Reviews

I really enjoyed most of this 10 part series.

It got a bit weak and off-topic in episodes 7 and 8, but 9 and 10 were great. There were some interesting surprises later in 10.

I've been a guitarist and singer all my life, although I've never played anything bigger than a large fraternity party. I can attest to the craziness and jealousies that arise between musicians.

But this series also brings out key choices that every teenager or 20-something faces- have they found the right person? Are they doing the right thing with their life? Will they ever be happy? Should I compromise who I am as a person and my diversity in order to achieve more financial success?

I didn't read the novel so I can't comment on that, but I like the major themes that played out in this series.

Thin Red Line raises tough questions, it could have been really interesting but every one of the characters seemed superficial and most were exceedingly selfish and whiny.

Guadalcanal was an imperative which we were forced to take prior to adequate preparation, without adequate supply lines, and with months before provision of any reinforcements. I don't know about any link between the movie script and the actual event, but I think they should have picked a different theatre (of war, that is😆) and different battle to illustrate these themes. The first troops at Guadalcanal had no choice but to rely on each other for their very survival for over 2 months. Nobody was getting voted off the island b/c there was no way on or off the island.

The Japanese sunk so many u.s. Navy ships in the first month we renamed it Iron Bottom Sound. The Navy pulled their ships out of harm's way before even unloading half of the Marines' supplies. Then for over 2 months Marines had to forage, pillage and plunder until re-supplied. They had to finish building the airstrip the Japanese started so u.s. Planes could fly in supplies and bomb the ships that were shelling them every night to rattle them and deprive them of any sleep. A majority of that first wave of soldiers got Malaria too.

Perhaps I'm missing the themes of the movie by being too literal about the historical battle setting. I have reverence for the Marines who fought on Guadalcanal, so I had an issue with this movie choosing that battle for this drama. The points of officers wasting others lives to try to make up for their own inadequacies or missed glory is a timeless, important theme. There are also interesting themes about tolerance and coexistence and our higher purpose. This film just chose the wrong setting for it and way too much superficial over-acting!

Terrific acting, terrific plot buildup and suspense, characters who are so interesting they draw you in and you want to know what makes them tick!

One of my favorite characters actually does not appear until well into the film, the lead detective on the case.

Quite humorous that Mark Halliday, the American novelist friend of Grace Kelly's character, is a writter of murder mystery novels! But face with this crime, he holds back and only proposes a hypothetical in the interest of saving Grace Kelly's character's life. It is telling when he is asked by her husband if he could design the perfect crime, he says, "Yes, I could, but the perfect crime would fail, because real life is unexpected and messy, and that is what criminals never allow for." Prophetic.

Ray Milland is superb as Grace Kelly's character's husband. So many facets to his character with his deviousness and his aires as well as cynical take on everybody else, yet always buttoned down with his mask on. He's the kind of person if I met I would think, "I will not turn my back to this guy or trust him with anyone I care about!" Each character in the movie is an interesting one for analysis!

"Dial M for Murder", "Rear Window", and "North by Northwest" defined the pinnacle for suspense-mystery films from the end of WWII until the early 60's. I finally got around to watching this one and thought it would be of the same quality.

It wasn't, but the actors have to take part of the blame for that. Cary Grant is easy for men or women to like, as is Grace Kelly. Maybe this shows the need for Method Acting, of which Hitchcock was not a fan. I felt both Grant and Kelly's characters are inconsistent with what we'd expect given their backstory and introductory scenes, and both characters seem inconsistent with themselves between different parts of the movie.

Grant at times seemed to have the attitude and verbal jousting of Roger O Thornhill, his Madison-Ave exec. Character in North by Northwest, yet here he's John Robie, a longtime expat, burglar, and resistance fighter living n France. I Robie didn't feel authentic to me given his background.

Grace Kelly's character, Frances Stevens, has one stellar scene where she races her car along a coastal highway in France, and unmasks Robie's identity in a witty way.

What Stevens reveals that she figured out about Robie is big, but in subsequent scenes it's like nothing changed. Their dynamic didn't change partly because. Robie holds the line on a lie that has obviously been found out, and in a way treats Stevens like an idiot. I've noticed that Cary Grant treats the female character opposite him seemingly in the same way in all his films. I started to wonder if this limited or rigid dynamic was a weakness of the director or the underlying actor's limitation and bias? The relationship between Grant and Kelly's characters never gets more than base physical attraction, but there were opportunities to have it develop deeper.

Maybe what I noticed is more reflective on the still misogynist culture of the 1950's? I prefer the dynamic between Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly in Hitchcock's rear window, it also had the physical appeal of the two characters and their witty banter, but also a personal or soft attraction that was charming.

Each of the characters, heroes and villains, have shining moments in this episode, but particularly Detective (or temporarily demoted Officer) Carter, played by Taraji Henson.

Messing with Carter only put the fire in her to track down and destroy the dirty cops. The scene in the 'HR' bar with new partner Laskey is one of Carter's baddest-ass moments of three seasons with the series. Using Laskey's newly purchased, chrome .45 to shoot the bartender, and to let him know that she now owns him, is just poetic!

I am a fan of Taraji Henson, her acting in this episode shows why.

Series is mainly about competition for power between regional Samurai noble families over 40 years thru 1620. Amazing to think of events around world at that time in Americas or Europe. It's mainly entertainment with battle re-enactment, but also positive that series commentators are history profs or authors that know the military history and characters.

I was left wanting on details: how did Japan descended into this 'civil war' period? Besides the muskets they found on wrecked Portugese ship how did they make/get firearms? What was division of labor/cultural classes and how did traditional, noble-born Samurai deal with laymen now joining these militias? How/who made those awesome katana swords? But I'm not bashing it- the stuff relevant to this series-commentary on battle tactics and outcomes is really good. As far are the re-enacting- a few too many ritual suicides for my liking!

Lots of history dramas insert so much imagined, modern intrigue and emotional garbage between characters that I puke: I did not puke with Samurai, and it gained momentum by ep. 4 or 5. I'd like to see a follow up- the Japan transition to a period of peace would be interesting, but I guess they couldn't keep showing ritual Seppuku scenes in next season.

Great character development, many delightfully awkward interpersonal relationships, and the blossoming of an everyman anti-hero into an efficient killing machine.

I've been a fan of Seth McFarlane's animated comedy shows as a great, end of the day escape, turn off the brain and laugh at how silly we are when we try to take ourselves too seriously. As a middle-age, middle-class American man, the humor and even cultural references hit my funny bone. Ted has some similar hooks, like the self-deprecating, lovable loser "head of household"- John Bennett in Ted, although not yet married with kids, is a bit like Peter Griffin in Family Guy or Stan Smith in American Dad. John's quirky friendship with his childhood teddy bear Ted, who has magically come to life, is funny by nature much like the Griffins with their dog Brian in Family Guy, or the Smiths and their "pets" (or hostages) Roger the alien and Claus the fish in American Dad. Rather than these "pets" being simply cute and innocent, they cuss, have sex, and sometimes seriously screw with the lives of their owners. McFarlane must have realized A cute stuffed animal can get away with saying things or doing things that would seem disturbed, vulgar, or prejudiced if done by a person, and McFarlane gets a lot of mileage out of that setup! After Ted gets a job at the grocery store, there is a hilarious progression with Ted talking back to his boss and (literally) screwing around while on the clock, and it results in his boss promoting him. There is satire throughout the movie on how the characters relate to their work, and the power relationship between bosses and workers. Lori and John's bosses have inflated view of the social status bestowed on them via their job title, not realizing no one else takes them seriously. John needs to get serious about work and can't conceive that maybe hanging out with his teddy bear and getting high might be screwing up his life! Meanwhile Ted could care less about work, but gets away with everything and even get promoted. Another funny scene is when John and Lori come back from a nice dinner and Ted is partying in the apartment with a group of prostitutes, as Ted sits on the couch surrounded by these scantily-clad women he says something like, "somewhere there is a group of horrible, deadbeat fathers out there I'd like to thank for giving me this night with you girls." This little sociological insight is actually kind of sad, but it comes across as hilarious when spoken by this cute little teddy bear. Beneath the surface of funny lines and sight gags there is this layer of comedy about social class and conflict, dead-end jobs, relationships, and even sociopathic over-indulgent parenting. Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis both gave solid performances, also want to mention Jessica Barth in perhaps the best performance in the movie as Ted's girlfriend Tami-Lynn.

McFarlane gets assists from some great actors, which kind of smooths over his lack of presence as a comedic actor. I think he's brilliant as a writer, cartoonist, creator, and with voices, but as an actor here he comes across a bit too normal, or maybe plain is the adjective. I contrast this with his role as the entitled, egotistical boss in Ted, a more memorable performance.

However he has some hilarious deliveries, and his supporting cast do a lot to make the film as a whole fully enjoyable. It put me in a great mood and was fun from start to finish. I thought a feature length film would be tough for McFarlane to pull off, but there was no point where i thought "enough, already" or "where are they going with this", the whole picture hangs together well.

Best Performance was for the character Edward played by Giovanni Ribisi.