The Fifth Estate's cold calculated construct of Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) maintains that he's a driven well-meaning intense prick whose inability to bend resolutely cost him dearly.
Guilty of high-tech intractability.
The portrait's possibly unfair.
It was a simple matter of redacting articles posted on WikiLeaks so that the names of covert individuals mentioned within them would not appear and the individuals themselves would likely not be violently punished (murdered) afterwards.
Not such a simple matter for Assange, according to The Fifth Estate, however.
He was determined to publish leaked articles in full on principle to demonstrate that he wasn't doing anything to hedge the truth.
I respect this on principle, but when people's lives are at stake I do have to agree with The Fifth Estate's condemnation of the practise, Assange being unable to recast his image as his freedom fighting persona gained international traction.
The problem in the film is this.
Assange rightfully despises tyranny.
It's what he fights against.
Tyrants tend to kill people.
In The Fifth Estate, as WikiLeaks's reach exponentially extends, it becomes clear that Assange is a general of sorts, more of a supreme commander, and that by releasing unredacted documents, he has the power to sacrifice troops for what he considers to be the greater good, but he still sacrifices troops nonetheless, somewhat carelessly, I might add.
So on principle, he makes decisions that could have cost people their lives, people who may have been fighting for the same things using different methods, when he really didn't have to, he could have redacted the documents without ruining them, which causes him to become tyrannical himself, an unfortunate development for such an heroic person.
What I loved about The Fifth Estate was its examination of history, contemporary history, how many of its characters are aware of the monumental changes the internet has brought about, like Gutenberg's printing press on hyperactive culturally enlivening intergalactic booster juice, The Guardian's Nick Davies (David Thewlis) offering some notable insights, moving the film away from the severely intensifying interactions between Assange and Daniel Berg (Daniel Brühl).
Looking forward to reading/viewing what other biographers have to say about Assange over the upcoming decades.
Compelling person.
Brilliant colossus.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
L'autre maison
Serene lakeside pastoral tranquility's cumulative regenerative assertive grace tantalizingly taunts a troubled convalescing alcoholic in Mathieu Roy's L'autre maison, a man struggling to overcome his sundry jealousies and youthful longings, his inability to refrain from hostilely instigating comparative packs compounding his skittish alarm, a lost unattainable sense of consistent security haunting his unconscious, alcohol no longer an option, but peace, present, partout.
Flying off the handle quickly, abrasively, and confidently, Eric's (Émile Proulx-Cloutier) destructive instincts reflect the stormy endearing tract of the frightened everyperson, his counterproductive soul-searching trail blazed by Proulx-Cloutier's strong performance.
The film periodically focuses on his distracted bemusements, intermixing and contrasting his viewpoints with more successful and less coherent supportive family members.
Its calm enduring inquisitive patience forges a tight urban/rural familial dialectic whose curative emphasis boundlessly allures.
The late night swim is an important moment.
Ah, dinner is served.
Love permeates.
With raccoons.
Flying off the handle quickly, abrasively, and confidently, Eric's (Émile Proulx-Cloutier) destructive instincts reflect the stormy endearing tract of the frightened everyperson, his counterproductive soul-searching trail blazed by Proulx-Cloutier's strong performance.
The film periodically focuses on his distracted bemusements, intermixing and contrasting his viewpoints with more successful and less coherent supportive family members.
Its calm enduring inquisitive patience forges a tight urban/rural familial dialectic whose curative emphasis boundlessly allures.
The late night swim is an important moment.
Ah, dinner is served.
Love permeates.
With raccoons.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Amsterdam
Three close friends, living in a small town, married and settled, habitual and unsuspecting, routine linear sturdy timber, off for an expected excursion, wives, nothing to be worried about.
But a salacious drug and alcohol fuelled binge replaces their traditional fishing trip, in none other than fabled Amsterdam, during which an adulterous peculiarity comes to light, ushering in a new set of incongruous relational vertices, discordant complexities, whose devastated heartbroken pinpricked clutches, deceptively destabilize a longstanding foundation of trust.
It's a morality tale.
A classic case of conjugal infidelity crushing one's sense of purpose and well-being.
The crush is perhaps too limiting as its despondent affects prevent Sam (Robin Aubert) from taking part in most of the film, exploratory analysis sacrificed for betrayed obsession, Amsterdam examining the detonation of reason, as thoughts of forgiveness abandon.
His friends are left trying to explain his absence after he chooses to remain in Europe, their cover-up exacerbating the situation, lies, trauma, incompatibility.
They didn't hire Columbo to investigate this one.
Old school yet relevant, Amsterdam substantializes conceptions of loyalty and friendship, refusing to disqualify their guilt, hardboiled chaotic remorse.
But it really boils down to childishness.
Whose the more childish, Sam or Jeff (Gabriel Sabourin)?
From right to left?
But a salacious drug and alcohol fuelled binge replaces their traditional fishing trip, in none other than fabled Amsterdam, during which an adulterous peculiarity comes to light, ushering in a new set of incongruous relational vertices, discordant complexities, whose devastated heartbroken pinpricked clutches, deceptively destabilize a longstanding foundation of trust.
It's a morality tale.
A classic case of conjugal infidelity crushing one's sense of purpose and well-being.
The crush is perhaps too limiting as its despondent affects prevent Sam (Robin Aubert) from taking part in most of the film, exploratory analysis sacrificed for betrayed obsession, Amsterdam examining the detonation of reason, as thoughts of forgiveness abandon.
His friends are left trying to explain his absence after he chooses to remain in Europe, their cover-up exacerbating the situation, lies, trauma, incompatibility.
They didn't hire Columbo to investigate this one.
Old school yet relevant, Amsterdam substantializes conceptions of loyalty and friendship, refusing to disqualify their guilt, hardboiled chaotic remorse.
But it really boils down to childishness.
Whose the more childish, Sam or Jeff (Gabriel Sabourin)?
From right to left?
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Machete Kills
Impressed by Machete Kills.
So many great lines in this film.
It's like Kyle Ward and Robert and Marcel Rodriguez really took the extra time and care a quality ridiculously sensational over-the-top film needs to be convincingly down-to-earth yet mesmerizing and decaptivating.
It sets a high standard for other filmmakers working along similar lines, and, much like Planet Terror, gives them something to aspire to.
Luz (Michelle Rodriguez) has her other eye shot out and then gets up to fight blind?
Fully loaded machine gun breasts?
The heart that refuses to cease beating?
It's the President on the phone?
El Cameleón?
No need for rhetorical explanations.
It's rare that a film so confidently and quickly moves from the improbable to the ludicrous to the exceptional, so sure of itself, so Machete (Danny Trejo).
Oddly, whereas I thought Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows faltered by situating Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) in an international scenario, Machete Kills excels precisely for this reason.
The Last Stand had a similar cast but lacked Machete Kills's sharp-edged artistry.
Pacific Rim had many great lines but I'm afraid it's no Machete Kills.
Let's just throw in Star Wars.
The next one takes place in space.
In space!
Like Star Trek II in terms of outshining its predecessor.
Not that I'm comparing Star Trek: The Motion Picture to Machete.
I'm wondering if Machete can somehow be worked into an Avengers film, either through reference or by making a direct appearance.
The Avengers could use some Machete.
A rugged old-school indestructible hero.
Going to see this film, again.
So many great lines in this film.
It's like Kyle Ward and Robert and Marcel Rodriguez really took the extra time and care a quality ridiculously sensational over-the-top film needs to be convincingly down-to-earth yet mesmerizing and decaptivating.
It sets a high standard for other filmmakers working along similar lines, and, much like Planet Terror, gives them something to aspire to.
Luz (Michelle Rodriguez) has her other eye shot out and then gets up to fight blind?
Fully loaded machine gun breasts?
The heart that refuses to cease beating?
It's the President on the phone?
El Cameleón?
No need for rhetorical explanations.
It's rare that a film so confidently and quickly moves from the improbable to the ludicrous to the exceptional, so sure of itself, so Machete (Danny Trejo).
Oddly, whereas I thought Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows faltered by situating Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) in an international scenario, Machete Kills excels precisely for this reason.
The Last Stand had a similar cast but lacked Machete Kills's sharp-edged artistry.
Pacific Rim had many great lines but I'm afraid it's no Machete Kills.
Let's just throw in Star Wars.
The next one takes place in space.
In space!
Like Star Trek II in terms of outshining its predecessor.
Not that I'm comparing Star Trek: The Motion Picture to Machete.
I'm wondering if Machete can somehow be worked into an Avengers film, either through reference or by making a direct appearance.
The Avengers could use some Machete.
A rugged old-school indestructible hero.
Going to see this film, again.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Gravity
Trauma's debilitating cloaked severity haunts Gravity's heroine as destructive debris and interstellar circumstances threaten her very survival, necessitating the delivery of split-second correct decision making where the slightest miscue will accelerate her demise.
Her oxygen supply is running low.
George Clooney (Matt Kowalski) doesn't make it.
Perdition rests in the flames.
Of cherished, bygone, days.
The immediacy of her isolated predicament and its associated inanimate malevolence prevents her conscious reflexivity from being able to divert periodic onslaughts of asphyxiating plush, the situation requiring simultaneous internal and external synthesized orchestrations for her reliable future to independently portend.
The film's action reliably and boisterously builds as the bright and beautiful Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) approaches its climax.
Couldn't help but think of the ending of the first Alien film, and that Gravity is somewhat of a gem amongst science-fiction considering that it poignantly and thought provokingly stuns throughout, providing a brilliant exemplar of feminine strength, without introducing a bloodthirsty monster.
Science-fiction more concerned with the beauty of life than gruesome death?
That stands out.
Her oxygen supply is running low.
George Clooney (Matt Kowalski) doesn't make it.
Perdition rests in the flames.
Of cherished, bygone, days.
The immediacy of her isolated predicament and its associated inanimate malevolence prevents her conscious reflexivity from being able to divert periodic onslaughts of asphyxiating plush, the situation requiring simultaneous internal and external synthesized orchestrations for her reliable future to independently portend.
The film's action reliably and boisterously builds as the bright and beautiful Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) approaches its climax.
Couldn't help but think of the ending of the first Alien film, and that Gravity is somewhat of a gem amongst science-fiction considering that it poignantly and thought provokingly stuns throughout, providing a brilliant exemplar of feminine strength, without introducing a bloodthirsty monster.
Science-fiction more concerned with the beauty of life than gruesome death?
That stands out.
Runner Runner
Liked what happens in Runner Runner more than the film itself.
It's too generic for my tastes, not the kind of generic film that recognizes its shortcomings and works an awkward self-critical yet confident and bedazzling dimension into its reels, haughty and sporty, arrogant yet maudlin, but the kind that directly deals with a popular contemporary pastime (online gambling) by utilizing a straightforward style with all the associated bells and whistles, to maximize its take home without taking any serious risks.
Throughout the film serious risks are taken, the plot necessitates serious risk taking, it's just that it takes these serious risks leisurely and comfortably, straightforwardly, if that makes sense.
This aspect is best represented by the crocodile scene.
It still employs clever underground reversals however that made me glad I stuck it out till the end.
To avoid giving away what happens, imagine a situation where a brilliant statistical analyst has the worst possible luck and his financial situation dictates that alternative methods must be embraced if he's to succeed, like Inception's Cobb, the socioeconomic dice stacked against him in each and every sophisticated spin of the wheel, in/formal inter/national legalities stacking the deck, but tries to maximize his profits anyways, even though it could result in the loss of everything.
He makes his bet.
Doubles down.
Throws in the chips.
Undergrounds within undergrounds.
Proceeding delicately.
It's too generic for my tastes, not the kind of generic film that recognizes its shortcomings and works an awkward self-critical yet confident and bedazzling dimension into its reels, haughty and sporty, arrogant yet maudlin, but the kind that directly deals with a popular contemporary pastime (online gambling) by utilizing a straightforward style with all the associated bells and whistles, to maximize its take home without taking any serious risks.
Throughout the film serious risks are taken, the plot necessitates serious risk taking, it's just that it takes these serious risks leisurely and comfortably, straightforwardly, if that makes sense.
This aspect is best represented by the crocodile scene.
It still employs clever underground reversals however that made me glad I stuck it out till the end.
To avoid giving away what happens, imagine a situation where a brilliant statistical analyst has the worst possible luck and his financial situation dictates that alternative methods must be embraced if he's to succeed, like Inception's Cobb, the socioeconomic dice stacked against him in each and every sophisticated spin of the wheel, in/formal inter/national legalities stacking the deck, but tries to maximize his profits anyways, even though it could result in the loss of everything.
He makes his bet.
Doubles down.
Throws in the chips.
Undergrounds within undergrounds.
Proceeding delicately.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
The Butler
Periodically piecing together various volatile historical tracts, intergenerationally sketching a people's hard beaten path, sustained successful service slowly evidencing sophistication and ingenuity, facets which for some archaic reason required proof, proof that wasn't that easy to come by due to multileveled systemic oppressions, which persist, and committed confrontational activism, manifesting different variations on a theme, familially questioning particular forms of engagement, Lee Daniels's The Butler functioning as a practical ideological switchboard, easy to follow yet deep and hard hitting, well suited to wide audiences, proper.
Considering the potent surge of what's being described as the new racism, this is an important film.
The Butler's a good starting point for young secondary students interested in learning more about 20th century American history as well, since it broadly condenses many important developments and personalities, thereby making them accessible, while setting them up with oppositions to avoid having things appear too simplistic, these elements serving to encourage further study.
It also demonstrates that your occupation or income doesn't necessarily limit your ability to play a role in the world at large.
Imagine what could have been done with web 2.0 back then.
Out of sight.
Considering the potent surge of what's being described as the new racism, this is an important film.
The Butler's a good starting point for young secondary students interested in learning more about 20th century American history as well, since it broadly condenses many important developments and personalities, thereby making them accessible, while setting them up with oppositions to avoid having things appear too simplistic, these elements serving to encourage further study.
It also demonstrates that your occupation or income doesn't necessarily limit your ability to play a role in the world at large.
Imagine what could have been done with web 2.0 back then.
Out of sight.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Don Jon
A sexually active male whose interests and activities generally correspond to a popular idealization of traditional masculinity finds himself attempting to conform to what at first seems a model relationship, in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's feature length directorial debut Don Jon, seduced by a perfect 10, then willing to abide by related sociocultural courting mechanisms.
There's just one problem.
Well, a couple of problems (she's very bossy).
But the main problem is pornography.
Porno, porno, porno.
This guy's addiction to porn knows no limits and he even prefers it to sex, completely and utterly obsessed, strategies, a psychological playbook, on his phone while waiting for class, always on his mind, no holds barred, wild uncontrollable excessive lust, instantly activated at each and every opportunity.
His new partner is unimpressed and it causes friction in their relationship.
The film intelligently and comically exaggerates a controversial phenomenon to its extreme, lusciously and ironically opposing it to an obstinate depiction of perfection, interspersing familial dynamics at well chosen intervals (best Tony Danza performance ever!), while patiently revealing a workable solution.
It's fun, the script (written by Gordon-Levitt) providing every character with solid lines and developmental motions, firmly rooted in what's often considered to have been normal in the 1950s (with more swearing), subtly launching a raunchy prorated convalescent case-study, whose sustainable solution vivaciously stylizes.
Jon's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) internal turmoil is expressed through road rage.
The pulsating gender based intertextual clashes work well.
Surprisingly tame considering.
Swear those were CFL clips.
There's just one problem.
Well, a couple of problems (she's very bossy).
But the main problem is pornography.
Porno, porno, porno.
This guy's addiction to porn knows no limits and he even prefers it to sex, completely and utterly obsessed, strategies, a psychological playbook, on his phone while waiting for class, always on his mind, no holds barred, wild uncontrollable excessive lust, instantly activated at each and every opportunity.
His new partner is unimpressed and it causes friction in their relationship.
The film intelligently and comically exaggerates a controversial phenomenon to its extreme, lusciously and ironically opposing it to an obstinate depiction of perfection, interspersing familial dynamics at well chosen intervals (best Tony Danza performance ever!), while patiently revealing a workable solution.
It's fun, the script (written by Gordon-Levitt) providing every character with solid lines and developmental motions, firmly rooted in what's often considered to have been normal in the 1950s (with more swearing), subtly launching a raunchy prorated convalescent case-study, whose sustainable solution vivaciously stylizes.
Jon's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) internal turmoil is expressed through road rage.
The pulsating gender based intertextual clashes work well.
Surprisingly tame considering.
Swear those were CFL clips.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
The Ghosts in Our Machine
Liz Marshall's new documentary The Ghosts in Our Machine follows the beneficial risks taken by photographer and animal rights activist Jo-Anne McArthur as she snaps heartbreaking shots of the animals enslaved in various industries.
Grim statistics numerically accompany her outputs, providing troubling realities with cold hard facts.
The fur industry's profits are increasing, for instance.
Scientific laboratories have actually bred a beagle to maximize its docility.
Dairy cows generally give milk for three to four years before they're butchered, even though they could have lived a much longer life, their utters no longer being profitable.
Facilities like those chronicled in Gabriela Cowperthwaite's Blackfish are sprouting up all over the world.
And the practices adopted by many organic farmers aren't that different from their large-scale competitors.
Animal rights are the focus and discourses which justify animal abuses are contradicted through a wide range of compelling photographic and cinematic images.
The film is informative without being preachy, evocative but not sickly sentimental.
It's not sensational, relying more on the integrity of its illustrations than the volatility of its message.
When they visit the Farm Sanctuary in upstate New York and show close-ups of their resident cows, pigs, sheep, etc., intricately capturing their emotions and personalities, it's truly moving.
The film should be airing on the CBC's documentary channel on Sunday, November 24th.
Finding funding to support your work, an artist's dedication, and historical revelations are featured as well.
Here's an article about animal rights in Switzerland.
This is what I think Ms. McArthur is referring to when she mentions bears.
Farm Sanctuary's catalogue and its value added information are remarkable.
Living an ethical life.
During question period after the film, an audience member asked how Ms. Marshall and Ms. McArthur manage to continue pursuing their goals in the face of so much suffering (paraphrasing), and Jo-Anne recommended Aftershock: Confronting Trauma in a Violent World as an aid.
Sounds like a good read.
Grim statistics numerically accompany her outputs, providing troubling realities with cold hard facts.
The fur industry's profits are increasing, for instance.
Scientific laboratories have actually bred a beagle to maximize its docility.
Dairy cows generally give milk for three to four years before they're butchered, even though they could have lived a much longer life, their utters no longer being profitable.
Facilities like those chronicled in Gabriela Cowperthwaite's Blackfish are sprouting up all over the world.
And the practices adopted by many organic farmers aren't that different from their large-scale competitors.
Animal rights are the focus and discourses which justify animal abuses are contradicted through a wide range of compelling photographic and cinematic images.
The film is informative without being preachy, evocative but not sickly sentimental.
It's not sensational, relying more on the integrity of its illustrations than the volatility of its message.
When they visit the Farm Sanctuary in upstate New York and show close-ups of their resident cows, pigs, sheep, etc., intricately capturing their emotions and personalities, it's truly moving.
The film should be airing on the CBC's documentary channel on Sunday, November 24th.
Finding funding to support your work, an artist's dedication, and historical revelations are featured as well.
Here's an article about animal rights in Switzerland.
This is what I think Ms. McArthur is referring to when she mentions bears.
Farm Sanctuary's catalogue and its value added information are remarkable.
Living an ethical life.
During question period after the film, an audience member asked how Ms. Marshall and Ms. McArthur manage to continue pursuing their goals in the face of so much suffering (paraphrasing), and Jo-Anne recommended Aftershock: Confronting Trauma in a Violent World as an aid.
Sounds like a good read.
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