Change Your Image
naphiah
Reviews
Law & Order: The Family Hour (2007)
When to tell the truth.
With Jeffrey Tambor, Harry Hamlin, Sam Waterston and ultimately Alana De La Garza each pulling on the reins of a "who's the best actor here" tether, I can't say who won but I had fun rooting for each one intermittently.
I happen to have attended the same schools as Misters Hamlin and Tambor and they can't teach what they have: a willingness to wade into deeper water than one can stand and see if they float.
Their characters are compelling in both comic and tragic ways ala Anton Chekhov.
In Mr Waterston is a reliable king of human depiction and until the end of the episode, I took Ms De la Garza for granted.
Everyone's great. I mean everyone and the brief appearance of Mr Hamlin's character's son is a palate cleanser of refreshment.
If I didn't mention any one else here (the Medical Examiner, the two cops, their boss, the defense lawyer (a glimpse at Jeremy Sisto), it's because I forgot they were acting.
Law & Order: Church (2007)
Stunning
For its foray into the depths of human possibility and its fun with the prurience of scandal and semi-depravity, I give this episode of L & O a hearty recommendation.
Not a false note is sounded even by minor characters; the church janitor, the ubiquitous secretary, the chantry CEO, the defense lawyer all pierce with recognisable authenticity.
Anson Mount as the Reverend James Sterling is so physically beautiful it's hard to believe he's pulling off a tour de force of majorly insightful acting; his every exhale is a revelation of self loathing and desperation with enough confidence and belief therein to fortify a backbone of evangelicism that's compelling to watch and hard not to want to possess.
His persona is nourished by his icy and gorgeous wife (Julie Benz), a woman so physically attractive she practically proves he's straight.
The cast-aside boyfriend, the briefly-glimpsed-in-life victim, the random parishioners offside all lend texture to a believable world of earnest phoniness.
From Chelsea to Peekskill, we swirl around a universe of lifestyles risqué to pristine with the option of calling any one of them our own pit stop: semi-religious stockbroker, zillionaire movie producer, cherubic busboy.
We want the possibility of uncomplicated redemption to be true.
Law & Order: Last Dance (2024)
Bravo. Bravo. Bravo. Bravo.
Only Mr Sam Waterston with his impeccable and shining integrity could pull this off: the denouement of a play some twenty five years in the making.
Cashing in on his history and good nutrition, Mr Waterston (Jack McCoy) passes the acting baton to Mr Hugh Dancy, another slender reed of poignant epiphany for the good guys.
Not much is said in this release of sceptre to next hand and the near silence lets the souls of these fine actors glisten with humanity: Mr Waterston's with a fully accomplished sagacity and Mr Dancy's with a hungry promise.
Without the incandescent son-of-a-bitchness of Mr Bruce Altman (who's played every type of character possible on this series), watching this candle flame of Jack's halo burning ever brighter as he gazes upon the now storied steps of the justice temple called City Hall wouldn't hit so hard.
Great, fun acting all around.
Great if you've watched the now starting three decades of Law and Order and great if this is your first episode.
Halston (2021)
Stunning
If I ever see a more accurate, visible and heartfelt depiction of what it is to be human, I'll eat my hat.
I am years late to this wonderful piece and at the same time couldn't have absorbed it a second sooner.
Ewan MacGregor, Bill Pullman, David Pittu, Rory Culkin and really everybody else bring that razor's edge of rejecting and praying for one's own life.
If we are all angels, this movie gives me a huge path of self acceptance to travel. There was not a false step anywhere as each actor braved my own judgment as they disappointed me and then redeemed themselves with the courage and ugly beauty of a Martha Graham dancer.
I don't think this is a film to miss: there's too much instruction on how to find the scent abd texture of our own lives.
Mr. Roosevelt (2017)
Certainly Satisfying
I'm so glad I watched this!
Very relatable main character, always a little put off my the world because well, it's off putting!
Her at first unspoken conflict with her sort of competition is understandable and yet a bit unnameable. On that level, even though it's a comedy it's a kind of coming of age tale wherein one learns to trust oneself.
Everyone is likeable here (or at least equally "off putting") with their humanity ultimately shining like a diamond.
It was tempting to vote for who was good and who was bad (at one point our heroine asks her buddy if she's indeed a bad person) and as in all good movies, the score is transcendent because I saw and loved myself in each of the characters.
Very watchable.
97 Minutes (2023)
I was sick with tension the whole film!!
Holy moly was this worthwhile!!
I remember reading, in a story in New York magazine, about Mr Baldwin's participation in this movie. The point was made that he's always on the go for work projects and aches to see his lovely family.
With the added bonus of Mr Jonathan Rhys Meyers, I hastened to watch this!
What I didn't/couldn't expect was that I'd have to pause the movie several (many?) times to calm myself; so fraught with suspense and well-done plot shocks is this little cinematic treasure.
Contains, along with the always reliable Misters Baldwin and Rhys Meyers, a collection of committed, talented and watchable actors breathing nuance, menace, relatability and occasionally sorrow and/or humor into the forms of their characters.
Everyone here pulls it off and if I thought I'd seen Mr Rhys Meyers go as far as he could - in terms of fearlessly inhabiting a role - before this, I was wrong.
Who Is My Husband (2018)
I enjoyed watching this!!
Viscerally compelling, beautiful actors and scenery and a chance to take a hearty emotional ride - what more could I want?
I and virtually every other YouTube viewer found this movie to be a really fun adventure.
Special kudos to the gorgeous actress playing Diane Martin whoo oozed decency, sorority and courage as well as ingenuity.
Every seeming incongruity in the beginning of the movie pays off and I read this film as a kind of cautionary tale to trust one's instincts.
In a weird way, I'd call this movie a companion piece to Match Point, that hirsutely wonderful Woody Allen film with Shakespearean flashes.
Taxman (1998)
Wade Dominguez is a Star.
Firstly, I loved this movie. It's got great acting and scenery and with Mr Joe Pantaliano in it, I was happy as a clam. Secondly, I became enthralled with Wade Dominguez as an actor, an icon and truly a star as he is a refreshing and original second banana here.
New York, Brighton Beach particularly is always a sultry and compelling backdrop and with Robert Townsend, Elizabeth Berkeley, Fisher Stevens and Casey Siemaszko all in on the smirky soul of the film, even with some violence, it's a very fun movie to watch.
There are quite a few beautiful scenes: a Jewish funeral in the rain comes to mind with the chanting pouring over my heart amidst tombstones.
Law & Order: Sweetie (2008)
Turns and turns and turns.
Every wonderful actor here outdoes themself playing both for and against type.
I saw it once before and mercifully forgot the snaking plot.
There are great scenes on their own (Laverne Cox and Jeremy Sisto, Jeremy Sisto and Billy Magnussen, Viveca Fox and Linus Roache, Heather Matarazzo and herself) and they compile into a wondrous treat of acting prowess and writing virtuosity.
Great ambiance of sleaze, wealth, desperation and social climbing all within the city limits of New York.
And, whenever it all seems too good to be true, there's Sam Waterston to bring us back to earth, reminding us we are all "merely players".
Law & Order: Great Satan (2009)
Conflictive
This is the second time I've watched this episode (within a few years) and was unsettled both times.
Bravo to L&O for not resting in easy, one sided answers.
Ben Youcef, playing Sameer, an ersatz reprobate with a golden heart shows the true meaning of what it is to be a patriotic American, earning him deportation (I hope not!!) to Syria.
"You know what's Paradise?" he asks. He answers: "this. (this lovely uneventful day in America by the Hudson, looking at the Statue of Liberty.) "
Special, sorrow filled mention to Michael Williams, that great actor who left us too soon. Here he embodies human conflict like nobody's business.
Love Is Love Is Love (2020)
A Poignant Place to Ponder
There's an absolute need for a movie like this: one that affords a kind of "will to stay married" as the reason people do stay married.
I adore Rosanna Arquette and was happy to see her pretty face and her always interesting and iconic character choices.
The movie, in three classy, funny, maddening vignettes shows a triptych drama of marital love challenged to endure with the third panel even offering transcendence of such.
In all three plays, the female of the partnership is the yielder and bender and visionary, holding form when infidelity or disappointment or boredom or heartbreak jag at the connubial container. Perhaps because this female steadiness is often so.
Chris Messina can do no wrong and his animation of a lovable lothario is par excellence.
Joanne Whalley is shockingly beautiful, Kathy Baker once more inhabits true life in such a way that her very breath seems to waft off the screen.
The movie and ending song's message - about love being the restorative tool for all broken places - was brought to my attention last night by a friend celebrating a notable birthday.
Refreshing and helpful and in this case, entertaining words to hear.
NYPD Blue: Welcome to New York (2000)
Profiles in Courage
I've watched this a couple of times, stunned the first and stunned the second.
To say who is courageous and how might give away a bit of plot. Suffice to say, the world is full and lovely because of tiny choices made from hearts mostly unseen and such beauty, nay, courage is wonderfully depicted here with the familiar great acting and writing and that other unnameable something that engenders memorable art.
I will also offer the observation that within each character and even relationship here, one sees the full dynamic of opposites at work and that's a timeless and intelligent portrayal of humanity.
The Algerian (2014)
Concentric questioning of values
This is a beautiful film with existentiality as its main subject: what does it mean to attach value to human life? And what must one shed to be a true lover of all humanity, of all of oneself.
The imam drawing concentric circles in the sand with a stick is the symbol of what this movie is challenging: who are we really if not our brother's keeper?
Top notch and a so called hidden gem.
Blue Bloods: Chinatown (2010)
Scott Cohen can do slimeball better than anyone
So he's got two scenes and two minutes of screentime and steals the show....his face lurks behind every evil deed that occurs.
Nice to see James Saito and kudos to who played the tourist/FBI agent. Really, everyone was top notch and I love seeing NY Chinatown.
NYPD Blue: Taillight's Last Gleaming (1997)
A mystical masterwork
All of the polished trinkets of great story telling and great acting and then, a piece of mysticism to put in your pocket: guidance from a tv show! Transcendent.
The Streets of San Francisco: In Case of Madness (1976)
Desi, Chris and Lazaro siempre!!!
Bona fide tour de force with Mr Desi Arnaz jr as a creatively plagued singer-songwriter ahead of his time, free forming it to his manager Conrad Janis' distaste. Enter Mr Lazaro Perez as the stalwart, loyal and talented drummer for The Rainmakers, Mr Arnaz' hip group. One aches at the sheer and complex vulnerability Mr Perez brought to every character he ever played, including this one. At some point, a garage attendant (Mr Chris Pray - uncredited) steals the show with his off the cuff characterisation of a fully realised life we see for about fifteen seconds. Mr Pray, the artful attendant was a reliable and noteworthy improvisor and teacher in San Francisco and does himself justice here. To see this episode is to be in the presence of at least three wonderful artists, celebrating the muses we were fortunate enough to see pass through them.
The Partridge Family: Nag, Nag, Nag (1972)
Lázaro Pérez.
I bought this just to see Mr Pérez in an early role and I love him even more! After seeing him as a curandero on Sex in the City, I saw on the cast roster he'd been on Partridge Family?
I gave it 10 stars cuz why not? As another reviewer noted: Dick Balduzzi and Slim Pickens and the episode is as sweet, fun, beautiful and pleasant as one would hope with a crushable Mr David Cassidy, a beautiful Susan Dey, a winsome Shirley Jones and a precociously present Mr Danny Bonaduce.
I was heartened by the music and Mr Pérez, for whom I have an über-calling of following managed to deepen my appreciation of him. After having seen him play a dying priest, a rock musician, a security guard et al, I was almost brought to tears to see his blessed young and handsome face and hear the kind, vibratoed and deep voice that was stalwart. He captured every nuance of the horse jockey he played - here and gone like every other character I've seen him do, here and gone, leaving a pang of empathy for someone one wishes to know for just a moment longer.
Forty Deuce (1982)
Brilliant desperation amid sleaze and pregentrification.
I can't say enough about this surprising movie. Oddly, my family stays at a hotel in New York more or less exactly where the action occurs.
Esai Morales, Kevin Bacon and Harris Laskawy are unbelievably in character, oh, Mr Orson Bean is so believable I forgot he was acting. Plus there are some other wonderful actors I wish I knew more of.
See this if you are a fan of great acting, great writing, New York City, avant garde, emotional inspiration or you just like being alive.
Law & Order: Mega (2000)
Michael McKean Can Do Anything
Again, not to reveal a plot, this episode is a cavalcade of wonderful wonderful acting. Along with Annette O'Toole, Michael McKean is one half of a spectacular couple. They rule the world. It's a world studded with beautiful, eccentric New York actors - Peter Hermann, Bill Cwikowski, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson and Michael Port, another SATC alumnus. It's a smacking cracker world of flips and flops and the reason Michael McKean can do comedy is cuz he can also do this: portray a megalomaniac for whom one has pity.
Law & Order: Marathon (1999)
Guillermo Diaz Rules
I fell in love with Mr Diaz' acting in an episode of Girls and have been super pleased to find him in some L&O episodes, he's transcendent. I am not so much one for plot, I will attend here to the marvelous acting by all concerned and the pleasure also to see Adam Rodriguez in an early role. The fellow playing Flaco is sensational and appears not to be acting but living Flaco's life before us.
Guillermo Diaz is able to make us despise and love someone at the same time and isn't that the essence of the human condition?
Igualmente Mr Jerry Orbach aka Lenny Briscoe. All of the things I've read in the other reviews are true and still, the whole show hangs together for me in this reflective way, the bad has good, the good has bad and at the end when Briscoe says he will do the job from his wheelchair, I can only wish for it.
Camp Hollywood (2004)
Like a Zen poem.
Where imd shows "similar stuff", or, whatever it's called, there is really nothing like this. I have watched it several times and in a sense, know how it turns out. At least a few of these unknowns, some years later are quite well known. But the director captures, and has a subject verbalise, the real success of following one's dreams. Each participant is therefore, already a success. The lives we enter here are charming, disturbing, compelling...... I am mesmerised by both the physical beauty of these subjects and their primal allure as feral protagonists of their own instincts. The closer we get to even the most temptingly absurd of these characters, the more we see the exquisiteness of a life untrammeled by resistance to itself and therefore, this movie is really a love poem to each of our own lives.