What a Ride it was. I re-watched this Show starting the 28th of December last year (where I already watched the Show during 2017 but somehow got stuck in S3 or S4 - i forgot). So, I had to finish watching sometimes. Now, i felt more attached to this Show for personal reasons since I am on the brink of a divorce myself. And being the father of two kids, I felt heavy emotions watching the Whitney - Noah wedding scenes. Also what made it so powerful was the excellent choice of score for this final episode. Or: for the flashmob 😉. Where the Pixies' 'Velouria' did a geiser for 'Halt Catch & Fire', the Waterboys' "The whole of the moon' did cause to roll tears from my eyes. The end scene with that flash forward of Noah in 2051 nailed it. This was what this Show makes it so powerful and imho underrated : it is basically all about how real life (relationships) can be.
Reviews
4 Reviews
Class Act
(2023)
Solid, but where's the "La Vie Claire" episode?
19 November 2023
I had some reservations about "Tapie" before i started to binge-watch. But I must say, that it has surprised me so far (3 episodes to go). A nice built up of the story, cinematography is okay, and the acting is good. Based on my own youth as a teenager in the 80s, I had heard of Bernard Tapie. So, I knew about his liasons to sport. Not so much about his involvement in politics - that's why I enjoyed those episodes the most. But, what I was really disappointed about, is that the series only show his succes with Olympique Marseille. But totally left out that other big universal sport he got involved in: as a sponsor / financer of the La Vie Claire cycling team. The iconic Mondriaan colors of red, yellow, blue, black and white squares and world famous cyclists as French own Bernard Hinault and Greg Lemond as the "poster-boys". 1985,1986 Bernard Tapie's La Vie Claire won the Tour de France - the biggest cycling competition in the World. These were iconic years in Sport. And not a single reference of it: why? A big miss!
Velouria....
28 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Rewatched this episode after 6 years. I forgot how incredibly marvelous that Atari party scene was. When Joe and Cameron first make fun of Bob, then refill the refills while the Pixies' velouria blast out of the boosters, and finally Cam confronts Donna - making her point she looks back in anger of the past 4 years while Donna is looking for reconciliation. The genuine appalled look on Cameron's face : just wow. And the camera zooms out from Donna after Cameron left the room with Joe. The pain of 4 years is so harsh.
But the Pixies really made this scene and therewith this episode top notch. And the triangle-relationship between Joe, Cam and Donna is so overly present in that scene.
But the Pixies really made this scene and therewith this episode top notch. And the triangle-relationship between Joe, Cam and Donna is so overly present in that scene.
Once Upon a Time in America
(1984)
One of my All Times favorite
19 December 2004
Warning: Spoilers
The first time I have seen Once upon a Time in America was on TV - the 3hrs 47 minutes (european) long version. Somehow I subconsciously had an association with that other Sergio Leone's epic: Once Upon a time in the west, but only because of the similar use of the title - Once upon a time in......I had only heard of the movie before, and had read the plot as described in the TV-guide, so i was aware this was a gangster's movie and not a western. After that first time I had not the idea this was one of the best movies i had ever seen (the slow pace of the plot is often discussed and I guess it did annoy me a little bit the first time). But being a film adept I watched the movie the next weekend again and I already got really intrigued by the plot and the director's choice to cut the film in non-chronological style. That's why this is a typical movie you have to see at least three times. Now I believe the movie deserves to be rated 'a masterpiece'.
As it comes to the plot i also compared the film with the Deer Hunter -In both films you can see how a very close relation/friendship between a group of people can be very harshly torn apart due to either the evil things of war(in the deer hunter) or different ambitions between two characters (Max's ambition to be part of the rich elite and Noodles that wants to stay in the stink of the gutter....) Another similar detail between the two movies that - until so far - in no comment was noted is the score at the end of both movies: As well as in the Deer Hunter as in OUATIA, you hear 'God bless America', in the Deer Hunter, Meryl Streep starts to sing because they seek comfort with each other, and in OUATIA you hear the original version.
Finally, Robert de Niro's performance is again impeccable - probably one of his best besides Taxi Driver (1976). James Woods also shows his best performance like all other actors in a supporting role. I do not agree with the critic-asters that underrate the movie because of its length and slow pace of plot. In my opinion the slow pace is a strength of the movie which you can indeed only value after you have seen the movie several times. The slow pace contributes to the built-up tension (Noodles nerve-breaking slowly stirring his coffee when he returns from holiday and max deviates the pay-off)perfectly shot by Leone. Due to the slow pace the eventual impact of some of the scenes (and especially the last scene at the 1968 reunion at Secretary's Baily's room) makes you left behind appalled.
I rate this movie as one of my all-time favorite top 3.
As it comes to the plot i also compared the film with the Deer Hunter -In both films you can see how a very close relation/friendship between a group of people can be very harshly torn apart due to either the evil things of war(in the deer hunter) or different ambitions between two characters (Max's ambition to be part of the rich elite and Noodles that wants to stay in the stink of the gutter....) Another similar detail between the two movies that - until so far - in no comment was noted is the score at the end of both movies: As well as in the Deer Hunter as in OUATIA, you hear 'God bless America', in the Deer Hunter, Meryl Streep starts to sing because they seek comfort with each other, and in OUATIA you hear the original version.
Finally, Robert de Niro's performance is again impeccable - probably one of his best besides Taxi Driver (1976). James Woods also shows his best performance like all other actors in a supporting role. I do not agree with the critic-asters that underrate the movie because of its length and slow pace of plot. In my opinion the slow pace is a strength of the movie which you can indeed only value after you have seen the movie several times. The slow pace contributes to the built-up tension (Noodles nerve-breaking slowly stirring his coffee when he returns from holiday and max deviates the pay-off)perfectly shot by Leone. Due to the slow pace the eventual impact of some of the scenes (and especially the last scene at the 1968 reunion at Secretary's Baily's room) makes you left behind appalled.
I rate this movie as one of my all-time favorite top 3.
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