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pwhitely
Reviews
Chasing Mummies (2010)
Plan 9 from Egypt
I think we all got tricked into watching this show. I can't imagine how the History Channel could think this was going to fool anyone. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be dramatic re-enactments of events that took place throughout his career or just a straight scripted show but it is just awful. The acting is so bad you owe it to yourself to watch part of an episode just to see it.
I find myself calling into question everything I have ever heard the once esteemed Dr. Zahi Hawass speak about. I think the History Channels credibility is going to be permanently damaged by this show if it is on the air for more than few episodes unless it develops some kind of cult following like the films of Ed Wood.
The Invention of Lying (2009)
Product placement and random casting will cost you
I did not expect this to be a great movie, I was just looking to kill a few hours. The only reason I feel compelled to write a review is because the potential for an outstanding movie existed. While it is rampant in the industry I have never seen product placement beat down the most critical scene in a movie. There is no need to review Ricky Gervais, you know what you're getting already and that's always fun. Someone, someday soon I hope, will figure out how to best use Jennifer Garner comedic timing but this is not it. The rest of the cast seems to have been pulled in from whoever happened to be walking by when they shot the scene. Rob Lowe looked like he was ill during the entire filming, Philip Seymore Hoffman could have replaced by "Cheese" the robot from "Friends" and it wouldn't have mattered. No thought what so ever went into casting. There is little more I can say without spoilers but that in itself shows that somewhere, underneath it all, is a good story. If this had just been a ho-hum bad movie I would score it as a 5 but since they wasted so much potential I've dropped it to a 3.
The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1992)
Rewatch this and it's even better!
I am guessing that anyone that has reached this page is already a fan of Pete & Pete and is just looking for a little confirmation that we are not alone. I can only hope than Nickelodeon will release a better quality edition of this show on DVD or even Blu-Ray. I was 30 years old when this show was first tucked away on Sunday mornings and I looked forward to it at the time but now, watching it again, I realize what an landmark in pop culture it was. There are no references to anything in the real world that date the show, we can only see its age in the cavalcade of stars that had the foresight to be a part of this amazing show. I only have to wait a few more years until my Grandchildren will watch this and I hope by then a high quality version is available. Pete & Pete (and Artie) deserve it!
America: The Story of Us (2010)
Revisionist history at its worst.
I love the history channel. I was expecting this to be one of the most interesting, informative shows they have offered but I have been left angry and disappointed in the series. I had seen several individual episodes but didn't really pay attention to what was being said, I thought it looked cool with all of the GCI animation and fast pacing so I wanted to see it again so I could really listen to what sounded like a huge number of interesting facts. Instead what I got was some twisted, revisionist nonsense that left me so angry I could barely speak.
For the writers to claim that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was the same type of surprise attack the American Revolutionaries used to defeat the British Army is such a disgraceful insult that I can not even comment on it. Every event in our history that is documented in the show is followed up with some statistic that is skewed to prove the creators agenda or a cheap shot aimed at corporations or the rich.
The only value I could see this show having is that when you watch it with your children you get some great starting points for real discussion and further research. I don't consider myself to be any kind of right wing nut but if this nonsense was being taught in a local school I would have real concerns.
I will give high marks to Liev Schreibers exceptional narration.
In the Realms of the Unreal (2004)
An amazing story poorly told
The story of Henry Darger is one that could have been told on film using only his own words and images. Director Jessica Yu has instead decided to create her own work of "art" by animating Dargers' illustrations and adding special effects. When the viewer is given the chance to see the frightening, beautiful works of art they move and flow through their composition and design, without additional "direction". By the time this film was nearing its end I found myself listening to the audio only.
Imagine your most tormented dreams and then think about a self important Vanity Fair editor adding their creative touch to them and I think you will know what I mean. It is sad that this is one of the few works documenting such a unique person.