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Haha. The writer just couldn't resist. There are jabs at Fox News, the Death Penalty, the Bible, racist cops, corrupt police, pot arrests, and the law.

People are missing the point regarding the young boy and girl. It's not about whether they are annoying. It's about whether they are realistic, and I think they are.

There are many sensitive, artistic, beta-males who attract dominant girls and women. There are also precocious and petulant teenage girls who think they know some secret about life that makes them cooler than thou.

The gangster guy was very effective with his intensity, as was the female detective with hers.

The writers tried too hard to make the judge character so woke. He hit every politically correct base with a smugness that was hard to take. I don't doubt that such characters exist though.

The dialogue was the best thing. There were some very worthwhile conversations. I especially liked the main kid's mention of his mom's philosophy to "Go deep, not Wide." Meaning it's better to dig into your hometown and your existing relationships, rather than look to travel around and meet a bunch of new people.

There were plenty of decent qualities to this series. I only wish that the father character would have at some point screamed at his son to pull his head out of his rear and grow up.

Cool deer and boat effects. Good acting reaction by Ethan Hawke to woman in distress. The rest was mediocre at best, but I'll try to isolate some points.

It is definitely true that we bring ourselves to vacations and crises. You can't stop being yourself for very long. Even during crises, we get hungry, bored, sleepy, or frisky, and our natural proclivities continue to show.

The points made about distrusting strangers may be more pronounced in a huge diverse society. You probably shouldn't judge a country or its people (America) without context.

If you live in a small country where everyone is from the same background, looks alike and speaks alike, you are probably more likely to trust your neighbor. But not always.

I know that the Obamas helped produce this thing and that they have some complex self-hatred issues about America or capitalism, but if they were trying to make some profound point, they didn't execute well. Because I don't get it.

All I could fathom was that some people are shallow, some professions are predatory, America has made enemies, many people have racist suspicions just under the surface. We are too dependent on technology for general living and for entertainment.

But none of that amounts to much of a grand thesis.

The young woman's piercings and tattoos made it seem like her character was trying to repel people. Or maybe the actress really has those. I found it unappealing. Julia Roberts had on little or no makeup and is in her mid to late 50s, so don't expect the Mystic Pizza version of her.

Ethan Hawke's character seemed like a decent person, as did the homeowner. But the rest were not people you would root for. Not that you must like characters to find a film interesting.

Perhaps the main point was to tell us that cataclysm is always around the corner in today's world. So be prepared physically, emotionally, and practically. Life is short and precious. Make connections with people while you can.

The reason I called this a mess is because of the pacing, the plot holes, and the fake depth. It's slow, almost nothing happens. It's absurd that no one in Long Island, NY would be outdoors, and that no emergency services would be circulating. Meanwhile as mentioned, you will find it difficult to cull any profundity worth making a movie about.

I watched the entire first season. I consider myself to be of above-average intelligence, and I have virtually no idea what happened.

It seemed to be much to do about nothing. One story involves some teenage bullies chasing some kids in the woods. The other involves some overaged college students living as housemates in a mansion. I don't understand the connection. Since the woods-chase thing happened 21 years prior.

Our male protagonist has been through a lot of emotional pain. He has a dark outlook on life. The actor plays it as well as anyone could. He successfully instills a film noir mood to the story. That's what kept me in the game.

The female lead is oddly attractive and has a complex back story herself. I don't know what season it was, but the atmosphere is very grey and dreary.

But at the end of the day, one need be a good storyteller to gain my respect with a script, and this one didn't. It was too long, filled with flashbacks, and supposed intertwining that you'll find difficult to unpack.

There is no substitute for a good and well-told story.

There was plenty of potential to turn this into either an overly sentimental story, or a cheap laugh attempt. But the makers did not fall into those traps.

One may say that George Clooney often plays some variation of himself frequently. Be that as it may, the natural way he came across, including conveying genuine sadness when necessary, yet in keeping with the restraint of the character he played, was very impressive.

The characters went through satisfying and believable arcs, faced relatable dilemmas, and the actors weren't afraid to give fully of themselves.

Jason Bateman was perfection as the smarmy boss with a heart.

But the scene that made the picture for me, was when Clooney's character is called upon to convince someone else that a life of commitment and connection is worthwhile. Despite the choices he personally has made.

The female love interest played by Vera Farmiga annoyed me. But that means that the actress did her job well. Because she portrayed her character as detached from morality in such a convincing way.

I liked the set. It was creepy and interesting. The basic concept grabbed me too. But there were way too many unanswered questions and squandered potential. It was just too lazy.

People say that it was a commentary on mundane suburban life, but the life these people lead was nothing like real suburban life. In real life there are people and activities, friendship, love, commitment schools, and parties, and parades.

These people rarely if ever even theorize about their predicament. They never discuss the fact that their families, including parents would be worried about them. That their employers would be missing them.

I haven't read comments about the T. V., but it may have been a significant prop. Maybe we were supposed to see that the boy was glued to the T. V. and the programming was gibberish. Perhaps this was a commentary on how we lose our children to the tube and its influence.

Let's be honest. Jesse plays pretty much the same guy all the time. Himself. I had never seen the female lead before. She sold her character well. I bought her terror and misery.

There are potentially several explanations for what the makers were trying to say. Perhaps it's a commentary on the precariousness and randomness of life. You make one seemingly routine decision and walk into quicksand, through little or no fault of your own. But the result is that your life will never be the same. Or maybe they are saying that we are essentially alone. At any given moment, some force or entity stronger than ourselves can overtake us, manipulate us, destroy our lives and toss us aside as if we never existed. All of these explanations are of course deeply cynical or even nihilist, and in keeping with a new Hollywood mentality.

A child makes an early observation about how unfair and cruel life seems. A woman shows her connection to children. A man shows his indifference to the death of lesser creatures. Some of these themes come back around.

Irony and absurdity may play roles. As may digging as a metaphor. When you can't find a way out, you dig beneath. Or perhaps digging is a way of fighting entrapment. Or simply a form of useful work to pass the time and give one a sense of purpose and accomplishment.

I didn't hate it the way others did. Miles Teller is often an appealing lead. He makes you want to root for him. I found his character endearing.

There were also some good moments of reality and awakening. One employer who fires him to appease authorities tells him that he's sorry, but excrement runs downhill.

Meanwhile his father expresses outrage at his son's immaturity and gives him a wake-up call about the world of employment. Those were good scenes with smart dialog.

I don't know why film makers feel they need to push the envelope of good taste to the point of degrading vulgarity. Nor why well-known actors would agree to be part of a project that employs such tactics. I suppose they weren't as well known when this came out.

The film makes a commentary about the new generation of college graduates. That they are too focused on having fun and expect a job that will provide it. Hollywood makes films about people from their world of values. Religious or patriotic kids are likely to have a better approach to the work ethic.

Bryan Cranston was terrific. I bought his frustration and also found him hilarious. Anna Kendrick is always down to earth and solid. I could have done without the goofy friends.

Come on! I've watched a few episodes and still have not seen one moment in the classroom. It's like their profession is being a JUCO basketball player. There is no reference to them even being students.

Like I said in my review of the first football season of this series, why do they even need to attend college, if their only goal is to go pro? Just create a minor league.

Meanwhile their college is in an extremely Asian city, (Monterey Park), where everyone who is not Asian is Hispanic, yet these guys are neither.

We don't see any signs of that from crowd scenes. Because there is no coverage of cheerleaders or crowds. Or at least not so far. The culture clash would create an interesting angle. Viewers don't even realize who lives in that part of East L. A.

Another profile of shallow 20 year-olds who think they are God's gift to the world, but in reality are not even that good. Plus a coach with a Master's Degree who talks like he just stepped out of the hood. I don't buy that.

Although at least he's not playing to the camera the way other coaches did in previous seasons.

Let me see players recruited to a JUCO in Vermont or Montana, instead of the South or California. The Kansas football version was interesting.

When they play other teams, we see that everyone has a big man, and various talented players. Not just our profiled team. It's a fiercely competitive world. Even for pastry chefs.

I'd like to see a John Wooden type of coach some time. One who stressed fundamentals. Not dunks.

The opening still framing of a country villa while the credits roll with Hitchcokian music was effectively old--school and pleasing. I got excited for what might be something different than the usual Hollywood disappointment.

I actually believed Jason Segel as a slacker burglar. I did not believe Jesse Plemons as a tech. Billionaire. I think he was miscast. Nor can I picture Lily Collins as the foot-tattoo type.

Nice concept. Poorly executed. The pacing was way too slow, and the lack of character development was a crime itself. Don't make me sit through a full- length film and tell me virtually nothing about the three main characters.

I agree with other reviewers that it started like a Coen Brothers movie, then couldn't decide where to go from there. Switching from gentle dark comedy to menacing cynicism is a weird transition.

Let's be honest here. Almost every Hollywood movie tries to plug in some liberal coding. In this one, the Latino domestic help is characterized as earnest, industrious, and hard-working, while the rich white inventor is a nasty, condescending cynic.

Meanwhile we are supposed to root for the woman.

You will need to tell me more about the tension in this marriage for me to understand the actions taken. You have to work for your money. Write a thorough script. Not a bare-bones one. Come on man.

I appreciate the lack of blood and violence. Old movies would not show it, and for the most part this one didn't either.

The best concept here was one that appears in many stories, as well as real life. How some little mishap. Like tripping, can shape your future. I won't reveal beyond that.

When faced with extraordinary circumstances, people usually act as you would expect them to, based on who they were before the circumstance. Occasionally there are surprises. But usually a brave person reacts bravely, etc.

But most of us never get a chance to find out how we would react, because nothing precarious happens in our lives. For these three lighthouse keepers, something did. Something as simple as encountering another human. One thing leads to another. Such is life.

Sure, we could have used more back stories for all three men, and more time-period context. But this picture was simple and primal. Three men are isolated, a tough situation arises, survival instincts kick in, people make choices, and one way or another, resolution ensues.

The irony here, and I've yet to read anyone mentioning it, is that the good guys took possession of the bad guys' stuff and refused to give it back. Not vice versa.

Do you have brutal violence inside you? Do I? Who knows? Let's hope we never find out.

The photography and setting, the interior shots, the facial expressions, were all top notch. Great atmosphere, memorable tension.

The two older guys had been to the school of hard knocks presumably. But the young guy got an overwhelming jolt out of nowhere. His world turned upside down in more dramatic and overwhelming fashion than for the others. Yet in some ways, he handled it the best.

Many reviewers have discussed the depressed boy character and whether or not the young actor represented his condition accurately. But here's the thing: He wasn't just depressed. He was terrified of life.

This boy was deeply sensitive, and emotionally frail by nature. He was also an only child, used to being part of a team with his mom and dad flanking him.

The divorce simply exposed him for who he truly was. Which was a weak, needy, and frightened child.

Then there is the circumstance of being the son of a powerful and wildly successful father. For a sensitive boy the pressure to live up to his father's expectations or fill his shoes would cause enormous anxiety.

What he was trying to tell people was that he felt overwhelmed by the pressures of life. He wasn't equipped emotionally to handle the challenges of growing up. He sensed it internally and it freaked him out. Previously the only thing that gave him solace was the security provided by his loving married parents.

Meanwhile the father was driven by the need to be a more honorable man than his own father had been. Despite having the same types of professional pressures.

Very virile men, like the stud that Hugh Jackman plays here need a young woman in their life. His original wife got old, and he traded her out for a newer model. It's a common phenomenon. He didn't get a trophy wife per say. Just someone fresher.

I was extremely impressed with Hugh Jackman's performance. Because he was clearly someone so committed to earnestness that it sometimes came across as awkward or forced.

It is also possible that he may have been emotionally weak himself. Which seemed to be what his dad was implying during their brief encounter. It wouldn't be unusual for such a man to produce a child, (the boy), with similar internal qualities.

As others have said, Laura Dern has covered this range before, and always excels. The Kirby gal who played the new wife was impressive. I believed her.

Fear is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. I believe it ruled this boy to the point of near insanity.

Other than one brief mention by an office associate about social justice initiatives related to Jackman's law firm, there were no homages to woke culture here. Nor any cliche uses of violence or sex. I could see that it was a play. It could also have been a movie from the late 70s or early 80s like of course Ordinary People.

Where it failed was in lack of character development. I need to know more about Jackman's character, his dad, his wife and of course the boy. How could anyone not realize this and plug it into the screenplay?

I don't know much about any of the characters in this movie. That's a big problem. Because I finished watching it.

Why would I feel anything other than indifference for them? For all I know the shy kid may have been a horrible human being previously. Why is the older one so despondent all the time?

Why would you need two big stars to play the mothers? They hardly said anything about themselves or their sons. Who was the Sargeant ?

Can you say "cliche?" Hopefully, because this one was filled with them. The greenhorn recruit, the gung-ho southern Sargeant. The Humvee driver playing rock music.

Come on. If you're going to do a war film, you must come up with some different angle or perspective. Because it's already been done so many times.

We already know that war is hell, and that every veteran character thinks he has seen the dark side in some unique way that no one can relate to.

But Iraq was not Vietnam. There probably weren't many jungles, tunnels, tigers, water snakes, leeches, humidity.

Land mines, scorpions and body bombs yes. Got that. I understand that the young one would be overwhelmed. Who let him into combat anyway? Don't they have interviews?

As others have said, the crime committed was so illogical that it blows the mind. I don't believe it. I lived through the whole boring mess to find out what happens, and that's what I got? That's unacceptable.

I actually needed to see some obligatory Christians and patriots. Because I know that they exist. Not every soldier is some lost soul looking for a purpose and a paycheck.

Yet I didn't see anyone who understood what the war was about or felt invested patriotically or spiritually. So sloppy.

I was dreading a forced rendition of Gran Torino. There were some elements of that but not exactly. The Hanks character was much younger than Eastwood. He didn't mind ethnics in the neighborhood either.

But he did have that do-it-yourself, hands-on, engineer mentality that made him look down on anyone who didn't possess his skills.

The flashbacks come out of nowhere. Some may say that they are a cheap crutch in place of telling a story. I could have done without them.

But what was satisfying was Tom Hanks portrayal of a genuinely irritated person, fed up with everything and everyone, including himself. I believed him.

Meanwhile I was cringing about how they would portray the Latina neighbor. I didn't want her to be a caricature. Turns out she was perfect. A wonderful person willing to see the good in others when no one else might.

I also dreaded political correctness with regard to the racial and sexual identities of some of the supporting characters. But although the film makers gave some basic recognition to them, they didn't pander.

This is not a fun picture, but it was thoughtful and tastefully done.

If this was meant to be a light rom-com in the vein of a Hallmark project, then it succeeded. The scenery and the people were attractive. But if it was meant to be thoughtful or at all deep, it bombed.

One goof. Based on the ceremony, it looks like the daughter just graduated from college. But supposedly she is about to start a job as a lawyer. So wouldn't that be law school? Yet her and others keep referring to it as "college."

I don't get the premise. As others have stated, what would be the rush to get married to a total stranger in a foreign country after knowing them for about a month? Was there some pressing need?

Did this handsome young man who just cut a deal to sell his product to Whole Foods Market, not have a girlfriend or any island girls waiting for him? Had he ever been in a relationship or on a date? There is no mention of any of that. So why would he be qualified to be someone's husband?

We know that Clooney and Roberts are on the hard Left as is Hollywood, and to those people, anyone brown and foreign is a saint. I guess that's why not a single person in the boy's family has any objection to the marriage. They are all so wise and spiritual. Only the ugly Americans oppose it.

The groom looks half white, yet that is not explained. He also speaks perfect English, despite spending a lifetime harvesting seaweed in the waters of Bali. Was English a core requirement in that profession? Did he go to college?

So after a brief vacation, the daughter is positive that she wants to spend the rest of her life in a tropical setting with a seaweed farmer. Even if she lives to be 90? What will she do all day?

We see that the Balinese have deep spiritual traditions. What about the Americans? Don't they crave a church wedding? The groom's family are all so perfectly nice and grounded. Even the children. There are no rebels, no dissatisfaction, no angst. No one ever seems tired or stressed, or ailing.

Why would a good looking younger French pilot be so obsessed with a mid-50s divorced American woman? What's his story? Who are the Clooney and Roberts characters? An architect and an art dealer? But what have their lives been about for the past 25 years? What do they believe? What do they come from?

The handful of cliched slapstick moments fall flat. Accidental head butts or bites from animals have been done ad infinitum. No broken nose? No doctor to assess infections?

I didn't sense any chemistry with the young couple. I felt like the guy was just some sort of wooden ambassador for island gravitas via a white face. The young American girl looked the part and had potential, but I didn't buy her angst or her swoon. Because there was little of either.

Since it was filmed in Australia, we didn't even get to experience the real Bali. I feel cheated.

Clooney is spectacularly handsome in a regular guy sort of way. That will work for the ladies. Just don't expect much from the story or the acting.

This is another example of why I have shifted away from Hollywood and toward European projects. Because they are willing to take risks with nuance and pacing, and not just go for the low hanging fruit.

The matchmaker herself is an appealing character. She doesn't seem to have any special talent for matching people, but she's a good listener and a kind "Auntie" figure. Thus, a good person to build the show around.

Several of these people are nowhere near being ready for marriage, and many are clueless about how to interact with the opposite gender. A potential mate is not just a buddy with different plumbing. They are supposed to give off complementary vibes.

One of the problems with these rushed arrangements is that dates turn into interviews, instead of organically developing relationships.

I get it in the case of very orthodox Jews, because their focus is on the religion, and everyone is already on the same page.

But with these modern, essentially secular Indians, I recommend slowing it down. What's the rush? Get to know each other while seeing each other live through a cycle of seasons and conditions. Granted that may seem like a waste of time if it doesn't work out, but something good usually requires an investment.

The production does a good job of introducing many new people and settings to keep things fresh. It was also clever to show us the other matchmaker, with a very different approach. Also, featuring little interviews with older married couples was very effective.

I'm really enjoying the show, despite some cringe-worthy moments.

I liked the overall theme of this project, which to me made the statement that the girl wasn't going to leave her home, no matter what happened. Because home is home, and it is not defined by the bad things that happened there any more than the good things.

She could have solved her problems by leaving town. Anywhere else, people would not have known her as "That Swamp Girl."

Having said that, small towns can be brutal in terms of herd-judgement, being typecast forever if you make a mistake or had something humiliating happen to you, or presented yourself in a way you would like to forget. The town won't let you forget.

But they can also be delightful in the potential closeness of people that develops due to a slow pace and lack of distractions. You see the same people every day in a quiet setting over a lifetime and can really get to know them.

I must have missed something, or maybe it was explained in the book. The girl seemed to go from being illiterate, to being like a professor almost overnight. I guess once she learned to read, she did a lot of catching up quickly.

As others have said, we did not get an eerie sense of what it would really be like to be alone at night in a marsh as a kid. Nor the level of dirtiness and poor hygiene that would result from poverty under those conditions. At least not during the girl's teen years.

We got a better sense of that during the childhood sequence. Both the unkempt lifestyle and the terror of the abusive father.

The film makers could have created a terrifying atmosphere throughout, but they chose not to.

The concept of a popular jock doing what he pleases and dominating the town is true to life. That story keeps playing out in towns all across the country and probably the world.

We are gluttons for punishment. In that we worship what they do on the field, equally worship their bravado in the street, and wind up being their victim sooner or later.

In this case the girl is drawn in by his magnetism, as happens routinely. Even though in her case she probably didn't know that he had anything to do with football or what that even is. Not to be "woke" here, but he was obviously an example of "toxic masculinity."

The courtroom scenes were atrocious. I love David Strathairn, but they didn't let him act. I understand that he was supposed to be a mild-mannered man, but the stakes were high, yet he showed no emotion. There weren't enough dramatic pauses or panning of faces to indicate the dire nature of the whole affair.

There was no profanity, yet surely there would be in that setting in real life. The sex was also PG rated. I'm glad about that, because we don't need to see a graphic depiction to get the idea.

Narration is such a cheap device. I get that this had been a book, so the makers wanted to convey the thoughts expressed in the book, but narration just manipulates us to annoying degree. At least have the character write the thought in a diary that we hear out loud. But hearing them disembodied was creepy and cliche.

I've never seen this Waltz guy in anything. I found him compelling. I understand that others have seen him act in similar roles. But that's what I like about seeing an actor for the first time. I can believe them as the character, because I've never seen them as any other character. It also helps if I have never seen them on a talk show.

His quiet confidence, Austrian accent, sardonic smile, and stiff gait all presented in the appearance of a late middle-aged corporate stuffed shirt was oddly entertaining.

One thing the makers did well is the portrayal of an L. A. hipster start-up atmosphere. The Nat Wolf character was exactly who I would expect to work there. A slacker who inhales pot daily, drinks like a fish, loves video games, and nurses a shallow live-in relationship. The setting is a two-story, neon-lit technology company with an open floor plan, and our characters eat lunch at food trucks or get sushi.

What worked for me was the interplay between the lead young woman who seemed to care about things in general, and the slacker guy who had a history of not caring but is drawn to her probably because of the way she is.

The sexual imagery was gratuitous and very off-putting. But I guess the makers feel compelled these days to shock or flaunt their freedom.

The other reviewers are correct that the plot holes were large and the message vague, but I think the basic concept is that one has to be decisive to get ahead in this life. The ambitious, practical, and focused rise. Our lead Waltz brings that out in others and buries those who fail his tests.

This is part of that genre of indie films about sensitive ineffectual. Semi-loser guys. The ones who can't find themselves and get stuck in one gear.

Frequently they pine for a girl who is out of reach. When the girl shows interest, you have to wonder why. But it's usually because the guy is a good listener and worships her. Such is the case here.

The overly sensitive soundtrack was super annoying. We already get that our protagonist is depressed.

Was it supposed to be a small town? It seems like people knew each other and there was never anyone on the street. Yet it was filmed in the fairly large town of Mobile, Alabama. No one has an accent either.

The most refreshing characters were the male cousin of the girl and the best friend of the guy.

The cousin was a local loser who understood himself but just didn't care. He was funny and ultimately grew.

The best friend was not the typical cocky counterpart to our shy guy. He just had more confidence and a better outlook on life.

The weakest aspect of this project was the very vague back story on our main character. He had a little cooking background, a traumatic experience, and a loser dad. But chances are he would be a dweeb even without these conditions.

I do like the fact that he asserted himself and found some courage when we thought it wasn't possible.

Most of these characters are nice people. There isn't a huge amount of profanity, almost no sex, and no violence.

Usually, I stop watching the minute someone vomits. This picture had a projectile vomit scene that had nothing to do with the plot. I don't know why they felt the need to show it. But I stuck with it.

No one is religious. Their outlooks on life are totally secular. Not nihilist though like some youth-oriented films.

I watched the whole thing, and I don't get it. That's not a good sign. There are too many unanswered questions at the end.

The atmosphere in terms of nature, architecture, and mood was intriguing for someone unfamiliar with Denmark and themes of Germanic folklore mildly interesting. The lead actress is certainly real looking and intense. I did believe her angst.

But I found the sexual content involving her 18-year- old sister disturbing. Especially since she looked 16.

Dreary weather, depressed, mentally ill people, and freaky imager do not make for a good time. Sorry. The payoff was not worth it.

As for the spiritual side, please explain more about what attracts people to the tradition as opposed to what they were raised with.

The two lead actors here are a gaunt, 5'8 man approaching middle age, and a portly 5'10 man in full middle age.

This wasn't Liam Neeson, Daniel Day Lewis, or Hugh Jackman. These are average guys physically. One sickly, and one fat, and neither even close to 6'0.

It might have been harder to sell the plot with one of those larger, more conventionally confident types.

Because many smaller, more modestly built men feel insecure. No one notices them when they enter a room. Other men don't initially fear or respect them. Women look beyond them.

Here we find a pudgy blowhard with an insatiable need to control others and be adored, and a scoundrel obsessed with women and violence. I haven't read any comments that mention the physicality dimension. But my experience lends it some credence.

Some viewers were disappointed by a lack of explanation for what the New Age cult believes. But I'm ok with it. Because the movie wasn't meant to be about that. It was enough to suggest that The Master was offering a way to better master oneself. We don't need to know what goes on in detail at their seminar training sessions.

Essentially this film is about two topics, The angst in men and what to do with it. Are our demons healthy to an extent? Is total mastery over oneself even a worthy goal? And the co-dependent relationship between two men dealing with this issue in seemingly different ways.

Some have written about missed opportunities. I agree. The Master's son thought his dad was a phoney, but he never challenged him. That would have been a great scene. Biblical even. Perhaps he didn't because he needs the financial support of the group, or because he didn't have the guts. Guts being something the Phoenix character had loads of in certain contexts.

It would also have been interesting to see the Hoffman character break down and confess how much he has secretly envied and admired his supposed subject.

Raw masculinity is another element of the film that makes a big impression. The Phoenix character may be unaccomplished in the civilian world, but at least he lives with vigor. He fights when disrespected and fornicates when horny.

His character did achieve something great by happenstance. He was presumably drafted into World War 2. This gave him an opportunity to serve his country, fight battles, travel, be a hero, and be victorious.

That was the source of my favorite line in the film. When trading insults with a weak, nothing character he says to him something like, "I fought in 13 battles on a decorated warship and won the war. What have you done?"

I'm not familiar with this actress. I don't know if her minimalist delivery is her standard thing or specific to this character, but either way, it worked. Because there are a lot of people out there who are not too bright and have no social skills.

They don't have much to say or deep insight, but they know what they want and what they don't want. This character was like that.

There are also all kinds of shady characters in that part of L. A. with zero feeling of connection to America, fellow humans outside their family, or a higher power. It's a lethal combination at worst, a recipe for functional dystopia at best.

I can see a working-class girl from the wrong part of Jersey going to L. A. for art, making a few mistakes, and grasping for seemingly easy money out of desperation. We are all one bad decision away from chaos.

Because if someone annoys you at a store when you're having a bad day, you could harm them out of temporary rage and wind up in jail instantly, while otherwise being a perfectly respectable citizen. There's a fine line between depravity and self-control. We choose.

I am so glad that they didn't take cheap license with sex or violence. There is very little of either one comparatively.

There are some key lines about how far we are willing to go to get what we want, and what it takes to dominate others. The dominator can be dominated at any given moment. Like when a weapon changes hands.

The Director employed good self-restraint all around. As many on here have said, 90% of movies you click on disappoint very early. This one started well and continued on that path.

The atmosphere, acting, and pacing kept me fully engaged throughout. Meanwhile the use of now obscure rock songs to conclude psychedelically dramatic endings of episodes was brilliant. Some of those moments I will never forget.

During most of it I was anticipating a grand spiritual theme about the nature of life and death, morality, free will, evil, and the afterlife. I can't say what I actually got, because I don't get it. The last two episodes attempted to explain all the weirdness but did not succeed in my opinion. I don't get any of it.

Hence, I was left deeply disappointed. It looked like they created this amazing spooky atmosphere and dramatic intensity, then didn't know what to do with it. Then they resorted to a convoluted mish mosh of psychobabble.

This is very significant. All series long the characters speak to each other in their own languages with the other person technically incapable of understanding. A Polish guy would tell his deepest thought to a Cantonese speaking girl, or a Spaniard would gaze into the eyes of a Dane and speak in depth.

At the time I thought it was ridiculous. All these scenes of people passionately speaking to someone who has no clue what they are saying and the listener gazing into their eyes.

But then I watched the special "Making Of" documentary after the last episode and the actors explained the concept. Within context, a person may be able to convey to another what they are really feeling via eye contact, body language, and sincerity.

Communication may be universal in that sense.

In conclusion I loved virtually everything about this project until the last couple of episodes. All you really knew was that people seemed to be going through some sort of apocalyptic nightmare or living in a parallel universe and you felt just horrible for them.

The ocean, darkness, weather, and cavernous ships created the terror. I could do without some of the violence and sex. But most people would consider the small amount harmless.

First, I'll give credit where credit is due. The imagery of a Naval shipbuilding yard across the river from the Naval academy is compelling. Even though apparently it doesn't exist in real life.

As was the idea of a shipbuilder wanting to become a cadet across the river after living in the shadow of the academy his whole life. I like that.

There is also one memorable line about the fact that many people do not join the military or attend an elite military academy out of patriotism. But rather out of the desire to see if they measure up. The patriotism may come later.

Ok, I'm not one who needs every aspect of a film to be true to life. But if you open the film with a speech about only accepting the elite, then you can't have multiple characters that would never have been accepted in real life.

That includes the heavy guy, and our main character. The heavy one for obvious reasons and our main guy because he is not smart and has no proven history of discipline.

Jordana Brewster as a Naval Academy leader? In a word, "No." Please. She is too feminine. Her scenes were cringeworthy.

By the way, reviewers keep saying that our protagonist is from "The wrong side of the tracks." No he isn't. That would be compelling, but it's not true. He has a hardworking, sober dad who is a boss in a respectable profession, and he himself works for his dad in a good paying union job.

The cliches are ridiculous and shameful. We've already seen An Officer and a Gentleman and at least that was the real military, not a college. This whole movie is almost like a Saturday Night Live sketch.

There is so little character development, except for the heavy guy. That was good. But we know very little about our main character and virtually nothing about the girl, the commanding officers, or the father. I need more. What was the Franco character like in high school?

The boxing scenes are perhaps the worst I have ever seen. One guy charges forward with a barrage of body blows. Then the other guy does the same. There are very few jabs, and little or no movement. Like in Rocky or so many other comic book boxing movies, our lead gets beat mercilessly without going down most of the time.

I will make one defense of why the characters do not look 18, even though they are freshmen in college. Franco presumably worked as a shipbuilder for a few years before he got accepted to the academy, and it is possible that some of the others did other things before applying.

This show depicts some characters that are truly devout and sincere in their faith and practice, although in some cases they were made to seem like gullible tools.

Theology and organized religion are more the subjects of scrutiny and to some degree ridicule here.

My favorite character is the African American teen girl, because she reflects what I believe a genuinely religious person would be like, in the best sense. Full credit to the actress for conveying that vibe.

Let's be honest. Christianity and particularly Catholicism does revolve around a half man/half deity and the sanctity of his blood. Some may find that scary unto itself. This show utilizes the blood aspect to full affect. People say it is not a horror flick, but I say it is. I was terrified and still am.

As with many shows and movies I find actors the most believable when I have never seen them in anything else. Such was the case regarding the actor who played the priest. I was not familiar with his work, so I literally thought of him as this character with nothing to compare it to. That's not to detract from his stunning performance.

By the way, the theology, science, timelines, etc. Erhe are hard to follow. For example, who took regular Communion? Who didn't?

The cinematography with shots of the town at night, fire, creatures, was remarkable and haunting. Particularly a shot of this spooky island as viewed from a boat at night.

Yes, as the other reviewers have mentioned, there are many monologues by characters that you wouldn't expect to have the oratory skills. Perhaps people don't talk that way in real life, or maybe some of us just haven't met the right people.

There is one lesbian character, one Muslim, and two African American ladies. That was believable. As was the suspicion with which some of the local Catholics looked upon the Muslim Sheriff.

I knew that all the minority characters would be heroes to one degree or another. I'm ok with that. But it is predictable and perhaps a tad politically correct.

The way the locals parse through their moral consciences and try to make sense of life, love, faith, and sin, was admirable. I would like to see more deep introspection in films.

But the conclusions some drew were predictable for the industry. People are prejudiced, organized religion corrupts, cultural minorities are morally superior, Heaven as we imagine it is probably a false notion, we are one with the cosmos and the Earth, etc.

But heck, without conflict and doubt, it would just be a show about happy Catholics walking around and talking.

There were a lot of good raw materials here, but the makers did not flesh out the characters or back story nearly enough to create a satisfying experience.

We got a taste of different appetizers that we thought might lead somewhere but they never did.

I understand that the father led a morally dubious life and was now dabbling in religion, but he never explains beyond one line.

Meanwhile the depiction of secular Jews' relationship with tradition was sadly accurate according to my experience. A sort of indifference or tacit mockery. One reviewer mentioned anti-Semitism. Probably relating to a scene involving gambling during a major religious service.

What was the original nature of the relationship between our lead character and the woman? Did she choose his brother because this guy left town, or had she already chosen him? What makes one person toe the line of respectability and one give in to his demons? More could have been said about that.

Why was the business struggling? Let's hear more about what it's like to run a small business in today's "Big Box" economy. Who were the laid off workers that used to work for the good brother? Were they trained carpenters, or learned from this family over many years?

What was good was the look and feel of the characters, the street, and the shop. I believed it. It was interesting to see a rugged, 6'1 alpha male as the Jewish lead coming home to Brooklyn. That's original. As was Judd Hirsch as a philanderer.

It was a nice, thoughtful little film, but missing the kind of core writing and insight that makes a nice film a memorable one.

This was really bad. If you want to portray a desperate character you have to show it. Don't hold back. They couldn't decide if they wanted Sandler to be a softie or Happy Gilmore. But if you want him to be a down-on-his-luck late middle-aged loser, we need more grit in his performance. Maybe a breakdown moment about his lost potential, not just a quiet confession.

I'm fine with the believability of his inter-ethnic marriage, but all we saw was his wife peppering him with sophomoric gestures from urban cliches. I don't believe that at their age. Wow, there was zero chemistry there. It was so forced and cringeworthy.

Running through the streets of Philadelphia to a soundtrack to get prepared for a big sports challenge is so derivative it's embarrassing. A stoic street athlete with a temper is not very original. What if he kept a brutally honest journal or he was a poet? That would have been different.

What a stilted nothing relationship the Sandler character had with his daughter. She's supposed to be preparing for college, but she looks 14. Meanwhile he treats her like his friend. When she's attracted to our protagonist they didn't go there. Too messy I suppose.

Adam Sandler as a former Division 1 college basketball player? Please, no.

You could say it's original for the lead kid to not have a love interest. I'll give credit for that. He was kind of shy. You would totally be expecting there to be someone, with it being a movie about a jock. But it's unique and good that there wasn't.

I found it hard to believe that an international scout would not speak any Spanish and then would start speaking fast English with a desperately poor Spanish family and they understood him perfectly. As did the lead kid throughout the picture. Wouldn't he need to take some English classes?

All this was, was Adam Sandler being himself, leading a shy tall kid around Philadelphia, having him try to play basketball with seasoned players. Failing, trying again, failing, then having a good day.

That's not really entertaining. I'll need more story, more background, more motivation, more grit, and way less rap music. Why wouldn't the kid be a prospect for the Spanish pro basketball league?

Boring, derivative, and downright silly.