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On a Wing and a Prayer (2023)
Two Things Missing...
Lloyd Bridges and Peter Graves. Actually maybe three with Robert Stack in the tower exclaiming that trying to help this guy was a GD waste of time.... Maybe four.... They could have cameoed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with the teen daughters arguing to his true identity.... Ok, five. Needed Leslie Nielsen as moral support. Ok, maybe they needed jive talkers, a singing nun, Hare Krishnas, Johnny, Barbara Billingsley, Otto the Autopilot, a back story featuring George Zipp, an unruly dog named Shep, a serious debate on whether to keep the baby while advising which zone there is no stopping in and a drinking problem. Did I miss anything???
Ich bin dein Mensch (2021)
Superb Writing
This is the kind of writing we used to experience with the likes of Rod Serling or DC Fontana back in the 60's and 70's. Shades of the Twilight Zone are all over this picture.
I appreciated the time saved by immediately setting the viewer in a near future where robotics and AI have converged to form the Perfect Mate, suspending disbelief right from the get go so as to open up the real story.
Alma is a relatable character who is being hit square in the face by a mid-life crisis. Late 40's, never married workaholic with an expired biological clock who mourns the missed opportunities of her past and fears the future. Her job hit a very rough patch, her father is ill with dementia and her ex is fathering a child with his new girlfriend.
While the viewer sees the layers of Alma's character being peeled away, they are also getting to know Tom, a robotic "perfect mate" being paired up with Alma for a trial period to academically evaluate the practicality and ability for such a concept to even exist.
As the story progresses, we see Alma become more vulnerable and honest with herself while we see Tom evolving to meet her at every revelation, learning and adapting accordingly.
The last ten minutes of the film were great. Summed up the morals and ethics involved with such a technology and reaching a logical conclusion, but leaving room for an emotional conclusion to override sound logic.
In the end, what did she see when she opened her eyes?
Mildred Pierce (1945)
Did Not Expect That!
Dialed this one up a couple of nights ago and was glued to it to the end. I was expecting a somber melodramatic tale of overcoming odds and finding victory but along the way the carpet was pulled out from under me and I hit the floor pretty hard. Strong recommendation.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2020)
Limited Shelf Life
In two weeks, half of the movie's content becomes irrelevant. That said, it had its heartfelt moments in the synagogue and with the Patriot guys taking him in. The actress playing his daughter is a force to be reckoned with, under SBC's wing she can really go far in the world of cinematic comedy...
Catastrophe (2015)
Hits Close to Home
The chaos of marriage and kids and family and friends and work and personal choices and sacrifices are all a part of the wild ride of the Norris household. What began as a story of making lemons out of lemonade shortly becomes a series of episodes where lemonade can quickly turn back into lemons.
SPOILERS:
During the fourth and final season I was pondering if this show might make a return in ten or so years to show us how thew couple have aged, how their kids are turning out and how they may or may not have matured as a couple. But the final sequence in this series has shattered that. How perfect an ambiguous ending... Lady or the Tiger...
Personal favorite character is Chris, estranged husband of wannabe celebrity hanger-on Fran. He was a great Jiminy Cricket to Rob, advising Rob on being honest about his alcoholism as well as being true to his marriage in the tough times.
Least favorite character was Dave. No depth, did not find him funny at the least. he should have died and been that warning for Rob before his car accident.
Compact writing in short episodes and they pulled it off! Recommending this to every married couple we know...
8/10
It (2017)
Just Cannot Be Done...
I get the dissatisfaction with the movie from those who read the book. I read it and it is an amazing piece of fiction with an extreme depth of emotion.
Putting it on film for 2-3 hours (just the kid part) is overwhelming, so the screenwriter did what they could.
I enjoyed it for what it was more than criticizing it for what it could have been.