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Roswell, New Mexico (2019)
Worse than an unnecessary remake: this may to destroy the franchise
In "Roswell, New Mexico" (2019), several things are significantly changed from the absolutely brilliant 1999 version ("Roswell"); unfortunately, all of the changes are bad. This show may well be the worst television series ever produced.
Anyone who green-lighted the pilot after having seen it, should be fired and banned from future work in the entertainment industry. Yeah: it's THAT bad.
Astonishingly, none of the people involved in this abomination is an abject novice; that ostensibly serious professionals could produce anything so utterly and incredibly shoddy boggles the mind!
Credited as the writer of the wall-to-wall dreck masquerading as the pilot episode, Carina Adly MacKenzie demonstrates a childish reimagination of the classic characters and story masterfully described and laid out in 1999 by Jason Katims.
Someone -- anyone -- PLEASE take away MacKenzie's pen! Unfortunately in "Roswell, New Mexico," the bad doesn't stop there. It just keeps coming: it's a trash tsunami!
Julie Plec is credited as the director of the pilot and -- after having watched as much of the pilot as I was able to stomach -- I have to wonder if her work on the 5 episodes of the 3 other shows she's directed was as abysmal as her work on this show.
The opening scenes look to have been shot on stages buried in the basement of a Chicago speakeasy during the height of Prohibition enforcement: visuals are often dark and muddy, the acting is hammy.
I could go on; instead, I'd rather move on. I want back the hour stolen from my life, plus the time lost in composing this review.
Dead Like Me: Life After Death (2009)
Unbiased (as much as possible) Review Without Spoilers
First of all, regardless what you think of the movie, if you haven't yet gotten both seasons of the series on DVD, by all means, get your copies of those as soon as possible & watch them!
Is change good or bad? Well, I suppose that can only be answered, "yes." You see, it matters what is being changed, & how that change manifests itself. Having so stated, I generally prefer the familiar which means that I generally abhor change.
In the broadcast versions of Dead Like Me, we lost Betty Rhomer (Rebecca Gayheart) after 5 episodes, & though I didn't then share with her fans profound enthusiasm for her character or performance, I had grown accustomed to her, & I was deeply disappointed.
My initial reaction to the appearance of Daisy Adair (Laura Harris) was, "OMG, they've gone "replacement blonde" in an effort to boost ratings, using the 'sex sells' model in a show not only that isn't about sex, but also that doesn't have a significant sexual component." I thought at first that the show was ruined, but I kept watching; what I quickly discovered is that Harris is a most excellent actress & that the writers understood how to integrate Daisy into the DLM story.
That Harris is very easy on the eyes turned out to be a bonus a perfect dessert to follow the substantial main course. In that case, every aspect of the change was surprisingly good.
That isn't to discount Gayheart, who is in every sense a fine actress, but to recognize that Harris earned her fans after Gayheart had already set the bar awfully high.
As the story unfolded, I was pleasantly amazed to discover the actors & writers taking the DLM experience to a level even higher than where the show began; then, in a flash, the de-orbiting toilet seat of fortune snuffed-out my favorite show.
Some time later, I was elated to discover there was being made a DLM movie & I looked forward to its theatrical release: all we DLM fans & I would be vindicated when the box office numbers were tallied. Then I learned the movie was going to be direct-to-DVD.
Okay, that's a minor setback but as soon as Rube Sofer (Mandy Patinkin) starts bustin' chops in the trailer, when people get a chance to see ... WHAT? No Rube? & Daisy stays, but someone else is going to play her? I was immediately overwhelmed with the sensation that the DLM franchise had been lost: clearly, the universe had gone mad. Or had it?
I own the complete first season of Dead Like Me, two sets of the complete second season of Dead Like Me, & now I own the direct-to-DVD movie Dead Like Me: Life After Death. Yes, I've watched them all (plus every episode of the series as it aired on Showtime, & most or all of the SciFi rebroadcasts). Kudos to the team that edited the SciFi versions: they seamlessly replaced the "foul language," so that the censorship wasn't obvious.
Without spoilers: my overall impression of Dead Like Me: Life After Death is that, like the series, it is too short; by that, I mean that it left me wanting much, much more! But, isn't that the whole idea? There were some plot twists that I think were inevitable for reason of continuity, & it's always tough to overcome prejudice arising from actor substitution.
Pleasantly, the movie also focuses more on George Lass (Ellen Muth) than did the broadcast series. This is probably as much a result of the crutch principle as anything else, but it works in a way that really saves the movie.
"Saves"? Okay, maybe that's a bit strong: remember, I'm prejudiced by the broadcasts. In reality, there's an awful lot of development that happens through the series that doesn't readily translate through the movie format, & that requires compromises.
The makers of Dead Like Me: Life After Death brilliantly incorporated storyboards to aid in the transition between scenes & to bring the uninitiated up to speed without boring longtime fans of the series.
However, even these conceits left a lot to be condensed into its 87-minute runtime, & that means among the reapers that the roles of Daisy Adair (Sarah Wynter), Roxy Harvey (Jasmine Guy) & Mason (Callum Blue) are minimized & stereotyped.
Some purists will take issues with the scripting as it relates to character development within the movie. In the end, I think the directors & editors did the best that could reasonably be expected from a comparatively short feature movie format.
I urge the readers of this review to obtain for themselves a copy of the DLM direct-to-DVD movie Dead Like Me: Life After Death; even though it is set 5 years after the George's death, it works in several different ways: 1) It is a passably good introduction of the DLM series to the uninitiated; or, alternatively, 2) It is a passably good ending to the DLM story: if it goes no further, DLM fans won't feel completely cheated; or, alternatively, 3) It is an EXCELLENT bridge between the DLM series & future DLM productions.
Given the diversity of missions & objectives defined by the DLM fanbase, & Given the budgetary constraints & political battles that threatened to kill the project before it got the green light, plus the myriad hurdles that threatened its survival during production, & Given the post-production, mastering, manufacturing & distribution problems that cropped up, that this movie ever got distributed is barely less than a miracle, & those factors must be considered in any reasonable review of this movie.
I got mine through Amazon.com; if you haven't ordered your copy yet, order it today! Review, comments by The Wireflight Group // 20090228-2021
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Mountainous Failure Breaks Back
Brokeback Mountain ("BM")'s initials pretty much sum this movie: it fails as a comedy, it fails as a tragedy, it fails as a manifesto. In fact, I can't remember any other movie having so thoroughly disappointed me.
To wit, the only people to whom I can imagine BM appealing are those wanting to see nudity from Anne and Michelle, each of whom flashes her breasts at the camera for maybe 1-2 seconds: for the hardcore perv, it's definitely worth a rental, because the women in the movie are stunningly attractive. Similarly, some people "get off" on seeing women smoke; it's a turn-off for me, and it ruined the fantasy I had for Anne.
The movie in a nutshell: Having hitched a ride with a trucker, Ennis walks to the parking lot in which arrives by an old pickup Jack. Jack long ogles Ennis in (Jack's) driver's side mirror. Joe hires the 2 strangers when they don't balk at the queer terms of employment.
Ennis first mans the base camp; after a few days, he swaps with Jack. With the aid of free-flowing liquor, Jack wears down the conversationally-reluctant Ennis, and we learn the back stories for these men ("dad hated me"). Ennis stays too long at the base camp one evening, and tries to sleep outside. The weather turns foul (cold, windy), and minutes later, Ennis is buggering Jack in the main tent.
While that progression might work fine in porn, it destroys the film's credibility: snuggling afterwards, Ennis declares to Jack, "I ain't queer;" Jack responds, "Me neither." This apparently happens within the first 14 days after Ennis and Jack first meet. The sexual liaisons cease for a few days, but the men find sex with each other an irresistible and ever-present temptation.
Although such risky behavior is contrary to the respective natures of Ennis & Jack, they regularly frolic in outdoor homobliss; disapproving Joe discretely watches, then uses a storm threat as excuse to end the grazing season on BM a month early. Although Joe didn't fire Ennis & Jack, he doesn't re-hire them.
Ennis marries Alma and they have 3 daughters before Jack postcards Ennis, who replies to Jack's question with "You Bet." Meanwhile, Jack met affluent Lureen, married and had a child. Ennis stays home all day desperately anxious to meet Jack; Alma sees the men passionately kiss and is disturbed. Ennis & Jack apparently go directly to a motel, where they "lie with each other" overnight.
When Ennis returns to Alma, he announces an impromptu 3-day, "Ennis & Jack only" fishing trip; Ennis & Jack go to a place that looks identical to where they'd earlier played on BM. Given the obvious hazards that presented, it's yet another implausible happenstance.
Years pass; as often as they are both able, Ennis & Jack continue their stud/f-buddy relationship. Ennis has no passion for Alma, but has obviously much for Jack. Alma tries with a note to remind Ennis to return with some of the fish to his family (he says he caught a lot, but ate them); when it seems obvious Ennis never opened his tackle box, she breaks down and Alma & Ennis divorce.
Having discovered his own arena of business competence (sales, perhaps management), Jack is now a man of means. Jack has made the connection between risk and success. Unfortunately for him, Jack has neither the acumen of old money, the sophistication to appreciate the perils awaiting him, nor the wisdom to abandon foolish pursuits (Ennis).
During the intervening years, Jack -- unabashedly in love with Ennis -- reveals to Ennis a plan to allow Ennis & Jack to live together apart from the hassles of heterosexual life: basically, it is a ranching scheme capitalizing on Jack's family property. Jake seeks the warm weather (and perhaps the remoteness) of Mexico, and urges Ennis to "get on-board" -- but Ennis refuses to abandon the familiar, frigid north.
Ennis pusillanimously blames his aversion to risk on age, on the notion he can't quit a job in order to go to work in a startup business, on the idea he has child support payments to make, etc. At the climax of their lover's spat, Ennis blames Jack for (Ennis's) confusion regarding (Ennis's) own sexual orientation.
Ennis's postcard to Jack is returned with "DECEASED" stamped on it. Ennis learns from Lureen that Jack drowned in his own blood as the result of a tire-changing accident (Lureen's audio account is dubbed over video of "morals posse" apparently bludgeoning Jack to death). Lureen is apathetic, suggesting she may have been involved.
Some reviewers mention the book indicates Lureen's account was faithful, and that the video merely revealed Ennis's imaginary interpretation of Lureen's words (based on Ennis's earlier account of the torture-killing of a homosexual male, the aftermath of which Ennis as a child was forced by Ennis's father to view).
Regarding the details of Jack's demise, which account the film intended to portray as accurate was not readily apparent. If the video was merely Ennis's imagination, then so might have been the apparent apathy in Lureen's voice.
Overwrought Ennis visits Jack's parents' home, where he learns Jack was apparently always homosexual. Ennis retrieves a shirt presumably stolen from Ennis by Jack as a keepsake commemorating their first union; Jack's parents let him keep it.
Ennis's daughter gets married; Ennis is reluctant to attend wedding, but relents. Life goes on.
During our respective lifespans, each of us at some point encounters at least most (if not all) of the dysfunctions presented in this film -- and we each perhaps encounter a number of other dysfunctions.
It is remotely conceivable that such shallow characters as these exist in real life; however, I found relationship to them impossible because I did not find the characters credible.