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Reviews
Steve! (2024)
An earnest attempt at a biographical documentary
Disclaimer: I don't understand Steve Martin's appeal as a comic on any level.
As a huge fan of documentaries, I was pretty disappointed by this one. It's way too long, often boring, and downright depressing at times. Why Apple signed off on a depressing documentary about a comedian is beyond my comprehension.
The only really interesting thing I learned from this film is that Martin Short seems to be invested with the magical charm capable of making septuagenarian Steve Martin perk up. As I find neither man funny, it was a weird coincidence that they find each other hilarious.
I would only add that I do consider Steve Martin a highly capable dramatic actor and that Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a great movie. So I'm not totally biased but skip this monotonous and depression documentary.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)
Average movie about awful people
I should start by saying that I saw The Eyes of Tammy Faye documentary before the feature film. It's an average documentary and the film is equally mediocre. The real problem is that Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker were just run-of-the-mill grifters and their story isn't really worth telling over a two hour movie. Being somewhat more progressive than other televangelists is kind of like being a 250 pound sumo wrestler: you're not morbidly obese but it's still not a great look. Jessica Chastain is a wonderful actress and she gives this performance her best effort. I thought Andrew Garfield was a poor choice for a total sleaze like Jim Bakker. His image is too wholesome. I wouldn't waste two hours on this unless you're really scraping the bottom of the barrel for stuff to watch.
Un village français (2009)
Tremendous show.
It's in my top ten best television series list. Great characters, deep philosophical questions, and just perfectly done. I'd recommend it to anyone with halfway decent taste. The evil SS officer is a villain for the ages.
The Sundowners (1960)
Australian Giant with Robert Mitchum!
Mitchum and Kerr are excellent together. This is just an entertaining, well-crafted film for two stars. Highly recommend.
The Pledge (2001)
Missed opportunity
With this cast and Jack Nicholson in the lead, this should be a much better movie. The plot is weak at important points and the dialogue has some easy fixes that were somehow missed by producers. Sean Penn is a wonderful actor. Not everyone is great at more than one thing.
Just Mercy (2019)
Very average
Michael B. Jordan doesn't have the acting chops for this role, the dialogue is lazy, and the plot is overly simplistic in too many places to recount. As an attorney, I also found some of the legal procedure just plain silly. How much could a paralegal PA have cost?
Anyway, if you're bored, it's mildly entertaining. If you're looking for a good movie, look elsewhere.