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Succession (2018)
One crucial time Obsequious Tom tells the truth
There are so many excellent things about Succession I could write about, but I haven't seen anything about the moment Shiv asked Tom on the phone if he thinks they might ever have a "real" relationship. He hesitates and tells her the truth: "I don't know." That surprises her and it should. She expects him to either lie and just say yes, or at least go through some painful ,stammering obfuscation. I was surprised he was so candid about it and I think it weighs heavily on the ending when Shiv casts the deciding vote against her brother unjustly entitled power grab and thus positions Tom to be the CEO of the company, in spite of his willingness to step into a position she was promised. I would point to his frankness in that moment, the "I don't know" as an answer she could respect along with him acknowledging that he's taking the CEO position to be an "empty suit" and do whatever he's told to do.
House M.D. (2004)
A character you can care about
Hugh Laurie, to my mind isn't a great comedian, though in the right role he can be funnier than pretty much anyone. He inhabits the euphonious character with a wicked and chaotic gusto that makes it as powerful and enduring as Bryan Cranston's Walter White in Breaking Bad or Michael Kenneth Williams' Omar Little in The Wire.
The scripts are well put together, not always the sharpest, but always serving the tension between House's extraordinary medical detective sense and his eccentric sense of right and wrong. The supporting characters serve as foils to the combative House and the actors do some of their best work playing off Laurie's Sherlock Holmes-like insanity.
Night Sky (2022)
The writing brings down two great actors
While it's a pleasure to see Spacek and Simmons together, the series feels like it draws out inconsequential scenes and relies on cliched secondary characters. And even the stars, who are at their best when they can show their sharp edges, are blunted by their folksy dialog.
Also, when you have devices that can slingshot you from place to place and galaxy to galaxy, and all you can muster is a glowing ball in a bottle shaking a coffee table to pieces, I get the impression they spent their budget on paying the stars, and didn't have enough left over for special effects and a decent screenwriter.
La voie lactée (1969)
The film equivalent of Calvino
Wonderful, spare surrealist take on religion. Bunuel as his best. I saw this as a teenager. I can't think of another film I've only seen once with so many scenes I remember vividly.
Go for Broke! (1951)
Enjoyable period piece
America still has a long way to go concerning racial equality and tolerance, and it's great to see an entertaining, good natured film that also educated the public about the heroics of the 442 Division. It's starring perennial favorite Van Johnson and a deep cast of excellent Japanese-American actors who probably were marginalized in Hollywood but for films like this one.
Death of a Nation (2018)
Political propaganda at its worst
Artless, mindless, incorrect history. Felt sorry for the actors, but at least they got paid.