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Reviews
Watching the Detectives (2007)
Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Extreme Edition
First of all the film's title has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the film. This is a screwball/romantic comedy. Cillian Murphy plays Neil, the owner of a small video store which caters to film buffs like himself. Lucy Liu is a girl who enters the store but doesn't seem either that knowledgeable or interested in the movies. Seeing that he just dumped his last girlfriend for such an attitude, Liu's Violet seems unlikely to catch his attention. But, hey, it's Lucy Liu, doing the ultimate Manic Pixie Dream Girl, quite a change from her usual roles. Neil is intrigued. But unlike his movies, Violet is wildly unpredictable. As is this movie. Turn off your expectations and ride this wild roller-coaster ride of a comedy.
Marlowe (2022)
A love letter to LA, movies and Noir
Yes, it starts slow but it gets progressively better as it goes along. People complaining about this film must know nothing about Marlowe or movies. This film is sprinkled with references to Marlowe, author Raymond Chandler's "knight errant," as well as the labrythine plots he concocted. (Chandler admitted that even he didn't know who murdered one particular character in "The Big Sleep.") There's Marlowe's refusal to trust or sleep with the femme fatales he always encounters. There's the witty dialogue and literary references Marlowe makes. There are also references to movies like "The Maltese Falcon" and even "Raiders of the Lost Ark." There are in-jokes to Liam Neeson's height, age and his knowing Ireland. And there are some fun acting turns, with Alan Cummings stealing the few scenes he's in. Sit back and enjoy a entertaining homage to Hollywood and film noir. It's not a masterpiece but it is fun.
Echo: Maya (2024)
Not the Same Old Tired Apocalypse
Great series. Great actors. A different setting and culture than you usually see in a superhero story. Evidently some people just want to see the same old stuff: white guys fighting evil by killing all the bad guys to save the entire universe. All changes in gender, race, the stakes or the method of defeating evil are intolerable to some "fans." If you value sameness over new perspectives and directions in storytelling, this series and this finale are not for you. I'm really surprised by so-called fans not seeing this as an intriguing and yet appropriate part of Fisk's arc as a character. I for one liked this novel take on a superhero and her powers and dealing with evil.
The Dropout (2022)
The Dark Side of Following Your Dream
As a nurse I was excited by the idea of doing tests with just a drop of blood. Blood draws are hard on some patients who have veins prone to roll or collapse. You have to fill a vial of blood at least 3/4s or the lab won't take it. So Theranos' promise was a dream. Unfortunately that's all it was. But Elizabeth Holmes thought having a dream was sufficient, just like so many people believe. We are told this by just about every motivational speaker, inspirational book and every Disney film. What we should be told is what Bette Davis said about dreams: what you really need to do is to set goals and work out the tasks required to achieve those goals. Holmes wasn't willing to do the hard work of figuring out how to do those tests and how to build a machine that could do it, mostly because it would take too long. And everyone bought into the idea that her dream would just come true. Nobody asked the tough questions about the practical difficulties involved. Because we believe in the American Dream, not the American Goal and the necessary and hard and not glamorous tasks that it will take to get there. The sad thing is that patients were lied to and endangered so that a narcissistic dreamer could enjoy the kudos of the rich and important without actually doing any of what was required to make her dreams a reality. Good miniseries with good performances all around.
Maggie Moore(s) (2023)
Has a Fargo Vibe
This is not a whodunnit. We know very early in the film what the main story is: a small town business man wants to get rid of his wife. So this is a "how-catch-him." Like an episode of Columbo, the suspense is generated by watching how the detective (Jon Hamm) puts together the clues. It's a tad more complex for him because there are two victims with the same name and thus twice as many suspects, red herrings and a neat Chekov's gun. But since we know who is behind the plot (which goes a lot farther than he intended), the real attraction, as in the movie Fargo, is the characters. Hamm is wonderful as the down-to-earth but very observant police chief, supported by his odd deputy. Tina Fey gives her best acting performance ever by going against type as the self-defacing but nosy neighbor who starts out as a witness and becomes the object of a rather sweet romantic subplot. Like Fargo, there is some violence but it is not graphic by today's standards. A very enjoyable film that will not give you nightmares if you watch it just before bed.
Elemental (2023)
Magical
A good fantasy or science fiction story requires 3 elements: good characters, a good plot and good world building. This Pixar film has all 3. The central characters are charming and well drawn. The world in which they live is well thought out. The plot is perhaps the thinnest, depending on which of the plots you think is primary: the love story, the immigrant story, or the impending disaster story. But while individually their trajectories are not hard to predict, together they add emotional layers to the film. There are also the delightful details of a world in which people are made of fire. Water, wind or earth/trees. Their abilities and the effects of their interactions are clever and funny and even touching. Another wonderful work of imagination and heart.
Wilderness (2023)
A Very Twisty Thriller
Most mysteries and thrillers on TV are fairly predictable. So I love it when I can't tell what the next plot twist is, although not when the twist is unbelievable. It should, with a shift of perspective, turn out to make sense after all. And every plot twist in this series caught me by surprise and yet makes sense, logically and psychologically. And Jenna Coleman, whose show this is, is marvelous. We see her go through every possible emotion: happiness, shock, heartbreak, rage, fear, deceit, anxiety, love, the works. She deploys not only her big eyes but every tiny muscle in her face, and subtly. Contrary to what some reviews say, this is not a slow burn. Everything is important. (1 point off for the writers putting the occasional Britishism in the mouths of American characters.)
Drive Thru History: The Historical Landscape (2015)
Most Comprehensive Historical Look at Jesus
I happened upon this series on FreeVee and was surprised to find it to be the most detailed documentary of the life and times of Jesus I've seen thus far. For one thing it is 18 half hour episodes. But it also takes you to every spot mentioned and gives you the historical and archeological facts needed to understand and appreciate their significance. A lot of research was done and it is honest about what we do and do not know. It's not ponderous either. It's surprisingly fast paced and the host even injects some humor. While not overtly religious it does tend to show some conservative bias on things like early dates for the writing of the gospels and taking Old Testament prophesies at face value. But after seeing it you will have a much fuller understanding of the life of Jesus and the history and culture of the era.
Granite Harbour (2022)
Good mystery, somewhat different angle
Contrary to some of the later reviews, this is a decent mystery. Yes, we have a rookie whose instincts put him at odds with his superiors but he actually has 10 years experience in the Royal Military Police. Yes, he has Daddy issues but they don't paralyze him. It may not be absolutely unique, or groundbreaking, and I cannot judge just how regionally accurate the accents are (apparently nobody from elsewhere moves to Aberdeen), but the mystery is good and there are plenty of red herrings. The lead is appealing and the police, while not ready to follow his instincts, are not shown to be evil or incompetent. Enjoy!
The Return of Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles (1988)
The Best Sherlock in a Boring Baskervilles
I recently rewatched the whole series in which Jeremy Brett played Sherlock Holmes. I was struck again by how right he was for the role and how electric his performance was. Yet I remember not being impressed by this version of the Hound of the Baskervilles. Upon rewatching it I find my memory was accurate. There have been several film versions of this story, from classic (Rathbone) to exciting (Cushing) to boring (Baker) to bad (Granger). This one, starring the quintessential Holmes, is disappointing. Brett's Sherlock is subdued, perhaps because of his increasingly bad health. And since this is a story in which Holmes is missing for a great deal of the narrative, it makes the whole thing feel muted. While Edward Hardwiche is a good Watson, he cannot carry the bulk of this story. The pacing is glacial, the suspense is non-existent, and the whole thing seems airless. A missed opportunity to put the best Sherlock in a top notch adaptation of one of the most famous mysteries.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four (1987)
Top Notch Holmes
Jeremy Brett, the quintessential Sherlock Holmes, is in top form in this tale of treasure, betrayal and murder. As is Edward Hardwicke as Dr. Watson, Jenny Seagrove as Mary Morstan, and Ronald Lacey as both Thaddeus and Bartholomew Sholto. But John Thaw as Jonathan Small steals the show though he comes in only in the last third of the movie. This is a very faithful adaptation of the second Sherlock Holmes story, except that it comes late in the TV series and it eliminates the love story between Watson and Mary Morstan, who in the original tales becomes his wife. This version just hints at their attraction to each other. Thus I have subtracted 1 point for this otherwise excellent movie.
FUBAR (2023)
The true "True Lies" TV show
In the film "True Lies" Arnold played a secret agent whose true occupation is unknown to his family. Eventually his wife becomes part of the mission he's on. He also misuses electronic surveillance done by his buddy in the service to spy on a guy making moves on his wife. Here Arnold is a spy about to retire. His occupation is again a secret to his family. But on one last mission he discovers his daughter is also spy. Hijinks ensue. So its premise is not that original (is any spy story these days?) But unlike the official and now canceled "True Lies" TV series, this one is actually fun. There is good action and funny lines (especially from the character Roo). It benefits from a bigger budget than the other show and the chemistry between the actors is good. Not groundbreaking but entertaining.
Deadloch (2023)
Green Acres meets Portlandia meets Brokenwood
This is a broad comedy, rather like Green Acres where everyone is crazy except one sane character. The police sergeant is that one sane character. Like the Brokenwood Mysteries the townspeople are eccentric, except here that's dialed up to 11. And the town has Portlandia vibes. Eddie, the big city detective who is sent to handle the murder, is supposed to be annoying, though I grant you, her performance is turned up to 12. If you want a cosy mystery that's mildly humorous where you love all the characters so much you want to move in with them, this show is not for you. But if you would enjoy seeing that parodied and identity with the one sane person in a world of nutters and idiots, this should make you laugh.
Waco: The Aftermath: A Common Enemy (2023)
Not for those who can't follow more than 1 timeline
Some wonder why the series is going back to the early years of David Koresh's involvement with the Branch Davidians. This episode explains it via what Gary Coleman's character says: it's about failure of leadership on both sides. The first series was pretty hard on the ATF and FBI for their tactics and unusually sympathetic to the Davidians, depicting Koresh as an embattled leader who was maybe a little too stubborn on some things. This series shows Koresh's emergence as a manipulator, slowly building a following and eventually taking over the Davidians. Paralleling his origin story is that of Timothy McVeigh preparing for the Oklahoma bombing. Admittedly so far we are not given much insight into his character. Simultaneously we are following the trial of 5 surviving Davidians as well as Gary Knoesser's investigating the growing coalesce of domestic terrorist groups looking to pay the government back for Waco. If a viewer can't follow more than one timeline or is interested only in 1 plot thread, they will find this tough going. Those seeking to understand the events leading up to Waco and the Oklahoma bombing will find much to think about. Unfortunately relaying all these facts makes this series exposition heavy and hurts the drama.
Waco (2018)
An Unstoppable Force Meets an Immovable Object
An amazing drama with great performances all around. As the title of my review implies, the tragedy comes down to stubbornness on both sides of this conflict. While the Branch Davidians are depicted more sympathetically than I expected, including David Koresh, he is still shown as uncompromising on certain issues despite the cost to his people and his followers as unable to break with him when it is in their best interest. And he is matched by those in charge of the ATF and FBI forces, who are smarting from the initial failed attempt to arrest Koresh and perhaps seeking revenge for the ATF men who died. Gary Noesner is the FBI negotiator who is trying to find a way to save lives. Even if you followed this story as it unfolded in the news, you will learn some things. And yet this dramatization does not neatly tie up all the loose ends and answer all the questions, leaving the viewer with much to ponder.
The Vow: The Breach (2022)
Cognitive Dissonance
The episode begins with a very good definition of what an ethical breach is and then shows how, having taught this, Keith Reniere violates universally accepted ethics and forces his harem ("sister wives" is used at one point, and not ironically) to violate them as well. What is shocking is how low he is willing to go to manipulate these women.(Spoiler: he promises to father their babies.) We do get audio of Keith discussing branding and the nature of the vows required, which refutes his pleas he knew nothing about it. And we get some of the remaining true believers justifying the branding. Nancy learns just how deep Keith's deceptions went and has to reckon with what this has done to her daughters. Lauren's testimony is devastating.
The Vow: Stimulus and Response (2022)
The Dark Side of Control
We learn more about Nancy and why she was a people-pleaser and willing to comply with Keith's controlling. We see some remarkable results with people suffering from Tourette's Syndrome. But we also see the dark side of thinking you can totally control your reactions to everything. If you experience something that in actuality you can't control, it is your fault. The problem with these philosophies that claim to explain everything is that they can't. That doesn't mean they don't have some good insights. But they tend to overextend these in their efforts to create a all-encompassing philosophy. As Nancy says, Keith had lots of ideas and concepts which he wanted to make into a science but he never did. But being a psychopathic narcissist, that didn't matter.
Living in the Time of Jesus (2010)
Fascinating look at the culture in 1st century of Palestine
Dr. Arne Kislenko, Associate Professor of History at Ryerson University and instructor at Trinity College, Toronto, hosts this National Geographic series on 3 major aspects of life at the time of Jesus: jobs, illness and healing, and crime and punishment. Along the way he talks to archeologists and experts, including locals with knowledge of the customs still handed down. He takes us to various sites in Israel and learns a lot of the everyday details not found in the Bible or indeed most general histories of the person. This is of interest not merely to people of faith but to
those who love history and ancient cultures.
Small Town Secrets (2022)
Different
With the glut of true crime documentaries, what distinguishes this one is what it lacks: a really dramatic narrative with major plot twists, a trial where the police or prosecutors have played dirty to convict someone, or a person in prison who may or may not be guilty. And the reason is this case lacks anything that can be called an adequate preliminary investigation. Major suspects were not really interviewed, and at least 3 merited-- I would say a closer look except they didn't receive anything but a cursory glance. So more than 3 decades later, it appears that the filmmakers are the first to do in-depth interviews and piece long-standing rumors together with the help of a detective who was 3 when the victim disappeared. Unfortunately this case lacks a solution, which is true of 40% of homicides in the US. This documentary series shows is how difficult it is to solve a seemingly straight-forward case.
The Vow: Tests of Loyalty (2022)
Aftermath
The first season took us inside NXIVM, almost in the way a recruit would enter. The details that got the world's attention came out slowly as they would to someone going deeper into the cult. Then it followed the people who were fairly high up as they woke up and extricated themselves from it. This episode looks at the aftermath, not only legal but psychological. We meet people who still believe in their leader and those who don't. We see a flurry of guilty pleas. And it all seems to be building up to Nancy Salzman, who helped Raniere start NXIVM. Many of us want to know whether she was a villain or another dupe. Unfortunately the episode ends with her just about to give her interview, which looks to appear in the next episode.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
Hilarious!
Unlike DC, which seems to have a standard inviolable template for telling a superhero story, Marvel continues to play with various genres and so make much more entertaining movies and shows. She-Hulk, Attorney at Law, is a hilarious take on the reluctant superhero trope. She is not traumatized nor does she have a savior complex. She just wants to get on with her life and career. And a lot of the fun of the pilot is that Bruce kinda resents this and how easy the transition to a Hulk is. If you don't have a fragile ideology or a rigid commitment to the "Canon of the Printed Comic" you will love this. And Tatania is the perfect actress for the role!
The Anarchists (2022)
Messy reality meets a naive ideology
This documentary starts out looking at a weird contradiction: an organized event for anarchists. At first it looks like it will primarily examine the tensions between people who are trying to forge a community based on extreme individual freedom. As it goes on though, a second story begins to develop: a murder. As we explore the tragic backgrounds of the people involved, it seems like the series is following two tangentially connected stories. But then they come together towards the end, exposing the weakness of an ideology that rejects authority and government when it has to deal with fraud, cartels, murder and people with untreated mental illness. And this becomes apparent even to some of the most ardent believers in anarchy. Questions are also raised about whether the only people who can indulge in anarchy are the rich. Very insightful if you give it time.
Stranger Things: Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister (2017)
Two Paths
I understand people not finding this as enjoyable as the average episode. It's very different in tone. But it does have a point. We have seen El's powers getting stronger. Her tantrum wrecked the cabin. She broke the basic rules. She goes after what she wants and no one seems to be able to stop her. And here we see how someone who feels similarly betrayed uses her powers to lash out, destroy and kill. El is tempted to do the same. Power corrupts. But El chooses differently because she has people who love her and need her. She chooses to use her power to save. The show is dabbling a bit in "Brightburn" territory and this episode shows El growing morally from a brat to a hero.
Westworld: Zhuangzi (2022)
Theology
Lots of theological ideas in this one. Free will, predestination, gods, and God's executioner (Satan). People made in the image of God and gods made in the image of humans. But can the kingdom of God, a perfect world, be created through puppetry? It's interesting that this idea was taken from a line in "Futureworld," the sequel to the original "Westworld," but which did not have the involvement of Michael Crichton.
Futureworld (1976)
Intriguing Direction for a Sequel
Most sequels are just slightly altered retreads of the original with a collection of scenes and ideas left over from the first film. Though Westworld was unique in concept it was inspired to take the sequel in a different direction. So inspired that the HBO series owes as much to this movie and the first. And the execution and special effects are not bad for the era. Fun.