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Reviews
Saltburn (2023)
Gratuitous Cliches
You can see it coming from a mile away. A sophomoric effort filled with scenes designed for effect only. We've seen this cliche many times before in movies. Someone lonely on the outside who wants to get on the inside of a social circle where he doesn't fit. The plot twists soon become obvious. If you're in your twenties and haven't seen much better movies on this theme, you might be impressed. The acting is okay, nothing extraordinary. There isn't much depth of character to work with. If you're an aspiring writer or director, you know you can do better, much better. As they say, it's who you know, not what you know in the movie business.
Maestro (2023)
Disappointing
Hammy acting by Bradley Cooper and superb acting by Carrie Mulligan. Sarah Silverman should stick to comedy and do something about her hair. Otherwise, the film focuses on Bernstein's love interests bypassing almost entirely his musical genius. A very contrived plot, loose pacing and blurry direction leaves one wondering what you are supposed to get from all this. Not much in the end. Bradley Cooper is trying to be a memorable director with the subject matter. But the attempt is weak and there's not enough glue to hold it together. No doubt, it will get an Oscar nomination. Remember, this is Hollywood where very often star power supersedes talent.
Better Things (2016)
Fun, creative series
The main character is a middle aged divorced woman who can't overcome her bitterness. She is sanctimonious in her views and her sense of justice which gets tiresome after awhile. Her three young children, all girls, are rebellious but smart and are a delight to watch. The show has a wonderful talented diverse cast but when the diversity feels contrived, it loses some authenticity. The episode themes are thoughtful and entertaining even as the main character trudges through them like an old pickup truck.
Modern Love (2019)
Modern Love One Great. Modern Love 2 Boo.
The first season of Modern Love was great in its stories, acting and directing. The best part of season Two is the theme song. After that, everything goes downhill. The stories are for the most part cliche, the acting a yawn, the plot lines tenuous. Many of the actors are miscast so there is a lack of authenticity to the characters they play. It's an inclusive cast but I felt that they forgot to include the viewer.
McCartney 3,2,1 (2021)
Missing The Lyrics
There's no debate that the music of Paul McCartney and The Beatles was great. And that his genius shines through. However, the documentary series leaves out something equally important as the melodies and that is the lyrics. Beautiful tune, Eleanor Rigby. How did the lyrics come about? Was Paul feeling lonely? Rick Rubin misses out on all those questions and concentrates on base guitar riffs while fawning over every word Paul utters. Shooting it in black and white like an underground art film was for a me a cliche. Maybe, it was done to camouflage how old they both are. I wasn't disappointed in watching the series for the incredible music but it could have been much more. Perhaps a Season Two.
Like Father (2018)
The Love Boat Returns
Ever wonder how bad movies get the green light? This is an example of one. Cliches galore, stereotypes, unsympathetic characters with good lead actors but a terrible script. This Love Boat needs life boats so everyone can leave this bad movie as quickly as possible.