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Reviews
Without Getting Killed or Caught (2021)
Will rewatch many times but really want a DVD
Your first sentence in the overview is wrong. Not just Texas's greatest but probably tied with Dylan for America's greatest. They have vastly different styles - Dylan is a moveable feast, Guy hews songs seemingly from time itself, polishes them into gems that only he can truly perform although great singers have done great covers. I have read the book almost to shreds because this life is so compelling and though I could do without the conceit of someone voicing excerpts from Susannah's diary, the story speaks for itself as you follow the pillar in the heart of the storm. And the performances shine. If you don't cry at Randall Knife or the awards performance of Dublin Blues, you have no heart. Greatly missed.
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Beautifully set gripping tale marred by directorial self indulgence
Pluses:
- a tale demanding to be told and a people willing to share it
- standout performances from native actresses and actors and by Jesse Plemons
- outstanding costuming
- beautiful cinematography and sets
- lovely score, never overpowering
- DiCaprio and DeNiro are caricatures, faces frozen in a grimace or sneer
- gratuitous casting choices: Nashville musicians distract from the film
- cameos from Hollywood venerables shoehorned into tiny roles
- Scorsese self indulgence - cameo roles from Hollywood venerables, closing gratuitous monologue
- needed native directors, writer's room presence not just consultants
The Winchesters: Hang On to Your Life (2023)
Unbeatable
The plot advances and so much more. I spent the hour alternately giggling, crying and screaming with shocked delight. The acting of Tom Welling and Bianca Kajlich as well as the Scooby gang was great, the locations and costuming their usual delight and the writing and directing superb. I love the call backs to the mothership and Richard Speight nailed the character AGAIN - in quadruplicate, yet! JoJo_s rendition of Hard Times just topped Dylan's for me and that says a lot because I don't t just go with the pipes: heart matters here. I will be rewatching all of the episodes, probably many times, but this one will be impossible to top. So I'll be running around humming Stephen Foster with breaks to clutch my heart (Dean) and chant Season 2, Season 2.
Big Sky: That Old Feeling (2023)
Nailed it
This was a truly satisfying finale to a great season of a show I'll be rewatching (and waiting for a DVD because streamers are fickle sometimes). It managed to tie up a lot of strands that have been merely meandering throughout the season while still leaving many open ended plot points and beloved characters still in play for a (probable?🤞) season 4. This episode delivered on many levels: twisty misdirections like the trailer explosion and a missing knife, unlikely possible romances, some great stunt work and cinematography and above all the acting. Rex Linn and Reba McIntyre were both superb in this episode as was Cree as the terrifies daughter. Words fail on Jensen Ackles' performance. I've come to expect excellence from him but this degree if raw emotion barely controlled was really impressive. This is how to do a season finale.
Big Sky: Super Foxes (2023)
Great episode
I love this twisty little show that really has come into its own this season. It took awhile for the "case of the week" format to gel and some were clearly better than others. This one was an absolute jewel. Legitimately scary deliverance America subplot dovetailed nicely with the activities if the three grifters as the serial killer plot barrels forward and the tension ratchets up. I can't say enough about Ryan O's writing: so inventive and out there while remaining dead on true to the stories he crafts. Cornhole duel to the death? Absolutely. Donno breeding foxes? Of course. Buck offering his Vic a drink while he does the villain monologue and tries to keep Sunny under control? Classic. Loved it all.
Big Sky: Are You Mad? (2023)
Ackles Chef's Kiss
It's the little things - the awkward conversation with his daughter, the easy comraderie with Pop, the barely controlled rage with Avery, the tears he holds in that you can hear in his voice, the icy interrogator eyes. The guy is a master: he picks interesting roles and fleshes out these unique characters. Every other member of the cast is also playing at a very high level here and honestly the only characters I want gone are slimy Avery, shallow Carla, Buck, Sunny and the syndicate man, all of whom were skillfully portrayed. I loved the Beau/Donno handshake between my faves and hope for their survival. Ditto Pops. Nice tense run up to the finale. Kudos.
The Winchesters (2022)
Home of the haters
Not surprised by the negativity from some quarters but I am loving this show so much - camera work, characters, humor, heart, mythology, music, the monsters. I love that they set it up to discourage obsessive shipping of their very charismatic actors by having the gang of 4 rotate so seamlessly. Episode 4 blew me away in its handling of the Viet Nam war, the VA and PTSD therapy, all of which remain controversial while moving the main arc forward. IThe continuation of cultural exploration in the monsters is a great touch - not just any old god, but an obscure CeltoIberian god of war to seduce soldier John into giving in to his rage. This deep dive into the core of John Winchester - easily one of the most compelling characters ever written - was superb with Drake and the writers swinging for the fences and heading for home. If quality counts, Seeason 2 should be a no brainer for this show.
Walker (2021)
3 strikes, I'm out
I came with an anti-Ranger bias expecting this to be a whitewash of a problematic agency. I'm The giid news: it isn't. It has just about nothing to do with Rangers, and, as pitched, is a "family drama" touching (lightly) on ethnic and sexual biases.
Also good news is (presumably) jobs for Austinites
I'm 3 eos in now and rate it a solid 2 to 3 of 10. It's fragmented, trope-y to the max, has too many characters and storylines, and an uneavering determination to check boxes (Austin landmark, see Jared ride/rope/bootscoot etc). The worst sin is the distracting flashbacks that aytempt to flesh out the main character when the writers and dialogue don't seem to have a clue and no sense of nuance.
A lot of talented actors are wandering around in this mess but I don't have the patience to stick it out any futther.