Report Card---"Zero Dark Thirty"

For those of you who might recall, I really hated "The Hurt Locker", which won the Oscar
as Best Picture a few years ago.
Kathryn Bigelow was its director, and it is safe to say that I am not a fan of her work.
So I was really not expecting much as I approached watching "Zero Dark Thirty"
Nor did I get much.
It's the movie about how Bin-Laden was killed.
The kind of movie that you really have to have clout to make.
Who's going to say "No!" to her?
I would have.
She has already admitted that it is a "condensing" of the truth, which indicates a concession that at least some of it is bullshit.
With it all, I did not hate it nearly as much as I hated "The Hurt Locker"
But I certainly didn't like it much either.

On to the scoring:

Is it interesting?

Intermittently
C.

Compelling even?

Never.
F.

Is it controversial?

Nobody seems to have any trouble accepting what Bigelow lays out as gospel.
So no.
No Grade.

Is it a story worth telling?

Yes, but I have no evidence that it is worth fictionalizing.
F.

Is it good storytelling?

It is long, dreary, predictable storytelling.
F.

Is it well written?

It has its moments.
B.

Is it well cast? Well played?, Well shot?

Jessica Chastain has gotten the hype of the century.
James Gandolfini has an interesting cameo as Leon Panetta.
The direction is no great shakes.
C.

Is it too long? Too short?

Asked and answered.
F.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?

It's believable in that we can assume that at least much of it happened the way it was portrayed. I didn't care one whit about the characters.
D+.

Is it predictable? Does it surprise you?

Asked and answered.
F.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

To reiterate what I said about "Les Miserables", I wasn't even thinking about it WHILE I was seeing it.
F.

Is it funny?

No.
F.

Would it have been worth the thirteen bucks it would have cost to see it in the movies?

My shit detector would have automatically and rightfully kept me away.
F.

Is it impressive ?

No. And if it isn't impressive, you've got nothing.
F.

Overall grade: D+.

This is the last movie that was nominated that I'm doing a report card on.
Next time, and perhaps the time after that, I will post my choices for the winners.

I still have one more report card to do, for a movie I thought deserved a couple of nominations, but it didn't get any, and will wait until after I post my choices.

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My books ,"Show Runner" and it's sequel,"Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne & Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not
e-books. But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one. If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@aol.com.

And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne & Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

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