Arglebarglemorblewhoosh's Reviews

Meet Joe Black (1998)

10/10

2 October 2023

I love this movie. It is gorgeous, gracefully paced, philosophically interesting, and filled with some wonderful acting by some truly beautiful people. It lingers as long as possible through so many scenes - some will find it slow, but if you can slow your inner "rat race" down enough, you will also find it sinks deep in and grabs hold of your feelings and takes you along. The way the main character describes his love for his daughter is almost too powerful.

The movie is about passages, about transitions, about honest realizations, about true love, about loss, about death, and about how all those mix together; as the main character says, "That's life for you."

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American Gods (2017–2021)

4/10

Just doesn't work

21 September 2023

I love and appreciate Neil Gaiman more than any other current author. He is a master craftsman, which makes it so hard to understand how this adaptation so fundamentally differs from the book, and so pointlessly. The sections they left out and changed are essential as they were, and the parts they have added, including major slowdowns in both storytelling and visual effects, make it excruciatingly painful to watch. It is a shame, especially because the main characters are very well cast and because clearly a lot of work and energy went into it. The fact that the series wasn't continued just speaks to these mistakes and miss steps.

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Stowaway (I) (2021)

4/10

Too bad

2 July 2022

Warning: Spoilers

This movie starts with some promise, but utterly fails the believability test. First, there's no way they wouldn't have an engineer on a flight like this. Second, there's no way they wouldn't have a back up scrubber; probably three or four. Third, they really ruined the role of captain. Tony Colette is forced to act like a mother weeping at the bedside of her child with leukemia, rather than a competent space jockey with lots of experience. Fourth, there's no way Anna Kendrick would've gone back out into the storm if all she had to do was wait a few hours. It wasn't like they needed the oxygen that day. I know it's meant to be a drama piece with a focus on emotions, but it like a bunch of hacks floating a rowboat in a stormy harbor.

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All Creatures Great and Small (2020– )

3/10

Not authentic

19 April 2021

Warning: Spoilers

I had to stop the first episode towards the end as the characters kept doing things that were both not in the book, and not consistent with the people they actually were in the book. Like Siegfried actually firing him and being such a jerk. And it has an overall smoothed over feeling that mutes the happiness and the sadness and robs the story of its original brilliance and pathos. UGG, no more.

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Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)

10/10

So powerful

27 December 2020

As many others have said, this is a beautifully directed, acted, and paced movie. It's not really about abortion, more about all the compromises and painful choices women and adolescent girls have to make as they navigate the world that has for so many thousands of years been largely controlled by men.

And of course all men aren't bad, and the people that complain about that are completely missing the point - the point is, that for these girls they couldn't tell whether the next guy was going to be sincere or want to take advantage of them in some minor or terrible way.

And the damage to women is cumulative over time, and I fear for these girls as they return to the same environment, completely unchanged, that they left.

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People Like Us (2012)

8/10

Really good acting

24 December 2020

Warning: Spoilers

Elizabeth banks in particular hits all the notes perfectly, and the others are excellent as well. The main problem with the film is that it sets up a truly challenging problem, but then doesn't do the work to actually get to a believable resolution. The idea that so many people, with real and significant problems, could magically become all better is ludicrous. It's lazy directing, and lazy storytelling. And because Elizabeth Bank's character is unaware of the real situation, the movie never had to grapple with what it might really be like for a new sister and brother to figure out what it's like to be new family. And the part about Hannah coming back and magically forgiving him for everything, despite his incredible sets of lies and gaslighting, is truly stupid.

Despite all that, I gave it an eight, for wonderful acting, and giving parts of this issue an honest attempt.

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Made in Abyss (2017– )

10/10

Beautiful, sophisticated, and deeply emotional

6 August 2020

This is a marvelous show. I cannot wait for season two. The character development is wonderful, and the storyline is remarkably sophisticated and keeps popping up with new twists that don't feel artificial or done just to surprise you. My wife and I both cried at the end of episode 12 and through much of episode 13. The best thing is really the writing - never a false step, full of mysteries and wonders and hazards, beautifully paced, and so much better than what you find in nearly any other series around today. Watch it, and take your time!

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First Cow (2019)

10/10

Beautiful, realistic film

15 March 2020

This is a marvelous film, that leaves out all the parts that are unnecessary, and includes the real life bits and pieces that add up to a wonderful story. It highlights the value of generosity, and creativity, while also unflinchingly telling the story of a hard life on the frontier. The intensity of hunger in the world, and the value of food are beautifully exhibited.

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Stranger Things (2016–2025)

5/10

Show has really gone downhill

9 December 2019

Season one was great, season two was reasonable, season three is just terrible. The level of writing is about the level of 3rd graders at best. It's just obnoxious that they try to pass this off as quality entertainment.

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The Lego Movie (2014)

5/10

Mediocrity is greatness? Sheesh

23 February 2014

Lots of good visuals and plot in this film, but the idea that mediocrity is greatness and that the world can be magically changed just by wishing it were so is just so inaccurate and inane. This film tries to manufacture emotional depth without actually having any - kind of an example of the main problem, which is that just by wishing they made a movie with real meaning it could be so. Toy Story and Up and so many other movies actually HAVE emotional depth and real feeling, and the contrast highlights that this facsimile is using pure manipulation. And kids know the difference - my ten year old daughter left shaking her head at the end and wondering what had gone wrong and why we didn't just go see Frozen again, which would have been a better idea.

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