Year: 2022

Where the Crawdads Sing—In Harmony with the Book

Written by Diana Paul on December 26, 2022. Posted in movie reviews. No Comments on Where the Crawdads Sing—In Harmony with the Book

Any book-to-screen adaptation of a beloved best-seller has heightened risk of disappointing its audience. In the case of the blockbuster 2018 Delia Owens’ novel, Where the Crawdads Sing, Reese Witherspoon’s adaptation to film is not only a faithful adaptation but an original restructuring of the narrative without sacrificing the character arcs or the plots. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones (from “Normal People”) as Kya, the abandoned little girl who survives in the North Carolina swamp as the “Marsh Girl”. She is taunted by the surrounding community. Part coming-of-age story and...

White Lotus–Season 2

Written by Diana Paul on December 19, 2022. Posted in Television reviews. No Comments on White Lotus–Season 2

In the opening scene of The White Lotus, season 2, Daphne (Meghann Fahy), a Hollywood blonde with the highlights of the extremely pampered, is a guest at the White Lotus luxury resort in Taormina, Sicily. Gushing to the two women sitting next to her in cabana chairs under blue-and-white sunbrellas, Daphne lets them know that: “You’re gonna die…They’re going to have to drag you out of here”, because the resort is paradise. Sauntering into the Ionian Sea after spraying sunscreen on her exquisitely toned legs, Daphne breast-strokes into the waters reserved exclusively for...

The Good Fight (Season 6 Finale)—No Sucker Punches

Written by Diana Paul on December 13, 2022. Posted in Television reviews. No Comments on The Good Fight (Season 6 Finale)—No Sucker Punches

In this thrilling sixth and final season of one of the most politically-charged television series ever broadcasted, The Good Fight tolerates no fools. In up-to-the-minute scintillating writing by Michelle and Robert King (creators of “The Good Wife”), we see the simmering civil and race wars that could be just around the corner in a post-Trump, post-coup era. Echoing President Biden’s warning in September that MAGA Republicans are a grave threat to the nation’s future, the writers consider how current political views represent more than a given government...

Top Gun: Maverick–Targeting Its Audience

Written by Diana Paul on November 28, 2022. Posted in movie reviews. 1 Comment on Top Gun: Maverick–Targeting Its Audience

This aviator cinematic sequel to the 1987 classic Tom Cruise movie, “Top Gun”, sees Pete “Maverick” Mitchell still having his need for speed, Fast and Furious style. Top Gun: Maverick picks up the story thirty years later, with Maverick still addicted to testosterone-driven airborne risk. Always a rogue, he has not made any high-ranking friends. In the Top Gun academy to which he is now assigned a teaching role, not a combat pilot on a mission, Maverick comes face-to-face with Rooster Bradshaw (an...

Extraordinary Attorney Woo—Palindromes Anyone?

Written by Diana Paul on November 21, 2022. Posted in Television reviews. 2 Comments on Extraordinary Attorney Woo—Palindromes Anyone?

In Extraordinary Attorney Woo, a newly minted attorney, Woo Young Woo (the exceptional Park Eun-bin) has just graduated from prestigious Seoul National University School of Law and is hired by one of the two top law firms in Seoul. It is somewhat unusual that the two top law firms are headed by female CEOs. But even more noteworthy is the fact that young attorney Woo has autism. She introduces herself with palindromes: “My name is Woo Young Woo, whether it is read straight or flipped: kayak, deed, rotator, noon, race car, Woo Young Woo.” And...

Inside Man–Incarceration or Cancellation?

Written by Diana Paul on November 15, 2022. Posted in movie reviews, Television reviews, Unhealed Wound. No Comments on Inside Man–Incarceration or Cancellation?

A dramatic four-episode mini-series by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who creator), Inside Man was released on Netflix October 31. There are two parallel plots: Former law professor Jefferson Grieff (Stanley Tucci) is on death row for strangling and beheading his wife. A brilliant Hannibal Lecter-style genius for solving cold cases, he waits execution. The second plot involves an English vicar Harry Watling (David Tennant who played Doctor Who) and his wife Mary (Lindsey Marshal). The vicar reluctantly accepts a flash drive from the deeply disturbed verger (vicar’s attendant) who...