Oh boy, another sad aging rock star. I feel for the guy; I do. It's got to be rough to be getting old and having health issues when you used to feel like and be treated like a god. But I don't know, to make a movie out of it and show everybody how sad you are? I don't get it. It does give me new appreciation though for how much energy he put into his shows when he was younger. The line that stays with me was actually from his wife; she said regarding his career and their family life, that his career was "his life, not ours". I understand not wanting to retire and having to because of physical limitations. Like I said I feel for the guy.
Reviews
19 Reviews
Tiny Beautiful Things
(2023)
Dear Sugar, I'll take the book.
10 April 2023
This show is based on the book by the same name, a collection of Dear Sugar letters answered (originally anonymously) by Cheryl Strayed. Anyone familiar with Cheryl's work knows her life story and will recognize the real parts of her story in this show. About half the show is a Strayed biography and half is fiction. The overdubbed real letters are original and beautiful. Cheryl is an extremely gifted writer and advice giver, and she based her Dear Sugar advice on her own life experiences. The show creates a fictional narrative of a woman's messy life partially based on a real woman's messy life, incorporating the letters into the narrative. Although clever and well executed, the parts of the show don't completely add up. But the book is amazing, and given the choice between the book or the show I would definitely choose the book.
Full circle to the thing
15 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
After 4 seasons, it's easy to forget the show ends as it begun, with Joe in a room full of students asking a question. But in the pilot, he's cocky, impulsive, immature, and hungry. 10 years later, he's 10 years wiser, and he's managed to fit a lot of living and a lot of wisdom into those 10 years. (Even the cars he's driving at the beginning and the end are similar; everything in between was a sports utility vehicle.) You know that when he tells the students he wants to ask them a question this time, it's going to be a very different question, and for very different reasons. Now Joe wants to share his wisdom with young people, whereas in the beginning, he just wanted to recruit people to become a tycoon. I found all of the characters in the show to be compelling, but Joe had the best storyline and Lee stood out as the most interesting actor. This was a remarkable show.
The Filth and the Fury
(2000)
The Incomplete story of the Sex Pistols
14 October 2022
Overall, this is a very good documentary about the Sex Pistols. Lots of footage from their early concerts, including shots of unknown people in that scene who would later become stars, such as Sting and Billy Idol, general footage from that time in the UK, and some TV pop culture references that I am not familiar with as an American. I was disappointed though that most of the audio was from the studio recordings instead of from the live footage that they were showing. Also, for some strange reason the band members were filmed and interviewed in silhouette, faces not shown. Perhaps at that time they didn't want to be recognized, but today they are all very much recognizable on YouTube and social media. The most notable omission in this film is information about Sid Vicious's overdose and death, which was just a statement instead of providing the in-depth information we now have about his severe heroin addiction and his mother's significant role in his death. For that you'll have to turn to YouTube.
Perfect story in a story illustrating the nature of stories
4 September 2022
This episode is a brilliant encapsulation of one of the themes of this season, which is that everyone's truth is their own, and that there is no absolute truth. There are so many lines of dialogue in this season that illustrate this. Even the opening statements that this is a true story, which we know is not true, demonstrate this. When you watch a show like this you really have to pay attention to the ongoing dialogue, or it's not going make sense.
If you think it was a mistake that there was an age discrepancy related to this story with Gloria's stepfather, watch the series again and listen to the quotes people say about truth and stories. This episode's story is an amalgamation of the waitress's memories from a time she was barely conscious, an interview with an Alzheimer's patient, and Gloria's independent research of a dead man she barely knew. Combine that with the fact that this show loves to throw in themes of aliens, there is no absolute truth as to who her stepfather was or what happened when he lived in LA if he ever did.
"Let each man say what he deems truth, and let truth itself be commended unto God." -Varga.
We are not here to tell stories, we are here to tell the truth. -East Berlin Official.
If you think it was a mistake that there was an age discrepancy related to this story with Gloria's stepfather, watch the series again and listen to the quotes people say about truth and stories. This episode's story is an amalgamation of the waitress's memories from a time she was barely conscious, an interview with an Alzheimer's patient, and Gloria's independent research of a dead man she barely knew. Combine that with the fact that this show loves to throw in themes of aliens, there is no absolute truth as to who her stepfather was or what happened when he lived in LA if he ever did.
"Let each man say what he deems truth, and let truth itself be commended unto God." -Varga.
We are not here to tell stories, we are here to tell the truth. -East Berlin Official.
Subtlety powerful performances from three amazing young actors
17 March 2022
The scene that has Duke expressing her agonizing adolescent existential angst is brilliant. What an amazing young actor. And then over to Frankie, gently explaining the importance of people using preferred pronouns to her always jokey mom, still Frankie summons patience, compassion, and maturity, understanding the difficultly older generations sometimes have understanding this relatively new important expression of self. Max is always great as the young adult experimenting with boundaries with her mom. Subtlety powerful performances from three amazing young actors.
Nooo!
4 March 2022
Brutal
24 February 2022
This episode alternates between three time periods: the elation of Pamela's early modeling days, the whirlwind romance of her new marriage to Tommy Lee, and the horrifying humiliation she endured at the Penthouse deposition. Very hard to watch the latter.
The Many Saints of Newark
(2021)
So That's Where He Got It...
4 January 2022
This film is a prequel to the award winning TV series The Sopranos. It's a gift to fans of that show. The tagline is "Who made Tony Soprano", which tells you all you need to know about what this film is. If you haven't watched and loved The Sopranos, if you don't know who Tony Soprano is and whether or not he had the makings of a varsity athlete, this film is not for you. Watch the series first and then come back to this.
If you watched and loved the Sopranos, you know that Tony Soprano was played by the late James Gandolfini. The role of Tony Soprano in the second half of this film is played by Michael Gandolfini, James Gandolfini's son. And he is good. Some of his mannerisms are identical to his dad's, which is eerie and magical. But the beauty of this film does not lie in Michael's performance alone; it is focused primarily on the performance of Alessandro Nivola, who plays Dickie Moltisanti. His portrayal of Dickie predicts, in every word and action, exactly who Tony Soprano ultimately becomes. His suave way of dealing with people, his rage, his passion, his sensitivity, his playfulness, his attempts to atone for and make excuses for his sins, it's all there. All of who Tony Soprano became in his adult years is there. To essentially see Tony being played out by the man he most admired as a child, before Tony took on that persona, is quite striking.
The scene that sticks out most as an example of this is at a funeral of a family member of Dickie's, when his crew is not engaged in the event, he flies into a rage, destroys property, says horrible things to them, and then turns around to see Tony watching from the hallway. In The Sopranos, Tony plays out this behavior time and again when he is feeling vulnerable, remorseful, helpless, and grief-stricken.
And on the opposite side of that coin are Dickie's playful mannerisms, unique phrases, the lighthearted boxing maneuver we assumed were all Tony's. Now we see how Tony kept Dickie alive by taking on everything about him. We also gain a lot more insight into where Tony's feelings of inadequacy come from beyond his mother's mental illness.
Michael Gandolfini plays Tony before he became a man, before he incorporated all of those things into his being. So in this film we also get a glimpse of a sweet, smart, and mischievous young Tony.
The irony is that Tony's own father is a dolt, and Dickie's son Christopher becomes a dolt. But Dickie and Tony are sensitive and smart, and more like father and son than any other two characters in this series or film.
There's also a subplot with Dickie and his girlfriend that effectively combines two plots from the Sopranos involving Tony and his wife and Christopher and his fiancé, again mirroring the future.
Of course we get to revisit younger versions of other major characters from the TV show; kudos to the actors who studied the performances of Silvio Dante, Pauly Walnuts, Uncle Junior, Livia, and Janice, and re-created those characters so well. We also get to revisit Holsten's, where the last scene of The Sopranos takes place.
There are many people who didn't like the race riot theme of this film, which I don't understand. Race tensions are definitely relevant, it is something that is both referenced and explored in the TV series, and it explains why Tony lives so far from where he grew up and the source of his blatant racism as an adult.
There are a few things you will learn about this mob family that you didn't know, there's a twist at the end that's not hard to believe, but really this is as close we'll get to a peek into the past for those who love and miss The Sopranos.
If you watched and loved the Sopranos, you know that Tony Soprano was played by the late James Gandolfini. The role of Tony Soprano in the second half of this film is played by Michael Gandolfini, James Gandolfini's son. And he is good. Some of his mannerisms are identical to his dad's, which is eerie and magical. But the beauty of this film does not lie in Michael's performance alone; it is focused primarily on the performance of Alessandro Nivola, who plays Dickie Moltisanti. His portrayal of Dickie predicts, in every word and action, exactly who Tony Soprano ultimately becomes. His suave way of dealing with people, his rage, his passion, his sensitivity, his playfulness, his attempts to atone for and make excuses for his sins, it's all there. All of who Tony Soprano became in his adult years is there. To essentially see Tony being played out by the man he most admired as a child, before Tony took on that persona, is quite striking.
The scene that sticks out most as an example of this is at a funeral of a family member of Dickie's, when his crew is not engaged in the event, he flies into a rage, destroys property, says horrible things to them, and then turns around to see Tony watching from the hallway. In The Sopranos, Tony plays out this behavior time and again when he is feeling vulnerable, remorseful, helpless, and grief-stricken.
And on the opposite side of that coin are Dickie's playful mannerisms, unique phrases, the lighthearted boxing maneuver we assumed were all Tony's. Now we see how Tony kept Dickie alive by taking on everything about him. We also gain a lot more insight into where Tony's feelings of inadequacy come from beyond his mother's mental illness.
Michael Gandolfini plays Tony before he became a man, before he incorporated all of those things into his being. So in this film we also get a glimpse of a sweet, smart, and mischievous young Tony.
The irony is that Tony's own father is a dolt, and Dickie's son Christopher becomes a dolt. But Dickie and Tony are sensitive and smart, and more like father and son than any other two characters in this series or film.
There's also a subplot with Dickie and his girlfriend that effectively combines two plots from the Sopranos involving Tony and his wife and Christopher and his fiancé, again mirroring the future.
Of course we get to revisit younger versions of other major characters from the TV show; kudos to the actors who studied the performances of Silvio Dante, Pauly Walnuts, Uncle Junior, Livia, and Janice, and re-created those characters so well. We also get to revisit Holsten's, where the last scene of The Sopranos takes place.
There are many people who didn't like the race riot theme of this film, which I don't understand. Race tensions are definitely relevant, it is something that is both referenced and explored in the TV series, and it explains why Tony lives so far from where he grew up and the source of his blatant racism as an adult.
There are a few things you will learn about this mob family that you didn't know, there's a twist at the end that's not hard to believe, but really this is as close we'll get to a peek into the past for those who love and miss The Sopranos.
The Sopranos
(1999–2007)
Masterfully Written Mafia Drama
2 January 2022
The Sopranos is a masterfully written character study not just of manipulative, vindictive, insanely intelligent, violent, big-hearted, indulgent, and troubled mob boss Tony Soprano, but also of a subculture that has ingrained the now-adult men in the family to continue to justify a life of theft, murder, adultery, and ruthless homophobia and racism with decades-old immigration hardships. The mafia members are proud of the things they say they have worked for, when in reality everything they have has been stolen, "collected", or earned in high stakes gambling ventures.
Although the series mainly focuses on the character of Tony Soprano played by the talented late James Gandolfini (he is in every episode), there are many ongoing subplots involving his biological and work families, his psychiatrist, and his many girlfriends.
Over time we see how Tony manipulates business deals and people equally. He lies whenever it suits his purposes, to his psychiatrist to attempt to improve her image of him, and to his wife to hide his indiscretions and cover up his mistakes. The storylines involving him and his wife cycle through tender moments earned by decades spent together, mutually manipulative tensions, and vicious fights. Tony frequently shows (mostly his family and psychiatrist) his emotional and physical vulnerabilities and psychological wounds caused by his mother's coldness and verbal abuse, but always uses that vulnerability to try to get what he wants.
Watching the series continually over several months has a far greater impact that watching the show as it originally aired on HBO over 7 years. It was easy to forget subplots and grievances when waiting a year or more to watch the next season then, but if you commit to the show now over a short period of time by buying or renting the discs, you see the character arcs and the big picture. Most importantly the meaning of the final episode is crystal clear. But to understand the meaning of the final episode you must to pay attention to the hints given in earlier seasons and episodes.
Many well-known actors and musicians were featured in single episodes, as ongoing characters, and some in entire seasons (Lady Gaga and Lin Manuel-Miranda have if-you-blink-you'll-miss-it cameos).
Although the series mainly focuses on the character of Tony Soprano played by the talented late James Gandolfini (he is in every episode), there are many ongoing subplots involving his biological and work families, his psychiatrist, and his many girlfriends.
Over time we see how Tony manipulates business deals and people equally. He lies whenever it suits his purposes, to his psychiatrist to attempt to improve her image of him, and to his wife to hide his indiscretions and cover up his mistakes. The storylines involving him and his wife cycle through tender moments earned by decades spent together, mutually manipulative tensions, and vicious fights. Tony frequently shows (mostly his family and psychiatrist) his emotional and physical vulnerabilities and psychological wounds caused by his mother's coldness and verbal abuse, but always uses that vulnerability to try to get what he wants.
Watching the series continually over several months has a far greater impact that watching the show as it originally aired on HBO over 7 years. It was easy to forget subplots and grievances when waiting a year or more to watch the next season then, but if you commit to the show now over a short period of time by buying or renting the discs, you see the character arcs and the big picture. Most importantly the meaning of the final episode is crystal clear. But to understand the meaning of the final episode you must to pay attention to the hints given in earlier seasons and episodes.
Many well-known actors and musicians were featured in single episodes, as ongoing characters, and some in entire seasons (Lady Gaga and Lin Manuel-Miranda have if-you-blink-you'll-miss-it cameos).
Alice falls down the rabbit hole
21 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Definitely the best episode of this series, this fictional Alice represents all the women who had opposed the ERA because they believed the lies they were told, and came to realize over time that fighting the ERA was just a political power grab by religious fanatics. Amidst the rise of women actually creating careers with their college degrees, deciding if and when to have children with the birth control pill, and becoming independent with new laws that allowed them to own property and have credit cards without a man's permission, the Stop ERA movement dissolved into nothing more than a bible-thumpers' fond memory.
How Green Was My Valley
(1941)
The worst "classic" film I've ever seen
13 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Coming to you from a set in a California park, characters portending to be welsh with Irish accents & zero character development romanticizing coal miner life. They'll show a little kid getting whipped by a schoolmaster but won't show the actual horror of working in the coal mines. Inexplicably, years pass and the kid never grows up. I could go on but it's not worth my time. Oscar bait 101 for its time; I didn't feel a thing.
Symbolism
16 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
If you think this episode is about killing animals, you're missing the point. This episode is about the royal family privilege and the process of the search for and appointment of a suitable future Queen. The original buck in the dining hall represents Charles and new newly acquired trophy represents Diana.
The writing and acting are astounding, and Emma Corrin is absolutely stunning as Diana.
This is a character-driven show; if you're looking for action you're howling up the wrong hill.
The writing and acting are astounding, and Emma Corrin is absolutely stunning as Diana.
This is a character-driven show; if you're looking for action you're howling up the wrong hill.
Best episode of this season so far
3 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
When they mentioned REO Speedwagon in the first episode, we knew were going to see them perform. I didn't expect it so soon. So fun to have the performance intertwined with all of the scheming and surprise of Marty agreeing to join the FBI!! Unexpected, exciting plot twists, also loving the interplay between the youngest characters.
Ridiculous fictional account of history that was so much more interesting
21 September 2019
So some writers threw their ego and bad judgment into the ring and decided that this fiction was more interesting than the real turn of events. The way this series is turned into an adulterous and sociopath-laden soap opera is absurd. The real history was so much more interesting. The costuming, sets, and videography is excellent.
America: The Story of the US
(2010)
Cliff notes version of American history with too much re-enactment repetition
10 September 2019
This is a Cliff notes version of American history. Initially visually engaging, as it moves into the second disc, they keep reusing their favorite re-enactments of Civil and Revolutionary war and many other CGI effects that they were obviously very proud of. The repetition started to really drive me nuts. I did enjoy seeing actual footage of things when they got into the 1930s, but then they kept inserting the reenactment footage, and it was maddening.
Condensed, Engaging Early American History
4 July 2019
I enjoyed this episode for its easy-to-understand condensed overview of the earliest events of American history. Great costumes and sets. Interesting narrative from newspeople, military figures, and celebrities. Occasional outdated special effects detract from the story.
Joy Ride
(2001)
Not usually my kind of film
29 January 2006
This was actually a very well-acted, funny, suspenseful, film. The production was also excellent. I was very surprised to find myself continuing to want to watch it since I am usually not interested in films like this. The 3 young main characters are likable and the suspense is palpable. During most of the film there is subtle humor, unexpected surprises, a brief but titillating love-triangle side story, and the kind of suspense that films used to have; they understood that what you can hear but cannot see is scarier than graphic gore. Adding to the fun are the completely implausible chase scenes. Up until the last 15 minutes or so it was a really fun film. Unfortunately it seems that the filmmakers didn't have a real ending and felt the need to replace the subtly with gore to give it a punch at the end. I was disappointed at the clichéd ending; a talented writer could have pitched in to help give this clever film a much better finale.
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