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MzKarizzma
Reviews
Poker Face: Escape from Shit Mountain (2023)
Cliffhanger with a capital C
Yikes. I don't want to give anything away, but this episode was true edge-of-your-seat material. Natasha is fantastic as her character gets personally wrapped up in making sense of yet another set of twisted criminal circumstances. The comic relief moments between Charlie and "Morty" were much appreciated and provided respite from the intensity of the overall plot. Great acting and directing, as usual. Since this is the penultimate episode in Season 1, I get the impression that one story thread that seemed not to connect to the plotline will somehow be resolved in the final episode. I am really looking forward to this as well as the entire next season.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: And a Trauma in a Pear Tree (2022)
The Good, The Bad, and The Confusing
Most of the L&O SVU shows are quite gripping and really bring the viewer into the drama surrounding stories drawn from contemporary headlines. But this particular show? Not so much. I loved the wedding and the girl bonding between Olivia and Amanda. The visit with Noah's "new" family seemed like a set-up with the boys going upstairs to play video games, but implied that might not be all they're doing - an implication that went nowhere. Neither did the thread that teased whether or not Olivia would reveal Noah's father's history to the other adoptive parents. The set-up and take-down of the illegal videotaper seemed to border on police entrapment. And why would he agree to go to this particular motel room where he knew he'd be on camera? Also, the hung jury at the end seemed improbable. Are we to believe that one officer's inappropriate outburst during cross examination (and a direct hit with a police radio while the perp was fleeing police custody) would tank ADA Carisi's presentation of all the evidence regarding multiple women who were held in a basement and tortured by this sick dude? Writers: we know you can do better. Looking forward to that in the 2023 episodes.
Inventing Anna (2022)
Compelling and Confusing
What's worse: a bitchy entitled heiress OR a bitchy woman pretending to be a bitchy entitled heiress? Actually, this woman/character is clearly portrayed as having a narcissistic personality disorder. (And because of the disclaimer at the beginning of each episode, we don't know if this characterization is close to the "real" Anna or a deeply fictionalized version.) Should we hate her as she claws and lies her way up the NYC social ladder or feel empathy for her because her parents thought she was a "cold stranger" in their midst, even as a child? Should her lies and scams be forgiven because of her mental illness or do the rich and powerful people who she manages to fool actually deserve their fate at her hands? Certainly Anna draws her attorney, Todd, and journalist Vivian into her web, leading both to sacrifice important family time in service of her selfish whimsies. I can't exactly say that I enjoyed watching the series because of all these questions and my conflicted feelings about the characters/people and their actions and motivations. The acting, for the most part, was top shelf. However for me, a more interesting "story" would have delved into the real Delvey, documentary-style, rather than watching a fictional Delvey world created by clever Shondaland scriptwriters. But yet I kept watching, so I guess that says something....
The Power of the Dog (2021)
A slow-building, intriguing film with a twist
This beautifully shot drama contains a lot of great visuals and interesting character studies. As the film unfolds, however slowly and in fits and starts, the focus eventually becomes the nature of the budding relationship between Phil and Peter. At first Phil is depicted as a tortured, gruff, mean-spirited, middle-aged jerk who seems to have a huge chip on his shoulder that alienates him from any close relationships. But later on, it's unclear what his motivations are when he seems to have a change of heart towards medical student Peter and begins mentoring him. Is it genuine care and concern? Is he setting him up for eventual harm? Do they share the same secret? Because Phil is the focus of so much of the film, Peter's perspective on this relationship is minimally explored. And when at last Peter's perspective is revealed, during the last few minutes of the film, the impact is pretty jarring. Almost too jarring to be believed. But if you can put aside all of the circumstances that had to have gelled "just so" in order for the ending to work, you may be left with mixed emotions and a moral dilemma: do the ends - however noble - justify the means - however deadly?
Clickbait (2021)
Great buildup to an even greater letdown
The storyline was compelling, as were most of the characters. Through seven episodes I was invested in trying to guess "who dunnit", figuring that it would be a complex but satisfying ending, a la Behind Her Eyes. Sadly, no such complex but satisfying ending happened. The perpetrator basically comes out of nowhere and that makes the finale -- solving the mystery of Nick's death and seeing what happens to the perpetrator/s -- far from satisfying. (I thought Vince, the high school computer hacking and programming whiz, was a far more likely suspect.)
Shtisel (2013)
Superb acting; intriguing, inspiring, and occasionally frustrating plot/characters
This compelling family drama is terrific on many levels. It gives the viewer a close-to-authentic, inside look at the good, the bad, the ugly, and the inspiring relationships within this mostly insular community. I was hooked from the beginning and fell in love with certain characters. The acting is fantastic - I laughed, I cried, I "kvelled." If I could, I'd give the series 10 stars for acting and 6 for consistency and plotting. Why? Because some of the main characters behaved so erratically that I didn't know from one episode to the next (or even within the same episode) if they were Dr. Jekyll or Mr./Ms. Hyde. And I was disconcerted by several plot holes and contrived plot twists, including implied dramatic scenes that occurred *between episodes* (i.e., the build-up to the event happened at the end of one episode and the consequences were shown - or sometimes totally ignored - in the next). I wanted to see these scenes! Despite my occasional frustration, I enjoyed this glimpse into the world of the Shtisels and hope another season gets produced at some point.
Note: I came to this series after watching Unorthodox and being "wowed" by Shira Haas' performance. While she has much less screen-time here and is four or five years younger, her acting is every bit as powerful as it was in Unorthodox.
Rewind (2019)
Well-done documentary on a very disturbing subject, with important lessons for all
In this documentary, filmmaker Sasha Neulinger takes a brave, bold, and personal look at issues of familial child sexual abuse through his lens and the lens of his father, a videographer who scrupulously filmed family events around the same time as the abuse occurred. As a survivor, Neulinger shines a light on how this abuse can be passed down through generations, even among families that appear "normal" and successful. He also explores the ways in which the criminal justice system re-victimizes the survivor in its attempt to address the issue. Disturbing as the content may be, this film is definitely worth watching for anyone concerned about this important topic.
Shtisel (2013)
Superb acting; intriguing, inspiring, and occasionally frustrating plot/characters
This compelling family drama is terrific on many levels. It gives the viewer a close-to-authentic, inside look at the good, the bad, the ugly, and the inspiring relationships within this mostly insular community. I was hooked from the beginning and fell in love with certain characters. The acting is fantastic - I laughed, I cried, I "kvelled." If I could, I'd give the series 10 stars for acting and 6 for consistency and plotting. Why? Because some of the main characters behaved so erratically that I didn't know from one episode to the next (or even within the same episode) if they were Dr. Jekyll or Mr./Ms. Hyde. And I was disconcerted by several plot holes and contrived plot twists, including implied dramatic scenes that occurred *between episodes* (i.e., the build-up to the event happened at the end of one episode and the consequences were shown - or sometimes totally ignored - in the next). I wanted to see these scenes! Despite my occasional frustration, I enjoyed this glimpse into the world of the Shtisels and hope another season gets produced at some point.
Note: I came to this series after watching Unorthodox and being "wowed" by Shira Haas' performance. While she has much less screen-time here and is four or five years younger, her acting is every bit as powerful as it was in Unorthodox.
Marriage Story (2019)
Mea culpa, you-a culprit
I had high hopes for this film after all the wild acclaim, but for me, it didn't live up to the hype. Yes, the acting by Scarlett and Adam was excellent. And I loved Adam's character's poignant and unexpected nightclub performance of the Sondheim song. Although a modest attempt was made to show two well-intentioned, but humanly flawed, parents dissolving their marriage while trying to keep things stable for the son they both love fiercely, the scales tip heavily toward making the wife into the "bad guy" (albeit with some redeeming hug-and-haircut empathy) and showing the husband as the occasionally foul-mouthed and ill-tempered one who really got the shaft. Notwithstanding any parallels to the screenwriter/director's real-life divorce, the film comes off as a husband's attempt to be oh-so-sorry for the mess in everyone's lives that he thinks started when his wife left him. It's as if his feelings of loss, loneliness, anger, and downright inconvenience are all her fault for just not understanding who he is (or how important his job is) and who he thought they were as a couple. As she asserts herself as a person separate from him and his goals for himself (and her), she becomes the film's antagonist. How unfortunate that this marriage story fails to recognize, as most people do, that when a marriage ends (and neither one is seriously mentally ill), there are multiple factors at play involving both parties. Placing the blame heavily on one over the other, with no substantial character change by the film's end, does little to enlighten us on the subject.
Jeff Garlin: Our Man in Chicago (2019)
Unless you're a HUGE fan, probably worth skipping
I found his "bits" in the first part of the comedy special to be quite uninteresting and far from clever or humorous. If a comedian doesn't grab my attention at the outset, I switch to something else, which I did about a quarter of the way through his special. I never once laughed, chuckled OR smiled. He may have started his career in stand-up, but he's probably better off closing his career as an actor.
Atypical (2017)
Somewhat predictable family drama -- more Zahid, please!
I've watched most of two seasons so far and while I feel engaged with the characters (some more than others), I have very mixed feelings about this series. I think the focus on how someone on the autism spectrum can be complex, intelligent, funny, and even sometimes profound is a wonderful thing for mainstream audiences to be exposed to. Sam's acting is superb, and Casey's is excellent as well. In my opinion, the BEST character - and frankly, he needs his own spin-off show - is Zahid. The plot of many of these episodes is kind of predictable: almost Hallmark channel-ish. And some of the background music is just plain sappy. So I'm still watching, but I can't quite pinpoint why....
Jenny Slate: Stage Fright (2019)
Maybe I'm missing the gene for appreciating her humor
I tried to watch this comedy special, but for me, it mostly fell flat and I had to bail after about 15 minutes. I barely cracked a smile at her jokes, but SHE seemed enormously amused by them and giggled throughout. Maybe she's actually funny (the audience seemed to like her) but I'm just missing the Jenny gene.
Anomalisa (2015)
aNONONOmalisa (with spoilers)
I really wanted to like this film. I've seen prior Kaufman films and been very impressed. I love animations. All the media hype about "human" and "touching" and "bittersweet" also drew me in. But OUCH. It's one thing to have a "lost" protagonist that you can "feel for," but lost doesn't even begin to describe Michael Stone. He masquerades as an ordinary middle-aged businessman, perhaps in the throes of a mid-life crisis. Everywhere this guy goes he manages to leave confusion, pain and suffering in his wake, but somehow we, the audience, are supposed to have empathy for his frustration and alienation. There's nothing to like in this guy! And when his softer side emerges through his brief connection with Lisa, it quickly dissolves into his bitter, critical, pathological self. So by the end, there's no epiphany, no resolution, nothing. Lisa is the same sweet, naïve woman (who has presumably taken no lesson from her overnight encounter), and Stone is, well, still a stone. And to those who are reading much more into this tale, including sex dolls and Lisa not being real, etc., I say: you're Emperor's-New-Clothes- ing this film. You REALLY WANT to see something that REALLY ISN'T there. You loved Kaufman's other work, so you decided there must be a lot more here than there is. Color me disappointed. (The two stars are for the animated characters and sets.)
Joy (2015)
The Mop Film was a Flop
Where do I start when the best things about the film were a short audio clip of the Buffalo Springfield song, "Expecting to Fly" and Susan Lucci playing a soap opera character (thus the 2-star rating)? I found the dialogue to be filled with clichés, the acting quite flat (especially Jennifer), and many of the scenes so implausible that I could not "buy into" the storyline. The film dragged...Bradley Cooper was underused...the hairstyles seemed out-of-sync for the time...the daughter uttered lines and behaved in a way that even a mature little girl would never say/do...the relationship with the half sister was confusing...and why did the mother always have a bowl in her hands? Also, seriously: who in their RIGHT MIND hand-wrings a mop that is filled with shards of glass? Girl, get a towel, scoop up the shards, and shake them out over the trash can!
Bottom line: An uplifting and perhaps compelling true story does not always translate into a good film.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Okay, but over-rated by most – Report card review with spoilers
I'm not a Star Wars, Star Trek or Star Search super-fan. I'm old school, and I tend to gravitate towards more complex indie films over Hollywood blockbusters. But I had to see this film because I did enjoy a few of the early SW films in the 70s and early 80s. So here's my take:
Special Effects: A-
Scenery and Set: A
Plot: C- (standard good vs. evil...yawn)
Feminist Action Hero: A
Best Use of a Cigarette Lighter as a thumbs up: A+ (and this was one of maybe three LOLs for me; I had hoped for more clever humor than the film delivered)
Kissing: F (no lip-lock between long-separated former lovers Han and Leia because everyone knows that people over 55 don't kiss, and no lip-lock between Rey and Finn because, well, the producers apparently weren't sure if people of different races could be shown kissing in a 2015 PG-13 Disney film -- sigh...)
The Aviator (2004)
Milking Eccentricity
Okay, I admit it. I watched all 170 minutes of The Aviator, although it took me two nights to do it. I liked the film enough to keep watching, but not enough to give it a rave review. Leonardo does an excellent job of portraying this larger-than-legendary man, even if he looks a bit too young for too much of the film. Cate Blanchett was, as so many have said, exquisite as the inimitable Katherine Hepburn. At several points, I got lost in the time-line of Howard Hughes' life. For example, I couldn't tell if his relationship with Hepburn lasted months or years. In the scene where he goes wacko in his screening room, I didn't know if that was days, weeks, or months, or whether he's still holed up there today. (Of course I have since learned that he is dead, but I guess that part will be covered in the sequel.) While it was useful to see how his character deteriorates into a state of verbal tics and OCD hell, I found it somewhat unbelievable that he could testify at a Congressional hearing with such clarity only days (if I got that time-line straight) after an apparent psychiatric episode. The costumes and special effects are superb, but as for the plot, I felt something was missing. Who was that milked man?
Paycheck (2003)
Paycheck, or the Power of the Paper Clip
Mercenary computer engineer Ben Affleck is no ordinary geek. He lives in a modern, pristine apartment; practices martial arts with a unique flair; and can get girls as gorgeous as Uma Thurman even after dissing them at a cocktail party. For a livinga very GOOD livinghe copies high-tech equipment for competitors who want a piece of the action. Oh, and he has to have his memory erased afterward. His career almost goes south when he gets mixed up in the wrong job and stiffs himself out of nearly 100 million bucks. Or at least that's how it appears until he unravels the secrets of the manila envelope and saves the world from certain destruction. Along the way, he gets chased by bad guys, the Feds, and a subway train, and manipulated by an evil blonde bombshell with an earpiece.
The script, based on a story by Philip K. Dick, contains enough snappy dialogue, hair-teasing chase scenes, explosions, and indoor hurricanes to satisfy. And of course no BA film would be complete without at least three references to Ben's status as a long-sufferingwell, technically, no-longer-sufferingRed Sox fan. (And you though his only addictions were to gambling and Jennifers.)
This action adventure is part thriller, part sci-fi, and part comic book, with a pinch of Indiana Jones, but what it lacks in originality is more than compensated for by its Fun Factor. I give it a 7/10. And for the record: Yes, I do believe in second chances.
Wo hu cang long (2000)
The Chinese Empire Strikes Back OR Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
I understand why this film has received such critical acclaim. Aside from Superman leaping tall buildings in a single bound and Neil Armstrong hurdling treacherous moon rocks, when was the last time you saw adults fly? And they're not flying to save the world or to demonstrate a lack of gravity: they're flying as part of beautifully choreographed chase and fight scenes that resemble dance more than combat. (I'd sure like to see a white-suited young John Travolta pulling a few of these moves.)
Crouching Tiger is set in feudal China and exhibits all the features of a well-constructed fairy tale:
* good versus evil
* two sets of star-crossed lovers
* a magic sword
* poisoned darts
* a wrongful death that must be avenged
* a princess being forced to marry before her hair has been folded into the shape of an elaborate jellyfish AND
* a trail of bread crumbs dropped to keep someone from getting lost (the crumbs are, predictably, devoured by starving contestants on Survivor MCMXLVIII: The East Asian Desert)
Although the plot leaves many unanswered questions, the film succeeds because once you accept the fantasy premise, you are drawn into the complexities of the characters. There's Shu Lien, the thirty-something female warrior who has placed her career and a life of service to the forces of Good ahead of her impulses to love and be loved (kind of a Princess Leia). There's Li Mu Bai, male warrior turned monk turned possible ex-monk who is the yang to Shu Lien's yin. You gotta love a guy who engages in full martial arts combat wearing a long, flowing robe (picture a younger Obi-Wan Kenobi). There's Jen, the impetuous, spoiled rich girl with more secrets than the carpeting outside the Oval Office. There's the evil Jade Fox (Darth Jade-r?), also known as the Wicked Witch of the Far East. And last but certainly not least, there's Lo (Han So-Lo?), the outlaw anti-hero who gets more than he bargained for after stealing a comb.
If you learn nothing else from this film, the next time you ambush a royal procession crossing the desert, you will think twice before ripping off any personal grooming objects.
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Please spare us from Ocean's Thirteen
This film was truly a disappointment and I would give it a lower rating if it wasn't for a few redeeming features, such as George Clooney's eyes, a few precious expressions on Elliott Gould's face, and several of Catherine Z-J's outfits. It is a star-studded delight that is sorely lacking in plot. And what plot it does have is, at times, barely comprehensible and woefully unbelievable. If you love these actors, then by all means rent the film and drool to your heart's content. But if you're looking for a clever action flick with the pizazz of the first film (which I truly enjoyed!), I'm afraid you will find yourself swimming in the wrong ocean.