Skip Wild Harrington

I’ve been trying to figure out what is so wrong with this series. The acting? The script? The premise? I’ve come to realize that it’s all of the above. Take Christine Baranski, a first-rate actress who first charmed me years ago playing Midsummer’s Helena in Shakespeare in the Park and then went on to have a sensational career. Even Baranski cannot rescue this truly unfortunate production from her fellow actors, and a particularly bad screenplay. There is not one bit of chemistry between any of the characters. None. Zip. The dialogue is forced and the actors speak it at breakneck speed. I don’t want to go into detail; suffice to say that YOU CAN TELL THAT THE ACTORS ARE ACTING. It’s like sitting through a high school production of Death of a Salesman. The cast is trying too hard to deliver lines that are tedious at best. Where’s the humor? Where’s the warmth? Where’s the drama?

This is a terrific series! Sometimes the acting is a bit uneven, but the story Is inspiring and relevant. There is a restaurant scene that is gut-wrenching and there are more scenes which make viewers think twice about being Black in America. It’s not preachy, however. The actual basketball games and practices are beautifully choreographed. It’s the first series I’ve seen that actually incorporates COVID; it’s somehow comforting to see the characters wearing masks and taking other precautions. The boy/girl teen romance is well portrayed . . . no heavy breathing or gratuitous sex here! The overbearing mother is somehow lovable. It is well worth your time!

This movie is a hodgepodge. The script is atrocious, the leading lady is laughable as a woman supposedly adored by two good men. There are so many murder victims that you can’t remember who’s who. The head of the police homicide squad is horribly miscast; he looks like a teenager. The two young assassins are silly . . . they break into Fred and Ginger dance routines between killings. More than one plot line is left dangling and the reason for fifteen murders (one a year) is absurd. Don’t bother.

My all-time favorite movie. Set in the Bayou near New Orleans (best set ever) it’s the story of 6 year-old Hushpuppy and her dying father Wink. Throughout the film he tries to teach her how to be strong, how to get along when he is gone, how to play the hand that was dealt her. He can be brutal, but it’s clear that he loves her greatly. The other characters are their friends, a motley, but seemingly happy group of survivalists faced with an epic storm. The movie is beautifully written, exquisitely shot, and morally strong. Its message is each of us is all a small part of the universe, and when all the parts are fitting together life is magical. If you’re into high speed chases and super hero films, this is not for you. But if you want to learn about the meaning of life, rent it.