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Reviews
The Crazy Ones: Pilot (2013)
Very promising episode
Honestly, I was a little leery about the potential for this show; I've never been a big fan of the previous shows starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Robin Williams often has a tendency to take his schtick too far and well beyond the point at which the topic was humorous. However, the first 5 minutes of this show made me forget those reservations and drew me in, almost forcing me to become interested in the main characters and how things would evolve.
The supporting cast members each seemed to fit well together, especially James Wolk who definitely had chemistry with the humor of Robin Williams. Another surprising, but welcome, performance was that of Kelly Clarkson. Her role in this episode blends nicely with the script. Kudos to her acting as well as her singing parts, both of which were a genuine contribution to the success of the pilot.
There is no question this is a classic David E. Kelley style production. If the character depth and story lines continue to be as interesting as the pilot episode, this is sure to be another of Mr Kelley's many impressive successes.
Rounders (1998)
Good movie, but may be easier to follow if you're a gambler
I think this movie was well directed and acted, and those are probably the primary reasons it kept my attention.
While Matt Damon has earned a deserved title as the Golden Goose in movies, his fast talking narrative intended to assist the audience in understanding the action, is best suited for those with some reasonable gambling knowledge. Not being a gambler meant that I had a hard time understanding what he was talking about and therefore could not completely follow how the narrative was woven into the scenes.
John Malkovich's performance as KGB was awesome. While I was 99.99% certain it was Malkovich playing this role, he was so good that I kept doubting it was him and trying to figure out if I was confusing the character with some other actor.
Overall, this movie is "worth a watch" even if you're not a gambler and probably a "don't miss" if you are.
Mister Sterling (2003)
The best TV drama of 2003-2004
I can not believe this show was cancelled. This was the only drama of the 2003/2004 season that we liked and made sure we never missed an episode.
If NBC wants to know why they lost of few million viewers this year, they need to know it was because of bonehead decisions to cancel quality programming such as "Mr. Sterling".
I agree with Todd1952's comments - this show may have been too good for TV. It seems as though TV execs like shows that are dumber than they are and have no idea how to place or market an intelligent show; they sure didn't with "Mr. Sterling". Duhhhh, this move sure does explain the continued existence of "Fear Factor" or the revamped "Three's company" also known as "Will & Grace" need I say more?
I guess the word is out to TV people in California; if your show ends up on Friday night on NBC, you had better get out your resume' and call your agent. NBC doesn't put shows on Friday night to find a specific audience, they put them there to empty the film cans and recover their production costs before quietly dumping the program. Hey, NBC, I'm NEVER watching another one of your shows on Friday night! NEVER!!
After losing shows like "Friends" and "Frasier" and dumping a show such as "Mr. Sterling", NBC deserves to suffer a horrible death in the ratings this year. I hope the moron who cancelled "Mr. Sterling" gets fired!!!
Whoopi (2003)
Sorry Whoopi...
I had high hopes for this show after seeing the promos. The writing and performances were decent enough but the situation doesn't seem to have anywhere to go. After all, how many different ways can you redo the "fish out of water style hotel manager surrounded by a bunch of misfits" gig? Bob Newhart set the bar pretty damn high some 21 years before this show; unfortunately some people in Hollywood still think they can do better.
Whoopi Goldberg is a great contemporary talent and she gave a respectable performance in the show opener, but she needs to cut back on the over-acting that was transparently intended to compensate for the shortcomings of the script.
Omid Djalili has a great style and hopefully will be around for years to come. If Omid can find the right vehicle, I predict his comedic talent to eventually reach the same level of success as Ray Romano. He did a very fine job in the first episode of "Whoopi" and unquestionably stole the show. If this show survives mid-season, Omid will undoubtedly deserve most of the on-screen credit.
As a whole, the cast did a reasonably good job with the opening script but I'm afraid the only way this show will continue past the first 6 weeks is to add some writing talent and provide a little depth for the scripts. It seems obvious that NBC started this weak first show of the series early enough to grow some roots in the audience before the competition strolled in for the season. I hope they give the show a chance to correct its short comings but I have my doubts.
On a more personal note, I found a few jokes in this show to be a little too edgy; if we can ever find humor in comments about the number of Middle Eastern people on airplanes, two years after September 11th, 2001 is quite a bit premature. If you don't agree with me, ask yourself how long it took, or will take, the U.S.A to find much humor in the events of December 7th, 1941. Some topics are permanently ingrained close to our patriotic nerves and "Whoopi" reveals some hints that Hollywood still hasn't learned that lesson.