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foolosopher
Reviews
Tiempo final (2004)
High budget celebration of mediocrity
When I first heard about this series I had high expectations. The show was promoted as a breakthrough in television production in Latin America. It counted with a multi-national cast of well known actors, and had the financial backing of the FOX network. However, the final product was a great disappointment.
There is no questioning the production values of the show. Just by looking at the lighting, equipment used. and settings, it is evident that they spent a considerable amount of money in producing it. Nevertheless, the predictable plots, extremely mediocre scripts, and a sad application of what is (I assume) supposed to be "suspense" and "intrigue," makes the experience of watching "Tiempo Final" a very forgettable and mundane experience.....
It is really unfortunate to see a project of such high potential get transformed into such a pathetic attempt at making quality television. I think I'll stay faithful to the works of other (in my opinion, much better) Latin directors working in US TV such as Rodrigo Garcia (or any of the great film directors coming out of Latin America today).
Whoever made this piece of crap should spend a few more hours watching HBO, Showtime or even FX (which is also owned by FOX). Maybe they will learn something (or else just stick to the traditionally sexist crappy soap operas).
Generation Kill (2008)
A New Hit from HBO
I'm not a big fan of war-related movies or series. It's no secret that most reflect an overly biased view of the world, as they are usually produced in mainstream Hollywood and are mostly concerned with showing the heroics of a, usually American, military force. Nevertheless, there are productions that escape this formulaic approach. Generation Kill is one of them. From the first episode, we are introduced to the players. This reminded me a lot of Band of Brothers (2001). The characters that are developed most are those of the members of the squad with which the reporter - whose book the series is based on - is riding. The complexity of the each character is amazing. Whether you are pro or against the invasion of Iraq, you cannot help but identify to some degree with not only one, but many of the men in the series. (There are basically no female characters in sight, something I found rather strange but I honestly don't know whether or not that is an accurate representation of the U.S. Marines) In any case, as the series advances, we get to know a group of warriors whose motivations vary from honest patriotism, to simply finding an outlet from repressed anger, needing a good-paying job in difficult times, or just because of an asshole personality (like in the case of "Captain America"
Possibly the most dislikeable character I have seen in a TV show in a long, long time). As the story advances and we are shown the raw reality of the conflict from an insider's perspective, one realizes that whatever our opinions are about issues such as the conflict in Iraq, or the mistreatment of war prisoners to name just a couple, things are never black nor white. The conflict in Iraq is a reality, and shows like Generation Kill serve to help us understand that the people who are involved in the conflict (on both sides) at the ground level are simply human beings who, due to situations beyond their control, found themselves involved in an armed conflict in the name of their country, nation, culture, etc. The decisions that each of these men has to face day in and day out while in a combat zone makes us realize that this could easily be the story of one of our neighbors, or buddies from high school, or even ourselves, and it makes you question how you would behave if placed in similar circumstances. In my opinion, Generation Kill is one of those TV shows that is so well written and performed that I cannot wait to have an excuse to watch it again and again. This is what TV is supposed to look like.
Vantage Point (2008)
When bad scripts happen to good actors
I'm sure talented actors like Whitaker, Noriega, Weaver, Hurt, et al signed up for this project, they did so thinking the same we did when we watched the trailer. "Sounds like a good movie" and, in theory, it should be. The idea of having the different perspectives of the situation depicted in the film has great potential. However, Vantage Point fails in almost every aspect. 8 perspectives in 90 minutes is too much, specially in this circumstances. As a consequence, most, if not all, of the characters are extremely under developed. They could've had any c-lister playing most of these characters and viewers wouldn't have noticed much difference. There is no motivation given for any of these people's actions nor is there any logic to the things being said or to pretty much anything else. I don't want to go into specifics to avoid spoilers, but all I can say is that, the only impressive thing about Vantage Point is that it manages to repeat the same story 8 times while saying nothing at all... all there is vague references to pre-made political slogans that lead to no conclusion or message or anything! Save your money or watch something, anything, else.