"The Finder" (2012)--Season 1

I don't do many TV shows on here for one blurry reason.  How do I stay consistent?  Movies last anywhere from an hour to three hours.  You watch it and it's done.  One impression, in tact.  But when do you do TV shows?  After the first episode to capture the first true impression?  After the first 3 episodes to give a more rounded first impression (set-up to show episode, finish set-up episode, 1st real typical episode)?  Or do watch the whole 1st season?  Or all the seasons until it is done airing?  But a show can change over a season--or especially after several seasons.  So, when do you sit back and speculate about a TV show.

I am writing this particular post after 6 episodes and a snitch of the 7th episode of season 1.  The reason I'm writing now is that the words want to spout out.  So, I am writing.

The opening music reminds me of The Dukes of Hazzard, and I think there could be some arguments toward this show be a descendent of it--but not a direct descendant--less graphic (at least compared to others), episodes aren't about save-the-world or save-the-nation kinds of save the day things (which is refreshing).  The lead character "Walter Sherman" reminds me of the fun I had of watching "H. M. Murdock" of the A-Team TV series, only slightly less crazy.  And the show manages to keep the tension and stress moments down to a low level (a bonus to me) while still included (necessary to good plot).  It also includes those random funny lines/funny moments that make you laugh, while including those serious moments and touching moments that keep it real.

A nice find--enjoyable enough to watch multiple episodes of.  Unique enough to potential watch episodes a 2nd time.  But not so addictive that I "have" to put my life on hold to see what the next episode holds.  (Having a very, very limited amount of show cliff hangers, helps too.  That doesn't mean there aren't also minute episode to episode connections/continuity.)

"Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" (2001)

Plot is ho-hum.  Nothing much worth mentioning there.  The fight sequences are a lot of fun; those are the main reasons to watch.  The plot just provides the reason to watch the fights.  Having a female lead was also kind of fun.  Other than one or two "notes" (descending vocals) choices, the end credit music worked.

SPOILER ALERT:  So, the first fight is in her pajamas--or close enough to pajamas.  Hmm.  Somebody analyze that to pieces.  I like the line, "I just found my car keys."  Of course, the context makes the line.  The premise to the character Lara's attitude towards fights--practice and real--is appealing ... but is it appealing just to me or is it the smoothness of attitude a something that appeals to all genders?  It's an escapist empowerment that says, "If I could do everything, it would look like that.  That's how I'd imagine it would go."  And weirdly, seems to mimic what I do to counteract the occasional nightmare--empowering what I imagine to take over the nightmare and make it my own slow-motion, in-control victory.

(yeah, still spoilin' here...) And then there are the watches.  The fight for an all-powerful "watch", with a watch for a key, finally destroyed, and topped with an icing-on-the-cake fight for an emotional watch--after giving up a bigger emotion.  That's begging to be analyzed, too.

I suppose the fight in pajamas was to say, "Because I can."

And, of course, if a movie is going to have any quest for an ancient artifact, you have to be sure to destroy the entire temple/city in the process (c.f. Indiana Jones movies).  What kind of ancient artifact action movie would it be without that?  : /

"Now You See Me" (2013)

The plot left me guessing, pretty much anyway.  That's a good thing.  End credit music:  Didn't like the first song choice at all.  Didn't seem like a movie that should have end credits with lyrics.  The 2nd and 3rd choices (or 2nd and 3rd parts, whatever) were better--an improvement at least.

Morgan Freeman.

I think I would watch this movie again--but not so much for an enjoyment of the characters or scenes again--but just to take it in again.  The tone set at the beginning left me skeptical--but never once did I have to argue with myself to keep watching.  I not only wasn't sure where exactly the plot was going, I also wasn't sure about what kind of flavor of tone the show was going to have.  That left me guessing all the way through, too.  I will give the plot a "well-written" even if the characters had questionable endearments.

So, if you like to be kept guessing, it's a good watch.

"Standing Up" (2013)

The main characters are two young kids, but I don't know that I'd call it a kid's movie.  It's apparently based on a novel called The Goats.  It's kind of a reflective movie in that there's a bit of talking, but the location changes often, so that's alright.  Am trying to decide if this movie would be considered a coming-of-age film/story, but I don't know enough about the genre term to decide.  There's a enough story events to keep you guessing, but they also keep the audience in the know so that there aren't a lot of loose ends at story's end, and you don't have to wait long to find out.  Makes the audience both omniscient and sympathetic.  There's also a slight delay in the knowledge, so you can experience the wonder of 12?-year-old problem solving before you get "all" the answers, and know the truth when the boy and girl don't.  Then end credits starts with a solo female singer and an acoustic guitar which is the perfect sound to transition out of the story.  The setting is "summer" (I guess) camp, but the scenery is in fall with all the leaves changing colors, but still on the trees.  Plot-wise, I think this movie fits right in with The Outsiders.  Yeah, kinda of a reflective movie, not super deep, but things to think about.  I laughed once during the dance.  But, this is not a comedy movie.  Not a dark drama either, but there's nothing funny about the topics this movie mulls over.  Some sweet people, and some not so nice characters.

"New Hope" (2012)

SPOILERS!:

Great movie!  That's a win.  Not so fast that you're breathless, but a nice relaxing pace that keeps you interested.  The dinner--that was a disaster (plot-wise, that's a good thing).  The plot:  well-played!  Enough basketball to keep it as a main part of the movie, but not so much that I would call it a basketball movie.  It was refreshing to see families that had husbands and wives who were human but not divorce-dysfunctional--families that stick together even when they struggle.  Wonderful movie!

The only bad thing for me was the movie cover--the picture that is used on the "DVD" cover.  That cover didn't work for me.  Lousy cover.  It also was only God.  No Jesus.  At all.  Fairly accurate, but no Jesus.  urmmm...

The ending--and how it put the pieces together--was stitched together very well--skillfully woven--so well, that they didn't have to choose this side or that side.  They chose both sides.

Written well.  I liked it.  A lot.

AND IT HAD A "FEMININE" ENDING!!!!  When the credits roll and you go "then what happened?  You're not stopping now are you?"  They had an in-genius way of solving that--ending the movie but still letting the story go on--a photo album next to the credits of all the answers to the "then what?"  OH so nice!!!  That makes it feel finished to me.

And how you get there is not so obvious that you get bored, but also certain to get to where you are expecting.  And even a moment or two when you go "oh boy, this is bad" but you're not sure how, or if; and then there are a couple of surprises, too, but then they make sense after see them, so they're believable.  Keeps ya watchin'.

Yeah, I'd watch it again.  :)  And a repeat:  Ben Davies from Courageous.  Nice choice.  :)

And there were crutches.  And shiners.  And personality/story tensions ("I do not want to be here"  "Why me?" and hold your breath and watch, and ... and ????)

"Speak" (2004)

Art.  Growth.  the effect of others--their words and deeds--on the silence of pain.

Very good.

Just too abrupt an ending--it's a "male" ending of the movie

as usual




Recommended.


music is light.  subtle.