TxMike

It is telling that part of the title of this miniseries is "a search for the truth." The implication being that it has not yet been found. I remember the incident well, the explosion and field of debris in the area of Lockerbie, Scotland, as the airliner was on its way from London to New York City.

Colin Firth is cast in the lead role, and is very effective, as Doctor Jim Swire. His young adult daughter was on that plane, he and the rest of his family were devastated by the news. Swire was not happy with what he and others were being told, it seemed that important information was being left out and/or not addressed. So he took it upon himself to dig deeper, and that search included traveling to Libya and meeting with Muammar Gaddafi. The program is based on his writings and thus has some bias to it.

A big part of what troubled Swire and others, a communication was found which warned of a bomb ahead of time, but apparently was only shared within USA and UK agencies. Then, right after the plane went down from the on-board explosion, agents showed up quickly as if they were already in Scotland and expected the event. That was very troubling if indeed that is what happened.

I found this five-part miniseries streaming on Peacock. I would have preferred a single movie of 90 to 120 minutes but I understand the business model, more running time generates more revenue. While it isn't a stellar watch it does provide interesting content for those who have an interest in the event.

I found this movie on DVD at my public library. It is well-made with competent actors, none that I had ever seen before. It is not subtle, it is a Christian movie with a Christian message.

It focuses on Isaiah, a 19-yr-old black man living with his single mother. She runs a beauty salon and as the movie starts she is coming home with several bags of groceries. She yells for Isaiah to come and help her but to no avail.

Then we see Isaiah in the back room, his headphones on, talking to an unseen partner as they play one of those video games where characters hunt other characters and try not to get killed.

This is the setup for the rest of the movie. Isaiah is an intelligent young man with no plans. No plans for college, no plans for finding a job, just existing off his mother and trying to enjoy each day. Mom reads him the riot act, either get a job and contribute or find a friend that will let him sleep on their couch. When I was a younger parent we called this "tough love."

So the story arc is Isaiah meeting the right kind of people who show him some realities of life and the appreciation for others. How to become a fountain instead of remaining a siphon. The message is good but the movie offers no new concepts, just the tried and true of Christian life.

Reviews here on IMDb can be good or can be bad. I found the DVD of this movie at my local library but almost didn't take the two hours to watch it. Why? Because of so many negative reviews saying it was bad, it was a waste of time, the musical numbers don't fit, and any number of other criticisms.

Well, I watched it and, FOR ME, most of the criticisms are bogus, it is a totally enjoyable movie. I enjoy watching off-beat stories if they are told well and this one is. I found the musical numbers very fitting, sometimes the singing was just an appropriate song that substituted for dialog. The more interesting ones were the dream sequences that are very intelligently done.

The 2019 "Joker" ended in such a way that we knew that Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) would be arrested. The beginning of this movie is an animated, cartoon-like few minutes that depict the ending of that movie. Then it switches to showing life in Arkem for the criminally insane, Arthur being evaluated for his suitability to go on trial for five murders.

There he meets Lee Quinzel (Stefani Germanotta, aka Lady Gaga) who, he finds, put herself there to meet Arthur, being a fan of his after the events depicted in the earlier movie. They begin a romance but then can it really lead anywhere?

Much of the last half of the movie depicts the events leading up to the trial, then the trial itself. You could nitpick this story and say all the things wrong with the trial but that isn't the point. It is a fantasy of sorts and the focus is on the abnormal mind of Arthur, is he a split-personality or not?

I found it to be a totally interesting and entertaining movie. Phoenix is superb.