cyndi_fan247 Reviews

Ancient Apocalypse (2022)

Cherry Picked Information and One-Sided Debates

[1/10 · 21 December 2022]

One thing I will say about this show is that it comes off as very convincing and makes great efforts to portray itself as being straightforward and honest, but as you watch, you quickly find out that's only on a superficial level.

They factual information is twisted and misconstrued to support the views that they want to disseminate without any sort of critical analysis or asking questions. For example he says there is a "cultural layer", under a site, but doesn't explain what artifacts or remnants suggest such a layer. Was there pottery? Remains? It's never mentioned. They do carbon dating, but don't explain the complications associated with using carbon dating to accurately pinpoint a time period or even what exactly they are carbon dating.

They give the false impression that there are two sides by frequently stating how the big bad "field of archaeology" doesn't want to learn about certain information, and just dismisses out of hand anything that doesn't fit the current narrative. Which is preposterous.

If this were true, we would never advance our knowledge of anything or make new discoveries, yet we make new discoveries all of the time. If the entire field is skeptical of certain claims, there is probably a good reason other simply than not wanting to disrupt the "status quo" otherwise we would still have the same thoughts and ideas that we did in the Middle Ages. And we don't.

But it's all one sided, and there is no expert of an opposing viewpoint to debate or offer an alternative explanation for anything the host claims. He just repeatedly and defensively says "they don't want you to believe what I'm saying" without letting anyone scrutinize the wild claims being spouted.

Really disappointing program.

Hammer House of Horror: Carpathian Eagle (1980) Season 1, Episode 9

A hideous blemish on a great series

[1/10 · 29 November 2022]

One of the worst plot lines I've ever seen. I was honestly dumbfounded.

There was 0 suspense. For a few moments in the beginning of the episode you were unsure who the killer was. But it was glaringly obvious very quickly because they show her.

Halfway through it is confirmed that she is the killer. And I kept waiting for the twist, which never came. I think the writers were trying to show that not everything was as it seemed, but they must have "forgotten" to include that part which would have cast any sort of doubt.

The absolute worst part of all was the last act of the episode, where they try to catch her in the act, but are unable to do so, (with the only possible intention of trying to make the viewer question what they already saw) but it was so poorly and clumsily done that any viewer with half a brain would have put the pieces together that she just didn't have the opportunity in that instance.

Then, we are put through the most painstakingly dull 15 minutes to get to the banal ending that everyone already knew was coming.

Not a fun watch, not interesting, not exciting, not scary, not creepy, just irritating.

Dreadful by any standards, but even more so when compared to the other installments in this otherwise delightful series.

Channel Zero (2016–2018)

Season 1 - Quite Sad, Questionable plot turns, Loses some steam

[6/10 · 21 November 2022]

This is creepy, it is horror. It has a number of frightening elements and moments overall. It started out strong in that department, but for me personally it did falter a bit as it went on, and left me frequently scratching my head at the behavior of some of the characters and baffled by their motivations and what was happening on screen during certain scenes, especially in episode 4.

It lost some of its creepy factor as it went on and mostly just became disturbing rather than creepy.

Overall it was definitely scary and mostly kept my interest, but ultimately left me with a feeling of sadness above anything else.

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities: Pickman's Model (2022) Season 1, Episode 5

well made film and art shouldn't require prior knowledge to understand

[1/10 · 2 November 2022]

This was an absolute mess. With blood and gore and random grotesque imagery. Apparently, from reading other reviews, it's a very well known story from H. P. Lovecraft. That's fine and great, I know the name. But I'm not familiar with any material. You shouldn't need to have a prior knowledge of a story to be able to follow along. And I could not follow along.

Normally a story has a plot, and there are reasons why things are happening. This simply did not make sense. It was confusing at nearly every moment.

Questions like "why?"; "what was the intent of this dialogue and/or imagery?" And "what's the motivation for this character?" may not be able to be answered immediately, but can usually be asked again after viewing something as a whole and an answer can eventually be found.

That was not the case with this program. It was grotesque without any reason whatsoever. Characters intents are never established even after the story is over.

Whether that's the fault of the source material or the way they chose to portray it on screen, I really cannot say.

The fake accents were distracting and unnecessary, and just a very poor choice from both the actors and the production.

Judging by other reviews I can only imagine that this was a failed attempt to retell a story that already existed, but it's also possible this was never a good story in the first place.

Either way, this is easily one of the worst things I have ever seen in my life. I thought this series couldn't get worse, but this was the most baffling episode yet. Truly just awful in every way imaginable.

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities: The Autopsy (2022) Season 1, Episode 3

if you like gore and endless suffering, this one is for you

[1/10 · 29 October 2022]

An episode called Autopsy where a doctor performs... you guessed it- autopsies. Is this horror? I don't think it is. But it's certainly really disgusting and sickening to watch.

Maybe this is some peoples cup of tea. But it's not for me. This is not a curiousity, it's just really nasty. And also really just terribly depressing. Aliens that want to eat people and make them suffer. I got 3/4 of the way through and I almost stopped halfway, but I kept going and it's just very stressful to watch at this point. We have no idea of motive for this alien person, just that he's "hungry" and ham-fisted significance of tons and tons of close ups of spiders, which the alien obviously communicates with, but I guess we won't find out even one single "why" until the end.

There is nothing interesting about this story. It's just gross.

Explained: Cults (2019) Season 2, Episode 1

Bad sound quality, could have used more "explaining"

[3/10 · 1 October 2022]

The narrator in the episode sounds like he's being broadcast over a radio or recorded on a cassette tape (slightly fuzzed out and distorted), which could be on purpose, to evoke a sense of mystery or something. However, it is extremely unpleasant to listen to from an auditory perspective.

The way it was presented was also somewhat lacking, with topics covered only very briefly. I would have appreciated more in depth discussion, and it would be more informative and "explain" more. The format being only 17 minutes doesn't help. A 30 minute show would be more appropriate and cover more ground. Not the worst, but could use improvement.

La Jetée (1962)

It's.... A slideshow with ASMR-like narration

[3/10 · 5 August 2022]

This short is basically collections of photos (seemingly mostly 'found' photos) sequenced with narration that tell a story about a dystopian future.

While I do appreciate the attempt to tell a story in this unique sort of way way, I'm not sure it did enough to stand out in its delivery.

The narration is almost ASMR -which may actually be groundbreaking, but either way this is painfully boring.

Drag Race España: Ball español, siglos X, XX y XXX (2022) Season 2, Episode 6

The forced fake laughter during the runway

[2/10 · 6 July 2022]

Is really distracting. Like so distracting that I had to mute it this episode. Not sure if it's just the first time I noticed it or it's just this episode, but in any case they force out laughs during every single comment during the runway which is obviously not real laughing. On the other versions they make the stupid comments, but they don't laugh after every joke. If they even laugh at all.

The Cobweb (1955)

Serious commitment to a story about drapes

[7/10 · 24 June 2022]

It is not an exaggeration or understatement when you hear that drapes play an important role in this film. This is a dramatic movie about drapes. Somehow it works.

Killer Party (1986)

These are the Best Times

[9/10 · 23 June 2022]

The first 10 minutes of this movie are so epic that, I would have to recommend it for that alone. The original song "Best Times" that plays throughout is actually something I would listen to, and I really appreciate hearing it. But the juxtaposition of this against whats occurring on screen produces a rather comical effect.

Is this a good movie? Not exactly. It's a pretty enjoyable watch overall.

Drag Race España: El diario de Putricia (2022) Season 2, Episode 3

Boring and Yucky

[1/10 · 20 June 2022]

This episode was not for me. Unless you like visual gross-out humor involving food, you're in for a tedious and stomach turning 75 minutes. (Don't watch while eating).

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Draguation Speeches (2022) Season 7, Episode 5

I didn't like the idea for this episode.

[3/10 · 13 June 2022]

I'll give it 3 stars because it hasn't exactly been done -it's a "new" take on the standup challenge. But the idea behind it wasn't interesting or funny. They could have taken it in a more inspirational direction, but they didn't. It was a half hearted attempt to be both funny and serious and it didn't work.

Drag Race España: Snatch Game (2021) Season 1, Episode 4

Too much going on for an episode.

[2/10 · 31 March 2022]

A 3-look ball on the same episode as Snatch Game? WHY?! Absolutely terrible decision by production, leaving too much going on in the episode and meaning that there was too much criteria to fairly and objectively judge anyone.

Caged (1950)

You have to remember when this was made...

[10/10 · 26 January 2022]

This is a 'prison film', and it may seem 'typical', but I would have to argue that it was pretty groundbreaking especially when considering it was made in 1950. Like others have stated, it was not simply an exploitation film saying "hey look at these crazy women in prison". It actually does a lot to humanize these prisoners and explore the prison system at a deeper level and how it might affect women in particular. There are other movies since then that have explored similar themes, but this one did it first, and did it very effectively.

It criticizes the prison system and also gives a seemingly realistic and raw portrayal of someone going through that system, when it could have certainly been toned down.

The acting is extremely well done. It is a bit of a melodramatic movie, but only out of necessity in order to emphasize the gravity of the situations it seeks to portray. And it does it well. It never feels cheesy or over the top.

I had medium-high expectations and it did not disappoint one bit. I highly recommend it.

The A List (2018–2021)

Entertaining Show (for what it is), kept my interest

[9/10 · 17 January 2022]

Do not jump into this with high expectations. There are plot holes and plenty of issues, but it's also a lot of fun if you don't take it super seriously.

I first put this on because the trailer seemed unintentionally silly, but I was surprised by how invested I became in the characters and the story.

It's not the highest quality writing, but it's one of those rare cases in which that adds to the charm. Some plot elements can feel a bit formulaic (it is a teen drama after all), but there are also a lot of pretty original ideas with twists and turns that keep you guessing, and you will want to see what happens next.

SEASON 2: There was a long hiatus of about 2 years after Season 1 (in real life), and I recall reading that the series would end with Season 2 before it was even released. And honestly, you can kind of tell, because I get the sense that they felt rushed to tie up the story in the brief 8 episodes of season 2, which is kind of unfortunate, but I'm glad that we at least got some closure on the story.

Snow Gets in Your Eyes (1938)

Worth seeing for The Dandridge Sisters musical number

[6/10 · 6 January 2022]

This isn't a great short, but it's mildly entertaining, and there is a ~3 minute song and dance number called "Harlem Yodel" that is actually really great, which features black musicians The Dandridge Sisters along with the Cats and the Fiddle, and it's actually quite good and definitely the highlight of the film. The other musical number that precedes it is a bit of a throwaway. The plot isn't terribly interesting, but the indoor ski jump in a department store (which is a central part of the story) was pretty unique.

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Extraordinarily Unpleasant Audio Experience

[2/10 · 5 January 2022]

While I admittedly didn't really pay much attention to this movie visually, or even plot-wise, I was painfully aware of the barrage of third-rate covers and the worst early 00's pop songs you wished you never had to be reminded of again.

Leadbelly (1976)

Emotional movie that was mucked up with a bizarre ending

[3/10 · 30 December 2021]

I can't in good conscience give this a higher rating. This film was very emotional, and a journey in multiple senses. It is framed as a story within a story, with Leadbelly recounting his life through his songs and stories to renowned anthropologist and musicologist Alan Lomax, who visits him in prison to record his music.

In the movie the songs have mostly quite literal ties to what is happening on screen. A lot of the story seems to be somewhat fictionalized and is not a strictly factual account of Huddie Ledbetter's life. And though I'm unsure of how much was embellished for storytelling purposes, this doesn't bother me, and ultimately it feels like it was done effectively. There are a few particular scenes that were especially heart-wrenching, some scenes that were funny, and some were about showcasing music, and that was all extremely well done.

Where the movie really really lost me is in the last 10 minutes of the movie, when completely out of left field, the writers decide to viciously attack music historian Alan Lomax as a monstrous art thief who is completely uncaring about Leadbelly or his talent, and sees songs as "dead butterflies to be stabbed with a pin and put in a museum" (to paraphrase). Leadbelly protests his songs being inducted into the Library of Congress and says he won't let Alan Lomax "kill" his songs, which he repeats several times. And then the writers have Leadbelly climb on a figurative soap box and rant and rave against Lomax about how his songs will live and he won't let him kill them. And then it ends.

I have a serious problem with this. Why did they feel the need to portray Alan Lomax as such a bad person? He was probably the single biggest champion of Leadbelly's music and countless other folk and blues musicians who otherwise would have been swept under the rug of history. That's why he was THERE. He never had a lucrative career, and he often traveled and worked on his own dime- not for money or fame, but because he thought it was important for humanity.

He saw the brilliance in music that was often overlooked and understood why it was so important to preserve it, which is why he meticulously went around recording people like Leadbelly, so that we can still be talking about him today.

So this ending left a bitter taste in my mouth and absolutely ruined an otherwise fine film.

Maude: The Runaway (1974) Season 2, Episode 24

Hilarious Musical Scene that Makes the Episode

[10/10 · 25 December 2021]

My favorite part of this episode, and the reason why I give it 10 stars is this very silly (and short) musical number that involves Francie and Hinckley singing "Yankee Doodle" while Hinckley plays the spoons. Very charming.

Eye of the Devil (1966)

Stressful instead of scary

[3/10 · 23 December 2021]

This film stressed me out, pretty much all the way through. It's not mysterious so much as 'there's a bunch of secrets about specific things, and we aren't going to talk about them' which kind of feels like a lazy way to cause false suspense, because we already know there are secrets, and so do the characters.

There are a couple of scenes that are more interesting, with some special effects, the filming locations are quite lovely, and it's possibly worth seeing for the screen time of Sharon Tate alone.

I don't regret seeing it, but it's certainly not one I would ever want to watch again.

Crimes of the Century (2013– )

Extremely Off-putting Sound Editing

[2/10 · 9 December 2021]

There is a really bizarre feature of the show where the sound changes in volume and clarity and becomes hushed and fuzzed out in the middle of a sentence. This is an intentional choice by the sound editors and it honestly makes the show almost unwatchable. The information presented seems interesting enough, but it's impossible to ignore the assault on my ears.

Death Curse of Tartu (1966)

Really really bad

[2/10 · 12 October 2021]

In some cases things can be so bad they are good and this is NOT one of those cases. There are long (endless) stretches where absolutely nothing is happening and we are treated to panoramic shots of nature on handheld cameras shifting between dead silence and incessant drumming for a soundtrack. And you are left wondering when or if some kind of a plot is going to resume.

There are a few moments that are redeemable when something is actually happening on camera, like a beach dancing scene. But those moments are very few and far between.

Money Hungry (2021– )

Slow pacing, You can't play along, Set up so they can't win prizes

[1/10 · 12 August 2021]

The premise of this show is that they have to answer questions based on eating things and identifying the foods. The only problem is that as a viewer, you can't play along because the show is designed for the answers to not be evident based on appearance. In an episode I saw, a girl had to identify the flavor of cotton candy that was plain white in color, which is impossible to guess as a viewer.

Another major issue with the show is that it's designed to be impossible for the contestants to win. They need to get through 8 rounds with only two "lifelines", and no safety net. Meaning if they get even one question wrong they lose. Furthermore, there is apparently no way for them to leave with any money unless they win the whole thing.

Another major issue with this show is the pacing which is very slow. They end up repeating the same sentences over and over when answering the questions to eat up time. The host and other people are kind of annoying/unlikeable.

RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under (2021– )

Could be called...

[1/10 · 6 July 2021]

The judging has to be the most questionable and inconsistent of any season. I've never seen a worse Top 4 with such obvious favoritism except in an All Stars Season. Arguably the most deserving ones went home mid season.

An eliminated contestant inexplicably comes back without any other contestants having the opportunity to do so.

There was one Queen who the judges think is "so fun" and they tell her this constantly, despite her being objectively the worst almost every week. So they keep her around to the end, but the story line was so obviously forced that it seems like the producers ultimately felt they had to choose another contestant to win to leave a shred of credibility. And the winning queen was arguably most deserving of the top 4 but... that's not saying much.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Dusty Drawer (1959) Season 4, Episode 33

Unresolved plot

[5/10 · 15 April 2021]

The premise of this episode centers on a dispute in which Dick York was supposedly shorted 200 dollars by his boarding house mate, which the banker strongly denies, but it is never confirmed in the story who was telling the truth, which seems like an obvious oversight. It's hard to sympathize with York's character's attempts at revenge when the viewer has no reason to believe him over the bank teller.