cookstevend Reviews

The Court (2002)

An interesting show, strangled in the crib

[8/10 · 8 March 2021]

I watched all three episodes of The Court. Unlike First Monday on another network, The Court bore at least some resemblance to the actual Supreme Court. This made the drama actually interesting and compelling. I remember turning on the TV to watch the fourth episode, only to see that some other program was in its place. I never heard anything more about it until I came across it here 19 years later. I would like to see the three episodes that never aired

Burning (2018)

The Emperor Has No Clothes

[1/10 · 14 September 2018]

I know it's the 21st Century and all, but I think movies still have to have a narrative. Burning is like if there was a Hitchcock movie where you never learn what happened and why. It's a shaggy dog story that doesn't go anywhere. Just a series of events that aren't adequately explained. The actors were good, but wasted on a screenplay that is a mess. Shakespeare could leave us wondering about people's motivations, but regular writers and directors have to help us out. I saw Burning at TIFF, where I felt like smart people were supposed to say they liked it. But, if you're going to make people sit through a two-and-a-half-hour movie, there's got to be a payoff at the end. This one just leaves you scratching your head.