Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Sexylocher Masterful Movie

Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) There is really not too much to review here. This is a 42-minute documentary by director Ron Fricke which was written by the Constantine sisters(?). The topic is basically history vs. progress. We see many very old monuments, but we also see lots of current stuff, like modern streets or skyscrapers. I have to say, I personally preferred the old parts. The music is also pretty good in here. but, as harsh as this may sound, a documentary without any kinds of dialogue and just photography recordings can never make it to my favorite list, I am afraid. This one here is certainly as good as it gets for the genre, but I was never amazed really. Still, it's not a bad piece of filmmaking at all. And all the use of time lapse was fairly interesting. It's also the type of film which is probably much more effective on the big screen. I give Fricke a thumbs up here without praising it too much. Still it's probably among the better documentary movies from 30 years ago. And finally, I want to say that this looks pretty modern, actually I would have guessed this is from the 21st century if I hadn't known the truth before.

Michael Neumann This forty-minute novelty item, directed by the cinematographer of 'Koyaanisqatsi', presents a time-lapse history of Western Civilization, from ancient Egypt to downtown Los Angeles. Like its predecessor the film is essentially a non-narrative travelogue filled with sweeping vistas and arresting images, set to a soaring new-age soundtrack and intended only for the largest movie screen in town. The various landscapes, both natural and man-made, are pleasant to look at, but that's all they are: pretty pictures, a showcase for Ron Fricke's computer operated camera. It's clear from the brief length of the film that Fricke himself realized its limitations; his theme of the transience of humankind compared to its creations is explored only superficially, and relies too heavily on repeated shots of cumulus clouds whizzing over Stonehenge and sunlight passing over the face of the Sphinx.

CelluloidRehab Ron Fricke's directorial debut, is a mixed bag. While visually stunning and musically haughty, this is nothing new for this type of genre. The genre being the silent-mentary (a film with no dialog that evokes a story or meaning using only images, still and moving, and sounds).One might remember Ron from his work on Koyaanisqatsi. He was the cinematographer on that movie (also had some writing credits). If one looks closely, you will find similarities in the looks of both movies. There is a repetition of the Grand Canyon fly over and one cityscape scene (done from mostly ground level, where there is a metal sculpture in front of a lit office building at night, with two lit buildings on each side, looking upwards). While there are similarities, there are also major differences between the two.The differences come from the directors. Koyaanisqatsi (and the other two movies in the trilogy : Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi) flowed from the creative collaboration of Godfrey Reggio and Philip Glass. They imbued their movie with meaning, by combining images and music. The two elements intertwining to the point where you could not separate them. Whatever the "meaning" was left up to the viewer. They could range from "deep rooted messages" to "there was no message at all".Unfortunately, Ron's directorial debut isn't as good. He definitely does not have a Philip Glass to work with and it shows. One of the weaker elements is the music. The score is symphonic and works well generally, but is very generic sounding. There is very little about it that makes one stir (unless you got a cold draft coming in through the window and someone happens to scratch a blackboard at the same time). The visuals suffer as well. There seems to be little connection between the various places we are shown. Is there a reason we are shown this place or that place in particular ? Hard to tell. It feels more like a guided bus tour, than anything with substance behind it. Ron also seems to overdo the time lapse portions. He uses it in almost every scene. He also seems to have a fascination with the phases of the sun and the movement of sunlight during the course of a day.Don't misinterpret my critique as dislike. On the contrary, the movie has its merits and its moments. My favorite being the rise of the moon over a city at night, with the fly over and drive through ensuing at blazing fast speeds. I would have probably been better served if I had seen this movie before Reggio's trilogy. It is not as good, but its short length and beautiful imagery is definitely worth a look.

SkyCAM I was fortunate to see the movie in HD on cable recently. The movie is a bit like Koyaanisqatsi but concentrates more on a aesthetic look and does not transmit a political message. The images are astonishingly beautiful. The use of quick-motion and time lapse is great and give the film a very nice artistic touch. The electronic score composed by Michael Stearns accompanies the corresponding footage very smooth and nicely and adds to the overall atmosphere. If you like movies like Baraka or Koyaanisqatsi this movie is a absolute must-see. The photography and composition of this movie is just mesmerizing and brilliant.