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John-304
Reviews
Kent State (1981)
A poignant view of America....
This movie should be required viewing of every student (and some adults) in America. That would help to remind the entire country of its history. The lack of comments about this movie testify to the fact that this incident has been all but forgotten in a country that is so vocal about Tiananmen Square.
Como agua para chocolate (1992)
I liked it....
When I was in school, we studied Romeo and Juliet. After analyzing every word, I hated it. Then I saw it performed on stage and fell in love with it.
If you analyze this film, you may find a reason to dislike it. I didn't, I watched it for its entertainment value and had an enjoyable time.
Romero (1989)
Another scary movie about Central America....
This is another "sleeper" about totalitarian regimes in Central America. What is particularly fascinating about this one is that Romero, a non-political man, comes to the realizaton that there is no such thing as apolitical, apolitical ultimately being complicity, and recognizes his responsibility to take a stand for his people, despite pressure from Rome to refrain from doing so.
I remember hearing about the events in this movie on the radio, when they were actually taking place.
For me this reality is a major part of how I felt watching this movie. The movie is quite good, but I didn't enjoy it. I don't think one watches such movies for enjoyment. I give it a 10!
The Milagro Beanfield War (1988)
What a delightful experience....
This movie has a wonderful fantasy tone to it. Unlike real life where we take what we get, in this film everything just seems to fall into place as "nature" intended it to. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could live in that world? A definite 10!!!
Salvador (1986)
Stunning....
What fascinates me about these movies that deal with America's foreign policy is that they kind of disappear into oblivion...
Unfortunately, for the rest of the world, the policies do not.
The wonderful thing about this movie is that the character Woods plays is a slimeball. And necessarily so. For a nice moral middle class liberal to feel some of the things that Woods character ends up feeling would be too easily dismissed as bleeding heart stuff.
When a slimeball is that overwhelmed by a situation, then something must definitely be wrong as the world is now discovering, albeit far too late for the number of people killed by this evil US backed regime.
Brazil (1985)
Pull the other leg, Terry
Ultimately I felt that Gilliam was pulling my leg (ie. having fun with me). That is OK though, I enjoy having my leg pulled and altogether the film, gloomy as the sets were, was just plain fun.... I liked it.
Under Fire (1983)
Script missed the mark....
The problem with this movie is that the script missed the mark. By making Nolte's "gaff" the basis of the movie, the screenwriters missed the opportunity to focus on a love story set against the Samosa regime.
Inevitably, the plight of Nicaraguans would not have been so easily dismissed by the audience, which ultimately was too small to include the average American, as evidenced by the ability of the American people to so easily Forgive Reagan and Oliver North for their part in continuing to persecute the Nicaraguan people.
Missing (1982)
Scary.....
What is really scary about movies like this is that they are based on truth. Jack Lemmon does a wonderful job playing an American who has to struggle with a lifetime of beliefs to come to grips with the reality of his country and its foriegn policy.
Kent State (1981)
A poignant view of America....
This movie should be required viewing of every student (and some adults) in America. That would help to remind the entire country of its history. The lack of comments about this movie testify to the fact that this incident has been all but forgotten in a country that is so vocal about Tiananmen Square.
Easy Rider (1969)
Love it or hate it.... It was real....
When I was 20, this film enjoyed a very long run at our local cinema. I must have seen it at least once a week. What was appealing about it was the angst. I feared the same demise as the heroes. Why?
Because despite the unreal quality of the movie when seen from a 1999 point of view, it was all very real. It tells of a time when, "My Country right or wrong" was the saying of a day, when many of America's youth were lost and trying to find their way. I know, because while I am not American, I had many friends who were and I visited the US several times, each time getting hassled about my long hair, by people on the street. My friends were living in Canada to avoid dying in a corrupt "Police Action" overseas.
Unlike Bill Clinton, we and the characters in this movie did inhale, mostly to get away from the ugliness that was the political and international situation at the time, remember this was three years before the American Tiananmen Square, Kent State. So our two heroes, a "Hippie" and a "Greaser" went looking for America and found it..... Scary, eh?
That was the appeal of this movie and still is, because not much has changed.
Think I'll go out and buy a copy....
Casablanca (1942)
The problems of two people don't amount to a hill of beans, in this world
I must be getting old, because I feel like I should have called this, "they just don't make them like they used to...", But I can assure you that this film (yes film, not movie) was made long before I was.
For many of the same reasons stated by others commenting here, this is my all time favorite film.
Excellent cast, excellent sets, excellent acting, excellent plot. If the vote meter went that high I'd give it a 100!!!! But 10 is the most I was allowed. As of today 4587 people had agreed with that vote. They can't all be wrong...