Reviews

Loved it, simply loved it. Role Play is a genre bending adventure. Bent values. Bent emotions. Bent plot. Was/is it a romcom? Yes on rom, not so much on com. Was it an action thriller? Not so much on action, even with lots of shooting and blood. Thrilling? Yes -- if you find finding love for that special one special. Definitely -- if you make making family first.

Kaley steps up and out; no delimiting her here. As to David, I'd just love to be the father he portrays. Heartwarming indeed. And then to the two characters we love to hate... Bill's subtle villainy makes his character evil with a capital E. Connie's portrayal of the "Grandma?" Nightmares indeed. Great job Ms. Nielsen!

I kinda feel sorry for those who were expecting Top Gun and got Cheaper by the Dozen. Relax. Why not let the filmmakers challenge your expectations? It's all about life. It's all art. Welcome to nuance, nonsense, and nuisance. Ain't life grand? Thanks Vincent and Owen!

Life is hard, especially when one sees the end coming, and particularly so when life diminishes its energy. But there are Jules out there to remind us of life's preciousness.

Cats, of course, are odd symbols of existential reality, unless you have a cat as a home friend. To lose a faithful family member is tragic, even if they ruin the couch. I don't particularly care for cats; that's one of my shortcomings. But there are cats out there which form jewels, jewels powerful enough to explore a galaxy. Jules indeed.

Applauding Kingsley for this risky venture; when you're 79 playing a 79 year old man contemplating his existence, that takes courage. Denise will probably never understand what Milt gave up, although she may perceive a beautiful new outlook from her dad. Great work Zoe Winters.

Turtletaub weaves his director's baton with grace. And for the record, E. T. was mere historical drama context, not the substance of Turtletaub and Steckler's work. The comparisons to E. T. should be viewed as a compliment, especially given a $2 million budget.

Curtin shares her soul, and voice; and, Harris helps us believe in all that could be better, IF we choose to get on our knees and cherishly hug those who understand us, even (especially?) without words. Finally, Jade Quon brightly emanates Jule, a jewel even more precious than jade. Thank you.

Everybody should see this. You will be changed, in ways you did not even know needed to be changed. You will never view a gender reveal party the same way. Every Body teaches, explores, and affirms. Everybody should experience Every Body.

Years ago, when my first doctoral candidate revealed that a significant portion of her subjects in her dissertation study were intersex "boys," I was floored. I'm the professor. I'm the one who should know the implications of studying nonverbal behavior with this special group. I did not. Well, I listened, I read, I learned... or so I thought.

Every Body brought me to a new, better informed, and empathic understanding of intersex people, an understanding that has become a core foundation for my communicating to others. Thank you Sean, Alicia, River and special thanks to David for his sacrifice. We failed David; but Every Body showed a path to redemption. The Christ would be proud of the love shown in this documentary.

Julie Cohen directs us to new heights of appreciation. Thanks to Fisher, Oppenheim, Berg, O'Brien, Cole, Nguyen, and Knizhnik for bringing this great documentary to the screen. You've changed lives, my friends!

Brilliant. Who would have thought after last episode's dive into the recesses of what it means to he human, we'd be treated to this episode's soar to heavens of humanity.

Humans are more than numbers, variables, beta weights, and calculi. Humans are more than feelings, emotions and subjective symbols. Humans are at their best, at their fullest expanse, and most loveable when the science in us shares the art in us. When art expresses science, and science makes love to art... Music is the ultimate integration. Now that's humanity.

The writers and actors of Subspace Rhapsody evoked our discomfort with dance and singing and rhyme within SCIENCE fiction. We may chafe, but we were raised nonetheless to new heights. Just as Chapel proclaimed "I'm ready!" and Spock cherished us with "I'm the X," and Uhura brought them, and us, together, we were moved, intellectually and emotionally. Great art indeed! And, don't tell me you didn't laugh out loud with the Klingon dance response!

Don't miss this episode, but pull up your knickers. It's a new frontier indeed.

Loving Lopez and the presumed plot, I was looking forward to a mother daughter rekindling. My disappointment ran deep. Sure, there was plenty of action, but the human element was overwhelmed and undeveloped.

The plot turned thin and unbelievable. It was difficult to suspend disbelief. Jumping on a motorcycle while it's still moving at quite a clip? Come on. How did Mother know where the accident was, to say nothing of getting there almost simultaneously. Please. These kind of errors diminish one's focus on the drama, creating noise in the system as it were.

The relationship between Cruise and Mother also could have been developed more, but then there wouldn't be enough time for another car crash and/or knife fight. Action and relationship development do not have to be mutually exclusive, regardless of difficulty.

Throughout the history of art in film, nothing surpasses the insulating passion of Yankovic. The Appel of my eye, the direction surpasses both Godfathers; the cinematography makes Lawrence of Arabia look like it took 18 days to film, so shallow there, but not in Riege land; finally, the music score is a mix of Mozart and Madonna. Wowza!!

I had to resubmit this review because it, too, was a spoof. IMDB removed it (2nd review, chronologically). But, I've actually watched it now. Still a great spoof as is this review.

This will easily earn the best picture Oscar® to say nothing of Yankovic's original screenplay. And, Radcliffe hasn't been this superior since Potter 2.

Unique, indeed unique. Lily showed us all the mystery of alone. Lily showered us with the blessing of manifest faith, in God, in love, in people.

Fanning's portrayal had to be accurate; after all, she was the white kid from Georgia playing a white kid from Ethiopia. How she portrayed her role and survived, if not thrived, from those roots was inspirational. Her Lily's survival fierceness from deep faith in Amina, Aziz and Allah bore great witness.

As a Christian, I know that Lily and I would have different views of Jesus the Christ, but oh how I would love to sit across a table, each of us with a coffee.

I loved the introduction to Sufi, as contrasted to Shiite or Sunni manifestations of Islam. Thank you Zereseny Berhane Mehari!

I look forward to reading Gibbs' novel to know from where Lily was reading Amina's letter. Roots indeed.

We all struggle to be affirmed. We risk life and limb. Mind and matter. Harold gives us insight into what we'll do, suffer, and spend to feel alive. And... with a smile.

Just hang back, take neither yourself or this film seriously. You'll find a smile. Sometimes a rare reward for a movie, even one with no budget. Smile indeed.

Excitement with a capital E. Style with a capital S. And I won't begin to rave about production design? Bang.

"Over the top" çomments aside, you'll love the feminine tension portrayed by Baccarin and Bathe. You'll need the cliched knife to cut it. Sharp dialogue. Pensive portrayals. While this review is based solely on the pilot, I shall assume Lin, Coburn, and Wootton can continue this excellence for the remaining 5 episodes. Looking forward to it...

Nothing entertains and intrigues more than black vs white turning to shades of gray. For whom shall we root? For what shall we wish? From what experience did Snow White evolve? From what values will Val grow? Owen? Who fired the missle? You will love the turns from stark to misty, from gray to black, and back again. Enjoy the rainbow, enjoy "The Endgame." I did.

Human. What distinguishes human from animal? Animals protect their own. And, human typically, like animal, protects their own tribe, family, clan. But what makes human different, if not beyond, animal is protecting beyond our tribe, family, clan.

"The Kindness of Strangers" is only appreciated when you've been not a member of the tribe, family, clan. Until you've been homeless, your empathy, yes your very core level of appreciation, is moot, mute and mental. Scherfig makes us care, hear, and feel. This is the experience of "The Kindness of Strangers."

To merely think is not human. To ignore the needy is not human. To exclude because "they" are not "us," is the ultimate indictment of our moot, mute, and mental state. It is good to be shaken from that cesspool of self-adulation. Thank you Scherfig for "The Kindness of Strangers."

The mystery of this mystery is whether it's an actual mystery, a veritable break in the fourth wall. On the one hand, hallucination hypotheses are supported by the ever present handyman. On the other hand, there is a continuing flow of empirical data to support her suspicions. I liked the tease: is this "real" only in her head, or real, period.

Dali-like, you'll find film's title, "The Woman in the House...," the penultimate clue. Is this comedy, horror, mystery or just plain old good drama. Sex on the stairs? Sex on the marble island? Just who is screwing who? Howling dogs? Buried hands? Surreal indeed.

Who did what to whom changes all too quickly. Make sure you have Tylenol for headaches from your head spinning. Make sure you pay attention to all the details in the production design; the continuity supervisor should get an Emmy. Consider buying stock in Corning Ware. Be ready also for scenes directed sweetly or you'll become diabetic, instantly.

When you assume you know, you don't, and when you assume you know, you know what that makes you (and me). Ass commentary aside, you'll love Kristen Bell's march through this panoply of the real, the hallucinated, and the surreal. Kudos to Davidson, Dorf, et al. For leading us down garden paths of a nuanced, albeit cliched, mystery journey. Be careful you don't trip. Don't assume Chastity's guilt assuages any one else's. I did.

Puns abound: be patient with Buell, the omnipresent handyman. He certainly nailed it, holy hand indeed; and he has a hand in every episode. I've never seen a mailbox needing so much attention. Why was a raccoon body found? Elizabeth's gravestone carving: Do we read it as carved, "There's No. '1' in Heaven." Or, as "There's no one in heaven." Real, or surreal, or hallucination? Find more Tylenol.

Pay attention to the casting... Massacre Mike in prison, Buell, the fingerprint technician. Subtle similarities until...

The Woman in the House... series is a palette of nuanced colors; they form cycles of meaning, and recycled nuance. Enjoy being painted confused. Yes, confused is a color, a shade of tan.

Real, satire, surreal or hallucination? Bingo.

The value of gray strikes at life's heart for we desperately want our decisions of the heart to be fully saturated. They are not. And this is the crude beauty of St. Germain's "The God Commitee."

I suppose I understand some of the negative reviews; but, there is more to life than cute. More to life than entertainment. More to life than happy endings. Life is gray.

Art in film reaches out, and in. Out beyond our experiential reality. And in, in to our heart. This was not a film about heart transplants. This was not a film about Medicine playing God. It was a film about the gray of humanity. If one is not challenged by the gray in and of our lives, we will never see, much less appreciate the reds, blues and greens.

Hats off to Stiles, Grammer, Garofalo, and especially Stark. You've shared a vision rarely seen, and felt, by few. Thank you.

Making me think, making me feel, making me human... This was the effect of Mother/Android. I recommend this film, not to entertain, although it does have its moments. We are brought to a cliff: No greater strength has humanity than "love," yet when "love" is pushed aside, it becomes a mortal weakness. Arthur said it well.

Perhaps the real problem is that we only love what we see as "our" family, "our" country, "our" tribe, "our" species. If we were to see the "enemy" as US, would they be gooks, japs, niggers, ruskies, rednecks, etc.? Must we think of others as non-human to justify the insanity of killing. Why do we move heaven and earth to eradicate those who are not "us?" Are we evil when killing our own, or simply insane? Are we righteous when feeding, housing, loving our own, or simply sane? Mother/Android sends us down that path.

I encourage you to enjoy Moretz's performance; she more than overcomes the plot holes and physics violations. Disbelief is sometimes hard to suspend in Mother/Android, but you'll find your empathy growing. And, that is what makes humans fully human.

Didn't enjoy seeing ourselves on the screen. Great film art, a little slow. Make sure you don't click off too soon. After the first credits, you see what we humans are, really.

Fingscheidt has directed and Bullock has produced an unforgettable film. Bullock captured the angst of being a "convict." We all need to learn from their film.

We should learn not to judge, especially quickly. Judging those who are inferior to us is the heighth of hubris. We should learn about love, especially unconditional love. Loving the loveable is easy; loving the unloveable separates us from the beast. We must learn to listen, not just to the words, but to the heart which formed them. Hearing is easy; listening is hard.

Judge less. Love more. Listen always.

I found the storyline profound, the acting sublime. Unforgivable was like dining at a fine restaurant, slowly working one's way through the courses. It was not just a quick feeding at the closest fast food joint. I found many user and professional critics' reviews to be as shallow as they accused Unforgivable to be. Hubris indeed.

Highly recommended; prepare more than your minds--the heart will need to be opened; otherwise, it's just another atmospheric panoply. Unforgivable... may the Ruth in our life and the Ruths in our lives be forever grateful for what this film teaches:

Judge less. Love more. Listen always.

A vacation to romance--a dessert of delight. Ali showed her acting chops. Who could not love Ali Cobrin? Choosing between her catering future and relational desert was played well by Cobrin.

The direction by Doyle showed a delicate skill portraying relational awkwardness and angst. Slow at first, the screenplay evolved into a delightfully predictable conclusion. Sea horses indeed.

Thanks for this romantic interlude. Sometimes love is this rich, delectably rich.

I wasn't expecting the Breakfast Club, but I enjoyed this dessert nonetheless. My rating, while low at 6, is far below others. I feel dumb that I didn't take this film more seriously. It was what it was--dessert, not filet mignon.

Is this film emotionally manipulative? Yes. Is this myth mythical? Yes. Is time, death and love emotion? Certainly.

Enjoy this film; keep it close to you. Treat it not as a "film," but as a narrative artform which touches all that is humane, human, and humble. Frankel has reached out--don't ignore his rose simply because you were expecting a gritty weed.

Whether your passion is "the movies," history, or the human quest for meaning, Five Came Back will leave you breathless.

To understand more about how war in general and WWII in particular, relish Five Came Back.

To appreciate fully the beauty of film art and science, feast on Five Came Back.

To heal that large hole in your heart about what it means to be human, and inhumane, cherish Five Came Back.

The work of Wyler, Huston, Stevens, Capra and Ford now has a whole new window, clearer and broader, thanks to Five Came Back.

As a professional photographer, I am humbled. Oh, to have another 10 years to build upon what I've been challenged by Five Came Back.

As Spielberg vowed regarding The Best Years of Our Lives, viewing Five Came Back will now become a yearly ritual celebrating art, history and humanity. Thank you Laurent Bouzereau.

As a professional photographer and a pedestrian movie consumer, I found this film disturbing. The story touched me, but the exquisite photography distracted me. The photography enthralled me, but the story interfered with my viewing. I kept wanting to pause and enjoy, yet when I did: plot chaos ensued. I need to watch it twice, once for the story, and again for the virtual art gallery. But great art, and this Portrait Fire is great art, often dissolves with such bifurcation.

It was a good lesson nonetheless. In this case, the visual art ascended the verbal art. I once attended a ballet where the music was written to underwrite the dance choreography. Until then, I had assumed dance must be fashioned after the music. How bigoted was I. Now I see the bigotry challenged again. Perhaps the story serves the photography...

This portrait created a fire of discontent: aloneness, remembrance, and passion. May there always be a page 28 in all our lives of remembrance.