Hour 21: A Film and Interactive Media Blog

  Me Before You: A Monk, A King and A Disabled Metaphor Fallacy “I know this can be a good life, but it's not my life, it's not even close. you never saw me before, I loved my life. I really loved it. I can't be the kind of man that just accepts this.” “You're not giving it a chance. You're not giving me a chance.” “I don't want you to miss all the things someone else can give you.” -Me Before You, 2016 There is a deeply warranted sentiment in the disability community to not give Me Before You anywhere near the time of day. I couldn't agree more. This film, and the novel it's based on, severely misrepresent disability in all its varied forms. Crafting a story housed in the belief that life is only worth our physical prowess and selfish desires. Me Before You is ableism at Its most tyrannical and suffocating. It seems as if our world wants disability to vanish into oblivion, and Me Before You prolongs that horrific stereotype, with no care for its end....

  From the World of John Wick: Ballerina “But, we all live with the decisions we make” “It is two sides to the same coin, to kill to save.” “In the end, we are who we are.” -From The World of John Wick: Ballerina The John Wick franchise is action cinema at its most streamlined and eloquent. The films are built on the strength of an often overlooked discipline of the creative filmmaking process, choreography. The structure of an action sequence is as much a part of its impact as the stunts or the violence depicted. In fact, now that I think about it, one of this franchise's greatest skills is that it brings out the beauty inherent in these mesmerizing dances of death. The action sequences are the story, and the violence is its thematic core. That's not to say that these films glorify killing, far from it in fact. A consistent counterpoint to John Wick's world of suave assassins, is a desire to escape this world of death dealing, and so it is with Ballerina. Eve's...

  The King of Kings, 1927 “I come a light into the world–that whosoever believeth in me shall not abide in darkness." “Truly, this man was the son of God.” “O God–give us back the light.” -The King of Kings, 1927 There is something tremendously mesmerizing about Cecil B. DeMille's silent biblical epic. The King of Kings is at once, a marvelous achievement in cinematic storytelling, and a deeply meditative look at the life of Christ. All, brought on by the techniques inherent in the construction of a silent film. It makes me smile to think that our old friend has returned. Once again, simplicity is the driving force behind the consistent depth of visual storytelling. “The secret impresses no one, the trick you use it for, is everything.” -The Prestige It is generally surmised that movies nowadays have lost their sense of purpose. Wonder has given way to the doldrums of familiarity. In other words, films have lost their luster, because we've become immune to the mag...

  Kingdom of Heaven director's cut “What does that say?“ “What man is a man, who does not make the world better.” “I pray the world and Jerusalem can accommodate such a rarity as a perfect knight.” “If this is the Kingdom of Heaven, let God do with it as he wills.” “When you rise again, if you rise, rise a knight.” -Kingdom of Heaven, director's cut The director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven, is a cinematic presentation of history at its most dense and vibrant. Designed as a vehicle to explore perceptions rather than a chronicle of historical events. Kingdom of Heaven is a deeply agile search for the true meaning of Crusade, history intermingles with theme and narrative to great effect here. Seemingly in an effort to challenge the common conceptions of the Crusades, as well as enrich this lavishly constructed view of history, with a sense of real honesty and pathos. Offering us a lens into the Crusades that seeks for meaning, beyond the perceptions of tainted motivati...