Change Your Image
john-krotzer
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
The Mandalorian: Chapter 20: The Foundling (2023)
Just OK ...
I liked the episode, but it was too short to me considering we are now half way through the season and I feel there is a lot more to be developed. It seemed like 25% of the episode was spent watching the Armorer bang away at Mandalorian steel.
The flashback to Grogu's escape from the Temple was the best part of the episode. I also enjoyed his beating the other Foundling with the dart weapon, though that was very predictable.
While I realize one needs to suspend their current understandings of science to enjoy an action story set so many years in the future, I could still not wrap my head around the bird beast taking the Foundling (Ragnor?) and not feeding him to its hatchlings immediately. After what must have been 18 hours, the kid was regurgitated by the beast and essentially seemed in untouched condition.
Looking forward to the second half of the season ...
Creamerie (2021)
Started great; Ended dumb ...
I loved the potential of this show, but the last episode just sucked and ruined the season.
The story starts out straight forward ... a virus of some sort kills all the men, and a world full of women needs to find a way to procreate. But are all the men really gone??? When one turns up, it looks like the women in charge are more interested in power than anything else. An interesting twist on the age old story of power, but then it just got weird. Too weird, and not in a good way.
The acting was, in my opinion, good.
I'd love to see this premise tried again, but with more imaginative writers ...
The Witcher: Blood Origin (2022)
Stop Review Bombing this! Not horrible ....
While this is hardly as good as The Witcher, there is a lot of review bombing going on by insecure people frightened by a diverse cast, an interracial relationship, and two men kissing. Get over yourselves! This is worthy of much more than one star! Decent acting, and an okay storyline, albeit too rushed.
The series tells the story of how the first Witcher came about, as well as how the worlds of monsters, elves, and man became one. Such an endeavor requires a lot more than four episodes. This is my major complaint ... it was too rushed, at the expense of what could have been a very good and interesting story.
This series also gives us a chance to revisit an incredibly popular character from the original series - Jaskier the Bard - and introduced us to several fun new ones, most notably Meldof the ass-kicking, sarcastic lady dwarf with a battle hammer named Gwen. I thought the main characters (Fjall and Eile), were pretty good, as were some others (Brother Death), while some like the empress Merwyn were miscast or underwhelming.
There has been some criticism of this series as it relates (if at all) to the original writing of Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski, and I cannot refute this as I have not read his books, nor am I am expert on the Slavic mythology Sapkowski is often credited with integrating into his stories.
Overall, I'd say it is watchable, and relevant to the Witcher world, but could have been better.
Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. (2022)
An infuriatingly dumb person ...
I feel for victims of conmen, but this went WAY past the point where a UPenn grad should have realized she was being swindled. By the end, I felt zero sympathy for her.
I thought the documentary was well made, but I hated the "victim". And that made it harder to watch ...
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Excellent!
A very unique concept ... loved it! Great acting, especially the children. Look for this at award-time!
The Guest Book: Finding Reality (2018)
Not a great start ...
Liked the first season a lot, but miss the other regular characters. Writing seems to be a step down....
The Orville (2017)
Much better than critics claim ....
I really like this show, and with every episode, it gets better. In a nutshell, it looks at real world issues through the lens of an early Star Trek episode, with some edgy humor thrown in. It isn't offensive in the least - this isn't Family Guy in space - and the acting is pretty good (and they found the perfect use for Norm MacDonald - his voice but without having to see him act!)
It won't be for everyone, but I think most people will like it.
Note: For a better review, read the one by "David-Bernhardt" - it summarizes the show perfectly!
Fortitude (2015)
Excellent series - cannot wait to watch Season 2!
I thought the first season was excellent - well acted, interesting plot, lots of stories intertwined, suspenseful, and very well shot. I really enjoyed the mix of British, Nordic, and (one) U.S. actors.
Michael Gambon's character, Henry Tyson, was particularly well acted, which you'd expect from an actor of his caliber. But other well done roles include Darren Boyd as school teacher Markus, who I expected in every episode to come out as either gay or a card-carrying Nazi. That character was really bizarre, and Boyd played it very well. Nicholas Pinnock as Frank Sutter, an adulterous policeman and vet of the conflict in Afghanistan, is also very well acted.
Superstore (2015)
Great start .... looking forward to additional episodes!
My biggest worry about this show is that people are going to write it off before watching it. If you look at the characters working at the store - one Latina, one gay Asian, one clueless white trash pregnant girl, one disabled black guy, one new Jewish guy, and one really weird guy - it may seem more like they just assembled a group covering every demographic (I am sure a South Asian Muslim will be introduced before we know it!).
That said, I really like the way this series has started out ... I more or less equate it with 'The Office' but in a big box store setting. While the main two characters - Amy and Jonah - get the most lines, I find the secondary characters to be quite funny, especially black and disabled Garrett (Colton Dunn), clueless Cheyenne (Nichole Bloom), and military-tough Dina (Lauren Ash). While some of the story lines may SEEM politically correct, there is a clear parodying of the PC culture that I found funny. The writing is not necessarily up there with 'The Office', but it is good, and I laughed out loud several times. It is also at times a little edgier, with comments about both rape and race that wouldn't necessarily be seen on other shows.
If you like 'The Office', 'Parks & Rec', or 'Chuck', you will like this. My fingers are crossed that this one makes it!
Adormidera (2013)
Just awful!
I was excited to see this because I love this kind of period movie, but that fact of the matter is this movie was awful. So awful that I could not stop watching it to see how bad it could get. The acting was poor (for example, Lord William's reaction when his son was killed was about as overwhelming as my reaction when I find a brown spot on my banana).
The production was also poor, with the camera work all over the place and the sound inconsistent.
Finally, I think the script for this move needed a LOT of work. So much is undeveloped. You hardly learn anything about Adormidera, for example, and she is the title character!
Overall, the only use for this movie is if they ever bring Mystery Science Theater 3000 back.