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arete_1
My pastimes include intellectual inquiry, mostly of academic philosophy, history, and science; cycling and hiking; music, and spending quality time with my long-term significant other. I am a Mensan.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SkepticGuy77
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/72516666-sapere-aude-77
Wordnik: https://www.wordnik.com/users/arete1
Reviews
The Assistant (2019)
Realistic
Really, I could just leave it at that.
But I have to write a longer review per the required length for an entry.
So I'll also say that this movie is depressing and I kept thinking to myself: "Who created jobs like this? Where all humanity, and even the physical environment, is drained of all life and color until everything is just a hushed, dull, grainy, amoral, muted grey conformity. Why would anyone want to work in such an environment? Even if they weren't (severely) mistreated like pretty much all employees here are. And who thinks this is at all how normal life should be? This is actual hell, or at least purgatory."
More and more as I get older I'm soo glad I decided to never enter the corporate/office world. No jobs are something any sane, non-boring, well adjusted person would do without pay (if you are financially independent and can't find worthwhile things to do with your time other than work, then you should check to see if you're alive: at least you could do volunteer work to fill your day with boring, awful, quotidian monotony if that's what you need, for at least that work has moral worth), but the horror of that world of running in between little closed, ugly, boxes that are mislabeled as offices and sitting in front of a glowing screen pouring over the most excruciatingly boring minutiae for hours on end day after day is something very few of us are fortunate enough, and intelligent enough, to escape. Even if everyone treated each other tolerably well, such an environment is just soul crushing.
Here's to a future where humankind is liberated from such horrors as the average white collar job (and most other jobs too), where, at the very least, a 4 day, 30 hour workweek (with the same pay as a 5, or 6, 40+ hour work week) is seen as quite enough, thank you.
Still (2023)
Moving, intelligent portrayal of the indomitable Fox...but incomplete
In short, my only major criticism is that I think this should have been about half an hour longer. Maybe there will be an uncut version?
Longer version:
I grew up in the 80's/90's and well remember the Michael J. Fox craze. Though I was never (and still am not) someone who is very interested in celebrity culture/keeps up on what famous people are doing in their personal lives, I always felt some special affinity/affection towards Fox. Maybe because I'm also a shorter guy (5' 7") and was a shorter kid (5' 1" to 5' 5" throughout much of high school).
But this was probably mainly due to watching Family Ties as a kid and, especially, my love for BTTF which is twofold: it's a great movie for everyone, but it was huge among my pre-teen crowd (kids even trying to hitch onto cars with skateboards, and, more constructively, standing up to their "Biffs") and I vividly remember my mother going out to watch it (alone or with a friend I don't remember), coming home excited, telling me I had to come see this movie, and then we went to see it within an hour. (I never saw her so excited about a movie!).
From the first scene I loved it, and seeing it in the theater for the first time with my mom when I was 8 is one of the special memories I have of my mother who died young 12 years later of ovarian cancer. She actually died during Spin City's run and I remember she liked that show too and I sometimes watched it with her, but by that time I was more in my teen "reject grown up stuff and keep to myself" snotty phase and didn't like the show much (I've recently decided I'm going to stream it, partly to rekindle some memories of my mom and I watching it; scenes or episodes I remember).
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Anyway, I remember all the Michael J. Fox Parkinson's news when he made it public, and it disturbed me, but I had other things going on at the time (young adult life, mother's death still recent, etc).
Since then, I've just seen Fox pop up here and there on late night shows, some movies/tv roles (the Curb appearance was hilarious and great writing!), and etc, but I never read any of his books or anything.
So I went into this being a fairly causal fan, but still one curious about his story more than most famous people (besides philosophers and scientists of whom I've read biographies/autobiographies of). IOW I rarely watch documentaries on celebs. But my feeling of connection to Fox was strong enough to make me interested in this.
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Michael seems to me, as much as one can ascertain from these snipets into someone's life, a deeply decent, humane person who has many positive attributes (perhaps most striking being the buoyancy of his humor, his love of/warmth for his family, his empathy, his groundedness, his friendliness, his work ethic, his honesty, and of course his inner strength and overall unyielding determination).
And being a causal fan I of course learned a lot of new/interesting things, especially about his early life. And yes this was moving, inspiring, disturbing, often brutally honest (which I really appreciated; especially about the alcohol abuse as I went through some years of that myself)...an overall vivid view of the human condition as it manifests in both good and bad periods and events throughout a person's life.
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However, and this is not a complete list, I felt several things were missing or not quite fully worked out:
After 2000 there isn't much coverage of Fox's life either professionally or personally. His story hardly ended around then, and is far from over now. How, in particular, has the disease progressed and how has he struggled with it over the decades? I did seem Fox recently say in an interview(s) that he's had periods of little hope recently, that his struggle has gotten harder as he's gotten older, and that he doesn't think he'll see 80...these dark aspects weren't really even mentioned in Still.
Also, brief interviews with Fox's wife and family, and even a few good friends, how all this has affected them, what they think of his struggle/him as a person, would have been very illuminating.
Related to the "paucity of post 2000 coverage" above, I especially wanted to know what the impetus was to set up the Fox Foundation (at least beyond the broad strokes), how hard that was to do, how rewarding and helpful it's been to him and others suffering from Parkinson's (does it give him meaning and purpose to his life in addition to his acting and family?), what research its done, etc. Interviews with medical experts, "foundation builders" (the types who set up and run these things) and regular workers there would have been interesting to me.
There was some problems with continuity or linear progression: for instance, there was no mention of the end of Family Ties or why it was cancelled (I still don't know why because I never looked it up), just a kind of "ok, now Fox is doing other things like these 90's movies, of which several weren't well received", and overall the sequence of events in the movie was kind of hazy. Not jumbled together so much as not altogether real clear to those, like me, who don't really know the details of Fox's life course.
What are Fox's interests besides those that are publicly known? What does Fox like to do? That is, what does he do on an average day? Does he work at/for his Foundation fairly often or did he ever? Does he reach out to fellow Parkinson sufferers who contact him? What hobbies? Cooking? Reading? Watching TV/Movies? Writing? (at least things not for publishment as we know he writes that material, but for himself? Does he journal?). Exploring and listening to music? Travelling? We know he probably does a lot of physical therapy and that of course everyday tasks are more time consuming for him than others, and that he still does some acting projects, but he has a lot of free time to fill and all has all the resources to discover and explore the various activities/interests in life! Perhaps nothing tells you more about a person than how they spend their time, so I was just curious about this.
In any case, though this was in some aspects a personal and revealing look at parts of Fox's life, other areas remain a mystery (which he of course has a right to keep private, but I don't feel that concern is the case here so much as just plain oversight or editing down for time).
Anyway, I've gone on quite long enough and probably few have read all this (and I don't blame you!), so in sum I'll just say that the real main flaw I had with this biography was I wanted more of it! That in itself shows how much it interested me (a confessed "non-celeb culture" type of guy), and thus how much it accomplished what I feel all good creations should: be interesting. And I think the last thing Micheal wants to be is uninteresting (the "no, that's boring" quote in the trailer made that very clear). There is no worry of that!
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
This was a weird one...
I gave this a try because I like Pine, think Rodriguez is ok/has her moments, the audience reviews were pretty good, and I like the genre (I grew up in the 80's; never played D&D though, but read many books in the Dragon Lance/Forgotten Realms/etc. Series).
In sum, this is a weird one. It has many features (basic script, bad cgi, 1 dimensional characters, implausible nonsense even for the genre, so-so performances from the supporting cast, etc) that make it seem just terrible, just so corny and ridiculous...yet it's largely saved from this fate by a few good (if not great) performances and settings. In other words, I feel this should have been just awful, but it wasn't: it remained largely interesting and entertaining.
That said, it's no must watch and I'm not eagerly awaiting a sequel. If one is made, I'll probably watch it, but there is nothing compelling about this that makes me anticipate it.
6/10: almost a 5, yet almost a 7. Odd, like I said.
Night Court (2023)
Good, not great, but better than the orginal!
Yep, that's right: I grew up watching the original in the 80's as a kid/young teen...and always thought it was lame. It was a C-; something to watch reruns of when bored or sick at home.
Roz and Bull were the only funny things about it; but of course their 1 trick pony characters got old fast too.
Harry was highly arrogant: always thinking he was sooo funny/cute/intelligent/talented (just as he was in real life and every time he was on screen). He was none of these.
Mac was...well, he was there. (The ignorant would now say that he was a "diversity quota hire" and they'd be wrong, but that actor couldn't, well, act; not that he had a chance because his character had no point).
Dan was another 1 dimensional character: a sex crazed, womanizing, perpetually angry/crabby whiny cry baby that would throw at least one fit per episode. "Your honnaarrr...!", complete with slouching forward, mouth agape, and arms at his side to protest not getting his way. Yikes! Bad acting! (No wonder what's his name never went anywhere after this show).
Christine was another flat character: supposed to be some "radical" feminist trying to be taken seriously in a serious career in the 80's and having a moral mission aspect to her job, but always ending up whining like a child just like Dan when the judge ruled against her (at least her acting was better, though not by much: again, no wonder she went nowhere after this brief "career high point"). Also, she was supposed to be so hot, the "eye candy"/romantic interest for the show, but while Markie had a good body, she had a just plain weird face--seriously, just take a good look at it sometime--(and awful hair, even for the 80s).
No other characters/actors are worth mentioning or even remembered. Except for some bit part ones: it says a lot when 1 or a few episode bit part actors consistently outclass the main actors season after season (and are still talked about now and have youtube clips with high view counts).
The new show, well, at least:
The whole cast* is talented and...
The whole cast is actually funny!
The cast gels better, has better timing, and most of them seem like actually decent people irl (only Markie seemed like that in contrast).
The writing is not god-awful hokey/cheap/lowest common denominator sophomoric drivel that the original series was. Even as a small child I remember groaning to some story lines, "punch" lines, characters, etc. No, this new series, while not a drama, actually has some depth to it/the characters and you can care about them as well as learn little "life lessons" (though if you're getting your advice or moral/social world view from TV/movies you need to read a non-fiction book or at least some serious literature). Wow! Actual smart writing for a sitcom! That's something that really didn't exist before Seinfeld, which we too often forget but the contrast between the old and new Night Court makes abundantly obvious.
I could go on and on, but it's clear that while it's harder to do worse than the old series, this new one is not just a lame reboot on the same level but has already surpassed it. Finally a Night Court worth watching!
*Minus, of course, John what's his face? Who must need rent money.
Something from Tiffany's (2022)
A pleasant Holiday romance...
...nothing more or less.
It does its job as light rom-com fare for the purpose of cheery, festive, fuzzy-feeling, seasonal escapism.
Zooey turns in a convincing performance as always, and the supporting cast ranges from adequate to charming. There is the required chemistry between the two leads to make the romance believable.
The premise is, yes, schmaltzy, but there is enough real-life complexity in the plot/relationships to make this different from the average paint-by-the-numbers rom-com.
Not something that will probably leave a lasting impression, but not anything you'll regret spending some time with either, at least if you are aware of what this is...and is not.
Happy Holidays!
They/Them (2022)
Better than expected!
So, this isn't a great movie, but it's solid. I give it a 7.5 (rounded up to 8) for a few reasons ("soft" spoilers):
It's got heart. Lots of good, affirming messages and you really care for some of the characters.
Solid performances. Bacon is good as always, but so are all the main actors/actresses; I hope we see more from some of these young talents. (Chlumsky has some good moments too).
Originality. As far as I know, this is the 1st summer camp horror/suspense/slasher movie done in this particular way with these particular characters. It's very timely and relevant.
This is more of a suspense/thriller than slasher or horror movie. In that sense, the main tension in the plot derives from a "what's going on? When will all be fully revealed?" type of narrative. And there are some good twists, though I did see the major one coming about 3/4 of the way through (though I wasn't totally sure until it did manifest).
My only real major criticism isn't really even a fair one as it has to do with the budget/production which is just adequate. But that's to be expected for the type of movie this is.
A more minor criticism is that this lacks some "action"; but it's far from boring or a drama. It just relies more on character driven tension than bodies being piled up (which frankly I find boring: "oh here we go again; another teen alone outside at summer camp, gee I wonder what will happen...yep, now we're seeing him/her through the eyes of the murderer through the branches...gee wonder what will happen...is this murder 8 or 9?).
In the end, give it a try if you're looking for something different (or at least a different twist on an old theme), some emotive performances, some interesting characters you actually care for, and an overall plot that you can invest in and care about what happens.
Emergency (2022)
Exceptional
A relatable situation made so very different, yet so real, due to a simple skin tone change. But that difference can change everything. A remarkable mirror on our age of "not yet" colorblindness.
The Rise of the Anti-Vaxx Movement (2021)
Vaccines save lives
...and have for a couple hundred years.
We've had public restrictions due to disease for thousands of years (quarantine for instance) and vaccinations in the US since 1800 when Benjamin Waterhouse brought them here, and from 1802 - 1810 vaccinations were endorsed by US officials (including scientists and president Jefferson), made compulsory, and federal agencies were set up to study and administer them. And that was just the beginning of this life and health saving humane and socially responsible enterprise.
Billions of lives have been saved by vaccination; in fact, many of us alive today wouldn't be if not for vaccinations saving our ancestors from early deaths in childhood: millions of children died in the US and other industrialized countries each year (with much lower populations btw) before widespread vaccinations started and steadily advanced in the 1800s and 1900s.
This documentary shows how the intellectual and moral poverty of the socially irresponsible anti-vaccination movement threatens to return our public health to the dire days before vaccinations when child (and adult) early death were commonplace (a family with 3 children could expect at least 1 child to die from now preventable disease; many adults died in their 30's - 50's from disease).
What is especially infuriating is that it need not be this way: because of human ingenuity and fearless, painstaking, concerted inquiry for centuries (often fighting against religious authorities that condemned such inquiry, with real threats of financial ruin, banishment, imprisonment and even death for such "heresy"), we have largely conquered the scourges of the past in affluent nations (look to the less affluent to see how wretched our pre-vaccination past was) to ensure human well-being is more widespread than at any other time in our species' history. The know-nothing pseudo-scientific anti-vaccination movement threatens all this reality based hard work and progress, all this freedom from pain, suffering and death. And of all the tragedies in the world, nothing is more regrettable, and just outright evil, than wholly preventable pain, suffering and death due to human ignorance, irrationality, immaturity, and unjustified arrogance.
Science is real, truth matters, reality is real (that's a tautology), freedom/bodily autonomy does not extend to allow individuals to infect others with deadly or crippling communicable diseases (the freedom from suffering and death, and the right to health and life, vastly outweighs the non-freedom and non-right to carry deadly or crippling communicable disease, full stop) and anyone who tells you otherwise has a malicious and personally beneficial political/financial agenda to advance.
The Wonder Years (2021)
Just as good as the original, only a different perspective
I grew up watching the original Wonder Years (Savage and I are almost the same age). I could not relate to the period in which it took place like my parents could, with all its social/political revolutions, but the trials of childhood/adolescence largely remain the same in any era so I liked it.
I didn't love it (8/10 for me, mostly because I found the inner monologue to be downright corny/cringey at times...many of my friends could not stand the show for that reason), but I found it interesting and watched the whole run as it aired: from the period I was pre-adolescence to the time I was working, driving and dating.
20 odd years later (5+ years ago), I watched the show in its entirety on NetFlix and was able to identify more with the parent's life challenges (of course now being much closer in age--or perhaps the same age! Time flies!--to them), so that put a different perspective on the show.
I have now watched the first two episodes of the new series and it largely reminds me of the original, only with better production making it more immersive and believable. If this keeps up, it will be a good, solid, interesting and relevant family show just like the original was.
And for those who are forgetting (or disingenuously claiming otherwise), the original series was also deeply political, socially aware, and critical of the period. In fact, that, as well as the portrayal of the emotional depth and troubles of late childhood/early teens, is what made the original so much more than just another light comedy and sappy child/young teen oriented series, why the show got so much buzz each season, and why critics rated it highly (and why, for that matter, right media/pundits attacked it back then for being "PC" and "anti-family values", as they routinely did to many other shows, like Murphy Brown...nothing has changed on that front!). Nothing has changed here; the new series simply finally represents an African American perspective of the turbulent period which, as a white male who has read much African American history, I am gaining an even better grasp of, and also keeps the show from being just a boring, unoriginal rehash.
Looking forward to many more seasons, and I hope a new generation will come to be entertained as well as learn some important lessons, just like with the first series. I truly feel I am a better person having grown up absorbing the lessons of the first series.
Masters of the Universe: Revelation (2021)
Masters of the Universe, not the He-Man show
I grew up watching He-Man in the 80's. Never really liked it; it was corny and low-brow even for a kid.
Decided to give this a try just for the cast; really genuinely surprised at how good it is: not much cheese, and some real depth and interesting storylines with good animation.
Now, just to clarify for those who don't get the intent of this show from the title: this show is about the Masters (plural) of the Universe, NOT He-Man, per the title. So it makes sense that the character has a more minor role. But for those still offended *SPOILERS* don't worry, all the main heroes are still straight, white and cisgender and, in fact, even though this is not mainly about He-Man, he STILL gets to be the main hero making the biggest sacrifice. So, if anything, this is still biased towards straight, white, cisgender males...which is just what you want.