jatrudel Reviews

100 Code (2015)

Posh - Seriously?

[4/10 · 19 August 2017]

Stuck it out in honor of the late Michael Nyvqist and his part in making the Millennium series one of the most well-written, well- acted trilogies of all time, and thankful for all of the Scandinavian women, every one both brainy and beautiful. I felt bad for Dominic Monoghan and his hyperbolic characture of the prototypical Ugly American - not all his fault - tip for the writers - American lads have no idea "posh" is an actual word, and those of us not smart enough to know when we are being obnoxious generally are incapable of solving a city street map, never mind matching wits with a criminal mastermind.

Can't say enough good things about the typecasting, making Dom's personal love life the sidebar for the series. Also was in absolute awe of his physical screen presence too. What is he, 5' tall, chasing down 6'4" killers? Totally believable if one can willfully suspend disbelief for twelve one-hour shows, not to mention Michael having been portrayed as a regular jogger/runner. Didn't he pass away from lung cancer at age 56? You will be missed, Michael.

The Night Manager (2016–2025)

Disjointed storyline and bad directing

[5/10 · 6 March 2016]

It did have the promise of intrigue up until the third episode, mostly due to rapid changes in events, circumstances, countries and cultures, and good camera work that briefly captured the narrative flavor of these locations. Laurie and Hiddleston play their respective roles well. The other twenty or so of the cast act like they just wandered in after doing scenes of Upstairs Downstairs. Coleman was thrown into schizophrenic situations that made no sense. She's miscast as the head of a field office for MI6. Given the number of awkward scene changes it looks like nothing was storyboarded prior to shooting. I gave it a five out of sympathy for the actors. Writers make mediocre directors.

Quantico (2015–2018)

Gave it three stars out of sympathy for the actors

[3/10 · 28 September 2015]

Okay, spoiler alert - the pilot's got to be a dream sequence. Everyone will wake up and graduate from Fibbie School in Epi 2. Deus ex machina, baby.

Twin Muslim women acting as one, infiltrating the ranks of the recruits, unbeknownst to the Agency. Good one. That will def fool em. The school admin's also the assistant FBI director, but at least she has a second job driving a bus and wears a hat down low so no one will notice her as she breaks a recruit out of police custody presumably to save her life, and oh yeah, the recruit believes this.

A Mormon preacher slash recruit uses a range weapon to commit suicide when his secret predilection for having sex and impregnating a 14 yr old Malaysian child, then taking her for an illegal abortion kills her... is uncovered by the FBI's vetting process? No. Is shown thru actions, past behavior and good writing? No. It's revealed through research done by a fellow student who can't tie his own shoes. Tell don't show. Makes perfect sense to me.

Then there's the "surprise" ending. The bad guys, whoever they are, blow up a fourteen story building. Can't wait to see how they top that next week. Can you feel the excitement in the air? Would they dare crash a jumbo jet? Or three? BTW, who wrote this screenplay? Let me guess. It was either a 10 yr old or Stephen Colbert on acid.

Magic City (2012–2013)

Started strong with an 8 but...

[5/10 · 5 April 2012]

I was seduced by Jay Leno's car collection. A lack of humanity, gratuitous sex without love or even foreplay, and paper mache characters - together they've killed my initial interest. The hotel owner's son, a playa who apparently can bang any woman he chooses with the tacit approval of Dad, falls for the mobster's moll because she's a bigger playa? Grandad tells Dad it's perfectly okay to take on a cancerous relationship with a gangster in order to be successful?

We weren't around when Cooke went looking for his business partner. Who did he choose? Let's see. The mobster who sneers in perpetuity. Just the kind of guy I'd get into bed with.

BTW speaking of cancerous relationships, how much is the American Tobacco Co. paying Starz to plug smoking? I swear, Cooke has made a big show of whipping out his Zippo and firing up a cig in every scene. It's become a major distraction. That may still work for hooking younger people but for those of us who lived through the sixties the stink on the actors' breath and clothes is palpable.

One thing I can see coming from this? Setting this series back to 1959 sets women back fifty years. Thanks for the free view, Starz. And sorry. Avoid.

Rake (2010–2018)

Refreshingly irreverent law and disorder show

[9/10 · 22 April 2011]

that's about as subtle as a whoopie cushion, this series is one of the finer representations of the human comedy if there ever was one; Honore De Balzac would have loved it. Only the Aussies could take a Fish called Wanda and turn it into a Shark Called Sheila. This show has something for everyone - comedy, tragedy, buffoonery, you name it. Neither adult men and women nor the legal profession will ever be looked upon in the same light again.

*****Spoiler alert**** Our hero is a barrister who wanders through life fixing miscarriages of justice while playing both straight man and the fool to his friends, foes and lovers. Along the way he collects women to help him address his various and sundry insecurities, but it only adds to the confusion when they express empathy, then invariably leave. He has a kind and trusting soul, and they do eventually gravitate back, using him to recharge their feelings of self-worth before sallying forth again. In one episode he finds himself besieged by his ex slash psychiatrist, his former prostitute slash legal intern, and his partner's wife as they each individually seek asylum in his apartment, and all three end up sleeping together in his bed while he sleeps alone on the couch. Rated R for nudity and f-bombs.

Fair Game (I) (2010)

Well Worth Watching

[9/10 · 28 January 2011]

I won't bore you by rehashing these many excellent synopses. I found the writing, acting and directing to be top notch which will come as no surprise to anyone who has read the previous fifty-eight reviews. I didn't know of Valerie or her husband before so in my shameful ignorance it made the story that much more compelling.

After getting the gist of what was transpiring I began to take a deeper interest to see if the story would take us down that heretofore unspoken road to the number one question begging an answer. The question was not only not answered, it was never asked, lol. Ergo, if Bush and Cheney manipulated Congress and the American people (oh boy, I hate hearing politicians use that hackneyed phrase and here I am using it myself) in order to wage war against Saddam and Iraq, then at whose behest and for whose benefit did they do it? Drum rolllll...The Israelis? The oil conglomerates? The Saudis? Mother Bush? Halliburton? Inquiring minds want to know. I'm sensing a sequel could be in the works here. Let's hope this time the gate reflects the quality of the show, folks, huh?

Black Swan (2010)

A Black Swan for the Birdbrained

[1/10 · 25 December 2010]

Empty and vacuous writing, directing and acting; those are the kinder words I can summon twenty-four hours after viewing this POS. Hats off to the costume designer, and to the casting agent who booked that magnificent older ballet instructor. I promise to go back and retrieve her name for this review before I'm finished. They made it somewhat redeeming in a couple of cameos, however briefly.

Portman was lacking in the lead role. For any one of you who have experienced the aura surrounding a prima ballerina, then you know of what I speak. There is an elegance about them that transcends all cultural boundaries, a sense of grace divine if you will. Portman did nothing to present a case for herself. The Black Swan/White swan doppelganger had no believability and this viewer never allowed himself to become invested in this cartoonish melodrama.

This movie is the definition of pornography. As Justice Potter Stewart once said, "I'll know it when I see it." It lacked any shred of humanity. It strove for mystery and left the audience pining for the final credits. It was written with unskilled naivety, using passionless characters to tell repeatedly how they felt while telegraphing their actions.

This reminded me of a movie from the sixties called Elvira Madigan wherein the director tried to incorporate a tragic love story around one of Mozart's piano concertos. Much like that movie, this was a failed attempt at achieving recognition by association with a phenomenal work of art, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

Oh, yes, the dance mistress I believe was Marina Stavitskaya, a former Russian prima ballerina herself who teaches in NYC now. Look up the Manhattan Youth Ballet and on their website you will find her picture. One glimpse and you'll know what I meant about aura.

Terriers (2010)

One of the best this season, and of course just canceled, but why?

[9/10 · 18 December 2010]

Why didn't this show attract more viewers? Well-written and superbly acted, this show, one would think, should have been a slam dunk. I fell in love with it after seeing just one episode. Problem was I waited until there was nothing else on before I watched the first one. Well, looking back on my own experience I'm guessing I ignored the show for weeks based on a personal bias against small dogs and sitcoms, both of which are implied in the title of this series. It's about neither, nor are they the main reasons it crashed and burned.

The biggest flaw the show had that I could see was its scrunge factor. My GF couldn't get past it, and I have to admit I had to suspend disbelief whenever these two protagonists coupled up with smart, sexy women, or followed the story line that one of them, an unshaven and untrimmed reformed drunk and ex-cop who had been kicked off the dept. was previously married to a responsibly-minded goddess; or the other main character, a reformed B&E artist, wasn't in the least bit reformed. Viewers want to identify with the characters... Doh!

So after all of that, what was good about the show? Every single character was real. Their emotions were real. Yeah, sure. No, true that.

In all sincerity this show was a tribute to the triune brain - about how the leftover parts of our reptilian brains can trick us into following what we know is def the wrong path, or cloud our judgment and cause us to react instead of following the logical thinking man's parts of our brains and doing the right thing. What differentiated these guys from boilerplate PI shows (which BTW is what these guys were, PIs, unlicensed naturally) is they were smart enough to recognize what was happening but powerless to suppress their feelings, sort of like this review. Well worth watching the reruns. Clean these guys up, change the title and bring them back, please?

Haven (2010–2015)

Best character departs

[6/10 · 28 August 2010]

I gave it 5.5 to 6 out of 10 for the actors and the setting. The stories are absurd to the point some might consider them comedic. If it had been treated like Northern Exposure it probably would have been a big hit but it's written and directed like a serious mystery. Please, a stuffed taxidermist terrorizing the town? Ann Caillon, the witch called Jess, was easily the most compelling character on the show so far and a love interest for one of the protagonists, so what happens to her? The writers just sent her packing without explanation (and this viewer with her). The least they could have done was to send her off on a broom. At least she would have remained in character with the rest of this inane show.

The setting is called Haven, a fictional coastal town in Maine. The show was actually shot in a town in Nova Scotia 30 miles below Halifax. The graphics that include the opening credits superimposed over the town newspaper, the Haven Herald, are well done. I did a short search to see if any of the newspaper clippings were legit and they are not. There was no newspaper published in Maine or Nova Scotia until the mid 1800's. Too bad. There's plenty of factual and strange history they could have tied into the storyline.

Treme (2010–2013)

The mixed reviews were understandable - have patience, brothers and sisters

[10/10 · 20 April 2010]

Yes, if you're a fan of David Simon you probably will be disappointed, but hold judgment until you've experienced both episode 1 and episode 2. In the first hour of the pilot there is a sense of the surreal. We feel a disconnect with the city and its characters. We catch glimpses of former New Orleans life but try as we might there is nothing drawing us in. New Orleans and its people are in a catatonic state. The city no longer has a soul. An hour doesn't seem that long but I must admit after sixty dreary minutes I was ready to pack it in, and then in the second hour the magic of Simon began creeping out of the cracks and crevices. It wasn't enough to convince me a compelling story would emerge, but it was enough for me to give it a second chance. A great story requires more of a setup than audiences are willing to give a writer these days. Thank god Simon never lets that influence him.

About a third of the way into episode two Simon had me. If you saw The Wire, that's probably the only criticism I had left. I can still see Bunk and Freamon. They were incredibly powerful characters and it's hard to dissociate Pierce and Peters from those parts. Wendell Pierce fills up a honky tonk stage as Antoine Batiste but aside from his trombone playing, I still expect him to wake up the next morning and head off to investigate another homicide. Same with Clarke Peters as the Indian. He's embraced his new role and already put his stamp on it, but in my mind he's still the recalcitrant Baltimore detective. I guess you could say that's pretty petty stuff. The new ensemble took over in the second episode and I can't wait for more. This is shaping up to be as good as The Wire.