Better Call Saul -TV - 2015

Plot:  The trials and tribulations of criminal defense attorney (and former conman) Jimmy McGill before his meeting Walter White. 

I had a hard time getting into this one.  Sleezy lawyers and con-men are not my favorite characters.  Although labeled a "crime drama" the first episode seemed more comic than dramatic. Maybe, I will give it another shot later on. 

Crooklyn (1994)

Plot: Spike Lee's semi-autobiographical story a 1973 black family with five kids in Brooklyn.

I always find Spike Lee hit or miss. This is a miss. Spike was going for vibrant, funny, and touching but ended up with loud and annoying. Given the mediocre script and lack of charm and story, this needed a much better cast.

Oppenheimer (2023)

Plot: Biopic of Physcist Robert Oppenheimer, Head Scientist at the Manhattan Project
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jnr,  Elizabeth  Blunt

First, my hats off to Christopher Nolan, not many film-makers could make even a C+ movie about a subject so intrinsically boring and un-dramatic. The acting and cinema-photography were great and kept me awake, but all the flashbacks, cut edits, horse rides, sex scenes, train rides, explosions, B&W photography, wonderful set design, and period authentic costumes’, couldn’t make what was actually said very interesting, or the actual story being told engaging. Or make me care about Oppenheimer.

It was a puzzling choice by Nolan. 

Why did one the 21st Centuries most successful Directors decide to tell the now obscure stories of Oppenheimer’s 1954 security clearance trial and 1957 Admiral Strauss’ Senate confirmation hearing? Or dwell on Oppenheimer’s private life? Even the one part of the movie that should be fascinating, the building of the A-bomb, really wasn’t, because we know the bomb worked, and “building the bomb” isn't dramatic - it’s just talk about physics and formulas on a black board.

And then there’s Oppie himself.

Like most scientists, Oppie wasn’t a fascinating dramatic character. And other than being one of many important scientists involved in the Manhattan project, did nothing to deserve a $100 million movie.

Why was I supposed to care about any of this? 

Nolan seems to think we’re supposed to root for Oppie against all those “nasty anti-communists” who are trying to get him. But since there’s nothing particularly likable about Oppenheimer and he REALLY WAS communist, there was no emotional engagement.

The focus on Strauss was even more puzzling, he wasn’t confirmed as Secretary of Commerce, and…so what? 

 Summary: Frankly, it was a struggle to get through 3 hours of it. And I’ve read several books on Oppenheimer and the Manhattan project. You could make an interesting movie about Oppenheimer, but he would have to be the villain: the cagey traitor trying to help the USSR, while the heroes at Army intelligence tried to uncover him. Needless to say, that movie will never be made.

Addendum: The Movie’s Leftwing Slant
The left of course, never forgives, and never forgets. For years the Left denied Oppenheimer was a communist or even a communist sympathizer. He was just a wrongly accused Liberal, completely innocent, unjustly persecuted by those dastardly McCarthyites.

Verona and Soviet archives showed otherwise, but the Left is still in there pitching, now trying to claim that Oppie may have had communist sympathies, but he was no Soviet Spy. And those right-wingers who accused him are still evil. Well, OK.

The fact that Oppenheimer didn’t PERSONALLY give atomic secrets to the NKVD means little. It would have been stupid for the Soviets to jeopardize their key spy by having him do that. What the soviets needed was for Oppenheimer as the project leader, to be unconcerned with security, approve communist scientists and technicians for the project, and establish an “open workplace” where ideas could widely circulate. And that’s exactly what Oppenheimer did.

When his brother Frank was contacted by Soviet intelligence, Oppenheimer did not report it. Later, after the war, he opposed construction of the H-bomb, and argued for giving Soviets the A-bomb secrets as part of a “deal”. Which is exactly what the Soviets wanted.

A History Lesson on American Communists
People don’t seem to understand that large numbers of Americans were communists but did not have communist party membership or pay dues. Sometimes CPUSA refused to allow people to join the party, or had them leave, thinking they would be more useful as Non-members. For example: Harry Dexter White and Alger Hiss both “left the party” – because it was more useful to be able to pose as Non-communists. Many of the most significant Stalinists, who cooperated with the Party, attacked anti-communists, and provided information to the party/USSR, were not FORMAL members. They never joined or they “left the party” when they became more famous. Like: Lillian Hellman, Betsy Blair, William Wyler, Martha Gellhorn, Anthony Blunt, Kim Phil by, William Straight,

Oppenheimer claimed to have not joined. But his wife, brother, mistress, and closest friends were all communists. And when he hired his lab assistants, they were all communists. And when the Nazi-Soviet was signed, Oppenheimer flipped on a dime and wrote pamphlets opposing the entry of the USA into ww ii, until June 22, 1941, when he flipped back to being a warhawk.

Escape From New York (1981)

Plot: Set in a future Dystopia where Manhattan is a high security prison, convict Snake Plissken is sent in to rescue the President of the United States.

This was one fun action movie. All that's missing are a few Arnold Swargenagger one-liners. Getting old pros like Ernie Borgnine and Lee van cleef to support Russell was a stroke of genius casting. Little did the filmmakers know that NYC in 1997 would not be a burnt out shell but one of the most richest places in the world.

Overlord (1975)

Plot: During World War II, a young British lad's called up and, with increasing sense of foreboding, undertakes his army training for D-day

Lets be honest, most war movies that pretend to be "anti-war", really aren't. Our hero may go through hell but survives. Or if he does dies, its a hero's death, in the last few minutes. So, I often wondered, what if a war movie tried to be different, and had John Wayne or Tom Hanks killed in the first reel. That would not only be more shocking, it would be more realistic.

And "Overlord" sorta does this. Filmed on a low-budget and only 83 minutes, the movie incorporates lots of actual WW II footage. It does this so well, it seems part of movie. The actual footage is used to give a sense of realism, as we follow an average Englishman as he goes through basic training to his first battle, D-Day. Where he is killed, before he steps off the landing craft.

Its different. And interesting. But not particularly entertaining. And not suitable for a commercial movie that wants to put "Bums on the seats". And the hero is just an average man. And not charismatic.

 Its an good experimental film. It shows up the fakery and childishness of war movies like Private Ryan with their cartoon heroics and flag-waving propaganda. But that doesn't make it the sort of movie you'd pay money to see.

Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)

Barking dogs never bite: unpolished, leisurely, often funny, sometimes dull korean comedy. I’m sure a lot of the comedy got lot in translation, but this dark comedy about Dog killers had me laughing a few times. But while there are quite a few humorous moments,  too often the film just seems to be marking time, and all the leading characters seem likable but muted. The humor is often realistic, which jokes are more “one off” than building off each other. The director throws in quite a bit of social commentary. The obvious point is that Korean society cares more about dogs than their poor.

Highpoint has to be the “Boiler Jim” story, and the heroine’s rescue of the dog at the end: Other good bits:

•  The heroine expects to get large sum from “Granny” but instead she only get dried radishes
•  Several clerks approvingly watch a Chinese women fight a bank robber
•  The absurd story of a man who get drunk, leans over the tracks to vomit, and gets hit by a train
• A man tries to dispose of a barking dog, but finds something or someone always frustrating him.

Again, probably a lot of the humor probably went over my head, since comedy is often about violating societal norms. And what may be considered outrageous or Kooky behavior in Korea might not be in the USA. he film's Korean title is satirically named after the 1872 novel A Dog of Flanders, a European pet story that is very popular in parts of East Asia.

Star Trek TNG - Season 3

Sins of the Father:  This is my favorite 3rd Season Episode so far.  We get some excellent "World Building" as Worf goes before the Klingon High Council to defend his Father's name, after discovering he has a younger brother.  Tony Todd is completely believable as a Klingon and as Worf's brother.  I loved the look of the Klingon World too.  Great set design.  Bad things?  Well, the Klingon's do shout quite a bit, don't they?

Yesterday’s Enterprise: Supposedly one of TNG’s best episodes (9.2 rating) but I didn’t like it much. It shows up TNG’s greatest flaw, casting. The producers were so interested in winning diversity bingo, they skipped talent and fitting the part. The two guest stars are bland and the female one is completely unbelievable as the former Captain of the Enterprise. How can you go from Picard/Kirk to her? Sorry no sale. Meanwhile, we get far too much of the wretched Whoopi with her silly outfits and bad acting. Rounding out the horror show is Ms. Crosby with a butch haircut and dull personality.

Deja Q - A fun, comic episode with Q having to deal with being busted down to Human. Of course, its only temporary and the episode ends with Q back to his omnipotent self. Making it even better is we get less Whoopi than normal. For reasons unknown to anyone but the Producers, they always guest-star Whoopi on a Q episode. Thank God for John de Lancie. Funniest line: “I’m not good in groups. It’s difficult to work in a group when you’re omnipotent.”

A Matter of Perspective – There’s nothing special about the story but I enjoyed this one, primarily because I’m a sucker for Rashomon type episodes and movies. It also gives Frakes a chance to do some acting.

Sarek – Absurdly overrated episode with old TOS favorite Mark Lenard. The years haven’t been kind to him, and he seems far too muted. The story itself is no great shakes. The problem is we cared about Sarek because he was Spock’s father. By himself, he wasn’t particularly interesting. You can say the same about Mark Lenard. He was fine in small doses as the supporting actor with a strong script, but not particularly good as “THE GUEST STAR”.

Hollow Pursuits -  Moderately amusing episode about an shy crewmember who's intimidated by his "Bosses" on the Enterprise and spends too much time in the Holodeck. This one probably hit home for a lot of "Trekkers" since so many of them are intelligent shy people who have escaped into the "Trek world".  Guest star Dwight Schultz does an amazing job with an underwritten part. And the comedy world of his Holodeck fantasy was quite amusing. But  there's just too much technobabble and too little plot. And last act is dull.  The writers  give us the usual "X overcomes his handicap and saves the day" Highpoint was Picard as a Musketeer and the real Riker talking to a Holodeck Riker. 

The Most Toys - Picard and the gang think Data has been killed in a shuttle explosion but in fact has been kidnapped by a Collector/Trader of rare objects.  Well written, if overly familiar story that has two good things and two bad things.  The good? An excellent performance by Spiner and an interesting examination of Data's character.  The Bad? A mediocre guest star.  The part needed an actor with the charimsa of a Harry Mudd or Gul Dukat.   Instead, we get a snarky little weasal/nerd. His sidekick wasn't much better.  And I'm getting a little tired of every villian being a  white guy. Where are the female/black villians?     

Menage à Troi -  A Ferengi "Comedy"-  about as good as you'd expect. 

Transfigurations