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JoyceGalileo
Reviews
Eric (2024)
Such a bad series
Because it was Benedict Cumberbatch, I was eager to watch but what a disappointment. Almost every character in this series was despicable except for the little boy and the missing persons police lieutenant.
Cumberbatch plays Vincent, a character based on Jim Henson but he uses foul language with everyone, including his son--so unlikely given that his business involves being around children. Okay, I admit he didn't use the f-word in every sentence, just every other one.
His wife is no prize either and we cringe for the little boy who has to listen to them fighting all the time. Vincent is clinically insane and an alcoholic and I guess we're supposed to feel sorry for him, but he's so despicable, it's pretty hard.
The Great Lillian Hall (2024)
A tour de force
The leading actress Lillian Hall, Played by Jessica Lange, is having a tough time remembering her lines and eventually she is sent to a doctor by her director. We watch her fumble through a memory test and ultimately she's diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. But she's a tough old bird, and she is not interested in giving up being in the Broadway production of The Cherry Orchard.
We watch her trying to tell her daughter what her problem is, but she can't bring herself to say the words. Her daughter and family are confused that she's paying them more attention that she ever does, but they can't figure out what's up.
Her assistant, Played by Kathy Bates, has been hired by her now deceased husband to help her in every way, but she is horrified that it has come to this point.
The producer of the show wants her understudy to play the part but Lillian is wandering around Central Park when she's supposed to be at the opening of the play. I won't tell you what happens next. It's a wonderful job, a wonderful story, and an excellent movie.
Irish Wish (2024)
How did this get on my watchlist?
Within moments of the beginning, I thought something must be wrong. The way I curate my watchlist, the shows I watch fit nicely into my preferred genres. Maybe it's because this was about Ireland that I thought it would be a good film, but it was pretty bad.
Apparently everyone loves Lindsay Lohan, although I don't know much about her at all. And it was a bit contrived that her two best friends are multiracial, when just about everyone else in the movie Is white.
I've always admired Jane Seymour, but it wasn't until the movie was over that I realized she was in it. Oh well, live and learn. Never trust a review that features the scenery.
Nyad (2023)
The kind of movie you can knit to
A very compelling story, Diana Nyad is certainly a force to be reckoned with. But watching someone swim and swim and swim isn't exactly the height of dramatic entertainment.
Some reviewers have said how unlikable Nyad was and how much she tortured her small team. But at the end of the movie, the credits say that she had a team of 42 people, which explains how they manage to keep everything going for 50 something hours as she did her swim. I kept wondering how the kayakers could possibly keep up with her.
Jody Foster and Annette Benning were terrific, of course, and the movie did a great job of piecing together actual videos of the real Diana Nyad and this movie.
Shôgun (2024)
Illogical language barrier
This is a show made for the American audience, and yet most of it is in Japanese with subtitles. However, the people speaking English are supposed to be speaking Portuguese, what kind of sense does that make?
The original with Richard Chamberlain didn't have the type of cruelty that the first episode shows. I suppose that's because today's audience wants something much more edgy, but it certainly doesn't appeal to me.
Because it's a saga with interesting costumes, and an interesting location, I imagine it will find its audience, but just a warning to those of us who liked the book and the previous series, don't watch this show.
Bodies (2023)
And then, after episode six...
This seemed endlessly fascinating with the four different timelines, and the time travel, and the gradual realization that some of these were showing up in different times than their own. I couldn't wait for the last two episodes, and I was raving to my friends about the series. But then things went south and the grand finale made no sense.
There was no reason why the bad guy as a teenager had a device to blow up London, and although the scientist explained why time travel was possible, he certainly didn't explain how he built a time machine.
And why did the sweet daughter of the police officer in the 1800s turn into such a villain?
The only good part was several of the people who were dead, were no longer dead at the end.
The Color Purple (2023)
What were they thinking?
I didn't expect the musical, and I love musicals! But from the early scene where Celie and other women danced at the foot of a fake waterfall, I got a little bit suspicious. Having read the book and seen the original movie I was horrified at this version. Not because it's a musical, but because the music makes no sense in this movie. How can you make a musical about women suffering from abuse?
The best thing about it was Whoopi Goldberg's cameo appearance as a midwife. But I understand she did not attend the opening of this movie, probably because she feels the same way I do. This is a travesty.
Hope Street (2020)
Leila???
Season two starts this evening in the US, and by golly there is a missing character. Unfortunately, this shines a giant spotlight on the rest of the cast and they're pretty bad. It might not be just the actors, it might be the whole set up. Leila was interesting because she was not one of the local folks and everybody was impressed by her crime solving. But the best part was that she and Finn started to have a relationship which they kept secret. That was threatened by his on-again off-again relationship with his ex-wife. And then she decided the relationship would never work. Still, I thought you'd show up again, one of these days, but according to you, IMDb, she was only in season one. I don't think I'll watch the rest of these season two programs.
The American Buffalo (2023)
Well done but impossible to watch
Heartbreaking documentary about the exploitation and near extinction of the bison, along with the destruction of Native American cultures which depended on the animals for food, clothing, bone tools, tepee hides. Historians on the program include Native Americans and as usual with Ken Burns, the narration includes voices reading historical records.
From what I read, the second episode is more optimistic and describes the attempt to bring the buffalo back to the prairie. Maybe I will watch that one, but I had to bail on the first episode about halfway through. It was just too, too cruel to watch.
Human Footprint (2023)
Good presentation of the issues of species where they are not wanted
They ask the question, are humans an invasive species in Hawaii? The answer is, of course. But it turns out that most of the species that exist in Hawaii all came from other places over the last thousand years or so. And they define invasive as an introduced species that people don't like. Not just that they displace the native plants and animals, but that they may have other unattractive attributes, or they may actually be destroying the environment. The host of the show does a good job of interviewing people in different parts of the country, including the bureau of land management folks out west, who are trying to manage the feral horses to the tune of $1 billion of our tax money. I look forward to seeing more in the series.
Somebody Somewhere (2022)
So much to like but so raunchy
Season one was very enjoyable, and I was quite happy to learn that it was back for a second season, but the first couple of episodes really turned me off. Sam and Joel have some goofy ideas, but only seem to be able to talk about is the raunchier aspects of human sexuality. That is part of their humor, and we're supposed to be laughing along with them, but it seems to me that Sam in particular is too willing to belittle women. Sam is a woman, of course, so why the writers put that sort of grossness into her otherwise loving personality is a mystery.
And the scene where she and Joel are both suffering from diarrhea while talking on their cell phones with each other, honestly. Are we talking about 4 year old boys? Blech.
Rain Dogs (2023)
A "comedy" noir?
Wonder why this is considered a comedy, when everything about it is depressing and dark- somebody has a very strange sense of humor. It begins with a single mother and her school-age daughter being kicked out of their apartment for not paying the rent. And it also begins with Simon, a gay man being released from a year in prison, as he and a fellow prisoner discuss Simon's success as a gay prostitute. We meet Simon again soon, providing sex to a man in a restroom. Turns out Simon and the single mother are old friends, and apparently they need each other. I'm not sure for what exactly, because I turned it off after about 20 minutes.
La legge di Lidia Poët (2023)
A smutty "Miss Scarlet and the Duke"
Scene One: Lidia and a guy having exuberant sex, nudity galore. I watched one and a half episodes, and there was more sex, full frontal male nudity, a visit to an opium den with prostitutes wandering around topless. And the autopsies both showed naked female cadavers. OK, not as much sex and nudity as House of the Dragon, and maybe this is just the way Italian Netflix shows try to get an audience share, but not my cup of tea. On the plus side, it has gorgeous costumes, interesting scenery, and excellent dubbing.
The first episode's mystery demonstrated how smart Lidia is, and how persistent despite being kicked out of court because she's a female attorney. All in all, not a very compelling show, but I wish them well.
Tár (2022)
The last minute's pretty good
Wonder what all the raves are about-this certainly isn't the story of a woman so talented and hard-working that she becomes the conductor of one of the world's finest orchestras. That's a movie I'd like to see. Noooo, it's about an obnoxious and manipulative personality who happens to be female (gay, as if that's supposed to make it even more ironic). She and her partner, who is the concertmaster, have a daughter with whom Tar is very loving, and that's about it for any positive personality traits.
Otherwise, she's obnoxious to her students, to her assistant whom she jollies along (the assistant wants to be part of the orchestra), to her neighbor, and even when we watch her giving a talk about Mahler, we're not really let in on any charm.
It's filmed in a rather bleak landscape, the city of Berlin, with occasional side trips to New York City. And the bleakness may in fact be the main theme of this movie. And it is way, way too long! Save yourself, go to an orchestra performance, anywhere, to watch real talent.
First Contact: An Alien Encounter (2022)
Creative goofiness
Lots of scientists discuss the possibility of intelligent life contacting us in a signal picked up by radio telescopes like the famous "Wow!" signal in the 70s (of unknown origin). These discussions are woven into a fictional account of an alien signal reaching us now and how people would react to it. Unfortunately, since this viewer knows that it's all in the service of the writer's fake story, there's not a lot of suspense and there's certainly no more information than we've picked up over the years on various PBS Nova programs. Eerie music doesn't so much heighten the message as leave me wondering when it will please stop!
Alaska Daily (2022)
A procedural
Much hyped star turn for Hillary Swank, and great to see Alaska again. But it's mostly reporters and editors discussing a murdered Native Alaskan woman in the manner of police procedurals. Next week when they leave their offices it might have more Alaska ambiance.
Looks like the collection of Alaskan Daily reporters can lend itself into some great interpersonal stories and it's a nice mashup of ethnicities. Also, why does Hillary keep having panic attacks? Guess we'll find out (well, you will-I'll be watching something else). Funny line when offered a ride home from a Turnagain Arm cabin, "No thanks, I can get an Uber," to which she's told, "No you can't."
House of the Dragon (2022)
Three stars for production values
Three stars for production values, but not my cup of tea. Having never seen Game of Thrones, I thought House of the Dragon would be a good chance to see if I'd missed anything. I didn't.
Echoes (2022)
Not the most charismatic crowd
Although I bet Floss, the sheriff, would grow on me except I won't be watching after episode 2. All the other characters lack any charm and the story is preposterous.
The Rehearsal (2022)
Clever, goofy, heartwarming
This guy seems to be on the spectrum, and yet somehow he anticipates how people think and how they interact. I just love the episode where the 15-year-old actor is trying to be a welcoming son until Adam says he should probably try being upset. So the kid immediately switches over to sullen teenager. I sure hope they do a season two.
The Outfit (2022)
Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance, such an excellent actor, although in this movie he seemed to be channeling the Geiko gecko, right down to the hand gestures. A clever plot, taut and riveting.
Persuasion (2022)
It's quite fine!!
Not sure why so many reviewers and critics didn't like this version. I've seen just about all of them, and this one is right up there with good Jane Austen and very funny throughout. My only objection is the two leads are miscast, Mr. Wentworth is not at all what I pictured (Henry Golding would have been better), and Anne herself is not as young as I would've expected from the book. See it.