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jgall36
Reviews
The Americans: START (2018)
Unbelievable and Ridiculous Series Finale
I loved this series and considered it to be one of the best TV series I've ever seen. But as often happens with series' finales, the final episode makes some boneheaded decisions. The worst one here is having Stan Beeman let Philip and Elizabeth walk - or drive, in this case. This was TOTALLY unbelievable. Beeman knew the Jennings had killed or caused to be killed numerous FBI agents and informants, some of whom he knew personally or was sworn to protect - such as Gennadi and Sylvia. To let the Jennings drive off was an act of utter corruption and criminality on his part - and that was NOT Stan's character. That scene went on far too long and was utterly ridiculous in its ending. "Beeman Lets Killers Walk". How unbelievable.
Almost as ridiculous were the two state troopers who failied to see ANY resemblance in Philip and ESPECIALLY Elizabeth to the sketches and PHOTOS of the sheets they were looking at. Totally unbelievable, especially as they were looking for people who they knew would be in DISGUISE trying to cross the border. Elizabeth ALWAYS looked like Elizabeth in ANY disguise....but this trained law enforcement officer just didn't see any resemblance.....
But my biggest disappointment was the fact that at least Elizabeth didn't wind up with a bullet in her forehead (as she had done to many other innocent people) or spending the rest of her life in an American prison, as she had turned into an utterly ruthless, vicious, BRUTAL killer. Philip also was a killer - and I would have loved to see them face justice for their acts, more justice than simply missing their kids. The writers let Oleg Burov spend 20 to 30 years in prison while brutal killers Philip and Elizabeth Jennings get their wish to return to their Russian Utopia. VERY unsatisfying ending to me, especially as the Jennings could have been nailed by law enforcement (Beeman and the Keystone Cops) twice.
LOVED the series but thought the last episode was unbelievable and ridiculous.
Trespass (2011)
Just AWFUL!
If Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman had not been in this movie, it would have gone straight to video, been considered a very bad B movie, and no one would have watched it. Unfortunately, Cage and Kidman ARE in it - and that is what caused my wife and me (and countless other viewers) to waste ninety-one minutes of our time watching this AWFUL, stupid, overacted (mainly by Cage and Kidman!), unbelievable, amateurishly-written, VERY bad B movie that SHOULD have gone straight to video. What...a...JOKE!
Kidman's acting is purely embarrassing,reminding me of a high school actor's first attempt at playing a terrified character. Cage? Just as bad. The way Cage is going these days, he'll soon be working for minimum wage. He can no longer be taken seriously as an actor. If he were a writer, he'd be called a "hack", one who simply pumps out work for a paycheck - with no concern for the quality of the work nor how it demeans his reputation. In short, all the other actors in the film were better than Kidman and Cage.
I gave the movie two stars only because it was SO bad that it kept us so riveted with incredulity that we HAD to continue watching it just to see if the ending would be as hideously stupid as the rest of the movie. To no surprise, it WAS. By the time the credits rolled, our eyes were sore from rolling in their sockets for 91 minutes. (And bear in mind that my wife is a HUGE Nicolas Cage fan.)
Only watch this movie if you're looking to add a new title to your list of "The Five Worst Movies I've Even Seen". This one is likely to crack the top three.
Nightmare in Blood (1977)
NOT for Kerwin Mathews fans!
If you're a Kerwin Mathews fan and want to see this movie to see him, DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME....as I DID! Mathews appears only in the opening segment (a movie within the movie) for less than 3 minutes - and has NO speaking lines! And the remaining 87 minutes of the film are incredibly dull and sluggish. (I watched until the end, hoping that Mathews would reappear...and TALK - while constantly checking my watch to see how much time was left in the film.) Avoid this film, unless you're an obsessive-compulsive Kerwin Mathews or horror film completest. (And this can barely be called a Kerwin Mathews OR a horror film.) I guess the producers needed a "name" for the credits - and Kerwin needed to pay the rent.