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Reviews
Race Across the World (2019)
Overproduced
I half love and half hate this show. I love seeing the new places, the challenge of it, even though that often doesn't makes sense, but also the people. How the different people rise to the challenges they face each day.
What I really struggle with are the forced human interest narratives the producers push on the contestants. Each person has to be on a "journey" and must "grow" over the course of the episodes. Maybe this does happen to some extent, but the forced over the top way it's presented is so inauthentic and repetitve it becomes nauseating.
I lasted the whole first season, but could only take one or two episodes of each subsequesnt season. I could see the story arcs the producers were glomming onto the contestants and it was too cringe to continue.
Reality TV in general is spoiled in this way, but I think this show had real potential and would have been so much better with a lighter touch.
The Rig (2023)
Too Slow
I think when you have a plot as rehashed as this, you should power through a lot faster. There was some decent work on character development, but the actual story was unfolding too slowly to keep my attention. I made myself concentrate on the first episode, but after that I lost focus. Like many of these half-baked sci-fi shows it feels like an AI is writing it. It is just too slow and silly. Saying that though, I have seen much worse. It kept some of my attention for 4 and a half episodes. I couldn't take any more after that. It's a shame, as there is some decent acting talent here. I wanted to like it.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
A decent start
I was very pleasantly surprised after the first few episodes of this show. After the train wrecks that are Discovery and Picard, finally we get something resembling Star Trek.
I like most of the characters, especially the Captain. The show is visually creative and has a freshness to it I didn't think possible from this team.
Unfortunately, there have been for me 3 very poor episodes so far. Episodes offering nothing of note at all and leaving me bored out of my mind. As there are only going to be 10, this is a pretty significant failing. All the same though, the pieces are in place for this to be a good show. It just needs more consistent writing. Until the day they finally give us the post-Voyager show fans actually want, this will do.
UPDATE: I have now seen 8 episodes of season 2 and am finding it close to unwatchable. Such a shame. Rating lowered to reflect its downward trajectory.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
Disappointing
I remained optimistic through episode 2 hoping it would go somewhere eventually. After episode 3 I'm pretty sure it isn't. I could repeat what others have said about the poor writing, uninspired acting and unsubtle politics, but what strikes me most, as it has recent Star Trek, is just how boring it is. You'd think when making Star Wars priority number one should be to not make it boring. It's Star Wars! Such a shame.
For All Mankind (2019)
Worth it for the occasional good scene
As many have said here it's often in boring soap opera territory with non too subtle social justice preaching. There are however maybe 4 hours of really great sci-fi to be had if you can plough through the 2 seasons. Season 2 is definitely more of a slog. I am hopeful season 3 will get it right.
Moonfall (2022)
Another wasted opportunity
I love sci-fi so much, which is the only reason this gets 3 stars from me. If you can ignore the ridiculous plot, the dumb as rocks script and the annoying characters, it is possible to get a little pleasure from the visuals and the odd dramatic moment. I hate that so much money is spent on such dreck. When they budget these things, are they like, let's spend 100 million dollars on the production and 20 dollars on the script? It is so weird.
Invasion (2021)
Took boring to new level
The pacing of this show is similar to The Leftovers. That's where the similarities end though. It's like they took that show, fired the writers, scrubbed the plot, then hired a couple of slow-witted interns fresh from a liberal arts college. Told them they wanted a collage of diverse faces and not to worry about anything else. It must be about aliens, but don't worry about having many of them in the actual show. Take an hour of plot and spread it over 10 hours. Nothing as mundane as entertainment should be considered. Once we are satisfied it is unwatchable, we'll proceed. I give it 3 stars not 1, as there were a few engaging moments peppered in there (very few) and the cinematography was good.
Count Arthur Strong (2013)
Took me a while
I think I've watched the 3 seasons 4 times now. They just get better and better.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
Astonishingly bad
My son and I am are amazed each week at just how awful this series is. I could construct a huge list of its flaws, which would obviously include the dismal writing, whiny shallow characters and complete disregard for the entire history of the show. But I won't, as many others here already have. I think the most important thing to know is just how boring it is. No matter what idea they have for a plot each week they always manage to make the episodes mind-numbingly tedious. You care nothing about what is happening or any of the characters. If the ship were destroyed with everyone on it, I wouldn't care a hoot. In fact, I'd be thrilled. That is quite an achievement in bad television. How this thing has an IMDB rating of 7 is completely beyond me. Makes me worry about my fellow humans.
Away (2020)
Beautiful waste of money and talent
I suspected this would be bad, but gave it a go as I love sci-fi so much. It is a well acted, well produced soap opera with little to nothing to offer in terms of interesting story or characters. I lasted part way into episode 2, when I realized they were going to be doing flashbacks into the lives of all the stupid characters. It was bad enough living with them in the present. How could the writers possibly think we'd be interested in their pasts? So the second the stupid arrogant Russian man's story began, the show went off forever.
Please somebody make a show with all this beautiful production, but written by people with brains larger than kumquats.
Star Trek: Picard (2020)
Such a waste
After Discovery it should have been clear that Kurtsman had no business being anywhere near Star Trek. Picard is as bad as Discovery or worse. Shallow storylines, stupid characters, slow, boring, really really boring, just astonishingly boring, cringingly woke, nihilistic, a slap in the face to all the Star Trek that came before. Everybody involved in this ought to be immediately fired. The Kelvin timeline should be abandoned and an entirely new set of people should continue where Voyager left off.
Hereditary (2018)
A solid film with a silly ending
I went to an early morning showing of this movie on my own, so was in a patient and alert mood as I watched. It is slow, creepy and at one point utterly shocking. I can see how others may have found it boring though. I may have at another time. As it was, I really enjoyed the acting, the unusual plotting and the general atmosphere. As the end approached I lost interest in the mystery and didn't really care what was happening. The last scenes seemed silly and unnecessary. Overall though, it is not a bad movie.