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Reviews
Bancroft (2017)
Well-made, just not my cup of tea
I enjoyed the first season. It's nice seeing actors I'm not familiar with and the casting and acting were good. That said, the storyline was only so-so for my taste. I've never been a fan of this particular genre of cop shows, where the people who are supposed to be the good guys are actually the bad guys, looking only to benefit themselves by corrupting the system and getting away with it. Again, that's on me, I know many people who are okay with that. I have zero interest in watching the second season for that reason.
I also found Sarah Parish's uncanny resemblance to the post-transition Caitlyn Jenner to be really distracting and off-putting, but perhaps that's just an American thing.
Beyond Paradise (2023)
I really hope this show gets better soon
I'm a big fan of "Death in Paradise," but Humphrey wasn't my favorite DI in the series. His little quirks and foibles in that show were annoying at first, but seemed to lessen as his tenure progressed. Now, we're in a new series, in a new place, with new characters, and it's as if he's regressed even farther than when he first appeared in "DiP." The character's social awkwardness, physical clumsiness, and use of random scraps of paper to record vital information were kind of entertaining when I first encountered them years and years ago, but in this series, they don't make the character charming, endearing, or engaging - mostly just annoying. I'll give it a few more episodes in hopes it will evolve into a show that really pulls me in.
That said, the rest of the cast is good, but a few of the characters seem exaggerated. The immature young officer and crotchety female assistant felt a bit overdone and I hope that gets toned down over the course of the season. We'll see. It's definitely worth giving it a try, though.
House of Cards (2013)
Doesn't Hold a Candle to the BBC Original
"Hey, gang! Let's take a 4-episode show and stretch it out over 6 seasons!"
Season 1 was entertaining, after that it just went on too darn long with too much stuff thrown in. I simply lost interest.
Under the Banner of Heaven (2022)
Some nonsensical stuff, at least in the first two episodes
Let me start off by saying that I'm an atheist, and I put Mormonism and Scientology at the top of the list of religions that no logical person could support (Mormonism has its golden plates, Scientology has Xenu). None of the Mormons here speak like any Mormons I personally know, but there are sure a lot of Mormons I don't know, so perhaps that manner of speaking does occur in some circles. My biggest complaint is with the police work. Parts of it are really unrealistic, but to avoid spoilers, I'll leave it to the viewer to decide whether to agree or disagree. Some of the acting is wooden, some of the dialogue is laughable, and some of the personal and professional interactions are unlikely. If anyone says the history of Mormonism shown here is distorted or untrue, I'd sure appreciate it if the person(s) saying that would provide details as to what and why. I'm interested to see if the series eventually parallels the book, so I'll keep watching.
Top of the Lake (2013)
Mixed Bag of Plot, Acting, and Action
By the middle of so of the first episode, there are few surprises left. When the town is basically run by a criminal gang, and the police know all about it and do nothing about it, you can pretty much tell how every plot turn is going to proceed (seriously - did anybody not know who would be announced as the father of Tui's child? Did anybody not know who was running the sex party?). The characters were all pretty predictable and/or cartoonish, and the acting varied from "quite good" to "school play." I'm still trying to figure out what Helen Hunt was doing here as well as what her character brought to the series.
Beautiful scenery, though. I'll still give Season 2 a try.
Capturing the Light (2008)
Par for the UFOlogy course
What's in this movie:
"I've got film footage of white dots and streaks against a black background. The dots and streaks are extraterrestrials, light beings, maybe even Jesus Christ returning to Earth, etc."
"OMG, that must be true! She's so credible!"
There. I just saved you 45 minutes and 45 seconds. You can thank me later.
Out of Shadows (2020)
Here we go again
Note to the folks who maintain that movies like this "raise interesting questions that should be looked into:"
If someone tells you that the moon is made of green cheese, would you think that's an interesting question that should be looked into?
You Can't Watch This (2019)
More conservative whining
Here we are, watching a "documentary" titled "You Can't Watch This." Obviously, WE CAN.
We are inundated with conservative snowflakes (what else can you call them?) complaining about how they've been silenced. If that's true, why are we still hearing from them?
Left Behind (2000)
What you'd expect from Kirk Cameron
I don't have time or room to list all the things that are wrong with this movie. The script and the acting are pretty amateurish, and I just couldn't get pulled in by the story.
The Grand Tour (2016)
Ouch
Gorgeous cinematography and scenery, fascinating locations.
However . . .
The Stig's replacement is awful. I realize that BBC may own the rights to a silent tame racing driver, but Mike Skinner should shut up and drive. His comments add nothing to the feature. In fact, they detract from it.
And "Celebrity Brain Crash" needs to go away at the earliest possible opportunity.
What used to be a fresh, funny, and spontaneous chemistry among the hosts now seems forced, scripted, and stale. At times, it's painful.
I'll keep watching for a while in hopes of improvement, but I can't take this indefinitely. I understand it can take a new show and new format a little while to find its way, but geez . . .
Update: I've slogged through to the end of episode 10. While there have been flashes of the old show's brilliance, so much of it is so bad. Mike Skinner's still there, unchanged (contract commitments?) and "Celebrity Brain Crash" is the zombie skit that refuses to die the grisly death it so richly deserves.
One of the high points of the old show was the guests. Maybe BBC also owns the rights to "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car," but watching people like Anthony Hopkins, Jay Kay, and Jodie Kidd interact with the hosts was enjoyable, and I could watch Sabine Schmitz 24 hours a day. Remember the race between cars with other cars welded upside down on top of them? The rally team made up of amputees from the British military? Playing conkers with caravans? Jame's lighter-than-air adventure? Sorely missed.
The old show was probably scripted to a point, but not so it was noticeable. The new show may as well have "the boys" holding the cue cards in their hands while they read from them. Clarkson, Hammond, and May just seem too old and tired to give the show the energy it needs. My sense is that they're just coasting along, resting on their laurels, not really putting much effort into this show. After all, they're long in the tooth, they're multimillionaires, they get fabulous paychecks no matter what, so why break a sweat?
Amazon's money isn't being well-spent.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
Not a bad way to re-enter moviegoing
I confess I was dragged to this movie by a friend who just wanted to celebrate things opening up again. I've spent two hours in a lot worse ways, and I always enjoy movie theater popcorn.
First, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are great actors, are always entertaining to watch, and make a good cinema couple. Any resemblance between their personalities and relationship and those of the Warrens is most likely pure fiction, but that's Hollywood for you, right?
As for the story - it's a change from poking around haunted venues, since it gets us into the courtroom. I haven't read the trial transcript, so I don't know how closely the movie sticks to the reality, but I suspect there's a lot of literary license being used to keep the story moving along. I won't say it's a stellar courtroom drama, but when your defense is literally "the devil made me do it," you're in for a tough slog. I did find myself hoping that SOMEBODY would absorb the demon and then throw themselves down a flight of stairs, a la "Exorcist," but alas - I was disappointed. Would have livened things up a bit.
I write this as someone who is convinced that the Warrens hit on a very successful con years ago, and managed to maintain it for over half a century, so I wasn't expecting to be convinced that actual demons run around possessing humans (or Raggedy Ann dolls, for that matter). Suspend your disbelief and take this as a fairly entertaining ride, and you won't be disappointed. Don't forget the popcorn!
Death in Paradise (2011)
Lighthearted and easy to watch, but Neville . . .
All of the DIs in the show have had their idiosyncracies, but they've gone round the bend with Neville Parker. His particular quirks aren't endearing, they're just flat-out annoying. The producers could do far worse than bringing back Humphrey or Jack - or, better yet, bring back Camille as the Detective Inspector!
Death in Paradise: Switcharoo (2020)
When the quirks take up more time than the murder . . . meh.
Whoever thought that Neville would in any way be an appealing or sympathetic character needs to either switch to decaf or step away from the bong.
At least in this first episode, DI Parker gets way too close to making this show unwatchable. I just can't imagine anyone connected with this show thinking this would be a good idea.
Bosch (2014)
Another tortured loner going his own way...
...even if it turns out to harm him. This is such a clichéd genre. It's becoming more and more difficult to watch. I'm sure there are people and police officers just like this in real life, but that doesn't automatically make them compelling TV.
The Grand Tour (2016)
Ouch
Gorgeous cinematography and scenery, fascinating locations.
However . . .
The Stig's replacement is awful. I realize that BBC may own the rights to a silent tame racing driver, but Mike Skinner should shut up and drive. His comments add nothing to the feature. In fact, they detract from it.
And "Celebrity Brain Crash" needs to go away at the earliest possible opportunity.
What used to be a fresh, funny, and spontaneous chemistry among the hosts now seems forced, scripted, and stale. At times, it's painful.
I'll keep watching for a while in hopes of improvement, but I can't take this indefinitely. I understand it can take a new show and new format a little while to find its way, but geez . . .
Update: I've slogged through to the end of episode 10. While there have been flashes of the old show's brilliance, so much of it is so bad. Mike Skinner's still there, unchanged (contract commitments?) and "Celebrity Brain Crash" is the zombie skit that refuses to die the grisly death it so richly deserves.
One of the high points of the old show was the guests. Maybe BBC also owns the rights to "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car," but watching people like Anthony Hopkins, Jay Kay, and Jodie Kidd interact with the hosts was enjoyable, and I could watch Sabine Schmitz 24 hours a day. Remember the race between cars with other cars welded upside down on top of them? The rally team made up of amputees from the British military? Playing conkers with caravans? Jame's lighter-than-air adventure? Sorely missed.
The old show was probably scripted to a point, but not so it was noticeable. The new show may as well have "the boys" holding the cue cards in their hands while they read from them. Clarkson, Hammond, and May just seem too old and tired to give the show the energy it needs. My sense is that they're just coasting along, resting on their laurels, not really putting much effort into this show. After all, they're long in the tooth, they're multimillionaires, they get fabulous paychecks no matter what, so why break a sweat?
Amazon's money isn't being well-spent.
The Pyramid Code (2009)
New Age Pseudoscientific Claptrap
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
This series has lot of the former, none of the latter. It becomes immediately clear that this is another typical Discovery/History series that asks meaningful questions, yet provides virtually meaningless answers. A glance at the cast and their CVs will tell you pretty much all you need to know about what you're going to be seeing and hearing.
"We can't measure it, but I know it's there" is the foundation of so much of this genre, and "The Pyramid Code" doesn't disappoint in this regard. You'll find the usual suspects making the usual statements for which there isn't a shred of evidence - just feelings, assumptions, and speculation, all put forth as absolute truth.
People who think highly of shows like this seem to believe that scientists the world over are afraid of new thoughts and discoveries because they don't want the boat rocked. In reality, scientists *live* to rock the boat. No scientist becomes world-renowned by spouting what everyone else knows. They become world-renowned by coming up with something that nobody else knows. That's where respect, clout, and money come from. The only thing is, that "something that nobody else knows" must be found to be close to the way the world actually works. That's why the fringe ideas put forth by the fringe personalities in this series will never become mainstream. I agree that we need to maintain open minds, but in order to believe that the ideas in this series bear any resemblance to reality, our minds have to be so open that our brains fall out.
What saves this from a score of "1" is the beautiful filming of remote (and some not-so- remote) sites that most of us will never be able to visit.