plparshall Reviews

Sherpa (2015)

good perspective from the Sherpa POV

[9/10 · 3 May 2016]

Hard to say - what was left on the editing floor but, it appeared to be from the Sherpa's perspective. One theme which rang through to me was the old 19th Century Master/Slave, Explorer/guide, Great White Warrior theme. And yes, during one of the down time cooling off talks one of the climbers did ask who "owned" the Sherpa who was making the trouble. I have never been over there but to me it seemed to be the Sherpa/Climber relationship has grown from the original 1953 Hillary climb where the climber's held the upper hand and the Sherpa's were subordinate - this film documents the reconsideration of that previous relationship. So it is a worthwhile documentary which I think all interested in climbing will enjoy. Now, personally for me, it's another crack in the wall of white supremacy, imperialism, whatever you want to call it. The hubris of these climbers who "brave Everest" when everything is prepared, lugged, cooked, constructed, behind the scenes by Sherpas is sickening. Their indignity at the Sherpas who dare have an opinion is amazing. Their insensitivity to local loss of life is embarrassing. Using the white supremacy term is serious so let me explain further. There is a movement in Congree to make the Buffalo our National Mammal. Ludicrous. We Europeans wiped out the Buffalo - some for sport some for tongues, and most tragically because we wanted to starve/force the Indians to the reservations so we could steal their land. One of the most noble civilizations ever along with the Buddhists and we wiped them out because we had our Manifest Destiny. What we are/were looking for could be found in the Indian way of life we destroyed. Ditto for chapter 2: the black man. We rape and slave them right out of Africa and act like it's their fault when they are "freed" and try to adapt to be 2nd class citizens. So we put a black on our money and make the Buffalo our national mammal - all fixed? Sorry for the rant but we treat the Sherpas with the same European contempt.

Blow-Up (1966)

This was an easy and, to this day, a challenging film

[10/10 · 9 June 2007]

Well, here's my 2 cents: This is a visual 24 hour narrative of a "photographer" who takes LSD. He returns to "normal" at the end of the film when he hears the tennis ball. If the final camera shot had panned back to the tennis court I expect that the scene would be an upscale, posh tennis match going on with an attentive crowd watching i.e. normal tennis match and the mimes would be gone. The challenge for me has always been to pinpoint the exact time his trip starts. Antonioni would never be so blunt to show the internal Hemmings seeing colors etc like Peter Fonda tripping in his movies, he merely presents Hemmings traveling through his day and lets you ponder as to what you are seeing is from Hemmings perspective or actually happening. We see the manifestations of his trip: dialog full of double meanings, paranoia or need to see something more in his pictures, interaction with "strangers" that he appears to know but there is a thick black line between those who are aware of his state of mind and the general "non-cool public". Hard for me to explain in this space but this is what I see. My favorite scene is when Hemmings wanders into the park - the wind through the trees is so overpowering it feels like you are beside Hemmings both 100% per cent absorbed in the moment. Did Antonioni plan this or did he just take advantage of a fortuitous situation? I'd like to think he waited for the wind and favorable light. Just a great film which really captures the late 60's in a subtle way rather than slamming it in your face like Easy Rider.

Good Neighbor Sam (1964)

One of those "Comfort Movies"

[10/10 · 30 January 2007]

I grew up in the 50's & 60's so this is what I call a comfort film. Aside from the plot, I get a kick from watching the morning scene of everyone waking up in the upper class 1960's suburbs, the office scenes, the morning commute, the after work cocktails, the clothes. Remember the business hat? Everyone wore one with their business suit until Jack Kennedy hit the scene bare-headed. Kind of like Clark Gable taking off his shirt and not wearing a T Shirt. I've always felt that the scene where Sam Bissell does the double-take on the car full of commuters next to his car and sees sheep was an innocent preview of the coming unrest of "The 60's". So while it's a great comedy with great actors/acting I watch it to take me back to a time when there was no globalization and no competition for the US. Everyone was making "good money" and there were no threats, no negativity. Several of the films from approximately 1958-1965 were like this - I've always felt the 60's officially began between that period after Kennedy was shot and the Beatles landed in NYC (which is the starter's gun). Certainly How To Murder Your Wife is a close second, YUM YUM Tree, some of Doris Day's movies, Ride The Wild Surf (best fiction Surfer Movie ever made). What a great time to grow up. So don't be a Nurdlinger - watch this movie. Hope this adds an enjoyable note when you watch this movie.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)

I hate when this happens

[1/10 · 27 January 2007]

You hear about a highly rated movie and make a mental note to catch it but as time goes by you never get a chance to watch it. I finally rented this movie and what a waste of time. I think the anticipation generated by the good reviews makes it even worse. Anyway - this is another example of a film maker who takes an idea which can be effectively depicted in 30 minutes of film and beats it to death by stringing it out for 2 boring hours. What a waste of time. Why is the main character's acting considered so great? We are told nothing of his background and given one vague clue to his past. I agree with one of other reviews: "His acting was as wooden as the trees in the movie". Aguirre's Daughter: Does she have a tongue, why is she there, what is her relationship to the other female, does she have a mother? She's there for the entire film, says nothing, dies without a word? What about Ursua, what are we told of him? Another main character who stops talking and dies with no comment. What about Guzman - he's apparently into his new title & empire but, oh-by the way, he dies on his way back from the outhouse with no explanation.

This is a great example of a stinker which gets deified by snobbish movie reviewers who get sucked into supporting films merely because it amplifies the reviewer's supposed knowledge of film.

Don't waste your time - go to your son's 3rd grade Xmas play and you'll be more entertained.

Cracker (2006 TV Movie)

one of the best 3 ever

[10/10 · 16 January 2007]

There are 3 great English series: Cracker, Prime Suspect and The Prisoner (with The Lakes a 4th). This latest movie is probably the best - the ending was one great piece of writing and simply devastating. Cracker was made to be Fitz and vice versa. Jimmy McGovern is just fantastic as usual - I wonder if they appreciate him in England. Likewise Prime Suspect is Helen Mirim's best work and Pat McGoohan will always be The Prisoner to me. I just caught a few episodes of The Lakes (can't find it anywhere) but it is worth a watch if you ever get a chance to see it. I have the older Cracker series and they are all fantastic - easy to watch more than once.

The Natural (1984)

Great casting and great dialogue

[9/10 · 16 December 2006]

Many people say this movie is too sappy and doesn't follow the book. Yes, it is somewhat over dramatic in parts but you have to keep in mind that most sports movies are (greek) tragedies portrayed against a sports background. The scenes are excellent, you could almost turn off the volume and enjoy the movie. But then you would miss the great relationship between Pop Fisher and Red Blow - what a stroke of genius casting these two together. Just great casting: Basinger is great as upper class white trash, McGavin, as per usual, steals several scenes, you can't help but hate Duvall and Prosky, Baker plays a great Babe Ruth, Madsen plays a great Prima Donna, and Glenn Close is her usual great. Barbera Hershey could possibly be the answer to the Trivia Question: what actress played in the 2 greatest sports movies ever (The Natural & Hoosiers). Almost every scene has a memorable quote. Most would say The Pride of the Yankees is the greatest baseball movie ever but when you compare the two, I'd say that Cooper's acting dominates Redford's portrayal; otherwise every other actor from The Natural dominates their counterpart in the The Pride of the Yankees. The two dance scenes in each movie are a real bonus: I think it's some famous pair (Yolina and Velez) dancing to Profidea and Redford/Basinger dancing to Duke Ellington. Almost every scene in The Natural has a frame or two which, if frozen, would be a fantastic still - my favorite would be Pop Fisher sitting on the darkened bench as Hobbs rounds the bases in his final Home Run, all you see is a rough outline of a stunned Pop with the exploding lights reflected in his glasses. I'll close with my five greatest sports movies of all time (not in order) Hoosiers, The Hustler, The Cincinnati Kid, The Natural, Rocky.

The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)

good period movie

[7/10 · 16 December 2006]

Don't look for for exacting factual screenplay here, rather enjoy Gary Cooper's sensitive acting. I agree it runs more like a play and in that sense is done very well and all the actors perform well. Half the fun of this movie is watching the younger supporting cast and identifying the future stars of Hawaii FiveO, Bewitched, The Nightstalker, and a few others I haven't figured out yet. You'll see better than half the supporting cast on the situational comedies of the 1950's. The cross examination scene with Rod Steiger and Gary Cooper is pretty good too. As much as I like Gary Cooper it would have been interesting, and probably a better movie, to see Cagney as Mitchell.

Fort Apache (1948)

Great casting, great location, solid plot.....

[9/10 · 14 November 2006]

Great to watch Fonda and Wayne work together. They were good in this movie but I always thought their more limited scenes in "In Harm's Way" were better and showed how they both matured into great actors. The army protocol and tradition is interesting to watch. I imagine everyone in 1948 thought John Agar was headed many Oscars. The scene at Ward Bond's dinner table with Fonda intruding to reclaim Shirley Temple is excellent as is the entire NonComm's Dance scene. But my favorite scene is pure John Ford: it's the ride John Wayne makes with Pedro Armendariz (Sgt.Beaufort) to negotiate with Cochise - those two riding through Monument Valley with Richard Hageman's soundtrack in the background is a classic. It is also surprising that despite this movie being released in 1948 the American Indian received a better portrayal than they did in most Westerns. Great Movie, if you haven't watched it you are in for a treat. And if you have watched it it's still just as great the 20th time.