Change Your Image
bpb99
Reviews
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024)
Mostly negative impressions saved by probable nostalgia
Although seemingly a high review for a show with more negatives than positives, I feel pretty comfortable rating season 1 with a 7.
I can't exactly pinpoint any redeeming features aside from nostalgia towards the original animated series and huge and drawn out excitement over this shows release (which wasn't entirely 100% sabotaged, like some other live actions).
To start with I will go over what I did like about the show.. It was fairly accurate to its original content, by that I mean they didn't totally change or re-write things that have happened. What I actually immediately and much more frequently noticed was content being missing, rather than being inaccurate or revisionist. This is an overall plus to me, because one of the worst offenses (in my perspective) when creating a live action show based on cartoons, is when writers start changing things. It's offensive to the original creator and also egotistical to think they know better. This show wasn't so much a victim of that, not nearly as much as others. I felt it was true to the original - just not comprehensive or whole.
Now for the bad..
The actors, or characters were ALL very bland, dry, and didn't really portray their cartoon equivalent very well at all. The closest character I felt to the original was probably Bumi who played a relatively small and undercut role. More on this later but Bumi entire story was cut short and parts are missing (unless are yet to come, in which case would be out of chronological order). It felt to me as though they made these characters more appealing to kids (or too PG) by removing any sense of identity and likeability. I can't really nail down the specific reasoning, but I just get the feeling by making these characters more kid friendly they took away any sense of identity and personality. This was specifically an issue with Aang, but also noticable with others such as Katara and Sokka. You get the sense of the characters Katara and Sakka are meant to be portraying (such as Kataras bossiness or Sakka's silliness), but they don't really get the desire effect. It's half hearted at best. After watching the entire series I still can't decide exactly say if this is a writing problem, directing problem or a casting problem..
Without any spoilers I will just say that whole storylines from the original are removed or heavily condensed from this series, I guess in order to make a more coherent storyline given the limited timeframe of episodes and trying to reach a certain point in the story by the end of the season. I personally think this along with the dry acting were the two biggest downfalls of the show.
It felt as if they tried to cover way too much of the Avatar storyline in too few episodes of this new show. It's like as if they wanted to get as much out there in the chance that they won't be able to make it any further (the show not being renewed). I don't really understand the point of this. It pretty much ruined the storytelling and character arcs up until this point. Not seeing certain arcs completely changes the way you see different characters or the way you feel about them. They also come off as 'less real' if possible, considering they are all fictional characters. More interestingly they waste time showing life for Aang before being frozen, which was never featured in the original. One place where scenes definitely could have been cut for more integral storylines that were cut.
I think the show would have been better both in its current state, and in the future if they just took things more slowly. I think that season 1 should have ended somewhere around the time the southern water tribe was attacked, prior to the whole adventure even unfolding. For context - that was the end of episode 1. So realistically they covered what I think should have been an entire season in just one episode.. Why? Was it because they thought the show wouldn't make it to the end of the story otherwise? What other possible reason could they have? And wouldn't slowing things down given more job stability in the future? In other words, the longer they could have drawn the series out the more work they have for longer..
It's not just that things happen too fast. The problem lies in that whole storylines are condensed, removed and basically ruined. One part where this was extremely evident to me was the compacting of the story of the 'blue spirit'. In the cartoon there are several interactions before Aang finds out who it really is. In the live action he finds out way too soon which ruins the entire plot of that arc. There are several other instances of the same thing, basically every arc with some being worse offenders than others such as the sokka + princess Yue arc. You really would need to go over every character and their interactions to see what was missed.
Also they removed/cut very integral scenes - one that sticks out like a sore thumb is the (literally infamous) 'Yip Yip' scene from the animation. I have a hard time believing this wasn't at least filmed and ended up being cut.. This was absent from The Last Airbender live action - but funny enough got a reference in the recent animated series 'The Dragon Prince' having one of the characters jokingly call out 'Yip Yip' in order to get a dragon to fly.. and it works.
Given that I had been looking forward to this show coming out for literally years now I think that also adds to the disappointment, or created unreasonably high expectations.. Maybe not everyone followed so closely, but this show was originally announced in 2018, so from it's announcement took almost 6 years to produce. The longer you have to wait for something the better you expect it to be. Otherwise things come across as 'overhyped' which sadly to say I think the Avatar live action leans towards in my perspective.
It also hints at the next problem with this show.. Although there were strikes and other setbacks like covid during the making of this show - it took a really long time to come out with this first season. Not even renewed for a second season as of writing. So we are looking at quite a wait for a season 2 potentially. I can't exactly blame the show itself for this but I think it compounds the problem of rushing storylines... We wait all this time and you're going to miss stuff and rush through content?
Despite the seemingly negative review - I still personally enjoyed it. I doubt I would recommend it to anyone who didn't watch the original cartoons, I don't think it is a good watch for people such as that. I think it provides the nostalgia for those that did watch the cartoon (and probably several run throughs at that). Even given all of that, I am personally looking forward to a potential season 2 still. Given the issues at hand there is still time and possibility to fix the mistakes - I don't have much optimism that will happen, but still gives you something to look forward to.
Life Below Zero: Next Generation (2020)
Watched a Random Episode and wow was it awful - borderline child abuse/neglect
Randomly began watching season 6 episode one as it was free on Disney.. Maybe it less than a few minutes in before one total moron starts explaining how his whole purpose is to raise his kids in the wilderness.. If this show is legit this seems like borderline child abuse or neglect, however i am not a lawyer.
He claims he wants them to learn how to grow up away from the city and have a 'different' upbringing, he even claims they will be 'unstifled'. Not only is this heavily romanticizing an idea without any reality behind it.
His 4 year olds are no better survivalists than an average 4 year old, they are no better with equipment that is not meant for them to handle than an average 4 year old..
Where they 'stifling' occurs is in the chillds social development and education. Kids need to be around other kids, and they need to learn from someone educated in general, but more specifically educated on educating children.. It's a skill in its own. These kids have little hope of being any smarter than their father, and their going to be totally f'd socially.
It may be fine for an adult to expose themselves to loneliness and general isolation (which is probably even debatable) but its totally different in a developing mind.. It's literally causing harm, and the father claims to be doing it intentionally.
Reacher (2022)
Hard to Take Seriously..
This show is difficult to rate because there is some good action and entertaining scenes - the problem is all the stuff in between.
The show is a bit of an ironic joke and it almost feels like it is making fun of itself most of the time. The script/dialogue is somewhere between subpar and okay with flares of awful and ridiculous.
While the lead actor of Alan Ritchinson does play certain aspects of the Reacher role well, he fails miserably in most other aspects. The entire running story/joke of what an impressive man he is is blaringly distracted by the fact this is a man (in real life) who takes PEDs then lies about it. So casting this he-man figure, then constantly talking about it within the script is probably what makes this show most ridiculous of all. Alan Richinson actively denies taking drugs (I. E steroids) yet has openly admitted to using and praising TRT. It's not really even a question of how he put on the weight he did.. It just becomes a joke when he denied it.
Again just detracting from anyone being able to take him seriously on top of the poor dialogue.
1923 (2022)
Someone Needs To Save Harrison Ford From Himself..
It is becoming pretty blatant obvious Harrison Ford is totally out of touch with reality and taking totally ridiculous roles that do not fit with his age. He really just needs someone to vet all the scripts he receives and actually choose something age appropriate for him. Right now the process must just go as follows -
Harrisons Agent: Got this really cool new action movie for you! Do you want to check out the scri...
Harrison: Let me stop you right there, do I get to ride a horse?
You can guess the rest..
For those that can't understand or comprehend how completely unbelievable and ridiculous his age is for this role.. For those that don't just see an 80 year old trying to act (At least) 20 years younger than he actually is, and see a stiff rigid board that is their elderly grandpa in an action movie.. For those that can't understand that.. Just look up the average life expectancy for that year.. 1923 USA... 58 years old.. Meanwhile this miracle of a man exceeded that by 23 years already and is still kicking ass!
Can't decide who is more cringe, Harrison Ford or his fans that like watching their gilf in the latest action flick!
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Absolutely Ridiculous - People are defending this as 'Ageism'
What an absolute joke of a movie and a reflection of the state of hollywood. Industry rife with nepotism, and actors getting hired and re-hired due to one past role or 90 year olds getting the same roles they started in their 20s.. You might be surprised there are struggling actors (some of whom might be pretty talented) that are all being turned down so we can watch indiana jones part 7 with 110 year old indie.
Was it 10 years too late for Harrison Ford to star in an action movie? 110%. It's not even a question. If you honestly believe this was 'in-line with his physical abilities' or 'he has abs and is in better shape then my 30 year old friends', you should just go watch childrens movies and be happy. There is no 80 year old on earth that could even sit through this movie without falling asleep, let alone partake in the physical feats that Harrison Fords stunt double performed for him. You do realize that is why he has a stunt double right, and that is who is doing the stunts.. Because some people seem to seriously think Harrison himself is this capable.. I can't tell if people are honestly trolling or are that incapable of watching something with any critical thinking whatsoever. I've already seen this being defended as people being 'ageist'. No, its utterly ridiculous. I've seen people defend this as 'have you seen the movie, its written for his age, he doesn't do stunts' - to them i'd say 'have you seen the trailer?'. In the trailer alone he is hopping on horses, grabbing a women onto a horse, using the horse to outrun a subway car, jumping from a boat, wielding his iconic yet most sad part, his whip. It's utterly rediculous and if you think otherwise, you're 12, or think like a 12 year old. I am truely happy some demographic could gain some level of entertainment from this drab joke of a movie, but to anyone with a developed mind its so cringeworthy you don't know whether to laugh, turn it off, or go look to see what is being said about the joke of an 81 year old playing an action hero.. To utter dismay and shock there are dozens of threads defending this movie as if it's being character assassinated for ageism, as if its not a legitimate criticism.
The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)
Great show somewhat ruined by an oversimplified plot
Overall I really enjoyed the show. I think they nailed the characters and storytelling. Its really engaging and makes you want to watch more. There are a lot of really good parts about this show. If it weren't for the major flaw in the plot I probably would have rated it even higher.
The overarching plot, that you don't really figure out until the show is basically over, is really badly executed. By that I mean they really don't make the 'selling the soul to the devil' decision dire enough, actually they make it seem like a badly timed question which would be an obvious no. When you finally figure out why all of this is happening.. It doesn't really add up or make any sense at all since they never had to sell their souls anyways..
The only way to really say this is by spoiling the show, so to leave for last - The two 'main' characters made a choice to sacrifice their entire family for wealth.. Except they made that choice right after they secured their own wealth for themselves, from their own choices and ideas.. The writers made the choice to sell their souls actually seem like a really dumb and unbelievable decision, particularly with what had just happened before.. They were going out as an alibi to their murder in order to secure their spot on a rising ladder.. In reality they wouldn't even have known if this 'proficy' was coming true since they were already on the track to wealth anyways..
They really ruined the entire concept of the show with this massive plothole. It just seems so lazy and unnecessary it, they could have easily blended that piece of the plot into the show better. Particularly when u consider how well the rest of the show was done. It ends the show leaving a really sour aftertaste.. It leaves you questioning if you even can say you like or recommend it considering how dumb it feels.
Its great but awful at the same time..
The Wheel of Time (2021)
Went from okay to bad
I have never read the wheel of time novels, actually didn't even realize that this show was based on a book in all honesty.
I thought the first season was somewhere between meh-okay-decent.. It was entertaining enough to watch although found the plot to be a bit random at times. I don't know if the viewer is expected to know all the intricacies of the sci-fi aspects of this show, all these magical names and references and groups of sisters.. There isn't enough mysticism to be intriguing and there is too little detail to feel engaged in the material.. So you're just left thinking the 'baja what now'? I could understand enough of it to know what is going on but there's just a sense that a character can pull anything out of their sleeve at any time since there is so much unknown and not explained. The level of randomness and lack of information they use imparts a certain cheesiness and sort of what non-sci fi fans point to whenever referring to why they don't like sci-fi. It's hard to really explain what I mean in words, probably doesn't really describe it well. One example of this is the entire scene where they go into that waygate portal thing in the first season. They get 'the builder' who is randomly a different race, they make all these references to time, there is a random dude following them, they're totally safe and then totally under attack. It's just random in so many different ways to the uninitiated.
I thought the group of actors were probably the saving grace. Their dynamic made the show entertaining enough and was curious enough to continue to see how their adventure unfolded..
On to season two, I literally have no clue what is going on. It's like I missed an entire season or something. I re-watched the last few episodes of the first season just to make sure I was watching the correct show.. I realized I hadn't really forgotten how it ended too much. Then started season 2 again, I am instantly hit with the same feeling of 'what is going on here?'. The plot feels so out of tune with the first season I am really questioning what it is I am missing here? As I progress through the episodes instead of feeling like I know more of what is happening I just find I understand it less and less.
The changing of one of the main characters (mat) was such a bad decision, just purely in terms of making a show, aside from the ethical or background gossip behind why. I really can't reiterate that enough.. Like that almost removes about 6-7 stars from the rating of the show. They may as well have written the character out of the show entirely because that at least could be construed as neutral if done in the right way.. Just randomly slapping in a new character.. that looks nothing like the character from the last season is just so random it hurts.. It really nailed the final nail in the coffin that makes this show feel like some D-list show you'd find on some d-lister channel on free on demand. That's actually probably unfair to those other shows considering just how bad of taste this show is created in. I'm sure most of those low budget shows would have the common sense to not replace a main character in between the first and second season. Or maybe have someone in the editing/writing room who is not 100% into all the lore and may point out how some of this show comes across badly to someone without any pre-requisite knowledge.
The Bear (2022)
The more of it I see the less I like it
Originally ranked the show quite a few stars higher but now with season two being over - everything I disliked about the show is still the same and have just noticed more and more things I do not like about it.
Part of my dislike for the show is the utter reverence it gets by anyone who seems to review it. If you just read the reviews on this show you'd thing it's the best show to ever grace this universe. I'm sorry to tell you, at least for me, it wasn't. I found this show mediocre to begin with, now well past into the dislike zone and verging on cringe. I really question how much of these reviews are for the show 'The Bear' and how many are for the actor Jeremy Allen White.. Take away Allen White and this show never would have picked up the way it has, at least that is my theory. You must remember this would have been the 'Matty Matheson show' if it weren't for Allen Whites presence.
I found season one to be completely unbelievable and unrealistic, yet somehow every 'chef' came out of the woodwork to proclaim how real it is, how they felt 'triggered' or other #trending words relating to their PTSD to what this show portrays in some of its more over the top chaotic scenes. Apparently every chef has not only worked at a 3 Michelin star restaurant, but then went and started a sandwich shop after and it becoming the most toxic work environment that people are yelling at each other all the time. Allegedly that is 'exactly what chefs do' according to one chef review. The 'chaos' which I found to be WAY WAY WAY over the top is what everyone seemed to love.. I mean I do not work in a restaurant, but I have BEEN to restaurants.. I know that there is not that level of chaos in the back of a restaurant, particularly a small one such as being depicted. Maybe in a larger restaurant where the kitchen is actually separated in some way from the dining area? I can still remember back to a time when I was a much younger self, and witnessed two other young people arguing over who would have to make my friends burrito at a taco bell.. That wasn't even very major and that stuck in my mind. People having all out yelling matches and stabbing each other with knives (accidentally or not) is just not happening at 100% of the small restaurants I've ever been to. Even the family run ones. Sure I get that there are 'isolated incidences' people 'snap', etc. But the way it is depicted in this show is almost constant.
Just going back to the actual sandwich shop, in season one.. Who in their right mind would stand in that restaurant while people are going at each other on level 13? Or better yet, go back as a returning customer? If so are they going for WWE match or for sandwiches? It's totally unbelievable that people would just stand around while all this yelling and shouting is going on in the back. It's like oh that's what happens in the hood.. But then in season 2 they're turning it into a michelin star resteraunt..? I hear those are really popular in the hood.
On top of that the whole ongoing narrative is that of money troubles.. They display this issue and then completely ignore that problem and start re-making the restaurant into a fine dining spot, sending their co-workers all over to be trained.. The whole time in season 1 I couldn't stop thinking to myself, this is way more staff than would normally work in this sort of business, if money is such an issue then cut down on staff.. That is realism..
Season 2 I would just describe as contrived junk. All the relationships are TERRIBLE, I mean absolutely awful. They just cover up all the bad in this show with 'chaos'. The makers of this show do not know how to portray a realistic relationship (of any sort). No characters seem like they actually mesh together, they all seem to not know their relationship to one another. Or even if they do, they never align.. All of a sudden the girl he hired in season one becomes his equal and he no longer can talk down to her even though that's all he's done from the start, and continues to do - yet becomes more apologetic and she nags at him like his girlfriend when he does. She becomes his business partner. She then has a random unexplained freak out in the last episode, for context she left 'carmy' locked in a literal fridge, appeared to run things smoothly, but then freaks out when he says something offputting (even though he's been locked in a fridge for what, hours? And shes been cool with that)? Made no sense other than to set up the next part of his cameo, in that his girlfriend could be standing there hearing him talk crap about her unimpeded. It's like pick and choose their narrative and hopefully everyone will follow along and not notice. It's worse than the forced Jeremy Allen White cameo time is alone. None of the moments these cameos take place actually make sense for a cameo to be happening at that time. The alenon meeting was by far the worst followed close in second place by his walk-in freezer meltdown at the end of season 2. For such a great actor Jeremy Allen White is you think he would have realized how unbelievable any of this stuff is. I guess it pays to be him, since every review is raving. The cameos stand out as one of the worst and most cringe parts of this show despite him being such a great actor
The characters are all very single facetted, boring or poorly developed. The best character (the cousin) flip flops between being different people all the time. From the beginning he is the jerk we are all suppose to hate, to somehow becoming the nice guy that we are all suppose to feel sorry for. When I say the best character, he just happens to be my favorite actor of this show - next to the infamous J White, the character itself is poorly done as everything else in this show.
They gave a bunch of the background cast promotions and taught them to be chefs, meanwhile they get shown once and that's the end of them.
I don't think I'd even watch a season three if it came out.
Ahsoka (2023)
Huge Disappointment.
By far the most disappointing Star Wars project to date - simply because my expectations were the highest. This show goes wrong in so many ways it's hard to even know where to begin.
Starting off there are two very distinct viewers who may watch this show, whilst there opinions and impression of the show may vary the similarity would be they didn't make a good show for either type of these viewers. Viewer A being someone who has watched all of the clone wars and rebels and actually knows about Ahsoka and some of the other characters that have been featured so far, such as Sabine and captain Hera. They know the whole storyline and background of these characters. Viewer B knows very little if not anything about these characters, they may have seen and adult Ahsoka in the Mandolorian.
I would fit into category A, knowing how cool Ahsoka's backstory is, and becoming big fans of the crew of the Ghost from the Rebels. I can understand the exact point in the storyline we are at, which was the end.. From this point (due to their choice to use an Adult Ahsoka timeline, more on this later) it's all fresh material in which they can go whichever direction they choose.
So far the direction they have chosen is to turn Sabine into the next Padawan/Jedi - which i find silly, unnecessary and confusing. It's silly because Ahsoka is not a Jedi, is actually anti-Jedi in the sense of identity. Why would she be training someone with zero force sensitivity in a RELIGION she doesn't believe in? She wouldn't. It unnessacary because Sabine was already a cool character, they could have put this much focus on her but as a Mandalorian artist. She has an interesting character without adding anymore flare and she already seemed to be a competent fighter. It also confusing in that the crew of the ghost is already an interesting crew, in an effort to do all this silly jedi padawan stuff they've barely show Hera -and we haven't seen the ghost, or even heard about where it is. It's only a matter of time before they give Sabine the force and totally re-write the character as some Jedi. It makes it come across like they make these shows based on testing scores 'oh fresh jedi's are scoring real high with the test audience, time to infuse a new jedi'
I honestly think the creators of this show shot themselves in the foot when choosing the timeline of this show. I knew it was going to be an adult Ahsoka taking place around a similar timeframe as some of the Mandalorian, other than that I watched no trailers and had zero spoilers of what might be in the new Ahsoka show. Even armed with that knowledge alone I was already concerned it would be difficult to make Ahsoka appealable to the masses. What I mean by this is that adult Ahsoka is nothing like a younger Ahsoka, and that makes total sense. She is quieter and a much more mysterious sort of character now, it fits in line with her backstory and how she is NOT a Jedi. She was abandoned by the order and that along with her solo adventures afterwards turned her into a different person we see as adult Ahsoka. To me it makes sense that characters change over time.. Some people who think Ahsoka shoulda always act like season 1 of clone wars is just silly, its like saying Darth Vader should act like a young Annie. Obviously a more extreme example, but my point is that characters do change over time. I think the people who watched all the previous shows can understand that arc. The problem is that most people who haven't watched all of the other stuff have no idea about it. They don't know that this dark gloomy character used to be 'snips'. They just see a boring character. It's basically like it's sabotaging all these characters by making the show the way they have. They abandoned all the most interesting parts of them that have already been featured and are just going in a totally different and random direction as if these are new characters.
Although would be difficult to pull off.. A young Ahsoka along with her story of being Anakins padawan would have made the masses understand why she is so likeable, and important to this secondary storyline that has been created. I feel like people need to see the 'snips' from the beggining of clone wars along with everything she went through to understand the person she is in this series they are portraying now - which just makes for a boring character when you don't know any of this stuff.
There is just so much great content they could have created even if its already been seen in the cartoons, most people haven't seen it. Those that have could still be entertained seeing it remade into live action. Even seeing it for myself I would love to see how they could have turned it into live action and which portions of the shows they'd choose to include.
Its hilarious with 'One Piece' coming out weeks later, shows the stark contrast between what could have been had they chosen to recreate material that was already shown. Or in other words, 'One Piece' made the show that Ashoka should have been, which just makes Ahsoka all the worse.
Recreating the scene where Ahsoka returns as a 'consultant' to the Jedi for the battle of Mandalore, when all the clones all painted their masks to replicate Ahsoka's pattern on her face would have been epic to see in live action.
Fist Fight (2017)
The plotline is so flawed it's unwatchable
The entire premise of this movie makes absolutely no sense. It's not just the overboard dramatics that ruin the premise, but the actual moral conflict (or lack thereof) of the protagonist is absurdly unrealistic.
What do I mean by this? If a teacher witnessed a fellow teacher do what Ice Cube does in that classroom, there is no type of person on this earth that wouldn't go report that immediately. It's just absurd to think that anyone would want to have witnessed that and not get ahead of being complicit by coming forward. Ice Cube plays an intimidating character (to a fault) but at no point did they make the idea of 'ratting him out' any less appealing then the trouble he could also get in. There was no direct threat or any reason to believe Ice Cube would come after him, and how would it have benefited him? To be Ice Cubes friend? The guy who has come across like a nut job so far? In other words, coming forward had more pro's than cons.. or no cons. So not only the idea of 'teachers stick together' silly but then the next scenario in which the 'moral dilemma' is presented is even dumber.
The dilemma in which he shouldn't tell on Ice cube or else they both get fired.. Either you tell me what happened and one of you is getting fired, or tell me nothing and i can fire you both. Well up to this point, charlie day has done nothing wrong, and is already worried about losing his job. Ice cube created that entire mess, didn't have the balls to own up to it, then still didn't care to say anything when his 'fellow teacher' was about to get fired for his own mistakes? Like there are two sides to every coin. Nobody is that nice or nieve to not realize that Ice Cube brought it all upon themselves and then was willing to let them take the fall for him or with him. There is no moral dilemma there.. The guy is a dick by that point you'd want to rat him out to spike that person.
Then onto Ice Cube's acting... I used to like Ice Cube acting!!? What happened to him? The only look he gave in the entire movie until I turned it off because of how bad it was, was a look of total anger/hatred/discust. Even when looking at charlie day trying to get him to stick on his side, even a real tough guy, would want to give a friendly look. Even if it was in between intimidating ones.. LIke at no point does it seem like Ice Cube wants a friend, nor would anyone want to be his friend since all he does is give everyone the evil eye.. It's just such a non-believable character and character dynamic due to his poor single facetted acting. Even the mean guy needs to appear likeable, if the idea is to create some sort of moral dillemma by 'ratting on him'. It's just dumb all around.
I can't even say what happened next to lead to the teacher calling the police (from the trailer), considering in any sort of believable situtation - if the guy that just got fired for smashing a students desk with an axe, wasnt already being walked out in handcuffs, it wouldnt be difficult to convince the principle of the threat he made after he was fired. He would have just marched right back in there and said ' that dude said hes going to come beat me up' and the principle would be the one calling the police..
It's just all so poorly done. Nice try but start with a believable story. Could have been a very funny movie considering the cast. Shocking any of them took the roles after reading that script.
The Batman (2022)
Worse with a re-watch
I thought I'd give this movie another chance and boy is it even worse the second time around.
It's really quite sad since the set creation/atmosphere, action/fight scenes are pretty good, right up there with dark knight. It had all the underpinnings of a great batman movie. They got a pretty A-list celebrity to play the Batman. It's not like it was let down by a bad budget they had all the capability of making something great..
The most blaring and awful part of this movie is the script. There are so many lines that you just think 'did they really write that into a movie?' Somewhere between cheesey and cringy and nonsensical.
Here is one of the most infuriating examples of this: Bruce and Alfred are in the Bat cave, Alfred asks if 'he should take it as a good sign' (that bruce is dressed up). Bruce then explains how he is dressed up because he is going to the dead mayors public ceremony, since the suspect may show up there. This was clearly a very basic script technique to lead into the next scene, instead of him just showing up at the said public ceremony. This is something you see on like a cheesy detective show.. It's also not in line with the characters since Alfred generally knows Bruce well that's always been part of their character dynamic. Then it leads into the next scene with one of the dumbest lines of the movie. The mayoral candidate says to Bruce 'your parents were good philathropists and you haven't done anything. If I am elected mayor i will change that. Wait here while i go talk to someone'. Like what!? That line is so wrong on so many different levels.. A) you're campaigning at a funeral? B) You are calling someone out for not giving away their money, and then telling them that youre going to change that.. C) how does being a mayor have anything to do with 'helping him' throw away his money? She could advise him how to help philanthropically without being mayor.. D) who tells a billionaire to stand there like a dog and wait for them, especially when they are counting on gaining their support while they campaign at a public ceremony.. You don't think in the 'real world' someone might be a little off put by a candidate campaigning at the dead mayors funeral? Like who wrote this junk? It makes no sense on very basic levels.
The script is so completely terrible that I could barely get into how not even 'okay' robert patterson was as the batman. I'd rank him somewhere between mediocure and bad. Leaning more towards bad. He wasn't the only one, another stand-out (for the wrong reasons) was Jeffery Write/Beonard who was probably the worst Lt Gordon I have seen. Really love him in Westworld but this was just bad.
Unstable (2023)
Good show turned decent by Nepo casting
I enjoyed the show for its characters more so then its plot. In that sense it is your run of the mill sit-com. It is most definitely handicapped by locking in a subpar actor as a lead role though.
I thought the acting and character building was very good.. mostly. It seems like all the 'supporting cast' were the best characters, performed with the best acting. By this I mean all the employees of the company as well as the board members.. They had big roles but they weren't the focus.
The main characters (Rob lowe and his son) were standouts as the worst parts of the show. Rob Lowe's over the top acting could have played well into his character - but the combination with the son character (being his actual son) just ruined both. The sons not only an awful actor - he just looks odd. He is right in the same acting boat as Seth Macfarlane (particularly him in Orville). The amount of awkward facial expressions is just cringy.
Without spoiling anything - there is one particular upbeat scene in this show that literally makes you feel awkward. It seems like its a bad joke but then with no punchline.. Not the only scene to highlight the very strange dynamic, but definitely the weirdest.
They basically dug themselves a hole in this show with its casting..
It will never be great with a subpar Hollywood Nepo actor. If Rob lowe was only offering a package deal to get his son into the job - then they should have gotten some more unknown actors to replace him and the son. He didn't do that incredible of a job that his Hollywood icon status would lead you to expect. Or felt at all necessary. All the supporting actors, who I have never seen before, outperform them both (probably at a fraction of the salary). They could have hired 2 more and saved themselves money and actually made a great show.. Instead we have whatever you call this.
House of the Dragon (2022)
On par with the end of GoT maybe a bit worse due to the casting changes..
Really reminded me of GoT.. after it got bad. I'll keep watching the series but so far I have way more criticism than praise.
Just in terms of the quality of the show. All the action and effects are there, some great actors, its just let down by pretty poor writing and script. This show was just like GoT in that regard, it was nowhere near as good as GoT was in its beginning seasons. More so near the end when it seems like about 5 minutes goes into writing the script and plot.
The first large problem with the show is that no character is even a little bit likeable, it became a media trend to talk about how the guy who was suppose to be a baddie was a fan favorite. That's how little any character resonated with the audience. I'll agree Daemon was my favorite just because you can count on something crazy happening, but it's not like I have any affection for him. If he gets taken out in the next season I wouldn't really care. That is one thing GoT did exceedingly well is built up characters as 'good' characters whom you felt sad or upset when they were killed off. Daddy stark would have been the prime example, or had John Snow been killed, or the effect the 'red wedding' had. Again near the ending of GoT this took a stark downturn, to where Daenarys has a random character development - turning exactly into her dad, out of exactly nowhere.. Just as little thought went into her character development as any character in this series. The only character development is making the characters extremely unlikeable but even that is inconsistent. Alicent is a prime example - spend 3-4 episodes making her look evil and mean, show 5 seconds of her being nice randomly. Rinse and repeat. Happened twice, once when she suddenly wanted to be best buds with Rhaenyra again, and when she suddenly is shocked everyone wants to kill Rhynera after she has already decided to steal the throne from her.. Both instances made zero sense. Whatver the dudes name is that is alicents little slave, the knight, that dudes character is completely ruined. It made no sense for him to continue as a knight after murdering a dude in public. Meanwhile they show another knight getting fired for a much lesser offense.
By far the biggest annoyance I have with the show, even more than its subpar writing, is the random a$$ casting changes. Characters go from being older than each other to younger from one episode to the next, while some characters don't age at all. Just compare the age of Rhayneara to her cousins on any given episode. First episode shes in the womb and they're already alive, then she's older, then they catch up, then he's older. It's like a back and forth.. She ages into a woman while alicent doesn't age at all? Her aunt and uncle and dad don't age? Like who came up with this bull and why? How did nobody realize how little sense any of it made? People seem to be so confused by this.. No it's fine they changed characters, it's just not fine that they changed them inconsistently. If they couldn't manage to do it with sense, then don't do it at all.
The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself (2022)
Barely Watchable?
Really a pretty bad show all around. Takes a bunch of things successful/popular on paper (from other tv shows), and then just tries to stuff them all together.
It hits on exactly none of them. Resulting in a show that has no idea what it is. What I would describe it as is pretty much a 50/50 split of a teenage soap drama mixed with over the top and unnessacary violence in the most non-believable ways. There are a bunch of other added 'flairs' they tried to jam in there and they were a fail too.
Story is boring, poorly told, badly written. Really seems like an afterthought compared with making sure to get in all aspects they copied off other shows.. It's basically like a collage of one popular aspect of 100 different shows. There is absolutely zero character building outside of maybe the main dude, and even still it's all over the place - mostly sitting around niave and unnaware. They are able to make certain characters unlikeable, but they don't have the writing ability to gain any sort of character engagement and likeability. I don't care if any of them were to die off in the show - it's not like 'oh i really liked that character' no they're all drab. You like the french guy? Ask yourself why first maybe? Cough cough peacemaker ripoff. This isn't the only recent show to suffer from this exact same issue (house of dragons).
The soapy teeny nature is just strange. It's like what I imagine twilight being like (never watched it), except turn the violence up from a 1 to an 8. Like there are all these scenes that would appeal to no one other then a teenage girl or maybe a mom/grandmas who's into soap operas - but they definitely wouldn't be appreciating all the unnecessary blood.. I don't get why anyone would think this makes sense. Not the only show that suffers from this ailment though.
The reason I call it unnecessary violence is because this show literally just jams in blood and exploding bodies wherever possible. None of it had any effect. The show gives zero emotional attachment to it's characters. So it's literally just a visual effect of blood or exploding body for no purpose. The character could have the most mundane death and it would make no difference. The death didn't even need to be on screen, could even just be explained by word - that's how little these scenes made a difference. Then they would suffer from you not knowing who they are referring to because you haven't remember a single character. It's just dumb.
I made it about 3/4 of the way through the season to the point where I got to the very pg sex scene and was just brought back to confusion. I turned it off at that point. Make up your damn mind what this show is, and who it is made for (target audience).
Dark Side of the '90s (2021)
Really like the series
I thought this series was pretty good, I'd definitely watch more if there is a third season.
However I felt I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I was born a little sooner... Being born in the 90s, I know *of* a lot of these stories from the media, I am familiar with them all but I was basically a babe at the time. I don't really feel the same sense of nostalgia.
I agree with others, certain stories could definitely have been left out and replaced with... better ones. I felt the same way about the original dark side series itself though. There was also a lacking in the 'dark side' aspect, it was more just a normal docuseries.
I would love it a lot more if they did an early 2000s version of this show, I think that would be pretty great for those of my generation. Of course it's biased and I am sure everyone would prefer a version of their own youth.. The only thing I have seen is a natgeo docuseries on disney about the 2000s and that one is super dull and slow yet short, I think that the dark side would do a much better job of it.
Andor (2022)
Ranks up there with Mando for me
So far really enjoying the series. Love the way it's being made.
I was actually a fan of Rogue One - I loved the way they made the entire film lead right up into the opening scene of a movie (from what 35 years ago at the time it came out?). It was just such a cool and unusual touch. This is obviously just a continuation off of that story - being the prequel. I suspect when this series is all over it will lead right into the opening scene of Rogue One. Just the way I am hoping at least.
I really like some of the little cut scenes they do on this series. There was one with the guards/security guys on the transport ship and I just thought it was such a small scene (not even sure if there was any speaking) but it brought a great amount of atmosphere to the show.. It was all CGI of course but looked incredible.
In other words they are taking an idea I already liked and building off of it - so I guess I am a bit biased in my opinion. Probably not very helpful.
If I were to rank the new Star Wars shows out of my favorites I would say this one is right up there with Mando, followed closely by Boba and then Obi-Wan quite far behind in last place (coming from someone who dressed up as Obi-Wan as a kid for Halloween). My opinion is that Obi-Wan show was being ruined by a Leah that never was. They recreated a 21st century Leah in their dream image (smart, witty, wise when she was really dumb, ditzy and silly but it was never funny). If I would have guessed the order I would enjoy these shows before watching any of them - I would have guessed the order would have been completely the opposite with Obi-Wan and Boba being my favorites..
I guess my main takeaway is you can never know exactly which Star Wars film/series is going to be good even if we already know who it features.
The Greatest Beer Run Ever (2022)
Mixed feelings but overall good and worth the watch
Well if you're looking to watch this because you just think its a great or interesting story that needed to be told - you're probably barking up the wrong tree.
I felt as if this story was straight up dumb, mostly forgettable and overall just not that important that it's worth telling in an expensive movie.. Even if everything they portrayed is 100% accurate (can't even be bothered to check) it still is largely irrelevant and had no effect on history.. It's a bit of a 'who cares?' sort of story.
If you remove the actual storyline of the movie being about a 'beer run' and look at it more in a critical manner of the vietnam war then it becomes a more compelling movie.
One thing I think they did an excellent job of is portraying the similarity/parallels between what Americans did in Vietnam and what present day Russians are doing in Ukraine. The similarities were always there - this movie just did an excellent job of portraying it on a personal level.
Americans invaded a small little nation out of the fear that Russians would soon be on their doorstep.. Sound familiar in an opposite context? The geography may be vastly different but the context (and insanity) is identical. This 'phenomenon' was referred to as the 'domino effect'. People believed it wholeheartedly..
The parallels extended all the way down through into the brain washed citizens.. You may see Russians in those homemade public interviews and think 'how did they get so brainwashed?' while the vast majority of Americans don't recognize their country acted the same way for 50+ years.. This was really the environment in america back then.. For every long haired peace loving hippy that modern times loves to tell us about - there were multiple facist brainwashed Americans that would call you a traitor if you didn't follow the government line on the war.
It did seem like it was an intentional part of the scripting, the line that most convinced me was when the sister says something along the lines of 'the government won't even call it a war'. That was the only area that seemed a little obvious in its intention to relate the two. I can't say if that is a realistic talking point of the Vietnam war or not, it just felt like it was intentionally placed in order to relate the two for those that could not figure it out.
I'm sure a lot of americans will watch this and either dissagree with the notion that A) the war was wrong B) the war was not shunned by all, everyone was a hippy back then or C) just see it as a movie about a beer run - but hey not everyone can understand the same things..
The vast majority (nearly all) Americans talk about the Vietnam war in a proud and noble sort of way - particularly about the veterans. I would guess the majority have no clue they even lost the war.. I have never heard 'My dad was a Vietnam veteran' be stated in a negative way.. They'll never follow that up with 'and shot up a village of civilians' or 'committed war crimes with agent orange and napalm'. It's always a talking point of pride and expected admiration. It's brought up - still to this day - as a sign of patriotism to have fought in that war..
For those that still do not understand or do not believe - go watch Peter Davis's 'Hearts and Minds'. The most honest and realistic documentary made about the Vietnam war that I've ever seen. May give a good context behind why this movie was so well told.
The Grand Tour: The Grand Tour: A Scandi Flick (2022)
As low as low gets
This was god awful. The best? By far the worst episode they have ever done - not even a question.. Beautiful camera shots do not make a show good.. Watch the nature channel for that.
A long and slow decline that has resulted what hopefully is their rock bottom.. Could only possibly get better from here, that is if they don't realize what they just put out and retire/ end grand tour because of it.
The only remotely funny part was James May crashing into a wall.. That was quickly ruined by a fake workshop scene afterwards where a rightfully injured James may pretends to work on a car as a mechanic hands him parts to show the camera. The only part that was believable in that scene was how much pain he appeared to be in..
Other than that it was dreary, contrived, childish and unoriginal (to their own material). Usually Jeremy Clarkson saves these shows with his comedy - but it looks like he has officially tuned out and moved his efforts into his farm show at this point because grand tour clearly isn't getting any attention. Takes them over a year to put out an episode and they are junk..
The cheap cheap cheap fire special effect they used in this episode (jeremy's exhaust from certain camera angles) may have ruined any remaining integrity the three had..
I mean it's been a while that I have thought May and Hammond are useless without Clarksons jokes - I mean just watch any of their solo works - but never really realized how useless the three together could be. It seemed like Clarkson could always ressurrect it in some way - not this time. I have a feeling like Clarkson is giving up creative control to the others and that is why it is becoming more and more like a childs show. I can just picture Hammond pushing those special effects 'ya they look mega'. Compare and contrast with his latest childs show he did with the mythbusters guy and you'll find similarities.
1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything (2021)
Super conflicted - wanted to love it
First off - this documentary is right up my alley. I love the music from the 1970s and know quite a lot of the history as well. I was expecting this show to be a 10/10 hans down but it just wasn't there.
First off it's great that they included history of the surrounding environment and how the world was at the time.. But all the views they shared are limited - and not always the full story. I think the time would have been better served focusing on the music - in such a short series. If they had the ability to make it longer they should have included more about the history and more about the music.
The actual musicians they chose to feature - while I can't complain about them - it's just such a small part of what was going on. It's almost impossible to make everyone happy it's just I would have selected differently if I were them. I do hope the series is able to continue for many many more and able to include many more musicians from that time period. I really wish this show was more like the 'hip hop evolution' show where it is much much more in depth.
When featuring George Harrisons concert for Bangladesh, the camera rolls by Leon Russell and he only gets the caption with his name under it.. I think he could deserve his own half an episode - much like some of the other people performing that night.
In other words it's like they left out more than they included. Even in what they did discuss it wasn't 100% the facts or the whole story..
Like for example with the Jim Morrison thing - the quote they included would have been much funnier if they included what was really happening at the time. Jim was being accused of pulling his pants down on stage - they cut his rant off short before he got to that part. Whether he did it or not is contested but that is what actually caused the major issues with the police - not for 'causing a riot'. It makes his words at the end saying 'I think there should be complete freedom for the artist and performer' even funnier. However who knows if that was even directed at this scenario.
I don't want to be too critical or rate this show too badly because more than anything I want it to come back bigger and better than before.
Severance (2022)
Well done show - hope they continue on the same track
I really enjoyed this show - it was well written, good acting and didn't suffer from going over the top like some other shows in this genre tend to.
The one criticism with the show is its one that's written in a way that you start off quite confused - and get more and more information throughout. It seems like a cheap and overly used trick to get you into a show and as long as the information comes at you at the right pace it's like an automatic recipe for success. I guess that could be a complaint against the 'thriller/mystery' genre as a whole. With that said I think this show stepped outside of that a little bit or at least - it made the most of out of that style. I think the plot is one of the best aspects of the show.
The other aspect that I found extremely good was the set. They did a great job creating atmospheres with the sets in this show.
Overall I quite liked this show - I hope they continue it in the same manner as the first season. I do have some reservations that as this show goes on for too many seasons it may stretch further into the bizarre which I hope they can avoid. Sort of like what happened with westworld.
I Came By (2022)
Really dumb and that's probably an understatement
I couldn't make it very far into this movie before having to turn it off..
The entire plot of getting back at rich or bad people by doing graffiti (aka art in 2022) is beyond comprehension.. We all know of bansky. They show these guys getting recognition on the news - meaning their 'vandalizim' would soon turn to highly collectable art which would soon turn to profit.. Essentially get back at bad people by enriching them further? Makes legitimately no sense.
The scene with the grunt worker (how his character is portrayed), getting caught by the judge inside his own house is also just ridiculous. I mean I can't say I am an expert on british culture - but I imagine a white judge catching a black yard worker wandering around his house would have caused much more alarm then they put on. Then the inclusion of the wifi hacking / pictures of the modem is just so silly, Just felt like they needed to add a piece of modern day hacking culture to complete the nonsense but at a budget basement price. 'Anyone got an idea how we can include hacking theme but without spending a dime'?
The biggest problem with this movie is it screams of white savior complex (coming from a white person). They position the lead (white) role as this mastermind that is essential in making this happen and his black counterpart (who seems to be the one actually on top of everything, and just as if not more capable as the 'leader') would be useless without him. They also portray the guy as the british white trash that you always see in the news swarming people, robbing stores, stabbing people, hitting people with machetes' and just generally being the worst pieces of crap you can imagine. Why are you trying to turn that imagine into some sort of positive thing? It' also adds to the non-realism if you actually look into the crimes portrayed by these types of individuals.. They aren't robin hood type characters... More so rob you in a hood. The lead role does a great job putting on those crazy eyes you see in a lot of british youth.. I'll give them that.
Kateo (2022)
Had a great thing and went overboard
There so many details of this movie that were almost good/cool then it's just utterly ruined by overdoing it. I do not disagree with all the critics calling this movie 'tiring' whatsoever, it's not how I'd sum it up though.
Most seem to be most bother by the non-stop action which just became.. non-stop. The almost believable fighting, until the guy fights like 100 dudes at once and doesn't seem to ever get tired.. I felt John Wick vibes then it's as if they felt John Wick was too believable/watered down from their favorite Jacky Chan film so they mixed and matched.. If they took the action down from 95% of the film to like 75% ish they'd have had a much better film. Although the plot and writing wasn't a strong point either, so the rest would need be filled with more non-believable gibberish. Your choice, less over-the-top action scenes and more crappy dialogue that you can pick apart?
The swinging camera cut-scenes that transition into some of the worst sped up graphic effects cuts I have ever seen. It was almost a cool cinematographic effect if they eased it down but it went from being cool to being completely cringey. It seems like a lot of drone camera work which I thought was cool but then there is all these unnecessary speed ups (probably to mask the awful effects). It's like using a filming technique to make it look more real then instantly making it look more fake then ever. That scene with the helicopter was particularly amateur looking, but then again so was the entire two scenes that came before it.. I feel like some real budget movies have graphics just as good as this movie in todays age, maybe better..
It's like there were two competing minds creating this movie - one who had all these great ideas, then someone who came in afterwards and took every one of those ideas and completely ruined them. It doesn't even seem benevolent, it is so bad that it is as if someone didn't like the idea of the movie and wanted to actively ruin it.
Untold (2021)
Lacks any Sort of Critical Commentary
3 stars for an interesting story but the way it was told was in a highly sugar coated fashion to the point where I can't even tell how honest it is. There are many details of the story which are told in a positive light and not really questioning the facts nor looking at things in a critical manner. The examples of this are pretty much all throughout the show.
Manti seems like a very nice person, specifically a Mormon person. The show very much wants us to know this. The show doesn't want us to question whether his blind faith in a religion is at all similar to his blind belief of a fake person being real? There is common theme, particularly in the way he talks about coming to realize it was all fake. He doesn't seem to want to believe it.. Very similar reaction people have when they talk about leaving these cults.. He knew exactly what had happened but keeps talking about it like 'I'm not sure still' 'I don't know what's happening but..' to try to justify his indecision at the time.
They make the claim 'catfishing' wasn't a thing yet - this is partially true. He was probably amongst the first generation to be catfished, but his lasted years.. By the time he was in his senior year and finding out he was a victim of a catfishing scheme, it was widely known about. Talked about more back then than it is now, due to the popularity of the MTV show. Even if you didn't watch the show you at least knew what it meant.
The worst of all of these things is how the show seems to excuse the act of catfishing as some sort of positive or inevitable thing in the life of a closeted trans person being confused in their youth. I understand the point they're going ahead and attempting to make, that she may have been scared to display true feelings (maybe due to the strict Mormon upbringing) so this is how they decided to go about it.. It's just that there is a lot more too it than that.. The show seems to forget about the fact that this person is a pathological liar and that many people do this without the justification of transitioning afterwards.. They didn't just fear presenting themselves as them true selves, they enjoy lying to people.. It's part of the fun for them. Also not to mention the vast vast majority of people growing up in those circumstances that didn't decide to catfish someone..
Which goes on to another part of the show which isn't even questioned.. All the catfish stories - such as their relationship blossoming from the persons dad dying and Manti subsequently calling everyday.. Then later in the show when she talks about coming out to her family, she mentions telling her mom first and then immediately having to go tell her (dead) dad. Same with the child, who I still don't even understand where it comes into the story from but anyways, the child giving the 'build-a-bear'? The good friend and teammate used that as an example of how it seemed authentic.. Nobody brought up how they used a child in this strange scheme of lies.. They must have prepped/trained the child to say that considering the fact it was 100% a lie..
It's all the little things like this (and much much much more) that the show fragrantly presents in a positive light without any critical commentary that completely ruins it.. It comes across as less than half the story.
The Outlaws (2021)
Really enjoyed hope there is more!
I thought this show was really good. It has a great cast of characters, even the lesser more supporting roles were all done very well. The main group of characters are all fantastic. I love these shows where a group of unlikely friends come together and form a bond, it was done really well in this show.
Spoiler:
The only thing I thought was a little bit poorly done or over the top was the Rani character development. She went from being one of my favorite characters to being a bit annoying by the end of series 2. I think they went overboard with the goody good turned bad-girl without enough of a reasoning or explanation behind it. Yes to some degree it makes sense, but the degree to which she 'turns bad' is just a stretch. It's more so non-believable then some of the more wild and fantastical events in the show during their schemes. It also became very predictable and boring in a way as well, especially that last scene - didn't really do it for me other than add additional cringe factor.. There is still lots of time to turn this around though so it's not like its too late or she is too far gone.
I really hope there is more of this show to come, and I really hope they go with longer seasons if they do continue! 10 Episodes in the first series wasn't bad but only 6 in the second was a bit disappointing.
Population Zero (2016)
Started well
Like others have stated, had me convinced until about half way. Then the acting became brutal, did they run out of budget half way through or something? Not really into these 'mockumentary' things anyways.. Even if they had made it convincing all the way through, what's the point? Just tell a real damn story. It's also not like they're portraying a story to change an important law.. This is probably the worst aging movie considering general state of gun laws in 'Merica. (or Merica as a whole considering the authoritarian elephant) More guns than people? Can't get an abortion? No problem, just watch this movie and you'll be convinced that this (real) loophole in the constitution is the biggest problem the country faces.. Comes off as extremely pompous.