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rgerber4
Reviews
68 Whiskey (2020)
68 Whiskey is a sour MASH
After seeing the commercials and previews, we had this show on our DVR schedule as soon as we could add it. After the first episode, off the DVR schedule it goes. As others have mentioned, this is nothing more than a poorly done new millennium version of MASH. You can even tell which character is which - Petrocelli is Radar minus the prognosticarion, the hospital commander is HotlIps Houlihan in her best hard-ass mode, Roback is Hawkeye Pierce without the charm... etc. You even have the classic MASH make-put scenes between Hawkeye and (insert anyone of a dozen nurse's names here), except they took them as close to soft porn as they can get away with on the Paramount network - complete with the actress playing the nurse doing her best When Harry Met Sally moans. This show is supposed to be a comedy - yet there was not one funny moment in the entire first episode. If it's trying to be a dramedy, they forgot the funny parts. And as a drama, it's bleak and uninteresting - the characters are all stereotypes (as are the plot points), and none are redeeming. Other reviews have pointed out the glaring mistakes in regard to reality - but, hey - it's Hollywood - why be accurate when making things up is more entertaining? But, since it is Hollywood, and Hollywood is all about acting - it's kind of hard to overlook the wooden acting this show features. It's like the director told the actors to pretend it's the first table read of the script. That Ron Howard is involved is surprising, because 68 Whiskey sure doesn't live up to his standard. Between the overall negativity the permeates the entire show and the bad acting, it's very hard to care about the characters and what happens to them... and if you don't care about the characters, why watch?
Flight (2012)
Not what it seemed
Flight is not a movie about an airplane crash, it's a movie about a alcoholic / drug addict who needs to hit rock bottom, then sink even lower, before finding redemption. Though finely acted by Denzel Washington, his character has few redeeming qualities and it's flat out hard to root for him, even in the clichéd ending. I also have a big problem with the stereotyped co-pilot and his even more blatantly stereotyped wife. The co-pilot, a devout Christian, becomes worthless during the crash sequence, relying on prayer and basically panicking... meanwhile, totally wasted and fried Denzel Washington (drunk and high on coke) saves the day. Then, later in a hospital scene, the co-pilot's Stepfordwife-esque spouse stand by his side, never blinks, and her only dialog consists of her saying "Praise Jesus" in a loud monotone every time her husband says something. If minority or gay characters were portrayed as such blatant stereotypes, the critics and mainstream media would be up in arms. Other than that, Flight is a pretty good movie - well acted and directed, and hauntingly realistic. The entire crash sequence is extremely realistic, enough so that I guarantee you'll be thinking about it the next time you hit severe turbulence on a trip somewhere. But,before seeing it, you need to be aware that Flight is not the movie the commercials make you think it is, so go in with your eyes open. Oh, and another note: don't take your kids to see this movie unless exposing them to raunchy language (particularly one scene where a drunk and belligerent Washington tells off a recovering addict)and full frontal female nudity is OK with you.