swmyers

It's funny, I've never really been a big fan of John Cena. Suicide Squad was fine. I didn't really enjoy it until Starro popped up. However, I am enthralled by the character created in this series. I find him incredibly moving. And I have been completely sucked in to the story here. I'll admit, Eaglely is my favorite character by far!

I don't know who is watching this series and giving it such poor marks. I was not a fan of the original Sex and the City. I did, however, enjoy the first movie very much. Not so much the second movie. However, the continuing story of these characters in the series has been nothing short of amazing. The character arcs are interesting and moving. I am overwhelmed with what a great actress Sarah Jessica Parker is. She is nothing short of phenomenal in the series. I am desperate that this season ended at 10 episodes. I need at least 20 more. I never thought I would enjoy this as much as I do. But, it is, far and away, the best series on TV.

I never got the chance to see this film in the theater. But, when it popped up on pay-per-view, I went ahead and watched it. I enjoyed the original musical on Broadway and figured I would check out its film adaptation. What can I say? It was every much the disaster I had heard it was. It was awkward, disturbing, disjointed. However, the next day, a friend was over and said he hadn't seen it. Since I had it for 48 hours, we went to watch it again. I have to admit, the second time around, it was much more enjoyable. Now that I'm over the extraordinarily weird appearance of the film, I could take in more of the musical numbers and dancing. The dancing is actually extraordinary. It's tragic that the incredibly talented people who put their time and energy into this film had it subverted by bad visuals. I would also argue, that the directing is as bad as people say. Rather than relishing any of the musical numbers and focusing on any of the dancing, the quick cuts and edits are almost nausea-inducing. It's a shame because the dancing is really quite wonderful. The few times you get to really focus on it, you wish you could see more. The bottom line is, watch it more than once. Once you're used to the bizarre look and the indecipherable singing, the second time around there's much more to appreciate.

If there was ever a show that you and your teens should be watching, it's Sex Education. I can't get over how well-crafted each and every character in this comedy/drama is written. The stories don't just ring true, they're experiences we've all shared. But we've never seen them on display in quite so honest and forthright a manner. Brilliantly funny, heartwarming, tragic, there is no part of the human experience that is ignored in this sweeping, yet intimate, look at teenage life. An absolute must watch.

This is one of my all-time favorite films! It takes you on such a subtle journey, that you don't even realize how deeply you've been drawn in until the absolutely outstandingly beautiful ending. It is a very quiet film. But, after visiting with this family, I find that by the end, I just don't want to leave. I think the greatest lesson of this movie is that life never turns out the way you expect it. And that's not a terrible thing.

We tend to laud films like American Beauty because they peel away the veneer of idealized American domesticity to reveal lives of quiet desperation. We take comfort in that -- knowing that even seemingly perfect lives are, under the surface, as miserable as we might view our own to be. In Morel's Le Clan (Three Dancing Slaves was the title I saw it under here in the States), we get a truer, less sanitized view of real lives laid bare. The desperation isn't quiet. It's crazed and exposed and all too believable. It's a very masculine film showing how men just do what they do. No apologies and, all too often, no explanations. Yet, somehow, it's relatable and understandable. Yes, it's a slice of pain punctuated with too few moments of what we would call joy. But sprinkled throughout are small glimpses of a more beautiful world. It's not lost on these characters. And it's not lost on the viewer. I found it haunting and heart-wrenching.