oracledelphi Reviews

Hello Ladies (2013–2014)

Same mean-spirited stuff as The Office in Britain

[3/10 · 21 October 2013]

As a disclaimer, I must first say that I have pretty much hated Gervais and Merchant after the cringingly mean-spirited "awkwardness" of the British version of The Office and this is just more of the same:

1. Potentially likable protagonist with some stingy or narcissistic tendencies gets into awkward situation due to these tendencies.

2. Everyone around is either offended or overreacts in an implausible way.

3. Protagonist tries to awkwardly talk his way out of it, inevitably making things worse.

4. Protagonist and one or more closer friends convince themselves that everything will be all right but never address their root problems of selfishness and narcissism.

Lincoln (2012)

Another Spielberg Children's Movie

[2/10 · 13 January 2013]

I swore after reading how horribly unhistorical and politically correct this movie was that I would not pay to see it. I was unfortunately dragged to it with family.

As usual, Spielberg has produced yet another "ET" with different subject matter. I don't know if the guy just never matured personally or if he is so isolated from reality that he just doesn't have a grasp of it.

Usual formulaic Spielberg--silly situational, scenic and even mechanical gimmicks, unrealistic gratuitous horror, unrealistic gratuitous profanity, two dimensional characters--just the same old Spielberg crap.

As usual "It might have been a great film if someone other than Spielberg had directed it."

The Catherine Tate Show (2004–2009)

Largely Catchprasey, Largely Brilliant

[9/10 · 22 February 2011]

From some of the one star reviews on this site it appears that Catherine Tate's comedy perhaps comes a bit too close to the knuckle for some. I suspect most of the bad reviews have been written by folks that see themselves in her characters.

Anchored on catchphrases (as is much of British comedy), this show gets a bit samey after a while, but the sheer brilliance of the characters, even the auxiliary ones, is mesmerizing. It is also simply dead clever much of the time.

I believe the average rating of 7 is about right for this one. I gave it a nine to counterbalance those who seem to have it in for the actress.

Last Chance Harvey (2008)

A sorry string of utterly predictable ROMCOM clichés

[2/10 · 19 January 2010]

Being a fan (previously, at least) of Hoffman and Thompson, I was excited to come across this movie as a Netflix instant watch--but boy was I disappointed. The summary line pretty much says it all. I generally enjoy romantic comedies, but watching these two debase themselves for this 90-odd minutes of pablum was painful.

I must admit that these two veteran actors gave it the old college try, with Thompson being a bit more believable than Hoffman (as Hoffman was playing his socially inept and mentally diffuse Harvey, I could hear distinct echoes of "Rainman" vocalizations that literally made me cringe).

Even the title of the flick is facile and cliché.

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Realistic

[31 March 2004]

Warning: possible spoilers

This movie was about what I expected it to be - a very explicit portrayal of the Passion. As a Christian who has spent a fair amount of time contemplating this great act of redemption, I expected nothing more and nothing less than what I saw. Notwithstanding this, it was indeed extraordinarily moving to "be there." I am grateful to Gibson for giving me this opportunity.

Those who have a problem with the depicted violence and cruelty are probably unaware of just how violent the world was (and still is in some places). People were routinely tortured to death for all sorts of crimes up to and including the so-called Age of Enlightenment. For those who felt that the violence in Passion was overblown I would suggest a little research into the penalties for capital crimes that were in place in Western Europe until relatively recently!

The only disappointment I had with the film involved some "technical" inaccuracies about the crucifixion itself. I believe it has been well established that the Romans drove nails through the wrists of the victims as opposed to the hands (indeed, this gruesome detail is borne out in the image on the Shroud of Turin that many have derided as a medieval fake). Apparently, too, Jesus most likely didn't carry the whole cross - just the cross beam as the two thieves did. I have to assume that Gibson is aware of these details but decided to retain the imagery of Pierced Hands and a Carried Cross.

All in all, a must see. However, I would strongly suggest to those who are unacquainted with the Gospels that they do a bit reading before the film to provide a bit of context.