WESTWORLD

Seems like it's Yul Brynner nostalgia year with the new version of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN film and now the HBO series WESTWORLD based on the Brynner film back in the day. But that's not the reason I decided to check out HBO's WESTWORLD. It was the incredibly impressive cast, led by Evan Rachel Wood, one of the most underrated actors out there. Always brilliant even if the material isn't, and she doesn't let me down in WESTWORLD. Her performance so far has made me watch it, despite the seemingly de rigueur sadistic violence endemic to too much of cable TV and films these days.

The creators, Lisa Joy and Jonatan Nolan, play mind games beyond the original movie's simple premise, so that after only the first three shows I'm almost lost. But...with Anthony Hopkins playing his usual sardonic-and-probably-evil professorial genius and Ed Harris the seemingly sadist anti-hero, and Jefferey Wright and Thandie Newton committing their unique talents to playing what so far seem like hopeless characters, and more...well, I'm gonna keep watching.