A Midsummer's Hawaiian Dream (TV Movie 2016)

A Midsummer’s Hawaiian Dream: Directed by Harry Cason. With Moani Aipia-Dolan, Brent Bailey, Sonya Balmores, Amy Carlson. Attorney Tanya McQueen has hired a team of anthropologists to find an ancient artifact which, if found, would halt development of Nick Button’s shopping mall in the sacred Hemolele Forest on Kaua’i. The team is led by the experienced duo of Helen and Demetri, joined by grad students Zander and Hermione. The team is seen by Omaka, a native Hawaiian kahuna, and his mischievous aide, Puka. Sensing Helen’s yearning for passion from Demetri, Puka doses the man with the nectar of a special flower from the forest — but he has dosed Zander instead, triggering confusion and hilarity. When Puka tries to make amends by dosing Demetri too, and later Tanya as well, the results are surprising and wonderfully zany. Love wins the day.

“Okay, seriously, i needed a bit of comedy before reviewing this dark, serious movie about murder and human nature.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Monsteru0026quot;, as most of you know, is the story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, physically ugly; abused as a child, living as a prostitute, falling in love with another woman, and killing men. An upbeat film this is not.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs much has been said about Theronu0026#39;s performance as Aileen, I wonu0026#39;t comment too much. I will, however, make the joke that she got an oscar just for looking ugly! Seriously though, she doesnu0026#39;t just look like Lee, but she lives and breathes as Lee. Just watching the littlest facial quirk, the way she holds and moves her body, all I could think of wasnu0026#39;t who was playing her or how amazing the make up was, but just about the character. Thatu0026#39;s why sheu0026#39;s so good in this. The rest of the cast is okay, with Christina Ricci playing against type as a needy lesbian who stands by and allows Lee to kill, becoming something of a monster herself.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnother thing to comment on, is that this isnu0026#39;t called u0026quot;Monsteru0026quot; because Godzillau0026#39;s in it. My friends and I commented that there were maybe 2 nice people in the entire film. This movie is dark and depressing. Now, weu0026#39;ve got a macabre sense of humor, but after seeing this, it took a while for some jokes to seem funny again.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOf course, this leads into just how realistic is the movie to life and the events surrounding it? Some people have claimed that the film misinterprets some of the victims, and that it over-sympathizes with Lee. And then thereu0026#39;s what I said about there being maybe 2 redeemable human beings in the whole thing, with self-righteous religious stereotypes in it as well.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI believe the movie is that way for a purpose. I canu0026#39;t defend the misinterpreting of some of the victims, but other things I can. Notice how the film is narrated from Leeu0026#39;s point of view. And since itu0026#39;s from her messed up, murderous point of view, wouldnu0026#39;t most of humanity seem irredeemable? And wouldnu0026#39;t she play us, the audience, her jury, for sympathy?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis movie is so successful because when I left the theater, I was made because I figured I had just seen another psycho-liberal movie bashing religious people and the death sentence, among other things. But as I left and talked with others, I realized that thatu0026#39;s how Iu0026#39;m SUPPOSED to feel: the movie is told from Leeu0026#39;s point of view, of her trying to justify her horrible actions by making people see her view of how bad the world is and how much a victim she is. The filmmakers want me to get mad at her, to not agree with her. If they didnu0026#39;t, if the filmmakers really wanted people to feel sorry for Lee, they wouldnu0026#39;t have called it u0026quot;Monsteru0026quot;. Looking back on it, i see how the directing, the writing, and the few really innocent people in the film were put there to make me feel a certain way. Excellently done! They were so successful I didnu0026#39;t notice until long after the movie was over.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThat said, aside from being depressing enough to bring down a guy high on ecstasy, the movieu0026#39;s main flaw is the music. The orchestral music is okay, but some of the songs, like the one they play when Lee and Selby are cuddling, made me want to kill someone! And the guitar sound that starts to play before their tastefully shot sex scene sounded like 70u0026#39;s porn music, i kid you not. But man, if that was meant to be funny, i sure needed it, because nothing else in this movie is a laughing matter.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAlltogether, sorry Lee, but I only empathize with you. I would probably found you guilty as well. If the way you were treated by the first guy was accurate in the film, and you had turned yourself in, Iu0026#39;d have found you not-guilty, it being self defense. But you couldnu0026#39;t stop, or wouldnu0026#39;t, and tried to hide it. Besides, lots of people who do get raped and abused as kids donu0026#39;t go out and kill.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Monsteru0026quot; is an incredibly, subtly effective film, but definitely not for the faint of heart. Itu0026#39;s more u0026quot;Henryu0026quot; than u0026quot;Hannibalu0026quot;. But, for those who can take it, or enjoy studying the darker aspects of humanity in a serious light, gather your courage and see u0026quot;Monsteru0026quot;.”