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Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Well done backstory...
I can (sort of) see why the low-raters went Medieval on "Solo", but I disagree with them. The acting performances were really good, and that alone should have raised their ratings out of the two and three range.
What I thought was great was the attention to detail that Alden Ehrenreich brought to the role. His mannerisms and even voice were spot on and really reminded me of a young Harrison Ford. (How are they going to work in the under-lip scar?)
The Emilia Clarke character was complex despite the holes in her back-story. Perhaps the details are coming in her back story (to the back story)?
Yes, the whole almost-drag-us-back-into-some-sort-of-black-hole scenario was ridiculous, but I forgave it because it "explained" the "Kessel run in under 12 parsecs" back story, and the "rounded down" quip was great.
Thanks Ron Howard for the attention to detail and I can't wait for the (no doubt) Solo sequel. Bring on the back-story with Jabba the Hutt!
A Quiet Place (2018)
I am speechless ... at how others can give this film 9 and 10 stars
This film is a classic case of "we just have to make a film about that premise", however what the people involved didn't do well is figure out how to cover all the plot holes the premise was always going to introduce.
The introduction is moving and sets up the premise well, however I started to realise the lack of care that would be taken later in the film when I realised that I was being asked to believe that a four-year-old (left to walk by himself at the rear of a family in a dangerous situation) could get two batteries inserted in a toy. Even if the kid could do it, the chances would be only one in four of getting the batteries oriented correctly. Why didn't the creature come back to hunt the father based on the sound of his running footsteps?
So it's possible to kill the creatures with a gun? Okay, then ... with gun ownership in the US being about one per capita, surely the creatures would have been wiped out long ago by having provided the population with the target practice they must secretly crave?
So a family with kids survived whatever (unexplained) apocalypse occurred prior to the film's beginning, but the army didn't?
So the creatures have no vision and super-sensitive hearing? What about a sense of smell?
So no one talks in their sleep or snores (or has farts)? Do toilets flush?
So the creatures can rip though a metal grain silo, but not instantly get into a truck to get at the two kids inside? And out of interest, how do you harvest a field of corn without making a sound? How do you remove the kernels of corn from the cobs and get them into the silo?
So they have to play Monopoly with crocheted pieces (to avoid noise), but the sound of a truck rolling down a hillside is okay?
I think that would be shortest labour in history. I'm pretty sure the timeline in the movie is continuous enough to prove that she only had three or four contractions. None of that annoying 30-hour stuff for her!
Would the hearing aid really have broadcast with enough power in the right frequencies to affect the creatures that much? Would those frequencies have been reproduced by the microphone system? Who knows? Perhaps. To be honest, I find the similar resolution based on the playing of Slim Whitman's "Indian Love Call" in the film "Mars Attacks!" to be almost as believable.
Why not spend most of your time living behind the waterfall? Why not set up a remote-control noise maker on the lawn and set up position on the porch with a shotgun? And I'm sure that I'm only scratching the surface when it comes to solutions.
And there were too many horror-movie clichés: intensely irritating sounds at crucial moments and terror originating just outside of shots tightly centered on actors.
The cocking of a shotgun just prior to the credits screams sequel. That really would leave me speechless.
I will say that I thought the actors did a fine job. No problems there. If you want to suspend disbelief entirely and just let horror clichés wash over you for ninety minutes ... this is the film for you.
One Foot in the Grave: The Trial (1993)
Brave, but succeeds...
This episode is a brave episode because it succeeds against the paradigm of every other sitcom episode in the history of television. Richard Wilson (via the writers) carries off the episode by himself ... which is the brave bit.
The episode won't be to everyone's taste, but it must be seen in relation to the other episodes in the series. The agony that is Victor Meldrew's character is clearly on display, but the number of events he needs to navigate wins the day. I especially like the scene where he tries to solve the cryptic crossword (haven't we all been there?).
To other television episode writers: perhaps think about how an episode like this can succeed before adding other characters and events?
Minder: A Number of Old Wives Tales (1984)
Another one of the memorable episodes of Minder
It's hard to comment on this episode without spoiling it – so I won't. Suffice to say that this is one of the better episodes of Minder, in which all of the characters are at the peak of their acting game.
A nice aspect of the episode is that there isn't an undercurrent of Arthur-versus-Terry; instead, it's Arthur, Terry, Inspector Chisholm, and a number of other characters versus the one rascal (who's hard to dislike, despite his diabolical actions).
The series is well known for the nicknames given to the occasional characters and "Confident" is especially appropriate in this episode. The longer the episode goes, the more cringe-worthy and entertaining it gets. Enjoy!
Minder: Dreamhouse (1982)
An excellent example of the cast of Minder at their peak.
I've watched every episode of Minder many times, but this episode has always been a favorite. It won't mean as much to anyone who hasn't had the Arthur/Terry relationship intricacies cemented by watching the previous episodes, but what is especially endearing to this episode is the guest appearances and side plots.
Roger Sloman, Richard Griffiths, and Wanda Ventham are all wonderful and convincing, while the sub-plots of Arthur's love life and his hopelessly-incompetent business dealings are true-to-form and entertaining. The interaction between Waterman and Griffiths is something special and enjoyable. The series is renown for portraying Terry's suffering at the hands of Arthur's business dealings, but this episode excels because it allows Terry a brief moment of enjoyment and escape ... before a return to his usual tightrope walk between victim and hero.
Yes, the ending is a little muddled, but as for many Minder episodes, the journey is greater than the destination. This episode's journey shows a cast entirely comfortable in their roles, and is a destination in itself.