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Reviews
Below Deck (2013)
Addicting Trash TV
Like all reality tv, you have to take everything in this show with a grain of salt. The crew and the guests are being filmed and they know they're being filmed, and everyone is being paid so everyone one is "performing." Most of the time, it's difficult to tell which group is trashier, the crew or the guests. Almost all the male crew members drink themselves into oblivion at the first opportunity, while almost all the female crew members are snowflakes who cry at the drop of the hat (with a few exceptions who would give witches a bad name-I'm thinking of Chief Stew Kate. As the prime example), and most members of both genders are constantly looking to get bedded. In real life most of the crew would never be hired to staff a luxury yacht, nor would they last more than one charter if they were hired. Having said all that, the show is fascinating like a train wreck-it's difficult to tear oneself away.
Palm Royale (2024)
There's More Ham in This than on Your Easter Table
Is this supposed to be a comedy? It's not funny. Is it supposed to be a drama? It's not dramatic, it's just silly with a script to match. Why would fine talents like Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Allison Janney or Carol Burnett agree to be involved in such a clunker? The budget for this must have gone for big salaries to convince talented actresses to lower themselves to portray caricatures. The club in the series looks nothing like the B&T in Palm Beach (which it is obviously trying to parody). The best parts of the series are the opening aerial shots of the real PB. Once the dialogue begins, find something more worthy of your time.
Shôgun (2024)
Why?
I can't find fault with the first two episodes of this new adaptation of James Clavell's brilliant novel. The cast is fine, the sets and scenery look perfect, and the production values are the highest.
My only question is: Why? Why remake a story that was already done brilliantly in 1980 and which still holds up well on dvd, when there is so much classic Japanese literature that would lend itself to film or tv adaptation and would add new themes, stories and characters to the genre?
This remake, while excellent, seems to be another example of Hollywood's creative constipation and propensity for taking shortcuts to maximize profits rather than adding to the choices that they give us. I'll watch the rest of the series and undoubtedly enjoy it, but instead of waiting for each new episode, it's far more easier to watch my dvd version of the 1980 version on my own schedule.
Maestro (2023)
Portrait of a Marriage, not of a Conductor/Composer
I can't fault the performances of anyone in the cast, although Cooper and Mulligan talked over each other frequently, making it difficult to understand what either of them was saying. Perhaps this was done intentionally to make it seem more realistic, but a good bit of the dialogue between the two was unintelligible.
Cooper's prosthetic nose was convincing and created a good likeness, but I kept wondering how Lenny could stay so tan when most of his time was spent inside or in concert halls.
My disappointment with the movie is that it was too much about the Bernsteins' marriage difficulties and not enough about the the genius and inspiration of the musician/composer/conductor. If one is looking for a biopic of Leonard Bernstein, this isn't it.