slevin's, life.
It is, at its core, movie about disconnected men and the vengefulness with which men respond to affronts on their families. Despite the fact that Slevin will never have his biological father back, the film comes full circle with the scum having been wiped out and Slevin capable of moving on with his life. The son lives on and finds a mate to protect and who can care for him the way his parents seemingly cared for one another. (Note that the only two female characters play integral roles only before revenge is "called for" and once it is accomplished. That's a review for someone else to write.) Enjoy it either way you want. It is both a neat, cool, and clever movie that at times tries too hard to emulate its colorful cinematic predecessors (Snatch, The Usual Suspects, etc...) and a highly entertaining commentary film dealing loosely with the bonds between men. Or maybe I've been duped by the Kansas City Shuffle.
7/10
Fort Apache the Bronx (1981)
Cool Hand Cassidy in the Bronx
This review contains declarations that some may view as Spoilers.
Fort Apache the Bronx is the sort of unique and rare film that succeeds in an attempt to transport the viewer to a certain time and place. Presenting a story that needs neither resolution nor explanation, Daniel Petrie and Heywood Gould invite viewers to indulge in the life of a Bronx neighborhood on the verge of spiraling further out of control. From dilapidated settings to gritty characters, the film paints a realistic picture and one cannot help but feel how much of an adventure it must have been to walk through the Bronx of the late 70s and early 80s. The filmmakers succeed in bringing that time and place to viewers everywhere and forever.
If for no other reason, watch this film to take in yet another of Paul Newman's organic performances. He demonstrates an incredible range as an actor in his portrayal of Murphy, a downtrodden and half-jaded divorcé police officer who remains apathetically at a loss for solutions to the community's (and its precinct's) problems. Enjoy this emotional pendulum of a film.
6/10