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Reviews
The Rookie (2018)
If everyone says first seasons were best, I ought to give up
The story of a guy that moves to la, in his forties, to become a cop and his story with two other rookies in focus.
Of course, in the first two episodes (the only I've seen so far) they have managed to be in the center of every violent crime happening in L. A. constantly. They see more violent extreme action in the first two episodes than many cops in ten years on the street.
It's just totally unrealistic. That's ok, some may like that they are mostly shallow as people, and it's the action all the time. This series seems to be a more modern version of Adam-12 and Chips from the 70's, and just like those shows, is both unrealistic and also you can see this is some Hollywood writers idea of what it entails.
Filled with many cliches. Love the one that many of these always have "forget everything you learned in the academy, this is the streets" which kinda makes one wonder why even have an academy or why they can't train folk for the job? Watching it does not feel like one is watching actual people being police, but very neatly constructed exercises in writing played out on screen. It's really not for me, I can tell already. It's actually cheesy. And again, unrealistic in almost all ways.
Alex (2017)
Absolutely terrible
Went in wanting to like it as I know the main character from "Bonus Family": and liked him there. I should say I couldn't make it through one full episode. For one thing, in this day and age any director making the decision to use Shaky-Cam ought to be ignored forever. Seriously, shaky cam? It isn't a documentary, and if it were documentary hand held cameras don't shake around as much as this. It is a totally bogus decision that literally ruins the experience.
On top of that the script had so many plot holes it was non existent. I don't think it's a spoiler to say any policeman in any police dept, involved or that was at a shooting, will get their gun checked against the deceased. Not here though. Nothing makes sense in this, it is not ground breaking, the background music, the style is not new or innovative, and again, shaky cam. Used as an attempt to make it more gritty, and fails miserably. I gave up.
House of the Dragon (2022)
Most here nailing these reviews
Yes, boring. I am surprised though at even many who diss if for being boring, give it high marks for production values. The CGI and movement of say a dear on a hunt, are ridiculously low value to me, and I'm no CGI corksniffer, not a high bar for me but this was bad. Also the look of it. Mist, smoke, outside most shots are obscured, gray, dismal, but also I wonder, probably a lot cheaper to render, did they save money on that?
Inside, I notice a LOT of back lighting, which is not very pleasing to the eye, or even normal camera work. Light through windows fairly blinds one to the faces of the characters inside. Though really, it doesn't matter much because this faces aren't emoting anything particularly interesting.
They hash, then rehash, then re rehash, then again, the same themes. Some say this is the political aspect, but I enjoy political intrigue and this isn't it. They seem to be using a thesaurus to have the characters say the same things over and over. No intrigue, or not much. A king that is wish washy, not very effective and seems unable to grasp the reality around him, pouty princess who I think they are trying to show as brave and fearless, yet mainly I see just pouty. Kings brother is a menacing bad boy, except...it's a little burlesque, overdone. Making the king even seem more obtuse for not seeing what is so overdone and clear. I don't think these are spoilers, but clicked on yes in case.
Story so far, I've watched up to and including episode 3, and I'm not sure how much more I can take. Went into it rooting for it to be a good story. Now my wife and I watch it when we run out of series we like episodes. And almost have to egg each other on to watch it.
It's bad. Badly written, badly acted, bad production, and it's boring. Maybe it will get better? It can't get worse.
Exam (2009)
I agree with this that say it starts out well, but ends implausibly
Everyone has covered the plot enough.
It was a good concept at the beginning. Sort of reminded me of the Michael Caine/Laurence Olivier film (more like a play) with just the two of them.
Only with eight. Like some, I also did notice him saying there was only one question and then at the end "any questions" I recognized as a question, but I was sure that wasn't the whole shebang.
The problem is the lengths they go to. I'm not going to add this as a goof, but at one point where Dark is about to get tortured with a paper slice to the eye, I thought she should have just talked to the guard, would at least get her out of losing and eye.
But it went way too far, and the "wrap up" seemed very forced and like the writers were worn out and just threw the kitchen sink in.
Though honestly, I couldn't see a way to end this film either. It was too much, but they had to have some drama, and what had us leaning in was the puzzle.
When the CEO lost his glasses the camera lingered on it, and seems also implausible nobody (since the room was so bare otherwise) thought to check his glasses. Blonde simply used as a magnifying glass.
Also White, how likely if he has to take a pill every hour, that he would only carry ONE pill in his pocket, and just loose, not even in a pillbox? Not very.
The film starts out engaging because the viewer wants to figure out the solution, and so it's pleasurable to use your brain. But it's just degraded and I do admit I was hanging on up to near the end. When the gun came out, I felt it went too overboard.
7500 (2019)
De not expect it to be as gripping and realistic as it was
I'm not an airline pilot, but am a student pilot for my private pilots license. So though I knew ATC calls, procedures, checklists, etc. Seemed very realistic it's good to see real commercial pilots agree.
I chose to watch it not expecting that as Hollywood films really ignore the realities of flying since the silent era mostly, so that made me like it right off the bat when I realized they got it right. Many bad reviews here think it was too slow, for me that was exciting, the interplay, the kindness of the captain, their interactions. All rang true and the cutaway shots to the galley camera also gave me a bad feeling, well done. I don't understand being bored by the first 20 minutes by some but oh well, one bad review said they needed snakes on the plane so I guess that indicates something.
The suddenness and brutality of the initial attack, where one breached the door, was gut wrenchingly realistic. And frightening. The brutality also of the attack on the door, some folks complained about it being "annoying". I don't get that. It added to the realism and fear. Could they break through? We don't know, it was a constant background of foreboding.
When immersed in a film, as I was the whole way through we all think of "what would I do?" Or "what could he do" and I do have to admit, I felt that the best move he could have made would have been, with the first hostage that they threatened to kill, their threat was dependent on the camera and getting in the head of the pilot. I think the best thing he could have done would have been to announce on the PA "this is the captain, I am turning off the camera at the door, and I have control of this airplane". The terrorists are going to do what they are going to do, but there is no audience to manipulate so why would they? It was a smart move to tell the passengers the terrorists had only glass bottle knives and to rush them.
People also seem to be annoyed that Tobias (the pilot) didn't finish off the one hijacker he had knocked out. Given that he couldn't really secure him (and why the hell not? Why do real airlines not at least have handcuffs in the cockpit, and even for the attendants?) it was an option. But it is not easy to kill another human being. This came up again when the young terrorist was in the cockpit as the pilot had chances to overpower and even kill him. But this isn't Die Hard (not that I don't like DH, but this was more of a realistic movie, and not everyone is ready to kill if there is another way) and they went for a human being instead of a "Hollywood hero". And kudos for that.
Others objected to Tobias "bonding" with the young man. Sheesh. He wasn't "bonding" he was trying to save his own life. Many know that a technique when you are a hostage is to get the hostage taker to see you as a person instead of an image of his hate.
This film had me on the edge of my seat throughout, seemed very realistic, and what was weird for me, as we get to the end and the camera goes outside the cockpit looking in from the aisle is the first time I realized I as the viewer hadn't been out of the cockpit the whole movie except for the surveillance footage in the beginning. That blew me away.
I am very glad I decided to watch it. It gripped me fro, the beginning, and throughout.
My major grip is with todays reality. I can't understand how airlines get away with not having ANY security resources except the occasional air marshalll, on flights. Try to find a bar of any decent size that has the waiters and bartenders double as security, with no tasers or handcuffs, and when things get really rough, they ask the customers to wade in and risk their lives to disable attackers. You won't find one. Yet they lock us in a tube, with no security and hope for the best.
Castle Rock (2018)
I knew well into the first episode
As someone else mentioned, seems like the writers felt no compulsion to tell a story, make interesting characters, they just figure we would watch it because it's a series. Writers have gotten lazy because of series. No tautness, no pacing, nothing.
What I really don't get are people that claim "the first few episodes were good but then it went nowhere" because I couldn't even get through the first episode. It was very clear to me this was going nowhere. Sloppy writing, I guess they thought we would be intrigued by all the "mysterious" events, except there were none. I see now this is the same crew that gave us "lost" so that makes sense to me now. It's kind of like listening to a child make up a story "...and then a monster comes, but a man eats a hamburger, but then dragon..." it's like brainstorming without editing the results.
It's very bad. Again I don't get why people suffer through several episodes only to come to the same conclusion. Sure, sometimes a series starts out slow and confusing, but it would have to have something, some kind of rudimentary storyline, and at least one or two characters you root for. None of that here.
The Fugitive (1993)
Lover it way back when, dosent hold up now
Enough folk have summarized the plot. I've probably watched this four times since it came out. Always liked it. But now as I'm older and maybe also the times are different, it really doesn't hold up.
One big problem, Kimball (Fords character) is savvy, smart, he's supposed to be anyway, but he does incredibly dumb things. The dummest thing, he's managed to get to a town, change of clothes, change appearance, even has a wallet with some money. So he would want to blend in and not be noticed. So what does he do? Goes up and gives advice to (imaging too a small town hospital personnel would probably know at least on sight all the other personnel) EMT guys so the injured guard sees him. Then...really dumb if you are a fugitive trying to stay off the radar, he steals an ambulance, drives like crazy, sirens, lights, driving erratically. And in the direction anyone would assume he would be going to.
Then Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones character) at first arrives at the site of the crash, and is sceptical of the local cops and witnesses assessment that no one that isn't there survived. He takes over and announces how far a person on terrain can travel per hour, ads a buffer/margin to be sure and sets up roadblocks. Soon evidence shows he was right. All well and good.
Now, because of Kimballs incredibly stupid move stealing an ambulance, they are on his trail. Kimball never counted on police radios, different district, helicopters? So they catch up with him but he luckily escapes by diving off a dam that would have killed a person not in a movie. Ok, but...now all the cops again saying he couldn't survive (he really couldn't) but Sam is sceptical again. But THIS TIME he wants them to drag the water, use dogs on each bank, send a helicopter down river, but no roadblocks, no calculating how far a man can walk and closing off the escape avenues. Why? For the plot to move forward I guess.
As many pointed out, also kimballs fingerprints on his own possessions in his own home would not exactly be compelling enough for conviction. Nor his wife's cryptic phone call. Nor was it explained why would Kimball if he killed his wife, let her call 911 and make her remarks?
It just gets kind of silly. One moment I always thought stood out in this film is when Gerard shoots the guy that took one of his men hostage, and the guy afterwards is pissed, and feeling bad because his ears are blown, and he lets Gerard know it. That was pretty amazing and one highlight of the movie. Gerard's response does not make him likeable, but seems pathological. But interesting.
Le bureau des légendes (2015)
Perfect. Has it all.
To me this is just an amazing series. Smart. Seems authentic (and insiders say it pretty much is) exciting, clever, even funny at times.
This is what a spy series ought to be. Just as one example, I loved the part where Malotru, the main character, posing as a schoolteacher has to let himself get beat up even though he was a trained fighter. When they flash back to his training, and not just that he has to let himself get beat up (because his "character" cover has no history of being a martial artist) but he also cannot even protect himself in any way that would reveal training.
There were very few, if any, plot holes, or obvious situations that were too coincidental for me. No convenient coincidences that would seem forced. The ensemble is perfect. It's wonderful also to see clearly intelligent people, but with foibles all humans have, do what they do without Hollywood style action, but realistic and well crafted stories.
I almost never give a rating at 10, but this one deserves it. Had me from the first episode and never knew what was coming.
Midnight Mass (2021)
I liked it for the opposite of many here
I'm kind of amazed at so many complaining of "monologues" in the series. To me the sermons of the priest, the talks of what happens when you die, of biblical verse, showing how many can twist them to their own purposes all were the best part of the series.
Because there were some slow moments, and also plot holes that were fairly deep such as what was the plan after the converted "immortals" couldn't tolerate the sunshine? In what way are they immortal if the sun burns them to ashes? Why wasn't that also a sign to them that this was not god, as god "let there be light" but light was fatal to them. Also I do think they did a terrible job with the old folks who rejuvenate. Specially the demented mother of the doctor, Sarah. When I first saw her on screen as a senile old lady, she looked just like a high school production where some 17 year old is made up to be old. Seriously badly done.
But given all that I felt like the discussions they had and the sermons were insightful, interesting, and on the money. Was the redeeming part of the series for me.