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Reviews
Hidden Figures (2016)
Heavy handed
An account of the obstacles faced by three black women during the early days of NASA. These ladies did indeed face racist obstacles yet they were able to do work that is justly memorialized.
Unfortunately, it is a very heavy-handed stilted account that detracts from the point of the story.
Timeless (2016)
Mediocre
The premise is a well-trodden path, so anything that takes a step down it needs to bring something new to the party. This series doesn't. In the first 5 minutes of episode 1, you get two - count 'em two separate dick references. This told me right away that the writing is going to be not the highest quality. Unfortunately that panned out. One example: since the Hindenburg crashed in NJ, one of the characters (the brainless meathead hunk stereotype) just had to make sneering references to "joisey" (whatever the hell that is). Yeah. Writers with a degree from Grossinger's in D-List borscht belt comedy. You know what? Life is too short for this dreck.
Into the Woods (2014)
Wonderful movie
The number of 1 star reviews here is astounding. This movie has been obviously brigaded and IMDb needs to do something about it.
The music and lyrics? 10 stars. No doubt. Sondheim is terrific and he work here couldn't be better.
The set design? Wonderful. Immersive, creative, appropriate.
The direction? Good choices considering how difficult it is to bring something from the stage to the screen. Notice that everything flows - there is no break between the spoken dialog and the songs.
The acting? Jeez. Meryl Steep. When is she not terrific? Really. Here she gives a nuanced witch that would have been a cardboard caricature in the hands of a hack like Jennifer Lawrence. I wouldn't have changed anyone in the cast - even though the timbre of Little Red Riding Hood's voice was like nails on a blackboard (but at least she was on pitch).
A 1 star movie? Hardly
Quo Vadis (1951)
Christian propaganda
A propaganda flick worthy of Joseph Goebbels.
All the old worn out clichés of ancient Rome are trotted out. Some people still think they are true.
Christians: gentle, peace-loving, intelligent, honorable.
Romans: evil, war-like, cowardly, dumb, sexist.
Ustinov's Nero is just as annoyingly inaccurate as Jay Robinson's sniveling Caligula in The Robe.
Watch it if you're a Christian who likes to be lied to about how wonderful you are.
Anyone with an IQ > 90 will cringe.
Lilyhammer (2012)
My Cousin Vinny in the snow
Same old tired Italian American stereotypes.
It would be nice to see something different once in a while.
You know, something besides the "barely literate, close to sub-verbal low life who uses violence to get his way" Italian character.
But, that's not what sells.
That's not what the audience has been conditioned to expect.
The mob sells.
Dumb asses sell.
Violence sells.
The almighty dollar trumps decency.
Wisegal (2008)
Yowsuh massa
Run of the mill parade of Italian American stereotypes.
Why is it that the only portrayal of Italian Americans is as mobbed up ignoramuses?
Italian women portrayed as cheap putanas or drug addicts.
And extra credit for a low class outer borough accent.
As if you have to speak like a moron to be Italian. Fuggedaboudid? You wouldn't be idiotic enough to ask a black person to say "yowsuh massa", so why the double standard?
The most infuriating part, is that if you complain about this injustice, you're characterized as being a front for the mob. Nice.
If I'm wrong (I'm not), please let me know of a positive portrayal.