ahairyrice Reviews

The Brotherhood of Satan (1971)

A film that Bores or Resonates Depending on the Viewer

[4 August 2006]

The Brotherhood of Satan is viewed by some as a great film and by others as much less than mediocre. The difference lies in the mind of the beholder. Literal-minded folk will definitely not appreciate it and will find it slow-moving and boring. Even those who think of it as a classic will agree that it takes a long time for anything significant to happen. However, for those with a metaphysical bent, once the film gets moving, it resonates at a very deep level of the psyche.

Someone raised in a mystical or semi-mystical religion, taught doctrines of transubstantiation, resurrection of the body, the power of prayer, the importance of surrender to the almighty, and the necessity of worship will find striking parallels here though the object of adoration is the Powerful Evil One. God needs the Devil, good needs evil, life needs death, the old need the young in a dualistic world. When attraction is balanced by repulsion in the mind of the viewer, the effect is powerful. Strother Martin in the role of doctor and devil's surrogate is superb.

The use of toys and dolls to symbolize elements that exist on different levels of size or importance is ingenious. This multidimensionality suggests to our subconscious mind that nothing is just what it appears to be. In science fiction and horror, this powerful tool stimulates the imagination. In science it suggests multiple realities, multiple universes.

The Mudge Boy (2003)

A lovely film about fear, intolerance, cruelty, sensitivity and lack of communication

[9/10 · 3 August 2006]

The sensitive hero, Duncan Mudge, beautifully played by Emile Hirsch, is victimized by a society characterized above all by fear and the cruelty this fear generates. In another lovely film with a similar theme, ("Get Real"), Steven, the main character asks, "What is everyone so afraid of?" Indeed that is the question that lurks at the core of this film. The answer is, of course, that everyone is afraid of being who he/she really is, thus earning the ridicule of everyone else who is suffering from a similar fear. Duncan seeks acceptance and affection, which he cannot get from his uncommunicative father, from a neighbor boy, Perry, whose instincts are in conflict, who is only half eaten by fear. Duncan tries to reach the better other half of Perry and crashed into Perry's ambivalence and is exploited in the process. Another reviewer here has said that Duncan is stupid. Can't Duncan see what is happening, why he is treated so cruelly by his peers? Why doesn't he give up his quest to be himself and conform? Isn't that what all of us do? I am put off by the question so often raised of whether this is a "gay film," or whether Duncan and/or Perry are gay. What bothers me about that is the need to categorize, to fix a label on a person, to commodify him. This provides an escape from seeing and relating to someone else as a complex person in his own right, not someone who fits in this box or that box. This need to classify, to objectify and to control is also a product of fear. I think it was H. L. Mencken who defined Puritanism as "that haunting fear what someone, somewhere, might be different." We are still in essence puritans.

Re-Animator (1985)

A treat for the troops of horror fans and the mindless in general

[6/10 · 30 July 2006]

Having been on a long vacation from horror films, I wanted to recapture some of the delights of my youth. I think that only the young, or those with the attributes of the young, the ability to find a clear distinction between fact and fiction, between the horrors currently being perpetrated in the world and the excess of horrors in film, can fully enjoy it. I have difficulty creating that distance. When viewers say that this film is funny, my first reaction is: "Who laughed?" But I realize that those that find humor in it,have the capacity, which I lack, to see the film purely as a creation, as something objective, an art work to be analyzed. I become personally involved in what's happening in a film, identify with the characters, live with them, empathize with them, search for reason for their behaviors. I've lost the capacities I once had to abstract myself as an aficionado of horror flicks must do. If I could have I would have enjoyed the film more . The film gives new meaning to the word "excess." Throughout its guiding principle is: if anything more horrible can happen, it will. It is macabre, gruesome; the plot is out of control; the acting, except for the two young lover, stylized, one dimensional; the cast is composed of corpses, has-been corpses and corpses to be. This is all intentional, and for many this is great fun. I intend to watch the sequel to perhaps recover my lost innocence.

Faites comme si je n'étais pas là (2000)

A complex psychological film, beautifully acted

[9/10 · 25 July 2006]

Jeremie Renier, a handsome, intelligent young Belgian actor (see him also in "La Promesse")portrays a troubled teenager who reveals his hostility, confusion and needs as he relates (and hides from) family members and strangers in his apartment complex. Despite Eric's anti-social behavior, he is an intriguing character to the other characters in the film, most of whom try to help him. Curiously, although he is a loner, he desperately wants to find out all he can about others. His character seems to be built on contradiction. He tries to hurt just about everyone around him, yet there is something about him, perhaps his neediness, that is very appealing. He seems to be both self-destructive and at the same time trying to find himself, and it is that effort at self-discovery that allows us as viewers to like him and to identify with him despite the nastiness and cruelty that he exhibits. I found the film to be one of the best that I have seen in a long time.

Dorian Blues (2004)

Dialogue was very real

[9/10 · 29 September 2005]

What I found particularly intriguing about this very enjoyable film was the honesty of the dialog. The characters spoke and acted the way real people would, or at least the way real people would if they were expressing what they were thinking. The characters were also not stereotypes. Even the father, who was the villain of the movie, was understandable as a person, however much one might disagree with his views. The older brother could have been made a less likable character if the film-makers had followed formulaic conventions, but they didn't. The result was more realistic if less dramatic. The situation of the main character, Dorian, was very true to the experience of many young people. The film was funny, genuine, real. I loved it.

Fleeing by Night (2000)

Beautiful and deeply moving film

[10/10 · 10 May 2002]

This epic film is extremely moving and involving. It explores different types of love and some of the ironies of arranged marriages. Although there are gaps in the film that are covered by voice-overs, the overall effect is very powerful. The message of the film is universal. The acting is excellent.

Eban and Charley (2000)

The film promotes thought

[3 February 2002]

The filmmaker's indication that Eban's behavior is part of a pattern are proposing that it is compulsive and unhealthy. Charley is portrayed as emotionally needy because of the tragic circumstances in his life. Society's strong condemnation of their relationship is presented by the boy's fathers. However, one cannot walk away from this sensitive film without compassion for Eban and Charley, perhaps even a wish that society would leave them alone if their relationship satisfies their needs. A sub-plot involving straight teenagers suggests that the film is meant to consider the feelings of human beings rather than to react automatically. The film promotes thought.

Come Undone (2000)

At once perplexing and charming

[10 July 2001]

This film has jumbled chronology, un-introduced characters, extraneous scenes and leaves important questions unanswered. It is essentially a film about depression which may be the reason that it seems confused. That being said, the intense love affair between the two main characters is emotionally powerful, charming and life-affirming. It makes the sexual encounters of the characters in the American version of "Queer as Folk" look squalid in comparison.

Chuck & Buck (2000)

Wonderfully acted with understanding and sensitivity

[8/10 · 16 July 2000]

All of the actors are superb in this sensitive portrayal of emotional retardation and the effects that it has upon essentially caring people. Mike White is amazing as the stunted Buck and Lupe Ontiveros is sensational as the warm and witty stage manager-director. The reservation I have about the film is its strong suggestion that gayness is a fixation, a matter of stunted growth, an inability to manuever the hurdles life offers. This archaic psychological interpretation equates gayness with infantilism.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

A brilliant film, a totally involving character study

[10/10 · 6 January 2000]

There are so many good things about the film: the acting, particularly Damon and Law; the cinematography; the script. Most important, though, is the insight it provides into a complex, but human character. It's difficult not to think about Columbine High School and the pent-up rage that exploded there. Tom Ripley is not Everyman in his actions, but he is the possessor of an identity problem, a condition prevalent in our society. What other reason for a "Fight Club"? Most repress it, even deny it, but it is the responsibility of the artist (author, film-maker etc.) to exaggerate it for our edification. Everyone I have spoken to was rooting for Tom Ripley as they viewed the film, no doubt because they could identify in part with his feeling of being a nobody. I suspect that the viewers most uncomfortable with the film were in strong denial of their own feelings of inadequacy in our "other-directed" society. I believe that "The Lonely Crowd," by David Riesman was written in the '50's. An interesting coincidence? I find the comment that the film had no message intriguing. The message is: Look at these characters and see what they tell you about yourself, your culture, your times.

Bedrooms and Hallways (1998)

Extremely well-acted and funny film

[9/10 · 6 September 1999]

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, well-acted film. It is funny and sometimes hilarious. The finale is a bit disappointing, since it tries to wrap everything up into too neat a package. The film is better remembered for its priceless vignettes: the Jane Austen staging, the camping trip as examples. B & H does not attempt to mirror the predominant attitudes toward homosexuality and bisexuality. Most of the characters are quite accepting of sexual diversity. In that sense it is a joyous vacation from homophobic society. And it is a celebration of a flexibility, a loosening of rigid sexual categories--perhaps a happy harbinger of things to come.

Edge of Seventeen (1998)

A high school senior struggles with his sexual identity

[10/10 · 4 July 1999]

In the poignant Edge of Seventeen young Eric tries to hold on to the attachments that exist for him in the straight world that surrounds him while responding to the promptings of his inner nature. He is led inexorably to face up to the strong impulses that are pulling him away from the comfortable relationship he has had with a female friend who wants more than friendship and from his mother who has difficulty understanding the changes she sees in her son. The film is beautifully acted. Sensitive viewers will react to the confusions and conflict that Eric experiences.