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ggiroux3
Reviews
L.A. Law (1986)
5 Great Seasons, 1 Not Too bad, 2 Terrible
I have begun bingeing it on Prime Video after a couple of decades and found it both enjoyable and cringe-worthy - those 1980s clothes and hair! LOL The first five seasons had the best cast, but after Hamlin, Smits, and Greene (then Dey after season 6) left it began a downhill slide. The remaining characters weren't all that interesting and except for John Spencer as Tommy Mullaney the new additions were forgettable at best. The 7th season was terrible with the extended arc of Stuart getting harmed in the Rodney King riots and descending into buffoonery before he made something of a mild comeback. That was a terrible plot device and what has kept me from revisiting the rest of season 7 and season 8. At least we had 5 decent seasons to enjoy.
I Am Burt Reynolds (2020)
Decent Overview But Missing a Few Key Pieces
The documentary was decently done but there were a few missing "shots" that should have been included, such as brief scenes from Dan August and Hawk. Also, there was NO MENTION of his first wife, Judy Carne, or of his long relationship with Dinah Shore. That is absolutely a failing and an integral part of who he was as a person, not a star. They should have included some reviews of his movies and as a guest host on Johnny Carson (one guest was Judy Carne; they saw one another six years after their bitter divorce). They failed to include mention of some of his older films, like 100 Rifles with Raquel Welch and Jim Brown.
Framing John DeLorean (2019)
Sloppy Integration of Recreations and Reality
I love documentaries and was hoping this would be an excellent one. It was not. The writers completely eliminate any background on Delorean, such as when and where he was born, how he was raised, etc. The musings of the actors (particularly Baldwin) detracted from the story and were too subjective to take seriously. I considered giving this 6 stars if only for the good parts that were real newsreel footage. However, the reliance of recreations was extensive, and it lost two solid stars because of the vulgarity of the son who used the f word in virtually every sentence. His utter classlessness detracted form the documentary. Then the writers used the same vulgarity in th end credits. Very disappointing.
Them (2021)
Good Acting, Unfinished Themes & Ending
The first episode was hard to watch because of the stunning racism. I made it through 3 eps before I gave up and went directly to ep #10, the finale. I read a few online reviews and so got the gist of what had happened "back home." What could have made the plot a little less graphically egregious would be to have at least one white person not be a monster. That didn't happen. White = all bad.
The other two significant flaws was to blend a "realistic" story with supernatural elements. A straight-forward telling of their experience would have been more powerful and not detract from the drama.
The very final scene left the viewer hanging: what DID happen to the family after they came out of the house? The denouement could have been a number of things and not revealing the final outcome was a slap in the face to the viewer.
Departure (2019)
Engaging But With One Major Flaw
This was a really compelling, interesting show. The things they got right: perfect casting, tense plot, the correct number of episodes for the subject matter. I would have liked to know more about the backstory of Kendra and her stepson - how old was he when she married his father? What was their earlier relationship like? I thought the flashback scene were too choppy and some too blurry.
However, the big flaw that made me crazy was Maddy surviving her fall from the plane. The distance from the road of the Golden gate Bridge is around 220, Feet. RAELY as anyone survived the fall - 98% don't they hit the water after 4 seconds going around 75 mph. The impact is tremendous. The body goes from roughly 75 to 80 mph to nearly zero in a nanosecond. The physics of inertia being what they are, internal organs tend to keep going. The force of impact causes them to tear loose. Autopsy reports typically indicate that the jumpers have lacerated aortas, livers, spleens and hearts. Ribs are often broken, and the impact shoves them into the heart or lungs. Jumpers have broken sternums, clavicles, pelvises and necks. Skull fractures are common.
Which means you die one of two ways, or a combination of both. One, you hit the water and the impact kills you. Sometimes the jumper is knocked unconscious. Other times, the jumper survives for a time. The person can be seen flailing about in the water, trying to stay afloat, only to succumb to the extensive internal bleeding. Death can take seconds or minutes. Two, you drown. You hit the water going fast, and your body plunges in deep. Conscious or otherwise, you breathe in saltwater and asphyxiate.
That's 220 feet. There's no way that Maddy only fell that distance from the damaged plane. Anything higher than the 220 would mean certain death. Period. I understand that her survival was a critical plot point, but it is simply impossible under any circumstances.
Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby (1976)
Terrible in every single way
Yes, terrible - scripts, writing, dialogue, plot, acting, cinematography - you name it. OH.MY.GOD. If I were any of the living actors from this mess I would petition to have my name taken off the IMBD credits.