What were some of the best TV episodes, scenes, or moments of 2017? Read further to find out… Runner-Up: the “Vice Principals” series finale. Even if you figured out who Neal Gamby’s real shooter was, you likely didn’t see a wedding dress, a car crash, and a tiger mauling coming. 10. “Longmire”‘s Series Finale…A show no one respects,…
Author: Alabama Liberal
The Best TV Characters of the Year
It was a very, very competitive year for quality TV characters, and this marks the first time all three of the top three have been female characters… Most Polarizing, Possibly Great Character: V.M. Varga (David Thewlis) on “Fargo” …Some hated Varga and some loved…well, at least enjoyed watching his Dickensian wit mixed with Faustian vibes. He…
The Worst TV Characters of the Year
It’s perhaps a good sign that I had trouble filling this year’s list, as maybe there are fewer annoying TV characters out there. As always, these are the characters I found most annoying on otherwise good shows rather than bad characters on bad shows… 10. Most of the major characters in “TURN: Washington’s Spies”…Spies that…
Quick Reviews: “I, Tonya,” “Shape of Water,” “The Disaster Artist,” “Downsizing,” “Jumanji 2”
Lightning quick reviews of some great movies (mostly) before I have to throw up my end-of-the-year list of reviews… I, Tonya…Not since Charlize Theron in “Monster” has an A-list sex symbol so thoroughly transformed herself in a role, but Margot Robbie mostly portrays Tonya Harding without the use of prosthetics. I also loved the breaking…
Movie Reviews: “Hostiles,” “All the Money in the World,” “Molly’s Game,” “Phantom Thread”
Hostiles…This Scott Cooper-directed Western is certainly better than his overrated last film “Out of the Furnace,” but perhaps not the second-coming of “Unforgiven” many viewers (like this one) may be hoping for. After a violent opening scene in which most of Rosamund Pike’s family is slaughtered, we soon settle into a slower rhythm in which…
“The Fact of a Body” Made Me Pro-Death Penalty, Whoops…Plus “American Fire” and “Killers of a Flower Moon”
Quick book reviews of three very different crime books… The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich…Lesnevich was an anti-death penalty advocate who found herself surprised that she wanted child-murderer Ricky Langley to die. The more she digs into the case, the more she begins to sympathize with Langley, but the opposite was true for this reviewer….
Quick Documentary Reviews: “Obey Giant,” “Too Funny to Fail,” “A Gray State,” “The Farthest”
Four different documentaries about creators… Obey Giant…Shepard Fairey is a street artist I hadn’t heard of much before his iconic Obama “HOPE!” poster, and this is a quick bibliography of his most famous works and a little context for them. It’ll tell you everything you ever wanted to know about Fairey, and is perhaps necessary…
Quick Reviews: Detroit, Bushwick, Stronger, American Assassin, Lady Macbeth, Ingrid Goes West, The Glass Castle
7 films of wildly varying quality that you can now pick up on DVD and in “Bushwick”‘s case stream on Netflix… Bushwick…A director’s triumph as most of this pivotal event (in which Bushwick is invaded by mysterious black-clad soldiers) unfolds in flowing, technically-astounding long takes. Anyone who enjoyed the climax of “Children of Men” or…
Movie Reviews: “Bright,” “The Darkest Hour,” “The Greatest Showman,” “Just Getting Started”
Some honest-to-God current movie reviews on Alabama Liberal. Will wonders never cease?… Bright…I’m increasingly unsure what to do with Netflix movies, since I’m starting to feel like the fact that they’re basically free (included with subscriptions) and convenient (I did not wear clothes while watching this movie) is really affecting my grading system. Am I so happy…
Quick Reviews: “A Ghost Story,” “Personal Shopper,” “Boomtown,” “Trumped,” “American Jihad”
Some very depressing films about ghosts, hard times in rural America, American-born Jihadists, and—scariest of all—Trump’s “surprise” election to the White House, which looks a bit more like a nightmare every day…[On the wish list of all Trump’s supposed down and out, blue collar voters probably wasn’t “Gee, I hope he ends net neutrality so…
Movie Review: Is “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” a Subtly Regressive Movie?
“Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to.”–That the major villain of this movie (referring to both the Jedi and the Sith) says this is actually coded language against the small minority of viewers that would probably rather see something original than one more “greatest hits” version of 1978’s original “Stars Wars,” the surprise smash…
Movie Reviews: “Justice League,” “Roman J. Israel,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Three big theater offerings that may disappoint more than thrill… Justice League…A week after watching this movie, you may ask yourself: “Who is the villain in this movie?” “What exactly are Aquaman’s powers and how does talking to fish help him defeat aliens?” “Why did Ben Affleck look so over this?” “Why did Superman look…
Quick Reviews: “The Hero” “Little Hours” “Band-Aid” “Maudie” “Columbus” “Whose Streets” “Norman”
Some final reviews of indie character studies (some are gems, others not) before delving into films currently in theaters that more people care about… The Hero…In a just world, the great Sam Elliot would be a serious Best Actor contender for what is some of his finest screen work here. In the world we live…