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Without Remorse (2021)
A film school project?
I wanted to like this. I have read all of the original Tom Clancy novels and I expected this to be a deviation, but, it's an obvious PC low budget schlock. The writing and acting are amateurish. The editing is confusing and the plot makes no sense. I guess after seeing how they made Jim Greer a muslim in the Jack Ryan series, I shouldn't be surprised about this muddled mess. They don't even try to make it realistic. A car at the bottom of a river can have its door opened with no effort?
I guess the strategy is to throw a few names around from the novel, even though they don't have any relation to the source material. I wouldn't waste time on this. I wish I hadn't.
Treadstone (2019)
No wonder it was cancelled
I stuck with it for the full ten episodes, but, it wasn't easy. As a fan of Tom Clancy, I was roped into this series, but, like the Jack Reacher series, it had nothing to do with his novels. Moreover, the writing and acting was simplistic and amateurish. The plot lines were confusing and not believable. It was nearly impossible to follow. It didn't help that the two male stars looked very similar. You weren't sure which one you were following. To me, the best part of the series was Emilia Schule. She is eye candy to the nth degree. I'm surprised she isn't in more mainstream movies. I also liked the Korean girl, although her martial arts skills were tremendously exaggerated and not realistic.
The writers must have been rushed or doing their first project. This is definitely not Sopranos or Breaking Bad quality, not even Jessica Jones. I assume it was written to target the YA audience. I don't recommend investing ten hours watching this.
Edit: Just to emphasize the poor writing quality, they can't even spell Colombia correctly. Imagine how bad the rest of this was researched.
Challenger: The Final Flight (2020)
Very emotional
I was riveted by this documentary. I reject the criticisms leveled by some reviewers that it dealt too heavily on the families and the impact that it had on them. I was in tears several times, especially in the fourth segment. My only wish is that there was more told about the placing of responsibility at Thiokol and NASA. I found Mulloy and his boss to be somewhat arrogant and non-repentant.
This was a very well done piece of work.
Momo: The Sam Giancana Story (2011)
Facts? We don't need no stinkin' facts.
Who researched this? Giancana participated in the St. Valentine's day massacre? Sam shot Torrio? Was he Zellig or Forest Gump. None of these assertions have been verified. That Loyola professor's rug was worse than John Travolta's.
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
Didn't they have any young actors in 1970?
I enjoyed the movie, and it was certainly the more accurate portrayal of events than the more recent Pearl Harbor, however, the actors were way too old for their roles. A 57 tear old Lieutenant Commander? Many other roles were equally ridiculous.
Knives Out (2019)
Great Old Fashioned Mystery
I had to watch this twice to catch all of the clues, twists and red herrings. This was a great tribute to Agatha Christie. The cast was was a "dream team" and the writing was very tight. I haven't enjoyed a movie like this for many years.
Blindspot (2015)
A blatant rip-off of The Blacklist.
It started well enough, but, quickly devolved into ridiculous episodic stories that strain credulity. It's obvious that they are copying the Blacklist formula, but, they don't have James Spader. I'm ten episodes in and don't know how much longer I can stick with it.
Bad Blood (2017)
So Far So Good
Up till now it's pretty good, but, what accent are the twins using? It sounds like a combination of Russian and Mexican.
Jessica Jones: A.K.A. Everything (2019)
It's probably for the best that it was not renewed
Having seen all thirteen episodes, I feel that it could have been better. I liked season 1. Season 2 was a little bit of a letdown and this season 3 continued the decline. Krysten Ritter is still eye candy, but, the writers have apparently gone on vacation. Rachael Taylor has definitely not improved with age. The series seems to have devolved into an LGBT commercial. An almost insignificant crossover cameo of Luke Cage is thrown in, probably done before the cancellations were announced.
The action was sporadic and there are numerous plot holes. The ending was obviously a setup for a fourth season.
It was watchable, but a tedious at times.
Oh well, sayonaraJessica.
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)
Somewhat Disappointed
I'm not sure where the writers were trying to go with this. I loved the first two movies and was really looking forward to this one, however, I was disappointed with the lack of a plot and the overdrawn fight scenes. It seemed to me that they were time fillers in an effort to extend the movie runtime. Characters were introduced and discarded all along the way. Even the fights themselves did not have the authenticity of the first two movies. They became more like dances.
The Grand Tour: The Colombia Special Part 2 (2019)
Great Comedy and Beautiful Scenery
I am a US ex-patriot living in Colombia and I loved this two parter. The humor of these guys is brilliant. The depictions of Colombia were also great. It is a beautiful country. Top Gear really screwed the pooch when they let these guys get away.
Drive Angry (2011)
Seeing a young Amber Heard makes this worth watching
Okay, so it's bubble gum, but, for a Nicholas Cage movie it's pretty entertaining. Don't look for Casablanca. It's just a pleasant diversion with Amber Heard and William Fichtner eating the scenery. I also liked Todd Farmer (Heard's boyfriend). He had some funny lines. Billy Burke was a little over the top, but, what the hell. Amber should get more exposure (I wish). She's cute and funny. Cage is not as goofy as usual.
It's worth the time.
Ray Donovan: One Night in Yerevan (2015)
Limited Vocabulary
What is the point of Abby using the "F" word in every other sentence?
Other than that, the show has been pretty gripping.
24: Day 3: 10:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. (2004)
Vanessa Ferlito's Face
I'm binging on this series and am currently in season 3. Aside from some logic gaps, I am enjoying it. One thing that distracts me is Vanessa Ferlito's (Claudia) face. She is beautiful but her lips keep changing and her nose has had some surgery that seems a little off, and they keep showing closeups of this.
24 (2001)
Really Good Series, But, Dennis Hopper's Accent was terrible
I just binged the first season. There were a lot of twists and it kept my attention. I downgraded my review by a star for Dennis Hopper's terrible attempted accent.
Final Girl (2015)
A high school writing project?
I struggled through this mess and can't believe how bad it is. The writing is abysmal, the acting amateurish and the girl is not convincing in the fight scenes. Don't waste any time on this.
Altered Carbon (2018)
Netflix Productions Are Overrated
This production is obviously written for the millennial mentality. There are some good actors but, the writing is sophomoric. The plot is extremely thin and the series relies on sci-fi imagery and CGI. Netflix hit a home run with House of Cards, but, there hasn't been a good one since.
Edit: I just saw the ending. It's even worse than I originally thought. Horrible writing and acting.
The Blacklist (2013)
The Forest Gump Of Criminals
Or maybe Zelig? This guy knows every criminal and terrorist in the world. It is very implausible but, I am binge watching it because of Spader. He is the lynchpin of the show. It is an interesting construct with two story arcs. One for the particular episode and the other for the series. The episodic arcs are mostly silly and filled with unlikely logic. The long term arc, however, takes some interesting turns and throws out red herrings.
I'll stick with it.
Car Masters: Rust to Riches (2018)
A poor man's Overhauling
This show is obviously for the people who know nothing about cars. Constant exposition of the phony business model and a model who is portrayed as a "gearhead" are laughable. What little actual car work is seen is basic and sometimes incorrect. When they try to make the girl say something technical, it is wrong or silly. Also, the cast development is obvious - Caveman, the eccentric, the fab whiz and the wheeler dealer. Cartoon characters. They want us to believe that they can support this business by selling a $170,000 car every three or four months?
No wonder this series wasn't picked up.
My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)
Aw Cmon. You never had a crazy girlfriend?
This is funny. It's a great parody of relationship breakups when one of them is nuts. Get serious folks. It's not casablanca.
Torque (2004)
One of my all time most reviled movies
I have a personal hall of fame for turkeys. This is the leader.
Who could possibly be the target audience for this mind numbing clunker?
Paycheck (2003)
6.3? There must be a lot of bots in that figure
Awful. Especially given the cast. The writing was almost incomprehensible and the acting equally bad. This could have been a Leslie Nielsen or Mike Myers parody, it is so improbable.
The Assignment (2016)
A 90 minute Penthouse Forum Letter
How could these renowned actors get roped into this drivel? It's a terrible movie, but, unlike other terrible movies, it has name stars. The budget is listed as $5,000,000. That's not very much to cover their salaries. The writing is third grade level at best. Are Sigourney, Tony Shalhoub, and Michelle Rodriguez this desperate for money?
I cringed through the stilted dialogue and suffered to the end so I could see if there was anything redeeming in this mess. There wasn't.
Jessica Jones (2015)
The writers seem to have run out of ideas
Well, that's 13 hours I won't get back. Season 2 was a huge disappointment. The first six episodes were not bad, but, the plot contrivances and acting got progressively worse up to the end. It seems as if there was a writing staff change midway. The three sub plots had so many logic holes that it is impossible to recount. Maybe the lack of star talent like Rosario Dawson, or a character to play off of like Luke Cage would have helped. If a third season is made, I hope they can rekindle the spark of Season 1.