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Reviews
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Exponential expansion of genius: a self-portrait.
It's possible that Kubrick presented this story as symbolic of the evolution of his intellect, or perhaps even of his consciousness. Relatively speaking, each person lives a similar voyage of expanding discovery and experience, and most of us will eventually be "mutinied" by the very vehicle that's transporting us: certainly our physical bodies as we age, but more significantly, also by the psychological strategies we develop and re-develop to maintain and improve our existence. Creative adaptation along both of those dimensions is absolutely critical, especially towards the end of the trip, which often ends as it began. Very few will travel as far as Kubrick did.
No Country for Old Men (2007)
If only I could hunt the hunter
It's tough to decide which was better: the writing of the screenplay or the execution and direction of the film. No Country might frustrate viewers that feel dissatisfied while watching credits not preceded by plot closure, but those that are tracking abstract symbolism and creative, subtle camera-work will watch it again and again.
Some animals are trained to kill, and to do it well. This film is a road map of the intersecting paths of those animals, and neither predator nor prey stand still. The frames of reference of hunter and hunted are constantly reversed, and Chigurh's ultimate evil is repeatedly and disturbingly contrasted with the unsuspecting innocence of many of his victims. Both dualities are beautifully mirrored by a manipulation of dark and light that even Kubrick would have appreciated. Almost every scene includes some evidence or mention of the passage of time, from the rotation of the earth into or out of daylight to discussions of various characters' statuses before or after death to simply a clock on the wall. Quite certainly, time and the fear of what it might bring were the most vicious and victorious predators in the story.
Seven Pounds (2008)
Clean the beast / Fix the beast
The beast might be the desire to inflict suffering after enduring it, but smith's character's heart was somehow enlarged more than the grinch's. It's hard to imagine that a 1,000 pound, 100-yr-old printing press can leave its mark on seven sheets of paper with an imprint as gentle as a kiss, but his character accomplished that too: the help he gave to others was as subtle as it was extreme, with no expectation of reciprocity. Most moving was his decision to apply every last ounce of his financial, psychological, and physical resources to literally "complete" strangers: much like the box jellyfish, ultimate power over another person's life can be the most deadly creature on earth. But in his hands it was the most beautiful thing ever seen. Very ironic that I picked up this film on valentine's day! Much more so that I'd never heard of it before; it blew me away. It deserves a top rating for the story concept alone.
My Sister's Keeper (2009)
the conception of death
Average acting but a very powerful story on multiple levels. Physically this one was quite relevant: even if you've never lost someone to disease it's sobering to imagine it. But much deeper were some of the answers Anna was reaching for, and some of the questions that were reaching back symbolically. Is it possible that we were created for a purpose: to serve others and not ourselves? Does it happen in ways that we might not intend or understand? Can we emancipate ourselves from physical dependence? From fear? As beautiful as life is, are we at peace about leaving it? Any progress with this type of evolution requires interaction, and equal portions of beauty and pain. She helped us to stand at the edge of that shore and wade in a little bit. Each relationship in the film was as unique, beautiful and brief as a bubble of soap, or a bubble in the top of a beer bottle. The characters helped each other to discover places of healing that were still under construction, and in those places love and self-sacrifice bridged the gap between life and death. Careers were put on hold, the aunt and brother stayed single, and the mother was finally able to let go of what she wanted for herself. It's not entirely accurate to say that the sick girl gave birth to her mom in the last scene, but their posture was unmistakable. And she definitely gave life to her.
Float (2008)
Tomato-strawberry chocolate chip??
A clean and entertaining look at some of the core elements of human interaction. Personalities and lifestyle strategies may contrast as strongly as cold ice cream and a hot summer day, but without a little bravery and creativity, history's greatest flavor combinations would never have melted together. The cast repeatedly tackles scenes carried only by intimate one-on-one exchanges on deeply personal topics: dialog that's extremely difficult to express in real life and equally hard to reproduce on film. But they succeed admirably, and even though their characters sometimes feel like they're about to sink, they show us that tolerance can be learned even if it can't be taught, and acceptance can be extended to others once it's extended to self.
Mein liebster Feind - Klaus Kinski (1999)
all different / all alike
I walked into this one completely cold: I'd never heard of Kinski or Herzog before. I was completely blown away and the artist-on-artist format was as appropriate as it was effective: only a talented director could hope to communicate a little bit about someone as unique as Kinski. Many amazing scenes and lines are highlighted in this compilation and Herzog generously lets several film production secrets slip, some on purpose and some indirectly. It's my very limited assessment that Kinski only "acted" while off-camera, and what he did while it was rolling was not "acting" at all: he may have simply been one of the most intense and honest people ever to have lived.
Made in USA (1966)
Politics of Morality
On the surface this one was playful and cute like Karina's character but those qualities masked a frighteningly piercing introspection in both the lady and the film. Generously sprinkled with amazing philosophical/existential lines and dialog ("There's a door in front of me, and behind you") it was extremely exhausting but also equally rewarding symbolically: left and right as struggling but complimentary sides of a political yin/yang and perhaps representative of an individual heart's desire to evolve up to a higher social/ethical level of existence. The rolling stones' "as tears go by" hints at the sad but necessary inevitability of this evolution in a sentient heart, and USA "laissez-faire" ethics on one end of the spectrum and nazi fascism on the other both made the metaphorical moral discipline of communism seem pretty attractive to our heroine. Some very cool retro A/V equipment too.
The Reader (2008)
Her heart: a closed book?
The law school student had an important clue: the holocaust segment was mostly a distraction. The main character was good at reading but he couldn't understand his most interesting book, and he didn't get a chance to finish. As was played out in one highly symbolic scene, it was as if they were riding in the same tram car but couldn't connect; couldn't touch; couldn't speak. They were traveling at different speeds too: his rate of "experience acceleration" was probably more than twice hers if measured in years, and she was part of the reason for it. His brain and heart were busier construction zones than postwar berlin. I was floored by the unhesitating, emotionless, and almost helpless honesty of her character - it was more beautiful than her young body.