The 24th Day
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Movie Reviews of The 24th Day
Movie Review: I'm afraid it's judgemental
Summary: 2 Stars
The first half of the movie is great--originally plotted, good acting. It has a smart beginning, good cast. But, the flashback scenes to make up the past part of the story are simply unnecessary and poorly acted, including the captor, his late wife and so on-- simply ameuterish and stupid. (But, when the scence moves back to the NOW, the room, it returns normal.) In addition, the movie is very expository--so don't mind the irrealisticity in the plot; it could be the purpose, after all. However,that kind of you-never-know-where-you-can-get-it talks are really dated. It really doesn't have to be that way. As some of other reviews have pointed it out, More actions, less blah blah blah.
I hate to say the movie is judgmental. But it simply is--no matter how hard the director is trying to balance the blame on both characters, to make it less homophobic--or maybe he isn't. He places plain disticnt emphasis on the promiscuity of the captive's past, but only hints that of the captor's. And while presenting the captive telling one lies after another in front of the audience--though quite understandable under those circumstances-- the director seems unwilling to face the truth that the captor is a living lie himself and in no position to demand the captive to be honest. And the way he ends the movie confirms this bias. The story could have been stunningly moving, enlightening...could have been...
I would highly recommend it to those who are fans of the two major actors--enjoy the feast of both of their good looking.
Movie Review: Preachy, implausible, and dull
Summary: 2 Stars
This movie looked like it wanted to be searing drama, but just didn't really rise to the occasion. It's primary message seemed to be "if you have unsafe sex you will get aids" with the corollary "if you have aids the gay person you slept with just once is the one who gave it to you". A public service announcement about safe sex is laudable, but not a movie. The corollary is a little insulting. There were other things implied too in their dialog: if you're a guy and slept with one guy you are secretly really gay and are probably sleeping with a lot of guys; and if you go to bars to meet people you're a slut. All those unpleasant implications aside, the movie just never offered any sparks or emotional resonance between the two characters. It was also kind of hard to believe, particularly the captive who seemed to largely just sit quietly through it all. At one point the captor goes to a bar and gets drunk with a woman (to prove he's not a slut I guess) and the captive is yanking on the arm of the ratty old sofa he's handcuffed to , and it looked like the actor had to work pretty hard to make sure he didn't actually snap the arm off and get free. They also spent a fair amount of time talking about Charlie's Angels (the TV show). Were these guys even old enough to have seen it? I like the actors in general, but the movie was preachy, implausible, and dull.Movie Review: Shocking, but uneventful
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie was shockingly eye opening. I did not find it very intertaining and frankly a bit boring.Movie Review: A Powder Keg
Summary: 5 Stars
The 24th day, directed by Tony PIccirillo, explores the lives of two men, Tom (Scott Speedman) and Dan (James Mardsen) and how their one night encounter changes all their lives. This script is so well written the dialogue alone keeps you tense and wanting more. Speedman plays a man one the edge, driven by anger, hate, desperation and James Mardsen gives a terrific performance as a sexy, charismic man that is charming and boyish. These qualities from both actors mix so well that the sparring between the two brings about some tremendously moral debating. Responsibility, truth, honor, do they exist? The choices we make are our own, yet how does one live with the consequences. How well do we know our partners, husbands, wives, how safe is monogamy?
Piccirillo brings a raw, fierce and honest look at the actions that impact not only our lives but others. This movie is powerful and one you will want to own.
Movie Review: Another Gay HIV+ Demon Infects Another Innocent Wife (YAWN)
Summary: 1 Stars
Intensely homophobic, heterosexist, and hateful, this film represents the twisted fears and logic of the early panic stage of the disease in the 1980s. It was a time when the public was eager to pin the epidemic squarely on the shoulders of gay men, blaming antisocial "AIDS carriers" for carelessly or intentionally infecting chaste wives and innocent babies. It was a time when the public blamed AIDS on lust-driven, irresponsible gay men and cheating husbands. The film is pretentious and overbearing in its failed attempt to masquerade as a sophisticated inquiry into moral responsibility in the age of HIV. It reinforces the simplistic outdated idea that those who are infected with HIV can be neatly separated into the categories of "deserving" or "undeserving" - immoral monsters and their innocent victims sitting together on death row. Twenty years ago, perhaps this film would have its place as a document reflecting our social ignorance and failures in coping with a new epidemic. We did not know then that HIV was a predominantly heterosexual global pandemic. Today this film is a sophomoric attempt to assign blame and reinforce old prejudices about HIV and HIV+ people. Most importantly, HIV is no longer a death sentence to Americans who discover their status and enter medical treatment early. As someone who counsels and tests hundreds of people for HIV infection every year, I would not recommend this film to anyone seeking knowledge or entertainment.