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Reviews
Penny Dreadful: Ebb Tide (2016)
What happened to this story?!
For 2 seasons, Penny Dreadful was a gothic horror tale that uniquely wove many beloved horror characters into an original main plotline. It was atmospheric and intense and made us care about the tortured people circumstance brought together to fight. This season lost a lot by separating our group and changing the location of one storyline to the American western territories. Far too much time is being spent on Lily's me-too revenge scheme. It all moves way too far from the supernatural and period accurate interactions. And it has felt soooo redundant. I've lost most of my interest in these people and their stories. They honestly feel like completely different characters.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Let He Who Is without Sin... (1996)
Doesn't deserve all the hate
This was a silly episode but what it's characters on vacation. Lol. I can't quite figure out why Quark is along. They didn't even try to find something to do with him at all, which is a shame. His personality is so strong it should have been easy. There's not a whole lot going on plot-wise but there's a conversation between Dax and Worf that is great character story for Worf. The episode certainly could have been given more depth & substance. The overarching conflict isn't very convincing but I don't agree it's as awful as the rating would make people think. A bottle episode. Skip it if you want but watch it sometime for fun.
Peaky Blinders: Gold (2022)
Yawn. Meaningless, directionless, dull.
Nothing happens except overly long talking scenes that do not advance the plot at all. But then there isn't much of a plot anyway. They're trying to drive emotions with Ruby's illness but they didn't set us up to be invested so it doesn't work. Arthur has always been messed but now he's not even fit for purpose. And where in the heck is Finn? He set things in motion in last series' finale but half way through this series we still haven't seen or heard from/about him.
Peaky Blinders: Black Shirt (2022)
Tommy and the girls now, eh?
Arthur's useless, Finn is MIA, Michael's in jail, Alfie's a fart in the dark. But hurray, we now have Diana (instead of the powerful Mosley), Gina, Ada, Ruby, Lizzie, Esme, Laura, and I expect Linda. Peaky Blinders has always had strong female characters (RIP Helen McCreary) but there was a subtlety to their power which came through organically. Now they are being made central to everything just so we know how amazing they are. It's an agenda Hollywood has been pushing non-stop, badly. Also, it feels like they're just throwing things at us so far. Not a great first 3rd of a series.
Vikings: Valhalla: The End of the Beginning (2022)
Not a particularly strong end
There were some good parts to this episode,
especially the deceptions and twists. It left off with a lot of potential for a next season and got rid of some deadwood but I didn't find this final episode as exciting as expected. Something felt flat throughout.
Halloween Kills (2021)
A Horrifying Mess
If you didn't catch the last installment you'll be beyond confused. Regardless... it's loads of bad dialog and acting. A jumbled mess thrown at the screen. Scenes filmed, chopped up and randomly thrown together, esp in the first half. Flashback scene lasted too long and was structured poorly. Laurie spent most of the movie offscreen. Glad I didn't pay to see this (other than peacock sub).
The Expanse: Hard Vacuum (2021)
Enough with the Naomi show
This season just doesn't feel like the Expanse at all. Having the characters separated for so long isn't working. It's all been an excruciatingly slow build to the final Marcos encounter. After 2 episodes of redundant dialog about Naomi and her son I just couldn't enjoy the finally tense situation she found herself in. Amos, Alex and Holden are all but inconsequential. It's become a bad take off on the Avengers.
Vikings: The Last Act (2020)
Disappointment, after 2 weak seasons
They didn't know what to do with the sons of Ragnar. They meandered around, lost in the meaningless, drawn out Rus plot. Storylines were thin and alot of episodes felt like filler. Iceland made little sense. The Queen at the end was an underdeveloped character; her ascension was unsatisfying. Ivar's death was weak and anticlimactic. Only positive was Ubbe & Torvi meeting native Americans and Floki.
Victoria: A Public Inconvenience (2019)
Deviated from the historical
This entire season of Victoria feels as though it's been framed around the completely fictitious disruption caused by the presence of the queen's half sister. It's been an element that has stretched the whole season to this point and I've found it redundant and distracting. Also, the subplot of the sad duchess has been taking too much airtime. I've found this season overall to be less enjoyable than the previous two.
Grey's Anatomy: Bad Reputation (2018)
So political it's no longer enjoyable
This whole season has felt like nonstop lectures on political/social correctness. It has removed much of the enjoyment of the show. If they were working the lessons in skillfully it would be different but everything is so preachy and ham-fisted. This episode is another example of that heavy-handedness. I really miss the earlier seasons where the people were interesting and fun so the life lessons went down smoothly.
Yeogo goedam II (1999)
One of the better Asian "scare" flicks
"Memento Mori" is not a horror movie. It was never meant to be one, really. "Horror" is an overused category that seems to mislead and disappoint people. It makes us think of blood and gore and guts, and a boogey man who gets it in the end (or, as in "Halloween", "Friday the 13th", etc. SEEMS to get it in the end, but never really does). If this is what you are looking for from "Memento Mori", don't bother. It is not filled with fast-paced, run-for-your-life scenes. I'm sure there is a generally accepted term for this type of film but I just think of it as "stylized, atmospheric Asian thriller". The story is developed by the gentle weaving together of it's parts. The past and present, details and overviews are presented in what appears to be a random fashion (no, not chaotic). You, the viewer, are made responsible for piecing together the puzzle. This definitely worked to draw me in further and further. You WANT to understand not only what's happening to the 3 main characters but also what's up with this school! I am not at all familiar with present-day Korean culture so that captured my interest as well. It CAN be a bit of a mean trick doing all that while reading subtitles but it's worth it. I might have given "Memento Mori" a score of 10 except for the fact that the climax contains a cheesy bit of film making that, had this been an American movie, would have made me scream out in anguish! But seriously, if you enjoy Asian (thriller) film making in the least, you will enjoy "Memento Mori".
Article 99 (1992)
Great Talents, Important Issue... Lousy Dialogue
I didn't make it all the way through this movie, and that's a shame. The main issue "Article 99" attempts to address is an important one, one close to my heart because of several veteran relatives & friends. It shines an accusatory light on the sub-par (at best)treatment provided the men & women who served our country. Almost every single face we see in just the first 30 minutes belongs to an actor/actress who has garnered accolades in television (especially) or film. Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Eli Wallach... even the guy who plays "Frank" on "ER" (Troy Evans). Over the years I've enjoyed almost every single actor/actress in this movie. It's depressing to watch them all be crushed to death under the crappy dialog and undecided direction of "Article 99".
This movie tries to blend the seriously horrid state of care in VA hospitals with the chummy banter of their long-suffering, comrade-in-arms doctors and nurses. It does an abysmal job of it. The schlocky repartee detracts mightily from the issues it attempts to address. This is one of those movies you watch hoping it'll get better and puzzling over why things went so horribly wrong.