paulcreeden Reviews

Fire Island (I) (2022)

The truth hurts.

[8/10 · 8 July 2022]

I understand some of the negative reactions to this film by gay reviewers here. Our stories are still relatively rare in major media. So each story gets taken as representative of all of us. That's wrong. BUT the truth is that gay men often have delayed adolescent experiences if they come from an oppressive straight environment into gay life. Drugs, booze, experimentation are all parts of discovery for many gay men. And the acceptance of an adopted gay family is the safety net that keeps them from spiraling out of control. I think this humble film does a good job of explaining that segment of the young gay male experience. Its failing, perhaps, is trying to be too polished or artsy at times.

Night Sky (2022)

Didn't rush through this one.

[10/10 · 25 May 2022]

Engaging story line, cast, setting and art direction. So enjoyable. I paced my way through it rather than binging it. It is entering another world on many levels. The interplay between Spacek and Simmons is wonderful. The slow build of suspense leads to a powerful climax. Hope Season 2 is being planned. I'm in.

The Gilded Age (2022– )

Wasted production values.

[2/10 · 26 February 2022]

I am a fan of history/period drama. I liked "Downton Abbey". I am fairly well read on East Coast aristocracy since I am a native Bostonian. I have visited many houses of The Gilded Age and The Victorian Age in America. I think the visual production values are very good.

The casting/direction/writing for the aristocrats is all wrong with the exception of Ms. Baranski and Ms. Nixon. Why are the old aristocrats written to be so much real and human than the social upstarts, the Russel family? The gay live-in relationship of the Van Rijn/Adams partners is quite unlikely in that period.

The portrayal of Stanford White as a wimpy, middles-aged sycophant in his behavior toward the upstart Russells is also bad writing. White was a dashing rake (in his 20s-30s in the 1880s), noted for his ego and bravado. This illustrates the problem of throwing in real historic characters without doing proper research.

Perhaps this production shows the growing disrespect for our real history, lived by real people? Perhaps Julian Fellowes confused which side of the Atlantic his production was portraying?

The Lost Daughter (2021)

Worse than boring..

[3/10 · 4 January 2022]

This was the first Olivia Coleman vehicle I have disliked. Really. An homage to a severely narcissistic woman. Do we need more of this sort of thing? Without getting into the limited plot, I will say that wasting Ms. Coleman and Ed Harris on this production was a shame. Ms. Gyllenhaal. Has stayed far from her wondrous Netflix production, The Deuce. Perhaps this film reflects one of the great flaws of modern feminism: The elevation of insanity and selfishness to normalcy, tinted with pathos. Perhaps it was simply too mundane a story for the big screen.

Edge of the World (2021)

Interesting blip of colonial history but...

[6/10 · 10 November 2021]

Why do Hollywood-style films always follow the same corrupting boiler-plate model? Here was a chance to really examine an interesting anomaly of British Colonial history in the Far East. Brook's character was certainly more interesting than the portrayal Mr. Meyers summoned with occasional Shakespearean oration. The supporting cast were forced to play along, it seemed, with his inability to convey complexity. The insertion of romantic elements didn't help. It appears we are in an age where having little respect for the value of history as it has been documented is just fine.

Finding Alice (2021)

Not humorous on Planet Earth

[4/10 · 28 September 2021]

How can this be touted as any kind of comedy? It is simply a slow motion train wreck. Alice is an annoyingly needy manipulator. The sane people in her circle are cast as villainous. The premise that the plot is anchored in grief for anyone but herself is perhaps the only laughable thing about it. The talented cast are wasted on this tripe. Almost enough to make me finally cancel my Acorn subscription. This stuff would only get promoted in a time of media famine.

The Attaché (2019–2020)

Parisian princess vs Israeli prince

[5/10 · 10 August 2021]

First problem with this series: The bait-and-switch prologue. It was a cheap exploitation of real tragedy to tout this soap opera as related in any way to Parisian terrorist attacks. It is about truly privileged brats who seemingly have no concept of that privilege.

The episodes themselves are an annoying chronic toothache of family bickering and bad parenting. The artistic director should be applauded as offering the only relief by showing us the nicer parts of Parisian life and culture. I did, however, flinch when one shot showed the destroyed Notre Dame in the background. A sad reminder of the hard facts of attacks on Parisian heritage.

I eagerly watch Israeli and French productions as a respite from the glut of American trash on various streaming platforms. The poor substance of this production was a shocker. To add insult to injury, it was peppered with politically correct claptrap.

Hacks (2021– )

Great potential squandered.

[5/10 · 5 August 2021]

The cast is superb with one notable exception whose lack of chemistry deflates one possibly hilarious scene after another. I think Ms. Smart's character does indeed deserve a better writer. The behind-the-scenes premise works really well. The contrast between glitz and real relationships should have yielded more depth, but it was repeatedly dulled by cynical banality. Worth watching, but not groundbreaking or profoundly funny.

Lodge 49 (2018–2019)

Turning the mundane into laughter

[9/10 · 15 March 2021]

Watching this show pulls you into a world of drab mediocrity. It's characters are funny and complex. There is an element of suspense and mystery that keeps up interest. But the characters are the story. It has the kind of humor that makes you feel you are there with the characters when they crack you up without doing anything particularly outrageous. Great timing. Good gags. Subtle absurdity. The dingy atmosphere of many scenes enhances the profundity of some of the dialogue. Great writing and delivery by the cast.

I Care a Lot (2020)

Nanny State Allegory?

[8/10 · 10 March 2021]

The rage this story evoked in other comments here says something. Maybe all the low reviews are from attorneys or nursing home directors? I saw satire and irony in the characters and plot. Maybe giving the writers too much credit? I worked in health care and also cared for my elderly parents who have since died. Poor estate planning and competency issues are real. Perhaps some viewers are upset at the exposure of the dirty secret that elders in America are often neglected or warehoused by their families. Perhaps a callous lawyer who manipulates that social weakness for profit is no different from a nanny state leader who pretends to work toward social equity but is simply trying to take control of people and resources? The performances were solid. The plot suffered from bad pacing in the storytelling. Otherwise, I think it was a well done dark farce.

Black Work (2015)

Good cast, good story, bad lead.

[6/10 · 12 October 2020]

I am a fan of British suspense and crime thrillers. Catching up with offerings on Acorn network led me to this series. I am beginning to understand why PBS picks up on some things and leaves the rest.

There is no reason why this series should not have been better rated, except for Sheridan Smith's lead performance, which sucked the life out of it. The doll-faced musicals actress displays all the emotions from A to B, as one critic once said of a young Katherine Hepburn on Broadway. Her supporting players only make her inadequacy in the role more pronounced. Ms. Smith succeeded in making Douglas Henshall look hysterical by comparison. Geraldine James stood out, as always. And Matthew McNulty's enthusiastic performance as a smitten suitor crashes on Ms. Smith's wooden facade.

Another example of programming on Brit-export channels that makes me wonder whether they think we Americans don't know the difference between mediocre and quality productions.

The Lost Husband (2020)

Good story. Bad casting.

[6/10 · 12 September 2020]

Women-oriented films are not usually my genre of choice. But this caught my eye on Netflix when I was between foreign political or detective series, my usual preferences. It seemed to be about grief and loss from the blurb, so I gave it a shot. The writing was pretty good. It was refreshing to see a story untinged by radical feminism. But Ms. Bibb's performance in the lead was uneven, ranging from humorous to cringe-worthy. And, Sharon Lawrence's cartoonish performance of her role was equally cringe-worthy. The production values were good for a low budget film. Perhaps the performances were due to poor direction? Had it not been for bad acting, I would have given the film an 8.

A Fortunate Man (2018–2019)

Fathers, sons and genius.

[10/10 · 2 September 2020]

An intricate examination of the relationships of a man-child with vision and genius coming out of a family which lacks both in a stratified society. Powerful emotions are conveyed through the main character's conflicted attempts to find belonging and the frustrated attempts of those attracted to him to bestow inclusion. The settings and cinematography are excellent. An extremely engrossing story with top notch performances. I noticed the soundtrack during my second viewing. One of the best I have heard. It deepens the experience of the characters and their situations. Mr. August has delivered a masterpiece.

Viper Club (2018)

A nurse well portrayed.

[6/10 · 14 April 2020]

The best thing about this film is the portrayal of a middle aged nurse facing this crisis. Well written character and well acted. The editing is choppy. The storyline is murky. Too many sentimental flashbacks and hallucinations. They seem formulaic. If the whole film had the authenticity of the main character as a strong woman in pain, it could have been engrossing. It did not.

Wine Country (2019)

When romp is just rump.

[1/10 · 29 June 2019]

As a long term Netflix subscriber, I hate to see the company get ripped off like this. I am disgusted by stars who are getting older and lazy but still want to live the high life by putting out lousy productions like this one. Amy Poehler and Tina Fey have really fallen in my estimation for doing this boilerplate walk-through. Apparently, the pride of this production is getting its cast to wriggle to rock music and the occasional rap song for minutes at a time. So boring. Tired writing and gags. Postcard vistas, spoiled by corny comments. A sad exploitation of someone's idea of menopausal feminism.

Love, Simon (2018)

Gay movie for straight audience.

[6/10 · 28 May 2019]

I don't begrudge young gay boys a romantic semi-comedy in 2018, but I don't think this really sets a higher mark for gay cinema. First, from a gay male perspective, it is not a comedy really. It is a tragedy in the eyes of this Stonewall Era gay man. The tragedy being that coming out in middle class America can still be portrayed as involving such angst and individual cowardice, as displayed by the lead gay characters. Simon is a rather unrespectable young man from a gay male perspective. And his pathetic apology to his out Black classmate after he is outed just makes him more so. He chooses to conform to maintain his popularity , manipulates his friends and even potentially exposes his love interest, Blue, to mob ridicule.

The fact that some straight reviewers ooze over this film may have to do with their understanding that so much acceptance of LGBT youth by heterosexuals is rather shallow. It's OK for someone else's son or daughter to be gay. The one realistic person in this film was Simon's father, a thick-headed jock who tells fag jokes and actually is dependent on his closeted gay son's approval for self-esteem. Best part of the film, in my opinion. If the entire film had more of the nuance of the very funny drama teacher, it would have been better. She represents the brave and frustrated spirit more in keeping with gay boys who know who they are in a straight context.

Russian Doll (2019–2022)

Not since young Woody Allen

[9/10 · 3 February 2019]

When I opened the user reviews I had a laugh. Someone said this isn't a comedy. Really? I binged through this and my sides were aching because I was laughing so often and so hard. I guess it depends where you live on the scale of tragic life circumstances. Dark does not mean unfunny. Humor can keep us going through the dark.

Natasha Lyonne, like Woody Allen, can get away with being Natasha Lyonne over and over again. It's a gift. Intelligent writing and her ability to throw out brilliant remarks glibly make this possible. In this show, she is surrounded with equal talent. It is a rich ensemble of weirdos and cynics.

I was an enthusiastic fan of young Woody Allen's films. I see similar genus here. Amy Poehler's contribution shines through. In a bigger view, this show represents what gutsy humor looks like in a politically correct media world. It is boiled down to the human, the universal, the existential. And it is hilarious. Kudos to Netflix.

Polar (I) (2019)

Mad Mads makes it.

[8/10 · 26 January 2019]

The camp violence of this film made me squirm at times, and I'm not squeamish. I can understand why today's 'sensitives' in media might find it off-putting. There is a definite lack of subtle humor in the media-sphere these days. So, think dark comedy. Think the remarkable Mad Mads naked. Think of Matt Lucas as the sissy monster. Think of that sexy Viking amazon, Katheryn Winnick as the coolest of hit pimps. Think of a goofy villain posse whose arrogance is slapstick. Take a deep breath and relax. You'll enjoy the ride. This isn't Shakespeare. It's a comic book. And I don't understand the snooty posture from some of the same people who praise Marvel's violent Netflix productions.

Zumbo's Just Desserts (2016–2020)

THE WORST

[1/10 · 10 January 2019]

I am a cook and a baker. I like culinary shows. This is perhaps the worst Netflix offering in the genre. It follows the routine competition model but the presenters and the production values are really below Walmart standards. When Aussies go low, they really do go down under. I do not exaggerate when I say I was nauseous after watching the first episode. I was dizzied by the pace of filming. The exhaustive but choppy bios of the contestants were annoying interruptions rather than interesting breaks. The set, apparently a vast brewery of some sort, was just hideously over-lighted and garish. The camera angles on the actual contestant cooking process were really bad. The whole thing was like the worst of the sloppy messes produced by contestants.

Here and Now (2018)

Propaganda or drama?

[6/10 · 15 March 2018]

It pains me to give this series a 6. I am a longtime fan of Mr. Robbins and Ms. Hunter. I am a fan of Peter Macdissi. I was happy to see gay male characters in the cast, even though they are predictably twisted. Alan Ball's previous masterpieces are among my most memorable TV favorites.

But this is something else. I do not dispute whether it is an accurate portrayal of New Portlandia. It may well be. If the social landscape of Portland is dominated by New Left politics, then so be it. However, presenting a portrayal of this by excluding any possibility of outlying thought or characters amounts to an infomercial for those politics. After all 39% of voters in Oregon voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Some of these people must live in or around Portland, unless they have been tarred and feathered. Eastern Oregon voted Republican.

The show is trying to be entertainment. I am aware of this. But the sharp political divisions in the country are ignored totally in this drama, even though it embarks on a course through politically charged issues. It feels like the writers were themselves afraid to even consider a sane conservative or centrist character. That makes it propaganda, not simply storytelling. When anyone expresses a challenge to the enforced Leftist perspective in the piece, they are immediately cast as either disturbed, racist, sexist or whatever.

The most ironic segment is at a dinner party attended by three Black characters and a White character. One of the Black diners explains to another that Portland had been founded as a White Utopia as an illustration of the source of deep racism encountered by them. This is done without acknowledgment of the White diner's marital relationship with one of the Black diners. The White diner, previously shown as a sensitive and fairly intelligent person, acts like a fool, seemingly unaffected by the whole topic. All of this deep racialism occurs in a lovely bourgeois home owned by the Black couple. Such oppression!

White Privilege is beaten like a drum throughout the episodes. White people outside the multiracial family at the series' core are inevitably portrayed as insensitive, flaky or guilt-ridden about being born with skin-sans-color. A particularly evil character is a White female cop who is written as a a butch lesbian. It is implied that she enjoys interacting with the teenage daughter of the starring multiracial family but comes close to sexually abusing the married Black adoptive daughter of the same family, after the two are arrested for assaulting a pro-life protester. And, of course, the pro-life protester is revealed as a pedophile who must drop charges to avoid being put in jail for a parole violation. The stuff of a high-school student's short story assignment.

My disappointment centers on this series being just another extension of Hollywood hypocrisy. It is like one of the recent award shows, turned into a pageant for Leftist politics. Perhaps Portlandians can watch it and feel proud of the direction their culture appears to be going. Perhaps not. It is impossible to tell from much of the content which comes across forced and dimensionless.

Queer Eye (2018– )

Fifteen years and nothing changed.

[3/10 · 16 February 2018]

I am a gay man of the Stonewall Era. Yes, that was almost 50 years ago, my dears. I was familiar with the previous version of this show. So, I was astounded at the same thing all over again, with the exception of the subjects being from a more possibly homophobic demographic. Perhaps that was what the plug for "acceptance" meant in the promo. That really bugged me.

I personally have never flitted around in a gang of girly men (queens, in the culture). However, I have respected and dated men who were not macho-male stereotypes by any means. This is what I find disappointing in this show. Once again, the showy fem hairdresser dominates and all the boys chime in.

How much better it would be if the connection between straight men and gay men was a naturally respectful one without the camp. My disappointment is deepest in the Netflix producers who fostered this behavior for marketing. It is like using a gay version of minstrel show caricature to attract an audience. I do not mean that the cast don't have skills and talents at all. I simply regret that they have to be smothered in swish. It cries lack of self-respect.

Altered Carbon (2018–2020)

Good attempt.

[7/10 · 6 February 2018]

Netflix has been gaining ground in choosing some of its more intelligent content. I am a veteran user of the streaming service and still subscribe. I am also a fan of good sci-fi and have noticed a sci-fi gap in Netflix's catalog This sci-fi and fantasy production is stunningly presented with great CGI and general visual design. It held my interest with this despite the terribly unclear storytelling of the initial episodes, not aided by Joel Kinnaman's zombie affect and Martha Higareda's poor English diction. These elements were accentuated by James Purefoy's presence.

The corrupted-resurrection theme was eventually well developed by mid-series. The withheld back story of the Envoy Resistance could have come much earlier and helped with the flow of the story. By the time it is revealed, it plays like a sloppy and trite love triangle in a boiler-plate post-apocalyptic setting of cave dwellers. Maybe the recycled props helped with cost overruns?

The dialogue varies greatly from snappy to just plain insipid. Occasional use of Kinnaman voice overs are obvious patches for bad writing and editing. The uneven quality of the narrative, especially the rather cheesy climax and denouement, make the whole production seem like an airhead in an expensive suit. It is very easy to watch, but don't expect anything profound.

Black Mirror: Metalhead (2017) Season 4, Episode 5

The best episode so far.

[10/10 · 6 January 2018]

I was shocked to see this rated so low here. It is by far the best horror episode in Black Mirror I have seen so far. The black-and-white video enhanced the experience because it accentuated the dismal and barren world of the droid dogs. It also made it clearer what was driving the dog, as opposed to shifting focus on landscape and human. That aspect of the production was somewhat confusing. It may have translated better if the whole thing was presented from the robot's point of view.

If you have followed the debate on AI and weaponized robotics, you would be impressed with where the writer took this. It is a representation of the mundane use of uplifting technology. And how it can go wrong. I suppose some viewers might not realize how potentially real this bleak future is. That viewer would see this as failing to entertain, because that viewer would be missing the horror of understanding that this could be a real outcome of today's science.

My only objection to the writing is the sentimentalism involving the teddy bears. This struck me as a bit retro, a too Twilight Zone. It detracted from the horror of the overall piece.

Bright (I) (2017)

Tolkien on Acid?

[1/10 · 24 December 2017]

Where to begin? The first thing that turned me off were the recycled orc masks. They are just so bad. Halloween in Ohio. Then we move on to Will Smith's house in a gang neighborhood where he and his pretty blonde nurse wife live in harmony with a gang who live on their front lawn. Smith proceeds to smash a tiny humanoid fairy (really?) to death with a broom to the applause of his gangster neighbors.

Typical cop drama at its heart with cliche and added political correctness, disguised as grit. Elves represent White Privilege. Orcs represent something hard to figure out. Smith's daughter is the annoying voice of New Left propaganda. This was unwatchable. I found this production extremely disappointing as a veteran Netflix subscriber. Is this the future? Maybe time to look into another streaming service.

Gunpowder (2017)

Pretty good but really off on Cecil.

[8/10 · 21 December 2017]

Mark Gatiss is a great actor. Casting him as 5-foot-4-inch Cecil was a mistake. Part of Cecil's intense politicking was attributable to his physical challenges. He was ugly, short, even for the time, and misshapen. His father had been a master politician and an invaluable asset to the aging Elizabeth I. I think this piece does the historical character an injustice by making him into something of a cartoon villain.

James IV and I was an accomplished ruler, who became king of Scotland at 13 months of age. His mother had been assassinated by Elizabeth I. This production obsesses on his homosexual proclivities and makes him seem fickle and shallow. Again, a disservice to the historical record.

Tom Cullen is notably the best actor of the conspirators. His physical portrayal of Fawkes is stunning. He exudes menace, unpredictability and bravado. The others seem rather bungling. Perhaps this is an attempt to set up the audience's acceptance of their eventual failure. The debate continues about Cecil's role in setting them all up to fail. In other words, they didn't bungle: They did exactly what Cecil predicted they would do. Thus securing the ruling establishment's role for centuries to come, and providing an excuse for anti-Catholic atrocity.

Production values are polished. The cast is generally excellent. The pace of the story-telling is absorbing and entertaining. It feels more like historical epic than historical account. The stink and gore of the time is well represented. I would say there is a pro-Catholic bias in the telling. This is consistent with the victim culture of our time, but it must be said that Catholics at the time were on the side of entrenched ignorance against more egalitarian progress.