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Reviews
The Sum of Us (1994)
End of the Stereotypes
At last, a film which does not portray gay men as flamboyant, effeminate, or tragic characters! Jeff Mitchell (Crowe) is just an ordinary young man, working as a plumber, who enjoys playing a good game of football in his spare time. He IS looking for Mr. Right, however, with the (sometimes unwelcome) help of his matchmaking dad, Harry (Jack Thompson). The loving relationship between Crowe and Thompson as father and son, is endearing and so well done, it would seem that both actors were born for their parts. I found the comedy to be clever and the serious scenes to be extremely heart rending, and at the end of the film, I hit the play button and watched it again. You might want to do the same!
Beruf Neonazi (1993)
Spine Chiller Brings Justice
Seldom does a documentary film accomplish so much as Beruf Neonazi. Aside from the rather frightening look into the current world of holocaust denial and pro Hitler ideology, the contents of the film were used as evidence to secure a court conviction. Gil Sedan filed this report from Bonn, for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, on September 8, 1995. "A neo-Nazi leader whose life was the subject of a documentary has been sentenced by a Berlin court to 3-1/2 years in jail. Bela Ewald Althans, 29, was convicted of racist incitement, defamation and holocaust denial in connection with the film, Profession: Neo-Nazi" [Beruf Neonazi].
No connection has been proven between the film and the "torching" of Ernst Zundel's Toronto headquarters, which were featured in the film, but his centre for operations did sustain heavy fire damage, only to be rebuilt as a fortress behind iron fence and heavily monitored by internal closed circuit cameras!
Overall, the film awakened me to my own ignorance of the vast extent and fervor of today's neonazi movement.
Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing (1973)
The test of time!
After viewing Love and Pain nearly thirty years after it's initial release, I felt that this film had certainly passed the test of time. This sometimes overlooked film is an excellent vehicle for Maggie Smith in a dramatic role; even more believable than her classic, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Initially the film appears to be a very clever, dry comedy, accented by Maggie Smith's prim and proper British morals pitted against Timothy Bottom's portrayal of a rich, but socially awkward American student. From the hysterically funny camping-trailer scene to the bitter-sweet twist at the end, Love and Pain is a timeless treasure worthy of a place on your video shelf!