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mtjoeng
Reviews
Cartel Land (2015)
Get armed or get raped, is that the question?
Cartel Land (2015) conquered Sundance for best documentary and director. Contrasting the peoples 'Autodefensas' militia in their Mexico Michoacán region, battle the Knights Templar drug cartel versus the upset white Arizona Border Recon 'vigilantes' patrolling the Arizona border.
Ignore the handful of reviews by viewers of this documentary or the dozens by professional film critiquers. This documentary is of unbiased quality, it shows the naked - and rather bipolar - actuality.
The present topicality is what seems to be a struggle between a distrusted, corrupt and bought Mexican government trying to reign in the power of the Mexican self-defense militias and arresting their leaders for possessing unregistered weaponries.
'When we captured criminals we turned them over to the federal authorities. But the authorities set them free with their guns and armor. And they started shooting and massacring us 24 hours later.' But then, needing funding for their upkeep, the now regulated 'Autodefensas' with a new leader started protecting their own meth cookers 'we can't help it because inevitably everyone here has gone corrupted'.
So a new cycle of drugs manufacture and protection has started in the Michoacán region, minus the rape, kidnappings and murder. A handful of volunteers joined the Arizona Border Recon.
Dirty Weekend (2015)
New York actors movie situated in a Albuquerque layover, great performance from Alice Eve when she warms up
Has too low a rating of very few people when I write this review, deserves more. Maybe because the story is somewhat un-American, minor references to uncommon sex and all that. Where the mise-en-scene and a humdrum title translates in underacting, perhaps to the disappointment of an expectant but misguided demographic, not expecting acting but enactment.
Alice Eve, plays antagonist business sales colleague Natalie, the somewhat aloof Brit girl 'everyone in the office wants to f^%k but not me' our confused, married and square protagonist proclaims.
Matthew Broderick's acting is really Matthew Broderick's acting, and never falls short. Alice Eve has a slow start, where perhaps the direction is to blame. When the story progresses she transforms from the plastic impersonation of a stereotype Brit professional woman to the warm sometimes-vulnerable girly person in great stride, quite smoothly and with a great performance.
This is a 'New York style' actors movie with really just two actors. Phil Burke did good in his the cameo-like 'Cabbie' appearance. There is no further production value whatsoever.
Alice Eve is a genuine gem in this one.
Kundun (1997)
Shamans and Science
With close study and observation, concerning the Tibetan People, I have come to consider, that not so much Buddhism has come to Tibet, and created the likes of what can be seen all over, people in want of spiritual guidance or protection from the horrors of life, but that this particular multitude, the Tibetan People and with the whole of their Sprit World, truly converted to, and thus became, a true Buddhist People, a living Body, a Disciple of the teaching of Gautama Buddha.
If you watch Kundun, the 1997 "official" story of the present Dalai Lama, notice the Shaman, the fortune teller. When possessed, he speaks in an 'ancient' tongue, very different from the Tibetan language. Notice the Dalai Lama is completely at easy when the Shaman, and this Shaman being in his usual rather frightening state of traced possession, comes near to the Dalai Lama. The Shaman, notice this, in his rather terrifying state, imagine yourself being present, is considered a completely 'normal' part of the Dalai Lama's reality, as a familiar face, a 'good' spirit, a close adviser from beyond.
Also, notice, that in consideration to the Dalai Lama reincarnation, there is no 'superstitious belief system' at work, rather, a 'scientific method' is practiced by the official monks, in their search for the Dalai Lama reincarnation. "Who's object is this?" they ask the small child, a trick question. And later; "Please pick the objects that belonged to you", when they present the small child with a multitude in variety of the same objects, laid out in front of him on the tabletop. This is a method of objective interrogation, this is a method of pure want for discarding false positives. This is a people who do Not want to be Fooled. And take their measures accordingly.
This is also a People, one can expect, that through their homage, daily, hour by hour, truly expressing their joy of having become part of the teachings of the Gautama Buddha, and when one looks closely, of submitting, or rather of a total submersion of the whole body of the Tibetan people, in this belief system, this Body of Works, and that sprouted from the Buddha teachings towards Sangha 'the way of the monks', this People that is led by its Order of Monks, that this Attracted guiding Spirits, Spirits for Protection, Spirits for Healing, etc.
And that in this arose from the High Planes and Mountains of Tibet a People that always surrounded themselves, submerged themselves, with not only a new Guiding principle, but also kept close at hart, all the time and intensely, the roaming spirits of their ancestry, and their whole existing Cosmology of Sooth Sayers and Shamans. And they would not be fooled. Not only was reincarnation not just a belief to be believed, or a dogma to be preached at or be submitted to, no, so truly pure is their belief system, that though however vast this edifice of Tibetan society was build, they would risk it all, every time again, when in search for their newly incarnated Dalai Lama.
Can their be second thoughts to this? The occurrence of very ill behaving Dalai Lama's in the past (and 'forgiven' by the people), and today's ill fortune of the Tibetan People brought upon them by the Republic of China (and foretold I'm told) must make one reflect, not only of the amazing character of the Tibetan People through hardship and misfortune, but also one would wish to comment them to the extend of advise.
That theirs is a truly admirable culture and character, and that one prays with them towards spirits that might want to protect them, that though the impenetrable Laws of Karma and Dharma are always right, because that is their definition, the Buddhist still must show the perseverance and true self disregard towards a future that involves their emancipation and liberation, and must include true self reflection about their place in the order of Things.
And that their efforts deserve the attention through out, through out all of the human race, their quest and the happenstance for any Truth unveiled, and never to be veiled, disguised or bent, and such is the Teaching of Buddha that such is the Path towards Enlightenment.