hbasri-schiers6 Reviews

Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (2018–2020)

Intelligent and Informative Social Commentary

[9/10 · 15 March 2020]

The absurdity of modern live is cannon fodder for Hasan Minhaj. He does it very well. He doesn't have to try to be funny, he sees what is inherently funny and presents it to the audience. Incredulity would capture his approach and he's very good at it.

Speak Truth to Power and Wealth is his mission, and do some educating of the public along the way.

The Kominsky Method (2018–2021)

Brilliant Capturing if intelligent Geritricts

[10/10 · 15 March 2020]

Very, very funny. Well constructed acerbic dialogue. Genuine nature to the lead characters' interactions. The show exudes quality in the acting. It is quite obvious you are witnessing immense on screen talent, but totally absent the actors knowing it.

Respectful of aging, but realistically portrays the foibles of getting old.

Easy to appreciate and enjoy.

Silent Witness (1996– )

Cerebral Drama

[10/10 · 15 March 2020]

Deliberate, if not a bit slow paced Drama. Excellent lead actor. Interesting and believable story lines. Original portrayals of police, doctors , victims and perpetrators, all quite credible and perhaps even realistic.

Overall, a clever mixture of forensic science and procedural police work. Fine story telling. A great watch if you are not an action fanatic.

Heartland (II) (2007– )

Fine Family Drama

[8/10 · 15 March 2020]

Pros:

Interesting and diverse personalities. Some very annoying, yet credible characters. Nicely varied plot lines. Humor is consistent with the situation , and does not seem contrived.

Cons:

Does some out of proportion reaching for dramatic scenes. The acting is good, but the situation is, at times overblown to create a false crisis.

Overall, easy to like stories and characters (for the most part), and even the most annoying characters have some redeeming qualities.

The Dan Patrick Show (2007– )

The Measure of Sports Talk Shows

[8/10 · 31 August 2018]

Informative. Timely. Coherent and we'll reasoned. Can also be zany, juvenile and downright silly! Excellent complimentary cast, as well as first rate guests.

Yellowstone (2018– )

Epic Western, Ugly Characters and Ploi Lines to Match

[6/10 · 31 August 2018]

The show is vgood at keeping interest and the visual impact is extraordinary.

There is a lot of room for "things to happen".

However:

The characters are very flawed and not very appealing. It is hard to find anything appreciably admirable in any of the characters. Greed, power, cruelty, duplicity, corruption, and megalomania seem to rule the day.

The people depicted in the show are...well.... convincing in their deficits and excesses, and demonstrate the sickness that ties of blood (family) can produce.

The most disturbing fact is that the characters in Yellowstone are quite believable ...they seem every bit as insane as the caricatured cast of "Dallas" (old evening soap opera), without the parody, hyperbole and humor of that old show. We "knew" the Dallas characters were a parody of themselves.

The Yellowstone characters, on the other hand, are not exaggerations, they are not parodies, they are not hyperbolic, they are, in fact, "dead" serious.

A story well told, but not one that allows any feeling of goodness or redemption, or even hope, to surface in the face of the ugly qualities on display from nearly every corner of the screen. Maybe my misgivings are that it is all a bit too real, too raw, and too contemporary.

All this does not make it a bad work, just not an easy watch.

Blind Date (1987)

So Funny in So Many Ways

[10/10 · 31 August 2018]

....that it hurt. Astonishing performances by John L. as well as Willis and Basinger. The physical comedy was on the mark and could not be more fitting for the stuffy employer and client that formed the beginning of the devastating events to follow (comedic, not tragic).

My wife and I laughed so hard we had to stop the movie more than once. We have shown the movie to many of our friends and their response has been similar.

It's funny. It tells a nice love story and it pokes fun in all the right places.

What more does one want in a romantic comedy?

The Herd (2015– )

Contrarian, Insightful and Proud of It

[7/10 · 31 August 2018]

Cowherd is, at the very least, entertaining. He takes interesting stands on a variety of sports issues that require at least some thought. He is more inclined to take "unconventional" positions than to go along with the crowd, and this, in and of itself, can lead him off course at times.

One of his best guests is named Cosell, who analyzes NFL players and does an exceptional job. I have heard no one else in the talking head business as carefully analytical as he is, often leading to surprising results.

Cowherd is not forthe faint of heart. He is brash, and can be absurdly funny. I'm not sure there is an "over the top" for him. One minute he appears thoughtful and well reasoned, the next he's on a Jihaad, complete in its overreaction.

In many ways, he is a bit like Stephen Smith...but without the screaming and fake outrage.

His show is easy to take interest in, and that says something for a talking head sports show.

First Take (2017– )

Contrived Disagreement Filled With Pretension

[3/10 · 31 August 2018]

Mr. Smith needs to calm down. No one likes to be screamed at. He often makes good points, but they are lost in the "performed outrage" that accompany them.

His opposite often makes more sense, but the pretense of intellectual rigor is out of place ....this a sports talk, not brain surgery.

Unwatchable for any sustained period.

Golic and Wingo (2017–2020)

Labored and Unfunny

[3/10 · 31 August 2018]

The chemistry is just not there. Wingo thinks he's clever and funny...he's not... he is simply tedious, always seeming to want the last word, or summarizing the obvious, all the while thinking himself clever. He's not, he is downright annoying.

The younger son is tolerable and has interesting points to make, now and then.

Mike Golic is pretty much the same, but hamstrung by the horrible chemistry.

I stopped recording it, and no longer can bear to watch the show.

First Things First (2017 Podcast Series)

Interesting and Authoritative

[9/10 · 31 August 2018]

Very well done current sports events and analysis of major issues. They don't seem to shy away from anything sports related Their commentary is both interesting and incisive, and contains a lot of humor.

Instead of rivals, the two major players (from completely different social and employment environments), actually display a profound amount of respect and regard for both each other, and the discussion points that fill the show.

It is nice to see competence without conceit, and the ability to laugh at oneself so evident.

Get Up (2018– )

Better Than I First Thought

[7/10 · 31 August 2018]

Now that some time has past, I feel a bit kinder toward this show for several reasons:

1. It took some time for the various personalities to "mesh". It is at least somewhat better now, and having Beadle leave the show is a plus, given her antipathy towards football (as she expressed). I'm sure she will be very good wiht the NBA.

2. The tensions that filled the early days of the show, seems to have abated.

3. Greeny now seems to actually be enjoying himself and those with him, not just trying to hold the show together.

4. Jalen Rose has shown a facility for exploring issues outside the NBA realm.

5. Guests are now more common and they add interest as well as humor.

I record and watch at least parts of the show daily. In the past, I couldn't finish a show.

Yunus Emre (2015–2016)

Remarkable Historical Study with Transcendent Teachings

[10/10 · 31 August 2018]

Viewing this as merely a period piece teasing out the political, religious and social themes of the time, would have be enough for a fully interesting and informative series.

Themes Explored:

The relationship between the religious authorities (Qadis) and the civil authorities (Mayor)., and the blurring of same.s

The obvious jealously, if not outright enmity of the Qadis (establishment religious authorities) towards the true spiritual leaders of the community (Sufi Shaikhs)

The various personalities of the murids (followers) of the Shaikh and how mired down in those characteristics they can become.

The social customs of the time: the governed to the government; the craftsman towards each other and the Shaikh. Male and Female interaction and manners.

(This one has a significant error in Season 2. Season one showed marriage eligible females (Shaikh's daughter, for example), covering their faces and averting their eyes in the presence of a non-relative adult male. For some strange reason, this stopped in Season 2....and it was both glaring and jarring to anyone familiar with this form of personal modesty. If it had not been done in Season 1, it could have been accepted as necessary to tell the story and understand the characters. Once done, it should have continued in Season 2. This may seem like nit-picking, but central to all the various themes and stories were "manners" and protocol. The breach was confusing.

All that said , even given the sometimes hideous translations in the subtitles, the content, the message, the teachings are so profound and so subtle as to be overwhelming. The overall message, is in fact, Transcendent, so simple in its admonishments and encouragements, yet so very difficult to actually carry out.

The life of the Dervish is a struggle against the self. This series is a wonderful attempt to describe that life, and teaches a bit of history and culture along the way.

Very well done!

Broadchurch (2013–2017)

Season 2 Seems Dreadfully Manipulated

[3/10 · 31 August 2018]

While the first season was quite dark, at least it didn't show the authorities to be bumbling fools.

The 2nd Season is full of missteps that no rookie constable would make, all seemingly for the purpose of continuing the story (literally filling out the number of weeks in a season).

An unpleasant finish to what started as a classy show.