Change Your Image
peterantonrev
Reviews
Jade (1995)
David Caruso... Umph... Urp... BAAAARF!!!
Sorry, DC makes me sick. He is not from or on this planet. I don't know what he is. An android? A zombie? I swear I could pass my hand right through him without any sensation. Seeing him on screen is an affront to my emotional stability. I will FF through this recording and NEVER record anything with him in it again.
Supergirl (2015)
The challenge and failure of portraying Supergirl's breasts
I compulsively started taping the series and got almost 10 episodes into it before I took a close look at the production. It took me a while, but I finally realized what was bothering me about it. I was obsessed with Supergirl's breasts - what of them there are! Mind you, I'm a breast man to begin with and therein is the rub. Try as I might, I just couldn't see them although I knew very well they were there. The costume designers obviously had a mandate to undersell her sexuality, unlike Wonder Woman, for example. Her blouses/shirts were cut in such a way that the only hint I had of anything but a slight swelling were the small pleats that looked suspiciously like breasts and nipples, but were angular like little triangles rather than nice and round. In fact there are no round lines anywhere. This anomaly in addition to the attempt to bring Supergirl's secondary place in the family front and center finally put it to rest in my mind and I abandoned watching and freed up 2 tapes for other shows.
WUSA (1970)
Rickety bridge that falls off a cliff - How can that even happen?
The drama between Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward carried this film for me until the arena scene. Newman idealizing to the crowd during utter chaos is the most unlikely and disappointing scene I've ever seen in the movies. It all broke down at that point for me. Like actors playing on stage on a sinking cruise ship, the floor fell out beneath them. Successive scenes seemed as in a dream or suddenly a reel from another film was being shown by mistake. Don't waste your time on this travesty of an abortion. You'll wish you had gotten drunk at your local pub instead. There would be better conclusions there about the state of the country and world than you'll come away with from this film.
The Sound of Music Live! (2013)
Totally worthless
It didn't take me but a few minutes to come to a judgement about The Sound Of Music Live! I think the BIG problem with the show was, in short, Carrie Underwood. She has little to no stage presence nor acting ability. No use of facial expressions nor body language. She sounded like she was reading her lines from a teleprompter for the first time, relying only on a cheezy smile to make her an "actor." She is the lead character for God's sake! Did they choose her only for her singing voice? Or that she in some general way resembles Julie Andrews (physically only, of course)? I stopped watching, and recording, it after 10 minutes at the most, it was that awful. So I have no review about anything else about the production, except to say that Mother Superior was the only real star I was aware of.
The Swimmer (1968)
{Your name here}, This is your life!
Whenever I think of how to answer the question, What is your favorite movie?, I am overwhelmed with the possibilities and I just stop thinking about it. There are just too many considerations. I don't know if I have ever watched The Swimmer all the way through or at least don't remember it due to its straightforward (even rudimentary, although very engaging) film techniques and imagery, and lack of sensationalism. I've had it on tape, recorded off the TV, for some time now and always put off viewing all but snippets of it for some reason. Today I finally decided to watch it in its entirety. Well, it could well be my favorite film of all time. Go figure! It is a spooky portrayal of my own life or at least of my character and the interface of my dreams and reality.
Once in my 20s, I was living in an old farmhouse with two other guys and we were having a party one summer weekend. At one point, I got tired of socializing and just walked away into the fog of the countryside and one of the guest's dog followed along with me. After a while, the dog turned back (just like Julie Ann Hooper) and after a while I was too far to turn back before dark so I crashed in an ex-girlfriend's car parked in her garage. In the morning, her guests drove me home to the end of a journey very much like Neddy's. I was confronted with my life which had played out before my eyes as I walked through it. This isn't a fantasy product of of some writer's imagination. It is a stark portrayal of life and how we can live it without being fully engaged with it until it slaps us in the face. This may seem like a spoiler, but nothing can really describe the subjective experience of watching The Swimmer. Everyone will see it from their own life point of view.
If you haven't already, watch this film! And don't try to critique it or analyze it. Put yourself in Neddy's shoes (or lack of them) and let your mind wander as he does through the "river of pools" that is his life and find out where you have been... and end up here in the now that is your life. Think about the key people in your life and what role they have played. Think about what you have meant to them. Think about who you are, where you have been and where you are going. This is not a move, but a window into the experience of the human soul in a life among other human souls. And check your pockets to see if you haven't misplaced the keys to your own life.
The Carrie Diaries (2013)
NOT a new TV series I will automatically write off
Two negative reviews to one positive. Time to check in. I had an odd schizophrenic feeling (intrigued by the romance, but put off by the neurotic woman stuff) about Parker's Carrie and never really got into it. So I was biased going into Diaries.
The pilot played twice tonight back to back and I started a recording on the first hour not sure if it was a two-hour pilot or an immediate repeat. I had reception problems so bailed out and was going to abandon my interest but just watched the second playing in real time as long as it was there. I was captivated almost immediately.
For one thing, I think AnnaSophia is cute as the dickens as well as a compelling actor having just seen her in Bridge to Tarabitha. But beyond that, I thought Diaries was even truer to the Sex in the City theme than the original, if that makes any sense. There's something about the innocence of an origin back story that's more interesting than the ongoing series of contrived situations that all seem the same from week to week. The acting in general is easy and realistic without all the jargon and cultural quirks of much of today's TV.
Prime time television dramas and situation comedies generally tend to all have the same smell to me like dumpsters and garbage trucks have no matter what people throw away. Diaries seems fresh to me. I may well lose interest somewhere into the series, but I am going to put this on my recording schedule and look forward to a new addition to my core viewing listing.
Un autre homme, une autre chance (1977)
Slice of the Old West
This was not a stellar film, but life and films aren't always galactic experiences. If you want to go back and spend some light time in the 19th century American West and France this is a nice bit of time travel. I'm confused by the opening scene because it stands all alone and is never resolved. I would have expected a flash of light and a trip though a worm hole and an eventual return to modern times. But that would have been a different story, I suppose. Once back in time the story, ambiance, characters and storytelling style kept my attention nicely. Of course, I'm a fan of James Caan, and the chemistry between him and Geneviève Bujold was very touching and not overdone. In fact, nothing was overdone. It's just a good, understated love story.
The January Man (1989)
No redeeming qualities whatsoever
I agree with Stephen Rose (Criminally Negligent Filmicide.) In his word it's "dum"! I'd use another 3 letter word: sad, just sad! Kline's hokey and stereotypical New Yorky street accent is what bothered me the most. I wouldn't have watched it past the first 10 minutes except for the fact that I finally got it recorded after 3 attempts due to technical problems and had to get it out of my system. This film would be great for a 10 or 12 year old if it weren't for the violence and adult themes. And those with no critical sense at that. I find it unbelievable that the strong cast would agree to be a part of it. Must have been a bad year for work.