Word: plot
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...well made to be well liked. Indeed, one reason for the popularity of Soul Food is that it pushes emotional buttons with all the subtlety of a poke in the baby-back ribs. It could be a distillation of some unaired black soap opera, so predictable are the plot contrivances--adultery, pregnancy, illness, missing money--and so cartoonishly are the characters drawn. Mother Joe (Irma P. Hall) is warm, loving, doomed. One daughter, Maxine (Vivica A. Fox), is heart-smart and, since she's a mother, a font of family wisdom. Another, Teri (Vanessa L. Williams), a successful lawyer...
Here's the plot so far: three years ago, Melrose Place fanatic Ken Hart, a regular guy (though he claims he was reared by mountain goats at the Bronx Zoo), was living in Boston, when a co-worker and co-fan moaned that she had missed the previous night's episode. Faster than you can say "Courtney Thorne-Smith," Hart whipped off an E-mail recap of the episode, which he "spiced up a little" with his own wry commentary. His first recap was so well received that he did it again the next week and the week after that...
These are actually the film's most believable plot elements. Try not to think about the bland detective who spouts quantum physics and the cleaning lady who plays a key role in the government's plan. The movie doesn't operate in the real world; everything is slightly askew...
...strength by including over nine pages of unbroken dialogue when describing the party. Although this dialogue is indeed remarkably lifelike, it is also less than gripping. "Was that the doorbell, Larry? Why don't you let me get it this time?" is not a fascinating way to advance the plot, especially when it leads to an ending that, although satisfying, seems rather...
...showcased Deal's song writing talent more than the show: studio technology enables Deal to sing her own harmonies, and Todd Mund effectively uses studio guitar tricks to create a colorful portrait of sound. Deal's songs often have the character of a musical sketch rather than the typical plot of verse-chorus-verse, and studio effects enhance her ability to create the haunting atmosphere that she does on tracks like "Box." A swirling guitar echoes distantly in the background while the bass and another guitar play a repeated two chord motif. The drums play a simple beat with...