mypoint99 Reviews

Indian Summers (2015–2016)

Gorgeous scenery, awful character development, ridiculous American accents

[6 November 2015]

Indian Summers ain't no Downton Abbey. It barely meets the mark as a show worthy to be on Masterpiece Theater. Only the gorgeous scenery and the historical context make the show worth a tiny bit of time, but I could google photos and read some books and get more out of it than I have gotten from Indian Summers.

I have watched every episode thus far, waiting, hoping that I would finally experience some logical character development. No such luck. Last Sunday's episode turned out to be the new nadir.

Bright spots are easy to discern as there are so few of them:

1) the storyline between McLeod and Sood has a lot of potential, and someone should write an entire series exploring this time period through the relationship between those two men. That would be fascinating.

2) the scenery is gorgeous, and almost makes me want to travel there, except for the fact that reality today falls very short of the fantasy portrayed in the show

That's about it for the bright spots.

I am undecided if I will continue to watch the show. I do have a compulsion to finish what I have started, so I probably will, but I won't be happy as I watch it. I don't care for any of these characters. Only Dalal's father would be good company. The rest give me the creeps.

This is not a family show, either. Keep your remote handy in order to avoid the unnecessary simulated sex scenes. I don't watch HBO for a reason, and don't like Masterpiece Theater programs resembling those other cable shows.

Lastly, can someone please increase the budget for dialect training? Why do the British dialect teachers and the actors themselves keep perceiving Americans as talking with such absurd dialects? This is a common problem in BBC shows for many years. Those actors assigned to play the Americans are evidently told to pronounce every vowel as if their faces were being stretched wide in order to get the most annoying sounds ever. No Americans sound like this. Never did. Perhaps this is on purpose - make the American characters sound as foolish as possible. Could be. In any case, it's annoying and stupid.

My family would love to find another Downton Abbey, but we will wait patiently for it. Poldark has been our most favorite of the recent series. If Indian Summers is renewed, it won't be on our viewing watchlist.

Tomorrowland (2015)

Had potential, but a missed opportunity

[25 May 2015]

So is it weird that I was the one who found something to like about this movie while my kids hated nearly every bit of it? I guess there were parts of the movie that spoke to my imagination-filled 1970s childhood and that sensibility that was encouraged in me to dream and do things to pursue those dreams. The 1970s were filled with conflict, but as a child, I was never weighed down by any of that, thank goodness. I got to be a kid, and do what kids do: imagine, play, imagine, do. I have tried to engender that sensibility in my own kids' lives, but today's world is always in their faces, and it is a greater challenge to head off the cynicism and defeatism. Add to that all that dystopian literature and those hungry dystopian movies - it's hard to keep cynicism out of their lives. And, boy, were they cynics and critics when they walked out of Tomorrowland today. Maybe they were too old to enjoy it, but I was surprised how much they hated it. I think that's too bad. Give them the Avengers, and they are happy. Give them Tomorrowland, and they are not. Oh well.

Things I appreciated about the movie: no obscenity, no nudity, no Chris Pratt middle finger high jinks. Tomorrowland is still a Disney film when Disney films meant family friendly, clean, and decent. That means a lot. I really enjoyed the scenery, the colorful closing graphics, the music. There are some funny moments, some unusual characters worth watching. Some plot points are intriguing (especially would have been to me when I was a kid.)

I hate to say it but the major weak link for me was George Clooney. I loved him in Oh Brother Where Art Thou (actually the only other movie I have ever seen him in) but he was not the right choice for this film. Did he produce it or something? I am puzzled by the casting. I live in an area full of NASA engineers and I look forward to hearing what they thought of the actor chosen to play one of them. The little girl was great and reminded me of Angela Cartwright.

If you are looking for a family friendly film to take your young children to go see, I recommend Tomorrowland. It's not a perfect film at all, and, unfortunately, won't ever be considered a classic. But maybe your kids will be inspired to imagine and play, imagine and do, and, if they are, then actually let them.

Lincoln (2012)

But for Daniel Day Lewis . . .

[16 November 2012]

Daniel Day Lewis' outstanding performance as Lincoln was squandered in this film. I left the theater tonight feeling dejected that such an historical figure during such an historical time could be handled in such an uninspiring, emotionally flat manner. I think Spielberg was way out of his league attempting to dramatize what was already an extremely dramatic story. Even the John Williams score was a huge let-down. I can hardly believe how disappointed I am with this film. I am saddened because Day Lewis' Lincoln in more capable directing hands, and with a more superior screenplay, could have been the film we all needed to see after such tumult in the country these days. But no, the film barely rose to the occasion. There were a handful of well-crafted scenes, but the rest was quite superficial despite the beautiful, historically accurate window dressing.

Many audience members in my theater tonight walked out midway through the film (and probably snuck into the James Bond film next door, or even Twilight.) Who could blame them? As a dramatic movie, it was mediocre, and Lincoln deserved better.

To add to the disappointment was the frequent obscenity. I did not bring my teens to see Lincoln in order to hear him say "sh**" and "g*d-d*mn" (also spoken often by other characters in the film.) And James Spader was a joke - and confirmed that he has become a one-trick pony and a caricature of himself, and a pathetic one at that.

If you sense some hostility towards this film, I admit I am feeling hostile at the moment. The film is not good, plain and simple. Daniel Day Lewis was amazing, but because the film was so uninspiring and superficial, even his performance started to suffer in that context - as if Spielberg just wanted to get him on screen doing Lincoln as "Lincoln at the table" and "Lincoln telling stories" and "Here's Lincoln walking down the hall" and "Oh, wait, there's Lincoln riding a horse." Perhaps Spielberg was so mesmerized with Day Lewis' Lincoln that he forgot he was supposed to be making a movie.

My objective gauge is the outstanding film "Amazing Grace." That film deals with a similar topic, and features many historical characters, and manages to be enthralling, heart- breaking, inspiring, and utterly unforgettable. Spielberg's "Lincoln" falls so short in comparison. The only tears I shed are my tears of disappointment.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Fantastic Family Film

[3 August 2011]

Just saw Captain America a second time today. Loved it just as much the second time around. This is not a film I would have chosen to go see - not my favorite genre - but my kids were dying to see it. After having had to deny them the opportunity to see several other superhero films due to the film ratings for language, sex, and violence, I was wary of this film. I knew nothing about Captain America whatsoever. So I did my typical research, determined the film passed my test as far as I could tell (never know with ratings these days), and I went to the theater hoping I would not be disappointed. I wasn't. My kids thought the the movie was fantastic, and I loved it as well, especially since it was free of the cheap raunchiness that afflicts so many movies these days. A great storyline, wonderful recreation of the 1940s, honorable characters, fun humor, nice cast of talented actors. Overall, a truly enjoyable film that was both exciting and uplifting, with - finally! - some great moral lessons and some patriotism (that was refreshing in this day and age.) Thanks to Marvel and the actors for giving my family and I a great family film we could enjoy together. We might even go see it a third time.