Change Your Image
owenhutch
Reviews
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Good but underwhelming, mostly due to ridiculous romance plot
"Three Days of the Condor" is a decent 70s political intrigue film directed by Sydney Pollack (Tootsie, Jeremiah Johnson, The Firm) with some good performances from Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, and Max Von Sydow.
Some aspects of the film felt dated to me. In particular, it features one of the most preposterous romances I've ever seen in a film, one that would never fly in today's media, nor should it. Also for a thriller it felt surprisingly lackadaisical, in part due to the weirdly upbeat soundtrack, and I found the ending to be somewhat anticlimactic, albeit unexpected.
The Parallax View is a similar but much better film!
Pachinko (2022)
The book is so much better
I loved the book and eagerly awaited the TV series...and I was incredibly disappointed. The show is bizarrely structured, with major developments being glossed over or not even shown onscreen, and minor conflicts stretched out over multiple episodes (or the entire season!) in weak attempts to create drama. HEAPS of melodrama added. Every character on the show seemed to cry once an episode. Which would be fine if it felt earned but it rarely does. The opening credits are pretty cringe to me and not at all fitting for the show or subject matter. Worst of all, the book, perfect for a limited series, has been needlessly extended into at least a second season, presumably more if they can stretch the material. Way more sizzle than steak.