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Reviews
Footloose (2011)
Sinner Man (Nina Simone)
Stevie Wonder (Songs in the Key of Life, 1976) remained the Music Maestro even after the King of Pop coronation (Thriller, 1983).
I was 27 when the one-and-only-Kevin-Bacon danced his way into the hearts of the then-still-corny-by-proxy-pop-music-not-rap-not-as-good-as Michael Jackson's 1983 Moonwalk. Just as Michael Jackson was the Moonwalk, Kevin Bacon was Footloose - two different pleasures enjoyed at different times in our lives because music and dancing became the best of friends and the best of lovers.
Stevie Wonder is The First Love. Same goes for Jennifer Holliday (And I'm Telling You), Minnie Ripperton (1981) and Mr. Robert Nesta Marley (1981).... First Love and First Dance. Michael Jackson is the First Dance. Sade reminded us "Its Never As Good as the First Time" taking me back to Stevie Wonder and the First Love and if one is very lucky another First Dance.
Footloose (1984) is the Last Dance before the party ends.
There is no point to the party of Footloose (2011), there is no sinner, man.
Older Than America (2008)
Older than America teaches all peoples to remember their culture
What can I say? As an African-American the experience of the Indian-American is an exercise in parallels in many ways. Still, 1975 America is like Australia for the aborigine and the Maori of New Zealand. So much horror has been done in the name of the Christian God that it begs the question why any non-European wears the cross. This was less a movie than an historical journey into the time when all aboriginal people worldwide were subjected to the death of their cultures to save the savage men, women and children by the most unforgiving and brutal heathens calling themselves called to do the work of god. How can one have an identity when the spirit is broken and the psyche is fractured? This is an abject lesson for humanity founded on the religious principle that debt is the best slavery and the seeking of everlasting forgiveness of those debts keeps strong the invisible chains of bondage. Know thyself must mean more than what the European wants you to know about your ancestry. For the people who thought the acting was not so good well somethings are better left for historic value and not subjected to Hollywood's version as in "Dancing With Wolves," although I loved Two Socks!
Senseless (2008)
Simulated Audience Participation
Watching this 'movie' was an awe-filled exercise in simulated audience participation. The viewer is quite aware - on one level - that it is a movie within a virtual reality show but on another level does prove - if one watches it to the end - that we are fascinated with pain as long as it is not our own to borrow a phrase from the writer. The truth of one statement certainly lingers..."Debt is better than any treaty," and finds its equally horrible juxtaposition that "Sin is nothing without judgment". I cannot say this was a likable movie and no doubt the lesson is as ironic as the statement "Being innocent didn't make anyone not get beat up." If nothing else the viewer goes on a philosophical journey into man's inhumanity to man's steps at civilization versus being civilized. Still appropriate and should remain so...but at some point won't we really have to get better at it?
Deathwatch (2002)
Step away from the television!
Man! I never really thought the old expression "War is hell" would come in handy for a movie review! Totally freaked me out and while not all killing is murder all murder is killing. Shakespeare killed the priest in a twisted kind of self-defense so this killing was not murder. I thought that was good enough for the sake of the kid's eternal soul. It did not occur to me that there was more and that the act that saved him had been done before the priest was bayoneted/shot! Brilliantly done. It would seem the Blue Eyed Pseduo-Frenchman was a metaphor of Judge and Jury! I concur this is a movie for thinkers who don't like to waste their time. This movie buff truly appreciates psychological thrillers way above slash-trash. This is my kind of movie experience. Bravo!
Revolutionary Road (2008)
Eyes that cannot see...
It would seem this couple lived in the backwoods of Appalachia rather than the Connecticut suburbs of New York City. New York City in the 1950's was hardly a period of dearth of intellectual, artistic, political and social change. The movie requires the audience to suspend time and actually believe April was so close-minded she could not get a driver's license or take the railroad into The City - The Big Apple ! Man. However, we are expected to believe she was itching to blaze trails and live the good life in beautiful Paris! Hey, there is a really apt expression that fits her situation : "Where ever you go there you are." She was infantile, narcissistic, and worse a coward. I would have had more respect for her had she simply gotten on the plane and sent him a letter with a picture of her standing in the Louvre Museum or sitting at an open air café drinking a glass of milk! It occurred to me that in "Titanic" - DiCaprio died and here Winslet does. Perhaps in their next movie together they can die together or couple in a modern version of "Dead Again" made by Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh - this might work out the bad karma at long last - breaking the energy of star-crossed lovers who happen to be Libra (Winslet) and Scorpio (DiCaprio). LOL.
It is safe to say I did not "like" the movie.
Legion (2010)
Luke 6:24
Really? Gabriel should have known that Michael was not dead as he was "the Light in the Darkness". All of those who sacrificed the most are not brought back to life as a testament to their hope? It seems to me, Percy (Charles Dutton), Kyle (Tyrese Gibson), Bob Dennis Quaid), and Audrey (Willa Holland) should have come out of the sky with wings showing they are now new creatures made after the kind of angel Michael was? Who deserved the right to see the creation of the new world, if not Kyle, Percy, Audrey, and Bob?
It seems to me Jeep was the most passive of the group yet he is given the stamp of approval as the destined protector of the child. Yeah, the meek will inherit the earth and all of that but were not the others as chosen as he because of their unique gifts?
Somehow, Hollywood comes this close ... and then just misses the bigger message/picture.
Source Code (2011)
Fentress - Man in the Mirror
This was another composite movie of the "Time Machine" - Rod Taylor, "Butterfly Effect" - Aston Kutcher, "Out of Time" - Denzel Washington, etc.
I was okay with the concept that after death of the body the brain waves remain active and the source code takes advantage of that energy. However, I think that the person who should have been on life support should have been the man in the mirror and not the face of Stevens. It would have been a kind of modern Frankenstein as the soul-looking like Stevens was transferred into the body of Fentress. In that way, the audience would realize how successful the Source Code was in that the soul-looking like Stevens lived on the body of Fentress. I got that if the body of Fentress met its death that the full completion of that source would be terminated and both the soul-looking like Stevens and the man in the mirror would cease to exist.
Perhaps I just missed something but somehow not utilizing the image of Fentress was in the end as bad as the mistake of "The Notebook" where we are given the image of the dark haired - clean shaven James Garner as Lon rather than the image of Ryan Goslin as Noah - dirty blonde - scruffy beard.
Again, perhaps I just missed something and have no business writing reviews, but then again maybe I think too much about the devil in the details.
The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
A Composite Movie
I am a movie nut. All things weird and unusual that play on the idea of true love and the required personal sacrifices to ensure the feeling is not lust is not easily conveyed in a movie. Having said that, this movie, in my opinion, was a composite of themes from "City of Angels" - library and angels, "The Matrix" - the agents and entry doors, a little bit of the "The Butterfly Effect" - personal sacrifice, and "The Wizard of Oz" - nothing scary behind the curtain!
The implied sex was tasteful in an old fashioned romance way that did not come across as gratuitous as say in "Blue Valentine". Perhaps, having been married for 21 years has created an intimate buffer zone that rejects voyeristic sex. In other words, sexually adjusted people - married or not - do not need to see other people having sex.
This was a movie that could be watched with a 16 year old child and discussed afterward without the awkward in-the-face sex seemingly thrown into so many movies these days.
I enjoyed the effort Damon's character exerted to have the woman of his dreams - the soul mate - the best friend - the true kiss, and the ability of Elise to trust him and herself to go through the doors.
For the 50 year old set, hard-core sex does not intimate-sensuality make, and more movies should provide the essence of innocence in 'the first time' experience, even if it is the 30th first time - sex should not be depicted as a handshake - but must always be forever the mystery of 'other-worldly possibilities' !
Jumping the Broom (2011)
Jumping The Broom
I fully enjoyed the movie on its own merits. The screenplay showcased the differences between people with money and counterparts without money. I have been around wealthy people and found myself perplexed at their so-called high-tradition attitudes compared to the common-traditions of the middle to lower class. This movie could have featured the normal white cast and the laughs would have been the same. However, T.D. Jakes deserves much praise for making this story with an Afrikan-American cast as it is a wonderful treatment of the coming together of the old ways of thinking (it doesn't matter how much money you have if you are black) and the new way of thinking (it doesn't matter what color you are as long as your rainy-day money is in silver, gold and green)to create a blended family having the best and the worst of both worlds. T.D. Jakes made one very important charge to the audience which is if we do not have love there is no salvation in having money. Thank you Sir and keep on lifting the veil.