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“Smashed” about Wasted People
Dec 15th
“Wasted”
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
Smashed is just another in a long line of films about alcoholics going back at least to the 1945 The Lost Weekend with Ray Milland and the 1962 Days of Wine and Roses with Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick, and the only thing different is that this time the lead alcoholic character is a woman.
You’ve come a long way, Baby.
Also, it is an independent film that was shot in only 19 days; so don’t expect too much in the way of production values.
And the only message in films about the fall and more falling of an alcoholic is “Don’t do this,” which leaves only great acting, marvelous settings, or compelling story to see a movie like this, none of which are contained in this movie.
Kate is played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and she is married to Charlie, played by Aaron Paul. Kate is a first-grade schoolteacher, and Charlie stays at home and writes music, although we find out later that Charlie has wealthy parents who support them.
In fact, when they wake up one morning after another night of binge drinking, Kate makes a reference to the fact that Charlie stays home and writes, and Charlie says, “Yeah, but my real job is to change the sheets.”
Kate even takes a drink from a flask in her car on the way to work, and then when she is in the classroom teaching her students, she throws up into a wastebasket because she is so hung over.
This prompts one of the students to ask Kate if she is pregnant, because the kid’s mother does that when she is pregnant.
So, Kate lies and says yes, which just leads to an embarrassing chain of events when Kate’s principal and other teachers find out.
Well, Kate keeps drinking, Charlie keeps drinking, and Charlie’s brother and their friends keep drinking, too. Eventually Kate admits that she has a problem, and she agrees to attend a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous with another teacher in the school, played by Nick Offerman.
However, a few meetings don’t do the trick, and Kate keeps drinking and worse.
Matters become aggravated between Kate and Charlie, too, even though he makes a half-hearted attempt to stop drinking along with Kate’s attempts.
Smashed is about wasted people, and don’t waste your money on it.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
“Red Dawn” Is Dumb, but Emotional
Dec 1st
“Dumb, but Emotional”
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
Red Dawn was shot in 2010, but studio problems delayed its release until two years later.
And whenever a film is delayed, that usually means that it is not too good, which is also the case with this one.
It stars Chris Hemsworth and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, although when he filmed it, Hemsworth had not yet become “Thor” in some other movies.
Also, the delay allowed the filmmakers time to change the invading army troops from Chinese to North Korean, so that the distributors could sell the film in China and not face discrimination.
So, if you want to see a film about a group of American teenagers who fight an invading army from a foreign country, I recommend that you see the 1984 version instead, which stars Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Charlie Sheen in his first feature film, Jennifer Grey, Ben Johnson, Harry Dean Stanton, and Powers Booth.
And whenever a film has plenty of star power, that sometimes means that it is better than good, which is also the case with that one.
The story in the first one takes place in Colorado, instead of in Spokane, Washington, which is where the story in the new one takes place.
Okay, a widespread blackout occurs in the northwest corridor of the United States, and a TV news report warns, “Don’t go outside unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
The next morning paratroopers land in town and invading troops take over the town and kill and capture its citizens.
Jed is a Marine visiting his family between tours of duty in Iraq, and Matt is his brother, who is in high school. Jed senses the danger, and he and Matt take off for the family cabin in the mountains, along with some of Matt’s high-school friends, and they start training with Jed’s leadership to form a resistance army and fight the invading North Koreans.
So, the film consists of lots of fighting, lots of explosions, and lots of destruction and dying.
Even though they get some support from a very few real soldiers, there are just too many unanswered questions and holes in this movie.
Red Dawn is dumb, but emotional, and once again I say if you want to see a better version of this movie, see the one that came out in 1984.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”