This is just excellent filmmaking by everyone involved. Teenage Saoirse Ronan is as good as you expect her to be, but the rest of the players are exactly right also. The story is well constructed, the dialog is tightly molded to telling the story without belaboring the agony the characters are feeling. The cinematography toggles between expansive nature shots and claustrophobic structural shots in just the right proportions and pace. Director Macdonald presents a brilliant vision of a low yield nuclear attack on London's effect on the rest of the country, life under an autocratic state of emergency, and ultimately, restoration. The good news is, the military action to restore civil order does not take us into a ridiculous zombie apocalypse. There is a bit of the desperation and opportunism that is typical of these stories, but they play it straight and plausible, and reach an endpoint to the story that does not leave us thinking "yeah, that's how we are all going to become extinct..." unlike our current real life news events.
Reviews
44 Reviews
Misbehaviour
(2020)
Dramatization of a real event, has some excellence, and some rough spots
1 May 2024
I was born in 1962, and as any redblooded male of that era, I did see a few beauty pageants when they were televised. I honestly don't recall seeing this one, or knowing that there was a variety of controversies around it at the time. I also saw quite a lot of the real Bob Hope, both in his films, and some of the USO shows that were televised. So it was jarring to me to see Greg Kinnear give an impersonation that frankly did not come nearly close enough to the real man. He tried to imitate some of Hope's familiar mannerisms, but his physical form, and his vocal impressions just weren't good enough. I have no way of knowing whether the real Hope was as patronizingly misogynistic offstage and away from cameras as his lines made him appear in front of audiences, or if that was mostly a deliberate impression he put on because his soldier audiences would identify with it. And frankly, this film would have been better if there had been less focus on his character -- his personality and star power were not really important to the plot.
The stars here were the women, including Lesley Manville as the far more interesting Dolores Hope, and Phyllis Logan as Sally Alexander (Keira Knightley)'s mother; Knightley herself as the conflicted divorced mother and professional academic hopeful; and the brilliantly pissed off Jessie Buckley and perfect Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Costuming was fun, other production values were more ordinary. Script had some good moments, but was uneven. It managed to deliver the political message well when it was not bogged down in extraneous Hope and melodrama. Worth a look if you did not know the history or you are young enough not to have my familiarity with the real Hope's work and physical persona.
The stars here were the women, including Lesley Manville as the far more interesting Dolores Hope, and Phyllis Logan as Sally Alexander (Keira Knightley)'s mother; Knightley herself as the conflicted divorced mother and professional academic hopeful; and the brilliantly pissed off Jessie Buckley and perfect Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Costuming was fun, other production values were more ordinary. Script had some good moments, but was uneven. It managed to deliver the political message well when it was not bogged down in extraneous Hope and melodrama. Worth a look if you did not know the history or you are young enough not to have my familiarity with the real Hope's work and physical persona.
Blue Beetle
(2023)
It's not Shakespeare, but try to enjoy it for what it is
27 February 2024
I'm not going to argue with anyone who says the script is crap and the story is too silly, and George Lopez' character feels even more implausible than Susan Sarandon's. This is definitely one of those films where you have to be very willing to suspend your disbelief and just left the performances bring you a self-effacing warmth of regular people thrust into awful and ridiculous situations by outside actors.
The special effects here were lovely, nicely imagined, and for a change, not overly obscured by dimly lit scenes. The pace was briskly just right. And even tho the characters were mostly obvious stereotypes, the cast committed to the campiness and breathed life into them. Sarandon appears to have been desperate to play a villain role, and she achieved it with relish and a silly severity and self-seriousness. Veteran Adriana Barraza went from dull grandma to shining action hero in the second half with aplomb. And the young stars, Xolo Mariduena and long-established TV star in Brazil Bruna Marquezine stood out as lovely, engaging, exciting and ready to do more leading work in big budget English language productions. The Latin flavor may have felt like a force for diversity purposes, but it was a welcome injection to the comic book superhero genre, and any other genre these players might be offered. In spite of the silliness of the story, I wound up enjoying this as much as any other comic book film I've seen with established English stars.
The special effects here were lovely, nicely imagined, and for a change, not overly obscured by dimly lit scenes. The pace was briskly just right. And even tho the characters were mostly obvious stereotypes, the cast committed to the campiness and breathed life into them. Sarandon appears to have been desperate to play a villain role, and she achieved it with relish and a silly severity and self-seriousness. Veteran Adriana Barraza went from dull grandma to shining action hero in the second half with aplomb. And the young stars, Xolo Mariduena and long-established TV star in Brazil Bruna Marquezine stood out as lovely, engaging, exciting and ready to do more leading work in big budget English language productions. The Latin flavor may have felt like a force for diversity purposes, but it was a welcome injection to the comic book superhero genre, and any other genre these players might be offered. In spite of the silliness of the story, I wound up enjoying this as much as any other comic book film I've seen with established English stars.
A Thousand Little Cuts
(2022)
Interesting enough story, tone does not quite match its genre tag
8 January 2024
I would not call this a "thriller", at all. It *is* a mystery. The last half hour is played much straighter than the first hour and the result is more impactful. The problem is the first hour also qualifies for the genre tag "dark comedy" due to all the stereotypical portrayals of toxic masculinity. Essentially, the film is about the cumulative effect of the experiences of toxic masculinity on one woman, and her reactions to it. Rebecca Liddiard is interesting and engaging in a nicely layered performance as that one woman. I don't want to say the other actors, particularly the males, gave obviously lower quality performances, but I almost had the sense they were so embarrassed to be portraying those stereotypes that they did not really know how to do it effectively. I think the overall film would have benefited from the men being played straight, instead of as foolish caricatures with no self-awareness, all the way through. At the end of the day, this took on an important topic on a very low budget and provided some interesting twists, resulting in not a terrible film but not above average either. Mostly, it made me want to see more of Liddiard.
Barbie
(I) (2023)
If you're in the mood for persistent CGI set decoration, watch "Free Guy" instead
19 December 2023
This is unquestionably one of the worst films I've ever watched. When I found out Greta Gerwig wrote and directed it, that was the only reason I could even muster to try to watch it. I'm assuming that the whole concept was so dreadful chiefly because Mattel was one of the production companies behind it. As typically happens, heavily hyped films cannot live up to the flackery. This was no exception. I suppose it's possible I did not like it because I am not female and was not a child who spent much time playing with dolls, so I just cannot identify with the fantasy world it tries to create, or with the pseudo-feminist triumph storyline, which is not really all that triumphant in the end, though I hope the gist is that it does not need to be a triumph as much as it needs to be a catalyst for coequal cooperation.
Ultimately, "Barbie" has a poor, silly script, and fails on various levels: it does not work as a musical, the music is generally awful; it does not work as a comedy, the only effective joke is the very last dialog line of the film; it does not work as romance because the characters don't even think about sex; it does not work as a sociopolitical allegory because none of the characters are believable and none are even sympathetic. The film failed to make me care about anyone in it.
At the end of the day, there were three good things in it: Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie came closest to being believable and likable; America Ferrera's "Never..." speech was the only well-written and well-played dramatic moment; and Rhea Perlman as the inventor, and the climactic scene of Barbie's self-discovery that she sweetly supported. I believe stars Robbie and Gosling gave director Gerwig what she wanted of them, but why write protagonist characters that stupid and dull? And how did Mattel let this get released without noticing that that is the overriding characteristic of the protagonists and the whole film?
Was this film original and inventive? Somewhat; but it was also so derivative of the continuous marketing of the real product in the real world that the pink and the other candy-coating colors simply became tiresome, lifeless, unaffecting, and creepily commercial and materialistic. I suppose a story like this could have become a better production than this one, (it does *look* sleek and professional, but it doesn't *sound* like those attributes), and I'm really not convinced this story needed to be made. It's not "Lady Bird," and not worthy of that film's creative force.
Ultimately, "Barbie" has a poor, silly script, and fails on various levels: it does not work as a musical, the music is generally awful; it does not work as a comedy, the only effective joke is the very last dialog line of the film; it does not work as romance because the characters don't even think about sex; it does not work as a sociopolitical allegory because none of the characters are believable and none are even sympathetic. The film failed to make me care about anyone in it.
At the end of the day, there were three good things in it: Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie came closest to being believable and likable; America Ferrera's "Never..." speech was the only well-written and well-played dramatic moment; and Rhea Perlman as the inventor, and the climactic scene of Barbie's self-discovery that she sweetly supported. I believe stars Robbie and Gosling gave director Gerwig what she wanted of them, but why write protagonist characters that stupid and dull? And how did Mattel let this get released without noticing that that is the overriding characteristic of the protagonists and the whole film?
Was this film original and inventive? Somewhat; but it was also so derivative of the continuous marketing of the real product in the real world that the pink and the other candy-coating colors simply became tiresome, lifeless, unaffecting, and creepily commercial and materialistic. I suppose a story like this could have become a better production than this one, (it does *look* sleek and professional, but it doesn't *sound* like those attributes), and I'm really not convinced this story needed to be made. It's not "Lady Bird," and not worthy of that film's creative force.
Strangerland
(2015)
Nowhere near perfect but not nearly bad either
29 November 2023
This mishmash of disappearance, separation, guilt, nymphomania, blame distribution, racism, innuendo, police investigation, atmospheric extremity, etc. Is saved by outstanding performances all around. There are indeed too many long pans of the red rock and desert, implying something did happen there, or is going to happen there, which never materializes. The implications are merely left dangling. The film would not have lost anything for being shortened by cutting some of those pans. It's a forbidding environment and a rough ride through harsh emotions, but Nicole Kidman is not to be missed here.
Not as a Stranger
(1955)
Good doctor story spoiled by poor execution
22 November 2023
This could have been terrific with the cast that was assembled. The story is plenty interesting. But the script is weak, and the direction drags some laughable performances out of otherwise great talents. This was Stanley Kramer's directing debut, and thankfully, he eventually got much better at his craft. The attempts at Midwestern-American-with-Scandinavian- background accents for a few characters are jarringly awful. Unfortunately, Olivia de Havilland does one of those; and she looks weird with the bleached blond hair pulled back from her forehead. The wisecracking best friend supporting role for Sinatra is beneath his skill level.
Highlights are Mitchum in the lead, a strong outing from Broderick Crawford, and Charles Bickford keeping it real as Mitchum's medical mentors. The cutting- edge medical technology for 1955 is neat to see. Set decoration and camerawork are both quite good.
But the excited horses at the beginning of the scene in which Mitchum finally gets together with Grahame for an extramarital affair are bizarrely silly. The medical profession jokes are lame and cliched, and too many. Grahame is dull as the alcoholic femme fatale. The story would have been better without her subplot, and tolerably shorter. This is one that Mitchum fans will want to, and should see, but general audiences may find better ways to spend this much of their time.
Highlights are Mitchum in the lead, a strong outing from Broderick Crawford, and Charles Bickford keeping it real as Mitchum's medical mentors. The cutting- edge medical technology for 1955 is neat to see. Set decoration and camerawork are both quite good.
But the excited horses at the beginning of the scene in which Mitchum finally gets together with Grahame for an extramarital affair are bizarrely silly. The medical profession jokes are lame and cliched, and too many. Grahame is dull as the alcoholic femme fatale. The story would have been better without her subplot, and tolerably shorter. This is one that Mitchum fans will want to, and should see, but general audiences may find better ways to spend this much of their time.
No One Will Save You
(2023)
You are not necessarily doomed, but you are at "their" mercy...
2 November 2023
... and "they" *might* very well be your own mind. Or might not. Writer/director Brian Duffield works hard to leave you guessing about that. It *appears* that there are aliens that have invaded both the external environment and the mindscape of our "heroine?"
This movie left me almost as speechless as all of its characters were. Duffield creates an amazing atmosphere in an offbeat setting. A nicely varied army of giant-eyed creatures, interesting costuming, coolly throwback set decoration, just enough special effects to throw the scares at the protagonist and the audience, good camera work, good music score, and a great performance by star Kaitlyn Dever. Plus one amazing scene of facial expression support by Geraldine Singer and Dane Rhodes.
It's not a great movie in terms of how it tells a story, in part because there is very little interaction among human characters; but it has novel methods of character and backstory development, and it is inventive enough visually that you can't look away from the screen for a second because you're afraid to miss something you never would have thought of.
This movie left me almost as speechless as all of its characters were. Duffield creates an amazing atmosphere in an offbeat setting. A nicely varied army of giant-eyed creatures, interesting costuming, coolly throwback set decoration, just enough special effects to throw the scares at the protagonist and the audience, good camera work, good music score, and a great performance by star Kaitlyn Dever. Plus one amazing scene of facial expression support by Geraldine Singer and Dane Rhodes.
It's not a great movie in terms of how it tells a story, in part because there is very little interaction among human characters; but it has novel methods of character and backstory development, and it is inventive enough visually that you can't look away from the screen for a second because you're afraid to miss something you never would have thought of.
Very interesting story, deserved better direction
21 October 2023
I suppose this production of a classic novel would have held an audience's attention in its time; but to me, it came across as close to camp due to the overacting of almost everyone involved. Not to say these are bad actors; most are genuine pros who've done better work elsewhere, notably including the prolific Sanders, Price and Kellaway. Margaret Lindsay was very appealing and properly performed as the young Hepzibah, not as interesting as the twenty years older version. A fairly young Price who also sang! (briefly in a sweet voice) was a nice novelty for me to witness, and had some appropriately played moments, both highly dramatic and more moderate; but at other times, he was falling into the same trap of the director as the other players. 22-year-old Nan Grey was sweet as the young cousin Phoebe, and reminded me of a young version of the generation-later minor star Carol Lynley. Other highlights were the sets and wardrobe. Because the directing disappointed me, I'm hoping I can find a better production of this story to see and recommend, but a search of this site shows no one with any professional reputation tried to remake it, which I find surprising, since even the utterly perfect "West Side Story" got remade. I'd love to see Saoirse Ronan as Hepzibah, and maybe Ansel Elgort as Clifford.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
(1947)
Not really funny or romantic yet enjoyable in spite of its flaws
21 October 2023
Rex Harrison was alternately strong and angry, and subdued, pensive and quiet, in a bit of a schizophrenic performance of a character that had no motivation to be bipolar. Supporting players Isobel Elsom and Victoria Horne were appropriately irritating as Lucy's aunts. George Sanders was creepily unctuous as widowed Lucy's living suitor, so much so that it was hard to believe her character fell for him. Gene Tierney absolutely shined as the spunky young widowed single mom. The interplays of various characters were what made this work so much better than the script or individual characterizations might have indicated. That says confusing things about the director, Joe Mankiewicz, who undeniably subsequently grew into a great talent.
The biggest flaw for me was that the jump of 10 to 15 years in the lives of Lucy and daughter Anna was jarring when it came, and suggested an option for loneliness by Lucy that should not have made sense for a young woman with a young child at that time, or even now. The jump and the implication felt forced and unnecessary to the characters; while at the same time being necessary to the plot leading to its predestined, and unsatisfyingly predictable fantasy conclusion. I liked the characters of Lucy and Anna enough that I would have preferred to see the story fill in more of what took place in their lives during that gapped time.
The biggest flaw for me was that the jump of 10 to 15 years in the lives of Lucy and daughter Anna was jarring when it came, and suggested an option for loneliness by Lucy that should not have made sense for a young woman with a young child at that time, or even now. The jump and the implication felt forced and unnecessary to the characters; while at the same time being necessary to the plot leading to its predestined, and unsatisfyingly predictable fantasy conclusion. I liked the characters of Lucy and Anna enough that I would have preferred to see the story fill in more of what took place in their lives during that gapped time.
Suspiria
(1977)
The last 5 minutes are great, but not enough to be worth sitting thru the rest
10 October 2023
The four stars here are for the gorgeous sets, interesting camera work and persistently creepy soundtrack. The dialog is clumsy and silly. The acting is atrocious from everyone except lead Jessica Harper, who is thankfully, at least adequate, even tho what she is given to do is ultimately dopey. I understand this has a significant cult following as an example of its genre, but I was not impressed with much more than the amazing staircase. Even the surprisingly brief sequences of ballet practice lacked skill and beauty. I was a bit surprised that it did not end with a conflagration, given the quick but conspicuous calling of attention to Suzy's cigaret lighter.
It's funny that my first opportunity to see it comes 46 years after it was made, and I will admit I had been looking forward to it since it has a big reputation, but even if I had seen it in the era of its release, I doubt I would have become a fan.
It's funny that my first opportunity to see it comes 46 years after it was made, and I will admit I had been looking forward to it since it has a big reputation, but even if I had seen it in the era of its release, I doubt I would have become a fan.
Breaking
(2022)
Tense is not a strong enough word for this drama
1 October 2023
There are four outstanding performances here from John Boyega in the lead and the late Michael K. Williams, Nicole Beharie and Selenis Leyva in the chief supporting roles. The script felt dull at times and forced at others. But the tension was maintained throughout by the paranoid agitation alternating with the fear and sincere regret and attempt to hold onto his dignity by not asking for more than he felt he was due, as portrayed by Boyega. The story's conclusion was indeed as predictable as Boyega's character knew it to be, yet it was also shockingly abrupt. I was actually surprised to find out it was based on a true story, but not at all surprised that the story could happen in America. That just compounds the tragedy.
American Horror Story
(2011– )
No, no, no. How dare you try to show me a K.K.?!?
19 September 2023
I have enjoyed most if not all of the previous seasons of FX's "American Horror Story." But Murphy and Falchuk have surpassed the bounds of decency for the upcoming (fall 2023, titled "Delicate") season, and I absolutely refuse to watch any of it. I have spent close to a third of my life carefully avoiding seeing anything those attention hound Kardashians do in the public eye, and employing one of them to "act" in a scripted drama is an unacceptable violation of good taste. That family has perpetuated a chicken or egg cycle of fortune begetting fame begetting fortune with no other talent than for making sure the whole world keeps seeing them, lowering the standards of American audiences, doing every bit as much damage to our society as "The Apprentice" did, and I won't stand for it on my screens. I fervently hope this season gets the show's lowest ratings ever. If you have a brain in your head and a moral compass, I urge you to join me in boycotting this show this year.
Ascension
(2014)
I blame the director
29 July 2023
The writing on this show was not terrible, but many characters were badly overacted. I thought the story was actually very interesting; and based on what happened in the final 20 minutes or so, I definitely wanted to see where the characters of Viondra, Christa, Gault, and Stokes would be taken in a second season that seemed to be very clearly set up. I assume the reason there wasn't one is that focus groups and decision makers could not stop laughing at the overwrought conflicts and reactions. Stokes' character was portrayed that way long before he had a clear reason to be. His character nonetheless provides one of the largest impetuses for continuing to tell the story. I cannot imagine who else could be responsible for so many characters being overplayed than the director, hence my headline. Alas, I've just seen this on CW almost a decade after its first run, so I know it would be impractical to continue now, as the whole cast would have grown to be unrecognizable, but it would be cool to do it with a new director if someone would write a good plot to grab a producer's interest.
Léon: The Professional
(1994)
Portman's amazing debut, as both a kid and a woman
25 July 2023
"No women, no kids, that's the rules," (of who you can kill as a professional assassin) Leon tells Mathilda. Mathilda is 10-12 years old, and her murdered little brother was much younger, and she wants revenge, and she is ready to do whatever is necessary to get it. She is at once a playful child, and an all-business woman intent on restoring a sense of order and control to her life that was wrenched away in the time it took her to go to the bodega for a container of milk.
Jean Reno plays Leon beautifully as a grown man who may be somewhere on the autism spectrum, not fully developed emotionally, yet with a focused intelligence that can handle a complex job. He is childlike in his discovery of human feeling that Mathilda elicits from him.
If you don't like shoot-'em-ups, you should still see this film, because it is far far more than the brief scenes of that. It is a showcase for 4 professional actors; a tragedy that spawns both tense drama and a sweet love story. Danny Aiello is exactly right as a tired small-scale mafia don with a heart. Gary Oldman gives a clinic in playing a malevolent narcissist villain. Reno is perfect as the hitman discovering both his inner child and his paternal instincts. And Portman is both beautifully riveting as the courageous survivor and heartbreaking as the bereaved child who must grow up way too soon.
Production values were off the charts under Besson's directorial command; great settings, often claustrophobic to heighten the tension; superb camera angles, believable wardrobe for all characters; even Leon's pet houseplant looks good and serves a purpose to the story. Don't be put off by the guns, films this well-made are too rare to miss.
Jean Reno plays Leon beautifully as a grown man who may be somewhere on the autism spectrum, not fully developed emotionally, yet with a focused intelligence that can handle a complex job. He is childlike in his discovery of human feeling that Mathilda elicits from him.
If you don't like shoot-'em-ups, you should still see this film, because it is far far more than the brief scenes of that. It is a showcase for 4 professional actors; a tragedy that spawns both tense drama and a sweet love story. Danny Aiello is exactly right as a tired small-scale mafia don with a heart. Gary Oldman gives a clinic in playing a malevolent narcissist villain. Reno is perfect as the hitman discovering both his inner child and his paternal instincts. And Portman is both beautifully riveting as the courageous survivor and heartbreaking as the bereaved child who must grow up way too soon.
Production values were off the charts under Besson's directorial command; great settings, often claustrophobic to heighten the tension; superb camera angles, believable wardrobe for all characters; even Leon's pet houseplant looks good and serves a purpose to the story. Don't be put off by the guns, films this well-made are too rare to miss.
The Blacklist
(2013–2023)
Great show, but not for the reasons you would anticipate
20 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I realize it is a bit strange to be reviewing this weeks after it came to its conclusion, particularly given that I was watching it faithfully on schedule for its entire run rather than bingeing it after the fact. But in retrospect, I want to provide an understanding of it to future bingers who were not able to follow it during its original broadcast run. A 10 year run makes it a cultural icon and touchstone that later generations should have an interest in becoming familiar with.
The Reddington character is obviously the driving force of most of the action in this series. James Spader was an established major star -- and pretty much the only one in the debut season regular cast -- that they signed to build the show around. And I had already very much liked a lot of his previous work, starting with "Sex, Lies and Videotape" (1989). But he was not why I got hooked on the show and stayed with it for a whole decade. In fact, he was almost the reason I stopped watching it. I hated the way his character was written, and I was revolted by the fact that he played it in a way that seemed to be an homage to the acting style of his "Boston Legal" costar William Shatner. He has a good enough style of his own that this could and should have been avoided. His demeanor with this style made his character far less sympathetic, and generally just annoying to hear droning out his otherwise interesting life experience stories.
What made this show work for me was everyone else they surrounded Red with. The members of the FBI task force were all interesting and far more human than Red, as were the group of recurring business assistants in his orbit, and most of all, there was the lovely Megan Boone as Agent Elizabeth Keen, the object of his purportedly parental affection and chief beneficiary of his very selective assistance to the task force. She was immediately engaging on her own, and she also had terrific chemistry with Ryan Eggold for as long as he lasted as her husband in the early seasons. Her complicated and confusing relationship with Red was also very well played.
The standout performances in this cast started with Hisham Tawfiq as Red's long loyal bodyguard, and also included Diego Klattenhoff who made an excellent first impression as Claire Danes' husband in "Homeland," Amir Arison and Mozhan Marno, Laura Sohn, and in the final season gorgeous Anya Banerjee, all as task force agents; Harry Lennix as their supervisor; Deirdre Lovejoy as Senator Panabaker; Stacey Keach Jr. As Red's occasional partner or rival in crime, "Robert Vesco" (Wikipedia this name and you'll find an interesting real-life reference); Laila Robins as Elizabeth Keen's apparent mother; Fisher Stevens as Red's far creepier lawyer; the late Clark Middleton as Red's amusingly odd info source at the DMV; Susan Blommaert as Red's "cleaner" (think of Harvey Keitel in "Pulp Fiction"); and teenager Sami Bray as Agent Keen's sweet daughter. Think of Spader as the Christmas tree in this show, and all these other players were the ornaments and gifts that made the tree look good.
I would be overdoing the praise if I did not point out that the plot of the show went completely off the rails for several of its later years when Agent Keen departed from the FBI and set out for personal interests in information and vengeance, and eventually was killed off and missing from the last 2 seasons for no good reason. Recurring villains during her outlaw years were interesting enough to keep my attention even while I considered these plot twists preposterous and horribly out of character for Keen. But the last few episodes that wrapped up Red's story were well constructed, well paced, and offered a satisfying denouement to a character I was admittedly sick and tired of, even though I couldn't take my eye off him. Even though several episodes 3 years back were devoted to trying to explain his backstory, I still don't feel like I know who he actually was, and whether he had any true familial relationship to Keen or not; that plotline was too cryptic and hard to follow for this old head.
But it was a stylish show executed with good production values, suspense and occasional humor, and showed me a lot characters and players that I greatly enjoyed. I especially look forward to what I might see Boone, Tawfig and Banerjee do in future.
The Reddington character is obviously the driving force of most of the action in this series. James Spader was an established major star -- and pretty much the only one in the debut season regular cast -- that they signed to build the show around. And I had already very much liked a lot of his previous work, starting with "Sex, Lies and Videotape" (1989). But he was not why I got hooked on the show and stayed with it for a whole decade. In fact, he was almost the reason I stopped watching it. I hated the way his character was written, and I was revolted by the fact that he played it in a way that seemed to be an homage to the acting style of his "Boston Legal" costar William Shatner. He has a good enough style of his own that this could and should have been avoided. His demeanor with this style made his character far less sympathetic, and generally just annoying to hear droning out his otherwise interesting life experience stories.
What made this show work for me was everyone else they surrounded Red with. The members of the FBI task force were all interesting and far more human than Red, as were the group of recurring business assistants in his orbit, and most of all, there was the lovely Megan Boone as Agent Elizabeth Keen, the object of his purportedly parental affection and chief beneficiary of his very selective assistance to the task force. She was immediately engaging on her own, and she also had terrific chemistry with Ryan Eggold for as long as he lasted as her husband in the early seasons. Her complicated and confusing relationship with Red was also very well played.
The standout performances in this cast started with Hisham Tawfiq as Red's long loyal bodyguard, and also included Diego Klattenhoff who made an excellent first impression as Claire Danes' husband in "Homeland," Amir Arison and Mozhan Marno, Laura Sohn, and in the final season gorgeous Anya Banerjee, all as task force agents; Harry Lennix as their supervisor; Deirdre Lovejoy as Senator Panabaker; Stacey Keach Jr. As Red's occasional partner or rival in crime, "Robert Vesco" (Wikipedia this name and you'll find an interesting real-life reference); Laila Robins as Elizabeth Keen's apparent mother; Fisher Stevens as Red's far creepier lawyer; the late Clark Middleton as Red's amusingly odd info source at the DMV; Susan Blommaert as Red's "cleaner" (think of Harvey Keitel in "Pulp Fiction"); and teenager Sami Bray as Agent Keen's sweet daughter. Think of Spader as the Christmas tree in this show, and all these other players were the ornaments and gifts that made the tree look good.
I would be overdoing the praise if I did not point out that the plot of the show went completely off the rails for several of its later years when Agent Keen departed from the FBI and set out for personal interests in information and vengeance, and eventually was killed off and missing from the last 2 seasons for no good reason. Recurring villains during her outlaw years were interesting enough to keep my attention even while I considered these plot twists preposterous and horribly out of character for Keen. But the last few episodes that wrapped up Red's story were well constructed, well paced, and offered a satisfying denouement to a character I was admittedly sick and tired of, even though I couldn't take my eye off him. Even though several episodes 3 years back were devoted to trying to explain his backstory, I still don't feel like I know who he actually was, and whether he had any true familial relationship to Keen or not; that plotline was too cryptic and hard to follow for this old head.
But it was a stylish show executed with good production values, suspense and occasional humor, and showed me a lot characters and players that I greatly enjoyed. I especially look forward to what I might see Boone, Tawfig and Banerjee do in future.
Superman & Lois
(2021–2024)
Flawed but good enough to spend some time with
22 June 2023
I grew up watching the George Reeves series, and reading the comic books at the time, so I am obviously still a bit of a fanboy for the franchise.
Everything on this show looks great. The scripts are not great, but not as stupid as some I've seen over the past decade. The story lines are interesting and the presentation of them is nicely constructed. The two Kent teenage boys behave in ways that are stupider than average for teenage boys and generally overexercise their testosterone, as well as overact their roles. But the villain characters are far more interesting than the mundanity of the Kent family and their Smallville neighbors, and more appropriately portrayed.
The standout performers in my view have been Wole Parks, Tayler Buck, Inde Navarrette and Emmanuelle Chriqui. Tyler Hoechlin is appropriately heroic and statuesque, but his facial expressions often look like he is trying to fight through a bad case of constipation on the potty. Your guess is as good as mine as to why the actor who played Jonathan Kent was replaced after the second season, but both have been barely adequate. Elizabeth Tulloch always looks tense as Lois, but her breast cancer storyline in season three has been very well thought out and sensitively presented.
Everything on this show looks great. The scripts are not great, but not as stupid as some I've seen over the past decade. The story lines are interesting and the presentation of them is nicely constructed. The two Kent teenage boys behave in ways that are stupider than average for teenage boys and generally overexercise their testosterone, as well as overact their roles. But the villain characters are far more interesting than the mundanity of the Kent family and their Smallville neighbors, and more appropriately portrayed.
The standout performers in my view have been Wole Parks, Tayler Buck, Inde Navarrette and Emmanuelle Chriqui. Tyler Hoechlin is appropriately heroic and statuesque, but his facial expressions often look like he is trying to fight through a bad case of constipation on the potty. Your guess is as good as mine as to why the actor who played Jonathan Kent was replaced after the second season, but both have been barely adequate. Elizabeth Tulloch always looks tense as Lois, but her breast cancer storyline in season three has been very well thought out and sensitively presented.
White House Plumbers
(2023– )
Surprise! No surprises here, other than the comedic stylization
31 May 2023
Having seen the stars appear on talk shows before the production was aired, I did not realize it was supposed to be a comedy. There's no new history here, the story is already more than well enough documented in various media. This particular look at it is intended to introduce the personalities involved in the actual authorization, planning and commission of the break-in to the Democratic National Committee's campaign offices in the Watergate office building. So there's mostly speculative dialog, and very little of the historical backwash of the events on Nixon and his GOP at the time and going forward since. And since it's about a bunch of bumblers who got caught, I guess it is actually appropriate to write the dialog from a satirical point of view. For what it is intended to be, this succeeds surprisingly well.
I was in elementary school at the time and remember watching the Senate select committee hearings on TV when I got home from school. I've seen enough video of the actual Liddy to tell you that Theroux's impersonation of him is spectacularly faithful. I can't say I know as much about E. Howard Hunt, but Harrelson's performance is nonetheless a perfect complement and foil to Theroux. Gleeson is also very faithful to the real John Dean's image and sound. There are very few jokes in this well-imagined script. The comedy is all in how the actors deliver the lines, their vocal inflections and facial expressions are priceless, and this is true not just for the two chief protagonists, but also Headey and Greer and the kids and the guy who plays James McCord all knock it out of the park with appropriate stupidity or outrage. It's also great to see archival footage of some our great TV journalists from the time as background to the dramedy.
I was in elementary school at the time and remember watching the Senate select committee hearings on TV when I got home from school. I've seen enough video of the actual Liddy to tell you that Theroux's impersonation of him is spectacularly faithful. I can't say I know as much about E. Howard Hunt, but Harrelson's performance is nonetheless a perfect complement and foil to Theroux. Gleeson is also very faithful to the real John Dean's image and sound. There are very few jokes in this well-imagined script. The comedy is all in how the actors deliver the lines, their vocal inflections and facial expressions are priceless, and this is true not just for the two chief protagonists, but also Headey and Greer and the kids and the guy who plays James McCord all knock it out of the park with appropriate stupidity or outrage. It's also great to see archival footage of some our great TV journalists from the time as background to the dramedy.
Pretty, but something's wrong when the dragons are the stars
29 May 2023
This film is all about the looks, which were excellent. The story and dialog are uninteresting and dull and only serve to provide a motivational framework for the fighting scenes. Acting is generally good, but no one seems well-suited to do the few badly written moments of comedy. Even Ben Kingsley as Trevor was much more entertaining in the "IronMan" movie his character migrated from. Tony Leung and Simu Liu do nice work with their dramatic acting and play off one another well. Michelle Yeoh is effective as usual, Fala Chen is lovely as the tragic but highly skilled young mother, and Meng'er Zhang shows some promise as Shang-Chi's combatively talented sister. They all look great, as do the special effects and the choreography. Awkwafina's character is just pointlessly silly without being funny, and Benedict Wong's cameo is unnecessary and far duller than he is in the same character in the "Doctor Strange" films.
The efforts to tie this film into the rest of the Marvel Universe were badly forced and added nothing to this chapter, generally wasted seconds of runtime. Altho it clearly sets up for sequels, I can't say that I even want to see these characters mixed in with the non-Asian ones of MCU, they're much better off standing on their own. But subsequent episodes are really going to need better writing, and probably are well-advised to avoid the comedy tangents.
The efforts to tie this film into the rest of the Marvel Universe were badly forced and added nothing to this chapter, generally wasted seconds of runtime. Altho it clearly sets up for sequels, I can't say that I even want to see these characters mixed in with the non-Asian ones of MCU, they're much better off standing on their own. But subsequent episodes are really going to need better writing, and probably are well-advised to avoid the comedy tangents.
Watch this show, but do NOT watch this episode
14 March 2023
The five stars are all for the continuation of the technical proficiency of the production seen in the first 8 episodes. But, and it's an enormous BUT... the story and the character of Joel go completely off the rails in the last 20 minutes here, after an excellent start featuring Ashley Johnson as Ellie's birthing mother. Joel's actions thoroughly waste the goodwill this show built up in all of the other eight episodes, they made me sorry I had become invested in his character. I disagree strongly with those reviewers that claimed his choice made sense for him. The whole journey started with and progressed with his commitment to the goal of delivering Ellie into hands that could use her to save all of humankind. In this finale, he is not only betraying all those to whom he promised he would complete that task, but betraying himself as well. In so doing, he is also wasting all the dozens of human lives he and Ellie took to get her there. I see a suggestion that there is going to be another season, but I don't see the point. Even if Joel changes his mind back to where he was before this episode, there is nothing he can do that will earn him redemption for what he did here, and I don't even want to see him try now. It is horrifying that his character made it out of the hospital fight and this entire episode alive. He is one of the two central characters and I now feel that he is morally expendable, and can't understand how a future season expects to work around that glaring problem.
Happiness
(1965)
The title literally means "Happiness", but could easily have also been "Love" or "Beauty"
14 February 2023
This film does not have a great deal of substance, it is chiefly an observation of characters that are not inherently interesting, but unusual for their attitudes. There are brief philosophical discussions, but the majority of action and dialogue is pastoral, leisurely, not particularly explicit, yet heartfelt lovemaking and expressions of love. What is remarkable about the presentation is the beauty of all the people and all the scenery and all the interactions, and the willingness of most of the characters to accept and not violate that beauty. The script is on the dull side, but it works that way because it is part of the underlying theme of keeping conflict out of the characters' lives. All the important players are fine in their roles, even tho four of them are just a real life family. The wife/mother is played by Claire Drouot who surprisingly never made another film, even tho she was absolutely lovely and charming in this. Director Varda makes an unusually quiet yet much needed contribution to the overall library of cinema.
Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon
(2021)
Could've been a lot of things other than what it was, dull
11 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I don't usually watch things without first referring to their page here for full cast info, and a plot preview. This time, I took the one sentence synopsis attached to my TV listings grid, and the fact that Kate Hudson and Craig Robinson (impressive in his guest role in the series "Mr. Robot") were in it as a sufficient attraction and that was a mistake, mostly because the synopsis implied it would be more like a caper film than it is, and did not adequately describe Hudon's struggling single mom role. This film's worst fault seems to be a lack of ambition on the parts of both the main characters and the writer/director. It has some surprises along the way, and the plot does eventually go in an unexpected direction; unfortunately, that direction is still boring.
I'm guessing Hudson took this job because she wanted to stretch her acting skills, and she succeeds at that far more than usual here, convincingly portraying a tired exploited white trash person with a low-class but not Southern accent supporting her 10ish-year-old son with uninspired exotic dancing in New Orleans. She is okay in the role, but the character is not as sympathetic as these women are usually written. When she eventually happens upon an unlikely opportunity to improve her station, she tries to go from exploited to exploiter, but her idea of economic climbing is penny-ante and lacking imagination. Evan Whitten has been associated with several very high quality TV productions in his brief career and is okay as her son, but was better in his recurring role in the "Mr. Robot" series.
The star of this was Korean actress Jeon Jong-seo AKA Jun Jong-Seo as Mona, and she gave a promising performance in her American debut. The film actually starts off well focusing on her escape from the asylum. The ability Mona displays suggests she is capable of big things but the situations she needs to use that ability in bog down into the trivial, and make you wonder why she even bothers. Another large fault of this film is there is virtually no backstory explaining how any of the main characters got to where we find them. In Mona's case, you wonder if her gift is superhuman but earthbound, or is she an alien? But you don't really wonder very long, and no effort is ever made to answer that question. We get a momentary glance at an intake form for the asylum that notes police had to intervene with her at 3 instances of violence, with no further description. I guess we are not expected to care, but I found it weak storytelling and wondered if the writer cared.
Another problem with the writing is that time seems to fly in this story, and not in a good way. Robinson's cop is traipsing around town chasing Hudson and "Mona" with a sturdy brace around his knee but no visible plaster cast or crutch just hours or at most a few days after he was made to shoot himself in the leg.
"Mona" is the kind of character that would tend to operate without an accomplice in other stories of this genre, doesn't really need one. Because of that, the presence of Hudson's character (and her big name in that role) seemed unnecessary, and Robinson's cop was plodding and expendable as well. The way the story ended felt like a setup for a sequel, and I would not necessarily mind seeing where "Mona" goes on her own initiative, wits and power, without the dead weight of those other characters. The "Mona" character and Jong-seo's portrayal are good enough to justify that.
I'm guessing Hudson took this job because she wanted to stretch her acting skills, and she succeeds at that far more than usual here, convincingly portraying a tired exploited white trash person with a low-class but not Southern accent supporting her 10ish-year-old son with uninspired exotic dancing in New Orleans. She is okay in the role, but the character is not as sympathetic as these women are usually written. When she eventually happens upon an unlikely opportunity to improve her station, she tries to go from exploited to exploiter, but her idea of economic climbing is penny-ante and lacking imagination. Evan Whitten has been associated with several very high quality TV productions in his brief career and is okay as her son, but was better in his recurring role in the "Mr. Robot" series.
The star of this was Korean actress Jeon Jong-seo AKA Jun Jong-Seo as Mona, and she gave a promising performance in her American debut. The film actually starts off well focusing on her escape from the asylum. The ability Mona displays suggests she is capable of big things but the situations she needs to use that ability in bog down into the trivial, and make you wonder why she even bothers. Another large fault of this film is there is virtually no backstory explaining how any of the main characters got to where we find them. In Mona's case, you wonder if her gift is superhuman but earthbound, or is she an alien? But you don't really wonder very long, and no effort is ever made to answer that question. We get a momentary glance at an intake form for the asylum that notes police had to intervene with her at 3 instances of violence, with no further description. I guess we are not expected to care, but I found it weak storytelling and wondered if the writer cared.
Another problem with the writing is that time seems to fly in this story, and not in a good way. Robinson's cop is traipsing around town chasing Hudson and "Mona" with a sturdy brace around his knee but no visible plaster cast or crutch just hours or at most a few days after he was made to shoot himself in the leg.
"Mona" is the kind of character that would tend to operate without an accomplice in other stories of this genre, doesn't really need one. Because of that, the presence of Hudson's character (and her big name in that role) seemed unnecessary, and Robinson's cop was plodding and expendable as well. The way the story ended felt like a setup for a sequel, and I would not necessarily mind seeing where "Mona" goes on her own initiative, wits and power, without the dead weight of those other characters. The "Mona" character and Jong-seo's portrayal are good enough to justify that.
Women of the Movement
(2022)
History I did not know enough about before
10 February 2023
If you want to know why the theatrically released film "Till" (2022) did not get any Oscar nominations, overall, or for the outstanding Danielle Deadwyler (who also shined in the HBOMax series "Station Eleven" the same year) as Mamie, it's because this series already told the story and Adrienne Warren already played the role to perfection half a year before the film came out. Newcomer Cedric Joe was sweetly excellent as young Emmett, and Glynn Turman (also very good in the latest season of FX's "Fargo" series) gave the best performance of his long career as Uncle Mose. Bravo to ABC for telling this important story with this superb production. If you watched this, you probably won't need to see the film; tho I have no doubt Deadwyler is also worth watching. Acting students will definitely benefit from watching both.
The Last of Us
(2023– )
~"I think I'm gonna love you for a long, long time"~
30 January 2023
I'm not here to comment on the relationship to the video game this show is adapted from, I don't play games like that and don't know or care anything about them. From a purely cinematic point of view, this show is excellent thru the three episodes I have seen so far. Art direction and set decoration is superb, as is cinematography. Performances range from adequate to damn good. Writing is topnotch, I was not expecting much from a show with this one's premise -- I don't even bother watching any of the "Walking Dead" shows for that reason -- but the way in which they introduced the storyline, the various backstories, the human consequences and endurance of catastrophe, are all very well constructed and detailed, dialog is appropriately sparse yet nothing important is left out.
In particular, S1E3 is one of the most dramatically beautiful episodes of any show I've ever seen, thanks to the lovely guest performances of Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett, and the poignant voice of the glorious Linda Ronstadt in the soundtrack. That episode alone deserves 10 out of 10 stars. Since it's early yet, I'm reserving judgment on the overall series and being conservative with that rating, (the 8 is really 8.5 rounded down), but I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the season.
Edited 3/14/23:... I'm inclined to downgrade the show overall after watching the season-ending 9th episode. I would say the first 8 episodes deserve a 9 out of 10 stars rating, but the awful insanity of the 9th episode brings it back down to a 7 now. There is no acceptable excuse for what the writers made Joel do in episode 9, regardless of the grossly cold explanation they offered in the post-episode interviews. If Joel does not get the death he deserves in S2E1, I will probably stop watching after that. But I may stop watching anyway, just because I don't see any point to the show continuing with or without his now thoroughly ruined character -- the development of his relationship with Ellie is one of the crucial things that made it work so well for 8 episodes, and it was a relationship that had a foundation of honesty, which has just been shattered for no good reason. Regardless of any statement to the contrary, Ellie must always have doubts about Joel's morality and truthfulness going forward, and I have no desire to see that played out.
In particular, S1E3 is one of the most dramatically beautiful episodes of any show I've ever seen, thanks to the lovely guest performances of Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett, and the poignant voice of the glorious Linda Ronstadt in the soundtrack. That episode alone deserves 10 out of 10 stars. Since it's early yet, I'm reserving judgment on the overall series and being conservative with that rating, (the 8 is really 8.5 rounded down), but I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the season.
Edited 3/14/23:... I'm inclined to downgrade the show overall after watching the season-ending 9th episode. I would say the first 8 episodes deserve a 9 out of 10 stars rating, but the awful insanity of the 9th episode brings it back down to a 7 now. There is no acceptable excuse for what the writers made Joel do in episode 9, regardless of the grossly cold explanation they offered in the post-episode interviews. If Joel does not get the death he deserves in S2E1, I will probably stop watching after that. But I may stop watching anyway, just because I don't see any point to the show continuing with or without his now thoroughly ruined character -- the development of his relationship with Ellie is one of the crucial things that made it work so well for 8 episodes, and it was a relationship that had a foundation of honesty, which has just been shattered for no good reason. Regardless of any statement to the contrary, Ellie must always have doubts about Joel's morality and truthfulness going forward, and I have no desire to see that played out.
Black Adam
(2022)
Looks:10; dance: 5; characters and story: 2
1 January 2023
Apologies for the "Chorus Line" reference in the headline.
I went into this with a predisposition to like it based on the cast. I generally find Dwayne Johnson a satisfying entertainer, he has all of Schwarzenegger's physical and mental qualities minus the thick accent that obscures the self-effacing jokes. Been a fan of Brosnan since "Remington Steele," and love the gorgeous and bubbly Sarah Shahi for about two decades now. And Aldis Hodge has impressed the heck out of me with his coleading performance in "City on a Hill." Quintessa Swindell was sensational in the recent reboot of "In Treatment." So this movie should have been great. But the story is overly complicated, there is not enough time to properly introduce all the important characters, and it relies on the excellent choreography and effects to distract you from the irritating deficiencies.
The biggest deficiency was that the writing did not make me care about most of the characters. I would love to see more of Swindell's character, it was the most innovative, and she was very engaging in her portrayal. Hodge's Hawkman was chiefly there as an unnecessary foil to Teth Adam; the running conflict between the two (who were supposed to be allied against a common enemy) kept degenerating from reasoned debate into testosterone contests which it was obvious neither could (or should) ultimately win, despite Adam having every imaginable super power (except for the magic that Dr. Fate brought). The dialog offered little beyond cliches. Johnson delivered his lines with facial expressions that suggested even he was unimpressed with the writing. I assume he'll be back in this role because it is ripe for more good action sequences, surely has a large preassembled fan base, and he looks good in the costume. But I'm not keen to see sequels unless the writing improves a lot.
I went into this with a predisposition to like it based on the cast. I generally find Dwayne Johnson a satisfying entertainer, he has all of Schwarzenegger's physical and mental qualities minus the thick accent that obscures the self-effacing jokes. Been a fan of Brosnan since "Remington Steele," and love the gorgeous and bubbly Sarah Shahi for about two decades now. And Aldis Hodge has impressed the heck out of me with his coleading performance in "City on a Hill." Quintessa Swindell was sensational in the recent reboot of "In Treatment." So this movie should have been great. But the story is overly complicated, there is not enough time to properly introduce all the important characters, and it relies on the excellent choreography and effects to distract you from the irritating deficiencies.
The biggest deficiency was that the writing did not make me care about most of the characters. I would love to see more of Swindell's character, it was the most innovative, and she was very engaging in her portrayal. Hodge's Hawkman was chiefly there as an unnecessary foil to Teth Adam; the running conflict between the two (who were supposed to be allied against a common enemy) kept degenerating from reasoned debate into testosterone contests which it was obvious neither could (or should) ultimately win, despite Adam having every imaginable super power (except for the magic that Dr. Fate brought). The dialog offered little beyond cliches. Johnson delivered his lines with facial expressions that suggested even he was unimpressed with the writing. I assume he'll be back in this role because it is ripe for more good action sequences, surely has a large preassembled fan base, and he looks good in the costume. But I'm not keen to see sequels unless the writing improves a lot.
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