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Reviews
Rabbit Hole (2023)
Loved it!
I'm surprised at all the bad reviews on here. This show grabbed me from the beginning. Fast-paced, witty, well-acted. Fun and entertaining. Jack is back! Many complaints were about the improbability of it. Of course, it's improbable. You mean to tell me you think Guardians of the Galaxy and all those Marvel things are probable? They have big ratings. People love them. Because they're entertaining. So is this. It does slow down a bit after the first two episodes which are one twist after another. But you can't keep that up without getting whiplash. Great casting! The wonderful Charles Dance in the role of Jack's father, talk about improbable, but it works and he blended beautifully with Phil Burke, very clever! Plus plays a believable senior badass quite well. Meta Golding is gorgeous and holds her own, and Rob Yang is adorable and steals the show. The final surprise is who plays the bad guy, which I won't give away, but anyone younger than a certain age probably won't even know who he is anyway.
The Hot Rock (1972)
One of my favorites...
Yes, I know this bombed at the box office, but I'm not sure why as it is one of my favorite movies. Rich characters done deftly by George Segal, Ron Liebman, Paul Sand and Zero Mostel, all playing perfectly off of the more 'normal', yet still funny character that Redford plays. He should have done more comedies. He's good at it. I love his subtlety and understatement. The expression on his face in the scene when he 'speaks' to the banker still makes me laugh. Yes, I've seen it multiple times. Not to forget the elegant Moses Gunn and a short bit for Charlotte Rae which rounds out the great cast. This is a heist caper gone terribly wrong, over and over. Not the best comedy ever, but we'll worth a look. If nothing else, just enjoy Redford and Segal in their prime. I will have to submit this with a misspelling as I've tried to correct the spelling of 'well' multiple times, but for some reason the computer thinks I want to say 'we'll'. Whatever...
The Last Duel (2021)
What about Froissart?
This review is only to set a couple of thing straight. First, this is not a remake of "Rashomon". It is told in Rashomon style, with the three main characters each telling their version. Second, the incident was first related by Jean Froissart, a medieval author and court historian, in his "Chronicles", so it is not a made up story or novel. It actually happened. Eric Jager, who teaches medieval history at UCLA, wrote a book about this incident, as it turned out to be the last legal duel.
I Care a Lot (2020)
Why all the haters?
I am shocked to see all the 1's and 2's on here. Are you people for real? Or has there been a managed attempt to sink this film. Like from some national legal guardianship association? First of all, for those thinking the premise unbelievable, this is happening now. There are people, believe it or not, who do what Grayson does in this movie, and the courts allow it. It is a problem in this country, and an extremely serious one. Check out Season 2 of Dirty Money, the episode "Guardianship, Inc." Pretty scary! However this film was not made as a documentary or even a serious drama. Maybe they should have in order to bring awareness to this problem, but instead they put it in the comedy, crime, thriller genres. If you think her ability at handling a Russian mafia guy and surviving death is unbelievable, how about "Home Alone"? Totally unbelievable, but a big hit nevertheless. Every James Bond movie! Totally would never happen! So that argument is meaningless. It is a hard movie to watch, even though it's obviously done with tongue in cheek, just because the subject matter is so upsetting. No, it's not Oscar worthy, but a well-done film with some great talent: Rosamund Pike created a full-fledged villainess, unfortunately Peter Dinklage and Dianne Wiest didn't have that much to do, but are always good anyway.
Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet (2020)
Gets better...
I'm surprised at all the bad reviews on here. Granted, the first couple of episodes were not great, but good enough that I checked back to see some more and I've been rewarded. It's building and getting better, and in subtle ways. More insightful writing than I expected and the characters are developing nicely. So I'm wondering if it's a generational thing. I discovered that humor is a generational thing as a teenager when discussing that new comic Dick Van Dyke with my mother's eldest brother. He did not think he was the least bit funny. Give him good old vaudeville. I thought he was nuts at the time, but now understand, as many of the new comedy shows seem to me unfunny and boring. So I've followed in my uncle's footsteps. I apparently don't get the new humor. But this show is produced by Generation Xers, (who shockingly are in their 40's and 50's now) so I'm wondering if all the bad reviews are mostly from Millennials. And for those of you who berate the accuracy of a gaming company, that I can't speak to, since I know nothing about gamers or gaming, other than the rare times my great nephew comes out of his room long enough to update us on his latest level. But I can say this: I spent my career at two major motion picture studios working in creative art departments, from analog to digital, and although the technology changes, the egos don't. So for those who think this is exaggerated...not that much. And for the 'woke trash' crowd, in one of the episodes there is an exchange with Poppy and her bosses that was feeling vaguely familiar and then she screamed "You never listen to me!!" and the penny dropped. For 20 years I was the only female in my department....been there, had to deal with that.
UPDATE: Finished the season and the two bonus episodes and this is now my favorite new show, along with Ted Lasso. Looking forward to Season Two!
Bloodline (2015)
Fantastic!
Superbly done! Well written, beautifully acted! Perfect setting. I really don't get the complaints some viewers have. The characters were so well realized they were amazingly familiar. I've known some of these people. They weren't some cardboard soap opera characters. Too slow? Perhaps they've been watching too many car chase, super hero, slam bang movies. The so-called slowness was so well choreographed and acted that it just added to the tension. To me this show was what great story-telling is all about. I watch very little broadcast television anymore because there's so little worth watching. The "Downton Abbey"s and "Good Wife"s are few and far between. All I can say is thank you, Netflix. Keep up the great work!
Rio Grande (1950)
Gets better with age...
I saw "Rio Grande" in the theater as a child and loved it. Unlike some movies I saw in my youth, it has stood the test of time and just gets better as I get older and learn more. I do not need to write a synopsis here as others have done this admirably. I am only writing this review to answer some of the criticisms of this lovely film.
First, the "too much music" complaint. I can see how some people would feel this, especially in this day and age, as we are not used to people breaking into song except in a musical and even those are rare these days. But in the days that this movie is set, that is exactly what was going on. There was little else to do in the long, boring tedium of life in the Western outposts for the lowly trooper. They did a lot of singing. Some had guitars, fiddles, banjos...whatever. Libbie Custer tells that a soldier in the 7th had a zither, a unique treat.
Of course "San Antone" was not one of the ditties sung by the cavalry as that was written by Dale Evans herself. And I doubt that the average group of soldier singers out on the plains sounded quite as good as Ken Curtis and the Sons of the Pioneers, although who knows. Mrs. Custer also said "There was always in the ranks much amateur and sometimes some professional 'talent'." They even built a little rough tent-building at Fort Hays, referred to as the Opera House, where the soldiers could put on performances and concerts.
Secondly the complaint against using black and white and that the photography is just not that great. This movie has for me some of the most iconic images in a western, particularly of John Wayne. The kind of close-ups that make a legend. The photography in "Fort Apache" looks flat on the version I saw. Maybe it's the CD. And "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" looks somewhat garish by comparison. The black and white of "Rio Grande" however looks almost Bergmanesque in it's depth.
There have been varying opinions of the Duke's acting in this. Although I feel John Wayne was a personality, rather than an actor, in this one I thought he was great. There are several scenes with no lines where he more than proves his ability.
Many seem to think it's just not as good as the first two in the trilogy, but as stated by someone else, the first two have scenes that are hokey or corny or just don't work...or the unfortunate Hollywood touches that will yank you right out of the scene. "Rio Grande" is pretty much spared those. Maybe it's a good thing this was a 'quickie' for John Ford. He didn't have time to rethink his first instinct or give the suits a chance to meddle.
Speaking of Hollywood's version of things, I used to assume these movies were exactly that regarding life on the frontier. But as I read more about the times, most importantly first hand accounts, I realized how amazingly accurate these films are, which makes them all the more enjoyable the second or third time around.
And, last but not least, the 'indians' are all played by actual Native Americans. Talk about a unique treat! I know...the other two used Native Americans as well, but there was in each a 'non-Indian' playing a lead Indian role as well.
If you haven't guessed it by now, of the three cavalry films of John Ford, "Rio Grande" is my favorite. I highly recommend it!!
Pushing Daisies (2007)
Loved This Show
"Pushing Daisies" was a fabulous show. I only wish ABC would have kept it on the air. It was hard to see it go, especially in mid season, with the plot still up in the air. It was unique and original; had clever and witty writing, and fabulous, imaginative art direction. It was a breath of fresh air, different from anything else on TV.
Lee Pace plays Ned, the charming pie-maker who can bring people back to life with a single touch. Anna Friel is Charlottte (Chuck), his childhood love, and Kristen Chenoweth is the spunky Olive Snook, who steals every scene she's in. Not to be outdone is Chi MacBride as detective Emerson Cod, who seems to get the funniest lines. Or maybe it's just his great delivery. Then there is Ellen Greene and Swoosie Kurtz as Chuck's wacky aunts. Mustn't forget Field Cate, who as young Ned, plays the lost soul perfectly without uttering a word. Tying all this together is the wonderful narration by Jim Dale. It's a charming package. Another wonderful creation by Bryan Fuller, and if you missed it, by all means, check it out on DVD.