sauvage999 Reviews

China Beach (1988–1991)

Possibly the best TV show of all time - Colleen, will you marry me?

[29 November 2005]

I have been reliving "China Beach" the past year or so on cable TV, and I must say, the experience has been just as moving the second time around. I cannot speak of "China Beach" without using superlatives: 1) My all-time favorite TV show; 2) Easily the most underrated TV show ever; 3) The all-time best performance by an actress in TV history (Dana Delaney as Colleen); 4) The most nuanced, complex, intimate and believable development of a TV character in history (again, Dana as Colleen); 5) The three most loaded, gut-wrenching, revealing, and well-acted words ever uttered by a TV character {"Don't 'Colleen' me!" by you-know-who). Of course, there were many other great performances on the show, and the subject matter has never been so intimately portrayed. However, Dana's performance will haunt my soul forever.

Acts of Worship (2001)

Pondering why it's called "Acts of Worship"...

[10/10 · 4 September 2005]

Although I was raised a Baptist, I no longer consider myself to be religious. Not that I have a problem with religion; saying I am not religious has about the same value for me as saying I am not blond. I do not imply I have a problems with blonds. That said, I HATE being proselytized to. I had heard that this was a great movie, but I was a bit nervous about the title. Many movies justify their glamorized portrayal of the drug world by trying to counter-balance with some well-meaning but tiresome preaching of the evils of drugs. It's like the director wants to have his/her cake and eat it too, showing "the good stuff" that sells movies while saving face with the parents of the movie's viewers. BOY, was I wrong to ever suspect any kind of phony, preachy B.S. in this movie. The closest thing I have to a religion is my honesty, which I cling to as dearly as a family jewel. Therefore, when I say this is the most honest film I have ever seen, I mean it. I cannot reveal the real reason the movie is called "Acts of Worship" without spoiling the ending. But I can say without reservation that this is the most remarkable, believable and honest film about the drug world I have ever seen. I have seen many of the genre: "Requiem for a Dream", "Trainspotting", "Traffic", "Drugstore Cowboy", and countless others. Watching this movie was in and of itself like an "act of worship", because my reverence for honesty in film-making was so profoundly embraced. Thank you Rosemary, Ana and Michael, for giving me this gift.

P.S. Michael, I thought it totally sucked when The West Wing did not keep the Angela character. I was glad to finally see a believable character on my favorite show. Please come back!

Love's Enduring Promise (2004 TV Movie)

Just wondering, has anyone noticed...

[6/10 · 1 June 2005]

..for what it's worth, January Jones is older than Katherine Heigl! That's Hollywood for you! I am not complaining (too much) But it is a bit of a stretch to accept the kid from "My Father the Hero" as January's step-mom. Both women are great actresses, and I enjoyed their performances in this movie, but the age proximity was distracting. Also, a bit disconcerting. Marty sure did not age much from the first movie to the second. The makeup department could have tried a little harder. I guess Skye McCole Bartusiak is too young to be Missie again, so I understand the reality of the situation. Otherwise, the movie was an entertaining diversion as period pieces go, without any violence or profanity. Any 10-year-old girl would love it!