Windrider6 Reviews

Time for Love (1935)

A sad reflection on past attitudes

[2/10 · 24 May 2024]

In its time, in 1935, I'm sure that the overwhelmingly "white" audience was very appreciative of this video. Now is considered offensive, due to the colours of the swans & the obvious comparison to "colours" of humans. It validated the attitudes of the time of white people regarding people who were not "white". Depicted is a non-white male seducing a white female away from a white male, then abusing her. Then the white female returns to the white male for protection, and he beats up and triumphs over the dark male. This fit in with both the fears and fantasies of white men of that time. They were envious and fearful of dark coloured men, thinking (right or wrong), that they would lose their women to them.

Stargate SG-1: Solitudes (1998) Season 1, Episode 17

The first address doesn't work, so what do you do?

[4/10 · 7 October 2023]

The first address Carter "dials" doesn't work, so what does Carter do? Try the same address repeatedly. Then assume that when it doesn't work, there is something wrong with the dialing device or the Stargate. For some reason, it never occurs to Carter to try to "dial" ANY OTHER ADDRESS into the Stargate to go to any other world. The story line does not allow this, because the writers didn't know how to get from that logical point, to the end point of the story they are writing. I think that they could have if they really tried, but perhaps were under time constraints. I really hope that they were not just stupid or lazy.

Eureka (2006–2012)

Great writing and stories, if you don't know/care about real science

[6/10 · 21 September 2023]

Watching this again 15 years later, I am reminded what an entertaining show it was, but also why I didn't have much patience with it back during its first run. It is frustrating to anyone who understands any real science because it contains a lot of pseudo-science gobble-de-gook. This science fiction TV show was written for those who like science, but who don't understand it.

The story-lines are entertaining, and we connect with and feel for the characters. The writing is great in that respect. But ... the stupid science and logic!

• Sound-waves disrupting radio waves (impossible)
• Special "invisible" wavelengths of light being visible (illogical), and then being transmitted by every single light bulb in Eureka (impossible)
• A stable miniature "sun" 1000 feet off the ground (impossible on both counts)
• Humans being in another dimension where you can't touch anything, but the floors and elevator are solid to you (illogical)
• Trees growing from seedlings to full grown in seconds (impossible)
• A satellite transmitting an undefined "signal" that affects organic brains (impossible)
• A Eureka doomsday device is abandoned intact (not disabled_, and all information about it was redacted/removed/deleted (illogical)
• A localized field/phenomenon in a laboratory has massive effects throughout Eureka, despite there being no connection (illogical), this append several times.

• A scientist (with the full knowledge of their superiors), grows bioengineered plants in an open field that is supposed to produce a pollen that has an anasthetic affect, yet no one anticipates or understands the effects of that pollen on the population of Eureka (illogical, stupid).

• Many other science or logic breaking story points ...

Every episode is based on one or more of Eureka's projects (official or personal), that go haywire creating a crisis. Somehow, non-genius Sheriff Carter has a hand in fixing/resolving almost every single crisis. When the science answer comes along to resolve the crisis, it is best for the viewer to turn off the science part of their brain.

LA Fire and Rescue: The Real Baywatch (2023) Season 1, Episode 3

Racial segregation in the LAFD?

[3/10 · 10 July 2023]

In this episode, we see that Station 172 appears to consist only of black men. Throughout the rest of the episode, we do not see any black people in any of the other stations. This is very troubling.

Is racial segregation a reality in the LAFD, or are the makers of this TV show intentionally portraying the LAFD this way? Maybe they are trying to appeal to black people by showing a supposedly all-black fire station?

I find it very difficult to believe that the LAFD are segregating their members like this. I hope not.

This TV show is not helping to unify people by depicting LAFD fire stations as black or not-black.

Fantasy Island: #Happy (2023) Season 2, Episode 7

Oh nooooo

[2/10 · 26 February 2023]

This episode was great except for the nightmare scenes and the introduction of more bad things to come.

Before this episode, the show was mostly positive and made the watcher feel good. Now, apparently, a "storm" is coming of bad things in the show.

Why couldn't the positivity have continued? Is an emotionally positive TV show such an impossible concept? Have we become so inundated with expecting "bad things", that we cannot enjoy a feel-good TV show that has great production?

I'm not sure that I want to watch any more episodes, since it is clear to me that negative elements will outweight/overcome the positive elements for the next several episodes.

FBI: International: Glimmers and Ghosts (2023) Season 2, Episode 12

The pseudo-science is strong with this one

[3/10 · 16 February 2023]

Ridiculous science!

This fictional FBI has a magic computer algorithm (program), that takes a voice and turns it into a face. Apparently, the magic computer knows how far apart a person's eyes are based on the sound of their voice! Then they use that magically created face in facial recognition to identify the suspect.

The fake science in this episode makes it clear why the average person is so gullible in the real world when it comes to science. The average person "learns" more about science from fiction than from real life.

Other than that, this episode features a standard theme of someone getting revenge on former spies.

Little House on the Prairie: The Werewolf of Walnut Grove (1980) Season 6, Episode 14

Great episode, but repeating themes already done

[5/10 · 29 January 2023]

This is a good episode highlighting the misbehavior and bullying by an older boy of a female teacher. Then he is "taught a lesson" in good behavior by his fellow students when they "beat him up". It is also very familiar. It took me awhile, but I found the previous episodes of this TV show that have very similar elements to this one.

S02E17 "Troublemaker", where older boys misbehave in school, causing the teacher to be fired. Then the boys are ultimately shamed into good behavior by the other students.

S03E09 "The Bully Boys", where the youngest of three bully brothers, bullies several children, then gets "beat up" by all of the children.

The Pretender: Island of the Haunted (2001 TV Movie)

It was an interesting series, then ...

[5/10 · 29 January 2023]

This movie, the last "episode" of The Pretender TV series, disappoints. It and the previous movie had the chance to resolve the various mysteries left open by the TV show, but failed to do so. Not only that, but it created new mysteries that will never be resolved. The result is that the series ended in chaos. Some aspects of this and the previous movie are ridiculous, like invoking communications from the dead, which does not fit in with this series at all. This movie (and the previous one), also lacked most of the appeal of the TV series; The Pretender with his pretends. His pretends are almost missing from this last movie.

Fantasy Island: Paymer vs. Paymer (2023) Season 2, Episode 3

The episode matches with the theme, but one actor ruined it for me

[6/10 · 17 January 2023]

I like this TV series. It gives me an excuse to believe in magic for a little while. This episode, on the face of it is great, but there was a specter throughout it for me. I suppose that the actor James Denton probably has done a lot work, but after 20+ years, I still cannot separate him from the character of "Mr. Lyle", from "The Pretender" (1996). James Denton portrayed the serial killer Mr. Lyle very well. The character fooled a lot of people with his sincere but manipulative behavior. Throughout this episode of "Fantasy Island", I kept expecting that everything that James Denton's character said and did would lead to something horrible.

Chicago Fire: All-Out Mystery (2022) Season 11, Episode 6

Good story, disappointingly wrong details

[4/10 · 3 November 2022]

As usual, I liked the story. The overall story line is great. I really wish that the makers of the show had paid more attention to the details. The first one below is just plain ludicrous which only stupid people would miss. The second one some people might miss, but if they had never used such a device. Most lower-income people HAVE used this device.

Humorously Stupid: Applying a blood pressure cuff just above the wrist, over shirt and coat sleeves. That would be ludicrously ineffective.

False: "The timer couldn't have been set more than 5 minutes before the blast." That type of timer is a cheap type of electrically driven clock which mechanically switches the power on and off. It can be set to perform a switch up to 23 hours before.

Quantum Leap (2022–2024)

Obvious where the first season is going

[7/10 · 15 October 2022]

An interesting continuation of the original series. The connections to the original series is absolutely necessary for this show.

Ben's goal is obviously to rescue Sam Beckett. Where and when is uncertain, but we can be sure that Ben Song and Janis Calavicci have planned it. There will be trials and tribulations along the way, we can be sure.

Eventually (at the end of season 1), we will see Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula). Ben will talk to him. Maybe Ben and Addison will give Sam some information about 2022 before Sam heroically (or tragically), gives his life to save Ben.

Then, so there are more seasons of this TV show, Ben Song cannot be brought back home, just like Sam Beckett, before him. Something mysterious interferes.

Chronofilm (2020– )

Mish-mash of a bunch of garbage, with bad cinematography

[1/10 · 3 July 2022]

Given the description, I had hopes for this show, but it failed to come through.

Horrible cinematography seems to be the focus, along with random scene changes, a hint of conspiracy, and then the time travel is given a bit of time.

The grid of images that shows up time and again has no purpose. The intentionally video "glitchy" scene changes are annoying. The story lines are fragmented, with none given any depth.

Cry Macho (2021)

Pretty good movie, but you have to be a fan of Clint Eastwood

[7/10 · 3 July 2022]

I've generally like Clint Eastwood's movies, and I guess he's entitled to a last hurrah, but this was a little much to ask his fans to believe. We have to take a 90 year old man breaking horses and punching people out with a grain of salt, or humor.

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012)

Not really Universal Soldier

[2/10 · 19 June 2022]

I don't think that this story was written with Universal Soldier in mind, and when you watch it, you have to give up any idea that there will be any consistency with the Universal Soldier idea. Someone decided that to sell the movie, they should tack "Universal Soldier" onto the title, and pay Van Damm to stand in for a half dozen shots. Given the face paint, it was easy to have a stand-in for Van Damm for all the action scenes.

Meteor Moon (2020)

Nothing realistic in this movie's plot, logic, or science

[1/10 · 29 May 2022]

Everyone involved in the making of the movie must have decided that movie viewers are stupid and would be content with CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), and action to keep people entertained. They may be right for some of the viewers.

Moonfall (2022)

Entertaining if you don't understand science

[4/10 · 25 April 2022]

The special effects/computer generated graphics is good. Apparently the makers thought that this would be enough to make up for the lack of originality in the plot, and lack of real science exhibited. The last half of this movie is a farce, with little of real-world science that was actually predicted (mostly) properly in the first half of the movie. So not only is this movie inconsistent with science reality, it is internally inconsistent. I rate it as 4 stars because the CGI and action is entertaining.

Superman & Lois: 30 Days and 30 Nights (2022) Season 2, Episode 9

Disappointing

[6/10 · 11 April 2022]

It's sad when people don't think being a drug dealer is as bad as causing the high school football team to cancel their season. I refuse to believe that being a drug dealer is "not that bad".

Doors (I) (2021)

Existential garbage or intelligent fiction?

[3/10 · 4 March 2022]

Some people like movies that are slow moving, existential reality questioning. Not me.

I watched the whole thing and hoped all along for something to make sense. It never did.

Chaos Walking (2021)

An interesting idea not utilized enough

[7/10 · 9 February 2022]

The "noise" in this movie is an original interesting phenomenon idea in Science Fiction. Its effect on the first community in the movie was explored a bit, but shallowly. Just enough to introduce chaos, dissent, murder.

Then we see another community in the same situation, but who are peaceful. We never see, or are told, why these communities react differently to the same situations. We are lead to believe that the difference is only personalities, without details.

We are not suppose to see that. We are supposed to focus on the two main protagonists, and their struggle to survive, with a bit of humour thrown in due to the "noise". And some sexual tension.

By the way, I thing it is obvious that the title of the movie should have been, "The Noise".

Time Loop (2019)

An interesting sidebar in the complexities of time travel and paradox

[8/10 · 27 January 2022]

The idea of fate and intentions are explored to explain the paradoxes of time travel.

This young protagonist is confused about why things are happening as they are, as he goes through overlapping time loops. We are bewildered along with him as we follow his personal linear journey through several time loops, later loops creating conditions that explain events seen in the previous loops. Causality is working backwards in time.

Since we see events from the point of view of the time traveler, it can be difficult to interpret things in the plain, ordinary timeline as viewed by all the other characters.

The Family Man (2000)

Good movie, except for the end

[3/10 · 21 December 2021]

Maybe there are a few men out there who would appreciate having a realistic dream of having such a family, but not really have that family. They might be the only ones who would like the end of this movie.

This was a good movie, but then the end was disappointing.

Jack's confusion with his situation is entertaining and occasionally humorous. Then we see him grow into his family, which is awesome and wholesome.

But then it is all taken away. His kids "Annie" and "Josh" never existed, and all that is left is him trying to reconnect to the woman who might of been their mother, 13 years too late.

La Brea (2021–2024)

It could have been good

[2/10 · 27 October 2021]

The time travel displacement of modern people into the far past was interesting and great. It could have produced a lot of entertainment by itself.

The writers/producers/sponsors are unable to work with only that framework. It is necessary for them to introduce secrets, conspiracies, magic, and fatally aggressive previous time travelers.

The show COULD have been good.

The Rookie: In the Line of Fire (2021) Season 4, Episode 3

Oh no, not again

[6/10 · 15 October 2021]

The background music had been toned down for awhile for the TV show, but here again with this episode, the music and lyrics was intrusive enough to make dialog incomprehensible at times. The fact that the music is targeted to people younger than the audience of this show also still bothers me.

Otherwise it was an entertaining episode.

Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. (2021–2023)

Only good for vapid teenagers

[2/10 · 9 September 2021]

The target audience is clearly 18 years-old and under. Extreme medical heroics and jargon from a 16 year-old to impress that audience, then simplistic teenage clichés to appeal to them.

Connecting this show to "Doogie Howser, M. D." in any way was a mistake because it brought the attention of adults like myself who were fans of the original show. The original show had appeal to a wider age range, since it did not focus primarily on teenage banality.

Breakaway (2011)

I liked this movie, even though I'm not a fan of hockey

[9/10 · 24 August 2021]

When I started watching this movie, I was in a bad mood, with the world around me getting me down. Thankfully I got absorbed in the movie, and by the end, was feeling much better.

I enjoyed watching the culture combination of Indian-Punjab-Sikh and Canadian. Family values and family conflicts often remain the same, no matter the culture.

Yes, it has some stereotypical/cliched story lines, but it was enjoyable, and had a refreshingly different & interesting culture from the standard white culture of North America.