Bowserb46 Reviews

A Good Person (2023)

You've seen this already but better and in less time

[3/10 · 16 December 2023]

"Lost Weekend", "Days of Wine and Roses", etc. Unless you're 12 years old, you've seen this movie before, except with believable relationships, fewer unrelated and unlikely side stories/lectures, and shorter transitional scenes.

Suggestion to the producers: Next time, hire a real film editor. Don't let the writer edit the movie. I guess with digital instead of costly film, you can shoot a lot more scenes that you might want to use--but that doesn't mean you have to use them.

I found the number of 9 and 10 ratings here to be highly suspect. Maybe Amazon knows that a lot of people like me have a 7.0 cutoff for selecting movies, and they arranged some ballot box stuffing.

If you're somehow forced to sit through this 129 minutes of a one hour story, have a book, newspaper, or your phone with the X app, so you'll have something to do during the lectures, irrelevant scenes, and endless transitions. Easy access to coffee wouldn't hurt, either. I gave this three stars for the producers talking Morgan Freeman into doing the movie.

The Yellow Canary (1963)

I have looked for this for 50 years!

[10/10 · 22 September 2023]

I was a fan of Kenyon Hopkins, who wrote the music. Came across the soundtrack album at an Army post exchange on a mono LP and bought it. I've been curious ever since about the movie. Big stars Pat Boone, Jack Klugman, Barbara Eden, big name screenwriter, a favorite composer. Someone saw fit to produce a music soundtrack album and press LP records for sale. My rating is based purely on the music soundtrack.

Where is this movie? I've searched the usual places, but all I've found so far have been well known scammers. We now have probably 50 streaming movie/tv services. You'd think someone would find this and run it!

Hey Amazon, how about it. If not for Prime, how about for FeeVee? There might be a whole new generation waiting to discover Pat Boone!

12 Angry Men (1957)

A great film for every age

[10/10 · 22 September 2023]

By every age, I mean when the movie was released and now. Also every viewer's age. When I saw this, I was 13 years old (1960), just finished 7th grade and visiting my cousin (age 18) in another state. My cousin and her best friend, along with my cousin's boyfriend, took me along to a drive-in theater. This was a double bill with a movie I can't remember. My cousin and her boyfriend moved to the back, while in front we watched the movies while trying to ignore activity right behind us.

Even under those conditions, a couple of scenes stuck with me until many years later when 12 Angry Men was available at Blockbuster: Henry Fonda pulling out a knife matching the murder weapon was a big one (I've looked for one like it, but it turns out it was bought and then customized by the studio prop department.) Too bad. The other memorable scene (to a 13 year old) was when Jack Warden tossed a paper wad into the fan, and it hit Joseph Sweeney. "That's a damned stupid thing to do."

A mistake: Jack Warden speaking about the defendant's arrest record says "He's 3 for 0" using a baseball allusion, but incorrectly. "He's 0 for three would be right."

Aside from that, this is a movie I have purchased on DVD and watch probably once a year or so. I've also loaned it to the rare family members and friends who say they've never seen it. There aren't many movies that I would say about them, "You need to see this movie." This is one.

Tin Star (2017–2020)

If you must watch, stop at the end of season one

[2/10 · 19 August 2023]

It is difficult to find even 2 or 3 characters in this violent and tedious program that remain even a little bit likable. Cuts from scene to scene are often confusing (how did she get from the sofa to driving down that highway without the action of the sofa scene even suggesting that she might need to go somewhere?)

Then the quiet, tender scenes that go on for many minutes, between two people we've concluded we hate already. Need to use the bathroom? Just wait for an endless conversation between two people who will doubtless burn in hades. You won't need to pause the program.

The last episode of season one should have been the last episode of the program as far as I'm concerned. It would have been one of those ironic, semi cliff hangers that you don't have to know what really happened.

There was no need to continue into season two. I'm trying after four episodes of season two, to convince my wife that this story has become so awful and the characters turning unredeamably evil one by one, that we need to stop. I no longer care what happens to any of the major characters in this story. I just want it to end!

Unexpected and unwanted new plot twists that seem to have as their only purpose, to keep the series going. Now a group of Mennonite clones, one of whom says she's thought of "escaping?" And BTW, how many police cars does this 3 person force have? They get stolen, wrecked, abandoned, and left at someone's house and then every scene produces another. I think I've counted six including the Prius.

Worst thing? It's a tossup between the excessive violence and the excessively long "tender" moments. Sorry for the spoilers.

Daisy Jones & The Six (2023)

I just don't like any main characters!

[6/10 · 13 March 2023]

Six episodes down. I'd quit now except my wife read the book and wants to see what comes next in the series. Movies and TV, I need to like someone in the cast and preferably one of the lead characters. In this case, one or two band members are OK, but that's it. The leads have, to me at least, no redeeming character traits. They're selfish, lazy, narcissists who believe that they are important but no one else is.

There is conflict here between the two main characters, but I don't pull for either of them. I hope they both lose. Maybe the book is better, but so far this series does not make me want to read it!

The Gray Man (2022)

I'm old, but I still have standards

[5/10 · 29 July 2022]

Goldfinger from the 1960's. Bourne (the first one only) from modern times. I give Goldfinger 10 and Bourne 8. This is a five, and that's because of a pretty girl in a major role and Billy Bob Thornton. My wife watched this as distraction while on the treadmill. I'm halfway through it now, and the two plusses are not enough. I'm not getting paid to watch this, so adios.

My overall rating? Don't waste your time.

Independence Day (1996)

Best remake of War of the Worlds (1953)

[9/10 · 25 February 2022]

Surely others have noticed, right? Aliens come to earth, strike first. Earth fights with conventional weapons with no effect. America uses a nuke and also fails. In the 1953 WotW, the screenplay goes back to the H. G. Wells ending with earth bacteria taking down the Martians. In this version, a man made virus turns off their protection.

That said, this is easily the best remake of War of the Worlds 1953 George Pal movie. 1988 TV sleeper. 2005 Spielberg disaster. Others with the idea. Two 2021 lame copies. This is it.

Trustees of H. G. Wells' estate liked the 1953 version well enough to give Goerge Pal his pick of other Wells novels to make into a movie. (He chose The Time Machine, and his version--1960--is the best of those.)

Independence Day has extraordinary special effects without CG, and the story line is believable for science fiction. Yes, it has flaws but fewer than many, and a genuinely likeable cast. And thank goodness, it was made before every movie had to have a political position!

Inventing Anna (2022)

Could have been better!

[4/10 · 23 February 2022]

I was attracted to this series by Julia Garner's performance in Ozark. Generally I was not disappointed in her acting here, but...what is that accent? I still wonder what she sounds like when not acting. She's perfect in the Ozark role, as I know a number of people who sound just like her, but I've never heard anyone who sounds like her as Anna. Doesn't sound Russian or German, and frankly it's a little distracting.

Finally, in spite of the accent, I might have rated this a 7, except the writers couldn't resist putting politics into it. I don't know how it ends, because episode 4 had a scene in a room with a TV and Donald Trump speaking, and one or both of the characters had to make disparaging remarks about the president--totally unrelated to anything in the story line. That was it. I turned it off. I've also made note of creator Shonda Rhimes and writer Jessica Pressler and won't waste time on either of them again. (I consider this a spoiler and have so marked it.)

Don't Look Up (2021)

Modern rough version of Dr. Strangelove

[7/10 · 31 December 2021]

Black comedies are a balancing act. Don't Look Up did a pretty good job, but if you want to see the best, see "Dr. Strangelove, or How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb."

Actually, there are quite a few parallels in the two movies. Both have a bad president (although Strangelove's is just weak, while Don't Look Up's is classic modern selfish politician), both have a whacko character based on current events and personalities. Both have a government failure followed by a government plan to save themselves and a few others. Both are the end of the world.

If you've not seen Dr. Strangelove, you won't be disappointed.

However, this one was pretty good with impressive character development, especially the professor. Why did Kate Dibiasky have to have those distracting piercings? A serious PhD Astronomy candidate? Really? And what a great scumback Jonah Hill played as Jason Orlean!

Worth a couple hours.

Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America (2006 TV Movie)

Fair TV move--eerily prophetic for its day

[7/10 · 27 November 2021]

Look through the reviews. Those from 2006-2018 are in the 3-5 range. Those from 2021 (like this one) see it differently. We've all seen the cheesy post-apocolypse or post nuclear war movies or killer bee movies. What they all have in common is that there is no reality to compare them to--so they could be accurate predictions or just pure bunk.

I'm sure those who saw this in 2006+ thought "Pure bunk. That would never happen!" I just watched it in spite of its 4.7 IMDB rating, as I was curious. Wow! OK, the movie is pure made-for-TV B-movie fare, but what were the writers thinking? Worst case scenario? Or did they have gifted insight? The almost unbelievable accuracy of the predictions is enough reason to watch this.

Manifest (2018–2023)

Great idea...poorly executed

[3/10 · 29 June 2021]

I'm a sci fi guy from way back. Original versions of "Day the Earth Stood Still" "The Thing" "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" "Them" "The Time Machine" "Forbidden Planet". Even a lot of the "B" sci fi from the 1950's and 1960's. Point is, I've seen it all, so to speak. That's why this clever variation on time travel initially appealed to me. The 7.2 IMDB rating sounded good as well. Two seasons on Netflix is handy, as I use TV to distract me on the treadmill. One episode is perfect time for my morning exercise.

That's the good news. I'm 11 episodes in now and wondering if this is badly written, badly acted, or badly directed, because this is not a 7.2 on my scale! It seems like pretty much none of the main characters are likable. Grace is the worst, but most of the characters are two dimensional or just plain annoying. The initial kindof bad guy Vance became a good guy and at that point the most likable on the show--and then they killed him off! (Or maybe he wanted off the show for the sake of his career?)

Early on, I kept trying. I refused to read reviews that might color my impressions. However, the first ten reviews I read just now, at least told me that this is as bad to others as it seems to me! That's a relief. And then my wife told me the show has been cancelled without a resolving or concluding episode. Now that is really bad, so I'm quitting now, after 11 grueling episodes at 41 minutes each.

War of the Worlds the True Story (2012)

Clever idea, cleverly executed

[8/10 · 23 May 2021]

My introduction to H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds is the George Pal movie, which I saw at a downtown theater that showed not-quite first run movies on Saturday morning for free with six Pepsi bottlecaps around 1958.

Since then, I have learned that modern big budget special effects don't make a better movie. I've heard the recording of the Orson Welles radio production. And I've seen a TV movie or two ABOUT the radio production. This was really different and refreshing in that it seems to follow the novel accurately.

One complaint. Science mis-stated in the screenplay. The lead/narrator is trying to point out Mars in the sky to his lady friend. He says see it twinkle more than the stars. Wrong. Backwards. Stars twinkle, planets don't, but rather are steady lights in the sky. Reason has to do with being closer to earth and being discs from our perspective as seen from earth, while stars, since they are SO FAR away, are points of light even in a telescope, and so are affected more by the atmosphere.

Otherwise, entertaining and great mix of archive and new footage, plus original text by H. G. Wells.

Beyond the Time Barrier (1960)

Not bad all things considered...

[6/10 · 17 May 2021]

Two things hit me pretty early on. One was explained in the Trivia section. The other...I don't get it.

First, I wondered how such an obvious low budget film could have such elaborate sets. "The Citadel" was really impressive. Then I learned it was leftover from the state fair and just borrowed for the movie. No problem. Control your costs and you control your profit. Of course it's best to not go bankrupt before you get the film back from the lab.

My other real problem is why don't these people have books? A written language could be really helpful for a race of deaf mutes! Oh well. It's 1950's science fiction on a budget.

Still liked it though. The F-102 / F-106 shots are fun. From our real golden age of fighter jet development.

The Long, Long Trailer (1954)

Equal mix of comedy and nostalgia

[8/10 · 14 March 2021]

I suspect the ratings here depend on where the reviewer saw the movie: theater or TV/video. In other words the age of the reviewer is key to how they feel about this movie.

I was 8 years old when this movie came to a local theater. Our city had one television station and no such thing as cable TV. "I Love Lucy" on our 17 inch B&W TV was a high entertainment point for our household. Sunday night, if I recall correctly. After a couple years of following Lucy and Desi on TV, we were really excited to see them in a movie! It didn't disappoint...but remember, I was 8 years old.

Years later, what did I remember? Trailer brakes first! Trailer brakes first! And the rocks Lucy collected (contrary to national park wisdom--take only pictures; leave only footprints.) Just by accident, I came across this movie today on one of the 60 local broadcast channels. First thing that occurred to me was that I wonder what I Love Lucy would be like without the laugh track. Next was how enjoyable it is to see all the 1950's cars and things, plus Lucy and Desi in actual locations rather than 99% on a sound stage.

So bottom line for me is an 8 out of 10. That's 9 for nostalgia and 7 for comedy.

The Lost Missile (1958)

Better production value than many of its type

[6/10 · 27 February 2021]

I almost gave this a 7. Call it 6.5 for me anyway. A lot of action shots mixed with a whole lot of stock footage, including some things you almost never saw and now they're obsolete. Aircraft I could I.D.: P-80, F-86, F-100, maybe an FJ2/3, B-36, B-47, B-52. Missile: A Nike Ajax launcher with 4 or 5 missiles. A Nike Hercules (just briefly...I could be wrong about this one. And the old standby, a captured German V-2 or derivative. Aside from that a lot of far more detailed and believable technical stuff than the usual panels with lights and gauges.

Yes, the premise of the movie is its weak point. But aside from that? Not bad, and available on Amazon Prime. Kudos to Amazon for bringing back a lot of these old scifi "classics." And Robert Loggia went on to a pretty decent career.

The In-Laws (1979)

How is this only a 7.1?

[10/10 · 24 September 2020]

OK, I can see knocking off a point for glaring mistakes like the U.S. currency denominations, but who could give this less than 7? This may be the funniest movie of all time. Falk and Arkin are perfect together. Alan Arkin in particular is amazingly good in this comedy and equally good in his serious roles. I've been a fan since "The Russians are Coming. The Russians are Coming." Then my new wife took me to "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter." Alan Arkin is a standout whenever he appears. And Peter Falk is good as a dramatic actor but superior in comedy. No spoilers here, but several scenes have become iconic--at least in our household. We bought the value pack of DVDs with this and the remake. I hate to pile on, but the bad things said about the Michael Douglas version are spot on. The original is a favorite. The remake DVD is a coaster.

What the Health (2017)

More biased than Fat Fiction; wanders off topic

[5/10 · 10 September 2020]

I found this while looking for information to counter "Fat Fiction", a documentary promoting low carbs and high fat diet ("Keto" diet...which can cause kidney stones, by the way) for its health benefits, which seemed too good to be true. "What the Health" started with facts about diabetes costs--a good place to start a discussion of diet--but it deteriorated fast and lost me completely when it defended sugar.

Quickly it seemed this is promoting a vegan diet, but then it diverted to impact on the environment of raising farm animals. Then it became about civil rights and raising farm animals being institutional racism. Finally, big Farms and big Pharma get a zing along with old smoky industries. Can't argue with zinging big pharma, but let's try and focus. Are you making a movie about eating healthy? Or about saving the environment from pig and cow poop? Or is it about saving minorities from having to live near pig farms? Or is it about corporate agriculture? Or greedy drug companies? Corporate greed generally?

In the end, I could only stand about half of what the movie maker put on the screen. The fake ADA guy was the worst. How about just discussing legitimate dietary problems. Oh, I'm a vegetarian. After seeing these two movies, I'm investigating the Mediterranean style diet that seems to have allowed people to live longer and have less heart disease in Greece and Italy.

Remember the Sultana (2018)

History worth remembering

[10/10 · 17 July 2020]

I hope this feature documentary doesn't suffer the same fate as the Sultana disaster. Even during time of war, friends in government cover for incompetent and criminal activities. Indeed, President Lincoln himself had a part in the chain of events that lead to the disaster. And like today, the most culpable escaped prosecution or even charges, while one person got singled out to be the scapegoat.

The documentary itself was exceptionally well done. Remembrances by descendants of victims and survivors really helps to make this feel as real as it it. Kudos to Sean Astin for his narration.

The worst maritime disaster in American history, and at 73 I'm hearing about it for the first time. There is a lot to learn and know in this world.

Rickover: The Birth of Nuclear Power (2014)

Kids should see this--a real life "Superhero"

[10/10 · 9 January 2020]

This movie should be seen by American sixth graders. Rickover did more to make us a military superpower than any other single person, and he demonstrated that good, smart people can make a difference in the world. The script was pretty good here, with a few minor terminology mistakes. For example, the narrator referred to the Nautilus as the first true submersible. Actually, it was the diesel electrics which were merely "submersibles." The Nautilus was the first true submarine (OK, the German Type XXI came close.)

I'm old enough to remember the Nautilus as news. For 25 cents and a cereal boxtop, you could get by mail order a baking powder "powered" toy Nautilus. A little later, a smaller version was actually included in the cereal box. Not long after that, I put together a (Revell, I think) a Nautilus SSN-571 model kit.

From my reading about Rickover, I think this docu-drama came close to portraying the contribution this man made to safe nuclear power, not to mention a weapons superiority that kept the Russians in a panic for forty years and then bankruptcy. It's a shame he didn't live to see the fall of the Soviet Union. Our Ohio class SSBNs are still in war-capable condition, while the Russian Typhoons are sitting, abandoned and rusting away.

I think the small point (small in the movie anyway) about the state of American education is even more valid today than when he said it. Elementary and secondary education is all about sports and dance and not science. College is Political "Science" and LGBT Studies. The local school district where I live cannot afford to update their computer labs, while just spending $70+ million on a football stadium, built right next to...their football stadium. The local elementary school has a sign on the front proudly proclaiming that it has been rated an "Exemplary school" by the state--for 1990 (30 years ago!).

If you have kids old enough to understand this movie, you will do them a favor by showing it to them. I've got it queued for next time the grandchildren are over.

Yesterday (III) (2019)

Better movie than the overall score implies

[9/10 · 5 January 2020]

Fans of the Beatles and of science fiction probably rate this higher than those who are neither. Being both, I hoped for a little more development of the parallel time aspect (See Back to the Future II, which Carl Sagan rated as the best movie about the aspects of time travel ever. **someone goes back in time and changes something that alters the course of events, creating an alternate parallel time**.) Lily James' character was a bit more girl-next-door than was absolutely necessary, but she is a joy to watch in that role, nonetheless. Otherwise the Beatles music is very well presented--a couple songs were better than the original versions, IMO. The IMDB score as of this writing is 6.9, but this is a way better movie than that. Well worth the price of rental!

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023)

Nice change of pace in Season 3

[8/10 · 5 January 2020]

At the end of Season 2, I figured that's it. There's nothing left if Season 2 was the best they could do. Almost didn't even take a look at S3, but then the post Christmas, Post New Year lull hit, and Netflix took Frasier off (so we had no reason to drink Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry any more), so what the heck? Friday night, tired of scrolling through the endless poorly organized Netflix pages, and we had already watched "Yesterday" on Amazon ($3 well spent!) Let's see if Mrs Maisel is still on the decline.

Surprise. Expanded story line for the rest of the cast--who have been largely wasted up until now. The show has new interest. New faux Johnny Mathis and faux Upton Sinclair. No spoilers here, but clearly we've got to have Season 4 now. After Season two, I'd have said this is a strong seven. Season 3 alone, I'd be inclined to give it a nine. So taken overall, very strong eight.

Then Came Bronson (1969–1970)

Worth re-watching, but not available.

[9/10 · 27 November 2019]

The series ran on one of Ted Turner's channels in the mid 1980's at around 2am. OK, as if that weren't insult enough, when they ran the pilot movie, they actually got two reels out of order! Nonetheless, I set the VCR to record the episodes but didn't retain the recordings. It never occurred to me that the show would disappear into Ted Turner's attic.

Yes this clearly was Route 66 on two wheels, and in color. OK, the writing wasn't quite up to Stirling Silliphant quality, but it was good enough, and Michael Parks was very good (especially considering that the main qualification for the part was being able to ride a motorcycle!) I suspect the show's ratings suffered for the same reason Route 66 was cancelled. Intelligent, thoughtful stories can't compete with doctor shows, cop shows, westerns, and sitcoms. Remember this is still the era of the Beverly Hillbillies, Mayberry RFD, Bonanza, and I Dream of Jeannie.

I see that the pilot movie is available on DVD from Amazon. As to the series, I suspect it must be tied up in some estate where one heir would rather the film rot in cans rather than share royalties with some other heir. It's happened before. Remember "The Silent Service?"

The Staircase (2004–2018)

One undisclosed fact changes everything

[7/10 · 14 February 2019]

We were all shocked by the guilty verdict, right? How could that be, since we saw the whole trial and all the evidence? Or did we?

Petersons were in debt $140,000, were spending $100k more a year than they made, the house was only in Kathleen's name, Kathleen had $1.4 million life insurance, Kathleen was possibly about to lose her job, Michael was earning almost nothing. The two adult boys, who also apparently excel at spending money, are up to their necks in college debt, and Michael is trying to get his ex wife to get a 2nd mortgage to give them some money. All this was evidence in the trial...but conspicuously missing from the documentary. Why is that?

The undisclosed fact: Michael had a relationship with the documentary's editor. That explains why the editing made Michael appear not guilty throughout the trial. OK, surprise makes for good drama, but now it makes sense. Michael Peterson, in spite of efforts to make him seem human, is a psychopath. A bisexual, self centered manipulator of people to his benefit. Even his crocodile tears come across as forced. He got away with murder in Germany, so he figured he could do it again, but Kathleen fought back, and he ended up with a big mess--and he didn't get Kathleen's $1.4 million life insurance, either.

Oh, and late breaking theory...the owl did it? She was attacked by an owl outside and then ran inside, all without screaming--before going indoors--to her husband, "Help, help, help!" I'm still waiting to hear from Nancy Pelosi that somehow Donald Trump is involved. Michael Peterson killed his girlfriend in Germany, then killed his wife in North Carolina. No French documentary will change that.

Last Man Standing (2011–2021)

Original LMS was good in spite of the laugh track. This new version, not so much.

[5/10 · 8 December 2018]

I've just watched the first episode I've seen of the new edition of LMS on Fox. I'm sick. The program may or may not be good. I can't tell, because I'm constantly wincing at the awful laugh track.

The new LMS on Fox has the worst laugh track I've ever heard. The response to every single "funny" line is, I swear, the exact same MP3. It absolutely destroys the program. Come on, Fox. I know when to laugh. I don't need a really fake laugh track to explain it to me.

Hey producers, directors, and writers of Last Man Standing. Take a look at The Office (U.S. version). It works, because it doesn't insult the audience with fake laughter. I was able to get around the laugh track in the original LMS series, but this one is just too intrusive.

I won't bother with another new LMS episode.

The Christmas Card (2006 TV Movie)

A standout in the crowd of contemporary Christmas movies

[9/10 · 5 December 2017]

I give this 9--highest I can give to a modern Christmas movie. Ten is still reserved for It's a Wonderful Life, The Bishop's Wife, and the original Miracle on 34th Street.

There are more low budget Christmas movies out there than anyone could try to watch. Most are clearly either Lifetime fare, kids' flicks, or just cheesy Christmas formula movies. This one stands out head and shoulders above those. Production values are somewhat higher than standard TV movie grade, and while the story is not really special, it's adult without needing an R or PG13 rating. What really makes this movie is the performances. The characters are all likable (or not), and they are believable. Performance kudos split 50/50 to the actors and the director.

If this shows up on your local station or cable, I think it's worth your time to give it a look. I think we first saw it maybe five years ago, then again a couple years later, and again last year. This year, I found myself searching for it on Netflix and Amazon and disappointed that it wasn't there. Still, it's early (Dec 5), so maybe it will show up. If so, we'll watch it again.