bootsyjam Reviews

Kin (2021– )

Good gangland drama

[8/10 · 8 March 2024]

This is a refreshing Irish take on the well worn subjects of drugs, crimes and gangs.

It takes it's time to develop which some may not like, but this is it's strength as it's not a trashy US style crime caper with lots of shooting and explosions etc. Although don't worry there is plenty of that, it's just not gratuitous at all.

All of the characters (except one) are well cast and very well acted, and people carry real menace. Especially the leader of the clan Brendan-he's a bear of a man with a vile attitude and is genuinely terrifying. Imagine meeting him in a dark alley? No thanks.

The only weak spot is the classic dramatic trope of the precocious teenage daughter (yawn). And it's not helped by the fact that she is a terrible actress. Not sure how she got the part next to such a strong cast. Well actually I do have an idea....

Wolf Like Me (2022– )

Well made, enjoyable but relies on silly plot contrivances

[7/10 · 14 February 2024]

To start with the good stuff, it is an extremely clever update on the werewolf legend that can be pretty hard to make interesting. There's not much you can do with the simple werewolf premise after all!

However it loses points because it does rely on facepalm moments of jaw dropping silliness in order to make the plot actually move along. Here are 3 off the top of my head (spoiler warning):

1) The protagonists go on a lunch date and she forgets the time ON THE DAY OF THE FULL MOON.

2) Going camping in the remote outback THE DAY BEFORE A FULL MOON. Oh no they have a flat battery so guess what they're stranded and she turns into a wolf.

3) Daughter has a panic attack and she needs pills. But guess what, a young girl has pinched them and is feeding the fish with them. So they ring the father who is at home with his wife who is contained in the basement as she's a werewolf right now. He gets the pills but guess what, he presses the 'open basement door' button instead of the 'open front door' button.

Oh silly me!

So yeah it's annoying but I'll look past it. Great soundtrack too.

Casino Jack (2010)

Heavy handed political hatchet job, poor casting. confused tone

[4/10 · 8 February 2024]

I watched this film knowing nothing about the events depicted in it so was open to being entertained. I didn't expect the heavy handed brush strokes painted with a hefty helping of political bias allied with confused casting and a generally confused tone.

Let's start with casting. I've never been a fan of Kevin Spacey, people clearly aren't a good judge of character because I've always thought of him as a fairly slimy creep who acts. Not the other way round. And so he slithers across the screen in his usual manner meaning that there's hardly any nuance in the depiction. He's a baddie-get it? Except that he's not because he's a lovely family man with a lovely wife. So by picking Spacey to play the role any nuance is lost. Kelly Preston plays his wife, can't say she does much with it sadly.

Jon Lovitz basically plays the same role he always does which is amusing if you like him, or annoying if you don't . The problem is that it means you don't take his character seriously along with anything that happens to him.

In terms of tone, it's all over the place. Is this a serious criticism of Washington and the seedy practises that go on there? Or is it just a bit of light hearted fun? Lovitz adds to the feeling of comedy, along with a grating shoeebedoobedop soundtrack (think of the theme music for 30 Rock) that takes over for the last 20 minutes or so. What am I watching-is this funny? Ironic? Serious? Silly?

Finally there is the issue of the preachy tone and bias within the message of this film. The fact that the seedy cesspit of Hollywood is preaching to us about what is good and what is bad, and using creepy Spacey to do so is bad enough. But there is the added bonus that he film serves as a vehicle for a one sided diatribe about the awful (fair enough) Republican party, with an added bit of commentary about the evils of capitalism, Christianity and Judaism. The hypocrisy is staggering considering Hollywood is a capitalist business filled with immoral money grubbing degenerates who are linked with organise crime who launder money through films (and maybe did it using this film too?).

The one sided political bias of the film (it says Bush should have stayed in the swamps of Florida amongst other things) also serves to show just how ridiculous both Hollywood and this particular film are when dealing with real life political corruption. It goes in heavy on capitalism and the Republican party but guess what, all of this narrative simply disappears when the Democrats are in charge. Right?

Does the awful lobbying and the people who carry it out in this film simply stop when the Democrats are in power then? It's just a Republican thing? Of course not, but the film depicts an industry and culture that only occurs on one side which is CLEARLY not how it works in the real world. But in Hollywoodland? Yeah ok then.

So overall, it's a film starring a Democrat (in real life) degenerate funded by a degenerate Democrat (in real life) film industry portraying a degenerate Republican (in real life) lobbyist. With poor casting, a confused tone and one sided argument that it bludgeons you with again and again, ignoring the reality of real political life. No wonder people hate these sanctimonious degenerates.

The House (I) (2017)

What happens when unscripted comedy goes a bit wrong

[5/10 · 30 January 2024]

On first glance this film should be hilarious, with an interesting/original premise and a great cast.

The problem is it just doesn't come off. In the same way that Anchorman was great and the sequel was painful, the meandering comedy dialogue is both nonsensical and pretty unfunny. Will Ferrell is ok, Jason Mantzoukas plays his usual amusing self and Amy Poehler is....

I don't know how to say this but she is spectacularly unfunny here. I have a sneaking suspicion that she might have been found out in this film. She throws herself into the role with full enthusiasm but no matter what she does it feels forced. The film would most likely improve with someone else cast in her role, but sadly she's in it so it stays extremely unfunny throughout.

Could have been so much more.

The Mentalist (2008–2015)

The poorly written cousin of Sherlock Holmes

[5/10 · 5 January 2024]

It's a very familiar premise based on Sherlock Holmes. Whether it's the English version with Cumberbatch or the American version with Jonny Lee Miller, these shows (like The Mentalist) hinge on the deductive abilities of the main characters. The difference with the Holmes shows is that they actually show, and explain, the deductions that are made in order to solve a case.

In The Mentalist, he's simply a genius who can work things out because....well, he's great at cold reading etcetc. The thing is, many of his discoveries/theories aren't explained so it's just like he's a supernatural freak. Also, unlike the Sherlock Holmes shows unless it was a well known actor playing a bit part, I rarely (if ever) could work out the killer. Or if I did it made a lot of sense, as did Holmes' almost supernatural deductions which are EXPLAINED.

This issue of Jane being a detective genius is made even worse by the gurning half wits who call themselves detectives that he works with. Seriously, these detectives would be lucky to get a lowly job with the TSA let alone a detective job. Their stupidity combined with open mouthed amazement at various things is just ridiculous. And their overall boss is about as mentally capable as Joe Biden.

There is also a real problem with Jane's character and his backstory r.e. His wife and child. We're told that he is a soul in anguish, and yet he grins his way through each show with light hearted bonhomie, even when something occurs that deals with his tragic past. Which brings itself to another problem. He's such a suave, smooth and confident person he's almost slimy. Oh yeah, and amazingly enough all the women LOOOOOVE him.

It's just so badly written it's a real shame as it could be so much better.

Brooklyn's Finest (2009)

Decent plot let down by character stereotypes and poor casting

[6/10 · 9 November 2023]

So this is an interesting one, it could have been so much more.

Richard Gere is pretty good as a jaded cop who just doesn't care any more/has lost his mojo, but Ethan Hawke is a victim of the yo yo yo Brooklyn caaaarp (cop) stereotype that pervades US film and TV. He's a caricature. The scene where both him and his yo yo yo Brooklyn caaaaarp mates are sitting around playing poker and, you guessed it, bustin' each other's balls which ends in a fight is about the 1000th version of this I've seen. Which is a shame because Hawke is a good actor, but the trademark leather jacket, constant sniffing with sideways looks whilst drawing on a pack of smokes is getting pretty old.

Also, Don Cheadle as a gang banger is just not believable in the slightest. His tone is just too light and he couldn't look mean even with a lot of trying. And he tries a lot. Or maybe he's just not that good an actor I just don't know.

Either way it's a wasted effort all round as the ending is pretty good which shows just what it could have been.

Bully (I) (2018)

Simple, predictable but pleasant and charming

[7/10 · 8 November 2023]

This film isn't going to win any Oscars that's for sure. The plot is familiar and we know what's going to happen but it's done with real charm and the occasional piece of wit which means it's shortcomings are more than forgiveable.

Hollywood is unnecessarily preachy and snarky a lot of the time so it says a lot that I like this film simply because it is a nice feel good story with pleasant characters that eventually ends happily. There's no snark/sarcasm at all, the cast is surprisingly strong and it's a nice positive message that occasionally has a real emotional resonance. Please take note Hollywood, films that reward nice characters with no political undertones are a nice change. Although it's good to see that the bad guys are white stereotypes as usual. Yawn.

Taskmaster (2015– )

'Comedy' for people who like things safe and boring

[5/10 · 6 November 2023]

I've seen Greg Davies and The Horne Section live on separate occasions doing their stand up acts. Davies was very funny and the Horne Section were good/very original albeit not hilarious.

What this show does is strip all the edginess (if the Horne section is ever edgy) from their live performances and repackage it into a bland package made for people who like their comedy safe and, well, pretty unfunny. Such is comedy nowadays, blandness is celebrated which is a real shame, and it's exemplified by Alex Horne who is clearly a nice guy but that's the problem, there's nothing really beyond that. Think Ronan Kemp but in comedy. Greg Davies doesn't have much to work with and neither do the desperately gurning comedians who debase themselves in an effort to get some work by appearing on this terribly sad show.

Totally Killer (2023)

Entertaining mash up showing AI probably wrote it

[5/10 · 10 October 2023]

Yet another example of a film that shows how unimportant writers are nowadays. This film, whilst entertaining enough, is quite literally an amalgamation of a whole bunch of previous films: Back to the Future, Scream, Halloween, Wonder Woman 1984 to name but a few.

There is NOTHING original in this film except for the way that they have mashed it all together to make it coherent.

It is entertaining, although the preachy modern teen act does get a bit annoying after a while.

The thing is that if this is what we're getting then it was either written by AI or by people who couldn't come up with an original idea and gave us this. And it's going to get a whole lot worse...

Mindcage (2022)

Proof that AI writing won't matter

[3/10 · 10 October 2023]

So I was watching this over the shoulder of someone on a recent plane journey. I had worked out who the killer was within the first 10 minutes, the only thing I didn't know about was the 'supernatural twist' that explained it.

In terms of my comment about AI, this film could well have been written by one so does it really matter if it takes over?

I worked out who the killer was because the entire film is simply an amalgamation of many others that are all jumbled together. I can imagine the pitch meeting, "It's like Silence of the Lambs mixed in with Fallen mixed in with xxxx".

How this stuff gets made I have no idea. How much did it cost, how much electricity/resources did it consume? Doss like this needs to never be made to save the planet IMO.

Black Mirror (2011– )

Terrible last series drags score down

[6/10 · 12 September 2023]

Have been a big fan of this (like pretty much everyone else) since it came out years ago.

However it would appear that the writers are now pretty much out of ideas as the last series is a real disappointment. For the first time since watching it I found that I was actually quite uninterested in the stories, with the exception of the one set in Scotland (a fabulous Twilight Zone style horror episode) and the one where someone's daily life appears on TV. Which is interesting on a completely different level as it looks like Salma Hayek has been digitally de-aged (look closely to see what I mean-she appears in low light and looks like a cartoon).

The other episodes just feel far too long (got to have that filler) allied with either unoriginal or rather boring plot ideas. Shame.

As a side note, does anyone notice that Salma Hayek portrays the same character nowadays i.e. An amazing intelligent no nonsense kick ass female. I think her ego is talking!

Andor (2022– )

A welcome change from the Star Wars debacle

[8/10 · 12 September 2023]

So i think I've provided some context in my opening statement above! I'm no modern Star Wars fanboy. I was disappointed/annoyed with the first new Star Wars film (don't get me started) and gave up after the awful second one. Serioulsy, the writing was done by 12 year olds on sugar?

Anyway, the point is that I don't watch all the new dross coming out and eagerly give it a fan boy 10. This is the only series I have watched-gave up on the mandalorian after one episode as it was clear that they were trying to spin out a minor amount of ideas over a veeeeeeery long time.

So when a friend told me to try this with the promise that it was just a spy/thriller in the Star Wars universe and was actually quite good then I gave it a go.

And I'm glad that I did. Finally, a show that captures the grit of the original trilogy (things look dirty and old) allied with a good script and a great effort in explaining the motivations of characters without (and this is important) non stop annoying flashbacks showing interminable scenes from the past to flesh out a character. Now these flashbacks to occur but they are kept to a minimum and importantly don't distract from the main premise of the show.

The explanation/history of the Resistance is actually interesting to watch and well plotted. The show contains few, if any, of the tropes that litter modern Star Wars offerings (yes unrealistic 'strong female characters' I'm looking at you).

Overall it's a genuinely interesting show that fleshes out the Star Wars universe and shows how the resistance came about without any reliance on nostalgia, the Force, legacy characters and any of that stuff.

It's very late to say it but....well done. Finally.

The Man in the High Castle (2015–2019)

Overly melodramatic plot which is driven by melodramatic decisions

[4/10 · 20 July 2023]

As the subject header clearly states, this is ruined for me by the constant building up of melodramatic music which is CONSTANT to let you know that THIS IS VERY VERY DRAMATIC. Seriously, it becomes amazingly hard to watch after a while because of the rather odd desire by the makers to bludgeon us over the head with it. STUFF IS HAPPENING. IT IS DRAMATIC. DO YOU UNDERSTAND VIEWER?

This is combined with the subtle art of people looking into the distance while the same dramatic music is playing. You know, the wistful/yearning/worried look into the distance. Soooo overdone. ANd this is driven along by the female lead who makes decisions because, you know, she has feelings that mean you get more convoluted plot situations. E.g. I don't care if he's a NAzi, I think he's a good person! Etcetcetc. I cna;t kill him in cold blood, even though he's a Na\i directly responsible, and indirectly responsible, for many deaths. I just can't do it. Because my feelings! So I'll just let him go, that way the plot can keep happening!

It's a real shame because the politics and the story that underpin this show are both brilliant and don't need the cheap devices that are constantly on display. I watch it in the background at work (don't ask), there's no way I could sit and watch this otherwise.

Gangs of London (2020– )

Fab first series-2nd series is ridiculous

[5/10 · 11 May 2023]

As mentioned, the first serious is ultra violent and entertaining fun and crime fluff.

There was a tight and well contained story line that made sense (well in a fantasy world) and people acted like human beings i.e. They're not superheroes.

However the second series resembles that Matrix after the first film. I'm guessing that just like the Matrix, the writers ran out of ideas so they just keep flinging them against a wall in the hope they'll stick, and then add even more extreme violence because hey why not it's criminals.

Seriously, the amount of double crossing, triple crossing, I think there's even a quadruple cross (seriously!), then (spoiler alert) main characters coming back (ooh they're not dead) combined with some highly unrealistic violence has made the show something I just have on in the background. Spoiler alert-the slender female boss of the Kurdish terrorists takes on 3 or 4 burly men all by herself and kicks their butts.

It's just stupid mindless violence that is now so common it loses it's impact while it's gone to ridiculous fantasy levels of unreality. Shame.

In from the Cold (2022)

Bad fight scenes/sloppy narrative structure

[4/10 · 29 January 2023]

Having watched the first episode I have to say that the premise is interesting but the execution is poor which is usually the way with Netflix.

You're basically looking at The Long Kiss Goodnight but a lot longer (which isn't necessary), with Sci fi and lesbian/equal rights stuff added.

The thing is, these Netflix shows try and spin out a basic premise over multiple episodes with unnecessary and boring filler. This shows up in flashbacks and long exposition scenes that add nothing but make sure the show really drags. Oh yeah and why is there ALWAYS a boring subplot featuring a precocious teenage daughter in modern shows:):) Please stop.

Allied to this we have the age old problem of action scenes that are incredibly stilted and unrealistic as well as badly choreographed. You know, a skinny woman beats up men much larger than her etcetc. Do me a favour and watch the fight scenes in any Blade film that feature Wesley Snipes. Look at the precision and power and sheer bone crunching aspect of it. Then watch these fight scenes. Yeah, exactly.

Devotion (II) (2022)

Looks stunning, boring/hackneyed story

[6/10 · 21 January 2023]

First off-this film must have cost a lot of money to make. The aerial footage is fantastic. Beautifully filmed and am assuming there is a lot of CGI in the combat stuff but you really can't tell at all.

Where it does fall down is the story and the mapping out of the plot/characters. It's a fine art to craft a story where you get to care about the characters AND get drawn into the action. Sadly this film misses this goal. I don't know why, you just don't really care about any of them, even the central character. It just feels like they've stolen a bunch of ideas/tropes from other films and chucked then in in an effort to get you to connect. It all feels strangely detached.

Still, it's decent enough to pass the time, and if you're a fan of aerial footage then it's definitely worth it.

Have to say that I could have done with a lot more combat/plane footage-must be expensive to do it though!

P.s. There is some ridiculous stuff like a soldier seeing thet there's a black pilot as the plane flies past at 300mph+. Come oooooon.

Oh yeah and at the end in order to have a plot they have a crash landing that drives the next dramatic scene. Why the hell did they land the plane?!?!?! Just bail out ffs!

Queen of the South (2016–2021)

Amateurish and silly

[4/10 · 17 January 2023]

So I stopped watching this after a while, not sure why I just lost interest. I started watching the various Narcos episodes. Came back to watch Season 3 (not sure I made it that far anyway) and am done for good. I know it's entertainment but next to Narcos it's just damn silly and far fetched.

The first episode of Season 3 has an assassination attempt where the main character is warned about a massive bomb chucked into a cafe by people running away and screaming 5 seconds before anything happens. Then she escapes car loads of.machine gun toting assassins somehow. It's just dumb. When characters are protected by plot armour forcefield then literally anything dumb can happen so what's the point in watching? All those machine gun toting people in cars (more than 10?) could have just walked in and shot her but nooooooo let's not do that.

I remember why I stopped watching now. It's just a bit rubbish really...

Only Murders in the Building (2021– )

Martin Short (just) saves this from awful Gomez

[6/10 · 16 October 2022]

This show is an excellent effort at updating the whodunit genre with modern sensibilities, story telling and settings.

But.... Serena Gomez is AWFUL and every time she's on screen she manages to completely take you out of the story. Her delivery is monotone and wooden. Her face doesn't move due to a lot of botox and most of the time she sounds half asleep. Imagine Lana del Ray acting and this is what you get. Seriously, she is absolutely awful and it really brings the show down.

Martin Short is brilliant at being Martin Short and he really manages to save this.

Steve Martin's character could be played by just about anyone but he still does a decent job.

The plot is nothing too amazing, it's just nice and engaging and worth a watch if you can get over the dead eyed frozen faced half asleep nihilistic hipster delivery of Gomez.

House of the Dragon (2022– )

Pretty poor all round...

[3/10 · 23 August 2022]

Like many I approached this prequel with some trepidation and with an open mind.

The issues for me are: 1) Same plot as the original GOT. A flawed but decent enough king is totally blind to the naked and raw ambition of close family members despite trusted advisers warning him about it. The evil character then acts in an evil manner but hey, it's ignored because....plot.

2) Poor casting. The King, the Matt Smith character and the daughter just don't have what it takes. Matt Smith is particularly bad. He's supposed to be malevolent but his voice is high pitched and in some scenes he comes across as a petulant schoolboy. The King has no gravitas whatsoever and the daughter is your normal young performer that isn't very good at acting.

3) Dodgy CGI-it looks very fake sometimes.

4) The daughter has all the hallmarks of a Mary Sue. Time will tell but I don't think I'm going to be proved wrong.

Suburgatory (2011–2014)

Why watch someone you actively hate?

[3/10 · 20 July 2022]

I suppose it makes sense for sophisticated city dwellers to laugh at the rather nasty premise of this show of a culturally superior urbanite hating suburban living.

If you want to watch a show about a snarky, mean and condescending character sneer at stuff then knock yourself out.

Happy Endings: Happy Rides (2012)

No one has ever reviewed this great show??!!

[8/10 · 20 July 2022]

Am absolutely baffled.

Watched it years ago and thought it was clever, funny, silly and very well written. No idea why it didn't do better (a lot like Better off Ted?) and deserves to be revisitied.

The Terminal List (2022– )

Similar revenge storyline expertly repackaged

[8/10 · 5 July 2022]

Wasn't really expecting much from this but I was pleasantly surprised.

A show like this which is well shot and well written really does stand out from the cheaper versions of the same product.

It's an extremely well written emotional story wrapped within a familiar revenge wrapper that surprised me by really pulling at the heartstrings.

The overall conspiracy is very interesting indeed and different to the normal by the numbers efforts.

Chris Pratt and the supporting cast are all excellent, the action scenes are very well choreographed and the cinematography is great too.

Like all revenge stories you have to suspend belief a bit at the amazing escapes/lack of shooting ability by the enemy that allows the story to progress but that's a small gripe. Yes believability is stretched but it's not too ridiculous either. If you're watching something like this then you expect certain elements like this but at no point does it make you shout "Oh come ON, really??!!" at the tv like in other shows!

The only minus point I can think of is the Constance Wu character. Yes her character does serve a purpose but by the end I was getting really annoyed with her. I can't articulate why, but the final scene at the end where she tries to reason with Reese made me want to punch her. As he expertly says, the baddie put themselves on the battlefield. I suppose Wu is supposed to be the 'voice of reason' but she is just following familiar lazy tropes at this point which state that if you want revenge then you're just as bad as the people who perpetrated the original evil act.

Ummmm no.

But this is a small gripe, this show is excellent. Well played Amazon. Netflix content is starting to come up a bit short in comparison.

The Boys (2019– )

Season 3-signs of severe regression

[5/10 · 12 June 2022]

First series-fabulous.

Second series-still good but ruined by familiar woke tropes, targets, stereotypes and themes. Starts to look similar to a lot of other bad shows.

Series 3-am watching the 2nd episode and groaning. To explain, I love and hate the first series of True Detective in equal measure. Love it because it's AWESOME. Hate it because it started the trend of TV shows going 'deep' with their storylines. With the main problem being they were nowhere near as well-written and filmed meaning you have to sit through shows that go on and on and on. They might have a great initial premise (the TV show called Colony springs to mind) but they then get bogged down in needless side stories and stupid characters which leads to stupid decisions etc which overly bloats the show. Before you know it you're 3 seasons in, nothing has been resolved because you've drifted from your core premise and there's no signs of.any resolution AT ALL.

Well the Boys is starting to do that. We have a standard quest for a Macguffin, stupid side plots that don't add to anything, standard stereotyped character choices that make no sense ( I know a HUGE secret but I can't/won't tell the person most likely to help because of blahblah so this will keep the plot going for more episodes), and yeah Huey is still an annoyingly wet simp.

The plot needs to start moving along and stop trying to be clever. The main premise is FANTASTIC so can we please simplify things, get people to make logical choices and stop the needless filler. Thanks.

Bosch: Legacy (2022– )

Boring secondary characters take on premium roles....

[3/10 · 1 June 2022]

Bosch is relegated to a supporting role in this poor follow up to the main series.

His daughter's trials as a rookie cop and Honey Chandler's various lawyerly manoeuvrings take centre stage in this series and wow are they BORING.

Maddie (the daughter) is a boring character but that's fine because she never took up too much time in the main series but that's not the case in this one. Actually, the same can be said for Honey Chandler as well. In terms of the latter I got sick of seeing her 'thinking face' or 'concerned face' ALL THE TIME.

Bosch has a plot of his own but in all honesty that's not too brilliant either. So when combined with the fact that boring supporting characters are now main characters with their own boring plots taking centre stage then you have a really boring show. I started forwarding through Honey Chandler's solo scenes after the 4th episode and I can tell you it makes no difference to the plot-you can tell what's happening. Hey, want to see Honey talking to her therapist for 5 minutes? Me neither!

About half way through the series I realised that the true strength of the original series was the diverse supporting cast, their interactions with each other and with the main/sub plots.

This new series is missing all of them (albeit with brief cameos) and it's now clear that they were of core importance to the original series. Without them, Bosch may just be a boring character, and in this new series he is accompanied by two other boring characters from the main show.

This new series ends on a supposed 'cliffhanger' and I won't be bothering to watch what happens next.

Missions (2017– )

Great 1st series, 2nd series descends into well worn cliches and silliness

[5/10 · 28 April 2022]

The subject of my review pretty much says it all.

The first series is brilliant, very atmospheric, beautifully shot with a story that keeps you interested.

The second series starts well too, and the overarching theme regarding what is occurring is pretty interesting too.

However it really stumbles as it descends into typical stupid cliches and plot devices to maintain tension. A robot that goes psycho and 'nobody can stop it. Well you know except that gun you're holding, or how about when she's trapped you just get up and hit her with a rock rather than sitting there mouths agape waiting for her to recover.

And you know, creating drama by making sure that humans don't act as humans would (keeping secrets from each other when there is no reason to do so which causes problems later on, you know the drill) Also, the long thoughtful emotional looks and the overarching 'this is really important stuff' does tend to wear a bit as time goes on.

Still worth a watch but temper your expectations after the first series.