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Reviews
The Oval (2019)
Tyler Perry Pushes Out Another Turd
This is yet another in a seemingly endless line of odious abominations from Tyler Perry. Nothing he has ever created is worth mentioning, let alone watching, and that includes this latest piece of anti-entertainment. How anyone can watch this, or any of Perry's other numerous films & shows, and not cringe, guffaw, and turn it off, is a mystery.
Godzilla 1985 (1985)
Find the Japanese version with subtitles
When it came time to release Godzilla in the USA in 1954, American producers dubbed over the Japanese, re-edited and added entire new scenes, and they did the same thing to this film in 1984. This was the norm for these monster movies from Japan, which I think is a bit of a shame. The dubbing of any film is distracting, but it's a shame that in America Godzilla movies have a reputation as being comically badly-dubbed. So watching any of these films in their original, un-effed-around-with versions, is a treat.
I saw the American version of Godzilla 1985 when I was younger, and I really didn't care for it. But after recently watching the original Japanese version with English subtitles, I would definitely recommend this film as one of the best of the bunch.
So in conclusion, if you ever decide to watch Godzilla or Godzilla 1985, if the characters are badly dubbed and you see Raymond Burr, stop watching and find the Japanese versions instead. You won't regret it.
The Exorcist (2016)
Every episode is better than the last
When I first heard about this show I just rolled my eyes at yet another TV remake/reboot of a horror classic, and almost didn't bother to watch it after A&E's Damien disappointed. But this well-written, well-cast, refreshingly earnest show has really kept me interested and has frequently left me disturbed and very entertained, eager to find out what would happen next.
As a die-hard fan of The Exorcist series I love how this show transformed from what I thought would be a dull reboot/remake into an actual great sequel to the first film. The first few episodes are decent and well-acted, full of dread but kind of slow. But stick with the show and keep watching, because it gets so much better, and as of this review every episode has gotten better than the last.
Horror fans should check it out, as should fans of The Exorcist (and it's sequels & prequel.)
Into the Woods (2014)
too much kiddie fluff, not enough of the dark stuff. a Broadway classic neutered by Disney.
I've always loved this musical, but to me, the real story always began with Act 2. Act 1 was the familiar fairy tales wrapped around the baker and his wife. Act 2 is when the characters, and audience, are set adrift. That to me has always been the real story, with the first act mainly an enjoyable, well-crafted prelude. It's no wonder so much attention and time was devoted to the more family-friendly fairy tales of Act 1 for the film, this being a Disney production after all, but by doing so they ruined the actual story. Maybe 'ruined' is a strong word, let's go with 'hampered.'
On stage at the start of Act Two, time has passed, and the main characters are happy having gotten their wishes, but still not quite content. Then Mrs. Giant comes down, shatters their sense of security, and sends the characters back into the woods. Nobody has any idea what they should do, the royal family is useless, the witch has no powers, they kill the narrator, and then they start dying off one by one. To me, the best part, story-wise, is the beginning of Act 2 up until the end of Last Midnight. All of this was either skipped over, condensed, neutered, or rushed through in the film, which is a shame because it's what made the stage musical so good.
Not having a narrator is understandable, but on stage his death really drove the point home that no one knows what'll happen next. Instead of the narrator getting killed off, this film just turns depressing real quick. There's no real sense that these characters are now on their own. They just go through the required motions so they can sing the songs they need to sing. There's hardly any confusion, argument, death, and fear among the characters after the giant arrives in the film, and so much great dialog, especially for the witch, is just gone.
With the omission of the 'Agony reprise,' where the princes sing about their new loves, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, it isn't made clear that the princes still chase women even though they'd just been married. So when the prince and the bakers wife get together in the film, it's no longer a serial womanizer seducing a naive housewife, instead it's a new mom who had a baby hours ago and a newlywed prince hooking up, and it made them both look like idiots.
Rapunzel and her prince just riding off and never returning was absolutely ridiculous for a movie. Sure, she didn't have to die in the movie like she did on stage, but to introduce her as the bakers long-lost sister and then not fix the plot to have them interact at all is strange on film. On stage, by Rapunzel going nuts and getting stepped on, the witch was pushed to the end of her rope. This drives her anger during 'Last Midnight,' which ultimately costs her her own life. In the movie, the witch could have found a way to find Rapunzel since she'd only taken off on horseback, and was not crushed to death. In the film, 'Last Midnight' comes off as the witch being annoyed by the baker + friends, instead of the witch angrily giving up on everything.
Giving Johnny Depp so little to do in the movie must have seemed strange to people who'd never heard of the stage play. What if the filmmakers had figured out a way to keep him around for more well into the second act? I also always thought it would be interesting to see one of Cinderella's family redeem themselves somehow. A problem with the stage version is that too many characters are introduced in Act 1 who have no real purpose in Act 2. The wolf, granny, Cinderella's dad, the stepmother, the stepsisters, Jack's mom, Milky White, Rapunzel and her prince could have been utilized better on stage, instead of shunted off until the finale number. The film could have fixed these plot problems to give the story a more satisfying cinematic rhythm. On film a story can breathe in a way it cannot on stage. But instead of expanding the story to take advantage of the cinematic medium, they managed to reduce it and make it far less engaging.
At least all the songs were good.