jpozenel Reviews

Alaska Daily (2022–2023)

I'm a bit surprised the show has been cancelled after one season.

[8/10 · 24 June 2023]

The backdrop of Alaska seems a bit bleak, but the stories weren't bad. I love Hillary Swank. She obviously is the standout in this show. It would have been interesting to see how the other characters developed in a second season. The dialog seemed a bit stilted, but I've seen other shows that started out that way and improved. I hope Hillary has something else coming soon. She is very intense yet likeable. Maybe the writer's strike contributed to the show's demise. We may never know, but there seems to be many other shows that you would expect to be cancelled, but they just keep going on, and on, and on.

Naked and Afraid: Punishment in Panama (2013) Season 1, Episode 4

Laura Zerra is pretty amazing.

[9/10 · 28 December 2022]

I just saw a rerun of this show last night. It was Laura's first appearance on Naked and Afraid. She was a standout right from the beginning. She imparts a calm confidence while partners are flipping out. Her partner Clint did do a lot of physical work, but was otherwise lacking in survival skills.

Looks can be deceiving. Laura is a real badass. Anyone paired up with her should consider themselves very lucky. She seems to keep things sane when others are falling apart.

I haven't seen her for a while. It said that she was 27 at the beginning of this show in 2013, so she would be around 36 now. Not so very old, but she has been on so many shows, she may not have the desire to do any more. I'd really like to see her compete again.

Saturday Night Live: Steve Martin and Martin Short/Brandi Carlile (2022) Season 48, Episode 8

Need more musical guests of this calibre.

[9/10 · 13 December 2022]

I've only heard of Brandi Carlile recently in NPR interviews. There were little snippets of her songs they played during the interview that were appealing to me.

So I watched this show and saw how extremely talented she is. She has a real stage presence and shows total calm confidence in her performance. There have been many musical guests lately that make me wonder what they are doing on the show at all, but that was not the case this week. There is no pretending in what she does on stage with that group. They all worked together so perfectly.

Oh, Steve Martin and Martin Short were pretty good too.

Berlin Station (2016–2019)

Season 3 dropped my rating

[7/10 · 18 May 2022]

Season 1 was very good. Season 2 was the best. Season 3...jumped the shark in my opinion.

The addition of Ashley Judd in season 2 didn't seem like a good choice. She is a good actress but never seemed to fit the part for me.

In season 3 the characters "Rafael Torre" and "Rodian Volkov" were ridiculous. That's when show went all-out Hollywood with their fighting abilities. They could take on a half-dozen or more opponents at once and always prevail. The show was turning into a "Marvel" movie.

Can't imagine it ever coming back.

Naked and Afraid: Opposites Don't Attract (2022) Season 14, Episode 8

You usually don't want to see any physical harm done to a participant...but...

[1/10 · 8 May 2022]

You always worry about a participant being seriously harmed in the environment they are placed. Nathan may be the exception.

This is not just about being mentally unstable. This is about someone being intentionally abusive. He appeared to show regret for what he did at the end, but there was just too much extended footage of him insulting and badgering his partner for that to be believable.

She deserves another chance...he deserves no consideration at all.

One Sunday Afternoon (1933)

I like this one better.

[8/10 · 30 January 2022]

I saw "The Strawberry Blonde" which is the same story. The humor in this version is very subtle and not heavy-handed. Gary Cooper is great as is Frances Fuller. She is really charming and it's a wonder why she didn't have more roles in other movies. She seems more the female lead than Fay Wray to me, but Fay was a star before and after this movie. I really thought this version was the better one.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

I finally watched it!

[8/10 · 29 November 2021]

It is November of 2021 and I have finally watched this movie. This certainly isn't a movie for prudes, but I liked it more than I could have ever expected.

So amazing how young Jennifer Jason Leigh looks in this movie. She has had a very successful career and this role may have been the breakout role for her. She is the star of this movie.

Lost Horizon (1973)

I'm grateful that George Kennedy didn't sing and dance.

[5/10 · 28 November 2021]

Beautiful cinematography, a cast of some pretty big names, a decent story, but music and dancing that just don't fit. Ross Hunter made some good movies during his career, but this is certainly not one of them. This is no "Flower Drum Song".

I saw this in a theater when it first came out. It's better to watch on the big screen because of the beautiful scenery. Guess I never noticed the music that much then, but I watched it again on Amazon Prime streaming. Now the music seems unbearable and unnecessary.

I saw the original from the 1930s a few years back and it was so much better. It's a shame some of the scenes were lost, but it was still much better.

Cake (2019–2021)

After season 1 with "Oh Jerome, No" it's been all downhill.

[5/10 · 4 October 2021]

I've been watching this show from the beginning and really liked the series "Oh Jerome, No". There's been a few good things since, but none compare to the first season.

"Drifters" was very good.

My Three Sons: Help the Gypsies Are Coming! (1967) Season 7, Episode 26

Very inappropriate now and even in 1967

[1/10 · 24 January 2021]

This episode "Help the Gypsies Are Coming" was very difficult to watch. How could any writers have thought this was a good story idea? It exploits stereotypes of "Gypsies" like nothing I have ever seen before. Don't get me wrong, I love the "My Three Sons" series, but this was as inappropriate as anything I have ever seen. I knew some "Roma" people around the time this show was made. No, they didn't live in a wagon pulled by a horse in the woods. They actually lived in a house. This episode was absurd.

They Shall Not Grow Old (II) (2018)

I suggest watching the DVD extras before watching the documentary.

[10/10 · 22 September 2020]

There is not much secret about what this is about, except for the many details of how it was actually done. Watching the making of the documentary on the DVD "extras" enhances what you will see. It is excellent and maybe equally as good as the documentary itself.

Watching extra DVD features before watching a "movie" is something that I would never suggest, but in this case, I do so strongly. Watching them after the documentary made me feel like kicking myself for not looking at them first, but how was I to know?

Just to let you know, the magic done does not appear until about 25 minutes into the documentary. It's almost like watching Dorothy stepping out of the house once it landed in Oz. It truly felt amazing to me.

The Moonlighter (1953)

Pretty good Western with a pretty lame ending

[6/10 · 10 June 2020]

Anyone else but Barbara Stanwyck would have delivered her character's lines and they would have sounded completely corny. Somehow she always sounds believable. It's not a great story, but not bad, until the ending. It simply fell flat and was disappointing. I was expecting more.

Life of a King (2013)

An after school special.

[3/10 · 8 June 2020]

Whenever is see that a movie is based on true events I'm thinking that it may be good or it may be bad. The true events in themselves don't necessarily make for a good movie.

To me it felt like one of those afternoon specials that were meant to teach you a lesson. They usually weren't well made and the storied were often kind of lame. I don't blame the actors. I blame the writers and directors.

Double Indemnity (1944)

Great movie in every way. One silly minor gripe though.

[9/10 · 3 June 2020]

The one scene in the movie that I had a problem with, was when Phyllis Dietrichson (Stanwyck) called from the drugstore and was on her way up to Walter Neff's (MacMurray) apartment and Barton Keyes (Robinson) got there first. When she was smart enough not to enter the room after hearing the conversation with Keyes, she hid behind the door when it opened. I have to say that I can't remember ever seeing any apartment, hotel/motel, or house door that swung outward when opened. Of course, the scene wouldn't have worked otherwise. Maybe doors were different in 1944?

See? I told you it was a silly minor gripe. Great movie though.

Run (I) (2020)

I gave it a chance and watched the full first season

[1/10 · 25 May 2020]

The show is really awful. I'm totally uninterested in anything about it. Before the last episode came on it was announced that it was the season finale. I wouldn't be surprised if it were the series finale as well. Whether it is or not, it's off my DVR list of shows to records. It was a real time-waster. The only bright spot is that the episodes are just a half-hour long.

Homeland: Prisoners of War (2020) Season 8, Episode 12

Not your usual series ending...but in a good way

[9/10 · 10 May 2020]

Usually series endings are very disappointing. I felt that this one would be as well, right up to the final minutes. I found it to be a satisfying ending for an impossible situation.

Some people are always looking for plot holes, and will find them even if there are none. I am not one of those.

Deputy (2020)

Mindless pablum...don't waste your time!

[1/10 · 9 January 2020]

I liked Stephen Dorff in season 3 of "True Detective", so I scheduled my DVR to record "Deputy". After about 10 minutes into the first episode, I deleted that episode and removed "Deputy" from my scheduled recordings. It is beyond me how garbage like this continues to be churned out. You really do not need to see the whole episode to realize that there is no way that it will get better. I have been caught in that trap before and will not fall for it again.

Sure, you have to work to pay the bills, but Stephen, you can do much better than this! Hopefully this will be the first and last season so you can move on before more damage is done.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Man with Two Faces (1960) Season 6, Episode 11

I enjoyed "The Man with Two Faces" more than most episodes.

[8/10 · 4 November 2019]

Some think the story line was somehow predictable, but I didn't think so. First one twist and then another at the end. I'm not one of those Monday morning quarterbacks that says they saw it coming all along. One reviewer mentioned that they mistook Bethel Leslie for Paula Prentice. I didn't see that at all. If anything, I'd say that she resembles Lee Remick somewhat. Overall, it was a very good episode with some pretty good acting.

Naked and Afraid: Stalked on the Savannah: Part 1 (2019) Season 10, Episode 13

One of my favorites

[8/10 · 14 July 2019]

This 2 part episode is one of my favorites because the two survivalists got along so well without any serious disagreements, despite the 20 year age difference. I would like to see Jesse on an XL seasons. She had a great attitude, was tough as nails, and had skills.

Naked and Afraid: For Better or for a Lot Worse (2019) Season 10, Episode 9

Worse episode ever.

[1/10 · 15 May 2019]

The producers need to rethink pairing couples as they did in this show. So much "honey", "baby", "sweety", "love you", "love you too"....it got to the point where it makes you want to gag.

The Americans: START (2018) Season 6, Episode 10

Fantastic series with a less than fantastic series finale

[4/10 · 1 June 2018]

I give the series 9 stars for the entertainment that it has provided for six years. It seemed like a good idea not to go into too many more years and to end on a high note. But this didn't seem like a high note at all to me. As much as I was disappointed with the Soprano's series finale, I am equally disappointed the the series finale for The Americans. Also, there were fewer episodes in this final season than any other which makes me feel like the writers just threw in the towel and said "let's go home, we're done." Great series, poor finale.

Atlanta: Teddy Perkins (2018) Season 2, Episode 6

Totally unexpected episode

[10/10 · 7 April 2018]

The Teddy Perkins episode is a huge departure from all other episode. If this was an episode of The Twilight Zone, it would be one of the most memorable. Donald Glover has some strange things going on his mind. I'm glad that he has this show to let them out for us to see.

Bellevue (2017)

Couldn't get through episode 2.

[1/10 · 5 February 2018]

I really like Anna Paquin so I had high-hopes for this show. I barely got through the first episode and quit after about halfway through the second. The story line is very weak and the dialog is simply inane, so I blame the writing and possibly directing as the main cause(s) of my disappointment. I saw one reviewer comparing the show to the first season of True Detective, which I found to be laughable.

There's many shows that I can stream that are of better quality than this show, so I can't see wasting time watching Bellevue. I've heard that the second season has been cancelled and that isn't a surprise to me.

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

Could have been a great movie

[6/10 · 30 March 2017]

If it hadn't been for the typical overdone battle scenes, this could have been a great movie and a tribute to the man it was about. Anyone who has had any kind of military training can see that the battle scenes were totally over the top and unrealistic. There didn't seem to be any kind of battle strategy. There were so many weapons that never have to be reloaded, and when they fire them, they almost never miss the target. Even fully automatic weapons being sprayed wildly never seem to miss. Go to a shooting range and see how many there can shoot anywhere near that good, and those are the ones that go there on a regular basis. If you've never been, see if you can rent a gun. You'll be surprised at how difficult it really is. Granted, a rifle is much more accurate than a pistol, but in the high stress of battle, it's not going to be like shooting at targets. People that believe this kind of "action" are the same ones that probably think that police can shoot the guns out of the bad guys hands. It's just impossible to shoot that rapidly with any kind of accuracy. This was a golden opportunity to make a really good movie about an important character in American history, but it missed the mark. Life is not a video game.

Code Black (2015–2018)

This show has become a bad soap opera

[5/10 · 20 February 2017]

After season one, I gave this show a pretty high rating. After the second season I had to downgrade that rating considerably. The scripts have gone downhill and are always trying to tug at your heartstrings to a degree that is simply unbearable. The relationships between the characters is not compelling at all. I'm sure that some of the actors are quite good, but not with these scripts and direction. And does every show have to end with sing-songie music dubbed over the last 5 minutes or more? It's lazy and ineffective, and seems to be indicating how we should be feeling...I find that insulting. I guess we're supposed to get all teary-eyed, but for me it is causing a gag-reflex. And please, get those whiney relatives out of the emergency room and get some work done. The show has become so very predictable and really has nothing to offer me anymore. I grew up watching the old Dr. Kildare and Ben Casey shows and those were far better than this. Like I said, this show has become a bad soap opera. I can't see watching another season, so if it gets canceled, that's fine with me.