jamesonnephi Reviews

Kicking and Screaming (1995)

A waste of time for anyone who values their time and brainspace

[4/10 · 12 January 2007]

This movie is not great. It is an accurate portrayal, nothing more. All the characters are the clichéd prototypes of college life, all those who are interesting for the first part of school but get gradually more and more annoying as semesters plug on. And eventually, you no longer really want to spend time with them, because they are going no where and doing nothing, and haven't their entire "career" as students. Its just a bunch of high schoolers without boundaries or parents, and it isn't art, or even interesting once the initial humor and novelty wears off and the realization comes: this movie is the people I hate. Because they are pretentious posers unwilling to put forth the dedication necessary to become masters of any craft, much like the director at the time when he made this. Hopefully he will at some point, The Squid and the Whale is at least moving in the right direction.

Silent Hill (2006)

The Art and Philosophy of Silent Hill

[9/10 · 5 June 2006]

This film was not simply a video game adaptation, nor a horror flick. It was the artistic collaboation of three continents. The original concept, from Japan, laced with so much Eastern philosophy and pulling liberally from the deformist movements of the mid 1900s, i.e. Francis Bacon. Directed by a Frenchman, student of literature. And written by one of the most influential American screenwriters! There is so much depth to this movie that I think a lot of people are missing. The expressionism, the manichaism, duality of existence. The greatly misunderstood aspects of personal mental divergency and its artistic relation to the physical. (this film being one of the best representations I've ever seen of this very interesting concept of the visual being a allusion to the emotional state, and not being the actual events in occurrence but more, an ocular presentation of an otherwise inperceptible mental condition(I'm sorry, but NO, the whole point of it was NOT that they were just "in hell")) And it is my opinion that this dilemma of misunderstanding/disdain is due solely to the laziness of the viewer. They have not taken the time to understand what this piece is trying to get across while still making it entertaining. Those who believe that they should be catered to in their indolent state, thinking to themselves that they should comprehend something just because they "played the game", yet they have never picked up an item of literature, or strived to understand differing artistic expressions. With no comprehension of anything intellectual, they goff at something amazing, and ultimately, they sound utterly ridiculous and unenlightened. We must build up and support those who attempt to show us something that challenges us and forces us to try and attain another point of view for seeing this frail human existence. Most want to be fed, to be told what to think, told exactly what this "movie" is supposed to mean. And this is because they are unwilling to put any effort into the edification of their being. Lazy. and obese. Living of the fat of a land that is draining them of their potential. An opportunity to think for themselves and find a meaning to their pathetic lives. Something more than a damn video game!