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Reviews
Murder, She Wrote (1984)
Suspend Logic and Disbelief .......
...and you'll be all set. I seriously had to laugh at some of the reviews, this isn't meant to be reality TV. Like all television from the 60's -2000, you have to allow for quite a bit of wiggle-room with Murder She Wrote, and pesky old J. B. Fletcher....she does butt her way into every law enforcement scenario known to modern man, and always out-smarts the killers, and the cops.....and then it's END Scene! It's just the way it is. The writing team of Peter S. Fisher, William Link, and William Levinson developed this writing style over decades in multiple top 10 series including Dr. Kildare, Burke's Law, Mannix, Banacek, Ellery Queen, McCloud, Honey West, and Columbo just to name a few...and we loved it! These are well written, plot twisting, easy viewing at its best. Virtual no blood, guts, gore or Guns, and hardly a car chase or car wreck to be had....you can watch with your kids, and not want to squirm......Is MSW a sanitized version of life-maybe, but then, I've never been involved with a murder, or people who kill people, or crime in general. I guess if I were, I'd rather have it play out the J. B. Fletcher way, than the P. G. after 9 pm version.
Top Gun (1986)
WHAT A CHEESE-BALL!!
Recommend by a friend to watch again for a refresher before seeing Maverick (for my husband's sake!).... I'm almost embarrassed my memories are of a much better movie.
Yes! All of the iconic lines, and scenes are still there....but, somehow 35+ years have only made them seem incredibly cheesy. This, along with the chronic distraction of the obvious attempts to prevent the petite Cruise, from not appearing dwarfed by the seemingly massive Kelly McGillis (in comparison)-this always did seem like a very odd pairing but, more so now as even on my home, wide screen TV, McGillis' head and THAT HAIR CUT, take up 2/3rds of the screen, while toothy Tom peeks in on the side - Speaking of toothy--then there is Val Kilmer.....and the snapping tooth-off with Cruise.....what was that?... Is anyone surprised his career landed at a B-minus, at best?
So, even tho there is a big event that effects our hero......But, by 1:14 in.....I just didn't care anymore....... I'm sure the last 30 minutes or so resolve everything, elese-wise, I wouldn't be off to see Maverick today! Meh!?
The Good Dish (2022)
Seriously.....
I just caught this for the first time.....I'm embarrassed for Gail Simmons....she looks like she is cringing when her co hosts are blabbing for the sake of filling air time........awful!
The First Lady (2022)
Houston.....We Have A Serious Lip Problem!
Seriously!...... What's with all the mouth gesticulations...... It's not just poor Viola Davis....it seems ALL of the cast have been told to be pursing, or pouting, or smirking............O, and then there is a story being told too-but I can't say much about it- with so many close-ups, and lip hysterics...I was thoroughly distracted......?
Perry Mason: The Case of the Tarnished Trademark (1962)
Love Me Some Marie Windsor......
As usual, Ms. Windsor plays the heartless, if aging, "femme fetal", getting over on some moronic fella. Brilliantly burning up each scene with her shady wickedness. But, seriously? How is it possible that WE are supposed to have "misunderstood" this sly-bird, now redeemed in the last 2 minutes as some sort of ditzy, over-taxed, do-gooder, actually in love with her victim?! I'm always willing to suspend some of my logic for a smart Perry Mason twist....but, this one, IMHO, was the start of the downhill slope in storytelling for my favorite TV lawyer.
The Little Things (2021)
Bummer.........
I love me some Denzel Washington......I love a good crime/ drama.........and I can even live with a scene that calls for- NOT turning on the light -when walking into a pitch dark room.....BUT -what I hate, is seeing how, what could have been a good movie, slowly, crawl its way to the bottom.....This movie could have been fixed in the editing room by knocking some sense into whomever it was that kept saying --S-L-O-W = suspenseful --I'm having a difficult time, knowing how many times these movies are reviewed before they hit the screen, to understand how the snoring, coming from the reviewers, didn't wake someone up to edit this fun, Jared Leto creep-fest.....it's a shame...If ever, it were true- LESS IS MORE....this is it!
This Must Be the Place (2011)
WHAT?.....What did he just say?
Sean Penn has chosen to adopt an almost indistinguishable, child-like, high pitched, sing-song speaking affect.....Apparently to support the notion this aging Rocker "never grew up".........??..... He was unmercifully difficult to understand in many scenes.......having to replay them, over and over......it just became too much work.
Crime in the Streets (1956)
Hmmmmm?.....
I didn't mind so much the sparse production efforts other reviewers have mentioned. And,I get the changing times, late 50's- think about what is said-method of story telling, so very little action. But, honestly, trying to believe that John Cassavetes -in actuality, an almost 30 year old man-was a troubled teenager-playing against Sal Mineo's baby-face, was such a stretch, it was distracting.
The Sea Chase (1955)
Meh....
For me, seeing Lana Turner, leaning on a perfectly combustible wooden 1/2 wall beside more wooden objects while a testosterone battle took place between boat captain John Wayne, and the crew, over the torching of the lifeboats, pivotal to demonstrating Wayne's seeming abundant masculinity made the fact that no one bothered to pretend they were German by mastering an accent seem like a moot point.....I love nostalgia, I grew up in the 50's, but sometimes the male dominated story lines these fellas came up with really speaks to just how ridiculously, un-thinking they were about men, women, and relationships!
The Score (2001)
Where to begin...?
On paper this probably looked like an ok movie...but IMHO, DeNiro is mostly flat, when he is not seeming to be embarrassed to be playing against Brando as he is huffing and puffing in a lot of scenes, so winded that he is almost inaudible, and when he can be understood, he sounds like he is doing a bad Brando lispy impersonation...as for Edward Norton, just think of ANY picture he is in.... THIS is the same annoying, snarky, who-cares guy.....o ya, and then it is in Montreal. Period.
True History of the Kelly Gang (2019)
Never in a million years...
So, for starters...You've got a lot of Brits and Aussie's trying to get the mouths around an Irish brogue...and as for Artsy? I'm not sure portraying a poor Irish mother of 5, as such a ragga-muffin she would be so unkempt, that she is completely unconscious of a face-full of wisps of her long hair tangled and dangling across her face to the point where, when she kisses her grieving son's head, it's through these hairs? So if that's artsy...well, so be it-I usually try to keep an open mind, even when there are a ton of bad reviews...but that hair in her face was just so annoying ....good luck.
Ad Astra (2019)
I didn't get too far into this flick...
In fact, I only got as far as reading all these awful reviews while watching Brad Pitt was falling, tumbling, falling, tumbling, talking to himself, falling....and then while in earth's atmosphere, with the ground in sight...."something?" rips a hole in his parachute.....and well...the next think you know, everyone is wearing these inexplicably, hideous polyester green uniforms.....IF POLYESTERS IS BACK 30 YEARS FROM NOW, I DON'T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT.....And, hey, by the way...how is it possible to have 3 to 1 awful, one star reviews, and still call this is 6.5 Rating, or 83% on Comcast rating....THIS MUST BE THE 30 YEARS FROM NOW NEW MATH, TOO! I bailed.
21 Bridges (2019)
Seriously?
What were these technical people on this movie thinking? You've got simultaneous ACTION and CRITICAL DIALOGUE going on at the same time...all sorts of gunfire, and interesting effects....BUT YOU CANNOT HEAR WHAT ANYONE IS SAYING!....way too annoying!
Mulholland Falls (1996)
Confounding....
Some of the reviews talk about the principle actors phoning in their performances......I'm afraid this sort of weird disinterest runs thru-out the film, in one scene, Nick Nolte's character is introduced as ..."a LIEUTENANT with the L.A. Police", by Treat Williams's character Colonel Fitzgerald, while surrounded by underlings, he then points to Nolte, and shouts the order, "put THAT ONE in the jeep", the underling opens the car door, to show the way, and saying...."Sergeant"......Seriously? The ONLY LINE this character has, and he says the wrong rank? And NO ONE WANTED TO CORRECT THIS? Yes...I would call that phoning in a days work...!
Burn After Reading (2008)
Funny Stuff....
This movie has stood the test of time, capturing people from different walks of life, interacting, while just being their narcissistic selves. What makes the Coen Brother's so good at story telling is their ability to capture these dark realities and weave them to a ludicrous, extreme conclusion. Their attention to subtle details with each character-a tone, a turn of phrase, a gesture, their choice of clothing, home decor, all of it, is so spot on in direction that it allows the viewer to believe, relate-and KNOW each character-and get the joke.
Contraband (2012)
Sorry....
....but, not only was the story dark, but the decision to shoot most of the film in dark, shadowy motifs, just added to the frustration, which for me began with Giovanni Ribisi. There are some character actors who can add some facial hair, and a voice switch, that lend themselves to the character development....but Ribisi with facial hair, and a Looney Toon voice-is whacky, and then you want me to believe this hairy rabbit is a tough, gun-toting, sinister criminal...seriously? I just couldn't go there. I wanted to like it, but ended up FF thru quite a bit of the duller, of the dull moments.
Righteous Kill (2008)
Give it a Chance....
I had never even heard of this movie, which speaks to the horrible reviews. And, while a bit slow at the start, and easy to be critical of, especially if you read the reviews first.; I decided to go ahead and watch several of my favorite actors at work, DeNiro, Pacino, Leguizamo.....and was more than pleasantly surprised. Eliminating ANY + ALL EXPECTATIONS, really allowed me to take this film in on its own merits. I don't want to give anything away, but, if you are a film person, looking for storytelling, twists, and sincere acting and don't need excessive violence, car chases, gratuitous sex, or scat humor......This movie is for you!
Meet Joe Black (1998)
I Keep Forgetting.....
How LONG this movie is....and HOW MANY painfully awful, boring scenes there are....Yet I FF thru it time and time again to see the enjoyable punchline. Note to self: I love Sir Anthony Hopkins, but he simply is NOT believable as a "regular Joe", that uses slang, and says "Ya". This truly is a 50-50 review, there is some entertainment.....
Stone (2010)
Left me Stone-Cold!
Is it really acting to see Edward Norton playing the same obnoxious jerk he always seems to play? I see other reviewers who consider him their favorite--I guess this really just speaks to, HOW DIFFERENT, opinions can be. Honestly, I didn't get past Norton and DeNiro's first scene together. I dislike "that guy" as represented by Norton, that much. I just have no interest in spending any time more with him. So for those who get what I mean, and share that opinion about Mr. Norton, save your time...for those who disagree....good luck.
The Happytime Murders (2018)
WTF?
Now that we have officially scrapped the bottom of the "last things we can consider humor" barrel--exactly where do we go? I'm not aware of any stick up my butt-but by the other reviews, it would seem the fact that I am so disappointed to see the public comedic appetite using these very last morsels of gross humor to build an entire movie, suggests it is squarely in place! So be it. From the reviews, Melissa Mccarthy and Ben Falcone have found an audience, but, if you think humor is not related to liquids that emanate from the human body, look elsewhere for a laugh.
Twisted (2004)
Seriously? This is a MYSTERY?
You don't need to see this movie, to know "who-dunn-it"...One look at the poster says it all, as you read the movie blurb -3 Leading Roles....Female cop (Ashley Judd) and Partner (Andy Garcia), hunt down killer......um?? well??...there is only one other person shown on the poster.......Sorry, after seeing the awful ratings, I quickly FF to the end, and was right!
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
Hmmmmmmm?......
I know we are asked to suspend our beliefs when we watch movies...and I was willing, and really wanted to take this ride with some of my favorite actors.....especially after reading the reviews.....BUT the holes just made it so difficult....Starting with--even 13 years ago (when this movie was made), surveillance cameras were EVERYWHERE, which made the PLOT reveal in the first few minutes- improbable at best.....and it just went on from there....right up to the last moment, which anyone with a couple "CSI-anything's" under their belt, would know--determining cause of death, especially suffocation are so pin-point accurate-any attempts at deception would be futile.....These holes just made for a very bumpy, distracting journey. Sorry PSH fans....
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
Seriously?.........what a waste of time.......
After an hour and a half, we were still waiting for some sort of plot to develop.......Worst of all, as each scene labored by, to prevent falling asleep, it became a mental exercise to easily edit out complete time wasters....Finally, we left for lunch.....convinced we could return after eating and still have plenty of movie left, and no problem picking up on the action........The End.
Domestic Disturbance (2001)
P-U...what a stinker!
When watching this movie, whether your a member of law enforcement, or the general public, it is an exercise in total frustration--how they were able to demonstrate Police incompetence, while at the same time equally incompetent parenting is baffling.....then dragging us along, frame, by frustrating frame, with one improbable, frustrating situation after another-(did I mention it:was frustrating!)...The only reason I didn't give it one star is because young Steve Buscemi was the one breath of fresh air from this stinker.
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Finally....
I have avoided for nearly two decades, taking onboard this factual, brutal, beautiful movie.....I have long struggled with the curious juxtaposition of finding the most exquisite beauty, in film depicting "man's inhumanity to man"...and just exactly as David O'Hara's, journalist character states, yes, whiles these news stories about genocide in Rwanada were being discussed on the evening news, I too, was saying, "o, gee isn't that awful...pass the salt"...when our current political personalities described America's shameful past...I'm afraid, this has to be listed among the issues we, as a country, dropped the ball on...this is a beautiful, difficult movie to watch, but, a poignant life lesson on how we are now a Global society....and need to embrace our world.