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How the West Was Won (1962)
One Heckuva Movie
A BIG Canvas. A BIG Story. A BIG Cast with BIG Acting. I remember going to the Indiana Theater to see it in Cinerama when it first came out. It was So BIG it has stuck with me all these years. A perfect vehicle for some great actors: Jimmy Stewart, Karl Malden, Debbie Reynolds, Gregory Peck, ... the list goes on and on. Reynolds and George Peppard do a fine job gluing the stories together. When they say "they don't make them like that anymore" this is what they're talking about. Several tremendous set pieces that are the best ever done: the rapids run, the buffalo stampede, the train fight among others. Absolutely no way it could be made today. No CGI in sight. A true classic from when people knew their craft.
The Handmaid's Tale (2017)
Demographics anyone? - Updated
Still on season 1, so grain of salt. Love the look and feel, paranoia, claustrophobia, despair. The all-at-sea vibe as no one realizes what is happening until it is too late. Good acting, esp. Serena Joy and Aunt Lydia.
That said, 2 basic problems:
1. Why does everything have to be so flubstumping DARK? Sometimes I cannot tell what the weewax is going on.
2. Handmaids only meep babies for the elite. How is that going to work? You cannot have a beehive with only queens and drones. Say the population drops 90% after generation one. You have to take 90% of that elite and make them worker bees since you did not breed any. Who decides? The elite is now 1% of the original size. Instant civil war. Makes no sense.
Good exercise though.
RE: Great idea, poor casting - Wow. You are pretty much irredeemable ("fugly?"). Once the FemNazis sentenced you to reeducation camp, your only question would probably be whether the female guards wear leather.
Finally plowed through season 3. General comments plus some specific comments (SPOILERS) below.
* Talk about uneven. Some exquisite scenes intermixed with excruciatingly drawn out filler and just mediocre work.
* I admire Moss's performance. June is often exasperating, sometimes incredibly stupid, sometimes brilliant. She is not very likeable. As Janine says "You've gotten so selfish lately. I don't Like it." I'm sure Moss has reacted to some of the repetition. I can imagine her saying: "The script says 'June stares at the camera (longingly, despairingly, madly, ...)'. Oh good. Timmy falls down the well for the 100th time. What am I supposed to do with this?"
* Yvonne Strahovski is so lovely she sometimes reminds me of Grace Kelly, although she is a much better actress. She projects an inner fire that she has used to forge herself into steel. I don't know why she is not a major movie star. Ok. I'm in love. So sue me.
* The actresses are almost universally excellent. Mrs. Lawrence and Eden stand out. Eden's death is genuinely affecting. Emily could now drop the whipped puppy look.
* The males are generally cardboard cutouts for the females to poke holes in (pun intended). Fred is just a source of plot points. Even Luke is sometimes a pile of cliches. Prof. Lawrence was a potentially interesting guy. He has been reduced to a 2-position switch: Dr. Schweitzer or Dr. Mengele.
For a specific episode I will focus on "Household" (the DC trip). I think it is typical but one of the more interesting episodes.
* The Washington Monument turned into a huge cross is appropriately disturbing. The smashed Lincoln statue is shocking and soul-crushing. It brings home that the old world has truly been destroyed.
* The Big Confrontation Scene between Serena and June is flat and unconvincing. They have both had to jump the shark so many times they don't know what they are really feeling. Also, I suspect that Elisabeth and Yvonne have become friends by this time and it hurts the performances.
* I was surprised how good Chris Meloni was. His false bonhomie in the beginning is extremely creepy. He gets his just desserts.
* How erotic the tango can be when performed correctly (with complete precision, not too fast or slow). The Waterfords are clearly destined to be stars in this bizarre Gilead hierarchy.
* The "muzzling" of the DC Handmaids is effectively horrifying and sickening. But like Lydia, I don't think the Aunts would stand for it. The Handmaids are to be the Mothers (surrogately) of the Nation. They are intended to revel in their role.
The final episode is pure fantasy. I guess we are supposed to view it allegorically. Maybe next time June will slay Grendel.
This thing has so many flaws. So why can't I stop thinking about it?
A Certain Justice (1998)
Picture of Marsden?
How can there be no picture of Roy Marsden on his page?
Doctor Who: The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (2018)
Thoughts
Doctor Who is not:
- A New Morality Play
- A means to awaken the Proletariat to their Oppression by the Bosses
- A diatribe to educate the unwashed about the oppression of women, minorities, etc.
- Do not blame the actors. Hitchcock was pretty close when he said that actors are cattle. First, it has to be on the page. I can see them trying, but the writing is just so abysmal.
- If you are going to have 3 companions, each of them needs something important to do that advances the plot. Otherwise leave 1 or more of them at home.
- Do not try to be "hep". Doctor Who is the Wienermobile. It is an AMC Pacer Wagon with the Levi's Denim Package. It is so cool because it is so uncool.
- The best of Doctor Who includes sweep, vision and intrigue. Without intrigue we do not care what happens next. Make the audience invest not just their time but their imagination. For example, on the one hand the TARDIS can reboot the Universe but on the other you have to find a microwave oven to defeat one Dalek. It does not mean more effects. Back when the effects budget was 10 shillings and you had to use your imagination it was fun.
- The BBC needs to insist on better quality writing or cancel the show.
Doctor Who: Arachnids in the UK (2018)
The flight home
Chris Noth is a good actor. Mike Logan is one of the best characters in the history of US cop shows. I am sure guesting on Doctor Who was on his bucket list.
I could see his embarrassment as he choked through his horrible lines.
Does the BBC not have a standards dept. that is responsible for seeing that a script meets a minimum threshold for quality?
This would be embarrassing for a high school play.
On the flight home I am sure he wished he had told them he was too busy.
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
It's a duck!
I don't get a lot of people who hated this movie. It walked like a duck; it quacked like a duck. You watched it and it turned out to be a duck and not a bowl of petunias.
Watch it with your partner; get laid; get over yourself.
SCHWING!
Doctor Who: Resolution (2019)
Ms. Frizzle?
I was looking forward to watching Dr. Who, but when I turned to BBCAmerica the y were showing "The Magic School Bus". I wish they could get their listings right. &*^)!@ cable company!
Doctor Who: Resolution (2019)
Ms. Frizzle?
I was looking forward to watching Dr. Who, but when I turned to BBCAmerica the y were showing "The Magic School Bus". I wish they could get their listings right. &*^)!@ cable company!