Some interesting comments...however, I really thought this one became comical at some point. The sappy eyed, fake apes just didn't do it for me. But then I thought Avatar was over-hyped and not all that gat, either. But I see that other critics like it as well as yourself....so what do I know? Just seemed to get silly at some point...and James Franco seemed like he was just going thru the motions.
I guess I'm tiring of all the CG and fake beings in movies. I prefer great writing and acting with real people...or even people dressed up like monkeys...as in the original.
This is great ...I just wish there was more local and live news and analysis ...and I think "Planet Money" is an excellent 'public media' program...any plans to carry it?
also, a lot of Morning Edition stories are repeated...will that be addressed so we don't hear repeated items?
"Tillman Story" was excellent ... what happened to Pat and his family is criminal ... i don't know how Rumsfeld and Cheney sleep at night ... totally exploited Tillman's death for political purposes eventhough they knew he was killed by "friendly fire" ... Tillman was very popular...and speaking out against the war...and a US Army Ranger ... (draw your own conclusions) ... but the doc that i think should win b/c of the historical importance of the content is "Inside Job" ... using Matt Damon as the narrator and Ferguson as the interviewer was smart ... it was gripping throughout if you care about matters affecting ...oh, only the entire world economy...and how greed, fraud and corruption play such a large factor..
this film was a dog.... apparently aimed at the 13 y/o audience ... and i trust even they will see through this empty effort to create another 'superhero' film ... the goofball, slacker approach does not fit...u must acquit
i have always thought that to put violent murderers to death in a humane and peacefull way ... putting them to sleep and then have them drift off to permanent sleep...this is much too good for them. i think it is a worse punishment to live in a prison and live with their heinous act or acts in a conscious state for all of their remaining days. just maybe they will find a way to contribute something to society before their lives are over. there are just some bad apples out there despite their upbringing; however, one has to think that a child who grows up in violent, abusive surroundings will likely be prone to commit a violent act in their life.
let's also keep in mind that more countries do not practice or have abolished the death penalty than those that impose it...58 maintain the death penalty in both law and practice. 95 have abolished it. 9 retain it for crimes committed in exceptional circumstances (such as in time of war)....35 permit its use for ordinary crimes
the other concern is the fact that we have freed many on death row who were innocent...which begs the question....how many innocents have we executed? even if the answer is one, that is too many. so to prevent any such errors in the future and for all of the reasons above....in addition to less cost to house lifers than to execute, i think we need to abolish the death penality altogether.
Jerry ... good points... i didn't buy the premise re: mind-control re: "Inception" ... a better title would have been "Deception" ... but I sat thru it just to see how they intended to portray such an outlandish plot ... we probably would have learned a lot more about mind-control plots if there was a good documentary on the MKUltra experiments that our govt carried out in the past (if one exists) ...(and hopefully these are all in the past) ...
as for Scott and "Kick Ass" ... there would be nothing wrong if all of u agreed on a film or acting job or something at some point....u could always qualify it (as i'm sure u would) ... i agree with you...you are opinionated and scornful ... and your view that a critic "gives his own opinion" is one ego-centric approach (but I think too narrow and not useful for the general consumer) ... and on top of this, the reasons u typically cite for not liking a film are off the mark. Consumers are getting smarter and using several film ratings sources before plunking their dollars down at box offices...u should keep all this in mind.
PS ... i'm still dazed that "Hurt Locker" won for Best Pic last year. what am i missing? the one thing we don't know too much about the "inside h-wood politics" ... and it typically seems that when it comes down to a more ground-breaking film vs. a traditional film, the Academy tends to vote conservatively ...
i still think "Network" got ripped off by "Rocky" in 1976 ... same for "Brokeback Mountain" losing to "Crash" ... the Academy always errs on the side of caution, it seems...or is that just my take?
Beth ... i found this interesting resource re: the awards....somewhat of compilation of the various orgs that rate films...does this make "The Social Network" the prohibitive fave to win for Best Pic and Best Dir? http://www.indiewire.com/article/trac...
I can appreciate "Citizen Kane", "Man on Wire", "Inside Job", ... and I can laugh at a "Kick Ass" and "The Hangover" ... there's no one that likes everything on a menu. Sorry about your unfortunate experience with "Little Fockers".... I heard enough feedback to pass. I usu. check out the ratings on Yahoo Movies and Rotten Tomatoes reviews before I plunk down dinero for tickets. Again, instead of taking an ego-centric approach, u might want to describe what to expect ...whether it's a mindless comedy...or a head-scratcher...whether it breaks new ground...mindless violence....then let the listener decide. There are too many other resources available to consumers these days...if we find an opinion that is out of whack....then that opinion loses credibility.
as for a parrot, not at all. i looked at the list of the year's top grossing films and liked very few of them. (aside from the many films for kids...so maybe alert parents as to which films may or may not be appropriate viewing? ...which means you'll have to sit thru some more films u don't like) i thought 'shutter island' and 'inception' were over-rated. i though 'avatar' was a lot of hype...and i can't figure out how 'the hurt locker' won for best picture since it was devoid of a plot. so i guess there's a lot we don't know.
SM: How can u say "Kick Ass" tanked? It cost $30MM to make and grossed $96MM worldwide. I'd say by H-wood standards, that is quite the success. 6,302 Yahoo Movies Users gave it an average grade of A - ... I personally experienced it with a theater-full of laughing people. And you are going to state on the air that it was not entertaining? And even if it broke even or lost money, obviously a lot of people found it entertaining. But that's OK...the day Duncan Shepherd panned "The Wizard of Oz" in 1981 was the last time I read his reviews.
63° Mostly Cloudy
Review: 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'
Some interesting comments...however, I really thought this one became comical at some point. The sappy eyed, fake apes just didn't do it for me. But then I thought Avatar was over-hyped and not all that gat, either. But I see that other critics like it as well as yourself....so what do I know? Just seemed to get silly at some point...and James Franco seemed like he was just going thru the motions.
I guess I'm tiring of all the CG and fake beings in movies. I prefer great writing and acting with real people...or even people dressed up like monkeys...as in the original.
Cheers.
August 8, 2011 at 11:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KPBS Strengthens News Service
This is great ...I just wish there was more local and live news and analysis ...and I think "Planet Money" is an excellent 'public media' program...any plans to carry it?
also, a lot of Morning Edition stories are repeated...will that be addressed so we don't hear repeated items?
May 19, 2011 at 10:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Entertainment News: 83rd Oscar Nominations Announced
"Tillman Story" was excellent ... what happened to Pat and his family is criminal ... i don't know how Rumsfeld and Cheney sleep at night ... totally exploited Tillman's death for political purposes eventhough they knew he was killed by "friendly fire" ... Tillman was very popular...and speaking out against the war...and a US Army Ranger ... (draw your own conclusions) ... but the doc that i think should win b/c of the historical importance of the content is "Inside Job" ... using Matt Damon as the narrator and Ferguson as the interviewer was smart ... it was gripping throughout if you care about matters affecting ...oh, only the entire world economy...and how greed, fraud and corruption play such a large factor..
January 29, 2011 at 12:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Review: 'The Green Hornet'
this film was a dog.... apparently aimed at the 13 y/o audience ... and i trust even they will see through this empty effort to create another 'superhero' film ... the goofball, slacker approach does not fit...u must acquit
January 29, 2011 at 9:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Future Uncertain For Death Penalty In California
i have always thought that to put violent murderers to death in a humane and peacefull way ... putting them to sleep and then have them drift off to permanent sleep...this is much too good for them. i think it is a worse punishment to live in a prison and live with their heinous act or acts in a conscious state for all of their remaining days. just maybe they will find a way to contribute something to society before their lives are over. there are just some bad apples out there despite their upbringing; however, one has to think that a child who grows up in violent, abusive surroundings will likely be prone to commit a violent act in their life.
let's also keep in mind that more countries do not practice or have abolished the death penalty than those that impose it...58 maintain the death penalty in both law and practice. 95 have abolished it. 9 retain it for crimes committed in exceptional circumstances (such as in time of war)....35 permit its use for ordinary crimes
the other concern is the fact that we have freed many on death row who were innocent...which begs the question....how many innocents have we executed? even if the answer is one, that is too many. so to prevent any such errors in the future and for all of the reasons above....in addition to less cost to house lifers than to execute, i think we need to abolish the death penality altogether.
January 27, 2011 at 2:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Film Club of the Air: Best and Worst of 2010
Jerry ... good points... i didn't buy the premise re: mind-control re: "Inception" ... a better title would have been "Deception" ... but I sat thru it just to see how they intended to portray such an outlandish plot ... we probably would have learned a lot more about mind-control plots if there was a good documentary on the MKUltra experiments that our govt carried out in the past (if one exists) ...(and hopefully these are all in the past) ...
as for Scott and "Kick Ass" ... there would be nothing wrong if all of u agreed on a film or acting job or something at some point....u could always qualify it (as i'm sure u would) ... i agree with you...you are opinionated and scornful ... and your view that a critic "gives his own opinion" is one ego-centric approach (but I think too narrow and not useful for the general consumer) ... and on top of this, the reasons u typically cite for not liking a film are off the mark. Consumers are getting smarter and using several film ratings sources before plunking their dollars down at box offices...u should keep all this in mind.
January 10, 2011 at 1:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Rants and Raves: The Best and Worst of 2010
PS ... i'm still dazed that "Hurt Locker" won for Best Pic last year. what am i missing? the one thing we don't know too much about the "inside h-wood politics" ... and it typically seems that when it comes down to a more ground-breaking film vs. a traditional film, the Academy tends to vote conservatively ...
i still think "Network" got ripped off by "Rocky" in 1976 ... same for "Brokeback Mountain" losing to "Crash" ... the Academy always errs on the side of caution, it seems...or is that just my take?
January 10, 2011 at 1:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Rants and Raves: The Best and Worst of 2010
Beth ... i found this interesting resource re: the awards....somewhat of compilation of the various orgs that rate films...does this make "The Social Network" the prohibitive fave to win for Best Pic and Best Dir? http://www.indiewire.com/article/trac...
cheers.
January 10, 2011 at 1:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Film Club of the Air: Best and Worst of 2010
I can appreciate "Citizen Kane", "Man on Wire", "Inside Job", ... and I can laugh at a "Kick Ass" and "The Hangover" ... there's no one that likes everything on a menu. Sorry about your unfortunate experience with "Little Fockers".... I heard enough feedback to pass. I usu. check out the ratings on Yahoo Movies and Rotten Tomatoes reviews before I plunk down dinero for tickets. Again, instead of taking an ego-centric approach, u might want to describe what to expect ...whether it's a mindless comedy...or a head-scratcher...whether it breaks new ground...mindless violence....then let the listener decide. There are too many other resources available to consumers these days...if we find an opinion that is out of whack....then that opinion loses credibility.
as for a parrot, not at all. i looked at the list of the year's top grossing films and liked very few of them. (aside from the many films for kids...so maybe alert parents as to which films may or may not be appropriate viewing? ...which means you'll have to sit thru some more films u don't like) i thought 'shutter island' and 'inception' were over-rated. i though 'avatar' was a lot of hype...and i can't figure out how 'the hurt locker' won for best picture since it was devoid of a plot. so i guess there's a lot we don't know.
January 7, 2011 at 3:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Film Club of the Air: Best and Worst of 2010
SM: How can u say "Kick Ass" tanked? It cost $30MM to make and grossed $96MM worldwide. I'd say by H-wood standards, that is quite the success. 6,302 Yahoo Movies Users gave it an average grade of A - ... I personally experienced it with a theater-full of laughing people. And you are going to state on the air that it was not entertaining? And even if it broke even or lost money, obviously a lot of people found it entertaining. But that's OK...the day Duncan Shepherd panned "The Wizard of Oz" in 1981 was the last time I read his reviews.
January 7, 2011 at 12:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )