Posted on 08/23/2007 5:45:11 PM PDT by Reaganesque
"This handsome indie Western damningly recounts the 1857 slayings of 120 settlers passing through Utah, but the didactic presentation, grim speechifying and tacked-on love story all signify a less-than-healthy regard for the audience's intelligence."
Variety Justin Chang
1/4 "The film feels less like historical drama than a venomous religious tract printed on celluloid." Minneapolis Star Tribune Colin Covert
"September Dawn has the ham-fisted lyricism of political ads and pharmaceutical commercials." Village Voice J. Hoberman
"When the movie isn't doling out ham-fisted history...it gives us magnificent vistas of a pristine prairie...and there's a deep sweetness to the subplot of Jonathan and Emily falling in love." Film Journal International Frank Lovece
1.5/4 "When watching the screen depiction of a historic event in which 120 people were murdered, giggling is not the appropriate response." Salt Lake Tribune Sean Means
1/5 "It has the chilling certitude of the self-righteous." Orlando Sentinel Roger Moore
2.5/5 "The real problem is that September Dawn isn't a very good movie. It moves too much like a public-school history pageant and gives us mono-dimensional characters who speak dialogue that fairly reeks of printer's ink." Arizona Republic Richard Nilsen
1/5 "The jarring MTV-style filmmaking is so distracting and the 'messaging' so unsubtle that after two long hours you find yourself leaving the theater with a massive headache, wondering when you started to hate Mormons." Orlando Weekly Brett Register
1/4 "Forget Grindhouse. September Dawn is the year's first honest-to-goodness exploitation flick." Slant Magazine Nick Schager
1/4 "Bombastic, slow-drying dramatization with lead-weight dialogue and a turgid romantic subplot." Newsday Gene Seymour
D- "Has serious problems in historical terms. But in this case they're exacerbated by the simple ineptitude of the filmmaking." One Guy's Opinion Frank Swietek
"Even if one gets past the movie's controversial depictions, there is the matter of its second-rate, made-for-television fare -- the poor battle choreography, the wooden editing and the cheesy writing." Washington Post Desson Thomson
2.5/4 "If September Dawn is a kind of Western, it's a Western utterly devoid of heroism or the usual archetypes. But the core message transcends time: Hatred laced with religious fanaticism is a toxic blend." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Dave Tianen
1/4 "Doesn't even measure up to an episode of your typical, cowboy TV show from the Fifties like Roy Rogers or The Lone Ranger. Get my drift, Kimosabe?" NewsBlaze Kam Williams
Click here for links to the full reviews.
Ok now I lost!
So I take it that you won’t be going to see September Dawn?
And the reviews do bring up a good point:
Could a reviewer write a review that used “Ham Fisted” if the film’s subject was say..Muslims and the sacking of Ceasaria?
“Ham Fisted”
The adjective ham-fisted has one meaning:
Meaning #1: not skillful in physical movement especially with the hands
Synonyms: bumbling, bungling, butterfingered, ham-handed, handless, heavy-handed, left-handed
“It might be a hamfisted movie but the historical facts are not in doubt.”
You are correct. Way back in the ‘70’s, I researched Mormon history, and came across several non-sectarian sources that described this ugly episode. It is historical fact. Many Latter Day Staints (Mormons) want to deny it, but it did happen. Has anyone ever heard of the “Danites”; also called, “The Avenging Angels” who were sort of a proletarian guard for the Mormon leadership? Has anyone ever heard of “blood atonement”?
Do some googling, if you have not.
“Has anyone ever heard of “blood atonement”?”
The Church NEVER practiced blood atonement no matter how confusing the MMM, is please do not imply things that did not happen!
“Do some googling, if you have not.”
You do know even though some things can befound there is always the opposite.
“”Stop it already, you’re making me hungry.””
OK, read the antidote...
spam-fisted
Now you are no longer hungry ;-)
I take it you believe everything you read in the WaPost, Minneapolis Red Star Tribune, Village Voice and Slant magazine.
I think I'd probably be pleased to swap that cinematic style for the trendy strobe-style where no scene lasts longer than 1/10 of a second. I went to a movie theater last weekend with my wife, probably the first time in 5 years, and I won't be back for at least another 10. The fast-cut, black/white strobe effect in the previews alone nearly drove me to delirium.
“But the core message transcends time: Hatred laced with religious fanaticism is a toxic blend.”
And apparently that toxic blend can lead to the making of really bad movies.
Movies made by people who want to express the love for something good inspire. Movies made by people who want to express their anger and hatred by ripping into their target repel.
He is green with an unhealthy fungus...
Oh give me a break. I remember going over it in the church history course I took in the 80's. There is a very good article on it at lds.org right now too, just click here to read it if you are interested in the history.
That was an appropriate review. The timong of this film’s release would aooear to make it a political hit piece.
“appear”.. I’m huked on fonix..
No, but when 10 (and counting) other reviewers say pretty much the same thing as the four critics you mention, I tend to think there might be something to it.
It's nice to know I'm not the only one who finds the drunkard's point-of-view cinematic style unwatchable.
I agree wholeheartedly about modern cinematography. The moving camera, combined with scenes that last less than two seconds, are very distracting.
Check out this music video from 1961, and note how long each shot lasts, and how stable the camera is. It allows you to really enjoy what you're watching and hearing.
Can you imagine the hue and cry if someone made a movie whose premise was how Islam led to 9/11? Hoo boy!
I’m gonna see it!
Of course. They're known for being so pro-Mormon, don't you know. < /extreme sarcasm >
There. I fixed it for you.
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