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hursit_host
Reviews
Youth (2015)
Awful script with very nice view
Poor characters, cliché story, terrible dialogue. I feel like I wasted 2 hours of my good time.
I guess cinema fans find it really hard to not like Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel, especially when they are this old and look very wise, sagelike.
I guess everybody has a similar expectancy when it is a movie about old age and youth and life... it has to have some wisdom. And the film tries to fulfill this, poorly. It is full of one-phrase self- help wisdom more apt for twitter than for a work of art. Dialogues like: "when you are young everything seems so close (looking through the telescope) that is the future... when you are old everything seems far (looking through the other side of the telescope) that is the past..."
It doesn't even make any sense. And the movie is full of this. Most of the dialogue is either that or just pure nonsense. Sounds very wise at first and when you think about it a minute it's total bull.
Yes Michael Caine can make a scene come alive, but there is no real character development apart from some very worn clichés like the unattached musician who can't relate to the world (I do music because music doesn't need words, just emotions, I don't understand the world, I understand music) And there is no development to his desicions he makes and the changes he goes through. But after all he is an actor and doesn't make a difference how good is and actor if the story is a non-story.
And all the supporting characters... they don't support the story. There is Maradona (obviously) staying at the hotel and he has quite long scenes. I don't see what he has to do with anything. But even the more complex characters like the movie star staying at the hotel, doesn't support the story. Just comes in, blurts out some self-help wisdom and goes out. Same as the "miss universe" that comes in saying "she loves robot movies" and turns into a psychoanalyst in 20 seconds and blurts out some more self-help and out she goes only to come back to expose her entire body naked some minutes later.
I actually thought of giving it a 4 out of 10 just out of respect for the very good acting... but then again, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone except to give an example of bad dialogue writing and still it would be a waste of time.
Jimmy's Hall (2014)
Did Ken Loach finally went for the siren's call?
Of course Loach is a master of directing already. And he is getting better looking, prettier movies every time. But I wonder if he is getting softer on political issues? We see a really serious political conflict is watered down to something like Footloose. So they open a dancing hall and the church opposes it, than the owner gets deported... twice. For only wanting to dance!
Well Jimmy here IS a political figure and actually he IS a communist in all his ideas except he didn't enlist in the communist party. Why else would they want him to gather the people when they want to take back the house of a poor family when it is taken by the landlord? Would that be because he own a dance hall?
People don't only dance, sing and paint in that hall. They read and discuss and politically organize there. When the church says "education" is in it's hands, it is not like they don't know it so innocently. They know that the church have a monopoly over education and culture... and they know the church is in bed with the rich folks and the British. And they are well aware they are defying it. The hall is the cultural extension of the civil war. And all the people attending it are political activists well aware of their actions. Not just fighting for their right to party.
Here goes the disgusting liberal thought that political activist and revolutionaries cannot have fun... basically; political is not fun. As if you have to choose one or another.
I don't really think all movies always have to have so deep meaning and a political stand. I also watch Ironman to pass time. But that IS what I expect of Ken Loach. When it says Ken Loach on the title, I actually expect something to shake me to my core. I am truly disappointed in him for watering down his ideals to get more mass appeal. (or whatever reason, but this reminds me of the Chumbawamba song: Love me, I'm a liberal!)
Spoiler: "we will keep on dancing Jimmy!" "Yeah, I'll send you money to throw a party..." Well it IS retiring time for Mister Loach.
The Way Back (2010)
anti-communist propaganda sells movies
I was very disturbed about the one-sidedness of the otherwise great movie. It was an epic human adventure. Just let alone the politics and show the human side on the movie. The good point is, that aspect IS actually on the movie. But when you get into politics, the lack of objectivity bothers me a lot. Stalin is just as much hated in Hollywood as Hitler. With forgetting Russia suffered the most by the world war II and Stalin damaged hitlers powers the most, and after all it was Stalin's forces that destroyed Hitler. I am not trying to create sympathy, I am just trying to balance the over- biased view. There were innocent people falsely accused in the gulags, yes. There were people politically critical or the regime falsely accused of spying, yes. And then there were real spies and conspirors, lots of them! (from Germany, US and Japan) But to show the prison full of completely innocent people? As I said, hating Stalin is easy. And obviously, it is an easy formula to sell movies to add some anti-communist propaganda. (just like the old recipe of sex and violence)
Other than that, great movie, great acting, great plot. Even everybody speaking in English is not really disturbing. Well, only a fool would expect an objective movie from Hollywood about communist Russia anyway. Objectivity would seem as sympatizing with communism. But the film could just leave the propaganda altogether, cut those parts completely and still be full and rich.