It’s an understatement to say that I’m sad to see “Justified” go. Longtime readers know that I was always a big fan of this show, its characters (particularly the “bad” ones), and author Elmore Leonard’s work in general. Plenty of other TV reviewers have called this “the death of the modern Western” but they said…
Author: Alabama Liberal
Movie Review: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Did the first “Exotic Marigold Hotel” really need a sequel? Of course not, but a movie hasn’t needed a sequel since Francis Ford Coppola made “The Godfather II” so I’m not going to hold Hollywood’s sequelitis against a well-made, uplifting film. In fact, I think this new trend of indie or modest film sequels (like the great…
TV Review: “Better Call Saul” the First Must-See Spin-Off in a Decade
As a general rule, TV spinoffs are not very good, and that is a generous way of saying that for every “Frasier” (the most literate sitcom in Broadcast history that I think is actually a better show than “Cheers”) there are five spin-offs that get cancelled after a first season. In fact, “Better Call Saul”…
Movie Reviews: “Red Army” a Buried Treasure Worth Seeking Out
“Red Army” is a documentary—-no, no, no, don’t lose interest just yet since this one actually has a great story and compelling characters who just so happen to be real—-about the infamous Russian hockey team that won them medal after medal at the Olympics during the 80’s, but it’s about so much more than that……
Movie Review: Home
A sweet but disposable movie that you will probably forget you watched before you walk fully out of the theater. What Works: “Home”‘s strong suit isn’t the jokes so much as the sentimentality. There are some really affecting moments towards the end, particularly involving the continuation of a rival alien species. The “villains” in this story…
Movie Review: Insurgent
A programmer of a different sort, but just as “The Gunman” goes through the motions except for some alive performances, the same can (kind-of) be said of “Insurgent” and really the whole “Divergent” series which is struggling to distinguish itself in the young adult adaptations department. It’s lively enough that you won’t fall asleep, but…
Movie Review: The Gunman
A programmer that I wanted to like more than I did. What Works: Sean Penn may be the exact right actor (at the exact right time) to play an action hero. He’s world-weary but intense, briskly intelligent but believably physical, and his “just doing this for the paycheck” detachment actually fits the role really well. Even…
Book Reviews: “Golden Son” and “Near Enemy”
Two very different sequels to science fiction hits—their predecessors “Red Rising” and “Shovel Ready” are already being shaped into movies—that largely continue their first installments quality (or lack thereof). Near Enemy by Adam Sternberg…The best thing I can say about this book (a continuation of the journeys of futuristic hitman Spademan in a dismal near-future…
Book Reviews: “Her” and “The Girl on the Train”
Two different domestic thrillers that are both England-set and both alternating between opposing female narrators, and that may be a lot of coincidences but these books are worth reading for entirely different reasons… The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins…By far the more well-known book of the two and it’s easy to see why…
Book Reviews: “Red Rising” and “The Peripheral”
It’s been too long since the last book reviews, so I’ll kick things off today with a pair of Sci-Fi novels (at least one of which is excellent) and roll out more book reviews later in the day… Red Rising by Pierce Brown…An excellent example of everything commercial science fiction should be, and it’s no surprise this…
Movie Review: “Focus,” Already Underrated
Most reasonable people can agree on the truly great movies (think “The Godfather”) and the truly terrible movies (pretty much anything about Hercules) but most movies are somewhere in the mediocre zone and that’s where the disagreements start. Why does “Chappie” get a 30 percent on Rotten Tomates while “Focus” gets 55 percent and why…
Movie Review: Chappie
This is a tough film to review as I wasn’t really sure if I was enjoying it or not even as I was watching it, and then couldn’t remember much about it the next day. I know that it’s not very good, but I did find myself wanting to like it more than I did….
Movie Review: Paddington Bear
I’m pretty sure everybody that wants to watch this movie in theaters may have already—I don’t always rush out to review films about animated bears—so I’ll keep this brief and get to more current reviews later in the day… What Works: “Paddington” the movie is a lot like the title character: warm, affectionate, and appealing old-fashioned…