teepleg-992-684613 Reviews

The Menu (2022)

A suspenseful SATIRE

[7/10 · 15 January 2023]

Reading other reviews, I think some people don't get what a satire is. They say "why would the other cooks go through with the Chef's plan?" Others say "why would the diners not fight back?" Part of the satire is of the slavish devotion of lower-hierarchy chefs to famous ultra-talented chefs. Chef may have been gas-lighting them for many months about what an ultimate "go down in history" culinary "sacrifice to their craft" occasion this is going to be. As for the diners, first, the rich and famous have been coddled for years, secondly, the crooks are just totally out of their element, and third, forks and butter knives against chef knives, really? But mostly they just all cannot believe that it is not just theater, like a macabre magic show that is going to end with some spectacular (good) revelation rather than an actual mass murder-suicide.

Also, some reviewers have called the first half suspenseful, but not the second. I'm guessing that is because from the hype they are all expecting some form of cannibalism to occur and by the second half it is becoming fairly clear that is probably not the case. The second half leans a bit more toward piquing curiosity, but it is still suspenseful.

First Contact: An Alien Encounter (2022 TV Movie)

Pretty good. Could be better.

[7/10 · 5 January 2023]

I did not mark this as a spoiler because it says VERY LITTLE more than the description in the PBS schedule does. If you consider anything more than a program's title to be a spoiler, then don't read my last paragraph.

I found this interesting and did not mind watching for the entire length, but it supposedly contained SOME facts and archival footage and I would have preferred that those be noted somehow, maybe in an unobtrusive manner like a date on the bottom left of the screen during archival footage. As is, other than a few well-known facts like there is a James Webb space telescope (and presumably the other telescopes they mention do exist), one is just left to assume that ALL the rest of it is fictional. However, if you take it as total fiction merely based on actual scientific POSSIBILITY, but produced to "make you think" rather than just for pure entertainment, I'd say it accomplishes that.

I would actually like to see a little "making of" documentary about this documentary. Well, the genre of this is said to be documentary, but that doesn't sound quite right. However, "mockumentary" would not be appropriate either as it is not satire. Maybe a "conjecturmentary"?

As an example of "fact or fiction?", it is clearly fiction that there was an unnatural artifact for which they calculated its trajectory in order to have the James Webb space telescope look for a possible origin, BUT has that telescope actually seen such a sun and busted-planet configuration somewhere since it has been looking "everywhere"? If so, that would be irrelevant to this story line, but would be interesting to know!

The Noel Diary (2022)

Very enjoyable

[8/10 · 25 November 2022]

This was no masterpiece and contained a few trite bits, but you have to judge a movie based on the kind of thing it is trying to be and this one came through. It is heart-warming and enjoyable.

Justin Hartley was just as good in this as you would hope he would be. Bonnie Bedelia was also great as always, though for such a small (though "key", as written), role I think they should have hired a lesser known actress -- not to just spread the jobs around, but so the character is more easily seen just as who they are written to be and not seen as "Bonnie Bedelia again". When Justin has 90 credits over 60 years he will probably be seen as "himself", too, but he is far from there yet and you have to expect the lead to be well known. In contrast, James Remar (with 176 previous credits) actually gets first billing and much the same plot line could have been written with him already dead and played by a tombstone and some old letters. Barrett Doss (with only 11 previous credits) was VERY good.

Eulogy (2004)

Good/funny as a "highlight reel"

[6/10 · 21 September 2022]

This was a great plot, with great jokes, great acting, etc., but it was compressed almost down to being like a highlight reel. It needed to be done as a "limited series" with a little more character development and be a bit more stretched out. I'm sure anyone who could write this movie this good would have been able to include even more hilarious scenes given more time-space to work with. I think (for a limited series) a final ending could have used some flash-forwards where the adult siblings found kindred spirits among their newly-found half-brothers/sisters, while still having comical interactions. However, I suppose they might not have been able to get all these great well-known actors for a longer term.

iZombie (2015–2019)

Not just for young people

[9/10 · 9 August 2022]

I recently saw a "critics consensus" of this show which said that it might be too youth-oriented to resonate with adult audiences. Well, I saw this in my sixties and I loved it. I've always been appreciative of sci-fi and supernatural books and shows, but not just any -- they have to be well-written and well-acted and this one certainly is.

The Secrets of Christmas Revealed! (2021 TV Special)

Quite amusing!

[6/10 · 23 December 2021]

I played this streaming just to have something on while I did something else, but wound up watching it as the approach was interesting and the conclusions were of course scientifically far-fetched, but extremely logical as modern explanations of magical occurrences rather than just saying "well, it's magic". I think it was the "Easter Eggs" or "in" joke aspects of it (like the Dean Haglund and Harvey Levin appearances) that drew me in, but toward the end it did become a little draggy. Most of the "man on the street" interviews didn't add a thing and the bit about the "frequent flyer"/"millions of miles" airline thing was contradictory to its earlier explanations that were more fitting to this narrative.

I think the info in my review doesn't really qualify to the level of "spoilers", but better safe than sorry.

A Little Late with Lilly Singh (2019–2021)

Gonna miss Lilly!

[9/10 · 6 June 2021]

Based on all the other comments, I guess I am a weirdo since I, as a white cis-gender straight boomer, loved her show (though I must admit that the weakest parts were the first season's monologues and most of the comments seem to be based on the first few weeks of those). The second season was better than the first, but I enjoyed most of both. My favorites from the second season were the Fairy 'God, you're old' Mother and the "on-site therapist".

The Nest (I) (2020)

For me, primarily a chance to see some horses

[4/10 · 20 May 2021]

What can I say beyond what was said by another comment: "I'm reminded of Hitchcock's famous quote that movies are basically just real life with all the boring bits taken out. This movie is where all the boring bits ended up".

As for whether it was or wasn't a psychological thriller, It was more a psychological downer. The closest it got to being a thriller was "will the daughter OD?" and "did the husband poison the horse for the insurance money?" and "which spouse is going to physically attack the other one first?" I'm glad the answers were no, apparently not, and neither -- but neither the questions nor the answers got the heart thumping, so not much of a thriller.

Mom (2013–2021)

PLEASE do a miracle renewal of this show MOM!

[10/10 · 8 May 2021]

I have watched this show from the beginning and have loved it to one degree or another almost from the beginning. It has even gotten better with time (an example is adding Tammy) and the 8th season was the best yet! (Though as soon as they announced Kristi would no longer be a part of it, I was not like "good riddance" but I could already imagine the show being even more enjoyable and it has been.) I am going to miss this one so much!

Weakest Link (2020– )

Poor quality contestants

[5/10 · 30 January 2021]

I will keep watching for at least a while, but it is so frustrating that so many of the contestants are so dumb. I would not expect Jeopardy level contestants or Jeopardy level pre-testing, but they need to do at least some. (If they already do, it must be "open book".)

How do they expect the contestants who can answer most questions to be able to bank much money when the dumber ones are both too dumb to answer most questions right AND too dumb to bank before trying (and in many cases too dumb to realize that if they can't answer fairly quickly they need to 'pass' so the smarter contestants have time to earn money that MIGHT eventually come their way)?

As I recall the original had contestants that could both answer more questions and get a feel for their fellow contestants that enabled them to do a better job of banking or continuing to add money. That was more exciting.

The Identical (2014)

Contradiction of another reviewer's description of a specific scene

[9/10 · 26 January 2021]

One negative reviewer said "Ryan visits his birth mother in the hospital and sings one of Drexel's songs to her. He doesn't know it's his real mother. She doesn't realize he's there. There's no subsequent consequence to this extremely coincidental scene." This shows that someone who is antagonistic in the first place won't pay close attention, perhaps because they do not want to risk seeing something contrary to their predetermined opinion. In that scene she does not immediately show that she is aware of him and he unfortunately turns away before she does, but at that point when she is clearly aware, but he is walking away, she spoke "Dexter", so she not only WAS aware he was there but realized that it was her "lost twin", not Drexel.

My OPINION is that though Ryan couldn't allow himself to consciously consider WHY he felt such a connection to Drexel's music, dance moves, etc. he clearly did, as evidenced by passing out in the exact moment Drexel was killed. I suspect the reason that he could not even THINK of consciously considering how he might really be connected was because he so thoroughly respected and accepted his parents' teachings and their love that hurting them by not having a "call to preach" was as much as he could bear to hurt them.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)

Lame

[5/10 · 26 November 2020]

Adequate acting. adequate (barely) plot/writing, but overall lame.

Christmas on the Square (2020)

So hokey.

[4/10 · 23 November 2020]

Oh, man. This was sooo mawkishly sentimental and noticeably contrived. I watched the whole thing because I love Christine Baranski and Dolly Parton (and usually love all Dolly's projects) and this contained very good acting (except for a few quips here and there that were reminiscent of amateurs in a stage play that is a comedy instead of a musical drama).

It would have been better if cut down to one hour by removing (or at least depopulating) several of the most overpopulated and ridiculous dance numbers. (Then it could have just been included as one Dolly's 'Heartstrings' episodes, which are all good.)

Them That Follow (2019)

Many of the previous reviews say things that are factually wrong.

[7/10 · 11 September 2020]

One reviewer had the descriptions of the roles of Garret and Augie switched. Another had Dilly and Mara switched. One called Augie a "boy from the outside" but he was raised in that church and sometimes still attended with his parents, he just had not bought into it.

One said they "worship the serpent" but they don't actually "worship" it. Another associated the snakes with Satan and that is to some degree a Bible thing, but IS NOT THE POINT in these churches, just the fact that it is normally likely to bite and its venom is poisonous. I mostly know this because I am from the Southeast and have always kept up with current events for MANY years, so such churches got "covered". However, I feel the stuff about the snakes themselves (and why they are "handled") was clear from the movie.

One reviewer said the police arrest Augie, when it was accually Garret (and this was not the reviewer who had them mixed up all along). To some degree they depend on God to heal them but when it becomes obvious that is not working the main reason they do not go to the hospital is that then the police would come arrest the leader they are so devoted to. One reviewer said that nobody actually handles snakes that way -- it is rare nowadays because there are laws against it and population and media have made it harder to hide it if they did -- but it is a FACT that more than a few used to do it, not that long ago.

Also, to the person who made fun of the type of syringe thy used for the morphine -- did you not hear them say they were scrounging up stuff from the vet?

So, I did pretty much like it and I gave it a 7. But I am amazed how many very good high-profile actors they got to make this particular type of movie! I agree with another reviewer in that I too did not really like Booksmart (though I did not hate it) but that Kaitlyn Dever was very good in it -- but she was SUPERB in 'Unbelievable' and here she was given hardly anything to do.

Funny You Should Ask (2017– )

Fun to watch

[6/10 · 9 January 2019]

The fairly low prize money for the competitive rounds seems reasonable because of the need to increase with each round to enable "come from behind" scenarios and because it feels uncomfortable enough for $300 to be the reward for the right answer to a kooky question that has to be a complete 50-50 guess -- if they raised the $100 amounts, then they'd have to raise the $200 amounts and the $300 amounts. Also, it is probably easier for the loser to go home with nothing when the winner didn't get that much anyway.

However, I would really enjoy the show better if they changed the ultimate (winner only) round to allow the contestant to win $1,000 if they get the first question right, another $2,000 if they get the second question right, and an additional $3,000 if they get the third question right. I would also prefer that they make that last question something that maybe 15% to 25% of people would actually know instead of making it something that only maybe 5% of people would actually know, as well as maybe a modicum of logic being able to be applied to it.

As for the jokes -- I enjoy those a lot, even the "groaners". Don't some people realize that those are part of comedy tradition? I hope they have subsequent seasons and that they get the next one out soon enough that multiple reruns of the existing episodes don't turn off so many viewers that they start thinking of that show as something they don't watch instead of something they do.