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ugaroberts
Reviews
The West Wing: Isaac and Ishmael (2001)
11/02/222 - Still Relevant
The other reviews view this episode in a vacuum, except it didn't happen in a vacuum. It happened in the wake of the darkest day of modern American history. In 2022, we're STILL suffering from US vs. THEMism, except the Thems look differently than 21 years ago. This is a well executed reminder that Them, whoever the Them-of-the-Moment is, doesn't actually represent the group they claim to speak for. This episode is timeless, & a well deserved place in history when none of us knew what was next. While Leo's character may have been out of character, he stood in for the Old Guard, representing the blanket fear many of us felt. He was as much a part of what we were going through as a nation as the scene in Spider-Man when the New Yorkers on the bridge shouted, "You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us."
The Princess Bride (1987)
Shortage of Perfect Movies
DO NOT REMAKE THIS MOVIE!! When rumors of a remake began circulating, Cary Elwes astutely remarked, "There's a shortage of perfect movies in this world. T'would be a shame to ruin this one." There is not a single thing here that could be improved upon.
The Sandman (2022)
NOT as finely crafted as Good Omens
I rated it a 3 to coincide with the number of episodes I was able to (nearly) make it through. It's as though Gaiman asked George Lucas for tips on how to update your magnum opus. The result is something closer to David Lynch's 'Dune' than Denis Villeneuve's 'Dune'. The storytelling here is really more like little disjointed vignettes your coworker is telling you with the promise that it will all come together if you can just be patient.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Doctor Strange and the Dirge of the MCU
When this first released, the critics did a good job of summing up the story's shortcomings, as well as the disappointing misuse of the Illuminati. I waited until this hit Disney+ to avoid paying to see it for those reasons, & I still feel ripped off for spending my time on it.
America Chavez is nothing more than a human McGuffin here, added in to check off the inclusion box. Wanda's becoming the Murder Witch & why is so full of plot holes, it comes across as though America wasn't even part of the initial story pitch, just shoehorned in. The trivia states that the ending wasn't even finalized until midway through filming, & it shows.
Lethal Weapon (1987)
A forgotten Christmas Movie
Often overshadowed by the archetypal Die Hard, this is a fun Christmas actioner that deserves it's slot in your holiday rotation. If Die Hard defined action movies, this defines buddy cop movies. Shane Black had to fight to keep Riggs suicidal, making it all the more remarkable.
The VVitch: A New-England Folktale (2015)
Huge disappointment
Main gripe - I had to put on subtitles to understand the thick, heavy accents. Knowing they were speaking English pulled me out of a suspension of disbelief. This was supposed to be disturbing psychological horror, which I love, but grew bored about 45 minutes in (about when I decided to put on subtitles). What a missed opportunity.
Parker (2013)
NOT for fans of the Parker books
As others have said, this is a Jason Statham film. If that is what you're looking for, you'll have it in spades.
If you're looking for a faithful adaptation of the Parker stories, go watch the director's cut of 'Payback'. The second this movie announces Parker has some sort of code like he's Robin Hood, it's gone off the rails. He doesn't do disguises like Agent 47, & he damn sure doesn't do accents. Richard Stark's Parker, this is not....by a loooong shot.