As colonialism expands in the jungles of South America, the Indigenous inhabitants engage in trickery, wholeheartedly convincing several of the invaders that a vast city of gold exists deep within, the tale too tantalizing to ignore, soon a diverse outfit departs in pursuit.
Film Reviews
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (Aguirre, the Wrath of God)
Friday, November 15, 2024
We are Zombies
That would be odd if everyone who had ever lived continued to exist until the end of time, spatial limitations and moribund immortality disproportionately confounding spiritual orthodoxies.
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Jubilee
Queen Elizabeth I seeks direct knowledge of the future, and an accommodating angel is summoned, divinely endowed with prophetic precision he graciously enables clairvoyant caricatures, as they travel to a post-apocalyptic future feverishly enamoured with punk rock.
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Fata Morgana
Fascinating to hear so many myths imaginatively delineating nimble creation, so many cultures effectively emphasizing dynastic difference enigmatically sewn.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Storm Boy
An ominous board meeting looms for the former director of a prosperous company, which may result in the industrialization of large verdant swathes of Western Australia.
Friday, November 8, 2024
Raising Arizona
At times, the constructive benefits of living a dull yet productive life, fail to impress the potentially high-rolling illicit transgressive provocative crowd.
Monday, November 4, 2024
Whale Rider
A variable balance between genders and races effectively applied to the function of management, has always seemed natural to me from the observant standpoint of a democratic citizen.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
The Alamo
The classic three colonel quandary this time defending ye olde Alamo, where a lot of good people lost their valiant lives courageously fighting reckless tyranny.
Friday, October 25, 2024
Abigail's Party
There's more to the appreciation of art than the ready-made exemplars designated famous, personal choice and inspirational lounging eclectically factoring in novel unpredictability.
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Chez les beaux parents
The tender affection delicately shared between the loving members of a heartfelt couple, routinely generating awestruck accolades through the nimble art of jocose spontaneity.
Friday, October 18, 2024
Echo à Delta
A loving family convivially engaged routinely embraces lighthearted mischief, as the weeks fly by and the seasons change their open-minded dedication blooms and burgeons.
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Richelieu
I haven't read a Royal Commission on the current state of labour relations in Canada, but I do imagine there are businesses that treat their workers well.
Friday, October 11, 2024
Bis ans Ende der Welt (Until the End of the World)
Fluidly transmitting interactive hybrid tender phenomena, Bis ans Ende der Welt (Until the End of the World) randomly travels around the world.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Alice in den Städten (Alice in the Cities)
A wandering writer discovers photography while driving around the United States, and takes sundry pictures his editor rejects when he attempts to submit them instead of his article.
Friday, October 4, 2024
Beau Travail
A group of dedicated soldiers is professionally assembled in Eastern Africa, and taught to efficiently train in the time honoured art of balanced routine.
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Chocolat
Growing up alone and isolated in a foreign nation while nestled in the country, a young child observes the inner-workings of a French colonial government.
Friday, September 27, 2024
Westfront 1918
I often read about the terrors of the First World War while still at school, of the maniacal desperation consistently felt by its brave and valiant soldiers.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Kameradschaft
A giant coal mine smoothly stretches from Northern France into agile Germany, both countries in hearty pursuit of abundant resources with industrious zeal.
Friday, September 20, 2024
Jalsaghar (The Music Room)
Traditional techno prestigious glamour entrenched nobility inalienable birthright, delicately maintaining vast ancient customs once thoroughly sought to uphold righteous honour.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Pather Panchali
A loving mother wants the best for her children but is desperately obsessed with her remorseless poverty, her dreamer husband slow to provide or clearly understand her protracted woe.
Friday, September 13, 2024
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
And while engaging in acts of heroism the mighty Wizard's Staff was torn asunder, and the powerful spells it had indeed cast broken, thereby encouraging blatant disharmonies.
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania
It's fun to observe the natural world.
Friday, September 6, 2024
Mein liebster Fiend - Klaus Kinski (My Best Fiend)
Imagine you're deep in the South American jungle working on a film as demanding as Fitzcarraldo, and your lead actor keeps erupting in fits of rage as you fight with the rain and the heat and the bugs.
Tuesday, September 3, 2024
Herz aus Glas (Heart of Glass)
I suppose that for tens of thousands of years the possession of esoteric knowledge proved rather fruitful, and could generate unique industry which in turn supplied steady work for brave inhabitants.
Friday, August 30, 2024
Kaijûtô no kessen: Gojira no musuko (Son of Godzilla)
A forgotten island off the beaten track hosts grand monumental experiments, as revered scientists seek to increase the expanding world's food supply.
Indeed it is speculatively thought that the vital crops sustaining humanity, will fall short of the requisite yields in little more than a 100 years.
Thus, using silver iodide, an ingenious solution is hypothetically put forth, to produce vast weather altering scenarios which create forbidden extreme temperatures.
How the cultivation of extreme cold will help generate abundant crops, isn't provocatively explained although it's assumed there is an answer.
Meanwhile, the scientific equipment periodically detects confusing anomalies, which startle the dedicated technicians who remain uncertain as to their origins.
Until after their first experiment generates hostile colossal preying mantises, who in turn destroy a barrier of rock, within which lies a massive egg.
Before they can devour what lies within the young one's father fortuitously arrives, the ensuing battle borderline epic as Godzilla Jr. watches in breathless shock.
Soon noble Papa Godzilla is eagerly instructing his newborn lad, in the titanic arts of aggrieved distemper, the two blossoming in flower.
But Kumonga, the local giant spider, has had enough of their tender bonding.
And when Godzilla drifts off into monstrous slumber.
It comes a' creepily crawling.
The sensational details of the riveting romance which brought about Godzilla's curious offspring, are unfortunately missing from this lively film, perhaps waiting to be found in another instalment.
Yet a newborn Godzilla indeed exists and once inquisitively enacted engrained mischief, however unaware of his gigantic rivals he aloofly appeared to be.
Thanks to his father's teachings he learns to fight back nevertheless, and even saves good old dad from Kumonga in an epic battle near the film's end.
As to altering the weather, hasn't that tended to be considered a disastrous calamitous mistake, the potential room for catastrophic error and international bedlam maladroitly pending.
There are just two many variables to holistically account for when creating such devices, many of which remain beyond our comprehension and also likely beyond that of A.I.
At least it was generally thought to be an incredibly bad idea long ago.
We have advanced considerably.
But the forecast still lacks precision.
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Chikyû kôgeki meirei Gojira tai Gaigan (Godzilla vs. Gigan)
Godzilla finds himself fiercely dwelling on the sensational Monster Island, far away from the technobustle of old school contemporary Japanese life.
Friday, August 23, 2024
Shin Zatôichi: Yabure! Tôjin-ken (Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman)
Across the multivariable definitive lands of bellicose old school Japan, Zatoichi continues to awkwardly progress in search of honour and friendship and loyalty.
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Zatôichi jigoku-tabi (Zatoichi and the Chess Expert)
Zatoichi continues to travel throughout Japan, his destination still unknown, his adversaires multiplying.
Unfortunately, due to blindness, knaves and thieves seek to tear him down, but after his brilliant swordpersonship highlights their folly, they vow revenge even though they started it.
Such proceedings regularly occur and he is stuck routinely defending himself, with a high price upon his versatile head, and an inhibiting disability difficult to conceal.
He doesn't make friends either as he regularly cheats people at dice, tricking them into cheating themselves and then critiquing their lack of honesty.
He meets an itinerant master and strikes up a spirited inquisitive acquaintance, the two voyaging by boat together while earning a living as best they can.
But Zatoichi also meets other travellers who passionately seek the samurai who killed their father, and know nothing about him definitively besides the fact that he's quite good at chess.
Moral dilemmas further bewilder as he learns he once murdered the husband of the woman and child he cares for.
Democracy and social justice still hundreds of years away.
Consistent sword fights altruistically emerging.
Had he not learned to ingeniously defend himself Zatoichi the Blind may have flagged and rusted, and never known the voltaic thrill of characteristic difference and pursuits unknown.
Yet even possessing the adventurous intuition so often dismissed by people with sight, he encounters neverending lethal conflict to which he must respond indefinitely.
Sad how the legendary samurai traditionally found within these films, have so much trouble working together and often end up in life or death duels.
Both thoroughly convinced their path is just and in no need of ethical alterations, they eventually must challenge the breathtaking entities who vigorously contradict their chosen way of life.
Thus without the onset of unions they must remain vigilant at all times.
Never embracing the peace of dreams.
Eternal conflict.
Bitter remorse.
*Postmodern samurai could focus on protecting whales and dolphins! 🐋
**Criterion keyword: motif
Friday, August 16, 2024
Kaguya-hime no monogatari (The Tale of the Princess Kaguya)
A childless family holistically subsists within the fertile abundant countryside, utilizing enriching multifaceted bamboo to productively nourish and equip their household.
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Hôhokekyo tonari no Yamada-kun (My Neighbors the Yamadas)
Difficult to critique a Ghibli so let's try the following context:
Friday, August 9, 2024
Confidentially Y'ours
I don't think I'll ever understand the thrill of hunting.
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Les quatre cents coups (The 400 Blows)
An unhinged imagination mendaciously prone feverishly flows with mischievous delinquency, in a time less alternatively accommodating when harsh punishments still prevailed.
Friday, August 2, 2024
Unrueh (Unrest)
I've never spent much time considering anarchy as it's peacefully presented in Cyril Schäublin's Unrueh (Unrest), which looks at the coordination of semi-autonomous towns loosely connected in 19th century Switzerland.
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
The Covenant
A group of old world families clandestinely co-habitates with the world at large, keeping to themselves at secretive times while patiently awaiting their time of ascension.
Friday, July 26, 2024
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Kong devotedly explores his new home in search of more giant gorillas like him, his investigations resulting in multiple chance encounters with other beasts from the hostile region.
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Dune: Part Two
Is there as much of a story to tell after Paul and his mom find themselves lost in the desert?
Dune: Part Two suggests there is.
The Fremen slowly growing accustomed to the uncanny ways in which the gifted Atreides youth fulfills their prophecy, Paul must still overcome his horrific nightmares to convince the devout majority to follow his lead.
The film's kind of like the episode of STNG where Kahless suddenly returns, and the Klingons agree to manage his legend, hoping the enticing story will win hearts and minds.
But Kahless's return is manufactured in the more scientifically structured Star Trek continuum, whereas Paul's actions verifiably fulfill a prophecy and therefore messianically comport themselves in ye olde Dune.
Yet he still doubts he can effectively lead a massive underground populace in a daring uprising (against the Emperor), their rivals in possession of technological wonders of an extremely advanced destructive nature.
Much of the dialogue concerns Paul's coming of age as he learns to play the influential leading role.
The film widening its scope to include Harkonnen bedlam.
To add despotic reckless nuance.
You'd almost hope that in 2028 a younger American would feverishly arise, and move the political spectrum away from agéd octogenarians, back to something much more grassrootsy indeed even potentially kind of lithe and nimble (these guys are in charge of the fate of the free world?) - hold on, a lot's happened since I wrote this on Saturday, looks like there is a younger American candidate, and she is indeed feverishly arising (love Bernie, but he's older than Biden)!
I often wish David Lynch had had more time and two separate films to craft his vision, I still love watching what he came up with, but also wonder what he would have crafted these days.
He was one of the pioneers however who was inventing postmodern science-fiction.
They often had to improvise sensational fascination.
Special effects weren't nearly as reliable as they are in the SuperHero Age.
Regardless, I love the Dune story apart from the Atomics and the talking fetus, Chani adding so much in this version, as does the extended look at planet Harkonnen.
I still find intense belief which defies science to be the most destructive force the Earth has ever seen.
It makes for incredible films and books though.
Just hope it doesn't destroy the planet one day.
Or slowly over the course of depreciating centuries.
*Star Wars + Denis Villeneuve ='s Amazing (the entire trilogy).