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Blue Bloods (2010)
Fun cop show, nothing to complain about
First, let me start off by saying that I realise that this show is more about entertainment than a realistic portrayal of actual cop life. I admit to being a fan of both Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg. Therefor my expectations were nothing beyond "it'll be a fun show with no deep meaning or complex storylines". To the people who expected something like The Wire (which I'm also a fan of) - it's not.
For those of us who sometimes want to just plunk down on the sofa with a beverage, and watch something entertaining featuring cops and, admittedly, completely predictable storylines - this is perfectly enjoyable. I binged season 1, and plan on doing the same with the following seasons.
Sometimes I like single malt scotch, but there's a time for a beer, too.
Norsemen (2016)
very funny, more so if you've also watched Vikings, and Lilyhammer
Okay - this is probably one of the most funny and politically incorrect series I've watched in a while. The parallels between this and Vikings are many, but where Vikings takes itself very seriously, Norsemen basically mixes viking culture with modern day socio-behavioral dialogue, and some very crude humor. Particularly funny is the running gag of referring to things that haven't happened yet (you'll see what I mean), but yet using references as "kilometers" and "installations". I've binged all 3 seasons over one weekend, and many laughs happened. Also, the show features many actors from the previous Netflix show Lilyhammer, an extra bonus. I could list some things - but I don't want to spoil anything for viewers. Stock up on some tepid mead, and sit yourself down for a viking rollercoaster!
Jack Ryan (2018)
the suspenders of my disbelief have snapped
I looked forward to this show, especially since I'm a big Wendell Pierce fan. As the episodes rolled along I thought it was entertaining enough, but I began to realise that several side plots just fizzled. For instance: a fair amount of screen time is spent on the whole "dig up an ebola victim in Liberia and let's see if they can weaponise it" This whole scheme just disappears from the radar never to be seen again. Likewise, the scene with the drone pilot going to Syria to apologise goes nowhere. The father refuses the money, the pilot buys all the eggs to actually give him the money, but leaves without the eggs. End of side plot. Also the whole budding romance with Cathy - she discovers what Jack really does for a living and leaves in a huff. He only needs 5 minutes to resolve this trust issue. But that's okay; Cathy's not in season 2 anyway. Why build it up to just let it derail?
Cinematically, it's pretty good - but it is pretty vacuous. I won't be watching season 2.
American Horror Story: Monsters Among Us (2014)
Plagiarism, anyone?
First off, I'll confess that visually this is a great show. The titles remind me of the work of Marc Caro (delicatessen), and obviously a great deal of attention went into the "patina" of the show. That said, this 4th season is a fairly blatant ripoff of the 1932 movie Freaks. Nicely executed, but not half as disturbing as the original movie. As I am watching episode 2, I wonder if it will keep my attention - we shall see, I guess. Meanwhile, and on the upside, Miss Eva's secret certainly had me stumped. The two-headed dot/bette are a darker spin on the Knights who say "ni!", so we shall forge ahead. Oh, yes: The clown is definitely a bonus.
Preacher (2016)
Maybe you SHOULDN'T compare it to the graphic novel..
Having never seen the graphic novel, maybe I'm at an advantage. Season one took me by surprise and contains enough great imaging and twisted humor to totally hook me. Yes, it can get a little slow at times, but the array of larger-than-life weird characters keeps me interested. BTW this may not be the best TV show for people who take their religion all too seriously. The second season expanded nicely on the first, with more weirdness added. After just having watched season 3 - I gotta say that all the references to other movies/shows (Think Monty Python's Mr. Creosote, Hellboy, and several others) made it just the more fun, and with characters like Humperdoo and Mr. Starr, it's just twisted humor central. The season's finale totally sets it up for a 4th season, so I'm waiting for that to appear.
Eindeloos (2017)
Surprising and refreshing
This short film is about a bartender who, basically, is tired of his job. Alternating monologue from his side with conversations and interactions of bar patrons makes for a somewhat surrealistic environment in which one actions and conversations lead to spontaneous consequences. Since no screenplay was created, all acting and dialogue was ad libbed. Having seen the film at its premiere I came away with - on the one hand - a feeling of how the basic premise applies to many people who interact with the general public and start burning out; and on the other hand that feeling that society as it now functions makes most of us too egocentric and unempathic. Music for the film was also recorded in one take, and is a nice added bonus.
Today's Special (2009)
Feelgood Foodie comedy
Okay, I'll admit I like "foodie" movies. And I like movies where the underdog gets out from under. After watching this movie I had to go out for Indian food, that's how much I liked it. Good characters (Including the surly Russian waiter), The one-word Pierre, and the trio of older Indian gentlemen. Special kudos to our taxi driver (you'll see). Storyline is not too surprising, but the acting and the food just make this one of those movies I'll watch once a year. Recommended watching (but make sure to have something to nibble on while you do!
Frontier (2016)
disappointingly shallow
While someone obviously spent some money on costumes, I cannot find it in myself to see any other merits here. The acting is pretty bad, the accents are, too. Script-wise, there's not much to work with. I am completely at a loss as to how this got a 7.4 rating - especially after reading the other reviews. But: if you want something vaguely "frontier-y" to look at while not using the ole brain much - dive in!
The Blacklist: Alexander Kirk (No. 14): Conclusion (2016)
Finally get to be too much
I watched seasons 1 and 2, and liked the shoe, albeit that Reddington can't seem to ever lose, and Liz Keen is a bit shallow. Season 3 built up the whole thing about the Cabal and how it must be destroyed. Since that is the underlying plot, obviously an even larger, and more ominous enemy was needed. So far, I'm going along. I was (somewhat) taken by surprise by Liz Keen's death, but I figured maybe Megan wanted out of the show, or something along those lines. We get a few episodes with Reddington in mourning - which were actually good and different and showed him more human that he usually is. Soooooo.... what happens? Keen ISN'T dead. I'm sorry. That was the last straw for me. Suspension of disbelief, fine. But this borders on the laughably moronic. Sure, mm-hmm. She's NOT dead. I'll buy that. And Tom will probably turn out to be the alter ego of Mattias, because he's a shape shifter. No sale. Lost me.
This Means War (2012)
Basically unwatchable - more exciting to watch paint dry
I don't even know where to begin. Here we have two guys who are top CIA agents behaving like high school football jocks. I'm making the rash assumption that the CIA wouldn't ouch 'em with mile-long pole. But okay. They wind up actually fighting over a complete ditz. that's it folks: a plot thinner than a sheet of paper. Dialogue: eh..predictable? Witticism come mostly probably from some online guide to dating written by someone who actually hasn't dated. I was sad to see Tom Hardy appear in this, as he certainly doesn't need to be in this kind of drivel. I'm unable to see how this got a 6.something rating. Glad I didn't pay for a ticket to the movie theater,
The Glades (2010)
it would help to have a likable character somewhere
I watched the first 6 episodes, thinking: "maybe it'll grow on me". Unfortunately, it didn't. The main character is just not likable, which is fine if he's suitably UNlikeable (Think: McNulty in The Wire, for instance). He's not. As far as I'm concerned he's just sort of a trust fund guy who needs to find a personality. Th sheriff in the pilot episode was a lot more likable, and HE killed his wife. Shoulda kept him instead. Apart from that pretty serious flaw, the story is just not that interesting, and none too surprising. It could use more wit, less predictability, and more nice Florida scenery. Between watching this and undergoing a root canal, I'd pick watching this. but only Barely.
Suing the Devil (2011)
an insult to intelligence
basically, you wanna love Malcolm McDowell as Satan. but his performance gets eroded by plot holes, weak supporting actors, and logical holes in the script. As a concept, I liked it. In reality, it simply doesn't work. I can watch mr. McDowell all day and enjoy it, but he can't overcome the lack of performance and lack of logic in this script. In fact, he's the only reason I watched the whole thing. The idea had potential. But. To quote (not really) Billy-Bob: court-fu. ill-fitting suit-fu. melodrama cancer-fu (and, no, not making fun of people who actually suffer from it - but rather condemning the gratuitous use of said disease to generate sympathy.)
Battleship (2012)
did Liam really need the money that badly?
I'm sorry...I really wanted to find something to like here. Of course the visuals are very good. They don't make up for the completely predictable storyline en shallow characters in this movie. Several sub-plots are tacked on and have no bearing on the whole thing - but rather just seem added for the "feelgood factor". It's almost as if in the boardroom they said: "okay....we've got alien invasion. what we need to ad to flesh it out is "love interest" (add 15 minutes), "Marine with prosthetic legs and anger management problem" (add 15 minutes) and "inner conflicted brat boy" (add gratuitous close-ups of hunky protagonist). Even as a pure action flick it's too predictable. I kept waiting for something to make some sense, but it didn't come. To paraphrase Billy Bob: Space-ship Fu, Aluminum Leg Fu. Minor bonus points for the scene where the US Navy gets a repeat whup-ass in Hawaii courtesy of the Japanese (in a soccer game)
At Risk (2010)
not a good career move for McDowell
This movie seems like it'd have done better as a 1 hour TV flick. Cut out the gratuitous bits (the hunka-hunka-burning'love footage of the male lead, and other filler stuff, and it might have had some chance of making the viewer think "gee...who dunnit" instead of "gee...is it over yet?" The storyline isn't bad - the bringing back to life a cold case with unexpected results is a decent theme. But there's just too much stuff in between to create suspense, and none of it adds to either the story or the characters. Sorry - I actually do like Cornwell's books. This movie does nothing really to capture what's in them. I'm giving it the extra star for (yes, paraphrasing joe bob briggs) the shiny pennies fu and the exploding bad rasta fu.
The Company Men (2010)
Maybe with be thest intentions still a distorted view
the movie's good. But as far as representing the topic anywhere near accurate - it turns out to be a whine-job for those who ultimately get taken care of, not the ones at the bottom of the ladder who get screwed without foreplay and are left to rot on the sidewalk. The economic downturn cost me job, employability and - ultimately - the ability to survive in the SFBA. I saw many execs around me falling on their feet owing to excessive severance or being shoed in elsewhere, Although I am in fact a huge fan of of TL Jones, and have a liking for most of the other actors, this movie just rubs in the way corporate America treats it workers. Most people hit by the downturn didn't have a porsche to sell or w convenient brother-in-law to give them a job. In case someone missed it: this movie made me angry - which is not the fault of the actors, but maybe of those movie execs in Hollywood who figured they'd make a(nother) buck off the people already being neglected by this movie.