Change Your Image
ruthmorrisson
Reviews
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Profit and Lace (1998)
Not as bad as the low reviews but not as good as the high ones.
Just rewatched this episode, and it struck me that this is a sendup of the movie _Victor/Victoria_ but flipping the cross-dressing. When Zek may be deposed as Grand Negus (for allowing "females" to wear clothes, as a precursor to allowing them to partake in commerce), he comes to the station with Quark and Rom's mother, trying to prevent it happening permanently (especially when Quark finds out that his so-called successor will be Brunt). Quark, Rom, Nog and Zen convince ONE corporate head to meet at the station with Ishka -- but she becomes incapacitated after an argument with Quark. So Quark has to go through a (temporary) sex change, and learn to behave like a female -- just one with "lobes for business" like his mom....
And as I think about it, it ALSO has a lot to do with the struggle for women's rights in the early 20th century, in a way that is entertaining as well. And for the LQBTQ+ community in the 21st century (I have friends in that community, and I'll happily put them up against the bigots any day of the week). And for the complaint from one reviewer about Quark sexually harassing a new employee? I don't think he'll make that mistake again....
The Monkees: Monkee vs. Machine (1966)
Life imitates Art! (And I think I smell a small furry rodent....)
Ran across the old series recently and was feeling nostalgic (but it's been so long since I was a kid and the show originally aired, it's like the series is brand new to me). In this one, the guys need to get money to pay the rent, and Peter tries to get a job in a toy factory. The job interview Peter has with the computer in this episode? Prefigures pretty much every chatbot I've dealt with with more than half a century later, (not to mention more than a few "customer service" morons). And watching a couple of the guys pretend to be kids play testing new potential products (while the others take turn dressing in drag as their "mothers") prefigures pretty much every Monty Python episode ever....
The Monkees: Royal Flush (1966)
Entertaining fluff
Ran across the series being re-run on AXS TV recently, so decided to take a stroll down Memory Lane, having watched the series when I was a little kid (I was in love with Davy Jones when I was seven...). Watching this as an adult was interesting because of all the stuff that I probably wouldn't have noticed (or even registered, assuming I had seen this one at all), what with the effective screen pop-ups (at one point during the sword fight, Davy is thinking "This always worked for Errol Flynn" or some such. Fun sword fight between Jones and the villain, with cuts at various points of some couple falling in love while shoving food in their faces. So, Shakespeare or Ibsen it's not, but was a good way to blow 20 minutes (fast forwarding over the commercials -- sorry advertisers) on a holiday weekend. We'll see how many of the rest of the episodes I can sit through before going "I can't take this drivel anymore!"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Prophet Motive (1995)
This is DEFINITELY an odd episode...
Don't remember this episode from when it originally aired -- or even from the *last* time I binge-watched the series. Even in terms of there being a lot of REALLY odd episodes as the series continues through its run....
The Grand Negus arrives on the station acting very peculiarly (bringing his attendant to tears at times) and Quark is convinced that something is VERY wrong with him. Turns out that Zek has had an interaction with one of the Bajoran Orbs -- and then Quark accidentally does as well! One thing I particularly noted -- when returning through the wormhole, Zek and Quark have something in front of and between them -- a cut off lit up semi-sphere which seems to look a LOT like the top of R2D2.... So, NOW wondering if this is a nod to _Star Wars_ and the concept of "May the Force be with you!"... (or is it just a case of me not having enough sleep the night before?) :-o Of course I'm also thinking (since this series took cues from the multi-season story arc concept of _Babylon 5_, which originally aired about the same time as this series) if it pre-figures Zek retiring as Grand Negus....
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
The truly scary part of this movie?
It really happened. It's been years since I've seen it, but I remember the incident -- and for a really weird reason. Because the guy Al Pacino plays spent most of that afternoon on the phone with one of the DJs at the radio station I listened to from middle school through after graduating from college and until I got married and moved out of state. I can't remember now whether that's in the film or not (it's literally been DECADES since I've seen it) -- but I was looking up Pacino in another context and this one came to mind. And it all came flooding back to me from half a century ago, with the bank robber on the phone with Scott Muni at the old WNEW-FM in NYC, and me at home up at the top end of Westchester County, listening to the conversation and suddenly realizing that it was NOT a put-on. That it was really happening and some guy in a bank holdup gone wrong was on the phone talking to a DJ on what was at the time my favorite station (and the DJ played what is now one of my favorite songs of all time -- the first time I ever heard it -- a year or so later). And I remember being both fascinated and completely creeped out by what, in retrospect, was a bizarre and yet banal conversation.
And for the moron who thought the movie was "boring" and only gave it 1 star? You're probably still a moron....
American Masters: Raul Julia: The World's a Stage (2019)
How did I miss this before now?
I've been a fan of Raul Julia for YEARS. But ran across this episode of _American Masters_ just tonight, while scrolling through the Guide on FIOS to see if there was anything worth watching at the beginning of Labor Day Weekend 2022....
Trying to remember the first thing I ever saw him in -- might have been him as Edmund in the taped production of _King Lear_ starring James Earl Jones. No -- it was on Broadway in the Andre Serbin production of _The Cherry Orchard_ that had started in Chicago and moved to NY. I think I was in middle school or high school and there was a bus trip to a matinee performance. (He played the peasant who buys the orchard, and Meryl Streep had a small part as the maid....). Then, years later, I dragged my husband to a pre-Broadway run of the revival of _Man of La Mancha_. And I loved that this episode of _American Masters_ included footage from the Joseph Papp "Shakespeare in the Park" production of _The Taming of the Shrew_ (why that production WASN'T recorded in full and aired on TV is a travesty of justice -- I would have KILLED for tickets). And to this day I remember him being interviewed in his dressing room saying that when he first went to drama school he thought you had to do Shakespeare with a British accent -- but that no, you could do it with a Puerto Rican accent and it still worked because the language was THAT GOOD. I was unfamiliar with that early TV amateur show he was on -- but even back then (early 1960s) you could see where his portrayal of Gomez Addams came from. So, a number of movies and tapes of Shakespeare productions and I got to see him on the stage twice in my life. But it's not enough -- we lost a great actor too soon.... I think the most amazing thing was that KEVIN KLINE understudied a role he was in on the stage....
Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed (1926)
An astounding "Must See" film
I first ran across this a number of years ago on TCM's "Sunday Night Silents". I have now seen it twice more -- one time on a big screen (at a film festival a few years later) and then, last night again after recording it off TCM again recently.
I was absolutely charmed by it the first time. The second time (in an actual theatre)? I was astounded by the level of detail (which, sadly doesn't come across on a standard TV screen). The third time was on a medium sized flat screen TV (not sure if the first two viewings were of the restored version because it's probably been close to a decade).
The first time I thought "Wow, this is kinda neat and interesting!" Seeing it on a big screen you get to see the *amazing* attention to detail (for instance, all the Chinese Emperor's attendants are DIFFERENT). The third time, I did notice some of the sexism (as someone said, if it was made today it might garnish an R rating) and some of the stereotyping. But for a movie made a DECADE before Disney's _Snow White_? The artistry and animation are just extraordinary.
If you ever get a chance to see this? Check it out -- I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised (as I was). If you ever get a chance to see it on a big screen, though? RUN -- DON'T walk! Do not pass "Go" and forego the $200 to boot -- just to see it as it was originally meant to be seen (in a theatre on a big screen, preferably with an appreciative audience). If I even get another chance to see it that way? I'd be camping out ahead of time to make sure I was able to get a ticket!
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Visitor (1995)
A heart-wrenching episode
I don't understand the low scores some people gave this episode. I've been re-watching the series and this episode is sad and searing and heart-felt. And, as several of the reviewers said, it's also about obsession and how a young man's loss of his father becomes so overwhelming that he can't move past it emotionally (and is scarred forever as a result).
But I'm also wondering (rewatching it just now) whether in some respects it prefigures the end of the series.... And, while clearly an "alternate timeline" episode it makes me wonder how far ahead the writing team were thinking (given that the series does have more of an overall story-arc than either the original _Star Trek_ or _ST:NG_ ever did). And in some respects I wonder if this episode gave the writers the idea for the final episode and whether the "Jake" in that timeline would end up the same way this "Jake" does (and whether "Benjamin" would come back to "Jake" in the future the way he does here). Especially since when Jake and his father are together during the experiment it looks a lot like when Benjamin is interacting with the non-corporeal entities inhabiting the wormhole (whether you want to call them "the Prophets" or "wormhole aliens" or something else entirely); and also especially when in the last season we learn the truth about both Benjamin and Jake's grandmother.
Benjamin Franklin (2022)
Ken Burns does it again!
Fascinating two part documentary about one of the Founding Fathers -- including some shocking stuff I hadn't known, like being a slave owner (ignore the review from the person screaming about it being "woke", BTW -- who apparently wants to "whitewash" history (pun *absolutely* intended). Franklin was a complex man who spent his life trying to improve himself. But had flaws (as do we ALL). And this documentary series shows the real person, warts and all, and I'm glad we watched it.
Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1984)
Can I rate this as "Zero"? Please say "yes"....
Because a 1 out of 10 is TOO HIGH!
Could not believe that a couple of people actually liked this turkey. Did it get any better? Because I gave up about 10-15 minutes in. Even Sean Connery couldn't save it! That's how bad this is....
The movie was a complete trainwreck. I've read "Gawain and the Green Knight" for an English lit class when I was college, and was looking forward to this. But could not sit through it, it was so bad. And there's only one other movie that ever happened with (scarily enough, THAT other one is considered a comedy classic but, like this, found it UNWATCHABLE). I love bad movies if they're entertaining. Heck I sat up till 5:30 AM to watch _Flesh and Blood_ years ago, and then about a week later sat up to watch a bad sword and sorcery movie called _Circle of Iron_ (which made F&B look OSCAR-caliber in comparison). But this? Just awful. @ batzi8m1: I don't know what movie YOU saw but this was the worst movie I ever tried to see....
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: In the Cards (1997)
LOVE this episode
Unlike the "top" review, I found this episode silly but entertaining as all get out. Because every now and then people need to blow off steam (especially in times of crisis) and this is a fine example. Jake wants to cheer his dad up and enlists Nog's aid, but they fall afoul of Odo, Kai Winn, and "the Soulless Minions of Orthodoxy" (i.e., Weyoun and the Dominion) in the process (and also, although she doesn't know it was them, Leeta...). Plus, it has one of the best puns I've ever heard recited ANYWHERE. Reviewer "ghatbkk" needs to get a life. Everyone else needs to just watch this episode for what it is. And what it is? Fun!
Ghosts (2021)
Has potential...
So, just watched the pilot, which is actually *really* funny in places. Not familiar with the show it's apparently based on (I was thinking it was a riff on _Beetlejuice_; now thinking it's a comedic version of _The Sixth Sense_). It remains to be seen whether the writing can keep up. I don't normally watch comedies, but this one caught my attention by the ads for it, and some of the lines are HILARIOUS. The ghosts are, to some extent, caricatures (the hippy chick is a loon, the Boy Scout leader is "Mr. Nice Guy" the Viking likes to mess with the electricity as a adherent to Thor); and the husband of the woman who is now seeing the ghosts in the mansion she's inherited is just befuddled. But it also has deft timing and jokes worthy of a Bugs Bunny or Woody Woodpecker cartoon (i.e., will go over the heads of little kids while their parents will be snickering).
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Looking for Par'Mach in All the Wrong Places (1996)
Reviewer Hitchcoc spotted the premise straight away
I've spent a lot of time binge watching and re-watching DS9 during the pandemic, to the point that I've now seen the entire series a couple of times. And know which ones to skip and which ones to rewatch. While not one of the better episodes, it's still enjoyable, if you know what it's really about. At this point, on the 3rd go-round, I skip over a lot of the episodes which focus on Quark (mostly because he's SOOO annoying), but I do rather like this one, which is *clearly* a reworking of the plot of _Cyrano de Bergerac_.
Worf finds himself having to help Quark re-woo Grilka (Quark's ex-wife), with the assistance of Jadzia Dax and her memories of Curzon Dax's interactions with Klingon culture -- even though Worf wants Grilka for himself. But of course, having been raised by humans, *and* being a Starfleet officer, Worf is considered a traitor to the Klingon Empire by Grilka's retainers (and probably by Grilka herself -- who is actually fond of Quark because he helped her become mistress of her household in her own right). Ironically, later Dax and Worf fall for each other, but this is early in Worf's time on the station. The Cyrano-esque plot is subtly emphasized by Worf telling Quark that that Grilka's compliment after a private dinner is that Grilka considers Quark a 'poetic" master.
Ignore the subplot with Major Kira staying with the O'Briens while being surrogate for Miles's and Keiko's baby -- it's just annoying....
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Far Beyond the Stars (1998)
Wow. Just Wow....
This episode is stunning -- a complete tour de force. Yes, it's "morals with a sledgehammer" time. So what? Welcome to the Trek Universe -- some of the best episodes were like that in the original series. Because guess what -- it came out in the late 20th Century and now, here in not quite the middle of January 2021, it is sadly -- appallingly so -- still completely relevant as a commentary of the way we are NOW -- as opposed to the way we COULD be. The person who posted a review last spring after the death of George Floyd got it. And I just saw this (for the first time, somehow) less than a week after the assault on American democracy by thugs and domestic terrorists (let's not be coy about it -- they're no better than Gul Dukat, or the Founders, folks).
The people who *don't* get it? Take a look in the mirror sometime.... A good look. A look involving critical analysis. I know, people aren't apparently taught this in school any more.... (God bless my Junior Enrichment English teacher in high school, for forcing us smart@ss smart kids to read _The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_ for content, even though we pretty much universally said, "But we've read this before!"; her response: "NOT LIKE THIS, YOU HAVEN'T!") But that is what the best of this series (and in fact the entire franchise) is about. A *better* world. For that matter, that's what the *best* science fiction is about, as well.
I loved the references to writers (not just the SF ones like Heinlein, but also the African-American "literary" authors such as Langston Hughes) and the comparisons to/references of "Benny Russell's" publishing company with _Galaxy_ (which is one of the magazines, my mom, who was in Science Fiction Writers of America for many years, used to subscribe to).
As for the people whining about "story arc" and "What does this episode have to do with the war with the Dominion?" Seriously? Did you all do that same whining about the previous episode, where Quark "inherits" all of Morn's worldly goods? I doubt it....
Great Performances: The Comedy of Errors (1987)
What's NOT to like?
A silly Shakespeare comedy livened up by The Flying Karamazov Brothers. It's basically the play, involving two sets of identical twins who end up in the same city (one member of each set being in danger as being from the "enemy" city). But in THIS version? In the city where the two sets of twins end up, *everyone* juggles (it's been so long since I've seen it that I forget about the rival city -- I think they all walked on stilts or some such). But at one point, someone drops the ball (literally) and someone else's deadpan response: "New in town?" HILARIOUS! I think that someone I know may have the recording (probably a VHS tape!) that she inherited from her late parents, both of whom were huge Shakespeare buffs. I'd love to be able to see it again. Surprised that when I looked up the FKBs it wasn't listed under their page. Don't remember if Avner the Eccentric (better known from _The Jewel of the Nile_ -- the sequel to _Romancing the Stone_) is in it as well.
Pop Gear (1965)
Okay, I admit it --
I grew up in the 60s and 70s -- some of my first experiences in relation to music was Beatlemania and the British Invasion. So I'm old enough to remember some of these songs on American radio. Even had a few Herman's Hermits albums (okay, I was seven). Yeah, it's almost completely lip-synced. And that Saville guy is just weird and creepy (apparently, he really WAS weird and creepy -- I remember a few years ago when the story broke about him and what he was REALLY like -- eww). But this is basically the music of my childhood. And some of the music really does hold up. Ran across it while TCM was doing "End of Summer" movies on Labor Day this week, under its US title _GoGo Mania" and set up the timer mostly for curiosity. So don't treat it like a movie if the lip-synching and the dorky sets and the bad Carnaby Street suits and the goofy dance routines (although the first one is actually better than the one on the TV show in _A Hard Day's Night_) -- and fast forward every time Saville and his fake hair are on the screen -- and just have it on as background music. Because a lot of the music is actually pretty good. (Okay, not that Munro guy; but I will admit also watching Tom Jones' old variety show on a regular basis when I was a kid.)
Harriet (2019)
Better than what the nay-sayers claim
I read a book about Harriet Tubman when I was a kid. I thought she was amazing. She was brave, resourceful and determined. Is this movie perfect? No. But it is WAY better than all the whining 1 star reviews make it out to be. Yes, there are invented characters -- what bio-pic doesn't have them? As some reviewers have said, this *isn't* a documentary. But this movie shows here as the woman I remember reading about as a kid. And yes, she DID carry a gun. What she did as an Underground Railroad conductor was INCREDIBLY dangerous, and she knew it. Yes, she did dress like a man at times. She also (and the film gets dinged a star for leaving this bit of factual trivia out) dressed up once as a high society lady (confusing the Hell out of the people who were trying to stop her and her "passengers": after all, here's this black woman but she doesn't act like a slave and they can't wrap their brains about that; so, like the slack-jawed idiots they are, they let her go on her merry way and more former slaves are helped escape. I don't remember reading about the seizures and the visions, but it was also a kid's book and stuff like that is a little difficult for a third grader to grasp. I only knew a bit about her being a Union spy (so, an second dinged star for just glossing over it); as for leading troops in the Civil War? Apparently that is *also* factual. And yes, there were a LOT of white people in the anti-slavery movement (so sorry to mess with your little pea-brains, but it's the truth; my church growing up in NYS had, at its dedication, a sermon given by the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher. (You might POSSIBLY recognize his sister's name: Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote _Uncle Tom's Cabin_). Both of whom were fervent Abolistionists. And apparently was an Underground Railway station after the Fugitive Slave Act was passed. Maybe you people who hated the movie should actually go read a book or something....
Ophelia (2018)
Interesting twist on Shakespeare's most famous play
I don't understand the people frothing at the mouth over this film and how "inauthentic" it is, or whining about how "woke" it is. It isn't freaking Shakespeare here, folks. I for one am happy that it's not just Yet Another(tm) production of _Hamlet_. Which I've seen lots of versions of, including the TV movie version with Derek Jacobi as part of a series (over about 6 or 7 years) of doing ALL the Shakespeare plays, back in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Not sure whether my husband would like this film, but I sure did. Sumptiously set and costumed, and the change of point of view is intriguing -- very different from _Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead_ (which I also like, and which also sets the original on its ear, but in a completely different way).
My only quibble is that I kept having to turn the sound up more and more as the film went on (recorded off of The Movie Channel Xtra). Yes I understand that they're whispering so as to not be overheard. But the AUDIENCE needs to be able to hear the dialogue, even if the other characters aren't supposed to. Come on people, you want us to suspend disbelief enough to have Ophelia be the teller of the tale, the eyes and ears of the audience, and yet don't trust us enough for that?
As for the naysayers, just go back to watching the 17th iteration of car chase or superhero movies, while the grownups in the room get to expand our horizons. SOME of us like variety. (and I'm writing this while an episode of _Agents of Shield_ is currently airing -- and I like THAT as well, BTW).
Oh there are black people? Gosh, you mean they're not supposed to act, just be sports stars? Tell that to James Earl Jones, who did an AMAZING job starring in a production of _King Lear_ on _Great Performances_. Yeesh. You people with your little pin heads....
Mary Queen of Scots (2018)
The authenticity police are out in force!
Okay, it's not a great movie. And the haters are just gonna hate. Maybe it's because one of my hobbies is medieval recreation (so I'm used to blonde samurai, and African-American Vikings) but other than the first raised eyebrow about the English Ambassador's skin tone, that didn't bother me. What DID bother me is that they left out so much (such as Mary's years in exile/capitivity). If you're gonna moan about "inauthenticity" do it about REAL issues. Such as the reason that Elizabeth agreed -- or was tricked into doing so -- to have Mary executed was because Elizabeth's privy council were convinced that stuff like the Oxburgh hangings were secret messages to Mary's loyal supporters. That's NOWHERE in the movie. Heck, the entire time Mary's in England under guard by the Earl of Shrewsbury and his wife, Bess of Hardwick, is nowhere in the movie....
One of the reviews compared this to the 2018 _Robin Hood_ remake. And trust me, this movie is not *nearly* as bad (whether everyone at the Scots Royal court would have been wearing black? I dunno; but Mary probably would have at least initially, since she was a widow). That being said, it's not all that good either, being slow moving. And movies that make you dive into IMDB to play "Who's that actor" instead of paying attention to the plot? That's a problem. Although David Tennant (heavily disguised with a long beard) as John Knox is clearly having fun, a lot of the cast have this look on their faces of "Why did I let my agent talk me into this?" Oh, and for the reviewer whining about "Where's the Stewart Tartan?" Newsflash -- the costume people actually got THAT part right -- that's a much later concept than 16th century Scotland (and comes into play during the "Bonnie Prince Charlie" era of the *18th* century. So the the "authenticity force" is not strong in that reviewer EITHER.... And while yes, the old version with Glenda Jackson and Vanessa Redgrave is better, I'm pretty sure there inaccuracies in that movie as well....
Great Performances: King Lear (1974)
Man, was this good!
Saw this years ago on TV. And to my mind James Earl Jones IS King Lear, bringing all the gravitas to the role it deserves. And I loved Rene Auberjonois and Raul Julia as well.
So happy to see brzeczyk's review, saying that it was available on DVD because I would happily own a copy if I could find it. Guess I'm adding that to my Amazon wishlist now....
Wiseguy: Living and Dying in 4/4 Time (1989)
I remember little about this episode
I remember liking the show when it was on. I remember very little about it. But this episode? I remember this episode simply for the exquisitely insane scene at the end, where Tim Curry's character -- in top hat and tails, and I think with a cane, makes good on his threat/promise to the other character from the record label, and is tap-dancing on the other guy's grave. Just one of those weird sort of existential moments that you mostly don't get on TV (and certainly not on network TV) but which sticks with you for the rest of your life....
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)
How did I miss this film before now?
I was over at a friend's house yesterday, and in flipping through Roku listings ran across this movie. And I was going "Kevin Kline doing Shakespeare? How did I not see this before?"
Is the movie perfect? No. But I say this as having seen a stage production of MND in modern dress where the subtext appeared to be "You only hurt the one you love" -- Hippolyta in combat fatigues and army boots, every person "dosed" by Puck appearing to be murdered (the stage set involved a lighting fixture on the floor flashing its plexiglass encased fluorescent bulbs every time this happened...). Just weird.
Okay, so in this version there were bicycles and Victrolas. Eh, I've seen worse affectations. It was interesting in that this seems to be a movie that you either love or hate. Me, I found it charming and delightful. For all the people whining about how it wasn't funny, or "It's not Shakespeare!" it's clear that none of them actually understand either Elizabethan theatre or the original concepts of "Comedy" vs. "Tragedy" (which has to do with Ancient Greek drama -- "comedy" concerns the doings of mankind, and "tragedy" with the Gods (and how they interfere with men). The best description of the difference between "tragic" and "tragedy", BTW, can be found in the classroom scene in _Educating Rita_. But I digress.
As for the film at hand? I've never seen _Ally McBeal_ and I only knew of (a much older) Christian Bale as Batman. The characters of the four young lovers? In Elizabethan theatre, they were the "juvenile" roles. And they are what they are. Young, inexperienced actors, playing the roles of young, inexperienced people. Much more problematic for me were Theseus and Hippolyta, who are pretty much non-entities. Rupert Everett as Oberon was an odd choice, since he isn't really given much to do. I had less problem with Michelle Pfeiffer as Titania, even though she isn't given much to do except look ethereal. Stanley Tucci as Puck? Eh, well, he was better in his final speech than Mickey Rooney in the 1930s movie -- and he was clearly entranced by the bicycle. Again, somewhat odd casting choice, but okay.
Kevin Kline of course, can do no wrong in my eyes, but then, his roots are in the theatre, not Hollywood; the first time I ever saw him was when he recreated his role as the Pirate King from a revival of _The Pirates of Penzance_(after having seen him in ads for the Broadway run); the next thing I saw him in? _Sophie's Choice_ (where his character is about as far from a swashbuckling pirate with a heart of gold as you can get). He also did a fabulous job in a taped stage production on PBS about 20 years ago in the lead role in _Cyrano de Bergerac_. He makes it look easy. As is clearly having way too much fun.
Don't understand the haters. I can only presume (especially from their reviews) that they are all ignorant Millenials who don't understand/are un-educated what Shakespeare is all about. Or are so pedantic (possibly to the point of being on the autism spectrum) that they can't relate to the fact that the time/location is "different" (at which point I'd point them to a video I saw on PBS about a Shakespeare in the Park production of _The Taming of the Shrew_ -- which sadly was never recorded for posterity because the little of it shown in the documentary was awesome; it starred Raul Julia and Meryl Streep. At one point they interview Raul Julia and he said that when he was a drama student he thought he had to do Shakespeare with an English accent -- then realized, nope, "you can do it with a Puerto Rican accent and it still works because the language is so good...." I didn't have trouble with the dialogue -- other than (possibly due to the sound bar on my friend's TV setup) that the audio seemed out of sync with the actual dialogue as spoken). I didn't have a problem with the variety of accents (except possibly Sophie Moreau -- but she's so wooden as Hippolyta it doesn't matter). I didn't have a problem with the "change of venue" since I've seen modern dress versions of _Hamlet_ and _Much Ado About Nothing_ set in 1910 America (TV movie version in the 1960s or 70s starring Sam Waterston), and _Richard III_ done as a cautionary tale about fascism. And the version of _Romeo and Juliet_ with the rival families as Miami Mafiosos. I've even seen (and heartily enjoyed) the Joss Whedon "Hey kids, lets put on a show! My house, this weekend, and oh we're doing Shakespeare and filming it in black and white" version of _Much Ado About Nothing_. I've even seen touring companies of the Globe Shakespeare Company (who actually made _Measure for Measure_ tolerable, breathing light and air into a really problematic play.
So this movie? I enjoyed it immensely. One of the other reviews described it as "light and frothy" and that's a good description. Yes, I liked the version of _King Lear_ set in Dark Ages Scandanavia (that's a weird film with a really off kilter and dark look to it, BTW) but I liked this too.
Good Omens (2019)
Binge watched this but forgot the popcorn....
I'm astounded by the number of people who found _Good Omens_ to be "boring" (it's not) or "incomprehensible" (it's not, unless you have the attention span of a gnat or the IQ of a low-grade moron). And who said "Oh, well, maybe if I had read the book..." (yes, do, please!). But the most astounding part was all the naysayers claiming that positive reviews praising this mini-series had to have been made by spambots. Well, I assure you I am certainly not a spambot (although the 1 and 2 star reviews make me wonder how many of THEM were "written" by spambots...).
Me? I giggled throughout the book when I read it a few years ago (while I'm not a huge fan of Terry Pratchett, I'm finding that Neil Gaiman is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors -- even possibly supplanting J.R.R. Tolkien and (gasp) Peter Beagle (yeah, I'm dumbfounded by that too, since I first read _The Last Unicorn_ when I was nine). I giggled throughout the mini-series (and hey, dumbasses, it's a MINI-SERIES). My only complaint was that it's been a couple of years so now I will have to go re-read the book, which is lost in my house....
Is it perfect? No. No adaptation can be 100% the same because it's a different medium. Even with one of the original authors doing the screenplay. Stuff gets changed, or has to be added or dropped. It happens. Boo hoo. But my husband and I both found it as entertaining as all get out. The _Doctor Who_ Easter eggs (glad I'm not the only one who noticed) could be its own drinking game. LoL
Tennant and Sheen are simply brilliant (I loved the book, and when I heard that Tennant was was playing Crowley I wanted to see the series for that reason alone, and he does not disappoint -- but Michael Sheen was a revelation!).
A few random responses to other reviewers: To the reviewer who whined about it being about "diversity" and "environmentalism" -- read the book. To the person who whined about how "It's Pestilence, not Pollution" -- read the book. To the person who whined that "War" was a woman. READ THE (expletive deleted) BOOK, you moron....
Yeah, I wasn't all that enthralled with some of the CGI, or with the actor playing Newton (but that's probably a case of my mental image of the character being different from other people's). Or, truthfully, with the acting abilities of the kids. But geez. They're kids. This isn't Shakespeare, here, folks. It's a couple of 20th century SF/fantasy writers who had an idea for a collaboration which made them giggle as they bounced ideas off of each other. And the kid playing Adam was just, well, a kid (again, read the book). The whole point is that he doesn't KNOW he's supposed to be the Anti-Christ. He's just a somewhat mischievous but otherwise ordinary kid coming up with ideas for games for himself and his friends.
For those who whined about "I want there to be a second season". Sorry. It's called a mini-series. This isn't _GoT_ (or even _American Gods_). And did you NOT get the part about when Newton and Anathema get the second book of prophecies delivered to them and what their reaction is?
And as for the 20,000 nut jobs that petitioned *Netflix* (!) to cancel the series, you've all collectively been the laughing stock on Facebook for the better part of a week now.... You're welcome. Me? I now need to sign up for Amazon Prime (we watched it at a friend's house this past weekend) so I can binge watch the series again after re-reading the book....
McCloud: A Cowboy in Paradise (1974)
McCloud in Paradise
McCloud and Clifford get (separately) sent to a police conference in Honolulu. Only Clifford gets framed for a muder he didn't commit. And poor Sergeant Philbin (Louise Lasser) gets roped into helping McCloud help the Chief while she was just trying to have the vacation of a lifetime (and meet a cute guy).
Also along for the ride? Don Ho, playing a Don Ho type entertainer (what a stretch!), and James Gregory as one of several cop buddies of the Chief's also at the convention.
I don't particularly remember this episode when it originally aired (shows like this were entertaining but pretty forgettable, and it *has* been four and a half decades at thiis point). Loved shows like this when I was a kid. Now? The acting is passable, the dialogue is lame and Lasser is her usual really annoying Mary Hartman-type character. Overall the episode is a product of its time.
Oh, and to answer bkogangbing's query as to why McGarrett and Dano weren't along for the ride? Easy -- different network!
Flesh+Blood (1985)
Kill the girl! Save the dress! Pass the popcorn!
Not every movie has to be a "Casablanca" or "One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest" or "Henry V". Sometimes you just have to watch a "bad" movie because it's SOOOO entertaining in spite of its badness. Or possibly because of it....
I once sat up till 5:30 in the morning to watch this. Then ran across it this week on Charge TV and had to watch it again to see if it was as gloriously cheesy as I remembered. And so far, yes -- it's as a complete train wreck of a movie but still so absolutely over the top that you can't look away (kinda like a real train wreck). Yes, it's dirty and violent and sexist (hey, welcome to the 16th Century, when religious wars were as nasty as the real sort). And there a plot holes at times big enough to drive a carriage through. But sometime ya just gotta kick back and chill and watch a bad movie.
And I'm a woman saying that. But then, I've been a fan of "good" bad movies since I discovered bad spaghetti Westerns when I was a sophomore in college in the late 1970s -- and on Sunday afternoon there wasn't a lot on TV (this being in the days before cable, let alone streaming services) -- the choices were basketball, basketball, golf, basketball, bad spaghetti Westerns, PBS pledge breaks, PBS pledge break (I got both the NYC and CT channels) and basketball. Period. So I learned to love bad spaghetti Westerns. And bad sword and sorcery movies, and bad kung fu movies; and then, years later, bad samurai movies . And by bad I DON'T mean the Clint Eastwood/Sergio Leone classics, or stuff like _The 47 Ronin._. I mean BAD. I mean stuff like those Westerns with Italian actors with American stage names, and bad kung fu movies (with interchangeable plots which all seemed to star the same people and be dubbed into English by the same people), and then, a couple of decades later, the Zatoichi franchise -- which are, of course, *themselves* a sendup of bad spaghetti Westerns. I even once watched a bad Bollywood cop vs. evil older brother movie that *literally* even threw in the kitchen sink! (OTOH, that truly dreadful movie _Sword of the Valiant_ was such a turkey that I couldn't sit through more than about 20 minutes of it -- even Sean Connery couldn't save it....)
So. Would I give _Flesh + Blood_ 10 stars? No way. But I'd also give it way more than 1 because it is just one of those entertaining bad movies you gotta see at least once in your life (and let's be real -- it's way more fun and possibly a lot more historically accurate for its setting than, say _Gone With the Wind_ or _The Ten Commandments_ ; both of which are considered "classics" and both of which -- let's be real about it -- are really kinda cheesy in their own way.... And it's also WAY better than that absolutely atrocious Beowulf movie from around 20 years ago, which I saw in 3D and an IMAX theatre so I didn't have money to throw popcorn at the screen -- and then afterwards had to explain to the people my husband and I had gone with that I'd read the original in Old English for a college lit class, and NO, Grendel's mother is NOT Angelina Jolie, and the "plot" was stolen from some bad movie on the SYFY channel. Sigh. Apparently even Nail Gaiman isn't perfect 100% of the time.... Oh, and I didn't realize until seeing _Flesh+ Blood_ again that Ronald Lacey (better known as the really nasty Nazi with the burned hand in the first Indian Jones movie) is the mercenaries' personal religious whackadoodle. (Lacey also turned up -- in a interesting bit part as a hippie -- in a very odd, old John Boorman movie, _Having a Wild Weekend_, starring The Dave Clark 5 (!) in their attempt to cash in on the success of The Beatles' _A Hard Day's Night_ .)