“The View From Jackie’s Head #7 – 12/02/16
My enjoyment of “Secrets & Lies” continues, and if they don’t mess it up in the two hour season finale it will be one of my favorite shows of the fall season. Here’s hoping its quality holds up till the very end. Last year one of the reasons I liked “Secrets & Lies” as much as I did was because of the performance of Ryan Phillippe. I have always considered him an under appreciated actor and this series gave him a chance to shine.
This year Phillippe has another series airing. It is titled “Shooter” and is based on a Mark Wahlberg movie. In it Phillippe plays Bob Lee Swagger, an ex-Army sniper. He is conned by his old military buddy Isaac (Omar Epps) into helping him avert an assassination of the President of the United States. Isaac is a member of the Secret Service guarding the President. After the visiting Ukrainian President is killed instead of the American President, Swagger learns he has been set up to take the fall.
What I like about the series is it tells the story of a patriotic American who is also a good husband and father. He even joins hands with his family to say grace at their meals. What I don’t like about the show is the excess of foul language. The cable networks have gone crazy in their use of profanity and crude language. The show would be as good or better without it.
I haven’t had time for much TV watching as I have been busy watching all of the movies that are going to be released between now and the end of the year. I am the member of two movie groups (BFCA and SEFCA) that give out awards at the end of the year. It has been crazy trying to see everything and evaluate them.
Right now I think I have seen them all except for “Sing’, “Rogue One” and “Passengers.” To say I have been underwhelmed by what I have seen is an understatement. Some of the most heralded movies are just not that good – in my opinion. Plus with the awards that have been released so far I an disappointed that Margo Martindale (“The Hollars”), Sally Field (“Hello My Name Is Doris”), Aaron Eckhart (“Bleed For This”), Simon Helberg (“Florence Foster Jenkins”) and Susan Sarandon (“The Meddler”) have been shut out.
On the book side, I have been laboring to get through CHAOS by Patricia Cornwell. I am a third of the way through the book and nothing, and I mean nothing, has happened. People have raved to me about how great these “Kay Scarpetta” books are so I finally broke down and tried one. I don’t know if I will even finish it. I have better things to do with my time.
I also do not appreciate the brilliance of the music from “Hamilton.” People I respect have called it genius, but every time I try to listen to the soundtrack I get bored. I also thought the soundtrack for “Moana” with which Lin-Manuel Miranda was also involved was lackluster. Tell me what I am missing!
Till next time.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
Thank you!
Thank You!