Post Grad

See the charming young lady above? That's Alexis Bledel, who got her start in TV's Gilmore Girls. She joins Zooey Deschanel, Rachel MacAdams, and a host of starlets who thrive on being "cute."

Alexis' charm is about all there is to laud in a less-than-stellar film. She makes viewers want to adopt her...but she stars in a bust of a flick.

The plot, without giving anything of substance away, centers around the naive young grad, who, having been a high achiever in high school and university, feels it will be a piece of cake to land a top job. Of course, she has a rude awakening when she enters today's job market and flounders.

Carol Burnett, a once funny comedienne, returns to the screen to join Michael Keaton as part of the family to which the young, disillusioned grad must return. The situation has great potential for humor....problem is, it just isn't funny. Ol' Carol looks too dour in her old age to be upbeat, and her lines fall flat. Michael was better suited for Batman.

So, this reviewer cannot recommend this mediocre fare. Way too few laughs and way too much stupidity. Grade of D.....D as in doldrums.

Pefect Plan TV movie

Once again, Lifetime Movie Network presents a gripping whodunit.

As I've asserted in past reviews, folks are often too quick to dismiss LMN films as silly chick-flicks. Yes, most of the fare is about abusive husbands and victimized women. But if you stick to the mysteries, the made-for-women network offers some real humdingers!

The Perfect Plan is not a perfect work of art, but it truly grabs viewers. Emily Rose deftly plays a realtor who's suffering from a bad economy. LMN is often current and refers to realities in our lives. She's teetering in a relationship at home, on the job, and just about every which way.

I will not give away any spoiling info, but suffice it to say that our heroine runs into trouble when she sells a big home. Could there be fraud? Murder? And..what if she's attracted to the suspect? We wonder if our poor protagonist can trust anyone!

Ah, typical LMN fun! This film is full of good acting and twisted plot-lines. Minor characters are solid and believable. It kept my attention and got me thinking about it afterward.

Grade of A-. The minus is for the moments of LMN sentimentality that cloy a tad.

Amreeka

I love immigrant movies. Each tells a similar story: the newcomers to America usually find disappointment and discomfort before they discover happiness.

Amreeka is a fine addition to the genre. It tells the story of a divorced mother and her son, who make their way from Bethlehem to a small town in Illinois.

I can't give away much more, but I can say that the first part of the film, life in the Israeli occupied territory, is revealing. Life is tough for Arabs who struggle to make ends meet amidst the terrible political tensions of Israeli/Arab issues.

When the plot moves to Illinois, the protagonist, who used to work in a bank in the mideast, can only get a job in a fast-food restaurant. Her pride keeps her from revealing her real job to her in-laws, with whom she lives. And amidst this embarrassment, her son is becoming Americanized!

For once, the actors are not "beautiful" people, as they so often are in Hollywood flicks. They are overweight, not particularly attractive, and certainly not very successful. Yet they win our hearts.

Grade of A: As the "New-to-America" genre goes, this film is top-notch.

Shades of Ray

I am crazy about "Bollywood" films! What does this word mean? No one is sure. Folks seem to use it to refer to flicks that involve half American, half Indian/Pakistani/Persian protagonists.

Seems that young twenty-somethings in many immigrant cultures struggle with being very American yet having traditional parents. This conflict makes for some great stories!

Check out the handsome couple above. They have something in common: Each has an American ("white") parent and a Pakistani parent. The result? Old values and new values clash in a zany, wild way! Ah, therein lies the humor!

Shades of Ray is a delight. Can't be a spoiler, but I can safely say that Ray, that handsome dude whose "cuteness" my dear spouse noted, loves a blondie who is NOT of his culture! He is sure he wants to marry her...until he meets a lovely half-Pakistani who could possibly win his heart.

I think we can safely say that many films fascinate when they portray new/old generations. The young-uns today want to determine their own destinies. Strange, because parents think they know better.

Enjoy!

Pan Am (TV) 2nd Episode

Uh oh again. Pan Am looked somewhat promising in the pilot. I think this series will crash and burn (horrid pun).

We watched the second episode of Pan Am, involving a flight to Paris. How insipid can a story be?

We witnessed two grown adults working as stewardesses who fear their mother. Really?

We viewed a truly far-fetched plotline about a stewardess being a spy. Really?

We saw pretty ladies who do nothing more that primp and flirt. Really?

Sad to say that we could not watch the entire episode. We shut off the TV and bid the ladies of the sky farewell.

Good-bye, Pan Am. Nice knowin' ya.

Anthony Bourdain (TV)

Okay, here's a conundrum: There's a guy on TV whom I don't particularly like. Fact its, most folks tell me he's obnoxious. BUT: He has staying power and, at times, his shows are very, very insightful.

I must thank my dear spouse for bringing me back to Mr. Bourdain. I stopped watching him long ago. I found him smug, uncouth, and reeking of sexism. He seemed like the kind of man who had been married and divorced maybe, uh, 50 times! I said to myself, no need to watch the poster child for male arrogance.

Well, in truth, his personality has not changed. But with my spouse's wise guidance, I have begun to look past the man at his mission. He presents travelogues that are very unique, unlike any other out there. When Anthony take us to a city, he shows us aspects of a culture that we rarely see.

Case in point: his tour of Sao Paolo. Sure, he does his usual schtick on foods. He also takes us into the streets where the "real" people live. He shows us poverty, wealth, old, young...from so many points of view. The ultimate effect? An extraordinarily memorable view of a famous city.

My overall opinion: Go back and re-visit the man whom you would not want your daughter to date. He's an exceptional analyzer of foreign manners, foods, dress, and lifestyles.

Or: Try not to judge the package by the wrapping.

Grade: A or F.... depends on your tolerance for an annoying TV personality and level of interest in foreign cultures.

Homeland (TV) 2nd Round

Uh oh, I might have spoken too soon. My prior review was full of accolades for this new series. Was I doing wishful thinking? Was the pilot all there is?

The second segment of the series was flat. No plot movement. Nothing new. This could portend a stagnant show.

We already know the poor prisoner of war was traumatized. Need we see gratuitous torture scenes over and over again?

We know so little about the main characters. Why aren't we getting more "inside" them? We need to learn more about these folks!

Clare Danes, pictured above: A bit cloying, annoying as a lead character. Is it her voice? Her mannerisms? She sort of grates on the viewer's nerves.

Overall? Still somewhat entertaining. But let's hope the series picks up and grabs us.

Pan Am (TV)

Check out those outfits in the picture above! Those were the days!

Pan Am, a new series on TV, takes us back to the early 60's, when flying was a total experience. Back then, you got served a delightful meal (several, in fact), wandered over to the bar to meet fellow flyers, lit up a cigarette wherever you chose, and, if you were a male, gawked at the lovely ladies in their matching blue suits.

The fun of the film, like Mad Men, is in the flavor of the 60's. Back then, sexism was rampant. In-flight servers were called stewardesses. They had to be single, pretty, poised, and maybe more. They were the admiration of many young women, who dreamed of seeing the world and living in style. Pilots and passengers could hit on the young ladies as much as they wished, for those were the days of NO awareness of women's issues.

Two of the female leads, Christina Ricci and Margot Robbie, are excellent. Christina's best role in the movies was as the girlfriend of Charlize Theron in Monster. She was appropriately down-and-out, equally as troubled as the prostitute who would end up killing clients. Margot Robbie is a little known actress, but so pretty that she lights up the screen. Among the men, Mike Vogel, who plays the young pilot, is to women what Margot Robbie is to men: cool and hunky.

Plot: Well, not so gripping. And here is the problem with the series. No spoiler, of course, but the little twists and turns of the story are not too believable nor too powerful. Alas, the 60's redux, Pan Am wannabe Mad Men, might well falter simply for lack of a good, solid tale.

Let's see where this one takes us. It may soar (pun intended). At least, this reviewer hopes so.

Homeland (TV)

Oh my, just when I was about to give up on TV, I encountered yet another good series: Homeland. It took only a few minutes of the pilot to immerse me in the story. Wow!

Without risking giving away anything of substance, I can safely say that the plot is reminiscent of the 60's spy genre involving brainwashing: a sergeant has been held in captivity for eight years in an enemy land.

During that time, he was tortured...but did he turn? Now that he is back home, is he just another traumatized war vet or a foreign agent? This is the question that plagues an obsessive CIA employee, who is convinced that the vet being feted as a war hero is very possibly a spy.

Actors: Top-notch. Clare Danes has proven her worth in so many dramatic roles. My favorite, believe it or not, was her part in Terminator III, where she played the veterinarian who doubts there is such things as killer machines. Then there's Mandy Pantinkin. To me, his best role was as the ex-lover of the female writer George Sand in Impromptu. Witness a newcomer who really shines: Morena Baccarin. She's pretty and believable as the wife of the prisoner of war. Damian Lewis is outstanding as well...never quite smiling as a sane person should!

Character shading: Everyone's credibility is in doubt. Who can we trust? Who is good and who is evil?

Okay, viewers, have I tempted you?

Catch the pilot before the series progresses. This show has pizazz! Critics are calling it the new 24. I prefer to call it the new Manchurian Candidate.

When guys come home from war, anything can happen.

New Girl (TV)

Readers will recall this reviewer's dismay at insipid TV offerings. I often wonder if it's just me, or does the entire U.S. find the programs on the tube lame?

A new series, New Girl, is an exception. This show is a delight!

Never the spoiler, I will refrain from giving away any details, but the picture above says a lot. A single girl joins three guys as a roommate. No big deal, by today's standards. But she's no ordinary girl, and these are not plain old guys.

All four vie for who is the most neurotic, socially awkward, and outrageously goofy.

Remember Three's Company? Or When Harry Met Sally? The theme is similar: Guys and gals try to be friends, try to repress their natural attraction for each other, as they assist each other to survive in a zany world. New Girl does the theme perfectly!

Zooey Deschanel, like Amy Adams, Rachel MacAdams, Ellen Page, and a host of cute starlets, charms her way into our hearts with her tears, laughter, and total social ineptitude. She's the sweet girl next door who can't quite get it together.

Zooey is a great comedienne. She reminds this reviewer of Lucille Ball, or maybe Mary Tyler Moore.

Watch her glimmer and shimmer as the wacky female roommate the guys come to adore!

Great fun. Good humor. Good TV.