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Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Schindler's List (1993) in Movies

Jan 18, 2021 (Updated Feb 25, 2021)

Schindler's List (1993)

1993 | Biography, Drama, History

9.0

(42 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

The fourth in my series of films you would recommend to an alien to explain humanity dovetails nicely with my Hall of Fame inductee this week. It is Steven Spielberg’s seminal anti war epic Shindler’s List (1993).

This one speaks for itself in many ways. As an exploration of evil and the men behind the atrocities committed during the late 30s and early 40s by Nazi Germany it is indispensable. The role played by Ralph Fiennes is especially brave and resonant in reminding us of how ego and power can corrupt beyond the point of anything recognisably human. But it is in the moments of resilience, defiance and sacrifice by the survivors that we fully appreciate the depths of the human spirit. A career defining performance by both Liam Neeson and Sir Ben Kingsley makes this a breathtaking and heartbreaking spectacle in every brutally emotional scene.

I will never forget seeing this in the cinema on its initial release and experiencing the absolute silence as the credits rolled and everyone left the screen and into the night with their thoughts and reflections, simply stunned by its impact. It demonstrates the very best and the very worst of human action and inaction in one perfect movie. Never an easy watch under any circumstances, but one worth dissecting and appreciating for all its genius – the directing, acting, cinematography, music, editing, everything is as near perfect as a film can be.

Kudos

Russ Troutt (291 KP) rated Split (2016) in Movies

Jan 22, 2021

Split (2016)

2016 | Horror, Thriller

7.8

(124 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

This is Russ. I went and saw the new M. Night Shyamalan movie Split today, and let me tell you...Hey, this is Stephen. I'm in the light now. So, we saw Split today. It's the best movie of 2017 I've seen. It's also the only movie of 2017 I've seen so far. Sit down Stephen! This is Arnie, and yeah, Split was amazing! It was as thrilling as climbing a water tower. Damn it Arnie, sit back down! Don't make me release the beast! Sorry about that, this is Russ again, back in the light. Split is one of M. Night Shyamalan's best movies to date. There have been movies about people with split personalites in the past, but this is definitely one of the most original takes on the subject matter. This is happening, you don't need a sixth sense to see it, just follow the signs, leave your village, and take a visit to your local theater and see this movie. James McAvoy gives a great performance, or performances I should say, and the 'survivor girl' Anya Taylor-Joy is unbreakable. A solid thriller that deserves to be in the light right now. Oh, and make sure you don't leave the theater before the credits roll, because the last scene ties the movie into another of Shyamalan's. I won't say which, but I was grinning ear to ear with the tie-in.

Kudos

Rickey A. Mossow Jr. (689 KP) rated Dumbo (2019) in Movies

Aug 27, 2019

Dumbo (2019)

2019 | Animation, Family, Fantasy

6.5

(81 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Another unnecessary remake of a childhood classic.

When I originally saw the trailer for this pop up on YouTube, my heart swelled with happiness and the child in me grinned from ear to ear. So many memories came back and flooded my heart and mind. Then, I actually watched this movie. It struggled for me from the beginning as it was instantly clear the star wasn't the elephant with big ears, but rather a typecast Danny Devito, Collin Farrell with a terrible southern accent, his women empowerment staple daughter, and his son that is just kinda there. The anthropomorphism of the animated film is gone, and without it, the key scenes lifted from the original don't carry the emotional weight they did. Much of the story makes little to no sense, including the climax and tie everything up in a neat bow ending. All the PC nonsense and making a statement about current social and political issues isn't needed. It's a kids movie. Once it was clear that this was Disney making a movie about evil corporations buying up small entities to make a monopoly, I checked out mentally from the obvious irony. As the credits rolled, I was just left with an empty feeling, my swollen heart shrunk and my grin gone. Memories from my childhood had been stamped out by Disney Inc. in search of the almighty dollar with yet another unnecessary and bad remake.