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Reviews
Grimm (2011)
I like it
While it may not be the best show on the air, I definitely like this show and hope it is renewed for many more seasons.
I've only seen a couple of these actors before, but they do a good job.
The characters are likable, though they could use some development. The menaces are interesting (I really need to learn German). And the basic premise, that there is another world behind the world we see, is great.
I'm particularly interested in how Nick is slowly changing the perception among the Wessen of what a Grimm. Witness his evolving relationship with the Eisbeavers, as well as his friendship with Monroe and, by extension, Rosalee.
I'm hoping Monroe's relationship with the Fuchsbaue, Rosalee, will heat up.
I'm also waiting on the imminent danger of the Verrat and an explanation for what kind of game Capt. Renard is playing (as well as what kind of creature he is).
Brainscan (1994)
Underrated and enjoyable
I saw this movie when it first came out in the '90s, and watched it again just last night. I have to say it was even more enjoyable the second time around. While the supernatural aspects of the story are invaluable to the plot, the true horrors explored here are psychological and moral. It is very similar to what some theologians call a "dark night of the soul." Here, the protagonist's personal choices in dealing with awful and unprecedented situations that are leading him slowly and surely to a terrible fate and ultimately clarify for him what is truly important in life. The protagonist, Michael Brower, wallowing in fear and self-pity, obsessed with horror, finally learns what terror really is and what he must do in order to deal with it.
I hesitate to call Brainscan life-affirming, but there are important lessons here, nevertheless, for those who call see them.
Fringe: White Tulip (2010)
Walter meets his soul-mate
This is my favorite episode in the series. John Noble as Walter Bishop is a tough act to follow, but Peter Weller as Alistair Peck more than holds his own here. I have never seen him in better form. He succeeds in imbuing what could have a stock villain character with great complexity.
When they meet, it is the first time that we see Walter speak with someone who can truly talk to him on his own level. Both men are brilliant scientists. Both are driven by love and guilt. Their meditations on God, science, and right and wrong is riveting. And Peck's final, anonymous act of compassion is truly touching.
Chuck (2007)
It's a fine show! Really! Oh, and possible spoilers!
I, too, don't understand the venom from so many armchair critics. Chuck isn't Shakespeare, but it isn't supposed to be. It's supposed to be light, fun fare, and, on that level, it works brilliantly. It's cute, charming, and often sweet.
I admit it took a few episodes for me to warm up to it, but after the characters, relationships, and chemistry developed, so did my interest. This show could have gone wrong very easily, but it didn't. Kudos to the people who cast this show. This ensemble works!
Kudos also to the crew who treat the characters with respect and affection. In this second season, we see the hints of big plans in the works for our merry band of players. The second season opener showed us indications of NSA officer Casey's feelings about Chuck without the camouflage of sarcasm. In "Chuck vs. the Cougars," we see details about Sarah's past that she's been hiding from Chuck, and it's these details which lead me to conclude why Chuck is the soulmate for Sarah that ex-lover Bryce Larkin could never be. We're always seeing why Chuck has the friendship and/or respect of so many people, while Bryce doesn't, in spite of Bryce's many supposed advantages.
In addition, I also like not only the riffs on the espionage world where, in real life, most actual intelligence officers probably look like accountants more than movie stars, but also the riffs on the world of dead-end jobs and the so-called "service industry," along with the weirdos and misunderstood people we often find there.
I am also interested in the gender role reversal we find in the show. Contrary to convention, Sarah, a woman, is more physically dangerous than untrained Chuck and must protect him most of the time. Not only that, but Chuck, the man, is open, honest, and sincere in his feelings about Sarah, while Sarah, on the other hand, constantly holds back her feelings and the truth about herself or simply denies them completely.
I hope this show runs for a long time. Period.
The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968)
I liked it...what can I say?
I know it's a remake of Paleface, which I also enjoyed, but I liked "Shakiest.." better. It was...dare I say it?...cute. Don Knotts' patented nervous Nelly riff was great. Nobody does it better than he did. Barbara Rhodes was beautiful, sexy, and fiery, much more so than Jane Russell. This is no slam against Ms. Russell. Ms. Russell had a smoldering sensuality few actresses even today could match. And I loved the subtle gender role reversal at the end. Few actors other than Don Knotts could have pulled it off without seeming weird or gay. Not that there is anything wrong with being gay, mind you! I am just saying is all.
Hard Candy (2005)
Wow!
This film bring to mind Neitsche's famous quote: "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
A brilliant and intense psychodrama, it's at once fascinating and repellent, challenging the normal tendency to take sides in a conflict by trapping you between a charming young man who is very possibly a calculating pedophile and a cherubic young girl seems to be a ruthless vigilante.
As facades are peeled away layer by layer and one learns (and assumes) more and more about the two principals, one wonders which of them is more the frightening and dangerous. Viewers will disagree about this for years to come, I am sure.
This intimate duel of wits and willpower raises a host of questions. What separates good from evil? At what point does the end stop justifying the means? Where is line between justice and vengeance? When does obsession turn into mania and lunacy? And what is the place of human decency in all of this?
The Well (1951)
Very interesting film
I saw this film a few times as a kid back in the 60s or 70s. I remember it as pretty good for its time. I also remember Harry Morgan from "Dragnet" as being the only cast member I recognized then or now. I was mostly caught up in watching how supposedly reasonable people in the grip of panic, impatience, and uncertainty make assumptions, point fingers, cast blame, and jump to conclusions. Misunderstandings pile up on top of each like a 10-car highway accident and push the town closer and closer to a dreaded race riot while the actual victim's plight seems all but forgotten.
For its time, I'm sure this movie was a bold move. It's a shame it hasn't been broadcast again recently. It's definitely worth a look.
The Hitcher (1986)
Motivations, anyone?
My best friend and I both saw this film separately, and we both thought it was a great thriller. We thought the gay sadomasochism that some reviewers saw was strictly in those reviewers' imaginations. We saw nothing of the kind. My friend saw the killer as representing chaos or entropy. I disagreed. I saw Ryder as a man consumed with such rage at the world and himself that he decided to end it all by personally forging the instrument of his destruction. It merely remained to choose the right subject. Since Halsey was able to survive their first encounter, Halsey passed the first test. From there, it was just a matter of cutting off Halsey's escape, removing his options, and ultimately forcing Halsey's hand.
Sex and the Single Girl (1964)
A Charmer
I've seen this one a few times over the years and wish it would come out in DVD. Natalie Wood was never more beautiful, and the battle of the sexes was never more fun. It's great to see a love story that doesn't resort to foul language or adult humor, but simply witty dialog and the vagaries of human nature.
Tony Curtis plays a tabloid reporter trying to get the goods on Helen Gurley Brown (played by Natalie Wood) and her personal life to find out if she actually knows anything about sex and relationships. To this end, he impersonates an acquaintance (played by Henry Fonda) whose having problems with his jealous wife (played by Lauren Bacall) so that he can pose as a patient and seek her advice.
The confusion caused by this impersonation just leads to more problems. However, this is just a sideshow to the reporter's seduction of Dr. Brown and the glorious mayhem that ensues.
Her constant comparisons of Tony Curtis to Jack Lemmon (Curtis' co-star in Some Like It Hot) will appeal anyone who's seen that classic.
Le pacte des loups (2001)
Great Film!
I saw this movie of the strength of its trailer and the website set up for it, and I'm glad I went. This one defies easy pigeonholing. Action, martial arts, and monsters? In a period piece? From France, of all places? Most people I know would call that a contradiction, yet this film works and very well at that. It could have benefited from some judicious editing, being it's a bit slow in places, yet, for the most part, it's rousing good fun, and showed a lot of imagination as well as a lot of research. I particularly liked the use of different fighting styles and weapons.
As for the real-life beast, some suspect that if it wasn't a rabid animal of some kind, it could have been a demi-wolf, a dog-wolf hybrid. Such an animal would have a pure-bred wolf's natural strength, intelligence, and aggressiveness, but with a dog's lack of fear of humans.
Wolfen (1981)
All in all, a good movie
I have seen plenty of horror films, some good, many bad, and I think Wolfen is a keeper. I thought it was interesting, suspenseful, thought-provoking, and way more intelligent than most I've seen. I know some found it preachy or pretentious, and I can understand why some would react that way. Still, I thought it was far and away better than most of the so-called horror films released during the same period.
As for the original book is concerned, my best friend and I were both disappointed in Streiber's novel, which we thought was grossly inferior to the movie and filled with errors in logic you just couldn't ignore or explain away. Not only that, the book wasn't even that suspenseful, though I believe a better writer could have done wonders with the basic premise. I noticed the same thing with The Hunger; the movie was pretty good, albeit paper-thin in plot, while the book was merely disappointing slow and, again, filled with logical errors, but little in the way of thrills or excitement.