I can't say this episode wasn't good. The acting and writing and cinematography were all excellent as always. However it was intense and aggressive in a way that made it difficult to get through. I'm not looking for an episode of television that is difficult to watch. Special props for Jamie Lee Curtis for disappearing into her role, and John Mullaney for his nuanced turn. Jon Berenthal was awesome, but I'm starting to think he only has one gear. He's great at the one thing he does as an actor, but I wonder if he can play anything else. Also, how is this show nominated in the comedy category? Seriously?
Reviews
7 Reviews
Glass Onion
(2022)
Just Okay
28 December 2022
A lot of great actors, and the film is well-shot, but ultimately the whole affair is just too cartoonish to enjoy on anything but a superficial level. Every character (with the possible exception of Janelle Monae's) is so broadly drawn and overacted that you can't invest in them or care what happens to them. Particularly Daniel Craig's lead. He felt like an eccentric, but brilliant, detective in Knives Out, but here he just comes off as silly. His complete inaction toward the end seems to exist only to set up the ridiculous, over-the-top ending. Also, Kathryn Hahn and Leslie Odom. Jr. Are so wasted that I don't know why they even signed on for this. Glass Onion was an okay distraction for a Netflix movie, but I would have been annoyed if I'd paid to see this in a theater.
Reprisal
(2019)
So Much Wasted Potential
1 June 2020
The only reason I hung in for all 10 episodes was because I wanted this show to get better, but it actually kind of fizzled out at the end. A lot of first rate world building was wasted because the writers just didn't seem to know what to do with what they had. The major problem was underdeveloped characters. This should have been Abigail Spencer's show. She gives the performance of a lifetime (even if she's often failed by the writing), and every time to show shifts its focus away from her it suffers. Mena Massoud may be a goof actor and it was down to lack of material, but his character Ethan is pretty much all brown puppy dog eyes, pained expressions, and hair. The writers never made me care about his problems. Same with Madison Davenport's Meredith. Almost nothing happening back at the Bang-a-Rang was all that compelling, compared to Doris's journey. Her crew crackled with all the energy the Banished Brawlers should have. This show could have been great. it should have been. But, no.
Okay Enough That I'll Stick Around to See Where It's Going
29 April 2020
See how much all of the right wing snowflakes are by this show, I'm tempted to give it 10 stars, but it's not that good. I don't get the complaints about injecting race into a story about LA in the late 1930s. The only way race wasn't a factor then was if you were an oblivious white person. Anyway, the story has some promise and a couple quality actors (Natalie Dormer & Rory Kinnear), but it's also seen an obvious downgrade in budget (cheap CG and a not-very-convincing recreation of period LA) and some of the casting choices are just bizarre: Nathan Lane is a fine actor, but he's not close to convincing as a jaded, vet cop. The other lead Daniel Zovatto is too soft and pretty to be believable in his role. This could teeter either way, so i hope it gets good.
So Much Skill and Talent...Wasted
8 February 2020
Watched Once Upon a Time in Hollywood last night. Beautiful cinematography, wonderful acting, and an amazing recreation of 1969 Hollywood, all in service of a plot that's just not very compelling. The story of an aging 1950s TV actor can't carry a movie with a 2 hour, 45 minute running time. Tarantino seems to realize this and tacks on a weird, fantasyland version of the Manson Family murders for the last 45 minutes. This is, sadly, Tarantino at his most self indulgent. It's a shame to see so much talent wasted on a movie that adds up to so little in the end.
Interesting Concept, Poor Execution
18 June 2019
I don't understand the super low ratings. There's never been a truly bad episode of Black Mirror. The concept for this episode is intriguing and the acting and design is top notch. It's just too damned long. Once I got the point, I felt like they were trying to bludgeon the audience with it. Could have been at tight half hour or so, instead of dragged out to an hour.
Love Thy Neighbor
(2005)
Interesting Idea...Horrible Execution
14 July 2005
Like another reviewer I got this flick because I wanted to see what Jennifer Bransford was up to before General Hospital. The plot is actually interesting, guy is banging his neighbor's wife, neighbor confides that he's cheating too and might have HIV, guy flips out. The guy is question is awful. The character is badly written and the acting is poor. Actually the only thing that prevents this flick from being a complete waste of time are the actresses, Jennifer Bransford and Kellie Overbey. John Enos, also a soap actor, is just as bad as the other male lead. What could have been an interesting story of two decomposing relationships is lost in a series of nonsensical jump cuts, bad writing, and bizarre non sequitors. Obviously the filmmakers wanted this movie to be "different," but it turned out just bad. There's a twist ending that seems tacked on that it would have been better off without.
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