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Joes_Mom
Reviews
Marriage Story (2019)
It may feel real, but why endure it?
I just don't understand why people willingly choose to subject themselves to the agony of a film like "Marriage Story" (and, on the small screen, shows like "Scenes from a Marriage"). I know there is certainly opportunities for top-notch acting in movies like this; which Driver and Johansson appear to accomplish at a very high level.... and, I know there ostensible relatable appeal of a the very real nature of the situations in such a movie. But, with the very premise of this story being intense emotional hell this couple (and their children) go through as their marriage brutally falls apart, why do movie goers choose subject themselves, even in a detached manner, to the painful emotions this film dredges up.
Of course I'm come at this from my own perspective, but I know a great many other people I'm close to who have a similar view: Life currently has so many emotional battles for all of us to deal with, why would seek out more as 'entertainment'. I'm not suggesting that the only films that make sense for people to watch are escapist fantasies. There are plenty of dramas, even heavy dramas, that still make for rewarding filmgoing experiences.... but, a film like this makes you leave the theatre feeling like you just had to go through same emotional pain as the main characters. I can't put myself through that.
I (Almost) Got Away with It (2010)
Far too light- hearted for the severity of the crimes involved
The first episodes I saw of this series involved failed escape attempts by criminals who had been imprisoned for crimes like robbery and drug distribution. So, the largely unserious tone of the episodes wasn't an issue. But, when I saw that they had episodes for prisoners who were convicted of such horrific crimes as rape and murder (of innocent people, including families.), the tone of these episodes were wildly inappropriate (murders among criminals or gang members would have been right on the line, but still acceptable). There is no justification for a reality series that tries to tell amusing, humanizing stories of criminals who have committed heinous crimes... especially when some 'amusing' failed escape stories involve the criminals abusing, raping, and murdering other inncocent civilians during their escape attempts.
Even for the pathetically low standard that exists for reality television, it still defies belief that someone thought this was a good idea and no one else scuttled it before it became a series.
Pearl Harbor (2001)
An insult to the men and women who served and died that day
I recently watched the excellent, almost documentary-like take on the attack on Pearl Harbor "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and was compelled to view 2001's Pearl Harbor again just to compare the two and get a feel for just how awful this Michael Bay-ized version of history is. Simply put, it's complete garbage and is insulting to those who served at Pearl Harbor and throughout World War II. The audience that was the target for this movie must have been considered to be monumentally unintelligent. I am amused by a previous comment written by someone who calls this the best movie of the decade. Of course, in the span of one paragraph of effusive praise for this movie, this person misspells a half-dozen words, misspells every actors' names, and even incorrectly identifies this war as World War I. This seems representative of the type of audience the producers were going for. The only redeeming portions of movie are the battle scenes. The airplane battles above Great Britain give one the sense of being an observer in a plane right next to the battle. Much of the actual Pearl Harbor attack is well-done, too. But, as Roger Ebert noted, it becomes '40 minutes of redundant special effects'. "Tora! Tora! Tora!" was produced in 1970 (well before top-of-the-line special effects) and yet the battle scenes were more compelling. What's even more compelling is the story of the buildup and mistakes that led to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which "Pearl Harbor" overlooks almost entirely in favor of D-grade romance that would not even cut it in today's soap opera's. Without any 'character-driven' roles and almost a documentary-style feel, "Tora! Tora! Tora!" manages to be one of more compelling war movies of all time. If you really want a good accounting of that 'day of infamy', rent "Tora! Tora! Tora!". "Pearl Harbor" is just an unabashed waste of time.