kc-halpin Reviews

MacGyver: The Gauntlet (1985) Season 1, Episode 4

Rewatching 30 years later

[7/10 · 7 April 2024]

I watched MacGyver as a kid and was truly inspired into the sciences. Watching it now, it seems sillier than it did as a kid. Overall it still holds up well with its cleverness, which was always its strongest virtue. In this particular episode, the opening gambit has many flaws that lessen its appeal, like seeing the hot air balloon tether, taping the map to the balloon, having a hole that low in the balloon have a high pressure leak, etc. However, the camera flash and C4 scene later in the episode was really creative and reminds me why I felt so inspired as a kid.

I studied Physics in college and now I'm in computer science, and it's all thanks to MacGyver. While the nostalgia is palpable, the content is a bit less awesome than I remember. I would give this episode a 6, but I gave it an extra star for how good it was in the 80/90s context. Thats probably how I would rate the whole show. A solid 7, but maybe an 8 when considered in its appropriate decade and context. I don't think it will inspire kids today like it did me, which is a shame.

The sets are great, but you can definitely tell they have boundaries, and some obviously have less budget than others, but some are great, like the pilot episode, and this episode.

All in all, just enjoy the nostalgic ride when you're looking for time to kill, and understand that generational appeal is limited to us 80s and 90s kids.

Aquaman (2018)

Go go power rangers?

[6/10 · 20 February 2019]

Preface: I love DC. Marvel is good, but I love the characters of DC. I love the dark, serious tones and the emotional depth of the backstories. BvS (ultimate edition) is my favorite DC movie. I loved Justice League (ending needed more work), Man of Steel was far too long, but good, and Wonder Woman was indeed phenomenal.

Review: C'mon guys, this movie is cheesy, silly, overly flamboyant and utterly forgettable. It's most like watching a high-budget episode of the power rangers. The main villain literally says "Call me, Black Manta", and wears an oversized helmet looking like a Power Rangers or old-school Godzilla villian. The dialogue is cringy in many places, the Atlantians are completely shallow, every villian is cheesy ("Call me Ocean Master!"), the plot is disjointed and aloof. This movie sucks. I struggled to get through it and I will not watch it again. It is predictable in every sense. Oh, and I think we can see that Jason Momoa is a great secondary actor, but definitely cannot lead a feature film.

Redeeming points? i wanted to love this movie just because I love DC much more than Marvel, but I just don't. The good parts are that the CGI is much better than Superman's mustache in Justice League. In fact, the CGI/live action mix for both woman fights are nearly seemless and very enjoyable. The rooftop running sequence was also very well done. The movie is also very colorful (not always a good thing - see Ocean Master's costume).

TL;DR Anything over 7 stars is likely a paid review, or a DC super-fanboy, or a James Wan fanboy. Honest DC fans will have to admit this is a low point. Bring back Zack Snyder.

The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)

Interesting premise gives way to standard fare

[5/10 · 27 July 2018]

Maybe I'm jaded by decades of formulaic repeated plots, but what started off quite interesting (and the premise is interesting throughout) gives way to a forgettable, cliche, basic plot that leaves you feeling underwhelmed. A good effort fumbled a bit at the end. I would recommend this if I thought the setup of the "universe" would be worth anything.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

Bad reviews make no sense. This movie is awesome.

[9/10 · 12 March 2018]

Not sure why every single review is one star with "prevent others from seeing this turd" as the only justification. This movie was fantastic. I actually almost didn't watch it because of all of the negative reviews, but fortunately all of those reviewers work for CNN, because it is all fake news.

The movie had great effects, great battle scenes, great acting (except for Rose, consider at least one star removed for this new most-hated character, out-placing even Jar-Jar Binks), but, most of all, I really liked the story and the writing. This movie made so much sense to me in terms of where the story left off in Force Awakens. Reading some of the trivia, turns out this director was also the main writer, and I think that is this movie's biggest strength. Force Awakens was a J.J. Abrams project, and now I hear Episode IX will be also, and I'm actually not thrilled about that. While I really liked Force Awakens, I rated it an 8, I have a personal beef with Abrams ever since Lost, and for good reason in all the projects that followed-he is a master of story, and also a master of taking his masterful ideas and totally screwing them up, by story or by execution, in the final acts, but I digress. The point is, this writer/director hit a solid home run, and I really wish he would come back for more (and I think there are rumors he will be back, just not with Episode IX).

Everyone saying this movie destroyed Star Wars is jumping on some kind of hate bandwagon for reasons I still can't determine. I actually think this movie is really setting the stage for a clearer, more logical, and even bigger and more complex universe than even George Lucas and the previous movies could deliver.

Also, The Last Jedi, moreso than even Force Awakens, really gives this saga a true mature treatment. I don't mean in terms of gratuitous violence, language or sex, but in terms of darker and more realistic tone. It is still family-friendly for the most part, but I don't see these being fodder for cartoons like one could imagine for Episodes 1 through 3, and Episodes 7 and 8 are certainly not as campy as the original trilogy. I think The Last Jedi just raised the bar significantly for the entire saga, and i hope Abrams can deliver on a worthy sequel.

The Greatest Showman (2017)

Fantastic, even by normal person standards.

[9/10 · 5 March 2018]

First of all, this is a CLEAN movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family with no editing! The songs are phenomenal, the story is more endearing and entertaining that you would imagine, and the acting is good.

It's beautiful, it's fun, it's lovely, and it actually lives up to the word-of-mouth hype.

Death Note (2006–2007)

Easy intro to anime-extremely interesting story

[7/10 · 5 March 2018]

I'm only about 6 episodes in, so I will have to update this in the future. I'm new to anime, with only some exposure via Avatar, Korra, GITS. I actually watched the live-action 2017 movie first, and that piqued my interest enough to check out the original anime. This show already is much more detailed and in-depth than the movie (which I admittedly did like), yet still moves at a very quick pace. I'm definitely curious what there is left to explore in the remainder of a long season, but every episode so far has been very intriguing. There was definitely a lot of thought put into the play between Light and L and their constant intellectual chess (think the intricacies of the story in Primer). Very well done. Even though I'm new to anime, I know that the English dubbing is a big part of the review. The English dubbing on this show is amazing. Very great voice-acting. The actor voicing Ryuk actually sounds very much like Willem Defoe in the live-action movie-a pleasant coincidence!

Ferdinand (2017)

Fun family movie

[7/10 · 5 March 2018]

I laughed a lot more than I thought I would! This is a very fun movie with a lot of laughs, but between those laughs there are some slow parts. Better than Turbo (the only other animated movie I can think of where I did notice the slow parts), but it isn't the best animated movie ever. The kids will watch it a few times. I don't see it becoming a classic, but the first watch will definitely entertain you!

Kevin Can Wait (2016–2018)

Hoping the writers see this!

[7/10 · 13 December 2017]

This show would easily be only a 5 if not for the truly funny episodes scattered sparsely throughout which demonstrate just how magical this show can be. The most recent season 2 episode "Trainer Wreck" is a perfect example of what this show should be. Make more episodes like this and it will EASILY become a classic like King of Queens. Kevin James and Leah Remini definitely have that spark that only comes around every 20 or so years as a comedic duo, but oh how the writers keep fumbling. It's like they don't trust Kevin and Leah to do what they do best. This show works best, just like King of Queens, with extended takes between just Kevin and Leah. It is their banter and fighting that is the spark in their relationship. With "Trainer Wreck" focusing mostly on them, this episode really shines. Gary Valentine finally has a good episode in "Trainer Wreck" as well. Again, not a problem with Gary or his ability, but just goes to show how horribly his character has been handled by the writers. The character Chale is also a BIG part of what makes this show hilarious. In season 1 it was Kevin/Chale that redeemed most episodes. While I like Leah being back, and there are definitely glimpses of that magical spark that I hope the writers can quickly cultivate, Chale seems to have fallen more into the background, and that is a bad thing. Some of the takes, such as pre-intro skit, are always cut short. In King of Queens, these skits were always given the time to naturally progress. In Kevin Can Wait, they are prematurely cut short right as they are reaching climax. Do the writers not think we can handle another 30 seconds before cutting to advertisements?! Please writers, stop limiting this show before its ratings tank so badly that it is cancelled. The ingredients are there. Please cook on the stove and stop microwaving the comedy.

TL;DR - Kevin and Leah are great, but writers are letting them down. Writers are letting Gary Valentine down (Uncle Kyle). Chale needs more time on screen. Stop with the canned jokes and let Kevin/Leah work their magic. Get Kevin James more directly involved in writing. Last episode "Trainer Wreck" is exactly what this show should be aiming for with each episode.