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Reacher (2022)
Details Matter
Just finished the second season, and thankfully, it was a vast improvement on the first. Of course Reacher exists to be implausibly over-the-top, but the setting and set-up for season two was far more fitting (or I wasn't yelling "oh, come on" back at the screen as much). The dialogue in the second season was more interesting and real, as were the characters and the multiple geographic locations.
Sure, it's a big dumb action series, but I appreciated that the second season wasn't simply all big set pieces and kill shots. (I wasn't thrilled that one of my favorite characters met his end.) It had its cliched moments for sure, but the improvements made on Reacher were very welcomed. Looking forward to season three.
Miami Vice: Death and the Lady (1987)
The Husk of a Hit Show
What happened?! Gone are the clean and cool that made this show, replaced by a soap opera with jaunty one-at-time quick dialogue, exposition, and unrealistic actions/motivations from the characters.
This isn't episode isn't the worst of the series, but it does mark this season as a distinct change in tone. Feels like Miami Vice was a victim of its own success, with storylines straggling further out into generic tropes (same with the previous episode, "Amen...Send Money").
I was a big fan of the show when it first aired, but my viewing dropped after season 2 (life got busier in 1986). The MV in my mind retained that cool patina. Watching now, 35 years hence, it's a bit embarrassing and off-putting. No Michael Mann, no Dick Wolf.
I will muscle through til the finale, but if it keeps up like this, it will be a slough.
Ridley (2022)
Hear My Song
As a longtime fan of Adrian Dunbar, I was piqued by the opportunity to see him bowl a new role. He always seems to have a knack of letting his personage fill in slim details for the character.
The subplot for this first season stroked a sustained bass note, meeting our main character working to put the pieces together while in a state deep mourning.
The fact that he co-owned a jazz club was a nice touch, I thought, harkening back to Dunbar's role as night club impresario Mickey in the film Hear My Song (1991). My hope, throughout the series, was that his character might break out one of the numbers from that film (Nancy, Movin', Hear My Song, etc.), but alas, no.
Still, the little detail of the club (called Marling's instead of Heartly's) was a nice little career callback for Dunbar, a nice bit of character meld (copper / crooner).
I would advise anyone who hasn't seen Hear My Song to take a look, especially if your main reference to Dunbar is Line of Duty. Of course, he was fantastic there, but seeing this early '90's indie might help to help round out Dunbar's repertoire.
Miami Vice: Tale of the Goat (1985)
The Voodoo Episode
How was this episode cleared for production? Lacking any substance or grit from the beginning, the storyline would be better served up by Scooby-Doo than Miami Vice. Canned jokes and action pulled directly from a tropes catalogue, with none of the pathos that made the show, as a whole, unique. The acting by the guests fell flatter than day old Pepsi. But then, perhaps the entirety of the episode was meta, a zombie itself. It certainly felt that way. It was a real stinker, limping along, beady eyed, mumbling, "This is Miami Vice," while in all ways except the pastiche, unrecognizable. How this got cleared and produced, I do not know. My guess would be that at this point in the show's success, Michael Mann could write his own ticket. This episode was pure zombie. 3/10 for the pastiche.
Law & Order: Organized Crime: ...Wheatley Is to Stabler (2022)
So over the top
This one felt rushed to the point of implausibility, with all the stops pulled out. Sure,there was some cool crypto jargon and an anticipated requited moment between two characters, but so much of it felt forced to the point of annoyance. Everyone became an obtuse caricature of themself.
I feel like the Wheatley story arc should have encompassed the entire season, but it was shorted here in mostly coarse fashion. Interesting little morsels like Seb doling out stacks of cash at random could certainly have been extended over a couple episodes.
Another blearing gaffe running throughout the entire series production is the time of day continuity; scene to scene goes from daylight to night as if it were mere minutes. I mean, how long are Ma and Babe farmer out dancing? Five hours? Did they have the tensile joint stamina?
Jack Ryan: Old Haunts (2022)
8/10 Despite
Why? Because this is the level of suspension-of-disbelief action I have been craving, in addition to its prescient international plot and subject matter. Yes, there were plenty of instances where this, that, or the other are highly implausible (hence the minus 2), but it's the kind of just squeaking by, high wire narrative that's hitting the spot.
I am thrilled the series is back for a third round. One must have the foreknowledge that Tom Clancy character Jack Ryan is evergreen, and like a Weeble: he may wobble, but he won't fall down. It remains exciting to see all the new inventive situations, locations, and ways our hero might extract himself from imminent danger.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
With each episode, The Force increases
Like many, I am a lifelong SW fan. I was a kid when A New Hope was released and have been compelled to follow the saga all through its meandering jags and journeys. So, of course I was going to take in the side story of Obi-Wan Kenobi (with the jaundiced eye of measured expectations).
After all was said and done, I believe it achieved an 8, an award it gained on with each episode. Had I graded it after the first three, it would have given a somewhat polite nod with a bit of criticism regarding some of the more dumb Romper Room aspects with the Leia scenes.
However, as the series progresses, things start to gel and take on a real in the pocket classic SW feel, esp. Eps 5 & 6. I could feel the rhythm and rhyme coming through, and though it was known that the principal characters would survive to see another day, there remained a real sense of danger and risk.
My advice: make it through to the end.
Annika (2021)
Middle aged Allie McBeal
Ew...talking directly to the viewer, the flim flam emotional doubting, the walking backward into decisions, and the obtuse and broadly placed nordic references? I imagine there is an audience for this, but it's not for me.
Was looking forward to a new police procedural with Nicola Walker after her stellar lead in Unforgotten. Left wanting.
Loki: Journey Into Mystery (2021)
The Man Behind the Curtain
First off, what a GLORIOUSLY FANTASTIC episode, Other commenters have written eloquently about its magnificence. However, I am here to drop a theory about the one hiding behind Alioth and the Time-Keepers, and I believe that this multi-verse-like episode, as well as the previous one, are pointing in a specific direction.
We know that the Time-Keepers, through their hunters and courts, pull people off of the timeline when they deviate from their course. Yes?
We know (or think) that there are no real timekeepers, that they were androids. In other words, a front or perceived figureheads. Yes?
We know in the comics world, a character can have a story arc series set in different times and places, with different looks and powers (Classic Loki, Boy Loki, Alligator Loki). Those series have a finite run on the shelves before being grounded, only to be revived again after a few years in a different form. Yes?
My theory is that the man behind the curtain is either Stan Lee or the Comics Code Authority, where comic publishing "members submitted comics to the CCA, which screened them for adherence to its code, then authorized the use of their seal on the cover of the book was found to be in compliance. At the height of its influence, it was a de facto censor for the U. S. comic book industry." (Wikipedia).
With the set design of the TVA so distinctly set with artifacts, colors, and ideations of the future from the 1950s-1990s, I think that this may put a bullseye on the CCA, a kind of dis track toward them. If they were responsible for grounding and censoring characters' (and artists') storylines (and with Marvel subsequently breaking away from the CCA authority at the turn of the the century), then this may be a glorious f-- you from the MCU.
That's my theory.
Shock and Awe (2017)
Painful Flashback
I can remember the war drums being sounded, the neo-con hawks within the administration circling and plotting, and the EXTREME adrenal BS masked as patriotism being injected into national conscious. I remember because I saw it for what it was; a con. Saying so revealed an uncomfortable truth about some friends and family, that they believed the lie, even when presented with evidence. The strains that began then have only been reinforced in the decades since.
This film, while hammering home a sense of vindication, still makes it feel like the truth is somewhere far, far away in orbit or on an island. The journalists at Knight-Ridder were heroes for doggedly pursuing the truth, and this is a good exposé showing this. Very thankful to them.
Knowing the truth is a lonely place to be when no one is listing and everyone is gaslighting or repeating three word jingoisms.
Gulliver's Travels (2010)
I love this movie!
Perhaps it's because I first saw this with my kids when they were young. We still quote parts of it to this day ("Fun. Fun courtship we have...together"). Chris O'Dowd steals the show, with his pitch-perfect petulant Edward Edwardian. I had also read the Jonathan Swift book when I was a kid and I was always fascinated with the idea. I think the film pulled it off hilariously well.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Dirty (2011)
SVU meets The Room
Mostly, I'm riveted by how acting by the actress playing Sunny (Shohreh Aghdashloo) feels so much like Tommy Wiseau. Short bursts of dialogue, purposely overly dramatic, unconventional delivery. She steals every scene shes in, she does not share.
Becker - Kungen av Tingsryd (2017)
Wobbly and Tasty as Watermelon
I see this film has taken some bad reviews, but I genuinely disagree. I would guess that most of those who have rated this film are Swedish, and that this film did not measure up to some standard of expectation.
As an outsider living in Sweden, this film lands extremely close to the bizarre types of interactions and situations I've experienced. Nothing feels connected to anything, the rules are unspoken, off-center, and seemingly arbitrary.
There is a saying which has been offered to me on several separate occasions by different random people I've met;
An American is like a peach, very soft and fuzzy and gooey on the outside, but stone-cold and hard at the core (friendly, but ultimately unmovable). A Swede is like a watermelon, very hard and thick on the outside, but once you get past that, it's soft, watery and gooey everywhere on the inside (difficult to know, but internally smooshy).
That feeling was captured in this film, far better than I've seen in other Swedish films. I imagine that a Swede would wholly disagree with my take, choosing not to allow a solitary mention of a perceived wobble in their collective self image. However, as one who was not raised within the Swedish culture I live in and with, the oddity of this film and its rhythm are both familiar and enjoyable.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
American Love Hostage Approved
Back in 2001, I had a summer fling in Brooklyn with the Swedish woman who would become the mother of our children. I was compelled to pull up stakes and plant myself in Sweden, thinking it would be a 2-year commitment. Here I am 18 years later.
Leaving my art rich Brooklyn neighborhood was painfully difficult. Eurovision Song Contest made that pill triple bitter. Somehow, The Strokes, TV on the Radio, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Interpol were now replaced by The Poodles, Kiki, Lordi, and Lena Ph. I was a love hostage, and Melodifestivalen and ESC were torturous. Especially, since my SO just LOVED it.
Had I not uprooted myself for Sweden, I would have NEVER known about this phenomenon (which began as a friendly competition at the dawn of European television broadcasting after WWII). However, since I did, have endured watching this spectacle yearly with my SO and kids.
This film hits the spot, and it was rigorous in the way it captured the big production and money behind the campy international contest, which is like paying $100,000 for a handlebar streamer. It had all the parts I would mock, but without making fun of the effort and joy these people put into it.
So, I really enjoyed the movie in a very close and personal way. Had I stayed in Brooklyn, or Iowa for that matter, I am certain this pic would have left me puzzled and frustrated. ESC knowledge and experience recommended.
Bully. Coward. Victim: The Story of Roy Cohn (2019)
Not a death blow.
In its attempt to show Cohn from various angles, I felt this film treated Cohn with kid gloves and danced around the edges. While the filmmaker is a granddaughter of the Rosenbergs, whom Cohn had put to death, it seems she worked out of need to humanize the madman. It's a commendable, especially given the circumstances, however I really wanted this film to slice him to ribbons. I don't fault her. The film was good and I learned a couple new things I hadn't before (duPont fracass, for one), it just ended before I was sated. I had a different set of expectations going in.
Spenser Confidential (2020)
Really didn't expect to like this. I did.
I was a kid back in the 80s and a fan of the Spenser for Hire series starring Robert Urich and Avery Brooks. So when I saw the trailer come up on Netflix, I was both intrigued and skeptical. Wahlberg usually hits one note, albeit very well. It gets the job done in his roles. However, I was not expecting him to be able to take on the Spenser character and ignored this film until tonight.
I must say, though it was wholly unbelievable in a real world sense, I was thoroughly drawn in and enjoyed this piece of work. While the classic Mustang wasn't present, nor Hawk in a trench coat and shaved head, the film superseded the cosmetic changes from the series. Plus...Alan Arkin! You can never go wrong with Alan Arkin. I finished the film wanting a sequel. It was hammy and cliché In spots, but also a good picture I'd watch again.
This Means War (2012)
Usually, I avoid spoilers...
...but this time, I was already annoyed enough by the opening 1/2 hr premise that I gladly sought out information and cut to the chase. Glad I did.
Dying Laughing (2016)
Solid exposé
I hadn't heard a word about this film and only stumbled into it while flipping channels...and there's Billy Connelly, sitting in a chair, cast in black & white against a plain backdrop, talking about the craft of stand-up. I was rapt from that point on.
The doc gives an inside view of the nuts, bolts, and mechanics of stand-up comedy by those who hit the stage and ply the craft. Comedians of all manner spill the beans on what it takes and what it gives; the long road, dismal motel rooms, the loneliness, the hecklers, the boos, and the glorious highs of honing a set, capturing an audience, winning them over, and reaching a pitch where everything kills.
The film fully resonates with my experience as a stand-up, and as a film, I appreciated its tonality, showcasing the comedians telling their stories in raw B/W, with B-roll of the clubs, cafés, and the road shot in color. It may be confirmation bias, but I found myself voicing "yes", "exactly", and pointing at the screen as I recognized the experiences and emotions.
While the film is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the breadth and depth of how many comedians took part, I kept waiting in anticipation to see several more; Bill Burr, Louis CK #metoo, Zach Galifanakis, Todd Barry, Paula Poundstone, Lilly Tomlin, Tig Nayarit, David Cross, etc.
9/10
Rat Race (2001)
On second viewing...
While I remember that I had watched this over a decade ago, I had no real memory of any of it. Perhaps it was circumstantial or it was lost in a glut of early/mid 2000s comedies, but none of it stuck, at that time.
I suspect that, due to the heated and strident political era we find ourselves currently, as well as the onset of social media ennui having reached maturation, this point in time is perfectly poised for a film like this. I loved it this time through. So far away from the daily screeds and hair-on-fire anxieties that have become life post-2016. It is a hidden gem, so offbeat and ridiculous. It was a true breath of fresh air. 9/10
Megalodon (2018)
Utter dreck, but here are the positives!
Ugh! What a stinker! In that way, it achieves its own perfection. Having brought my kids up on the classics, now that they are in their teens, we have directed our attention to the turds coming out of The Asylum. The supreme absurdity makes for a good family night.
Another plus is being able to make a game from these films. Megalodon is no exception. Ex: every time the captain says, "This is still my ship!"...do (some thing specified).
Lastly, these films serve as an example of how, in contrast, fantastic "real" film making can be.
I would love to see Michel Gondry helm one of these maligned affairs, but then, it wouldn't be the stinking pile we hatelove.
Magnum P.I. (2018)
Not bad.
You know what? I like it. So, it's re-jiggered the roles from the '80's. So has society. It's still a fun, mindless, action-packed 44 mins. I think it holds up.
Vinyl (2016)
Hello 1973!
While the storyline is a definite hook for anyone fascinated with music, celebrity, and the entertainment business of the early 70's, it's the casting, wardrobe, make-up, and sets that send take this show to another dimension.