tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30886306107061316792024-03-13T03:19:59.443-05:00Netflix ObscureMovie reviews for some of the obscure Netflix titles you've never heard of before. Occasional mainstream stuff, too.Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-82093470088690527222018-04-23T13:14:00.002-05:002018-04-23T13:14:37.383-05:00The Titan (2018)<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><i><b>The Titan</b></i> is a low budget but kind of interesting sci-fi movie just recently placed on Netflix as one of their original offerings. It stars Sam Worthington, who is clearly slumming, and Taylor Schilling of <i>Orange is the New Black</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Set in the midst of an apocalyptic time where the Earth is dying and humanity is on the brink of collapse, this movie involves a secret government program to genetically modify a group of volunteers in order to make them physically capable of withstanding the rigors of planet Mars. The idea is that they don't have time to make Mars safer for humans, so instead they are going to adapt the humans for Mars. As you might expect, many things go wrong.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">The performances here are pretty good, as they did hire some decent actors who have done bigger things. It's just that the movie itself comes off almost like an extended <i>X-Files</i> episode and it's all quite predictable. The ending has some cool parts, but as a whole it's one too many "What's happening to me?!?!" scenes coupled with a little bit of action and some creepiness. It's neither a horror movie nor an action movie when it should have been one or the other.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">In the end, <i><b>The Titan</b></i> makes for a rainy afternoon distraction for science fiction fans and it's less than two hours long.</span>Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-64901903437756044652016-12-19T22:57:00.000-06:002016-12-19T22:57:54.023-06:00Rogue One: The Perfect PrequelI was born in the mid-70's so I grew up with Star Wars. My childhood was dominated by the films, and one year I remember waking up Christmas morning to find the lower branches of our tree decorated with several action figures. I loved Episodes IV-VI and have seen them countless times. As I grew older I came to appreciate that Empire Strikes Back was the best of the trilogy. I have no doubt that my love of Star Wars had a major influence on my choosing Information Technology as a career field.<br />
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When Episode I came out in the late 90's, I was finished with college and greatly looking forward to the new trilogy. I remember after having seen it that while Darth Maul was awesome, the movie lacked the same energy as the original trilogy. I still liked it, but not nearly as much a I liked the others. Then came Episode II and I was like "OMG WTF" because it sucked and to date I have only seen it one time, and that was in the theater. Episode III came around and redeemed the trilogy a bit because it got us to where we always knew it was going.<br />
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When news first broke that George Lucas had given up the Star Wars world to Disney first, I was on the fence. I knew Disney would market the crap out of it and try to cash in every which way, but they do have quite a knack for that sort of thing. I'm happy with their handling of the Marvel stuff. When it was announced that J.J. Abrams was going to do Episode VII, I was not that excited. I thought Lost was a horrible TV show because of all the misdirection with the writing, and I felt like his take on the new Star Trek series was good, but not great. After having seen The Force Awakens, my first impression was that I liked it but didn't love it because I thought it recycled too much. With repeated viewings I can now say I really like it, primarily because Kylo Ren is a great villain and the casting of Adam Driver turned out to be masterful.<br />
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When Rogue One was announced, I felt about the same way I did about J.J. Abrams doing Episode VII. I knew I was going to see it because it's a Star Wars story, but I was less enthused because it was a prequel and the problem with prequels is that you already know how they will end. <br />
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Tonight, I finally saw Rogue One and loved it. I left the theater happier than I had felt about the prequel trilogy or The Force Awakens. If I had the Blu-ray I would have gone straight home and started watching again. This new one has a momentum about it that makes it better with each progressive scene. It escalates from start to finish and never lets up with action and surprises. The last two minutes are the most cheer-worthy thing I've ever seen in a Star Wars movie. Many people in the theater gave applause tonight.<br />
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After all this time, I can say honestly that Rogue One was the kind of Star Wars movie I've been waiting 30+ years to see.Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-90823150394408279032016-11-30T09:01:00.002-06:002016-11-30T09:01:46.818-06:00Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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NO SPOILERS! I PROMISE! This is my first review in a while...sorry about that. Been super busy. Anyway, last night I finished watching <b>Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life</b> on Netflix. Rather than a whole new season of the show, we get a 4-part miniseries where each episode runs @ 90 minutes and is named after a season like fall, winter, spring, or summer.<br />
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These new episodes take place in 2016. In fact, the show was filmed from February to May of this year so the turnaround for shooting to final print was really quick. Being that it takes place in real time, we get to see what all has happened since the TV show ended almost 10 years ago.<br />
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In short, I loved it. All the main characters slip right back into their roles as if the show ended a week ago. It's pretty amazing how much they all look basically the same, too. There are cameos throughout the series of just about everyone who was on there, though some of the biggest ones don't happen until much later on. It's as much a tribute to the original series as it is new content, and we get a clear picture of what happened to these people and there are some surprises.<br />
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Rather than describe what becomes of our main characters, Lorelai, Rory, & Luke, I will discuss something I've thought of since watching the original show because I think it helps to explain the way things play out in the series. So here goes:<br />
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Stars Hollow is a fantasy world. A sort of modern day Mayberry. It's a delightful microcosm that represents everything people wish their hometown could be like. Even the annoying parts have a certain charm to them. Like most fantasy worlds, its inhabitants are fine so long as they stay within their world. When outsiders come in, they tend to not stay long, and when insiders leave, they tend to find a harsh outside world that often rejects or eats them up. I think that's the big picture here. If you stay in Stars Hollow, you'll be fine. If you venture out, you'll meet people and go to places that will change you and maybe not always for the better.<br />
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In the end, I found the series to be somewhat bittersweet. There will be change that you may predict, other things you won't see coming, plus a few crazy moments to keep it interesting. There are musical numbers, another odd film from Kirk, new places but no new people, and of course, town festivals. If you liked the original series then you must see this, but try to consider the bigger picture. In one scene, Rory actually makes a reference to <i>Lord of the Rings</i> and it's funny how much Stars Hollow may be like the perfect little world of the Hobbits. In fact, this could have been called <b>Gilmore Girls: There and Back Again</b>.Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-16901415153462694352016-03-20T21:43:00.003-05:002016-03-20T21:43:52.802-05:00The Girl in the Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>The Girl in the Book</b> (2015) stars Emily Vancamp (<i>Revenge</i>) as a young woman who was molested by an older man during her teen years. That man, an author and family friend, used some of their inappropriate relationship experiences in his debut novel that went on to become a huge best seller.<br />
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Many years later, Vancamp is now working in the publishing industry when the publisher decides to do a re-release of her molester's book and she suddenly finds herself having to work with him. This causes the past to come flooding back and she realizes that her troubled childhood has always been the root of her relationship and personal problems. If she doesn't do something about it, she will forever live in the shadow of her past, and be nothing more than the dreaded girl in the book.<br />
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This story is told using a flashback narrative where it jumps back and forth between past and present. At first she's just an aspiring writer who wants some help from the big shot author, but things quickly turn bad when the man finds himself unable to resist putting his hands on her. This leads to some very disturbing, though brief, scenes.<br />
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While I did think the movie was interesting, it lacked a solid conclusion. It puts the focus mainly on Vancamp getting over a traumatic experience, but at no time does it ever mention pressing charges or outing the man for the pedophile that he was. Part of this has to do with her parents brushing things off as teenage fantasy, but on the other hand it also shows how hard it is sometimes for young victims to come forward. Either way, it was a fascinating premise but could have been further developed.<br />
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<br />Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-77070091406090725372016-03-16T09:36:00.002-05:002016-03-16T09:37:18.592-05:00The Keeping Room<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>The Keeping Room</b> (2015) is an independent film set during the end of the Civil War when General Sherman's troops were moving through the Carolinas destroying as much as possible in their path. It focuses on two sisters and a slave girl who are struggling to survive when hell comes to town in the form of two yankee scouts that are raping and murdering their way through the area. It's part thriller, part home invasion horror movie, part shoot 'em up, and part historical fiction that all comes together in a slow burn kind of dreadful but very well done film.<br />
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Brit Marling, an up and coming actress with much promise, plays the lead as the older sister trying to keep things together. Oscar nominee Hailee Stanfield plays her younger teen sister who isn't all that helpful at first. Muna Otaru plays the slave who is as much part of the family as anyone else. The most recognizable cast member is Sam Worthington as one of the vicious scouts who can't resist going after Marling in the worst way. This was directed by Daniel Barber, who previously did the excellent revenge thriller <i>Harry Brown</i> with Michael Caine.<br />
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I enjoy stories about the Civil War and particularly liked that this one portrayed the northerners as villains given the context. The two scouts were so twisted from their war experience that they'd lost a part of their humanity and were on a rampage partially because it was so easy for them to get away with it. The overall tone of this film is rather dark, but it has some strong moments coupled with great acting all around. Marling does a great job carrying the movie and it's only a matter of time before she becomes a household name. This movie is definitely worth seeing, especially for the final wide angle shot right before the credits roll.<br />
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<br />Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-81631702082177111142016-01-26T10:24:00.000-06:002016-01-26T10:24:52.789-06:00Making A Murderer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The big thing going around right now is everyone seems to be binge watching <b>Making A Murderer</b> on Netflix. It's a documentary that follows the case of a Wisconsin man named Steven Avery who served 18 years for a rape he supposedly didn't commit, got out of jail and began a lawsuit against the people who put him behind bars, then suddenly found himself in the middle of a murder investigation.<br />
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What this documentary sets out to show is that the Avery family were targeted by police officers, evidence was supposedly planted, and confessions were coerced by Avery and another family member, both of which have less than average IQ's. It is all quite compelling, but I did some of my own research on the case as well as talked with some police officers I know, and it turns out the filmmakers left a few big details out of this documentary. In fact, I just read that a Season 2 is in order to cover some of this new material.<br />
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Do you think Avery killed the girl? Are they really a family of criminals or just a poor blue collar family being singled out by police?<br />
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Also, be sure to check out this <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/making-a-murderer-missing-evidence/candice-darden?var=3&utm_expid=16418821-174.5vlqpgn-RoaJUIiApA53hg.2&format=SLIDESHOW&page=1" target="_blank">additional info from Ranker.com</a>, which includes a lot of left out bits with sourced information. Personally, I think Avery did it but the nephew was coerced.Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-48471172994271579822015-10-29T10:06:00.003-05:002015-10-29T10:11:23.024-05:00Child 44<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"There is no murder in paradise."<br />
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<b>Child 44</b> is based on the bestselling novel from Tom Rob Smith and the screenplay has supposedly been floating around for years. The movie was put into limited release earlier this year but got overwhelmingly negative reviews and was even banned in Russia for it's bleak portrayal of the Orwellian-like life under communist rule.<br />
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The story involves a child murderer who is killing orphans in Russia, and a decorated military veteran (Tom Hardy) who is pursuing him. However, Russia refuses to acknowledge that one of their own may be a killer and to even say so constitutes treason. This means that Hardy's character must go against the state and investigate independently, which brings him all kinds of trouble. When his wife is accused of espionage, the two are forced to go on the run while an old rival hunts them down. Expect quite a few extremely brutal fight scenes as various agents try to kill them both.<br />
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I quite liked the movie despite the heavy Russian accents making some dialogue hard to understand. Having previously read the book it was also easier for me to follow since I already knew what was going to happen, so perhaps that made me like the movie more than someone going into it blindly. It's a shame this didn't do better at the box office because the next book in the series is even better. I still think it is worth checking out despite the dark subject matter.<br />
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<br />Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-12937853463620650662015-08-20T15:56:00.003-05:002015-08-20T15:56:57.792-05:00Preservation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Preservation</b> may be one of the dumbest movies I have watched in a while. It's about two brothers and a girl (who randomly blurts out, "I'm a vegetarian" while deer hunting) who go on an outdoor trip and find themselves hunted by a small group of masked killers.<br />
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The premise here isn't anything new - people being chased through the woods by killers they can't see. There is one minor twist that helps makes things a little creepy, but it's certainly not enough to save the movie from it's own stupidity. The two brothers get into arguments based on random pieces of information that are thrown in just before the fighting starts, and I guess this added drama is to serve as filler while we wait for the bad guys to show up.<br />
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In one scene, a guy (Pablo Schrieber - aka "pornstache" from OITNB) actually gets the jump on one of the villains and beats him, then takes his gun. Instead of just finishing the job, our would-be hero turns his back to the knocked out bad guy and says, "I guess I'm gonna have to kill you now" while he reloads the gun. When he turns back around, the bad guy stabs him and takes the gun back. WTF? In another scene, a guy escapes a locked porto-potty by climbing out the top while somebody is beating on the door. Again, WTF?<br />
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This was a total waste of time.<br />
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<br />Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-59145347581515318262015-07-15T13:35:00.000-05:002015-07-15T13:35:15.105-05:00Transit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Transit</b> stars Jim Caviezel as a father hell bent on taking his family camping despite the fact that a bunch of armored truck robbers stashed money amid his luggage and start chasing him through the swamps of southern Louisiana.<br />
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This movie did not work on many levels, but I thought the premise was decent. Robbers hide the money in order to get through a roadblock, then catch up with the family to get it back. Some things go awry and a bunch of unnecessary family drama gets in the way so that some really stupid decisions are made. Then when the violence escalates it becomes quite unrealistic, like when one guy takes several rounds to the chest and acts like nothing much happened. <br />
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Even worse, this movie doesn't look very good. The direction was already not good, but made worse by the choppy editing that tried to use a bunch of jump cuts and failed to make anything run smoothly. Also the whole thing was shot using a green filter that makes everyone look weird and sweaty. It does at least have a cool muscle car and the poster makes it look promising.<br />
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In the end, <b>Transit</b> is a B-movie with a couple of recognizable stars but the whole thing is hindered by a poorly written script. Don't waste your time streaming this one.<br />
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<br />Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-36238595840890603392015-04-26T10:55:00.000-05:002015-04-26T10:55:10.263-05:00Bloodline<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I went into Netflix's latest new series, <b>Bloodline</b>, without having read anything about it. A friend had recommended it, so I decided to avoid all spoilers and go in blindly. This turned out to be an excellent slow burn kind of family drama about a black sheep who brings much trouble to this otherwise picture perfect group.<br />
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This show was created by brothers Glenn and Todd Kessler, who previously did the show <i>Damages</i> while Todd also worked on <i>The Sopranos</i>. They take their time fleshing out the characters and thoroughly laying out all the plot details, so much that you will come to sympathize with the villain as much as you will the rest. It's all set in the beautiful Florida keys. <br />
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Ben Mendelsohn is mesmerizing as the sociopath brother, Danny, who comes home and starts causing problems from day one. I wouldn't be surprised to see him earn an Emmy for his role here. His older brother, played by Kyle Chandler, is the local sheriff and their sister, played by Linda Cardellini, is a lawyer. Sam Shepherd and Sissy Spacek play the parents, and multiple Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz plays the younger brother. They are all part of a wealthy, well-known and well-respected family who don't need all these dark secrets coming to light.<br />
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As things play out, you will learn of their complicated relationships all stemming from the death of a young sister. Danny was blamed though the truth of what happened isn't revealed until the later part of the series. More complications will arise and pretty soon everyone is crossing moral and legal lines. As Chandler's character says toward the end of an early episode, "We're not bad people, but we did a bad thing." If you want to find out what they did, check out this great new show on Netflix.<br />
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<br />Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-48202299234065545092015-04-16T14:34:00.000-05:002015-04-16T14:34:03.330-05:00V/H/S: Viral<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The first two V/H/S movies were wonderful collections of short horror stories built around a creepy premise where some folks find a cache of old VHS tapes depicting awful happenings. This third movie fails in comparison to everything that made the first two great. It's shorter than before and the individual stories just aren't as good.<br />
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One of the stories is about a small-time magician who winds up with a cursed cloak that grants him amazing powers but he has to feed it people to keep it up. That's it - a magician who kills people by draping his cloak over them while they sleep. In another that had more potential than it delivered, a man develops an inter-dimensional door in his house and then travels to the other side and finds a nightmarish world. It has some unfortunately awful and cheap-looking effects that make it laughable. Another story has a bunch of punk kids go down into Mexico to skateboard and they stumble across a Satanic ritual that results in an overlong series of attacks while they run away. The whole thing is encapsulated in a story about an van running amok in the city.<br />
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The premise of these films is that they fit into the "found footage" category of movie, but here there are numerous violations of this genre. Far too many cameras are used and there's too much editing, which defeats the whole purpose. This movie only offers a couple of tense moments whereas the two previous films were filled with them.<br />
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Don't bother with <b>V/H/S: Viral</b> even if you liked the first two movies in the series. It really doesn't have anything that stands out as being worth your time.<br />
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<br />Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-36282372948475300472015-02-02T13:28:00.001-06:002015-02-02T13:28:40.571-06:00Kids for Cash (2013)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Kids for Cash</b> is an infuriating documentary about a crooked judge who was getting kickbacks from a privately owned for-profit juvenile detention center that he helped to create with some business partners. This judge would put kids away from months or even years for the most trivial offenses because he got paid for each one he sent up. He ruined hundreds of lives, pocketed a couple of million dollars doing so, then on ton top of all that he didn't even declare the extra income so they got him for tax evasion, too.<br />
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What makes this documentary worth seeing is that the judge actually volunteered to appear in it and try to tell his side of the story. This was a guy who got re-elected on platforms of zero tolerance and the harshest of penalties who then goes on camera and hopes for some leniency and admits he made a mistake. He also thinks he did a lot of those kids a favor. Watching him try to justify his actions will make you wish you can punch him right through your screen.<br />
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No doubt this film will make you angry, but it's worth seeing because it demonstrates what can happen when people take a hardline approach to things. It also interviews some of the kids and their parents so it presents all sides fairly and equally. I'm glad this guy got busted, but it took several years and lots of destroyed futures before it happened.<br />
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<br />Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-11005739451709325312014-12-21T15:08:00.003-06:002014-12-21T15:08:40.280-06:00A Night in Old Mexico<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>A Night in Old Mexico</b> stars Robert Duvall as a widowed man who is about to lose his family ranch to the bank and he's on the verge of suicide. When his grandson shows up out of the blue, the two decide to head down into Mexico for a night of "singing, dancing, and women" as a way of casting off their problems.<br />
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Meanwhile, a drug deal in town goes bad and two drifters wind up hitchhiking along with Duvall and grandson. Some things get more complicated when a Mexican hitman stars tailing them around town, and before long the two cowboys don't realize how much trouble they are in.<br />
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Throw in a beautiful singer they picked up from a bar, a mysterious drug cartel guy who wants his loot back, plus lots of cold cervezas, and you get a recipe for one wild night.<br />
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It's hard to believe Robert Duvall is 80+ years old because he sure doesn't act like it in this movie. I enjoyed this one. It's from the same screenwriter as <i>Legends of the Fall</i> and <i>The Perfect Storm</i>.Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-46890747229314929592014-12-17T17:35:00.000-06:002014-12-17T17:35:00.442-06:00Short Term 12<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Short Term 12</b> is a drama about some twenty-somethings working at a shelter for teenage foster children. It focuses on a few of the kids and the problems they are trying to work around while the employees do their best to help them out. I found it to be a really well crafted story.<br />
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The story begins with a new guy getting oriented to the facility. During an introduction to the group, he makes the mistake of referring to the kids as "underprivileged" and they get very upset at him about that. To me, the new guy was there to represent the outsider's point of view like someone who really doesn't get the reality of the situation faced by the kids.<br />
<br />
Multiple running plot lines help keep this going as we see that everybody has something they are coping with or trying to avoid. One worker is trying to hide her unwanted pregnancy. One kid is about to turn 18 and dreading what life may be like on the outside. A new girl is having trouble admitting whether or not her father abuses her.<br />
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While this all may sound like a bunch of sappy junk, it's actually an enjoyable movie. The characters are all presented realistically and with lots of little details to bring them to life. The subject matter is pretty rough but these things happen all the time. This one is worth seeing.<br />
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<br />Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-34835484714644166122014-12-15T17:31:00.000-06:002014-12-15T17:31:00.226-06:00The Act of Killing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>The Act of Killing</b> is a documentary about some Indonesian death squad leaders who are asked to recreate their previous deeds under the guise of making a movie. It has been nominated for numerous awards, including an Oscar for Best Documentary.<br />
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Anwar Congo was a death squad leader who is responsible for killing hundreds, if not well over a thousand, suspect communists in Indonesia back in the 1960's. He revisits places where people were tortured and killed and describes it like an athlete might describe a memorable touchdown or home run. Congo's preferred method of killing was to wrap a wire around the victim's next and pull it tight.<br />
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This movie does little to explain the political/social situation from back then so it's not very useful for a history lesson. Instead, this is all about how people justify torture and murder. There's one part where a government official comes in to help them do a crowd scene (for the movie they are supposed to be making) where the death squad is rounding up communists from a village, including women and children. It's incredibly chaotic and scary, and the kids are crying real tears by the end of it. Even the government guy warns them that they need to be careful not to appear too harsh. It's nuts.<br />
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I can't say that I enjoyed this movie because that would be like saying I enjoy watching people get into car accidents. It's still a very interesting portrayal of officially sanctioned madness and the toll it takes not only on the victims but the perpetrators.<br />
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<br />Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-16038261765351531292014-11-18T23:10:00.000-06:002014-11-18T23:10:14.100-06:00Snowpiercer<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-65138290862781393082014-11-18T23:06:00.000-06:002014-11-18T23:06:30.252-06:00Blue Ruin<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Blue Ruin</b> is a
slow burn kind of thriller about a young man who takes it upon himself to
avenge his murdered family after the killers get out of prison. The title of
the movie comes from the old blue car that the guy lives in.</div>
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What I liked most about this story is that the main
character is just an average guy. He’s not some ex special forces, retired
cop/hitman, trained killer. Instead, he’s just some poor kid whose life was
ruined by crime who then is forced to take up arms in order to protect the rest
of his family.</div>
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Macon Blair gives a great performance as the hapless lead
character. He pulls off revenge killings with the awkwardness of a teenager boy’s
first time with a girl, and his obvious vulnerability works on many levels. You
feel bad for the guy and want him to succeed.</div>
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As an added bonus, one of the villains is played by Eve
Plumb. You’ll recognize her face and then realize it’s the same actress who
played the original Jan Brady on The Brady Bunch.</div>
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Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-77613956831107662302014-09-23T22:36:00.002-05:002014-09-23T22:36:11.741-05:00All is Lost - What is this movie really about?<i>Spoiler Alert:</i> This is not a movie review, but rather an analysis of the symbolism exhibited in the movie <b>All is Lost</b>. If you haven’t yet seen the movie, this analysis will detail many major aspects of the plot as well as give away the ending.<br />
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<b>All is Lost </b>is a movie starring Robert Redford as a man alone on a sailboat in the middle of the ocean, and through a series of disasters we watch as he struggles to survive on the open water. If taken at face value, it might be compared to a movie like <i>Castaway</i> where one person must be creative with resources in order to make it out of a deadly situation. If you wish to look a little deeper, you might say that it’s an allegory about a man preparing for the inevitability of death. Either way, it works.<br /><br />My take on this movie is that it’s all meant to symbolize the way small businesses are constantly being overrun by large corporations. I’ll explain the many reasons why I reached this conclusion in the list below:<br />
<ul>
<li>Robert Redford's character represents the small business owner and the sailboat symbolizes his business.</li>
<li>While he was sleeping, his sailboat gets struck by a Chinese shipping container. Given the difference in times on the other side of the world, China does business while we in America are sleeping.</li>
<li>The shipping container also represents the way in which cheap foreign imports often make things even more difficult for small business.</li>
<li>Redford's character is resourceful and he has the means and know-how to fix the hole in his boat. However, he spends so much time trying to patch that one problem that a storm catches up to him.</li>
<li>The storm represents the current state of the economy, or even the business world in general.</li>
<li>Once the storm hits, the sailboat (business) holds up for a little while, but ultimately takes on too much water and starts to sink.</li>
<li>Redford's character is forced to downsize by transferring to the life raft. He scrounges what he can from the sailboat to take along with him, including a sextant.</li>
<li>The sextant represents Redford's character relying on old school tried and true methods. It works for a little while.</li>
<li>After getting into the raft, we start seeing a lot of underwater shots and at first a school of small fish can be seen following underneath.</li>
<li>A short time later, some barracuda show up to eat the smaller fish. This is an obvious ploy on the adage about how "there's always a bigger fish" and is somewhat foreboding.</li>
<li>A few large ships pass by Redford but he's so small on the water that they don't even notice him. This is meant to show how large corporations view small companies - or rather how they give them no notice at all.</li>
<li>Sharks eventually show up to circle the life raft. These are meant to represent the banks and financial institutions, as demonstrated by how Redford's character is fishing and has the catch taken by a shark right before he can pull it in the boat.</li>
<li>When Redford sets the raft on fire to signal the other boat, this could possibly be interpreted as a fire sale. The way that it burns in a large ring like a big zero also plays into this.</li>
<li>At the very end, when Redford is rescued by the other boater, pay attention to the size of the craft. It's a very small boat, meaning that it was another small business owner that reached out to him. Businesses supporting other businesses is how small businesses survive. That's how I saw the ending.</li>
</ul>
What do you think? Am I onto something here or completely off base? The movie is available on Netflix and I highly recommend it, whether you enjoy it for the adventure on the water or choose to look deeper for other meanings behind the action on screen. Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-68527821568925346452014-08-13T21:22:00.002-05:002015-04-16T14:17:53.663-05:00Halt and Catch Fire - Season 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Halt and Catch Fire</b> isn't on Netflix yet, but it probably will be since most of AMC's shows are on there. This debut season just finished up and I was quite enthused by it since the story is based on a computer company in the early 1980's.<br />
<br />
Lee Pace stars as a Steve Jobs type who may or may not be a total psychopath. He's manipulative as hell but manages to force greatness from people even if it nearly destroys them. In some scenes, he has a chest full of scars and offers multiple explanations for how they got there while we still don't know the real truth. He's also willing to sleep with men or women to get what he wants. This guy is a mess, and he's leading up a group of techies to build what he considers to be not just the next big thing in computing, but the thing that gets us to the next big thing. He's trying to project that far ahead.<br />
<br />
Scoot McNairy plays the Steve Wozniak here who is still trying to get over a previous failure while being coaxed into this wild project by Pace's character. He and his wife dive headfirst into things and it causes problems between them. Meanwhile, a hotshot young programmer (Mackenzie Davis) is adding a little punk rock to the mix with her unique way of doing most everything, including the coding of a brand new operating systems. It both helps and hurts that she's sleeping with the boss. This first season ends with them all at a Comdex computer convention where they get to show off their work alongside everyone from IBM to Apple, then we find out what they've really accomplished.<br />
<br />
I do hope that AMC renews <b>Halt and Catch Fire</b> for at least one more season because I would like to see what direction it takes after what all they've done with this first season. I believe the writers get the subject matter well and it's not technically inept at any level while still being understandable to those who weren't around back in those days.<br />
<br />
<i>Update:</i> Halt and Catch Fire Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix. The new season starts this summer on AMC! <br />
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<br />Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-34674369509498467892014-08-09T18:21:00.001-05:002014-08-09T18:21:29.009-05:00Authors Anonymous<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gpy24yWQo-Q/U-asjGjQ-YI/AAAAAAAAAMo/TCGpAScU_Kk/s1600/AuthorsAnonymous.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gpy24yWQo-Q/U-asjGjQ-YI/AAAAAAAAAMo/TCGpAScU_Kk/s1600/AuthorsAnonymous.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Authors Anonymous </b>(2014) is a mock documentary about a group of writers who find themselves insanely jealous when one of their writing club members lands both a publishing deal and a movie deal. It pokes fun at the publishing industry as well as wannabe authors, and I enjoyed it though some of the jokes hit a little close to home.<br />
<br />
What makes this movie watchable is the talent on screen, since the story isn't particularly memorable and it really goes for long stretches without enough funny parts. Kaley Cuoco (of <i>Big Bang Theory</i>) is the lead here and she's who gets the publishing/movie deal even though she's kind of a ditz. Chris Klein plays a fellow writer who may have waited too long to tell her how he really feels. The late Dennis Farina plays a Viet Nam vet who thinks he should be the next Tom Clancy, and he steals every scene he is in. Other actors include Dylan Walsh and Teri Polo, plus a cameo from Jonathan Banks, who is better known as Mike from <i>Breaking Bad</i>. Tricia Hefler (the blonde bombshell from <i>Battlestar Galactica</i>) also has a small role.<br />
<br />
I liked this movie because I am a self published author and know exactly how these characters feel. I have also met some people somewhat like the characters here - the ones who want so badly to get published and be famous but would rather talk about it than really put in the work. In some ways, this was kind of a sad film given how the characters acted plus seeing Dennis Farina's last role was bittersweet because he was the liveliest of the bunch. I see this one as having a somewhat limited appeal due to the subject matter, but it's still worth checking out.<br />
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Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-25256458921101867352014-07-10T14:58:00.002-05:002014-07-10T14:58:05.043-05:00The Ledge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4jAhFzleJmQ/U77uVlImuhI/AAAAAAAAAMI/BTE-qQkJgNs/s1600/Ledge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4jAhFzleJmQ/U77uVlImuhI/AAAAAAAAAMI/BTE-qQkJgNs/s1600/Ledge.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>The Ledge</b> (2011) stars Charlie Hunnam (<i>Sons of Anarchy</i>) and Liv Tyler as a doomed couple whose lives are threatened by an overbearing Christian played by Patrick Wilson. It was meant to be a <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1765900/ledge-director-matthew-chapman-calls-atheists-he-preaching-choir" target="_blank">mainstream atheist movie</a> but fell flat due to poor characterization and a plot where the hero is as much of an antagonist as the villain.<br />
<br />
The story involves a young couple (Wilson and Tyler) who live in the same building as two men - one straight and one gay - who are roommates. Charlie Hunnam plays the straight guy, and he immediately takes a liking to Tyler. One night the four of them get together for dinner and Wilson's character prays for their sinful lifestyle, which infuriates Hunnam since he's not even gay. He then romantically pursues Tyler as a way of rescuing her from her "bigoted" husband and when Wilson finds out, he begins to exact a horrific revenge plan on Hunnam.<br />
<br />
What hurt this movie more than anything else is that it presents a ridiculous situation with a forced conclusion that I think was supposed to be preachy but came across as dumb. There was some shock value but that didn't save the movie. The story paints the characters as extreme forms of whatever they're meant to represent - the christian, the atheist, the homosexual, the former addict - and does so with such heavy handedness that they might as well be wearing t-shirts with the word "Allegory" printed on them. They could not have been more one dimensional.<br />
<br />
In the end, I didn't care for <b>The Ledge</b>. It would have been a much better and more effective story if the characters had all been a little more reasonable in their behaviors. The same setup still could have played out but then it would have been more believable.<br />
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<br />Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-62432310410983567342014-07-05T18:20:00.000-05:002014-07-05T18:21:39.911-05:00Sightseers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Sightseers</b> (2012) is a dark comedy from the UK where a seemingly normal couple takes a vacation and leaves a bunch of murder victims behind them. It's like a lighthearted version of <i>Natural Born Killers</i>, minus all the overt symbolism.<br />
<br />
The movie opens to the sound of an elderly woman distraught and moaning in pain because of the loss of her beloved pet dog. We later find out that the dog was accidentally killed by her daughter. That same daughter and her bearded boyfriend decide it's time to get away for a while, so they rent a small RV and head out on a cross country trip.<br />
<br />
While on a tour bus at one of their first stops, another passenger deliberately litters and then flips off the boyfriend when he asks the litterbug to pick it up. After the tour is over, the young couple accidentally run over the same littering guy in the parking lot. He dies covered in blood beneath the RV tires. The girlfriend starts screaming, but her boyfriend looks on with a bit of a smirk, then they just drive off. Thus begins the killing spree.<br />
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For the rest of the movie, these two go from town to town looking for victims to take out for next to no reason. One guy gets his head bashed in at a national park, and in another scene a bride-to-be gets thrown off a bridge during her bachelorette party. It's even worse when they befriend a fellow traveler with a unique tent/camper of his own.<br />
<br />
Although there were a couple of mildly humorous moments, this movie has an obvious mean streak about it. The deaths are bloody and vicious, and often coupled with music best suited for a horror movie. The main character's indifference toward is all is a bit unnerving, but maybe that was the point. Stories like this tend to work better when there is some kind of underlying theme going on, but this one is just about a boring couple who go around killing people for no good reason. It's kind of pointless.<br />
<br />
In the end, I sort of liked <b>Sightseers</b> because it was so bizarre, but at the same time it lacked that extra something-something that would have made it really stick in your head.<br />
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Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-58547675250396002772014-06-29T22:26:00.000-05:002014-07-05T18:21:23.968-05:00Jug Face<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Jug Face</b> (2013) is a very disturbing horror movie about a bunch of hillbilly cultists who worship a pit in the woods near where they live. They offer human sacrifices to it, and the way they decide the victims is how the movie got its name. You'll have to watch it to get the full explanation.<br />
<br />
The movie starts out with a teenage boy and girl chasing each other through the woods and eventually going off together for some you-know-what. We later find out that the two are brother and sister. Not too long after that, the girl finds out she is to be the next sacrifice, but she manages to hide this news from the rest of the group. This causes some very bad things to happen, as if the place wasn't hellish enough already.<br />
<br />
While I did think this story was heavily inspired by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lottery" target="_blank">The Lottery</a>, there were some weird supernatural elements that helped make it stand out. This is a low budget movie from a first time filmmaker who does an excellent job of creating tension. Nearly everything about this movie is preposterous to an almost comic level, but it all still manages to work.<br />
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In the end, I really enjoyed this one because it was so creepy and unlike most anything I've seen lately. You need to check this little indie gem out as soon as you get a chance. It's only about 80 minutes long.<br />
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Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-18367916219298802742014-06-25T14:53:00.003-05:002014-06-25T23:19:22.127-05:00Escape<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Escape</b> (2012) is a subtitled medieval thriller from Norway. It's a little over an hour long, including credits, so there's not a lot of content here but I still found it to be entertaining. Think of it as sort of like a D&D encounter without any monsters.<br />
<br />
The movie opens with a family traveling through the mountains when suddenly mom gets hit with an arrow. Two kids hide inside a wagon while dad tries to fight off a gang of vicious Viking-like marauders, and he gets cut down as well. When little brother tries to run, they put him down with another arrow. The only surviving member is a pre-teen girl who they capture for the purposes of impregnating so another little girl with the group can have a younger sister. These are very bad people.<br />
<br />
Some pretty horrible things happen here, especially at the beginning when the family is slain and the girl gets captured. She eventually escapes and the rest of the movie has her being chased by the group, which is led by a psychotic blonde (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2070336/?ref_=tt_cl_t2" target="_blank">Ingrid Bolso Berdal</a>) who loves shooting people with her crossbow. There's plenty of blood and gore, a couple of good stunts, and not many dull moments given how short the movie was.<br />
<br />
In the end, I liked <b>Escape</b> for its costumes and props as well as great use of the scenery. There are no big castle or village scenes so the whole thing is just a handful of actors chasing each other around some rather beautiful landscapes while trying to do horrible things to each other. If you like medieval type action movies, you may want to check this one out.<br />
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Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088630610706131679.post-27289972146853990632014-06-24T13:59:00.000-05:002014-06-24T14:00:08.423-05:00Tiny: A Story About Living Small<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Tiny: A Story About Living Small</b> (2013) is an hour-long documentary about a growing movement in the United States where people choose to live in very small houses - some less than 200 square feet. It features interviews with people building them as well as those who are already living in them, and follows one man through the entire build process.<br />
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This is a fascinating subject where it forces you to ask just how much "stuff" do you really need? The economic benefits of this kind of living are pretty obvious: less electricity and water, less insurance, less overhead, and so on. Of course the trade-off is less space. Most of those interviewed were either single or married couples though it did briefly show one family with small children.<br />
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I suppose you could compare this type living to staying in a small camper or RV. Most of the houses shown here appear to be in environments where air conditioning is not as needed during the summer. The interior layouts of the homes are neat to see how they maximize space so well. All of the homeowners talk about how their low cost of living affords them more money to travel and buy other things, and I suppose with such a small space you'd want to get away quite often.<br />
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If you're interested in small living, you should definitely check this out. Don't bother if you're claustrophobic!<br />
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Bill F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05836538515660713766noreply@blogger.com0