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Amistad 1997
spielberg's interest in narratives of victimhood is purely bourgeois: concentration camp members and african slaves aren't in the story being told so that we can identify with their struggles on a personal level, or even comprehend essential historical detail. instead, they're meant to be martyrs, hills that white saviors can die upon, objects passed around as legalistic toys so that american audiences can feel as if western societies have come so much farther than we actually have. in amistad, the…
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Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy 2021
Lil okay but not my favorite but still some cool parts I liked the 2nd story the mostest. Correctly capitalizes on escalators cinematic potential.
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The Cider House Rules 1999
Sometimes I ask "where is Tobey Maguire?", and then I'm reminded of him in his prime and I think "yeah we're fine without him." Kind of a Miramax Mad Gabs: a weepy score, a fall setting, some lite romance, big serious topics (abortion!! incest!!), orphan kids. Doesn't really work even on an ironic Miramax appreciation level. The orphanage v. apple picking threads stay very separate, with the connective tissue largely being a "is abortion good?" letter montage.
What are we…
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Stand by Me 1986
Perhaps the biggest work of nostalgia porn; full of mawkish sentimentalizing and love for a time period that probably never existed. There are slivers of truth here and there - especially when it comes to distant parents and friends who were, in all honesty, probably shitty influences - but most of this hits with a dull thud when you’re 35 (as opposed to 15, when it was a rainy Sunday afternoon staple). Points for really crystallizing the worst aspects of King’s writing on screen, especially the dialogue. “Skin it Gordy.” Calm down, you little asshole.
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Le Bonheur 1965
This is a little embarrassing, but I actually started getting teary solely from the use of colour and framing in this. It's just so perfect and beautiful (and closely linked to the story but I don't think that's why it moved me). If I could take photos half as breathtaking as some of the frames in this, I'd be very happy indeed.
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Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom 1975
maybe this would have been better if I didn’t go on live leak every single day from the ages of 9-14 and cause irreparable damage to my mind
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