CJ J

Tossing a lot of talent into a salad bowl, mixing in a bunch of CGI and fight scenes, still doesn't always add up to a good salad.

I read a couple of Tom Wolfe's books way back when, first The Electric Coolaid Acid Test, then Bonfires of the Vanities (which was panned as a film). Never read The Right Stuff or A Man In Full and now have seen (and liked) both films. I wouldn't say I absolutely loved this one and couldn't say how it stands up to the novel, but for me was one of the better Netflix productions I've seen with mostly superb acting (kudos to all of them) - and felt very "Tom Wolf-ish". Certainly worth a watch.

An addicting well-acted series until the third season, which started muddling the whole thing, in my opinion. By that point I was only happy to get to the ending.. and hardly cared if they all died lol

As a production I agree with those who say it's excellent in most ways: plot, direction, acting, characters, etc. I was tuned into it from beginning to end. What saddened me when I watched it was how extremely contrasting the two cultures were. From one side, the Hassidic Jewish community being very caring yet strict, at times hypocritical; from the other, the young Germans so far in the opposite direction, hedonistic parties, drugs, gay men/women making out openly, loose moral freedoms. Which only reminded me of the polarity in the world today.

Excellent film. I hate war but a good war movie sucks me in (too bad wars weren't fought only in Hollywood for our entertainment). I haven't seen Top Gun but would bet in terms of feeling that this one outguns it by a long stretch.

I won't disagree with many of the platitudes regarding the experimental nature of this film: spanning a 12-year period, naturalistic acting, etc. And I have truly enjoyed Linklater's Before Sunrise series. With that in mind, I felt in Boyhood more a sense of voyeurism, more like reality TV than experiencing a 3-hour engrossing film. Unfortunately, I was starting to doze before Boyhood was half over. Not what I can call engrossing... just my take.

New York, New York! Ahh, wit, intelligence, talent, so so... Well, before I digress, yes, a good film and excellent acting, direction, no doubt. Then again (here it comes) how can a filmmaker of conscience, intelligence and wit, in the year 2023 with a seriously degrading global ecosystem, make just another movie about educated, intelligent, talented New Yorkers, drinking vegetable juice (for health, I surmise), yet still driving larger cars, eating lots of meat, using lots of energy, and not once even mention (not even in passing?) about resources and the environment. It's an intelligent highly pertinent notion as well, yes. Are we still living in the Woody Allen Seventies? Can't popular filmmaking also be a channel for spreading truths, the ones outside of our "private life" instead of only self-centered personal deviances? I mean, even squeezing a couple lines in during more mundane scenes, like instead of complaining about the neighbors making noise, telling his wife to turn off a few lights or the TV, or serving a meat substitute or salad instead of (always) large meat portions, or maybe once using the metro instead of the car, etc. (Note: I could as well be speaking of Marriage Story or innumerable other popular films.)

One review I liked stated "A glossy veneer of intelligence with nothing underneath". I found many ludicrous plot twists plus the overblown up sensational ending. I more enjoyed the first installment of Knives Out which at least had something more underneath, with less holes in the script as well :) Thankfully, there are still gems of filmmaking in the world not the likes of overacted remakes of whodunits.

The setting, story and acting kept me transfixed... until the third act where it started getting overly convoluted. I was actually wishing it to end where he discovered the culprits, but then understood that it still had another (plodding) mystery to unfold, one drenched in melodrama. Unfortunately, at that point my interest had diminished. Still, an interesting well-acted mood piece.

I also cannot understand why this film was so underated. Every character seemed well cast to me. It played out so realistically. With such emotion. Of course it was centered on the main white character played by Sam Rockwell. Yet for those who say it overshadowed the character of Ann Atwell (played by Taraji Henson), really can't agree. It wasn't just how much she spoke, but also how much she expressed in screen presence. And a more uplifting racial history lesson as well.