The Movie Journal

  Maniac: Episode 10 "Option C" “Option C” provided an engaging finale for Maniac . It is hard to say if the series reached or surpassed my expectations because I honestly did not know what to expect. I knew there was talent behind the camera in Cary Fukunaga and in front of the camera with Jonah Hill/Emma Stone. I dug the weird vibes in terms of production design and the story itself. The writing could have been better especially when trying to incorporate mental health themes which is a tall task in itself. While the crux of the action happened last episode, this episode ties everything up. One thing that I was immediately surprised with is how the show did not force a romance between Owen and Annie down our throats. Subtle hints, perhaps. Now the opposite is true for James Mantleray and Dr. Fujita, who ends up having an amazing car. In this mostly-satisfying finale, Mantleray and Fujita must face the CEO of Neberdine’s after the failed trial. Meanwhile, the trial is fini...

  Maniac: Episode 9 "Utangatta" September 21, 2018 Maniac’s “Utangatta” is a chaotic episode that has much going on and little that one could actually understand…yet it still is lots of fun. Both Emma Stone and Jonah Hill deliver excellent performances. One could be annoyed with Hill’s accent, but he has some truly amazing lines. As I try to decipher the plot, I liked the spy angle with a sci-fi twist. Of course, Russia had to be involved. The episode reminded me of 2001: A Space Odyssey as we see who GRTA truly is and the race to shut her down. Like I said, this episode is filled with delicious chaos. Fukunaga may not have the super glue from the previous episode, but still managed to make the episode somewhat coherent. Fukunaga does a solid job wrapping up the main plot as we will focus on resolutions to end this series. As a side note, I liked how this episode tackled mental health and I was moved during the scenes where Annie interacts with Ellie and admits she has been l...

  Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) It is not very often that you see a Western musical with a frontier setting. Then came along MGM’s Seven Brides for Seven Brothers . If you can forgive the film’s plot (boy, some things did not age well) or the lackluster acting, this film will rank relatively high on the list of best musicals. The film’s tone is so happy and endearing and also very infectious. More often than not, the tone will leave you smiling or tap-dancing. Or you just might need to sing along with some of these songs. I never heard of this picture until the film caught my eye, but I actually knew some of the songs. Great songs are scattered throughout, but my favorites are “Wonderful Day” and “I’m a Lonesome Polecat.” When the film was in production, MGM did not really believe in the film’s success. It was filmed in a studio backlot and the budget was not on par with lavish musicals of the time period. In fact, the budget was often trimmed, and cash was transferred t...