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indialm
Other than that I'm a film geek and have a great memory regarding films, etc.
Ratings
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Reviews
A Family Affair (2024)
Oh no no no
Was really hoping to like this movie but the miscasting of Nicole Kidman with Zac Efron is obvious. On a side note, Efron says he did have a bad accident when he slipped on a wet floor, cracked his jaw and broke it. He says his jaw was hanging off after the accident and the resulting recovery caused his jaw to get bigger. A
Joey King and Kathy Bateman both hold this film up as Efron and Kidman have no chemistry at all. Either one could have been paired with someone else and possibly made this movie better. Also, the fact that no one in this screen family seems to think that Efron being King's boss is a good enough reason to not date him is hard to understand. And it isn't the age difference that's the problem. Efron's character is truly obnoxious and the idea that he goes from being one kind (horrible) of person to another (sweet and kind) in just a few scenes is totally unbelievable. I found myself yelling at the screen "why Nicole why?"
Hall Pass Nightmare (2022)
another nonrealistic police encounter.
A married woman has an "encounter" as a fan of a musician she likes. He begins sending threatening texts and she goes to the police to report him for stalking. The female detective not only begins to blame her, the victim, and accuses her of being the stalker and eventually telling her (all within less than an hour or so) that they have a protection order. She's relieved until she finds out it's against her! The stalker has come to the police station and has claimed she's pursuing him and he wants protection from her. One of the things wrong these days with Hollywood productions, is the incessant recreations of police interactions that are patently false. They don't care if the truth is represented as long as they can tell their story. The problem is the viewing public watches these things and many then believe they are true. All I can say is don't, just don't.
Las Azules (2024)
A great take on women in policing in Mexico
I lived in Mexico City in the 70's and I remember how sexist everything was, so it's not hard to believe that the first female officers had to put up with dismissive, sexist attitudes from the male officers. I was also a police officer in America in the 80's and things hadn't changed that much in ten years. Even today most people outside of policing have the belief that being an officer is all about how strong you are and how fast you can run and little to do with your intelligence and your ability to communicate with anyone in the public. Women are great at this and are more likely to get a person to cooperate than want to fight them. But if they have to fight they can. Women have a place in the criminal justice system despite what some people think.
As far as the show, female officers were forced to wear those ridiculous skirts which obviously made their jobs even harder. The women are looking into details of the case that the detectives are ignoring in order to get an arrest for a serial killer, regardless if that person didn't do it. This actually happened a lot in the 1970's when the technology didn't exist (in America either) to tie someone to a crime. Much of it was circumstantial. I have just finished episode 3 and I find it intriguing enough to keep watching. The sexism is hard to watch as it brings up bad memories, but at least it's realistic.
Fool Me Once (2024)
Fool me twice
Not a bad show but the way Michelle Keegan's character treats the detective investigating her husband's murder is horrendous. She snaps at him repeatedly at nearly every question he asks, as if he somehow magically have the answers that she has no clue to. I have always wondered how people think they will get 110% effort from the people who serve us when I know they won't. Being kind to those we ask for help from will get us the best results, insults and snarky remarks will not.
Anyway the premise is interesting and the series is okay, but it's still very "A murder in a Hallmark British town." If you like that sort of thing this show is for you.
The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys (2024)
A train wreck on the farm
This series is about an immature father and his four sons who are attempting to run a huge farm in Missouri. The father, who appears to only be interested in having sex with women, but wants no relationship, wasn't smart enough to keep it a business proposition and hire sex workers. Instead He gets involved with two women, one who works for the farm and is an important part of keeping it going and a woman in Kansas City who has convinced herself that their union is "real." The boys all have a messed up idea of what marriage is and with a father like this it's no wonder. This show has more drama than any soap opera and it's almost hard to believe it's actually real.
Masters of the Air (2024)
Only one American actor?
A story about American pilots in World War Two with virtually all British actors speaking with passable American accents (with the exception of a few exaggerations of the East coast versions) and one American actor, Austin Butler. Seriously? The producers couldn't find Americans to play these roles or maybe it's because the characters are so lackluster none would audition. Anyway I had to laugh when another reviewer complained about the sound and how American actors are always mumbling. He obviously didn't look closely to see the almost all British cast. It seems to be a series about a characterization of what and who Americans were during this time and it doesn't work. As others have said Band of Brothers and The Pacific have done this better. There's nothing to see here.
Squid Game: The Challenge (2023)
Really enjoyed this but......
We really enjoyed this, having not seeing the tv series, which we'll now watch, but there's a definite problem. How can you have a series of nine (9) episodes and not show who wills the multimillion dollar prize at the end?
I can't believe they expect people to wait for a year to find out the winner!!
I will say that it appears that the players actually believe they can form alliances and can determine the outcome of the games....they can't. Only occasionally can they determine who is going to leave what particular game. But the series itself really shows the ugly side of human nature and how a large amount of money can make someone reveal their true nature.
I am not competitive so it was very hard for me to watch at times. I am more of someone who would try to help someone get ahead than out of the game. Because of that I'd probably end up being gone early!
Frasier (2023)
Frazier part 2
Like most everyone, I loved the original "Frasier" and had hoped this new one would be a great follow up. Alas, however, in my opinion the casting was off. Kelsey Grammer as Frasier is still great, but the dynamic that existed between himself, his father and Miles his brother, could not be beat. I know others have come up with alternate storylines and I have one myself; that his father Martin had an affair, while temporarily separated from their mother and, unbeknownst to him, had a child who comes to find him in adulthood, but instead finds Frasier. The story would go on to reveal that the sibling is a male who also grew up to became a psychiatrist and is an awfully lot like Niles.
The actor who is portraying Freddy was miscast I believe. His acting seems wooden and unbelievable and there's nothing appealing about him. Plus the storyline about him being a firefighter is hard to believe because he sure is around a lot and unless he's always on his days off, it looks like he never works. There's just no chemistry between he and Frazier. I don't want anything good to happen for him, because he seems like a guy I would stay away from in real life.
The other characters have no charisma either. It's sad that no one from the old show couldn't come back to bring some of the old spark back. I really did want this one to work.
All Creatures Great & Small (2020)
Not an American production
Some reviewers are under the impression that ACG&S is an American production by PBS's Masterpiece theater and it's not. It's produced by Playground entertainment and shown on channel 5 tv in Great Britain. PBS purchases the rights to show British programs, it doesn't make them.
That said, this isn't the original All Creatures we watched in the 70's. That series was wonderful. This one, however, also follows the stories in the books, but obviously with new actors. It is harsh to expect it to be a carbon copy of the original. I was prepared to dislike it too because of the original I loved so much, but I decided to look at it as simply a new program to be enjoyed about vets in Yorkshire during the 30's and 40's and it's much easier to accept. I tell people if you like this one you'll love the one that came before it.
Beckham (2023)
World class athlete and couple
As I went through the reviews for this series, I was surprised at how little some people picked up in four hours about the relationship between Beckham and his wife Victoria. I have a newfound sense of respect for both of them. Beckham for enduring the abuse of the fans, most of whom could never say that they haven't lashed out in frustration in a human moment, as Beckham did when receiving his red card. For the fan abuse to continue for game after game, with no response from Beckham, while he was clearly struggling with depression. Those fans couldn't have been more cruel. And to then bring his wife into their chanting, which is supposed to be fun. It was embarrassing to watch. When fans make no errors of any kind at work or home, then they can pass judgment. A sad state of masculinity at the time and at it's worst. Hopefully that type of behavior will not happen again.
David's obsession with organizing and cleaning clearly show a touch of OCD. Maybe that's what made him so vigilant at the game.
Victoria Beckham showed a side of herself that's rarely seen and it seems that some people conveniently forget that she also had a career. Of course I know that many of the fans in Great Britain don't think anything is equally important to football and how women should just blindly support her husband's football career but ignore hers. But honestly, packing up a family four times, even if you have help, is a nightmare and I saw my mother do it, also internationally while my Dad continued to work while my Mom found schools for four children than had to do it again when her husband's job moved. Victoria apparently doesn't like her smile but she really should use it more often as it shows us a side of her that humanizes her and allows us into her world. They clearly love each other and while there's been talk of him being mesmerized by her, I saw none of that. He called her out when she attempted to say she was working class and also made typical spousal comments. I don't think anyone leads anyone in that marriage.
The director of this documentary is Fisher Stevens (the voice you hear from time to time making comments and saying "duuuude") I'm not sure why he included his own commentary in the audio, but it did often seem like this was more of a conversation between these people than a documentary. It's unfortunate that reviewers focused more on things like that than the revelations in this doc.
Breakdown (1997)
The days before the internet and iPhones
The premise is simple. A husband and wife are moving to San Diego and driving through the desert when their car breaks down. A trucker stops and offers help and the wife decides to go with him while the husband stays with the car because he's afraid of what might happen to the car (!!!) if left alone, but he's okay with his wife going off with a stranger. This premise would never work today because almost everyone has a cell phone that actually works glued to their hip and can usually call for help.
The husband manages to get his car fixed where it was broken down and he drives to the diner where he's to meet his wife and she's not there. The husband then catches up with the trucker who says he never took the husband's wife anywhere and this is where the story takes off.
Kurt Russell plays the husband and the late J. T. Walsh plays the truck driver with a great deal of menace when he acts innocent, but as viewers we also know that Russell's wife (Kathleen Quinlan) left with Walsh. The terror that must be in Russell's heart is palpable.
The deputies are played as incompetents. They do the bare minimum while having contact with the truck driver and don't even bother to run his record to see if he has warrants. No paperwork is done at the scene, nothing. There used to be a belief that 24 hours had to go by before you could make a police report and this is still a common belief and often used in movies, but it's not true.
Kurt Russell is always fun to watch and it's a good, not excellent, film and is not a waste of your time.
Gray Matter (2023)
It
While watching the current Project Greenlight I was aware from watching that there were several problems with the script and story. However I didn't realize just how poorly put together this film was until actually watching it. The director, first time at a feature film, Miko Winbush, refused to listen to experienced producers offering to help her fix the script through notes given to her in regard to explaining who these characters were, their world, who was in it and how they got there.
We're told that a mother and daughter are psionics, people who can use their minds to do all kinds of things, from making things move to injuring people. The mother keeps her daughter from literally everybody and says it's because she's not ready. Ready for what though? And we're told they are being pursued, but not told why and not a word about why "they" are dangerous. You only get an inking of what's occurring in this world by the time you get to the end, and unfortunately, most viewers would probably turn it off before then.
The beautiful photography and great acting in this film could not save it from the disaster that Winbush made it. I have heard actors say they can be the best in the business but it will be for nothing if you don't have a director who can tell the story. Editing helps too but Winbush couldn't be bothered to be with her editor every day like she should have been. But even the best editor couldn't have saved this film.
The producers and HBO really should have fired the director early on and brought in one of the other finalists when it was obvious that Winbush was not really a team player as she refused to take responsibility and be open to the suggestions that more experienced people were sending her way.
Project Greenlight: A New Generation (2023)
So frustrating.
My score of 8 is for Project Greenlight, but that said, it was incredibly frustrating watching chosen director Miko Winbush completely ignore producer's notes regarding shooting alternative versions of every shot. She was told time and time again to take advantage of the resources around her, but also to hold true to her vision. And all she seemed to hear was "stay by your vision" and ignored all the problems that were popping up from producers and the studio.
She was also told about problems occurring between the personnel from PGL being in the way of the movie making, as well as other issues and she shrugged them off as "not her problem." Well yes, all those things are your problem, you're the director! She came across as arrogant and unwilling to make any changes to her process of making a movie. At one point she took off to go to "look at the stars" during the editing process when she should have been there with the editor 24/7! I have never seen someone so uninvested in the opportunity given to her. I really wish the people choosing the director, at the beginning of the series, had considered her lack of communication skills so they could have chosen someone who was better at communicating because she was horrible at it.
Jewish Matchmaking (2023)
Marrying yourself
I have watched four episodes and one thing I've noticed is that almost all of the matchmaker's clients seem extremely self centered and convinced that they deserve the most physically attractive person out there. They all seem to want to marry themselves and a few have even said so. All, despite the fact that they may not be a universal 10 themselves.
One guy in particular, Ori, is extremely self centered and believes that a woman's physical appearance is the most important quality in a woman. He's fairly obnoxious and he needs to learn to ratchet it down and try being more humble. His attractability wanes in that he still lives with his parents and works with his mother. Loving your mother is fine but a little bit is enough. This is a man in his late 20's, it's time to grow up. The host and matchmaker and her husband are the best advertisement for a good marriage, her clients are not.
I Am...: I Am Ruth (2022)
It was improvised and it shows
It's obvious from reading some of the other reviews that most don't know that this film was entirely improvised. In other words no script, just an outline of what they want to touch on and to go from there. It didn't work very well.
Consequently it resulted in the two main characters, Kate Winslet as the mother and Mia Threapleton as the daughter (both real life Mother and daughter) spending a great deal of the film arguing over each other, which is more accurate realism but also hard to follow.
Kate Winslet is Ruth and she's concerned about her daughter and her obsession with social media on her cell phone. A definite need for a hard look into this new problem that's facing many today, but not well told here. The improvisation tends to leave overly long pauses as well as a lot of arguing, but not real dialogue. I really wanted to like it but it was a struggle. It's a good example of why there are script writers.
Once Upon a Time in Londongrad (2022)
Russian nesting oligarchs
Really fascinating documentary series about how 14 Russian's deaths came about, but the starting point seems to be with London wheeler dealer Scot Young, whose own death was investigated as a suicide when his body was found impaled on a wrought iron fence 3 stories below his penthouse window.
Reporter Heidi Blake continues to insist that the police were neglectful for not "dusting for prints" in Young's home. The problem with this is even if you do find fingerprints, not every single person's fingerprints are on file nor does having prints show up in a crime scene prove automatic guilt. That said, the scratches on the window sill, discovered by his daughters, are definitely strange enough to warrant further investigation by police and the numerous deaths seem to be on no interest to the Met and one has to wonder why.
Mr. Malcolm's List (2022)
An actual time & place
The reason for the complaints about the "woke" casting has less to do with racism and more to do with the ability to allow the viewers to suspend disbelief.
Let me explain; having people of color in a film with a location and time period in which there would be few, if any, confuses the viewer and makes the casting more important than the story. For example, it would be nonsensical to have a cast of mostly Caucasians in a film about an African family experience or perhaps an origin story of the Maori. People would understand the nonsensical casting of predominantly white people in films like those, but do not understand the complaint of having POC in the Regency time era. People are simply asking for reality in casting.
Yes, having more POC in modern day films with interracial relationships makes definite sense. But asking, no forcing, viewers to believe people of different ethnic backgrounds existed in locations and eras where they did not exist is simply unrealistic. Portray and cast people in the eras and locations as they truly existed, white, brown or black and let viewers enjoy tales as they would have actually occurred.
I Came By (2022)
I've seen it before
The story is simple. A wealthy retired judge, who allegedly is very liberal, has a hiding place in his basement. A graffiti artist who, along with a friend who also tags, has been breaking into homes and spray painting the words "I came by" in the homes but they don't appear to be stealing much if anything. That's the only real unique thing about this film.
One of the boys has a pregnant girlfriend and decides this behavior is no longer for him, which of course leaves him available to help the other tagger's psychologist mother when her son comes up missing. We see that he's broken into the judge's home and made a horrible discovery; a bloodied thin, young man hidden in the basement room, but we don't know why.
Of course the judge has friends on the police department and he's not afraid to name drop when they come by to check his home after receiving an "anonymous" call from the boy who saw the hidden room and then later becomes disappeared himself.
A common theme among tv/films these days is having characters (in this case the mother) yelling and becoming accusatory with the police detectives whenever they seem to feel they aren't doing enough or moving fast enough for their liking. I can tell you from personal experience that this isn't how you get police to help you or move their investigation along if you try this in real life.
Still, the mother also manages to get caught by the judge and by this time you have a slight idea why he might be doing this, but I'll leave that for you to discover should you decide to watch this whole film. It was tough for me because I like films where I can't predict who the bad guy is and what's going to happen. Maybe I'm too old and have seen too many movies, but I've seen this storyline before. I give it a 5 out if 10 because the acting was believable by everyone involved.
Dickinson's Real Deal (2006)
Opinion from the U.S.
I have seen David Dickinson for some time and find him a bit of a character with the heavy tan and the starched collars he used to wear. I don't know where he got his expertise but it seems like he doesn't care about whether the dealers make any profit. What really astonishes me is how the "sellers" overvalue their items and then expect the dealers to pay for sentiment. Sentiment doesn't sell and worse, their greediness is readily apparent. Even when offered the amount they want, they continue to whine that they want "just a little more." But the end of "a little more" never comes until someone calls David over for him to declare whether the offer has been "fair" (hopefully with more than a few pounds of profit, but don't count on it.) I tend to believe that Dickinson favors the seller but it's the greediness of the sellers that leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.
The Old Man (2022)
Great series, but nonetheless has errors.
This is a great series, however, as a retired police officer who worked many years on the streets, I have written before regarding some procedural errors but had it deleted by IMDB for some reason.
Primarily, there would be no way that Harper (Lithgow) would have had access to a photo of Chase (Bridges) from the traffic stop at the road block because;
1. The officers never asked Chase for his name or identification to indicate who he was and
2. Officers do not allow people to drive off (instead of an intoxicated driver) without first at least getting a name and date of birth and running it through NCIS/NCIC. They would have given him some tests, such as the gaze nystagmus or had him blow into a portable breath testing device to assure he was not over the legal limit. Neither of these are done therefore making it impossible for him to be identified, even if he had given a false name. Also no photographs were ever taken and there would have been no reason to retain any video from either officer's video cam since no name was ever obtained from Chase. This then makes it virtually impossible that Harper would have had the photo of Chase or any information on him such as shown in the folder at the end of the episode. It appears that none of the technical advisors were ever street officers or they would have known this and rewritten the scene. There are other similar errors in other episodes but the series is still enthralling.
Surviving Summer (2022)
Another American exiled to paradise
By the fourth episode most main characters, in this case "Summer" begin to be somewhat likable. Not the case with this lead. She's everything the "ugly American" represents while overseas, in this series, Australia. She's annoying, entitled and a snob. I'm not sure the writers intended it to be this way or if it's the delivery by the lead actress, Sky Katz. Either way she's from New York City and portrays New York teens as those who believe there's no place else in the world except NYC and she's got a smart ass answer for every other character, especially adults.
She gets sent off by her mother to Australia to live with her aunt, uncle and their two kids, because of her bad behavior. The boy, Ari, has had a surfing accident that put him out of surfing for a year. There is the usual teenage drama with a really obnoxious teenage American mixed in. If you can handle the lead actress's character it's worth watching.
The Offer (2022)
Matthew Goode is a gem
Matthew Goode as Bob Evans is some wonderful casting and he has the persona and voice down pat. If you are interested in how movies are made and who the people are behind them you'll find this fascinating. If you aren't, you won't.
Funny About Love (1990)
I loved this film!
I don't get all the negative reviews BUT I do like quirky movies that are unusual. Gene Wilder plays a comic strip writer who falls for a chef and this is their struggle getting pregnant. It becomes such an issue that it ends the marriage and he finds love with another woman. That is definitely unusual in a film. But it doesn't end there!
Minx (2022)
Not bad at all but.....
Great first two episodes, but have some advice for the writer.... get someone who was alive in the 1970's that can help with the proper vernacular spoken back then. We did not use "right now" at the end of sentences, such as "are you kidding me right now?" with the emphasis on the "right now?" Do some fact checking because the show is great.
1883 (2021)
Unrealistic
Completely unrealistic writing and unrealistic circumstances that day's society would never tolerate. Racism and sexism were at their worst and Taylor Sheridan has rewritten it as if he could somehow make it all better by making the young daughter the narrator and protagonist. The only problem is he completely interprets that era as if it is 1983 instead of 1883.