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Reviews
Painkiller (2023)
Judge it on its own merits
This is not Dopesick, and it doesn't have to be. It's a different telling of the same story, in a different style.
This productions uses a stylized method of storytelling. It takes us through the stories of a young woman who learns to sell Oxycontin, a husband and father who becomes addicted, and the Sackler family,, including the nephew who first makes the drug, Richard, played excellently by Matthew Broderick. He deserves an Emmy for his performance.
The opening of each episode includes a parent or parents of loved ones who died from abusing Oxycontin. As a mother whose son struggled with addictions in hi teen years, they touched my heart. (My son now runs an inpatient adult treatment facility and does outpatient counseling.
While it tells the same basic story as Dopesick, make every effort to watch it as what it is, a different miniseries.
White House Plumbers (2023)
Pure Historic Fiction
With a cast this engaging, I was ready for a fascinating look at the Watergate scandal. Instead, all I got was a farce dressed in history. Instead of a deep delve into Watergate, I got what was intended to be satire but falls far short. It's merely an overacted smear job that desires to make the participants in the break-in look like bungling idiots.
I was a teenager when the events of the Watergate scandal were taking place. I remember being on a college campus for a camp when President Nixon resigned in disgrace. I wasn't prepared to fully understand everything that was going on, so I have studied Watergate in my adult years to gain a better perspective. I had hoped this miniseries would add to that learning, but it is so ridiculous that there is no way it could help anyone understand what happened.
So, some may encourage others to watch this nonsense for the humor. Sadly, there is none. I've seen better acting in a six-year-old's made-up play. It is neither entertaining nor informative.
Run away from this mess. Run far, far away.
Le Cinquième Élément (1997)
Awful and Boring
This made the list of the all-time worst movies I've ever seen. What a mess. I couldn't wait for it to be over. I watched the entire movie and couldn't tell anyone what it was about.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
An Awful Film
I can't add anything to what has already been said. The high score on IMDb is unbelievable, as if I had seen a different movie.
A few of the voice actors, notably Bill Murray and Owen Wilson, actually put in some effort while reading their parts, taking on their characters. But Clooney, Streep, and Schwartzman just seemed to be reading their parts.
While based on a children's book, the movie is not something I'd want a child of mine to see. It's too dark and even, at times, violent.
If you are reading this to decide if you want to watch this movie, use the 90 minutes to do something fun, like scrubbing the grouting the shower.
The Lottery (1969)
Unforgettable
While the production quality of this short film is lacking, especially by today's standards, the impact lingers. I first saw this film in American Liturature class my Junior year of high school. I have never forgotten it. Thirty-eight years later, I am still wanting to know, "Why?"
Viewing it today, in 2015, I think of the personalities and reactions of the townspeople; as a member of one evangelical church and an employee of another, I relate these people to members of the church, and the impact their beliefs and decisions have on the rest of the congregation. As an individual, I question why I have hung on dearly to some traditions, and how selfish it can be to do so. Which doesn't mean that all tradition is bad - we just need to carefully examine why we do what we do.
Watch this film without critiquing the cinematography or getting caught up in the outdated fashion. Just get lost in the story - it's amazing how easy it is to do in just 17 minutes.