Comments by dbin78 in Indian Orchard, MA
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Gigante
Gigante (2009) is an eccentric film about the period of time before meeting the one you have fallen for. Calling it a love story would not do it justice; I call it a "pre-love" story, with drama and some comedy put in the mix. It is simple yet extremely well acted and directed movie that could have easily been uninteresting given the subject matter. The cast and crew pulled it off by making a truly memorable film.
Jara is in his mid 30's and loves hardcore rock and enjoys playing video games with his nephew. Always wearing a Biohazard or Motörhead t-shirt, black cargo pants, and army boots he walks the streets of Montevideo following Julia while trying to balance his interest in her while not being aggressive. Great music along with the sites and sounds of the city fill the void when little talking takes place.
He first saw Julia through the security cameras at a large grocery store where he is a guard and she works in the janitorial department cleaning up the store overnight. Unaware of Jara or his infatuation for her she goes about her days. Through his walks and persistent watching he learns more about her and finds things he made need to do to better himself to have a chance and a few things they could have in common.
Jara's life and job become at risk when his determination to know more about Julia come to a head. While watching her one night at work he sees her go with another man she has laughed with at work into an area of the store without cameras; he can not take not knowing! This sometimes scary but possibly sweet simple man must decide his next move. He has followed her to her house, cinema, internet cafe, and even on a date with another man (he follows the guy also). Has he become a stalker or is he still the guy that anonymously left a flowering cactus for her in an isle at work?
This is the most realistic story of a relationship I have ever seen. The situations he gets into will certainly make you feel his uncomfortableness that we all have felt when trying to engage another person we like. A perfect time to introduce himself to her passes by when he hides behind a wall at a club he is a bouncer for when she tries to get in without having the cover charge.
8 out of 10 - Spanish with English subtitles - If you enjoy a good visual story with well developed characters and a look at real life this film is for you. It is available for pre-order from Amazon for its February 2010 release.
Dain Binder
www.dainsmoviereviews.comSeptember 27, 2009 at 10:54 p.m. UTC
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Good Night, and Good Luck.
Good Night, And Good Luck. looks at the early years of television and journalism principles; specifically the on-air clash in the 1950's between Edward R. Murrow of CBS and Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. With an outstanding cast, including McCarthy himself through archival footage, this film comes alive with intense emotion while depicting the historical See It Now shows and journalism integrity.
Sen. Joseph McCarthy abused his position of power when he claimed many U.S. citizens were Communist Party members. By instilling fear he was able to cripple people's lives with uncorroborated hearsay evidence. Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) decided to report the known facts of McCarthy's tactics on his show with the assistance of his right-hand man, Fred Friendly (George Cloony). With Murrow's strong following he was able change the course of history.
The film was produced in black and white and with impeccable acting and props I felt I was living through the events and they unfolded. Of course it must have been much more extraordinary back then; but, having not grown up in that time this is the closest I will ever come to understanding the impact of those events.
You do not need to be a history buff to enjoy this movie. A little light reading would not hurt though if you are not familiar with Murrow and McCarthy; I found it useful to have my computer at hand to lookup up some lesser known people I was curios about (but didn't need to know to have the film make sense).
David Strathairn did an excellent job portraying Murrow right down to the infamous Camel cigarette always in hand. The additional cast of George Clooney, Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr., and Frank Langella all showed their talent on the screen. I was particularly impressed with Ray Wise who played Don Hollenbeck - his superb (although small) role with stay with me for a long time.
9 out of 10 - Rated PG - Watch this one for the historical importance and amazing film making.
Dain Binder
www.dainsmoviereviews.com/2009/09/good-night-and-good-luck-movie-review.htmlSeptember 11, 2009 at 11:42 p.m. UTC
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Somers Town
Somers Town (2008) is fresh and lighthearted coming of age story that has real-life charm and drama. It is serious yet fun look at growing up. The people you meet and the situations you get into, as well as your dreams, truly shape who you are. Being filmed in black and white gives it a clean feel that enables you to focus on the events and characters without distraction. The original music by Gaven Clark is refreshing and perfectly fits the style of the film.
Tomo (Thomas Turgoose) has just arrived by train in the Somers Town area of London after leaving his hometown of Nottingham. He is an extremely open and chatty young man that befriends a lady, Jane, on the train. Meanwhile, Marek (Piotr Jagiello) is walking with his dad (Ireneusz Czop) to his job where he is working on a new track for the train. Marek goes off on the town taking photographs along the way. That evening Marek and his dad head home for some diner that Marek cooks up in their cramped kitchen. They enjoy each others company and have fun and open chats about life while learning the English language. They moved from Poland looking for a new start after his marriage failed. The shy and reserved Marek takes to the streets again to photograph at night after his father goes out for a nightcap.
Tomo is out on the streets trying to get someone to buy him some beer. With only an army style duffel bag and the clothes on his back he is in for a rough road to make a life in London. When he is relaxing some local kids come upon him and start slightly pestering him for a drink and start bothering him a little - after they finish his beer he attempts to get away. They catch up to him in the ally and beat him up really bad and take all of his things. With no money or clothes and nowhere to turn he looks up Jane (Kate Dickie) from the train. She buys him lunch and gives him a little cash to get the train back home to where he ran away from.
Tomo spots Marek looking and some pictures in the restaurant. He is taken back by the beauty of the women in the photographs, as is Marek. Marie is from Paris and works as a local lunch spot. The two quickly become friends and start what will become a very memorable summer of their younger years. They meet Graham, who is an odd neighbor that recruits the boys to help him with a little venture of his and offers life guidance. Without his dad’s knowledge Marek has Tomo staying in his room with him. They spend their days pining for Maria and just being teenagers in London.
9 out of 10 - I really liked this movie. The true to life and sometimes crass script is flawlessly acted by the cast. It has a soothing quality and the moments of difficulty offset by funny situations bring this film together so well. I wish the movie never ended; I even watch it again a couple days later and enjoyed it even more. Shane Meadows directed this amazing movie. This is a wonderful film for just about everyone to watch - be sure to pick up this independent film when it comes out on DVD in December.
Dain Binder
http://www.dainsmoviereviews.com/2009/09/somers-town-movie-review.htmlSeptember 7, 2009 at 6:00 a.m. UTC