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The Nine Lives of Chloe King (2011)
Waste of Time in My One Life
In the past, I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of some ABC Family programs, most notably the recent "Switched at Birth", which explores the psychological issues that can be attached to adoption and/or deafness. Riding on that high, I decided to try out "Nine Lives". Oops.
Here's the gist: Chloe King is a 16-year-old cat woman with nine lives who is destined to be the savior of a race of super-humans.
I won't waste MORE of my time expounding on details of the plot. I found the acting of the lead actress to be rather vapid and frantic and somewhat insulting to girls of her general age group. Underscoring her uninspiring acting is the unoriginal "cat woman" concept. On top of all of that, the writers make the mistake of trying to draw in their audience too quickly. Before we even know who the main character is supposed to be, she is suffering an identity crisis, which, with no set persona, just comes off as a disheveled mess to the viewer.
Don't get me wrong; the show is well done, and it is perfectly appropriate for most of its base audience of preteen girls. As with hundreds of other shows, the cinematography and the rest of the casting are decent. So here's my advice: there are dozens of shows of equal quality AND originality. Save an hour or so and skip "Chloe King". After all, you only have one life to live.
Misfits (2009)
Psychologically Relatable yet Extraordinary
The community service efforts of a parole officer and a group of anti- authority Londoner young people ends in a frantic retreat at the arrival of a freak storm. One by one, each character discovers a special power imparted by the storm and explores its possible uses, for better or for worse.
Okay, so the method of superpower attainment isn't exactly groundbreaking, but it hardly matters. The genius of this series is the way that the authors treat the impact of the character's powers on their individual lives and on their lives as a group bound by a freak accident. Relationships are built...and ruined. Confidence is gained and lost, friendships with others affected by the storm are offset by their sense of isolation from "normal" people. Just as in life and following the tradition of ancient Greek heroes, every aspect of the characters' powers and the characters themselves exist in ambiguity.
I would recommend this series to anyone with an interest in psychology, great acting, sociology, fantastic production value and cinematography, or Homer-worthy story epics.
Visioneers (2008)
Disappointed
I feel bad about giving this film such a bad grade. The cinematography was decent, as was the acting, the set design, and the dialogue. the thing is, I was really excited to see this film. As a sci-fi fan, a dark comedy about a corporation-country is right up my alley. I love to see a film exposing the dangers of today's society and possibly granting guidance as to how to avoid the seemingly inevitable. That's the kind of movie I love. Therefore, "Visioneers" was disappointing.
Jared Drake's debut, though entertaining, failed to delve fully into the corporation-country and to deliver a satisfactory resolution to the issues that were brought up in the film. I wanted to see a film in which a country was completely controlled be a corporation, where the president of the corp. was the president of the land, where people pledged their allegiance to a corporation's flag, where media blasted incessant propaganda. Instead, Drake presents the audience with an in-between world. The nation and corporation are entwined but semi-separate as well, with a relationship similar to that of the church and the state old Europe. The media is in the beginning stages of total censorship, but shocking footage revealing the shortcomings of the nation are still shown, revolutionary groups are shut down with caution, and the radio is available during most of the film.
This mid-state in itself would not have discouraged me. In fact, I was hoping this film would be a new take on the corporate dystopia: how to stop it before it starts...but alas. Instead, "Visioneers" ends with a bout of love-fueled adultery that sparks a dreamy hallucination, sending a vague message about the need to maintain one's passions, to "feel something", and (most cliché) to keep dreaming. Nevertheless, the message is at least a positive one, the dialogue is often witty, and the acting isn't bad. Galifianakis holds his own as a leading man and Judy Greer is superb as his floundering, depressed wife. "Visioneers" is worth a viewing; just don't go in expecting "Brazil".
I Heart Huckabees (2004)
I Heart "I Heart Huckabees"
If you've read bad reviews, I feel that they were unfair. Please watch the movie anyway. David O. Russell's "I Heart Huckabees" is hilarious! Not in a pretentious, button-up-Brit fashion, not in a "Dumb and Dumberer", how-many-times-can-a-crotch-shot- be-funny fashion, but rather in a whimsical way. It's characters and plot hop about the screen, hopelessly, cluelessly making the viewer shy at first the characters and then their own lack of knowledge about the universal truths that the film explores. To start it all off, Albert (Schwartzman) hires existential detectives to uncover the mystery of his coincidental run-ins with a tall African man. As Schwartzman undergoes the first step of the detective's work, being "dismantled" into nothing aside from his core beliefs and character, various other characters (played by Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Hupert, and Lily Tomlin) unveil existential philosophies that are meant to help rebuild a better life and a better self than he was before. With the help of his Other, played by Mark Wahlberg, Schwartzman: escapes to an imaginary tree, has sex in a mud puddle, reveals the hypocrisy of a God-fearing family, finds momentary relief through rubber ball head-bashing. Some of the scenes are strange, true. But shouldn't they be? In a film that questions any meaning in life or existence, that questions the character of man, the realm of reality and the limits of normal thought ought to be pushed. Bottom line, the cinematography is great, the special effects are original and visionary, and the acting is phenomenal. But the greatest thing about this movie is that it changes the way you look at human nature. In the end, you look at Albert. He has realized that all people are tied together through universal feeling, that every person can see themselves in another person when they understand the root of their emotions when they laugh or cry or scream. You look at Albert and know that he struggles, that he has done bad things, great things, and just plain bizarre things...and yet you don't see him as any more or less for it because you understand why he has made the decisions that he has. And none of what he did seems bad or good or odd anymore because you realize that he was just reacting naturally, and, as he never acted maliciously, no real harm was done. Albert makes us realize that every person in the world is relatable. Even better, because of the oneness we can share with other through emotion, if we bring joy to other people, we can share in that joy. It's a wonderful lesson and a wonderful film filled with legitimate laughs and legitimate passion. Enjoy.
Religulous (2008)
In Brief
I'll make this brief, as many points have already been covered in the hundreds of reviews made thus far.
I adored this film. Over the past year, I have slowly transitioned into atheism, and my self-confidence has grown simultaneously. Some may find it disheartening to be "without religion", but I prefer to live in a world of science, where phenomena are explained rather than discarded and where we as a species have real opportunities to improve our circumstances.
Viewing from this perspective, this was a fantastic piece of cinema. It fulfilled the greatest possible cause of cinema: it attempted (and I would expect succeeded in many cases) to open it's viewer's minds in a way that has the capability to create a better world. At the very least, "Religulous" sparked great interest, as evidenced by the hordes of critics who felt compelled to share their opinions on it.
However, I could not give this film a 10 for one acute reason: the persuasive methods used in this movie will not succeed in convincing those whom we as a society most need to be persuaded, though I concede that this may be an impossible mission.
Over all, Maher et al deserve kudos for their efforts. I only hope that this film's celebration of atheism will help others to join me in achieving the motivated yet peaceful state of mind that can be reached through the scientific way of life.