Not so much a road movie as a short muddy track movie. There were a few scenes nailed together and thats it. Where this film succeeds well is showing the horrors of involving a civilian population in war wholesale. I found the end inauthentic except maybe as proof of the film's lack of political sophistication. Also I think military understanding is limited, as Washington DC and the White House wouldn't have much significance in a modern asymmetric war such as this, nor a president who seems more dumbo than fascist. Mr. Plemons bag of calcium chloride seemed a tad small for the size of the hole, and his concomitant wielding of the dainty little scoop was inadvertently funny.
Reviews
8 Reviews
Masters of the Air
(2024)
The military history
16 March 2024
Even now in 2024 the fighter CGI looks just as incompetent as it did ten or 15 years ago, and also in other ways 'Masters of the Air' seems strangely familiar to what has gone before.
'The Mighty Eighth' didn't attack at night because they couldn't. They lacked the necessary training, doctrine, skills, and equipment. Initially they didn't know what they were doing, and as in this production, they began by attacking easily-identifiable coastal targets, where enemy fighter cover over the sea would hopefully be minimal. In this period their own fighter's protective range was about 150 miles, so generally they were without it. Also initially the Luftwaffe had to learn how best to attack American heavy bomber formations.
Attacking B-17s from the front couldn't really be done as German fighters weren't fast enough to position themselves for such an attack, far ahead of the bombers. Coming round for a second pass might be near-impossible, or take forever. From mid-1944, faulty German jets could do this as they travelled 200mph faster. The front profile of a B-17 is a small target, but any cannon hit on the aircraft's nose, wing or engine would destroy it. The problem was the combined closing speed of jet & bomber was about 800mph, so given the range of 30mm cannon, the jet pilot had about 2-3 seconds to aim and fire.
Bomber Command found quickly that they had to attack at night as in daylight they were too vulnerable to fighter attack, for every imaginable reason. Their bombers tended to burn, and their rifle-calibre machineguns were not adequate in the aerial defence role, even in four-gun turrets, as they lacked power, range, and field-of-fire. This was a matter of controversy throughout the war, however it quickly dawned on all Allied bomber officers that only rear guns stood much chance of engaging anything successfully, and nose guns generally were entirely useless. Removal of weighty nose turrets was considered, however putting heavier 20mm cannon in the rear position was problematic for reasons of weight distribution. At night bombers were much less likely to be attacked at higher altitudes, which is why the Lancaster was much safer than bomber types with a lower ceiling.
A bomber was quite fragile, as any damage to heating & oxygen systems would render them inoperable, which meant it had to descend to low altitude by itself, where it was far more vulnerable. Damage to the fuel system or even the bombs could destroy the aircraft.
Overall the bomber war failed because it was highly cost-ineffective: it took up one third of all war resources but did not contribute anywhere near as much in ending the war.
'The Mighty Eighth' didn't attack at night because they couldn't. They lacked the necessary training, doctrine, skills, and equipment. Initially they didn't know what they were doing, and as in this production, they began by attacking easily-identifiable coastal targets, where enemy fighter cover over the sea would hopefully be minimal. In this period their own fighter's protective range was about 150 miles, so generally they were without it. Also initially the Luftwaffe had to learn how best to attack American heavy bomber formations.
Attacking B-17s from the front couldn't really be done as German fighters weren't fast enough to position themselves for such an attack, far ahead of the bombers. Coming round for a second pass might be near-impossible, or take forever. From mid-1944, faulty German jets could do this as they travelled 200mph faster. The front profile of a B-17 is a small target, but any cannon hit on the aircraft's nose, wing or engine would destroy it. The problem was the combined closing speed of jet & bomber was about 800mph, so given the range of 30mm cannon, the jet pilot had about 2-3 seconds to aim and fire.
Bomber Command found quickly that they had to attack at night as in daylight they were too vulnerable to fighter attack, for every imaginable reason. Their bombers tended to burn, and their rifle-calibre machineguns were not adequate in the aerial defence role, even in four-gun turrets, as they lacked power, range, and field-of-fire. This was a matter of controversy throughout the war, however it quickly dawned on all Allied bomber officers that only rear guns stood much chance of engaging anything successfully, and nose guns generally were entirely useless. Removal of weighty nose turrets was considered, however putting heavier 20mm cannon in the rear position was problematic for reasons of weight distribution. At night bombers were much less likely to be attacked at higher altitudes, which is why the Lancaster was much safer than bomber types with a lower ceiling.
A bomber was quite fragile, as any damage to heating & oxygen systems would render them inoperable, which meant it had to descend to low altitude by itself, where it was far more vulnerable. Damage to the fuel system or even the bombs could destroy the aircraft.
Overall the bomber war failed because it was highly cost-ineffective: it took up one third of all war resources but did not contribute anywhere near as much in ending the war.
If you have a great script, top-end actors, and a $300m budget...
11 March 2023
...the investors seem to demand that one of the leads is British, where too might be one two many.
To that end I'd suggest B. Ramsey may have her well-publicised doubts, but I'd counter these by suggesting the obvious, that she carried this episode whilst Mr. Pascal earned his $600 grand by being covered from the neck down, rather than the neck up as previously ...whilst lying on his back going 'urgh urgh' in a manner so faint you couldn't even hear it, that only 25 years' of acting lessons could adequately accredit.
HOWSOEVER, on a higher level, I'd consider that the best way to live a human life is just as Bella Ramsey is now, that is:-
1. 19 years old;
2. (a) Female (person), lets say phenotypically;
3. Gifted above a level some IMBb commentators will happily identify;
4. Giving little away in toughness to the Royal Marine Arctic Warfare Cadre;
5. ...and where on the application form it says 'PROFESSION', she must now indubitably disavow 'actor' in favour of the slightly more honest 'Gorgeous'.
Which adds to a nascent career accelerating whilst climbing.
To that end I'd suggest B. Ramsey may have her well-publicised doubts, but I'd counter these by suggesting the obvious, that she carried this episode whilst Mr. Pascal earned his $600 grand by being covered from the neck down, rather than the neck up as previously ...whilst lying on his back going 'urgh urgh' in a manner so faint you couldn't even hear it, that only 25 years' of acting lessons could adequately accredit.
HOWSOEVER, on a higher level, I'd consider that the best way to live a human life is just as Bella Ramsey is now, that is:-
1. 19 years old;
2. (a) Female (person), lets say phenotypically;
3. Gifted above a level some IMBb commentators will happily identify;
4. Giving little away in toughness to the Royal Marine Arctic Warfare Cadre;
5. ...and where on the application form it says 'PROFESSION', she must now indubitably disavow 'actor' in favour of the slightly more honest 'Gorgeous'.
Which adds to a nascent career accelerating whilst climbing.
1883
(2021–2022)
Historical research?
30 July 2022
Telling the cook he could go home on the train was unintentionally funny. In 1883 the train ticket to Oregon cost upwards of $65. That might have been a better idea that spending $200 on a slow death. Latter-day wagon trains tended to feature a lot of wagons for obvious reasons and there were major route improvements by that time such as bridges, ferries and helicopter parks. 1843 might have been a better title, except then the shooting would have been dull, slow & black powder. OTOH the Yellowstone series has devolved into fully auto First Day on the Somme nonsense where Kelly Reilly's character doesn't seem to understand Kevlar. Both have a strong anti-gun message, since if everyone gets shot, what use are the guns?
The whitened teeth are still looking odd & unnatural, but here Graham Greene looked a bit wan as a Crow chief whereas Tim McGraw's.physiognomy was past deep crimson into full carmine, which looked so very different to well tanned Ms. May one can't help wondering if there was a family secret or mix-up at the maternity home.
I'm pretty sure women wearing men's clothes was illegal, but then no law west of the Pecos.
The really good thing about 1883 is that it lays itself open to satire to a degree that a comedy version might be really good. This doesn't mean the show doesn't work, but it is vulnerable to too-close observation.
The whitened teeth are still looking odd & unnatural, but here Graham Greene looked a bit wan as a Crow chief whereas Tim McGraw's.physiognomy was past deep crimson into full carmine, which looked so very different to well tanned Ms. May one can't help wondering if there was a family secret or mix-up at the maternity home.
I'm pretty sure women wearing men's clothes was illegal, but then no law west of the Pecos.
The really good thing about 1883 is that it lays itself open to satire to a degree that a comedy version might be really good. This doesn't mean the show doesn't work, but it is vulnerable to too-close observation.
Murder One
(1995–1997)
The best America ever managed
12 February 2014
The two series have no meaningful connection, and are so different that they should have their own entries on IMDb. The DVD sets were sold separately. The first episodes of series two were so forgettable that I felt I could live without the rest.
Series One was so very good that one gets the impression that some of the minor roles pushed themselves up the quality ladder in order to stay with the main portrayals. This was the first time I came across Stanley Tucci, and whereas he's always been an asset in everything thereafter, this was his finest hour. Daniel Benzali seemed to move faultlessly into a well-oiled parenthesis of TV perfection in the lead role. The mysterious storyline didn't seem that important compared to these and other performances.
The downside was the quality was too high for the domestic market, even during its first broadcast, and I got he impression there was desperate last-minute changes to the final episodes, to their detriment, in a futile attempt improve the ratings.
Series One was so very good that one gets the impression that some of the minor roles pushed themselves up the quality ladder in order to stay with the main portrayals. This was the first time I came across Stanley Tucci, and whereas he's always been an asset in everything thereafter, this was his finest hour. Daniel Benzali seemed to move faultlessly into a well-oiled parenthesis of TV perfection in the lead role. The mysterious storyline didn't seem that important compared to these and other performances.
The downside was the quality was too high for the domestic market, even during its first broadcast, and I got he impression there was desperate last-minute changes to the final episodes, to their detriment, in a futile attempt improve the ratings.
Jericho
(2006–2008)
Low brow, low quality & low budget...
15 August 2012
...and very popular with the fans. I'm not sure this is how Kansas wants to portray itself internationally. From a commercial point-of-view it seems ideal, as there's little need for expensive creative input. Its just that all the characters seem to have suffered a loss of higher brain function, an impression increased by the implausibility of certain plot elements, plus that occasionally its unintentionally amusing. And nothing much happens that hasn't been done previously in well-made post-apocalyptic TV shows going back decades. I am a little surprised that some of the better-known actors would agree to do this, although Gerald McRaney collapses more than once before episode 8. Its just generally slightly dumb. I keep thinking a new but intelligent character will appear, with his own scriptwriter, and take over. 8/10 from 26,000 votes is a worrying statistic.
Casino Royale
(2006)
The magnitudes of the successes and failures weren't very great
16 November 2006
The basic problem would seem to be a poor script, and without a very good script detailing a clever story a film will never do very well. The opening credits were probably the worst part of the film. They appeared to deploy all the technical brilliance of the 1950s, and the backing song was dire enough that its clear why this was the first time I heard it, and it'll also be the last. If Daniel Craig intended to portray a charmless, rough and uncouth proto-Bond who picks up married women and kills people in lavatories in between making beginner's mistakes then he did very well indeed. Mads Mikkleson was better than most and could have swopped his character's unexplained name with his own, profitably, and the fact Eva Green was there at all proves she can beat out the rest before she puts in a good acting performance. Judi Dench got it right this time for the first time, thank you script, so the sexist turd of the previous films turns into a spymaster with a brain who'll hopefully stick around for a while longer. Best of all the fantasy/comedy element of post-Connery Bond has gone, thank God. It just shows that some of the worst problems in life will disappear if you wait 35 years. There were, however, some basic failures: the story didn't enrapture me even if you try to pretend it hung together. Like the opening animations, it was all rather low-octane, and like a two-stroke Trabant engine it occasionally stuttered in manner that couldn't be overlooked. Perhaps worst of all I started feeling sorry for M. Le Chiffre, on several occasions. It was refreshing for Vesper to join in a punch-up, but somehow I got the impression her eagerness for the fray, and her subsequent willingness to bang a bad guy's gun hand against the floor, could only be based on a desire to protect British taxpayer's money! and so I smiled :(
It could be said the film is a series of scenes without much continuity. There are a lot of Jaguars, made to look ever cheaper by the more elusive Astons and Bentleys, so a product placement too far there. The portable DC defibrillator in the dashboard was merely silly, and this can't count as a spoiler since no one would believe it till they see it. Bond says "please" and "thank you" a lot, as if he's just completed the MI6 gentleperson's "nice" course. The film appeared to have no soul of tempo, or overall cohesion, as different periods of it were quite different to others. This, in film-making, is no good.
It could be said the film is a series of scenes without much continuity. There are a lot of Jaguars, made to look ever cheaper by the more elusive Astons and Bentleys, so a product placement too far there. The portable DC defibrillator in the dashboard was merely silly, and this can't count as a spoiler since no one would believe it till they see it. Bond says "please" and "thank you" a lot, as if he's just completed the MI6 gentleperson's "nice" course. The film appeared to have no soul of tempo, or overall cohesion, as different periods of it were quite different to others. This, in film-making, is no good.
Alexander
(2004)
the other thing wrong
14 January 2005
was that two out of five could only be 40% successful, and boredom filled the gap. So it beats the Scottish film by a factor of at least 30. Angelina Jolie again showed that all she needs is nitro fuel, and something round her upper left arm. As usual, I didn't like camera blur substituting for the ice-cold crystal-clear full-colour experience that is imminent death. There's little else specific that I can point to as being no good, other than the lack of Issus, Granicus and especially Tyre. The latter could have easily been done as a brief CG shot. There were, probably, too many words, some of which were not entirely germane, and oveall an attempt to do something high-minded which did not quite come off either. On to Hannibal...
Tell Your Friends