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Royson58
Reviews
Black Sails: XVII. (2015)
Wins everytime...and everytime is way too often
Geez, is this the 3rd episode where a group swims out to a ship and takes it over in a surprise?
So, pirates are universally good swimmers with little signs of exhaustion after a pretty good swim. Other pirates are totally unaware of this. They never secure their gun ports, so it's logical they never have any guards in this area. And if there are, it's always easy to crawl through, dripping wet, and make no noise.
I was really hoping this was going to be the episode where this didn't work, as I was already skeptical.
Otherwise, it was an OK episode, when I would have given it 7 stars. Minus 3 for the "every surprise attack works" repetition (remember, they also attacked a fort successfully).
Miller's Girl (2024)
"Don't stand so close to me...." ~ Police
Besides the obvious problems with this type of relationship, there are problems I have with this being depicted even if just a "character study" as the writer/director has suggested.
First, I feel that there are two problems with the casting of the leads (other than their sometimes their Southern accents). If the teacher was 35 and attractive, that would be a bit more realistic. In some scenes, he looks old enough to be her grandfather. She, on the other hand, could probably be a little less attractive. She's rich, smart, and beautiful. Buy a car because if you're alone it's your own fault. At least cast someone not everyone would be hitting on all the time. And she's going to go for gramps?
And, geez, they too often stand/sit way to close for others not to notice. Other students would certainly notice...hence the Police song reference. And would anyone else in this school not see them together? His friend always walks out at the wrong/right time.
Then there are all the Henry Miller references. I think anyone who has read any of his novels understand that he's not going to be someone that ANY High School student in the USA could emulate and get away with it. You probably can't find his work in a Tennessee HS library, and he certainly would not be approved. And thinking she might use this to get into a university like Yale is silly, and HM is loved by some (those who think a caveman dragging his woman home by the hair) but hated by at least as many writers. I could see this at the college level, but no way at any HS in the south.
I did like the interaction between Miller and his wife. It has a certain Tennessee Williams style, and to me was the more interesting banter. Perhaps this is where the character study should have been.
Although the sex scenes were non-explicit visually, it does make you wonder if they were necessary. The two girls seems like it was added more to put a "buzz" in the movie than really necessary. The reading of the story could have easily been done as a voice over, reading the screen, etc. Show them writing/reading. You somewhat undermine your own story about the power of writing when you think that you have to explain it on film.
Overall, some good acting (especially the two main supporting actors) fails with a too wordy, too unbelievable script.
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)
Seven Samurai / Magnificent Seven done wrong
Take the above two movies, set in a Star Wars world, and you pretty have an idea about the setup. The backstories are somewhat clumsy, too long for some characters, too short for others. And they are going to club us to death with their a too obvious "puppy love story" that really distracts rather add.
Charlie Hunnam is probably the best actor of the bunch, and his character is totally wasted. Sofia Boutella was OK in the lead, and it was nice to see a woman in her 40s get a role like this (plus Bae Donna is in the same age group).
The fight scenes are generic, uninspired, Marvel rehash. You can tell who's brought in just to be killed, because the heroes have plot armor. And the CGI in some of it, like the "ride 'em cowboy" (John Carter?) segment, was poor.
It wasn't great, but it was passable until the last quarter of the movie. All the tropes won out, nothing original. And the last 5 minutes, wow, the worst...but horribly predictable.
Leave the World Behind (2023)
Could have been good, really good. But a lot of nonsense instead.
This is a slow burn movie, with a fine cast, which had a lot of promise. You, and the characters, know something bad is happening, but how bad? And WHAT?
The story of the family on vacation and the homeowner and his daughter returning were fine (although the wife was a little unbelievable in her initial objections to the owner's return). Most of the character development parts were fine, and I especially liked the father trying to find help, who finds someone needing help, and is completely helpless to help.
But then we get the weird stuff. Don't get me wrong. Weird stuff can work in a movie if you give me an explanation somewhere down the line. Based on the narrative, it seems the calamity is caused by a nefarious enemy. OK, but how do they make the deer act so weird? How did a tick become a "super bug"? Why make several points about the communications being out, and have Teslas do what they did without it?
And the ending? Wow, who cares about if the little girl gets to see the final episode of her favorite show? No one.
Bodies (2023)
Clever storyline...but drawn out too long.
Very interesting premise of the same body being discovered in four different timelines by four different detectives. Nefarious shenanigans are afoot!
The cast is very good, and I believe mostly well cast. My only criticism here is that we see a young version of a character we see in a different timeline who is older. They in no way look alike, probably to keep it hidden for a bit, but it is so obvious I thought about it every time I saw the younger version.
Slowly, information is filled in. For me, much too slowly. And there's the obligatory backstories, which really didn't add much. This story could have easily been told in six episodes, but streamers like Netflix like to tout the "hours watched" of shows, so 8 is better. Hmm.
This will be contrasted with the far more excellent "Dark" due to the time travel themes. What's next, Pugsley's T-Travels?
A series you can enjoy, but I won't judge you if you use the FFW a lot in the final episodes.
Uncut Gems (2019)
OK, I was rooting for the ending we got.
I'm not a big fan of Adam Sandler the comedic actor, but this was different in a good way. He definitely gave us what the part deserved. Having said that, let's understand that his character is totally someone you can root against. Most gambling addicts would be positioned more sympathetically in film, and here, he is not. He's a very self centered individual, who's abandoned his family for a much younger woman [typically, much hotter than can be explained for someone like his character]. Creepy guy at the end was nicer to her longer than our lead.
He's brazen, even to the point of fighting (more verbally) with those who he owes money. Although you can tell the muscle will do what they need to do, they are still more restrained than you would normally see in movies, because the main character is a real piece.
The supporting cast is great, but I can't help think that those who played "themselves" aren't going to get people thinking more positively about them. When the Weekn'd and our lead get into an altercation, you wish they would beat the crap out of each other, and one's playing himself!
The conclusion is just as I thought it would be. And it's a Just conclusion.
Totally Killer (2023)
Thank goodness for FFW on the remote!
So I was thinking "Kiernan Shipka must be too old now to play a HS student, right?" Yes, but she seems much younger than most of the cast who play her 16/17 yo peers. 22+ yo olds trying to do the "wild party scenes" that they always do always falls flat.
The Plot is good, and even a few good twists about the timeline. But generally, the writing doesn't take advantage of the opportunities. If I knew Ai was writing scripts, this is what I would expect to get.
Kiernan herself is good, as usual, with a rather weak script. The rest of the cast, who knows? When you have small parts in weak screenplays, it's hard to shine.
TBO, racial relations from 1987 probably wouldn't have been that mixed in the Mollys, but could have been used as an issue. It wasn't, which then brings up the question of why black women find it so hard today to get romantic representation in movies like this?
My fear is that this is the same people who made "The Babysitter". I actually liked that film (which was better than this one), but spawned a horrible sequel.
Please, no.
Promising Young Woman (2020)
A good movie, great performance, but unrealistic too many times
I'll try to do this without spoilers.
Carey Mulligan again shows that she is one of her generations strongest actors. Though entertaining, there are serious flaws which kept it from being a stronger film.
First, the ending is silly, in an Ocean's Eleven sort of way. The plan is executed to a T. Rarely does that happen, and the more complex, the less likely. And there was a very serious time crunch. It's fun to watch, but lowers the realism. Considering the subject matter, more serious is called for.
Second, the start was a bit unbelievable, too. I mean, dang, she had done what she does a lot. It wouldn't be that hard for guys to catch on.
Third, the boyfriend thing. Of course, of course. When what has to happen to progress a story along, over, and over, and over....
I feel that the ending was the first part flushed out in the writing, and everything else was put there to get to that point. But strong writing should have made the journey look as the natural, and most logical outcome.
I would watch it once just to see Mulligan's performance. But I'm afraid it's a One-and-Done.
Sprung (2022)
Needs to be on Amazon Prime, not FreeVee
I rarely give 10 stars to Sitcoms, but this is the rare case of a near perfect cast, funny and witty writing, and tons of info you love later on (always watch the ending credits!).
Garret Dillahunt is great in everything he is in, but is the only thing that is less than perfect casting. He's a bit older than the character he plays (in RL, he is older than Martha Plimpton, the woman playing Barb!). But it wouldn't be Hollywood without putting a man much older than should be with a hot younger woman. Fortunately, I've seen him in enough shows that I tried to imagine a younger version of him.
Shakia Barrera is the hot younger woman (you'll remember her from another favorite, GLOW), and is "Fine" (a "Homonym", for those who have seen the show). It had been a long time since I had seen anything with Martha Plimpton, and, geez, she was great. How can you love this Mother/Son relationship? Trust me, you will. I was not Familiar with Phillip Garcia, but he was just perfect. And the rest of the cast was great as well.
So, let's not mess around with FreeVee for the Season 2 release. I never watch it. I pay too much to watch "free" stuff offered from a service I pay for (Amazon) to watch Ads. I sure this show would have been a much bigger hit if it had originally been released on Prime instead.
Spring "Sprung" in the future!!
Blanche comme neige (2019)
Sorry, but can't the French find ANY handsome men?
While watching this, I kept thinking "wow, are they all ugly, etc.", and figured they must be setting up a handsome Prince Charming character. Nope.
So I guess the point she was liberated, and didn't need a prince charming. When you're telling a tale of a liberated woman making conquest, and she's very attractive, you'd think that here conquest would be more than the homely, the awkward, the old.
If you're trying to make it look like she's appealing to ALL men, then you need a better group. Add if they really wanted to update it, why are all the "dwarves" men anyway?
Even with better casting of the "dwarves", this wouldn't have been a great movie. However, there was enough, with this lead actress and a bit better script, to make this an entertaining spin of the classic (for adults only).
The one standout is the still attractive Isabelle Huppert. Her turn as the evil Stepmother (evil Queen) is the highlight of the film.
X (2022)
Surprised they didn't utilize the race element
There are already many well thought out reviews here, and I argee with most of them which say it's a competent film, well told, well acted, but nothing which would make it stand out in a crowded field (other than many are not well written/acted).
But, being somewhat older and familiar professionally with strip clubs, and some porn productions, in Texas in the late '70s, early '80s, Wayne simply would not have cast a black male lead. Even today, interracial is considered a niche porn, and in the '70s Texas, strip clubs were almost universally segregated. The two dancers would have been committing professional suicide if word got out (and it's a movie, so it would get out), and Wayne would have lost tons of business. Wayne references Debbie Does Dallas. You've never seen a whiter cast in your life.
So why not use it in the movie? Local rednecks could have tried to crash the show because of it (upping the body count), but a more realistic way would have been to have the camera man be black, and frustrated when his girlfriend decided to be in the movie, Wayne could remind him that he couldn't be in it because of his race. Just like RJ, this could frustrate him into leaving. Thus, we get both a realistic representation of race relations back then, and the same result.
We also can't overlook the fact that it's still difficult to get a black woman in many roles where they are an object of beauty. Here, in a 2021 production, no black women were cast out of 3 roles.
From a technical perspective, the filming inside, late at night, would have been impossible with the equipment at the time, without a LOT of extra lights. And the cameras didn't record sound themselves, and your sound engineer was, well, preoccupied.
The Night Agent (2023)
Pick this over "The Recruit"
The Night Agent is a solid modern "who's behind this?" spy drama, although it doesn't stray much from the usual tropes. The good guy has dozens of close shaves with death, and many around him don't survive.
As is typical, it's pretty easy to spot which friends and allies are there to be the one's who don't survive.
I also hate the Bodyguard love interest which no one can ever seem to avoid, including here. But I will say the two characters did seem to have a very good chemistry, and more than most, their affection seemed warranted. Also, they didn't try to make it overly sexual, but something a bit deeper connection. Good job writers, even if you did go there.
And the relationship between the "Hit Couple" was good and entertaining, and showed a level of complexity that few spend time in developing. Very good job here.
My biggest disappointment was probably in the fact that the final event was so dramatic. If it's not "save the world", it does often boil down to "save the President", etc. Hey, saving a couple dozen/hundred regular folk should be a very big deal.
Solid 8, which was really closer to a 9. If you have limited time, be sure to pick this over "The Recruit", which starts out well, and becomes more silly in the latter episodes.
Scream VI (2023)
Meh, too predictable
When you have a "Core Four" with plot armor, it's simply too predictable. Even romance is too predictable, when who have two sets of siblings, and only one dude...
Was the action good? Yes. But when who know "they ain't going to make it" and "they are going to make it", you know even when it looks like the opposite, it won't be. That can only entertain even simple minds so long.
With the box office success, it is almost a sure thing that Scream VII will appear soon. If one of the Core Four doesn't die, I think even the most sentimental fan with thing that's too unbelievable. But they'll get everyone's money at least one more time, soon.
House of the Dragon: King of the Narrow Sea (2022)
Please, just once, don't....
Please, just once, can't we have a TV show, movie, script, where the bodyguard doesn't sleep with the woman he's guarding? Just once.
You could see it coming for a mile away, but you thought "oh, it's going to be the uncle instead...wait, no, the bodyguard again."
Her half-truth also makes me dislike the character more than lying to protect herself or her uncle if that had happened.
We got it, she's not satisfied with her lot in life.
The pacing is slow, but the battle scenes are always good. But if he was such a dominant fighter as we saw in the climatic battle, why weren't they victorious much, much earlier?
The Recruit (2022)
Started strong, but likable characters became less so
The first episode is really good, and gave me high hopes for a very strong series. It quickly established the main characters, and showed a lot of their quirky natures.
Unfortunately, there are two issues I had. First, the lead character went from lawyer to effectively a field officer much too quickly.
Second, almost all the characters were shown to be willing to exchange information, mostly for personal gain, and the bedroom wasn't off limits. The bond we all hoped for in the first episode became a "not so much" by the end of the season.
Third, the ex definitely has issues, and although has the means, jetting around the globe to help out seems stupid and dangerous.
Still, it was enjoyable overall, and will watch a second season. It will then depend on how smart or how stupid the show progresses.
Amsterdam (2022)
Be careful what you take from movies as "based on History"
I love period pieces. I did not love this.
My 5 star rating is over the movie itself. Although a few parts are fine, and the acting is typically top notch, it's really a confusing mess in trying to tell its tale.
Christian Bale is a stand out character, but as is typical Hollywood, his story is wrapped in "the Message", where we must inject today's attitudes into historical periods. That typically makes for a worse movie, and bad history. Tarantino's historical fiction goes way over the top, but with stories well known to the public; thus, there will be no confusion. Take something that historians aren't really sure was much of a thing at all will definitely make it more popular in the publics knowledge, but will they know anything true?
Foremost, no one has any record of anyone dying because of the plot. That's at the center of this story. Geez. Kind of a big expansion on that here.
And the backstory was just a long way to get us to the three from different races and backgrounds becoming friends. OK, that's OK if that's what the story is about, but a real waste of time if it's about the conspiracy. It's almost like they decided they wanted a diverse cast, and had to make an excuse as to how this could be in the 1930s. If it takes that much effort, it's almost never worth it to the audience.
The Fallout (2021)
Problem is, was her actions caused by the incident?
OK, who's not going to be sympathetic to survivors of a horrible event? It sets up a pretty easy basket.
So she gets high, sleeps with a girl, tries to sleep with a guy (both of whom she met in the toilet of romance I guess). Why is this any different than any other teen her age?
Better would have been to drop the male from the bathroom hookup, and show she was really confused by going after her gay friend. This would more easily show her confusion. And anyway, is the straight guy really going to reject her because he has too much going on? Not really believable moment, both in her going after him after going after her, etc. The gay guys rejection, with emphathy, would have also rang more true.
The scene in the classroom was stupid. She go high, OK. But everyone in that classroom went through the same trauma. The teacher would have seen something was wrong and stepped in to help.
I think the acting is OK, but it seems everyone wants to like this film more because we know the horrors of school shootings than on the fact how good of a representation of a typical student it is.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The Serene Squall (2022)
This would get Pike relieved of command
As the title suggest, his going into this region and getting his ship nearly destroyed in a web, then captured, and captured himself on an away team in which he should not have been on....
Starfleet certainly would take his command. They're not in the "if it ends well" business.
As stated several times before, the Pike of Discovery is the one needed here. Good humor, not comedic.
First 5 episodes were very promising, sixth a bit less so, and this one was horrible.
Having said that, there were a few good points. Spock's love complications are a little too obvious, but I find his emotional conflicts with T'Pring to be interesting. The Nurse Chapel, well, that was obvious the first time they met, as writers really can't help themselves....
Now a tighter script (like, was anyone surprised by the "inside" job? So why not have her lead an inside job, which would make more sense), and the goal of adding the new series villian(s) could have still been accomplished.
Also, Sarek, how many kids you got? They don't talk about some....
The Last Kingdom (2015)
How did they ever survive?
I like the show very much, but I found myself fast forwarding through later episodes in Season 4.
My biggest complaint is that the English NEVER win or do anything militarily correct unless Uhtred is giving them advice on how to conduct the battle. The Danes ALWAYS set up clever traps into which they fall. Yet somehow, without this mostly made up character, in real life, the English are the ones who prevailed. We are talking real history, and it's sad to imply that a mostly fictional character had so much impact.
Two other lesser complaints, which they also share with "Vikings":
First, "Sleep with a Dane/Viking, and you're pregnant every time." Can't count the "who's your daddy?" situations between these two shows.
Second, in both, God, for the Christian, and the Gods for the Danes/Vikings never really do anything. That's a choice I won't argue, ASSUMING the idea that these are both magical myths. But then don't have
Seers who have magical powers to see the future!!! Magic is a myth, or it isn't. And at least God/the Gods don't give plot spoilers!
But still, the show is enjoyable, although it is getting rather redundant. I just hope that younger viewers don't mistake historically based entertainment with anything like real history.
Jupiter's Legacy (2021)
Nah, not for me.
What I liked was the older group. Flashbacks gave a vibe of the better parts of the "Watchmen" movie, but anything to do with young people fails miserably.
Most of the young characters are Star Trek "redshirts", except, of course, for the very annoying ones who have plot armor. Cheap "twist" in the final episode got rid of another. Seriously, I had the series at "7" going in, and thought I'd end up with an "8". Very disappointed. Why does everyone thing a plot twist is always necessary? In Real Life, the guy you thought did it early on, did. Never in cheesy writing today.
Sorry, not waiting for Season 2, as any hope of it getting better is now gone.
BTW, PLEASE don't rate a show 10/10 and say "I've only watched the first 2 episodes but...."
War of the Worlds (2019)
Slow, sloow, sloooooow. Some Stupid parts, and a OMG no! twist.
Let me first say I was only able to get through 5 of the 8 episodes.
The series start was interesting, and held some promise. It wasn't fast paced, but with eight episodes, there was time to build characters, etc., before ramping up with alien encounters, etc.
Well, it never ramped up. So slow and plodding, and people shown just sitting around too calm holed up here or there. And then came the really stupid parts.
SPOILERS:
We're following a family in England, and their father in France, who happen to be on the very short list of humans who would be separated, then live. The father then runs into a woman going back to her child, who, of course, is still alive (along with her brother), which now makes us 2 for 2.
Mom and Dad show up at a military facility that's been completely wiped out, with trained personnel slaughtered without taking out a single alien robot dog. Dad's about to buy the farm with said dog on top of him, and Mom picks up the weapon and manages to kill the alien robot without hitting Dad. PLEASE!
And this also makes us 3 for 3 in the separated family department of those who lived through the first assault which killed 95%+ of all humans.
Then, OMG, are they really going there?!? The one person who lived above ground during the alien attack was a product of a brother raping his sister. I had to turn the TV off right then. Nope, sorry.
Then my final episode, number 5. The aliens that no one who had advanced firearms training can kill takes out all the cops, but the civilians all get away. And the boy might have been mad at his uncle/father, but letting any human die when mankind is near extinction doesn't make him sympathetic.
Then, whoa, something happened! We get to see a crashed alien, and we know the tied is about to turn...
...so let's go to a love scene. A very, very, long build up love scene that we aren't the least bit interested in. Fast forward, and when you hit play, they're still building up. Fast forward past that, nope, still at it. Had to be the single longest scene in the whole series, and wasn't germane to the story at all.
Enough. It's War of the Worlds, and I can figure out how it ends, and save myself 3 hours of watching 15 minutes of story.
Carnival Row (2019)
OK, but over written.
The look is fantastic, although dark, but not unexpected for something of a cross between fantasy and steampunk. Casting and acting is good on the whole.
First, let me state that the criticism over the lead actress' accent is silly. She is playing Fae, not an Irish person. Can you tell me exactly how that sounds? Fae probably don't even like the Irish! In other words, didn't bother me a bit.
Second, comparisons to modern politics can be fair, but they had to set forth some form of tension; otherwise, there would be no story. It does appear to be a plot driver for the next season, but I fear any heavy handedness hear will definitely be a series killer for me and many others. I'm watching this to be entertained, not enlightened. I can watch the real political stuff on the evening news.
Third, they always like their twists. But when the writing leaves you with an "Oh, Common On!" instead of "Wow", then you have to lose a star or two.
So after watching it, I felt more like I don't really know what the series is about. Just some sew together patchwork of various ideas. I'll give season two a try, but odds are, I won't a third.
The Boys (2019)
Funny, some stereotypes (yes) and definite anti-Evangelical Christian
I very much enjoyed this series, but know a few friends who would not. Very graphically violent, and every swear word you can think of, but funny for those who aren't easily offended.
As much as some would say it's "fresh", I'd simply say it's a better version of things which have been done before, without censorship. But has some of the same lame things as well. First, I hate coincidence when there is absolutely no need for it (think park bench scene). Second, how many "lovable loser gets prettier girl" shows will we see every year.
I think it should be pointed out that the show goes out of its way to be critical of Evangelical Christians, for those who would be offended by it. Their leaders are Charlatans, and should rightly be despised, but it does seem they wanted to make a broader statement against Evangelical Christianity. As is typical these from both side of the liberal/conservative debates, the other side was not given any meaningful presentation of their side. BTW, I say this although I'm not an Evangelical myself, and think some of the criticism is valid. But one sidedness is bad, especially for those in the middle.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Beautiful, Well Acted...but depressing
The writing, acting, cinema photography and all things technical, were excellent.
But taken as a whole, the collection is depressing. Six stories which all end badly for someone is more like a cheesy horror anthology than anything else. The West had good, and bad, and there are stories from both. Not here. The Cohens view of history will have you amazed that any of us are here today.
Succession (2018)
2.5 Episodes
Sincerely, this is unwatchable by me.
It seems like they decided to take a "wealthy" take of The Office, but everyone comes across as unlikeable to the nth degree. Humor is almost all mean spirited, and directed at everyone.
There's just too much good TV out there (or even average TV) to waste time watching this bore.
HBO doesn't often to one season cancels, but should strongly consider it here.