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Reviews
Twisters (2024)
Great Graphics; Annoying Characters; Disservice to the Original
Subtlety seems to be lost in today's movies. I'm not sure why movie makers feel it's necessary for a storyline to have over the top personalities. Tyler was SO annoying - and - unbelievably reckless. To echo another reviewer, I too was hoping that Tyler would get sucked up by a tornado. Perhaps he was supposed to be a commentary on social media influencers, but that is giving the movie too much credit.
Just like the original, I don't understand why, if you're competing with other teams, you would decide to all hang out together so everyone knows what you know? Sure, it adds to the drama.
The movie is good summer fun, but lower your expectations. The bar is high for any sequel and Tornados didn't make the cut.
The Mallorca Files (2019)
I struggle with this show....
I find myself struggling with this show. Some of the episodes are engaging and enjoyable, and other episodes feel a bit disjointed and messy. Some of the episodes feature some of the island landmarks, and you definitely get to see some beautiful scenery. I'm not quite sure if this is meant to be a comedy or a police. Procedural, or both. The show must be popular enough to be renewed for a third season in 2024.
I stayed with the show in hopes of seeing the two lead actors develop a bit more of a relationship, but I find that they just don't seem to have any chemistry. Miranda's character seems to be overly stiff, where Max's character is overly immature. I think it would be better if both of them dialed it back a bit.
The character of Inez is unbelievably annoying. Her behavior towards Miranda was a bit understandable when she was initially working with them, but now she's been with them for quite a long time and Inez is pretty disrespectful towards her, and Max as well.
I'm about halfway through the third season. This is one of those shows that I probably would not recommend to somebody. I guess the word that I would use to describe it is "flat."
Our Girl: Episode #2.5 (2016)
Continuation of an interesting storyline
My understanding is that the original intent of "Our Girl" was to to focus each season on the life of a particular army medic. This is a great topic for a series to cover because these individuals are quite heroic in the work they do. Granted it can't be all bombs and bullets in every episode, but there's plenty of drama on the periphery. One example is the storyline with the young Afghan girl. I thought that was just great. I thought for sure that Captain James and Molly were going to adopt her.
The first season was quite good. It took me awhile to warm up to it, it but in the end I thought it was quite great. In fact, I was quite surprised that poor Molly remained a private even though she was quite obviously "the man!"
Through the first few episodes of Season 2, I felt like the show was repeating quite similar patterns to Season 1. However, as the Episodes progressed, instead of focusing on the work of a army medic, it became more of an interpersonal melodrama. Well I enjoyed the storyline, it just seemed like a bit of a mess. The fact the Michelle Keegan is absolutely one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen on TV, makes it easy to plow through.
As with Season 1, with the lead character takes on a much more prominent role in situations where, in real life, that person would not likely be involved, especially in a counterterrorism situation. In some situations it seems like they're all sitting around and waiting for Georgie tell them what to do, or to have an epiphany.
I'm going to stick with this and hope the remaining seasons are equal to the first.
Accidental Family (2021)
I have no words....
This was so bad that I had to write a review. From the opening scene it felt amateurish. The inner dialogue of the female lead in that opening scene came across forced and disproportional - "over the top" is a great way to characterize that scene.
...and we're off...
The plot line was very similar to "While you were Sleeping." In fact, some of the dialogue was close to identical. The acting was stilted and there was no chemistry between the two leads which for a romance is the kiss of death.
Finally, they could have put in just a bit of effort to get age-appropriate actors for the flash-back, flash-forward scenes.
Eureka: The Honeymooners (2012)
More Annoying than Enjoyable
I found this episode really annoying across all of the storylines.
The writers and director had an opportunity to add a little elevated drama and tension with the discovery of the cold case. Instead, it's being handled in a sophomoric manner. Jo should know better, given her experience and training.
The whole honeymoon plot was just stupid. I found it stigmatizing for males and females. Jack as the myopic, unromantic husband and Ally as the whiney wife. Almost as if they channeled a 1950's TV show.
I know this show is more fantasy than drama, but it feels like they phoned it in. Maybe the new the end was near and have stopped trying. I have been binge watching this and it's been a struggle to complete this final season.
Southland (2009)
Original, Gritty, Entertaining
I often cringe at the manner in which many of the criminal justice shows depict cops. I understand it's about entertainment, and it's not meant to be a documentary. As a former cop, I understand the working environment, the unique relationships formed with other officers, the dark humor, and the stress associated with the job.
I find that SoutLAnd paints one of the most realistic portrayals of the life of street policing that I seen on TV, since the days of Hill Street Blues. There are subtleties in the show that may get lost on viewers who are not be familiar with patrol duties.
This is a dramatic series and so there are a few liberties being taken, but those are easily overlooked in favor of an excellent drama. The characters are all relatable, and their struggles quite real.
Moonfall (2022)
Kinda Ridiculous
This is my first ever review on a movie on IMDB. The trailers for Moonfall had me quite intrigued, and I was excited to see the movie in it's full. The premise is interesting, but it didn't take very long for the the movie itself to become a tad ridiculous. I would imagine that some inventive college student could develop a drinking game around the identification of plot holes in the movie. There are quite a few. Never mind the rather ludicrous science of it all.
I know, I know. It's just a movie, it's not a documentary, no one expects it to be factual. My problem with Moonfall is that it's so outlandish that it was not all that entertaining for me. It feels like the producers didn't even really try. They just relied on special effects to wow the audience. It may be one of those type of movies that actors do simply for a paycheck.
On a positive note, the special effects are quite amazing.
The Bystander Theory (2013)
Surprisingly good for a low-budget movie....
I ran across this when browsing through the "you might also like..." movies list on Amazon Prime. Since I like historical movies, I can see why this popped up. I watched the trailer and decided to pass on it.
A few days later I decided "what the heck." and gave the movie a spin. I'm glad I did. The movie was produced out of the Austin Texas film community. It's definitely low budget, but I think they did a good job.
The main plot of the movie is related to whether or not a particular individual may have been involved in the assassination of JFK. There's a couple interesting, but minor subplots. I think it's worth that viewers stay all the way to the last 10 minutes of the movie, which for me made the whole experience worthwhile.
The movie is actually suitable for young teens and up. I don't think I heard any swear words, and while there is some 'violence," it's relatively mild. The film could actually be used to discuss as a family about how things are not always what they seem.
The Little Drummer Girl (2018)
"The Night Manager" set a high bar...
I loved "The Night Manager" and was anxious to finally see the next installment of a John le Carré novel. I found this a bit disappointing. Maybe I was spoiled by the first installment, but I struggled through this.
The pace of the movie was painfully slow and the dialog between Charlie and Joseph was frustrating at times because you couldn't tell who Joseph was channeling. I personally thought that Alexander Skarsgard's performance was a little wooden. But I thought that the performance of Florence Pugh as Charlie was excellent.