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Janice21383
Vancouver Public Library
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151 to 175 of 1,036 items
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Elmer Gantry, DVD

DVD - 2001
Janice21383's rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Added Sep 23, 2018

Comment:

Based on the real life career of Aimee Semple McPherson and the religious chicanery of her times. But change the costumes, and exchange the Tin Lizzies for SUVs, and the Elmer Gantry story could be told about today. Burt Lancaster hams it up outrageously, the way an evangelist working the tents would do, and Jean Simmons gives a surprisingly fair and sympathetic performance as his dear Sister. Shirley Jones won Best Supporting Actress as a hooker with a five-dollar heart of gold.

The Sobbing Stone, DVD

DVD - 2007
Janice21383's rating:
0.5 out of 5 stars
Added Sep 23, 2018

Comment:

You might think I'm kidding, but I'm not: The Sobbing Stone is one hour and 15 minutes of scientists who know nothing about science brooding about why a rock is making noises. If that sounds too wildly exciting, they mix it up with a little homophobia here, a little anti-abortion there. Because look at the DVD cover -- guess what message the rock is trying to convey? Someone paid money for this boring and embarrassingly amateurish film. Unless someone is paying you to watch it, don't bother.

A Quiet Place, DVD

DVD - 2018
Janice21383's rating:
2 out of 5 stars
Added Sep 21, 2018

Comment:

2018's premier "This makes NO sense/You make no sense just shut off your brain and enjoy it/How can I enjoy things without my brain?" movie. Probably best seen with a group of people, who will giggle nervously and shush one another.

The Collaboration, BookHollywood's Pact With Hitler

by Urwand, Ben
Book - 2013
Janice21383's rating:
2.5 out of 5 stars
Added Sep 20, 2018

Comment:

As a companion to The Collaboration, I would suggest readers look at this review by longtime journalist and film critic David Denby, or other skeptical reviews. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/how-could-harvard-have-published-ben-urwands-the-collaboration The film industry was no more guilty of collaborating with the Nazis than any other (in fact less than many: finance, arms manufacturing, resources, etc.) They wanted to continue to show their films in Germany, and not to provoke an international incident; in which they were encouraged by the U.S. government. Urwand's take is not exactly wrong, but it is exaggerated. For further balance, I recommend Steven J. Ross's Hitler In Los Angeles, which leans the other way.

Live by Night, DVD

DVD - 2017
Janice21383's rating:
2 out of 5 stars
Added Sep 19, 2018

Comment:

Aimless and overlong -- a description which could apply equally to Live By Night or Ben Affleck's career. Ben is ambitious, but the roles of writer, director, producer and star are beyond him separately, let alone together. If you're his true fan, yes, see it. But there are so many other, better films to watch, for example The Road to Perdition or The Godfather, or the noir films that inspired him, like Kiss of Death (1947) or Crisscross (1949).

Paprika, DVD

DVD - 2007 | Japanese
Janice21383's rating:
4.5 out of 5 stars
Added Sep 15, 2018

Comment:

Ordinarily, the first thing I look for in a film is the story, but that doesn't apply here. Like Inception and Strange Days, it's about technology that makes it possible to see and manage dreams, a murder -- and the rest is up for debate. But rather than trying too hard to understand it, let it wash over you and make its own kind of sense. Because of violence and brief sexual imagery, this is not a film for children, though they might actually be the best audience for Paprika's bombardment of images. I have attached a video about writer/director Satoshi Kon's films, which will give you an idea if it is for you.

Video: Satoshi Kon - Editing Space & Time

Another great critique from Every Frame a Painting.

The Origins of Totalitarianism, Downloadable Audiobook

by Arendt, Hannah
Downloadable Audiobook - 2009
Janice21383's rating:
4.5 out of 5 stars
Added Sep 08, 2018

Comment:

People upset by Arendt's Eichmann In Jerusalem will get a heart attack from Origins of Totalitarianism; or they would, if they read it cover to cover -- it seems few people have. Origins is not a history book, but an analysis of history and totalitarian governments by a philosopher. Many chapters, like the one about Marcel Proust and the elite Jews of France, are stand-alone essays, with only a tangential relation to the theme of totalitarianism. It is wordy and meandering, and has no "story" to carry the reader through, as was the case with Eichmann and his trial. And English is not Hannah Arendt's first, or second language; that doesn't help either. But Origins a cornucopia of ideas. Choose a passage, any passage, and there is enough thought packed into it for any one ordinary book. Arendt reaches greatness, but she needs great editor to systematize her ideas; an Engels to her her Marx. Nadia May does her best with the long, tortuous sentences. I hope someone awarded her The Order of the Golden Throat Lozenge for her lively reading here.

Video: Predictions and dictators

Broadcaster Thom Hartmann reads from Hannah Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism. When a politician tells you who he is, believe him.

The Death of Stalin, DVD

DVD - 2018
Janice21383's rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Added Sep 06, 2018

Comment:

A sense of humour is such an individual thing, it's impossible to please everyone. So let's parce this out by type of viewer. If you often find yourself thinking things like "well, I don't see what's funny about THAT" or "what's WRONG with The Big Bag Theory?", this movie is not for you. If you like films like Brazil, or director/writer Armando Iannucci's TV shows VEEP or In the Thick of It (or as Open_sesame points out, Luis Bunuel's films), this will be right up your alley. If you're on the fence, or haven't been exposed to extremely irreverent comedy based very loosely on real events, have a look at the trailer attached; the film is much like that. And if you're a Putin-supporting oligarch, you're going to have issues, but don't worry, it's officially banned in Russia.

Video: Death of Stalin Trailer

All the Dictator's Men

The Firm, DVD

DVD - 1999
Janice21383's rating:
2.5 out of 5 stars
Added Sep 05, 2018

Comment:

Tom Cruise is at his cruisey-est in this fantasy/legal thriller. Expect plot twists that make no sense, big suits, scenes that could be cut, and running. Lots and lots of running. Holly Hunter and Gene Hackman are standouts, but otherwise feel free to fast forward.

The passion of the Christ, DVD

DVD - 2006 | Aramaic
Janice21383's rating:
2 out of 5 stars
Added Sep 04, 2018

Comment:

If you like blood, you will love this movie. Of course, that could be said about many films directed by Mel Gibson. It is technically well put together, and well-written for what it wants to be, again like most of Gibson's films. Additional points for historical atmosphere, dialogue in Aramaic and Latin, and so on. Just don't go in expecting a lot of deep character interaction, Jesus' message, or anything like that. This is not about Jesus' life, but about death, and nothing but death. Viewers who don't share Gibson's traditional religious beliefs should prepare themselves for some antisemitism.

No Greater Love, DVD

DVD - 2011
Janice21383's rating:
0.5 out of 5 stars
Added Sep 04, 2018

Comment:

Here's a line from No Greater Love's heroine -- who has abandoned her family for ten years, gone on drugs, hit bottom, and found the Lord -- and is now worried about returning to her unbelieving husband, who owns her : "I'm supposed to submit to him. What if he doesn't let me pray!?" If dialogue like that inspires you to give films five stars without seeing them, you will love this movie. If not, not.

The Devil's Double, DVD

DVD - 2011
Janice21383's rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Added Sep 02, 2018

Comment:

"The rest is history." These are the last words of The Devil's Double -- I wish I could say for sure that anything about this film is history. Latif Yahia's life has more stories than the CN tower. It could be that his days as Uday Hussein's double are substantially true. It's almost impossible to exaggerate what the last days of the Hussein regime were like. However, Yahia's escape from Iraq, his return to try to assassinate Uday, and very much more...I suggest reading articles published in Ireland, where he was for a time seeking asylum. As a tall tale, though, The Devil's Double is splendid; gorgeously shot, scored (Depeche Mode!), and acted. Dominic Cooper gives the performance of a lifetime as men who are virtually identical, yet the viewer will have no trouble telling who is whom.

Jesus of Nazareth, DVD

DVD - 2000
Janice21383's rating:
3.5 out of 5 stars
Added Sep 02, 2018

Comment:

I used to watch Jesus of Nazareth every year around Easter, and was always moved by it. Seeing it now, while it's still worth you time, it doesn't hold up as the artistic event it was once thought to be. JoN far too star-studded -- hey, James Mason! hi, Lawrence Olivier! -- and every star has his moment to shine, which slows down the story. The pace picks up when Jesus becomes an adult -- honestly you can skip to this section without missing much. Robert Powell is the best Jesus I have seen, and a plausible religious leader: intelligent, charismatic, spiritual but also practical, until some would say his vision and ambitions lead him astray, and others would say he fulfilled his destiny. The script's emphasis is on Jesus' message and interaction with his followers, rather than on suffering and death.

The square, DVD

DVD - 2018 | Swedish
Janice21383's rating:
3 out of 5 stars
Added Aug 29, 2018

Comment:

Dust-dry humour about a museum curator's PR nightmare. We think of Sweden as a caring and civilized society, but writer/director Ruben Östlund is here to puncture pretensions and give his characters holy hell. He starts here with an excellent premise, but doesn't go far with it, unlike in his superior Force Majeure. I suggest you watch that film first, to find out if Östlund's films are for you. The Square's lead actor, Claes Bang, is simultaneously handsome, funny, and ratlike. He and Elizabeth Moss have some of the best scenes.

The Killing of A Sacred Deer, DVD

DVD - 2018
Janice21383's rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Added Aug 26, 2018

Comment:

It's odd to read comments about the awful story that viewers cannot tolerate or make make sense of when blood atonement and sacrifice of the innocent is one of the oldest and most familiar stories in the world, if not the most popular, and continues IRL to this day. Director/writer Yorgos Lanthimos's story is inspired by the myth of Iphigenia, but in a stark, off-putting modern setting, which is also reminiscent to a looming Greek temple. Give it one hour, at least, and enjoy young Barry Keoghan's performance. You may find the puzzle pieces falling into place.

Children Who Chase Lost Voices, DVD

DVD - 2012
Janice21383's rating:
3.5 out of 5 stars
Added Aug 24, 2018

Comment:

An anime trip to the underworld. Children is a story of love and death, but also epic Lord of the Rings style adventure. It's not impossible to blend the two (see: The Golden Compass trilogy and Hans Christian Andersen's dark tales). But the middle section of this film is both too long to focus on the theme, and not long enough to explain the complex world. That said, the beautifully detailed and imaginative animation is more than enough to fill the slow spots in the story. Please note this is not a movie for young children. Age 10 and up should be fine with some distressing imagery and events.

Suitability

Ages 10

The Young Pope, DVD

DVD - 2017
Janice21383's rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Added Aug 19, 2018

Comment:

Game of Tiaras; or a slow, surreal imagining of what might happen if a the Holy Spirit were ever moved to make an American pope. In fairness, it is no stranger than the actual Vatican. Despite its jokey and "scandalous" exterior, it does take spirituality seriously, though not everyone will see it that way. Jude Law (a producer of the series, as well as an actor) takes many opportunities to ham it up, but he looks absolutely fabulous.

Oz, DVDThe Complete Fifth Season

DVD - 2005
Janice21383's rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Added Aug 19, 2018

Comment:

Hard-hitting prison drama, or telenovela for dudes? I remember the reaction to Oz when it came out: so much earnest discussion of jail conditions; so many online clips of a semi-nude Christopher Meloni. Fast forward through anything with the rap poet/wheelchair-bound narrator, and enjoy the delicious cheese.

Video: Oz trailer

This is a fair representation of what Oz is like. Be warned.

Paul, Apostle of Christ, DVD

DVD - 2018
Janice21383's rating:
1.5 out of 5 stars
Added Aug 17, 2018

Comment:

Good actors and Jim Caviezel in a dull story of early Christians. Should they stay in town and be persecuted, or leave? Leave or stay? Will Godot ever arrive? It's the kind of film where you can do a load of laundry, make a sandwich, check your emails, come back, and literally nothing important has happed. Historical note: the Luke (Jim C.'s character) who visits Paul in prison is Luke the Evangelist, the person who might possibly have written The Acts of the Apostles. The person who wrote the Gospel of Luke lived long after both Jesus and Paul.

Trent's Last Case, Book

by Bentley, E. C.
Book - 2015
Janice21383's rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Added Aug 16, 2018

Comment:

A great story for Great Detective skeptics. The pre-WW I style is somewhat dated, and author E.C. Bentley does not have the gift of laying out clues with actions, rather than words. Still, its ingenious twists will keep you guessing. Just when you think you've got it -- well, as they say, pride goeth before a fall.

Trent's Last Case, Downloadable Audiobook

by Bentley, E. C.
Downloadable Audiobook - 2006
Added Aug 16, 2018

Comment:

A great story for Great Detective skeptics. The pre-WW I style is somewhat dated, and author E.C. Bentley does not have the gift of laying out clues with actions, rather than words. Still, it will keep you guessing until the end.

A Wrinkle in Time, DVD

DVD - 2018
Janice21383's rating:
1.5 out of 5 stars
Added Aug 15, 2018

Comment:

Madeleine L'Engle gets OWned. This film is reasonably accurate to the book, without understanding or being able to express its spirit. Most children will be bored, and some of the CGI is hilarious -- and not in a good way. If you're an Oprah fan, or want to think the solution to all life's problems is SPOILER L-O-V=E, you might like it.

What We Did on Our Holiday, DVD

DVD - 2014
Janice21383's rating:
2.5 out of 5 stars
Added Aug 13, 2018

Comment:

Family dramedy that may play better on television than in a theatre. A patriarch is dying of cancer (he looks completely fine, but he has movie cancer, see) and the grandchildren can't be told yet, because reasons. The marriage of one of the sons is breaking up, but the patriarch can't be told, because I don't know why. He's Billy Connolly, after all, playing more or less Billy Connolly; it's not like he's going to die of shock. The kids are of course precocious, and allowed to say and do what they please, because their parents are flummoxed. It's nice to see Billy, David Tennant, and Rosamund Pike acting together, and there are a few true, unselfconscious moments, but not enough to overcome the mechanical script. If you like family humour you may like it, but I turned it off half-way through. Oh, and though I smiled a couple times, I didn't laugh once -- that was a factor.

The House of the Devil, DVD

DVD - 2009
Janice21383's rating:
3.5 out of 5 stars
Added Aug 10, 2018

Comment:

House of the 1970s Atmosphere -- before Freddy and Jason barged in and hogged low budget horror films. I swear, most of the movie is identical to the films it pays tribute to. Congratulations to the director, cinematographer, costume designer, hair stylist, etc. -- you take us back to the Saturday night creature features. Several stars from the era, like Dee Wallace, Mary Woronov, and Tom Noonan, give low key, humorous performances, which threaten to unbalance the tone -- what, I wondered, no John Waters? But it recovers in the action-packed third act. This is a slow-building film: some would say too slow. Ten minutes could easily be cut out of the first hour. But if you like a snooping around in old houses with an unknown menace behind every door, this film is for you.

Manhunt: Unabomber, DVD

DVD - 2017
Janice21383's rating:
1.5 out of 5 stars
Added Aug 05, 2018

Comment:

Manhunt Unabomber is NOT a "true story of the serial bomber -- and the profiler who stopped him", as the DVD box says. There's a link below to an article by a former FBI agent that lays out how it is, to put it charitably, self-serving rubbish. If I were one of the people depicted, I'd sue. Then how is it as a work of fiction? MU has two big negatives: first, its lead Sam Worthington, who has the acting skills of a potato. Second, and more seriously, it's a simplified story of One Man Taking On the System. The screenplay sucks up to its hero, Agent James R. Fitzgerald (who is -- surprise surprise -- a writer on five of the episodes). A character gushes to him "you're using language to solve crimes! There's not even a word for that" -- which is not remotely true, even at the time. And it slams anyone who gets in his way. All of his superiors are weak, bigoted, abusive, and/or anti-new ideas. Fitzgerald is a misunderstood genius, just like Ted Kaczynski. I'm not kidding. MU makes that parallel. It's a shame, because MU has a lot going for it, including atmosphere, interesting details about the investigation, and Paul Bettany as Ted. The poetical looking Bettany is about the last person one would think of for that role, but his scenes are the best part of the series. http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/18097/ex-fbi_agentr_manhunt_unabomber_tv_series_disrespects_the_real_heroes#.W2cwzShKjal
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