A re-watch of the Robert DeNiro film from a decade ago. That man can fully act with just his face.
3 stars (out of 5)
Movies I watch, and what I think about some of them.
A re-watch of the Robert DeNiro film from a decade ago. That man can fully act with just his face.
3 stars (out of 5)
An Amy Poehler produced vehicle that is a bit too much "on the nose" to be authentic. Vivian is a teen girl entering her Junior year, basically a wall cat. As she is paying attention in a new way to discrimination, to new peoples ideas, and to her mom's (Poehler) activist past, she starts a feminist zine that spurs action for change in her high school. Even though this is formulaic at best, I do appreciate the formula.
3 stars (out of 5)
Season 10
Another season of good natured building. Happens concurrently with the Italy season, the show is still fun mostly because the people are fun and friendly and the pace of each episode is appropriate. I will say that the projects are much different than the beginning, with new construction about 1/2 of the scope, which loses some of the fun of the dramatic change.
4 stars (out of 5)
A silly reality show where 2nd Tier famous Britons do challenges created by Bear Grylls. The challenge losers are sent into the "bear pit" where they have to escape before being caught by Bear. Sort of fast forwarded through these and the challenges themselves got lame after a bit.
2 stars (out of 5)
A young woman is a window cleaner (the outside the building, high rise kind) who lives on the edge of her means. She takes care of her autistic brother, which is very expensive, and her boss is an ass soshe has no actual job security. On the job this night, she is cleaning windows late only to find that the building has been taken over by eco-terrorists who have crashed the party of a big energy corporation. The terrorists turn violent and she is the only one who can stop them. It's actually a pretty consistent plot, no matter how far fetched. The lines all pull together and the characters have motivation and personality beyond just being in the right place at the right time. Well done.
4 stars (out of 5)
Season 1 and 2
Sly Stallone plays an old school, NY mobster just out of prison on a 25 year murder sentence. He comes back to a "new way of doing things" and since he doesn't fit in with the new order, he is shipped to Tulsa to be out of the way. Of course, he starts new, using his old school mafia tactics in a world that is not ready for him. Stallone has a way of simultaneously inhabiting both charming and aggressively violent, which makes this series simultaneously light-hearted and gory. Kind of average TV, but after Season 1, I was looking forward to Season 2, which continued with all the same vibe. So
3 stars (out of 5)
Ben Affleck is again "the accountant". A former colleague/fed is killed and he gets pulled in to find out what happened and avenge the death I suppose. Or more likely, to solve the puzzle. Continuing to tease out life with autism, relationships and happiness - but in the context of being a massive badass with the goal of saving kids lives, but no ethical qualm with killing the unsavory types. Very "American Individualist" in approach to cleaning up the world. There is a 10 second attempt at due process and rule of law, but (I guess) when the guys are SO BAD, you just gotta be a vigilante. And also insightful in the developing relationships between adult brothers. It really is well made, and in this context I continue to increase my awareness of the subtle and not-so-subtle messaging that media drills into my psyche.
4 stars (out of 5)
A Mexican Special Forces team encounters a drug cartel boss with a vendetta against Mexican Special Forces. This is an excellent portrayal of how war and violence are lose-lose scenarios. We are supposed to say the good guys won since only two of them die vs scores of the bad guys. But there is no win. Short term or long.
3 stars (out of 5)
A short series documenting the return to basketball shoes for Reebok, with Shaq and Allen Iverson leading the charge. In some ways, this is a 6 episode commercial for Reebok. But it is also a behind the scenes look at the shoe business and Shaq is just a monster personality to make anything he is in fun.
3 stars (out of 5)
Ted Danson is the lead in this amateur detective comedy. He has recently lost his wife, is retired and is looking for a new thing. He connects with a PI who needs an undercover senior in a retirement home to uncover a chain of burglaries. While this plot provides a through story, the real joy in this series is the "coming of age" for Danson's character Charles. The friends and relationships he develops and re-energizes even with his family are touching and meaningful and fun to watch. It surprised me, but really worth watching.
4 stars (out of 5)