Change Your Image
dangeroussway
Reviews
Kris (1946)
Good debut
Ingmar Bergman's directorial debut, this features many elements that would later become trademark of his work, including dark, brooding characters and strong female-lead performances.
This reads very much like a play, because it's based off one, but Bergman makes it as cinematic as possible, especially with use of real outside locations.
There always seems to be an undercurrent awareness of the dark sides of humanity, even when not explicitly showing it.
This movie displays an emphasis of it being a slice of life story of a small town- depicting those values of the comfort of traditional family life vs. The evil of modern big city life.
Early on it shows teens playing what sounded like rock n Roll (almost ten years before it was a thing), while the adults listen to a woman singing opera, showing the divide of the children from the adults.
Mom and Dad (1945)
Surprisingly progressive!
Billed as an educational product by Hygienic Productions- this film is surprisingly progressive! Viewing pearl-clutching mothers very critically and being firmly anti-abstinance-only education and pro-knowledge, this seems like the antithesis to Reefer Madness with actual awareness of reality and a willingness to say the parents are to blame for their children's ignorance.
The narrative half of this movie has some genuinely good character dynamics; a believable brother-sister relationship, one character that is the picture of sleazy fuckboys and a teacher that only wants the best for his students. It also deals with attempted suicide and frank discussions of sex.
The educational half has some shocking moments, most famously depicting actual footage of live human births, including a C-Section that is just as graphic now as it was then. Also images of venereal diseases with uncensored footage of infected penises and vaginas- it's so impactful to see it in a mainstream movie in the mid-40's!
There is some strange musical tones this movie has, like the music is so classic-Hollywood, it clashes with the realism the film is trying to convey, it seems to attempt to drown out the sorrow the main actress has when she realizes she's pregnant and other realistic dramatic and brutal moments.
Still a genuinely provocative movie for its time and now!
Star Wars (1977)
Lucas ruined a great thing
There's been so much said about this movie. The expansive lore that came from this film is stuff of legend. Probably one if the largest franchises in all of cinema history. With all that hype, does it hold up? I'd say yes!
This could be the perfect movie; it's never boring, each scene is distinctive and memorable and the events transition into each other seamlessly. The music is incredible, the production and set design is jaw-dropping with the world it created. The characters are likable.
The framing device of being from the point of view of C3PO and R2-D2 and we essentially follow them the entire time but they're not even the main characters is insane.
Side note- there's a lot of anti-droidism, almost an allegory for slavery and classism- in this that I don't think gets talked about enough.
This movie really does have much to discuss and appreciate- the big bad taste in my mouth though is the only way this film is now officially released is the awful edit George Lucas did in the late '90's. He effectively ruined the experience of this movie and stopped any legal way to watch in its original form. This brings it down a lot.
Pinocchio (1940)
Creepy Children's Classic
I've seen this many times as a kid, back then it wondered and terrified me!
Now it still instills me with wonder and definitely has that creep factor!
From the very start of the film, the intro music evokes a magical feeling into When You Wish Upon a Star, which still holds up as one of Disney's best songs.
This is Disney's second feature and the animation is already stupendous! The detail and intricate compositions are amazing to behold- such as the myriad of clock designs in Gepetto's workshop. I love that scene and how each clock has a different rhythm with the music. It's something I remember enjoying a lot as a kid.
The 20 minutes before Pinocchio is even a character is so warm and endearing with how Jiminy Cricket interacts with the room and Gepetto having fun with Figaro, his cat and Cleo, his fish.
Gepetto is totally a Disney princess btw with how he talks to Figaro and Cleo and they totally understand.
The boys getting turned into donkeys at Pleasure Island was rather psychologically horrific tbh and the sequence with Lampwick transforming was very well done and effectively shocking.
Another thing that terrified me as a child was Monstro the whale. Even now that thing is intense. The sound of its sneezes are so fierce and intimidating.
A lot of the film has an air of positivity, coupled with a sense of danger. There is an obvious sense of wanting the viewer to know that certain values are good and certain behaviors are bad- so it can be said that this is a preachy movie. Despite the preachyness- the music, the animation, the characters and wonderful detail make this an amazing movie for me.