Retired lawyer here, spent a lot of time in trials. For the most part they got that right, hence the 2 stars instead of 1. I say for the most part because some things they did in court would just never happen. But in a way the court scenes being pretty true to life is one reason the show was so boring. I had a hard time staying awake through those scenes. I do agree that the acting and dialogue throughout was pretty bad. And I was surprised that the actor playing Mickie was so bad, because in his role in "A Man called Otto" he was wonderfully hilarious. I adored him in that. So he can act, he just can't overcome a bad script.
Reviews
5 Reviews
Julia
(2022–2023)
Loved it!
1 April 2022
I watched the 1st 3 episodes in one day and liked it so much I watched then a second time that night. I am a Julia Child fan, and though I've never seen her television show, I have seen "Julie and Julia" several times, and read her autobiography "My Life in France," own both her cookbooks and the book "Always, Julia." I found this series accurate, charming, and eye-opening. Set in 1962, I learned about the early days of Public Television and Julia's contribution to it and to cooking shows and food television in general. It illustrates the disrespect the male-dominated industry displayed toward her and to women in general, and how she overcame their disinterest in her idea for the cooking show. I was never aware of any of that and admire her even more now. Forgive me if I've made it sound dry, because it was anything but that. I found it engaging and entertaining. The acting was terrific, with Sarah Lancashire as Julia, David Hyde Pierce as her husband Paul, Bebe Neuwirth as her best friend Avis, James Cromwell as her father, and appearances by Isabella Rossellini and Judith Light. It's full of humor and history. What more can one ask for?
The Hangover Part III
(2013)
3rd time is not the charm, but is not terrible either.
13 February 2022
I watched all 3 Hangover movies in one afternoon and evening. Pretty entertaining. The 1st 2 used the same template. Vey funny. The 3d could not do that again quite the same way, so apparently lots of unhappy viewers of the 3d. But I liked that it drew on all sorts of previous bits to create a story that ties up loose ends that we didn't even know were loose. The 1st one took us to Las Vegas, the second to Bangkok, and the last one to Tijuana and full circle back to Las Vegas. Halfway through this last one, Melissa McCarthy is a treat as a possible love interest for Zach's character. Watch for Helms gagging, after which Cooper appears to be breaking, and they left it in. John Goodman is always a pleasure to watch, though in this case not enough, like McCarthy. They are just tantalizing. And though some (most?) found Ken Jeong too prevalent in the storyline, I enjoyed him. During the credits, the 1st two movies run some photos that depict what gang did during their alcohol blackouts that set up the storylines, but the 3d has a scene not photos that carries on a gag of which Helms has been the butt in all 3 movies. Fun.
Virgin River
(2019– )
Is it the acting or the writing or the directing? Disappointing.
16 January 2021
The scenes between Jack and Mel are worth watching, but the rest is unsatisfying. The situations are rather amateurish and predictable, the characters are one dimensional caricatures. It's annoying to watch, except as I said, Mel and Jack. They're the only reason I stick with it. They, and the scenery! Gorgeous setting.
Goliath
(2016–2021)
I wish I had not watched the 2d season.
19 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I have rarely written a review of any of Amazon's customarily excellent original series even though I usuaIly enjoy them immensely, like last year's 1st season of Goliath. I am an attorney and relish an intelligent and suspenseful legal drama. I so looked forward to the 2d season of Billy Bob Thornton as the jaded lawyer who dropped out of the profession only to be wooed back by his need to help the underdog facing his too-smart, too powerful colleagues in the legal (and not so legal) profession. So I binge-watched the 8-episode 2d season as soon as it was released. In the end, I was very disappointed. Not by the plot, which kept my attention. Granted, there were a few things (relationships mostly) that were supposed to be real head-turners that I guessed at and figured out before I should have. I could have handled that and still enjoyed the series without the need to write this review, but what I found despicable was, first of all, the periodic dismemberment of living human beings and, second, tying that to a sexual fetish. It was unnecessary, superfluous, meant to shock the unsuspecting viewer, which it did the first time, though merely repelled the 2d, 3d and 4th times, but did nothing to move the plot forward. In my humble opinion, It detracted from what could have been, in the hands of perhaps more skilled writers, an excellent characr study. I actually wish I had not watched it.
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