mrbarth-1's reviews

I just watched "tick tick BOOM!"on Netflix. I'm almost speechless. I feel that RENT is one of the best musicals written and this film about Jonathan Larson put RENT and horrible period in America's history into sharp focus and brought back so many memories of my own similar experiences in the early 90s that still haunt me to this day. This is a brilliant musical and presented perfectly with insight, compassion, fear, and humanity. I can not imagine what soul uplifting stories Jonathan would have given the world had he lived longer.

Argh. Really poorly staged "prank". Could barely get through first episode. I won't be making that mistake on the rest of the series. One scene you can clearly see the set crew off stage in full view of the "victims". Go ahead and watch this, but you have been warned that it is time you will never get back. Just don't expect a comedy version of Stranger Things.

I held off watching this film as, like westerns of my youth, the whole gladiator/crusader themes have saturated the market for a time. I am glad I waited as I could actually sit down and enjoy this film. Some say the accents were off, the acting stiff. I saw nothing that was overly out of place (including Sutherland's Canadian accent). If they had wanted authenticity, they would have all been speaking Latin.

I am a retired director so watching any film is a bit difficult for me to sit back and let the film take me to another place. Usually I will subconsciously pick it apart as an armchair quarterback. Not so with this film. I enjoyed this film from the credits to credits. I won't go on about the plot. It is basically about the struggle between our perceptions of our parents and reality, the conflicts of people from different cultures, trust and betrayal...basically all the struggles we all face in modern life.

Of particular pleasure was the cinematography and sound...little nuances not found in a lot of films today.

A great piece of work. Not perfect perhaps, but a buddy film much better than I had expected.

Respire took me back to my youth when my brother would take us to the drive in movie. We would watch the simple mystery/horror through hands pressed against our faces to protect us from the boogie man. But that is about as far as this movie got for me, memories of getting scared as a kid. Which usually didn't take much effort in a horror movie.

As an adult however I had to constantly remind myself that there wasn't a lot of money thrown at this film which may be why some of the script gets very "home movieish" at times. I shouldn't have had to think of excuses for stiff dialogue. But the plot twists are fun to watch as they are revealed just as all the red corn syrup is fun to watch squirting out of wounds.

Compared to more widely released films, this one passes the test of a good scary tween/teen movie but fails to live up to the standards set by Halloween, Saw, Nightmare on Elm Street and others. I guess I am stuffy that way.

But graded simply on its own merit, it is worth including into your teenager's weekend slumber party. Providing you don't mind some on again / off again violence (and the required red corn syrup).

Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed. You might actually enjoy it.

Every so often a motion picture will cross your path that stuns you with is visual images and the depth of its thought. A piece of art that separates itself from the realm of "movie" and is deserving of the term "film". Okuribito is one of those rare gems.

In its subtle portrayal of a young man caught between what he thinks he wants in life and what he actually needs, Okuribito accomplishes what many modern movies do not... a film that touches your very soul.

To dwell on its plot here would be like trying to describe the fragrance of jasmine over the phone. This is a motion picture that must be experienced in person and within one's individual emotions.

Okuribito is a film you must see.