ernie-44 Reviews

The Great Debaters (2007)

An Insult to USC

[21 February 2009]

A number of reviews have pointed out that the climactic debate was actually against USC, rather than Harvard. Several pointed out that the distortions of historical fact are insulting to the accomplishments of the original team. The producers have defended their choice with "Harvard is the Gold Standard", as if USC (the national champion) was an unworthy opponent.

Why does nobody complain about this gross insult to USC? How would people feel if they had changed the college to be, say, Morehouse, giving the excuse "Morehouse is the Gold Standard of Black Colleges"? Or if "Chariots of Fire" had Harold Abrahams beating Jesse Owens ("the Gold Standard of Sprinters")?

Call Northside 777 (1948)

Pretty good, but the technology parts drag

[6/10 · 13 March 2008]

Have you ever wondered where scriptwriters got the idea that photographs can be magnified arbitrarily while continuing to reveal further detail? This is the earliest (and perhaps most laughable) example I know of, as we see a newspaper occupying about 20 grains of photo magnified to reveal the date on the paper (without even the excuse of digital enhancement).

If this weren't enough, the plot grinds to a halt as we are forced to watch in agonizingly irrelevant detail not only the technology used to electronically send a news photo but the actual development of the photo (having been previously subjected to the details of polygraph testing).

The Lion in Winter (2003 TV Movie)

Inferiority triumphs

[28 May 2004]

This movie is a rarity: a remake that is inferior to the original in every single aspect. Not only is every actor inferior (even the minor ones). Not only are the direction, sets, music, photography, etc. inferior. Not only do the few changes to the screenplay weaken the production. The remarkable achievement of this film is that every single *line* of dialogue makes one long for the original.

The Music Man (2003 TV Movie)

A Hopeless Remake

[2/10 · 16 February 2003]

Matthew Broderick (one of my favorite actors) is fatally miscast as Harold Hill, pretty much dooming the entire enterprise. (Almost all of the supporting players are miscast as well.) The only reasons to watch this film are the fine singing of Kristin Chenoweth, some good company dancing, and some good period costuming; in every other way, this film is dramatically inferior to the 1962 original.

Barney's Great Adventure (1998)

Inappropriate for everybody

[12 January 2002]

Unlike the TV show, which is quite good for kids 2-4, this film is inappropriate for just about anybody. Very young children will be lost in the plot. And I don't really want to subject my child to slapstick humor (e.g. the sullen boy accidentally stepping on a cow pie).

Mannix (1967–1975)

Better writing than it's usually given credit for

[7 January 2002]

Though mainly remembered for its protagonist being beaten up in almost every episode, this series sported taut, architecturally satisfying little mysteries (albeit with cardboard characters), without the obscure clues and red herrings that make "Murder She Wrote" so annoying.

Mission: Impossible II (2000)

poor

[20 August 2001]

If you like seeing Tom Cruise do things while flipping through the air (fire a gun, kick somebody, integral calculus, etc.), this is the film for you. Be warned, however, that many are performed in slow motion, leaving little time for other cinematic elements.

The Longest Yard (1974)

Ugh...

[13 July 2001]

The whole film is mediocre, but the football game is particularly annoying, filled with bad film cliches (the split screen, the slow motion final play,...). If you want to see football presented with panache, watch M*A*S*H, which predates this by several years.

Poirot: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (2000) Season 7, Episode 1

Complete Disaster (spoiler)

[6 July 2001]

Perhaps the most disappointing of all Christie adaptations. The main point of the book (the arrogant misdirections in the writing, within the bounds of classic cozy mystery rules) is completely lost. Simply keeping intact the dialogue of Poirot's reasoning in the revelatory chapters would have been a tremendous improvement.