Davis Guggenheim

The third season builds on the momentum of the previous seasons and concludes several character arcs. The season centers on a biological threat and Jack's efforts to prevent its release in LA and elsewhere. As before, there is a marked transition between the two halves of the season. The direct threat and a far more formidable opponent elevate the back half above the first. The second half also features a successful small-scale narrative focusing on the effects of the attack on the hotel. Previous characters who have exhausted their usefulness have their narrative concluded, drawing the era defined by Jack's wife's death and President Palmer to a close. The season has done the least service to Palmer, whose otherwise sterling character is sullied by his actions and choices. Compared to the previous season, this season is far tighter with fewer nonsensical plots. While action is clearly at the forefront, moments of emotional depth are naturally incorporated that elevate the season.… (more)

The initial season of 24 tells a much smaller and more contained narrative than what the series would become known for. The action surrounding Jack and Palmer was strong; however aspects involving Jack's wife and daughter became tedious as their continued danger stretched credibility. The seasons many twists kept the plot moving and maintained interest, with the final reveal of the CTU mole and the death of Jack's wife being one of the most memorable and long lasting legacy of the show's initial season.… (more)

"24" is a mixed bag viewed as a complete series, but it is a mix with a lot more good than bad. The first season, viewed in isolation, remains a remarkable accomplishment of television, and as strong as any action thriller series out there. Predictably, as in so many cases of high concept premise based series, trying to re-capture the lightning in the following seasons proved difficult. The ones following directly after season one are therefore (expectedly) the weakest of the series in my opinion. They are definitely watchable, in a high adrenaline action series kind of way, but its sense of a strong holistic arc, direction and creative uniqueness disappears into bland genre tropes and the show's originality becoming little more than gimmicks. Thankfully, over time, the series started figuring out what worked and didn't work, and the later seasons got quite good. Never really touching again on the greatness that was the original series, it nevertheless became a solid, engaging and character-driven thriller where large amounts of supporting characters commanded my empathy and invested interest to an extent most protagonists can only dream of. So in summation -- watch series 1. Feel free to leave it at that. But should you decide to continue and find yourself still not having given up when somewhere around season 3 or 4, you should see the series through -- at that point, you've done the buy-in and can feel reasonably secure the rest will be worth your while.

A quick note on the later sequel series 9 and the spin-off series "Legacy", which are not included in this box set: They are likely worth it for a completist -- they're certainly no worse than seasons 2 and 3 -- but they do tread dangerously close to feeling like lackluster add-ons, and can be as easily skipped as included.… (more)

A look at the public school system, and some families trying to cope with it.

Basically, it says, "Here's what's wrong with schools, here's why, and here's why nobody can ever do anything about it." Um... great. Then why did you make a documentary? It at least tries to provide a more personal perspective on things, which makes it watchable. But it has this tone of "let's get up and fix this mess, people!" while a the same time systematically demonstrating that any significant reform is impossible. I don't get it.

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

Enjoyment: C minus

GPA: 1.9/4… (more)