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toothmanmichaelc
Reviews
The Fall (2013)
Not who you think they are
Amazon just put this TV series on its platform, and I am glad that they did.
Telling the stories of a sexual serial killer and the Detective Superintendent who discovers him and his crimes is quite brilliant. Stella Gibson is a complicated and very perceptive cop. She understands herself, women, and the environment in which she works very well. The cast and the plot of this series shine.
Set in Belfast, the series makes good use of the city and its countryside and of its ongoing sectarian issues (pre-Brexit).
The dialogue is smart, the characters are engaging, and the story treats the characters with respect and individuality.
Well-worth watching!
Inside Man (2022)
Quite A Ride
I have just read the bad reviews, but really, give this a go. Stanley Tucci and his partner are both delightful. Trying to figure out the two disparate plots can be frustrating and the ending will not please everyone, but the acting in this is terrific.
The kidnapped woman that David Tennant's I'm a VICAR dammit is holding is the lynchpin of the whole series, despite Tucci's masterful turn as convicted murderer-lawyer who is arguing for his own execution.
This woman does amazing things as a captive. She negotiates, she fights back, and she works to divide her enemies. It is quite wonderful to watch. Tennant is a heavy by default, but he is closer to Shemp Howard, the former Stooge, than anything else.
Unbelievable (2019)
Welcome and Well-Done
I have worked with youth in transition from foster care to adulthood, and Dever's protrayal of Marie strikes all the notes with which I am familiar. These young women and men are tough and fragile and they have lost a lot of the opportunities that many of us take for granted as young people at the age. Starting with driver's licenses, some states discourage foster care youth (and foster parents) from getting their licenses.
Having lived in a lot of small towns where police might keep the order and try to detect criminals--at least those they already know, or suspect they know, doing the leg work to actually find offenders is hard.
The two women detectives in Colorado are terrific. They care about their victims, and they work smart and hard to find the serial rapist. I started watching this because Toni Collette always delivers, but both actors shined in this series. Even in contrast, between their lives, husbands, and styles, the characters stayed on the trail. The whole ensemble was excellent. If you want to watch a series that looks hard at how rape is investigated (or not as in Lynwood Washington), and see a compelling drama based on real detective work and really bad victim blaming, this is your best opportunity. For the real story, see the Pulitizer Prize winning article or the Peabody Award winning episode of This American Life entitled Anatomy of Doubt. This series should have won awards too.
The Gray Man (2022)
Waiting...
Okay, some smart dialogue and good action scenes, although the action is often obscured, probably to disguise the stunt people.
Still, a mess of a movie, you get a Tamil gun for hire, who is good at what he does, but doesn't want to see a girl hurt. He ends giving the mcguffin to the Anya Armas character. Yet it gets discovered over where Chris and Ryan have their big fight? Continuity, people...
Looks like there are plans for a sequel...the good guy and his little girl pal are together as are the Harvard buddies at the CIA.
This is not John Wick.
What Haunts Us (2018)
say nothing, do nothing, people die
I watched this documentary with open eyes. It is easy to say that in the "good old days" these predators had it easy. However, in this film, the high school is a Charleston prep school, filled with talented and often entitled children.
What happened there could happen anywhere--but it was made worse by the status of the school which was willing to hide its secrets to avoid public shame. This didn't work--the rate of suicides of men in the one class is just a leading indicator of the trauma caused by Eddie Fischer and his Citadel buddy Major Anderson. There are other indicators that are have different measures--addiction, cascading abuse perpetrated by victims, among them.
The courage and clarity of Guerry Glover stands out in this film. The director who is an alumnus and had her own story of hearing about the abuse but not reporting it, underlines the ending. This institutional abuse is made more scarring by the refusal of people to stand up and make reports.
That is the specter that haunts us all even if we have never been to Charleston, South Carolina.
BigBug (2022)
Welcome to Hell, here is your device...
I enjoyed this film. It had a good mix of satire, comedy, and the set design was wonderful. I had trouble reconciling the subtitles with the dubs, but otherwise it was quite an experience.
Worth the ride to see a version of what we are creating for our future.
PS: I still want flying cars!!!
Definition Please (2020)
Great film about family, culture, siblings, and mental illness
Sujata Day's film uses the trials of a national spelling bee champ (scramp) as a way to show us Bengali second-generation immigrants dealing with their legacy. Finding a second act after becoming the scramp, Monica is living in Greensburg , PA (the film represents it well).
Still when her brother Sonny returns home for an anniversary Sikh memorial for their father, stuff happens--why are bedroom doors locked?
Monica is a great character, smoking pot while out doing tutoring for other potential scramps in Greensburg, hanging with her bestie who is in recovery, and taking care of her mother Jaya.
Jaya is a great handful--expressive, and ill--she is crucial in every scene in which she appears. "i hate the F word!"
The toll that the family has undertaken for eight year old Monica to become scramp appears slowly throughout. The family has taken another hit as well but this slowly becomes apparent--Sonny is not dealing with his bipolar disorder and this leads to the movie's great scenes.
This film is funny and dramatic and it tenderly shows how this family has adapted and endured. Highly recommend that you watch this.
Count Me In (2021)
Whining? Get the Beat
I loved this film and those who inhabited it. Even people like Nicko McBrain whose work with Iron Maiden I did not know were delightful and articulate. I see by the reviews that many of you wandered over from some fanboy site to whine that this drummer or that drummer was not included.
Please grow up.
Drummers get damn little respect for their work. The good thing is that many of them (not Bonham or Moon) live long lives. And their love for their music and instruments made me happy to take this journey with them.
Again, I didn't know the work of some of these people, although Nick Mason, with the Formula One car behind him, was much more informative than in a Pink Floyd film that I remember. Including punk drummers was important, but the real revelation was the great women drummers, their passion and playing made this a more complete film.
Every drummer could not be featured. I would have liked clips of Chick Webb for instance.
If you think the film gave drummers a great forum, consider changing your rating. If not, start with the drummer jokes and go away, or else I shall taunt you.
Right you are then!
Life Itself (2018)
Unreliable Narrators
From where the film starts to where it ends, this is quite a ride. As a viewer, I spent time unsure of what was real and what was in one character or the other's mind. The references to Bob Dylan's Time Out of Mind make me curious enough to want get it.
Unreliable narrators is a theme and aren't we all that? Making stories better by adding the piquant detail.
No surprise to me that the director is Dan Fogelman who loves weaving intricate storylines.
Tell Me Your Secrets (2021)
Gripping series
Having finished these ten episode, it has been quite a ride. Nothing at the beginning stands untouched by the end. All three lead characters take a journey of self-discovery through this series. The pacing, dialogue, and the interactions of each character push the narrative along...
Well worth watching!
The Queen's Gambit (2020)
Sharply done, and executed!
Queen's Gambit is a terrific film showing the progress of Beth Harmon through a childhood trauma, time in an orphanage, adoption, and adulthood. Chess becomes her lifeline, through the tutelage of a janitor and chess player. The story shows her dives into her obsession--chess and into addiction. In the course of this, Beth discovers herself and finds strength in her skill, but only after a lot of turmoil.
Knowing about chess is not necessary, but as a chess nerd as a teenager, I appreciated the attention to detail. It would have detracted from the arc to have the draws that are the most common outcome of games between top players. Beth's character leads her to play to win, and this drive is important to the story.
By the way, it was interesting how cars were used--1957 Chevrolets take Beth to the orphanage, to her adoptive home, and bring a former chess opponent to her door. A second generation Corvair makes an appearance as Beth enters her final stage of growth. The changes from the 1950s and 1960s are part of the terrain, and this adds to the show's setting and mood.
The Taking (2014)
Good for some scares
Yes, it is done as found footage, but not like Blair Witch Project. Pretty good setups for scares. Definitely a ride. If you like your films with some doubt as to their trajectory and are willing to hang on, you will be satisfied.