mking5303 Reviews

John Adams (2008)

Great nations from shaky beginnings come...

[10/10 · 28 April 2008]

John Adams was absolutely amazing. I never enjoyed history in school and dislike war movies. But my 30 yr old son sucked me into this series and like a good book, I couldn't put it down! What an eye opener humanizing our founding fathers. And the infighting was fascinating. I was actually pleasantly surprised that the war was so peripheral to the plot. I wish our present leaders would consider war as a last alternative and remember that there are people dying in these conflicts.

And the integrity of Adams and the actor who played him! Paul Giamatti had better get awards for this. You can tell he put his whole soul into the character. Linney, Polley, Moss-Bacharach, Sewell, and Dillane also with standout performances.

Thank you to all parties. This one will stay with me for a long time.

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

This one is unforgettable.

[10/10 · 27 December 2005]

This is a love story about a young couple who meet at work. They gradually become friends, and eventually the relationship evolves into something much more. They live in a time and place where their love is unacceptable, so they resort to furtive meetings in solitary places. Life is messy, people get hurt. But the love endures. Timeless plot. Why is this one any different or any better?

I'm sure many people are going to provide better plot outlines than I could. And there will be far too many people who will avoid this movie because of the controversial nature of the love story. I feel sad about that, because we really need to get past the stereotypes. (I was actually pleasantly surprised by, and proud of, the number of straight men in the theatre.) It makes me very sad that women can't seem to find the depth of love with each other that men can. This movie disturbed me; not so much because of the forbidden relationship, but more by the knowledge that I will never know the strength and enduring quality of this kind of love.

I am just a little bit embarrassed to have been a witness to it; I am so proud of Ang Lee for making it. Thank you.

Wonderfalls (2004)

Powers that be - Please bring this one back!!!

[27 December 2005]

I caught this show on a cable network this year and was totally intrigued. It was amazing! Quirky! Fun. You never knew where it was going to go.

Well, I saw the boxed set of DVDs when I was Christmas shopping so I bought myself a gift! It was my best present this year. I sat down and watched the last 7 episodes, some of which had never aired which tied up some loose ends.

I really can't believe they took this one off the air! The characters were funny but totally believable, and frequently the interactions between the characters veered into those little spaces that are a bit uncomfortable for us to touch.

If you can find the set, pick it up. If you are a producer for a non-Fox network, pick them up! You won't be disappointed. I sure wasn't.