Change Your Image
Tully-9
Reviews
An Everlasting Piece (2000)
Great!
This film was great for exactly what it was: a comedic drama with honest political/cultural commentary.
Set during the 1980's in the British-controlled portion of Ireland, "An Everlasting Piece" is about a Catholic and a Protestant barber who set off to win a monopoly as hair-piece salesman in the north of Ireland.
The style of comedy was what I would call "very British-like". It had that dry and witty sense of humor that is so terrific if you appreciate that sort of thing (just for the record, I'm usually a fan).
As far as the cultural/political commentary goes, an earlier post pointed out that George's family is non-existent in this movie, and that the story revolves around an almost entirely Catholic cast. My response is that to include the Protestant side of the story would have been impossible. To include the loyalist populace (and thus the loyalist paramilitaries, since there would have to be a balancing cinematic force countering the story of the IRA) would have required probably another 3 hours. I think this movie is really about the Catholic-Catholic confrontation. You've an IRA man who says "I want more than to just survive," in an era of unequal rights and opportunities for Irish Catholics, just as it was for the African Americans 2 decades before the film takes place. Then you have a Catholic who believes in "the cause" (ideologically speaking), yet has a Protestant friend who is obviously not concerned with politics or consumed with partisan hatred. The political/cultural issue here is the fact that the ideal the IRA was fighting for in the '80's (at the time, equal rights through union with the Irish Republic)) was legitimate in many respects- yet at what expense?
In the end the "film" is a movie- it is heart-warming entertainment that gives the viewer a general sense of one of the overall issues facing Ireland in the '80's, and it gives a lot of chuckles. It'll make you laugh, feel, and even make you think- so it's worth at least the rental price.
Iron Jawed Angels (2004)
Really Good for What it Is
I'm not normally into made-for-TV movies, but while I was visiting a friend tonight "Iron Jawed Angels" came on the television and within the first 10 minutes I was hooked. I kept meaning to go back to writing a paper for school, but I couldn't quite pull myself away from the movie.
"Iron Jawed Angels" doesn't exactly qualify as one of the best movies of all time, but for what it is I think those who made it did a good job. Before seeing it I'd heard it was very modernized (rock music in the background, etc.) and I expected it to be pretty lame in that regard. As it is, by using a modern filming style and adding in lots of jokes that no one would ever think women of that time period would use (though I'm sure they DID say some pretty crazy things when men were out of hearing range), the writers and director managed to make a forgotten part of history rather hip. If it had been released in theaters, I would have been horrified, but as a TV movie it was very entertaining and enlightening.
Strange as it is, my friend and I realized these women were some of the most important and influential people in American political/civil rights history, and yet I would bet that very few people alive today can even name them, let alone talk about how they went on hunger strike while in prison and gave up comfortable lives for a cause greater than themselves.
There is some hokey stuff in this movie (as there is in most "liberty or death" flicks), but that is far outweighed by the fact that it has the ability to teach young people today about women's suffrage without making them fall asleep. Be sure to watch it if you're a newcomer to civil rights. If nothing else, watch it because it's entertaining and will make you feel good.
American Beauty (1999)
PERFECT BEAUTY !!!
END COMMENTED ON, BUT NOT REVEALED
This is absolutely my favorite film of ALL TIME. I love movies, but to me this isn't just another "movie". I've seen it 5 times now, and every time it made me cry- not from sadness, but the beauty of life it reveals.
Living overseas, I've realized how truly lucky I am to be an American. We have more chances in life than anyone, and yet, as "American Beauty" shows, we throw it away. This film has changed how I view life- it taught me not to throw away ANYTHING. Not to throw away a simple image of a plastic bag floating on the wind. Not to give up on anyone, including myself. I go to see it again and again so that I can walk away from it with this wonderful feeling that every little part of life really is beautiful.
It is funny, it is sad... but somehow what should be a "sad" story turns out to be something truly remarkable. If you let it, it will change the way you view the world.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Up There With The Best!
I've been making it a point in the last few months to watch tons of movies- mostly "classics"- the best you can see. No matter how you look at it, this is an incredible movie in every way. It IS one of the best films of all time, and I say that being one of the many who fell asleep during my first viewing of it! Almost everyone I know has seen it- and seen it again. If you haven't watched it yet, join the party!