johnhsmith-00056 Reviews

The Exorcist: Believer (2023)

Don't listen to haters - Amazing from start to finish

[9/10 · 11 April 2024]

I don't understand some of these reviews. It's like they were expecting nonstop action, nudity, or extreme gore like in the Saw films or something. Watch the original 1973 Exorcist again. It's actually pretty tame by today's standards. There was a VERY long buildup before the actual exorcism scene.

In the same way, this film gives us some background into the characters before the "action" starts. But gets moving rapidly and transitions into an interesting mystery. And in fact, for awhile I forgot this was supposed to be an Exorcist film.

There's an evangelical minister in the film, and guess what, unlike 99% of films in Hollywood today, he's not the bad guy! He's just an ordinary person, like the families, trying to deal with an impossible situation. The final scene involves people from different faiths and spiritual beliefs, which makes it an interesting situation.

Two characters from the original film have small roles here too, which is a nice touch. Highly recommended.

The Resident: If Not Now, When? (2019) Season 2, Episode 20

One of the weaker episodes in a good series

[5/10 · 13 March 2024]

I'm surprised by these reviews - this was probably the weakest episode so far. The episode tackles an important topic - racism in medicine, fine. But it does it in a drive-thru fashion with no subtlety whatsoever.

A black patient dies, then the young residents jump to accusing her attending physician of racism. Yet supposedly he's worked there for decades with no complaints. So the evidence is this one case? Why would racism be the first explanation?

It's also a single contained episode where we never saw this doctor before, and we don't see him again, so this issue is never really explored. It feels like the producers added it to check a box on a topic list and then dropped it afterwards.

It also adds to a very tired theme on this show, where the younger residents always have correct instincts and the older physicians are always making mistakes.

Mech Cadets (2023– )

Pacific Rim for kids

[8/10 · 22 February 2024]

There was Pacific Rim in 2013. Then the teen version, Pacific Rim: Uprising in 2018, then the tween version, Pacific Rim: The Black in 2021. This is very much like a successor in all but name. The difference here is that the robots can fly.

The fact that it's for kids is established in the opening scene, where the main character, who looks like he is 13, rides his motorcycle through the desert, making impossible jumps hundreds of feet in the air.

It's never explained why these sentient robots even need pilots, or more importantly, why the pilots are mostly kids?? They don't look old enough to drive, much less old enough to pilot flying machines with powerful weapons, tasked with defending the Earth from aliens.

But it is a kids show, so I guess that's why. Still, so much is unexplained. Where is the rest of the military? This series is really inconsistent. In one scene, a kid steals a military uniform, and security along with security robots show up right on the spot. In another scene, some monsters inside the base attack some kids and there's no one else to be found. In yet another scene, the base is under attack from outside, and only a handful are available to defend the wall - including the cleaning lady!

So it doesn't make a lot of sense. If you can get past that, it's enjoyable. The animation is superb. The characters are likeable enough. The villains are interesting, and the pace is good. You'll either love it or hate it.

Hot Coffee (2011)

Full of errors

[1/10 · 22 January 2024]

First of all, this film was directed and produced by Susan Saladoff, a trial lawyer and political activist. So it's not exactly an objective look at the US tort system.

The infamous hot coffee case was also misrepresented. You can look these things up. The McDonald's coffee temperature was no different than any other restaurant, same temperature they sell coffee at today. The plaintiff spilled it on herself - the reason the burns were so bad was because she was wearing sweatpants that quickly spread the liquid over her skin.

The Jamie Leigh Jones vs Halliburton case has also not aged well, although that part is not really the fault of the filmmakers, because they couldn't know. But there were numerous inconsistencies uncovered in her story that basically made her claims impossible, and as a result the jury rejected her claims. So that entire segment was false.

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Nothing like today's Saint Louis...

[10/10 · 9 January 2024]

Loved this film. It's wonderful to go back to a more innocent time when cities were not cesspools of crime, and people actually dressed up. I grew up in Saint Louis and the city presented in this film is like an alternate universe entirely.

Think of it like a musical version of "Little Women". Music is fantastic, pacing is good, story is wonderful. The casting is spot on - Margaret Obrien is amazing, and this is the best I have ever seen Judy Garland. My only small complaint is that the neighbor boy John Truett (played by Tom Drake) looks so similar to the family older brother Lon (played by Henry Daniels) that it gets a little confusing at times.

Anyone can enjoy it. I showed it to my millenial kids and they were skeptical at first but ended up liking it too.

The Last Kingdom: Episode #5.1 (2022) Season 5, Episode 1

Good episode except one new character doesn't make sense.

[5/10 · 18 December 2023]

Europe didn't send missionaries to sub-Saharan Africa until the 15th century, about 500 years after this episode takes place. So why is there a black priest in 10th century England? I have a feeling that the studio bowed to pressure to include this character.

Even if by some miracle this was possible, this was still in an age of extreme tribalism where the Welsh hate the Saxons, Saxons hate the Danes, Scots don't trust anyone, etc. But they easily accept an African as their village priest with no issues? No questions at all? As someone else pointed out, even in the 1950s an African would turn heads in Britain. In the 10th century he would be extremely unusual, and how he got there should itself be a story on its own.

He's not even a bad character, or a bad actor, but the just doesn't fit here, and breaks the authenticity of the series up to this point.

The Last Kingdom (2015–2022)

Not perfect, but close.

[9/10 · 18 December 2023]

The authenticity is astounding. The sets, costumes, scenery are amazing. Too many historical dramas put most of the action inside, so they are filmed in a studio. Not here. I didn't feel once I was looking at a studio soundstage. Many, if not most, scenes were filmed outdoors. The transition from period names for cities to modern names in every episode is also a nice touch.

The producers also notably resisted the recent fad of adding black, Asian or other diversity ethnicities in a historical setting where they don't belong, so that adds to the authentic look. They did add one such character in the last season, although he doesn't have a large role. I have a feeling the studio added him to squelch complaints.

So why not a perfect 10? I took off a point because the main protagonist, Uthred, played by Alexander Dreymon, is simply unlikeable. It's not the actor's fault, it's the character. He's a Mary Sue that never loses a fight, never loses a bet, never fails a mission, always gives the correct counsel, everyone who disagrees with him turns out to be wrong in the end, every woman he fancies falls in love with him, etc. He also never ages. Someone calculated his age would have to be at least 60 by the end of the series. While people grow up and grow old around him, he still looks like he's in his 20s.

I think the show is also slightly unrealistic in regard to battles. If they happened as often and were as deadly as depicted with a single soldier slaughtering dozens in seconds, the island would quickly be depopulated of all life. But that's a small complaint. They were probably exaggerated for dramatic effect.

Overall highly recommended.

Mayor of Kingstown (2021– )

Started off very strong, then became much more violence than story

[4/10 · 30 November 2023]

The series centers around Mike McLusky, played by Jeremy Renner, who is the so called "mayor of Kingstown" because he has great influence with the police, prison guards, and the criminal gangs, helping maintain an uneasy truce between them.

It's an interesting premise, and there are a couple good plot twists early on. Overall, despite a few flaws, season 1 was excellent and far stronger than season 2.

Some things are never explained. There are supposedly 4 criminal factions (two black, one Hispanic, one white) but Mike only talks to two of them. It's also not clear how he makes a living or maintains a secretary and an office. Supposedly he's an attorney, but he never takes any clients. He turns down the only two that approach him. He should teach self-defense instead, because by season 2 he spends the majority of his time shooting or beating up other people, including multiple men far larger than him, yet he never gets anything more than a bruise.

By the end of season 2, the violence is so high that I believe the governor or even the President would have declared martial law. People are killed by the dozens. Not just criminals, not just prisoners, but cops as well, and a prominent politician.

Another problem with this series is that it's hard to know who to sympathize with. In this series the cops are just as bad as the criminals. The only good natured character is Mike's mother, played by Dianne Wiest who somehow affords a large home despite only working part time teaching prison classes. I have seen some comments here complaining about her "woke" classes (and they are), but I think they misunderstand - the series isn't promoting her views anymore than the views of the cops or criminals.

Finally there's the character of Milo - the Eastern European criminal gang leader that everyone is afraid of. Played by Aidan Gillen, who is normally a powerful actor. Here he uses a very vague accent that doesn't really fit anywhere, and the character never lives up to the hype.

I recommend S1, take S2 with a grain of salt.

The Batman (2022)

"All anyone cares about in this place are these white, privileged a**holes"

[3/10 · 24 November 2023]

This is a mixed bag. Overall, the film is gorgeous to watch and gets back to Batman's roots but some of the cast choices were terrible, the sound is annoying, and the film is frankly a little racist. I'll take these one at a time.

Gorgeous cinematography: It's hard to believe a modern city is constantly dark everywhere you go, even during the day! But it looks great, as do the costumes. It's more of a detective story without too much action, getting back to the original vibe from Batman in Detective Comics back in 1939.

Casting: Robert Pattinson's Batman is frankly too young for this role. He still looks like an angsty teenager, with long bangs over his face. That would make more sense if this was about the origin of young Batman or something, but this starts after he is already a long established presence in the city. He also only has one look - scowling, whispering, annoyance, and it's the same whether he is Batman or Bruce Wayne. The new mayor in the film, played by Jayme Lawson, also looks like a teen, in fact she was only 23 when this was filmed! Way too young to realistically be the mayor of a major city. Seriously, you couldn't find anyone a little older??

Sound: Watch this film with subtitles. Everyone is constantly whispering even when they don't have to, especially Batman and commissioner Gordan, played by Jeffrey Wright. And with the background music constantly playing, it's hard to hear what anyone is saying, especially in the first half of the film.

Racism. This was filmed during the Summer of George Floyd and you can tell. One quote: "All anyone cares about in this place are these white, privileged a**holes". Replace the word "white" with "black" and the studio never would have allowed it. Not surprisingly, all the villains are white. Every single one. But when was the last time criminal drug gangs in the US were 100% white males? The 1920s during prohibition? All good guys in the film are black (except for Alfred and Batman himself). I realize the Academy awards now demand diversity quotas in films, but if the producer's hands were tied, then they could have at least included more diversity among villains, or major characters with ethnicities other than black and white.

The film was also a little too long. I can't recommend this. I might recommend it if it was the only game in town, but there have been so many Batman films it's ridiculous. Think about this - the first Batman movie was in 1966, and it took 22 years, until 1989, to see another one. Since then we have had yet another every 2-3 years, and there are more planned! Maybe pause this subject for awhile?

The Pope's Exorcist (2023)

Too much story inserted - would have been better as a mini-series

[8/10 · 13 September 2023]

What a ride! Russell Crowe playing an Italian priest. Pretty good accent too.

So we have a LOT of great story arcs crammed into this film. A story about a boy's father who died, and problems the boy has had since then. A major incident during the Spanish Inquisition that was covered up by the Church. Two priests with major guilt in their pasts. Father Amorth dealing with Vatican politics, and of course, a challenging and horrific exorcism. Each one of these storylines could have been a film in itself, so that's a lot of information to shoehorn into 103 minutes. And it leaves a lot of unanswered questions. I would have rather seen these stories fleshed out a bit into a series.

A lot of reviews are complaining that the film uses a lot of other exorcism tropes from various films. Well, it does, but to be fair, some of that is because this is a film about Gabriele Amorth, whose life inspired many of those other films. It's flawed, but overall highly recommended.

Black Summer: Cold War (2021) Season 2, Episode 4

Why this house??

[7/10 · 31 August 2023]

Great episode, but the main plot point doesn't make sense. Why is this house so valuable? Here we are, in a post-Apocalyptic United States, where millions of people have died. There would be plenty of empty homes around. No housing shortage at all. And there's nothing particularly special about this one. It's certainly not defensible - with glass windows all around that can easily be broken by anyone or anything. So why are dozens and dozens of people willing to die fighting over it?

I like the lighting and scenery - too many filmmakers use fake looking studio lights. This is a house with shadows, and it looks like a house without working electricity.

Outlander (2014– )

The most authentic show I have ever seen

[10/10 · 9 June 2023]

This show concerns time travel. Most of the program is in the 1700s. Some is in the 1940s. A few scenes are in the 1970s. Regardless of the period, the rich detail is incredible.

So many TV shows like this feel too "insular". Like you see only the characters in a few settings, and rarely outside or in public. The only time I don't see that is in large budget films, where I feel immersed in a previous world (the film "Braveheart" comes to mind). But Outlander pulls this off. You see people, you see streets. You see horses, ships, buildings, armies! I honestly don't know how they managed to do it.

The series is pretty faithful to the books as well. I pictured the character of Jamie Fraser (played by Sam Heughan) as a little more mature looking, but everyone else was spot on. Highly recommended.

Cavegirl (2002–2003)

Low budget Flintstones, with all that entails

[4/10 · 7 June 2023]

I like the energy, and I love the idea, but I just couldn't get through this. It's silly, on purpose, and that part is good. Somehow the men are all clean shaven, and the women have blow-dried hair. You have black and Asian people randomly appearing - how did that happen? But that's ok, this is a comedy after all.

But the camera work - ugh. For some reason the camera is constantly doing so many close-ups on heads and faces that you can't see the scenery. And the scenery looks really repetitive and uninteresting. Maybe that's because it was difficult to find a location in the UK where no buildings were visible? But there are ways around this (even Gilligan's island gave us an illusion of a large island when in fact it was a small lot in back of a studio). Or at least show us the different seasons - seems it's always Summer. Where are the winters?

Also, this is supposed to be a cavegirl, so you would think she lives in a cave. Instead of caves, her people seem to live in huts and shaded rock outcroppings. They couldn't even find a proper cave to film in?

Triptych (2023– )

Overall good thriller - with holes

[7/10 · 1 March 2023]

This is an interesting thriller, stronger at the beginning episodes than at the end. Maite Perroni is fantastic in the lead role, but I wish they gave her something more stable to work with.

The series is a bit disjointed, I don't know how else to describe it. It's like some major scenes were left in editing on the cutting room floor, especially in the last episode. We jump from one situation to another without an explanation in between.

Even the credits claim there was nudity, but I don't recall any. If there was, it wasn't much. Maybe that was edited out too.

And this was filmed in Mexico? Most of the vehicles seem to have Mexican plates. But until halfway through I thought it was filmed in Spain. Everyone looks European, and are dressed in sweaters and jackets for colder weather. A couple scenes show heavily forested hills that just look out of place in most of Mexico. All these things together feel a little odd. But maybe that's what they were going for.

1883: The Crossing (2022) Season 1, Episode 4

head scratcher episode

[7/10 · 8 February 2023]

Good episode as far as production values, and I get the metaphor of crossing the water to a new life, kind of like baptism.

But the mechanics of the crossing don't make sense. This was a river crossing in ideal conditions. During the day, in good weather, not under attack from anyone. There were also plenty of trees around. Couldn't they build a raft to ferry the supplies and people across??

But assuming they were in a huge hurry, couldn't they at least attach a rope to each person so they don't drown? And Sam Elliot's threat to burn a wagon down didn't make any sense. If the wagon was too heavy for the river, the worst that would happen is it would be lost anyway.

Every episode several people are killed. How is anyone even left? So far this wagon crossing is far more dangerous than the smallpox they were so afraid of!

Damnation (2017–2018)

A strange version of America in 1931

[6/10 · 26 January 2023]

This series is supposedly set in an Iowa town in 1931, although the style of the buildings, dress, and everything other than automobiles and women's hairstyles look more like 1900 period. It's exciting enough, although overly dependent on action scenes. It has an interesting storyline where there is a lot of fuzziness between the good guys and the bad guys.

But this must have happened in a parallel universe, because this can't be America. The series has so many plot holes I hardly know where to start. It is inspired by several historical events, but one obvious one is the Tulsa race riots in 1921. It's important to note that 36 people were killed in that event, it made news all over the world, and the National Guard was called in to restore order. Now compare this to the riots in "Damnation". A heck of a lot more than 36 people are killed. Every episode people are shot left and right. Just at the end of episode 9 alone we see dozens of people shot down. That's a lot of kilings for a small Iowa town that only seems to have one grocery! Yet law enforcement seems somwehat blase about it, all we see is one sherriff, and he's not very concerned. No governor is involved, no state or federal authorities, nor are they even mentioned. No National Guard, etc. A few people are arrested for a few murders, yet no one seems to care about the dozens of other killings all around.

On top of that, none of the main characters seems to have any concern for friends shot down or give them any medical aid, just assuming anyone shot is automatically killed. We also have several scenes of an enemy so stupid they just walk out in the open right toward enemies firing at them, which is frustratingly unrealistic. We also don't see the impact on this small town of so many of the workforce all killed. Certainly this town had no more than one undertaker, how could he possibly handle all these bodies himself?

The Walking Dead (2010–2022)

Early on is best, as it goes it gets increasingly formulaic and politically correct

[8/10 · 10 January 2023]

The first season of WD was freaking amazing. The premier episode of the first season is one of the best I have ever seen. As the show progressed, it gradually became less interesting and more formulaic. But it still maintained some quality, a good mix of story plus action, without too much of either, and constant tensions over difficult moral questions in the face of the collapse of civilization. An overall theme is also "who can you really trust"?

There was one major recycled plot. The plot line with the Commonwealth in Season 11 really feels like a repeat of Season 3-4 with the Governor of Woodbury.

And as it went on, it settled into some politically correct tracks that hurt its credibility. These were all trends that were solidified by the last season:

1. All the main character women became tough - like super hero tough. I can at least believe that these women become great shooters and hit everything they shoot at, although its a bit of a stretch. But when small women like Maggie or especially the elderly Carol routinely beat up men twice their size, it's really difficult to take seriously. Yes, they have survived for several years through the end times, but so have the guys they are killing left and right.

2. All relationships must be interracial. Not an exaggeration. By season 11 this became a rule. All white leading actors, both male and female were involved with black romantic partners, all black leading actors were involved with white, Hispanic or Asian romantic partners. Obviously many relationships are going to be interracial, there's nothing wrong with that! But the excessive way they portray it in the show just feels artificial.

3. All the main villains are white people. Every single one. Negan, the Governor, Alpha, Shane, the Terminus gang, the Miltons, etc. No exceptions!

Despite these complaints, I enjoyed the show. Highly recommended.

Don't Come Back from the Moon (2017)

Bleak, dull, pointless

[2/10 · 6 January 2023]

Take a bleak, slow movie. Set it in a broken down, rural, desert town so the scenery isn't interesting to look at. Add a lead character has questionable morals who just isn't interesting or sympathetic. Then add a title and description that hint this will be some kind of sci-fi mystery. Altogether I cam confused how someone thought this was a winning formula for a film. I suppose someone felt it has a powerful social message. But the only message was that it's bad if a parent wanders off and doesn't return. And even that message wasn't clear. I try to see the good in every film, but I couldn't find anything in this film that would convince me to watch it a second time.

Orphan: First Kill (2022)

Very clever film

[8/10 · 4 December 2022]

Overall a pretty good prequel, with a very interesting twist in the story. The only problem is that a lot of years have passed and the main actress doesn't really look like a child despite the use of many clever tricks to get around that.

Another issue that isn't addressed - what about DNA testing? It's not clear exactly what year this takes place, but all the automobiles look at least 2010s, and they are using modern computers, so it should have been a given. They looked at fingerprints, so why not DNA?

Overall the film is an entertaining evening. It's not going to win academy awards but it's a fun ride if you like thrillers.

Abducted: Fugitive for Love (2007 TV Movie)

Strange kind of prison for felons

[4/10 · 4 December 2022]

I didn't realize there were prisons holding convicted murderers that allowed them to mingle with beautiful women while they were on work details, or that you only need to drive past one fence to get out of such a facility.

This movie is above porn quality standards, but not by a lot. It does have some twists and turns and very brief nudity. It's enjoyable enough to watch if you don't take it seriously. The primary actor, Andrew W. Walker, looks a little too young and clean cut for the role.

Apparently its based on a true story but it only superficially resembles the actual story (about Randolph Franklin Dial and Bobbi Parker). This film has more of a happy ending than that one.

Murder on the 13th Floor (2012)

Not exactly black and white

[3/10 · 2 December 2022]

So if you like films where all the good guys are black, all the bad guys are white, I guess this is your film.

Sean Patrick Thomas who plays the father looks terribly bored and just isn't interesting to watch. He also looks too young to be some famous architect. Other castings are fine. Production looks like they spent enough money overall to make it believable.

It's got a couple unusual twists, and it's an unusual message of morals. The heroine is the nanny who is cheating with the husband, but in the end she gets rid of the wife, gets the husband, and steals their son. Strangely, this is presented as a happy ending.

The Presence (2010)

Original and captivating

[8/10 · 7 September 2022]

I enjoyed this a lot. It's not entirely a horror film - this movie is more romantic horror, with moral and religious overtones that aren't overbearing. It actually reminds me of the 1990 film "Ghost" with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze, but darker, without the humor elements.

It gets off to an unusual start, and continues from there. I really didn't know what direction this film was going to take. I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe the only weak element was the type casting of the hero at the end, which has become a bit of a cliche in films these days.

I don't get all the hate for this film. Do people just want to see the same stuff over and over?

Keep Breathing (2022)

A brilliant series that suffers from wrong expectations

[9/10 · 31 July 2022]

At least in the American Netflix this was advertised like a survival drama, and that's what I expected going in. I think that explains many of the negative reviews here.

But it really isn't a survival drama, or at least that's not the main point. It's a drama about a woman struggling with a lifetime of hurt and rejection, and it's only when her life is in danger, that she sees things clearly for the first time, and finally lets go of the past, so she can let herself have a life in the future.

It was well written, well produced, beautiful scenery, and a very strong cast. The only reason I didn't give it a 10/10 was because some parts of the story weren't fully explained (like the lives of the two other people on the plane with her), as well as a very abbreviated ending which was a little unsatisfying, after everything we had just seen.

The Co(te)lette Film (2010)

this is - different

[7/10 · 15 July 2022]

I really wasn't sure how to judge this.

There's no story, no explanation, just over an hour of unusual dancing that is more expression than finesse. This is the kind of thing that would be an acquired taste. It wasn't really to my taste, but I gave it an above average score for the nudity, for the energy, and because it's something different I can't really find anywhere else.

I docked at least a point for the camera work. I appreciate some close-ups, but near the end the camera remains so close to the women it's hard to see what is going on.

Saint Maud (2019)

Yet another film bashing Christianity

[3/10 · 3 July 2022]

We've been down this road before - if a person in a film is religious and a Christian, you can bet they will be portrayed as either a bigot, hypocrite, or in this case, a psycho. Why can't someone be original? How about choosing another religion?

It was well acted, and explores some of the ethics of caring for a dying person trying to enjoy their last moments of life.

But the film also felt very small in scope and a little confusing. I did not enjoy this.