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Reviews
The Holdovers (2023)
So good you will put down your phone.
Easily the best movie I have seen this year.
Easily deserving and of an Academy nomination for Paul Giamatti, one of our best actors who all too often has his performances overlooked. He is among that exceedingly rare group of actors both current and past who has never delivered a poor performance in any film I have watched. This film is no different.
The story: a young troubled teen on the threshold of manhood is placed in the care of an older troubled man. Neither is happy about it. Over the course of 3 acts, they learn from one another and each is made a better man as a result.
This is a story that has been done many times before, and when it's done right, produces some of our best loved films. Good Will Hunting, Life As A House, The Man Without a Face, On Golden Pond just to name a few.
If you enjoyed any or all of those films, you'll like this one.
Simply excellent.
The Good Wife: End (2016)
Pretty much a perfect ending.
I just finished binging this series, and while I saw this episode was rated easily the worst, I didn't read any of the comments until finishing. I personally think the negstive reviews are way off the mark. The writers did a fantastic job in wrapping up the character arcs of the two main protagonists, Diane and Alicia. In my opinion ;-). Diane began the series as a fiercely independent woman who would turn on anyone to achieve her objectives. She and Will actually discuss this early in the series. At the start, the office was like two kingdoms ruled by two leaders who worked together, but would immediately plunder the other rulers lands should s/he fall. Diane destroyed anyone who opposed her immediately and without mercy. I could write something about Darwin or alpha predators, but if you've watched this series, you know what I mean. Over the course of the seasons, and particularly following Will's death, she began to value having others in her life. The final two episodes brought this to it's obvious conclusion. The remorse she felt in watching her husband taken apart on the stand she forced him to take, and then the absolute refusal to sacrifice him in order to win at any cost is nearly polar opposite to what we would have expected from the character in the first season.
Alicia on the other hand, began this series as a perpetual damsel in distress. In a lot of ways she was the foil to Diane's character, and her arc was almost Diane's in reverse. Throughout the seasons, she was controlled by the men in her life. Decisions were made for her without consulting her, or with her consent bc it's what was expected of her. This was particularly true with her love life. Again, Will's death was the tipping point. She wouldn't commit to thar relationship bc of sense of duty to honor a husband who did not honor her. Similarly she pulled back from the two other potential suitors presented prior to Jason's introduction. At the end of the series, her arc was completed. The realization that who she was in a relationship with was not only up to her but also her responsibility alone to decide was completely a 180° pivot from the earlier seasons. Her willingness to absolutely destroy anyone who stood in her way was on full display here as well. Not only her having Lucca dismantle the husband of her friend, but also in her final conversation with Canning and the "demure smile" scene w the DA. The damsel in distress or her feeling compelled to being a "good wife" were dead. Again, a perfect conclusion to this character's arc. In my opinion. That Jason didn't stick around has no impact on the end of her journey. I actually think it was solid not to have the Damsel end up with Prince Valiant. No need for a Hollywood ending.
One thing I would really like to rewatch sometime is all the cop show segments Alcia watched. I have a really strong feeling those were a clear outline of both the show and her development. I didn't really pay attention to them enough to say one way or another though.
Overall, I thought this was a strong series, but did think the repetitions of the firm breaking up and reforming were a bit tedious. Seriously. The 3rd yrs left, Diane joined them, they all moved back to the old building, all the old senior partners came back, and the firm renamed itself to the same name it had before. Then they did it again. I also though the Bishop storyline wasn't flushed out enough, and it was a plot hole I wished was filled before the show's end. As a series, I'd give it an 8. This episode though was a solid 10. In my opinion.
Please forgive any typos here. The autocorrect on my phone is possessed!
Flamin' Hot (2023)
Great Flick
Lots of reviews saying it's not 100% accurate. I couldn't care less. I came to watch a movie, not a documentary. This film is fantastic. The actors are believable, the script is strong, it doesn't drag, and the casting is very strong. Casting Tony Shalhoub as the CEO of Pepsi was brilliant. Casting Dennis Haysbert as his mentor was perfect. The comic breaks from reality were great. All around just a good film about a guy having a dream and people around him ready to push him to keep going when he lost belief in himself.
If it's not 100% historically accurate, that's OK with me. It's a great story and a very good film.
Watch it compañero!
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
Iron Man is a transformer?
Overall, not great. The ending was so similar to Avengers, I wouldn't be surprised if they got sued by the mouse. Intergalactic threat coming through a portal, Team of "superheros" greatly outnumbered but protected by massive plot armor, and a wise cracking guy with a goatee in a mechanical suit (Iron Man) Even does the pose! At the end, he's recruited into a super secret organization called Shield. No wait. It's GI JOE? And there's the whole Tesseract I mean shard that everyone is fighting to possess. If the good guys get it, the Mechanical space aliens can't get in. If the bad guys get it, they'll destroy the world. Guess who wins?
It's seriously on par with Dances with Wolves=Avatar=Pocahontas.
If you can't sleep, and have Paramount it's worth watching. Otherwise.....skip it.
The Requin (2022)
Troll 2 finally has competition
If youre like me and really like Alicia Silverstone, you may be considering checking this out since she hasnt been in anything in ages.
Do not do it.
Easily the worst film I have seen in ages. Seriously. It's terrible. Easily as bad as Troll 2.
Hard pass on this one folks.