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Justified: City Primeval (2023)
Awful and disappointing
I loved the "Justified" TV series, so when I heard that this series was coming I was thrilled. Just before the release, to get in the zone, I rewatched the original series and loved it as much this time as before.
What an abomination this was. "Justified" was known for great writing, great characters, a great cast, the perfect mixture of action and drama and light humor (in the form of sarcastic one liners that might come from any character at any time), and beautiful (BEAUTIFUL) love interests for Raylan. This series literally has none of that. None of it. Even Raylan doesn't feel like Raylan most of the time - and the idea that he is genuinely attracted to the overweight, unlikable defense attorney just isn't believable. All I could think during their supposed romantic interlude was that he needs to gain 20 pounds and she needs to lose 40.
Raylan's daughter - played by Timothy Olyphant's daughter Vivian - is horribly unlikable...through no fault of the actress. Vivian Olyphant, who is apparently such a sweet young woman in real life that it can't be completely hidden even when playing a brat, can't he blamed for the script. TV writers must have terrible kids, since they almost always write them as horrible human beings. And I think I injured myself rolling my eyes when Raylan's daughter told the black, overweight defense attorney that her dad is okay "for a white guy." If this is what Hollywood writers have to offer, I hope they stay on strike forever and producers just hire random people out of the phone book.
The only real standout performance was Boyd Holbrook's as the antagonist. He was so good that, when he was on screen, he actually made me think I was watching Justified. Adelaide Clemens also delivered. Marin Ireland and Norbert Leo Butz were both as good as possible considering what little they were given to do and say.
If you loved the Justified TV series, just ignore this. Pretend it doesn't exist. You'll be happier.
30 Days of Night: Dark Days (2010)
So awful that I registered with IMDb just to say so
Even though I've checked the spoilers box, I won't reveal anything about the ending of the movie. This movie is so bad that I registered with IMDb just so I could say so. It abandons everything about the first movie that made that movie great. The vampires are the standard Hollywood type and are not remotely intimidating. There isn't a character in the whole film that I cared about or was concerned would die, and when someone did die I didn't care. The setting of the movie is LA, not Alaska (so, there is no "30 days of night in the film"). There is a completely out-of-nowhere PG-level sex scene (and no, fanboys, it doesn't involve Diora Baird. You will not see her naked in this movie, so that's a professional victory for her, at least). The main character makes a decision that is so unbelievable and so idiotic that it is impossible to believe she would make it, and especially impossible to believe the same character from the FIRST movie would make it.
I've liked Kiele Sanchez since "The Perfect Getaway", and Harold Perrineau since being introduced to him on "Lost." And I think Diora Baird can probably act, too, if given the chance. They all need to avoid movies like this.
The first movie had me on the edge of my seat, in awe of the shark-like, cruel monsters that swept into a remote Alaskan town. This movie had me shaking my head in disbelief that whoever made it didn't understand the first movie at all. "Blair Witch 2" was a masterpiece compared to this. "Alien 3" was less of a betrayal of "Aliens" than this movie is to its predecessor. For those people who loved "30 Days of Night", avoid this movie.