Change Your Image
holarsch
Reviews
Ripley (2024)
Best thing on TV
I was riveted to the original version of the Amazing Mr. Ripley. This updated version is a worthwhile successor to the original. The black and white cinematography adds a new dimension that has the viewer feeling that they were back in Italy during the 1940s. The director has taken this new cast and created a masterpiece that shouldn't be missed. Without going too deeply into the plot, I can say that there needs to be a follow-up to this remake which would have us follow the hero forward as he continues the nefarious lifestyle that he exhibited during all eight episodes. By streaming Ripley I was able to binge watch and revel in every second of Ripley.
Tracker (2024)
Waste of time
This pap should be avoided. From the ineffective background music to the poor performances, television had taken a step down by broadcasting this waste of time. The dialog is predictable and and inane. Why I botherered to watch is second episode is a testament to my poor judgement. There's a reason to go with streaming rather than see such a poor performance with commercials representing a further waste of time. I started this commentary and forgot about the absolute minimum that's required. My initial intention was to have folks read this review and not see the program. Now it seems I've wasted even more of my precious time which Tracker surely doesn't deserve.
Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014)
Sooo Very Bad
For such a talented performer on Saturday Night Live, it's sad to see what Seth Meyers has turned into with this late night show. He's surrounded himself with untalented writers and as each joke in his opening monologue bombs, he looks over at them, makes an unfunny comment and prolongs the pain. All his shticks need an overhaul, or better yet total elimination. The moronic dialogue with his cameraman is a waste. This trialogue with his two writers is even worse. I've continued watching due to the dearth of television shows during the writers strike and have had more than enough of this third rate television show. A Closer Look is the only constantly entertaining part of the show. Forget about the bit when he sits in a rocking chair. It fails to bring humor to the screen. His attire is also questionable.
All the Light We Cannot See (2023)
Great Book! Poor Movie
I hope that Anthony Doerr, got lots of money for the rights to his book. It's been transformed into a cliched, trite, piece of a cinematic mess. I'm going to watch the third and last part of this poorly directed and poorly produced movie. It's a shame as there are fine acting performances in this movie. I'm not sure who is responsible for this waste of my time but, I wouldn't recommend this pap to anyone who enjoys well done movies. Just picture every caricature of an evil German officer and add in this innocent blind girl and become as disappointed as I was. I'm guessing that I just wanted to see the last part just to see how poorly written a movie can actually be.
Painkiller (2023)
Interesting topic w a badly written and produced topic
There might have been better writing and a better production made about this tragic story. Unfortunately, this mess wasted the talents of some really talented actors. Always wondered why an actor like Matthew Broderick would deign to take a role in such a nightmare of a movie. With a mixture of fact and fiction on Netflix, Painkillers feels almost cartoonish in nature. This six part series was cliched and trite. The predictability was evident from the very first episode and never got better as the episodes went on to an unsatisfactory conclusion in episode 6. It was a total waste of my time. SKIP IT ! !
Out of Exile: The Photography of Fred Stein (2021)
Brilliant
This documentary was brilliantly presented and brilliantly edited. Having never heard of the photographer Alfred Stein, it opened my eyes to what an art form photography can be. It starts and ends in Dresden Germany and makes its way from Germany and Montmartre to the shores of the United States. The black and white photographs encapsulated the rise of Nazism as seen through the lens of a genius with a Leica in his hands. The compositions vividly capture humans, structures, children, advertisements, and an assortment of human situations. He died too young but his son was able to engage galleries around the world to appreciate his father's genius.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Overhyped
The world has been waiting for a first class drama to help bring em back to the movies after a shortage of really fine movies for a really long time. I went in hoping that this was gonna be the cinematic miracle that Hollywood has been holding it's breath for. It wasn't. It was a modestly adequate film that I could have skipped. With a running time of close to three hours, this ponderous film just felt repetitive and quite tedious throughout. There's an all star cast that would have been better served by appearing in a movie that had been written and edited with more selectivity. Had I seen it on TV and it had been a half hour shorter, perhaps I'd have thought more of it.
Close (2022)
Brilliant
This French movie was brilliantly cast, filmed, and directed. The two young stars are incredibly true to their individual roles. Each one was sensitive, tender, and caring. The cinematographer uses closeups to great advantage and so the viewer gets to sharethe anguish, the anger, and the sorrow that the screenwriter has created. The ending leaves us feeling quite despondent but the flowering fields creates a beautiful illusion of hope and change. The script was created to have the movie goer experiencing a rollercoaster of strong emotions. I can't wait to see the evolution in the careers of these two stars.
Burden of Proof (2023)
Why?
This overly long and tedious series was a total waste of my precious time. At first it presented as a novel way of solving a decades long crime that had gone unsolved. With family dynamics involved, the filmmaker leads us to a frustrating waste of time. I'm now upset that I convinced other suckers to watch this drudgery with me. There were interesting interviews that were projected over the decades. As I continued to watch I expected quite an interesting turn and received none. The investment of my time was wasted by watching this protracted and pointless piece of filmmaking drudgery. If you have a chance to see this.... SKIP IT,
Beef (2023)
Unique
What an interesting series is Beef. This Asian American series serves to focus our attention on aspects of the community that hasn't been done before. I'm not sure why IMDB refers to this as a comedy. I beg to differ. The characters and their roles present us with very serious life situations with twists that are very hard to predict. The story line leads us down a path that seems tragic and unpredictable. Where's the comedy? The casting, the sets, and the total scenario is riveting and quite sad. Where's the comedy? There are so many plot twists that have me awaiting a possible second season of this first rate series.
Empire of Light (2022)
Riveting
Aside from the brilliant performances that this cast gives, there's great depth to the film itself. It's well written and wonderfully filmed. Kudos to the cinematographer. The story line can be a parable for the current state of society. The tribalism, the racism, and the bigotry were there in 1980 and serves to show us that it's still there in 2023. There's humor, there's kindness, there's sadness, and there's a genuine caring that permeates this totally enjoyable film. Olivia Coleman has never been better and Colin Firth delivers again. The entire cast delivers a nearly perfect movie going experience.
All That Breathes (2022)
Haunting
This documentary was a brilliant statement about the world that we live in and is a great deal more than meaningful than just bird rescues. The two brothers bring a haunting film that captures so many aspects of life in India and the difficulties that every day brings to the denizens of the filthy streets of New Delhi. It's definitely not an easy viewing. From the opening scenes of rats and other creepy crawling creatures, I became mesmerized by the brothers who spent a good part of their lives filming this documentary had to be a labor of love and so much more. Without ever mentioning Global Warming, we see so many effects on our doomed planet. The insights into their lives, their passions, their losses, and their caring gives us a ray of sunshine and the hope that there are others who care as passionately as the brothers. Although it can feel a bit plodding and a bit slow, it's filming puts us up close and personal with a major catastrophe.
The Whale (2022)
Wow
Went into this movie with only a hint of what the storyline might hold in store. It was such a riveting script that had us spellbound from the opening scene. It had the feeling of a Broadway Show that had been adapted for the screen. However, the performances made this one of the best motion pictures that we have seen in a long time. Brendan Fraser is brilliant as are all the other performances in this brilliant movie. This was a really wonderful way to start off the new year. Kudos! Darren Aronofsky has done it again by creating a masterpiece for the screen once again. We are hoping that this movie is nominated for many Academy Awards.
Three Pines (2022)
Tedious
The entire series started out with twists and turns that gave hope that the series would become a fixture in our household. It didn't! Instead, it became a boring and tedious soap opera that had little humor and nothing to pique your interest. The characters themselves offered up nothing. The setting in the first episode made the first murder an interesting one. The ensuing episodes and murders bordered on the realm of " I couldn't care less" to " why bother with this inanity?" Stopped watching after the third episode realizing that this petite village could NEVER produce these silly murderous crimes. Bye Bye.
Pelosi in the House (2022)
Well Done
An rare insight into the life of a truly wonderful woman who has dedicated her life to Public Service. As we follow her life behind the scenes, it becomes obvious that she is a formidable advocate for Democracy. The travails and trials that she has had to go through make it clear that she helped maintain our country through the horrors that were foisted upon us by Donald Tramp. Her experience as a lawmaker helped to fend off the nefarious actions that the previous President that would have destroyed this wonderful country. Her humanity shines through this well made documentary. Every Republican should be forced to see it.
Love & Stuff (2020)
Coulda been better
While this documentary had an interesting theme and their were many many emotional moments, it didn't deliver all that I had expected when I first started watching it. The initial scenes and flashbacks gave a nice background into the cinematographer's mother, father, and the fil maker. However, in spite of the emotional flashbacks it starts to get tedious and repetitive. Was there no editor who could have done lots of selective elimination of many many unnecessary segments. I was left with the feeling that this adopted little child was going to wind up with more emotional issues than she or her mother ever presented with. I see the entire film as a looming tragedy that might have presented in an Ancient Greek Tragedy. The original idea went off the tracks and tedium dominated.
McEnroe (2022)
Well Made Documentary
This cinematic attempt to capture the essence of Superstar John McEnroe works on so many levels that we thoroughly enjoyed almost every moment of it. John is quite candid about his evolution from a total brat during the years that he played tennis to the mature individual who he has evolved into. From his terrible tantrums to the tender moments he now shares with his extended family. His candor should be appreciated. The bonus in this film is the high quality that the cinematographer introduces. The film offers insights into one of the greatest tennis players that the United States has ever produced. John has also become one of the beat announcers for the sport. His insights and commentaries enhance all the major tennis events at so many levels. Who needs Pickleball when we John McEnroe calling tennis matches.
Mo (2022)
VG
This new series has an interesting story line that's well presented, well directed, and well acted. The story line about an illegal immigrant is touching as well as humorous. All the characters bring a delightful side to Palestinian immigrants and their issues. The cinematography is impressive as well. This is one of the better series on television this year. Been bingeing on it and have enjoyed every episode to date. Hoping that this Netflix series gets renewed for additional seasons as there has been a dearth of entertaining features that are streaming. Watch it and see a novel new series. Not sure how many more characters you need for this review to be posted.
Emily the Criminal (2022)
Outstanding
....and now for something totally different! This drama had a pace and a story line that made it one of the finer movies of the year for us. Aubrey Plaza did a remarkable job as a down on her luck young woman. She was perfect for this unpredictable role.
Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)
Great cinematography
A very pretty film that adhered to the story line. It was somehow missing something and as a result would not rate it any higher. It followed the novel but failed to captivate the feelings that the novel did.
The Card Counter (2021)
Phooey
Not sure why I gave this 5 stars. It was a tedious pointless piece of dreck. This was a total waste of my precious time by some pretty good actors. What were they thinking when they made this BOMB.
The Baby (2022)
Whacko
This British horror movie belongs in an entirely different genre. It's an amusing romp that's more comedy than horror. The adorable baby is the centerpiece of an original and unique piece of filmmaking.
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Impressive
Riveting performances by an impressive cast. The story is a bit off putting but nevertheless there was a mystical quality to it. The settings are reminiscent of the forties as was the background music.
Hustle (2022)
Pap
Pure predictable sappy film that had no surprises but many unacceptable twists. I coulda or shoulda skipped this cliched mess except I got caught up in the promos that Adam Sandler was pitching.
The Lincoln Lawyer (2022)
Dull
Boring pap. The script is made worse by the bad casting and bad acting. Other than that im not gonna be watching it after 4 episodes. I'm out! There's also the tedious script.