Flash Movie Review: Captain Fantastic
After all the different styles and methods I have seen, I have to wonder if it comes down to just doing your hardest and wishing for the best when it comes to raising children. When I was a child I used to hear adults say so and so is a bad kid; now when a child is acting up I hear adults say the parents are bad. Sadly I still see some parents hit their children or make outrageous, unrealistic demands on them. Things like, “If you do that one more time I will take all your toys away and burn them,” or “If you take 2 more bites of your food, I will give you $5.00;” yes, I have actually heard these comments. Now I do not want to paint a dire picture here; I have witnessed some solid well thought out child rearing techniques. There was a person I knew who when it came to potty training her child explained the benefits of using the bathroom. She also talked about the negative aspects of walking around in a dirty diaper. I was fascinated by the discussion and the child’s reaction. When the child was told no one would want to play with her if she was wearing a dirty diaper, the child forgot her fears and started telling her mother every time when she had to go to the bathroom. I found it extraordinary since I had never seen that technique before. As for the methods used in teaching the children in this comedic drama, they were as foreign to me as the present world would be for them. HOLED away in the Pacific Northwest Ben, played by Viggo Mortensen (The Road, The Lord of the Rings franchise), was teaching his 6 children how to survive in their little corner of the world. The skills the family was learning could only teach them so much. This film festival winner allowed Viggo to shine in his role as the father. Not that the other actors such as Frank Langella (Robot & Frank, The Ninth Gate) as Jack, Ann Dowd (Side Effects, Garden State) as Abigail or George MacKay (Defiance, How I Live Now) as Bo were less skilled; they all blended well together just like the kids did in this drama. The beginning of the story started out a bit slow for me; I felt like it needed more action. However as things moved along I started to appreciate what the script was laying out for the characters. Let me add the drama increased when Frank’s character Jack came into the picture. I felt the intensity building in the story and admired the range of emotions Viggo performed. With the story lines and buildup that took place I was somewhat disappointed at the ending. I may have been reacting to a particular character, but I sort of felt I was wishing for something different to happen. Nonetheless I can see this story being a catalyst for many discussions between people, especially for those who have children.
3 stars
Posted on July 22, 2016, in Dramedy and tagged 3 stars, ann dowd, comedy, drama, dramedy, film festival winner, frank langella, george mackay, pacific northwest, viggo mortensen. Bookmark the permalink. 11 Comments.
Dear moviejoltz, thanks for liking my post!
Reading some of your reviews reminded me how long it has been since I last went to the movies. The answer being: I could not rightly say. Only recently saw a trailer for Captain Fantastic and may give that one a try.
with the advance of technology is it still true that during the screening of a movie you are sitting in the dark for 2/3 of the time?
Hi, it is a pleasure to meet you and thank you for coming by to leave your comments. So it has been a long time since you have seen a movie? Well I hope I can change that with one of my reviews. For me there are some films that get enhanced with a crowd of people in the theater. If by chance you see Captain Fantastic I would enjoy hearing your thoughts on it.
Hello there and thank you for the warm welcome. True, the atmosphere in a movie theater usually enhances the experience. The last films I have seen will probably have been animations – you might have been able to guess from my non-written posts. A friend and I used to go and see about any pixar and blue sky thingie and usually had the best time in the theater, picking up on cultural references that are usually embedded there for the grown-ups and that are lost on the kids.
But I also do like films that do not entirely depend on CG, action sequences, chases, explosions and quick cuts. Blockbusters often do not entice me. Or I find them beautiful to look at as far as environments, costumes are concerned, but with lack of narrative or with strangely non-engaging characters.
But…as I said before, it’s been a while and watching on your home screen does not really compare.
Thanks for the invite of sharing my possible up-and coming latest movie experience!
You are welcome and if you would be so kind, since you shared more of your movie tastes, please take a look at my review of Hunt for the Wildepeople. It was the 1st movie this year I gave 4 stars. I think you would enjoy it very much. Best wishes to you.
Dear moviejoltz, as you are such a movie buff, maybe you know the flic I remember watching but forgot the name of – and most of the plot. Was it set in an Inuit community? I can no longer tell, but I remember I liked the film and would not mind watching it again. Alas, my recollection is too hazy to find anything on the net. Part of the story is that one family’s two children – boy and girl – go scampering about on some farmland, run from a guard dog and climb into a freezer that is sitting abandoned in the field. They cannot open the door from the inside and the girl, I think an asthmatic, dies. Her brother keeps seeing her as a vision and the rest of the film is pretty much about his emotional journey coming to terms with her death. There were also storylines of a young man returning to a community, and the departure of his love interest from same community at the end. This is what I seem to remember. It would not happen to ring any bell?
…..
And yes, (I used to never read film crits before I watched a film in order to make up my own mind first, but they way things are standing I am glad for the hint – the film is not showing here, yet)
I see the dog is called Tupac?
Do you know a book Happiness TM?
Cheerioh for now
Maori, it was a Maori setting! That’s why my fuzzy brain made me remember that flic of all, because you were mentioning Whale Rider in your film crit. And the film is called ‘The strength of water’
Well, cheers for accidentally creating that connection between slumbering neurons! 🙂
I am so glad to be one of the bricks to the bridge that connected the brain cells together to remember the film. The title sounds familiar, though I do not think I reviewed it. If so I will re-watch it so I can properly. From your other comments no, I am not familiar with the book Happiness TM. Do you think I should be? Thanks for all of your comments; I appreciate them.
a brick of the bridge or an electrical charge on the way to enlightenment 😉
https://blaustift.wordpress.com/2016/07/30/if-youre-happy-and-you-know-it/
lol
not sure this is your cup of tea, but you may like to take a sip: https://blaustift.wordpress.com/2016/08/14/vein-of-gold-in-the-stone/ have a great day!
PS: looking forward should you get round to writing a critique of ‘the strength of water’ 🙂