Being Human
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VHS Movie Reviews of Being Human
Movie Review: The Soul of Being Human
Summary: 4 Stars
This delightful film is a thoughtful study of the incarnations in our lives which bring us to where we are right now. It is comprised of four past lessons and a current incarnation of the Robin William's character. In each of these we see strands which make up the fiber of the modern man. Insecurities, a lack of his sense of "place", inability to communicate emotions and a real talent for regret are the studies here. The story is sometimes choppy and muddied, but it is one of William's best performances.Movie Review: A good movie
Summary: 4 Stars
I found this to be an easy movie to watch and yet quite enlightening. I particularly enjoyed Robin Williams and his antics. He blendes his comic talents with a very interesting subject matter of past lives and what that might represent to a person living today. The movie runs a little slow at times, but there is depth of meaning in this simple story that can only be explored with a light hearted fun and spiritual overtones. Robin Williams is a master of our time in this unique way of comedy acting while telling a story.I have found there are movies that are absolutely great but only if you see them when you are really bored. This movie could easily fall in to this category. Don't build an evening around it, but when you fall in to this movie, it can rock your world.
Movie Review: "All the World's a Stage . . . his acts being seven ages."
Summary: 3 Stars
I really thought I was going to enjoy this movie. It had Robin Williams as the star, playing several different characters, and it was directed by Bill Forsyth. However, I was rather disappointed. I think I understand what the filmmakers were trying to do: tie together all of history and the ages of man's life while showing how interconnected we all are and that the same problems and struggles we have now are really the same things people have always been dealing with. It's a interesting concept and the idea looks good on paper. However, it really doesn't work on film. The movie moved slow and several of the intertwining scenes were boring and distracted from the rest of the movie. Robin Williams does a wonderful job, but his characters fail to provoke a sympathetic or emphathetic response from the audience. If you're a Williams or Forsyth fan, this movie is worth watching. It's also worth watching if your a film buff who enjoys seeing how good ideas go wrong on film. Other than that, it's probably not worth your time.Movie Review: A beautiful, sweeping human experience
Summary: 5 Stars
Being Human is easily the most well crafted and intelligent film that I have ever seen as it truly does capture the unfathomable human experience. Robin Williams transcends time as he is continuously "reborn" throughout the expanse of human history--beginning with an early European civilization and ending in what is the modern age. In each era, he depicts an average human being experiencing the trials of life particular to that time period. As a proto-neolithic, European man he witnesses the destruction of his way of life and the capture of his family by a marauding band from perhaps another clan or tribe. In this he experiences loss and pain, and likewise he drifts from life to life, immersed in the sorrows and joys of the human condition. From a slave to a shipwrecked noble, he spans time in order to bring us a vignette of humanity.
The movie is powerful and is one that leaves the viewer with that profound sense of depth that all universal, surreal movie experiences seem to convey. It is truly ashame that some critics claim that this movie was a good idea gone bad. I concur that most people more comfortable with exploding buildings and glittery special effects probably just didn't get this one.
Movie Review: Grossly underappreciated gem
Summary: 4 Stars
I was surprized to see this movie playing on HBO several years ago, as I had never heard of it before, and it seemed fairly recent. Nonetheless, I wasn't able to watch it until just recently.I was at first drawn to the film through my interest in European history, although I did not know what to expect substance-wise. I find that the movie begins with a rough start. First, the narration. It was fine at the very beginning, but the style of the writing got a little bit annoying as the film progressed. It would have been nice to have the little introduction at the beginning, and then let the "story" tell itself.
To me, the first two-segments, though creative and interesting, seemed to be done rather unartfully. While the themes and ideas floating around in them were quite sound and poignant, the actual execution was very unrealistic, especially in the first segment. I know that historical accuracy (or believability, at any rate) is by no means the focus of this film, but it, for me, detracted from the overall experience. The second segment, in Ancient Rome, suffered from the same affliction as I found in the first, though to a lesser extent. I don't know if it was the script, the directing, or the acting, but I was not pleased with John Turturro's performance. It looked like the authors of the film wanted to portray a foolish, cowardly man, and they did accomplish this, but he came out looking like a cartoon character in many instances. One of the points of the movie is to sort of tie together all of human experience as being identical, and that to say that human experience has ultimately changed over the years is a mistake. However, the beginning of the movie is riddled with "chronistic" cliche and seems to fall short of the film's ultimate goal, though these scenes are interesting and enjoyable in the same strain as the rest of the movie.
The third through fifth segments were much more balanced, although the child performances at the end, which are always shaky, were not pulled off perfectly.
Except for what I have mentioned, this is a very excellent film that tries to pull together the human condition. This might sound ambitious to most ears, but I think that it was actually pulled off quite nicely. You really do see a broad range of events and happenings in different men's lives, but the authors very skillfully weave them together into one story. I think they are trying to suggest that we do the same, that is, visualize our own lives in a greater perspective.
This movie is honest and innocent: no big special effects, no trite storylines or fashionable comedy routines. That, and it gives a worthwhile message. Combine that with much better than average cinematography and decent, minimalist-esque music, and you have a movie very much worth seeing, despite its artistic imperfections.