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Reviews
Punch (2022)
Homophobic town gore
Three stars for Conan Hayes and occasionally Jordan Osterhof. Conan and his character pull this film from the unthinkable, unwatchable disaster it is.
Punch. The telltale name suggests you will get quite a literate intellectual and emotional punch delivered just to your door, with no delay.
Do the producers get off on the violence they bring on screen? How many more hate crimes do we have to depict in such meticulous snd thought-out detail, how many more scenes of despicable fights, misery and human atrocities do we have to stuff the cinematic legacy with? The blood gushing out, the bone breaking fist fights, the heinous rape with no warning, any other monstrosity that comes to mind? Rest assured, it's in this film.
I believe LGBTQ+ representation on film should be done cognizant of what came before, as well as how the content being produced influences the present what it insinuates. Upon watching "Punch" I can hardly imagine the idea behind the work, other than bringing some good-old hardcore violence, yet again making the queer people watching and everyone else involved feel awful. Why? And while the small-town homophobic gore plot has already been used in a million other productions, there is a way to depict such struggle (emotional and physical!) without imposing on the viewer the gut-wrenching scenery for most of the movie.
Living in such environments is extremely isolating and emotionally debilitating, which unfortunately is not nearly shown in "Punch". The sweet openly gay Maori student enjoys his life in a remote hut, frequently walking around the town not caring what other people think. He finds a friend in a macho competitive boxing highschooler. While the nature is breathtaking and there is great chemistry between the lead actors, the film is broken down by choppy and redundant cinematography.
I wish this movie showed an endearing love story of two young teens exploring the world in spite of the constraints of a close-minded reality, but it fails to connect the dots.
Spoiler Alert (2022)
Shatters your heart and opens it up for more love.
After two completely addicted watches of Spoiler Alert, with many tissues used and tears shed, I realize what an understatement it was to think this would be a light christmassy movie. (Yes, I read the title)
It was all-consuming, raw and incredibly emotional to see this autobiographical story on screen with commendable work of Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge, handled with great care, chemistry and integrity.
I think these movies are important to see and feel, and for me they are not too sad. They're life: imperfect, full of emotions across the entire spectrum, they're fate with chances, coincidences and fated encounters.
I think this story found me and I can't wait to bury myself in the memoir of Michael Ausiello. I'm grateful for everyone's effort to bring this personal piece of life into the world, and especially Michael Ausiello's courage and strength to go through the excruciating pain again to share a piece of his and Kit's life.
I highly encourage you to watch Spoiler Alert, especially if you loved the love story of Holding The Man.
Spoiler Alert along with the inspiring and thought-provoking real life story of Michael Ausiello and Kit Cowan will forever have a special place in my heart, and is definitely something I'm so grateful to have encountered in 2023.
Les amours imaginaires (2010)
A Bittersweet Waste of Time
Heartbeats is a movie where slow motion and filling scenes take up more than half of its entire length. Vaguely following the triangle of tension between the three leads, it also includes random cuts from a few random people discussing relationships and breakups, and peculiar sec scenes in green/blue/red light which take away from the movie's already missing substance.
I love Xavier Dolan's work and his acting, but perhaps this movie doesn't offer anything more than a background noise.
For 1h40min it has max 10 minutes of tension, all scattered throughout the piece.
This is not about love, neither is it about heartbreak, throuples or love triangles!
To End All War: Oppenheimer & the Atomic Bomb (2023)
A credible, insightful account of the A-Bomb Creation and the People behind it.
I knew there were two 2023 Oppenheimers to watch and it was a matter of what I choose first. The Christopher Nolan's 3 hour creation did not live up to our expectations with muffled dialogue and a completely nonlinear depiction of events.
To End All War: Oppenheimer &The Atomic Bomb, on the other hand, is a clearcut documentary with archived footage and a beginning to end, up to date history of what it meant to create a weapon of mass destruction, a feat of science, technology and human intelligence.
It touches on the morality and ethics behind the monumental project and the life of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer after his famous achievement, revealing his complex nature and lifelong guilt.
A must watch in today's world, worth every minute of your time to watch a group of experts, Charles Oppenheimer - Dr. Oppenheimer's grandson and the Hiroshima bombing survivor and activists retelling one of the most important historical events and calling for peace.
"As long as men are free to ask what they must, free to say what they think, free to think what they will, freedom can never be lost and science can never regress."
Arrête avec tes mensonges (2022)
An inspiring devine story of time-surpassing love
Lie With Me is a complex story of human character and life in all forms, told by a skillful artist with simple brush strokes. This film explores first love, lust, grief, sexuality and society in a natural and organic way, taking you along two opposite lives ending up in two opposite places. Yet, as everything in life, they're tightly intertwined. One does not exist without the other.
Lie With Me feels fresh because it doesn't single out coming out nor struggles of a same-sex relationship, instead focusing on the entire lives of two people in love, and showing how vastly different they may be. It is not a typical story of grief, which made it even more special. There's great chemistry between Stéphane and the son of his lover - they're pulled to each other for their own personal reasons and having come full circle, provide each other with closure and long lost answers.
I think everyone should watch this movie, because it's a story of life - perfect, flawed and beautiful.
I most liked the message behind Lie With Me: to be authentic, daring and live your truth. You're making the world a better place by being You.
Qu'est-ce qu'on a tous fait au Bon Dieu ? (2021)
Hilarious, lighthearted and sweet! Worth every watch!
I've finally finished the whole trilogy, and it didn't fail to make me laugh out loud from the start to finish! Every movie has a different theme, and even though I found getting to know the Verneuil family the funniest at the begging (Qu'est-ce qu'on a tous fait au Bon Dieu 1), the following sequels did not disappoint. We met their extended families-in-law, the children, their cultures and parents. Even through the highs and lows, in the end, you can't help but feel endearment towards Mr and Mrs Verneuil and their life they've built over the 40 years, still living with love and affection.
On a side note, I wish there was no replacement of the original actress playing one of the daughters.
Hjartasteinn (2016)
Sharp, tragic and repulsive, yet authentic and sensual.
I watched Heartstone yesterday night, and since then, have been pondering the experience it brings outside the screen. It is controversial in its contents and gay rating, yet extremely authentic with the true to life portrayal of living in a close-minded static village.
I agree with the reviews: this movie is not for the faint hearted and definitely not for a lighthearted chill night. It deals with heavy-hearted topics of suicide, violence, dysfunction, toxic environment, self loathing and alienation.
It's the slowest movie I've seen and had to skip the occasional focus on disgusting animal violence and other repulsive activities. Yet, this is how life is in many places across the globe, and sadly the reality teenagers have to grapple with. Heartstone opens up and digs deep into the conflicting reality of life in these places.
There is not much dialogue - most of the movie is portrayed through futile touches, stares and silence...
All in all, this movie is a heavy one and presents a coming of age with subtle themes of homosexuality. I wish it explored it more in depth, but once again, watching Heartstone IS like staying in this village and witnessing everything before your eyes - you won't find much gayness and openness there. It calls for you to think, wonder and hope. It calls for change.
Growing up in this ample toxicity and stiffness brings up children like Thor and the violent kids at the playground and bars. I believe Thor does not do well with confronting his own feelings and analyzing the environment - way too many times he leads on Christian, abandons him and amplifies his angst with painful jokes. Thor finally wakes up after a tragedy, but is that enough? The silence and a peck on the forehead for a friend who lived through one of the most traumatic life events. Thor's sexuality is pushed to exploration by his artsy sister, yet it does nothing. He's a tough closed off boy with years of bottled up feelings. I wish he devoted more time to vocalizing his love, platonic or not, to Christian, seeing him experience immense personal struggle; to comforting him and being his support system. I felt more for Christian than anyone in this movie.
Finally, the open ending. I believe it's more than "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger" - after all, Christian does attempt taking his own life. It's Thor observing a little boy, a mini him - fishing and instead of collecting it, letting it go back into the sea. Letting it flee to freedom. The rotting fish serves as a clear metaphor for the life in the village - closed off, sour, gray and repulsive. Yet let the fish free - move away like Christian, start a new life - and you have hope for a better life, a chance to free yourself.
Primos (2019)
Cute, sweet and just a little freaky to hook you!
I watched this movie in one sitting and I must say I loved every second of it. It's an excellent comedy with killer dark ish humour and a touching, sincere romance with sparkling chemistry. The irony of everything in this movie is pure joy.
The boys are beautiful together and them being distant cousins spices it up just enough. "Cousins" did feel a bit surreal closer to the end with so much happening, but it's definitely a desired happy ending. A special place in my heart deserves the soundtrack of this movie, because it is gorgeous and accurately captures the vibe throughout the film.
Cute, weird and freaky (in a good way) - watch Cousins when you wanna add some laid-back fun to your day!