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Reviews
Hairspray Live! (2016)
Painful to watch
Awful audio, cheesy product placement, constant cutting to "The audience", camera crew seemed drunk. Dov Cameron was pretty awful.
So much talent show so little of it. Kristin Chenowith, who I was really looking forward to, seemed weak in the Baltimore Crabs number. And sadly I don't think it was because of her performance as much as the audio/camera issues. Ariana Grande played her character quietly, as would be expected of Penny, however she was too quiet for a live show.
It felt like they hadn't done a run through together and there were no sound checks.
Best thing to do is skip watching the entire thing and just look for clips of Jennifer Hudson's performance.
NBC enough already. None of your live shows were worth the money you spent on them
Quantico (2015)
Mediocre
It's kind of fun but a little too ridiculous to fully engage in. IT's one of those shows I sort of watch while doing other things.
The casting is odd. The lead was clearly chosen for her looks she is quite stunning to look at. However, the acting seems to be off. And her accent seems to change occasionally. The rest of the cast is all over the place as far as acting quality.
The make up department seems to think it's realist for the women to always look like they just refreshed their hair and make up no matter what the situation.
Some of the "twists" were obvious. The writing is a bit uneven.
I neither hate nor think it deserves the great reviews it is getting.
Zoo (2015)
Is there an E List now?
I can suspend disbelief for only so far. A crazy concept and I'm good. Off the wall bad science I can do. But you have to give something to make it work. Well written scripts, great acting, interesting characters can do a lot for a show. If we had gotten at least one of these I may have held on longer. But this is truly terrible.
Also, if the french chick is really from France why does her accent change all the time? And why does she get crazy eyes at very random times? Oh and the only reason I gave it the extra star is because they didn't do the usual move and kill the black guy off right away. Though it might've been kinder to the actor if they had.
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977)
Read the book
If you've already read the book this film is a disappointment. If you haven't read it you are better off skipping the film and getting the book. The film removes too much of the book and basically makes little sense.
The film implies that Deborah's urethral cancer caused her schizophrenia. Which does a disservice to both the book and to the understanding of schizophrenia. Her other world is quite boring in the film and much richer in the book.
The cast is a good one which is why it warrants stars at all. And they do a good job at acting with what they had to work with.
Music and Lyrics (2007)
Insipid, not inspired
This is the most boring movie of the decade. I saw it free and that was more than it is worth. There are no interesting characters and the plot is weak. The main characters allegedly fall in love yet they have no chemistry. It is listed as a comedy yet there were no funny lines nor funny scenes. The presence of Kristen Johnston and Brad Garrett could not save this. Even they had no funny moments, which makes one wonder if the screenwriters went out of their way to make this boring. The screenwriters seemed to be in a competition with the songwriters for the worst writing. Both lacked any originality, both had nothing to grab you. All the actors seemed to be sleepwalking through the film. It felt like they believed their names were enough to carry the movie so they didn't bother to put any effort into it.
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
a devout atheist viewpoint
I was impressed. And startled. I have not been following all the hype on this movies and have read virtually nothing on it. I have heard that it is allegedly anti-semitic. I did not find this to be the case. I did however find the choice of a white Christ to be blatantly racist and Mel's reinforcement of the Madonna/Whore view of women blatantly sexist and inaccurate.
However this all aside the cast was phenomenal. Their acting was quite moving. To me one sign of great acting is how well an actor can tell a story with their eyes and facial expressions. If I had not read the subtitles I would still have felt moved by the performances in this movie. I hope the controversy does not keep it from receiving some attention at the Oscars. The costumes, make up, the sets - at least for these. I highly recommend this movie.
In the Cut (2003)
Why?
Meg Ryan has finally chosen to step out of the safe little box she has chosen. It would have been a great move had it not been for her choice of films. Her character, like the others in the film (and the film itself), is boring, predictable, and lacking any real depth. You will know the outcome in the first 15 minutes of the film. If you choose to see this film bring a pillow or be ready to walk out like most of the audience.