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The Movieman
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Deception (2008)
Watchable but very flawed
As erotic thrillers go, this was very weak as the sex scenes weren't all that important to the plot at large. Sure, one scene maybe comes into play later but at its core, the villain's (Jackman) crime didn't need the whole sex club aspect to accomplished what he was after. Still, I did enjoy Hugh Jackman's performance as he usually doesn't play a scumbag and at least Ewan McGregor was alright, while Michelle Williams is smoking as usual, that her scenes alone were worth the time.
The ending felt off however and the alternate one on the Blu-ray made clear why they went that direction as Jackman needed to be punished, just the way it played out wasn't satisfying. And as a side, not sure why McGregor's character would leave behind $20 million, seems insane and perplexing.
Agent Game (2022)
Low praise but not entirely incompetently made...
Surprisingly not an entirely incompetently made espionage-thriller. The acting was so-so though Mel Gibson at least seemed to be trying and Dermot Mulroney further proves he's an underrated actor. As these DTV flicks go, I at least was entertained even if the editing could've been better and the fight sequences better choreographed but could've been the budget limitations. The script wasn't the best as it seemed straight out of the 90s (not necessarily a bad thing). I don't know, maybe it got me on the right night but I kind of enjoyed it, warts and all.
Frasier: The Ski Lodge (1998)
Solid Episode Filled with Plenty of Laughs
As a series, "Frasier" has its on and off episodes (especially seasons 8-10, after Niles and Daphne got together) but this one ranks right up there as one of the better episodes of the series.
"The Ski Lodge" finds Frasier, his dad, Daphne and her hot girl friend, going to a ski cabin where messages get twisted around developing into hilarious sitcom situations.
I own season 5 and I can't resist to pop in the disc and watch this episode again and again. It's not that it's one of the best of any series, but I can't help but watch every time. With the reduced prices for the Frasier DVD sets, pick season 5 up as there are plenty of great episodes contained in this season.
Serenity (2005)
Firefly Away
I am writing this as a novice. I have never seen the show before and, honestly I felt a bit lost. The story is easy to follow, but these are previously established characters with a background presented on the show. I understand why creator/writer/director Whedon could not put everything that happened in the 15 episodes on the big screen, but in order to take this movie, Serenity, beyond its Browncoat fan base, he needed to find a way to bring in the others as well.
I found the movie to simply be OK. It's certainly not bad -- much of the hate, IMO, comes from Star Wars fans taking insult from the Browncoats, and I am not a huge Star Wars fan either -- but it also wasn't anything special. The visual effects are pretty standard (stuff you can see on the SciFi Channel), the acting is pretty standard and the writing/direction from Whedon wasn't engaging.
I feel that while Serenity is certainly pleasing (to say the least) to fans of "Firefly", it's too inclusive for it's own good. If Whedon wanted to give his series a final send off or a renewal, perhaps a deal with the SciFi Channel would be more logical (perhaps doing a 9-part, Dune-like mini-series).
I'm quite down the middle with Serenity. It has it's moments, but I don't see why some consider it to be one of the best science fiction movies. Yes, Whedon certainly has the imagination (this is coming from a fan of the Buffy and Angel series), but this one needed more than that for me to consider it even good...