Dan_L

I am so glad we didn't see Maestro in a theater. While technically very-well done, the film is incredibly boring, at times incomprehensible, and a failure when it comes to fleshing out Leonard Bernstein. It's quite disjointed. I can understand why so many critics praised the film: excellent acting, especially by Carey Mulligan; visually artful; excellent cinematography; fine music. Even Sarah Silverman shows she can actually act. But Bradley Cooper does not capture the spirit of the Leonard Bernstein I grew up on.

The bottom line: Maestro is a fine exercise in film making, but the film has no soul. It doesn't move the viewer. And it really doesn't provide much insight into Mr. Bernstein. When you see film the real of Leonard Bernstein conducting, you may better understand when I write it doesn't capture him despite the best efforts of Mr. Cooper and the prosthetics crew.

That headline -- leaving out the "a" -- pretty much summarizes the quality of this embarrassing mess. Yes, they really do have Nixon gratuitously expel gas -- extensively -- upon awakening one morning -- which illustrates the pitiful depths to which this production sinks. This scene doesn't advance the narrative or entertain -- it just shocks the viewer in its grossness (I've got no problem with a good f*rt joke, but this wasn't one).

Frankly, whoever greenlit "Gaslit" ought to be fired for gross incompetence.

I lived through Watergate and followed it very closely in real time. This highly fictionalized mini-series may be the most incompetent retelling of the Watergate scandal ever committed to film. Ignoring the almost universally bad acting (Julia Roberts can't even maintain a Southern accent), and questionable directing, the insulting script makes everybody look bad including Watergate hero, security guard Frank Wills. In fact, the script got worse as the series moved along -- and by the third episode I was convinced that "Gaslit" was a parody production.

I am asounded that "Gaslit" has actually received favorable reviews here. And Julia Roberts and Sean Penn (who did disappear into this prosthetics role) ought to find new agents who won't place them in such an incredibly bad excuse for an historical "drama." For a much more entertaining and very accurate, insightful account of Watergate, watch the Ken Burns' documentary.

My wife and I have fallen in love with "Extraordinary Attorney Woo." We've seen about half of the first season and with the exception of a fairly weak episode 2, the series just gets better and better as they peel off the layers of this extraordinary tale about a genuinely extraordinary character.

This is surely one of the most loving -- and loveable -- television series to ever air. It's in the same league as Taxi in terms of gentleness, albeit without the gut-busting humor of the first three seasons of Taxi.

Just about everything about this series is extraordinary (I know, I'm overusing the word). The storytelling is leisurely paced which enables viewers to savor the clever plots and fine acting. Enhancing it all is a beautiful, judiciously-used musical score, sublime and impactful in its simplicity -- largely piano-based. I imagine that a CD of musical highlights would sell well.

What really makes this series work -- aside from the believeability of the lead actor and those characters close to her -- is that it respects the viewers' intelligence. It doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator among its audience. As the series advances, it reveals more and more about Woo Young Woo, her father, her origin, her past -- slowly but surely (that's what I meant by peeling off the layers). And it's willing to let pivotal events linger in your mind until the next episode before revealing what happened in flash back.

And it introduces American audiences to some South Korean culture and customs, as well as showing us that there are, indeed, other nations that are exceptional. As an attorney myself, it is fascinating to see how differently the South Korean judicial system works (allowing for this being a fictional portrayal of the system).

Actually, an attorney with autism is not such a farfetched fairy tale. I recently attended a virtual legal continuing education webinar and one of the speakers was a young female attorney with autism - believed to be the first openly-autistic licensed attorney in Florida (at least until Governor DeSantis finds a way to prohibit people with a disability from practicing law). She's also author of a few books. Not the genius that Woo Young Woo is, but who is?

The only reason I didn't rate this 10 stars is that the subtitles go by a bit too quickly and you really have to concentrate to catch all of them. And the translations are a bit awkward and I suspect could be done better. Otherwise, you'll likely enjoy this gem.

I dread the thought that there could ever be an American remake of this series. I can't imagine our culture allowing for such a loving and intelligent series as this one -- afterall it's been nearly 50 years since Taxi first ran, the last American series of such gentleness.