Reviews
Idiocracy (2006)
I didn't realize how much I liked it until I kept laughing the next day.
This movie seems really stupid but it grows on you. I have to see it again and I will likely buy the DVD. The characters are repulsively idiotic but that's the idea. I don't want to give anything away and so I'm being careful.......the possibility of our society degrading into such.....there are no other words to describe it..an idiocracy, is just disturbing - really disturbing. I'm still disturbed. The disposable clothing pulled from a dispenser on the wall is a really good marketing idea, though, I have to say. I'm surprised it's not already out there. I guess my final thought is that this is a stupid movie for smart people because stupid people just won't get it. They're already in the mental ozone. This movie makes you want to pick up a book - quick before anymore brain cells disappear.
Woodstock (1970)
different experience as an adult
when the movie was first released, I saw Woodstock in a theater with my great uncle. I was in 8th grade. He took me to see it because we both played guitar and shared a love of music. It was quite an experience - especially some of the "free love" scenes, but we loved it and he was especially awed by Jimi Hendrix.
I had a chance to see the director's cut in a theater this year. It was such a gift to go back in time and recapture the feeling of that time. While four hours is a long time, the extra footage of Jimi Hendrix and the dreamy scenes of Janis Joplin near the end are worth it.
Yes, Woodstock is ESSENTIAL viewing for any rock fan and for anyone who wants to capture the real sense of what it was like to feel part of a generational "love' movement. It seems so unreal in retrospect, but those of us who lived it - remember it. See Woodstock and enjoy.
Tomorrow, the World! (1944)
I couldn't wait to see this movie.
I had not heard of the film until I saw it on the Turner Movie Classics schedule. Seeing the subject matter and the 1944 date excited me. The writer, director and cast would be playing out the issues in real time, as the die was cast. I grew up in a household conflicted with stories and opinions of Nazi Germany. My mother is Jewish. My father was German and raised by a father who supported Hitler. I have always been fascinated by Germans who seem to be good people who choose to ignore the eventual outcome of Hitler's madness and defend Germany's need for him.
The characters each have their unique perspective and reaction to Emil as played masterfully by Skip Homeier. The desire to see only the good in a human being with no expectation that they are dealing with a fully brainwashed evil acting thug is such an American trait. This movie is simply made and concentrates closely on the story, and it's the story and the acting that is compelling. I think you will enjoy it if you enjoy a good psychological study. My husband was disappointed with the ending, I, however, was overjoyed and cried. P. S. It was nice to see Agnes Moorehead in her role. I have never seen her play such a "normal person".