I'm not the biggest Jason Momoa fan and I found it hard to get past the fact that few Native Americans are in the lead roles of a series dealing with Native Americans, with Jason Momoa being Hawaiian, Tamara Tunie being African American, Lisa Bonet being a bit here and there and Tom Sizemore being more Jersey than anything else. But, after about two episodes, I'm glad I did. This series is a solid show. It's competently acted, deals with real Native American issues and manages to surprise you here and there. And I'm, still, not the biggest Jason Momoa fan....but, he's growing on me. I won't call it overly clever (like Peaky Blinders) or stunningly edited (like Sense8). What I will call it is sincere and blunt, earnest in its desire to tell you its story. And you can't ask for much more than that.
Reviews
3 Reviews
The Red Road
(2014–2015)
The Red Road grows on you, like the most sophisticated of spices.
14 December 2015
Songcatcher
(2000)
Soothing and satisfying.
28 March 2012
I recently caught the tail-end of this on HBO and had to watch all of it on Netflix.
It is nearly mesmerizing. I think the only flaw I found with it was the beginning. I wanted a longer beginning, so that more contrast would become evident as the movie went on.
Having said that, Songcatcher is sweet and just a bit haunting.
Jane Adams steals this with a elegant and yearning performance. But the performances are all beautiful and slow as a massage without the meter running. I've always like Aidan Quinn and I love that Janet McTeer is not a Kewpie doll someone stuck into a serious film. She's a woman - just as there were once women in movies.
I recommend it highly.
It is nearly mesmerizing. I think the only flaw I found with it was the beginning. I wanted a longer beginning, so that more contrast would become evident as the movie went on.
Having said that, Songcatcher is sweet and just a bit haunting.
Jane Adams steals this with a elegant and yearning performance. But the performances are all beautiful and slow as a massage without the meter running. I've always like Aidan Quinn and I love that Janet McTeer is not a Kewpie doll someone stuck into a serious film. She's a woman - just as there were once women in movies.
I recommend it highly.
She's Out of My League
(2010)
SPOILER ALERT!! She's Out of My League gets it right.
15 March 2010
Warning: Spoilers
First, just a thimble full of bitch'n. You will never see the reversed doppelganger of this movie. You will never see a movie about a geeky, relatively unattractive and unsuccessful, yet funny and sweet, woman getting pursued, wooed and appreciated by a handsome, successful, yet unpretentious man and having it turn into true love. Men are too shallow and dense. Wonderful characteristics, in women, are viewed as matter-of-fact and completely undeserving of that "can't believe my good luck" awe that comes with finding anything resembling wonderful characteristics in men. Combine all these hypocrisies, double-standards and arrogant wishful thinking into one spit-bucket and it'd be deep enough to drown any movie called He's Out of My League. I mean, Christ! Even cartoon wives of cartoon, overweight, uncouth oafs are hot (ala Family Guy). And we all just nod and accept it as the lazy, apathetic, complacent, unquestioning audience that we are. Excuse me while I puke until I dry heave. Okay. Better. On we go.....
So, went to see She's Out of My League over the weekend. It was stereotypical, out of touch with reality and followed a tried and true formula.
Kirk (Jay Baruchel, of Undeclared fame) is geek without dork, sweet without sap. He meets Molly (Alice Eve, some chick I hadn't seen until now) and the clichés begin and they just keep coming in well-timed allotments.
His friends are vulgar, but caring; diverse and yet, great friends. His family give their allegiance to his ex, an uncomplicated harpy so devoid of compassion and what I like to call snuggle-buns. His job, an un-fulfilling waste of his time. No one, but the audience, sees him for the diamond in all this rough.
Molly is beautiful and well-adjusted. She makes a lot of money, loves her job, is beautiful. And yet. The very attractive, accomplished man she was dating cheated on her. She has only one friend, apparently (the full-lipped Krysten Ritter), and Patty is obligatorily bitchy, supportive and colorful, alternatively creating tension and offering support, depending on the film's need.
This is not original film-making.
That said, it's not bad film-making, either. Just unoriginal. But, I challenge you to find originality in a film environment that recycles more old ideas than television these days. That's evident in this this film, but hardly matters. The laughs are genuine, the performances inspired, fresh. At the end of the movie, you may, still, not care if these two get together; you may not believe the entire scenario, but you find yourself laughing, having a good time, liking who you've spent the last 2 hours with. And that's the whole point of romantic comedies, the whole point of romance.
So, went to see She's Out of My League over the weekend. It was stereotypical, out of touch with reality and followed a tried and true formula.
Kirk (Jay Baruchel, of Undeclared fame) is geek without dork, sweet without sap. He meets Molly (Alice Eve, some chick I hadn't seen until now) and the clichés begin and they just keep coming in well-timed allotments.
His friends are vulgar, but caring; diverse and yet, great friends. His family give their allegiance to his ex, an uncomplicated harpy so devoid of compassion and what I like to call snuggle-buns. His job, an un-fulfilling waste of his time. No one, but the audience, sees him for the diamond in all this rough.
Molly is beautiful and well-adjusted. She makes a lot of money, loves her job, is beautiful. And yet. The very attractive, accomplished man she was dating cheated on her. She has only one friend, apparently (the full-lipped Krysten Ritter), and Patty is obligatorily bitchy, supportive and colorful, alternatively creating tension and offering support, depending on the film's need.
This is not original film-making.
That said, it's not bad film-making, either. Just unoriginal. But, I challenge you to find originality in a film environment that recycles more old ideas than television these days. That's evident in this this film, but hardly matters. The laughs are genuine, the performances inspired, fresh. At the end of the movie, you may, still, not care if these two get together; you may not believe the entire scenario, but you find yourself laughing, having a good time, liking who you've spent the last 2 hours with. And that's the whole point of romantic comedies, the whole point of romance.
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