Tracy Mattingly Kirk

I left about halfway through. Pointless and shallow. Didn't capture the charisma of Elton John. Didn't meet my expectations.

Absurd comedy with a core traditional narrative. Realistic and brutal story of a boy and his family in Nazi Germany. The realism is tempered by absurd elements that are plausible because the point of view follows a 10 year old boy and because it's wartime and war creates absurd and illogical situations. The silly and surreal elements -- like Hitler floating by in a swimming pool -- never upset the fundamental order of the story. So in that regard it's unlike absurd comedies like Springtime for Hitler or a Marx Brothers film. Not a wild romp. A struggle for a boy's identity as he tries to make sense of the world.

Not funny. I watched a few minutes of this tonight. I’ve seen it a few times before. Fallon lacks charisma, dimension, insight, timing. Flat out dull.

A favorite show. Smart and entertaining, often amazing. I like to see today's celebrities connect with history. It makes them seem like real people and makes history come alive at the same time. The show sometimes relies too heavily on military records, which is less interesting. Too seldom tells stories about Native Americans. Could also address religion more often. The best part is the discovery of unique stories and events that would otherwise be forgotten.

I'm interested in this show but the host is so rude.

Gets better every season. Hilarious.

Some charming moments but a lot of slack. I had plenty of time to wonder who decided that Eastwood should do a movie with amateur actors. The actor playing the boy doesn’t lighten up at all or smile. He’s earnest and stiff, which helps when he’s learning to ride a horse but is otherwise monotonous. The small town Mexican lady is the exception to the weak acting in the supporting roles. The dialogue is clunky, like when a character says, “What do you want?” as if asking what the other character’s dramatic motivation is. In one scene a character twice says, “Let’s make a deal,” as if he were revealing the function of the scene. Several unrealistic monologues, the worst coming right at the beginning when Dwight Yoakum coherently explains the Eastwood character’s life story as he’s firing him. The setting is specifically 1979, which explains why a 13 year old isn’t just staring at a screen, why the car windows aren’t tinted…two weeks to get a part for a Ford, the pay phones, cash instead of debit, and the open border. Appropriate for the whole family. It’s so clean that it probably would’ve been rated G, but to get to PG they added a scene with Eastwood calling the police a string of expletives. Seemed like most scenes were filmed in one take. Low stakes plot, some tension throughout, but the threats evaporate too easily. The main character could walk away from this project at any time without losing anything. If Eastwood never squints his eyes, the stakes are too low. This film doesn’t utilize Eastwood’s flair for irony and wit, though he does cook a big platter of chicken. The moments where much younger, beautiful women throw themselves at him are kind of awkward since he’s now ancient. The standard romance plot line doesn’t automatically make sense when the leading man looks like a bony skeleton. Lacked the substance and meaning of a film like Gran Torino, where Eastwood also made friends with a young man and a widow, or the danger of The Mule, where he crosses back and forth into a more threatening version of Mexico. Also lacks the fun of an animal film like Every Which Way but Loose, though the rooster added something to this movie.

Good story. Post Civil War Texas as viewed through the main character who’s more intelligent and urbane than those he encounters. He's a prototypical newscaster, sometimes putting a spin on things. Leans liberal a few times. This film is heavy on symbolism, but has a simple structure that keeps the action moving. At one point on the journey it reminded me of an episode of Route 66. But any cliches are quickly turned into unique situations. Also brings to mind Paper Moon with a young character about the age Tatum O'Neil was, but way more serious. No gratuitous violence--all the violence is required. Excellent acting. Better than most Tom Hanks films. It's a family-friendly film, meaning adults and kids could see it together and like it. However, it gets slow between dramatic episodes. If there's a sequel they'll get on a ship, which is something that was mentioned but never happened.

Great idea to restore houses in Galveston, a city worth preserving. This show takes on some houses in terrible shape and makes them look ok. The female host is energetic and says relevant things but seems to always be yelling. The man doesn’t trust her. Both of them seem to generally know what they’re doing. Every episode has sounds of power tools, which grates on my nerves. It would be interesting to learn more about Galveston and the history to give some context.

Great music and choreography from the most accomplished artists of musical theater. Excellent performances. Entertaining and colorful. True to the original film but with added details and enhancements. Preserves a theatrical quality. Some cinematic devices nod to an earlier era. Gangs of grown men running (let alone singing and dancing) through the streets of Manhattan is still hard to comprehend.