metromm

For the most part, the characters in this movie only laughed at each other and I found that pathetic. So I didn't laugh at all. It's a true story that need not have been told, at least not by this cast and crew. I would have adored the mid-century scenes had they been shot from a vantage point that was the least bit interesting. In fact, I found ALL of the shots missed their mark. Hallways and rooms, streets and staircases that were cluttered or better yet empty were photographed dead-on, as with a point and shoot camera. I knew going in that I was going to hear off key singing but had no clue there would be sooooo much of it. I felt, from viewing the previews, that I would once again love Hugh Grant but might feel him mismatched to Meryl Streep. And I believe he was. If there was a show to be stolen then Simon Helberg is the brilliant robber as pianist Cosmé McMoon. But even he made me cringe pronouncing pianist (he said PEE-uh-nist) in an accepted manner but not the one that sounds like piano (piANist). Wish I could un-hear and un-watch this one.

Life doesn't happen in neat chapters where one part of the story wraps up neatly and then moves on to another. Life doesn't present its main characters always with perfectly coiffed hair and Hollywood-style makeup. And that's exactly why I'm really liking American Crime. It's a slice of life - a very sad and often confusing slice of life. American Crime festers in the dark side. It brings out the worst in humanity ... so far. I imagine as the series gets further along, there will be changes that come with plot revelations and character development. I'm enjoying the well-thought out plot so expertly put into words, the richness of the acting that brings that script to life and the occasionally brilliant and always good cinematography. The score by Mark Isham contributes just he right tension without becoming overbearing or, like so many other productions, just too loud. I can't think of a thing missing. This is the formula for a very, very good TV crime series. I hope each episode is as good as the first two that I so much enjoyed.

The last time I saw a Broadway play the evening cost me $500 (tickets and parking). This past Thursday, in the comfort of my own home, on my big screen TV with a great sound system, I was invited to watch a TV miracle: a three hour LIVE performance of the original Broadway play starring Carrie Underwood and a terrific supporting cast. It could not have been better. I wasn't lamenting that it wasn't true to the movie. I wasn't expected Carrie to win awards for her acting. I sat back and inhaled the fabulous sights and sounds that NBC and Walmart courageously brought to my home. The set decorations and costuming were spot on. The singing couldn't have been better. The musical direction and choreography superb. It was a wonderful tribute to a great work that has sustained over these many decades. I cringe when I read bad, even hostile reviews of this fabulous offering. Simply brilliant IMHO. And if you didn't see the special on the making of this program, look for it. Great insight into how this was all possible.