harryandtonto

The trailer for this film intrigued me a great deal. When I got the opportunity to see it my expectations were rather high because I'd found the trailer so interesting. Then the film started, and I felt a little deflated thinking this isn't what I was expecting. And then something happened to me as I was watching it . . . I began to have a very visceral reaction to it. I am one of those people who does feel that many documentaries take advantage and capitalize on the exploitation of their subjects. But the people who fill out the frames of "Prodigal Sons" are human beings trying to tell the truth. The film never feels exploitative, quite simply it feels honest. It is a brave film that the courageous director, Kimberly Reed, has made and it deserves to be seen by a vast audience. I find it odd that some would narrowly consider this film "another one of those gay docs about members of the trans-gendered community". Although one of the subjects may be trans-gendered, it is not a film about the trans-gendered lifestyle. It is a film about the ghosts that haunt us and the ways we try to justify ourselves and our identities to a world of people when really the only thing that matters is the peace we make with ourselves in our own lives and with the people we love and who are brave enough to love us in return. Do NOT miss this film . . . I've only seen it once, and even though I want to see it many times again, I feel it's message imprinted on mind and I will never forget it.

The trailer for this film was not only crap, but it was overplayed and the poster-work is just plain creepy. I reluctantly saw this film because a friend of mine reveres Roger Ebert and Ebert loved it. Granted my expectations weren't very high, but I thoroughly enjoyed nearly every minute of "Millions". There were a few moments when it kind of dragged, but the story was so good and the humor was spot on it was difficult not to enjoy it. It could be said that it's just a lovely family film that will undoubtedly become a perennial holiday favorite, but there's more to it than that. It could have been (and probably should have been) a saccharine based fluff film that was so sappy it turns people off (and it may have that effect on some people. So, for those people who can't just sit and enjoy a film (not that the moral of the story is something anyone should live without) it's worth seeing not only for the writing, but also for the gorgeous look of the film by the brilliant Anthony Dod Mantle (cinematographer of "Dogville" and "28 Days Later"). Again, I myself was balked at seeing it, but so far this year, "Millions" is one of the best films to be released and I doubt it will leave my Top 10 list for 2005! You should not miss this film.