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Reviews
9-1-1: Lone Star (2020)
It hurts me to say this...
I love Rob Lowe and will watch anything with him in it... But 911 Lone Star is so dreadful it defies belief.
Now Lowe is great given the weak ass, predictable, garbage material he's been given. His character is basically Superman but to make him more human they gave him incurable cancer and made him horribly vain. But even Lowe can't save this dumpster fire.
The rest of the cast is the who's who of political correctness (a Muslim woman, a Transgender Man, A probie who's a little "slow" and the pretty boy young guy who's gay). Then there's the female EM Captain played by Liv Tyler who tries way too hard to inject any type of emotion into her performance. She's basically a robot trying to copy human emotions and failing miserably.
Bottom line - avoid like a plague. If you're looking for your Rob Lowe fix go back and watch Parks & Rec or the last season of Code Black.
Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)
Boring as hell
Of course Margot Robbie is great as Harley Quinn... But that's all this movie has to offer.
It's unbearably slow placed, Ewan MacGregor as the bad guy is unconvincing and everything else is just BLAH.
A lacklustre effort from the DC universe (certainly not it's first)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Just alot of fun
Ok full disclosure - I am just about the most critical person you'll ever meet. I can find fault with ANYTHING.
But this movie was just alot of fun to watch. Don't overthink it, just buy into all of it and you'll enjoy yourself.
Call out out to the great Tim Matheson (from Burn Notice and The West Wing). Great actor and director.
LOL: Last One Laughing Australia (2020)
Just misses the mark...
All these Aussie comedians are hilarious in their own rights and I LOVE the translation of Aussie slang and references IMDB provides in the Amazon Prime app (for example, "maggoted").
However unscripted in this environment alot are lacking in material. Especially when people are not laughing along to that material. I mean when early in the piece you have to resort to a penis jacket... The exceptions are Frank Woodley and Ann Edmonds who are fantastic.
However Rebel constantly popping in and out of the room is just annoying. And when the comedians do crack a "snigger" it's so subtle that apparently only Rebel sees it.
Will I watch all the episodes? Probably. But simply to enjoy Frank Woodley.
Covert Affairs (2010)
Mindless enjoyment
Piper Perabo gives a passable performance but lacks any real depth. The character could easily be played by someone else.
What carries the series are the supporting actors. Anne Dudek, Kari Matchett and Peter Gallagher. But in particular Christopher Gorham as Auggie Anderson. He's blind, smart, suave, endearing and HOT AS HELL. I would gladly watch an entire series based on Auggie's character.
There's some good complex, spy-type storylines also. Worth a watch .
Space Force (2020)
Passable
Steve Carell and John Malkovich are great and carry the entire show. There's just one problem with the jokes about POTUS' ridiculous orders, it could actually happen that way. None of the situations are too absurd to not be real from the current US president. Which simply serves a reminder of how f-d up America is.
Watch this show if you just want some mindless entertainment you'll be happy to forget the second you stop.
Stargate: Atlantis: The Shrine (2008)
Brilliant
There's only 3 times in my life that I have actually teared up when watching a television show or movie (Ironically all of them while watching Stargate episodes) This was one of them.
David Hewlett's performance in this episode was truly inspired. Undoubtedly one of the greatest performances in the franchise''s history. He made you genuinely believe that the true Rodney McKay was slipping further and further away. He conveyed so well just how devastating it would be for a character like McKay who's entire life and self worth revolves around his intelligence to slowly lose it. From his body language to the slurred and warm tone to his words, it was truly a remarkable performance deserving of recognition.
Brilliant performances also by Jewel Staite and Kate Hewlett in conveying their characters individual and shared grief over Rodney's situation. And yes while I will admit there are plot holes in the flooded-planet situation (ie. Why didn't the scientist notice the glacier was melting?) David's heartbreaking performance makes those holes seem irrelevant.
I have rewatched this episode many times and get teary each and every time.
Stargate: Atlantis: Doppelganger (2007)
A damn shame it's such a weak episode
Honestly the idea of evil Sheppard uniquely torturing each of his colleagues in their dreams was kinda cool. But almost everything else about the episode was bloody awful.
The Bad
1. Glaring repeat of plotline of SG1 episode from Season 1 (SEASON 1!!!!!)
2. Woeful miss use of Samantha Carter. As is the theme throughout season 4 of SGA, Carter is underused and relegated to the background. It's like they forgot how to write her character.
In this episode she ends up acting like an encyclopaedia of SG1's prior missions instead of adding real substance to the story line. And Sam not having a dream where Sheppard tortures her about not cutting it as the new Atlantis leader was a missed opportunity.
3. How the evil entity was defeated was lazy writing.
4. The death of the shrink felt like an afterthought. Something added at the last minute to try and create drama where there wasn't any.
The Good
1. Major Lorne sleep walking and holding a gun on Sheppard was pretty good. But the again I've always had a soft spot for Lorne...
2. Hilarious personal stories from McKay. I especially enjoyed him admitting/warning Sheppard just how messed up he is.
Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
Just a lot of fun to watch
Sure like basically every sci-fi series Season 1 is pretty weak (Kate Mulgrew's overacting is painful) but the rest of the seasons deliver alot of great storylines and character development.
We get some solid new enemies (Kaizon, Vidiians, Species 8472) and several great episodes that raise ethical conflicts that provide depth and emotion to the characters.
Like every Trek series there are characters and episodes that really don't work but there's absolutely more good (and great) episodes then bad.
This series is absolutely worth a watch.
The X Files: This (2018)
WTF is this???
Episode 1 was woefully rushed and lacking in any real storytelling. This episode is just a cacophony of nonsense.
Scully and Mulder are not even Scully and Mulder in this episode. When did they all of a sudden become martial arts experts??????? And the storyline (if you want to call it that, I certainly wouldn't) was half baked and juvenile. And in an even bigger sin this episode in tonally flat. It's not funny or dramatic.
This episode is like a really bad Magic Mushroom trip. One you never ever EVER want to repeat.
Madam Secretary (2014)
Too perfect
At first I liked the intrigue and the strong female lead. But the cracks soon begin to show.
1. Most of the characters are woefully under developed (especially the secretary's staff) so you don't care what happens to them.
2. The McCord family is perfect. They argue perfectly, they resolve conflicts perfectly. And when the kids makes mistakes they're still perfect. Even when the Secretary had PTSD it's perfect.
3. The Secretary constantly pulls convenient solutions out of her ass.
4. The progression of each crisis is exactly the same. Crisis > Secretary shut out > Secretary magically finds a solution > Crisis averted.
Any comparisons to The West Wing are completely unworthy.
NCIS: Los Angeles (2009)
Let's get real here...
No one watches NCIS LA for the crime plotlines. They are childish, predictable, unrealistic and repetitive. They watch it for the interplay between the main characters. Sam and Callen's brotherly deal, Densi and Nell/Eric chemistry and Hetty (just everything Hetty let's be honest).
The last few seasons have been a stretch and pretty weak. Bringing back Harm and Mac, Eric going to San Francisco etc.
But fundamentally the early episodes are fun to watch and re-watch.
Justified (2010)
What's the point?
This is the question I kept asking myself over and over. Sure Timothy Olyphant is hot and I'd watch anything with Walton Goggins in it because he always impressive... But I just don't get it.
I think I was looking for more of a serialised cop show about being a US marshal then a soap opera about a tiny Kentucky town that seems to attract a disproportionate amount of crime.
Every episode is the same basic storyline repeated over and over again. And with the exception of Goggins and Searcy the regular supporting cast is WEAK at best.
I wanted it to be better.
Shazam! (2019)
Exactly what it claims to be
Yet again it seems alot of reviewers here are attaching unrealistic expectations on a movie and then slamming it when it doesn't meet those expectations.
This movie pitches itself as a funny, easy going family film about a superhero. And it delivers exactly that. It's amusing and occasionally heart warming and just an all round good time.
But where it goes beyond it's archetype is the portrayal of a loving foster family, with parents who really love their children and despair over them. It's rare to see this depiction in film and TV and I applaud the writers for this.
Zachary Levi is the PERFECT fit for adult Billy. A very handsome man and also very childlike all in one. And really who cares about anyone else?
Just sit back, put your brain in neutral and enjoy the ride.
Black Panther (2018)
Yet another overrated, lacklustre, pandering snooze fest
I didn't want to see this movie. The Black Panther character made zero impression on me during Captain America - Civil War. But like alot of people I watched it because the reviews were so positive.
Despite my reservations I went into this movie with an open mind. That mind was quickly bored beyond belief and frustrated at the predictable politically correct plot. Casting an entirely African American group is a hollow gesture when the storyline and dialogue is so stilted and pathetic.
If you take the novelty of the cast and some of the CGI out the rest of the movie is ALOT of talking about nonsense and some fight scenes.
The Arrangement (2017)
There was potential here...
I find the idea of fake/arranged celebrity relationships for publicity really interesting which is why I started watching this. However the Scientology-esque cult thing was just stupid.
Iliza Shlesinger: Unveiled (2019)
Same old shtick overshadows some good points
Look Iliza's good for the occasional laugh but there's 3 big problems in this special
1. She spends the whole time making fun of other people but then tells the audience that's not her intention. Never does she turn her "razor wit" on herself. She seems to be "above it all".
2. She drags out her jokes FAR too long. The Bachelorette bit could've been cut in half and still be just as funny
3. She overuses her "wicked witch" and "screaming banshee" impressions to the point that they become horribly irritating
Psych (2006)
I don't get it
Now don't get me wrong I am a classic for loving shows that are niche, cable offerings (Burn Notice was the bomb) but I genuinely don't understand the appeal here.
Even if we put aside the fact that these have to be the most GULLIBLE COPS EVER the main character's antics aren't funny. They're just juvenile.
Aquaman (2018)
Pathetic
Really really pathetic. It's like they took every superhero movie trope, infantilised them and then smacked them together in a movie.
Love Jason Momoa but definitely not strong enough to carry his own movie. He's a sidekick with some great one liners and nothing more.
But I think the thing that really let's the movie down is the CGI. Very cartoonish. It's like Green Lantern only slightly better.
Although I'm obsessed with Amber Heard's hair.
Rescue Me (2004)
Such a disappointment
I missed this series the first time around so when I found it on Amazon prime recently I was stoked.
But I only got to the end of season 1 before I turned it off. The only way I can describe it is being total garbage. The situations these grown men get into are just too ridiculous. It's like the show's running inside a 13 year old boy's imagination. All the characters are pricks and there's no consequences for anything.
The Boys (2019)
Started out with a bang but fizzled out...
A fantastic concept, good humour and interesting characters kicked off this series well. However after a few episodes the drama, intrigue, tension and humour started to wane. The writer's appeared to get lazy as if they were relying on the original hook to force viewers to continue to watch through to the end.
Homecoming (2018)
And engaging story but tonally confusing
Homecoming is an engaging story with interesting characters and good performances by Roberts, Cannavale and James.
The problem for me is that the tone is constantly changing that it's unsettling. At times you think it's a drama, then a thriller, then it switches to a Twilight Zone-ish vibe. You never get too comfortable in one tone before it switches. This was probably the intention but it detracted from the enjoyment for me.
Also the plot twists were very easy to foreshadow. There were no surprises here.
At the end it left me a little disappointed.
You (2018)
Started off well but it's ruined by the character of Beck
In the beginning it seems like it's going to be a good psychological thrill ride. Penn Badgley OWNS the character of Joe. The character goes beyond the Hollywood cookie cutter young, handsome, psychopath and brings some real emotion, vulnerability and even a little humour to Joe.
However it all sharply descends into bad daytime soap territory when Beck comes into the picture. There is 0 to like about this chick. She's self absorbed, blames others for her problems, uses people to get what she wants and then tosses them aside when she's done. At first I was kind of relieved that the character wasn't perfect because it made things more interesting. However by the time I switched off I felt sorry for Joe and wanted him to get away from this vampire chick ASAP
Insurgent (2015)
Mind numblingly boring
The first movie was engaging enough but Insurgent is just a flat, emotionless mess.
How 'Mad' Are You? (2018)
Disappointing
While the message that mental illness can effect anyone from any walk of life is good, the clinical execution of this series is weak.
All the people that were revealed as having a mental illness were in recovery and had been for a while. If someone with a mental illness is in recovery and taking medication of course the "experts" would have difficulty identifying them. That's the point of recovery.