Some may dispute Hannah Arendt's theory of the banality of evil but if you want to see the very personification of such evil banality, this film is it. Rudolph Hoss, the camp commandant, is bad enough in his efforts to make Auschwitz run "smoothly", but his wife, Hedwig, is so infuriating that I had to resist screaming at her "what is wrong with you". Early in the film, when Rudolph heads off to "work" on horseback and she bids him bye bye, she practically comes this close to saying "Have a nice day murdering Jews, dear". She then remains oblivious to the evil being perpetrated during the entire course of the movie, whether it be sorting through the belongings of the dead for the "good stuff" or threatening the household servants with extermination if they don't measure up. The worst is when Rudolph is transferred temporarily but she refuses to move because their home right next to a death camp is the "best" their family has ever had. Genuinely revolting.
Reviews
22 Reviews
Good But With A Glaring Omission
2 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This episode about the August 17, 1943, Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission does an excellent job of portraying the horrors of WWII air-to-air combat and of how brave the 8th Air Force crews had to be to fly their missions, while also portraying them as very human with real fears. Ordinarily, I would rate an episode like this an 8 or a 9, but I'm giving it a 7 because of a glaring omission from the story. That is that these long-range missions deep into Germany were so dangerous to fly because the Allied fighter planes of that period of the war in Europe (American P-47 Thunderbolt and P-38 Lightning - British Spitfire) did not have the range to escort the B-17s all the way to the target and back (there actually has been no mention of Allied fighter escorts in the series yet at all). This meant that on these missions the Germans would wait until the fighters escorting the B-17s turned back and then they would attack. The theory was that the B-17s in their formations, where the guns of each plane would support those of the others, would be able to battle through the German fighters without serious losses. Well, when battle theory doesn't work in battle practice, people get killed, and that is what happened here, where the 8th Air Force lost 60 bombers that day, including 9 from the 100th. It would have taken maybe two minutes to clarify this in the episode and would have made for even higher drama. Losses like this are going to continue, but there was a significant development at the end of 1943 that changed things for the better, but I won't disclose this for now.
American Fiction
(2023)
A Clever And Entertaining Satire
28 January 2024
An earlier review called this movie a razor-sharp satire of White preoccupation with African American stereotypes and I really can't do any better than that. It was truly cringe inducing watching white people imagining that the novel within the story was a "true" reflection of Black life in America, sticking Black people into a box of their own imagining, when it was all a scam. I really want to complement the cast, who were all excellent, with extra credit given to Jeffrey Wright, who has really become one of my favorite actors. His performance is so well modulated that I would not be shocked if he somehow managed to scoop up the Best Actor Oscar, but the competition this year (Cillian Murphy, Paul Giamatti) is really stiff.
Napoleon
(2023)
Napoleonic Cliff Notes
1 December 2023
This is an OK movie as it is, but it proved to me that it is simply impossible to cover the length and breadth of Napoleon Bonaparte's career in a film that is only two and a half hours long. It simply leaves too much out, and I doubt that even the 4-hour streaming version will do the trick. There was a "Napoleon" mini-series released around twenty years ago that was much better at six and a half hours long. It may not have had the production values of Scott's film but its battle sequences were fine and, more to the point, it explained a lot more. Scott simply condenses too much and allows a slew of inaccuracies, too. Maybe the 4-hour version will help with some of this, but we'll have to see.
Babylon Berlin
(2017–2025)
Save Babylon Berlin!
24 July 2023
First off, let me say that "Babylon Berlin" is.one of the finest TV series ever made, period. That said, there is bad news about this show that I need to put out there. It's bad enough that Netflix still has not made season 4 available in the USA, where I had to buy it on DVD from the UK and play it on my region-free DVD player in order to watch it, but I've now seen that Sky Deutschland is getting out of the business of producing scripted dramas and will not be producing any further episodes of this terrific program. How can this be possible?!! I've seen talk about other production companies, including Netflix, possibly partnering up to produce a new season, but in today's bottom line-oriented business culture, I'm not holding my breath about this. With its excellent writing, cast, and production values, it's still not enough to keep this show going? Unbelievable!
Sisu
(2022)
Inglorious Finns
7 May 2023
OK, Jalmari Helander definitely copped some licks from Quentin Tarantino, but I also felt some Sergio Leone influences because this picture often felt like a Finnish spaghetti western. Was the film totally improbable and over the top? Yeah, but so what, I had a good time, anyway. I think all involved in making this picture were really in on the joke of what they were doing, especially the actors playing the Nazis. They must have figured if we're going have to play evil villains, let's be gleefully evil villains. It keeps the tone of the movie where it needs to be. Not the greatest film ever made but still a fun time at the movies.
Zulu
(1964)
Still Thrillingly Entertaining
31 October 2022
I first saw "Zulu" when it premiered in 1964 when I was all of 9 years old and have returned to it multiple times over the years. It is still one of the best films about a heroic defense ever made and is just that good. Of course, times have changed and modern attitudes toward this film could be different. Back then, it was all about the thin red line standing up heroically to the native onslaught, while a modern view could be that it is about the suppression of an indigenous peoples' anti-colonial revolt by superior imperialist firepower. There's truth in both views, so all I can say is just give this prime portrayal of British stiff upper lip courage in battle a chance.
West Side Story
(2021)
It's Not Bad, Just Not Great
7 June 2022
If the 1961 film had never been made, people could think that this version was pretty good, but I think that the difference between the two films is that the earlier version is most definitely a musical all the way while this version seems to be a documentary about the negative impacts of urban renewal with music. The emphasis on the actual musicality of the show in Spielberg's version is just off. Again, not bad, just not great.
The Suicide Squad
(2021)
And this is supposed to be the good Suicide Squad movie?
29 August 2021
So I bought into the hype about this movie supposedly being so much better than the 2016 Suicide Squad picture and watched it on HBO Max. Well somebody has got to be kidding because watching this 2021 version was a waste of time from beginning to end. If this mindless drivel is supposed to be better than its predecessor then that has to be one of the worst movies of all time because this one was just dreadful. Also, why Margot Robbie, a truly gifted actress, chooses to waste her talent in her multiple portrayals of Harley Quinn is just beyond me. Avoid this movie at all costs.
A masterpiece
25 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Simply the single greatest documentary about a battle that I have ever seen, period, and I have seen a lot of them. It covers everything about Stalingrad, the strategy, the tactics, the participants, both great and small, and most importantly, what was at stake, and does it all in less than an hour. Perhaps the finest moment is at the end, where Laurence Olivier quotes Hitler about how individuals don't matter, about how they die anyway, where what matters is the nation, while showing the corpse of a dead German soldier lying in the snow by the side of a road. Absolutely masterful.
Midway
(2019)
Solid portrayal of critical battle with decent acting and excellent effects
12 November 2019
Was impressed by the film, which turned out to be better than I expected, certainly better than the 1976 "Midway" and vastly better than Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor", which I consider to be a cartoon. You get a good history lesson on the first six months of the Pacific war, the portrayal of the intelligence efforts to set the stage for the battle is well done, the acting is decent for this kind of epic movie, and the CGI effects are excellent. Some of the battle scenes are actually terrifying, even though you know how events are going to turn out. Is it a perfect movie? Of course not, some of the inevitable war movie cliches crop up, and some facts get fudged, such as where the actions of U.S. fighter planes in the battle, as noted by others, are completely omitted, but still a good, respectable effort.
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
(2016–2022)
I'm Moving On
23 March 2018
It's a shame what has happened to this show lately. In the beginning, I thought it was genuinely hilarious, and would have graded it a solid 8. However, in the last six months, it seems that Sam has let her anger about what is going on get the better of her and the show has gone from being satirically funny to strident, preachy, overbearing, and really not funny at all. Trust me that politically I am in Sam's corner but if I want to watch someone's angry opinions I'll watch an opinion show. When I watch a comedian, I want to get some laughs with their opinions, and lately I have not laughed at "Full Frontal" at all, despite wanting to laugh in the worst way to get some relief from the daily barrage of crazy news, so I'm moving on. If I hear that she's decided to lighten up a little maybe I'll return but for now I'm taking a break.
The Interview
(II) (2014)
Kim, Dude, Lighten Up
27 December 2014
Warning: Spoilers
It really says all that you need to know about Kim Jong-Un that this silly, really harmless comedy stirred him into such a vindictive frenzy. Yeah, sure, he dies at the end, but hey, he asked for it. Thanks to YouTube for making this available when other exhibitors caved in to intimidation. Having now gotten the politics out of the way, I can say that "The Interview" is a truly successful comedy that provides you with more than a full share of laughs, some of which are pretty hilarious. Is it a work of comic genius? No, it has a few dead and/or sophomoric patches during it's running time but it more than makes up for it with some really inspired bits. I want to give special credit to Diana Bang, who is as cute as could be as Kim's spokesperson who has a change of heart, and to Randall Park for playing the supreme leader as just a misunderstood boy with daddy issues until he really lets his dark side come out. I don't understand why mainstream critics have been hard on this picture; trust me that you'll have a good time if you check it out.
Neighbors
(I) (2014)
A Triumph of Marketing Over Movie Making
19 May 2014
My congratulations to the producers of "Neighbors". You may not have made much of a movie but you came up with a great marketing campaign, one that persuaded me that I might actually have a good time watching this picture. Instead I wound up wasting my time sitting through something that most definitely was not funny. Actually, the funniest thing that happened during the movie is that the popcorn machine in the concession stand at the theater I was at (Franklin Square, NY) malfunctioned and starting burning the popcorn, which set the fire alarm off and stopped the picture dead for 20 minutes (no, I am not making this up). This happened 10 minutes into the picture and little did I know at the time that it was a reprieve rather than an interruption. I give it a rating of 3 for the 3 laughs I had during the course of the movie. 3 laughs for 90+ minutes was not a fair exchange for the ticket price. A must to avoid.
Nebraska
(2013)
My Pick For Best Film of 2013
15 February 2014
Warning: Spoilers
In a year that saw the release of an unusual number of good movies, I finally only just caught up with Nebraska tonight and I was stunned. Having been a fan of Alexander Payne for a long time, I expected it to be good, but this is easily his best film by far. It is just about perfect in every way: direction, script, cinematography, music, and, yes, acting. Sure, Bruce Dern and June Squibb deserve the plaudits they've received, but I also want to give high marks to Will Forte, who I really didn't think had it in him, but who gives as good a performance as anyone else in the picture. His character is a good son trying to deal with a difficult parent who in the end achieves a kind of grace. A deeply moving, very touching film, without a false or overly sentimental note in it. Not to be missed.
ANNIE: It's the Hard-Knock Life, from Script to Stage
(2013 TV Movie)
Outstanding Portrayal of Real Theater Life
29 June 2013
This program accomplished in one hour what "Smash" couldn't do in two seasons: give you real insight into what it takes to stage a first-class musical theater production. Sure, the kids are adorable, and you're rooting for them all the way, but by focusing on what it takes to really get one show stopping number right, you are inspired by how truly talented people can bring us all some theater joy. And you get to see it all. While focusing on the choreographer, costume designer, and set designer, you see so much of the work that goes on behind the scenes that's needed to get the payoff on the stage. Absolutely first rate.
Inside Amy Schumer
(2013–2022)
One of the Worst Sketch Comedy Shows in the History of TV
30 May 2013
Having not really been previously familiar with Amy Schumer's comedy, I wasn't necessarily anticipating Inside Amy Schumer being the female equivalent of Chappelle's Show, but the bottom line is that this show is awful. Trying to be fair, I have now tried watching it three different times and each time wound up switching channels before the episode was over. I simply did not laugh at any of her bits, at all. She is not nearly as cutting edge as she seems to think she is, and her portrayals of excessively needy women aren't funny; they're just creepy. Once this season's run is over I seriously doubt that this show will be back.
The Raid: Redemption
(2011)
This Picture Absolutely Positively Rocks
27 January 2013
Take it from someone who ordinarily doesn't care much for martial arts films, this movie rocks from beginning to end. Pencak Silat is just a really compelling fighting style that seems to lend itself to outstanding fight choreography. I found one sequence after another to be absolutely amazing and the action just doesn't let up. As for those who claim there isn't much character development in the film, I'm not buying it. The hero is a decent young man trying to survive with integrity in a horrifying environment and the villains are truly scary as being recognizable as heartless and cruel human beings. Here's hoping that Hollywood doesn't screw up the remake.
Moving Christmas Film Without the Sugar Coating
24 December 2012
Well, you can tell from my screen name that I'm part of the Irish American tribe. All I can say is that there is a lot of truth in this film. While there is a good deal of family dysfunction being dealt with here, there is also a moving portrayal of how love can transcend hurt if you let it. Believe me, been there, done that, in the same environment that Ed Burns comes from. I know these people and this film, while maybe a little exaggerated, was very real. Definitely worth a viewing, even if your not Irish. Compared to most other Christmas films, there is not a trace of false sentimentality in this picture, but it is warm and heartfelt.
The Master
(2012)
Dreadful Bore
23 September 2012
I have been a fan of previous films directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, particularly "Magnolia" and "There Will Be Blood", so it pains me to have to say what a dreadful bore "The Master" is. Nothing ever gels in the movie; it just lies there, expecting you to take who knows what from it. People were walking out from the show I was at in a theater that draws a sophisticated crowd, so this wasn't a reaction from people who don't "get" art house or independent films. I was tempted to leave myself but stuck out the film's two hours and twenty minutes running time, and believe me, I felt every minute of it. A terrible disappointment.
Cinderella Man
(2005)
Fighting for your life
5 June 2005
Very, very good film that goes way beyond the usual "underdog triumphs against the odds" story. What really elevates the film is its visceral depiction of the Great Depression. I've noted that some reviewers have commented that the first part of the film, before Jim Braddock starts his boxing comeback, seemed slow to them. How can this be? You're watching a destitute family struggling to survive surrounded by others just like them. While the fight scenes were great in their depiction of a brutal reality, Ron Howard succeeds in portraying the struggles of the Braddock family as another brutal reality.
As for the cast, Crowe, Zellwegger and Giamatti provide the usual high-quality performances we've come to expect, but I wanted to give a special mention to Craig Bierko as Max Baer. Maybe this performance will elevate him out of screen acting's second-tier, because he is snarlingly, arrogantly great.
As for the cast, Crowe, Zellwegger and Giamatti provide the usual high-quality performances we've come to expect, but I wanted to give a special mention to Craig Bierko as Max Baer. Maybe this performance will elevate him out of screen acting's second-tier, because he is snarlingly, arrogantly great.
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