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The Affair: Episode #2.12 (2015)
Why so fast Mr. Solloway? After it took so long.
This is what we ask ourselves when Noah takes the blame for Scott Lockhart´s death like a total idiot. What for so long was kind of a mystery- and only ever mentioned so briefly it may even have escaped the notice of casual watchers.
I asked myself earlier in the show:" How long will they keep this up?"
Well they were VERY patiently setting things up. Obviously to put Noah in prison. But - please- like this? And again- he is not charged with murder-
a distinction that many people obviously find hard to make. But the show-runners should not- or have they become infected with "public opinion".
A very dangerous condition for writers or producers- to forget their own story. Or it´s details.
So now we know how Scotty died. Good riddance! Going to prison for the death of such a person- that´s truly tragic. But well sung- I must say- and well played by Colin Donnell.
The Affair: Episode #3.10 (2017)
What´s missing?
That´s what i was- and still am- asking myself.
I even put back in the previous DVD to check if i had missed an episode, since it came as quite the surprise to suddenly find a sober and healthy Noah with Juliette in Paris. When did this happen?
I was expecting this to be explained during the episode. Or be told that it was - yet again- all just in Noah´s head. So I guess we might be coming back to these matters in Season 4. Are we ?
Since I rented all of them I guess I will actually watch them- even if I have become quite disenchanted with the show. What started as a well made and nice to watch study of human behavior and relations, with terrific performances from everyone, has, in my opinion turned into a hard to bear repeating of the same mistakes over and over again. Sometimes there is such a thing as being to realistic in doing a TV Show or a movie. Being to repetitive for sure. Sadly this is the case here. This is just saying that "yes- people do behave like this- but do we want to watch them doing it- again and again ?" Especially Whitney is unbearable, and I often wished that someone would run her over with a car-
or at least punch her in the face to make her shut up.
But again- very realistically portrayed what happens when you bring children up like that.
Since nothing she does is in any way different to what her parents do. And not taking responsibility- but instead Advil- is what we see Helen- and everyone else for that matter- do. Apart from Vikram Ullah who drinks instead. A common practice among surgeons- as he explained. What a great country indeed.
So, on we go to Season 4 to find out how Noah Solloway escaped his addiction- and ended up in Paris. Or not ??!?. Sigh!
And P.S.:
Why is there a reference to Scott Lockhart´s death as "murder" on the DVD box-cover? And in the dialogues.
Surely Noah would not have gotten out of prison after a mere three years if this had been the case.
The distinction between the possible charges was quite well made previously in the show.
This somehow got dropped completely obviously in order for others to more strongly shun Noah for "being a criminal" or "having killed a person". Even his own children take that stance. Something that seems to be at the core of the American psyche: judging others- by criteria that stem from a time long ago, and best forgotten.
It was an accident. And even if it was ruled to be vehicular manslaughter- or vehicular homicide- it is far apart from being murder.
Twisting a story in that way should be treated as "negligent behavior " or" writing with intend"- I think.
The Orville: All the World Is Birthday Cake (2019)
Bortus Rocks..
Just saying. I know some people don´t like Comander Bortus, but i do.
Congratulations Peter Macon, you make Worf look like a puppy.
Ja´loja !
The Orville: Deflectors (2019)
Why tell..... ?
As good as some of it is I was really dissapointed by the way in which Lt Keyali "outed" Moclan Engineer Locar as being "unnatural" after their excursion on the Simulator.
Not least because I think they made for one of the best couples on this show-
or any other.
To say it in Bortus´words: " I was really looking forward to witness their mating. It would surely have been very eventful."
All they really did was dance in a simulated 20th-century-earth environment, and this could surely have been filed under :" Cultural exchange".
Or is this too much to bear for Moclan culture already?
It probably is- as Klyden shows. He is increasingly hard to endure in his extreme views. But this is exactly what makes this so much more than just entertainment.
Knowing this Lt Keyali should have considered her account of what transpired, and I think a woman of her abilities would have done so.
Sometimes telling the truth doesn´t mean you have to tell everything.
Or is this just what the future holds for us ? No secrets whatsoever?
I´m sure glad i´ll be dead by then.
So....... have fun, be safe, and remember: What happens on the holo-deck- stays on the holo-deck
The Orville: About a Girl (2017)
About a body being....
As good as some of it is I was really dissapointed by the way in which they plead their case in court.
She is female- so what?
Is this too much to bear for Moclan culture already?
It surely is- as Klyden - and not only he-shows.
He is increasingly hard to endure in his extreme views, that nonetheless are the ones prevalent on Moclus.
So what to do abut it ?- we go to Court !
And as is known, there is nothing worse than a bad lawyer defending a good cause.
Sorry to say that in this way the writers stumble over their own good intentions, as is the case in this episode "About a girl" where Kelly tries to prevent Bortus´child from having to undergo a sex-change-procedure- and the ship´s doctor in her testimony defends earth´s "custom" of male-circumcision as "something completely different".
Well guess what? It is NOT ! This also - no matter how often it occurs- constitutes an unnecessary violation of physical integrity.
It is a mutilation of a child´s body without cause.
As plain as that.
Some other comparison - a third leg, for example,as Ed and Kelly discuss- would have been better. But I guess this is America for you...
They just don´t understand how much alike a lot of the things they do are to those that others- whom they dislike- do.
Isn´t this what this show is about ?!
So please- think harder, write better, take your time. Your show deserves no less.
The Orville: Lasting Impressions (2019)
A classic for sure
For once I totally agree with the rating this episode has received. When watching Season 2 of The Orville I sometimes thought: "Where´s the silliness?", but not for very long, because it had not been gone completely but been taken to a higher level and/or been replaced by some more serious plots.
And then came this episode. Who would ever have thought that Gordon Malloy could be the protagonist of a romantic drama- that I have watched multiple times since, and will again, i´m sure.
Well done all ! I had not known Leighton Meester before and was just overwhelmed by her natural beauty, sweetness, her singing (she did really sing herself -right ? ), and her heartwarming performance.
What for some people is " It´s a wonderful life",- this episode is for me;
something to watch when you need comfort- even in knowing it´s going to break your heart all over again. This is truly TV at it´s best.
And so is Scott Grimes´singing- (once again- he does sing himself?)
And on another note, I was really not pleased about the way the wonderful Halston Sage as Alara Kitan was written out of the show. It speaks for her in what a professional and loyal way she talked about this, claiming to have full trust in the Authors to do what was best for the show.
The opportunities this created for the Orville´s crew in struggling to find a replacement were well exploited, and it seemed hardly possible to imagine someone filling her spot- on the ship as well as in our hearts.
And then came Lt Talla Keyali played by Jessica Szohr- and nailed it- in one.
She is so cool, sexy, beautiful and funny in her special way that we accept her completely. Especially in this episode when the crew accompany Gordon to Game-night with Laura ,
Lt Keyali looks just stunning with her "disguise". But it´s not just her looks- she is really a great addition to the crew. And did I mention her voice? Even if I close my eyes- I immediately like her.
As I like the show, and i´m looking forward to see Season 3.
Collateral Beauty (2016)
A thing of beauty
I don´t write too many reviews, and more often than not when I dislike something.
But after having seen Collateral Beauty and finding it rated with a meager 6,8 average I will do something I thought i´d hardly ever do, and give it a rating of 10 (in words :TEN).
Because in my opinion it is one of the rare occasions where a movie works so well that all the flaws that it contains can easily be forgiven.
If the three actors actually exist, or if they truly ARE love, time and death....
well- who knows.
I must say I was expecting to see Whit, Claire and Simon walk into the "theater" at the end, to find it empty and be told that it was like that for a long time.
A bit of a "twilight-zone" moment. But maybe this would have been too much- and it wasn´t really necessary to make the point.
So I will just say that when Will Smith said about the cast " "If we are all judged by the company we keep ... then I want this cast with me for life!" he was saying something true and beautiful.
Helen Mirren´s performance alone would have been worth a rating of 9 , I have hardly ever seen a woman that fascinating, moving, funny, attractive and sexy.
Well done, funny to read about the director having been changed, and who was initially asked to do what part- but the outcome could simply not have been better.
So many American movies about live, love etc. are not worth watching a second - or even first- time- but this one I watched again as soon as it ended.
Because it is a thing of beauty.
Thanks for that.
The Killer Elite (1975)
Start with a bang...
And then commence with a lip-fart...
Enough has been said about this terrible movie already- but let me just add that these so-called "elite-killers"- namely Mike Locken played by the normally great James Caan, can not even take a woman to bed without hurting himself. And who or what is that strange guy in fantasy-uniform in that party scene supposed to be? I can hardly stand to watch stuff like that. During his recovery he also does not appear to be a man used to handle physical discomfort. I have seen little girls that were harder than that guy. But when he is back on his feet, and training- he makes sure the whole world sees him- Very important for secret agents!
Another highlight is Jerome Miller playing around with Mac´s gun in the garage after Mac readily handed it over to a man he knew to be a psychopath. But hey "we´re all friends here- NO?" That´s why a short time later Mac puts that same gun in Miller´s face while Locken is on the phone. This is terrible. Only surpassed by the very " professional" way in which Hansen and his Buddy shoot up the scene from the roof across from the Chinese Politician´s hide-out. Where they didn´t even close the curtains! My mom could do better than this! But luckily they have good-old Mac come to the rescue with his "superior driving skills" - portraying every stupid New-York-cabbies cliche' including the "look-over-the-shoulder" on each and any occasion. This is terrible. And that´s why Robert Duvall walks away from this scene - VERY SLOWLY, taking his time to dismantle his (totally inappropriate) gun. But whenever I felt bad I only had to think of the scene where Miller, the "gun-man" tries- and fails !- to load his UZI. This is priceless. And then come the Ninjas- from China ! I know twelve-year-old children who have written better scripts than this.
Again- I wonder how any-one can rate this above 3 or 4. Admittedly - the cinematography is awesome- these movies look great. 2 points for this.
P.S.: Why install a timer and then pour gasoline out AND light a fuse to blow up an empty ware-house- and just barely make it out in time? Should have shut the thing down right there and then.... We live and learn.. and from the worst we sometimes learn the most- for example to stay off the drugs. R.I.P. Sam Peckinpah
The Oath (2018)
Wasting some more of my time...
By commenting on this, but -hey, it shouldn´t take too long to explain what´s wrong with this franchise.
How I came to watch this in the first place was the assumption that the very talented Mr. Reynolds would star alongside Sean Bean. I didn´t read any of the info on the DVD box, just took it home , very excited- from the public library, thankfully not wasting any money on this- and was surprised from the start that this Ryan Kwanten was only made to look like Ryan Reynolds on the Box-Cover.
Look at it- don´t tell me they didn´t photo-shop him to that effect.
Even if they do have a slight resemblance. Well anyways- crooked cops, could still be fascinating.
If it wasn´t so very bad that is.
Another reviewer compared the dialogues to those in porn movies-
actually I find that to be an insult to good pornography.
These people are supposed to be cops?
Admittedly I have seen real police officers failing at the most every-day challenges more than once- so I know they are by no means superhuman. But this?
I´ll only mention the episode 3 "Snag" where from the cell-phone of deceased Gangster "Sleep" come Text-messages blackmailing the Ravens. His cell-phone ? How come? Why didn´t they take care of it? Well we soon find out- after some more stupid plot-twisting to locate the device- that it was Officer Beaches´ lover who "found it in her trunk when taking his bag out." Really ?
I have no more to say to that- this is some of the worst writing ever.
Surpassed maybe by the totally inept way in which Officer Kilvinski gets pushed into (very sparsely) oncoming traffic, staying helplessly on the brakes, whining like ...(no- I won´t insult any little girls by comparison).
Guys please...
Only thing left to do is to wonder about people who actually rated this anything above 4 or 5.
I know tastes differ, some even have the honesty to admit that sometimes they want to be entertained without bothering to think- I can´t understand how this should be fun- but OK-
but to call this "addicting" or "great" is well beyond me. Makes one actually wonder how many people get paid for writing good reviews- as well as wondering sometimes how many people get paid to write bad reviews. Well maybe that´s just the world as it is... Let´s just hope it´s not as in this show.
And P.S.: I really didn´t bother about the shaking of the camera- in fact hardly noticed it.
And I HATE when they do that- for that reason I still have not seen " Dancer in the dark" even though Catherine Deneuve, and David Morse are in it.
So that is how bad "The Oath" really is.
Charlie's Angels (2019)
To say something nice...
About Charlie´s Angels is what i´m trying to do here, simply because i am generally a great fan of Elisabeth Banks (as an actress), and of Kristen Stewart
(in any capacity).
The Production design alone is worth 3 Points- the movie looks amazing-
and so does Kristen Stewart . Just awesome. I know many people think she´s not such a great actress (and i wouldn´t say she is the best- but she is most certainly not the worst.)See "Equals" for example.)
And in this movie i also only mean the way she looks.
But Elisabeth Banks does not do herself or womanhood any favors with this film.
As some other reviewer very rightly remarked, she should have done ONE job right- which in this case would have been the directing, because the cast was helplessly trying to make something out of a screenplay that was not in any way justified to be shot.
Take women seriously please- and men as well- and give us a story that makes at least any sense.
I´m referring to the technical gadgetry in the center of the plot (i won´t mention the name of the thing, and the totally stupid way in which supposedly very intelligent people talk about it.As well as the "funny" chase in the Elb-Philharmonie.
This is on the level of a movie for six-year-old kids. Admittedly i think this all the time- in most of the James Bond movies for example- but even worse is the way in many scenes where the Angels are being talked down to, or doing it themselves. I
t never works as it was supposed to- if it was supposed to be funny.
And so i conclude...
Keep giving jobs to Kristen Stewart- because she deserves it.
And they will- there are enough people out there who know what a cool person she is, and that´s the "cool" as in " i do what i want-because i want it ! " Go KS !
But please someone help with the screenplays the next time.
And Elisabeth Banks... sorry- but we still love you.
American Gods: Moon Shadow (2019)
What the F..., Neil?
Loved the book, freaked when i saw it became a series. I´m not sure what the Producers where thinking when they changed so many of the story-lines, characters etc. That Neil Gaiman actually participated as a producer and THIS is what happened- i don´t understand it. Some of the Cast is fantastic esp. Pablo Schreiber as Mad Sweeney- one of the few characters who really deserved to be extended they way he was. Way to go Big Guy!
As much as i like Emily Browning- she just is NOT Laura Moon. One more thing that is unbearable in most Movies, TV Shows etc.: When someone speaks some language other than English the subtitles habitually read: Speaks foreign language. I will one day smash a TV set i´m sure - i´m so sick of this. Dear Producers- someone surely told these actors WHAT to say in their Foreign language ,NO ? This is surely scripted somewhere- NO? Sometimes- very rarely- it is part of the situation to NOT understand what someone says- but, in the other overabundant cases- PLEASE-
DO TELL. This is bordering on fascism if you ask me. One example here is New-Media- who by the way is making me wonder: is she supposed to be so terrible? But any ways when speaking in Korean: What the hell is she saying to her followers? I´m done with this.