what is the word

Today I wanted to talk about this shitty movie I saw. I had such a perfect weekend, such a happy, dance-y, whiskey-soaked weekend, that the only thing I can think to bitch about blogwise is how much I loathed the 45 minutes or so I sat thru of that New Age barf-fest Baraka. I missed the beginning, & maybe that was the best part, but I really doubt it. I'd heard of this movie before & I should have known exactly what to expect. Heavy-handed imagery? Naturally. Electronic, globally non-specific soundtrack? You got it. Speeded-up footage of urban commuters, imploring you to compare city life to a rat-race? Lingering shots of bums sleeping on sidewalks? Ponderous close-ups of the soulful eyes of old men bathing in the Ganges? Check! Check! Check! Worse than that, in between all the shots of pensive primates & ominously rolling clouds, there were scenes of heavily made-up geishas doing a painstakingly choreographed dance in a red-curtained studio somewhere. Then in the same studio, an ashen-faced man with his eyes rolled back in his contorted face, ostensibly screaming for all of humanity.
& I was STONED when I saw it. Really really stoned. & I still wasn't into it. I'd had a more spiritual experience in the shower that morning. Really.
The way this movie forces down your throat the notion that all cultures are one, while, at the same time, the parts I saw implied that non-Western cultures are more noble & more sentient somehow, is so simplistic & off-putting. If I wanted to learn something about another culture via a movie, I'd watch one that was immersed in that culture & actually knew something about it, rather than this kaleidoscope of crap.
OK. Now I'm just being mean. & there were some very good things about the movie. I just can't be bothered to defend it myself. So to be fair, I'll present the opinions of some people who don't agree with me at all. Via Amazon & IMDB.

Though I came away from the movie feeling that I've just witnessed a timeless universal masterpiece, when I showed the movie to a relative, his reaction was quite upsetting to me initially. ALL he saw was the surface and technical aspects of the film/making i.e. "woah dude, an eclipse" or (ignorantly) "that tribesman's getting groovy". I later came to realize that not everyone will come away from this movie with the same response. It's not that he was wrong in his opinion; it's the fact that he didn't have the faculty for understanding and/or appreciating such a movie.

Tears of joy over this work - just amazing - I can't watch it again enough to accept the power of the message. I think to give away the plot I'd have to share the meaning of life … again, Tears of Joy watching such a crisp capture of the universe unfolding as I type.

Let's face it - you want to watch this movie because:
1) You like the whole different cultures, beautiful photography formula, in which case you might as well spend your time reading an issue of National Geographic
2) You're a new age hippie, or
3) You're a confused Mortal Kombat fan*

What a spectacular production! This film is made purely for evolved human beings. I am shocked that this sensational movie has been rated only 7 stars. This is of course due to the fact that some people really have no idea what life is all about.

It's hard to believe... but I cried three times during this movie - I didn't even cry once in Titanic!

(* I actually agreed with this review, but I included it because it's hilarious. Apparently Baraka is also a character from Mortal Kombat, which is the only reason the reviewer rented it.)