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Reviews
Roots (2016)
A violent remake of the 1977 classic production
This remake is extraordinarily violent, and filled with contrived scenes based on that violence. The "dialogue" is filled with expletives, including some words which were not in use at that time. Much of the "plot" is unrelated to the original story. One has to wonder about the extensive use of invented scenes from the Civil War, which dominated several episodes. Overall, it is my opinion that we simply saw an attempt to draw upon the popularity of the original production, but very little worth came out of that attempt. By, the way, when humans are struck by bullets, they do not explode. Unfortunately, the hyperbolic advertising was followed by a "shoot-em-up"
A Most Violent Year (2014)
a pale imitation of the Godfather
This film was a pale imitation of the Godfather, and pale is a generous description. Consider the parallels: an immigrant from s Spanish speaking country versus an immigrant from Italy; an immigrant who marries an American woman (ditto); they have two children (ditto); he is in the oil business (heating versus olive); he arranges a loan with a Jew (ditto); he struggles against the other five (ditto) bosses in New York City (ditto); someone tries to kill him while he is at home with his family (ditto); he complains to another boss with the line "At my home with my wife and children" (ditto); he arranges a meeting with the five bosses, and delivers a lecture (ditto), and he has to deal with a less than honest police chief (ditto). Furthermore, there is a scene in which he spoke Spanish (ditto).
The film on which this one was based was much better.
Veep (2012)
shallow scripts filled with inane contrivances
We must accept the fact that this program is meant to be a comedy during humorous events are supposed to occur. The humor begins when the program starts because the whole script is laughable from the beginning.
Because the writers (who owe the producers a refund) try to make fun of every word and gesture, there are many contrivances and inventions, the majority of which are inane.
The frequent use of expletives reveals the shallowness of the scripts, and clearly indicates the desperate need for Roget's Thesaurus.
Things happen (such as knocking coffee from a desk) which, in real life, would never occur.
Even the skill of Julia Dreyfus cannot overcome the drivel that passes as script.
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
A hideous story with an equally hideous ending
What was the point of this film? It began with a lengthy and gratuitous sex scene which was irrelevant to the rest of the story. We were then led into a story of such cruelty, that only a few minutes passed before everything about this bizarre and twisted story came into question, especially why I was watching it. The robbery scene was beyond credibility. When a person falls against an unlocked glass door, the door will be pushed open, and the glass will not shatter. Later, an extortionist is killed because he knew the identity of his victims, but his wife is spared for an unknown reason. After the murder, the character played by Ethan Hawke suddenly has remorse, and leaves the extortion money with the spared wife. In the end, the father figure (played by Albert Finney) goes to a hospital to see his mortally wounded son, who confesses the story. The father says "It's OK.", and then murders his son. I am sure that someone thought this story was worth watching, but I found it disgusting.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
long, humorless film
This film was supposed to be a comedy, and I admit that the very last scene was funny, but the rest of the film had no humor. The tremendous dependence on a single expletive and its many forms became dull and boring after the first five minutes during which it was used about 100 times. The two scenes in which a topless woman appeared were obviously inserted just so she could be shown, but there was no point other than that one. The scene in which a Corvette was destroyed was completely predictable, and it unfolded in a strange way, and then faded away.
Julianna Moore was the best part of the film, and Joe Pesci's talents were wasted on a trivial part for which he clearly had no enthusiasm.
Jeff Bridges practiced in his role for his academy award as the character was identical.
Once again, Hollywood insists that all drug usage is good, lack of moral character is good, drinking is good, and being a bum is good if you have a heart of gold.
The film was long, too.
The Hurt Locker (2008)
dull, incredible military fantasy
With all of the drama and suspense that the Iraq War has produced, it is difficult to understand why the producers paid for a fantastic script such as the one used in this film. Beginning with the arrival of the maverick member of the bomb squad, the mood is set for an individual who does not want to play by the Army rules. The film goes downhill from there. None of the military engagements made any sense, neither military sense nor common sense. Following the first attempt at suspense, the main character (Sergeant William James - played unconvincingly by Jeremy Renner) removes his protective clothing saying "If I am going to die, I might as well be comfortable." He then removes his communication equipment. Afterwards, he was punched in the face by the platoon leader who rebukes him saying "Never take off yours ears again." Sgt. James just takes the punch neither saying nor doing anything. The scene where Sgt. James calls his wife, but says nothing, was difficult to understand, and the wife asks "Hello?" four, well-spaced times. The military confrontation that occurred after they encountered a British patrol was the best part of the film, although their poor marksmanship was hard to believe. The enemy only fired four shots, each of which killed someone. The idea that the tire wrench was ruined trying to change the tire, and the same thing happened with the second tire iron, and that the US patrol had another tire iron, should have been eliminated. The idea that three soldiers would undertake an unauthorized pursuit at night was incredible. The technique of scanning the surroundings, and showing how the locals watched the events was effective, and clearly demonstrated the terror of guerrilla warfare. In spite of the inconsistencies, poor acting and improbable scenes, this film was awarded six Oscars. Who would have guessed?
Australia (2008)
formula western set in Australia
The beautiful scenery of northern Australia is a joy to behold, but there is little else that makes this film worth watching. The story is a loosely woven blend of history, western lore set in Australia, mysticism and nonsense. The plot is completely predictable, and the film ends with an inane but happy ending. The numerous inconsistencies (such as driving cattle across a desert, and pictures of Japanese torpedo planes attacking a land base) and contrived scenes (such as the drowning of a woman who was inside a water tank) made the film laughable in places. The studio sets were of poor quality, and included obviously fake scenes with smokeless campfires. The acting was wooden, and, in many places, more than amateurish. The film was long, too.
Star Trek (2009)
there must have been a story somewhere
I imagine that there was a "time warp" in which both the characters and the screen writers got mixed up, thereby producing this hopelessly confused film. In tune with "Lost", characters appeared, disappeared, and reappeared, leaving the viewer in bewilderment. Leonard Nimoy's performance as Mr. Spock was excellent as usual. We watched the final scene of a lifetime defined by a single role. It was a good scene, though. In contrast, the character of his father was wooden, at best. We watched three scenes where James Tiberius Kirk clung to life at the edge of a precipice, but we knew there was no real danger because he was the star. The scene in which he leaped from a speeding Corvette was beyond all physical reality. The gorgeous woman in green body makeup was lovely to see, but the green color was obviously fake, and her bright red lips made the shallow attempt to create an alien seem silly. The film was long, too.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
gory war fantasy based on World War II story
Once again, script writers found it necessary to invent a war fantasy based on World War II. During those six years, there were many dramatic episodes, and the need to invent a fantasy was, by itself, fantastic. The primary character (played by Brad Pitt) was never credible, and Pitt's attempts at a southern accent were never convincing. The film consisted of a series of gory episodes followed by long and intricate dialog, which often left the viewer confused by all the meandering. The bar scene in which the English agent is exposed was far too involved, and was so detailed that the viewer wondered if the point was to teach reading subtitles. The long finale made no sense, as the events portrayed in the film never occurred, which is why I describe the picture as a war fantasy. The female stars were beautifully filmed, and worth watching.
Crazy Heart (2009)
Overall, a very good performance by Bridges, but the film could have
The beautiful panoramas of the Great Southwest were worth watching. The desert in bloom was a sight to behold. Those parts of the film were completely enjoyable. The portrayal of the character Otis "Bad" Blake was credible, and Jeff Bridges did a very good job. The incessant use of cigarettes became dull, and, by the time this long movie was over, sickening. The casting was doubtful as Gyllenhaal seemed very young next to Bridges, who is 57 years old. Her performance was good. There were too many closeups, which always means a shallow story, and much of the time we listened to music when we wanted to know more about the characters. The gratuitous sex scene was completely unnecessary, and somewhat incredible given the age and condition of the character. The contrived gestures of holding her breast, and slipping his hand into her underpants were so forced that they were uninteresting. The many talents of Robert Duvall were wasted on a trivial role, but the fishing scene was a gem. The scene in the Santa Fe bar where the character Bad Blake dances with a spectator was the best music scene in the film. Overall, a very good performance by Bridges, but the film could have been better.
Gran Torino (2008)
dull, plodding, improbable, vague, inane
It is hard to imagine a duller and more boring film than this one. The number of gross inconsistencies in character development, and highly improbable scenes are enough to make one wonder why time and money were spent making this film. Clint Eastwood's performance was a reprise of his earliest western films in which the tough guy staggers through the inane script. The appearance of weapons in unlikely situations can not be explained, and were obviously used to show how tough the main character was supposed to be. Apparently, his death at the end of the film was a vague metaphor for an even more illusory cleansing, but who knows what was meant? The entire film was so improbable that it seemed interminable. Fortunately, a "The End" message finally appeared.
King Kong (2005)
a dreadful film; unbelievable in every way
Even fantasy films must have some credibility, but this film cannot be believed in any way. First, the "villain" lets the "secret map of Skull Island" fall from his hands into the Pacific Ocean. Then, at full speed ahead, the captain of the ship continues to sail in a dense fog. Then, the ship hits a wall of some sort, but a later scene shows that the bow was undamaged. When the landing party tries to find "the girl", they try to escape from a stampede of brontosauruses, and somehow manage to run among them! The huge ape is able to defy all laws of physics, AND survive without eating or sleeping. More amazing than the film was the fact that actors were actually paid to play such stupid roles, and that money was spent to make this ridiculous film.
The Departed (2006)
boring dialog, old stereotypes, dumb story
It is difficult to imagine why it was necessary to hire script writers, and then pay them to write such inane dialog. The excessive dependence on a single expletive (used more than 400 times) was boring. The idiotic plot was beyond any comprehension, and its credibility faded after the first three minutes of the film. Who wanted to see the awkwardly inserted execution scene, and why did anyone think it had value? Why did the fictional executioner take joy in the murder? Why should I or any viewer want to watch that scene? The entire movie was filled with old stereotypes, and who cared about them? The only good part was that I rented the film, so I paid less to watch it than if I had gone to a motion picture theater.
Forrest Gump (1994)
superlative performances elevate this charming film
Granted, the story in this film is fanciful, but the superlative performances of the central actors quickly captivates the viewer. In particular, the main character, Forrest Gump, was superbly portrayed by Tom Hanks, who made the character credible and endearing. Numerous scenes were characterized by subtleties that were typical of the high performance level. In particular was the scene in which the character Forrest Gump learns that he fathered a son. The facial expressions and body movements of Tom Hanks immediately conveyed the character's fears that his son might also be retarded. It was a joy to watch such skill. The scene in which his army buddy recites all the ways that shrimp sandwiches can be made was genuinely funny.
Titanic (1997)
spectacular film spoiled by a contrived romance
It is difficult to imagine an actual event more dramatic than the story of the Titanic. The true story was infinitely more interesting than that portrayed in the film, and included in the actual account were love stories worth telling. There was no need to invent anything, much less one in which the couple make love in the back seat of a car. The scene in which the hero is chained to a pipe, freed by a single axe blow, and then swims through the frigid water was preposterous. The portrayal of the sinking was spectacular, and gripping in every way. It was movie making at its very best. The ending of the contrived story in which a multimillion dollar necklace is tossed overboard should have been the fate of the contrivance.
Gladiator (2000)
performances and spectacle spoiled by story contrivances
The performances and spectacle of this film make it worth watching, and the opening battle scene offered hope that the film would be outstanding. From several standpoints, the film was disappointing at best. Much of the gore was gratuitous, including an especially bloody scene (the first gladiator combat) in which all physical laws are transcended. The gladiator scene involving tigers was beyond belief. The story content left any viewer completely baffled. Why the writers felt it was necessary to concoct an impossible ending is difficult to understand. The real story was much more interesting, and no contrivances were necessary.