Film Session with Ashton Nwoga

 

A Clockwork Orange

Alex Delarge and his rowdy band of “droogs” sit in a milk bar as boredom sets. So, the gang questions how to spend the rest of their evening. Drinking alcoholic milk, which, in Alex’s words could “sharpen you up and get you ready for a bit of the ultra violence.” Is the choice. Thus begins the 1971 film Clockwork Orange. This innovative film by legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick is one of his more famous films as it takes the cake in regard to its inclusion of taboo subjects.

`Alex (Malcolm McDowell) lives in the distant future, a future where the phenomenon of “ultra violence” is harmless fun in the eyes of Alex and his friends. There is a profound absence of government, and no one stops these young kids from committing serious crimes such as assault, rape, and murder.

A Clockwork Orange is a bizarre but outstanding film. The setting is odd and futuristic, but also adds a hint of sorrow and loneliness with the run-down structures and endless night. Alex has two distinct features, his love for classical music and the “Ultra violence.” This makes his extremely horrible acts against society seem beautiful in his mind. McDowell’s performance in the lead role is absolutely mesmerizing as he effortlessly creates a charismatic sociopath. One of Kubrick’s masterpieces, the film effectively weaves together themes like betrayal, control, religion, karma, and government corruption.

 

Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor

Tyler Perry has become a success story. However, in the film industry, it takes a lot more than becoming the highest-paid man in entertainment to call yourself one of the elite filmmakers in the business. Perry’s latest film, Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor“proves not only that Perry has a long way to go in the filmmaking business, but also that he has not yet been able to recover from his reliance on his Madea-themed works.

Judith (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) is a young therapist who decides to leave her strong marriage to her husband Brice (Lance Gross) for an abusive man. Smollett- Bell’s acting starts strong, but she begins to get out of sync with her role as her character descends deeper and deeper into madness, which makes the film suffer in the long run.

Temptation finds itself struggling to keep an interesting, realistic drama going and constantly pushes the audience in two seemingly unrelated directions between two different women. The acting across the board is sketchy, as each actor seems out of his/her element and tries to force emotions onto viewers. It’s unclear whether Perry’s film aims to shine light on serious topics such as domestic violence, HIV, and divorce or love in general. Ultimately, this film falls flat. It is just as generic and forgettable as his other recent work.