wayno-6 Reviews

The Men Who Built America (2012)

Please no more 45

[1/10 · 27 November 2022]

As if things weren't bad enough...BigBadDon makes an appearance within 3 minutes of the start of the first episode. Nope. Not going to watch anything where the Orange Flush is prominently on display. Fail.

While this was made in 2012, it is now a struggle to watch someone who tried to overthrow the government and the will of the people.

Series should be re-edited to remove this performance.

I hate for things to be politically motivated, but this is the world we live in.

What could have been an educational experience is tarnished by the reputation of a tarnished man. A sad commentary on the times we live in.

Quantum Leap (2022–2024)

Simply junk

[1/10 · 20 September 2022]

I had been waiting with anticipation the reboot of Quantum Leap ever since I saw the first ad.

My patience was NOT rewarded. The acting was wooden and sterile. The plot was simply abysmal. This looks like their biggest budget item was for a green screen.

The special effects were very minimal and added to the overall feel of a poorly made B (or lower) Sci Fi vibe.

If there was any music in this episode I don't remember hearing anything.

This reboot will run opposite The Good Doctor. I sincerely doubt this gets any viewership to make the show viable. I predict this will be canceled mid season if not earlier.

House of the Dragon (2022– )

Doesn't live up the the hype.

[3/10 · 22 August 2022]

I have never seen Game of Thrones, so I don't have any of the backstory.

I was truly amazed by this cinematic titanic. But not in a good way.

This didn't click for me. The plot was predictable from the outset.

There really was nothing new here. But as I got into it, I began to notice things. First was the use of F-bombs. Seriously? It was then that I looked at the rating. TV-MA. Hmm. Gratuitous sex. No thanks. I don't need that.

This could have been easily re-editted without loosing the ahem, story-line, and making this a PG-13 family epic. But apparently it was not meant to entertain families.

The acting was very pedestrian. Nothing stands out here. There was a complete lack of chemistry between the actors. Were these supposed to be family members?

The acting was so out-of-whack, it didn't really enhance or carry the story line whatsoever. Compare that with say Downton Abbey which had tremendous chemistry.

The characters came alive. Sadly, this was glaring in House of the Dragon.

On a positive note though, the costuming and CGI graphics (for $20 million an episode it ought to be) were second-to-none.

I will watch one more episode to confirm my feelings, but I think it will confirm what I have already experienced.

Wayno.

Moontrap (1988)

Walter Koenig adds nothing to the overall funding deficit for this cinematic titanic

[3/10 · 27 February 2022]

Definitely qualify challenged! Bad acting. Bad script. Questionable music. So so special effects. Needs more screaming to truly be a classic! Walter Koenig should have a Russian accent, but sadly missing from this missive.

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021)

Insufferable

[1/10 · 8 November 2021]

I was able to make it to 30 minutes of the movie. I kept saying: it will get better any minute. It never did.

Benedict Cumberbatch is a fine actor. But a top actor could not rescue this steaming pile. The plot seemed more like loosely stitched vignettes, that made it difficult to follow the non cohesive plot.

The Stand (2020–2021)

Such language from a winning adventurerer

[2/10 · 28 December 2020]

The rapid proliferation of the "F" bomb is totally unrealistic. It adds nothing to the contact lens depth of acting, nor does it enhance the plot.

Oh wait. You mean there's a plot?

This has all the trappings of a quality challenged monster movie. Bad acting. Bad dialogue. Sub-standard cinematography, bad music, a non-existent plot.

This is just a tad better than Manos.

Wayno

The Walking Dead: World Beyond (2020–2021)

Worse than Manos

[1/10 · 6 November 2020]

I never thought I would see anything worse than Manos: The Hands of Fate. But this toxic tome is about an even par.

The acting was abysmal. The plot (was there a plot?) was non-existent. The music did not really help.

I loved the original series. I suffered through half an hour of this cinematic tripe, desperately looking for a way to saw this is watchable.

But alas, just like Manos, this is too brain clogging babble.

Madame Curie (1943)

Good story but wooden acting

[6/10 · 4 October 2020]

No doubt that Garson and Pigeon are great actors. But everything here lacked genuine emotion. There was no suspending of disbelief.

The story was good. It showed the tireless and meticulous attention they devoted to science. But the saccharine acting was a huge disappointment.

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Unwatchable

[1/10 · 26 March 2017]

Manchester by the Sea is not as bad as Manos.

This had music. Yet the script is horrendous. Don't they get it? Bad dialogue leads to bad acting, leads to a plot less, pointless rambling and a waste of over 2 hours.

The overuse of the "F" word alone makes this completely unwatchable, and added nothing to the movie.

I suffered through an hour of this drivel. An hour which I will never get back.

Wayno

Marie's Story (2014)

Best movie find of 2015

[10/10 · 9 December 2015]

For me, this was the best Netflix film find of the year.

This is a French movie, with subtitles in English.

Marie's Story is the biography of Marie Heurtin. Not unlike Helen Keller, Marie is deaf and blind. The story unfolds very similarly to that of The "Miracle Worker." But unlike The Miracle Worker, this film explores fully aspects of life, that "The Miracle Worker" never dared to cross.

In the space of 95 minutes, this movie explored the full range of human emotion. There very little need for spoken dialogue. Instead what was communicated through the actions of the characters, needed no audible communication to comprehend.

The acting was truly exceptional. The music was perfect. Not overpowering. Not distracting. Marie's signing at the end weren't words. They were poetry from the heart.

Wayno

Heroes Reborn (2015–2016)

Inconsistent Character Development and no Plot Cohesion

[1/10 · 15 October 2015]

I have let the story unfold over 5 episodes before writing this review.

The character development is inconsistent, and the plot lacks any cohesion.

The first season of Heroes, fully developed the character, before they were integrated into the plot line.

This story line and plot, seem to be written by the same writers that went on strike in Season 2, and ruined a great show.

Anyone familiar with the back story of Season 1 of Heroes, will find the characters actually annoying. Katana Girl and Ren (Hey let's call them what they really are: Ren and Stimpy) MUST die.

They add nothing new to the story. It has been 5 episodes and I am just as confused now, as I was during the opening scene of Heroes Reborn.

I tried to like this, but I can't. The characters are too plastic for anyone who knows the back story.

What could have been a great viewing choice for a change, is just the same garbage recycled.

As for me...I am waiting for the series finale of Downton Abby in 2016.

There is absolutely nothing worth watching in the 2015 prime time TV season. Netflix to the rescue, once again.

Wayno

Atari: Game Over (2014)

Applaud or Laud

[10/10 · 24 April 2015]

This review contains spoilers.

As a programmer of nearly half a century, I have more then a passing interest in what is considered the worst game of all time.

The Atari 2600 was the only gaming console I ever bought. I loved many of the games, but I have never played E.T.

In programming you have choices: good, fast, cheap (pick any 2). If a programme is good and fast, it is NOT cheap.

If a programme is cheap, it's not good.

As a programmer, I have felt these constraints many times. Have I written crappy programmes? Of course, all programmers do. Sometimes you only have a few hours, before the online system comes up, and so you resort to what is expedient, not what is quality code.

I have been in Howard Warshaw's predicament many times. As I viewed this biopic, I know very intently the precarious environment he was in, when he had to produce a product in 5 weeks.

In the end is was not Warshaw who derailed Atari, nor the entire video game industry. Atari (Japanese for "to hit the target") went for the jugular and committed hara-kiri with their own sword.

The end of the programme vindicates Warshaw.

Wayno

RiffTrax Live: Anaconda (2014)

Funny not horrifying

[3/10 · 1 November 2014]

Rifftrax/Anaconda This definitely contains spoilers.

The only thing I could find that Jon Voight, Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, and Ice Cube have in common, is this quality challenged piece known as Anaconda.

There isn't much that's right with this picture, so I'll list some of the visual and aural assaults (in no order): This was originally a made-for-TV movie, which never lit up any television sets on network television. That might tell you something about the production quality.

There was no chemistry between the actors. This tried to be an action movie....but it is quite comical.

Jon Voight's accent is fake. Unfortunately this also carries through with his acting, or should I say lack lustre performance. That might be overly generous.

The only thing that Owen Wilson added to the movie is that he was a good looking blonde dude. Acting is not his strong suite, and my advice to him would be NOT to quit his day job.

Jennifer Lopez. Every actor/actress has to pay dues on their way up the acting ladder. She paid her dues, and then some.

The English patient. Is just there so you know that they have switched plots. Since he can't breathe, Voight ends up doing a tracheotomy. Even that failed to breathe any fresh air into this movie.

Cheesy props, dynamite, sub-standard musical fare, and Ice Cube. Really? This guy can act...well he attempts to act with the fact of the rap. Yes, it was that bad folks. What did you expect? Someone who can sing and act? Try Gene Kelly.

The plot. Oh Lord....the plot. There certainly was NO lack of slowness. Occasionally this not-so-realistic snake shows up, and eats people. He even tried to digest Jon Voight. In the end, the snake had no stomach for Voight's acting, and re-gurgitates. Wink. Wink. (Don't miss it.) Probably the best scene in the movie was the waterfall near the end of the film. I'll leave that spoiler out, so you'll have to watch it for yourself.

The Rifftrax crew deserves applause for making this utterly un-watchable piece of cinema, into a palatable comedy.

Bully (I) (2011)

Misses the Elephant in the room

[1/10 · 21 August 2014]

May contain spoilers.

This was a movie/documentary/running commentary on bullying. Many issues were NEVER addressed.

I was bullied as a kid, so I can totally identify with these kids. This "movie" (for lack of a better term) was made by autism speaks.

I am on the Autism Spectrum. First let me say, that autism speaks DOES NOT SPEAK FOR ME! I have several issues with the organisation, not the least is the fact that there is NO one with Autism/Aspergers on the board of directors for this organisation.

While autismspeaks is "responsible" for the movie, it completely misses the elephant in the room. Autism/Aspergers. If you purport to make a movie about being Autistic and the subsequent bullying, then it only seems reasonable that at some juncture, the issue(s) of the Autism is discussed. Wrong! A lot of the playground bullying I experienced as a child, WAS indeed related to Aspergers. I still struggle with relationships in my 6th decade on this rotating ball of boredom. Yet, they never discuss that.

You cannot in good conscious, remove the causation factour in the bullying. Being Autistic sucks at times. But it also is responsible for my excellent computer programming skills.

If you are autismspeaks, and you are making a film about bullying, then you need to address the cause. Autism. Once again the organisation fails to properly represent those of us on the spectrum.

Yes -- this film deserves an F-.

Wayno

Willard (1971)

Ah Rats!

[1/10 · 12 August 2012]

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Ah rats! No wait. That is the whole plot in 2 words.

From "Marty" to Martin. My how Ernest Borgnine, fell from grace.

How many of you knew, that Willard is the first name of Republican Presidential nominee, Willard Mitt Romney? Okay whoever named this kid is thankfully out of the gene pool. Who the hell names their kid after a baseball glove? What's next? A boy named shuffleboard?

Okay anyway - the famous tag-line: "Where dreams end...Willard begins." That may apply to our poor baseball glove.

No I could not begin to tell you how devastatingly challenged the contact lens acting, plot, dialogue, and scenery are. Nor could I tell you how dreadful the music is. While this is NOT as bad as Manos: The Hands of Fate, I am not too sure I'd ever watch this quality challenged cinematic blunder again. It is NOT even good fodder for Mystery Science Theatre.

I think Alan Alda's quote: "There certainly is NO lack of slowness" sums it perfectly.

Hugo (2011)

Okay one time Red Box Rental

[1/10 · 22 March 2012]

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

Was a decent one time rental from red box.

I'd give it a 1 - 1.5

If I had known it was a Scorsese film, I wouldn't have bothered. It Ended poorly -- did a lot of character development, expected a terrific ending, only to once again be disappointed.

Did NOT respect the audience, in my humble opinion.

Plot points went un-resolved at the end of the film, I was left wondering why it was in there in the first place.

Ben Kingsley did a good job, with a poor script and odd English language usage.

Wayno

Change for a Dollar (2010)

How one life, affects many

[10/10 · 3 October 2011]

May contain spoilers.

It is amazing how one life affects the other. How a homeless person transforms the lives of people he encounters in everyday life. Not by doing great things, but through a series of small seemingly insignificant random acts of kindness.

This short, contains no words. It doesn't need them. The powerful message of infusing hope into the lives of others, needs actions, not words.

This short challenges those who view it, to affect their world in small ways. Be on the lookout on ways to help you fellow man.

We may NOT do big, great important things. But those we intermingle with, our affected greatly by our actions or in-actions. Are we infusing hope into the life of others, to do we casually walk by?

"Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in our soul.

and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all." -- Emily Dickenson

Temple Grandin (2010 TV Movie)

Finally a movie that accurately portrays Autisim

[10/10 · 19 September 2010]

Temple Grandin (2010) Spoilers Ahead! Rarely do performances such as this, suspend disbelief. Not since watching Judy Davis in Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001), have I been so enamoured with the level of acting, found here.

Having Asperger Syndrome myself, I have read many of Dr. Grandin's books, and I am quite familiar with her biography. Claire Danes absolutely nailed this performance. It's clear she did her homework, and spent a lot of time preparing for this role.

I found this film comfortably familiar. The struggles faced as a child. The bullying. The misunderstandings. The literal interpretations. They were all present. They are part of our past, that has transformed us into the people that we are today. I didn't just watch this. I participated. This was my own life unfolding, as I watched this biopic. Claire Danes took on the life of Temple Grandin, and made it her own.

It is a unique perspective, into the life of Autism. Finally someone has captured what it is really like, living on the Autistic Spectrum. The over sensitivity to light and sounds. The misunderstanding of body language. The unique perspective and creative problem solving abilities we share.

No. This wasn't a just another video. It was life. While I don't have the eidetic (photographic) memory that Dr. Grandin has, nor am I able to visualise, my route to learning and understanding the world around me, is in the sounds. I have an acute auditory (hearing) memory. Like the blind person in the film, I remember sounds. It is my gateway into the world.

Claire Danes herself, said it best:  I think people confuse fame with validation or love. But fame is not the reward. The reward is getting fulfilment out of doing the thing you love.

Inception (2010)

Loosely based on "The Matrix"

[8/10 · 24 July 2010]

"Inception"

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Loosely based on the plot of "The Matrix," "Inception" goes further down the "rabbit hole" with a significantly better plot line, and much better acting, by Di Caprio. (Rest of cast, except for Michael Caine, Tom Berringer, and Lukas Haas were veritable unknowns.) If anyone has seen the re-make of "The Day the Earth Stood Still," then you know what I am talking about.

The concept is simple. Plant an idea in someone's mind, without them knowing about it.

While the story does NOT suspend your disbelief, it does have a few plot twists (predictable), that do keep you on the edge of your seat.

The story line does get complicated at times. You don't exactly know which level of reality they are on. For thinkers like myself, that leaves you trying to figure out where they are, instead of just enjoying the movie for what it is: entertainment.

The special effects aren't stellar. They are in-fact "incredibly mediocre" by today's standards. The acting wasn't off the charts either. But Action/Adventure movies really don't have time to develop "Depth of Character." The ambiguous ending, does respect the audience in this case, and it finished well.

Rated 4 stars out of 5 Wayno Tucson, Az

The Day the Earth Stopped (2008 Video)

Lotto ticket, or rent this movie?

[1/10 · 10 July 2010]

The Day the Earth Stopped Spoilers Ahead! This is desperation TV watching, at its finest.

Hey I like quality challenged movies as much as the next guy. But this.....This was definitely challenged! This movie never darkened a theatre. Why it was so popular, it went straight to DVD! Yeah. A real brain clogging movie extravaganza! No acting. No plot. And all the robot action is contained in the trailer.

Were there any good parts to the movie? Well let's see.

Guillermo J. Silberstein musical masterpiece, definitely tied the contact lens acting and thinly veiled plot line all together into one cohesive ball of cheesy challenge.

Rated as 1 out of 10 by 40% of the viewers on the Internet Movie Data Base, you know that this is going to be a complete waste of the next 90 minutes of your life.

The best thing: This movie is currently available at just about any RedBox, for the paltry sum of $1 (plus taxes, which vary).

If I had this to do over, I'd spend the buck on a lotto ticket!

Clash of the Titans (2010)

Good Special effects despite some 3D hiccups

[6/10 · 11 April 2010]

I was pretty familiar with the plot of the story, having seen the original in 1981, by special effects Master, Ray Harryhausen.

The 2010 remake (in 3D) was pretty spectacular.

Unlike Avatar which relied heavily on the 3D to carry the story, Clash of the Titans (2010) used 3D to enhance the story, not carry it.

But unlike Avatar, Clash of the Titans (2010) has some 3D hiccups. Especially noticeable are scenes, where the object spreads to cover the left or right edge of the screen. (Thanks Wil!) The 3D image isn't quite so good. James Cameron, was obviously aware of this when he made Avatar. It had no 3D hiccups.

Despite that, Clash is an excellent film for the emerging 3D industry. The special effects were expected, and they were well done.

One wonders what Ray Harryhausen (retired) could do with these toys, which didn't exist 30 years ago?

Avatar (2009)

Long but a decent movie

[7/10 · 24 January 2010]

Rated lower due to length:

Spoilers Ahead! You may want to bow out now!

Clocking in at just under 3 hours, "Avatar" seems to miss the one salient point known by Preachers everywhere: "The brain can absorb, ONLY what the seat can endure!" The movie, despite its length, is a good watch, though the 3D at times, seemed more a novelty, then an enhancement to the story. More on this later.

The plot however, seemed to be a derivative. It was somewhere between "Dances with Wolves" meets "The Matrix" and "The Terminator" with a sappy love story thrown in for good measure.

Not particularly original, but when have the offerings from Hollywood been original? (Yes that's a rhetorical question!) I was surprised to be honest, that the CGI (Computer Generated Images) were that good! I really couldn't tell where the GGI (animation) begin, and what was real. I figured the CGI would carry the story. In fact it enhanced it.

What didn't enhance it however, was the 3D. Besides making you wear the clunky glasses, it did give me a headache. I expected this, remembering the horrid 3D images from the 60's.

All in all, a good story, decently told, despite the derivative plot and political underpinings. Butt at 3 hours, I am NOT likely to see this again.

Wayno

Torchwood (2006–2011)

Near Desperation Time TV Viewing

[3/10 · 20 July 2009]

I had never seen or heard of "Torchwood." The ads however, would make it seem that this sci-fi (scy-fy if your....) adventure might be right up my ally.

It was quite disappointing. The acting was, adequate, the dialogue not in any sense of the word, entertaining, and the plot seemed to be a bit draggy, and really went no where particular.

While not coming right out and saying it at first, "Torchwood" deals with the concept of extra-terrestrial threats/invasion.

All of the politicos involved in this referred to something called a "blank page." What the Hell is that? Finally it seemed like a method of "plausible deniability." I have a feeling this will turn out to be much like Spielberg's "Taken" mini-series. A collossal waste of time.

I'd give this 1.5 stars out of 5. It's close to "desperation time TV," but mildly entertaining.

Ahh no wonder this reeks. It was directed by Russell T. Davies. The same guy who ruined "Dr. Who."

Wayno

Zeiram (1991)

You'll Believe....

[2/10 · 12 July 2009]

"Zeram" Spoilers Ahead! An interesting Japanese Film dubbed into English.

Let's see. To sum it up. A Girl with the wrong colour lipstick, talks to a computer named "Bob," while hunting down an alien monster.

Yeah I know. this prolly is the basic plot to about a thousand "B" movies.

Two electrician buffoon like characters, dressed in colours worse then any disco nightmare you can imagine, are also like hand to add to the humour of this cinematic "wonder." No not as good as the "Godzilla" movies, but you'll still be believe: "It's a man in a rubber suit!"

I.O.U.S.A. (2008)

There is no free lunch

[10/10 · 8 April 2009]

I.O.U.S.A. (the DVD - released on April 7, 2009) This PBS Documentary, discusses the four areas of deficit facing the U.S.

1. The Deficit of the Budget 2. The Deficit of Trade 3. The Deficit of Saving 4. The Deficit of Leadership It well documents how we got into this mess, and very succinctly, states what every one already knows: "There is NO free lunch!" A must see for any Taxpayer.

It aptly discusses the crises of leadership provided during the Bush administration, and the doubling of the national debt.

Can we afford to mortgage future generations? Can we afford to mortgage our own?

Very scary. Reuters said it best: "May be to the U.S. economy what 'An Inconvenient Truth' was to the environment."

Rated 5 stars.