SFfilmgoer Reviews

Sin Nombre (2009)

One of worst films ever made

[1/10 · 25 April 2009]

This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I cannot understand why it achieved a 7. I had a problem to even vote 1 (one) for it. It is about a gang of kids from Honduras, Guatamala and Mexico trying to make their way to the U.S.

The movie has lots of violence and bloody scenes where many people are shot and/or killed for little or no reason by a bunch of kids with guns. I can only compare it with "City of God", another bloody violent picture. If there is any point to making this movie it went over my head. I wanted to leave earlier in the picture but thought that nothing could be this bad so stayed on in hopes it might get better or more interesting but it was bad throughout.

Don't waste your time or money on this film.

Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? (2008)

Highly recommended for anyone interested in life in the Middle East

[10/10 · 18 April 2008]

This is one of the most interesting films in a long time. Morgan goes to several Middle East countries, including Afghanistan, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to interview the average person on the street mostly to get their views on Osama Bin Laden.

We get a glimpse of people in these countries to get their views on Osama including all ages, young and old. Some westerners may be surprised at the views of most people in these countries which is quite different than many people believe There is also a look at the topography and landmarks of some of the countries. If you want to see what people are like in these countries this film is hard to beat. This is a 10 star film.

The Rape of Europa (2006)

An interesting look at lots of great art work

[8/10 · 27 May 2007]

This film tells about the policy of the Nazis toward the art and culture of various countries they occupied.

It tells that Hitler and especially Goring were personally interested in great works of art. They took it from the countries they conquered and from individual art collections. There is also a quick look at some art work done by Hitler himself when he was an art student and aspiring artist.

The picture shows what steps countries took to protect their art work from the Nazis. Museums in France, Russia, Italy and other countries crated and shipped their art work to hiding places, a huge job as statues like Michelangelo's David and the Winged Victory from the Louvre any many others were protected and put into crates.

In the process we get to see a quick peek at some great art work from the Louvre, the Hermitage, Florence,and other places. If you are interested in the history of this time, this is an interesting documentary with some interesting art to see.

The Namesake (2006)

A glimpse into another culture

[9/10 · 25 March 2007]

This was an interesting peek into Bengali culture. Although the story was about a couple who immigrated to the U.S. to raise a family, the most interesting part was learning about some aspects of Bengali culture. The wedding scenes and other scenes of Bengali culture were quite interesting and spectacular - this is apparently not a low budget movie.

It was also interesting to see the attitude of their children who are brought up in America and how in turn their children are brought up.

There may be some minor faults with the movie, bur if there were it did not interfere with learning more about Bengali culture, something we don't see much of in the U.S. This is well worth seeing for those who are interested in the culture. Judging from the reaction of the not-always-easy-to-please San Francisco audience, they mostly liked it too.

The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Fictional thriller

[5/10 · 14 October 2006]

I went to this movie hoping to learn more about Idi Amin, but there is not much to learn about him here. The movie focuses in on a paranoid, Caligula-like character. There is nothing about how he got and held on to power and practically nothing about what he stood for.

There is however lots of excitement - this is the same director who did "Touching the Void" - a completely different subject, but filled with lots of excitement and suspense. That is the only attraction in this movie.

There is lots of violence and some sex, but anyone hoping to learn any history from this film will be disappointed.

The Far Side of the Moon (2003)

Awful - can't figure out what this picture is about

[1/10 · 16 February 2006]

I could not understand what this picture was about. It has something to do with the relationship between 2 brothers and their deceased mother. One brother is interested in outer space and the other is a weatherman on TV. If there is a plot to this picture it went over my head and apparently others as well because some of the audience walked out during the picture.

This comment requires 10 lines of text but there is so little to say about this picture that I can't think of that much text. Certainly this is one of the most boring films I have seen in years. It is hard to understand how this film made it into any movie theater.

Ballets Russes (2005)

Splendid - a do not miss for ballet fans (and others)

[10/10 · 11 November 2005]

This is certainly one of the best films in a long time. Although ballet fans will enjoy it, others will as well. It received a big round of applause from the audience.

It is full of art, humor and extremely interesting characters. It is mostly the history of the Ballets Russes as well as other interesting stories about ballet. Practically without exception all of the characters interviewed in the film were interesting and most with a great sense of humor.

There were many enjoyable and moving clips of the dancers when they were younger, now most of them in their 80's. It is enough to move even the most hardened movie goers. I include this as one of the best films I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot).

Capote (2005)

Depressing and overrated

[6/10 · 23 October 2005]

Aside from how he wrote the book "In Cold Blood" there was very little else about the life and work of Truman Capote. Overall, the film was very depressing and only showed a small part of Capote's life.

The actor who played Capote seems to have over acted. Since Truman Capote was a serious writer it is hard to believe he always behaved in the way he is depicted in this film. When he was alive he sometimes appeared in public to be intoxicated but it is hard to believe that a person in this condition could have written as much and as well as Capote did.

Also the actor sometimes overdid Capote's southern accent, making it hard to understand what he is saying some of the time - I thought the film could use subtitles in some parts.

My Mother's Smile (2002)

Interesting

[8/10 · 11 September 2005]

This is an interesting film which purports to show how candidates for sainthood are chosen and how related parties can have an influence. A woman is being considered for sainthood, but her son thinks of her as anything but a saint and is surprised that so many people want to make her a saint. It is because most of them have something to gain from it. Some of her relatives want her to be a saint because being a relative of a saint can have personal benefits.

The only fault I noticed is that the English subtitles could have been clearer - often the subtitles are shown a light background making it hard to read although I was able to read enough to get an idea of what the picture was about.

Machuca (2004)

Interesting and mostly true story

[9/10 · 17 July 2005]

This is the story of the rich versus poor at the time of the 1973 military junta in Chile which took out Salvador Allende and replaced him with a military junta headed by Pinochet.

Two young school boys, one rich and one poor, befriend each other. The rich one invites the poor one, Pedro Machuca, into his world of relative wealth. Machuca enjoys it and takes to it like a fish to water. However, changing political events in Chile change their relationship as the military takes over things.

A good film, almost documentary like, which gives us a much better view of the events in Chile. Because of the political nature of the film and because Chile remains friends with the U.S. it seems unlikely it will play in most places in the U.S. Hopefully they will come out with a DVD eventually, but so far none in sight.

King of the Corner (2004)

Boring

[3/10 · 19 June 2005]

It is hard to tell just what the point of this film is. It seems it is about an advertising agency and the people working in the agency. It is also about the relationship of the star (Peter Reigert) with his father (Eli Wallach) who is in a nursing home in Arizona. It also has bits and pieces of other stories, the relationship of Reigert's daughter with her boyfriend and other trivia.

My impression is that the writer wanted to make a movie, but did not have a story to keep the audience interested for an hour and a half so he seemed to try other ways to draw an audience by including such big names as Rita Moreno, Isabella Rosselini, Eli Wallach. He also made most of the principal characters Jewish, perhaps in hopes of drawing a bigger audience to a trivial film.

I saw this picture in San Francisco, a city with a large movie going audience and the theater was almost empty. Although I did hear one woman laugh, most of the sparse audience appeared to be bored with the film.

Mad Hot Ballroom (2005)

May change school curriculum throughout the country

[9/10 · 21 May 2005]

This is a heart warming and amusing documentary about a ballroom dancing competition between 11 year old students at several New York public schools where ballroom dancing is taught. The kids are taught to dance the merengue, tango, foxtrot and other steps. To merely say it was cute is an understatement.

It begins as the kids start to learn to dance, at first sometimes awkward and bashful, but by the end of the course the kids are transformed into "ladies and gentlemen" (as the teachers refer to them), miniature versions of accomplished ballroom dancers. The children take on many of the aspects of professional adult dancers, moving to the beat of the music, always smiling and making eye contact with their partners while they dance like pros.

This film is likely to cause parents who see it to want their kids to learn too. It will not be surprising if ballroom dancing courses begin to spread in schools through the country.

Independent Lens: Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) Season 8, Episode 22

Vaguely interesting but incomplete

[6/10 · 8 May 2005]

This film was vaguely interesting, but I am still not sure what Enron Corp. was all about. The film gives the impression that Enron made its money by speculating in the commodity market, although they apparently lost in the market more than they won. The company needed money to operate but it is unclear where the money to operate the company came from. There is a minor reference to power plants that they owned (did they actually own them?).

It would have been more complete if they let us know a little more about Enron rather than concentrating only on the wrongdoings of a few individuals.

The role of Wall St. brokers who played a big part in the deception was given minimal exposure in the movie, mostly depicting the brokers as innocent and unknowing although the brokers did not do their "due diligence" in recommending Enron stock to their clients. The film is worth seeing only if you have nothing else to do and nothing better is playing.

The Aviator (2004)

Amateurish, fictional account of part of Howard Hughes life

[1/10 · 28 December 2004]

This film was apparently made to appeal to the lowest common denominator. The most noticeable fault is that much of it is untrue. The movie takes place mostly in the 1940's when Hughes was at the peak of his career. There is very little about his life after that period.

Although much of his private life was personal and not known to the public, this did not stop the film makers from inventing things they didn't know about him. Although there is no reason to think there was anything psychologically wrong with him at that time, the movie makers made him appear as some kind of nut who mumbled to himself and behaved in crazy ways, something that is unsubstantiated and offensive since he was the head of large corporations and did (his company still does) a lot of business with the government, unlikely for a crazy person as he is depicted in this film.

The producers (which include Leonard DiCaprio) apparently took what few bits and pieces of his personal life are known to the public, rearranged them to suit this mostly fictional film, and came up with another trashy Hollywood film.

The acting left much to be desired as well.

The Machinist (2004)

Awful

[1/10 · 16 December 2004]

If this picture has any meaning to it or is trying to make a point about something, I sure didn't get it. The movie doesn't let you know what is happening until the last few minutes of the film, so it requires that you sit through almost an hour and a half wondering what is going on.

The dark gloomy atmosphere, together with the dark gloomy characters in the film help make it even more unpleasant. We know something is going on, but there is no hint of it until the movie is over.

Also, the principal character was unbelievable. The main character is said to have lost over 60 pounds for this part and he certainly looks skinny, but I have to wonder why it was necessary, except possibly publicity, since this film doesn't have much else going for it.

Good Bye Lenin! (2003)

Interesting, charming and well worth seeing

[9/10 · 1 April 2004]

This is a charming film, with lots to laugh at, but also lots of touching moments. The credibility of the plot might be stretched a little, but it was presented very well. There were lots of moments where I thought it would be tough for the screen play writers to get the characters out of the different situations they keep finding themselves in, but it all worked out perfectly. I recommend this to anyone who would like a pleasant story with somewhat of a true background.

The principal character develops a taste for pickles - since then I have been shopping for pickles every time I go in the supermarket, trying to find the brand she liked so much, but no luck in finding them.

Gloomy Sunday (1999)

Excellent and unforgettable

[10/10 · 6 February 2004]

This is not an ordinary love story, although love is always lurking in the background. It begins in Budapest in the 1930's and tells the (partially true) story of a restaurant owner, his girlfriend and the pianist who plays in the restaurant.

There are so many holocaust and war stories I was not expecting this one to be different, but it certainly is. The charming characters, unpredictable events and surprise ending make this one stand out. The story takes unexpected twists and turns which kept my attention throughout the movie. I was sorry to see it end.

I thought that using the title of the featured song, "Gloomy Sunday" as the title of the movie might keep some people from seeing it. If you can forget about the word "gloomy" and enjoy pictures from this period, this is one you should see.

War and Peace (1965)

One of the best films ever made

[11 January 2004]

If there is any fault with this 7 hour movie, I didn't see it. This is an historical epic movie made in the old Soviet Union in 1968 with a cast of thousands.

The director did not overlook any detail - there are some unforgettable scenes, including Napoleon and his troops marching into Moscow to survey his conquest, a spectacular ballroom scene which has stuck in my mind for the past 30 years, unbelievable battle scenes, great acting, and much more.

This film is especially good for history buffs and for all who enjoy great artistic achievement.