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Reviews
Filthy Rich (1982)
Caroltta funny quote
There were so many hilarious quotes on Filthy Rich but one of my favorites that didn't make the quote list was: "For a moment there I had an overwhelming sensation of total desolation and utter futility, but I'm okay now." The episode with Bootsie and her "fantasy fur" was hilarious. Bootsie said something like "it's soft, it enhances trash cans and hair spray" the Carlotta says; " a lot of brightly colored monkeys had to die for that." Another favorite was when Carlotta got a job on Mud Island in Memphis. She apparently fell into the Mississippi River. When she came home, Marshal asked her something like what was she wearing. She said it was a Souther Belle outfit. He said, you look like you've been rung. I've literally been looking for this series to come out on tape or DVD. I'd love to have it and add it to my collection of favorite TV shows. Come on, it's only 15 episodes!
Farinelli (1994)
Different, disturbing, historically inaccurate, but visually stunning
Be prepared for something different, disturbing, and with a history lesson that is completely inaccurate. In fact, it is a blatantly convoluted tale that looks more like a Cinderella story than actual accounts of history. Director Gerard Corbiau's Farinelli is 'all that' but it also is visually stunning and represents castrati singing with richness and clarity. Farinelli is the artistic name of castrato (a male castrated at a young age) Carlo Broschi (Stefano Dionisi), a handsome young choir boy who was accidentally castrated at the age of 10 purportedly due to a riding accident. Ill and under the influence of powerful drugs (opium) at the time, Carlo has no recollection of his unfortunate accident. His brother Riccardo (Enrico Lo Verso), seven years his senior, tells him repeatedly the story of how he was riding a beautiful white horse from which he was thrown, causing an injury that led to his castration. Throughout his life, Carlo has a recurring nightmare about riding the white horse but in his dream he never falls off. The conflict between Carlo's dreams and Riccardo's stories hints at the horrible secret between the brothers that is ultimately revealed near the end of the film. Carlo's astonishing soprano voice (a digitized composition of the voices of Derek Lee Ragin and Ewa Mallas Godlewska) eventually makes him and his brother who composes mediocre operatic scores for Carlo to perform, a phenomenal success. Carlo relinquishes his born name with his professional name Farinelli. Although Carlo suspects that his brother had something to do with his childhood emasculation, he continues to perform his brothers badly written operas. Both brothers are aware that Carlo's superior talent is being undermined by performing Riccardo's operas.
An ill-fated meeting with Maestro George Frederick Handel (Jeroen Krabbé), who desired a contract with Carlo, begins a contentious battle between the two for the lion's share of audience. Carlo turns down Maestro Handel's offer is hired to perform in a London theater to draw audiences away from Handel's operas. Farinelli performs wonderfully and eventually takes virtually all of the audience away from Handel. Carlo's looks, fantastic voice, and range make female audience members faint dead away. One woman tells Carlo that he is responsible for her first musical orgasm! A pact between brothers where women are concerned creates titillating ménage a trios scenes which earned the film its R rating. Carlo soon realizes that performing Handel's operas are so desirable to him that he tries to convince Handel to take him in. The rest of the story reveals the tragic secret that Carlo has always known but in the end brings brothers together for one more ménage a trios that would leave Carlo to become a father; the one gift that was taken away from him as a child. I really enjoyed this film and the music that accompanied it. I commend the director for his efforts to take a difficult subject matter and turn it into a story that is both entertaining and titillating at times. However, the early-on innuendo that Riccardo was somehow responsible for Carlo's difficult life took away the endings potential climax that could have left the audience hanging. --Lewis Saettel 2007
Naqoyqatsi (2002)
visually disturbing and emotionally provoking
The film is worth a watch if you can hold on for the visual ride. A subjective plot leads you through a poignant journey of a violent and deadly future, present, and past. I found the film intriguing but visually and emotionally disturbing. The film relies on stunning visual imagery that never gives the viewer time to relax and reflect on the meaning of it all. The film is saturated with clever computer graphics. Without the use of CGI I don't believe the point of the film could have been made with as much depth as it had. The film attempts to give the viewer omnipresence over the world condition and how it got here and where it is going. At some undefined moment in the film the viewer 'gets it' but may find it difficult to put into words. The soundtrack for the film was excellent with work from Phillip Glass and Yo Yo Ma.