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prestalex
Reviews
La Brea (2021)
Disappointed over lost opportunity to do an important public service
Having grown up just down the street from the La Brea Tarpits, I've always been intrigued by them. I'd walk down to what was, in the sixties, merely a bubbly, disgusting smelling oil swamp - but I imagined the area so many years long past, and how, with La Brea, I get to see the writers' rendition of their own. For this I am grateful.
Here's my qualm: having grown up in Southern California and having endured multiple earthquakes - several of them severe, perhaps I'm a bit paranoid about them. More so, I've tried to convince family and friends to be prepared for the next one - maybe the "big one" as we were always told was coming.
Along with being prepared, is knowing how to respond during a quake - this is a matter of life and death, literally.
So today, as I was watching Episode #4 - The New Arrival, I was shocked to see that during a dramatic earthquake scene, the writers have a grown man jump onto his daughter's bed, to hold and protect her from the quake - a huge plate glass window beside that bed.
Apparently those writers have NO IDEA of how one should act when an earthquake strikes, otherwise they'd have had the man and daughter dodging UNDER the bed, or table, or standing under a door jam, protecting their eyes and faces from possible breaking glass.
That these writers did not do this, they missed an opportunity to teach the public the proper response to quakes. Now, when one strikes, how many viewers of this scene will simply hop onto a bed and hold their loved ones, instead of taking the correct actions that might actually save those loved ones?
I can excuse the other flaw found in this same episode, when earlier we find out that the heroine has been buried in a field...to keep it safely away from others...this after that very heroine was used for urgent medical care in the previous episode. How brilliant is that...when we learn, in this episode, that the guy who buried the heroine does not remember where he buried it. I can forgive this and chalk it up to a character flaw - which is perfectly acceptable, albeit ridiculous.
But the missed public service opportunity - there's no story purpose that can condone demonstrating a dangerous reaction to a very real threat.
The Devil Next Door (2019)
Just Missed Ten Stars
Riveting documentary, but I expected a bit more honesty than I got.
The story opens...and concludes with scenes from the Ford Motor Company plant, with workers expressing surprise that an ex-Nazi could actually have been working there...GASP!
Would have been enlightening to the viewer to explain why ex-Nazis would be most inclined to take up employment at Ford...given that the founder of the Ford Motor Company was himself an avid supporter of Adolph Hitler, was a self-admitted anti-Semite whose full length portrait hung in the Chancellor's office in Berlin and indeed, was granted Germany's highest honors by the furor himself.
That the writer/directors of this excellent documentary would dance right over these very important facts demeans their work. One wonders if they had wanted to include these cogent facts but decided against including them due to pressure from the community.
Until the full truth about the Holocaust is revealed, humanity will be at risk of a repeat.
Chronic (2015)
Unexpectedly Brilliant
This film has a European feel to it, taking a slow and methodical approach to unveiling both the story-line as well as the main character, David. At first I, too, was thinking "why are some parts so drawn out and slow" but then it dawned on me that these characteristics perfectly denote the life of the terminally ill, and ironically, David's life as he struggles with past issues.
Don't expect a happy, Hollywood ending - how can that be when dealing with end of life issues? No, this film is gritty and real and as close to reality as one can get. Having filmed movies myself - especially filming difficult, emotional scenes, I stand in awe of the cinematographer's stamina and excellent positioning. Unlike most movies these days, where the camera has to be right on top of each and every scene, in a voyeuristic way, instead what we have is demonstrated decency to give privacy to that which should be private (no spoiler here; you will understand my words when you come to that particular scene).
The portrayal of David, the main character, is spot on the mark. Throughout the film I wanted to jump into the frame and give him a long, loving hug. He stole my heart with his compassion while life showed precious little to him.
Truly one of my all time favorites now. The kind of film that one can pull new meaning from each time they watch it. Deep and significant: my heart is still aching, woke up several times during the night to reflect on the scenes. Wish I could personally thank the writer, the director and cast. Bravo!
The Keeping Hours (2017)
One of my all-time favorite films
The Keeping Hours speaks to me of the tortured healing process that everyone goes through after suffering a tragic loss. The main characters in this film portray believable characters; more importantly, this film invokes my total empathy for this couple as they come to grips with the loss of their son.
The last few scenes are the ones that I cherish - the haunting music, the pathos, the acceptance of what is and what has happened - I was so deeply moved and still to this day, I so appreciate the depth of this film and especially the redemption of the souls of the characters.
Bravo to the writer, ditto for the composer of the score. Job very well done. And thank you.