12 Years a Slave

Movie: 12 Years a Slave

Major Actors: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Taran Killam, Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Michael Fassbender, Sarah Paulson, Lupita Nyong'o, Brad Pitt

Rating: R

Best Audience: Adults only

Review:

The film "12 Years a Slave" is obviously a huge Oscar contender this year, and for good reason. It depicts the true story of a free man living in New York who gets abducted and sold into slavery. Historically, what happened to Solomon Northup happened to many others. The difference is that Solomon was able to escape and write a book about his journey.

One thing I liked about this movie was that it showed an accurate depiction of slavery void of sensationalism. As a matter of fact, director Steve Mcqueen did not even skim the surface of the horrors done to enslaved humans in that time period. The film shows beatings/whippings, rape, division of families, murder/lynching, and humiliation. It does not show the more sadistic forms of torture, which I won't even begin to list, due to my own inability to stomach those things.

The reason that I think Steve McQueen overlooked the more sadistic side: That was not the point of the film. The film focused more on the psychological struggle humans experience during slavery. If McQueen added a scene where a slave gets boiled alive (which happened), that would have taken the focus away from Solomon's internal struggle. Solomon had to constantly decide whether to keep his head down and do what he was told or fight for what he wanted. He was faced with that decision every day of his enslaved life, and he did not always make the same decision. Sometimes he fought; sometimes he knuckled down. One of the best quotes in this film was "I don't want to survive, I want to live." I felt like that line summed up the whole film.

I also appreciate the fact that this film does not perpetuate division between "whites" and "blacks." It emphasizes the oneness of humanity. Steve McQueen is certainly a directorial artist. The casting was excellent. So many good actors! Chiwetel Ejiofor carried the film. Michael Fassbender and Sarah Paulson were excellent villains. Paul Dano's character will absolutely make your skin crawl, and Lupita Nyong'o will break your heart.

You may want to emotionally prepare yourself before going to see this film, due to the intensity of the subject matter.

On DVD - A Dangerous Method

Movie: A Dangerous Method
Major Actors: Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightly
Rating: R
Best Audience: Strong sexual language and scenes...only appropriate for adults.

Review:

This movie was incredibly interesting.  A case of a disturbed young woman brings Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) together to discuss the role of sexuality in psychoanalysis.  Their relationship is complicated in the movie.  Freud and Jung seem like friends at first, but it becomes clear their differences in how they practice psychoanalysis quickly prevent them from being friends.  The conversation between them turns from a discussion of sexuality in psychoanalysis to the role of what Freud calls "mysticism" in psychoanalysis, including subjects such as religion and telepathy. 

However, the person that really stood out in the movie was Keira Knightly, who played Sabina Spielrein.  This woman started out as a patient of Jung's with intense bouts of anxiety that came from her father's abuse.  However, Jung notes her interest in medicine and enlists her help as a way to give her something to do.  Eventually, she goes to medical school and becomes a psychiatrist herself.  She does have a illicit affair with Jung, which shapes both of their futures.

Keira Knightly was almost not recognizable as Spielrein.  She had the accent of a Russian Jew (which is what Spielrein was) and was able to pull off being severely mentally disturbed in a way that disturbed me.  I've never seen her act better in a movie.

If you are interested in the rift between Freud and Jung in psychoanalysis, or if you're interested in history or psychology, you will find this movie fascinating. 

Prometheus

Movie:  Prometheus
Major Actors:  Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce
Rating: R
Best Audience: Obviously, this has an R rating, so only 17 and up can get into the theater to see it, however, probably 13-year olds and up would enjoy it.  You also have to appreciate Sci-Fi to enjoy it.  And of course, fans of the movie Alien will definitely enjoy it.

Review:

I found this movie to be quite awesome.  Even though it is *technically* a prequel to the movie Alien (with Sigourney Weaver), you do not have to see Alien to enjoy it.  The movie answers the question from the Alien movies of "From where do the aliens come?"  However, it also raises way more questions than it answers.  It talks about a theory about where homo sapiens come from as well.

For the casual movie-goer, this would be a little difficult to follow.  However, if you like a movie that makes you think, and also has a lot of action and suspense, this would be for you.  Also, if you are a fan of the Alien movies, the last 10 seconds of the movie are for you!

In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed Prometheus, but I recognize it isn't for everyone.