Report Card---Silence"

"Silence" is a two hour, and forty five minute snooze-fest.
I watched it last night, and fell asleep at the thirty minute mark.
I woke up, and it was over.
I went back, and after my long nap, I tried it again.
And I watched the whole thing.
It was Martin Scorsese, so based on past history, I felt I owed him the courtesy.
I mean, he directed "Raging Bull" and "Hugo", two of my favorite movies.
So I plodded ahead.
"Silence" is about religious suppression in Japan in the 1600s.
Two hours and forty five minutes.
This time I forced myself to stay awake.
There was a lot of gore, a lot of torture, no interest, no humor.

On to the scoring:   

Is it interesting?

Every now and then.  That's not enough.
C-.

Compelling even?

Not to me.
C-.

Is it controversial?

If you care about such things, I suppose.
B. 

Is it a story worth telling?

Marty thought so.
A.

Is it good storytelling?

You could cut out a good hour, and it would only be improved.
C.

Is it well written?

Not as far as I can tell.
C.

Is it well cast? Well played?

The lead actors seemed too young, or were Japanese.
I guess you had to have the Japanese actors.
I wasn't impressed.
C.

Well shot?

Exquisitely shot gory images.
A.

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

His fingerprints were all over it.
A.

How long does it take to establish the film's locale and time period?

Immediately. 
A.

Is it too long? Too short?

Asked and answered.
D+.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?

Extremely and sometimes.
B.

Is it predictable? Does it surprise you?

Not particularly, But I'd completely lost interest.  I staggered over the finish line.
C.

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

I know what to do if I'm experiencing insomnia.
A.

Is it funny?

Not ever.
F.

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

Not my dough.
F.

Is it impressive?

I could see that others might think so.
B.

Overall grade: C.

Not my cup of saki.
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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".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and 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@comcast.net
And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

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