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klkitchens
Reviews
Call Me Kat (2021)
Such fun! NOT!
Oh my. Have seen the ending of this before my recording of Last Man Standing. Only today did I catch them waving goofy enough the make the Miranda connection. Before it was just odd. So I looked it up and found that indeed it was a remake / deepfake of that wonderful show from the UK. So I pulled it up on Hulu to see how bad it was. And it was. It's done nothing today to make you feel proud. At all.
For every successful Office upgrade or Steptoe and Son in the USA there are many more of these failed attempts to capture the magic of the original. This ranks rankly down with the horrible Fawlty Towers reboot with John Larroquette.
Person of Interest: If-Then-Else (2015)
A great episode... except for one scene
Really been enjoying this show a lot recently. Did not watch when it was first on, but catching up on Netflix after it was recommended by some friends.
A lot has been said about the episode and the different outcomes based on the Machine testing various strategies before settling on the best option. Wonderful idea and well executed. Seeing all the characters "die" in the options probably made for great "previews" when the show was originally aired.
The "flirtiness" of Root was turned up quite a bit this episode. So much so that it became very clear that she was of a different lifestyle choice. Sure she'd been flirting with Sameen in prior episodes, but truly it came across as she was simply trying to get under her skin (not her clothes) as they'd annoyed each other for several seasons. Here it became a little more clear. Even if it had seemed like there was a love interest before, it came across as one-sided and simply catering to network executives who more and more require such content to appease special interest groups.
But ok... it was ramped up this time and then culminated with a "goodbye" kiss between Sameen and Root. Very disappointing to have what seemed to be unrequited (and probably innocent) banter suddenly shift in this unnecessary and unwelcome direction. Definitely not what fans of the show should have been expecting and very disappointing.
So just beware... If you're ok with that sort of out of place behavior, it won't bother you. But if you're watching this with older teens as a family event, beware of what's coming.
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Bad, Boring Blech!
Too long. Too much waste of good (albeit politically ignorant) talent. Scene with Topher Grace makes him look like a complete boob (and Bruce Willis doesn't help himself much either). Don't waste your time -- this was not a true sequel, but an ad-lib roleplaying by some buddies to write off a trip to Europe.
Julia Roberts is getting worse as she gets older. Clooney was his usual smug self (good) and Pitt and Damon were as good as usual. But the rest of the cast was unneeded and way too many actors/characters to be effective. I couldn't even remember most of them from the first film. And the whole Zeta-Jones story was just too implausible based on the information they gave.
And don't get me started on the frickin' lasers.
Surviving Christmas (2004)
(There should be no) Surviving Screenwriters
This movie is terrible. TERRIBLE. One of the worst movies ever. I cannot even imagine Gigli being worse that this. Previews made us say "NO", but then looking for something amid the dreck out there right now, we decided to go ahead and give it a shot.
STUPID US.
Affleck is NOT an actor. He's an image and can look good with explosions, but not even the kind Bruce Willis got in "Die Hard". If he stripped his shirt and ran around fighting bad guys, it would be a comedy.
The best part was Catherine O'Hara -- she's always good. Gandolfini flops again (if it weren't for The Sopranos, he'd be washed up) like he did in "The Mexican".
Affleck hogs every scene and as others have said -- no character has any motivation whatsoever for their actions.
AVOID THIS MOVIE AT ALL COSTS.
Cellular (2004)
A great thriller!!!
Excellent film!
Just saw this movie and with a few minor glitches, was the best thriller I've seen in some itme. The movie starts and just keeps going (the mark of excellence in this genre). Only 90+ minutes long, it feels longer -- and this is a good thing. The characters are introduced properly, the audience is let in on secrets in perfect fashion and the whole film just flows.
White knuckle, edge of your seat stuff. Especially if you can relate as a parent. Twists and reverses will hold you and keep you going.
Kim Basinger does a great job in her role as the kidnapped mom frantic to save and protect her family. Chris Evans I'd not see before, but he holds his own as well as the slacker with a hear who has to mature rapidly. William H. Macy is perfect and his character is given the most depth.
Look for Last Comic Standing season one winner Dat Phan as a Vietnamese artist early in the movie and with a speaking line near the end -- which he lampooned in LCS season two.
Enjoyable summer flick or on DVD... Enjoy the ride!
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Quirky and funny, albeit slow
For an 89 minute film, this one drags. But it is charming and sad in a way as we all know (or were) a student like Napoleon Dynamite. Napoleon never seems to grow or change, but more finds his niche in the world that is changing around him. Unfortunately, the movie takes too much time on most shots and violates standard movie conventions in what appears to be an attempt to pad the movie out to something resembling a feature film. Not that any scenes are unnecessary, just that a scene that could have taken 30 seconds takes 45 seconds with that excess time simply being wasted leaving the character on-screen. The credits are quite unique however and show the filmmaker's creativity (and lack of budget).
From Hell (2001)
An excellent telling of one of the many theories...
Jack the Ripper appeared and disappeared after a relatively short killing spree. However, as he was never caught and the gruesome nature of his killings, the Ripper legend still has steam after 100+ years.
It's been told and examined in many films, most notably the "Time After Time" film with Malcom McDowell, David Warner, and Annie Steenburgen.
"From Hell" takes its name from one of the notes presumed to be written by the Ripper and delivered to investigating authorities. The story of "From Hell" addresses the details of the legend and a quite entertaining and mostly logical way. Depp, as usual, offers quite a turn as Inspector Abberline, the chief investigator. This is definitely a must-see film.
Be warned. Most of the gore is kept to a minimum, seen indirectly. This makes it even more shocking when a few graphic scenes take hold of your mind and refuse to let go.