obtuseangle65 Reviews

Nash Bridges (2021 TV Movie)

I Had High Hopes For This

[1/10 · 15 January 2024]

I watched this when it aired twice in the same evening back in late 2021. Yes, I watched it both times that evening (believe it or not).

When one considers all of the suggestions made by longtime fans in the year+ prior, you would think it would have rubbed off on the production and the writers. Serious fans of the original Nash Bridges were making all kinds of suggestions regarding the characters that they would like to see return, suggestions in character development, with an overall concern for the evolution of the show.

Where was Cassidy? Even a 5 minute cameo would have scored a lot of points with fans of the original show. (you know they tried to get Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, she probably saw what a train wreck it was and turned it down).

Longtime fans didn't forget that Joe and Inger had a baby daughter. What happened to her? She would have been in her early 20s now, and could have been a new character in the show. No mention of her at all.

In fact, where was Inger? Just a quick mention that Joe was now divorced and that's it.

And poor Jeff Perry.....the only other original actor here besides Don and Cheech, and they had to turn Harvey into a freaked-out eccentric old man. Why not just bring back the cool laid back Deadhead that he was on the original show?

Don't even get me started on the new characters that were introduced here. EVERY one of them pathetic at best. There was absolutely no chemistry at all. Unnecessary profanity, and the opening sex scene was so pathetic I almost stopped watching then and there.

Yes, I had very high hopes for this to succeed and come back as a series. But no way was this going to bring back the series. It was obvious that it was nothing more than a quick paycheck for Don and Cheech.

Special Forces: World's Toughest Test (2023– )

A Low Point for Carli Lloyd (and everyone else involed)

[1/10 · 13 August 2023]

Wow, after watching Carli Lloyd's excellent commentary of the FIFA Women's World Cup games this summer (2023), I happened to be channel surfing one night and caught of few minutes of this drivel. What an awful reality show for all involved. You know what they say in Hollywood: "Reality Show = Non-Reality". Actually, they don't say that in Hollywood, but I say that. You know why these celebs are involved in something like this: for the PAYCHECK.

What's the point of this show? To create fantasy outcomes of what one might experience if they were going through this rigorous training? It's all a big fake fantasy, in that insidious reality show fashion. It's really bad, and I'm sorry that I had to see Carli Lloyd involved in this.

Vanishing Son (1995)

An Interesting Short-lived Series

[9/10 · 11 May 2022]

I remember watching the Vanishing Son movies in 1994 and then this series in early 1995. I was certain at the time that Russell Wong was on his way to superstardom, he was brilliant in this role. When the series abruptly ended, I was frankly shocked. Although Wong seems to have been fairly active to this day, his profile was never as high as it was with Vanishing Son. I managed to tape one episode that featured the great James Hong as a Chinatown Boss. The premise may not have been the most original, but it was quite entertaining at the time, though I suspect it might look terribly dated in 2022. I'm sure some of the episodes or the 1994 movies have popped up on YouTube by now, and I recommend watching them.

Worth noting is that Jan Hammer composed the music for this series, and he did a great job. That was one aspect that kept me interested in watching the series at the time.

Taxi: Vienna Waits (1981) Season 4, Episode 2

An Odd Taxi Episode from 1981

[7/10 · 13 March 2017]

I saw this episode for the first time on ME TV in March 2017. Strange, as I was a BIG fan of Taxi during its run (my high school years) and thought that I had seen every episode. This one from October 1981 was odd. Evidently, Jeff Conaway was out of the picture for good, and in fact, most of the cast was absent for most of this episode. I won't get into specifics, other than to say that I personally felt that Judd Hirsch did not shine too brightly in this episode but Marilu Henner DID. Alex seemed so over-the-top down on himself for a guy on a European vacation, almost to the point of suffering from manic depression. Marilu Henner was stunning, more than she usually was in a typical Taxi episode. Her outfits were beautiful, and she played the part of a young single lady on a vacation through Europe very well. While it was obvious that they were not really on location in Europe, Henner's acting and presence compensated for that. Alex seemed too whiny and self-analytical to be taken seriously.

All through this episode, bits of Billy Joel's "Vienna" played along with views of European landscapes. Maybe in 1981 it seemed cool, but it looks really corny now. Still, I recommend this episode for Marilu Henner (Elaine) in a wonderful shining moment, and perhaps for one of the very few times that Judd Hirsch (Alex) stumbled.