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Reviews
Warehouse 13 (2009)
Warehouse 13 is a hidden gem.
One of my very favorite shows ever is now available once again on Prime for free if you have Prime. Warehouse 13 is a really great show. The two lead actors have great chemistry. The scripts are snappy and alive, full of humor and wit with real storytelling. The emotions displayed by the excellent cast are real and come from the place that you can identify with. There are set ups and payoffs throughout the show which is something sorely lacking in a lot of modern media. Nobody on the show is perfect. Everyone is flawed just like real life, which I also find so refreshing. I'm only five episodes into the first season and I've already seen real character development among the male lead and the female lead as well as the caretaker.
This show comes from an era of television where writers really challenged their audience to live in a complex world emotionally. There's none of this pandering going on. Interactions are natural and completely unforced which I just think is great.
The show has a really interesting premise in that there is a government agency that is tasked with collecting and storing objects that are dangerous because they don't really fit into our world. They might be technology advanced to the point that seem magical etc.
Many of the objects fit into a historical narrative being invented by people who actually existed. Or maybe discovered during a very famous archaeological dig and was kept under wraps for obvious reasons.
So you get a little bit of history while you're watching it as well. The warehouse itself is located in the middle of nowhere in South Dakota . It is near the Badlands and lays on a spot where it is protected by forces that humans don't really understand.
The pilot is really good. It'll suck you right in. You are learning about everything along with the two main characters who have been recruited without their knowledge.
Saul Rubinek is sort of the caretaker of the warehouse and he is brilliant! He's such a good actor. I am just tickled that I get to watch this again. I like this show so much I actually considered buying it when it went away.
Highly recommended and it does have a story arc so I would suggest you starting with episode one season one and just watching it straight through. There are five years worth of episodes and it does have a very rich and complex conclusion.
Belushi (2020)
What John did.
I watched this last night and as I was laughing it made me sad. I didn't really know about what happened or how it went down and there's a lot of really good information in this film that I've never heard before and I thought I really knew what was going on. Especially about this guy Smokey. Like a lot of white suburban kids Jake and Elwood introduced us to the blues and to soul music and R&B with their movie, The Blues Brothers, which they made specifically to do that very thing. Without them who knows where I would've ended up. That movie had such a profound effect on me. Watching John Lee Hooker and Ray Charles and James Brown and Cab freakin' Calloway and Aretha Franklin for the first time it changed how I thought about music. Suddenly the bands I have been reading about we're right in front of me. I remember how long I looked for John Lee Hooker "How, How, How" song that he sang on the street there and how electrified I was when I found the album and I could listen to it whenever I wanted. I have the single of it now as well. "There's nothing wrong with the action on this keyboard." John really did it for me. He made me laugh and think and appreciate. This film is really really cool you should actually make a point of seeing it.
Watchmen (2019)
Almost Perfect
I feel we are in the golden age of television right now. It started with OZ, THe Sopranos and The Wire. It's hard to top The Wire. This pilot was engaging and so well put together. It was shot so beautifully. Don Johnson was just amazing. He has become such a good actor. There is a great reference to "Silence of the Lambs" when he starts singing "people will say we are in love". Yes he does sing and it blocked out moving around around this round dining room table. There are some really great edits in it as well. There is an edit that is so well executed I actually gasped. It reminded me of the worlds greatest edit which, of course, is in Lawrence of Arabia, when he blows out the match and it turns into the desert sun. I could watch that edit all day. Anyway, the Trent Renzor score is jaw dropping, the acting is off the charts great. The writing is sublime and intricate. You're not going to be able to miss an episode of it that's for sure. I love television that is challenging. The only thing I wish it had was more of the original characters. I was really looking forward to the re-thinking of the Comedian and Dr. Manhattan etc. My favorite character in the movie was Rorshak and now he's the bad guy(s)? I don't get it. That fact is kind of a bummer. I have to admit I did not read the comic so that's probably why my unvarnished view is so positive.I am a huge fan of the movie. I think it was the best movie that came out that year. I've seen it a dozen times at least. People are all excited about Marvel stories but DC nailed it with WATCHMEN. It might be the best comic book idea ever.
Mid90s (2018)
Perfect
Jonah Hill has made a great film. There is this beautiful subtext and real feeling not manipulation. It's rare that a coming of age film can be so honest and appealing. Any of my friends will be able to relate to this movie on so many levels. The characters relate to each other in different ways depending on the scene just like real life. The characters relate to each other in different ways depending on the scene just like real life. His complicated relationship with his older brother is really interesting. .It's just wonderful. Please go see it.