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Reviews
Fear the Walking Dead: Remember What They Took from You (2023)
Like World Beyond... but worse
If anyone suffered though the terrible spinoff series World Beyond, just imagine that mixed in with Fear the Walking Dead. As others stated the acting and dialogue in episode one is beyond horrible. You can't get blood from a stone, so I shouldn't be surprised that the actors are not able to make me believe anything said or done because of terrible writing. But the kid who plays Mo... well, I'm sure you know the old saying in acting about never working with kids. She brings the believability factor down by a good chunk. Maybe she would be good in a different genre or story, but in this show she has the personality and depth of a training dummy.
I honestly do not know what happened. Characters that once had promise are now wooden and weak. The only bright side is that I saw season 8 will be the show's last. Because of this I am tempted now to skip the remaining episodes and wait to watch the last 30 minutes of the last episode just to see who lives or died when it finally airs. As others stated, and as a fan I hate to admit it, but the show probably should have been put out of its misery two or three seasons ago.
Hot Forever (2022)
Why?
I think I'm with most reviews so far. Her past specials were engaging without beating you over the head, and what she said were things that women should hear. Even as a guy I felt she distributed her jokes evenly and deftly. Her delivery is what has made her stand out in the very crowded field of stand-up. But this time, as a man, I felt like I was being preached at.
The first segment of the show was a very pointed jab at conservative states and abortion. I hate to use the term "shrill" but that's how it came off to me. It was a complete "You are wrong of you think differently on this subject." The middle portion dealt with bras. I tuned out the rest, which has never happened with her specials.
I looked forward to this show because of past performances, but I think she knows she has legitimately and rightly clawed her way from a D-list celebrity to the 'B' level with her shows and movie appearances that she now feels she can join in with the Rob Reiners of the world and tell me I am wrong for having a belief that differs from hers, and she knows she will still have a place in Hollywood no matter what the majority of the country thinks.
If you really want to see what she is capable of, leave this one to rot and watch her earlier Netflix specials. That is where she truly shines.
Pam & Tommy (2022)
Perfect casting for a movie of the week
For the most part, this is a story that anyone could sit down and read in an hour or so, even less since most people know the general storyline, but for some reason the writers decided the general public needed eight almost hour-long episodes to fully engage with the characters. I would argue the end product needed no more than four episodes to completely tell the story, but someone had other ideas and figured the bottom line would be better served trying to turn this into the Roots, Lonesome Dove, Shogun, or North and South of 2022 in terms of length.
On the plus side, the casting is as close to perfect as any I've ever seen. You did not need to suspend your disbelief to think you really were watching Pam Anderson, and to a lesser extent, Tommy Lee.
I'd almost think Pam Anderson had a hand in the production as she is the only one in the entire show who comes out looking squeaky clean. Everyone else is written off as a third-rate moron. Seth Rohan plays the same idiot he's played in every show or movie he's appeared, so he's no surprise. Nick Offerman does a good sleazy porn guy, and Taylor Shilling plays the former film partner and slight love interest tired of Seth's slacker B. S. who is very believable in her role. Even Sebastian Stan pulls off a respectable Tommy Lee. The one shining example of being a great actor is Lily James for pulling off the perfect Pam Anderson. I don't watch or care about award shows, but she deserves an Emmy for her performance.
Long and short is this show could have been a great behind the scenes look at stardom and what the public rarely sees or hears about had it pulled the reins a bit and edited out the fluff (and factually incorrect information which can easily be found), but instead it needlessly went on for weeks. I guess that's what's in fashion right now with people staying home and needing something to look forward to on television.
It deserves a higher rating than what I'm giving it because of James' acting, but factual mistakes, too many storylines, ridiculous story length, and even a talking penis make this production buckle to the point of breaking when it did not need to do so.
Better Things (2016)
Great premise. Poor long term execution
I've watched this show from the very first season, and while the first two seasons were very well done, you could really tell when when Louie C. K. left because the heart that was in the writing just seemed to disappear.
The characters are engaging with their own unique issues, and it would be fine if the show only focused on one character specifically with their idiosyncrasies, but God help me I want to beat every one of the daughters after each episode. Narcissistic, arrogant, rude and disrespectful are only four of the dozens of words I will use to describe them and how they are presented in the show. Worst of all, Sam (the mother) played by Pamela Adlon constantly puts forth a "my child is more important than the parent" attitude with no consequences for the child and their abhorrent behavior. Maybe bringing up a child allowing them to back talk and demean the parent is par for the course in Hollywood, but not where I come from. While I am sure most will accept that children are rebellious, I'd be willing to bet that most don't accept allowing the child to walk over you the way the kids do in every episode.
The show is binge-worthy, but probably in short bursts for the majority of viewers. The only reason this gets 6 stars instead of higher is the steady decline in writing when Louie left, and the fact the daughters are all insufferable characters.