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egould2011
Reviews
The Days (2023)
Beautifully shot, excruciatingly long.
Like many others, I was quite interested in this after seeing HBO's Chernobyl. While this is similar, they're two very different shows conceived in two very different ways.
The acting is what you'd expect with any other Japanese drama. Seemingly emotionless characters, long awkward silences, and lots of staring. The one exception to this is the Prime Minister. Never before have I wanted to strangle a seemingly innocuous character. Constantly berating everyone who can't give him answers which are impossible to give without being on the ground (he expects absolute certainty and then blows his top when his expectations are not met). I'm not entirely sure if this was supposed to be an accurate representation of the actual Prime Minister at the time of the real incident, and for the sake of the real people involved I hope not.
A good thing is the cinematography. This show is absolutely gorgeous. However, in between beautiful yet harrowing establishing shots, 70% of the series you're locked in a dark control room. I also HATE when shows use first person views with gas masks on. I understand they're trying to depict the actual struggles and claustrophobia / confusion or the operators, but it makes the show a confusing mess to the audience. Every time characters need to enter the reactor buildings, they choose to show this. Everything is dark, the masks are filthy and you can't see a thing, I actually found myself fast forwarding through the scenes by the third episode. I have to admit the first episode is by far the best. The tsunami effects were well done, even paying attention to small details like water rushing out of small cracks.
I'm just going to tell it how it is - this show didn't need to be 8 hour long episodes. 3 of the episodes are literally focused on characters struggling to enter reactor buildings / turning valves. I can understand putting it in a single episode to show the conditions these characters struggle with, but episode 3 - 6 can literally be skipped. Watch one and you've seen them all.
There's almost no character development, but I honestly expected that. This is a very factual depiction of events. They've even depicted the most small and monotonous of details. I feel like there is literally so much they're trying to cram into the series that it just ends up bloated.
I'd definitely recommend anyone who's interested in man-made disasters (specifically nuclear) watch it, but be aware that it's a slow burn and drags on, and on, and on.
Waco (2018)
Fairly balanced, could use less literal preaching.
Whether you agree with the governments actions involving the Waco Siege or not, most can agree it was a critical mistake on the ATF / FBI and a tragedy for all involved, especially the innocent children who had no control whatsoever.
This series actually does a good job at showing the overzealous hypocrisy of David Koresh, but also some of his humanity. It also tries to humanize the FBI / ATF, though it certainly falls short compared to the Branch Davidians. The Davidians are shown in a far more sympathetic light. The only agents shown to be sympathetic were the two negotiators. They ignore the other agents who have gone on record that this whole debacle was a mistake and they didn't feel comfortable even partaking. I think there was a missed opportunity to come to the table and mend fences.
One of my only complaints, and this is coming from someone who is a Christian, is the preaching. I'd say that a solid 15% of the shows total runtime is dedicated to Taylor Kitsch chewing scenery as he portrays the false prophet that Koresh was. While I understand this was done with the intent of showing how absolutely unstable he was, it doesn't add anything particularly beneficial to the viewer. Upon subsequent rewatches I actually have to skip it.
As far as the quality of the production, it was top notch. The cinematography, set design and narrative structure was absolutely spot on. You really felt like you were there. With the help of actual archival footage of the incident, they were able to recreate it spot-on.
I also like how Ruby Ridge was depicted as a watershed moment that most definitely tied into the actions at Waco.
What I like most is that the show doesn't really take sides. Sure it shows the Davidians in a far more sympathetic light, it still makes it clear that this was most definitely a group of people misled by a false prophet, and unfortunately paid for it with their lives. It's ultimately left to the viewer or determine who was right and who was wrong, as in my honest opinion both sides could've handled the whole situation better and communicated better.
Weapon of Choice (2018)
Misdirected and Misunderstood Blame
As a documentary about guns, I already knew it would delve into anti-gun territory. This one has all the hallmarks of a manipulative piece of anti-gun work. Grieving inner-city families? Check. Pro-gun people depicted as "Pro-Constitution Extremists?" Check. Conspiracy related to the profitability of the arms trade? Check.
There are two parts that really bother me, and that's the exploitation of dangerous and poverty-stricken communities in America. One area the documentary focuses on is Chicago, which is located in Illinois, which has some of the most extreme gun laws in the nation. Does this help keep the streets of Chicago safe? Nope. What about interviewing those on the "gangster tour" in Compton? Compton is located in California, another state with highly restrictive gun laws. Are the streets of Compton a gleaming example of a modern and safe city? Nope. It's funny that these documentaries never show neighborhoods which have a high rate of firearm ownership (legal). They never interview those who have used their guns in a self-defense capacity. They touch upon Glock's prevalence in rap music, but not once did anyone ever connect the irony that blaming guns for violence is like blaming rap music for violence.
The next problematic area of this documentary acts as the bookends of the film. That is, the ISIS situation. Somehow, Glock is depicted as absolutely evil for shipping weapons to a warzone despite being a neutral country (Austria). What the braindead producers of this documentary don't connect is that refusal to ship guns to a warzone as neutral country no longer makes you neutral. It takes a side.
The one thing I'm actually glad they didn't really touch on is the mass shootings that unfortunately do occur in the U. S. They touched upon the Libby's Diner massacre, but it's a relatively short part of the film.
Honestly if you're looking at an even-sided debate on guns, or interesting perspective on the history of one of the most iconic gun brands, keep looking. This film is basically your standard "Oh look they make guns and refused to let us interview them for our hit-piece, therefore they are evil."
Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
Ignore the critics. Seriously they completely miss the point.
Growing up in a poor family in Appalachian Pennsylvania, this film hits home. I was lucky enough to have good parents, but with a lot of financial trouble (though we were thankful for what we did have) and a lot of family drama. The problem the critics have is that in today's "woke" climate, they can't possibly conceive how poor white people can exist. I have no doubt in my mind that if you took this same story and applied it to the inner-city they would be calling for it to receive Academy Awards. Many of my friends (many who grew up in the inner-city) sympathized with the characters in the story, as we really were two sides of the same coin, with the same problems.
The part that bothers me about the critics' reviews is them claiming it's somehow political. The book itself is written by a conservative, and takes a stance on things like the dependency of welfare, but the film is completely devoid of anything political. There are two scenes in the movie where J.D. mentions wanting to watch shows about the current affairs at that time (such as the Monica Lewinsky affair), but it's a blink and you'll miss it type of remark both times. The real J.D. Vance is a political commentator so it makes sense that young J.D. is interested in politics even as a teenager.
This film also takes no stance on race. The Appalachian region is predominately white, but suffer the same problems as inner-city minorities. Critics look from the windows of their big-city apartments and don't understand what it's like to have a booming industry and then suddenly one day they wake up to broken communities where many people left since the jobs dried up.
The acting was absolutely top notch. Anyone who grew up in these mountains had a "Mamaw" in their family who was tough as nails and had a "take no prisoners" approach to dealing with conflict. The cast had great chemistry and made a believable family.
This is a very uncomfortable film to watch, especially if you've lived in this area for a sizable portion of your life. Escape is often difficult, and even when you get out (such as I did), no other place feels like home.