DrWilhielmWonk
Joined Apr 2006
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Ratings2.8K
DrWilhielmWonk's rating
Reviews16
DrWilhielmWonk's rating
It's surprisingly entertaining to follow the macho, bombastic billionaire character Charlie Croker (played by Jeff Daniels) as his business empire comes under siege from a creditor bank. The meetings between Croker and the equally pompous bank president are filled with almost literal chest-thumping between a pair of gorillas, as they clash over Croker's overleveraged position. The bank is aided by a scheming underling named Raymond Peepgrass that's obsessed over vengeance against Croker.
One thing that really bothered me was Peepgrass' girlfriend, who is supposed to be Finnish. Everything about her character is off-the accent is some strange mix of Russian or Eastern European, her looks, clothing, expressions, behavior, and even her name don't resemble anything found in Finnish. You'd think that with the budget for a miniseries, they could get at least one aspect of her character right, even if they were just guessing at random. But no, it's a perfect 100% miss-a total gutterball that doesn't hit a single pin and is a failure in every direction.
Despite this, the drama surrounding the main characters is engaging. The ex-wife (Diane Lane), her best friend (Lucy Liu), the sympathetic son, and the bright black lawyer defending a young black man who strikes back at a brutal white police officer all add depth to the story.
Croker's fumbling attempt to secure financial backing by wooing a cautious, discreet fellow billionaire ends just as expected in disaster. This follows a bizarre scene where that fellow's wife is forced to witness the forced procreation between two horses at Croker's ranch. Of course, she immediately wants to cut the visit short right then because she's a liberal - at least according to the weird preconceptions of what it means to be a liberal (maybe it was picked from Tom Wolfe's book?).
Overall, it's a quite an entertaining miniseries filled with the twists and mishaps of a larger-than-life character and his crumbling fortune.
One thing that really bothered me was Peepgrass' girlfriend, who is supposed to be Finnish. Everything about her character is off-the accent is some strange mix of Russian or Eastern European, her looks, clothing, expressions, behavior, and even her name don't resemble anything found in Finnish. You'd think that with the budget for a miniseries, they could get at least one aspect of her character right, even if they were just guessing at random. But no, it's a perfect 100% miss-a total gutterball that doesn't hit a single pin and is a failure in every direction.
Despite this, the drama surrounding the main characters is engaging. The ex-wife (Diane Lane), her best friend (Lucy Liu), the sympathetic son, and the bright black lawyer defending a young black man who strikes back at a brutal white police officer all add depth to the story.
Croker's fumbling attempt to secure financial backing by wooing a cautious, discreet fellow billionaire ends just as expected in disaster. This follows a bizarre scene where that fellow's wife is forced to witness the forced procreation between two horses at Croker's ranch. Of course, she immediately wants to cut the visit short right then because she's a liberal - at least according to the weird preconceptions of what it means to be a liberal (maybe it was picked from Tom Wolfe's book?).
Overall, it's a quite an entertaining miniseries filled with the twists and mishaps of a larger-than-life character and his crumbling fortune.
*though, it never happened on earth. Ever. Or this universe. This is the most misleading based on a true story gimmick I've ever seen.
Ok, I admit it. I don't believe in superman, spiderman, demons, monsters, ghosts, gods / god, devil, mickey mouse, or anything of that ilk.
The whole movie would have worked so much better if they had left out the supernatural hodgepodge. Which never happened.
This is not to say that there are not people that are evil. Or insane. Or both. And / or believe in monsters. Hell is other people as Sartre said.
If they just left out the mumbo jumbo it could have "made sense" - as in it could have happened - and warranted a "based on a true story".
Ps. I know it's based on a book by a retired police officer, but that doesn't make it more "real" than Bambi or Humpty Dumpty.
Ok, I admit it. I don't believe in superman, spiderman, demons, monsters, ghosts, gods / god, devil, mickey mouse, or anything of that ilk.
The whole movie would have worked so much better if they had left out the supernatural hodgepodge. Which never happened.
This is not to say that there are not people that are evil. Or insane. Or both. And / or believe in monsters. Hell is other people as Sartre said.
If they just left out the mumbo jumbo it could have "made sense" - as in it could have happened - and warranted a "based on a true story".
Ps. I know it's based on a book by a retired police officer, but that doesn't make it more "real" than Bambi or Humpty Dumpty.
Monk meets Columbo, featuring a young and feisty Bonnie Tyler... Creative murder mysteries with surprising twists and turns get solved by a perceptive and shrewd female Columbo (Natasha Lyonne). Being born with a near superhuman superpower for spotting lies she's able to detect any fib by the perpetrators, which helps guide her as she picks up inconsistencies in peoples accounts and unwinds the murder schemes.
All episodes are stand-alone so you can pick up watching at any episode. Lighthearted and adventurous plots mixed with humor in the dialogue makes it a pleasure to watch. A number of well-known actors guest stars in each episode.
All episodes are stand-alone so you can pick up watching at any episode. Lighthearted and adventurous plots mixed with humor in the dialogue makes it a pleasure to watch. A number of well-known actors guest stars in each episode.
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