Reviews

I have seen the original Broadway play and the original Judy Garland movie "The Wizard of Oz". I wasn't expecting to be as impressed as I was. Cynthia Erivo is the obvious star but everyone did an excellent job. I would gladly see it again. I was fortunate to see the IMax version which is larger than life. Not everyone is a fan of musicals, but the songs and the singing are excellent. Both Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth who originated the Broadway leads have cameos. The sets are imaginative. The costumes are creative. What really struck me is a moment at the end when Elphaba played by Erivo flies away and her cape is momentarily in the exact same position as the cover of the Playbill of the Broadway show. I doubt that many people caught that. It was a great tribute.

As a Jew I find this series to be astonishingly good and difficult to watch. The director only chose Jewish actors for the main roles which is significant. When I watch or read anything about the Holocaust I feel it in my bones. The book it is based on was written by the great-granddaughter of Nechuma and Sol. I know any Jewish actor playing a role in a script about the Holocaust would not be acting....they would be thinking it could have been them and still might be. Anti-Semitism is the oldest hatred in the world dating back 2000 years. The story is a biography about a real family that managed to survive intact. That is a miracle. A must see in my opinion.

I'm very sure the general public is ignorant about the Indian Boarding Schools that were rampant throughout the West during that time period and were run by churches and our government. The Heard Museum in Phoenix has an excellent display of the horrors that we subjected Native Americans to in order to assimilation them. Taylor Sheridan is just referencing real history. If you think it's horrible, good. It was. That's how white people treated Native Americans then. As to the character of the young girl, Teonna, I believe she will be the ancestor of Chief Rainwater in Yellowstone.

As to the young man playing Spencer Dutton, he's in Africa because he was too traumatized by WWI to go home. If you don't know the history, you won't understand.

We are only 2 episodes into 1923. Sheridan has said it will take 2 seasons to complete this story. Be patient. There's a long way to go.

I don't like Christmas movies very much and I was a little bored at the beginning, but I ended up really enjoying it. It's fun, has a good moral, uses Dickens in a creative way and is worth watching. The dancing is spectacular, the singing varies, Judy Dench pops up, and has a surprise ending. Ryan Reynold's voice was pleasant as was Olivia Spencer's. Will Farrell isn't the world's best singer and he has the most songs. I enjoyed the humor. You have to make these reviews a certain length for some reason so I'll say the sets were spectacular and the movie was fun to watch. If you don't like movies where half of the movie is singing, this isn't your jam.

It's an entertaining summer show. Not great, not bad. Anyone still bothered by interracial couples can go fly a kite. It's a pretty good psychological thriller.

The most amazing aspect of this series is that, with few exceptions, the good guys and bad guys are not clear cut. They all have bad sides and good sides. They're portrayed as complicated human beings. The scenery is magnificent. The acting is outstanding. And you are riveted to the screen the entire time. This is one of the best shows I have ever watched, and I've been watching TV since the late 1940's. Don't miss it.

From reading other reviews, it seems like there are too many viewers who would prefer to return to the days of lily white casts and a non diverse America. That's exactly why I like this show. It's a microcosm of our country and all it's diversity. I enjoy the stories, and the interactions between the characters. My mother died when I was 6. If I had had a council of moms, (and dads because my dad buried himself in work), my childhood might have been a great deal happier.