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djp1997
Reviews
Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
Love the entire series and films but Mr. Carson.....?
This is more of an observation about Mr. Carson's character than a review of an individual film.
At the end of the series he retires due to having difficulties with his hands shaking and it is implied it will only progressively get worse and there is no cure. When the first film comes around it seems this disability presents little problem for all when the king is coming and he is pressed back into service without any complaints from wife, staff or the Crawleys themselves that this may not be the best idea and may cause embarrassment for both Mr. Carson and the family as a whole. Now, in this film, he is again "pressed" into service to accompany the family to France just because he may gum up the works back at home. There is no conversation about his disease and how all this could affect his health or his service to the family, again!
Don't get me wrong, I love Mr. Carson and Jim Carter plays him brilliantly, but it just seems they are using one contrivance after another to give him a place in the films rather than just him being retired and working at home in his garden. As the series progressed some characters went on to different lives, some passed away and others just continued on and were an organic part of the story. It just appears Mr. Carson is too good of a character for them to let go and maybe they were a wee hasty retiring him at the end of the series.
Mr. Carson, car salesman, roofer or nanny in the next film? Or maybe back to show biz? We'll just have to wait and see.
Blue Bloods: Protective Instincts (2021)
Coulda, woulda, shoulda
Frank being offered another job is old hat but what would have really shaken up the dynamic is if he actually took it, brought his team along with him and have Erin elected DA. Then, after a few episodes where New York coincides with the new position Frank could see he's not cut out for a public sector position and either return to the PC slot or run for mayor himself. After 12 seasons the formula has become predictable and things need shaking up or risk further stagnation. On another note the Sean predicament was obvious from the start and the killer was easily guessed, too. The killer trope has been reused way too many times and there were no surprises or even much detective work needed. 6 out of 10 for a slight hope Frank was going to do something different.
Goliath: It's Time (2021)
Great start, so-so finish
Strange dream sequences continuing from season 3, inexplicable that "Big Pharma" has only 1 attorney to represent 3 companies, bizarre that the state of California would hire some tiny law firm to litigate what would be more likely to be a private class-action suit, phantom lady popping in and out for no reason and obligatory family estrangement are the hallmarks of the last season set in Chinatown? Nothing made much sense other than a scriptwriter's need for contrivances to push a surreal ambiance in this last season. Great cast that try to do their best with what they are given but it strains credibility and requires so much suspension of belief that this oddball season alternates between absurdity and relief it has ended. The first 2 seasons were stellar and then the next 2 almost feel like unused scripts from "Legion" were rehashed since there was no path forward. It's Time, indeed.
The Hunting of the Snark (1987)
A Masterful Work of Art.
How I did not know about this work for such a long time is a mystery but having found it through a Moody Blues fan page on Facebook I can say without a doubt it is a brilliant performance. The Hunting of the Snark has always been a favorite of mine and its translation to the stage is inspired. There is a wonderful orchestra that blends rock instruments with traditional ones, catchy and haunting songs, lovely performances by the cast, a fantastic narration and dynamic conducting and singing by Mike Batt. Billy Connolly, Julian Lennon, Justin Hayward, Roger Daltrey, Deniece Williams, John Hurt, Captain Sensible, Midge Ure and Mike Batt make up a special cast that captures the spirit of the poem and performs the musical numbers with gusto and perfection. I have watched it now three times in three days and continue to be enthralled with every note and word. I would love to have this on DVD but am content to watch it in its entirety on YouTube. Much recommended and loved.
Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)
Strange dichotomy
One one hand the film portrays the awkwardness and discomfort of youth extremely well but on the other hand requires a massive suspension of belief (waaay beyond the normal suspension of belief required for a film of this genre). Tom Holland and Zendaya are impressive in capturing the angst and uncertainty of teenage life and are bright spots and rising stars! However, we are expected to believe a bunch of disgruntled ex-employees (all wrongfully terminated megalomaniacs?) have banded together to create the most realistic, immersive holographic technology that must have cost millions upon millions of dollars all to do what? Hoodwink a teenager into giving up some other tech that they probably should have not known existed in the first place? Couldn't they just have sold their system and retired as a bunch of billionaires? Wouldn't that have been the ultimate "in your face" to Tony Stark? And hasn't this plot line already been explored in a similar fashion with Edward Nygma in the Batman franchise? It just feels like covering old ground and lazy writing. Don't get me wrong, the film is fun and visually stunning but the plot seems contrived and Spider-Man is conveniently chosen to shoehorn in out of necessity to drive a weak story along.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Eco feminist drek
Humanity is the infection and monsters are the cure? And only the strong women have what it takes to make this change happen? Poor Charles Dance going from GoT to this pablum. And 11 from Stranger Things is just a "grab them while they're new and hot" face to make sure the film is hip and relevant. This is without a doubt the worst Godzilla film, ever, serving up platitudes, eco moralizing and contains some of the weakest dialogue, characters and motivations for the most questionable actions any character could ever take. I found myself saying over and over again why would a scientist say or do that and why didn't the actor push back on how stupid it was. "Come with us us and we'll find your family. I promise!" I promise? Kidnapped and held by eco-terrorists and you promise you'll find them somewhere across the globe? I also kept thinking I saw that scene before like the ice collapsing in the X-Files where something is coming out of it. If humanity was really as stupid as portrayed in this nonsense it deserves extinction. Right along with every copy of this.
Legion: Chapter 20 (2019)
Something For Your Mind
Great season opener. It introduces new characters, recaps the story up to now, visits the existing characters where they are following season 2 and introduces new powers/antagonists while taking us on a visual acid trip while propelling the story forward in an entertaining way. Far out man!
Deep Clean (2018)
Well done short film
This is like Stranger Things meets The Hole meets Men in Black meets The Kingsman. It could be easily expanded into a series or a full film. Well done and worth a watch and is a hoot.
Game of Thrones: The Bells (2019)
Too neat & too Hollywood.
This isn't the messy, chaotic, GoT that sprung from the pen of GRRM, this is the showrunners' take without source material to glean from. Ever since they left the pages of the books and were working only on notes from said author the show has been devolving into a Hollywood action production. The "Game" has been replaced with meaningless character deaths, unexplained plot lines that abruptly end with no denouement, idiocy in battle plans and actions, teleportation of people and armies and characters who act completely different than in the seasons before. Everything is being tied up into a neat Hollywood bow where most expectations are managed to fulfill those expectations, whether realistic or not. What about the Night King & the Others? What purpose did it serve to have Bran become the three-eyed raven? Maybe questions like this will be answered in the ending episode but I fear there will just be more huh? moments and head scratching as things go from bad to worse. Maybe they should have gone on hiatus and waited for GRRM to finish one more book before giving us this drek.
The Orville: Sanctuary (2019)
Enough Moclans
Aren't there a lot of other civilizations in the Orville galaxy? Why so many Moclan episodes? And talk about a predictable story line that champions feminism, inclusiveness and all the social justice headlines we watch these shows to get away from. Marina Sirtis was a hoot and Jonathan Frakes too as the director but, Seth, you have to do better. More adventure and comedy is needed and less society and politics. We're not nails so stop being a hammer and entertain us, please, or The Orville is no better than any of this other self-serving tripe that's being aired.
The Office (2005)
I Just Don't Get It
So many 10 star reviews prompted me to give this show a try but I just don't get what people see in it. It's not funny and I can't go more than 2 minutes without being bored to tears. All the actors are good and I have liked them in other productions but this show is lame. I have tried to watch this about 10 times now with the same result each time so I am giving up and am done with it. A comedy is supposed to be funny but their attempts at humor seemed amateurish. Give me "Office Space" any day of the week over this dud.
The Orville: Deflectors (2019)
Preachy
I enjoy the show but there has been too much veering off into political & social morality episodes. Granted, there will be societal conflicts with other cultures, but it's getting tiresome to keep revisiting the same issue over and over. Let's get back to the balance between goofy fun and just enough seriousness and leave the preaching behind.
Falling Skies: Stalag 14th Virginia (2015)
Is Pope Gollum, Randall Flagg or Darth Vader?
Now that Pope has gone off the deep end and has his Randall Flagg Las Vegas all that is left is for him to go 1 of three ways. Will he be Gollum who unwittingly brings about the destruction of the enemy? Or will he be Randall Flagg and just be a bad guy caught in the chaos of his own making as the Espheni go down. Or will he be Darth Vader and watch the 2nd. Mass being slowly decimated and then jump in at the last second and save the day and being redeemed. With only 2 episodes left I don't see a whole lot of other directions for him to go, but maybe I will be surprised; maybe Pope is the alien deity the overlords are bowing to? Doubtful!!!