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Sonja: The White Swan (2018)
Don't expect to learn much about the life of Sonja Henie
I saw this film last night and although Ine Marie Wilmann gave an outstanding performance as a willful, domineering, forthright, Sonja Henie, one couldn't help feeling as though one missed more than half her story; ie. the reason the film was made in the first place.
The story focuses primarily on Henie's life in America as a Diva/business woman, making bold deals with the film industry and business associates and as a rich spoiled egocentric star who abuses those working for her.
There is a lot of time taken up with her relationship to her assistant - Connie, who is a fictional character. Although this might symbolize the relationship she had with her associates, one has been dealt an empty hand when it comes to knowing how the past contributed to her present psyche in Hollywood.
Her skating achievements are glossed over, portrayed primarily as a little child learning to skate from home movies.
Although the film is interesting because it portrays Sonja Henie (who has not been overexposed in films for most of us), and the fact that Ine Marie Wilmann's acting makes the movie worth seeing, I gave it a 6, because it is at the same time disappointing since we don't really understand the incredible story of this multi-talented artist.
The film is pretty much summed up at the end, when the few flashing epilogue words are portrayed so quickly one can't really read them in the time given.
My Norwegian wife told me Norwegians have a hard time for idolizing anyone, (Knut Hamsun included), who had any dealings with Nazis, which may explain why this Norwegian film was made with the focus it did.
Is it worth seeing? Yes, but one can learn more from a 2 minute reading of Wikipedia about Sonja Henie's life, than from the nearly 2 hour long film.
Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
A very very juvenile Christmas film
The story-line had potential. A couple decide to disavow Christmas, opting instead for a dream cruise. I didn't read the John Grisham book,but can only imagine how much fun and intriguing it would be to portray a story of denial and a break with this iconic tradition. Instead, Hollywood plunged into their seemingly endless trove of clichés,corniness, and "crappola" to serve up something so ridiculous it boggles the mind that people are actually (well) paid to produce this insult to the art of film making. Luther Krank (Tim Allen) decides on a whim to buy a cruise and skip Christmas. His wife Nora (Jamie Lee Curtis) hee haws for about 30 seconds (her inner conflict is irrelevant) before agreeing to go along with his plan. What ensues is a neighborhood and communal outrage (involving the police department no less) that is so juvenile and ludicrous that one has to wonder at what mentality this film is aiming at. Even if (and it is a big if) the story had managed some association with reality and character development, the acting (on all sides) is so void of any semblance of portraying a real person that there is really no reason to get involved with the hackneyed spectacle or even waste time on a more substantial review.
I gave it a 3. (2 points are free, just because I like Christmas.)
Angie Tribeca (2016)
Hits and Misses
It can't be easy to write a spoof which sustains a high level of comedy throughout. After all, what one deems funny is extremely individual. I think Angie Tribeca does a pretty good job employing the slapstick humor one either loves or hates from "Hot Shots" and "The Naked Gun" with a well- written fast-paced police spoof.
There were a lot of good jokes, from most of the actors, (Deon Cole excluded) linking the absurd slapstick gags we've come to expect in this kind of show- "I'm being framed" said as a painting frame is moved in front of the speaking character to fairly decent and funny lines and situations. The series is certainly not great, but it is not as bad as it could have been.
One thing that bothered me, was a scene from episode 4, when police commissioner "Bigfish" stabs a policeman with a baby bottle, saying "hush hush" in an allusion to one of the most gut-wrenching, disturbing scenes in cinematographic history from "Saving Private Ryan". I thought that was in extremely bad taste. Still, I gave the series a 6 out of 10 for letting me escape from the the world's depressing state of events for a while, and for letting me re-visit and laugh at all of the police show clichés this show embraces.