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Through Black Spruce (2018)
Great acting, awesome backdrop, slim storyline and...
Oh Where to begin, where to begin.
I've been generally interested in Native American/indigenous people's movies - there's so few of them and it seems to give us a glimpse of the American past, however grim it is. And therefore I set out on Black Spruce the first instance. The actors and actresses looked amazing, the scenery was great and the story seemed to have some meat to it - like a proper thriller!
The shock eventually sets in - it's slow moving. Really slow. One of the aspects that I noticed immediately and confirmed later was how slow the lead actress speaks, with gestures and facial expressions. At first, I chalked this up to the Cree custom and culture, but it gives an different impression on the lead character - that she is not particularly the smart one, and incapable of dealing with the things that are set out for her, namely solving the disappearance. This should have gone away once the story picked up, and gains steam leading us on a wild chase to the truth..that was my expectation. But, the feeling that the lead actress never matched the demands of the story line never leaves, and leaves us deflated and angry at the end.
I beg to ask, why did the makers of this movie demand I spend an hour and a half of my time? Is it because the Tanaya Beatty was a showcase? Did we get to know more about the Cree? Did we solve a crime? Yes, a seemingly bad guy was shot, and that justifies it? I'm sorry, it wasn't just enough!!
The feeling that I mentioned above - that she is incapable of solving never leaves and we end of goading and prodding her to do something? Nothing came. The night club scenes were a sham, her interrogation of Geeta, the former room mate reveals nothing, the photographer just ends up whining, the mother is distraught, the lead male is lost - and at the very end I really hoped Brandon Oakes's character would put the button on it after all. Maybe Suzanne came back? And he met her along the way, things went sideways for reasons that were not his fault..yet we see his anguish of losing his family, but nothing else. It could have been a springboard, to save the twins..but that was too much expectation.
Overall, great acting, awesome acting, but storyline has no meat in it. What a downer. Nothing to see here, unfortunately. Move on.
Seven Seconds (2018)
Emotionally draining, No results, Pathetic Characters.
First off, starting from the very first few scenes...welcome to the new normal - A Women, Looser, Drunk, Not-smart, Apathetic, Prosecutor. We've seen plenty male leads do this sordid but frequent characterization of a police proponent, but watching a women portray it was painful. Right from the first scene, I'm held at gun point by the sorry tale of a young boy, against above said looser-prosecutor. My brain is yelling - get the f up women, and do your job that you are trained to do. Many a time, we are reminded by the lead KJ that the name 'KJ' was given to her by her dad, because if sex were not the underlying factor in choosing her, she would be on par with males to get high-powered positions, which may explain where she is now, but would completely and utterly get her fired right after her first attempt at solving the case. Because, she is a stupid looser. KJ says it - 'I destroy everything I touch'..and we're gonna be on her side because of it. Why? You destroy 'cos youare lazy, brainless and drunk all the time.!! But don't wake KJ up, 'cos she thinks she's a star waiting for the right moment to shine..If only!!
I do not know who bungled it. Veena Sud - I regard her highly because of her 'The Killing' fame, who produced it and most likely chosen to remake this Russian drama, her director or it could just quite have been the actress of the main character- Clare-Hope Ashitey. I saw her in 'The Feed'. She's good at one thing - staring into the camera and mouthing off dialogue without any expression or feeling. Her dialogue here does not carry any weight whatsoever...not in the least, the court scenes. And she has mastered a trot, a little four feet trot that's Clare hallmark acting trait. She just walks, four feet no more, every scene!! This character could barely keep up with the street, and now she is single-handledly holding court??...Nothing, not a single court scene is memorable. The defense lawyer, Gretchen Mol completely demolishes her, every time!! It was hard to watch.
And then came the real reason why this series is named 'Seven Seconds', in the very last episode - and that seals the conviction??!! It's too little too late...
I have to say I stuck through because of Michael Mosley's character Fish. I completely believed that in-spite of KJ's drunk, lazy and professional ineptitude, Fish would somehow save the day. But no, that was completely taken away with Nadine...poor, innocent, young 16-year old Nadine, gets whacked like a fish in barrel. Just for one instance, she looks clean and pretty - and she gets whacked dead. I mean is there no respite. And completely to her stupid character, KJ ignores the incident, no questions get asked. And we're like to believe this?!
Anywho, I completely digress now...KJ, completely killed it for me. I said that too many times. I hear this series is cancelled. Good. No more drunk, lazy, stupid, whoring cop...the stereotype barely works for a male, but for a female, I just threw up. Please KJ. Glad you are gonna be dead too.
Blade Runner (1982)
A poor backdrop, a revealing eyesore to an otherwise brilliant undertaking!
I'll just tell you the truth..this is a movie that I had heard and has been in the back of my mind for many many years..never got around to watching it. I was too young when it came out but I do catch up with some that have outlived their welcome. This one definitely did. Being a fan of Vangelis, I came across the soundtrack and my heart started pounding...I had to watch this!! My excitement mounted and my heart is beating fast as starting credits rolled..Vangelis is cluing me in to the Los Angles of 2019...But then, Harrison Ford stepped in, too wooden to move and too stoic to act, utterly bored to the core. I am wondering at this time if this movie is what it says it is..But then something else happened - the visuals! During the initial sequences, the city is presented at the very zenith of technological innovation and I was expecting that this would ensue.The breathtaking opening scene is a mood setter, is it not? But this was not to be, and therein lies a serious flaw in this movie...which had the immense potential to be a classic, but denigrated itself to be a cult. There is a difference...a classic has passed all accounts of cinematic standards..its beat them all. A cult on the other hand is one that is well liked by many...no reasons given. Most times, the reasons are flawed and this one belongs in that category. Not to digress, but the visuals that I aforementioned - relegates itself to old age cyberpunk,gets well-ingrained into a marginal subculture and becomes the centerpiece of the movie. The character is sidelined, the story goes awry, and the dreary shots of everyday urban Los Angeles, in not-too-distant future gets in your face and repeats itself with staggering consistently. The movie makes a point that despite the technology and the development, there is generally no hope for humanity. The future, my dear friends, has to be depressing and morose, especially for the poor. There is hope, but not for everyone, definitely not for the working class, not for the good only for the technically adept, the rulers of the future. This echoes consistently and is driven home at every turn that Deckard takes..it's always staring in your face like deformed face, wanting you to notice the ugliness, to accept that there is nothing pretty here and you better accept it.
When Daryl Hannah,a street whore stepped in and covered herself with papers on the street side...I gave up. Blade Runner,inspite of all the expectations and heart pounding excitement that it garnered within me..had let itself down. And I so..oh so desperately wanted it to shock me with sheer brilliance. But this is another attempt at science fiction, when Ridley Scott was learning his trade. At this juncture, a cinematic genius would have concluded that there is nothing that this young lad can look forward to. But alas, Scott has proved everyone wrong..but not with this one. This one needs to be forgotten!
A special mention of course - VANGELIS!! How could a score go so under-utilized? The genius that this score was, should have more than carried the movie...given the right back drop. But Vangelis is no match for the depression-era Los Angeles, cleverly disguised with neon boards and poorly masquerading itself to be 2019. What an eye sore!!
While it may be be unwarranted to do so, I take the liberty to contrast this to the science fiction movie of my time - The Matrix. It asks the same questions - What is humanity, can we beat the forces that control us, can we survive this onslaught, is there love, is this life worth it? It answers it too. The difference is - it sets a backdrop where your mind takes hold of it,takes a stand, and root for the good guys. It allows you to recognize yourself- that you are as vulnerable as Neo and yet can do something to change the world. It buys you in. Blade Runner on the other hand, keeps you aloof and at arms length, never opening the door for you to enter the LA of 2019. If does not allow you to emote,to participate, to root for, to empathize. The back drop does not allow this. It says "stay away"...every which way it can. While there might be a cult following - multiple viewings, and reading into the flick for more that what it's worth, or going away with questions that even Deckard does not ask..is not being faithful to the spirit of a movie. If it takes multiple viewings to 'get it', it should be a sitcom and a 2 hr flick!!
The Fall (2013)
Excellent engrossing drama..poor detective and police work.
Gillian Anderson is more a therapist with a sexual urge on the side to keep her going. She feels emancipated having sex when she is in control - a kind when a star detective gets after solving a case. She is cold, slow and deliberate towards the victims and always alive, refreshed with men around her, and attracts an odd women too. Therefore much of the story revolves around her living her life and the killer is on the loose. She gets off elsewhere while is the case is running rife! The twain have never met - not even in mind...yet. After a few episodes, there aren't many substantial leads that this so called 'SIO' has. This is drama at its best - I have to give credit where credit it due....but hurts my intelligence to watch it. While I prefer and still watch Euro crime drama a lot more to American ones - this is is overrated. Having Anderson as lead was a mistake, IMO. Daring close ups reveal the wrinkles on her face - showing experience, none of which have boiled down to the story line..more on to the bed! X-files was enough with pretend-police work. She should use her talents elsewhere instead.I had high expectations, but this one seems to deliver little less...Maybe, just maybe if she gets off more solving murders...it would turn me on!!
Fringe (2008)
Comic series...eh?
One look at the pilot and the following two episodes proves that it is show is acutely stinted towards comedy..Let me elaborate...and it mostly points to writing and acting. The actors, to begin with, do not have a good grasp of the crime to begin with. The protagonist women(Anna Torv) is in a perpetual state of hysteria, like she's going to have an asthma attack after being overwhelmed by her job. She always has this look - that she is going to sh!t in her pants anytime. The guy, the son of the scientist(Joshua Jackson) has no reason to be there to begin with, at-least what was given seems entirely improbable ..that he is going to chaperon his father, ends up being the main cast for the rest of the show - no other reason follows as to why he has to stick around that long. The best lines and the best work go to the father(John Noble) of course..he's the brain behind the operation and quite playfully so. He has fun doing it. And carries the show - no reason that he has to be branded the mad scientist helping out, there's not too much that makes him mad, except his lack of discipline on his way to slumber.As I said - Poor writing. Also,coming back to acting..both Anna and Joshua are eye candy...and they know it and act it. That's the problem with hiring eye candy to do detection- They want to be pretty all the time..and end up sucking at everything. In the end, the actors did their part, did what they were told to do - in the final analysis..when it all come together on the editing table, things got put together like Frankenstein. Yes it works...only barely so, and it is out of shape, convoluted and bizarre. The smooth, sensual flow of a good story - premise, expanding suspense, analysis and legwork and a mind-blowing climax - is just not there.Enjoy it for what it is. 10 for production,8 for photography, 2 for acting and 1 for writing...and obvious debacle if you notice it - 0 for editing.
The Glades (2010)
Prediction action-hero detective series with no action and detection
I have been through half of the first season and it's getting a little repetitive. Having been a fan of Dexter for a long time, the obvious similarities are uncanny - the girlfriend with a child, her husband in prison, a Hispanic partner, an even more ethnically-diverse female boss,set in Florida,a sex-obsessed-nerd forensics intern..the list goes on. But I digress, let's get back to the show... The reason why this is repetitive is as follows and repeats itself with regular and stupefying precision.
A murder is found early in the episode, the hero is there the next hour, talks in fast-tones with his partner, a stop at the hospital to get in- depth pointers on the case from his female love-interest that always sets him in the right direction, confronts all parties in the case and has deep hear-to-heart conversations about why and where...they are always available and willingly oblige (he pulls out the badge on everyone before that happens though, so we know there is good reason for this), threatens at-least three parties of the crime to have them arrested if they don't come out with the truth, revisits the crime-scene multiple times and keeps finding evidence somehow not found the first time, and eventually confronts the killer on their own comfortable turf, and explains to them in detail how they committed the crime (like they didn't know already..), cops waiting in the wings ready to pounce on cue and finally every episode ends with the requisite end-of-the-day heart- to-heart with said love-interest in heightened sexual tension...almost always ending with an impasse..with one always wishing it to be something more. But you have to realize it never will be!
It is predictable- that's the word. There is no conflict here,no humanitarian issues to deal with, no emotions from the victim's perspective as there is never the next-of-kin involved. Bad guy hiding in plain sight. All clean and proper, fast and nerdy, all conflicts of life resolved with quick quirky conversations that ends with said hero having the last word. This is a detective series without detection and drama, this is Dexter's poor bastard-child comfortably cleaned up for clinical viewing. Enjoy it if you can. I am able to cos there is nothing else on TV and there I go..predictably revisiting Florida, the detective capital of the world.
One Eyed King (2001)
Watch The Godfather for the 456th time and you have your time spent meaningfully.
Another mob movie based in new york..very few have succeeded at it. This one bites more than it can chew, and gets choked in the middle and dies. The narration starts like it is the history of the gangs of NY-with the civil war,and ends in the 90s..and thats where the story begins. Seriously??!What are we supposed to expect...?! Never has a movie aspired to be so much and delivered so little. The movie is lost from the start - its got too many characters, too many settings,everybody has an angle on everything...it all adds up to nothing in the end. Five guys were hustlers from when they were 10, but now do not have access to a handgun?! Therefore Dennis got to steal a canoe to pay for one? As I said, it doesn't add up. The side stories make no sense - Frankie's sister(the elongated wedding was unncessary),then Helen who does a about face in a cab,the union scenes(where was that going?!),the hundreds of thousands of bars that they hang out in(I know they all gotta be cool like that)...feels like this movie wants to tell the entire new york irish mob story in less two hours - and it fails. Nothing happens until a predictable end(howz that for a story line?). Save your time, and watch one of the Godfather movies for the 456th time and you have your time spent meaningfully