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Swampthing
Films I love: Phantom of the Paradise, Dredd 3D, War of the Worlds, Dracula Bites the Big Apple, High School Musical
TV Shows I love: Lotsa reality TV, Lost, Dallas, Buffy, Angel, Roswell
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Curb Your Enthusiasm: Atlanta (2024)
First episode seemed very contrived with forced humor
Been looking forward to this new season for quite some time. And I have to say I have enjoyed most episodes from the past. But it seemed the first episode had Larry going out of his way to be angry. Some of the jokes are really quite a stretch. I felt sorry for the future of season 12 because if it continues as bad as it is, they might as well just close up shop halfway through, even though it's the final season. It's almost like Larry had wanted to finish off the show at the end of last season, but perhaps HBO offered him some decent dollar figure and he felt like he could probably stretch two of the the plot elements from previous seasons. But it just didn't work. I'll continue watching the follow through and see where it goes, but I really hope it gets better than the premiere.
Succession (2018)
I've seen DALLAS, my friend, and you definitely are NOT DALLAS
I watched every episode of this TV series based on recommendations from others. However, I quickly learned that every character is extremely stupid, and their incompetence will soon have you impatiently begging to swiftly kick every single one of them in the rump. Who can even personally relate to being one of Daddy's spoiled bratty little babies. All of the ridiculous situations and overly ultra sexualized dialogue are completely unrealistic.
Don't listen to the false comparisons to the outstanding TV drama DALLAS. You will be dramatically disappointed if you go into Succession expecting that level of high drama, tightly woven seasons with multiple well-crafted storylines that eventually all come together, well rounded fully fleshed out characters you can fully understand, and above and beyond excellence in writing.
In DALLAS, you were amazed at how well they put platinum schemes together. In Succession, you'll find yourself banging your head against the wall and how stupid they are.
I feel sorry for all of the people who think Succession is so incredibly great. They quite obviously have been seriously bereft of true high-quality TV shows in their lifetime, because the show is nothing but over sensationalized, overhyped, sensationalist trash.
Do not waste your time watching this drivel, and give your brain some true intellectual stimulation by purchasing the entire series of DALLAS through AppleTV or Amazon.
You can THANK me later.
The Sandman: Imperfect Hosts (2022)
The depictions of Cain, Abel, The Old Witch, and House of Mystery looked like low effort Halloween costumes
While this episode of Sandman was exceptional, I couldn't help finding myself continually distracted by the minimal level of effort spent re-creating Cain, Abel, and The Old Witch. I grew up reading EC comics and later DC's House of Secrets and House of Mystery and they were some of my favorite characters. Most of the personalities were right, but again, the simple appearance was too terrible for me. I guess I could settle for the mediocre effort on Gregory the Gargoyle.
The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch (2020)
Don't listen to the armchair scientist review bombers...
Travis Taylor is an aerospace engineer and optical scientist. He has multiple degrees in astronomy, physics, mechanical and aerospace engineering, etc. Worked with NASA for over 16 years, Department of Defense, and years of experience analyzing HUMINT, SIGINT, and MASINT.
Yet with all these numerous impressive credentials, we have a few armchair scientists here regularly review bombing the show through various fake accounts saying nearly identical things in the same timeframe. All commenting that they hate Dragon and he should be at his post as a guard, not participating in decisions. All these reviews consistently have one or two stars. These reviews say the same things over and over. Sorry buds, the jig's up. We know you're fake. Too many giveaways.
They actually believe they know more about science and testing at Skinwalker Ranch, and have the gall to refer to it as pseudoscience. In reality, they probably don't even have one 50th of the experience with science that Travis Taylor has, yet they feel they have sufficient credentials to accurately judge the validity of his experiments.
The show has uncovered a number of things that have never been shown on television before. UAPs consistently caught on camera following Ranch events. A strange anomaly that cannot be explained through multiple testing. Unexplainable readings on multiple scientific instruments. Regular equipment shut downs with no reason. Bizarre 1.6 GHz signals. Strange animal behavior. Sudden health ailments.
It's quite interesting to watch each week as they narrow down what is exactly going on at the Ranch. For those criticizing the show as pseudoscience, I'd absolutely love to hear exactly what test you would perform, and very specifically explain the testing, results, and how you would've done it differently.
But you won't get that here. For some, it's much easier to rando criticize than it is to provide constructive substance. Don't listen to these guys. Who are probably two or three people at the most.
It's an intriguing show that has risen in the ratings scoring at least 8.0 for every episode of the third season. Several episodes score 8. 5 to 8.9. That kind of score is better than most TV shows and movies on imdb.
Just watch the show with an open mind. Do your own research. Look at the credentials of the scientist heading the experiments. And then, if you still have any valid substantial criticism, please share specific details on the experiments here.
The Many Saints of Newark (2021)
Movie was fair, ignore the haters
First, don't listen to all the triggered folks immediately objecting to any movie that puts minorities in strong roles by calling it "woke." They are using this platform to spread their narrative. This movie is about a different side of the story, and some people simply can't handle the fact that New Jersey isn't all pearly white.
Second, unfortunately the movie itself isn't all that great, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the inclusion of minorities.
The acting was dull and boring, and there was really no story except following along Christopher's father day by day. As much as the Soprano kid was applauded for filling his father's shoes, I have to say he was not right for the part. It seemed he always had this ot so subtle smirk screaming "hey look look at me, I'm Tony and I'm on camera!" The role needed someone who could bring toughness, a no nonsense guy destined to be a leader. Instead, we got a scrawny kid pulling school pranks with his friends.
The most astounding thing to me is that it was actually written by series creator David Chase. It was nothing like the original series. It lacked punch. It lacked drama. It lacked character.
Not recommended for fans of the series.
Rocketman (2019)
Sorry, acting good but the music was absolutely horrible.
This is a rather strange movie because it's done in such an abstract way. The main actors quite good, and believable in the role. However, the biggest problem that I have with the film is that the main actor's singing voice sounds absolutely nothing like Elton John. His voice does not go nearly as deep as Elton, and it's almost like listening to a millennial band trying to pkay what they think he sounds like. I've listen to Elton's music for over 40 years and it was quite disappointing and very distracting. I wish Elton had decided to dub the singing because the musical performances were just so terrible.
Spider-Man (2002)
Pretty Good Adaption From Comics
As a comic book fan for over twenty years, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the way the movie was adapted from the books. Fanboys might quibble about
the organic webbing, or the fact that it was Gwen Stacy, not Mary Jane, who was around during the original Green Goblin storyline. Toby Maguire was a bit stiff at times, and I just can't buy into Kristen Dunst as Mary Jane. I really think they need another actress with more enthusiasm and light in her eyes. Aunt May
was on spot, and Willem Dafoe handled his role as Osborn/Goblin quite well.
The special effects were seamless, and I just loved the way the webbing looked! I'll look forward to this one on DVD as a must-buy!
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Better Than Episode I
A good blend of action and drama makes this movie better than Episode I. The love story, however, was a bit shallow and left us wondering why Anakin felt so tied to Senator Amadela anyway. Are we supposed to believe they shared alot
of offscreen time together? But the movie said they hadn't seen each other for eight years, and now suddenly they can't be apart... !
The special effects were top notch this time, and I particularly enjoyed seeing the Jedi Knights in action against the droids. And the best part of all was seeing a no holds barred Yoda in action using both the Force and light sabre! It was nice to see some characters from the original Star Wars series like C3PO and
R2D2. Episode III will have some heavy explaining to show why Anakin
decides to become a ruthless cold-blooded murderer of millions... because
Epsiode II didn't really do that for me.
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Didn't Live Up To The Apes Legacy
Burton took the great 1968 heady drama and simply turned it into an action pic with tons of makeup, and I have the impression he missed the whole point of POTA. It wasn't supposed to be an action-packed tour de force, but rather a thinking man's film. What happened to the debates about man's role in this society? What about the science and experiments conducted on man in the older movie? I had other problems with the film too: Helena Bonham Carter seemed too overly obsessed with this human too quickly and for no reason. Where the heck was Cornelius anyway? So why did I give it a 7? The makeup was truly fantastic, and the action choreographed well. As a standalone movie, it would have been alright, but unfortunately, it has a legacy to live up to. The second reason for the high score was the sexy, sensuous presence of Estella Warren. It seems she was cheated out of a role here; why didn't she become romantically involved with him?
What was her backstory? Anyway, a fairly decent action flick worth the matinee price; not $8.25.
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Didn't Live Up To The Apes Legacy
Burton took the great 1968 heady drama and simply turned it into an action pic with tons of makeup, and I have the impression he missed the whole point of POTA. It wasn't supposed to be an action-packed tour de force, but rather a thinking man's film. What happened to the debates about man's role in this society? What about the science and experiments conducted on man in the older movie? I had other problems with the film too: Helena Bonham Carter seemed too overly obsessed with this human too quickly and for no reason. Where the heck was Cornelius anyway? So why did I give it a 7? The makeup was truly fantastic, and the action choreographed well. As a standalone movie, it would have been alright, but unfortunately, it has a legacy to live up to. The second reason for the high score was the sexy, sensuous presence of Estella Warren. It seems she was cheated out of a role here; why didn't she become romantically involved with him?
What was her backstory? Anyway, a fairly decent action flick worth the matinee price; not $8.25.
The Family Man (2000)
More touching than I thought...
This film has more going for it than I thought going in. Tea Leoni has blossomed into a beautiful woman, and she makes you just want to love her. Cage is pretty good here, particularly doing his Keanu-style "woaaah" when changing a diaper. Worth your money!
X-Men (2000)
Better than expected!
I've been a fan of the comic series for a number of years, and was delighted to see the treatment given to the X-Men.
The film has just the right blend of action and drama to keep you glued to the screen, and the large numbers of students glimpsed in the Mansion are sure to keep folks on the net identifying them for months. Well worth your money even at full price. The only negative comment I would have is that it runs a bit short at circa 90 minutes.
Next time let's get a full two hours worth of the Dark Phoenix Saga...!