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cglt1974
Reviews
The Walking Dead (2010)
Must See TV
Post-apocalyptic drama will always strike a cord with a large audience; the curiosity about what living in the end-times will be like is part of the human condition. If you're baffled by the popularity of this show, that is the basis of what drives it. It's all about fantasy and story telling. This particular story isn't for EVERYONE, but for those whom it is, it is compelling and grips the imagination.
I do have to say (even as a fan), the show is a bit uneven; this is a point that is likely due to the three different showrunners it's had over its run. As a die-hard apocalypse-story fan, it was inevitable that I'd be drawn to it, and it often does knock you back in your seat. There have been moments that left me excited or disturbed for days, which is not easy to do. That said, it has had long stretches where the story telling is gratuitous and slow. What separates fans of the show from casual viewers is your patience in waiting for the payoff.
Remember, no show is perfect and every series has some episodes that are duds, so be sure to give it a solid chance even if it doesn't grip you right away. The newest showrunner of TWD (Scott Gimple) has shown a propensity toward perfect pacing (reference the first half of season four) that is highly promising. As a casual viewer you will find stretches of episodes (or even a whole season) that leaves you wanting, but keep watching... the payoff is high if and when it finally strikes a cord with you.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
Better than the First
I preface my review by saying I am extremely hard to impress. I rarely feel emotionally moved by movies and HTTYD1 was no exception to that although I did feel a sense of satisfaction in identifying with Toothless (that little booger has the same sassy personality as my cat).
I went to see HTTYD2 more to be impressed by the 3D than anything, but left very happy that I had chosen it. I felt it surpassed the original by far in engaging the viewer, even as an adult. It did a perfect job of taking the original and amplifying it (rather than so many sequels that just water the original down). There wasn't anything that stuck out as a negative to me, which is very rare indeed. See it in 3D if you can; it only adds to the action!
P.S.(I loved seeing Craig Ferguson's role significantly included; I have a newfound fondness for him and will miss his voice on late night TV soon!)
America: Imagine the World Without Her (2014)
Movie is more agenda driven than documentary
I don't consider myself politically minded and went to see this movie hoping to learn something. I was hoping for a "big picture" unbiased view that laid out all the irrefutable facts and allowed the viewer to make their own educated decision, assuming that based on the title there would be more good than negative to sway most mildly intelligent viewers to a positive point of view. The first half seemed promising in this regard, but the by the time the movie was 2/3 done, I was growing bored and contemplating leaving.
Really all I heard were half-baked counterpoints to the common criticisms of America based on one man's opinions, which at the end of the day are only a small part of a much, MUCH bigger picture and really, nothing new. His viewpoints are largely hand-plucked out of that context in order to illustrate his own opinion of America. D'Souza is entitled to his opinion, but opinions are not always fact (and as we know, "everyone has one"), and should not be the basis of a "documentary". Mr. D'Souza's logic is hopelessly flawed, preferring to harp on very rare success cases than address the overwhelming circumstances that kept those cases rare. In trying to prove that suffering was/is either more universal or more avoidable than we previously thought, he effectively belittles it altogether. Sprinkle in a bit of "ooooh, the Government is spying on you" and you have this movie. This is not a historic documentary as much as a political agenda with too much to say to really say much of anything at all.
In the end, what he came up with is quite simply a very long anti-Democrat political campaign ad.
Any political debate will be polarizing and that is reflected in the reviews here. All this said, I did actually agree with a few points, but just like my middle-of-the-road political outlook, I'm rating it a square 5 of 10. I can discern fact from opinion, and I can make up my own mind when facts are presented to me... but this movie only presents the facts that support D'Souza's opinions which is again, only a very small part of a much bigger picture. I was less entertained or informed than I was annoyed, feeling like D'Souza underestimated my intelligence as the viewer.