Watched 2011.
This is a documentary about the crazy actions of a crazy woman and her Mormon boyfriend. As a documentary, it's well done, aside from not getting an interview with the boyfriend, and after interviewing a former Mormon there is no balancing interview with a current Mormon. Otherwise, no unanswered questions. You won't learn much, but it is an entertaining look at total irrationality.
Watched 2011.
Like any pure history story, this is not a thrill-a-minute production. But, it's just about the right length (Burns' National Parks story was much too long) and an important US story. A few details are interesting, like the relationship between taxation and booze, but the Prohibition debate was pretty much only about booze, so there are no shockers to earn this a 10/10.
Watched May, 2014.
Good effects, realistic production. Schmaltzy at times in that Spielberg way, and not as emotionally gripping as I had expected. Final episode was great.
National Parks: America's Best Idea
Watched 2010.
Beautiful stuff, great historical research, but too long.
Watched 2011.
I agree with other reviewers, this was surprisingly good. The actors do a good job of switching between the personalities of normal businesspeople and secret agents, and I actually care about the characters. However, by the end of the first few episodes, the twists are piling on top of each other, and I can imagine how this could crash and burn. Be warned that the series was canceled after episode 9 without wrapping up the story lines.
Watched 2010-15.
Not quite as ornate as Gosford Park, but I like the characters more at Downton Abbey. Nice presentation of how each person's role differs, whether servant or family. Accents differ according to social class, Americans must pay close attention. Plot devices are overly dramatic, but that's the point of prime time soap operas.
Watched 2011.
Men, watch this with your sweeties and pretend it's a hot Lucy Liu flick (this is NR, but it could be rated G). There really are some funny scenes and meaningful lines. The cliche premise of a not-so-young woman holding out for her fairy tale is dragged out for 3 hours, and some scenes were over the top (like the foster kid running off to Europe), and in the end there is no suspense about who Lucy will pick. But, the acting is decent with likable characters.
Watched April 20. 2024.
The plot is a two-hour slog through the day-to-day life of a pre-industrial Polish farming community. The people dredge up as much drama as possible to make their lives anything more than drudgery. The plot is a 6/10.
But the joyful relief of the holidays, harvests and weddings is the point of this movie. We Americans each remember our cultural heritage because of how our ancestors celebrated the gift of life. The soundtrack consists of modern renditions of traditional music, and is breathtaking.
The live action video was painted over in an oil-painting style, then smoothed by software, to good effect.
Watched March, 2014.
Taken together, all the plot elements make for a decent pace. But individually, the retiring agent, the family problems, the albino bad guy and the femme fatale, they've all been done before.
Watched 2017-2019.
Seasons 1 and 2 are 8/10. I had been worried that this would be a mish-mosh of revelations about which character is a Nazi/Jap operative or American resistance fighter, but the twists are less predictable and more complex. The twists of the season 1 finale were especially satisfying. These series tend to have two good seasons and then jump the shark, so, looking forward to season 2.
Season 2 continued to provide enjoyable twists. I'm disappointed that there is no explanation for the supernatural appearance of characters in different historical universes, especially since it doesn't seem to bother them.
Watched July, 2023.
You have to watch a few episodes to get to the good parts. I felt I could have read the script without seeing the video and that would have been just as enjoyable. I assumed for the first few episodes that the Christian elements were intended to be simply satirical and derogatory, but the last few episodes show a profound understanding of progressive Christianity.
Watched April 13, 2024
This is a well done telling of the Osage story. I liked the way the events were compared to the Tulsa race massacre. Gladstone was good, but she plays a monotone style that movies often use to portray Native Americans, so I'm not sure she was a historically good Oscar winner. Maybe just better than anyone else in 2023...
Watched around 2010.
I remember this series (back in the day) as being better than season 1. There are recurring character elements, so it's nice to see how the early episodes set that stuff up for later seasons. The use of Uncle Lewis in the final episodes of season 1 is a plus, but overall most of the stories have lots of stupid character actions and plot holes. Seasons 2 and 3 are better. The stories all show promise, but how is it the main characters are always in the middle of serial murders and never get in trouble with the cops? Lots of plot holes in general.
Watched 2011.
These episodes are such well-done reminders of pre-internet and pre-cell phone school days that you'll cringe at some of the ways kids treated each other (and still do, I suppose). But, each episode manages to pull out a silver lining. Regarding Michael C's review from the old Blockbuster.com web site, I could not find any alternate endings to the series on DVD 6 from BB, and I watched the deleted scenes, the bloopers, the thanks, and the commentary.
Watched August, 2023.
This series begins with well-acted, interesting plot complications. In episode 2, miracles occur to resolve the biggest complications. But, an interesting, deep exploration of enology (wine and wine-tasting).
Watched March, 2024.
This is the German version (subtitled in English) of The Interpreter of Silence. Considering this runs for five hours, characters were underdeveloped and their actions were always a surprise. To some extent, we are to be horrified by the indifference of all Germans to the Holocaust all around them, and the movie shows recognition only in the eyes of the next generation. But that seems like the moviemaker just didn't want to give any humanity to any German citizen, no matter what Germans actually might have felt.
Watched March 6, 2011
I loved the special effects. The acting was decent. First hour was well done, after that, the melodramatic script lines started piling up and it dragged on. I would have chosen to kill off different people (millions of people die, I'm not exactly giving anything away here).
Watched 2016-2022.
Overall, a great series. The interactions between young people and adults are unrealistically stereotypical, like when a child is hidden in a suburban household for days and the parents don't realize it. As usual, people get in trouble with the bad things when they are behaving badly in the first place. But, the suspense and sci-fi are novel enough that, you haven't seen it all before, and Ryder shines.
Season 2 was a weaker rehash of season 1.
Every season 3 episode was a blast, with awesome pop culture references. The "My Little Pony" proof of nerd-ness was awesome.
Season 4 continued the awesome pop culture references, especially the pizza topping debate. As the characters age, the violence becomes more intense, which is unfortunate, but overall a good story. Sometimes a little too convoluted for my taste, and every action by every person does not seem useful, but still excellent.
Watched 2011 or later. I stopped watching regularly after season 3.
Yes, this is very funny at times, and the writers have done their research on gook humor. But, they apparently don't believe geeks are funny enough on their own, so pretty quickly, evert episode proves the pop culture mantra, that, "it's all about sex."
Purchased February, 2023
The internet radio part is great. Thousands of stations are available and most begin streaming in a few seconds. A web site with station stream addresses uploads the settings to the IP address of the radio on your local area network (easy to use, just need to navigate the radio display occasionally if your router changes the IP address. Custom stream addresses can be added, but stream addresses can be hard to find, especially for iHeart stations. Four preset buttons is not enough, but many presets can be loaded and scrolled through, which is annoying if this is your bedtime radio and you just want to touch a button. Sound quality is good, but I always use a headset. There is a remote control. The knobs and display are not easy to use in bed, and the radio slides on a smooth surface, so I had to put the radio on a pad so that it does not slide off the table when I press a button. The clock is hard to read while the radio is playing. I have not been able to find an internet radio with a truly independent alarm clock. The WiFi works, no wired ethernet port. I'll be darned if I can find a station (terrestrial, internet or otherwise) that plays Halloween songs year 'round.
Purchased August, 2012
(web site for loading stations has been deleted)
The internet radio part is great. Thousands of stations are available and most begin streaming in a few seconds. The web site provides a minimal overview of each stations, and the radio can play some terrestrial stations that aren't listed on the web site, but you can create a personal web account and select favorite stations that the radio automatically displays. This is important because the six preset buttons are not enough. Sound quality is good, almost too powerful for a nightstand. Easier to use than the web to find stations, but not as easy to use as a regular radio. There is no remote control, which is unfortunate, because a remote control would allow usage in a real audio system. The knobs and display are hard to use in bed, and the power supply is clunky. The clock is hard to read and the alarm feature and alarm controls are useless. The alarm sound plays through the speaker, but the speaker is muted by the headphones, so if you want to listen without keeping your partner awake, you have to remember to pull the headphones out before you fall asleep. You'll have to use a separate alarm clock. The WiFi works well, although I use a wired connection. Every terrestrial radio station that I have tried to tune can be played by the Tangent via the network. I'll be darned if I can find a station (terrestrial, internet or otherwise) that plays Halloween songs year 'round.
Stayed March, 2011
Very nice, 5 guest rooms all private facilities, nice public areas, foxinnbandb.com. Not much in Penn Yan, but two nice restaurants and near wineries and Finger Lakes attractions.
Read September, 2017
The first half of the book alternates between bright and dark, which is OK and we are endeared to the family. There is too much academic bloviation over the differences between the books "Madeline" and "The Red Balloon", but, we get to Paris! In the second half, we hope for clues to solving the mysterious disappearance of the husband, as suggested by the jacket. I did not expect a mystery novel, but I didn't expect hopeless misery. The second half plods through a single parent's introspection over making a living, family emergencies and social failures. Even when the mystery is resolved, the plodding introspection continues. Not a difficult read, but in the end I was not uplifted, and maybe even a little annoyed by the author's final self-aggrandizement.
Watched March 26, 2024
A bit hard to follow at times, and the twist at the end is anti-climatic, but an unusual look at the aftermath of
WWII.
The plot is a romance novel with no physical passion, but I am embarrassed to say I enjoy everything Lindsay Lohan does.
Napoleon director's cut I wanted to like this more. It is a grand epic with fantastic technical details of 19th century battles and the ...
