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kushka53KarenPetersen
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Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries (2019)
Absolutely Charming
Fresh and stylish, with a great cast and good plots, this delightful series is vastly superior to the previous one with her aunt, which was mannered and rather boring. The camera loves this lead actress, and the chemistry between her and the cute detective is undeniable. Hopefully the producers will already have series 2 in process, because this one could go on for many years. All sorts of possibilities!
Il paradiso delle signore (2015)
Well Done, Engrossing Italian Soap Opera
Unlike the other review, which seems to have been written by a cranky nitpicker who sees joy in nothing, this charming and sweet Italian series makes for relaxing and entertaining viewing. Shot in Milan, Rome and the countryside, it's a fun peek at the Italian styles and mores of the 1950s with a terrific cast. It's fascinating to see how a department store is run from the inside, and the kind of decisions and sacrifices that need to be made to make it successful.
Cake (2014)
Painfully Accurate
Some critics clearly missed the point with this film, which is in the same genre as The Fisher King. It's not remotely "a comedy-drama" but rather is an intimate drama which looks at the pain and suffering of people who have lived through terrible trauma. Those critics clearly have never been to the kind of depths that this film revolves around and to state that it "deserves a more honest story treatment" is an utter falsehood and misrepresentation of the humanity of the movie. Anniston and the other actors all do a great job, and the process by which she comes back from total emotional numbness is really what the film is all about in the end, and it's simultaneously excruciating and exhilarating to behold.
Sex and the City 2 (2010)
AKA The Return of the Ugly American(s)
I can only blame the writers. The actors obviously did it for the money, in spite of the script. All 4 characters (well, Miranda made some kind of effort)were so insensitive to the Middle Eastern culture they were in because, I guess, of their sense of entitlement and general shallowness, that half the movie was mostly unwatchable. The ugly scene in the souk with Samantha and the condoms (no spoiler here)set back women's lib 20 years. What in the past had been positioned as this character's sexual joie de vie here in the hands of the writers and the director became hysterical and smutty, and well, just embarrassing. It was awful. I'm a former foreign correspondent who has enjoyed being in the Middle East and other parts of our interesting planet. However, to go to another country and parade around in the most, by the way, ridiculous outfits--no fashion here!--and totally ignore the customs really was the rise again of the ugly American, 2010. No graciousness, no subtlety. What a shame. They certainly weren't role models(troll models, yes!), and unfortunately only served to underscore what many overseas say is the true image of Americans abroad. Sad, sad, indeed.
Tous les matins du monde (1991)
Endless pretense at art
A turgid, exhausting film filmed with overwrought acting. Watching Depardieu was an embarrassment. It was a waste of my time. Some beautiful music but a repetitious soundtrack and thin story. Beautifully lit, tho'--so many scenes were Vermeer paintings on celluloid. The director may be a jazz musician but he doesn't know squat about film making. For film making that attempts to tell a story that involves classical musicians I'll take Amadeus any day! And so gloomy!! Wow, watching this film was like being at a funeral on Xanax, half asleep, and surrounded by nothing but sadness and eye rolling. It was a real downer.
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Don't waste your money
I will quote from a friend before elaborating further, as he sums this up perfectly. "The verdict on Alice
It was okay. I think that it sent a much better message to children (especially young girls) than older Disney movies (if you wish upon a star— basically sit around, hope, and it will happen). Nevertheless, the graphics, which look awesome in the advertisements, just made me want to see Avatar again. And other than the red queen,the acting was bland and the characters didn't really drive the story. Johnny Depp is so interested in characterization he doesn't connect, in a human way, with anyone else. (And what's with those eyes? Yikes!) I felt like Burton just forced a lot of ideas together without making them feel like they grew out of each other. It's not quite as disappointing as the last Indiana Jones, but
" Personally, I don't understand all the critics gushing over this movie. Have they all forgotten what a really good magical movie really looks like? It's basically Disney as usual with a few Burton twists, i.e. the Cheshire cat and the Red Queen's bizarre appearance, and other than that I nearly fell asleep. Given the ability of the actors that were signed, this was a fairly boring film. It tried soooo hard but somehow missed the mark. A little less CG effects and more attempts at film making and it would have been a better movie. After all, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T managed to be a classic with so very little, as did Freaks--two very different, but equally effective, black and white films. And let's not forget, of course, Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast with the great Jean Marais as the Beast. The scene where he carries in his arms Beauty, who has fainted, down his hallway and the candles held by human arms open out as he walks by is timeless cinema magic. Burton, you wish! Ah, what to do? Burton is everybody's darling these days but I just don't see it. I'd prefer he would do cartoons and animation. That he is brilliant at. But flesh and blood isn't his cup of tea. 2 stars out of 10, in my book. Don't waste your money!
Avatar (2009)
A Cautionary Tale
People forget that the nature images used in Avatar come from our own beautiful planet. Sad thing is, most viewers will never get to the Amazon, or see the phosphor-luminescence of the Indian Ocean or the endless wilderness of Irian Jaya--but it's all there, and we need to care for it!! Earth, I SEE YOU (to paraphrase the movie)... If Cameron can raise people's awareness of the sanctity and interconnectedness of the world around us so that we care for it better, then I'm all for it. Regardless of one's religious beliefs, there IS a web of energy that flows through all things, and we are in the process of dismantling that, and subsequently destroying ourselves. So what he has done is a brave thing--cloak a cautionary tale inside an epic adventure--so that viewers of all ages will hopefully leave the theater and see what's around them, large and small, with new eyes. Pandora is here, right here.
Brüno (2009)
Total Trash
Don't waste your money! Bruno is a piece of trash, brilliantly marketed. Aside from a few momentary looks at the vicious underbelly of America's darker corners, an unfunny movie, veering towards basic porno that sets back gay rights 40 years. I'm so very disappointed. No one in my local theater, including myself, laughed much at all--most people had showed up expecting broad satire along the lines of Borat but instead got a film that doesn't begin to understand the world of gay camp. The scuttlebutt from the teenagers in my town is that "It's vulgar." Vulgar? For the teenagers of today's world to say that a movie is vulgar must mean that it really is bad... With a little bit of editing the film might actually have been better but as it is, it is overindulgent narcissism on the part of Cohen that parades around as comic satire. It's release and weekend box office returns shows just how low the satire bar has sunk in 2009. Prediction: will sink like a stone once the word gets out after this weekend.
Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek Triumphs
I'm 55 and grew up with this as a TV show. In later years I went to the franchise movies and enjoyed them. This film, however, is a cut above the rest because of its casting and story line. Well-edited and directed, the story has moments that are deeply affecting. (When one remembers that this is a fantasy film prequel that is no mean achievement!) My 86 year old mother was with me, and behind us were some teenage boys--a pretty broad demographic--and we all clapped at the end. From a casting point of view, the young Kirk was as charming and virile as ever, an uncanny-looking Spock was well, perfectly Spock, and McCoy and Scottie were terrific. And, without giving it away, who knew about Uhura? This movie delivers on all fronts and the cast and crew should be proud of their efforts. A very enjoyable film.
Employee of the Month (2004)
Garbage of the Month
This is a crummy film, a pretender to a genre of surprise ending movies. And a genre that has been done so much better before. The plot limps along, with a predictable ending. (Yawn) The characters are unlikeable, and some are so unlikeable they are almost unwatchable. Matt Dillon, a fine, intense actor is totally miscast here and is stiff and mannered. The others are forgettable. Much of the dialog is sophomoric, again a pretender trying to be witty. I wouldn't hire the screenwriter to write my grocery list. Yes, it's that bad, veering from misogynistic to just plain gross, as in beyond frat-house gross. With so much real talent out there, I'm really surprised this movie ever got made. It shows the total lack of imagination of the office suits...
Doubt (2008)
Best screenplay, no doubt
What an extraordinary movie about a very unsettling subject. Hoffman and Streep are magnificent and kudos to everyone else for a job well done. Without giving it away, the last 60 seconds, although predictable in a way, felt jarring and somewhat out of place. But I'm hard put to figure out a different way to end it. Both Streep's and Hoffman's characters are complex and finely drawn, and at the end of the film you find yourself shocked in a way not quite expected. It's a terrifically intelligent screenplay--gets my vote for the Oscar--and beautifully directed and edited. However, the movie makes me grateful I did not have a Catholic schooling--public school seems like a cakewalk compared to this place!
Valkyrie (2008)
Not Quite Lift-Off
Just saw this movie and felt that it took way too long to gather impetus and real drama. That's the difficulty in filming something--a coup--that until the moment of realization is just plotting on paper and a lot of talk. If the first half had been cut back significantly you could have had a really tight thriller instead of a turgid first half and a slowly gathering thriller of a second half. I blame the director and the editor for this. In this case, a 90 minute movie would have been great! But once Cruise was finally on his way to kill Hitler the film really kicks into gear, and then it's a pleasure all the way. And the director, actors and screenwriter are to be given great credit for making a pro-German WW2 film about an event all too few know about today. I myself had no idea of the resistance of many of the German officers toward Hitler, nor did I know about all the many attempts on his life. A small note: it was wonderful to see the great, underutilized Kenneth Branaugh again, albeit in a small role...
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
A Worthy Film Experience
Just saw the film last night and liked it. It's got some very poignant moments and is a thoughtful reflection on life and love. The aging backwards is an unusual technique but not a distracting one, as some would have us believe, and ultimately the film stays with you, and you leave the theater reflecting on your own mortality, grateful for the time you do have... My only real complaint is that the dialogue with a few different characters (the dying Daisy, for one) at different times was inaudible--a problem both with the miking and the actor's delivery. On such a sumptuous production this was very irritating, as all other details had been tended to. The director should have had a grip on this!