Change Your Image
wjhamilton-269-589800
Reviews
Kinshasa Symphony (2010)
Great Film
This is a great film, well worth watching. The question worth asking is why are we here and what do we mean? Having struggled to support artistic endeavors in my own community, I was oddly encouraged by the heroic struggle of these people. Watching them build their own instruments, fight for the lives of their children and practice was a profound lesson in what it is to be human. This would be a great film for schools, group discussions and any art film series. We waste so much. We could be so much better.
This film takes us into the complex lives of these people, some of whom live in horrific conditions. We say art and music matter, but these people pay it's full cost in a world where many of them are granted little respect.
In the end the music isn't even the point. For years my wife has insisted the practice and preparation is the real art. Its the struggle to reclaim something from necessity. I learned things about the cost of eggs in Africa, transit and renting a place to live that I would never have even considering needing to know about.
This is a story I consider myself lucky to know. I saw this at our local film society and everyone there got a lot out of it.
Far (2012)
Brought a Smile
This wonderful short film reminds us how precious and wonderful the moments of our lives can be. Brings a great smile. The audience at the Charleston Film festival really liked it. The lead actress is also the writer Her beaming somewhat awkward smile hides as much as it shows us until the great surprise at the core of the film is disclosed. Sound and photography are both good throughout the film. The Director's long service at TV series editing shows up in a well paced film which focuses and moves attention. It's remarkable that this little film makes a harder run at answering the big questions than the average warring robots smash city film does at giving us anything to think about. You could show this film to any group of people from a Sunday School class to a college philosophy seminar with good results.
Knights of Badassdom (2013)
Entertaining
Our film society packed the house with this movie last night. I thought it was creative, low budget fun. The audience appeared to enjoy it. You could read this film as having some serious, symbolic content. Plenty of people who came out last night were planning to go back and see it at another local screening next weekend, bringing some of their friends from the role playing and gaming communities. I did Civil War reenacting years ago, as the scene is somewhat similar. If you spend some time being creative with culture and fantasy, this movie has its rewards. If you insist on Pacific Rim scale robot warfare and don't get the emotional response when the heroes go back to their van to stop playing around after years of playing hero with no risk, you would miss the complex relationship between who you are and what you pretend to be which we all dabble in.