whyohwhy1896 Reviews

United States of Tara (2009–2011)

Showtime, you can do better.

[7 June 2009]

It was not in my original intentions to watch this show, but I was forced to sit through a six-episode marathon with my friend, who is a huge fan of the movie "Juno" and thinks that Diablo Cody is a magical demi-goddess sent to save humankind with her unique brand of slang. And, well, I must say...I don't much care for it.

I had fairly good expectations going into this show. I am a huge fan of many Showtime shows, including Weeds, Dexter and Dead Like Me. Californication is pretty good as well. I don't feel that United States of Tara is on par with these shows at all. What's wrong with it? Well, for one thing, it seems like it's trying way too hard to be quirky and clever, and coming up flat. Perhaps Cody's dialog is meant to be this way, but I never really found any of it (the show's dialog, that is) particularly refreshing or thought-provoking, the way I felt about some of the same material which was presented in Juno (which I thought was kind of overrated, but was still a decent enough movie.)

The characters in this show are flat and stereotypical: the put-upon wife, the level-headed father figure, the rebellious teen daughter, the maddening in-laws. The only semi-interesting character in the whole brood is Marshall, the young wunderkind Fritz Lang-watching gay son.

As for the whole DID issue, well, I'm not too well-versed on the subject, so I can't really comment with regards to the arena of Cody allegedly being "disrespectful" to people with this disorder. I don't think that she *means* to be, if that means anything. I have noticed, however, that Cody seems to like to take "dark" issues like teen pregnancy (and now DID) and tries to put a positive spin on it. But I must say, Tara's various personalities are all pretty darn annoying, especially T. That's not really putting a positive spin on things, in my book.

Also, I get a real kick out of reading all of the negative comments about this show on IMDb, which means that something is definitely wrong in my book. Or maybe I'm just more of a fan of schadenfreude than I'd like to admit...

Bottom line: while this show is not terrible in the same way that The Hills is terrible, I'm still not compelled or even semi-interested, I've never laughed once (despite it being billed as a comedy) and I won't be tuning in for more. Showtime has produced a bunch of great shows in the past few years, and United States of Tara definitely is not one of them. I can't believe that it has been renewed for a second season already. For now, all I can do is hope and pray that this show isn't the marker of the downfall of Showtime.

Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story (2006)

Good try...but marred by serious historical errors

[6/10 · 9 April 2006]

I am probably the only person on this string of comments who actually met Douglas. That said, I acknowledge the sincere effort of the producers of telling an important historical story, but I was utterly shocked by the inaccurate depiction of Jimmy Gardiner as an ultra right-wing ogre. Despte what you saw in this film, Gardiner was a teetotaler and a defender of oppressed minorities (Eastern European immigrants during the heyday of the Ku Klux Klan in the late 1920s and the On-to-Ottawa trekkers in the summer of 1935). There has been much controversy in Saskatchewan over the sadistically inaccurate depiction of Gardiner. Also, the Estevan coal miners strike of 1931 was inaccurately depicted: the bodies of the dead were not left to rot and Douglas and his wife were not in the area at the time. Moreover, Gardiner was not the premier at the time and did not, despite what you saw in the movie, order the shooting or exult in the miners' deaths. On and on and on go the list of historical errors, all of which just happen to aggrandize Douglas and his party.

What this movie "got right" was the important role of provincial finance minister Clarence Fines and cabinet minister Woodrow Lloyd during Douglas' term as premier. Actor Michael Therriault did an exceptional job of capturing Douglas' personality and speaking style.

There is a school of thought here in Saskatchewan that Douglas did as much harm as good...by waging war on business so effectively, he provoked it into a six-decade boycott of Saskatchewan, setting the stage for relatively few jobs. It has taken 60 years for another NDP government (see the April 6, 2006 budget brought down by NDP premier Lorne Calvert) to reverse years of anti-business rhetoric and policy--and throw open the doors to the private sector.

Among Canadian leftists, there is something akin to a cult around Douglas' life and deeds that prevents an objective, balanced analysis of his legacy. This ambitious but flawed feature will not make that consideration any easier.

Titanic (1997)

I still love it

[10/10 · 18 January 2006]

I will always remember the first time I saw "Titanic." The year was 1998--late February, to be precise. I was ten years old, in the fifth grade, and had been hearing for weeks about how good this movie was and how it was like nothing anyone had ever seen. I was desperate to see it. However the forbidden fruit had been rated PG-13, so I was afraid I would never see it, being too young. Then, as luck would have it, one of my friends invited me to go see it for her birthday. I thought it would be the classic formulaic love story with some good, fun thrills. I was wrong.

I had never had such a thrilling experience in a movie theater in my life! I was quite literally on the edge of my seat. Especially during the last half...there were many memorable scenes, including Rose searching for Jack below decks, the evil fiancé pulling out a shotgun, and of course, the sinking...

"Titanic" didn't end the way I expected it or wanted it to; I had imagined both of the lovers would be rescued and live happily ever after. At ten, I was deeply upset by the early death of Jack, but I understand today that it was necessary for him to die, otherwise the full extent of the tragedy couldn't be grasped. Someone I know said that this movie is the closest you can get to the real tragedy without experiencing it firsthand, and I'm inclined to agree. (Though I did visit a Titanic exhibit--from the actual ship--last summer and saw the shoes of Eino Panula, the "unknown child of the Titanic," and it was bloody awful, to say the least.) Now I understand in some years it's become trendy to hate "Titanic." Perhaps it's because Leonardo DiCaprio doesn't seem as cute anymore. Perhaps the special effects seem old. Perhaps it was some of the (at times) rather weak dialog. Who knows? But I still like it, really like it in fact, and occasionally I pull out my old VHS copy and watch it. It still hasn't lost its power to move and disturb me.

Garden State (2004)

I really wanted to like this movie, but...

[4/10 · 2 January 2006]

Perhaps I am the wrong person to review this movie. I went into it with incredibly high expectations, having heard from many people as to how "unbelievably incredible" it was, and also had bought the soundtrack several weeks previously and being very impressed with it. After I actually had watched the movie, however, all I felt was disappointed and confused. I didn't understand a lot of the scenes (i.e. the knight, what was up with that?) and, well, in the long run, I just thought it'd pack more of a punch than it did.

I'm not saying it's a bad movie by any means - it has some insightful moments in its many vignettes and taps into some hidden emotions I didn't know I had. It also has some memorable characters, like Sam, who is a welcome and immensely likable change from the typical female love interest.

However...the whole movie just never fits together well as a whole. As I said above...I am the wrong person to review this movie. If you haven't already seen it, then don't walk into it with incredibly high expectations like I did. Just enjoy it for what it is. Heck, maybe even skip the movie altogether and just buy the soundtrack.

Maybe I should re-watch it. But I'll only do that if somebody I know owns it and offers to let me watch it for free at their house; I'm not willing to rush over immediately to Blockbuster and shell out $5 to rent it again.