SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Tymon Sutton The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Married Baby Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

thezone1 I found this title on Hulu. I loved The Mentalist with Simon Baker, so, I gave this a shot. Nick Fallon (Simon Baker), is a very intelligent attorney who apparently loved to party. He gets busted for possession of cocaine and gets sentenced to 1500 hours of community service. This service is what makes the series so interesting. He is used to operating in a corporate environment playing for millions of dollars. Now, he has to help children often stuck in impossible situations. He tries so hard to do the right thing but it doesn't always turn out the way he wants or the way you think it should. I have known people that were stuck in the "system" and it isn't always the best for kids. In one episode a teenager is being seduced by her father (John DeLance). As awful as this is, it turns out that this destroys the family. The girl is sent into a worse situation (if you can believe that) and even says she would rather be having sex with her dad than being stuck in the system. A very interesting comment by the producer on the way it really works in the real world. I think what I really like about this series is it gives you a glimpse into what life is really like when you have to deal with judges and social workers. I guess the message is to keep your nose clean and whatever you do don't put yourself in a position that you have to deal with these people. Excellent Series, I was disappointed to see that it only has 3 seasons.

jerryjeff One of the best TV series I have ever seen. Best watched in binge mode for full appreciation of the subtle progression and change of the characters. Beautifully acted and written - like a fantastic novel you cannot put down. Really compelling because of the hugely varied types of people and characters that appear. For every beauty there is a leather-faced craggy guy, for every slick lawyer, there is a schlubby counterpart - the endless variety in the casting was fascinating, and they all threw each other into relief in such a cool way. Glad that in spite of being cancelled, it was beautifully wrapped up. Thanks, Mr. Hollander, for this great series.

oh58_D It never ceases to amaze me when people post their opinion as fact. The writer of this long winded review spoke as though his/her opinion was the final word and absolute truth on the topic of the entire show, but that's only my first objection.My second objection was his/her opinion on the casting of Wendy Muniz as Lulu. I'm not a casual viewer when it comes to television as I hold a Ph.D. in Investigative Psychology and Behavioral Analysis, and poor acting (and just plain BAD acting or even bad casting) sticks out like a sore thumb to me. The difference between me and the person who wrote this review is I will state my opinions as just that: Opinion! My opinion on the casting of the Guardian was similar to his in that most of the characters were well cast. Simon Baker, now of "The Mentalist," displayed every reason he's been sought after to play lead roles in television dramas (no insult intended--I'm sure he'd be just fine in movies as well).His persona on the Mentalist and the Guardian were immensely different, yet on both shows he appears in my view(see? this isn't a claim of fact, but rather stated as my observation) to keep the viewer's suspension of disbelief solidly intact. Again, IMO, Dabney Coleman is the lone actor to not pull off his role believably, but then the writing for the part was not up to par with the rest of the show. It might be simply my thousands of hours of study on human behavior which makes the role of "The Guardian"s father unbelievable.The casting of Lulu, however, was spot on. As the main love interest of the protagonist, Wendy Muniz was required to maintain the level of believability in the premise as established by Baker's brilliance, and IMO, she manages to do that which is no small feat. The show kept me constantly on edge when addressing the romance between the unavailable Lulu and the sometimes under-confident Nick Fallin. There's no way this show could have lasted 3+ seasons if they'd completely missed the boat when casting the love interest of the protagonist.Anyone who's a fan of Baker and has come to the party a bit late to catch the Guardian when it was on in prime-time would be encouraged by me to see if they could find a way to catch this sleeper of a show. Though hailed by the critics, it was under-appreciated by the audience which led to the cancellation of the show (though some blame the consummation of the relationship between Nick and Lulu).Of course, all of this is opinion, not fact... :-)

yellowstone The Guardian is hands down the best drama currently on television. It's amazing to me how Simon Baker has never won an Emmy for his portrayal of Nick Fallin - the ex cocaine addict who's forced to put in 1600 hours of community service as a child advocate for the legal aid services center in Pittsburgh. This is in addition to being a principal partner in his father's corporate law firm. Watching Nick run from the courtroom to the board room (and occasionally the bedroom) and back again with nary a moment to gather his thoughts can leave the viewer exhausted by the end of the show but this is also part of its appeal. We can feel Nick's stress and associate it with our own harried lives.None of the central characters on this show are without their flaws - Nick is often aloof and emotionless - caring more about corporate mergers than whether or not he is best serving the interests of those he defends during his community service. He rarely gives his downtrodden, legal aid clients a second thought once he has finished representing them. His father, brilliantly played by the veteran character actor Dabney Coleman can also be abrasive, manipulative, callous and, as the second season finale graphically showed also violent and dangerously obsessed with a twelve year old girl he took in as a foster child. The interaction (or lack thereof) between the two, neither whom is able to really show their true feelings towards one another is often painful to watch.The rest of the cast with the exception of Wendy Muniz are all expertly cast. Charles Malik Whitfield as James Mooney, the ex gang member who has escaped the ghetto to become a lawyer for the legal aid group is both menacing and heroic at the same time. One powerfull episode has him almost beating to death a young black man who he has been told caused the death of his troubled nephew. He later discovers that this person was innocent and must deal with how to come to terms with almost killing and disfiguring an innocent man. Raphael Sbarge as Jake Straka, another success driven lawyer at Nick's firm, makes us think of all the lawyers we have known who can barely give us the time of day unless the reward is large enough. Alan Rosenberg who plays Alvin Masterson, the director of the clinic, tries to keep the chaos controllable even while fighting his own demons which include an unhealthy weakness for some of his former female clients. Only Wendy Muniz fails to convince in her role as Lulu Archer, another one of the legal aid lawyers. The series' writers seem unable to decide whether she should be a foil to Nick or just another lovesick conquest. Their romantic scenes together lack passion or chemistry and often seem contrived. All in all though this is a thoughtful, powerful, and at times, emotionally brutal show. Enjoy it while you can - it's sure to be short lived.