Timothy Van Patten

Various factions plot to gain political control over a fantasy world.

I'm reluctantly giving it an A instead of an A plus. I loved watching it, but there are a few major problems. Some key plot points are unexplained. Martin's obsession with incest is off-putting. Some of the villains are senselessly evil just for the sake of being villains (huge pet peeve of mine). Oddly, the biggest problem is that there is a ridiculous amount of gratuitous sex and nudity, to the point where it becomes show more funny. The general rule seems to be that if there's no good reason for characters to not be having sex during their scene, then what are their clothes still on for goddamnit? HBO viewers demand titties! Fantasy is always treading a fine line between immersing and silly, so a show like this that takes itself Very Seriously couldn't do much worse than give you a reason to laugh at it.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: A
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: D

Enjoyment: A

GPA: 2.8/4 show less

Like most early Baby Boomers, one of my parents was part of the "Greatest Generation," although in my case, it was my mother who served during World War II rather than my father. She was motivated to enlist because her nephew, First Lieutenant Irwin Wolf, died of wounds he sustained in the Battle for Guam. Naturally, because of this fact, I wanted to know a little more about the War in the Pacific. Thus, I watched _The Pacific_ with great anticipation.

I was not really prepared for my show more visceral reaction. It's one thing to read about the War or to watch one of the period films made about it. But to live the fight for the Pacific Ocean vicariously through the lives of the real men and woman that are portrayed here is entirely different. Watching the fight for Guadalcanal, seeing men that I'd come to know die at the hands of men they didn't know, and knowing that my cousin had been in that battle ... I finally thought I could understand the some of the reasons that caused him to fight.

I don't hold with the current lessening of the term "hero," since the definition I learned as a child made this word applicable to only the very few who went beyond what others would or could. But I was hard put not to want to apply the term to all the Marines and soldiers who fought, died, or were wounded in heart and mind by their experiences. I finally understood saw how why these courageous men (and even those who ran under fire), fashioned of a different fabric than we, went through their lives unable to talk about their experiences, with the same nightmares and agonies that my generation would later call "post-traumatic stress disorder." They had lived with much of their lives without the fear of nuclear holocaust, in a world that was smaller and quieter. They were taught that men hid their emotions (thank the god this is no longer the case!), and so they did.

Most of these men are gone now, and the few who are left are in their 80's and 90's. But now, when I see one, I can only wonder in amazement at their lives, and thank them for having given of themselves to the World. And all I can do is pray that the years have been kind to them and their brothers, and that they at last found peace of soul for what they experienced to bring us peace for a few years. show less

A mobster sees a therapist.

Story-wise, it's a rambling mess. There are a couple really great episodes, but the season as a whole just doesn't seem to know what it's doing.

Concept: B
Story: D
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: A
Music: A

Enjoyment: B

GPA: 3.0/4

2022 movie #66. 2008. In my quest to watch the top 10 grossing movies for each year since I was born requires that I sometime invoke the 20-min rule. If I can make it through 20 minutes, I can check it off my list. Barely made it with this one.