paul-lloydburrell Reviews

The Contractor (2022)

It's Pretty Good

[6/10 · 2 April 2022]

I'd say this is more of an Amazon Prime level movie, and if you go in with that level of expectation then it's pretty good. Yes, it's nothing new and been done tons of times. Overall, it's a solid movie that should've been picked up by one of the streaming services. I enjoyed it for what it is. A decent thriller with some action, and solid acting. I gave it a 6.8/10.

Reacher (2022– )

Not As Good As Jack Ryan But... It Has Some Entertainment Value

[7/10 · 5 February 2022]

It certainly isn't as good as Amazon Prime's Jack Ryan, or tons of other series with a lower rating than the 8.9 this show currently sits at. To me it feels like the Hallmark channel and FX collaborated on this show. The acting is Hallmark channel level, and the action and cursing is equivalent to something you might see on FX. It is decent enough to watch in its entirety. The Reacher movies are much better, and the thing that keeps this show from being pretty good is the dialogue. It's rather generic, and for someone who mainly only watches streaming and cable tv series, this feels very network like. Outside of the cursing this show could've easily been on FOX.

Mayor of Kingstown (2021– )

This is a very good show.

[8/10 · 11 January 2022]

I don't get the reviews of this series lacking focus. It has a continual linear story that isn't out of focus to me. It has a bit of the Ray Donovan vibe to it, with alot of grit, violence, with street and police politics wrapped in. Its much better than City On A Hill, and is in the league with other top shows of this same genre. At times it plays like a network show, with all the cable language, nudity, and violence. It has a nice progression to the end. There are few down moments in Season 1, and I binged watched it hoping Season 2 gets made. I REALLY liked it, and to me it was very much needed during the pandemic when movies and shows were sparce. I'm very picky when it comes to series, and have watched a ton of them. Shows like Gommorah, Justified, The Shield, The Wire, and Breaking Bad to name a few. I would rate it on the level of Prison Break, but it's a little more hardcore than that show, but just as enjoyable. For those who like crime shows you will enjoy this. This is one of those shows that many of the reviews need to be ignored.

Rogue (2013–2017)

Not Sure Why This Show Has Such Low Ratings

[8/10 · 27 October 2021]

I've watched tons of series, and IMO I don't watch terrible shows. I stay away from network shows for the most part, and mainly only watch cable and streaming series nowadays. I somehow happened to find out about this show a few years ago and at the time it had a rating of about a 6.9. I like Thandie Newton as an actress and because the description seemed up my alley I decided to watch the first episode despite the mixed reviews. I never watch shows rated below a 7.5, never. I liked it immediately, and watched it to the end. It transitioned well to Cole Hauser, and was still pretty good. This show is definitely not a 6.9 for it's genre. The writing, acting, camera work for the most part is very good. Even if the budget wasn't great, it doesn't show. I enjoyed this show as much as 4 Blocks, Condor, Zero Zero Zero, and other shows with higher ratings. I would give it a try if you can still find it, as I believe it was a DirecTV show.

McMafia (2018)

It's subtly good

[8/10 · 27 October 2021]

It doesn't jump out at you, and it isn't the greatest show, but it's quite good. It has the elements of intrigue, danger, thrills, a bit of action, solid dialogue, and it's entertaining. It sort of reminds me of shows like Condor, or the Capture. It doesn't blow you away, but it's binge worthy and entertaining. I've known about this show for a while, and for some reason thought it would be too bland for my taste. I was wrong. For some reason this show and the Night Manager haven't been able to nail down following seasons, when they're top shows and have good ratings and reviews.

I would put this show in the class of The Bodyguard or Rogue which has low ratings but is much better than the ratings suggest. It's not Gomorrah, but it's as good as Zero Zero Zero.

Beckett (2021)

It's not that bad.

[6/10 · 22 August 2021]

The acting at the beginning was stilted and cheesy. Washington isn't a great actor, but he's okay at the right moments. This movie to me would be a great IFC at midnight watch. It's not bad if you go in not knowing anything about it at all. It's a concept that has been done a ton of times and this one is no different. I would recommend it as a watch if you've run out of things to watch, and need something with a bit of thrills. As I said in the title, it's not that bad. This is as good or better than "Those who wish me dead".

Breaking Bad (2008–2013)

Gus Fring made this series something special.

[9/10 · 29 July 2021]

This is a great show like others have said, and my take is that this series has a little bit for everyone. It's a show that the family can sit down and watch together, except children of course. It has the drama, thriller aspects, action, and great writing and dialogue to make this show one that's hard to not like. It's a bit slow, but has a way of only having a few things happen over and hour and yet so much gets accomplished.

But with all that said, for me it was about Gus Fring. Once he entered the series it became a masterpiece. Seasons 3 and 4 may be some of the best work ever done on a cable series. Giancarlo Esposito's performance in this show outshines the rest for me. I'm reviewing this in the middle of season 3 my second go round watching this show.

Brothers by Blood (2020)

It was okay!!

[6/10 · 23 January 2021]

The acting was good, and the production value is solid. Overall it just didn't have much going on, but it wasn't THAT boring. It seemed like it would pick up action wise, but it really didn't. It kind of reminded me of the Drop with Tom Hardy, but just not as good.

American Skin (2019)

This Movie IS NOT A 4.3 / It's in the John Q vein with different subject matter

[7/10 · 15 January 2021]

As I'm writing this review the rating is at a 4.3, that is absolutely ridiculous. I assume the lower ratings are from folks with deep seated issues. It's a unique movie style, and it captures you from the moment it starts. It has a gritty feel similar to a Menace To Society, Boyz in The Hood, or even Set It Off. Even if you don't like the subject matter, there is no way this movie is anything less than a 5 from the most critical reviewer. I've seen WAY worse movies with 6 and 7 ratings. This is a very well made movie and I'm only halfway through it, but had to come here to combat the low ratings which might discourage others from watching. When I initially seen the trailer it looked good, and it is just as good as the trailer depicts. Watch it, because it is powerful and poignant. It's almost a case study of sorts.

Tenet (2020)

Ultimately It's An Adventure

[9/10 · 29 November 2020]

At first I was wondering why the rating of currently 7.8, and even when the movie came out, I was puzzled as to why it seemed many were somewhat down on it. After being halfway through it currently I understand. It would be extremely hard to like in a theater overall probably. Mainly because alot of the dialogue is muffled very badly. I wonder if it was done purposely. It had to be with so much detail put into the movie itself. Also, with a movie of this type it definitely has to be paused or re watched to fully appreciate it's gravity. I tend to think the average viewer isn't too interested in that overall, nor do they want to think at the level this movie requires.

To me it's a masterpiece of cinema for folks who like thinking, thrillers, action, and heist based movies. I'm not so sure the general public is big on those movie types. I say that because movies like The Town which is a GREAT film, has a solid rating, but not as many reviews as other movie types. Inception which was great also had big name recognition to carry it, and I think the female presence helped it in ways Tenet might suffer overall. Some times great art isn't appreciated by the masses, and I think that will be the case with this one. I tend to think it will do very well once it's available for home viewing. I see it as an adventure. It's perfect for what it is.

Time to Hunt (2020)

It's An Engrossing Adventure

[7/10 · 17 November 2020]

I'm about 3/4 of the movie in and I have to say I really like it. It's very different but it kind of reminds me of The Town, one of my favorite movies. I'm into the characters even though it's subtitled for me, and you can feel emotions even though the acting isn't perfect. The villain is scary, the movie is tense, and you really want to see some good come out of the chaos. I'm really enjoying it, and that's what I watch movies for. I seen others complaining about the script, or other nonsense. This idea has been done a ton of times, but rarely executed this well in America for sure. I would definitely recommend this for those who don't mind subtitles, and like tense action / thriller movies.

Fargo (2014–2024)

Season 4 Review

[9/10 · 2 October 2020]

I personally love this series, but had to give my honest review of what I've seen so far with Season 4. The first 2 seasons were great, and season 3 was pretty good IMO. Season 4 seems to be much better than I expected based on the reviews, and now watching it I believe the negative reviews have more to do with personal biases than the actual show itself. It's not bad, but happened to come out during a time in America where folks are seething internally with all kinds of issues, and a show starting like this adds to their nonsensical issues. I read a review who made a statement about how the bank scene could leave someone thinking that is how credit cards were introduced. We all know that ideas have been stolen and as the start of the show said, history is written by the winners. For example the Matrix was written by a black female, but had she not sued and won nobody would believe her if she shouted that from the rooftops. She also gets no public credit for it but has been compensated. I have no idea if the credit card scenario happened with other people, but the idea could have been presented in this manner and been stolen like so many other things. Even if they took license, the fact that a person would write a review with that being a gripe, and even making it clear he needs to be pc and didn't want to speak his mind let's you know where his "issues" lie. Why can't folks just watch shows and not be hung up on race, and try to use other reasons to mask what is clearly there.

That being said, season 4 is strange somewhat like all the other seasons. I can tell it is going to be pretty good, but many may miss this season based on reviews of small minded folks, or fake movie critics hiding being prejudice. It doesn't start off with a huge bang, but in no ways is this a bad season at all. It is in line with the other seasons, and I would hope folks would stick around to enjoy it. This is not Altered Carbon season 2, which was so bad I couldn't finish the first episode. I'm a black dude, who mainly watches shows that have great quality. I don't get hung up on all the stuff other folks seem to I guess, and if it's good to me I'll watch it. I've seen and enjoyed (Sons of Anarchy, Justified, Fringe, The Shield, The Wire, Altered Carbon, Game Of Thrones, Breaking Bad, The Night Manager, Luther, Line of Duty, Gomorrah, Strike Back, La Casa De Papel, The Killing, The Boys, Bosch, Goliath, Heroes, 24, Prison Break, Boss, Power, and tons more. If I say this season is solid it's solid. Forget the reviews of small minded folks unless your small minded also. Just my take.

The Capture (2019– )

Exceptional Series

[8/10 · 29 July 2020]

I'm not a normal reviewer, but watch tons of shows. This is a very good whodunnit type show with government agencies involved. It's in the vein of a show like Condor, or a bit similar to Line of Duty but a bit more Americanized IMO. For people who watch tons of shows and need something new to watch, I would definitely recommend it. I was already sad by episode 4, that because of the current climate of things there may be a delay for a second season. Haven't even finished the series yet, and I really like it alot.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Not that bad

[7/10 · 10 January 2013]

I myself don't find this movie was that bad at all. I don't quite understand why people are so against torture of these terrorists. These guys would not show us any mercy when delivering their attacks, and if we want to get relevant info from them we need to use any means necessary to do so. That's only my opinion. I thought the movie was pretty good, mostly because it's based on real events, and the object is to find Bin Laden who I've been told is the man we need to get. I would agree with another reviewer, that a lot of the names thrown out during interrogations could've had more character development, mainly cause it was hard to follow who was who. I got the gist of it, but that was a complaint that I had while watching. Overall a decent Hollywood make of a real event. I'm sure there are plenty of holes, and embellishments, but I'm just a regular movie watcher not a critic in any way other than, was it entertaining or not. I enjoyed it, was engaged, although I initially didn't want to watch it cause of the negative reviews. It felt like watching a movie and not a documentary, which is what I wanted, with factual events.