Change Your Image
fitwrite
Reviews
Evil Kin (2013)
Every Other Scene Change Shakes Like an Earthquake
Here we go again, yet another show with really stupid gimmicks. I've seen two episodes of "Evil Kin," and the second one had the dumb gimmick. The show's been airing since 2013, so presumably the shaking is either old or new (I didn't catch the date of the one with the shaking). Nearly every other scene change begins with the scene rapidly shaking up and down, accompanied by a static-like noise. It's as though the cameraman is having a seizure. This wasn't occasional. It was nearly every scene change, and there were a lot of scene changes (the one about the Ranes brothers). It got so bad I was getting motion sickness and decided to just close my eyes and listen to the story. Shame on the director. Why can't you just present the story in a no-nonsense fashion? What's with the absurd shaking before each new scene? This is incredibly stupid and I won't be watching "Evil Kin" again.
Fatal Vows (2012)
The Clowny Music and Posing on a Stage
For anyone seeing "Fatal Vows" for the first time, they may wonder if this is a serious crime documentary or some fictitious story -- the moment they begin hearing the ridiculous music. There's this drummy music, the kind you might hear in a love scene on a sitcom. Then there's the other kind of music, the kind that's associated with stripping. Both runs of music are entirely out of synch with a true life murder story. It's so sappy I've decided to stop watching "Fatal Vows." I'm also not sure about the overly-inserted commentary by the two psychologists. Most of what they say is already known by any viewer with basic common sense. Finally, the posing sequences on a stage, by the key "characters" in the crime, is ridiculous. It's as though the director can't make up his mind about whether the story is a true tragedy or some fictional comedy.
Grave Mysteries (2017)
Very Annoying Jumping Screen Every Time There's a Scene Change
I'm done watching "Grave Mysteries" for only this one reason: Every time the scene cuts to a new scene, the TV image jumps as though the tape is being abruptly cut, and it's accompanied by a brief static-like sound. What doofus thought this was a good idea? Why can't we just leave out the stupid gimmicks and present the show in a no-nonsense way? The image-jumps occur so often (the show very frequently switches scenes, as would be expected for a murder docudrama), that I practically get motion sickness just watching. There is absolutely NO reason whatsoever why this jump must occur at all, nada, zero, NO reason -- other than the director getting off on dumb gimmicks.
Snapped (2004)
Get Rid of the "Coming Up" Spoilers
For the 2018 season (possibly 2017), even though this show has been going since 2004, the producers (Sharon Martin?) decided to fix something that was NOT broken. Before each commercial break the new narrator says, "Coming Up," and a fraction of a second later begins revealing spoilers. Sometimes I'm caught off guard and can't hit the mute fast enough. Other times there are false alarms -- I think the "Coming Up" is coming due to a pause in the narration, but then the show continues. This is no way to enjoy a show. What do the producers think, that viewers can't wait the duration of a commercial break to see what happens next? That they have to have the "Coming Up" previews? I mean, is it like viewers hear "Coming Up" and think, "Oh Oh Oh, Gotta see what's coming up!" even though in three minutes they'll find out? How stupid do the producers/directors think viewers are? This "Coming Up" nonsense is on the verge of being a deal breaker for what was once a very good show. It is SOOO insulting to intelligence.
As for the previous review stating that this show contains content that's difficult for her friends to watch ... this show is actually quite mild compared to some of the stuff that's on the ID Channel. It can be predictable, but the "whodunnit" aspect is not supposed to be part of the show. We all know whodunnit. What's interesting is HOW the detectives figure it out. This show was a hit before the stupid "Coming Up" spoilers. Why fix what wasn't broken?
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)
Um, Why Do the Boy Actors Wear Red Lipstick?
This has bothered me like mad since day one: Whoever does makeup for this show puts red lipstick on the lips of any male actor under 18. Their lips are redder than the women! It's way overdone and looks absolutely ridiculous. I sure hope the director and makeup people of "Law and Order SVU" read this. Why is it necessary to make the lips of a 9 year old boy red? Now I don't mean as red as Marilyn Monroe's, but it is SOOOOOOO obvious they have reddish-pink lipstick on. Little girls on the show wear much less lipstick, and any male over 18 has nothing visible on his lips.
Next ... what's happened to the Olivia Benson character? She's gotten "softer" and a little more psychologically vulnerable. Yet Fin is as tough-as-nails as ever. Double standard: Gotta soften up the women. In the episode where the female lawyer murders her kids and husband, Olivia is shedding tears. After 20 years on the job, she's suddenly doing this, when she has dealt with equally heinous crimes all along without such a reaction.
The writers would have never had Olivia crying over a crime and hugging another crying female detective (Rollins) back in the early years of the series or even five years ago.
But now her voice quivers and sometimes cracks, and she just doesn't have that steeliness.
Fin, who's at least as old as Olivia, still gets rough-n-tough with suspects, but Olivia has been downgraded. I guess Hollywood STILL isn't ready for woman who's both middle aged and tough.
The writers had Stabler beating the crap out of men twice his size, yet won't write a scene where Olivia decks a guy. She did this maybe in one episode years ago. If Stabler can be superhuman, why can't the women be in a scene where they kick butt?
Oh, it's because of Noah, I'm sure. The whole thing with Noah is just so out of synch with the show.
Roseanne (1988)
Jackie Is the Most Annoying TV Character.
I want to focus on Jackie. Laurie Metcalf can certainly pull off drama (e.g., episode when she was beaten by boyfriend), but she stinks at comedy. She just doesn't have a natural "funnyness" about her like Roseanne Barr and Sara Gilbert have. Even DJ when very young had a natural comicalness about him. But Metcalf -- most of her scenes are WAY over the top, overdone, and excessive. She's like the Rose Nyland of "Roseanne," in that the writers do not know when to stop with her.
Jackie is NOT funny. And the consistent draping of her knockout body with baggy clothes three times too big just looks silly. It worked with Bea Arthur (to shield her plump middle) but Laurie Metcalf has a very fit toned body even TODAY, yet the show has her continuing to wear very unflattering attire as in the earlier series.
Clothes aside, this woman gets too many lines and is not funny. The writers need to do a better job with her and cut out all the excessive lines. When she starts up I fast-forward.
Again, there were some instances in the earlier series where her dramatic acting scored (e.g., scene where she and Roseanne are arguing over Jackie's drinking). But comedy? She fails.
I also want to add that the girl who plays Mary Anne absolutely cannot pass for the daughter of DJ and his wife. Why didn't they cast a biracial girl? At first I thought she was adopted. In real life a person of DJ's and his wife's skin tone would not have a child so dark.
Overall I'm giving the REBOOT five stars. There's too much flip flopping back and forth between serious lines and comedy. It's not cleverly done like it was in the original series. The original had some reality to it. The reboot is bordering on farce. If this keeps up it won't last.
Murder Comes to Town (2014)
Good Series Except for the Narrator's Mispronounced Words
This is a good crime docudrama, but it's hard to tune out the narrator when you have to listen to him. The series has had more than one narrator, but the one I'm referring to is Joe Alaskey. He doesn't get that the "H," when it comes after "W," is silent.
So all throughout the show you will constantly hear "H'what," "H'where," "H'why" etc., though strangely, he doesn't do this with "who" or "whoever."
And he's very obvious about transposing the "W" with the "H." I don't understand why the director allows this. It truly is annoying and sounds unprofessional. I hope Joe Alaskey reads this. The "H" when it comes after "W" is SILENT!
Alaskey gets so carried away with this gimmick that sometimes he actually says "Ha-where," "Ha-while," "Ha-whenever," etc. Just stop this!
Home Alone (2017)
Ridiculous Camera Shots of Interviews
We understand the need to have survivors, family members and friends speaking throughout the show. But come ON, what's up with the smaltzy stage setups for these interviews? The one with Haley kept showing her brother speaking, with the camera viewing him from OUTSIDE a window, and the windows blinds partially obscuring his body, and his body/face were pointing off to the side. WTF. Very amateurish. Other interviews show the person facing 90 degrees away from the TV viewer. They are speaking to US. Why does the video director have a camera on their profile? There was another episode where the interviewee was filmed from a distance, facing sideways away from the TV viewer. They kept showing her like this. How plain stupid. These gimmicky shots are a deal breaker. I'm done watching this show. When a person who's involved with the crime is telling a story, I want them to be facing ME, the viewer, not some unseen spot out of camera range.
Fear Thy Neighbor (2014)
No Need for the Inserted Spoilers in Every Episode
Great crime documentary save for one problem: Before every commercial break there's a run of upcoming scenes, and unless you're prepared to very quickly mute the TV and close your eyes, these will be spoilers. Viewers are supposed to be held in suspense. But when a "coming up" preview shows the person you LEAST suspect swinging a weapon ... that just ruins the suspense. We don't need the spoilers. I want to be sitting at the edge of my seat, wondering who's going to blow first. The inserted previews ruin this experience. I hope the director of this series sees my review. STOP THE SPOILERS!
Muting the TV and closing one's eyes isn't a practical solution. Sometimes I'm caught off guard, or someone else in the room has the remote.
See No Evil (2014)
Continuous Fake Static Interference Chops up the Screen
Great premise for a crime documentary, but I've decided to quit after about five episodes. Every time they cut to a surveillance video, the TV screen jumps up and down with a buzzing hissing noise, a simulation of poor reception or static interference.
Every time they play the video segment over, the simulated static occurs. Nearly every time they cut to the actors reviewing a video, the static occurs. It's continuous throughout the show, to the extent that it gives me motion sickness.
What moron came up with this gimmick? It's stupid as shtt and extremely annoying. This dumb gimmick alone is a deal breaker. It serves absolutely NO purpose. It's as though the director wants to keep reminding viewers that they're watching CCTV? But they keep inserting the static when they cut back to the actors! WTF.
Stop it or you'll continue losing viewers. There is NO reason to make the TV screen jump up and down every 20 seconds. This nonsense begins occurring once the show gets into the CCTV realm. Up until then, it's fine. Directors are always coming up with stupid gimmicks instead of just sticking to a simple no-nonsense approach.