jenkinscammy

This film could have been epic, but it's just...not. For two reasons: bad casting and a weak screenplay.

De Niro is out of place in this film. The role of WIlliam Hale needs a younger, charismatic, physically imposing actor (which is also more historically accurate). De Niro's acting is horrendous. His syrupy-sweet Georgia accent comes and goes and he's lost that aura of quiet menace that used to be his trademark.

DiCaprio would have been great as William Hale. He is wasted in his role as Ernest Burkhart, a toady to "King Bill", his uncle. Ernest Burkhart is not a complex man, nor does his character require a great range of emotion.

The screenplay doesn't do a good job of developing Burkhart as a character. His motivations are always a bit murky, especially as the noose tightens and allegiances change. The same holds true for the Osage victims - there's very little humanization. As the body count climbs and families are destroyed, we don't get a clear sense of what the community is losing.

This movie needed a Francis Ford Coppola at the helm, not the godfather of gangster movies.. Having said that - it's a $200 million period piece by an accomplished director. It's visually amazing. It's socially and historically relevant.

Conclusion: Crazy as it sounds, this should have been a 4 hour movie starring Will Poulter as Burkhart and Leo Dicaprio as King Hale.

This movie has some decent actors in it - Casper Van Diem, Eric Roberts, Michael Madsen, the cream of the B-listers/A-list supporting.

But...their vocals are dubbed over. I'd love to know the reason, it's as if the audio was destroyed in a fire, so they just had student voice actors dub the entire thing.

The sets seem quality, the special effects are ok, it has all the makings of a real movie - yet none of the actors every speak a line of their own dialogue. (Note: I viewed this movie on Prime, perhaps it's some sort of weird licensing thing?)

At any rate, I highly suggest you check this movie out for at least 5 minutes, have a giggle and move on to another selection.

Those About To Die is a show that should have been top notch. It was obviously well-funded, with elaborate sets and plenty of CGI. Unfortunately, this show falls far short of expectations.

The show tries to be a combination of Rome (HBO) and Spartacus (Stars), leaning on both the political intrigue of the imperial family and the games at Rome's legendary arenas to get the audience hooked. The story itself focuses on several subplots, including the imperial family, the owner of a gambling parlor and a family taken as Roman slaves. As such, we are treated to every corner of Rome, from the Senate chambers to dirty back alleys to Mt. Vesuvius.

What could go wrong? Well...

The CGI is notably low-quality in certain areas. Of note, many of the animals fighting in the arena are fully CGI and they look like it. These fights aren't central to the plot, and it might have been better to use live-action alternatives (like armed soldiers or gladiators).

The writing/plot seems uninspired and event-driven. We see what the main characters are doing, but we don't clearly see why they do what they do. Their development seems rushed and they come off as one-dimensional.

The action is hit-and-miss. Much of the action in the arena centers around chariot racing, which is largely a miss = it's just not that exciting to watch horses run in a circle. The few times that we see gladiators, the fights are poorly choreographed. On a brighter note, there is a fair amount of action outside the arena, including skullduggery, civil unrest and natural disasters.

My recommendation is to watch this series only if you are a dedicated fan of the genre.