Reviews

There really wasn't a heck of a lot they could do with the finale for this show because the writers have just been spinning their wheels for the last 5-6 seasons. Bringing Fiona back would not have made any difference because most of the other character's storylines went everywhere and nowhere up to the finale and just stopped there.

A well acted movie that for the most part seems to accurately portray the wheelings and dealings of a "boiler room" type of operation. However, I am confused by the main character Seth. He appears to come from a good family (though his father is pretty tough) and a good background, yet he appears to completely lack a moral compass and is obtuse regarding the things that he is doing wrong. First, he does not seem to comprehend the fact that his home casino is illegal and then at the brokerage it appears that he doesn't understand the fact that he is stealing people's money and in the case of Harry; ruining their lives (at least until his father shoves that fact in his face.)

I like this episode because it took us outside of palaces and the endless court intrigues for a refreshing change. However, being a stickler for historical accuracy (and I can usually let small amounts of artistic license go, this was a big one. Yes, Catherine donned battle armor (while pregnant) rallied the troops and helped set the stage for the battle, she was not at Flodden.

This is a well-acted movie the does capture the tensions during the Cuban missile crisis. To some degree it also shows JFK's fecklessness, but this was not a triumph for JFK; especially since the crisis was his fault. Yes, I said it was his fault. It was his provocations which caused the USSR to try to place missiles in Cuba the first place. First, there was the invasion of Cuba, which drew Castro closer to the USSR and his desire to have a deterrent to possible future invasions of Cuba. Second, JFK had missiles placed in Turkey, which served no other purpose than to put the US in a better position for a first strike against the USSR. JFK did not seem to understand that the actions of Cuba and the USSR were deterrents to his provocations. Also, even if missiles were placed in Cuba it would not have made much of a difference since the USSR had ICBM's and subs with nuclear weapons off the coast of the US with which they could strike the US whenever they desired.

Major Spoiler Ahead-

I thought the movie was intriguing and well acted but as noted by other viewers there were scenes/actions which really did not make any sense.

SPOILER: At first they want you to think that the mysterious, threatening guy who showed up in town was the murderer, and there is still some suspicion even after his alibi was revealed, but he was a distraction. I believe that the murderer was his friend whom he had drinks with in the bar.

Described as being based on "a crazy, outrageous incredible true story" about how a black cop infiltrated the KKK, BlacKkKlansman would be more accurately described as the story of how a black cop in 1970s Colorado Springs spoke to the Klan on the phone. He pretended to be a white supremacist . . . on the phone. That isn't infiltration, that's prank-calling. A poster for the movie shows a black guy wearing a Klan hood. Great starting point for a comedy, but it didn't happen. The cop who actually attended KKK meetings undercover was a white guy (played by Adam Driver). These led . . . well, nowhere in particular. No plot was foiled. Those meetups mainly revealed that Klansmen behave exactly how you'd expect Klansmen to behave.

Add in some additional characters who didn't exist and events that did not happen and you finally reach the end of this mess.

Of course the movie also bashes you over the head with Lee's typical messages about racism by adding dialog and characters (who the hell was Alec Baldwin portraying?) that really don't have anything to do with the main plot. Oh, and he also has to denigrate President Trump.

That this movie was even considered for any Oscars is an insult to real filmmakers.