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Reviews
Luther (2010)
Great show, and a great reminder why US police officers carry guns
The acting on this show and the plot lines are great, but after nearly every episode I shake my head wondering why the hell the UK thinks having their police officers go after criminals with nothing but their good looks is a smart idea. It's a great advertisement for those in the US who think that freedom to bear arms is not only a vital right, but a necessity. It clearly shows that bad guys have no regard for laws and the idea of safety in "gun free zones" is a myth.
Sarah, Plain & Tall: Winter's End (1999)
The plot and writing of the third installment was a bit weak.
As mentioned in another review, there was a big goof as Jacob was not an only child (siblings were mentioned in Skylark). The story had several holes: How did Sarah survive outside for several hours in a blizzard? Why would John leave his farm when his wife, who hated living there so much, stayed? Why wouldn't Jacob know John was his father if he was Caleb's age when John left? Surely John's appearance didn't change that much. Why don't Anna and Caleb call Sarah "mother" after all these years? If town was far enough away that Anna had to live there, how did Caleb go to/from school every day? How could they have a phone if they had no electricity (they were still using oil lamps)?
Personally, I just found too many incongruities to make this weak storyline as enjoyable as the first two films.
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' (2019)
Over acted
Jamie Foxx, who I normally love, really over acted tonight, as did most of the cast. Wanda Sykes and Marla Gibbs were the only standout performers. The All in the Family cast was the same. Good thing the actors on both original shows were better; they never would have lasted more than one season.
American Assassin (2017)
A good action film, but NOTHING like the actual book
Ever since I heard that a film was being made of Vince Flynn's American Assassin, I couldn't wait to see it. I've read every "Mitch Rapp" book there is and am a huge fan of the character. But once again, Hollywood didn't waste an opportunity to take a great book franchise and screw it up. Apart from the names of the main characters and a small scene when Mitch first meets Stan Hurley, there are no similarities to the original book. Vince Flynn must be turning over in his grave.
Why was it necessary to bring the time line of Mitch Rapp up by 25 years? It would have worked had Mitch been drawn into the secret organization because his girlfriend was killed in the Lockerbie crash. It actually would have been more faithful to the inner life of the character if the movie didn't begin with Mitch losing his mind and training himself to be a killer. The thing most fans love about Mitch is that he ISN'T half-cocked. He's very thoughtful and methodical about his job and that's what makes him so effective. Mitch isn't just some crazed, emotionally driven killer. He has a job to do and he does it with effective lethal force because he takes emotion out of it.
Why was it necessary to make Stan an ex-SEAL instead of an ex-CIA operative (who worked alongside Irene's dad). Speaking of which, the film totally leaves out the deep bond of affection between Stan and Irene (as well as Irene and Thomas Stanfield, who was practically irrelevant to the story in the film), and the grudging respect (which grows into friendship) between Mitch and Stan.
But the thing that really tipped the scales for me is the unnecessary introduction of a rogue ex-Orion member who got mad and has a huge chip on his shoulder because no one came to get him when he was captured and subsequently tortured. WTF. The whole point of Stan and Irene being highly discriminatory in who is on the Orion Team is because they're going to be exposed to extreme danger in their mission. They would have surely ferreted out a whiny POS like Ghost in the training process. I guess H'wood felt it was necessary to have the evil American in the film to show that the Islamist terrorists are all warm and fuzzy compared to an American psycho.
On its own, the film was a decent action film and had a story that moved along. The actors were all good in their roles. However, as a Vince Flynn-inspired film, it sucked. If you're not going to use the characters and stories that made him a bestselling author, then why bother at all? I hope if they make a sequel they will stay truer to the stories told by Flynn (and now his successor in the franchise, Kyle Mills).