Reviews

Watching Holey Moley and seeing Rob and Joe go back and forth is a pleasure. Floor is Lava is also quite entertaining. I even liked Cannonball even though it was not up to that level. I also thought John Cena did a credible job on American Grit and Nicole Byer's work on Nailed It is first rate. I say all of this to illustrate that I was so looking forward to a new Wipeout.

However, this iteration of Wipeout may be the worst new television show of ANY kind I've seen in decades. The course is fine and the structure of the rounds works well. However, something is seriously wrong here. The lines John and Nicole are given are not just unfunny, they are truly, as my subject line says, cringe-worthy. Additionally, none of their reactions to the contestants seem genuine. It's like they are watching a tape of the contestants and then trying to come up with a line that fits.

The editing of the early rounds is also choppy and disjointed. It's almost like they need to skip those rounds and move on to the two semi-final heats and then the final.

The contestants are just as wacky as they've always been. As I said, the course is fine and the format of the rounds works, too. I beg TBS to take a step back and re-cut this with new hosts or new writing before showing any more episodes. And, while you are at it, stop showing the ones you've aired so far. We KNOW this premise works. Do something or take this garbage off the air.

Been looking forward to "A Story Worth Living" ever since previews popped up on the internet. Seeing and enjoying the two "Long Way" mini-series I hoped that this would be the American equivalent. Well, the scenery, what you see of it is incredible. The riding, what you see of it, is pretty good. The problem...and you already know what I'm going to say...is that there is not nearly enough riding and scenery.

There is instead of exciting riding and beautiful Colorado scenery, the less than beautiful and terribly unexciting experience of men talking and sharing their "story." No, this isn't a motorcycle movie or a story about the beauty of the western US. It's cliché filled tripe wrapped up in the shiny wrapping of motorcycles and mountains. There is likely hundreds of hours of good stuff not in the movie. After the end of the main movie there is a little talk show (not kidding )where they do promise to release more footage. I can only hope it will be a lot more of the good stuff and less of the TMI stuff.

It may be unfair to judge the 13 part series from the first episode, but I can't say that I'm impressed. I read "Under the Dome" last year and thought it was a sub-par King book. Strangely, it was this fact that made me hopeful that the series might be good. If there ever was an author whose greatest books made the worst movies/series, it's Stephen King. I had hoped that this being an average book might make the series better in contrast--illogical as it might sound. My thinking is that when you shrink a great book to make it fit a movie or TV "box" you invariably compromise the story. On the other hand, if you tweak a long ho-hum story like this for TV or a movie, you can make it tighter and much more effective.

However, even though I didn't love the book, I find the many large and small changes made from the original story are hard to take. These changes, at least so far, do nothing to improve the story or pacing.

The special effects are adequate and the town is lovelier on the screen than I imagined from the book. The actors are attractive and seem to know what to do, but there is nothing in this re-telling to make the story special in any way--so far. I will watch the next episode(s) and if I find that I have judged this story too quickly, I will come back and correct myself.

Update 8/4/13.

Yeah, about the story...

We have this little mesh "dome" at home that we use to cover food to keep the flies away when we are eating on our porch. If the town of Chester's Mill from the book is potato salad covered by our food dome, then the town of Chester's Mill in the TV series is coleslaw covered by the same dome. Same dome, different side dish. I'm not a fan of potato salad, but I will eat it; coleslaw, not so much.

The biggest issue I have with the coleslaw Chester's Mill is the intentional ambiguity imposed on the characters. Big Jim was evil in the book and you pretty much knew it from the first chapters. In this series, he's just a guy with vices. Barbara, likewise, was a good guy with flaws in the book. Here, he's just a guy with vices. It just doesn't work.

1962. If you read the book or see the movie today, you HAVE to remember that this story was written in a time where the issues covered by this story were not just controversial, but nuclear in their heat. The characters depicted (outside of Atticus Finch and his kids) were not stereotypes, but the mainstream. Harper Lee's story and Horton Foote's adaptation are miraculous. The acting is superb. The subtlety of the scenes, awesome. Citizen Kane, Casablanca, are great movies, but To Kill a Mockingbird transcends all. PLEASE put your mind in that time before you watch this movie and you will see how great it really is. OK, that covers the trial, but then you get to the heart of the story and how Scout brings the innocence we are all born with into fruition. She tells us that Mr. Cunningham and all of us that wander astray can be redeemed. This isn't a story with one aim, this is a masterpiece that brings all things right. There is good in this world and all involved with this production believed that. YOU need to see this movie and believe that, too.

First, I have to admit to not having read the book. Therefore, I cannot comment on how closely the movie follows it. However, I can comment on how dreadful the movie is and how no pre-teen child should see it.

With the exception of some of the lush scenery, there is not much about the movie that I would even call "fair." Acting is phoned-in, Peter Pan and Wendy are unattractive, and the writing makes the movie very uneven. The combined effect leaves the viewer unable to understand the motivations of the characters. Scenes that are meant to draw out emotion from the audience are completely flat. Special effects are 1990 vintage (with the exception of tinkerbell).

Finally, more important than the horrible quality of the movie is the sinister nature of it. This is a movie without heart; with killing with no reason. I took my 10 year old nephew and almost walked out because of the content. I'm no prude, but this movie is VERY dark and unsettling. Wendy and Mrs. Darling are the only characters that possess even a semblance of "normal" emotions. The rest probably need serious psychological help. Peter Pan is especially off beam and I would worry about any child that would want to emulate him in any aspect of his behaviour.