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The Changeling, a review by Rich

The Changeling





Wow - can this really be true?? It is so difficult to comprehend one humans ability for evil, and a whole police departments ability to be so corrupt, uncaring and downright despicable in its actions. You question did this happen, and not that many years ago either.
It is a surprisingly powerful film, as a parent you find yourself swapping places and imagining how awful these tragic events must have been. Jolie proves that underneath all the gloss is a truly talented actress, and she dominates the film with some very moving and emotional scenes. Seasoned director Eastwood displays once again his ability to adapt a true story into a credable, immersing and harrowing movie, sure to weather well with age. With the settings reminiscent of LA Confidential, the whole feel of the film is absorbing and convincing, attention to detail was superb. The trial scenes at the end were the only disappointment, a little bit too 'Americanised' for my personal taste.
A disturbing movie, a storyline that I have not stopped thinking about, and some performances both on and off the set that make this production stand apart. 

(From Riches Random Reviews on February 19th, 2009)

Next of Kin, a review by Rich

Next of Kin



Next of Kin's action blasts through Chicago right from the get-go. The mob wants to muscle in on a local business but they make two mistakes. They kill a youth whose brother is a cop. And that cop is Truman Gates (Patrick Swayze), transplant from Appalachia's backwoods to Chicago's mean streets.

For a break from pilot episodes, I thought I'd pay homage to the late Patrick Swayze. This and Roadhouse were my 2 favourite films of his, and IMO is pretty underrated and relatively unknown.
Vigilante flick that sees redneck cop Swayze pitted against some gangsters, it is a bit corny, specifically his marriage somehow to a concert pianist, but he is fairly convincing in the lead role, with Liam Neeson playing his brother with predictable bad accent. Having seen this originally on vhs, the dvd quality was not a major improvement, thankfully nostalgia for the movie saw me through.
No surprise that Swayze ends up throwing his badge away and reeking some bloody revenge, but like Roadhouse can guiltily be enjoyed despite its more obvious flaws.
 

(From Riches Random Reviews on September 25th, 2009)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

The Larry Sanders Show: The Complete Series (1992/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Shout! Factory, Sony Pictures Television (United States) Length: 2097 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles:

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Plot:
At long last, Garry Shandling's comedy series about the twisted inner workings of a late-night talk show comes to DVD...all of it.

Larry Sanders (Garry Shandling) is a neurotic late-night talk show host flanked by Artie (Rip Torn), his caustic, foul-mouthed producer, and "Hey Now" Hank Kingsley (Jeffrey Tambor), his affection-thirsty sidekick. Off-air it's all train wrecks and egos, but when the lights go down and the theme music kicks in, you get late-night at its finest.

Also starring Linda Doucett, Janeane Garofalo, Penny Johnson, Wallace Langham, Bob Odenkirk, Jeremy Piven, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Sarah Silverman, Scott Thompson, and written and produced by Garry Shandling, Peter Tolan and Judd Apatow, The Larry Sanders Show was the hippest TV show...probably ever.


The Larry Sanders Show
1.01 What Have You Done For Me Lately? (AKA Garden Weasel)
Writer: Garry Shandling (Created By), Dennis Klein (Created By), Peter Tolan (Writer)
Director: Ken Kwapis
Cast: Garry Shandling (Larry Sanders), Jeffrey Tambor (Hank Kingsley), Megan Gallagher (Jeannie Sanders), Wallace Langham (Phil), Jeremy Piven (Jerry), Penny Johnson (Beverly), Linda Doucett (Darlene), Janeane Garofalo (Paula), Rip Torn (Arthur), Robert Hays (Himself), Deborah May (Melanie), Sam Whipple), James Karen), Rif Hutton), Harley Venton), Kathy Kinney)

A fun series about the behind the scenes of a daily late-night talk show. With Garry Shandling as the talk show host. I especially love about this series, that it has real-live celebrities as guests parodying themselves.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on June 5th, 2012)