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Reviews
Who Are the DeBolts? and Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids? (1977)
As Real As You And Me
Perhaps this is an example of why I like shows like "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race." I think I am entertained by the rawness and reality of learning about people and who they really are, which is what this film is about. From beginning to end "Who are the Debolts? And where did they get 19 kids?" is a look inside this unconventional and extraordinary family that keeps on giving. I would have imagined growing up handicapped would feel so sad and lonely, but as an audience you get to see just how excited and how much fun these kids have despite their handicaps. Watching Karen jump up and down on the bed is absolutely heart warming, and the excitement Jonathan, a blind child, gets from blowing out the candles on his birthday cake is remarkable. Their hearts are opened up and their souls our poured out onto the celluloid for all to see. In fact, the scene where the parents tell the children about their grandma's death has to be the most moving piece in the entire film. There were no fake emotions there; it was all real, exactly like any other family would be, even those without disabilities.
This film was also great to watch because it showed the world what ONE family could do to help others in this world. The message this film sends to its audience is one of solidarity and commitment to help those around us. I really liked the one excerpt on how the one reporter wanted to know what part of Korea the boys were from as if race or wars should dictate who out there in this world needs help and support to survive. Someone's race, religion, OR handicap for that matter should not halt someone from providing the same support and need they would give their own brother.
The film was so entertaining I wish I could see what they were up to now, thirty years later
.After writing this, I went and found this website on the internet.
http://www.debolts.com/family.html
Midnight Express (1978)
Brokedown Palace but better.
I thought this movie was well done from beginning to end, with only a couple of slow parts. Pretty much the whole time my attention was engulfed by the film's story. The sound design used to intensify scenes was a brilliant idea and the cinematography was great. Not to mention the acting from Randy Quaid was surprising, I guess he was good in his early years.
The only bad thing I have to say about the movie is that the audience is dealing with a character, Billy, who did commit a crime, which can make it hard to root for him. So when the court changes his sentence after serving three years it almost feels like that is the director's only way in getting the audience to feel for the character. There was also a quick scene of homosexuality, which I thought the film could have done without, especially since the other character wasn't even one of Billy's close friends. Other than that it was a very engrossing movie from start to end.
I just have to mention that there are two intense scenes that come out of nowhere and surprise you (trust me, you'll know them when you see them).
Designing Woman (1957)
A bit weak in the story and a little dated.
The first problem in this film is the narration (VO). I enjoyed the idea but sometimes it went too far. I would have much rather just seen the action without the VO. On a good note, there is a pretty interesting fight scene at the end, but it seems out of place. Along with that and a few other things the story becomes a bit weak, especially for being an Academy Award winner. Another weakness being that she didn't know what kind of business her husband was in even after she helped him write the one article bashing the mob guy. She figures all the other stuff out about him, except for the one thing under her nose. I also wanted to say the film is a bit dated, seeing as how the two get married soooo fast without really knowing much about each other.
Titanic (1953)
Not as good as the 97 Version
I think the person previously had it correct when he said that people are just bashing the new one because of all the hype that it got. The 1957 version of Titanic is not as good as the new version, not that it is a bad film though. I personally thought the passengers were way to calm in this film, although I rather liked it, but it wasn't believable. This version of Titanic also tried to represent historical facts but failed to incorporate them into the story and are completely out of place. At least in Spielberg's version the historical facts fit in and dont disrupt the story. All in all though it was a decent film and is worth the watch to see how much Spielberg took from it.