What Would You Do If I Sang Out of Tune?

The Wonder Years series from the late 1980s uses the above titled song for its theme. I have been working my way through the episodes and now am in the third of five years. Stripped of commercials and other time waters, these TV episodes are 23 minutes, and if you speed through the opening and closing credits, there is about 20 minutes of show. Netflix instant view is a great way to watch an old series that you missed or that you want to revisit.

Interspersed with TWY I have picked movies by whim from the higher rated ones in my queue, which you can see from my ratings below are not really very high. Documentaries dominate since that genre is a personal favorite. You may also notice the prevalence of movies about different cultures.

Taking the title question literally and understanding that the question comes from a friend, my answer would be that I would sing along – probably also out of tune, which is pretty easy for me to do.

Here is what I have watched since I posted my last list. [The ratings I give are on my own number system which is explained at the link on the sidebar].

The Wonder Years (Season One) – 1988 (3.5). Through the years I have seen various episodes of this series and always enjoyed the way it captured the feeling of 1968 in general and the feeling of 1968 suburbia in particular. The awkwardness of becoming a teenager in 1968 was not much different from what I experienced in the mid 1950s and what my children experienced in the 1980s, so there is another nostalgic reason to watch, both from the child and the parental point of view. The pilot season, as the kids become sixth graders and enter middle school, only had six episodes and I remember them all, as we got to meet the friends, school mates, faculty, parents and siblings. This kind of series can be timeless; made in the 80s reliving the 60s, and in the new century reliving how the 80s portrayed the 60s.

The Last Mountain – 2011 (3.2). This intelligent documentary presents the issue of the dangers of mountaintop coal mining by focusing in on a move by Massey Energy to blow the top off the last mountain in a particular part of West Virginia. Aerial footage shows the scale of destruction and activist victims of pollution of air and water and the flooding and other damage caused by such operations are followed as they struggle against the corporate behemoth and its governmental enablers. Bobby Kennedy, Jr. who is an environmental lawyer is shown offering his support and is a voice of knowledgeable understanding throughout the movie. Clean energy alternatives are offered near the end of the film and Kennedy gets the ear of President Obama who sets the ball rolling to start to hold Massey responsible for its wholesale violations of environmental protection and safety laws.

The Wonder Years (Season Two) – 1988 (3.2). The second season follows the story arc as the kids enter seventh grade and concentrates more heavily on Kevin who has always been the narrator looking back 20 years. The same techniques are continued from the pilot season. In addition to the well done narration, there are vintage songs, simulated home movies, TV news clips and some surreal dream or imagination scenes (a la Ally McBeal). Though each episode covers a new aspect of the growing up experience, the novelty appeal is slightly diminished.

Last Train Home – 2009 (3.0). The largest simultaneous migration in human history is the travel by young Chinese city workers back to their rural homes for Chinese New Year. This Chinese documentary shows one young couple who for many years have left their two children with the grandparents so that the parents can earn money to support the family and hopefully make life better for the younger generation. As the granddaughter reaches teen age, her resentment against her parents erupts and causes turmoil almost as great as the human turmoil in the overwhelmed train stations. Maybe her generation will address the issue her parents’ generation seems to be ignoring: what should be done about a government that reneged on a promise of lifetime security for everyone.

Off and Running – 2009 (3.0). An African-American high school girl in NYC, who has been raised since infancy by a white Jewish lesbian couple, decides to contact her birth mother who gave her up for adoption in this efficient and intelligent documentary,which was co-written by the girl. Unfortunately, while her adoptive mothers support the attempt at contact, the birth mother reacts with ambivalence and the girl becomes confused and her relationship with her adoptive family strained. Her adoptive family includes her Princeton bound older brother, a multi-racial African-American, who is a confidante to her but who is more interested in choosing how to go forward with his life, and a younger Korean brother to whom she is almost like a loving aunt. The girl lets the process affect how she lives her life as she becomes more and more confused. When she gets with an Asian counselor with a similar background, better understanding is bound to result, but we are only able to see just the beginning of that relationship before the movie ends. The girl says she will hold off on pursuing her birth mother until she finishes college; so maybe a sequel can cover that.

21 Up in South Africa – 2006 (2.9). Modeled after the British series, this documentary started with a disparate group of seven year olds at age 7, at the end of the apartheid era, then checked back on them at 14, and now at 21. Not as captivating as the British series, here we have a much more unsettled and desperate group of young people, giving evidence to the actual lack of economic opportunities even though the racial restrictions of apartheid have ended. The devastation of Aids and is evidenced by the fact that two of the three children who did not live to 21 died of the disease.

Don Juan DeMarco – 2004 (2.9). Johnny Depp thinks he is the legendary Don Juan. Marlon Brando is a burned out shrink who becomes captivated by his imaginative new patient. Pleasantly different and watchable to the end, even if there is nothing profound or touching.

Africa – Savannah Homecoming – 2001 (2.9). Part of a seven part National Geographic series, this episode tells about two women in East Africa who are facing a mid-life decision about whether to change their way of living. One woman is a city bred college graduate who married a man from a primitive hunting village where they live with their children. She travels back to the city to see her family for the first time in ten years and to consider whether to move back to the city. The other woman has a strong tribal identity, though she now works as a hairdresser in the big city. She is pregnant by a man from her tribe who is apparently not going to stay involved with the woman and child, but it is very important for her to travel back to the country home of her tribal roots so that her child can be born there according to tradition. This is a straightforward and respectful presentation of these culturally diverse stories.

Custer’s Last Stand – 2011 (2.8). From PBS American Experience, this documentary, using interviews of historians, archival photographs and filmed re-enactments, told the story of Custer from an unfamiliar viewpoint, offering some biography and personality exploration along with explanation of how the man came to be mythologized. Of particular novelty was the information on his marriage to the woman who as his widow strived to perpetuate the myth of Custer as a symbol of rugged American individualism bringing about manifest destiny.

Ocean of Pearls – 2008 (2.8). This movie about a top notch young Canadian surgeon who is offered a dream job in Detroit, but then realizes his Sikh turban is holding him back is watchable enough, but leaves a sense of never getting deep enough into the characters and issues. Cutting his hair and discarding the turban would be a travesty to the religious principles his immigrant father continuously preaches and it would also undermine his relationship with his Sikh girlfriend. But aren’t these religious trappings outdated and no longer necessary, particularly where they interfere with the pioneer life-saving organ transplant work he wants to do?

Africa – Mountains of Faith – 2001 (2.8). Part of a seven part National Geographic series, this episode tells about two teenage country boys in Ethiopia, one who goes to the big city to shine shoes 72 hours a week to support his family back home and one who trains to follow in the religious footsteps of his father. The mountainous geography of Ethiopia and the unique blend of its ancient religious beliefs with Christianity are the features here.

To Sir, with Love – 1966 (2.7). Sidney Poitier plays a man who worked his way to an engineering degree but then could only find a job as a high school teacher in an East London school populated by a band of undisciplined kids. Of course after an initial shock he wins the kids over and changes his life in the process. Maybe it was a new theme back then, particularly with a black teacher in a predominantly white school, but this was not well done. The cast had much new talent, none of whom ever became famous, but the script was unconvincing and the direction mediocre. Poitier was shown in a lot of facial close-ups just sort of pondering or brooding. The music and dancing was sort of hot back then but is pretty laughable now, especially Sidney doing what looks like a funky chicken.

First Batch for 2012

Continuing to pluck away at my Netflix instant play queue, here is another batch, none of which was particularly impressive. The top five are probably worth considering, the bottom two are not and the rest are marginal. Looks like I need to either freshen my queue or start watching movies from other sources.

Here is what I have watched since I posted my last list. [The ratings I give are on my own number system which is explained at the link on the sidebar].

Troubled Water – 2008 (3.1). On release from prison a young man gets a job as a church organist (his unique playing style is nicely captured) and attracts the romantic attention of the single mother female priest in this Norwegian drama from Film Movement. We early learn his crime involved the death of a young boy, but as the story unfolds flashbacks are interlaced and overlap the direct narrative line as we follow the man, the priest, her son and the parents of the victim. The intelligent script touches on guilt, grief, atonement, forgiveness, vengeance and God, without delving deeply enough to become heavy.

Plastic Planet – 2009 (3.0). Mostly in English, this documentary by an Austrian film maker, the grandson of one of the pioneers of the plastic industry, is highly informative in telling how this 100 year old man-made product has become so invasive in our lives and how little we actually know about the environmental and health hazards it presents. The approach to the subject is fairly low key, with many interviews of scientists and environmentalists, a few industry insiders and some diverse people from around the globe. An attempt to confront an industrialist a la Michael Moore is awkward and mercifully brief. When an industrial mouthpiece says the top science panel has debunked all claims that plastic is a hazard and tells about the exciting future of smart plastics that will be able to watch over our safety, it is downright creepy. Watching this will likely prompt you to inventory your household and make you want to start reducing the amount of plastic in your life. Safer plastics are possible, as are consumer protection regulations, but they may be a long time coming, and meanwhile the already overloaded planet will continue to be inundated with plastic waste.

Cherry – 2011 (2.9). Artistic Ivy league freshman engineering student with uptight parents gets a sex crazed roommate and ends up bonding with an older female student whose 14 year old daughter is attracted to him. Good balance of laughs and sorrows in a dramatic context, well enough done to evoke memories of early college experiences.

My Future Boyfriend – 2011 (2.9). This is an ABC Family romantic comedy about a man from the distant future who discovers a paperback romance novel, during a time when books and emotions no longer exist. He travels back to our time to ask the female author to explain what love is. A simple production, but well done, though the Valerie Harper character seemed a little hackneyed.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days – 2007 (2.9). This Romanian drama follows a college student on the day of her roommate’s illegal abortion, as she struggles with the normal frustrations of dealing with scarcities in the waning days of Communism and with friction in her relationship with her boyfriend. But on this day she has the added burden of facilitating the whole criminal process for her minimally appreciative friend. Intentionally slow moving at times, the movie is well acted and gives a feel for the bleak side of life in Communist Romania.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams – 2010 (2.8). Discovered in 1994, the Chauvet Cave in France contains the oldest (perhaps 40,000 years) known paintings by humans, made at a time when that part of Europe was home to animals either extinct or now found only in Africa. This documentary by Werner Herzog reverently introduces us to the cave, but with the sometimes strained attempts typical of Herzog to take it to a more poetic level. I would prefer a more straightforward approach, a la Nova on PBS. 

Friday Night Lights (Season Five) – 2010 (2.8). The concluding season of the series started some new story lines while trying to dip back into some old ones, all while trying to carry the main arc forward and then bring some of the stories to conclusion or at least to the verge of the next chapter. The result was a bit of a mish mash and left a sense of disconnection.

Entre Nos – 2009 (2.8). This sincere indie memoir was made by a woman whose Columbian father abandoned her and her brother and mother in Queens, New York, leaving them impoverished and homeless on the streets, struggling to earn enough money recycling bottles and cans to pay for an occasional flop house. After a short lead in with the father around, the movie bleakly follows the ordeal until a final quick glimmer of hope to come. Overwhelmingly intimate between the mother and children, this Spanish language film would have benefitted by having more interfacing with other characters, particularly the law and government figures who are astoundingly absent from the streets as portrayed.

The Sicilian Girl – 2009 (2.8). Inspired by the true story of the young woman who broke the Mafia code after her “good” Mafia involved father and brother were killed by rival “bad” Mafia members, this Italian movie did a fair job of showing the pressure and danger the girl encountered as she had to be put in a witness protection program and as her mother disowned her and her boyfriend tried to discourage her. The dedicated prosecutor was in as much danger as the witness. This case turned the Italian public against the Mafia, but the script for this film never seemed to ably capture the potential of the story.

Ugly Betty (Season One) - 2006 (2.8). I like the premise of this series, with the ugly duckling in need of a makeover going to work for a playboy boss who wants her to quit, but I was unpleasantly surprised to find she wins him over in the first couple episodes, which is all I have watched. The workplace politics and sniping are worthwhile to show, but the Cruella inspired villain is too cartoonish for me. The underlying intrigue about a battle for ownership of the company smacks of the type of nonsense that turned me off of Desperate Housewives. America Ferraro does a good acting job and it would be appealing to see her make the transformation that apparently comes later, but I don’t think I could stay around long enough to see that happen.

Omagh – 2004 (2.8). A dramatization of the efforts by the families of the victims of a 1998 IRA bombing in Northern Ireland to see that those responsible for the deaths of 29 people would be prosecuted, this modestly produced movie, filmed with some pseudo-documentary moments, captures some of the grief and much of the anger as the families determine the authorities are not being honest about their efforts to find and punish the perpetrators.

Colour Blind – 1998 (2.8). A three part filming of the melodrama by Catherine Cookson about a young woman from Newcastle, England who marries an African merchant seaman during WWI, this movie shows the prejudice the couple faced at the time, especially with the woman’s creepy incestuous minded brother. The couple had a daughter and after a quick look at her early school years, the story picks up with her at age 20 and pushes the parental story back a notch. This film was fairly well done with some interesting characters about whom we never seem to learn as much as we might like. I watched this two years ago and gave it a 3 at that time.

Ponette – 1996 (2.8). This French movie is a unique drama in that it concentrates on a four year old actress, playing the role of a child whose mother has died in an auto accident and who struggles with her loss and grief while trying to understand death and the religious mythology surrounding it. There is some interfacing with adults but more with her young peers, some of whom consider themselves quite knowledgeable on the subjects. This film makes one appreciate how hard these concepts are for young children to grasp and how unhelpful it is for adults to try to explain things with religious ideas that adults themselves don’t really understand. When other children offer their naïve ideas, they don’t sound any more far-fetched than what the adults say. Though the young actress is amazing, I just wonder whether it was right to draw such an emotional performance from her.

The Scent of Green Papaya – 1993 (2.8). In this Vietnamese language movie, a young illiterate country girl goes to the city to work as a domestic servant for a wealthy family and then ten years later has to go to work for a young pianist with whom she is infatuated. There is not much plot, drama or character development in this film but the lighting and cinematography are so beautifully done, with wonderful close-ups of nature intersecting the households and lovely tracking shots respectfully showcasing the interiors, that you can’t help but keep watching anyway.

Death of a Salesman – 1985 (2.8). Produced for TV and directed by Volker Schlondorff, with Dustin Hoffman in the lead and a young John Malkovich playing his antagonist son, this classic tale of a washed up man and his family conflicts has to be very verbal due to its stage roots, but this version has some imaginative sets and cinematic touches. Though it is supposed to be somewhat claustrophobic, I was disappointed it was not filmed in wide screen.

And Justice for All – 1979 (2.8). The Al Pacino character in this movie would have become a lawyer about the same time I did, so this look back at the screwed up legal system rang a lot of bells of familiarity for me. Capriciousness, prejudice, hypocrisy and corruption were part of the frustration of practicing law. The music is dated but enjoyable and the picture does not seem too aged, because it captured a contemporary scene which now looks like a throwback. There are relatively few legal technical flaws here, but an ending that feels truncated and maybe a little too much comic relief, but still passable.

Lorenzo’s Oil – 1992 (2.4). A dramatization of the then recent true life efforts of the parents of a young boy victim of the rare ALD disease to understand it and research ways to possibly prevent it or at least stop its progress, this movie deals with the conflicting approaches of passionate parents willing to try anything, meticulous scientists applying accepted research techniques over time and support groups for parents to cope. Lorenzo’s parents were passionate (his father was from Italy and his mother a redhead of Irish extraction) and in seeking a treatment for the disorder that allows certain fats to eat away at the insulation of bodily nerves, they came up with a combination of olive and rapeseed oils which apparently has had some success in slowing the progress of the disease. Lorenzo lived until his 30^th birthday, dying in 2008. The drama does not hold up well, suffering from a bad Nick Nolte accent as the father, an overlong and uneven script and mediocre direction. Watching the parents do research in medical library books and on microfilm makes one appreciate how much the Internet of today facilitates such work.

Continental Divide – 1981 (2.0). Tell it like it is Chicago columnist John Belushi has to leave town to avoid retaliation by a corrupt alderman. He takes a vacation in the remote Rockies meeting dedicated Bald Eagle protecting Federal environmentalist Blair Brown in this unromantic, unfunny romantic comedy with no chemistry, poor scripting and all around dud. Pretty scenery though.

My Movie Ratings - Updated January 2016

Through the end of 2015, I have rated 3323 movies and TV shows I have watched on DVD, streaming and live TV, mostly in the last few years, but some from memory of earlier viewings. I rated them, to help me remember what I have watched and how I liked it. My rating system is built around the Netflix five star system, but starting a couple years ago, I began adding decimals to make it more accurate. It essentially has evolved into a four star system. A 2.7 or lower movie is one I would probably not bother ever watching again. Ratings of 2.8 and 2.9 are marginal or reasonably satisfactory, so I might consider watching again someday.  From 3 to 3.2 are probably worth watching again. From 3.3 on up are definitely worth seeing again. Several of the older ratings were done before I started using decimals, and they are identified on the lists as "no decimal" and should be taken with a grain of salt, since a 2.7 and 3.3 movie would both have been rated three stars. Some movies are rated DNF, meaning I did not finish the movie and decided that, even though it was not good enough to hold my attention, I should not give it a low rating without seeing it all.

The Netflix star system is designed to make three of the five stars positive ratings (and thus encourage rentals). My reaction to that tactic was to hold my ratings down to mostly three stars (liked it), with a few four stars (really liked it) and a rare 5 star (loved it). From memory of viewings many years ago, I have rated some movies at Netflix, mainly for the purpose of helping the Netflix predictions of what I will like and to help me keep track of what I have already seen. At the end of 2012, I decided to add those to the ratings lists, with an indication the rating is from memory. During the year I also posted my ratings to my account at the Internet Movie Database, using their 10 star system.

References to seasons or disk numbers are not meaningful unless more than one rating is made for that title. In the case of a TV series, sometimes the series is rated as a whole and sometimes the individual seasons are rated. All of the movies include the year of release, but various sources might report the year of release as one year earlier or later. Sometimes movies of the same title are released around the same date, in which case I have tried to distinguish which one I rated, usually by indicating a country of origin. Other than for that reason, I have not indicated the country or language of a movie, since I want to discourage people from avoiding non-English language films.

Remember, these ratings had been my current opinions of what I want Netflix to recommend to me, based on my most recent viewing of the movie, and also on my mood of that day. In years past I may have rated a movie higher, but recent viewing reduced my opinion. I am not rating based on the historical merit of the movie as of the time it was released. I have tried to mostly pick movies to watch that I did not remember seeing and that I thought would at least be marginally acceptable (2.8). Of the movies listed through 2012, I rated 86% at 2.8 or above. I think the toning down of my ratings at Netflix a few years back had enabled the Netflix prediction algorithm, which was calculated to one decimal, to more accurately guide my choice of what to watch. However, during 2014 the Netflix predictions became unusable, as they claim that practically every movie I will be rating five stars. Calls to Netflix customer service made it clear they could care less if the algorithms are not working. In fact they told me they do not think people actually pay attention to the predictions.

My movie ratings lists are now updated through December 31, 2015, and are linked to in the blog side bar, both alphabetically and from high to low rated. I will try to update the lists every year.  Direct any requests for clarification to me, Tom Blake.

[NOTE:  Since this post is intended to be an ongoing resource, it will not accept any comments. If you want to post a comment about this resource or about anything else, you can do it under a different post.]

Best of 2011 – Not

During 2011, I watched about 259 movies and TV productions, of which some were multiple episodes and seasons. All were watched on my home movie setup, with my only sources non-premium cable TV, Netflix steaming year long, Netflix mailing through the summer and a few from the library. I’ll add these to my lists of movies rated (alpha and from high to low) and post a comment here when that is done.

With such limited sources I cannot really offer my list of best movies of 2011. The few I did watch were not very good and the only new TV productions I rated fairly high were from PBS, Prohibition and the new Upstairs Downstairs.

A year late I can offer my list of the best 2010 productions I watched in 2011. Here they are in roughly diminishing order:

Downton Abbey – PBS Masterpiece about rich people and servants

Fair Game – about the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson.

The Fighter- quirky boxing family

The King’s Speech – working on the impediment

Inside Job – documentary about the financial crisis

The Pacific – Series like Band of Brothers on land and sea

Treme (Season one) – series about New Orleans musicians after Katrina

Marwencol –brain damaged man creates WWII 1/6 scale village in his back yard [this one was on PBS in April and I gave it 3.1, but did not write it up in this blog]

The Social Network – the birth of Facebook

The Tillman Story – cover-up of friendly fire death

Rabbit Hole – grief and guilt over death of child

Expanding the range of movie dates, here is a list of the 10 best of what I watched in 2011, again in roughly diminishing order:

The Wire (Five seasons)– 2003-2007 series about crime in Baltimore

The Duchess of York Street – 1976 PBS series about hotelier consort of King

Prayers for Bobby – 2009 about religious mother of gay son

Downton Abbey – 2010 from Masterpiece

Cautiva – 2005 Argentine girl’s parents were among “disappeared”

Emma- 2009 version

Stand by Me – 1986 classic

Scenes from a Marriage – 1973 theatrical version of Ingmar Bergman production

Twin Sisters – 2002 Dutch -  twins separated in youth

Fair Game – 2010 Valerie Plame Wilson CIA agent outed

City Island – 2009 – son of no-show Dad suddenly turns up

Wild China – 2008 documentary

Under the Same Moon – 2007 Spanish - illegal immigrants from Mexico

Bertie and Elizabeth – 2002 bio of parents of Elizabeth II

Amreeka – 2009 Arabic – Palestinian immigrants in US after 9/11

South of the Border – 2009 documentary about Latin American politics

For My Father – 2008 Israeli - drama about conflicts with settlers

The Country Teacher – 2008 Czech – big city teacher relocates to village

Friday Night Lights (Multi season) – Texas high school football and families

Elephant Man – 1980 classic

Number 20

This is posting number 20 for the year. I may do an update to my lists of movies rated, but that probably won’t happen until after the year end. Since I am not a theater goer, a list of the best new movies of the year won’t be forthcoming; but maybe a composite listing of the best movies I saw during the year would be worth posting.

Since I am not that interested in TV Christmas specials and Bowl games between mediocre football teams, I am trying to make a dent in my Netflix instant play queue, which is a rather confused mishmash from which nothing in particular has been calling to me. Trying the ones first that have the highest Netflix prediction is my current approach, though lately the predictions have most often turned out to be a little high.

Here is what I have watched since I posted my last list. [The ratings I give are on my own number system which is explained at the link on the sidebar].

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – 2009 (3.2). The first of three movies from the Stieg Larsson trilogy, this stylish Swedish production was a bit long but held interest throughout as the pursuit of the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy teenage girl led investigative reporter Mikael and young female Goth computer hacker Lisbeth down an old trail of sadistic violence toward women. [This Swedish movie is not the English language remake being advertised for 2011 release.]

Even the Rain – 2010 (3.1). A low budget Spanish film crew goes to Bolivia as a cost effective way to produce a movie about the Spanish exploitation of the New World under Columbus, and the moral voice of an early Dominican priest condemning the sin of exploitation. But the film bumps into the reality that the exploitation continues 500 years later, as the Bolivian government privatizes the water supply at the behest of the IMF and multi-national corporations. Indians hired as extras become embroiled in the protests against the travesty and the film makers are forced to flee or stay and support the cause. The courage of the Indians is inspiring and the effect on the film makers is emotionally powerful.

Treme  (Season One)– 2010 (3.1). Produced by some of the same people behind The Wire, this HBO drama series gives a view of post-Katrina New Orleans through the eyes of various musicians and other residents of Treme, the oldest African-American neighborhood in the city, who embrace its traditions and strive to see them endure. While heavy on musical performances right from the start, the characters take a few episodes to come together. This is much more about New Orleans itself than The Wire was about Baltimore, so knowledge of the city will enhance the appreciation of the series.

Toy Story 3 – 2010 (3.0). Andy is grown and heading for college so the time has come to decide what to do with his box of toys. Same marvelous animation and a good script with a fitting ending, but some of the scary portions of the adventure could be a little heavy for the very young.

The Girl Who Played with Fire – 2009 (3.0). In this second part of the Swedish Stieg Larsson trilogy, the story continues into new territory, with journalist Mikael and colleagues investigating the sex trade, while also giving some of the back story as Lisbeth relives the horrible story of her childhood and tracks it into the present. Though it has the same qualities of the first part, the novelty has lost its edge in this installment. 

Handsome Harry – 2009 (3.0). This indie drama about a former sailor confronting something he and his navy buddies did 30 years earlier managed to hold interest with decent acting and direction and a script that was unpredictable and subtle in its revelation of the back story. It is one of those movies where thinking back on it, you realize that while what you had understood about a scene was true at the time you watched it, once you put it all together in your mind you find there were other truths at play also.

Buck – 2011 (2.9).  An audience favorite at Sundance, this documentary about a childhood rodeo performer, physically abused by his father, who grew up to become a highly respected horse whisperer. An interesting man who does exceptional work with horses and their owners, this movie effectively presents him, but I would like to have seen more about his past and present family life.

Bliss – 2007 (2.9). In this Turkish drama a young rape victim is culturally ostracized in her village and is considered a disgrace to her family, requiring her suicide or murder. Reusing to do it herself, she is taken by a second cousin to Istanbul to be disposed of, but he cannot easily bring himself to do it. They are befriended by an older professor who is seeking a freeing sailboat adventure, while  her father and his henchmen search for her and the cousin to see the honor cleansing job gets done. The strength of this movie is in some poetic visuals, a very appealing heroine (played by Ozgu Namal), a believable cousin and the irrepressible professor.

The Girl Who kicked the Hornet’s Nest – 2009 (2.8). The conclusion of the Swedish Stieg Larsson trilogy finds Lisbeth on trial for a crime she did not commit while the investigative team works for her acquittal and seeks to punish the true villains. Still stylish, but while long is length this conclusion is shorter on drama as we know where it all is headed.

Ally McBeal  (Season 1, First 5 episodes) – 1997 (2.7). I gave this a try because I liked Callista Flockhart in Brothers & Sisters and this old series had been quite successful back in the day, plus I have not really seen any work by David E, Kelley. Overall, I found this a bit disappointing, with Callista’s acting being limited and repetitious and the stories being funny to a point but then just sort of silly. The dramatic aspects are tepid. The surreal inserts are funny at first, but then wear out their welcome. There may be better things to come in the series, but for now I’ll quit at 5 episodes. I can’t imagine ever watching all 100.

A Somewhat Gentle Man – 2010 (2.6). Slow moving and droll, this movie from Norway purposely manages to make that scenic country look very bleak, while telling the story of a newly released murderer whose crime boss wants him to kill the witness who sent him to jail. A little humor, even less drama and nothing particularly worth saying make for a barely passable film experience

Shadow Island Mysteries: The Last Christmas  - 2010 (2.2). A misguided impulse led to a viewing of this Canadian made for TV supposed mystery that was not mysterious or at all interesting and was poorly acted to boot. The wintery settings and one sexy young actress were the only redeeming features.