βWhat are your feelings towards the police in this country?β
βThe street cleaners of the public conscience.β
My recommendation for the monthly watch! Yes, I picked it right after the election. All I have to say is thank you, and Iβm sorry.Β
A bitter open-letter to the world, Punishment Park will never be typical. Shot with a crew of 8 in conditions that were essentially exactly as they appeared, its clearly a rough-and-tumble production throughout. In ways itβs essentially anβ¦
Sometimes a life begins when a baby is born. That first, sharp hit of air enters their lungs, and there's nothing to do but scream. Sometimes, a life begins when you wake up one morning - maybe in your bed, maybe wandering the desert. One day you look up from putting one foot in front of the other, and you suddenly realize how far you've walked. That kind of awakening is usually a bit quieter.
β
**Spoilers Below**
Paris, Texasβ¦
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
*Realized this has its own letterboxed entry for the TV cut. Iβve moved my review to this version.Β
[Watched the 265 min extended version, which as far as I can tell is a cut together version of the episodic TV release from 2017)]
I watched this extended edition on one screen with the normal 247 min version on another screen, manually keeping them in sync, in order to document the changes and see what was different. Cursed, but effective.
Thereβ¦
Gotta watch ΟΒ on Pi day.Β
Between all the code, math, Jews, and crises of mental health, youβd be forgiven for thinking this was a documentary about my college years.Β
Seriously though, I love this thing. There are definitely moments that deserve criticism, and a few outright amateurisms that really rear their head (mostly but not exclusively the side character acting). In spite of that, the screaming blast beats of Clint Mansellβs ΟrΒ²Β never get old, and neither does the otherworldβ¦
I need a multi-part video essay to tell me how to feel about this movie.
Rip Torn in a role he was absolutely born for. Post-Matilda Mara Wilson acting like sheβs never acted a day in her life. Laurie Metcalf with an absolutely unhinged performance. All thrown together with an incredibly loose plot with an even looser moral by the end of it all, this is one weird kids movie.
This has been on my watchlist for a while pretty much exclusively due to the cool poster, and I was very pleasantly surprised with the unique, interesting direction it took. The pacing feels a bit strange in hindsight, but it keeps you on your toes while watching which is what really matters. A relatively simple plot gives lots of room for cool choices and overt symbolism to explore. I liked it quite a bit!
