jpdanzig-152-383072

IMDb member since September 2011
    Lifetime Total
    10+
    IMDb Member
    12 years

Reviews

The Banshees of Inisherin
(2022)

Strange, Unfunny Allegory
This film really left me scratching my head.

The Gleeson character's actions seem to come out of left field right from the git go.

I thought perhaps it would be revealed that he was suffering from dementia, but this was never suggested or confirmed.

Some have claimed the film is a dark comedy, but if so, it's one without a single laugh.

Finally, I read a review suggesting that the film -- seat in 1923 -- is an allegory for war, as the Irish Civil War rages on in the background.

This might explain why it makes so little sense, but for me it fails entirely as a character study.

On the positive side, the performances are fine, and the cinematography is breathtaking.

Still, an Oscar contender earning uniformly rave reviews? I don't think so...

The Nevers
(2021)

Great Mise en Scene, Baffling Story
The acting, sets, and costumes in this Victorian-era SF series are superb, but the story line and scripts will befuddle all but the most astute viewers.

After viewing the first season, I don't know that I've ever encountered another series with so many WTF moments.

You know there's a problem when a series needs both a companion podcast and "behind-the-scenes" segments to clue viewers in on what in the world is going on here.

If the series continues beyond the first season, I hope the writers will work to clarify matters rather than double down on the obfuscation...

True Detective
(2014)

Too Much Melodrama
The first season is probably the best so far, with great turns by Harrelson and McConaughey. The second season was a boring, confusing misfire, and the third is somewhere between the two.

My disappointment here concerns all the time spent on cliche character backstories rather than on investigating and solving unusual crimes.

IMO this series would be much better with more of the latter and far less of the former... This would probably cut the length of each season, but that would NOT be a problem, given the evidence to date...

The Staircase
(2022)

Excellent True Mystery
I found this mystery series, based on true life incidents, absolutely fascinating.

Did writer Michael Peterson kill his wife Kathleen?

The answer is left to the viewer: we see three equally plausible scenarios from the police, the defense team, and finally an observant neighbor.

There are stellar performances from all concerned, with special shout-outs to Colin Firth, Toni Collette, Juliette Binoche as a documentary editor who falls for Michael, and Parker Posey as an assistant DA.

Apparently, the film makers took some liberties with the secondary story of the documentarians who were filming the Peterson family and trial in real time back in the day.

This is regrettable, but it doesn't negate the power of this series as it details the actual case and its players.

Two thumbs up!

Station Eleven
(2021)

Slow Going
I could watch Mackensie Davis in anything, but this ten-part series really tried my patience.

In truth, although I made it through all ten episodes, I was glad when it was over and I could get on to something else...

Among other plot points I obviously missed here was the significance of the graphic novel from which the series takes its name.

Why did this book so captivate its readers?

Darned if I know, and darned if I know why this series garnered such good reviews. Perhaps the Shakespeare performances gave the story enough tone to please reviewers...

Phooey!

Pal Joey
(1957)

Acquired Taste
If you're someone like me who is resistant to the alleged charms of "ring-a-ding" era Sinatra, you may want to pass on this movie, despite the beguiling Rogers & Hart songs and star turns by both Hayworth and Novak.

Suffice it to say that the producers shamelessly give Joey a darling terrier puppy to make the narcissistic creep more palatable to audiences.

Ugh!

Caroline in the City
(1995)

Cartoon Characters
Lea Thompson is as charming as can be here, but even her best efforts are undone by the dopey and unlikable cast of characters surrounding her.

The peevish artist... the nasty girlfriend... the fool on skates and his boss Caroline's ex... the Mario-like Italian restaurant owner. It's hard to find anyone to admire on this show except Caroline herself, and then she obviously has terrible taste in men.

Actually, Salty the Cat is okay...

I sat through about two seasons of this feeble farce and then just couldn't take any more, though I'm desperate for half-hour comedies to watch on Paramount Plus.

The Courier
(2020)

Moving, Historic, Excellent
Why in the world didn't we hear more about this movie when it came out instead of all the usual sequels and bombastic superhero garbage?

This is the best recent movie I've seen, hands down.

Based on a story of historic importance -- when the US and USSR came to the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis -- the movie distinguishes itself across the board with superb direction, acting, sets and costumes.

All involved should be very proud of this singular achievement...

Meek's Cutoff
(2010)

Sleeping Aide
The time I misspent watching this film was the longest hour and forty minutes of my life.

I knew I was in trouble right from the endless opening shots, which are beautiful but, shall we say, LANGUOROUS in the extreme?

How this interminable trek through nowhere wound up on some critics' best Westerns list is a mystery Sherlock Holmes would be hard pressed to solve...

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
(2015)

Yikes
Why is it so difficult for movie makers to create good large-screen adaptations of beloved TV shows???

U. N. C. L. E. here is another example of a pathetically failed effort that pays little attention to the qualities viewers loved about the series.

In this would-be origin tale, weird back stories have been invented for the characters that were never part of the series canon.

Ilya is done the worst injustice, as he is here transformed into an oversized KGB brute with anger management issues.

A new agent is introduced in the form of Alicia Vikander, whose character is as unappealing as can possibly be, with the one exception of a scene where she does a drunken dance to Solomon Burke's classic "Cry to Me."

And, like the Mission Impossible films, this U. N. C. L. E. Effort doesn't make use of one of the greatest theme songs that ever accompanied a TV series.

Really -- if you're going to make a movie of a TV series, don't discard the elements that viewers loved about the original. Frustrating in the extreme!

The Twilight Zone
(2019)

Submitted for Your Rejection
Apparently there are no writers these days on the level of Rod Serling, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, and the other giants who made the original TZ the classic that it is.

The problem with Peele's TZ is the stories. They just stink. CBS did well to can this turkey. Yuck!

Mank
(2020)

Mank Misfires
The making of Citizen Kaine -- and William Randolph Hearst's efforts to suppress the film -- are fascinating topics, but somehow all gets lost in a meandering, unfocused script.

In addition, Gary Oldman is badly miscast as Mank, who was some twenty years younger at the time of these events than the actor here portraying him. Oldman also lacks charisma in the role.

Amanda Seyfried -- as usual, the best thing in a movie in which she appears -- shines as Marion Davis, but again her part here amounts to little.

On the positive side, the mise en scene and black-and-white cinematography are superb and more than adequate to the task of transporting contemporary viewers out of the miseries of Trump World and back to the miseries of the Great Depression, Hollywood-style.

In sum, classic movie fans will have to consider Mank a swing and a miss...

Split
(2016)

Awful
Who in the world keeps financing Schlemeilian's movies? Really, this dopey would-be psychological thriller lacks credibility from start to can't-come-soon-enough finish. How an actress as talented as Anya Taylor-Joy got talked into appearing in this claptrap boggles the imagination. I have to believe that someday her participation in this film will be an embarrassment to her, and a mistake she'll never make again...

John Carter
(2012)

Great Effects, Weak Script and Cast
It appears that the producers put most of their money into the effects here, probably the hoards of horned, green, four-armed Martians on display.

Alas, the producers consequently cheaped out on the cast, notably the guy who plays Carter, who looks good but lacks the spark and charisma that a young Harrison Ford, say, could have brought to the part.

A flatfooted script and muddled plot don't help matters either.

In sum, one can easily see why this scifi epic fell flat at the box office and earned such mediocre reviews.

Boston Legal
(2004)

Pathetic
What a ridiculous show. Every one of these lawyers would be disbarred in a minute for their illegal antics. The show is also leering and vulgar -- cameras constantly swoop up and down attractive young female associates and interns displaying ample cleavage -- while the cigar-puffing senior partners are fat, smug, and licentious. Boston Legal can't hold a candle to the Good Wife, which shows how a truly smart show about the law should be done.

Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi
(2001)

Not All That
This animated film is pretty to look at, but IMO it was endless and rather meaningless, at least to this western viewer.

Perhaps this film holds meaning to those cognizant of Japanese mythology, but although the protagonist is changed by her strange adventure here, there seems to be no moral lesson to be learned other, perhaps, than "act with kindness toward others." John Lasseter admires this film and its maker, but then he brought us the three "Cars" films, so what does he know? At least the first Cars film had a discernible message..

Okuribito
(2008)

Masterpiece
This is quite simply one of the greatest films of all time, poignant, funny, and immensely moving.

It is a profound meditation on love, life, and death, told with extreme and remarkable economy.

I won't say more, so as not to ruin any surprises for first-time viewers, but IMO this film should be at the very top of the lists appearing recently of "Greatest Films of the 21st Century."

The Last War Crime
(2012)

Out of Shoestring
The people who made this have their hearts in the right place, and I for one certainly agree that Dick Cheney should have been indicted and tried for war crimes, along with Bush, Rumsfeld, Rice, Powell, Gonzales, and anyone else responsible for lying America into the Iraq War and then supporting the use of torture.

But this is such a low-budget production, it's really pathetic. At one point, they even use a CGI limousine instead of a real car.

It's unfortunate they couldn't have sold the script to a producer or studio who could have made this film on a proper budget with some name players.

As it is, the amateur nature of the production undermines the importance of the message.

The Good Wife
(2009)

The Best Show Ever on Network TV
I'm going to cut to the chase and say that after having watched almost the whole first four seasons of The Good Wife, I think this may be the most subtle and sophisticated show I've ever seen on network TV.

I had been put off by the title and theme of the series -- ho hum, another scorned woman, another lawyer show -- but I gave the show a try and was hooked by the very first episode.

The writing and acting are simply superb. The law cases are fascinating, and the political twists and turns gripping. Throw in some sex and a good love triangle, and you have some must-see TV.

The proof of the pudding is the astonishing cavalcade of A actors who appear in guest roles. Brian Dennehy, F. Murray Abraham, Michael J. Fox, Amanda Peet, Parker Posey, Wallace Shawn, Judd Hirsch, Mamie Gummer, Edward Herrmann, Kyle MacLachlan... the list goes on and on.

As for the main cast, Julianna Margulies, Archie Panjabi, Christine Baranski, Alan Cumming, and the others are brilliant in every episode.

The only caveat is this is NOT a show for people with ADD. The scripts are so tight you need to pay attention, but your focus will be rewarded in spades.

If there were more shows like this on network TV, the medium might not be considered such a vast wasteland. Now what can we do with all those dopey comic book movies dominating the silver screen?

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