Change Your Image
mhope-91601
Reviews
Fool's Paradise (2023)
Unbelievably bad
Fool's Paradise is like a mashup of Bowfinger and Being There, with the wit, pathos, and character development surgically removed. Charlie Day, who "wrote" and "directed" this train wreck, "stars" as a mute mental patient who's dumped on the street in Hollywood, discovered by a high-powered producer (the late Ray Liotta) due to his vague resemblance to a tempermental movie star (also played by Day), and becomes a star himself, despite never saying a single line and constantly looking into the camera. Ken Jeong as his loser publicist, Kate Backinsale as his leading lady/wife, and Edie Falco as his agent are all wasted in this colossal mess.
Dear Edward (2023)
Manipulative treacle
If you've ever wanted a catalog of every device that hack writers use to manipulate the emotions of viewers, watch Dear Edward; they're in all but alphabetical order. Sad orphan, sad granddaughter, sad wife and daughter- I swear it felt like they were going to trot out a crippled dog any second. The whole This Is Us cry-athon bit is wearing thin, and this show is exhibit A. It's really unfortunate that the successful screenwriter dies in episode 1; trading seats with the screenwriter of this garbage barge would have at least made TV a little more bearable for us, the viewers. Maybe I'm just grouchy because they keep making us wait for season 3 of Ted lasso.
The Abyss (1989)
Cameron's best movie
Not Avatar, not Titanic. The Abyss has great emotional heft, acting, and effects (especially considering it's now 30 years old).
Green Book (2018)
Best example of the power of cinema
Who could've ever greenlit "Green Book"? A (mostly) true story of two men of completely different backgrounds overcoming their own prejudices and the stifling racism of the Deep South of the early 1960s. We'll hire a Danish guy to play an Italian guy, and a guy best known for playing a political fixer and a dope dealer (in "House of Cards" and "Moonlight", respectively) to play a Jamaican-American musical genius. And we'll have one of the Farrelly brothers direct it. How could that possibly become a great movie? Well, it does- primarily through the great performances of Viggo Jorgensen and Mahershala Ali, and the nuanced directing of Peter Farrelly. It confronts the racism prevalent at the time without becoming preachy, and shows its main characters growing through contact with each other, without a complete reversal of their characters (which would've seemed phony). Oh, and the movie looks great, too- the period cars, sets, and costumes really take you back to that time period. A film festival favorite, "Green Book" will hopefully be appreciated by Oscar voters, too.