DVD Collectors Online

Terra Sonāmbula, a review by Danae Cassandra

Where We Are:  Mozambique
wikipedia

What We Watched:


Overview:
In the midst of Mozambique's devastating civil war, Muidinga, an orphaned refugee, wanders the countryside in search of his mother.  His only companion is an elderly storyteller, and the only guide to finding his mother is a dead man's diary.  Together the storyteller and diary lead him on a magical, and sometimes macabre, journey across war-torn landscapes to find the family he lost.  Based on Mia Coutou's acclaimed Portuguese novel of the same name, Teresa Prata's transporting drama underscores the power of imagination in surviving, and ultimately overcoming, the catastrophe of war.

My Thoughts:
I'm a bit overwhelmed as to what to say.  This is a powerful film.  It has a lot to say about the effect of ongoing war on civilian populations, on the madness of madness of inter-tribal conflict and prejudice.  When the shopkeeper says that the kind of men he likes are those of "no color," it really resonates to conflict around the globe, not just Mozambique.

This is another low-budget film with amateur actors, but the two leads, Nick Laura Teresa as Muidinga and Aladino Jasse as Tuahir, are really good in their roles.  Jasse really brings Tuahir to life.  I was especially struck by the scene where he recalls life before the war, when he worked for the railroad, and how he brings that to life for Muidinga. 

This is, in part, magical realism, and as such can be read in multiple ways.  Tuahir and Muidinga journey in circles, ever-returning to the burned-out bus they first settle in.  Later the bus moves while they remain in it.  It is left to the viewer whether you believe in the magic, or it is simply their hallucination as the events of their lives overwhelm them.  Just as you are left to decide whether the story of Kindzu that Muidinga reads from the journal has happened as Muidinga reads it, or is it something that Muidinga is embellishing or making up.  The ending is equally ambiguous, letting the viewer end the story themselves.

This is a very compelling film, well made despite its budgetary limitations, but given the subject matter not for the tender-hearted.  There's also one scene that would offend most of my friends - - so let me also say that it's not for the easily offended.  It's a scene that could have been left out, but also makes sense in context.  Your mileage may vary, but that scene made me decide I could never show this great film to several of my closest friends and why I didn't rate the film higher.  Otherwise, recommended.

Bechdel Test:  Fail

Overall:  3.5/5

(From Around the World in 86 Movies on February 18th, 2013)

Brazil, a review by Antares

Brazil (1985) 88/100 - When Gilliam is on his game, his films are a vibrant tapestry of controlled insanity, and Brazil shows him at his zenith in creativity. First off, the Coen brothers should be paying Gilliam some royalty checks for lifting the art direction from this film and using it in The Hudsucker Proxy. Scenes such as Norville Barnes in the bowels of the Hudsucker building are eerily similar to the early scene in this film, where Ian Holm is looking for Sam and the chaos of his department unfolds as the camera tracks through the department. So much is coming at you in every frame, you are hard pressed to take it all in, in just one sitting. No doubt, this is a film that reaps a reward upon subsequent viewings. Another film that came to mind as I watched was Metropolis, especially when Harry Tuttle would escape on the zip line. But what is best about the film is the prophetic nature of the screenplay. The mania for plastic surgery, the Orwellian nature of our government, the random terrorist attacks on society and how quickly we move on and forget the horrors of the attacks. Gilliam skewers the bureaucracy of a strong centralized government run amok in its mission to control the peace and to keep everyone on the righteous path of conspicuous consumerism. Probably my favorite shot in the film, was the ersatz Salvation Army band that carries a banner proclaiming Consumers for Christ. I was in stitches when that banner came into view.

I'll be definitely buying this now on DVD, and I'm glad I was able to cross this off my List of Shame. Now I just have to get to Time Bandits, my last Gilliam film on that list.

What the color coding means...

Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is

(From Antares' Short Summations on January 29th, 2014)

Emma's Sonic Underground Marathon, a review by Emma (snowcat)

Disc 3

Episode 11 - The Last Resort

The siblings come across an resort "untouched by Dr Robotnik" lead by Stripes. Although the siblings soon find out things are not what they seem.

So this episode pretty much focuses on the siblings being tricked, stripes is a creepy sleaze ball and I don't understand why they don't see through him. Strangely Stripe does seem to care for Sonya as he lies to Robotnik just telling him Sonic and Manic are there. Although as usual the hedgehogs teach Stripe that the resistance is the best way to cope with Robonik not creating deals with him.




....Disc the rest of Disc 3 to come (will update this)


(From Emma's Sonic Underground Marathon on December 22nd, 2009)