Change Your Image
ken3rd
Reviews
I Pity the Fool (2006)
"I Pity the Fool" who wears ...
... high top sneakers with a business suit. Although Mr. T is a cool character, the wardrobe department need some help; the suit looked great; the Converse All Stars, even though Red, White, and Blue, got to go. Mr. T, please don't remind us of Woody Allen at the Oscars; spruce up a bit for the show; people expect a GQ appearance from you now in the right setting.
Now onto the show: Mr T is a sincere person, an awesome character; if he would emphasize learning from his subject as well as the mo-T-ivational effect he has on people, he's got a show. If all one sided, then we'd have to pass; no one's perfect.
Mr. T may find a middle ground between Anthony "Buy my CD/DVD" Robbins and the great motivational buffoon played by Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live; maybe Mr. T can do that in the short term.
Mr. T, emphasize your sincerity, and ability to arbitrate. The guys on the car lot, especially Vince, and the characters in future shows may fall back into those old, easy and sleazy, ways; those guys will need a re-visit from you; Dr Phil does that on his shows.
Mr. T, do a follow-up on some of these guys; back check with customers, family, friends; go even further than the surface; ensure the work you do works for those who may doubt the good effect you have on people.
Shall We Dance? (2004)
2004: Add free dance lessons to Gere's tax return
Not to be cynical, Richard Gere has been great in my humble opinion; for so many years he's survived one film after another; after all the critics he has a niche; he can show up anywhere and create an interest and $$$ in whatever he does. However, why didn't someone else take the lead in this one; can you see Nicholos Cage and maybe Jennifer Beals as the dance instructor? So Richard's character needed the dance lessons (and maybe some vavoom) at his age. So maybe Richard wished for the lead in "Saturday Night Fever" almost thirty years ago. He never had a chance against Travolta on the dance floor, admittedly, so one way to get some free dance lessons.
Did we all notice an element of "Officer and a Gentleman" as he goes to his wife at her fancy department store job? And the "Animal House" resemblance as one of three 'nerds' on the bench during 'pledge week' only at the dance hall; the list of comparisons and bits of humor are available. However, that's what makes the film disjointed with juxtaposition. The dance contest appeared to be a high school football game with all the clamoring and cheering; then the Cinderella story in reverse (poor little rich estate attorney) as he's distracted by his yelling daughter at the dance competition and crashes to the floor along with his hopes of finally doing something big for himself.
Then his wife played by Susan Sarrandan, who he must have really been attracted to at one time until the mid-life caused this streak of independence. He didn't have the wisdom or respect to tell her he was interested in dance; maybe she could come along too? But then we wouldn't have this particular movie; shows us what may happen as we just consider ourselves rather than include our partners.
Then the complication, expense, and conflict this secret caused in their lives with the PI. Although funny at times I'm thinking all this could've been avoided with intelligent people; so why are we watching this movie? Once a movie leads to predictability and frustration I've lost interest. Similar to 'ffolks' with Tom Selick and Don Amiche, the first half looks interesting while the second half drops like a rock with sadness and frustration.
This movie could've been better, sexier, especially with all these stars noted for that. Susan was great for that in 'Bull Durham' and even the 'Banger Sisters' while Richard has gotten through many movies on charm alone.
The only indication of spark between the two that I'm still curious about was the sticky note on the bathroom mirror; was that a love note or just a shopping list?
Seems like the "Dance Hall Association of America" (DHAA for short, a fictional name as far as I know about dance associations) would really like this movie; not too much on the negative aspect of dance halls we should be aware of by now (see many news items); the appearance of dance as a positive, family oriented activity like Saturday night bowling was a message in the background, an imaginary fancy of the DHAA perhaps. Maybe dance studios could've experience a renewed interest if only this movie had been better. Well, Richard got to learn to dance a little better with some added money in the bank, maybe for a "mid-life" Porsche (with all the maintenance expenses, ha).
Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
Fast forward: See the "Abbreviated Version" and save time.
The two parts of "Behind Enemy Lines" that I really enjoyed (due to the flight skill and technology shown) were the escape and evasion by the pilot (precipitated by an error in judgment and protocol) at the beginning, and the satellite downlink to HQ to see the navigator's location and tracking him "live" by heat imagery.
That's it; save these two segments to disk and return the movie. Probably one of the best flight simulations I've seen at the movies and also a glimpse of satellite technology and capabilities.
Since Gene Hackman (like Paul Newman) usually never makes bad movies, offer him the "Hammy Award" as a consolation for the poor judgment and weak portrayal. In this adaption he's in command of indecision and weakness; as the commander, he should've stepped down years ago; and how did he advance other than politics? Makes you wonder about politics and networking for advancement. Is this really an indication of our military? If so maybe Donald Trump should consider an armed forces version of "The Apprentice" and start with the military academy graduates. A values check would be appropriate.
We should already know that a true American Commander would not "cave" into a manipulated command order influenced by a foreign national without offering his "two cents," if only to be on the record. The character he portrayed was weak; he was a slow decision maker, morally lacking in resolve (what's right and how to accomplish that).
The "commander" deserved to be a desk jockey in DC; after many gross errors in judgment he demonstrates that gray hair and longevity in the military (or any occupation) shouldn't connote wisdom.
Ladder 49 (2004)
Firefighters may need better tools and procedures for protection.
Ladder 49 had plenty of elements to consider and a few that bothered me in the life of a firefighter especially in a post 9/11 world, i.e., more emphasis on drinking and smoking than fitness (Chuck Norris needs to donate a gym to that ladder company); walking and testing the roof of a towering inferno creates a disaster; and a few other procedures that looked like "no-win" situations. Thought of life-saving as the key motivator for a firefighter to enter a blazing building since the structures were already toast by the time of arrival. No doubt, the portrayals were mostly accurate if not stereotypical down to inner city ethnic, social, and economic factors, i.e., no fancy townhouses for these firefighters.
The main concern I had was the lack of many tools and other specialized gear that firefighters need once INSIDE the structure. At least a basic tool belt, a hammer or small sledge; and all lightweight equipment, some better hard hats that don't fly off; any additional protection available (?); all required equipment should be provided to firefighters by municipalities. Even with communication gear there's a need to better track firefighters once inside the building.
Also fortunate that the Chief had the blueprints to the building; looked like the original set from the 1920s. And that's the impression I had of firefighters once inside a burning building; not much has changed since then; once inside you're on your own. Not much has changed in that respect.
At the wedding reception she asked the Chief to take good care of him; he told her "I'll train him to take care of himself." There's got to be a better way in this profession. I imagined during the last fire, the Chief kept sending in more firefighters just to pull more firefighters out. There's search and rescue at great risk and sometimes loss of life. Tough job; takes a special person. I've got a lot more knowledge and respect for the profession due to Ladder 49.
Ladder 49 (2004)
Firefighters may need better tools and procedures for protection.
Ladder 49 had plenty of elements to consider and a few that bothered me in the life of a firefighter especially in a post 9/11 world, i.e., more emphasis on drinking and smoking than fitness (Chuck Norris needs to donate a gym to that ladder company); walking and testing the roof of a towering inferno creates a disaster; and a few other procedures that looked like "no-win" situations. Thought of life-saving as the key motivator for a firefighter to enter a blazing building since the structures were already toast by the time of arrival. No doubt, the portrayals were mostly accurate if not stereotypical down to inner city ethnic, social, and economic factors, i.e., no fancy townhouses for these firefighters.
The main concern I had was the lack of many tools and other specialized gear that firefighters need once INSIDE the structure. At least a basic tool belt, a hammer or small sledge; and all lightweight equipment, some better hard hats that don't fly off; any additional protection available (?); all required equipment should be provided to firefighters by municipalities. Even with communication gear there's a need to better track firefighters once inside the building.
Also fortunate that the Chief had the blueprints to the building; looked like the original set from the 1920s. And that's the impression I had of firefighters once inside a burning building; not much has changed since then; once inside you're on your own. Not much has changed in that respect.
At the wedding reception she asked the Chief to take good care of him; he told her "I'll train him to take care of himself." There's got to be a better way in this profession. I imagined during the last fire, the Chief kept sending in more firefighters just to pull more firefighters out. There's search and rescue at great risk and sometimes loss of life. Tough job; takes a special person. I've got a lot more knowledge and respect for the profession due to Ladder 49.