music_man_fan Reviews

Becker (1998–2004)

Should be called how a network destroyed a great show.

[9/10 · 19 January 2022]

This show's 3rd and 4th's season reminds me of when Seinfeld was about to take off. Amazing writing, great story lines that worked, perfect timing in jokes and character development, and a really great cast. It was about solidify Ted Danson as one of the great actors of all time. Shawnee Smith was going to break out to become a super star. Just by quality and laughter, it was going to be found by the general public.

Then network decided to make an example Terry Ferrel, who's chemistry with Danson was going off the charts. And killed the series as we know it.

Every person involved in that contract negotiation from CBS's side should be called out, and attacked by history. They took a show that had the potential to go down as one of the greats and killed it.

Nancy Travis doesn't deserve the hate because it wasn't her fault. But Danson and her had nowhere near the chemistry and timing Ferrel and Danson had down to a T.

But one executive team's total "mess up" became another writer's gold, and the TV character "House" comes directly from this, and it was open, because CBS killed this series from becoming iconic.

Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened (2016)

Shockingly good, though it feels like it won't be. Just like the play itself.

[9/10 · 15 September 2021]

I have to admit, almost halfway though this, I regretted my decision to spend my valuable time to watch this. It felt like a vanity or justification project by the director, while trying to kindly right old wrongs. Then, just after the halfway mark, the payoffs start happening. And they keep on happening, to the point of some pretty brilliant film making and the reasons why it was choppy in the beginning. Art imitates life, and incredibly everything wrong about the movie, turns right. No doubt that's exactly what the director was hoping for, as it mirrors the story so well, just took a long way to get there if you don't know the full history of the musical.

So from almost turning it off, everyone in my family has now seen it, some multiple times, and it has become the most discussed movie our family has ever had. Interesting angle and life lessons, I wish I had learned growing up, in a really good documentary. The director doesn't really use Jason Alexander until the end, but he says something perfect in the old footage that makes you understand why he was the most resilient and was the one that fully made it. It also explains the real reason why he didn't go back to Broadway, which always seemed strange to many. But even that, fits into the movie perfectly.

If you like Broadway and real life story lines, wrapped into a what happened to them story line, this is almost a must see.

This Is Pop: Stockholm Syndrome (2021) Season 1, Episode 3

Excellent documentary on how it happened

[9/10 · 4 September 2021]

The only thing it missed is the simple reason why it happened in Sweden. As someone who lived in Sweden for a while, it's right in their culture and language. Swedish itself is very rhythmic and musical. It's the reason why Swedish-English speakers in the 1950's and 60's sounded like the were singing or yodeling when they spoke in English. Also melodies and singing are a huge part of the culture going back hundreds, if not thousands of years.

But excellent overview on how it happened. One of the things many don't know was that Benny and Bjorn from ABBA had already been record producing management for 5 years, under Stig Anderson, before Waterloo ever became a hit. So one of the main reasons why ABBA became so prolific was that Benny and Bjorn, with the help of Stig and sound engineer Michael B. Tretow, had the expertise to produce and turn any melody into a good song. They didn't need the help of anyone else, as they were one of the few human beings who could take a song all the way through the process. Enjoying the long drown out process of producing a tune into a hit, as it takes a lot to get through the winters in Sweden, is also a big part of Swedish culture, and the asset that became the backbone of why Sweden became such a great record producing country.

Jane (II) (2017)

The Origin Story of a Real Life Super Hero! Should be compulsory homeschool viewing for every child on earth 8 to 16.

[10/10 · 23 April 2020]

This is the straight up origin story of Jane, and if you haven't seen a full documentary on her, this is actually the best one to start with. If you've seen many documentaries on Jane, the camera work by Hugo and others is breathtaking and worth it just for that.

Because of its storytelling style, this is perfect for kids to watch. But adults will enjoy how beautifully this is made, and quandaries and complexity of the life she chose. Almost perfect family viewing, and a lot to talk about with your kids.

Some life lesson ***SPOILERS!!!***

So many life lessons are talked about here: Dream, dream big, read for imagination, follow your dreams, Dreams only happen if you work really hard. Understand that there will be terrible setbacks so be ready for them. Take advantage of your breaks, no matter what they are. But do it in the right way, so you have integrity and feel good about your choices.

Also big mistakes Jane made like not writing down goals in life before she got married, and touching her research animals are pretty open here.

The ease of the movie, while enjoying the incredible photography and filming, and Jane herself, makes this a wonderful movie to watch.

History of the Eagles (2013)

Loved the movie, but I now really dislike The Eagles after watching this

[9/10 · 7 April 2020]

And this was an authorized bio. Wow.

Though I've loved The Eagles music, there was something I never liked about the band. So I decided to learn and find out more about the guys now that I have time. I always wanted to watch their documentary, and started to like them at the beginning of the movie. But boy did that change about halfway through. Now I think I had good intuition. Henley and Frey were total unlikable a-ho___s. My gosh.

Dying Laughing (2016)

This movie is criminally under rated.

[10/10 · 14 August 2019]

One of the best documentaries about a profession you'll ever see. I have no idea how it's rated this low as it's so enjoyable. Seen it twice now, and got better in the second viewing, because they really delve into what is life like as a comic.

Be warned. Although this movie can be funny at times, it's a pretty serious look at the life of a comedian, and all the ups and downs of getting there. Great emotional documentary at what you have to go through to be a comedian. I think the reason why it's so low, is because people came with the expectations of laughing. Though serious, it's a great watch.

The stars for of this for me were Royal Watkins, with an amazing story of bombing, Mike Epps, and Tiffany Haddish (Before she made it big. I'm sure some studio exec saw this movie and said that woman is a star.) The conscience in this movie is Garry Shandling, who provides the perfect philosophy on how a comedian survives. It's also bitter sweet as it's the last movie he ever did as himself.

Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, especially Kevin Hart, and the surprising Keenen Ivory Wayans provide the star power and tell the story of what happens when you make it big, but still all the trials you have go to get there.

Great documentary.

The Conners (2018–2025)

The best part about this show was always the cast, not the star.

[9/10 · 18 October 2018]

Like Seinfeld, it was always the supporting cast and side characters that were the funniest part of the show, rather than Roseanne herself. Even Roseanne has said that. Might actually end up being a better show as we laughed pretty heartily for he premier. Not shocking the far right wingers that used to spam the discussion boards with their hate and brainwashing, have done the same thing here.

Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (2017)

An excellent documentary about Clapton's early work and life.

[9/10 · 22 November 2017]

It's a very remarkable movie if you don't know Clapton well, or are even a big fan of his. Great documentary on his early work and how he somehow became the king of the guitar while growing up in the UK. It focuses on his early career mostly as that's where the story gets really interesting. Though uneven and moody at times, this gives the viewer the story on how Clapton became so respected that people would graffiti buildings with "Clapton is God".

So sad that trolls now control the ratings for such a good documentary like this. It seems they are out to get this movie by pretending to be female voters. But as has been noted on the internet many times, any movie praising black or feminine culture will be attacked on this site sadly. Hopefully this will not stop people from going to see this well done documentary as it deserves the praise it's been getting.

Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2006 TV Movie)

A very interesting flawed movie.

[8/10 · 24 July 2006]

I can't believe I'm one of the only people who've seen this. I assumed it came out in the states as it was quite fascinating.

It is actually the story of Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges. They are interviewed extensively in this movie and are pretty candid. That in itself is worth it to see.

At the beginning it looks like all other "what exactly happened on the set of" movies but changes somewhere in the middle. It begins to take on "How Hollywood screws up kids movie". And a very good blamer at that.

The ending with Gary Coleman is excellent as he tries not to pass the blame anyone. But the movie does it for him. It's a mixed bag when it comes to acting and the script but it shows where things started going very wrong for everybody. Conrad Bain comes out looking bad in this one. And I can see why NBC sent this straight to Asian movie channels (One step below straight to video). They make the network execs look like insensitive unemotional jerks.

Overall it's a very uneven movie and it seems to change it's focus in mid stream. But if you liked Diff'rent Strokes and wanted some reasons how the kids got messed up, it gives a few good explanations why and how nobody helped them. Dana's story is pretty sad. An interesting movie for those who liked the TV show and wanted to see how it went wrong.