ghamiltonsq Reviews

The Old Curiosity Shop (1995 TV Movie)

Long and lacking focus - blame both Dickens and the director

[20 March 2022]

The movie runs nearly three hours, easily an hour longer than it needs to be. Nothing would be lost if certain scenes or pieces of which ended up on the cutting room floor. Not having read the novel, I can only assume the director remained true to Dickens' plot, and if so, it's on Dickens that the story lacks focus. A loan shark (Courtney) gives money to an owner of a failing curiosity shop (Ustinov) in the expectation that Ustinov will double the investment playing cards. Ustinov has nephews who lust after his money, unaware that he's nearly destitute. Ustinov's granddaughter, Nell, whom he cherishes, lives with him but is aware of his card playing. Having learned that Ustinov lost at the tables, Courtney seeks revenge by having Ustinov committed. How this helps Courtney is a mystery. Ustinov and Nell flee to the coastline to escape and gain peace of mind. Ustinov's estranged brother, James Fox, learns that Ustinov is in debt to Courtney and seeks to buy the debt. Courtney refuses thinking Fox may be a source of even more money. One of Courtney's co-criminals, in order to escape prosecution, tells the authorities that Courtney has a strongbox that contains evidence of prior misdeeds. Courtney learns of this and decides to flee with the strongbox and other wealth stored in a canvas bag. While loading a row boat on the Thames and about to flee, he falls overboard and drowns. Simultaneously Nell takes ill and dies. Fox locates Ustinov and the two brothers reconcile as both mourn the death of Nell. Numerous other characters come and go and innumerable examples of Courtney's malevolence to others including to his wife are exhibited, all of which extend the run time to no useful purpose. Strip the tale of this and we are still left with a question. Who or what is the protagonist in this story? What is the lesson to be learned? Don't gamble? Take better care of your granddaughter's health?

Unacknowledged (2017)

There's always a market for extraterrestrials and deep government conspiracies

[12 March 2022]

"Unacknowledged" attempts to deliver material to satisfy both markets. Sadly, it's a big yawner and fails to present evidence of either. Without direct evidence of a government conspiracy of silence the viewer is left to surmise its existence only if they are willing to inflate or adumbrate the nature of the testimony of the interviewed witnesses who are mostly older white guys who at one time served in the military. Comments from recognizable personages (Sagan, Clinton, etc.) are presented merely for the purpose of having authority figures shrug their shoulders and say in effect, Who knows? Could be true. Sad to say, this movie is thin gruel.

Don't Look Up (2021)

Mildly amusing and politically harmless

[3/10 · 27 December 2021]

Impending catastrophe has the rich and powerful foolishly reacting in their own self-interest which is the primary source of the humor. The events that follow the introduction and lead to the climax only seem to be disparate. They are, in fact, all part of the same attenuated joke. The ending is a mix of Melancholia and Strangelove but not in equal measure. It's the Strangelove aspect that allows the audience to evince a slight smile at movie's end. In the event the Melancholia aspect seemed more real, the post credit scenes assure the audience it was all in fun. If you're streaming this flick, you may be tempted to fast-forward from time to time. If you do, you will not have missed anything critical.

Reminiscence (2021)

Movie lacks focus and seems longer than it needs to be

[27 August 2021]

High praise for the movie's mood and special effects. Well done. As for story telling, very unsatisfying. This movie's plodding pace would be acceptable if we knew why we were plodding along. But we don't. Not even at the conclusion. Was our hero searching for a lost love or attempting to solve a crime? Stories whose plots have two objectives never seem to work for either. And the lack of focus made the movie drag. Too bad. I was hoping for a Hugh Jackman winner. Not to be.

Draft Day (I) (2014)

Superbly acted, excellent pacing, believable dialogue - but unbelievable story

[4/10 · 28 July 2021]

No general manager of any football team, or any pro sports team for the matter, is going to trade the next three 1st round draft picks for a college player that has not been totally vetted - and I mean, totally. The GM is going to interview the player personally, perhaps more than once, talk to his coaches (high school and college) talk to the player's team mates, his girl friend(s), study film for hours, and he's going to ask other members of his staff to do the same, including the head coach. Costner's character did none of this. As much as I liked his performance and everyone else's, I found it impossible to get lost in the movie because it was simply not at all real.

An Imperfect Murder (2017)

These reviews resemble school kids piling on the kid who is always bullied.

[6/10 · 18 May 2021]

It's their chance to get in their licks without being singled out as the one who is uniquely abrasive. Hard to believe this many viewers were appalled by what they viewed. I myself thought the movie was interesting, well acted, and believable. Its singular shortcoming is clearly its abrupt ending with no definitive resolution. This unsatisfying ending is due to the fact that the plot is that of a short story rather than a three act play. Short stories never make satisfying movies for the simple reason that they end abruptly, leaving the viewer (reader) to imagine the final resolution. And while we don't know the final resolution, we do know what comes next. The protagonist's peace of mind, achieved after much effort, will soon be upstaged by the real world which has no interest in her sense of moral innocence.

Borrowed Hearts (1997 TV Movie)

This is basically a "coming to know what love is" movie using the atmosphere of Christmas

[29 November 2020]

The inevitable happy outcome is telegraphed almost from the opening credits, however the characters are engaging enough to hold the viewer for entirety of the formulaic journey. A few plot elements do seem a bit of a stretch. For one, Hector Elizondo will buy the business provided the current owner is a family man, yet plans to move the business to Mexico causing the current employees to lose their jobs. For another, the natural father begs to see his little girl at Christmas, but only long enough to tell her that he can stay only for a day. Why bother to see her at all, one thinks.

Flashbacks of a Fool (2008)

The movie introduced me to the music of Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music

[8/10 · 12 September 2020]

The three acts of the movie tracked the three stages of life celebrated in the Bryan Ferry song "If There Is Something". The movie's close was exceedingly emotional as it showed Gina Athans weeping as she read the goodbye note of Daniel Craig that contained the song's critical phrase while the sound track played the song's emotional third phase. The third phase continued and finally finished to an aerial view of a jaded but perhaps wiser Craig being driven back to his Malibu life of indulgence.

Christine (2016)

This movie has my vote for...

[2/10 · 23 August 2020]

One of the slowest ... I realize it's relatively early in the 21st century and thousands of movies are yet to be made, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if, by the year 2100, this movie will be in the top ten for the slowest movie of the last 100 years. Although Rebecca Hall is both talented and attractive, watching her for 120 minutes stand outside of life, unsure whether her reason for not being able to break through is her not wanting to or not knowing how to, was a lot to ask of a viewer. And while the climax was highly dramatic, it failed to answer the question. For this reason, I cannot recommend this movie, although I will certainly recommend Rebecca Hall.

Hawaii Five-O: Dear Enemy (1971) Season 3, Episode 21

Vera Miles

[4/10 · 4 August 2020]

I fully agree with Martin Hafer's opinion of the lovely Vera Miles. She grew more beautiful as she entered her 30's and 40's.

The One I Love (2014)

The husband was not the least bit interesting

[1/10 · 19 July 2020]

Not having seen Mark Duplass prior to this movie, I don't know whether his juvenile, insecure, and unattractive character was due to the actor's actual persona or to the character that he opted to play. That said, because of the husband's deficiencies, I found it jarring that the endearing character played by Elisabeth Moss was actually interested in saving this marriage.

Singularity (I) (2017)

How many ways is this movie bad?

[1/10 · 20 September 2018]

Let's start with John Cusak who emotes as if he just graduated from a mail order acting school, which perhaps is only appropriate given that he mailed in his performance. We can add that the plot is totally simplistic and the presentation is totally devoid of suspense and drama. The two young members of the cast were earnest enough and no doubt felt as if they were contributing to a watchable movie as they labored before the camera, but sadly their contribution was totally misplaced and seemed to belong in a different movie altogether. Movies like this one give you reason to be thankful for streaming. One can fast forward and learn almost immediately that this effort is not worth your effort. Imagine having to sit in a theater and being forced to learn this minute by minute.

Behind the Wall (II) (2007)

This movie fails because the plot violates the fundamental rule of story telling.

[2/10 · 30 January 2016]

When telling a story, the focus of the plot should never shift from one genre to another. For example, a romance should never morph into a mystery. A whodunit should never morph into a tale of the supernatural. A comedy should never depict an incidence of death or maiming so intense that the audience perceives it to be real. To shift from one genre to another in mid-story jars the audience, causes confusion, and shakes them from their temporary reverie. They are transported back to the real world and the story dies because they can no longer participate in the fictional construct.

"Behind the Wall" is an unsatisfying story because if violates this fundamental tenet. It begins as a horror tale (bloody death of the wife/mother by an unknown force) and a warning not to venture into the basement, then morphs into a ghost story (death was the act of a ghost as opposed to a living monster, human or otherwise), morphs again into the totally unreal (characters go missing, dead bodies appear and disappear - something beyond the ability of even a ghost), then transitions yet again into the tale of an unsettled ghost that can only be pacified by the death of his living betrayer. To further weaken the plot, a priest gives a dire warning but offers zero rationale, and a budding romance is introduced which changes our focus from horror/ghost story to "will boy and girl get together?".

No movie can survive this uneven level of fictional reality regardless of its production quality or acting talent.

The actors in "Behind the Wall" are believable. The story is not.

The Echo Game (2009)

The story was silly, but the acting was extremely competent

[5/10 · 26 May 2014]

The movie's production value reflected its low budget ($40,000 according to IMDb). There was little camera movement and most of the staging was indoors and in fairly close quarters. But hat's off to the cast who did a wonderful job holding the audience's attention despite the fact that the story violated the most fundamental rule of movie making. Never mix planes of reality. This specific tale moved from the mysterious to the supernatural, and thereby lost all credibility. Yet the cast remained earnest and believable through it all, and held my attention, even through the silly climax. With a bit more money to work with, Brian Feeney will no doubt deliver a better production. As for the cast, totally professional. If they haven't already established themselves as go-to performers, I have no doubt they eventually will.

The Man Who Spoke to Himself (1999)

Thoroughly enjoyed this movie

[8/10 · 27 March 2013]

Let me begin by saying that I am in no way affiliated with the production of this movie nor do I know any associated with this movie. Having said this, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was quite frankly astounded that the lead character, played by Jeff Nicholson, was able to carry the bulk of this movie using essentially monologue as he walked the streets and back alleys of Boulder, Colorado, talking to himself (and, of course, to us) expounding on his painfully learned insights into human relationships and the human psyche. The two directors did an excellent job moving the camera as we followed Nicholson on his travels. We were never bored nor did we ever wonder what we might be missing. The other characters, some of them minor, did an excellent job reciting dialogue that, while deep and clever, was nonetheless read as if it were common knowledge. Nicholson's romantic counterpart, played by the strikingly attractive Juniper Purinton, was both endearing and sympathetic despite asking for what all young women want in a man, namely, the impossible - good looks, intelligence, independence, but most important, sensitivity, a willingness to probe the essence of their female partner, and having probed it, announce that they are more fulfilled than before they plunged.

I hope to see more of both Nicholson and Purinton.

The Pink Conspiracy (2007)

This move would have worked if...

[3/10 · 1 September 2012]

it had been 45 minutes shorter and if the scenes with two thugs beating Dave to a gruesome pulp had been left on the cutting room floor. Not only did this brutality conflict with the humor, the concept of two male thugs brutalizing another male for the sake of the pink conspiracy made no sense. But this aside, the movie dragged due to Dave pausing to express his exasperation and frustration at every opportunity. Twice would have sufficient for us to get the message. The concept of the movie has great potential and perhaps should be re-shot by either the original director or another director who is able to create a movie that moves along a bit faster while still conveying the emotion, conceptual theme, and plotting of the original (without the brutality).

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

The movie is needlessly slow

[9 January 2012]

I read Tinker Tailor as a novel and thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the fact that LeCarre unfolds the tale slowly and uses flashbacks. This a tale that requires flashbacks, for if the tale were told sequentially, it would strike the audience as tedious. And while it's true that the PBS rendition used all six hours to enjoyable purpose and never bored the viewer, this movie failed, not because 130 minutes was not sufficient to tell the tale, and not because it used flashbacks. This movie failed because it moved at a snail's pace to no valid purpose. This movie failed, not because the viewer was confused, or because the characters did not emerge fully formed and with known history, but because it dragged to the point of irritation. The director totally misused and wasted wall clock time in filming and cutting this tale. A better director, a better editor, could have conveyed the dreariness of ruminating in the circus over bits and snatches of not much and a sense of thoughtful tradecraft on the part of Smiley, and others, without forcing the viewer to watch Smiley swim in a pool on three occasions, stare at chess pieces with faces taped to them without explanation, watch Smiley and Guillam stand in the middle of Control's flat rather than search it, and on and on and on, scene after scene where nothing, literally nothing, happens that advances the story or conveys mood. It is unlikely that this movie will be held over for a second week and even less likely that ten years from now film enthusiasts will be going back to it or discovering it for the first time.

Vertigo (1958)

Vertigo has one flaw

[18 August 2011]

The movie would have worked better if Kim Novak had not written that note to Stewart just prior to his picking her up to take her to diner down the coast (and ultimately to the mission church). The note, which she did not give to him, but read out loud to the audience, was information that we should not have been given. The knowledge ruined the suspense rather than added to it. The viewer would have guessed that Stewart had become suspicious when he suggested that they first vision the mission church. On the steps up to the tower, Novak could have confessed her love as the reason she allowed herself to be transformed. But instead we already knew and were simply waiting, not for the climax, but for the falling action and the conclusion.