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The Family (2016)
Unrewarding and Painful
Story telling is an art form. While there are many elements, plot development is basic. Then, there is conflict and struggle, and eventually some sort of resolution, either good (makes us happy) or bad (makes us sad or unhappy). Things can get complicated, surprising, confounding, and confusing, but in the end the story must have a resolution/ending. Unfortunately, this series was canceled after the first season was in the can. Perhaps it was unwise to try to stretch this story beyond one season. The entire story begs NOT to be a soap or a serial. Exactly where do you go once the conflicts are resolved with this plot? NO WHERE. And that's the problem. Someone decided mid-stream to stretch the series into another season. That's the way it was filmed. So, with no resolution to the conflicts, where does one go after seeing the last and final episode? Nowhere. I bet many will decide the time invested in watching this show is wasted.
The Bridge (2015)
A Bridge totally too far
This movie was a profound disappointment. First, let's not call it a movie. It's really a series but one doesn't find this out until the final frame...to be continued--Christmas 2016? After resisting throwing something at the TV, I just shouted, "Are you kidding me?" What's bad about that, one might ask. Seeing series/episode 2 requires one to have some continuity from season one, something which is possible only if one can remember details from such a horrid production. Completely forgettable and worse, completely dishonest.
Not only are we tricked when a conclusion is stolen, unresolved, empty, i.e. postponed for a year, but we have to suffer through such preachy dialog. Stupidly, I watched and waited for something worthy to happen. Maybe after this commercial, I told myself.
The synopsis was misleading too. I reread the synopsis a dozen times, thinking someone was asleep at the keyboard, confusing it with another movie. Where's the rescue? The bookstore isn't failing, it's thriving. Go figure. Where's the hometown? Sadly, nothing will save this mess.
NCIS: New Orleans (2014)
Navy Pilot plane crash--just awful
I can't stand it anymore. As a show that links events in the US Navy as part of its plot, you'd think they would hire competent consultants to review the script. The last episode was so awful, had so many mistakes, for sure I'll never try this series again. First, an USN Captain would never be outside without his hat (cover). The plane crashes because of a sudden nose down condition, out of control. Six G's, they say, maybe, but they would be NEGATIVE G's, completely different. The pilot is mostly intact and sitting in the cockpit. Not likely again. The body would be in a thousand pieces, put in baggies. I had to walk away at this point. Simply awful.
500 Questions (2015)
High IQ's not needed
My wife, who was once invited to join Mensa, loves this show. But I don't get it. What quiz show allows a winner to only get about 70% of the questions correct and still wins? Ridiculous. Example: "What is the 4th largest city in the USA?" Answer? Rattle off all the large cities you can think of, as fast as you can in 10-seconds, and you are good to go. What kind of interesting game is this, where you can shotgun answers to get a hit? As for the challenger, he/she is completely powerless in most cases. It's not a matter of the challenger beating the reigning contestant. It's more about the reigning contestant undoing him/herself. The only power the challenger has is to choose a weak category in the XX situation. So, instead of stronger contestants surviving the contest with each round getting better and better, it's all about nothing.
And, if I hear the host, Richard Quest, ask what happens if you get three X'es one more time
well, even my wife rolls her eyes on that.
In closings, for me this show is about keeping the peace. I'd much rather go outside and scrub dirt off the driveway. In the end, I have to settle for a bitten lip.
Elementary: The Female of the Species (2015)
Recovering the Story Line
It is interesting that writers never leave a good thing be. So it was that the character Kitty appeared on the scene, upsetting an otherwise wonderful series. Finally, it seems the writing staff has taken into account the results of tinkering with a proved formula. Kitty has now gone away, back to London, and the storyline is coming back to its roots. The stage is now set for Watson to move back into the brownstone with Sherlock, admitting she is just as much a misfit as her mentor. Let us hope that the near fatal experiment in tinkering has been washed out of the writing group's system. It will be well for Sherlock and Watson to again form the team that works best. That said, Ophelia Lovibon (Kitty) was terrific, even if her character was misplaced. It is hoped that we will see more of her, but the character fit for Elementary just didn't work.
One Christmas Eve (2014)
One Christmas Clunker
Absolutely the worst movie made in recent years, Christmas or not. The only good thing about this flop is the puppy. One must wonder what they were thinking to actually release this horrid excuse of a movie. Once the process started, the script finished, actors selected
it's as if the process was a train that couldn't be stopped. Someone should have thrown the switch to put this on a side-rail for no one to see. What planet do these people come from? There are no redeeming elements. The plot is weak, the storyline is stealthy, and the acting non-existent. Situations strain credulity. If you manage to get through the first hour, you'll know it was a mistake to watch, and you'll hate yourself of being sucked in by the puppy. Best to record it so you can FF/Watch a little/FF/watch a little more/DELETE. You'll find out the last 15-minutes is as bad as the middle segments. I'm a sucker for even bad Christmas movies, but this is off the scale at a -10, if that were possible.
Angels and Ornaments (2014)
The Winning Formula
My wife asked, "Why do you like this movie but don't like movies about Santa?" There are two classes of formulaic Christmas movies produced by Hallmark. One class succeeds most of the time, given a good script and good actors. The other doesn't. To be successful, it must be believable if we can suspend our prejudices. When it comes to angels, etc., we all want to believe they exist. Even an agnostic like me, wishes this to be true. On the other hand, when it comes to fantasy Christmas involving Santa, we all know it isn't believable so we just ride with it because, after all, it is fantasy. With Angels and Ornaments, we have a wonderful script and a mesmerizing Sergio Di Zio (H). Coupled with Jessalyn Gilsig
well, the magic works. This is on par with The Christmas Card, one of the best Christmas movies made in recent years.
One Starry Christmas (2014)
Starry Nights
It must be difficult to write an original storyline for a Christmas movie because this one fails in so many areas. The plot is layered with tried and true situations blatantly taken from other, more successful efforts. Given that viewers are asked to suspend reality when watching fantasy movies, this should not be the case for romance dramas. In no way is this plot remotely believable. The characters are created from some secret method book for screenwriters. The self-centered male, antagonist. His sweet and pretty female protagonist and a potential love interest. Stranded during a bus ride from Chicago to NY. Throw in the quirky Texans. Strain the ill-fated relationship with issues of career. Add an unwanted and public proposal. Throw in a climatic horse ride from New Jersey to NYC and you'll be laughing more than you feel any true empathy or emotion in the end. This is a movie you have seen already, stitched together from other, more creative work. Best to pass this one by and see the original component movies, going so far back as It Happened One Night (1934) and most recently The Christmas Card (2006).
Atonement (2007)
Worth watching again
I recently watched this movie again, after several years.
In our household we are always distressed with the shallow selection of movies currently being made. We often say, why so much trash. Watching this work of art demonstrates that sometimes a movie can be accurately portray the literary beauty of a well written screen play.
In this effort, never mind the great acting. Never mind the lack of special affects or adrenaline pumping action. The movie gets down to things we all experience in life: REGRET. It allows a sober reelection of one's life. While the consequences of mistakes vary, we all make them and we all suffer from them.
This is a well written story, and even if the book is better (like they always are), this effort is superb and worth the retelling and re-watching again and again.
Scorpion (2014)
What were they thinking?
Ridiculous is an understatement. Silly and stupid. What a waste of time, unless you are from Fantasy Land.
Being a father of an autistic 35 year-old adult, I do appreciate the effort to highlight the difficulties of the condition. But, the kernel of truth is but a mustard seed in this case, indeed. Even when asked to appreciate the implausible, to go with it for a bit, one needs to slip into some sort of impaired mental state to take anything away from this script.
It belongs in a Saturday morning cartoon time-slot. Even for 6-year old kids, it is a stretch. And, when the kids are 8-years old, they'll be embarrassed they ever watched it. There is simply no way to save this clunker.
Rescue Dawn (2006)
Errors in film
There are many inaccuracies in this film, especially in the first part on the Carrier. USN ranks do not include Flight Lieutenants...that is a Royal Navy rank. Zuni rockets do not drop, the are fired off of a rail. The helmets are wrong. A two-star admiral would not brief a combat mission. Ranger had a angle deck, not a straight deck. The protagonist's night in Saigon, mentioned while dressing for the mission, is improbable...carriers worked out of Subic Bay in the Philippines. One must cross Vietnam (North or South) to get to Laos, not the other way around. An A-1 "Spad" crashing with the pilot not bailing out and surviving without any injuries is unlikely, yet he was up and running for cover within seconds.
Once I could get past these errors, the rest is probably accurate to the true story upon which the film is based. His experience as a POW was probably much worse than depicted.
It would have been nice to see what happened to the rest of the escapees. Maybe they were never heard from again, or perhaps their characters were fictional? We'll never know.
The methods used by squadron mates in spiriting away the protagonist from the CIA in Thailand is a little tough to swallow, too. How would they get there, and a Huey could never make the trip from Thailand to Ranger in the Gulf of Tonkin, and it is unlikely that a US Army helo would be allowed to land on a carrier deck, as shown. The USN did not operate this type of helo from carriers.
Once past these issues, which most of the public will not be concerned with anyway, the escape, etc., was very entertaining.
USN, Retired