Change Your Image
statchmo-317-162086
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
L'Agence: l'immobilier de luxe en famille (2020)
Typical French Family?
I've been watching this show since Season 1 and I admit it, I'm hooked. Just tore through the third season and was so sad when it was over. I'm an admitted Francophile and if nothing else I enjoy listening to this family speak French and with the subtitles, I can make believe I really understand what they are saying! (BA in French but it's been a few decades and I am rusty). I really want to know if they are a typical French family, apart from the high end nature of their business (luxury real estate). They are funny, smart, and so loving and supportive towards one another. It's not all hearts and flowers but I was honestly floored by how each family member, particularly the sons, stepped up when their grandmere admitted she is lonely and would like to spend more time with them. I think the brothers are particularly interesting because the 4 of them are similar in some ways, and so different in others. And each so charming and attractive in their own way. The locale and the properties are what made me watch in the first place, but it is the family interactions that keep me coming back for more. And yes, Majo is a remarkable woman and a real stitch!
Into the Deep (2020)
Enthralling and Disturbing
"Into the Deep" is basically a documentary about someone filming a documentary only to find out that the subject of their documentary is not at all what they seem. It's a true story, and as it unfolded in the film, I realized I had vague memories of reading about the events in the news but never heard how it all played out. The way this documentary is structured and paced, incrementally revealing more and more about what happened, kept me enthralled but simultaneously disturbed. Whoever cut this thing together knew just where to place some of the most bizarrely incriminating film footage that was shot when everyone thought they were just making a nice little film about an eccentric inventor with dreams of glory, as opposed to unwittingly documenting a narrative that is more suited to a Hitchcock film or maybe a Stephen King novel.
Phantom Thread (2017)
Intriguing, Unpredictable
Another reviewer used the words "slow burn" to describe this film and that strikes me as very apt.
Never boring, yet moving at a deliberate pace, the film and the characters that drive the plot are revealed in due time -- arriving at just the right moment, although at times probably not when the viewer expects.
If you need dramatic pyrotechnics to hold your interest, this one may not be for you. If on the other hand you are intrigued by ambiguity, the odd or unexplainable, and a film that asks you to just breath and let it all unfold -- you may find Phantom Thread as intriguing as I did.
Standouts for me were the score, and Lesley Manville as the mysterious Cyril. You already know DDL will be magnificent and Vicki Krieps holds her own as Alma.
Excellent all around, and worth another watch, and another and another.
Murderville (2022)
Very Funny, Except When It Wasn't Funny At All
I love Will Arnett and the trailer was funny, so I gave this a watch. The episode quality varies wildly, or more precisely, the guest star quality varies wildly. I don't even know who the football player guy is, but he was hysterical and the best of the bunch. Seriously. That episode made me LOL, and I do NOT LOL. Sharon Stone had a few good lines, and Conan was decent. The others could not keep a straight face to save their lives and seemed tongue-tied. Surprising, particularly for Ken Jeong. But it was a fun and easy watch and I thought the supporting cast members were all excellent. Nice production values too. See what you think!
Atlas Shrugged II: The Strike (2012)
Disappointing
I only give six stars because for some reason I have long loved "Atlas Shrugged" the novel and for years have longed for a movie version of it. But the bottom line is that this is a pretty poor excuse for a movie and really doesn't do the novel justice.
I guess somehow they came up with a bigger budget for this one and have re-cast all the major roles with.... well .... somewhat higher level actors. Maybe you could say they moved from D-list actors to C-list actors? Unfortunately in some ways the "unknown" actors in the first movie were much better than the familiar faces you will recognize in Part 2. To call them D-list actors is perhaps unfair...when really they are just unknowns.
The most glaring casting problem here is Samantha Mathis, and I cannot adequately express how much this pains me to say because I have long loved her and think she is a talented actress. But all you can say about her role here is, "What in the WORLD happened to Samantha Mathis?!" First of all physically she is all wrong for the part; too old, too bloated, too tired-looking. Once upon a time she might have been able to pull it off, but that time was past a decade ago. If you've read the novel you know what I mean. Dagney Taggart is a force of nature and Samantha Mathis spends the entire movie looking confused and exhausted. You know who would have been an awesome Dagney back in the day? Someone like a young Lauren Bacall---the body type, the facial features, the intensity....that's Dagney as described in the novel. Samantha simply doesn't have it, and it makes every scene she is in excruciating to watch.
The other thing is this movie is extremely talky, and honestly if you haven't read the book I am not sure you would be able to follow what was going on. The movie is 2 hours long and at times it drags. Blah blah blah, talk talk talk. Works in the novel, but not in a movie. Show don't tell.
I like the other casting choices although the jury will be out on D.B. Sweeney as Galt. They don't show his face in Part 2, but honestly I have seen some of his recent appearances in movies and TV, and he looks about as tired and done-in as Samantha Mathis (maybe this is what they are going for, a matched set?)
I will go see Part 3 if it gets made. I did notice a lot more people at the showing I went to than when I saw Part 1 (literally watched the first movie with one other person in the entire theater). So maybe this one will actually make money? I would like to see them re-cast Dagney although I know that's not likely to happen. Still if they could do it once....