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briandfinley
Reviews
Boss Level (2020)
Hey, this is not a good movie!
Oh boy...well, let's see. It does have a great cast . Frank Grillo is always fun to watch, even when the material is dopey claptrap, as this is. A sort-of star-studded cast (if Mel Gibson van be still be considered a star) does little to advance the story; the actors are basically product-placement ads: Look! There's Michelle Yeoh! Hey There's Ken Jeong! And what in the hell persuaded Naomi Watts to join this mess? There's a lot of ass-kickin' and shootin' and car crashes, and stuff occasionally blows up, but there is nothing approaching a narrative that makes sense or even produces an occasional chuckle. And they clearly spent about a hundred million dollars in the process. Next time: hire a writer.
Greyhound (2020)
It's Lonely At The Top...
I saw another review that complained about "little effort at any sort of character development", which is accurate enough, but doesn't come close to capturing the essence of what this film is about. The source material, C. S. Forster's novel "The Good Shephard" is a third-person narrative that details what the Hanks character, Commander Krause, is experiencing in the moment over a period of three or four days. It is a tersely economical war story that focuses on the mechanics of how this part of the war is fought, and how command decisions have to be made deliberately and swiftly, with terrible consequences if errors in judgement are made. This is not "The Winds of War".
The film tells much of it's story visually, with the bulk of the dialogue being Commander Krause's orders given to his crew or to ships captain's on the other escort. Krause has a few confabs with Lieutenant Commander Charlie Cole (very ably played by the terrific Steven Graham) regarding their strategic and tactical options, but aside from that, the dialogue is all business. The viewer is left to observe behavior rather than being spoon-fed verbal cues in order to understand the characters. Hanks is brilliant, conveying his feelings of apprehension, remorse, anger and guilt with his eyes and pursed facial expression. It's a fantastic performance.
Like Hank's other WWII projects (Saving Private Ryan, Band Of Brothers, The Pacific) this is an homage to the ordinary people who undertook this extraordinary work under brutal conditions and the constant threat of horrible suffering and death. I think it's a fantastic movie.
Last Chance U: Basketball (2021)
Could not disagree more with the guy who gave this a 1...
I tend be skeptical of documentary series like this because it's so easy for the filmmakers to manipulate the narrative and the audience's willing suspension of disbelief. Especially in a sports environment, which already has the built-in drama regarding winning and losing.
However, I got completely sucked in almost immediately. This is a very well-crafted examination of an intensely dramatic scenario, with vivid & sympathetic characters who are very clearly defined by their individual circumstances, their personalities, and the depth of their need to succeed. For the young basketball players, the pressure to meet the moment and prevail is a constant theme in their lives, which us older adults can see as agonizingly fraught with peril. IT's a bit like watching a slasher film: "don't go down there! Aggghhh!". You want these kids, who have been given so little in life to see how their daily choices can reverberate across decades. You there, stifle that impulsivity, and do as I say! It is a nerve-wracking and poignant watch.
The head coach is equally fascinating: a deeply devout Christian whose coaching chops would easily translate to Division 1 or 2 college basketball, but chooses to work with kids in East Los Angeles who are struggling to get scholarships to those types of schools. His faith in his players and fervor for guiding them while also constantly tearing them down is a major source of drama. You watch this guy and one minute you're "what a great guy!" and then "what an a*****e!".
And then there are the basketball games, played by real athletes on real teams, some of whom are very talented. The BIG problem with sports movies, is that no matter how hard they try, actors just can't simulate high-level athleticism. The greatest sports movies (not including documentaries) all fail BADLY at presenting athletic performance. These kids can ball.
Angie Tribeca (2016)
Charming, and so endearingly stupid...what's not to like?
I was dimly aware that this show existed, I knew nothing about it. I kind of assumed it was set in Manhattan and Robert Urich might be in it.
Anyhow, I'm flippin' around the old Roku, and on a whim I thought I'd give "Angie Tribeca" a go, based on absolutely NOTHING. I was half expecting something along the lines of "The Mentalist" or "The F.B.I". Or "McNeill/Lehrer". Imagine my chargrin.
And yes, it is similar to those shows from the 80's that have been referenced over and over and over and over and over, and then about a billion more times but I would say the writing is closer to what David Wain does than it is to ZAZ .
Anyhow, there are cascading gags, like if you combined the Bellagio fountains with a Knights of Columbus carwash . Some jokes are groaners, some buzz by like happy little bumblebees, and then there are the bits that just hit the center of the freakin' bullseye. It reminds me a bit of playing golf: when you're a rank novice, you just really suck at golf, a lot. The whole endeavor is an exercise in self-abasement, degradation, and thwarted narcissism. And then ,about one of every 90 shots is a thing of beauty, effortless and completely pleasurable. And that feeling of transcendent purity is why I now have a handicap of 58, which I have maintained for years. This is a fun show, and I think these people should be encouraged.
Black Jesus (2014)
"My love for you is infinite, but **** you..."
I didn't even know this show existed until a few weeks ago...which, as fate would have it, was during the early days following George Floyd's death at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department. It showed up on Hulu, and I gave it a shot based on nothing at all; no info, no recommendation, nothin'. Just a whim.
And now, three weeks later it's just about my favorite TV show. In the interest of full disclosure,it's worth pointing out that I'm a pasty-white, irritable mid-20th century caucasian. Not a MAGA angry white guy, but I love George Jones, Lawrence of Arabia, and looking down on young people (they are just awful). You know: your basic complacent oppressor. Not The Man, exactly, but close enough...
So, I checked out "Black Jesus" with no expectations, I'm just flippin' through the streaming channels looking for something to distract me from my feelings of diminished worth and deepening angst, not expecting anything. I was not prepared.
What I discovered was a show that combined what I think might be the
most naturalistic portrayal of black vernacular culture that's ever been on television, along with biting wit, social criticism and liberal doses of the philosophy of Jesus, AKA the light of this world. And a lot of weed.
Slink Johnson is brilliant as Jesus. I realize now that I've seen him in minor roles in some not-very-good movies, but he is just fantastic in this. I'm pretty much an atheist, but he makes me want to believe in a a benevolent and loving savior for mankind who smokes a lot of weed.
Snowpiercer (2013)
UNwatchable drivel
This is really an awful film, just...tedious and sanctimonious and shrill and not very engaging on any level. I know Bong Joon-Ho is a serious and skilled film maker with aspirations to challenge AND entertain, but this movie is pretentious, unwatchable, and freaking ENDLESS. You thought "Lord Of The Rings" took forever to end? You ain't seen nothin'...this turkey goes on and on and on...and keeps going,even though the story lost any momentum after the first two minutes.
The plot, such as it is, involves a high speed train that circles the globe in the wake of severe climate change; the entire earth is in a constant state of sub-arctic temperture, and all of the surviving earthlings are passengers of one sort or another on the train. Upper-crust elites reside in the front, and the lowers castes in the back.There is class struggle. There is inequality. There is dialogue that would make Haystacks Calhoun wince. Rebellion...betrayal! But wait, it's not really betrayal it's...rebellion! Hoo boy...
I wish I could travel back in time, and undo my unfortunate decision to watch this smoldering mess of apocalyptic claptrap. The bewildered looking polar bear in the closing shot sums the whole thing up perfectly, with an anthropomorphic expression of "what the hell?".
Fortitude (2015)
Subtle and vivid
I've only watched 4 or 5 episodes from the 1st season, but I'm all in on this show. I'm reminded of something I heard Patrick O'Brien say in referring to his Aubrey/Maturin books, to the effect that: "you take a bunch of distinct and disparate personalities, stick them in a box together and turn up the heat; apply dramatic pressure..." There's an abundance of characters under pressure here...the series is populated with an array of disingenuous and desperate characters who all seem capable of deplorable behavior, although you never seem to know if they're evil or simply self-interested. They are understandably human, even while one braces for their ultimate unmasking as very bad people...The acting is A-plus throughout...
This is a wonderfully nuanced production, set in a location that is as beautiful to look at as it is unforgiving, with a lot of attention paid to visual details. This nuanced and specific treatment permeates the production; interior scenes are designed and rendered with a precision and deliberateness that expresses mood while providing a contextual portrait of the characters who inhabit these living/working spaces...it is visually very, very satisfying. Great stuff.