Tag / 1988

by Jaime Rebanal

‘Dead Ringers’ Review: A Psychologically Visceral Tale of Symbiotic Horror

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Although many elements that have defined David Cronenberg’s earlier work are absent in Dead Ringers, it still nonetheless the film that I consider to be him at his best. While it may be more toned down in terms of the gore when you put it next to The Fly or Videodrome, Dead Ringers does not ever lose sight of the horror of bodily alterations and mutations that have created the images we love and recognize from his work: but what also comes forth is the film that I believe to be the king of venereal horror at his most psychologically complex. But even at his more restrained that same horror can still be felt on the inside, creating a beautifully tragic and terrifying tale.

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by Jaime Rebanal

The Last Temptation of Christ Review: A Thought-Provoking Meditation Upon Faith and One of Scorsese’s Best Films

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I was at one point a devoted Roman Catholic, but now I find it so difficult to bring myself to commit to religion whether it be to believe in it or to reject it outright. When one would initially think of a title like “The Last Temptation of Christ,” an ardent Catholic may respond to say that the content is blasphemous because Christ is an image of perfection, one who stands for everything good within the world on behalf of another authority. But among the most important factors to consider when watching The Last Temptation of Christ is that it is not a film based on the Gospels but rather a controversial novel by Nikos Kazantzakis and it also happens to be directed by a Roman Catholic – and that man is none other than Martin Scorsese. But when you watch a film like The Last Temptation of Christ being told from those eyes, what makes it such an accomplished effort is how it feels most in touch with Scorsese’s own spirituality.

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by Jaime Rebanal

Time of the Gypsies – Review

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This was only my second Emir Kusturica film, and there’s already an impression I’m watching the work of a madman. This four and a half hour long epic about the life of a boy living within his Romani family carries a sense of ambition that in itself seems so hard to replicate. What Emir Kusturica formed with Time of the Gypsies not only resulted in one of the most distinctive projects of its time but something so draining in its mammoth running time, yet always rewarding. These are only coming down to the outer layer of what’s most impressive about Time of the Gypsies, because I’m not even sure how exactly could any other filmmaker would even manage to put something like this on the screen. There’s far too much to deconstruct in Time of the Gypsies that allows it to work well, but it only sinks into my head all the more. Continue reading →

by Jaime Rebanal

The Thin Blue Line – Review

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One among many things that can ever be expressed about Errol Morris’s The Thin Blue Line is that as both a testament to the screen and against the society it is depicting, it has still remained one of the most important films ever made. This documentary film plays private detective with a case that has fascinated director Errol Morris for the longest while, so within the process of making the film, The Thin Blue Line soon becomes a documentary more than just one about finding out who was truly the perpetrator – but it feels more like a legal testament that only has grown more important as time had gone by. For many reasons to come along, The Thin Blue Line is a gripping, albeit essential watch.

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by Jaime Rebanal

Die Hard – Review

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As per Christmas tradition, I always watch Die Hard this time of the year every year. But even when it isn’t the holiday season, the fact we can still watch Die Hard and it holds up spectacularly is what makes it the best sort of Christmas film, but it still remains one of the defining action films of the 1980’s decade and for good reason at that. My own appreciation for action cinema has strengthened over the years after only coming to realize what more could come out of the genre and films like Die Hard represent the best qualities that such films could display. Christmas is never complete without Hans Gruber taking over the Nakatomi Plaza and John McClane saving the day.

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by Jaime Rebanal

Scrooged – Review

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Richard Donner takes Charles Dickens’s classic tale A Christmas Carol and modernizes the story now to have something more cynical being put into play with the familiar structure. I’ll be one to admit that I’m always one to watch Bill Murray in anything for he always carries a great presence to comedy films even in his weaker films and I always remembered having enjoyed seeing his exaggerated Ebenezer Scrooge role in Scrooged – which helped me enjoy the film more. That having been said, for how enjoyable Bill Murray is in when he plays the character, I have never been a big fan of this take on the story.

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by Jaime Rebanal

Who Framed Roger Rabbit – Review

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The “childhood favourite” area can be seen as a danger zone in some circles when we look at how some of the films that we liked back before our tastes have developed into what we are now are so vastly different. But the moment we still recognize our childhood favourites today as something of a standout is where another story comes by, and in the case of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, it has continued to blow my mind with subsequent revisits. For how hit-and-miss Robert Zemeckis can be especially when it comes to his choices of what material he handles, one film in particular still holds up better than all the rest and the brilliance of Who Framed Roger Rabbit still lasts perfectly in this day and age. There are films that put together live action actors and cartoon characters together and then there’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit – something of its own level.

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by Jaime Rebanal

Grave of the Fireflies – Review

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Grave of the Fireflies is a film whose beauty rises from its tragedy, for it is a prime example of how animation is not a medium strictly for children. 1988 was a rather big year for Japanese animation, as Akira opened the gate for acceptance of a new form to American audiences. But in the exact same year, we were also given two films from Studio Ghibli, My Neighbor Totoro and this. While I don’t particularly consider it to be on the same level ofTotoro the power of Grave of the Fireflies works many wonders – and creates a truly beautiful experience. It’s rare to find an animated film so indulged with beauty to the point, the emotions are so poignant, just as can always be expected from the best of Studio Ghibli’s films. Continue reading →

by Jaime Rebanal

My Neighbor Totoro – Review

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There’s a unique simplicity to the early works of Hayao Miyazaki that always goes ahead to strike a viewer like myself every time I sit through something as wonderful as My Neighbor Totoro, it’s the simplicity that pulls one into a state of serenity. For this reason alone, there’s so much to dig into with a film like My Neighbor Totoro, for it may be Hayao Miyazaki at his best. Adorable can be one word to describe what one will witness, but calling it a simple “kid’s film” completely ignores its purpose. It strikes nostalgia, yet it’s not the kind that forces it down your throat. It’s the kind of nostalgia that goes to remind us of a simpler time in our life, and for that reason, My Neighbor Totoro truly is wonderful in all its glory. Continue reading →