“The Killing” wrapped up its first season on AMC recently and unfortunately it did not end on a good note. When “The Killing” premiered the premise was simple. Here is a murder mystery and here are the characters that we will learn about over the course of the season. It was an attempt to take the formulaic crime dramas and merge them with shows that have a season long mystery. The premiere setup a world and a mystery that I thought would be something that could handle those nicely. Unfortunately as the season progressed the show failed at doing both of these things.
If the show was going to have one mystery that was going to continue throughout the first season then it needed to rely on heavy character development to engage the audience enough to not realize that they have been throwing out red herrings all season long. There are several characters that they attempted to do that with. First the two main characters, Linden and Holder. Linden was the true lead character and we were given the chance to build a relationship with her. Unfortunately, part of her arc had the character leaving for California every other episode, when, due to the nature of television, we knew that she wouldn’t be leaving, with half of her development coming from this all of her interactions with other characters felt temporary. Her partner, Holder, had a much more interesting storyline but the finale takes the character and twists him into a villain, this made me not trust the show. The only other characters that we stuck with throughout the show were the Larsons, who were so stuck in grief I found myself wanting to fast forward any time they were on screen because they were so depressing, and the political candidates and the only likable one of those was turned into a villain in the end as well.
With little to hold onto character wise it was up to the mystery to hold my attention. The mystery focused around the death of Rosie Larson. What the show failed to do here was make us care about the character. Looking back at the season the only thing I really know about her is that she was a prostitute on the side. Not enough to make me care about her. The actual mystery took place over three distinct arcs, one for each suspect. At the end of each arc the character that had been suspected was exonerated and the detectives found a new clue to the murder mystery leading them to another suspect. What this means is that with Richardson being thrown out as a potential suspect during this season finale, most of the first season now means nothing as we will start season 2 with a new suspect and a new set of clues.
The writers for this show seem to have audience contempt. They don’t want to like their audience. This can be a good thing as the audience can be surprised by something the writer will do, but it only works if there is something for the viewer to hold on to. After the twists presented by the season finale I don’t have anything left to hold onto for this show and that click you hear is me deleting it from my TiVo forever.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
X-Men: First Class - New Movie Review
Reboot, ret-con, continuity. These are all words that any comic book would know. In the world of comics all three of these things have to work together to bring in new readers and excite old ones. With some comics having almost 80 years worth of storytelling behind them it can get very confusing to know where things started from and who did what to whom. One of the biggest franchises that uses these terms is the X-Men franchise. With so many characters and titles, trying to keep everything straight can be very difficult. It’s fitting that the first comic book franchise to pull this off on the big screen is the X-Men because they are very good at doing it. And they succeeded quite well with “X-Men: First Class.”
The last two X-Men films, “X3: X-Men United” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” were garbage. They threw out character development and interesting storytelling for big action sequences and crappy special effects. “X-Men: First Class” was made so that Fox could maintain the movie license. The entire movie was conceived and shot within 1 year and to be honest I thought it was destined to fail. But it didn’t. How? By following the three words I first mentioned. Reboot, the entire movie restarted the X-Men movie franchise from the beginning, everything felt fresh and new. Ret-con, by changing how small things happened in the past, viewers were able to take a new view on how things have happened in the movies that have already happened. Continuity, except for a few small differences the movie fits in with the first two X-Men films, it doesn’t fit in at all with the last two, but it’s probably better to pretend that those don’t exist anyways.
“X-Men: First Class” is setup as a period piece. Taking place during the Cuban Missile Crisis, it explores a world were mutants are not yet hated, but actually aren’t yet even known to exist. A good portion of the movie is dedicated to what we in the comic world refer to as “Assembling the Team.” Every once in a while a new issue will come out that is designed to be a jumping on point for readers where a new status quo will be established. In team books this is known as the “Assembling the Team” book. Most of the time it works because it is fresh and exciting. During these issues we get to see small vignettes of each of the team members that let us know why they are here and what they can do without making it feel contrived. This is what the movie did. The actual plot about trying to end the world was probably the weakest point of the movie. It was the character growth and interactions that really powered this movie and that is what made it great. By taking place in the 60’s the movie was able to capitalize on an era that thanks to “Mad Men” is very popular right now which added to my enjoyment of the movie.
On an acting standpoint this film had two breakout performances and one that was just garbage. January Jones has had to play the emotionally dead wife on “Mad Men” for years. Apparently that hasn’t been acting. Her role as Emma Frost here was terrible, the only dark spot on the movie. James Mcavoy as Professor X was fantastic. He added new dimensions to the character that I would never have expected. But it is Michael Fastbender as Magneto that owns this movie, whether it his portrayal as a Nazi Hunter, friend of Professor X or as the leader of the evil mutants he keeps putting on a great show.
This movie really highlighted some of the interesting things that someone can do with a comic book franchise movie. It gets 4.5 out of 5 stars.
The last two X-Men films, “X3: X-Men United” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” were garbage. They threw out character development and interesting storytelling for big action sequences and crappy special effects. “X-Men: First Class” was made so that Fox could maintain the movie license. The entire movie was conceived and shot within 1 year and to be honest I thought it was destined to fail. But it didn’t. How? By following the three words I first mentioned. Reboot, the entire movie restarted the X-Men movie franchise from the beginning, everything felt fresh and new. Ret-con, by changing how small things happened in the past, viewers were able to take a new view on how things have happened in the movies that have already happened. Continuity, except for a few small differences the movie fits in with the first two X-Men films, it doesn’t fit in at all with the last two, but it’s probably better to pretend that those don’t exist anyways.
“X-Men: First Class” is setup as a period piece. Taking place during the Cuban Missile Crisis, it explores a world were mutants are not yet hated, but actually aren’t yet even known to exist. A good portion of the movie is dedicated to what we in the comic world refer to as “Assembling the Team.” Every once in a while a new issue will come out that is designed to be a jumping on point for readers where a new status quo will be established. In team books this is known as the “Assembling the Team” book. Most of the time it works because it is fresh and exciting. During these issues we get to see small vignettes of each of the team members that let us know why they are here and what they can do without making it feel contrived. This is what the movie did. The actual plot about trying to end the world was probably the weakest point of the movie. It was the character growth and interactions that really powered this movie and that is what made it great. By taking place in the 60’s the movie was able to capitalize on an era that thanks to “Mad Men” is very popular right now which added to my enjoyment of the movie.
On an acting standpoint this film had two breakout performances and one that was just garbage. January Jones has had to play the emotionally dead wife on “Mad Men” for years. Apparently that hasn’t been acting. Her role as Emma Frost here was terrible, the only dark spot on the movie. James Mcavoy as Professor X was fantastic. He added new dimensions to the character that I would never have expected. But it is Michael Fastbender as Magneto that owns this movie, whether it his portrayal as a Nazi Hunter, friend of Professor X or as the leader of the evil mutants he keeps putting on a great show.
This movie really highlighted some of the interesting things that someone can do with a comic book franchise movie. It gets 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Mrs. Miniver - The Oscar Project Part XV
It’s strange to think that the Academy Awards were still being presented during the Second World War. The war demanded sacrifice from everyone and I would have thought that things like movie awards would be something that people would not focus on. However, even in the 1940’s, Hollywood knew how to get people in the seats. The 1942 film “Mrs. Miniver” was about actions taken during World War II. But it is smart about it by not focusing on the American involvement in the war. In fact there are no battle scenes or war meetings. This movie is about how the war would affect everyday people.
“Mrs. Miniver” focuses on a Brittish family that is depicted as splendid people who have money problems but truly enjoy life. Eventually World War II begins and they must begin taking cover from the air raids. During this time the oldest son enlists in the Royal Air Force and falls in love and is married. The family still stays strong and continues living their life while each evening taking precautions against the bombing. Near the end of the film tragedy does eventually strike the family, but they use it to strengthen their resolve to not give up. The film does an excellent job of making the British seem like a very noble, giving and caring people, and the character of Mrs. Miniver becomes a very inspirational leader. It’s a moving story and is one that would motivate people to support the war effort.
Acting wise this movie belongs to Greer Garson. The rest of the cast does a splendid job, but when she is on screen the movie is hers. One can’t help but be drawn to her. There is a point in the movie when someone comments about how the look on her face could inspire someone to do the right thing, and it is totally believable. Direction wise I found no faults in the movie, however looking at it now it is very obvious that this was a movie with a mission to have America want to support the British people. And I think that this movie succeeded in that mission extremely well.
I think the movie could still do well if released today. However, it would need some changes to account for today’s audience. People today would not stand for a movie that is so obviously trying to manipulate them, the last shot of the movie encourages people to buy government bonds when they get their next paycheck. People would be screaming about this, but a few tweaks to the movie could change this. Overall the film gets 3.5 out of 5 stars.
“Mrs. Miniver” focuses on a Brittish family that is depicted as splendid people who have money problems but truly enjoy life. Eventually World War II begins and they must begin taking cover from the air raids. During this time the oldest son enlists in the Royal Air Force and falls in love and is married. The family still stays strong and continues living their life while each evening taking precautions against the bombing. Near the end of the film tragedy does eventually strike the family, but they use it to strengthen their resolve to not give up. The film does an excellent job of making the British seem like a very noble, giving and caring people, and the character of Mrs. Miniver becomes a very inspirational leader. It’s a moving story and is one that would motivate people to support the war effort.
Acting wise this movie belongs to Greer Garson. The rest of the cast does a splendid job, but when she is on screen the movie is hers. One can’t help but be drawn to her. There is a point in the movie when someone comments about how the look on her face could inspire someone to do the right thing, and it is totally believable. Direction wise I found no faults in the movie, however looking at it now it is very obvious that this was a movie with a mission to have America want to support the British people. And I think that this movie succeeded in that mission extremely well.
I think the movie could still do well if released today. However, it would need some changes to account for today’s audience. People today would not stand for a movie that is so obviously trying to manipulate them, the last shot of the movie encourages people to buy government bonds when they get their next paycheck. People would be screaming about this, but a few tweaks to the movie could change this. Overall the film gets 3.5 out of 5 stars.
The Hangover Part II - New Movie Review
When “The Hangover” came out 2 years ago, I thought it was a great little adult comedy. It had average guys getting themselves into trouble wrapped around a mystery plot. I laughed the entire time and to this day will still quote lines from the movie. So another adventure with these characters sounds like a great time. “The Hangover Part II” did give us another adventure, but it felt as if it was just the first one reshot with a couple of crazier elements.
In this installment the Wolf Pack heads to Thailand where Alan once again accidently drugs everyone and they end up waking up with one of their friends missing and no idea of what happened that night before. There are a few changes, instead of a tooth, Stu has a tattoo and instead of a baby there is a monkey. However, the changes don’t make up for a plot that is essentially the same as last time. We already know how the characters are going to react so with each incident that happens there is no freshness. We know Stu will freak out, we know Alan will become attached to things and we know Phil will just laugh it off and be the straight guy.
There isn’t an exact science to sequels, they are usually really difficult to make. But there are some general rules that some of the great ones have followed that this one completely ignored:
Number 1 – Add a new character. At least one regular should be added to a sequel. Don’t go over the top though and add multiple ones or you will lose the audience. The main plot focused only on the same 3 from the original movie and no one else.
Number 2 – Split your characters up. We know how they act together, but how do they act separated. Split the characters up and have them work to find each other.
Number 3 – Follow up on the first movie relationship. The only relationship from the first movie was Stu and the stripper. The entire plot of this movie focuses on abandoning that relationship and barely acknowledging it. That isn’t nice to the audience.
There isn’t much else to be said about this film. The laughs are there but would have been better with just a few changes to the plot. The movie gets 2.5 out of 5 stars.
In this installment the Wolf Pack heads to Thailand where Alan once again accidently drugs everyone and they end up waking up with one of their friends missing and no idea of what happened that night before. There are a few changes, instead of a tooth, Stu has a tattoo and instead of a baby there is a monkey. However, the changes don’t make up for a plot that is essentially the same as last time. We already know how the characters are going to react so with each incident that happens there is no freshness. We know Stu will freak out, we know Alan will become attached to things and we know Phil will just laugh it off and be the straight guy.
There isn’t an exact science to sequels, they are usually really difficult to make. But there are some general rules that some of the great ones have followed that this one completely ignored:
Number 1 – Add a new character. At least one regular should be added to a sequel. Don’t go over the top though and add multiple ones or you will lose the audience. The main plot focused only on the same 3 from the original movie and no one else.
Number 2 – Split your characters up. We know how they act together, but how do they act separated. Split the characters up and have them work to find each other.
Number 3 – Follow up on the first movie relationship. The only relationship from the first movie was Stu and the stripper. The entire plot of this movie focuses on abandoning that relationship and barely acknowledging it. That isn’t nice to the audience.
There isn’t much else to be said about this film. The laughs are there but would have been better with just a few changes to the plot. The movie gets 2.5 out of 5 stars.
2010/2011 TV Season Review
Now that May is finished we can finally move past the 2010 to 2011 television season. Overall I found this to be a rather disappointing season for TV in general. Sure, there were a few standouts, but overall nothing felt fresh and exciting. Some of the pilot descriptions for shows that have been picked up for next year sound good, but we have to wait and see on those. For now I am going to take a look back on how the shows I watch faired this season.
Chuck – I can’t believe this show is still on the air. If NBC was not a struggling network this show would have only lasted two seasons. Instead we are going to end up with 5 seasons. Which I think is just enough. The show has run its course, and this season showed that. I am excited for the premise set up for next season and I am ready to wish it a fond farewell.
How I Met Your Mother – The show went to some dramatic places this season and did it well. However, I hate Zoey. That entire storyline needed to happen and end a lot sooner. The show is starting to show its age and I’m starting to worry about the next two years it has.
The Event – A new show that I tried this year, it’s been cancelled. It was okay, but they didn’t want to create interesting characters and with having multiple points of view, the audience was always 10 steps ahead.
Glee – Not a strong sophomore effort here. I’ve grown to absolutely hate some of the characters and hoping that they somehow die a horrible death. The only things that keep me coming back are some of the jokes and the musical number they do every once in a while that just knocks my socks off. They have some competition in the genre next year so they better step up their game.
Modern Family – Still funny. The show makes me laugh and makes me feel good. That’s all I want or need from it. One of the few shows I watch that doesn’t have any long term arcs and I don’t want one from it.
Community – This season had more hits than misses, particularly in the second half. The crew there is making some of the smartest television I have seen since “Arrested Development.” This is probably the show I look forward to the most every week.
Perfect Couples – Dead. The show had funny moments but I just found myself hating to many of the characters and wondering why the people I liked were friends with them.
The Office – The show is nowhere near as good as it used to be, but I am so attached to these characters I can’t help but watch it. The ending for Michael Scott was perfect. And the rest of the season was pretty good to, they really brought back there A game to send off Michael properly.
Parks and Recreation – Another great season for this show. I will miss Lil’ Sebastian, but I know he is happy now. The show is fantastic and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
30 Rock – Meh. This has been the shows weakest season so far. They had a few great episodes but I look forward to the guest appearances more than the actual episodes of the show.
Outsourced – Another failed show. There were a few laughs here, but they seemed to really focus on Gupta, who I hate with a passion. I am not sorry to see this show go as it really wasn’t that good.
Fringe – This season was fun, fresh and intriguing. It also left off in an interesting place and I can’t wait to see where they take it. They have really built three very strong characters for this show and as long as they can keep the connection strong this show will succeed.
Smallville – I have another post up dedicated to “Smallville” go check that out instead.
Saturday Night Live – Still remains the most hit or miss show on TV. I wish that Justin Timberlake and Jon Hamm could just host the show every week. Or just join the cast.
The Amazing Race – I think the race for me is coming to an end. They’ve taken us everywhere around the world and it all just feels the same now. They need to change something up next year or risk losing a viewer.
The Simpsons/Family Guy/American Dad/The Cleveland Show – These shows all feel the same now. I enjoy them but except for “The Simpsons” I wouldn’t be too upset if one of them were cancelled.
The Walking Dead – Had a good first season. But the shortness of that season has me worried that it can’t sustain a full season and that the novelty might wear off.
Mad Men – Brilliant. This season really explored Don Draper as a character. It tore him down completely and then built him back up. This is still the best show that I watch, unfortunately we have to wait until 2012 before we get to return.
Well that’s all for now, there are summer shows that I watch, but I’ll comment on those later. There looks to be a lot of exciting new shows starting this fall. Once I get a chance to see them, I’ll post my thoughts right here.
Chuck – I can’t believe this show is still on the air. If NBC was not a struggling network this show would have only lasted two seasons. Instead we are going to end up with 5 seasons. Which I think is just enough. The show has run its course, and this season showed that. I am excited for the premise set up for next season and I am ready to wish it a fond farewell.
How I Met Your Mother – The show went to some dramatic places this season and did it well. However, I hate Zoey. That entire storyline needed to happen and end a lot sooner. The show is starting to show its age and I’m starting to worry about the next two years it has.
The Event – A new show that I tried this year, it’s been cancelled. It was okay, but they didn’t want to create interesting characters and with having multiple points of view, the audience was always 10 steps ahead.
Glee – Not a strong sophomore effort here. I’ve grown to absolutely hate some of the characters and hoping that they somehow die a horrible death. The only things that keep me coming back are some of the jokes and the musical number they do every once in a while that just knocks my socks off. They have some competition in the genre next year so they better step up their game.
Modern Family – Still funny. The show makes me laugh and makes me feel good. That’s all I want or need from it. One of the few shows I watch that doesn’t have any long term arcs and I don’t want one from it.
Community – This season had more hits than misses, particularly in the second half. The crew there is making some of the smartest television I have seen since “Arrested Development.” This is probably the show I look forward to the most every week.
Perfect Couples – Dead. The show had funny moments but I just found myself hating to many of the characters and wondering why the people I liked were friends with them.
The Office – The show is nowhere near as good as it used to be, but I am so attached to these characters I can’t help but watch it. The ending for Michael Scott was perfect. And the rest of the season was pretty good to, they really brought back there A game to send off Michael properly.
Parks and Recreation – Another great season for this show. I will miss Lil’ Sebastian, but I know he is happy now. The show is fantastic and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
30 Rock – Meh. This has been the shows weakest season so far. They had a few great episodes but I look forward to the guest appearances more than the actual episodes of the show.
Outsourced – Another failed show. There were a few laughs here, but they seemed to really focus on Gupta, who I hate with a passion. I am not sorry to see this show go as it really wasn’t that good.
Fringe – This season was fun, fresh and intriguing. It also left off in an interesting place and I can’t wait to see where they take it. They have really built three very strong characters for this show and as long as they can keep the connection strong this show will succeed.
Smallville – I have another post up dedicated to “Smallville” go check that out instead.
Saturday Night Live – Still remains the most hit or miss show on TV. I wish that Justin Timberlake and Jon Hamm could just host the show every week. Or just join the cast.
The Amazing Race – I think the race for me is coming to an end. They’ve taken us everywhere around the world and it all just feels the same now. They need to change something up next year or risk losing a viewer.
The Simpsons/Family Guy/American Dad/The Cleveland Show – These shows all feel the same now. I enjoy them but except for “The Simpsons” I wouldn’t be too upset if one of them were cancelled.
The Walking Dead – Had a good first season. But the shortness of that season has me worried that it can’t sustain a full season and that the novelty might wear off.
Mad Men – Brilliant. This season really explored Don Draper as a character. It tore him down completely and then built him back up. This is still the best show that I watch, unfortunately we have to wait until 2012 before we get to return.
Well that’s all for now, there are summer shows that I watch, but I’ll comment on those later. There looks to be a lot of exciting new shows starting this fall. Once I get a chance to see them, I’ll post my thoughts right here.
Smallville - TV Series Review
After 10 seasons and more than 200 episodes, “Smallville” finally went off the air this year. When it started in October 2001, I was still in college and I had just turned 20. Over the course of the past 10 years the world has changed a lot and so have I. It’s rare these days for a network show to last 10 years and it is amazing that the fans got so much. Today I want to take a look back at “Smallville.”
The show premiered to over 8 million viewers. This can be attributed to the very well done marketing campaign. Even if you never watched the show you can probably still remember the image of Clark hung up like a scarecrow in a cornfield with the “S” on his chest. It worked. During the second season it averaged over 6 million viewers a week and in its final season it averaged almost 3 million a week. Not that bad for a genre show on the CW. I remember seeing the first commercial for this and thinking that I wanted nothing to do with it. On the WB it would be too dramatic, and the thought of never getting to see him fly or put on the costume turned me off. But, I did end up watching the first episode and ending up loving the world and style that they had created.
There were a lot of problems that the show held onto for a while. And with a show that could never reach the ending that we all knew was going to happen eventually without ending the actual show, it was clear that the writers didn’t really know what to do. During the first two seasons, it wasn’t a problem. The show was new and they still had Clark discovering powers. But the problems were starting to show up. Episodes were constantly just a “Freak of the Week” (FOTW) with each adventure not really contributing to the overall narrative. And then the last 10 minutes of every episode was dedicated to Clark and Lana having some sort of star crossed lovers’ type moment. We also had Product Placement Pete, who seemed to only be there to pimp out Remy Zero or sell Stride gum.
But then we would get some great moments as well, Christopher Reeve returning to explain his origin, the John Williams music, and the symbol. We also had a great villain in Lionel Luthor and a great journey for an even better villain in Lex Luthor. Unfortunately the FOTW adventures continued and during the 4-6th seasons the show just didn’t seem to know what to do. They had teased Superman so much that it started getting a little ridiculous that he wasn’t Superman yet.
When Michael Rosenbaum, Kristen Kruek and John Glover all left the show, I thought it was done for. But that’s when the writers really stepped up. They brought in other characters from the DC universe. We got to see almost every big character from the DCU (except for Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern) get Smallvillized. By expanding the number of heroes that were around it made the fact that we didn’t have Superman there okay. The other superheroes quenched our thirst to see Superman by giving us people in costumes doing heroic things. What are the odds of us getting to ever see characters like Cyborg, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, and Stargirl on a TV show? Without something like “Smallville” it would have been impossible.
The show’s last season was full of ups and downs. Just like the series itself. But for the most part it was fun. It brought closure to the characters and setup the world that we wanted to see at the end. Loose ends were tied up and I was left with a smile on my face as Tom Welling finally unbuttoned his shirt and showed off that big red “S.” It was a fitting ending to the show and will keep me satisfied until the next Superman comes out in December 2012.
The show premiered to over 8 million viewers. This can be attributed to the very well done marketing campaign. Even if you never watched the show you can probably still remember the image of Clark hung up like a scarecrow in a cornfield with the “S” on his chest. It worked. During the second season it averaged over 6 million viewers a week and in its final season it averaged almost 3 million a week. Not that bad for a genre show on the CW. I remember seeing the first commercial for this and thinking that I wanted nothing to do with it. On the WB it would be too dramatic, and the thought of never getting to see him fly or put on the costume turned me off. But, I did end up watching the first episode and ending up loving the world and style that they had created.
There were a lot of problems that the show held onto for a while. And with a show that could never reach the ending that we all knew was going to happen eventually without ending the actual show, it was clear that the writers didn’t really know what to do. During the first two seasons, it wasn’t a problem. The show was new and they still had Clark discovering powers. But the problems were starting to show up. Episodes were constantly just a “Freak of the Week” (FOTW) with each adventure not really contributing to the overall narrative. And then the last 10 minutes of every episode was dedicated to Clark and Lana having some sort of star crossed lovers’ type moment. We also had Product Placement Pete, who seemed to only be there to pimp out Remy Zero or sell Stride gum.
But then we would get some great moments as well, Christopher Reeve returning to explain his origin, the John Williams music, and the symbol. We also had a great villain in Lionel Luthor and a great journey for an even better villain in Lex Luthor. Unfortunately the FOTW adventures continued and during the 4-6th seasons the show just didn’t seem to know what to do. They had teased Superman so much that it started getting a little ridiculous that he wasn’t Superman yet.
When Michael Rosenbaum, Kristen Kruek and John Glover all left the show, I thought it was done for. But that’s when the writers really stepped up. They brought in other characters from the DC universe. We got to see almost every big character from the DCU (except for Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern) get Smallvillized. By expanding the number of heroes that were around it made the fact that we didn’t have Superman there okay. The other superheroes quenched our thirst to see Superman by giving us people in costumes doing heroic things. What are the odds of us getting to ever see characters like Cyborg, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, and Stargirl on a TV show? Without something like “Smallville” it would have been impossible.
The show’s last season was full of ups and downs. Just like the series itself. But for the most part it was fun. It brought closure to the characters and setup the world that we wanted to see at the end. Loose ends were tied up and I was left with a smile on my face as Tom Welling finally unbuttoned his shirt and showed off that big red “S.” It was a fitting ending to the show and will keep me satisfied until the next Superman comes out in December 2012.
How Green Was My Valley - The Oscar Project Part XIV
“How Green Was My Valley” was released in 1941. Having been released and then nominated during the beginning of America’s involvement in World War II, this small film about hard family life would have been very appealing to people. It is told from the prospective of a man who is living his small coal mining village and as he goes he remembers the important things that have happened in his life.
The direction by John Ford, is excellent. With such a large cast that is constantly aging, a viewer could be easily lost. But Ford is able to use excellent transitions and constants to allow the audience to keep up with the story. It also features some of the most beautiful cinematography that I have seen to date while watching these Oscar winning films. The acting is decent, but there isn’t much to write home about. No one really stands out and gives a memorable performance, but no one really gives a bad performance either.
The story itself was just not intriguing. By the end of the movie I didn’t feel a connection to anyone. I didn’t care about the relationship between the Priest and the sister, the death of the Father didn’t surprise me or make me sad. The disjointed narrative used didn’t work. This was a character piece and the movie tried to be bigger than that. Looking back, this is definitely one of those films that won despite there being a clearly better film that year. In this case it was “Citizen Kane.”
This film could be successful today, but not without a lot of changes. A better narrative and some acting power would be a must. It gets 2 and a half out of 5 stars.
The direction by John Ford, is excellent. With such a large cast that is constantly aging, a viewer could be easily lost. But Ford is able to use excellent transitions and constants to allow the audience to keep up with the story. It also features some of the most beautiful cinematography that I have seen to date while watching these Oscar winning films. The acting is decent, but there isn’t much to write home about. No one really stands out and gives a memorable performance, but no one really gives a bad performance either.
The story itself was just not intriguing. By the end of the movie I didn’t feel a connection to anyone. I didn’t care about the relationship between the Priest and the sister, the death of the Father didn’t surprise me or make me sad. The disjointed narrative used didn’t work. This was a character piece and the movie tried to be bigger than that. Looking back, this is definitely one of those films that won despite there being a clearly better film that year. In this case it was “Citizen Kane.”
This film could be successful today, but not without a lot of changes. A better narrative and some acting power would be a must. It gets 2 and a half out of 5 stars.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)