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Reviews
The Kids in the Hall (2022)
Well Past their Prime
Grandparents Gone Wild would be a more appropriate title for this vile bit of stupidity.
A few minutes into the first episode viewers are "treated" to a scene where two seventy-ish Actors, Dave Foley and Kevin McDonald, display full frontal nudity for several minutes.
There are just some things viewers should never be forced to watch... it was just extremely sad.
This tired program is bad, painfully bad.
.
Superman & Lois: Anti-Hero (2022)
Anti Entertaining
Enough! I am a major Superman fan. I finally gave up on this series halfway through this episode - and will probably never watch it again.
The writing on this show is so low, even by CW network standards, it makes it impossible to watch. This should be a show about "Heroes". Instead, it is full of "Zeroes". This should be a program of people offering hope and encouragement, people doing things us mere mortals could never hope to do. Instead, it has become a very poorly written soap opera about marital infidelity, teen drug abuse, and militant negative messages about the military. These subject have their time and their place. That place is NOT during a costumed Superhero program.
The CW has never been taken seriously as a network. This show is no exception. Total viewership is less than that of Metro Seattle. The CW needs to understand that "empowerment messages" and "color balanced" casts alone cannot carry a series. The audience needs to care about the characters - no matter what their gender, no matter what their race.
Naomi (2022)
Slow,Plodding, Coma inducing
I really wanted to like this series. I gave it every opportunity. Then I realized it was not just so boring it was sleep inducing - it was coma inducing.
To be fair, Kaci Walfall is an extremely talented and likable actress. She deserves scripts which are of the same high caliber. The writing on this series is awkward and unfocused. It appears that the entire writing cast watched "Smallville" for their inspiration. This entire series is a Suberboy clone. The only difference is that this Superboy has been morphed into a female and a person of color.
Much of the rest of this series is so bland and so forgettable you wont remember anything the next morning. The one standout in the supporting cast is Alexander Wrath as Dee. He is the only cast member with enough acting talent to rise above the mediocre scripts.
Restaurant: Impossible (2011)
Rude Old White Guy "Mansplains"
Host Robert Irvine constantly tells his victims "I am a professional chef", then he proceeds to throw a tantrum in usually the most public place in the history restaurant. He is constantly rude and demeaning to Latins. I know of no other series anywhere 9n television where Latinas are treated so poorly. I am surprised Food Network permits this kind of horrible behavior.
This is NOT a "reality" show. It is totally contrived from start to finish. And, like a bad Hallmark movie, it follows a carefully scripted plot line. Robert sweeps in to a failing restaurant. He refuses to eat any of the food, and prances into the dining room to tell all of the patrons he forbids them from finishing their meals - because the kitchen is so filthy. Same old same old, never changing formula for drama.
Robert is particularly obnoxious to Latinas. He acts like a bully and a thug - not the "professional" he claims to be. He also treats Latins as if they are of sub average intelligence - that they don't know how to clean or how to cook and serve food. Then, in a mere 2 days, he teaches everything there is to know about restaurant management, does a quirky superficial decoration of the premises, and leaves the owners "successful".
What total poppycock.
The show always ends with a statement about how much the restaurant sales have increased after Irvine does his "magic".
The Early Bird in Palo Alto had sales go up "10 percent". That is not a lot after all that "magic".
Irvine invariably comments "there is a smell here". I agree - but it is not coming from the host restaurant.
I hope Food Network cans this "Mansplainer" and replaces him with a host who actually knows how to deal with people in a professional way - politely and efficiently.
Astrid and Lilly Save the World (2022)
Delightful Satire of Teen Angst
This is one of the best new series of the season. It will appeal to viewers who understand subtly and nuance... "literalists" will not understand much of the humor here.
I was delighted to see that the two Central characters are not the cliche anorexics that tend to inhabit other movies of this kind. These characters are far more real, and realistic, than most of the Stepford Wives type females who inhabit most Canadian television productions.
Most Importantly, the production has a positive message - all about loving yourself and treating others with value.
I cannot wait for future episodes.
Peacemaker: A Whole New Whirled (2022)
Television Equivalent of a You Tube Cat Video
John Cena's career must really be tanking if he agrees to appear in this mess. In a world recovering from the effects of Covid, everyone needs entertainment and diversion. Instead, we get yet another Super Zero . Surely there are not that many people still living in their Mother's basements....
John Cena has never been a particularly gifted actor, so my initial expectations were very low. He failed to meet those expectations. Cena looks old beyond his years, his nasal labial folds are so deep they distract from the story line. He appears wooden and almost human. I am talking about his appearance and not his limited acting abilities.
Yes, you do get to see John Cena prance around in his briefs. Tom Cruise did it far far better back in the 1980s. Yes, you do get to see a quick shot of John Cena's butt. This was done far better back in the 1980s in the original Terminator movie. Most disturbingly, you get to see John Cena brutalize a female character. There is absolutely NOTHING heroic, or redeeming, about why this bit of nonsense ended to be included in the script. But like much of the rest of the script nothing makes much sense here.
In a season literally flooded with asinine super hero programs.... this light weight bit of fluff will not make much of a dent. It is the television equivalent of a YouTube Cat Video.
Superman & Lois: What Lies Beneath (2022)
Superman and the Woman who Constantly Whines
The program should be called "Superman and the Whiney Woman".
Too much time, far too much time, was devoted to Lois Lane in this episode. And Elizabeth Tulloch is too much of a light weight to handle this much screen time. Tulloch is by far the least interesting actress in the series. Any time she appears on screen it is like a great black hole opening up. I did not enjoy the opening episode of the second season at all.
There are certain conventions which must be followed in a super hero program. The writers of "Superman and Lois" just do not seem to understand that. They keep insisting on changing this series into something it is not. The result is that they alienate their core audience and fail to attract any other viewers. The writers need to rewatch the earlier Superman movies - they just lack a basic understanding of the nature of Superman.
All in all just a very disappointing start for a season premier.
The Lost Symbol (2021)
Big Steaming Pile of Canadian Television
Nothing says "cheap and Second Rate" like an "American " tv series which is actually shot in Canada.
This series is bland, even by Canadian tv standards. The actors are underwhelming and appear to be heavily medicated. Particularly disturbing, and annoying is British Transvestite Eddie Izzard cast as the Man Character's Father. And, we have to face reality. Good Canadian actors move to the US to work. The rest of them stay 8n Canada and work for much lower salaries.
The plots, and it is still debatable that the episodes actually HAVE plots, are tepid and bland. The episodes lack the dramatic tension of your average Canadian Hallmark movie. Character development is infantile and generic.
NCIS: Los Angeles: A Land of Wolves (2022)
WHY is this Racist Nonsense Even Allowed on the Air?
If this is an indication of future episodes, then CBS needs to put this series off the air. It is one of the most profoundly disturbing episodes I have seen on television in longer than I can remember.
The writers of this big stinking pile of "civics lesson" need to be terminated... and never ever write anything again. Nothing is less entertaining than a "soapbox". This episode strays so far from what the NCIS actually does it is preposterous. Poorly written, one dimensional cartoonish characters.
Note to CBS a lot of your loyal fan base for this show are older and former servicemen. When you depict servicemen as clowns and buffoons... you are insulting the major supporters of this show.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Face the Strange (2021)
No, Just No.
Without Mark Harmon there is NO reason to continue to watch NCIS.
Harmon was the emotional code of the series. Gary Cole is far too lightweight to ever replace Harmon. It is better to just end the series now .
The characters still left on the show cannot carry the series. They just do not have the substance to carry it off. This episode was by far one of the most poorly written episodes in the history of the series. The plot features zombie moments and walking explosive devices. It was just so stupid, so incredibly stupid there was not a believable moment in the entire episode.
Gary Cole is horribly miscast as the new team leader. It is like The Father of the Brady Bunch pretending to be an FBI Agent.
This series is creatively bankrupt. The plug needs to be pulled...
NCIS: Los Angeles: Fukushu (2021)
Almost as Entertaining as a Middle School Civics Lesson
Enough! This was not "entertainment", it was a political statement.
Remember those middle school civics classes on "brotherhood"? This episode was far less appealing and far less interesting.
I seriously wonder why this show remains on the air.
Midnight Mass (2021)
Well Below Bottom of the Barrel
We do understand. Quality producers have been unable to provide content for eighteen months. Netflix is scrambling to find new content. Midnight Mass shows how desperate they have become. This program would have to improve substantially to be described as "bottom of the barrel "
The first three hours of this mess spends at least two hours and 45 minutes showing polite Canadian Actors politely talking to each other. No drama, no dramatic tension, and absolutely nothing even remotely interesting. The viewer keeps hoping something interesting will happen... and it never does.
I fell asleep from the "bland".
If you manage to suffer through to episode 5 you realize that you have wasted five hours of your life. They finally start telling you that this is the stupidest bit of nonsense you can ever remember seeing on any network. Not "entertaining stupid", just idiotic stupid.
Oh, and be warned, this big steaming pile has an Agenda. Christians, and especially Catholics, are Stupid and evil. The only sane character in this tepid plot is the Muslim Sheriff who is seen as valiant and intelligent.
Roswell, New Mexico (2019)
WHY is this Still on the Air?
I was a fan of the original series. It had engaging characters, interesting plot lines, and an over all logical mentality driving the series forward.
The pathetic reboot started out slow and sluggish... and went rapidly downhill from there. I wonder if this series HAS writers. It appears like fifteen different people each write their own 3 minute scene, all without talking to each, then they film this nonsense and dump it out without any cohesive editing.
The episodes are bloated with unnecessary characters and unnecessary scenes which do absolutely nothing to propel the plot. The writers need to realize that viewers have MORE than a 90 second attention span.
The Season 3 opener was so bad, so painfully bad, it was difficult to sit through. The CW needs to pull the plug on this one, it was DOA long ago....
Leverage: Redemption (2021)
Could not come at a Better time
Thank you for reviving this series. It could not come at a better time.
I did have concerns, at first, about how they could this series without Timothy Hutton. By the second episode it was clear that the rest of the cast could handle things all on their own. All of the original quirkiness is back -- without Hutton, the rest of the cast was able to have more individual moments.
I sincerely hope this series is allowed to continue.
A Call to Spy (2019)
Malibu Barbies Do " British Accents"
Dear Sarah Megan Thomas,
You are NOT "British", you are an American Actress born in Pennsylvania.
Stana Katic is NOT "British" - she was born in Canada.
Radhika Apte is not "British" - she was born in ASIA.
You, and your female cast cannot do convincing English accents - you are bad, annoyingly bad bad bad.
The actual women this film is based upon were Amazing Human Beings. They deserve a far better treatment than you have given them.
This could have been an exceptional film -- instead it is tepid and boring.
FBI: Most Wanted: Toxic (2021)
Toxic towards Women.
There is absolutely nothing new or innovative in this entire episode. And, whenever the writers lack a story idea to propel the action, they throw in some graphic violence - which is about every six minutes in this episode.
Aside from a woman getting her tongue cut out, another woman getting shot in the back, a third woman getting coal tar injected into her arm... there is very little going on in this episode.
The amount of violence is OFFENSIVE. The amount of violence directed towards Women is even more offensive. It would appear that NBC just does not care about Women, or about viewers who are subjected to this mess.
I am astonished that such a lack luster program is still on the air.
MacGyver: Barn Find + Engine Oil + La Punzonatura + Lab Rats + Tachometer (2021)
WHY is this Still on the Air?
I cannot believe that this idiotic program is still on the air. The original series sometimes had outrageous plots -- but they were always backed with solid science. The new series is just increasingly outrageous, and stupid, week after week.
The current crop of writers appear to have never TAKEN a basic high school science class.
There are plot holes big enough to drive a truck through. In this episode, for example, MacGuyer plugs holes in a leaking ship hull by throwing a handful of "putty" made of shampoo at the hole.
The quality of writing is just infantile, and it does not appear to be getting any better this season.
Kenan: Pilot (2021)
So NOT even remotely funny
No. Just no.
Keenan Thompson knows how to be funny. He continually demonstrates his comedic gifts on Saturday Night Live.
But, don't expect to see those talents on display on this big steaming pile of "NBC Filler". Perhaps it would be different if it HAD comedy writers... or even if it HAD writers who had ever seen Mr. Thompson perform. Their writing is not just bad - it is embarrassingly bad.
This is a poorly conceived, and even more poorly executed program.
One of the poorest aspects of this is the casting of the "token White guy" Don Johnson. Who was the "rocket scientist " who suggested that Don Johnson play a grandpa on a comedy series. Johnson has a decades long career of NO experience in comedy - and even he is under served by the stale and tepid writing.
And, note to NBC, there are literally hundreds of talented Black actors who DO know how to handle comedy. It is shameful to have given this role to a clueless white guy.
If NBC expects to remain in the entertainment business, they need to hire writers who know how to write. And, they need to cast people who are actually talented instead of wallowing in a quota system based on political correctness.
Saturday Night Live: Regina King/Nathaniel Rateliff (2021)
Please STOP
Note to NBC ... GET WRITERS or stop doing this being steaming pile of ...ennui.
Regina King may be an Oscar Winning Actress. She may also be Black and Female - but she CANNOT do comedy. There are black women who are funny- Regina King is so not 9ne of those. One of those annoying infomercials from "The Mypillow Guy" had more comedic moments.
This episode was so bad, it made my teeth hurt.
NBC and has apparently forgotten that Saturday Night Live is supposed to be Entertaining and supposed to be a comedy.
This season the show has been stale and tired and consistently not funny. The entire team of alleged "writers" needs to be terminated and replaced with people who can actually understand how to write comedy.
The Neighborhood: Welcome to the Property (2021)
So NOT funny...Still
I keep hoping that this Sitcom will eventually be funny. It isn't. It is consistently NOT funny.
Much of the "humor" comes from negative attacks on people. The forever stupid White guy, the hostile neighbor, the lazy sons. There is very little positive energy in this entire series.
Also disturbing is how the female characters are treated. In this week's episode Tchina Arnold's sole contribution was to wear a low cut blouse and shake herself periodically. Arnold is one of the few, the very few, reasons I still watch this show. She deserves to be treated far better by the writers.
The main problem of the show is its focus on Cedric the not so entertaining Entertainer. He lacks the acting competency to carry a whole series. He is surrounded by a much more talented, and empathetic cast. Week after week these folks are kept tightly reigned in and never really allowed to have their moment to shine. This would be a far more enjoyable series if it moved to an "Ensamble Cast".
In 2021 there is enough negative attitude in the world in general. It would be very refreshing to have a few minutes of entertainment that had some positive moments in it.
Walker (2021)
All Hat No Cattle
What were they thinking casting Jared Padelecki in the iconic role originally played by Chuch Norris. This is like casting a member of any boy band as Frank Sinatra. Granted, Padelecki is a considerably better actor than Norris ever was - and that is part of the problem.
Also, why do these reboots insist on " modernizing " the characters from iconic tv series. The original series is still telecast - viewers can draw comparisons. And, sadly Padelecki just dosen't have what it takes to play the Cordell Walker character. It is like a City boy pretending to be a Cowboy - it takes more, far more, than a Cowboy hat and a swagger to be a convincing Texas Ranger.
Padelecki has no clue how to play the Cordell Walker character. He gives the character depth and sensitivity and conflicting emotions - none of which serve the character well. Loyal fans of the original series will be extremely disappointed with his failed state pt at th4 character.
Considering that this is the CW network, I suspect we should just be grateful that there are no super heroes nor 30 somethings playing High School Students. We should also be grateful that the series is actually filmed in the United States and not one of those Canadian cheapie pretending to be America.
On a positive note, the supporting cast are engaging and interesting. Loved to see Mitch Pilleggi, Jeffrey Nordling, and Molly Hagan in the cast.
Perhaps the series will improve - providing Padelecki understands the nature of the character he is playing. I am willing to give it a chance.
Call Me Kat: Plus One (2021)
Is "Plus One" the Rating of the Pilot Episode?
I can only assume that the title Plus One" refers to the rating of the pilot episode.
This show must be set in a lumber mill there are so many wooden performances. At least Swoozie Kurtz can blame her over use of botox for her blank robotic look. Cheyenne Jackson on the other hand can only blame himself for his incredibly bland and lifeless performance. Jackson is performing, if you can call it that, as if his family is being held hostage. Terrible terrible terible.
One of the professional reviewers commented that there is a absolutely "no chemistry " between Jackson and series Star Mayim Balik. She must be the only person on the planet who does not know that Jackson is a professional gay man. Gay gay gay. Yes there are any number of talented gay actors who can convincingly play a straight role. Jackson is so NOT one of those.
The brght spot in the series is Leslie Jordan who infuses the only warmly and humanity into his series. His scenes are the only point where there is the least flicker of interest in this otherwise bland production.
The writing on this series is cheap and awkward and amateurish. The script forces Bialik to do not one but two separate spit takes in the first four minutes of the episode. This may have been funny in a 1930s Three Stooges short but it is just embarrassingly out of place in a modern sitcom.
My suggestion is to rid the series of the deadweight - Jackson, Kurtz and the crappy writers, and focus more on Bialik and Jordan.
MacGyver: Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma (2020)
Best Episode of the Season
Thank You. Joe Pantoliano was amazing. I hope the producers make him a reoccurring character. His Character was the most well written character who has appeared in this series in longer than I can remember.
This demonstrates how "unique characters" add so much to a regular series. The rest of the characters, especially the younger female cast members are so bland and lacking in any uniqueness - it makes them painful to watch at the best of times.
I think the writers need to craft some female characters which are not "generic empowered female One" and "Generic Empowered Female Two".
We Love You, Sally Carmichael! (2017)
Duller than a Hallmark Christmas Movie.
There is a time and a place for promoting the Mormon Church.
It is NOT appropriate in a simple romantic comedy directed at a general audience. If you choose to do a movie with these influences, then you should not attempt to pass it off as a standard ge Eric comedy.
I felt uncomfortable, extremely uncomfortable, by the ongoing references to the Mormon philosophy. I would note that there is absolutely nothing in the trailer which suggests this "influence" in the movie. This should be "entertainment" not "religious indoctrination"
This is a very modestly budgeted movie. This is glaringly obvious in every scene. The entire film has a "bunch of friends get together and do a movie" feel to it. The world wide gross of the movie was less than 150,000. I suspect almost all of this came of this came from playing in Utah.
I assume the only reason Amazon Prime has the movie is because there are no other new movies available in this period of Covid Shutdowns..
Don't bother with this dreadful little movie. Rewatch a more well made movie you enjoy.
Cold Feet at Christmas (2019)
No Surprises here.
You can just look at the poster and quickly figure out the plot to this entire "Christmas Movie".
While it is a big pile of over used cliches... it does have some very strong selling points. No one is discovered to be an incognito European Prince, and absolutely no one is related to Santa Claus. Also delightful is the fact that Candace Cameron Bure is nowhere to be seen, nor is this filmed in ANY of the four small towns in Suburban Vancouver that Hallmark invariable uses for its seasonal movies.
The bright spot in this very little movie is the delightful Mimi Kuzyk. She breathes a bit of life, and professionalism into an otherwise bland movie.
This is not a bad movie. It is like a big bowl of oatmeal - warm, and comforting, and totally lacking any spice or excitement.