patty1 Reviews

Three Pines: The Hangman: Part 2 (2022) Season 1, Episode 8

Enough with the cliffhangers already!

[7/10 · 27 December 2022]

I've been enjoying this series and I hope it gets renewed (viewership levels suggest that it will), but the cliffhanger at the end was just dumb. Gamache is obviously not going to die, so why even pretend that he might? It's a lazy way to try to get people to come back next season. If you have a solidly done series, you don't need cheap tricks like that to keep viewers.

I've only read a few of the Gamache books so I'll leave the main analysis of the changes to viewers who are more knowledgeable, but I do like the inclusion of the MMIW storyline and hope that will continue. Maybe not so obviously as with another missing Indigeneous woman, but, as Blue's mother suggested to Gamache, maybe with him urging systemic changes in the SQ. And, of course, there's still the matter of bringing the teens' killers to justice.

I do look forward to another season of "Three Pines" but wish the showrunners hadn't ended the first season in such a clichéd manner.

Derry Girls: The Agreement (2022) Season 3, Episode 7

I know this show is mostly a comedy, but...

[8/10 · 25 October 2022]

...the last part of this final episode was beautiful. The Troubles had affected these girls' entire lives, and finally, here was a chance for NI and the Republic to make a new start that could create better lives for children to come. Yet the show didn't shy away from addressing the emotional difficulty of voting "Yes" on the Good Friday Agreement: would that be letting people off the hook for their violent actions? It was poignant to see various characters wrestling with that decision.

And I thought the final scene was sweet. I understand the complaints about the stunt casting this season (especially in episode 1), but that last cameo brought a previous storyline to a charming close.

The Batman (2022)

Dark, one-dimensional, and confusing

[6/10 · 24 April 2022]

I found this movie very one-note (literally in the case of the repetitive music). I'm more interested in Bruce Wayne than in his Batman persona, so I want to see complexity in that character, but Pattinson was unremittingly gloomy both in the suit and out.

Speaking of gloom, other Batman movies have proven that although much of the story has to take place at night, it can be lighted well enough to see the actors on home screens without diminishing the foreboding effect that dark scenes bring in theaters. There were many stretches of this one where I could barely make out what was happening.

I was also underwhelmed by the script. It had no lightness (playboy Bruce, even when reluctant, is an important part of the character), much less humor. The writers threw in a confusing number of side stories, and there was a silly ongoing thread about a Spanish-language phrase (It means this! No, it means that! No, wait, it means something else!). They also trashed one character's reputation for no reason.

The above comments might make one wonder why I rated this movie as high as 6 on IMDb's 10-point scale. It wasn't awful, and other than the lighting it had decent production values. But I give solidly done movies a 7 or 8 and I couldn't bring myself to do that with "The Batman."

Leap of Faith (1992)

One scene always gets to me...

[7/10 · 16 December 2019]

This movie has much to recommend it, including one of Steve Martin's first dramatic roles, a wonderful low-key performance by Liam Neeson, and rousing music led by Edwin Hawkins.

But I want to draw attention to what I find the most evocative scene, just after Boyd's miracle healing. Jonas walks out of his bus and sees all the people who have set up camp for the night after attending his revival. They have created a loving, giving community. They're playing checkers, feeding strangers, reading to children...sweet, ordinary activities that--if I'm reading Martin's facial expressions correctly--make Jonas realize that these are worthwhile human beings, not just marks. Yes, they fell for his act, but my takeaway from that scene is that their basic decency is stronger than his cynicism. Add in the uplifting music, and this is a lovely scene.

The West Wing: Noël (2000) Season 2, Episode 10

One of the very best TWW episodes--and that's saying a lot

[10/10 · 31 January 2019]

Others here have well summarized how excellent this episode was, including Bradley Whitford's performance. I want to bring attention to Adam Arkin. Aaron Sorkin pitched him a great script and Arkin hit it out of the park. The scenes between Arkin and Whitford had such range: anger, humor, poignancy, and more. I'm rewatching all of TWW on Netflix and am so enjoying seeing these great episodes again.