LisaPas

Leviticus taps into a number of anxieties about what it means to be young and gay in a community that doesn’t accept you. It’s an experience I do not have any experience in, so I can only speak to the emotions here from my view as a cisgender heterosexual woman. Beautifully and heartbreakingly portrayed by Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen, Naim and Ryan are high-schoolers who have discovered feelings for each other. Their families bring them to a “Deliverance Healer” who forces upon them demons that take the form of the other - as Ryan states, “They want us afraid of each other.” With tastes of It Follows, Leviticus is primarily a drama about love condemned by those outside of it and the deep pain that brings to those who feel it. Emotion is central to the film, whereas the supernatural edges are peripheral. The performances by Bird and Clausen are the driving force in Leviticus. Sure, there are demons, but Leviticus is about how other people use their own to throw stones (literally and figuratively) and destroy others. There are strong themes centered on bullying, homophobia, and being and feeling alone.

You can feel when a movie is directed by Steven Spielberg.  There’s curiosity, mystery, confusion, and most of all, wonder. Disclosure Day leans into all four.  With any film focused on extra-terrestrials coming to earth, a sense of enormity permeates the story. Likewise, Disclosure Day picks two individuals - Margaret and Daniel - and widens their sphere of understanding little by little by little. There are a number of supporting good guys and bad guys, but because Margaret and Daniel are working with minimal information, so are we.  I won’t get too much into detail, because when you watch Spielberg, you should just let it wash over you. (If you’re someone who wants answers quickly, you’re likely to be frustrated by the bulk of this movie.) Disclosure Day has all the touchstones of a Spielberg film - the characters, the childlike wonder, even some comedic elements towards the end - a fun sequence that makes the bad guys look foolish that any kid will LOVE.  Now for the not-so-good news… I adore Close Encounters, ET, even War of the Worlds. I love Alien and Independence Day. I love Spielbergian wonder. Disclosure Day takes WAY too long to get there. The climax is lovely when it lands, but after waiting two hours, you start to wonder (the wrong kind of wonder in this context) if it’s going to be worth it. I do think it’s worth it once, but not worth repeated viewings.  I’d like to hear what young viewers think, especially those who haven’t seen ET or Close Encounters. I don’t have kids, so I can’t be certain, but I worry their attention is going to wander before the good stuff they’ll love.  I loved the philosophy and peripherals to religion; the theory is one I share, in fact. But I wanted more in a 2 hour 25min film.  And I REALLY wanted Williams to reference himself from 1977. He kinda-sorta does once… but it’s not exact. The score is obviously Williams, but it’s not a grand slam Williams score.  I’m interested to see how this one lands with people. I don’t think I’ll be seeing it again, though

End of year movies - open the Fandango and let the students choose. 🤩

I love end of the year movies. Open the Fandango and let the students choose. 🤩