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richardolivermcrae
Reviews
A Stoning in Fulham County (1988)
old-school exploration of the 'human condition'
This is not a sensational movie, nor a cinematic work of art. It is instead a highly moral made-for-TV movie exploring what was, not so long ago, known as 'the human condition' - in the tradition of Steinbeck and Hemingway.
Its grounded in profound, 3000 year old Judeo-Christian content - about selfish, and conversely altruistic people within a community. This, and the somber subject, require considerable nuance from the actors, most especially Maureen Mueller and Ron Perlman as the beleaguered Amish couple.
Its very comparable to the 1985, Harrison Ford movie Witness; indeed a worthwhile study! Both share a common subject, but dramatically diverge on what they do with it. Witness is undoubtedly a higher quality cinematic movie; but A Stoning is a much more profound exploration of humanity. If Witness panders to box-office cliche, A Stoning preaches; and I would posit there's a meaningful place for both.
So if you enjoy unabashed moral debate, and you enjoy watching actors reaching for and achieving exceptional depth of character (in the British vein of 'thespians') perhaps your will enjoy this film.
A Stoning in Fulham County is highly recommended for educated, religious, and socially engaged movie viewers more interested in the human experience than fantasy. And for families - to share and discuss with their children about the good and the bad of this world, about craven mediocrity and exceptional individuals of integrity.
Possession (2002)
2 Films in 1 - one is Magnificent, the other . . .
Paltrow and Eckhart get star billing, but the film belongs wholly to Jeremy Northam and Jennifer Ehle. Their's is a lush, tender, tragic, Victorian romance - bracketed by a clumsy, contrived modern relationship. The period drama is a real portfolio piece - superlative acting, sets, costume, camera and editing; its up there with the best of British literary drama. Northam and Ehle are archetypal - eternal! The surrounding modern story of sleuthing scholars however falls far short: the actors fail utterly to capture the academic authority of their characters and the ambiance of questing intellectual research - the camera work, the sets are great, but the actors are cardboard. Too bad! Ultimately its LaBute's failing for not eliciting solid performances. (Gwyneth Paltrow in Proof however powerfully delivers as a tortured math genius.)
Radius (2017)
Magnificent Nihilism
It goes nowhere, says nothing.
Extraordinary, fascinating things happen without meaning or purpose,
and then its over.
Welcome to the brave new world of deconstructionist postmodernism.
Magnificent Nothing.
Medici (2016)
Renaissance Soap Opera
A Harlequin Romance version of one of the most extraordinary men, families, and times in all human history.
Think about it, half a millennium later the civilized world still venerates a place the size of Abilene Texas. Cosimo was Pater Patriae - father to his people, from plebeians to patricians. He chose to invest his life and fortune in his community, that alone makes him exceptional. And the wisdom with which he did that . . . ah, well, that's the stuff of true and abiding legend! Cosimo's contribution to civilization is immeasurable. It should be a lesson for every city council in every town and city of the world.
If this is your first experience with the subject, then by all means enjoy this melodramatic version. And if the beauty of the Medici Renaissance enthralls you, then follow up with the PBS series - Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance. And some day spend a week or a month in Florence - six centuries and still one of the most refulgent blossoms on the planet.