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TDawg736
Reviews
Fringe: Unearthed (2010)
Writers Need to Read
I'm really tired of screenwriters getting the Catholic Church wrong. No, the Church does not see exorcisms as "mere superstitions" these days. The Church believes in diabolical possession, performs exorcisms, tries to ensure there is an exorcist in each diocese, etc.
That said, the episode is a bad one -- out of place, out of rhythm with the overall story arc, and silly to begin with. The strange reappearance of Charlie (explained elsewhere; see this episode's Trivia) takes one out of enjoying the show, forcing one instead to wonder just what the heck is going on.
There is no "them" behind the strange goings-on, either; it's all due to possession, having nothing to do with the other world, Massive Dynamics, etc. The entire episode is out of place (and would have been for Season One as well), and unenjoyable.
Benji (1974)
Romantic, Sweet, Intense, Full of Charm
After reading some of these reviews, I'm sad that some people seem to have the attention spans of crank-addicted goldfish. Despite what those sorts say, "Benji" is a movie that really runs the emotional gamut. There's something here for romantics, for children, for adults -- and there are some truly intense scenes toward the end that will have you filled with tension as you root for things to go Benji's way. Yes, the movie is centered on a scampy little dog, and there are scenes that the Tik-Tok generation would undoubtedly consider too long (e.g., the canine equivalent of the "Love Story" snow frolic comes to mind), but for people with a little imagination and empathy, and the ability to pay attention to movies that aren't full of quick cuts and explosions, the pay-off is big. Benji is a wonderful film! I loved it as a kid when it first came out, and I love it now almost 50 years later. Highly recommended!
The Way We Were (1973)
The Way We Weren't
Can you imagine a movie in which the female romantic lead is a Nazi? No? Then why do we so easily accept a female romantic lead who has pictures of Stalin hanging in her house -- Stalin, who murdered many more millions of people than Hitler even dreamed about? It really is inexcusable, and this isn't the only movie that presents Communism as some laudable ideology, and its ideologues as heroic.
Politics aside, the movie has its good points. Streisand played her part well. She has the acting chops; I just wish she'd put them to good use.
Redford was beautiful eye-candy, and he and Streisand had chemistry enough. But I'm not sure that their chemistry was enough to overcome their characters' very different approaches to life. I guess that's the point of the movie -- but I found it kind of frustrating, being able to see that from the get-go. Knowing they were doomed, I felt little but dread when she got pregnant. We're talking about a regular "Mrs. Jellyby" who was willing to allow her kid to grow up without two married parents so she could commit herself to Communist politics. Really. Think about it. And Hubbel? We learn at the end that he hasn't checked in on his own kid in years. These are not good people, so I had a hard time rooting for them. But I guess Hollywood expects us to see them as wonderful. Whatever.
Little Women (2019)
Terrible Eye-Candy
This movie was lovely to look at, with costumes and sets that were rich and beautiful (the Christmas scenes were especially lovely). The actresses did well, above all Saoirse Ronan as Jo March. But the out-of-sequence retelling of the story did Alcott's tale no favors at all, making it hard to follow along. There simply weren't enough visual cues to signal the time period we were looking at. Then came the by now standard feminist and throwaway anti-American bit that ruined it for me. Really, can't anyone make a movie that doesn't get political and nasty? It gets really, really old. I'm sick of it.
Girls (2012)
Solipsism Squared
What the show's about: self-obsessed, empty-headed, neurotic millennial women of means pretend to be slumming it in NYC. Along the way, they get jobs they quickly quit at whim, and, mostly, have sex that's so lacking in eroticism and romance it's on par with how puppies get made. Seriously, if this is how sex is done these days, we're doomed. The women screw anything that walks -- and seem to get nothing at all out of it.
I think we're supposed to see these women and their sexcapades as endearing or something. But I don't. I find them repulsive. Also repulsive is Lena Dunham's obvious exhibitionism, which she indulges in every third scene or so. I'm fine with having realistic-looking women on film; I'm not fine with unnecessary nudity and dealing with the feeling that I'm participating in a pervert's fetish.
The women behave in ways that no American women I know do. They hang out in bathtubs together, they defecate in front of each other, they treat each other like crap while calling each other "friends." And they're disgusting: in one of the scenes in which two of the girls are hanging out in a bathtub together, one of them blows a snot-rocket into the bathwater. When the other is squicked about it (but remains in the tub with the floating goo), the snot-blower wonders what the problem is. Really?
These women are empty shells posing as human beings. Selfish, unrooted, lacking in any grand vision, focused on their images and pleasures, amoral -- there really is nothing to love, nothing to root for. They're completely terrible. And if they're indicative of what young women are really like, then God help us.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
Tons o' Fun
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this movie, but what I got was a lot of fun. Cage knows how to poke fun at himself, and his doing so with Pedro Pascal at his side was highly entertaining (and what great chemistry those two have together!). The LSD scene that included a bit with them trying to get over a garden wall was alone worth the price of admission. I'm female and watched it with two guys, and we all enjoyed it very much. Recommended for anyone, but most especially for Nick Cage fans.
Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (2022)
Retarded and Wonderful
Beavis and Butthead had me, my brother, and my husband laughing like fools. The college bit alone is worth the price of admission. I wish the movie had a lot more scenes with commentary on the way things are politically and culturally in 2022, but alas, that was the only one. Still though, it was good seeing the lads unchanged, and uncontaminated by political correctness.
The Good Mother (1988)
Sorta sickening
A neurotic, giggly divorcee finally hooks up with a man who can sexually please her, which causes her to forget how to lock doors so her little daughter won't walk in on them while they're having it off. The man in question also doesn't know how to lock doors, so the kid walks in on him while he's having a shower. Upon seeing his naked manhood, she asks to touch it. Instead of grabbing a towel, covering himself up, and saying something like, "Nah, kid. Sorry you saw that, but they call them 'private parts' for a reason. Now am-scray!", he says he lets her.
The kid tells her father, who is rightfully enraged and sues for full custody. The movie makes the father -- the only sensible grown-up who knows how to lock doors and turn down a kid's imploring to touch his genitals -- out to be the villain. Apparently, Hollywood types think it's OK to expose little children to adult sexuality and nudity, and anyone who disagrees is a silly old prude. Any boundary is bad, see. And the only two options are to make a kid think the body and sex are dirty OR to let them see it all, no holds barred. No option exists to teach them to see sex as wonderful, but private and for married grown-ups, and the body as beautiful, but having parts that are also private and not for everyone's eyes. What a load of crap.
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997)
Lots of Fun
Two not-so bright girls approaching 30 decide to tell a fib to impress classmates at their high school reunion. Simple premise, but one that plays out with lots of charm and goofiness.
Kudrow and Sorvino are great in their roles, and their costumes make them eye-candy come to life. All that, their chemistry, and the 80s retro soundtrack make for a movie that isn't Chekov, but is a lot of innocent fun and likely to make you smile (especially when you get to the final scene and witness their ridiculous dance). Recommended for when you want to watch a movie, don't want to think too much, and just want to have a good time.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017)
Great Costumes
The costumes and interiors are so delicious it hurts, and maybe the show's worth watching just because of them if that's your thing. But the main character was so annoying and narcissistic, it's hard to get past. She comes off as totally in love with her perky little self, so much so that she has no time even for her own children. On top of that, she does something in the 7th episode of the 1st season that was so vicious to someone who was nothing but good to her, that I came to despise her. And on top of that, her stand-up was about as funny as scurvy.
As eye-candy, I'd give it a 10; as dramedy, I'd give it a 4. And as an "at least it's got a character to love" kind of show, I'd give it a 0.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Put That on Your Plate! (2017)
Midge is Not a Good Person
How anyone can like Midge after this episode is beyond me. The famous comedienne she took down was nothing but nice to her, even giving her a fur coat, for crying out loud. And Midge destroyed her career for nothing but a laugh that wasn't deserved. What a crock.
And Just Like That... (2021)
Could Be Fun to Hate-Watch
Could it get worse? No, really, think about it for a second. I have, and conclude that it really couldn't. The show's Just Like That pathetic woman you know who doesn't know how to age gracefully. Haggard Carrie bobbling around on 5" heels at age 60. Miranda trying to appear woke instead of telling a snooty law professor to chill the Hell out like she should have. Charlotte trying to act through her plastic surgery. Kill me now, man.
Mr. Big was smart enough to die off right away, and Samantha had the even better sense to stay away altogether. What would it take for the remaining core three to call it a day? I wonder...
Even if the characters had retained some of their original flavor, the wokeness would've killed this reboot for me. It's mind-numbingly awful. That chick who jumped out of the window at the end of the last season of SATC had it right: what's happened to everyone? When did everyone stop smoking? When did the fun stop? What happened to NYC? I'm so bored. Worse, I'm so irritated by the woke joylessness, the Marxism qua diversity-baiting, and lack of humor and REAL "realness" I could die.
Free Guy (2021)
Fun with a caveat
Great premise, good acting, nice graphics, a number of laugh out loud moments, and an ending that preserved the idea of the specialness of humanity. But I could have done without the few incidents of male-bashing. Seriously, can we have movies without that nonsense? It gets really old, really fast.