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Scrooge (1970)
A believable redemption
Albert Finney's Scrooge delivers a gradual and believable transition from embittered miser to redeemed elderly philanthropist. As fantastical as this ghost story is, Finney somehow makes us believe this dramatic, overnight transformation could actually happen.
In general, I'm not a fan of musicals. But this one is barely a musical in the traditional sense. Most musicals stop the story to offer a barely-relevant song and dance routine every so often. Scrooge waits a bit before the first musical segment and when it comes, it's part of the story instead of an interruption to it.
Most portrayals of this character are far too serious. This one comes with more than a little humor. The pre-redeemed Scrooge is as much an unintentionally comic figure as he is a pitiable one. And I can assure you that you will find the spirit of Christmas present hilarious, along with multiple colorful nineteenth century English characters, each of whom contributes their portion of the message with amusement as well as emotion.
Another example of this humor plus story is the Thank You Very Much musical sequence. This is where all old Ebenezer's debtors gather to sing a rousing song of gratitude to him for his wonderful unnamed act. Everyone except Scrooge himself understands that this action was not a magnanimous contribution to a good cause, but instead, his leaving all his debtors free from their obligations. . . Via his death. When he awakens to find himself still alive on Christmas, we cannot imagine any way he could remain the miserable wretch he was.
But most of all, unlike most Scrooge portrayals, Finney makes us FEEL it with him.
Replicas (2018)
Takes lots of suspended disbelief
It's possible to enjoy this film... IF you're willing to overlook several obvious plot holes. Most of these can't be described without spoilers.
But here's one spoiler-free example. If you can download and store someone's consciousness as data, can't you store that data for an indefinite time?
Keanu is often touted as an exemplary human being. But even most fans don't consider him the greatest actor of his generation. He was as good as you'd expect. Other performers were at least credible. In other words, not so consistently bad that you blame the director. Direction was fine, or at least not as bad as the script plot holes.
Despite it's flaws, I found it entertaining. You can decide whether to say "well that's not plausible" and move on, or yell at the screen in rage.
If you choose the latter, don't say I didn't warn you.
Genius (2016)
It could've been great
It usually works well when British actors play Americans. In fact, they often do US English so well that no one would guess they were Brits if they didn't already know.
This film is a case in point, with one important exception. The reverse is almost never true. I've never heard an American actor deliver even a passable British accent, with the possible exception of Meryl Streep.
The Americans usually overplay the accent, making it immediately recognizable as fake. That's exactly what Jude Law did with the Southern accent. It almost ruined both an otherwise exuberant performance and the film as a whole.
Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman both did a flawless job. But to be fair, they didn't have the added challenge of duplicating a regional American accent. Still, the prominence of Law's overdone inflection was grating and made an otherwise great film difficult to watch.
Maybe some day, an American will manage a believable British accent and some Brit will do an acceptable Southern US one. But it's not to be found here.
Nomadland (2020)
Lots of real moments
My advice, ignore all 10 and 1 star reviews. 10 stars are supposed to mean flawless. 1 star should mean the film did nothing well, not script, acting, direction, cinematography, etc. Very few films fit either category, yet most films reviewed have plenty of both, including this one.
If you like action movies with car chases and buildings blowing up every 12 seconds, you will not like this film. I fail to grasp why any such movie fan would even give this film a shot. Yet many did, and predictably gave it 1 star, calling it "boring," when it's clearly not going to be an action-packed thriller.
You learn nothing from reviews that imply it's one of the worst films in the history of the universe, nor from gushing reviews that think it's among the best.
If you're fine with slow ambiance, gritty reality, careful composition, and interpersonal relationships, there is a lot to love in this American journey. The real people do a good, and sometimes excellent job.
Still, this film does none of these these things flawlessly. The relationships and character development do not go very deep. This could be seen as understandable in a film about a nomadic lifestyle. But it still detracts from the experience.
The visuals, while often beautiful and well thought out, are not consistently so. This might be called an art film, but it's not quite one of those in which every shot is meticulously composed.
Finally, the lead character is so standoffish, especially to the one who reached out to her the most, it's hard to feel what drives him to continue extending his hand.
Still, if this kind of film appeals to you, you will most likely find this example entertaining, thought provoking, and emotional.
The Stand (2020)
Less than perfect adaptation
Stephen King's novel is a complex 1000 pages of subplots with lots of characters. That's why the decision to present the story in multiple timelines is a baffling one.
It's difficult enough to grasp such nuance. Throw in multiple flashbacks (wait, was this one BEFORE they headed west?) and the production becomes impossible to follow for those not already familiar with the story. Watching with my wife, who had neither read the book nor seen the 1994 miniseries, I kept having to explain what was going on.
Once the flashbacks are over (several episodes in), this production settles down to a fair adaptation. But still inferior to the earlier miniseries. Casting was not as on-target. Characters like Trashcan Man and Tom Cullen were not as effective. Greg Kinnear is usually good, but too young for the role.
Most of the acting was sub-par as well. I was not impressed with Amber Heard's lifeless performance. While Laura San Giacomo's '94 depiction of Nadine was sometimes over the top, it was still more entertaining than Heard's. The only actor who really shines is Alexander Skarsgård, who was delightfully menacing as Randall Flagg. Multiple lackluster performances leads me to wonder if the direction was at fault.
A bigger failing occurs with the character of Larry Underwood. I don't mind that they cast a black actor if only they had shown one of the most appealing aspects of the novel. Book Larry was a total jerk at the beginning. A most rewarding part of the story is seeing Larry realize this, struggle to be better, falter, but gradually become an improved version of himself. This production made no attempt to show the character's growth arc. The actor (Jovan Adepo) did fine but the script was lacking.
With all its flaws, some of the magic of King's good vs. evil fantasy was retained, hence the 7 stars. But if you can find the 1994 version, it's a superior adaptation.
The Stand (1994)
Excellent adaptation
Stephen King's novel is complex. 1000 pages of subplots with lots of characters. This story could only work as a miniseries. And this one works. Gary Sinise plays Stu Redman very close to how he's depicted in the book, as do most of the characters.
In fact, most of the novel is portrayed accurately in this production. For example, book Larry was a total jerk at the beginning. A most rewarding part of the story is seeing Larry realize this, struggle to be better, falter, but gradually become an improved version of himself. This miniseries did a pretty good job with this.
If you enjoyed the book, skip the 2020-21 miniseries version of this story and watch this one. It's a far superior adaptation.
If you have not read the book, it's even more important that you hunt down this 1994 version, since the later miniseries made the baffling decision to tell the story in confusing flashbacks instead of watching a disaster unfold and a new civilization emerge.
The Circle (2017)
Basic "Evil corporations rule the world" drama
Perhaps slightly better than most films of this genre, or the broader "conspiracy theory thriller" genre.
The problem with so many of this type of film is that, even though they are essentially fantasy, many take them as gospel. To be sure, there are companies like the one in this film, but there are also people who assume any corporation, once successful, becomes automatically evil.
In fact, corporations are not made up of evil aliens, they are humans. So, like all humans, some are jerks, a few are exemplary, but most are somewhere in between.
This is an okay film that drags a bit in middle. The message of disappearing privacy is real enough, if a trifle overstated. The Circle can offer a certain level of entertainment, as long as the viewer realizes that it's fictional hyperbole, not a documentary.
Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou (2015)
Who is this for?
I've never seen anything so stupid in my life. Worse, I can't imagine who the intended audience might be. You can't be older than about fourth grade to appreciate the silly attempts at humor. But the nudity and adult themes make it obviously intended for adults. Adults with an IQ of 12 perhaps?