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Wicked: Part I (2024)
A film of the stage production, but not a film.
I came to the show hoping to see a film, but instead I saw a filmed version of the stage show. In most cases, filmed versions of stage shows fail because they are two very different environments. In the early part of the 20th century this was less true because neither films nor stage productions were seen by many, and also because the technology of film production was still in its infancy. Nowadays, with film production techniques so advanced, the film allows so much more than the stage, that filming a stage production is difficult to do successfully.
I didn't see Wicked on stage, but having viewed the film, I can see how it was a very good play, But what kind of a film was it? Very poor. Let me start.
The lip syncing was done very poorly, which is easy to see on a big screen. The cgi was amateurish at best, detracting from the film's value. The dancing was pure theatric, with little use of the camera except to record it. Great in a theater, boring on film.
Then we have the Munchkins. When did they get so tall. I thought they were tiny people. Looked stupid to have suich big Munchkins.
More substantially, I didn't think the quality of the voices was up to speed. Good, yes. Very good? No. Judy Garland? Certainly not.
The acting? Mediocre. Was it supposed to be mediocre to make a point? Who knows. Only the Wicked Witch and the Wizard were any good, and the Wizard was simply doing what Jeff always does.
The story. Way tooooooooooooooo long. With such bad direction and mediocre acting I thought I was being punished. At least 30 minutes could be cut doing no damage to the film.
To summarize, nothing in the film deserved to be filmed, but many of us can be happy that now we've seen the play. What a deep disappointment that when given the chance to make a spectacular film they resorted to filming the stage production.
Gladiator II (2024)
Poor job
There are so many things wrong with this film it's hard to list them all. Let me simply list the two that most annoyed me. First, there is nothing here that warrants the 20 year time lag between I and II. Neither the action nor the cgi nor the script nor the acting nor the direction nor anything else is better than the 24 year old version. Why make it?
Then there's Densel Washington. A Black American-speaking, modern moving person in a pivotal role. It's laughable. In fact I often laughed when he came on the screen. Ludicrous to say the least. Then there's the fight between the Washington character and the child grown up character and you have to won der why that fight is in the film at all. How can you expect the Washington character to vanquish a gladiator? Just stupid.
Mean Streets (1973)
Doesn't hold up
The first time I saw Mean Streets I thought it was great. I watched it a few times since and thought maybe it wasn't so great. Just saw it again and decided that, in retrospect, it is not even good. Of course all films need to be evaluated for their place and time. So it's not fair to look back and evaluate. But I'll do it anyway, because there are so many films that last.
Think Public Enemy, Dracula, Frankenstein, Citizen Caine, Wizard of Oz, GWTW, and countless others that managed to keep their value even as decades advanced.
Mean Streets doesn't, for me. The music adds little to the film and often is discordant. Better selections and timing would be good. Yes, at the time it was an innovation, but doesn't hold up.
The ending is just ridiculous. Did they run out of money to film a better ending?
Conclave (2024)
Fast forward
I kept reaching for the fast forward button because there is at least 30 minutes (and maybe 45) too much, unless you really want to see the intracacies of how they sit, what they eat, how they vote, where they sleep, etc. CUs of statues and paintings and ceilings and clothing and who knows what else. It just goes on and on.
The acting is good, though not great, and the plot is so obvious I thought they would do something else, but they didn't.
All things considered it's a miss. Maybe ok for a TV viewing but the big screen isn't needed and the extra documentation of what goes on is boring, at least for me.
Have I Got News for You (2024)
Have I got a Show for You
The best thing on CNN nowadays is a 30-minuite comedy show. Comedy? CNN? The most laughs on CNN are when the newscasters fail to flow up the many errors and lies being told all the time. Or when they say "breaking news" and it already broke a while ago. Put up all that aside. This new, quirky, irreverent and sometimes silly show is about the only good thing on CNN right now. They give you the news chopped up, dissected, twisted, and mish-mashed so many ways you'll still be laughing from the last bit when the new bit gets you too. No, it's not perfect and sometimes it is downright infantile, but it's funny, innovative, pertinent, topical, and did I say funny?
Megalopolis (2024)
Waste of Talent in a Bad Faux Fellini
Given how much talent there was in this film, it's amazing that it is sooooo bad. First, it's the script. It's faux Fellini with no real center. But it also runs in and out of a normal script and then into the Fellini parts, with no apparent rhyme or reason.
Next, I guess they are trying to make a point. There are bits and pieces of Trump in the film but then there are contradictions as well - the non-Trump. So if it falls flat on Fellini it also falls flat on Political.
Ah, but that's not all. The acting is terrible. Adam Driver, not known for great acting, is at his very worst. Completely wasted are Fishburrne, Shire, Hoffman, Remar, and Sweeney. How did they ever get these folks to sign on to this disaster?
OK. Not everyone does a poor job. Plaza, Voigt and Esposito do stand out.
The Substance (2024)
Worst Film of the Year
Apologies to any other film I called "The Worst..." as this one takes the cake. OK, I'm not a fan of Demi Moore's acting talents. So maybe I shouldn't have gone. But I was fascinated by the plot, kind of a reverse Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Sounded good.
John Barrymore, Frederick March and Spencer Tracy did such good transformation scenes I was interested in how they would do it in this film.
Long before the transformation we're subjected to Demi Moore trying to show us her butt (with and without clothing), her breasts, and anything else she could think of. Being 62 and pretending she just turned 50 doesn't work, and besides, I came for the transformation scene and not to see naked Demi.
But Moore's soft porn continua; scenes are not the problem. It's the script. One minute she is going down a dirty alley to get some kind of drug from someone she's never met or seen. The next minute she's skillfully injecting an unknown substance into her veins ( I thought she was an exercise queen not a physician). Next minute she's on the floor stitching up open wounds.
Maybe it gets better . I left when the new version of herself appeared with no real transformation. Just 62-year-old Demi bleeding out on the floor and a young girl admiring herself in the mirror.
Avoid this film at all costs. Even if it's on TV.
Bad Monkey (2024)
For Vince Vaughn fans
If you're a fan of Vince Vaughn then you'll really enjoy this film. It's all about Vince. He's in most scenes and most of the action revolves around him. He's a wonderful comedic actor and that's the Vince that shows up here. But he's also a great dramatic actor (Brawl in Cell Block 99). His co-star is the beautiful and sexy Natalie Martinez who's done a lot of TV work (probably best known for CSI:NY and The Crossing). They have great chemistry.
But these two are not the only gems. The music is great and the use of a narrator really works (usually I don't like it). The locations and photography are equally well above average. The script is very interesting and has twists and turns that will keep you guessing.
Other excellent acting comes from L. Scott Caldwell, Jodie Turner-Smith, John Ortiz, David St. Louis, Rob Delaney, and Meredith Hagner.
The Instigators (2024)
Could have been better
This could have been a great film, but there are some factors that needed fixing. It's quirky and could be a screwball comedy-drama if done better. Here are my criticisms. (1) the "romance" between the shrink and Affleck could have been done better to be more believable. He had a few endearing qualities that could have been better illustrated, and she some vulnerabilities that weren't harvest ed. (2) the mayor's rapid decline is completely out of wack no matter what he's been up to. It's simply not believable. Nor is the idea of the safe, etc. Could have been done better and not cartoonish. (3) Damon doesn't seem to know how to play this. The result is a stoic deadpan that reminds me of his BFF. He needed to do some more work to get a better handle on the person. All of this would have made a good film really great.
Sleeping Dogs (2024)
What a shame
This could have been a great modern film noir. It isn't. There are so many plot flaws in this one you'd need more than 600 characters to list them all. Suffice it to say that if you're confused it isn't you. That's a shame. There is some wonderful acting here from almost everyone, almost everyone except Crowe who doesn't seem to get it. OK. A bad performance from Crowe is not unknown so the rest of the cast carries the load. All of them are great and I hesitate to point out any one over the other. I also liked the flashbacks and the entire idea of the film. But those plot flaws. They killed what otherwise could have been great.
Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War (2024)
Almost perfect
This docudrama about the West, and more particularly, Tombstone and the Earps, is one of the best written, if not the best written, stories about what really happened. Through multiple sources looking at multiple aspects, we get a full idea of what was happening. How London to New York to Washington to Arizona all come into play between the Civil War, the railroad, the stagecoach, cattle, the newspapers, etc. Is a wonder. Marvelous writing and homework on the part of the producers and writers. It's literally like nothing you've ever seen before.
Why not a 10? Well, it's the acting. The acting isn't up to a 10 level. Everything else is, so that's why it gets a 9. The acting isn't bad, but when everything else is perfect, it could use a slight boast.
Banshee Origins (2013)
Really great
If you're interested in an action series, this one is it. Better than almost any action series you've seen on TV, and up there with Miami Vice. It's not merely the action, it's everything. The music and the photography are wonderful. The editing is really great - something you only expect to see in first class films. What pulls it together is great acting and really clever scripts that have multiple interacting plots.
OK. It's violent. Not me rely violent, but really violent. So stay away if your squeamish. And yes, there's a lot of nudity, including some frontal nudity. So if that offends you, this isn't the series you ant to watch.
Alien: Romulus (2024)
Could not be worse!
Really! What an insult! To the audience and to the franchise! Let's see. 1. The music is terrible, It overpowers everyone. Well, maybe that's not the worst thing since everything is terrible. 2. The acting is poor, from almost everyone, except the synthetics. 3. The use of cocky is questionable. I couldn't understand a thing. 4. The physics and the mechanics are not correctly done. 5. The story line is muddled, as are the creatures. 6. The attempts to copy from the original are poorly done. This isn't satire. Nor is it a homage. 7. The deaths of the creatures get pretty boring. In fact, just about everything with the creatures gets boring. Did no one tell them that less is more. Look at the originals to see the results. FWIW - I rarely give a "1" as a rating.
Mr. Throwback (2024)
Not funny
There are so many problems with the show it's hard to know where to begin. Problem #1 - it's not funny. Yes, there are some giggles and a few laughs, but most of the time it's simply not funny. Problem #2 - bad acting. Maybe it's not so much the bad ac ting as it is the lack of comedy, but either way, not very entertaining to watch. Problem #3 - preposterous. Yes, it's not a likely story and it seems so staged it's not captivating. Problem #4 - Who really cares? The "star" of this show is a "nerdowell" who lies, cheats, and otherwise represents a kind of hero it's hard to cheer for. I didn't find a single saving grace in the first show, so won't watch any more.
The Guns of August (1964)
What a Waste
This documentary could have been wonderful. It has some precious footage that has probably never been seen before. It's truly eye-opening. If you're a WW1 expert you will really appreciate it.
Suppose you're not a WW1 expert. Suppose you're just an ordinary person looking for some information about WW1. Look elsewhere!
In a War as important as WW1 you need lots of maps. I think it's nearly an hour before the first map appears. By then you're lost.
WW1 also has a lot of back story that includes people and places and events. Very little of it is covered adequately.
Once the war starts, there are lots of people. This documentary talks to you as if you know who these people are. You don't.
Rocky Mountain (1950)
Yeah, but
As a movie, it's ok and certainly for the 1950s. And of course you have Errol Flynn who rarely disappoints, even as late as 1950. In addition to Flynn and some really good photography, there isn't too much else to recommend it. But what I really object to is the myth the film perpetuates that the South were fighting some type of noble cause. There's a scene where Flynn remembers how happy he was on his big plantation looking out at the river and the cotton fields. He neglected to talk about the slaves. Now I don't doubt that a southerner said this, but what I object to is that no one in the film offers a counter view. The South was fighting to keep slavery. That's what the war was all about. Surely one of the captured Union soldiers could have offered this counterpoint.
Land of Bad (2024)
Whose Idea Was This?
Hard to imagine how they came up with this script. Let's have an action combat film juxtaposed against a elderly buffoon wandering around a grocery store. Let's have a bunch of soldiers watching TV and intercut with life and death 10,000 miles away. The idea is silly and can only rarely be achieved well (e.g., when they play "Have yourself a Merry Christmas" while WW2 carnage is going on).
The juxtapositioning fails miserably. Russel Crow fails miserably. The action sequences are great. What should be juxtaposed is the way that US troops are so reliant upon their technology while the "enemy" is just grunting by. The US is using satellites and telescopes and the enemy are using dogs. These types of scenes would have been great.
Watch the action. Skip anything with Crowe or the soldiers watching TV, and you have a pretty good film.
American Experience: Citizen Hearst: Part 1 (2021)
Excellent with blemishes
If only they had some better historians for this mini-series it would have been terrific. I'm giving it 8 out of 10 for how much value it has, but I subtracted 2 points because of all the errors and omissions. The main error, and it's a BIG one, is not mentioning Horace Greeley who was Heart's model for his goals. In the post Civil War era, newspaper publishers began to exert direct political influence. Isaac Hill (NH Patriot) was U. S. Senator and Governor of New Hampshire. James Bennett (NY Herald) was a strong supporter of Presidents Harrison (1840), Taylor (1848) and Pierce (1852). Horace Greeley (NY Tribune) was a Representative from New York and ran for President on the Liberal Republican Party ticket in 1872. These are the models Hearts used, not Pulitzer , on whom Part 1 spends a lot of time.
The other BIG error is the lack of psychological information. Rather than hearing from a historian what he thinks motivated Hearst, perhaps a Psychologist would provide better insight.
There are minor errors. News boys started in the 30s, not the 80s. Motion pictures of NY prior to 1800 were virtually non-existent. Etc.
OK. You get my point. It's not perfect. But putting aside these issues, it's wonderful, has great photos, and gives lots of information.
Longlegs (2024)
Seriously bad
This film is seriously bad. If you're going to see if for Nick Cage, forget it. He isn't there. There is someone who I suppose people will say is him, dressed as a woman or maybe he's a man, and unrecognizable as Cage or anyone else for that matter,. And this figure, the evil one shows up for probably less than 5 minutes.
OK. Forget about Nick Cage and let's just consider the film itself. It's a whodunnit with occasional bits of horror. The horror bits are pretty poor and the whodunit isn't much of a stretch.
Most of the acting in the film is poor, as if this were a B or less type film. The direction is really poor. A whodunit or a horror film should have some suspense building up. This one doesn't. Feel free to go to the restroom whenever you want.
Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories with David Rubenstein (2023)
Hit and a miss
History with David Rubenstein is one of the finest TV shows ever produced. It's so good I save the episodes and periodically watch them over and over. But his latest project is a great disappointment. Why?
Rubenstein doesn't seem to stick to a topic. The episode on the Golden Gate Bridge turns out to be mostly about cars, trains, and sustainable transportation. The episode about Fenway Park is more a collection of plays from the past than it is about ball parks, much less Fenway.
Then there are the omissions (something that is hard to believe given Rubenstein's background). The episode about the Golden Gate that turns partially into an episode about the car doesn't seem to know that the interstate highway system was developed by Eisenhower because he was so impressed with the German system. And no, the US wasn't the first to develop this system - Hitler did it.
There's more, but I think you have the idea. This is a deeply flawed series, which is so sad because the idea itself is wonderful.
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 (2024)
Not the worst...
No, this isn't the worst film ever made nor it is the worst Western ever made. It is bad, really bad. I walked out after an hour. BTW - it takes nearly an hour before KC shows up, so I kept waiting in the hopes that when he arrived the film would pick up. It didn't.
What's so bad. First, the music. It is constant and blaring and not particularly relevant to the action of screen. Then there's the photography. It is average at best, but occasionally it gets really bad, focusing in on strange things. This is not John Ford.
Maybe the story is even worse than the music and photography. I should say "stories" because there doesn't seem to be a story per se. The film wanders around in various places at various times. In the hour I struggled to stay and watch, it wasn't clear what these disparate elements meant. Maybe they come together, but who cares.
Maybe even worse than the story is the direction. Not sure what the director wasn't trying to establish, but there are simply too many repetitive shots that go on too long.
Don't get me started on the acting. Only one person did a good job. The rest were so obviously actors acting as if they were in a western film. Even the Indians did a poor job.
Avoid this film. Avoid the next chapter if they are dumb enough to film it.
The Exception (2016)
Plummer is wonderful
There is wonderful acting from Christopher Plummer. And Janet McTeer who plays his wife. Lily James is quite good, offering a mystique that follows her character. The scene stealer is Eddie Marsan who plays Himmler.
The film is a little slow, but that's probably they way it should be. Then when it's right, it speeds up, so we can forgive the slow build up.
My only real problem an d the reason I give it only a 6 is that they failed to provide some after-film notes. The ultimate time and manner of Wilhelm's death is very pertinent to the story, especially what happened after he died. Not printing the information is a real loss.
It's not clear whether or not the film is based on some facts but some of the details are not correct.
The Regime (2024)
What were they thinking?
I get it. Politics is really scary right now. Not merely in the US but in Africa, Europe, Asia, and just about everywhere. So wouldn't it be good to do a satire that would enlighten us all and maybe lighten up the mood. It doesn't have to be left or right, just pertinent, at times, funny, and at time a little too real.
Every so often, this series achieves just that. But it's only every so often and that's not very often at all. There is an occasional good performance, but mostly the acting is just plain poor. That's true for Winslet too. Very disappointing all around.
There isn't much else to save this poor show. Music and photography and poor and the script itself can't be saved. What a loss!
Maharaja (2024)
Worst film editing in history
When I say this is the worst editing in film history I should say that I've seen nearly 10,000 films, including a few hundred with subtitles. That being said, it's possible that my comment is a function of the fact that the film is in a foreign language and the english subtitles were obviously not written by an english speaker. Put all that aside.
Just because it's the worst editing ever doesn't mean it's the worst film ever. It's not. It's not a good film, but there are many many worse than this one. There is a story and some of the acting is good, though some of it is sheer nonsense.
My best recommendation is give it a miss.
Deadwood (2004)
So good with only a few deficits
I want to give this series a 10. It has the most wonderful acting by everyone in the cast and a location that makes you believe you are time-traveling. The music is similarly first rate, and the departure from history is not so much and much less than most other westerns.
So why an 8? Two problems. The first is the chock full of content nature of the series, with so many characters and so many subplots, detracts from the series, in my opinion. Fewer subplots would have been preferable, and a little better exposition especially about motivation. For this series, less would have been more. Instead more is less. Too bad.
My other complaint is about the ending. What#$?## Seriously, what a terrible way to end the series.