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jrothell
Reviews
Frank of Ireland (2021)
Outstanding
Prolonged adolescence isn't just part of the show's premise with its two protagonists, Frank and Doofus, it's a problem with most people under 40. We all know knuckleheads like them and can relate to any number of the characters in Frank of Ireland. Which is good enough for me to buy into the storyline.
As someone who's not Irish and who hasn't lived in the UK, I found the setting and its milieu charming. In fact, it appeared far more idyllic than the notoriously gloomy climate the British isles are known for.
The acting is superb. Comedic acting often gets no critical respect, but I find there's a tremendous amount of nuance in the face and in body language, not to mention elocution, that when done right is as deserving of credit that dramatic acting gets. And the Gleeson brothers are tremendous here. Neither are even that familiar to me. I only recently watched Domhnall in About Time, which was categorically excellent. As for Brian, this might be the first of his work I've seen, and what a pleasant surprise. For a quick comparison, I'd point to Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski. Equally entertaining is Brian's alpha loser, Frank.
All the negative reviews here are pretty surprising to me. Maybe there's humor in the show that's old hat in the UK but might come across as more refreshing in North America. I loved all the characters, not least of all Nicola, the MMA trainer, whose fishhooking Frank had me falling out of my chair.
Frankly (no pun intended) I binge watched this show, and can't wait for a follow up. Kudos to the Gleeson family. Top quality work here as always and I hope they get to do more of it.
Goya's Ghosts (2006)
Cynical but good
I missed this film upon its release despite being a huge fan of Forman's films. After recently watching it, two things stuck out to me right away. The themes, which are consistent with Forman's body of work, and the style, which seems quite different from his body of work.
The theme here, which you'll find in all of the films by Milos Forman, is the struggle of the individual against the prevailing power. In this case, it is the church. In Cuckoo's Nest, it's the medical institution. In Amadeus, it's the royal court. In People Vs. Larry Flynt, it's the conservative censors. So on and so forth. Unlike those earlier films, Goya's Ghosts sees the protagonist survive by the end of the story. That's sort of a happy ending. But on the other hand, the oppressive power at work is replaced only by an equally oppressive power, leaving ordinary people no better off. Not so optimistic after all. In fact the movie doesn't even leave us with the bittersweet irony Cuckoo's Nest did when it saw Chief break out of the institution and run free or as Amadeus did when the film fades on the sound of Mozart's laughter (not even death can stop the great individualistic composer). Goya's Ghosts ends on a shot of an incurable mad woman ruined, like the rest of society, by warring powers perpetually corrupting themselves. Who wins? Not the individual. Pretty bleak.
(It's worth mentioned the landscape of professional cinema bears a resemblance to all this; at the time this movie was made, Marvel Studios rose up and virtually extinguished what was left of quality mainstream cinema, turning the individual artist, at least in Hollywood, into an unemployed beggar.)
Stylistically, the film feels grittier than Forman's other work, specifically his studio films from Cuckoo's Nest to Man on the Moon. Goya's Ghosts often feels cramped, sometimes dirty, with lots of film grain, and unflattering photographic lighting that uses an unusual amount of green in its color palette. Odd. In terms of structure, it runs multiple story threads, turning into an ensemble piece what you thought from the title would be a focused bio film. It's not. I suppose that if it had meant to be about Goya, they might have simply called it that. Goya. But instead it's about the figures surrounding Goya. Hence the title. Goya's Ghosts. The lack of intimacy common in Forman's other films is purposeful here. These people and their subplots are like a collage of Goya's famous sketches, which, due to Goya's time and place, serve for a compelling context. So, is that a bad thing? Not if you ditch your expectations.
Forman was an old man in his mid-70s when he made this. He'd lived through the Nazis, the Soviet invasion, the 70s cultural revolution, and the greedy Hollywood studio system when they all transformed into corporate machines. His over exposure to humanity's darker side comes through in this, making his last major film by far his most cynical.
Too Late (2021)
Apt tale for entertainment industry
What comes first, megalomania or show business? This film aptly depicts ambition and celebrity as a humanity-killing lifestyle. Something all audiences are familiar with by now. Stories abound of people like Bob, entertainers whose onscreen personae bear zero resemblance to the off-screen overblown egotism that consumes many of these people. Ellen DeGeneres comes to mind, and this story's very likable comedian Bob, beloved by his fans, is a literal parasite offstage. He's a fun antagonist and probably captures the truer nature of Hollywood success. Fun story. A brave indie with a timeless message.
Stranger Things: Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt (2019)
The bar is low but evidently so are expectations
Maybe IQ's have dropped in the last 15 years. All it seems to take to satisfy teens -- the bulk of this show's fanbase, I'm guessing -- is special effects and noise.
This entire season is drenched in them. Creature FX, digital FX, and explosive sound FX. Perhaps it's an effort to distract us from the plot holes that turned this story into swiss cheese.
More than that, the TONE of the show has shifted from a very effective mystery-horror to painful comedy-schlock. Consider Steve Harrington, who was the show's most interesting character, at least in Season 1 (the morally conflicted redeemed cool guy jerk) gets a Pillsbury Doughboy look in season 3. The joke was good for about a second. But 8 episodes? Adding salt to the wound, he's forced into the company of the show's most obnoxious characters and made to undergo a screwball comedy-esque journey to a place that's possibly the least plausible concept this show produced, and that includes triple jawed monsters from the upside down world. Wow.
Everything seems forced. EVERYTHING. Every line, every piece of action, every joke. The story logic from the past is completely abandoned at this point. The antagonists -- both real and supernatural -- get next to no explanation as far as motivation or purpose. But who cares! Netflix is making money, and money exempts you from rules of any kind.
Gone are the scenes where subtlety was preferred to hyperbole. A closed door with a slow growl behind it had the power to keep you watching, but that's history. Now it's a colossal, rotted sewer rat with tentacle-tongues borrowed from Tremors that comes crashing through ceilings.
As the season moves on you are subjected to a constant, accelerated stream of over-the-top energy and hyperbolic action sequences. It's enough to give Michael Bay a run for his money. No thanks.
There is such a thing as effective horror and effective mystery. You just won't find it past season 1. That's too bad. Because Netflix can choose to make content that's more intelligent than the junk Hollywood studios are making. They could follow HBO's lead on injecting some quality and intelligence into their entertainment, but instead they have chased lowest common denominator. They opted for loud, brash, and crass, trading quality for crack, and they deserve some flack for it. Shame. Stranger Things had started so well.
Any more seasons beyond this one I'll be skipping.
Ghost in the Shell (2017)
very entertaining movie
Ignore the sissy fanboys griping about this movie. Ghost in the Shell was outstanding in nearly all categories. It had all the visual richness of Bladerunner, very impressive action actions sequences, and the thoughtfulness of grade-A science fiction. Good cast, with a for-once likable Pilou Asbaek stealing the show; and Michael Pitt delivered a performance that left me shaken. And this is coming from someone that hates remakes and most Hollywood movies in general. The movie would have slayed at the box office 20 years ago, before the Internet gave a voice to every village idiot with an opinion. Right movie in the wrong time. But see it anyway.
Johnny English Strikes Again (2018)
Wow, look at all the hired trolls rating this movie 10
Don't believe most reviews on this website. Hollywood has its own 50 cent army.
I watched JESA last night. Abysmal. And I loved the previous film. This one felt written in half a day, completely undeveloped, as though shot in 2 weeks and cranked out like a flavorless halfbaked sweet roll. Although you don't need to expect highbrow anything from a slapstick film, slapstick films ought to at least be funny. I laughed ONCE during this torture fest.
Here's an example of how badly this film was made. A room full of characters suffer a explosion. One minute their talking amongst themselves, the next they're dead, presumably. In the reveal, we see them leaning back in their chairs eyes closed. Their suits are still crisp and clean. Their hair, skin, etc just as before. It was like the director said, "There's no time, guys, so just close your eyes and play dead!"
This film was a sad waste of Rowan Atkinson's talent, not to mention the other stellar cast members that must have signed on as a favor.