Director: Clint Eastwood
J Edgar is another long, boring Biopic that Hollywood churns out on a regular basis. Like "MacArthur", "Gandhi", "Chaplin" etc. etc. Eastwood makes the mistake of trying to cover too much, in a very superficial manner. Its a very long 2 hours. The "Gay angle" is done in a rather silly way and adds no interest. The script is liberal and dull.
Which is what I expected. We warned our guests that "J Edgar" would bore them - but they insisted -so off we went.
The acting is adequate to good. The makeup is poor. Eastwood is his usual plodding self (See Bird, Invictius (sp), Flags of our Fathers).
Is it historically accurate? Of course not, its Hollywood. "J Edgar" was made by liberals (and whatever Eastwood is) and so has to ignore or skim over several facts. Namely, how could this 'right-wing fascist' have been appointed by Liberal Icon FDR and re-appointed by Truman and Kennedy? How is it Hoover is blamed for all the civil liberties violations when the FBI is UNDER the direction of the President and the Attorney General? The fact is that Hoover had only as much power as the AG and the President wanted him to have - but it makes a more interesting story (and more pleasing to liberals) to think Hoover was out there on his own wire-tapping MLK.
So could "J Edgar" have been interesting? Yes, if the producers had focused in on a smaller part of Hoover's life and told it from a passionate point of view. A movie showing Hoover as a hero, battling the 30s Gangsters or rooting out Commie bastards and spies in the 40s or 50s could have been interesting. OTOH, an Oliver Stone hatchet job 'Full of sound and fury" would have kept me awake. But "J Edgar" is the liberal "balanced" view of Hoover & told without passion.
Summary: Another dull Hollywood Biopic made even duller by the superficial "Gay Sex" angle and dime store psychology . Rating **
Friday, November 25, 2011
Combat - More Episode Reviews
A Day in June. Season 1 - The first show. The episode starts out strong as we see Jansen and Murrow as Sargents and romantic rivals in England waiting for the D-Day invasion. Both are still working on their characters so both Saunders and Hanley are rather generic. Shecky Greene shows up as the "Comic Relief" and the whole episode is much more upbeat and humorous than the latter series. Unfortunately, it ends with a rather lame firefight. Rating ***
Any Second Now. Season 1 -Hanley is caught under rubble in church with an unexploded bomb. A well done episode - but predictable. Rating **1/2
Just for the Record. Season 1 - An interesting, if completely unrealistic, episode that has Saunders captured. Later, a reluctant French woman helps him escape. Another episode hurt by the requirement that at least 6 Germans must be killed per episode. Well written and allows Murrow get out of uniform and do a little acting. Rating ***
The Squad Season 1 - A Southerner joins the squad and he's full of fight although disappointed to be in the "Yankee army". Later on a night patrol, he endangers the squad -then saves it - with his "Southern Valor". Kudos to the actor (Bolt) who prevents his character from being a Hillbilly stereotype. A pleasant, action-packed episode. Rating **1/2
A Child's Game Season 5. Saunder's men are ordered to take a farmhouse that is defended by a determined group of teenage German soldiers. Although the ending is touching, this episode loses a lot of its punch through bad casting. The teenage German soldiers are simply too old and look a lot like the 18-20 year olds you'd find fighting any war. Had 14-16 y/o's been cast the episode would've been stronger Rating **1/2
The Wounded Don't Cry. Season 2. An excellent episode that could've been much better with more attention to realism. Yes, I know those Waffen SS were fanatics, but I doubt many wounded SS men were Kamikazes. Nor do I think Kirby would've missed their badly hidden potato mashers. And the final shootout could have been much more interesting if it'd hadn't been so over-the- top. Somewhat of a missed opportunity but Murrow and Karl Böhm are superb. Rating ***
Any Second Now. Season 1 -Hanley is caught under rubble in church with an unexploded bomb. A well done episode - but predictable. Rating **1/2
Just for the Record. Season 1 - An interesting, if completely unrealistic, episode that has Saunders captured. Later, a reluctant French woman helps him escape. Another episode hurt by the requirement that at least 6 Germans must be killed per episode. Well written and allows Murrow get out of uniform and do a little acting. Rating ***
The Squad Season 1 - A Southerner joins the squad and he's full of fight although disappointed to be in the "Yankee army". Later on a night patrol, he endangers the squad -then saves it - with his "Southern Valor". Kudos to the actor (Bolt) who prevents his character from being a Hillbilly stereotype. A pleasant, action-packed episode. Rating **1/2
A Child's Game Season 5. Saunder's men are ordered to take a farmhouse that is defended by a determined group of teenage German soldiers. Although the ending is touching, this episode loses a lot of its punch through bad casting. The teenage German soldiers are simply too old and look a lot like the 18-20 year olds you'd find fighting any war. Had 14-16 y/o's been cast the episode would've been stronger Rating **1/2
The Wounded Don't Cry. Season 2. An excellent episode that could've been much better with more attention to realism. Yes, I know those Waffen SS were fanatics, but I doubt many wounded SS men were Kamikazes. Nor do I think Kirby would've missed their badly hidden potato mashers. And the final shootout could have been much more interesting if it'd hadn't been so over-the- top. Somewhat of a missed opportunity but Murrow and Karl Böhm are superb. Rating ***
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