Reviews

I had my doubts about this new program, even though I loved the lead character from day 1! Women who are vulnerable, but at the same time, strong and consistent, appeal to me. It seems difficult to find a mix of these traits in most series on regular TV. The Maricela and the Desert episode was able to effectively take a story that could have been cliche and sappy (a child having to endure a horrible event involving her family members), and gradually show us how a thoughtful and caring authority figure ( the judge) was able to gradually understand how to effectively communicate with the child in order to allow her to feel safe and empowered--creating a child-friendly environment with teddy bears and comfy chairs and "blankies" proved to be the solution. I've been in courtrooms for jury duty, and as an adult, find them very intimidating and unwelcoming places. For a child it must be terrifying no matter how kind and/or normal the adults may seem, especially when the details of trials are hardly ever positive and/or redemptive, and often involve violence and gamesmanship. For the judge to decide to decorate and soften the venue using universal symbols of comfort and reassurance was heart-warming in this age of vindictive social media and children growing up way too quickly! Last night's episode inspired me to apply to become a child advocate in our local court system. I had thought about it since I retired, and this morning I started to contact agencies locally to attend orientation meetings and start my training. Looking forward to more thoughtful and relevant episodes of All Rise--hope it makes the big time!!!

With so many corny and trite, distasteful Christmas-themed films and TV shows produced all the time, this segment of Ally is refreshingly sweet, sentimental, and ultimately touching in more ways than one--I think it really adds depth to the personalities of the characters and portrays the magic of Christmas in an original way, sure to affect those, such as myself, who never watched Ally until the reruns caught my attention over vacation! I think it should be a regular feature of Christmas programming each year, such as "It's a Wonderful LIfe', etc.. You really can enjoy the show even if you have never watched any other Ally shows, and never intend to watch any in the future!

I read two-thirds of the book before seeing the film. I was pleased with the cinematography, and loved the travelogue aspect of the film, having been to Rome, and wanting to go to India and Bali. I really got into the Bali segment, mainly due to the chemistry between the medicine man and Liz and, more importantly, the chemistry between Liz and Felipe. Javier Bardem was incredibly appealing as Felipe, and I was actually glad I had not read the final section of the book because I was not forced to compare the written story with the movie. Instead, I could just sit back and enjoy! On the other hand,I found Italy and India lacking in the kind of emotional and spiritual depth that was so appealing in the book. Liz Gilbert, the author, was able to involve me in the ups and downs of her experiences as she embarked on her quest for balance. I truly don't think it was possible to duplicate the engrossing details from the written narrative that so involved me in her personal adventures. The key people in her life sort of marched by in the film, without dimension or believability. I wanted very much to love the movie as much as I loved the book, but it was not until Bali that I was swept into the drama and pure enjoyment of it all. In fact I sat in the theater until all the credits were over, wishing I could watch "Part 3" over again! I feel sad that the overall consensus from most critics appears not to be favorable. Those who have not read the book certainly might find Liz's personal quest self-indulgent and superficial, and those who have read the book will be disappointed because so much is left out, and some details modified. Rarely is it possible to capture the "soul" of a good book in a film--sometime a picture is not worth a thousand words, but rather is just an image without depth of understanding. Perhaps a better option would have been a TV series, a multi-episode TV movie, or a series of three feature films, one for each stage of Liz's quest. Any of these media choices would have given the writers more opportunity to include essential details, thereby adding to the believability of Liz's experiences and allowing the viewer to better understand her true motivation. A single feature film just didn't provide enough time to do justice to the story.

Colin Firth was incredibly tuned in to his portrayal of a single man. I marveled at the way in which the scenes flowed, one into another, never missing a step. The musical score was perfectly blended into the drama and poignancy of each moment, never missing a beat. The writing, cinematography, and photography were perfect as well. I felt as if I were in a famous art museum viewing one masterpiece after another, not believing that mere human talent could produce so much perfection! Each character who crosses paths with Colin is beautifully "painted" into the story line. I found myself wanting to purchase the DVD (I never purchase films) as if it were a valuable work of art, About a minute before the end (I didn't know it at the time) I got a phone call, paused the film, and came back about 30 minutes later to view the remainder of the movie. I was blown away by the ending, saddened, but uplifted at the same time. The story was so intelligent. The writers and actors were able to express the innate value and diversity of human life and the way in which people can choose to relate to one another. We were drawn into the seemingly random events that in the end add up to an individual's life experience,for better or worse. A Single Man elevated my day, my week, my month. . .my life. Rented it from Redbox--the best value for a dollar I have ever gotten!!!