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rasman40
Reviews
Drive Angry (2011)
A Decade Later, and Still a Favorite!
Ignore the low ratings. They come from people who sit there wondering, "What's so funny?" when the rest of the theater is busting a gut. Look, if you can't appreciate the humor of a guy escaping from Hell in a '64 Buick Riviera, then just go back to your "I Love Lucy" and "The Three Stooges" reruns - this movie is too big for you to get your head around it. Cage gives a solid performance, hitting the right tones on all of his dialogue. The interaction between Cage and Heard is on the mark. However, it's William Fichtner who steals the show as The Accountant. His verbal and non-verbal deliveries are impeccable throughout this film. His scene with Frank, and earlier with Fat Lou and Norma Jean, are classic. Billy Burke also excels as the over-the-top villain. Supporting cast is solid, and a kick-ass soundtrack seals the deal. There are so many great one-liners throughout this film that make me LMAO, and that makes it one of those movies I'll watch again and again.
We Own This City (2022)
Would Have Been a 10, but...
To be honest, if I hadn't stumbled upon a scene with John Bernthal in it while channel surfing, I probably would have passed it up. This guy carries the whole series. Sure, the frenetic time-line shuffle can be confusing, but I think it comes together nicely. Used to live in Baltimore, and the wreck in the car chase in Episode 4 was literally around the corner from my childhood digs. Nostalgic. Wasn't sure if this was really an HBO production due to the lack of a lesbian sub-plot, but all of the Hillary-worshiping and Trump-bashing was all the authentication I needed. Indeed, this series hits the nail on the head by pointing out that all big cities run by liberals are giant, crime-ridden cesspools, yet HBO is so out of touch that it wants to blame Republicans for this situation - hence the 9 vs. 10 rating. Here's a clue - this is why I DON'T live in Maryland any longer.
The Time Traveler's Wife: Episode #1.3 (2022)
Just Not Feeling It
This episode, and the entire series, creeps along at a glacial pace. Some series can make it work, but this one is tedious to watch. I think Rose Leslie's talents are wasted in this endeavor, particularly in this episode. Having Rose put on a gray wig and squint her eyes DOES NOT make her look 60-ish, 70-ish, or whatever they were shooting for. What, there wasn't enough money in the budget for a makeup department? Overall, it's okay. I'll keep watching, just to see what happens next.
Lucy in the Sky (2019)
A Real Stinker!
This disaster makes raw sewage smell good by comparison. The only reason it gets three stars instead of one is because of Ellen Burstyn's character, which is saying something due to her relatively small role.
Possibly the most disappointing thing is the film's claim that it is "inspired by actual events." It was hyped in press releases as being "loosely based" on former astronaut Lisa Nowak. Similarly, Top Gun is "loosely based" on my life story, since I used to wear a flight suit and have been in some airplanes. In other words, the term "loosely" is applied, well, very loosely here.
This makes what little plot there is very predictable - you can see everything coming from a mile away. That would be okay, except for the fact that this movie skews virtually EVERYTHING about the Lisa Nowak story six ways from Sunday. About the only things they got right are; 1) she was an astronaut; 2) she was married; 3) she was banging a fellow astronaut on the side, and; 4) she drove halfway across the country (but in the opposite direction) because she was distressed about the boyfriend dating another woman (who was NOT an astronaut, by the way.) Oh, and I think there REALLY WAS a "Space Shuttle" program at one time. But aside from those items, that's it. The sad fact is, the real-life events that "inspired" this stinker are far more intriguing than this waste of two hours.
An interesting note: Several years ago, I visited the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Museum at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. One of the areas was dedicated to female astronauts, and one display included a wall covered with plaques, with every female astronaut, past and present, having her name on their own plaque. I looked and looked, but there was one name I couldn't find. Any guesses?