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JDahlNV
Other interests include music, especially playing piano, digital art and graphic design, writing, cruising and walking the beach almost anywhere, or hiking in Death Valley or Zion National Park.
Ratings
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Reviews
The Monuments Men (2014)
Decent Enough
Cate Blanchett and Matt Damon gave very solid performances as was be expected, and the rest of the cast was good as well, but rather wasted in these roles.
I could have done without George Clooney in the lead role. I don't think he fit the part at all and never seemed to take his role very seriously, especially when he had toys to play with such as the German vehicle or the radio. He acted like a little kid with a stupid grin on his face as if to say, "Look what I get to drive, Mommy! Look at me! Lookie lookie!" He should stick to producing and not acting. In my opinion, the drawn out scenes with him driving his toys didn't even belong in the film . He should have had his play time off camera.
There were some good scenes, but not enough to give it anything higher than 5 stars. It only gets a 5 because of Cate and Matt, with Bob Balaban and Bill Murry not far behind. John Goodman was totally wasted in this as he is capable of so much more.
Bottom line -- it seemed as if old George could not decide whether to make it a comedy or a drama, and it even failed as a dramedy because it was just to poorly balanced to be either one. This story deserved to be told better.
Spycraft (2020)
Horrible and Amateurish Narration
There are a few good moments here and there, and a couple of the historians are quite interesting, but the series is mired in utter mediocrity throughout. There is also much repetition through the episodes. Stock footage is often repeated in various episodes as a topic is discussed yet again. No segment feels finished and parts of the series just drone on.
There was potential for much more in-depth development and presentation of the segments. Many of them are simply hastily thrown together, almost as if each episode was just a long trailer and not the entire episode. Overall it feels much like a half-assed high school class project where the students were tasked with creating a documentary for a YouTube video.
Worst of all is the narration. He narrator's voice is not suited in the least for voice over, in addition to his annoying habit of pausing mid-sentence, almost as if he has to find his place in the script again or turn a page to continue on. I won't even get into detail of all of the mispronounced words, names and places. Let's just say it was annoying and distracting.
As someone who has held a clearance, I was interested in this, but it fell far short of presenting anything in a professional in-depth manner. I understand classified information has to be protected, but there are still ways of telling a compelling and complete story that keeps a viewer interested without compromising national security.
Bottom line: each episode needs to be re-edited, additional footage and information presented to round out each clip, and a new narrator needs to replace the existing tract.
Hunting Bigfoot (2021)
Horrible in Every Way.
Naked old guy washing his junk in the river, swimming naked in the river... and we want to see this why? We don't. This was the most misleading, seriously AWFUL piece of crap ever produced for TV. It has nothing to do with Bigfoot other than this man's fascination with him. There is no real evidence, just some old, whacked out man running around naked in the woods who can produce no real Bigfoot hair samples -- he carries around an empty plastic bag and says, "oh I don't know what happened to it, the hair used to be in here. I must have lost it." There are no footprints, no photographs, nothing to substantiate anything about the existence of Bigfoot. How did this ever end up on TV? At best it should be on a YouTube channel and it should be explained up front that you will see nothing but bad family home movies and a man with dementia living in the woods who is obsessed with Bigfoot. Misleading in every way and not worth a second of anyone's time.
Another Life (2019)
Not a Single Intelligent Life Form to be Found
This is a juvenile, amateurish pseudo soap opera fit for ten year olds. Not a single person on the space craft would have passed a maturity test, IQ test, or better yet a rigorous space psych eval. It's like watching middle school lunch room fights. You don't get into space without intelligence, respect for chain of command and self discipline. Those characteristics are completely lacking in the crew, which I still believe was plucked from a 4th grade school bus. The characters on the ground aren't any better, and are annoying beyond belief. This had to have been written by someone with no knowledge of space, astrophysics, biology or mechanics. The scenes where the crew is trying to fix the ship are laughable. The drive for the ship looks like the engine out of a 60s GTO with some early 1930s industrial iron pipes thrown in for good measure, and a few household air conditioning vents. Shame on Netflix for even showing this garbage.
Not a single person in this series is believable in any way. I typically like Katee Sackhoff, but this must have been one of those "I need to pay the rent" offers from her agent.
I tried to stay with it as I enjoy sophisticated Sci-fi, but this isn't it. Far from it. Three episodes in, I found myself fast forwarding to skip the most ridiculous scenes, and it's only getting worse. Total waste of time. I'm done.
Photograph (2019)
Moving and Incredibly Touching Story of Two Lonely People
I stumbled across this little gem by accident. I found it to be quite different from the usual American style of film, but it didn't take long for the story to grab me. I found it very acted out very naturally as if you were immersed in the lives of two lonely people who just happen to find each other by chance. The cinematography makes you feel as if you are going along for the ride as you spend time with the characters immersed in their lives, families and way of life. The loneliness of the lead characters is a tangible thing that touches your heart. This is definitely a wonderful foreign film. There are subtitles, but they are easy to read and follow along, especially given the slower pace of this beautiful film. No, this isn't a Hollywood blockbuster, but this is definitely worth watching, especially if you like a film with a lot of humanity and hope for love. After all, love is timeless and universal in any language. I will definitely be looking for more films by this Director and story teller.
Woman Walks Ahead (2017)
Brilliantly Directed and Acted
I rarely write reviews, however this film has touched me so deeply that I cannot stay silent. I found this by accident on Amazon Prime. It grabbed my attention for two reasons: I am an admirer of Jessica Chastain's work, and I love history, especially the Old West.
From the moment the film opened I was captivated. The theme music written by George Fenton is hauntingly beautiful and fits the film perfectly. I was hooked instantly as the first scenes unfolded. Jessica Chastain delivers a flawless performance and never puts a foot down wrong through each of her scenes.
The first scene with Michael Greyeyes who plays Sitting Bill, made me chuckle at his wit and depth of character. I had never seen Michael in anything before, and I was immediately blown away by his masterful performance of this multi-dimensional character. He plays Sitting Bull in a charismatic, soulful and intelligent manner. Sitting Bull is deeply respected by the other Elders, and most deservedly so. Michael's scenes are no less than riveting. And while his first scene made me laugh, his last made me bawl my eyes out. I'll leave it at that with no spoilers.
This film is as timeless and as relevant today as ever. Susanna White's masterful direction creates a sense of unity with the landscape and characters as you find yourself completely immersed in their lives and story -- an important story that should not be forgotten.
While I understand there are some historical inaccuracies, this is also not a documentary. It is a wonderfully written script that tells the story of a strong-willed woman and a powerful and admired Chief who come together in unlikely circumstances and learn to respect and love each other.
This is an award worthy film that should have done far better in the box office than it did and received much more recognition.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)
A Movie That Will Stay in Your Heart and Soul
This movie was an unexpected pleasure beyond all expectations -- it was magical. This is a movie that I never wanted to end. I found myself wishing that I could meld with the characters on the screen and live their experiences with them. The entire cast was outstanding in every way, bringing their character to life in such a realistic way that you forgot they were acting. I will see it again and again. I gave it a ten-star rating on IMDb, but that wasn't a high enough score as this movie is off every scale and can't be rated high enough. What a pleasure to experience an intelligent story with well developed characters, exposure to other cultures and to feel the enchantment this movie gives the audience.
The Radicals (1989)
A Beautiful Love Story and Tale of Inner Courage
I first developed an interest in this film because of my interest in the career of Norbert Weisser, the lead actor who plays Michael Sattler. I came away with a deep appreciation for the story, the characters of Michael and Margaretha Sattler, and the people that brought this film to reality. The love story is probably the most well acted and believable I have ever seen. The on-screen chemistry between Norbert Weisser and the beautiful and gracious Leigh Lombardi is a tangible thing. The story of their faith, their beliefs and the inner courage they had is even more powerful.
The supporting cast is fabulous -- everyone turns in terrific performances. However, I must say that I am partial to Norbert Weisser as Michael Sattler. He brought forth a wonderful sensitivity to the character of Michael Sattler. Norbert often plays a villain on the screen, but his quiet and calm manner as Michael was exceptionally well acted.
Even though I had limited knowledge of the Reformation and the Anabaptist movement, and had never heard of Michael and Margaretha Sattler, I got so caught up in this film that I developed and designed an entire website based on the film, the historical characters and the location -- the film was that well done, watchable and memorable. The entire cast and crew really pulled off an under-rated masterpiece with this film that is enjoyable on many levels and one you will want to watch over and over.
Yes, this is a faith-based film, but it is also a well written and produced historical film, a love story that rivals the best of them, and a testimonial of having the inner courage of standing true to your beliefs no matter what the price. You will love this movie!