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Reviews
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead (2010)
Too much hand waving from an incredibly privileged Australian
The only way to convince people who are science savvy is to provide them with empirical data to back up the claims made. In this documentary the assertion that drinking vegetables and fruits cleanses the body. Why wasn't benchmarks to qualify the cleanse was actually working? Feeling better and healthier are subjective and ambiguous. When individuals are obese weight loss can serve as a benchmark but for non-obese people losing weight isn't necessarily a good thing and in most cases it is bad, especially if more than 1 pound per week.
Beyond this Mr. Cross described his lifestyle as one of excess. Drinking too much, smoking cigars, not resting well, overworking. These are HUGE factors in one's health and they were barely mentioned in the film.
The fundamental problems here are 2 things.
1. Excess. Binge drinking alcohol, neglecting sleep & exercise and frequently eating fast food.
2. Balance. Drinking liquid anything long term is bad because its not balanced. Metabolism will be slowed down tremendously and when you return to actual food the weight will mostly likely return.
The 2 characters in the movie are not at all relatable to most people. Not many people are or meet millionaires who can take months off work to juice fast in another continent.
I'm also curious to what his diet was like after the juice fast ended.
Closer (2004)
Spurts of entertainment in an ultimately miserable story
This movie is exclusively for adults, I can't see how it would appeal to anyone else.
*Spoliers ahead* All of the main characters are spineless for the exception of Larry. Although rash, Larry's character is the only truly honest person in the entire movie. While the other characters swim to find their true desires Larry never faltered or withheld like the others did (especially Dan (Law)).
Its hard for the viewer to have sympathy for such poorly developed relationships. All we are shown are the milestones each couple experiences and nothing in between. Certain things simply are not plausible when their visual presentation is omitted. The audience has no choice but to believe that Alice (Portman) used to be/is a heroine addict and that Dan went from a hackneyed obituary writer to a published author in just 2 years despite no personality/character changes whatsoever.
The heated dialogue the characters have with each other is the saving grace of the movie. This is the only time the characters seem real to me. As the movie progresses the arguments/conversations get more brutal and more honest, each time more and more truth is revealed.
The final piece is left up to the viewer who decides which character was the most deceptive. The characters are left scarred and wounded and any prolonged happiness between any of them is largely suspect.
7/10
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
One the best and surprisingly deep movies ever made
I just saw this movie today and despite being released almost 40 years ago it still blew me away. Paul Newman showed his acting chops like a champion, a flawless performance by Newman playing a crafty and congenial prisoner in the south.
On the surface of this movie you see how one man repeatedly pays for the mistakes he makes. Look closer at what is going on with the main character and you will see Luke struggling to understand human idealogy and his own spirituality. The songs played in the movie do a lot to reinforce the theology struggle.
Spoilers: The fight scene where Luke is forced to fight Dragline is a moment of brilliance. Something Coppola borrowed from heavily to make Raging Bull with.
The car wash scene is unfadable. Sir Mix A Lot! We know now who was the first to "Put em on the glass" on camera!
The Clash: Westway to the World (2000)
One of the best band documentaries ever made
Its amazing to me how well this documentary was made with absolutely no narration whatsoever outside the band members or key people involved with the clash. In that respect its truly unique and innovative.
For anyone that wants to learn more about what empowered The Clash early on until the implosion and ultimate end of the band this is the movie for you. Great live footage and interviews with all the band members chalk full of interesting stories and facts about the early punk scene and music in general. Loads of extras also on the DVD version including a full catalog of all recorded music.
4 out of 4 stars, I highly recommend this anyone with avid music enthusiasm.
Diarios de motocicleta (2004)
The essence of the movie is great but not real enough to be taken seriously
Overall I liked this movie but the lack of realistic representations of the subjugated people Guevara and Granado encountered on their journey through South America left me unsettled. Glossed over identification of the evil doers didn't help either, "rich people", "The Spaniards" were not poignant enough to convey the true weight of their influence. At no point were any governments mentioned which at the time and still today is the achilles heel to freedom and justice of most countires in Latin America. I can understand why this movie did not delve into politics but not mentioning it at all in the seminal story of "Che Guevara" is unacceptable.
Great acting however, and wonderful imagery of some of the most beautiful landscape and people on earth. My only guess as to why this movie lacked an edge to it was to appeal to a much larger audience.