Ed_Hopkins Reviews

American Dreams (2002–2005)

Genre busting. As good as M*A*S*H.

[3 February 2003]

My wife and I visit her parents on Sunday evenings and we've made a habit out of watching "American Dreams" together. It is usually the best part of my week. To me this is to TV dramas what M*A*S*H was to sit-coms. It abandons all the cliches that make most shows so predictable. In scenes where others shows would drop in a beating, rape or murder, American Dreams surprises us by sparing us these horrors. I'm relieved that JJ and Sam never came to blows. I'm glad that Meg's biggest problem is that her boyfriend hates her 'Bandstand' music. And so far, the only murder on the show has been Kennedy's. The stories here are designed not to shock, but to ring true. If you want shock value, okay, the producers have done an INSANELY good job at re-creating the 1960s and the characters are DANGEROUSLY well written!

True Grit (1969)

Only John Wayne could make a drunken, murderous, and thieving deputy U.S. marshal so likable.

[9/10 · 24 January 2003]

No one but John Wayne could have played 'Rooster' Cogburn, a drunken, murderous, and thieving deputy U.S. marshal and made him so thoroughly likable.

It's a Duke thing. If you've never seen a John Wayne film, DON'T make this your first. 'True Grit' is a later film that requires some familiarity with the star's earlier work for the full appreciation. Much like Clint Eastwood's 'Unforgiven,' 'True Grit' allows the long time fan to enjoy an older, more seasoned version of the western archetype of countless other pictures. 'The Searchers' or 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' should be considered pre-requisites.