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Reviews
A Man Called Otto (2022)
Don't compare it to others
The reviewers who compare this film unfavorably to the book or to the Swedish film were obviously predisposed to disliking it. I read the book and, while I didn't picture Tom Hanks in the title role, he is his usual brilliant self as the anal, grumpy old Otto. The reviewers who call it a downer and depressing have obviously never felt lonely and searched for a reason to go on living.
Yes, it is sad and the scenes of suicide attempts are graphic and disturbing but the real story is how Otto changes and opens up to his new neighbors and, finally, to others he interacts with. Otto is at heart an incredibly good man who has been embittered by the raw deal life has sometimes dealt him. This is a wonderful depiction of the healing power of friendship and having people who care in your life. Hanks' is one of the most gifted actors in film history and he covers all the nuances of Otto's personality beautifully. He carries the film and is the core of its emotional, satisfying story.
The Ranch (2016)
Can't decide
Honestly, I can't decide if I love this show or hate it. Its redneck characters are obnoxious, sexist, and often misogynistic to the point of being offensive yet, sometimes, their crass humor makes me laugh out loud. I've finished the first two seasons and I can't seem to stop watching it.
The Bennett family is ignorant, mean to each other, extremely uncouth, and sometimes unpleasant to watch. It's a good thing Sam Elliot is so likable because, otherwise, his character would be absolutely intolerable. Beau Bennett is grumpy, opinionated, rude, and narrow minded, and that's on his good days. His sons are stupid, alcoholic hounds who can't seem to handle being adults yet there are moments that are so human and endearing, you can't believe you're watching the same family. I don't know if that's bad character development or good writing.
I know it's a broad satire and it does make me laugh, but it also makes me shake my head and wonder if there are really people out there who act like that.
One final footnote - Those of you who said "bring back Rooster" obviously don't understand what Danny Masterson did. There's a reason he was sentenced to 30 years in prison and that's the only place he should be.
Sweet Magnolias (2020)
I enjoyed it
In spite of the stale plot points and storylines you can see coming 3 episodes before they develop...
In spite of the occasional insanely trite and unrealistic dialogue...
In spite of the weirdly seesawing character behavior and development...
In spite of acting that is everything from hammy to just seriously bad...
In spite of the characters with syrupy southern drawls conflicting with the characters with no accent whatsoever...
I actually enjoyed this show!
I tried to remember that it's really just a soap opera, and then it was easier to accept all the flaws and faults since they're all hallmarks of the golden age of the ever-so addictive afternoon dramas. Of course, this is several steps above the soaps, with lovely sets and scenes depicting the small South Carolina town where it supposedly takes place.
There actually is some good acting, and some decent dialogue, and the actors, young and old, are attractive and easy on the eyes so it's not exactly a chore to watch. Just keep in mind, you will probably be snorting and rolling your eyes at least five times an episode.
God's Favorite Idiot (2022)
On the fence
I've watched four episodes and I'm still on the fence about this one. I don't love it as much as some but I don't hate it as much as others. The basic good vs evil story is actually really funny. The writing is officially credited to Ben Falcone but, Melissa McCarthy obviously is responsible for her own character. I think her rude insult comedy is funny so I enjoy the show when she's on screen and, of course, she plays well with Ben. Unfortunately, they can't be on screen 100% of the time.
The supporting cast doesn't measure up to their chemistry and their peripheral stories just aren't interesting at all. I hope, if there are more episodes, they will develop the other characters and make them more fun.
Experiment in Terror (1962)
Suspense
I came across this on TCM while channel surfing and decided to watch it because it stars Lee Remick and Glenn Ford, two reliably entertaining actors. I looked it up and saw it's directed by Blake Edwards with music by Henry Mancini, and I knew I'd made a good decision.
The supporting cast, including a very young Stefanie Powers, has many familiar character actors, and Russ Martin, as the villain, is exceptional.
The story is fairly unique, with a different twist on the bad man menacing the beautiful woman trope, and Edwards unspools the plot masterfully, slowly ticking up the suspense as the beautiful woman seeks a solution to her dilemma. The black and white cinematography is excellent and the many creative cameras angles and shots contribute to the rising tension.
As a longtime movie buff, I love it when I accidentally find lesser known, but highly enjoyable movies like this one.
In Name Only (1939)
A+ Melodrama
Well above average late 1930's melodrama. Cary Grant and Carole Lombard are gorgeous and, although the plot could be cliched, they deliver the snappy dialogue perfectly and elevate it far beyond its basic premise.
Every good melodrama needs a despicable villain and Kay Francis fits the role here perfectly. She connives and conspires, lies and plots as well as any cinematic scorned woman ever has.
Grant and Lombard are perfectly matched and I wish they'd made more films together before her tragic death. Although both were exceptionally skilled at comedy, this film shows how fine an actress Lombard was and gives us an early view of the cinematic legend Grant would become.
Based on a True Story (2023)
Huh?
It started out well, with an interesting concept, but went completely off the rails about halfway through. Were they trying to be a comedy, a drama, a dramedy, a satirical commentary on our screwed up society, a condemnation of social media and sensationalized podcasts? Whatever they were going for, they missed the mark completely.
Too many characters doing inane things with absurd results, not enough actual plot and character development and a complete waste of two normally appealing stars.
The last episode was ridiculous. They threw in more stupid plot twists and didn't resolve anything.
I hope there isn't another season because they certainly don't deserve it.
Father Stu (2022)
Meh
This film starts out well and kept my interest for the first hour or so but, as the story developed, the plot slowed to a crawl and almost lost me completely. I'm not a religious person so the Catholicism and the redemption via the Lord theme were too heavy handed for me. I chose to watch it hoping for a feel good story but, it didn't work for me.
The performances by Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson, and Jacki Weaver are good but, the screenplay is weak and definitely could have used some rewriting to tighten it up and improve the pacing. I wish there had been more development of Stu's back story, especially his childhood and relationship with his father. The potential for a gripping story was there but it just didn't deliver.
Ted Lasso: Beard After Hours (2021)
Huh?
Sometimes shows do filler episodes, and I get that, but this one is terrible. Weird, disjointed, mean, violent, completely irrelevant and completely out of character for the show. If the writers wanted to feature Coach Beard (and I really wouldn't mind if they did again), they surely could've come up with a better and more entertaining plot line than this. I think my main complaint is so many bad things happen to poor Coach, it becomes uncomfortable for the watcher. Coach can't really be this unlucky and pathetic, can he? Of course, as if we didn't already get the message he's pathetic, they had to use one of the saddest songs in history, Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again, Naturally ", on the soundtrack.
I got the point of most of the movie homages and references but, I absolutely did not like this episode.
12 Angry Men (1957)
Excellent film
A master class in acting, directing, screenwriting, and cinematography. The development of the characters and the way the camera angles capture their changing moods and attitudes is perfection.
Henry Fonda is billed as the star because he's the best known actor in the cast. His role is the hub on which the story revolves but, each of the great character actors like Ed Begley, Martin Balsam, E. G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Lee J. Cobb, John Fiedler, and Jack Warden, has his moment to shine. I can't think of a film with more a perfectly cast group of actors.
This film is well known among film buffs but, it deserves inclusion on more "best films" lists to bring it to the attention of more people.
The White Lotus (2021)
I don't get it
I know I'm in the minority, but I just don't get this show. The characters are all either annoyingly weird or stupid or annoyingly selfish and amoral. Yes, I know it's satire but, is it meant to be dramatic satire or comedic spoof? It's not funny, so I guess it's dramatic satire. The women are all needy and pissed off about something and come across as ditsy, whiny and petulant. The men are self-centered beyond belief and clueless about anyone or anything else. Am I supposed to identify with these characters, feel sorry for them, or be amused by them? Alas, I'm just annoyed by them. Every one of them is so irredeemably vile, I didn't like a single one. Even the loud, grating, pseudo new age jungle islander soundtrack is so intrusive it drowns out the dialogue at times.
I watched all six episodes of season one, hoping it would get better, but it didn't. The last episode has so many disgusting cringe worthy scenes, I'm actually sorry I even watched it. Since the first season seems to be the one everyone actually likes, I doubt I'll bother with season two.
The Lovely Bones (2009)
Different kind of thriller
I don't understand the low ratings for this film. It's dark and very emotional, of course and maybe people don't care for the tone. I read the book many, many years ago so I knew the film had to depict the afterlife and I don't have a problem with the way it's done here. This is no more unrealistic than Ghost, and everyone loves that film. None of us really knows how it is, so criticizing the way it's done here its seems like nit picking to me.
I enjoyed the film as a tragic family story and a scary thriller, with well developed characters and superb acting, especially by Stanley Tucci, Saoirse Ronan, and Mark Wahlberg. The ending has more brilliant poetic justice than most films can offer.
A League of Their Own (2022)
What in the world?
I could maybe excuse some of the obvious anachronisms and even the poor acting but, add in an overemphasis on the players using foul language, the idea that a woman has to be masculine or a lesbian to be an athlete, and the idea that women will constantly cause drake, bicker and won't ever act like a team, they lost me halfway through the first episode.
Now, I'm not a prude and I know women use foul language, but in the 1940's, definitely not as much as these women. Then, they have so many girl-on-girl love scenes, it seems this show is only targeted toward men who like to watch that sort of thing and not the rest of us who would like to see something that resembles the movie and shows what it was like for the women playing in the LPBL.
I actually enjoyed the character of Maxine, a black woman who wants to play in the Negro League with the men but, of course, she's a lesbian. Again, it's the idea that a woman who's a good athlete must be a lesbian that bothers me.
If they wanted to create a show with an enlightened attitude, maybe they should've shown more about the discrimination against Maxine as both a female and a black person and, especially the negative attitude from the men who think women belong in the kitchen and not on the ball field or in the factory.
I'm hoping, as the show finds its legs, we'll get more story and less of the gratuitous language and sex.
The Verdict (1982)
Great movie
The Verdict is one of my favorite courtroom dramas and, IMO, Paul Newman's finest performance as the ambulance chasing, alcoholic lawyer, Frank Galvin. He absolutely deserved the Best Actor Oscar but unfortunately, the Academy went for Ben Kingsley in the more sympathetic role of Gandhi.
The cast, including Jack Warden, James Mason, and Charlotte Rampling, is fantastic and the screenplay by David Mamet, is tight and perfectly paced.
Even though this film is 40 years old, the story is still relevant and gripping. Definitely worth a watch if you've never seen it, and a rewatch if you've seen it before.
Lightyear (2022)
Disappointing
Slow plot, way too much adult-style angst, and boring characters make for a movie that's not fun at all. No laughs, and no endearing personalities, make it completely forgettable. Usually, a Pixar movie lifts my mood. This one is just a disappointing drag.
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
Weak
Weak story, corny dialogue, hammy acting - I will never understand how this overblown spectacle won Best Picture over films like High Noon and The Quiet Man. It deserves its ranking as the worst ever to win that award. It's over 2 1/2 yawning hours long. I've watched it once and that's enough for me. The only great thing about this film is Cornell Wilde's buff chest and torso.
Good Joe Bell (2020)
Heartbreaking but important
I don't know why I had never heard of Joe Bell or his son Jaden, but nothing in their story was familiar to me.
Their story is very sad but the message is strong and still vitally important, especially now, with the refusal of some states to protect the rights and lives of LBGTQ people.
While the overriding message is acceptance and tolerance, the story is also about knowing your purpose and value in the world.
The acting is very good, especially Mark Wahlberg and Reid Miller, and from what I've read, not too many liberties were taken to make the story more dramatic.
It left me feeling heartbroken but hopeful that, somehow, more people will open their arms and hearts and be accepting of people who are different from them.
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Sentimental
This is an unabashedly, misty-eyed, sentimental tribute to the stoicism and bravery of the English at the outset of WWII.
Watching it today, I really don't think it deserved the Best Picture Oscar but, I understand why it won. Wartime patriotism was strong and support for our allies was at the front of everyone's thoughts.
It's not a bad film and it certainly is an interesting snippet of film history and an important film to understand the mindset of Hollywood in 1942.
Green Mansions (1959)
Waste of time and talent
Strange, overwrought, melodramatic, and old fashioned are the best words to describe this film. I wouldn't say any of the actors were miscast, except poor Henry Silva as a native man, but the dialogue is so bad, the talents of Audrey Hepburn, Anthony Perkins, and Lee J. Cobb are wasted. Some of the background scenery is indeed beautiful but, some shots are so obviously created with fake matte backgrounds, the difference is laughable.
I don't read reviews before I watch an old film so this one was a complete disappointment for me.
Daddy Long Legs (1955)
Not believable
An enjoyable film but Fred Astaire is so much older than Leslie Caron, it's impossible to put aside my doubts that anyone so young and beautiful would ever fall for him. He was 30+ years older and, he looks it.
Admittedly, I've never been a big Astaire fan (I much prefer Gene Kelly) and, as charming as he is in this film, he was just way too old for this part.
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Star Maker
I finally watched Midnight Cowboy for the first time. Much is made of it being the only X rated film to win the Oscar for Best Picture but, the meaning of X rated was entirely different in 1969 than what it came to mean. In fact, just two years later, its rerelease was given an R rating after the standard changed. Of course, it's tame by today's standards and more explicit things are shown on network television now.
I didn't expect the psychological undertones of the story but, the screenplay is excellent and provides a star making role for Jon Voight. The role of Ratso Rizzo is tailor made for Dustin Hoffman but Voight is the star. Joe Buck is so much more than a naïve hustler and Voight perfectly portrays the good ol' boy confidence and sweet loneliness of the young Texan. In a year when John Wayne wasn't nominated after beating "the big C", he might have won Best Actor.
If you've avoided watching Midnight Cowboy because of its reputation as gritty and dark, watch it now for the story and the performances.
Bundle of Joy (1956)
Typical
Silly, typical late 1950's Hollywood musical, only made to showcase America's sweethearts of the moment, Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher..
Debbie is fine, her usual charming performance carries the movie but, Eddie is ridiculously bad. I'll never understand how his bland singing style was so popular and, the forgettable songs he's given here do him no favors. His acting is wooden, even in the song and dance numbers, and, oddly, there is no chemistry with Debbie in their romantic scenes. It's no wonder the only other movie he made was Butterfield 8 and, we know who got him that job!
Thank goodness there's a great supporting cast of veteran character actors to help keep things moving. Without their contributions, and Debbie's charm, this movie would be unwatchable.
La Brea (2021)
Decent show
I was surprised to see the low rating for this show. It's not great but, I feel like it's still finding its way. It's reminiscent of Lost, which I loved, and that classic took some time to develop its characters and plot.
Considering the overabundance of "reality" show and game show dreck the networks are offering, La Brea is well worth watching.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)
Silly and Inane
From the amateur theme song that could have been written by a twelve year old, to the ridiculous, implausible plot, this is a bad movie, even for 1961. The cast, especially Walter Pidgeon, seems to enjoy reciting their inane lines and playing on the obviously fake sets but, all together, it's just ridiculous. If you can pretend it's a campy spoof, it might be possible to enjoy it but, I gave up after a half hour.
Let Him Go (2020)
Over the Top
Like the time period in which it takes place, this is an old fashioned, 1950's - 60's, bad guys versus good guys Western. The story has been told in dozens of films made over the history of Hollywood - a country family that rules their small town pitted against the more "civilized" folks who want to do "the right thing ".
I was hoping it would be a grown up, family drama but, instead, it's reminiscent of films like Roadhouse - entertaining, but too violent to be truly enjoyable. The cast is very good, I'm a fan of both Kevin Costner and Diane Lane, and they almost save the film. Unfortunately, in the over-the-top final half hour, the violence is anything but old fashioned and, for me, destroys my enjoyment of the film.