Movies that Deserved Better: 'Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains' (2006)

     First and foremost, may the late, great President Jimmy Carter rest in peace knowing that his legacy is now finally being appreciated. In 2006, I watched 'Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains' in awe as a President of the United States that I felt connected to despite being born many years after his tenure continued to bring light to the world. An icon on many levels, the film focuses on the President "on the promotional tour for his 2006 book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid." From small towns to network talk shows, Carter offers his views on the Middle East peace process while contending with a media machine that frequently distorts those views. While critics condemn his comparison of the situation in Palestine to the apartheid of South Africa, Carter responds to their barbs with beguiling equanimity and customary thoughtfulness." Unfortunately, the film has been less seen since then, which is a downright shame as it currently holds at 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. but what did the critics say?

   Ronnie Scheib of Variety says, "The story that emerges, illustrated with footage from the time, delivers a surprising lesson in the importance of small details and the ultimate power of negotiation."

Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

   Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times notes, "The fact is that Jimmy Carter is an immensely good man, as far as I can tell from Demme’s film and everything else I know about him. One reason to see this film might be to learn more about his views on the Middle East, but a better reason might be to observe how he attends to the privilege and responsibility of doing what he believes is the right thing. It cannot be a pleasure, the never-ending round of airports, buses, taxis, hotel rooms and interviews. He doesn’t make things easy on himself by accepting the use of private jets, and he waits in line along with everyone else. He doesn’t accept fees for speeches. I think he flies first class more because of the Secret Service than his own insistence." Adding, "I don’t see any ego-gratification going on. He seems to believe he is doing his duty, and if I am ever 83, or 73, I hope I can find the same energy and dedication in my own little sphere. I saw this film for the first time in September at the Toronto Film Festival. On the same day, I read a news story about the new book Dead Certain by John Draper, in which President George W. Bush confided some of his plans for retirement. Bush told Draper: “I’ll give some speeches to replenish the ol’ coffers — I don’t know what my dad gets; it’s more than $50,000-$75,000 per speech — Clinton’s making a lot of money.” In another interview, Bush noted Clinton’s recent work with the U.N. and said that after he retired, “You won’t catch me hanging around the U.N.” I wrote about that in my report from Toronto, closing with the reflection that everyone should choose the retirement plan that is right for him."

    As an adult, I will forever remember the man that just connected so easily with those around him and made his White House retirement something that was not only commendable but inspiring. To think of everything he accomplished within his life, I can only imagine that politicians and non-politicians alike must be feeling like under-achievers.

   

'Goosebumps: The Vanishing' Reviews: "it's refreshing to see not just a promising young adult horror anthology, but one that's dusting off the cobwebs stuck to the Goosebumps name"

     On January 10, 2024, Disney+ released 'Goosebumps: The Vanishing', which received predominantly positive reviews from critics. In the series, teenagers embark on solving a mystery. Based on the iconic book series, fans will see episodes based on specific entries, much like last season. The ensemble cast includes Ana Ortiz, David Schwimmer, Sam McCarthy, Jayden Bartels, Galilea La Salvia, Francesca Noel, Elijah M. Cooper, Stony Blyden, and Arjun Athalye. But what did the critics say?

   A.A. Dowd of IGN Movies says, "A little extra TV-14 gore and David Schwimmer’s committed attempt to out-dork Justin Long are welcome, but they can’t dispel the sense that this is a mad science experiment gone wrong, an ill-conceived attempt to turn Goosebumps into Riverdale." Adding, "Goosebumps comes alive most when it resembles, well, Goosebumps. Between scenes of chaste romance, the kids narrowly escape various Roger Corman-grade monsters lifted, loosely, from Stine’s Scholastic pageturners: a seeping blob, some hungry flora, a training-wheels Christine that blares System of a Down’s “Chop Suey!” while it’s zigzagging madly down city streets. There’s a surprising amount of gore around the edges of the series, as when Schwimmer digs a hungry bulb out of his arm or turns to reveal a nasty ocular surprise. This stuff is very much in the spirit of the books, which left young readers emboldened by their own courage to keep reading, and feeling like they were getting something past Mom and Dad. But the monsters that are Stine’s bread and butter have become almost secondary to the show’s equation. They’re basically accents on its aspirations to a tamer Riverdale or Stranger Things – a few Halloween thrills wedged between its stock teen drama and the kind of overarching mythology that’s frequently mistaken for a foolproof shortcut to bingeability. If you liked the first season of the show, there’s no reason to think you won’t like the second: Despite the all new cast and story, it’s more of the same. But regardless of your generation or your familiarity with Stine’s massive library of colorful titles and covers, you deserve more goosebumps than this Goosebumps provides."

   Kelcie Mattson of Collider notes, "Whether Goosebumps: The Vanishing will stick the landing remains to be seen. Still, it's refreshing to see not just a promising young adult horror anthology, but one that's dusting off the cobwebs stuck to the Goosebumps name." Concluding, "Although not the main focus, as the cast member with the biggest name recognition and the season's lead adult (like Justin Long before him), Schwimmer proves a natural fit as the dad who adores his kids but is slightly out of touch with their lives, and whose childhood loss makes him more than a little overprotective."

Image Courtesy of Disney+ and Disney Media

What to Watch and Skip This Week: Two

Image Courtesy of Disney and Mike Taing

     In this second article this week in this series, I found two options that are not only complete opposites, but also have surprised critics in a positive manner. The first of these is 'Shifting Gears', which premieres on ABC on January 8, 2024. In the series, "Matt is a stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop; when Matt's estranged daughter and her kids move into his house, the real restoration begins." The ensemble cast includes Tim Allen and Kat Dennings. Dave Nemetz of TV Line says, "Tim Allen knows his niche. Between Home Improvement and Last Man Standing, Allen has spent nearly two decades on network TV playing a blue-collar, no-nonsense dad who loves his kids despite all his grumbling (and grunting). Now he’s back on ABC with Shifting Gears — debuting this Wednesday at 8/7c; I’ve seen the first two episodes — a new sitcom that’s built to be right in Allen’s wheelhouse. And despite some flat jokes and predictable turns, it’s built surprisingly well, with a lot of the credit going to co-star Kat Dennings, who proves she can go toe-to-toe with Allen and match him jab for jab." Adding, "To the show’s credit, though, Matt isn’t just heralded as a patriotic hero who’s right about everything. He’s challenged on his views, with Dennings making a more than capable sparring partner. The two have an entertainingly feisty dynamic right away as they bicker back and forth — they actually seem like father and daughter — and Allen even reveals a tender side in the scenes where Matt and Riley try to process the death of her mother. Dennings is a seasoned sitcom pro, too, from her years on 2 Broke Girls, and she brings plenty of sharp sass as Riley, who’s just as headstrong (and just as flawed) as her dad. The supporting cast is solid as well, including Seann William Scott and Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as a pair of wise-cracking mechanics who work at Matt’s shop. (Scott’s character Gabriel is obviously being set up as a love interest for Riley, but they don’t know it yet.) There aren’t a lot of surprises to be found in Shifting Gears’ first two episodes, but we don’t tune into shows like this to be surprised, anyway. We tune in to laugh, and Allen and Dennings deliver on that front as a sturdy comedy duo. No, this show doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel… but it does give that wheel a pretty decent restoration job." 

    On January 13, 2024, 'Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare' is released to a unusual amount of anticipation as it is the third entry into the Twisted Childhood Universe. In the film, "Wendy Darling encounters a twisted Tinkerbell as she tries to rescue her brother, Michael, from the evil clutches of Peter Pan." The ensemble cast includes Megan Placito, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Martin Portlock, and Kit Green. Connor Petrey of Pop Culture Leftovers says, "Scott Chambers’ Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is the third entry in the Twisted Childhood Universe and manages to become the best yet, being an outlandish reimagining full of delusion, drugs and brutal kills. For those unfamiliar with this recently established universe, we were treated a few years ago with a Winnie-the-Pooh horror film titled Blood and Honey as soon as the popular character hit public domain. The first film, while I sped out to the theater to see it, was a daunting task to sit through, although back then we called it “The Room of Horror”. Not surprisingly the film was a box office success during its limited event release and a sequel was spawned the year after. The sequel, appropriately titled, Blood and Honey II was a major improvement over everything the first did and where the first ended with a 3% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the sequel satisfied with a 47%. Some of horror’s most prestigious fail to crack the “Fresh” barrier such as 2004’s Saw (50%), Jennifer’s Body (46%), and Final Destination (36%). Blood and Honey II reincarnated an allotment of classic horror personalities and placed them inside the world of the Hundred Acre Wood and with this trajectory it’s hard to say how crazy this universe can get. Which leads us here to Neverland’s Nightmare and the introduction of the one and only Peter Pan… Martin Portlock’s Peter Pan is genuinely horrifying, fluctuating between a voice with childlike wonder and the deep scornful voice of a killer. His costume design fully embodies that of what a true Peter Pan lunatic would wear, with tattered clothes a size too small and an eerie mask that adds an extra touch of fear. Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare follows titular Peter as he prepares multiple children for their voyage to “Neverland”. One of the unlucky children Peter chose happens to be the brother of Wendy, who attempts to locate and rescue her younger brother. It’s a simple premise, one that many horror fanatics should be used to. Megan Placito’s take on the familiar Wendy transforms from a friend of Peter with a taste for the fantastical in the commonly known telling, to a gore-covered final girl seeking vengeance with satisfying fanfare. While there are serious changes to the aforementioned Peter and Wendy, audiences aren’t prepared for Chambers’ distressing take on Tinkerbell."

What to Watch and Skip This Week: Part One

    2025 is upon us and in order to decide what to watch and what to avoid, here are a few tips for the year so far in regards to new television.

    The most intriguing of the offerings, at least to me, is 'Going Dutch' on FOX, which premiered on January 2, 2025. In the series, "After an epically unfiltered rant, an arrogant, loudmouth U.S. Army Colonel is reassigned to the Netherlands, where he is punished with a command position at the least important army base in the world. After serving with distinction in every warzone of the last three decades, he now finds himself in charge of a base with no guns, no weapons and no tactical purpose. Instead, it has a Michelin-star-level commissary, top-notch bowling alley and the best (and only) fromagerie in the U.S. Army. Surrounded by a diverse group of underdogs, the colonel tries to reinstall military discipline and professionalism with the help of the base's previous interim leader, who just happens to be his estranged daughter." With a score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, the ensemble cast includes Danny Pudi, Denis Leary, and Joe Morton. But what did the critics say?

    Joel Keller of Decider says, "There’s potential in Going Dutch, though the pilot was less funny than we expected, given the presence of Leary and Pudi. Denis and Jack Leary are among the executive producers, with Joel Church-Cooper as the showrunner. Church-Cooper’s past series, with Brockmire being the most prominent, indicate to us that the potential we saw in this first episode is what is going to help it improve over time. In the first scenes, where the old-fashioned, un-PC-but-trying Col. Quinn can’t seem to process how he landed at Stroopsdorf, we get mostly standard gags about the tough commander railing against the perceived “soft” troops he’s inherited. Then there’s a scene when Patrick and Maggie have an actual heart-to-heart talk about their relationship, and how Patrick acknowledges that they’ll have to mesh their respective styles, where the potential of this show reveals itself. Leary is especially good in this scene, recalling his best work in his best-known series, Rescue Me. What we hope is that Church-Cooper can refine the show so that the “hard-ass commander vs. ragtag troops” trope becomes grounded more in character than anything else. There were a couple of chuckleworthy moments where we see soldiers making cheese and other non-military activities, but we know that for Going Dutch to succeed, we’re going to have to explore all the characters beyond what we saw in the pilot."

    On the opposite side of the coin, 'Beast Games' on Prime Video is a complete mess. In the series, "1,000 contestants compete in physical, mental and social challenges, for a chance to win a five million dollar cash prize; contestants use their strength and wit to stay in the game, with the hope of being the multi-million-dollar winner." Critics were quick to give it a score of 14% on Rotten Tomatoes, but what did they say?

   Chase Hutchinson of IGN Movies writes, "Beast Games isn’t just surprisingly dull. It's also almost entirely devoid of anything to get invested in. Though future episodes may delve deeper into competitors’ personalities and motivations – the bread and butter of any reality show – once their ranks are whittled down, the beginning of the series is so impatiently frenetic that we’re barely introduced to any of them. Some of this, again, carries over from YouTube, where MrBeast’s output often feels like a bunch of TikTok videos crammed together out of fear that you’ll get bored unless something new is thrown in your face right this second. But Beast Games is uniquely out of its depth. The spread of games is vast – they include contestants trying to convince their teammates to eliminate themselves and a block-stacking challenge – but they all prioritize breadth over depth. The ones that could be more psychologically tense have no weight, passing with breakneck speed so we can get to the next one then the next one and so on. They all feel like they were made up in five minutes, and there’s nothing memorable about them aside from how they steal the iconography and callousness of Squid Game. An ongoing TV series requires more than a YouTuber bludgeoning his audience with reminders of what’s at stake. Even when Beast Games stumbles into a potentially fun challenge – like a trivia game where we get to see the personalities of the players briefly shine through – each sequence is so edited to pieces that you don’t actually feel any of its impact. It’s headache-inducing rather than anything close to harrowing or humorous. When Donaldson jumps in to brag via voiceover how they have thousands of cameras on set (a weird flex if there ever was one), it made me wish he had fewer. An editor who could’ve built some breathing room into the proceedings would’ve been nice, too."

Photo by Georgia Vagim on Unsplash

'Number 24' Reviews: "Despite a few teething issues with the editing, the film gets the message across without compromising the story"

    On January 1, 2025, Netflix released 'Number 24', which has earned predominantly positive reviews from critics. In the film, "On the brink of the Second World War, a young Norwegian man's drive to resist the Nazis sets a new course for his future -- and the future of his country." The ensemble cast includes Lars Berge, Ines Høysæter Asserson, and Erik Madsen. But what did the critics say?

Photo by Erik McLean

    Daniel Hart of Ready Steady Cut says, "Number 24 powerfully portrays Gunnar Sønsteby’s heroic fight for freedom during World War II. Despite a few teething issues with the editing, the film gets the message across without compromising the story." Adding, "Number 24 is heavy on one subject in particular—freedom. During a time when our freedoms are questioned and what it means, the film opens up with Gunnar’s stance on the human concept while in conversation with his close friend, Erling Solheim. Their conversation took place before World War Two, but the rise of German Nazism was prevalent. Gunnar is surprised at how Erling’s ideology (which leans more toward Nazi ideas) trumps the requirement for freedom. He’s dismayed that Erling would consider a world whereby people are not free to have an opinion (and in the case of the premise of their discussion, “even if they are communists”). Clearly, the director has a modern-day view of freedom and free speech and mostly extrapolates that aspect of Gunnar’s personality. In 2025, we hopelessly debate what freedom and free speech mean, and the debate is aggressively circulating on social media. I’m a free-speech purist. Number 24 enforced my belief in this due to Gunnar Sønsteby’s character examination. The film takes his stance seriously: He refused to enjoy the fruits of life until Norway was free again: no women, no alcohol, no nuances of enjoyment. It was all-purpose, and the movie displays this soberingly and uncompromisingly."

   Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com notes, "The framing device for “Number 24” is obvious but no less effective: Through Sønsteby’s lecture we jump back and forth from his presentation to his memories. We leap backwards to 1937 Rjukan. Sønsteby (Sjur Vatne Brean) is hiking in the mountains with his best friend Erling Solheim (Jakob Maanum Trulsen). Elsewhere, the Nazis are burning books, but only one of these men is frightened. Solheim believes the Nazis aren’t so bad; they’re only targeting communists. Sønsteby, as you can guess, has other thoughts on the matter. The ideological split between friends will fade into the background but will nevertheless be felt in every scene of this nerve-wracking drama." Continuing, "A different type of apprehension affects the contemporary-set scenes. Sønsteby‘s relationship to these students isn’t a one-way street of him talking at them. They also levy questions at him, probing the morality of his wartime operations, especially the copious assassinations he took part in. Sønsteby doesn’t back down. To him, the situation is black and white; it’s either freedom or oppression. But one young woman tests his resolve, asking him a question that nearly opens every mental and emotional compartment he’s locked away over the decades. Anderson turns to a bold needle drop of Radiohead’s “Exit Music (For a Film)” that in some fashion works (it’s emotionally gripping) but also feels tonally inadequate (the anachronistic music is misplaced in such a detailed period piece). In other parts of the film, Anderson does balance the methodical nature of this historical figure (the unhurried Trulsen is indispensable) with the charged subject matter. There are grim moments of torture and betrayals, and some surprising humor. When one student asks Sønsteby why he and his comrades didn’t follow Gandhi’s non-violent teachings rather than resorting to murder, Sønsteby frankly replies: “Gandhi didn’t face the Nazis.” That’s the closest Anderson comes to interrogating Sønsteby’s actions or his personality. Instead, the director crafts a mostly patriotic picture of a man solely dedicated to duty. It’s an uncompromising approach that often makes for a stirring watch even through a narrow lens."

TV that Deserved Better: 'Sins of the Amish'

     On May 24, 2022, Peacock released 'Sins of the Amish', which earned rave reviews from critics. In the series, "Little is known about the secretive world of Plain communities beyond the image they present through their multimillion-dollar tourism industry. Despite their reputation as peaceful, gentle people, Amish congregations are fraught with horrific abuse that the outside world rarely hears about. A group of survivors takes a stand against century-long traditions to speak out against oppression in the hopes of effecting change for future generations. Despite teachings that the Amish should never go outside the church for help, some women are brave enough to take their abusers to court." Unfortunately, the series did not receive the accolades that it richly deserved. But what did the critics say?

   Fletcher Peters of The Daily Beast writes, "The new docuseries is a horrifying portrait of the pattern of dark behavior and victim silencing that has pervaded the Amish community for generations—and gone largely unnoticed."

Photo by Demure Storyteller on Unsplash

    Johnny Loftus of Decider notes, "Investigations into child sexual abuse in Amish communities have recently appeared in national news outlets like NPR and the Associated Press. But Sins of the Amish feels more intensely personal, given that the documentary series is centered on first-person testimony from abused individuals themselves. The women speak plainly to the camera about their experiences, often with an air of careful detachment, as if the violence they encountered has already been categorized and boxed away. But that doesn’t make it forgotten. There’s a raw, nervy energy to the way Mary manipulates her knitting needles during interviews – anything to keep her hands busy, her thoughts active elsewhere – and her box of Amish community artifacts is damning. She reaches for a kind of sex education manual designed for eleven-year-old girls, which seems to blame the victim and absolve any sexual attacker, in particular a male sibling. “He suddenly finds himself a victim of your carelessness and the lust of his own body,” Mary reads aloud. It’s harrowing stuff. Sins of the Amish is powerful on a personal level, it doesn’t always provide enough narrative detail. For example, how the apparent existence of psychiatric facilities exclusive to the Plain communities play into their traditionalist belief system isn’t explored, or how such places can remain unlicensed and unregistered. But it’s nevertheless a tantalizing facet of the doc, which shares with the Mormon-centered true crime drama Under the Banner of Heaven a sense of unfolding the shroud from a famously insular community." Adding, "STREAM IT. Sins of the Amish gives voice to formerly silenced ex-members of the Plain communities, whose collective story of chronic sexual abuse is compelling from a personal and true crime perspective."

'Disfluency' Reviews: "a hugely empathetic, emotive and rewarding experience"

    On January 10, 2024, with a streaming release on January 24, 2024, Buffalo 8 releases 'Disfluency', which has earned rave reviews from critics at the time of this writing and a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, "After flunking her final college class, Jane retreats to her Michigan hometown for one last, carefree summer vacation. She soon rekindles an old friendship with a single mother, teaching her sign language so she can reconnect with her son. Despite her best efforts, however, Jane can't hide the traumatic secret that caused her academic failure." The ensemble cast includes Libe Barer, Ariela Barer, Chelsea Alden, Dylan Arnold, and Travis Tope. Read the full review round-up below.

    Rob Aldam of Backseat Mafia says, "While the term post-traumatic stress disorder might have first been officially used in the late 1970s for the diagnosis of Vietnam War veterans, the concept of an extreme stress reaction predates it by a couple of decades. Of course, the actual symptoms of PTSD were nothing new, though the condition has been known by a variety of names over the centuries. There’s no doubting its connection with warfare, but also any form of severe interpersonal violence. One young woman struggles to process what happened to her in Disfluency. Jane (Libe Barer), the prodigal daughter, returns suddenly to her parents’ lake house after unexpectedly flunking her final college class. Her mother (Diana DeLaCruz) is beside herself that her youngest has ruined her prospects, although her father (Ricky Wayne) is a little more upbeat. She returns to her hometown and finds consolation in her older sister (Ariela Barer), high school friends and crush (Dylan Arnold) for the long hot summer. Trying to process what has happened to her. On the face of it, the premise of Disfluency might not sound particularly original, but the way the drama unravels in writer/director Anna Baumgarten’s debut feature is brilliantly done. This is largely thanks to some great writing and a wonderful central performance from Libe Barer. The use of language, especially speech disfluency, as a way of conveying how Jane is feeling works exceedingly well. While the luscious cinematography captures the hazy days of youth. All helping to make Disfluency a hugely empathetic, emotive and rewarding experience."

Photo by Edgar Soto on Unsplash

   Brian Eggert of Deep Focus Review notes, "Director Anna Baumgarten’s Disfluency uses a linguistic term as a metaphor for our sometimes delayed response to trauma and how that can upset the course of our lives. The title refers to vocalized pauses such as “um” and “like” that so many of us involuntarily use as interrupters to our thought flow. “I’m sorry” is the term of choice for Jane (Libe Barer), a talented student who nonetheless just flunked her final undergraduate course—about disfluency, of course. After returning home to Michigan for the summer, Jane says “I’m sorry” as a reflex, and in turn, buries the reasons why she flunked. But with the help of some hometown friends and her sister Lacey, played by Libe’s real-life sibling Ariela Barer, Jane works up the confidence to tell people what happened. Disfluency comes with a content warning that some viewers may find its themes difficult. Indeed, Jane confronts her repressed trauma with the suspicion that she may have been raped at a college party. Libe is particularly good in her scenes of teary recollection during an anxiety-ridden trip to the police station with her sister. And the off-screen relationship between the siblings helps give the sisters’ on-screen dynamic a naturalness—the best parts of the film are the scenes between them. However, the film’s dramaturgy and generic form resemble a production suited for a Lifetime Original movie or even a movie-of-the-week circa 1995. But that shouldn’t be held against it. Even if Disfluency feels maudlin and commonplace in its execution, the Barers sell every emotion in their performances, making the result undeniably effective. 3/4 Stars."