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corinnerivers
Reviews
A Spy Among Friends (2022)
History ruined, yet again...
This would have been a tremendous film except for one thing. The insertion of a fictional and quite unbelievable main character in Lily Thomas. I found it proselytising, I just couldn't buy it and ruined the whole film for me. Unreal for the period and situation, and it showed, so I cannot agree with other reviewers that this was a great idea.
Also as others have said, it was rather too dimly lit, dialogue that was difficult to decipher at times, and all rather dreary, and if you don't pay absolute attention you will get lost in the quagmire of shifting scenes..
It's a pity, such an otherwise intelligent film got caught up in what is usually termed modern day political correctness..
1883 (2021)
Dull, dreary, put you to sleep..
Not to mention the politically correct re writing of history, so typical of writers today... except the Germans who are portrayed as thieving, racist, and generally useless, whilst characters from other minority groups are of course tenderly handled..
They also copied scenes straight ouf of Dances With Wolves.. and nobody called the Sioux, Lakota in those days, Lakota is a dialect of a branch of the Dakota Indians.. they were called simply 'Soos' or some other derogatory term..
Almost laughable nonsense if it wasn't so tedious..
If you are hoping for something realistic, give this a miss, it's not worth your time. I'm sorry I wasted mine on it..
Strike Back (2010)
..dreadful stuff..
I've watched the entire series to be entertained by this unbelievable nonsense. The first few episodes were worth it, but by the time it reached series 6, I felt insulted on so many levels. Series 9 and 10 took incredulity to heights surely not seen on t.v. Before..
Haymaker (2021)
..a positive change..
I loved this quiet, unassuming film, but I write from a kind of insider perspective, and it's not for everyone, especially if you want something high drama and action packed.. this is subtle, slow to burn but the romantic angle is surprisingly realistic which may be difficult for most people to accept..
I found the chemistry between the two main actors just right, nothing gratuitous, not patronizing. We didn't need to be told everything.. Mr Sasso's quiet thoughtful demeanour - some would say deadpan or bland - I think suited the characters journey, from one of indifference, rejection to one of acceptance and eventually unconditional love, which is what it's all about.. it's a hard emotional road trip for a man of this character and sexuality, and I think Mr Sasso played it just right..
It's also to be commended that the female singer's background was not politicized and only briefly alluded to.. this makes a pleasant change from the usual negative portrayals one generally sees.
Unconditional (2012)
..A film like no other...
This is usually reviewed as a gay/trans film, a man unable to come to terms with his gay sexuality, or a film about a boy coming of age, but those are smokescreens and it's about something else entirely.
It's about a heterosexual man who is Autogynephilic - a propensity to be sexually attracted to himself as a woman - and his attempt to project it onto another male Host, via friendship and coercion. rather than containing it within him. The 'Babe' character is Liam's female identity, his 'created woman', and the object of his sexual and romantic desires - his narcissistic self.
Liam exhibits all the classic signs of autogynephilia... the ETLE - Erotic Target Location Error.. without autogynephilia, he would be attracted to Owen's sister. His NPD, Narcissistic Personality Disorder and NRA, Narcissistic Rage Attacks.
Projecting it onto a Host, he tries to get his 'created woman' to live off and consume the Host - Owen - not himself.. carrying his obsession forward to a full heteronormative relationship with the object of his narcissistic desire, himself as a woman. As long as the Host maintains the illusion, that is the issue here.
He has no sexual attraction to Owen. When they have sex, it is Liam making love to himself as a woman. When he tells Owen he loves him, he does so only to keep him as the Host, he cannot allow Owen to escape.. his love is unconditional only on that aspect..
Narcissistic Rage Attacks occur when the 'created woman' is dismissed as 'not real' or 'only for a laugh'.. evidenced by the stripping of Owen at the sea, the intense verbal attacks, and in the hotel fight on the floor..
An autogynephilic cannot accept that his 'created woman' is not real.
Resenting advances from other heterosexual males and purging of clothes by dumping in a rubbish bin, are other hallmarks of their autogynephilia, both hinted at in this film.
The wedding dress scene at the end is tragic for Liam, as when the wig comes off Owen, the Host has reasserted his own identity and rejected the 'created woman' and effectively sent it back to Liam - it's now his problem again.
Liam is one of the most complex and misunderstood characters ever to be portrayed in a film I think, and brilliantly acted by Christian Cooke, who seemed to understand the role perfectly, although his post film comments suggest he thought otherwise about the characters motives..
The screenplay writer seemed to know all about it.