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sophiej468
Reviews
Hereafter (2010)
brave and thoughtful
After reading a number of professional reviews, I begin to wonder if there really is a "conspiracy of silence" about the NDE. Not one reviewer mentioned the decades-long research of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, the Swiss psychiatrist (sound familiar?)who did this pioneer work scientifically, without woo-woo psychics. In a tribute after her 2004 death, Dr. Sherwin Nuland, clinical professor of surgery at Yale University and author of How We Die, wrote in Time magazine that "her 1969 blockbuster, On Death and Dying, {was}written at a time when the topic was rarely discussed in public and studiously avoided at the bedside."
As a retired journalist who experienced an NDE, I'm astounded by the closed minds which declare this a bad movie and an implausible story. No, it isn't a perfect movie, but it's brave and thoughtful and well worth seeing if you're mindful.
It would be nice if people would stop saying it's the product of an 80-year-old man facing his own mortality: Like all movies, it's the product of a team.
Bottle Shock (2008)
pretty cute,
although full of unnecessary fiction. It's very loosely "based on a true story," but it was very nice to see those early days of Napa Valley wineries, when it was a lot less pretentious. Miguel Sandoval's few moments are priceless, although I wonder why his character, Mr. Garcia, has a different name from his son, Gustavo Brambila. Does anyone know if that's common in Mexico or if Gustav will was using his mother's name, or if Mr. Garcia was one of the invented characters? Whatever, he was a treat, as Sandoval always is. The tiny role was a terrible waste of his talents; I hope he enjoyed himself on location :-)
Dead Like Me: Life After Death (2009)
it's over, people
as every DLM fan knows,things change. There comes a time to let it go, don't look back, move on. It's just a shame that the amateurs got hold of this, since they clearly don't understand what reaping is all about or what any reasonable end to this story would be. Actually, they do get it in their handling of Mandy Patinkin's unavailability to replay Rube, but apparently they weren't listening to themselves or they would have known how to deal with the absence of Laura Harris. Sarah Wynter is probably a perfectly nice person and decent actress but she is not the Daisy we came to love/hate. not even close. Henry Cusick as the new head reaper is as slimy as the script wants him to be, but what kind of warped sensibility wanted him to be that? It's lovely to see the grown up Britt McKillip, and making un-George a whole lot more attractive should have been done in the first place. Otherwise, nothing to see here, move along.
The House of Yes (1997)
theater of the absurd is so over
this 1997 film of an earlier play is the proof. there's just too much real absurdity going on. Genevieve Bujold as the disconnected mother is the best thing in it, but these days, that isn't saying much, because so many people are disconnected. What there is of a plot about sibling incest and insanity is today totally predictable. A few (too few)funny lines. no one seems to know quite what to do with Parker Posey, except Christopher Guest, in his wonderful mockumentaries, in which she's very funny. Here, she just seems strained. Tori Spelling is quite appealing as the only normal character, a donut shop waitress who lands in a pretentious upscale family.
Cadillac Records (2008)
a misunderstood triumph
it's amazing how so many users and critics complain that Phil Chess isn't in the movie-- he's in at least two scenes, in one of which he brings Etta James to meet Leonard. And it's amazing that so many think Cadillac Records should contain the complete biographies of every musician who recorded for them. You want a 200 hour movie? There's a reason the very talented Darnell Martin gave it that title; that's what it's about. Of course it's not the complete history of black music or rock 'n roll. It's one little piece, and beautifully done, although it can't do more than hint at some of the skulduggery and tragedy of the music industry. There's plenty of material there for another couple of dozen movies. I can't wait to see Ms. Martin's other work.
Smoke Signals (1998)
Deserves more attention
Writer Sherman Alexie's new book, Flight, is his first in ten years, and would be another terrific movie (my review is at http://lakeconews.com/content/view/2580/42/ if you'd like to read it) and ten years between films is quite long enough. :-)
Smoke Signals gives us an aspect of Native Americans most of us rarely see, their wonderful humor--possibly what saves us white folks from the kind of violent retaliation we see in other occupied lands.
Road movie, rez movie,coming of age--it's all that.
It would be perfect for discussion in film classes or community groups, especially if there are native people in the group to talk about their reactions to it.