donita51 Reviews

Fargo (2014–2024)

Disappointing

[4/10 · 19 August 2014]

I so wanted to like Fargo. I had such high expectations of a venture co- sponsored by the Coen brothers, Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman and supposedly based on a great movie. And yet I was disappointed.

Admittedly, it isn't a total disaster, unlike some police series which are bad from the word GO (Justified jumps to mind immediately). Most of the acting is OK, though a bit on the heavy side, especially Billy Bob Thornton who is TOO evil to be credible, who smiles too much in such a malevolent manner as to be a caricature of evil, in short – not too credible (oh for Sir Anthony as a really frightening monster as HL). Martin Freeman grows into the role as does Allison Tollman while Colin Hanks is just another pretty face.

As for the plot, It doesn't remind one so much of the movie Fargo as it does of High Noon. The Lonesome hero(ine), aided by a timid sidekick, surrounded by inept policemen (are they all so daft up North?) and clownish FBI agents battling alone against Evil. Molly Solverson is no Will Kane, but the setting is suspiciously similar and the ending is quite obvious from a long way out.

On the plus side, the photography is gorgeous, the locations are magnificent (as if it matters if it was shot in North Dakota, Minnesota or Canada) and the array of weaponry is impressive.

But what really irritates me is the lack of books. "Books?" you would ask, "What the heck?". Well, quite a few interiors are presented and in NONE of them are there books or bookshelves present. Not even ONE book lying on a coffee table, on a desk, on a night table. Only the omnipresent TV set which is always on, always drawing attention to itself. Is that America, home of the best universities in the world and of some of the best publishing houses or is it typical only of the hicks up North? Or, does Mr. Hawley have issues with books?

Tzur Hadassim (1999)

Likable lightweight

[6/10 · 12 August 2013]

This is a minor, inconsequential film, but it does have its charm.

It is supposed to deal with criminals and crimes, but in such a light way as to render it a parody of the genre. The criminals are all inept, the police more lucky than smart and naturally nothing works according to plan.

The performance enhances the parodic feeling of the film, with some overacting, but not in a jarring way. It's as if the actors had instructions to act in a look-how-stupid-we-are manner, and they do it brilliantly.

On the plus side, the film flies by rapidly. It has no real dull or dead moments, no introspection or philosophizing moral. It just aims to provide you with an hour and a half of good time, and in its minor, unassuming way, it does.

The Sweeney (2012)

You could watch it as a parody, but the best advice is DON'T WATCH IT AT ALL

[1/10 · 9 August 2013]

I am giving this film 1 star because it's the lowest IMDb allows, but it is not awful. It is way worse. It is an abomination, a shame, a public nuisance. It is detestable.

There is no plot as such, the main theme seems to be the depiction of a gang of really tough policemen and women meting out their own brand of justice. And it's not that I abhor violence in films. DIRTY HARRY, THE GODFATHER and RESERVOIR DOGS are high among my favorites, but here the violence is all gratuitous, most of the time totally unnecessary.

If at least one could write about the acting saving the day, but it doesn't.The cops are a bunch of boors, loudmouths, foul-mouthed, obnoxious and it seems that all, including the female actresses received directions to just act violently, unthinkingly, unfeelingly. Cursing, growling, hissing and yelling is not acting.

I was wondering what Damian Lewis was doing in this film and still am. Is he in such great need of cash, after getting all those huge American cheques for HOMELAND? He does not add anything to the film except embarrassment.

Even the sex scenes are risible. We are used to Americans making love fully clothed, preferably standing up, but when has this unnatural position been adopted by the British?

In conclusion, just ignore this piece of offal. Don't rent it. Don't buy it.

Know what, Don't even download it for free.

Top of the Lake (2013–2017)

Mixed feelings

[6/10 · 5 August 2013]

I really wanted to like this mini-series, having read rave reviews about it. I started watching, was instantly captivated by the breathtaking scenery, rushed to bone up on New Zealand in Wikipedia, found it is considered one of the most desirable places to live in the world, sat down again, expecting a treat, and then the series hit me square in the face.

It is peopled with some of the least sympathetic, most reprehensible characters seen on TV, characters which would not feel out of place in OZ. The main theme revolves around rape, perhaps incest, but most of all, boorishness.

I doubt if all New Zealanders are similar to those portrayed, but let's say they remind the viewers of the worst examples of Southern Rednecks.

Even the police are portrayed not too sympathetically, manned by biased, mysogenic, mediocre personnel.

As to the subplot dealing with the community of women, I must have missed something the author intended. I fail to see their connection to the main plot, none more so than their leader, who seems actually a parody of gurus everywhere.

Last but not least, I had trouble making out what some of the actors were saying, whether because they were mumbling or because they are of different nationalities trying to affect a Kiwi accent I honestly don't know.

To summarize, the mini-series is not awful and isn't even bad, but it is a far cry from the masterpiece some viewers hold it to be.

Five Hours from Paris (2009)

Touching little film

[9/10 · 27 July 2013]

Why is this a good film? Because it shows a slice of life as it really is, without any sugar coating, without dei ex machinas, without makeup, without resorting to Hollywood-style happy endings.

Yes. This is life. We've all been there (at least this writer has), and life hurts. Brushing against a different future and then seeing it disappear into thin air is one of the most painful feelings in life. The rest of your life will be spent with "what ifs" and "what-might-have- beens". Depressing, I know. I'm sorry.

Dror Keren as Yigal the cab driver gives a subdued yet true-to-life performance as a loser, financially as well as romantically, and makes us feel for him. Cheer up, mate. We empathize with you. Things will not get any better, but you're not alone (not that it eases the pain).

Broadchurch (2013–2017)

A good British mystery drama

[8/10 · 8 June 2013]

I have just finished watching this drama at two sittings. Tense it was, indeed, but its real strength lies in the portrayal of a small, closely-knit community and the explosion/implosion when disaster strikes. It takes place in a southern, sunlit town in Dorset, but the mood is sombre, with hardly a smile breaking the gloom.

The performers are uniformly good, but I have one reservation. As much as I like David Tennant as an actor and a comic (as seen on QI), I could barely comprehend his talking (mumbling would be more correct). I don't know whether it's his pronounced Scottish accent (I can't understand Sir Alex either) or the fact that he clenches his teeth whenever he speaks. Maybe it's because I am not a native speaker of English...

Apart from that picayune point, I enjoyed the show tremendously and am looking forward to seeing more British-made dramas such as this.

God Rot Tunbridge Wells! (1985 TV Movie)

Sheer delight - both aurally and visually!

[10/10 · 15 January 2013]

This is a film I go back to every couple of years, remembering how I enjoyed it the last time, and every (re)viewing reinforces my feeling that it is indeed a treat, a delight, a gem.

First, of course, we have the Music. Handel wrote some of the most magnificent "tunes" (as a character calls them in the film) in Western culture and this music is clearly the centerpiece of the film. Although not played on original instruments, it still sounds fantastic and the singing is divine (just watch and listen to young Emma Kirkby in "But Who May Abide" from Messiah - music to die for!)

Secondly, there is the presence (perhaps omnipresence) of Trevor Howard, playing the final moments of Handel as if feeling his own death approaching (he died just two short years later). What charisma this actor had, what magnificent voice, what a mesmerizing performer. Also, it does not bother a bit that Christopher Bramwell plays young Handel in a virtual tongue-in-cheek manner. This only underlines the levity and insouciance of the young composer about to conquer the world.

So what if John Osborne's script is more a reflection of himself than of Handel, as a reviewer previously noted? This is not a filmed biography, but an entertainment and as such, it has few peers. Still, I believe that Handel's love for England was real as indeed there is much to love and admire in that country.

The visual aspects of the film are beautifully done - the costumes, the long shots of cities and palaces, the (probably true) behaviour off and on stage in the 18th century. It all rings true.

So, a witty, literate and well-researched script, sublime music wonderfully performed, great acting and beautiful visuals. What else do you need in a film?

The Fifth Heaven (2011)

Interesting background, insipid main story

[5/10 · 4 November 2012]

In 1962 novelist Rachel Eitan published her semi-fictional memoirs of the growing pains of a pubescent girl in an orphanage in British- controlled Palestine. Although she was not an orphan, with both parents still living, the protagonist, Maya, was sent to the orphanage with the help of some well-placed friends to alleviate the financial troubles of her father.

The time is 1944-1945, the last year of the Second World War, when the wartime alliance between the Jews of Palestine and the British was coming to an end. The former began amassing weapons for the coming conflict against the Arabs and the latter were busy confiscating these weapons and overall, making life generally miserable for the Jews.

The film touches upon those themes, as well as on the additional topics of Jewish women dating British soldiers, the exploits of the Lehi underground unit, known to the world as the Stern Gang, and the rise of parasitic, opportunistic entrepreneurs, looking to make a fast buck in the midst of those historic times. There is even an oblique look at the holocaust, in the (too shallow) presentation of the orphan girl "FROM THERE".

It seems fairly obvious that against such an historical and political background, the coming of age story is reduced to a bland, pale narrative. It does not help that the acting is so wooden, and that the heroine's face is reduced to an empty stare which does not register empathy with the viewer. Furthermore, the relations between the too-few orphans (I am certain the place was chock-full of orphans in those Holocaust days) is almost non-existent, and it is very hard to see how the newcomer has turned into the queen bee. Even the sexual awakening of the girls is presented in such an insipid way as to make it totally uninteresting.

I give this movie 5 stars for its overall look and feel, but as for being a coming of age story, we have seen much much better (400 Blows, for example).

Fill the Void (2012)

A disturbing movie

[8/10 · 3 November 2012]

Over the last dozen or so years, no less than seven films have been made about the orthodox religious community in Israel. These films are:

Forbidden Love (1999); Kadosh (1999); Bat Kol (Inner Voice) (2002); Ushpizin (2004); My Father, My Lord (2007); The Secrets (2007); Eyes Wide Open (2009).

All these films were made by non-religious or at least non-orthodox film makers, and then along came Fill the Void. Its director and scriptwriter, Rama Burshtein, is an orthodox woman who is also a film maker.

Which raises the question whether this new film is more authentic than the previous ones, whether it portrays the orthodox community more faithfully. It should be understood that the orthodox communities in Israel are tightly-knit units, abhorring the outside, modern Western way of life which they perceive as decadent, immoral and corruptive. They still dress as did their ancestors in the Shtetl in Eastern Europe centuries ago, talk mostly Yiddish among themselves and of course, inter-marry only within their milieu.

Fill the Void is indeed about this latter issue, the question of marriage. The questions raised by the protagonists may seem quaint and even amusing to us, but seem of paramount importance to them, as if no other issues occupy their closed life.

This reviewer has no way of assessing the veracity of the facts and can only rely on subjective impressions. The film "rings true", feels true, and the fact that some of the actors come from a religious background adds to the feeling. Viewers might sneer at the seemingly irrelevant questions facing those "strange" people, but the acting convincingly conveys the sentiment that we are indeed dealing with a grave situation.

I came out of the theater thinking not about the heroine, blandly played by Hila Feldman, or about the way she handles her private demons and dilemmas, but about the strange, foreign, incomprehensible community living not a mile away from my house in the same city, yet separated from me by an unbridgeable chasm.

A disturbing movie.

Sword of Honour (2001 TV Movie)

Somewhat of a letdown

[6/10 · 2 November 2012]

Having savoured Evelyn Waugh's magnificent trilogy, I approached this filmic adaptation fearlessly. The expectation of seeing Daniel Craig, a favourite actor of mine, added to the enticement. Finally, being a WW2 films buff, I believed I was in for a treat.

What a letdown...

It's not that this mini-series is badly made, that Craig does not act well or that the dialogue is stilted. It is just soooooooo sloooooooooooow (except for some (too few) battle scenes) that it borders on boring. The one notable exception was the depiction of the battle for Crete, which looks as if was filmed on location. It had the flavour of the real thing, conveyed through the bright photography. Also, Robert Daws as brigade major Hound was fantastic.

To me (no prude) the love angle was over-emphasized, with Megan Dodds annoyingly bad. Altogether, it took up too much screen time at the expense of other, more important aspects like the War, character development or Guy's Catholic dilemmas.

Also, watching Richard Coyle acting in the same mode as he did in Coupling made me realize what a limited actor he is although again, I stress that in Coupling he was the heart of the show.

Some reviewers have already noted that this film does not compare well with the books it is based on. I will add that while most films indeed don't, this one was an extremely painful example of how not to make a TV series based on a book, especially a masterpiece.

Trial on the Road (1986)

A war film less about war and more about choices

[8/10 · 1 November 2012]

Despite its age, this is a very good film. The story of the Russian and Ukrainian soldiers who defected to the German side to fight with General Vlasov against the hated Bolsheviks has not been shown in many films, so this one is a welcome addition.

Some reviewers have puzzled over the question why the film's distribution was held up for 14 years, made in 1971 and released only in 1985. The answer seems fairly obvious: this is a political film, which is not shy about showing NKVD officers in a less-than-flattering light. Furthermore, while patriotic, it stresses the human and personal aspects of life and it is almost Christian in its theme of crime and redemption. 1971 USSR under Brezhnev what still not ready for those ideas, hence the hold-up.

While the acting is fairly wooden by modern western standards, the dialogue rings true but the real appeal lies in the breathtaking cinematography, showing the wintry expanses of Russia in an almost palpable way, so much so that the viewer can almost feel the cold wind blowing.

For WW2-films buffs and for students of Soviet cinema this film is a must, but others interested in stories about humanity, redemption and moral choices will benefit from viewing it as well.

Wire in the Blood (2002–2008)

Been there, seen that

[3/10 · 8 April 2011]

I really gave this a chance, watching the first two series almost to the end, but it got the better of me: I had the sense of having been there and seen it already.

The slightly disheveled expert, a cross between Columbo and Mr. Hulot, the inept (Keystone) cops, the mocking sceptical cop who never trusts the hero who always proves right (shades of House MD), the "steely" policewoman who likes to say STAT and sh*t on every occasion and who gets promoted, God and screenwriters only know why, the incredibly simple solution at the end, full of Deus and Machinas.

Contrary to some reviewers here, the graphic shots of mayhem and savagery were not off-putting, having been "tastefully" done, but it's obvious they were put in solely for effect, as if to say "look how cool we are, how Un-American!" but this show has all the markings of an Americanised show.

For a much superior British police show watch "Waking the Dead".

This got an 8.4 mark? Strange, my dear Watson, very strange.

The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019)

We are not amused

[2/10 · 8 February 2011]

This sitcom is not amusing. It is anything but. The plot is cliché-full, the characters one-dimensional, you can see a joke or a punchline coming from a mile away, the laugh track is annoying and overall, it has all the appearance of hundreds of sitcoms we have seen and suffered through since time immemorial.

As to the scientific value of this show, the fact that it has a scientific consultant does not turn it into a science program. Blurting a few correct scientific facts once in a while can be done by anyone with the ability to read Wikipedia articles.

The only redeeming feature is the heroine's décolleté, but that is just a sexist observation, I know, so I'll amend it to "there are no redeeming features to this show".

Dark Blue (2009–2010)

As if The Wire had never been made

[1/10 · 26 December 2010]

I started watching the pilot, and after a few minutes got the gist of it - tough-talking cops, bad guys all bluster, girls all pretty and big- chested, drums-filled music to signal approach of meaningful sequences, bad guys shooting at front window (reinforced) of empty cars, head cop taking off his glasses to show compassionate care for his crew, blonde girl cop calling her boss on the phone, saying "it's me" without identifying herself (I can do that trick too), and worst of all - the action AGAIN taking place in Los Angeles, a city which should have already been empty of all its occupants for all the murders and killings TV tells us are happening there (I guess it's cheaper to shoot on location there, for i'ts obvious the city is just an offshoot of the studios as there is no other seeming reason for its existence).

Haven't the makers of this terrible waste seen The Wire? Has laziness to think up fresh approaches to police series taken over completely? I would have given this show a straight 0 had I been allowed to. As it is I am thinking of suing the makers for the hour I have wasted and which I am never getting back.

And BTW, I gave it another shot - tried to watch the second episode but lost all interest after 15 minutes. Please don't bring this back...

Treme (2010–2013)

What a treat!!

[10/10 · 5 June 2010]

I have never been to New Orleans, and while watching this show, I wish I had. What a place it must have been before Katarina struck...

I was hooked on this show from the start, seeing it not as a series, but as a long, rambling epic, saluting the glorious past of the Crescent City, its (still) unbelievable music, its special people, its big heart and yes, its current misery.

And what an actor Wendell Pierce is. He was great as Bonk in The Wire, but here he surpasses himself, giving the performance of a lifetime, and what a delight it was to read that he is a native New Orleannais. Chapeau, Wendell!

The rest of the cast are all good, with John Goodman clearly enjoying himself as the profane professor, but the real hero of the show is the music, real New Orleans music. Need one say more?

Ally McBeal (1997–2002)

Great Show; annoying music

[8/10 · 27 April 2010]

Having returned to the show after a few years' hiatus, I find myself still enjoying it (the first two seasons so far). The cast is great, the jokes still work, the women are gorgeous and the men are not terribly annoying, the cases litigated are ludicrously funny and even the special effects, which I normally abhor, are cute. However, I am somewhat turned off by the terrible choice of music for this show, namely the grating, nasal, off key sound of Vonda Shepard. She takes marvelous 60s and 70s songs and turns them into police sirens- like wailing, and if I were a dog, I would start howling in misery. Consequently, every time she goes into a song (and she does that at least once every episode), I hit that mute button on my PC faster than a speeding bullet. Otherwise, a really enjoyable still fresh show.