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Apocalypse Now (1979)
Memorable Scenes and a Fat Brando
I saw "Apocalypse Now" when it was first released and I have returned to it now and then. I have always considered it a movie with some terrific and memorable scenes, beginning with the Doors sequence at the beginning and perhaps most notably including the Robert Duvall espisode which culminates with the "Ride of the Valkyries" helicopter attack on the Viet Cong occupied village. I recently watched it again, and it occurred to me that the movie usually worked best when it stayed in the vicinity of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" which served to inspire the script. For me the weakest element of the film is the ending. Instead of finding a physically wasted Kurtz, as Conrad's narrator does, the movie's Willard finds a bloated Marlin Brando who appears nothing like a former special forces officer or native chieftain. The sacrifice symbolism at the conclusion does not cohere with the rest of the story.
True Detective: Night Country: Part 1 (2024)
Why all the hate?
I guess the bar was set very high by season one ( I too loved it), which might account for very low ratings for season four. Normally I use IMDB ratings as a very helpful guide for viewing taste and preference, but in this case I am quite out of synch. I was smitten by the atmosphere of the pitch darkness of the polar setting. I thought it was perfect for the brooding unhappiness of the characters and the terror of the crimes. I do admit that the resolutions of the mysteries at the end were disappointing. Also my viewing partner found the supernatural innuendos more confusing than terrifying. Per usual i really enjoyed Jodie Foster's performance.
Oppenheimer (2023)
I rarely hand out tens
I just watched Oppenheimer a second time. Oscar awards are coming up and I fully expect it to clean up as it is one of the very best films I have seen in the last decade. It is a masterpiece by Nolan. It is continuously interesting and thrilling. After my first viewing I was absolutely amazed how it hurtled ahead-- It's 3:07 went by with great rapidity. The film has a wonderful look and its stellar cast deliver excellent performances. The sound design is also superb. Listening a second time at home allowed me to appreciate several nuances. I recommend the film to all comers and hope you enjoy it as much as I.
The Offer (2022)
Flawed but very entertaining.
This series was recommended to my wife and me by a "The Godfather" lover. We on the other hand did not know all the details about the film or any of the "inside" challenges about its making. We were looking for entertainment and so were not offended by any of the inaccuracies or exaggerations pointed out by some of the professional critics who loathed it. Granted, the Mafia characters were almost absurdly portrayed, the Pacino depiction was bizarre and the Al Ruddy character surprisingly uninteresting. Nevertheless, the story was really entertaining. Of course we knew a tremendously successful film would emerge at the end, but the many challenges and obstacles to its success kept us glued. The romantic side stories were a drag, but we thought Matthew Good and Juno Temple were wonderful. I will recommend it to friends and family.
Horn from the Heart: The Paul Butterfield Story (2017)
Very Good and Unintentionally Revealing
I enjoyed watching this and only wish that more music had been included and perhaps fewer still photos. The film did its best job describing Butterfield's single-mindedness and saturation in the South Chicago blues scene. It was amazing to learn that he had training in the flute as a boy, but picked up the harmonica and mastered it so quickly. One big minus is that these kinds of documentaries are too often hagiographies and certainly this becomes so toward the end as ridiculous excuses are made for his self-destructive, narcissistic drug addiction and neglect of his children. The film tries to maintain that despite being stoned he was still a musician's musician. Nevertheless they show a long performance days before his death that show him playing a piano (!), looking 25 years older than his age and singing like a shadow of himself.
Dance Life (2024)
Worth a Watch -- Dancers Draw You In
I am not into dance myself, but quickly found myself drawn into the angst of young people pursuing their dreams at Brent School Academy. I particular found myself rooting for the student whose body shape and lack of sexiness runs counter to the stereotype. My greatest takeaway from the inside look was simply how athletic these folks are. I love sports and without question dance is a team sport like basketball where you are part of a team in a routine but can shine as an individual. So why was my grade only a 7? Well, first I found these performers were often performing for the "documentary" camera saying things and behaving in ways to help their potential careers. I also felt the show created false dramas following illness and injuries where which the athletes miraculously overcome in order to perform when the curtain goes up. Also the "Grad" stuff becomes larger than life at the end as though their futures all hinge on one last dance. It seemed to me the hysteria was no more than any other high school graduation ritual where emotions are all over the place. Only 8 agents will attend so how much career advancement will these kids get? And furthermore, how many career opportunities for dancers really exist. None of this is remotely explored in the show.
The Race to Alaska (2020)
Pretty Dull Fare
I am surprised that the ratings for this are so high. It is a film composed largely of talking heads and the on-board camera video of some of the participants. I love the concept of the non-motor race and certainly accepted that just finishing constituted victory. But I did not really find myself engaged with the participants. What were they sacrificing to participate? Did they train? Did they quit their jobs to take on this personal challenge? I appreciated the danger of the attempt but none of this was really depicted. We mostly followed those who completed the trek, but I was more interested in those who failed, like the guy who simply got to scared to continue and demanded to be let off the craft.
Jack Ryan (2018)
Season 1 Rocked and Season 4 Bombed
I used to love Jack Ryan, but by season 4 it had jumped the shark. The exact moment for me came when James Greer (Wendell Pierce) weighing in at some 300 pounds gets stabbed yet agily leaps to a bridge rail and dives about 100 feet into a river. In fact most of the gang is pretty old or fat to be carrying out their super-hero missions in this hero/villain universe. I am not here to criticize an outlandish conspiracy plot or even the ridiculous damsel in distress plot point involving Ryan's rotund girl friend, Cathy Mueller. What most disappoints me is the lack of action in an action series. There are lots of boring shoot 'em ups where the good guys never miss and the bad guys go down with one shot. The whole thing got stale way too fast.
Jack White: Kneeling at the Anthem D.C. (2018)
Straightforward and Unpretentious
Full disclosure-- I am a Jack White fan so I was happy to get a no-frills documentary that primarily focused on Jack's playing. Filmed largely in black and white he delivers unvarnished rock with the White Stripes. There are no dancers, few cuts away from the musicians and minimal material recording his musings and life away from these immediate performances. Too many rock documentaries contain pontifications by music critics, roadies, past romantic interests and bandmates. This has virtually none of that stuff. It delivers a slice of Jack and the White Stripes. If you are fan, or want a tasteful introduction to the music, you will like it. If not, there is nothing here for you.
The Godfather Part III (1990)
Wow, Coppola & Pacino mailed this in
I only recently viewed this film for the first time. I had seen the first two Godfather films years ago and recently watched them again. I did not read an reviews of Coda so came into it with an open mind. I was pretty shocked at how heavy handed this one was. The acting was so poor. Pacino reminded me of every other Pacino character I've seen for the past 30 years. The movie would have been much better served to have another actor play Michael. Sofia Coppola as Mary is stunningly bad and Andy Garcia brings nothing to the table. The movie has scenes which ape the earlier films but throw in a Scarface style massacre for good measure. The "opera" plot element is farfetched and does not connect thematically either.
Allen v. Farrow (2021)
Persuasive and redundant
I believe Dylan and found Woody to be repugnant and utterly selfish. I simply felt that the documentarians had about 90 minutes of real material and stretched it out to four hours.
The Leftovers (2014)
Gets worse and worse
I was interested by the premise and even liked the season structure of moving a few years beyond the great disappearance each season. But as other reviewers have noted, the pace is slow, the characters make such bizarre decisions that it is impossible to engage in them. The dialogue is really bad. I am not at all squeamish about language but the writers hope every character saying "F--k" in every circumstance (around kids, strangers , etc.) somehow adds weight and emphasis to each moment. So the plot goes nowhere, that's a problem. But the dagger is that the characters do not develop even an iota.