frankiem40

"LAX" is a drama series, and I use the term lightly, wrapped up as a 45-minute hip-hop music video. Not as thoroughly absurd as HAWAII but that's not saying much. The premiere episode ran the gamut of A to B on the believability scale – giving us heaping doses of every possible airport movie cliché we've been privy to since the days of black and white television. Over the top theatrics, sophomoric writing, choppy editing and unnecessary time-lapse photography all add up to an hour of mind-numbingly, boring television. If this is the best the boneheads at NBC/Universal can offer up as first-rate entertainment then were all in for a very long and miserable television season.

If this series is supposed to be a representation of compelling dramatic television for the 21st century then please turn back the clock. HAWAII is a drama series, and I use the term lightly, wrapped up as a 45-minute Ludicrous video. The episodes thus far have run the gamut of A to B on the believability scale – giving us heaping doses of every possible island cop-cliché we've been privy to since the days of HAWAIIAN EYE back in the 50s. Unrealistic characters, over the top theatrics, sophomoric writing, unrelenting quick-cut editing, bad CGI effects and unnecessary whoosh photography all add up to an hour of mind-numbingly, boring television. This series is so atrocious that I'm surprised Aaron Spelling's name is nowhere to be found in the credits.

A worthy effort sabotaged by a script that self-destructs after the first 45-minutes proving once and for all that Friedkin and his monster ego should stick to directing and not writing. There's a simple tool accomplished writers possess and it's called structure, something the director has never been able to fully comprehend. After a solid start all that's going through the viewers mind for the rest of the film is (A) What the hell is going on? (B) Why are we saddled with one of the most annoying and obtrusive soundtracks in cinematic history? You can't really blame Wang Chung for the latter, after all, what did the filmmakers expect from the man who gave us Dance Hall Days? I guess Tangerine Dream was unavailable.

This film definitely has its moments (good overall performances, cinematography) but otherwise is a missed opportunity.

I absolutely love this film! The Car is a guilty pleasure if ever there was one. True, the dialogue is weak at times but the performances are all first rate and believable. No over-the-top special effects that take away from the action, The Car moves along at a nice pace ending with a rousing old fashion movie chase. I also like the fact that throughout the entire 96 minutes Brolin doesn't once spout any trite tough-guy lines like... "I'll be back," thereby ruining the tension and reminding the audience that he's performing for the camera.