drgeuka Reviews

Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer (2023 TV Special)

A Real Treat!

[10/10 · 6 January 2024]

Of course, this special will get a lot of low reviews because of how folks feel about Dave irrespective of whether his comedy set was actually funny.

If you're here, and you haven't seen it, it's the best hour you can have! I laughed from the opening till the end, and felt stimulated throughout. You can really tell Dave is a true student of the arts, and weaves so much into his showmanship!

He does have a new target for his "punching down" kind of jokes, as they are called, and they are hilarious too! Put your phone down and tune in, as he revisits some of our funniest and most impactful moments of 2023.

Awesome job, Dave!

Vatican Miracle Examiner (2017–2018)

Kind of like "The Envoys"

[8/10 · 7 May 2022]

This is a welcome deviation from the traditional anime genres. Vatican Miracle Examiners follows two priests around the world as they attempt to determine if biblical-proportioned "miracles" have occurred. Of course, the plot gets more ominous as the show goes on. I suggest this if you're looking for something different and your favorite shows are unforgivably slow at releasing new episodes, as is common in the anime genre.

Death on the Nile (2022)

Fun movie

[6/10 · 27 February 2022]

Only downsides...

were the unrealistic interracial relationships for the time period.

Other than that, it was fun and had some unpredictable plot lines.

Hellbound (2021– )

Original, but admittedly hard to get through!

[7/10 · 25 November 2021]

This was a good science fiction show. Had some great moral overtones, that contain cautionary notes about the intersections of group thinking and religion. I do not believe one religion was a target here, as the real crux was about the perversion of deeply held beliefs by the power-hungry. Indeed, a low-level antagonist even contrasts the show's religious ideals to Christianity to differentiate the two.

My biggest issue was the pacing. The plot conflicts in each episode felt way too repetitive in light of the fact that some of the series's questions were left unanswered in the end. Nonetheless, because it is hard to find more original-than-not shows, and the suspense was present, I give it a 7/10. I did find the series entertaining, if not entirely binge worthy!

There's Someone Inside Your House (2021)

This was just OKAY

[5/10 · 18 October 2021]

This movie was just OKAY! I believe it tried a bit too hard to have a diversity oriented them that the motivations of the characters didn't feel organic. Not a bad slasher film but I certainly was never scared, and more importantly, I didn't get the logic driving the plot.

Birds of Prey (2020)

What tf did I just watch?

[2/10 · 17 May 2020]

I let someone pick this because it was their birthday. I acquiesced to their decision, but this simply wasn't enjoyable or entertaining.

I'm no where near a big enough comic fan to opine on whether this is true to the source material, but it for sure was not good.

The Nightingale (I) (2018)

Puts in perspective European racism

[6/10 · 28 March 2020]

Clare was an interesting and well-played character, as was everyone else. There are spoilers below. * * * * The movie is good and the quality is high. I am not seeking to write a full review of the movie, when so many others have done so quite well.

What was noteworthy to me, above all else, is how this movie intersects classism and racism. I felt so bad for Clare each time she was raped. I felt even worse when her family was murdered.

But I must admit I felt guilty bout that sympathy as I watched her treat her aboriginal tour guide like less than dirt. I mean, she had more anger towards her "black" than she did towards the men that raped her repeatedly and killed her entire family.

The relationship improves some. Quite a bit, indeed. But this is indicative of the story of racism all of the world. If you are black, you are considered automatically less than everyone else. Even non-black people that are similar socioeconomically subscribe to beliefs that perpetuate inferior treatment.

The acting was great though. Everyone really made you hate them. Someone else can cover the colonization aspects of the film. I do hope one takeaway we all gather from the film is how the two protagonist eventually grew to find more in common, than apart.

It Came from the Desert (2017)

It is really a comedy

[5/10 · 1 January 2020]

I'd like to say the main characters are stoners, but I fear they are actually on something much, much worse. Good movie though!

Vantage Point (2008)

Entertaining!

[5/10 · 20 November 2019]

Entertaining film for a relaxing evening!

Problem is, if you know anything about government or law enforcement, you'll be stuck with a feeling, reduced to words, as "this wouldn't happen in real life!" Be prepared for 2 hours of a few foreign special agents outclassing America's finest security force.

Brightburn (2019)

What if a school shooter had super powers?

[7/10 · 8 September 2019]

I found this movie to be very interesting.

A pre-teen starts exhibiting violent behaviors. His family is in denial and begins covering for him, even when it becomes painstakingly obvious that something has gone awry.

This tracks the Superman origin myth closely. But it also has some similarities to the countless stories you hear about young American male teens perpetrating violence on their classmates and loved ones-which takes place here too.

Black Spot (2017–2019)

Do people have any legal rights in Villefranche?

[6/10 · 13 July 2019]

I am an American lawyer, so I am a bit puzzled by the complete lack of process afforded to anyone in the show, lol. Detectives routinely enter citizens' homes and sift through their things without consent or warrants. I am all for a little collective buy-in for some fantastical elements of a story-you know, to keep things interesting and compelling-but the plot still can't move forward without some firm anchoring to the non-existential components of the show, i.e., the law.

The Super (2017)

Not a waste of time

[5/10 · 28 February 2019]

Would have been great if it did not end illogically

Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)

Doesn't make logical sense

[5/10 · 6 October 2018]

Right off the bat, in the scene with the second terrorist attack at the supermarket, we are greeted with unrealistic civilian responses to a terroristic situation. We see three shrouded figures, presumably middle easterners, enter a store, head in different directions, and set off explosives strapped to them under their clothing. While the motive of the attackers is undisclosed until much later in the film, you aren't really concerned about that in the moment as the viewer. What you are concerned about is this: (1) why are the innocent civilians running past sets of open doors toward a further exit off screen. Doesn't make sense to run past two exits when your life hangs in the balance. More ludicrously: (2) why does the lady with the little girl try to inch past the praying man with the detonator when we've already been led to believe there is another (presumably safer) exit behind her? Perhaps this comes as no surprise, but she and the little girl are unfortunate, yet foreseeable, victims of the attack and do not make it.