tomwins1 Reviews

The Big Scary 'S' Word (2020)

Not a S person but I loved this movie

[10/10 · 20 June 2023]

I am a 65 year old man who has grown cynical and withdrawn from most political matters.

The hope and optimism in this movie was so rewarding to watch. I left the Republican party when Reaganism came to power and started the debt crisis. When Obama failed to do substantial reform I left the Democratic Party. I've been without a party as I still don't see anyone that I can vote for who is addressing the real problems that face the US, our culture, or our communities.

I am not ready to be a Socialist but if one were on my ballot I'd give them a fair hearing to see if they were willing to tackle the real issues and not play the games that seems to be the real passion of the Rs and Ds.

Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023)

Sad to waste talent and potential

[5/10 · 7 April 2023]

I LOVE Star Trek as one of my earliest memories is watching the original series with my brothers and sisters when I was a child. I remember the ship zooming at me and my older siblings comforting me when parts scared me by saying "It's just a TV show." But it embedded itself in my brain and heart.

I've faithfully watched every from DS9 and Voyager and Picard, as form many others, was my favorite captain. So I was very pleased to hear of this new opportunity for great story-telling.

But once I started watching I had to force myself to finish. The story line and writing is terrible! It fails to create any drama but continues to pretend there is immense drama. It takes characters we have loved and cared about for years and made them into pathetic shallow mouth-pieces of uninteresting dialogue. The way it is produced makes reminds me more of a super hero movie than Star Trek. Certainly it has lost any desire to present moral or interpersonal drama in a intriguing and accessible way.

Under the Banner of Heaven: When God Was Love (2022) Season 1, Episode 1

I enjoy character driven mysteries

[8/10 · 17 January 2023]

This short series lives up to being a great mystery that is driven by well written characters. I am writing this after watching all the episodes. Some of the reviews say they have only watched one. To be honest about it, I took a long break after watching the second as it didn't grab me. But I came back to it when I was caught in 3 day rainstorm in the winter. I'm so glad I came back to it because it got better and better. The tension held on to the end without being too predictable.

The acting was incredible, and once I got into episode four I was hooked. I appreciated the insight into Mormon traditions and history. They are essential to the story. But the underlying facts could be said about most any fundamentalist ideology. That was important to me as I was raised in a Christian fundamentalist group (not Mormon) and saw the truths in how it played out. So if any license is taken while setting the story in LDS, it could be set in many ideologies where people lose sight of a broader perspective because they give themselves over to viewing everything through too narrow a field of view.

M*A*S*H: Divided We Stand (1973) Season 2, Episode 1

Incredible writing to recap and bring forward

[10/10 · 15 January 2023]

M*A*S*H didn't find all it's audience the first season (as many great shows don't). But in re-runs in the summer, they found more lovers. In order to re-cap and catch-up, move forward the characters, and bring in viewers - Larry Gelbart wrote S2 E1. It does an incredible job of entertaining while summing up the characters. I've seen every episode of M*A*S*H many times and if I were to recommend a 1st episode to someone it would be this. By the end you'll be hooked. Then go back to the beginning and after you watch the first season you'll love watching this episode again and enjoy as much, if not more, than you did the first time.

Sundown (I) (2021)

Going through transitions

[9/10 · 28 December 2022]

I wasn't sure about this movie for the first ten minutes but then as it started to "unravel" I started paying attention. If it had done so more quickly I think more people would have stayed with it. As I have gone through a divorce this year and moved to another country, I found it interesting and the family dissolving caught my attention.

Regarding the violence in Mexico, I am seeing it as the tumor that is attacking his body/life. Having lived in Mexico for six years I can attest that such violence is not what is presented in this movie. But rather it is a way of showing the destruction of his life and therefore dramatically enhanced for effect.

I found the movie to be engaging to me as I'm facing turmoil and dramatic transitions in my life.

The White Lotus (2021–2025)

Interesting and revealing

[9/10 · 9 December 2022]

I'm a 65 year old man and the first two seasons of White Lotus have pulled me in. I've learned so many lessons in life with a drive to know what is most important values and paths to pursue.

Men and women - gay, straight, and bi - young and old have so many options that weren't available to me. This presents the options and challenges of having more options available.

But at the heart of the entire series is about the challenges of living from your heart and seeking joy and happiness - much less fulfillment. This desire is challenged when the person you've chosen to spend your life with is heading in a different direction than you are going - in search of joy and happiness - even fulfillment.

Along the way we make fools of ourselves as we make mistakes and go astray and seek the easy path that often fails to satisfy our desires for the things we really seek.

Then Came You (2020)

I needed a Start Your Life Over movie

[6/10 · 19 November 2022]

Some reviews say the script or story-line is poor but I enjoyed the cleaver banter and that you knew they just needed to find each other and wait for them to get there.

Craig Ferguson is awesome!

Scenery is incredible!

Reflections on other movies was a lot of fun and added an interesting element.

Kathy Lee Gifford was horrible except for just a few scenes. I actually liked her in the bathtub while Craig was in the shower and they were singing. That was the high point of her acting.

I'd even watch this again with a different cast and hope they set it in a similar setting and kept most of the plot.

But please do a better job casting than Kathy Lee Giffords. I hate to say it but she doesn't live up to the potential this movie had. I watched it to the end despite liking it less and less the more I saw her in it.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018)

This is a thinking person's comedy

[9/10 · 26 October 2022]

It took about 20 minutes and I was hooked more than I have been in a long time. The movie has layer upon layer upon layer. You don't have to work at thinking about it but you just have to let it wash over you and go with the flow to let it give you pleasure, humor, and more than a few laughs.

It makes fun of modern movie-making, egotistical personalities that make such movies while reflecting on the power that ruled the past and those that rule the present (and again the egos of both). It also turns a great novel on it's head while given respect and honor to it.

Do yourself a favor and give it a chance for 30 minutes and if you aren't hooked you can move on.

Queen (2022)

Cutting new ground

[9/10 · 29 June 2022]

I wish I could say this story had been told before but it is only the beginning of stories that need to be told. This is a series made in Poland (a very conservative area) That only begins to tell the story of LGBTQ+ people.

While similar stories have been told in the US or England or Western EU, more stories like this need to be told. And we need to get beyond the drag queen level of telling. That is why I gave it 9 out of ten, because more stories need to be told that go deeper and further.

But it got a 9 of 10 because it 1) was from a conservative country and 2) touched on the impact of a grand-father on a child and grandchild and 3) showed how many of us in our early 20s still don't know how to make the best decision for us because our societies keep imposing mores on our thinking and 4) struggles with how those cultural mores help and hurt each individual working our how to live the best life for each person involved.

Under the Eiffel Tower (2018)

Watch for the scenery and let the story flow by

[7/10 · 15 May 2022]

So many reviewers seem to not enjoy this story but I came to the movie for the scenery. I love this part of France and absolutely loved seeing it on film. The story was OK but watching the movie made me remember why I love the region where it was filmed, Pomerol, France. I spent two days at Chateau Hotel & Spa Grand Barrail and they are one of the highlights of my life. The love of life, food, and wine presented here is true and real in this part of France.

Sublet (2020)

This could be my life

[9/10 · 27 February 2022]

I felt like someone had been watching my life and decided to make a movie. The characters felt so real and genuine and the acting was excellent. But what really got me was the story, the situation, the struggle to feel, and be heard by others.

I predicted the ending but it was more as if that is the ending I knew that had to be. So often movies feel they need to give a twist or surprise in order to feel justified. But watching this film was like watching a beautiful flower come into bloom. You knew where it was going and you watched with anticipation for it to be revealed, knowing it was a splendid thing.

At a time when the world seems out of control, it was satisfying to be told a wonderful story filled with warmth, joy of living, willingness to be honest without being mean, and above all a story of healing and learning how to keep on trying to live the best we can.

Perry Mason (2020–2023)

A huge fan after just a couple of episodes

[9/10 · 19 January 2022]

I am writing this after watching season 1.

I loved Raymond Burr as Perry Mason and watched the originals in black&white on my b/w TV when I was a child. Then enjoyed the color movies he did later. But this may be my favorite as it is closer to real life. The production quality is very good and the acting is very good. The plots, like past Perry Mason productions, is full of twist and turns but more-so demonstrate how the truth-seeking can turn a losing hand into a winning hand if you do the hard work and can outwit the competition.

Beyond being more gritty and harsh, this Perry Mason is has a hard edge and suffers greatly from things he has done in his life to survive and especially, we see in the first episode, the hard choices he had to make on the battlefield. This can explain the depth of passion the character holds for serving justice and humanity. His heart has always been generous but he has had to learn how to do ugly and difficult things in service of his choice to do the best for those who need it the most.

Transplant (2020–2024)

Keeps getting better

[10/10 · 9 January 2022]

I enjoyed the pilot but by the 3rd episode I was hooked. The balance between personal drama and interesting medical cases is well done. The haunting from surviving Syria is like a slow drip reveal that is just enough to keep you wondering what all happened.

I did this as my marriage was ending and our divorce being finalized. There were so many personal struggles that I felt connected to.

Jack the Ripper's London (2002)

Blend of old photos and tour of modern locations

[6/10 · 14 October 2020]

It is very much like taking a walking tour of the modern day area where Jack the Ripper roamed and killed. Much of the footage is of current day but then older photos are blended in as the events that took place there are described.