penniweninger

IMDb member since December 2007
    Lifetime Total
    10+
    IMDb Member
    16 years

Reviews

Lansky
(2021)

So disappointing
Harvey Keitel's impeccable characterization of Meyer Lansky and great cinematography are the only things saving this film from total disaster. The Actors who played Ann Lansky and Bugsy Siegel also did their best with what they had. The David Stone.role was terribly miscast; he had no screen presence at all. So many other possibilities for that role. The film didn't offer me anyrhing.

Tina
(2021)

Gorgeous!!!!
Beautifully done mix of music, real footage, videos, interviews and accurate history of the life of a woman who became a superstar through her sheer drive and belief in positive outcomes. It left me with chills. An absolute must-watch.

Murder on Middle Beach
(2020)

Disappointing
There are a few really good things about this documentary, especially the use of home movies and editing. Other than that, I was totally disappointed by the last episode. First and foremost, I felt completely cheated seeing that here was indeed new information, but not allowed to see it. It appeared to me to be a cheap way to lead into a possible sequel. Why not just add another episode and share the upshot? Also, with all due respect to Madison's loss and tragedy, I could not help feeling as though he suddenly became whiny (e.g. Angsting over, "what do I do about my father? Do I tell him I'm recording him?" when we are in the documentary and know damned well he's going to find out anyway. And finally, I felt his speeches at the end were more acting than sincere. Too bad. It's a good story.

Krystal
(2017)

Very surprised to enjoy this film
I am not a fan of goofy indy movies but William H Macy is one of my favorite actors. I'm glad I took the shot. It wasn't one of those bizarre, pretentious things, but a funny, followable story with endearing characters. I found myself laughing a lot.

Quartet
(2012)

Simply beautiful
I have never been a fan of opera, but Maggie Smith and Dustin Hoffman are two reasons why I watch films. Both triumph in this gorgeous tribute to music, love and the value of life in later years. Performances by Smith, Tom Courtenay and Pauline Collins are deeply textured and touching. Billy Connolly is fabulous and funny. I loved it.

Private Life
(2018)

Certainly not a comedy, but...
A poignant, heart-wrenching portrait of a couple trying to conceive. Strong and compelling performances by Katherine Hahn, Paul Giamati and Kayli Carter, very natural portrayals of normal people. If you are looking for action, move on, but if you want to dive into the hearts and pain of real people, don't miss this.

Message in a Bottle
(1999)

I wanted to love this movie
I'm usually pretty easy to please, and I like to be positive. So I'd rather avoid a film that isn't highly recommended rather than be negative about it. I hadn't heard good things about this one and was disappointed because I have been a Paul Newman fan my whole life, a Kevin Costner fan my whole adult life. and developed an appreciation for Robin Wright during House of Cards. But the sailboats intrigued me so I finally watched it. Big mistake. The plot is unbelievably predictable and the script is too trite and awful to be real, totally unworthy of actors of this caliber. Should have just You Tubed the boats.

Mindhunter
(2017)

Great
As far as credibility, Mindhunter is to research on serial killers what Masters of Sex was to research on sexual behavior. Brilliant,understated, realistic acting and top-notch direction with a golden film noir glow. The backstories of the characters are not as dramatic as realistic. I loved that I never knew what was coming - except for those delicious moments when you find yourself making the same discovery as a character based on his or her theories. The soundtrack from the 70s reaches beyond the usual most popular number one hits into those that perfectly compliment the story and the mood. I binge-watched the entire thing in a two days and was totally satisfied. This is a must-watch.

The State
(2017)

Well done
I didn't watch this series to be entertained. I watched it to learn more about how radical Islam grows and functions. In that respect, it succeeded, personalizing and putting into context all of the bits and pieces and stories we know about through the media.

As an American non-Muslim, I don't pretend to be able to follow all of the internal struggles in the Muslim world. But one only has to look back at the passion for freedom and self-determination of the colonists in the American Revolution against England to understand the vehemence and fire that drove the four young British Muslims to leave their homes to fight for the formation of the Islamic State. Inspired by their commitment to their faith and further fueled by the claims of glory by duplicitous internet recruiters, they came, pure of purpose, willing to make contributions up to and including martyrdom. But their biggest struggle wound up to be fighting their disillusionment on discovering the truth and reality on arrival. For a good dramatic piece to make its point, it needs to draw the viewer into the characters and their personalities, so I had no objection to some artistic license in their behaviors: if these realities caused repentance or resistance in some situations, that was okay with me. We can acknowledge that some humanity may exist in these individuals without agreeing with them, liking or forgiving them. In fact, I found it made me much more wary of how strongly-principled people can become dangerous when poisonously influenced by a fanatical philosophy. And that was my takeaway, courtesy of a brilliantly acted and engrossing piece.

The Last Tycoon
(2016)

Delicious!
What a well-made, absorbing series! Everything you want in a period drama: first rate casting, acting, script, story and OH, those costumes. I am not much of a Kelsey Grammar fan, but I think the Pat Brady role was made for him. And though Matt Bomer's Monroe was the perfect handsome young protagonist and just invited you to fall in love with him, it was Rosemarie DeWitt's Rose who riveted me throughout. And Jennifer Beals as Margo was stunning. I am not sure if or how Fitzgerald concluded the story, but I loved the ending that leaves open possibilities for more. Treat yourself.

The Keepers
(2017)

Thought provoking documentary
I have always been greatly upset not only by the revelations of child sexual abuse by priests, but, worse, the attempts by the Church to protect their priests over their children. I believe that awareness is crucial to ensuring that we never let this happen again, so I appreciated this well-crafted documentary that gave me more hard, concentrated information about one case, examining the experiences of the victims, the impact on their lives and families, the position of the church, law enforcement, government. I personally believe in the credibility of the victims, applaud them for sharing their stories and their pain, and applaud the women who will not let Sister Cathy's murder be buried and unwittingly uncovered the abuse that I also believe was at the root of it. I see that some reviewers are dismissing their claims and therefore dissing the documentary. Careful here - the fact is that a good documentary is not meant to convince, but to make you consider and think, and this one definitely has.

Jackie
(2016)

So that's what she went through...
For me, the image of November 22, 1963 forever opens with the bright pink of Jackie Kennedy's suit. Believe me when I say that America had a love affair with its First Family. Our First Lady was glamorous and cultured and opened the White House to us as never before. They were our extended family and we were proud of them, in love with Caroline and John-John, and happily hopeful with the future of our country. And when the President was killed, their loss was ours as well. I remember at age ten wanting to go to Washington and hug Jackie and Caroline and John-John and hold their hands. I remember watching every step of Jackie's brave walk, leading the world from the capital to the cemetery, all of us walking right beside her in spirit. Reading in retrospect I have learned so much more about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, what a complex and interesting character she really was. This film, though dark and depressing, has finally allowed me to share Jackie's personal turmoil in those first days. Natalie Portman's Jackie extends her hand and invites us into her head and heart. Deeply satisfying.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
(2017)

Crisp, fresh, hilarious
We've recently retired and are enjoying a lot of television time. The good news is there is a lot of TV available. The bad news is that it can't possibly all be good. At some point as you flick through the options, you can't help but laugh at the absurdity of some of these shows. I get the challenge to producers and artists to fill hundreds of channels, 24/7, I really do. I've learned to seriously adjust my expectations. But frankly, the ones that look promising and don't deliver are more disappointing than the ones that didn't look appetizing in the first place. You get what I'm saying, right?

All that said - don't be afraid to have high expectations of this show. Just make sure you listen closely to the dialog so you don't miss one delicious bit of hilarity which often occurs in simultaneous dialogue at a dramatic moment.

The acting is crisp, the caricatures of a rich New York Jewish family in the 50s are spot on. Rachel Brosnahan is intelligent, independent, strong and funny. Her energy paired with Alex Borstein's drollness leaves me clamoring to find out how this all plays out.

(PS - if you like it, I encourage you to take the time to fill out Amazon's survey which will help them decide whether to continue this series. I'd hate to see it go the way of their terrific series, Good Girls Revolt, which was discontinued after one season because it premiered in the thick of the 2016 election when its primary audience was otherwise occupied.)

Infinitely Polar Bear
(2014)

Lovely movie
I didn't know what to expect, but I've loved Mark Ruffalo in almost every role, and have recently realized that Zoe Saldana is far more than the "It" girl I thought she was. My faith was rewarded. The two were magical in their chemistry with each other and the two delicious actresses who played their daughters. It's a film that reaches into your heart and pulls out the part that wants to hug someone. Perfectly wonderful sharing experience for middle schoolers and their parents.

And So It Goes
(2014)

Very disappointed
I am a sucker for a good romcom, especially when it involves two of my favorite actors. So even though IMDb reviewers gave this title a collective 5.4, I gave it a shot. I was very disappointed. The script is sappy, the action choppy and some of the scenes and scenarios highly implausible, like when Claire explains the whole story of how Luke came to be in jail, in lurid detail,in a mere 90 seconds and Oren's initial dismissiveness of the clients who finally bought his house. The relationships between the characters were not always clear, e.g.m, the realtor who was Oren's grandson should have been Luke's son or nephew but we never got that; he got Luke's story from him on Facebook. Oren's character changed too abruptly. It could have been a sweet little story but it just did not flow for me at all.

Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!
(1989)

Happily surprised
I am not a sequel watcher as a rule. There have been so few of them that haven't disappointed me. But here I am on a cold and rainy Monday night with not much else on, and having just re-enjoyed Eddie and the Cruisers a few weeks back, I finally took a stab at it. In the first twenty minutes I thought the script was weak and Michael Pare was overacting. But as the film moved on, the story deepened, giving the actors more to work with. I loved that the film was made in Canada with many new actors, maintaining the freshness and originality from the first film. And the music is fabulous. The extra bonus for this New Jersey transplanted Jersey Girl were more great Jersey Shore scenes. Some have said the music and maybe even the story are inspired by Springsteen, and that could be, but he didn't have a movie to wrap around him, and John Cafferty's music is soul-satisfying. Long live Eddie.

Across the Universe
(2007)

I just loved it!
I had no idea what to expect from this film; I didn't read Thing One about it because I wanted it to be a complete surprise. All I knew from the commercials was a) it was set to the Beatles' music and b) the cinematography looked interesting. From the minute it began, with Jude sitting on the beach, opening his mouth and singing, a live, pure, quiet, respectfully arranged version of "Girl," I was intrigued. The entire film celebrated the powerful music and lyrics of Lennon/McCartney/Harrison/Starr, and wove them into real characters facing real life, all named - well, I'm not going to go there for fear of spoiling some of the delights of the film. If you know the Beatles' music, stay alert for fun little references to their work throughout. I don't want to spoil it for anyone so I won't say any more, except that the acting, singing, dancing, story, script and graphics were phenomenal. I am buying this DVD because I want to go back and watch the entire film with commentary. Wonderful - even for teens - because while there are sexual scenes and drug usage, it still gives what I feel is a historically accurate picture of what was going on.

I Am Legend
(2007)

IMAX did it for me
This is not my usual genre; had it been a choice on HBO I would probably have passed it up. But this was my first IMAX experience, and you just can't help but be drawn into a film with a great actor whose emotions measure 25 feet on the screen. Smith's acting is brilliant, a heartbreaking interpretation of solitude and menace, his beloved (and beautiful) dog his only light in a nightmare. The flashbacks which outline the events leading up to this condition are lean and well-placed. However, I felt an extreme lack of balance once the woman and her son were introduced. After Smith spent most of the film drawing us into his lonely world, there is a surprising lack of character development in the two survivors he finally finds. The viewer is champing at the bit for their story but all we get is a quick narrative from the mother and nothing at all from her son as far as his perspective when suddenly we are mid mega-crisis and on our way onto the end of the movie. It was the IMAX that did it for me, and the eerie set.

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