d-millhoff Reviews

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)

2 decades later, still the best over all show in history of TV.

[10/10 · 4 August 2022]

Consistantly entertaining, well-written, well-directed, well-acted, funny, smart, sardonic yet sweet, this show is simply brilliant.

Solid, well-developed characters, solid casting, strong continuity.

Buffy (and its spinoff, Angel), have held up well over 20+ years and earned their place in the pantheon of TV greats.

Flight of the Phoenix (2004)

Another remake that adds nothing to an older, better movie.

[2/10 · 8 May 2022]

The 1960's Jimmy Stewart movie is a classic.

This remake keeps a few important scenes, adds some superfluous "action" that does nothing to enhance the story.

Star Trek: Picard: The Star Gazer (2022) Season 2, Episode 1

Massive improvement over season 1

[8/10 · 17 March 2022]

Season 1 was pretty disappointing.

Season 2 feels more like trek.

AND introduces the coolest Starfleet vessel ever: The (new) Stargazer.

AND treats us to a cityscape of Los Angeles in the year 2401 - which includes some recognizable (400-year-old!) buildings from current times.

Hill Street Blues (1981–1987)

Some of the best TV ever

[9/10 · 24 December 2021]

Hill Street Blues ranks with Buffy the Vampire Slayer in sheer excellence.

Quality writing that respected its audience's intelligence, outstanding casting, full of surprises, and just funny as hell. One favorite episode may be some of the funniest scripted TV ever.

Most of the characters were complex and well fleshed-out, some had running gags.

No two ways about it, folks, this stuff is classic vintage must-see TV!

The best of the best.

And DO make sure you watch it in sequence, from S1E1 to finish (OK to re-run some favorites on the way through as needed or wanted).

Bingeworthy.

Shaolin Soccer (2001)

Incredibly goofy

[8/10 · 5 December 2021]

This movie is simply bonkers-silly.

Very stupid, and wouldn't work half as well if it were smart.

Get the original release with subtitles if you can, it is funnier.

The X-Files: Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose (1995) Season 3, Episode 4

One of the best episodes of a very good show.

[10/10 · 27 November 2021]

The best episodes of X-files are the stand-alones, and this is one of the best stand-alones.

In addition to being very well-written, it guest-stars the always-excellent Peter Boyle.

No point in going into the story, if you've sen it you already know and if you haven't I don't want to toss,out ANY spoilers.

This is must-see TV.

Fear the Walking Dead: The Beginning (2021) Season 6, Episode 16

Stupidest episode to date.

[2/10 · 25 November 2021]

FTWT jumped the shark quite some time back, but it now looks like the shark jumped another shark.

This episode is dumb in so many ways, from a "beached" nuclear submarine on dry land apparently miles from the nearest water, to an missile launch that takes so long to go up and straight back down that everyone has time to run for cover (including supersonic warheads you can hear separating a good 5 minutes before they arrive, to people who will not leave irradiated blast zones when there are safe places so nearby they can communicate by walkie-talkie.

Fear the Walking Dead: The Portrait (2021) Season 7, Episode 7

Unintentionally hystrical!

[7/10 · 25 November 2021]

Okay, no secret this show jumped the shark big-time.

But I was laughing hysterically when the Bad Guys started packing nuclear materials from an unexploded nuke and high explosives in zombies to make them dirty bombs, and catapulting them at Strand's tower.

Never mind that the bad guys who handled that stuff would be dead before their intended victims.

Nobody (I) (2021)

Perfect casting

[8/10 · 14 November 2021]

Odenkirk is perfectly cast as Hutch Mansell, an ordinary, boring face you would lose in a crowd if you glanced away for a moment.

Hutch lives a very boring, repetitive everyday life. That is, until a couple of would-be burglars break into his house and inadvertently steal some inconsequential trinket that, well, lets just say it sets him off on a personal mission. Trying not to spoil anything here.

The movie slowly reveals an unexpected and dangerous background, often in moments of vicious comedy.

I don't want to give anything away, less is more.

Run, Waiter, Run! (1981)

One of my favorite movies.

[9/10 · 7 November 2021]

I saw Vrchni, prchni! When it was making the rounds in art house theaters in the 80's. A sweet comedy about a bookstore owner who owes alimony to several failed marriages tries to moonlight as a violinist to make ends meet. In doing so, he inadvertently finds a new occupation as a small-time but ubiquitous grifter.

Please be aware of spoilers in Pavel Vetesnik's and other reviews. They'll kill the surprises.

This movie is packed with inventive gags, clever writing, and wry comedy, and escalates towards an elaborate, over-the-top climax.

Interestingly, the American theatrical release ended with a title card noting that during his time in prison, he became so good at the violin that he was hired into the Prague Symphony Orchestra after his release. This is missing from the Czech DVD release (from which a friend converted a US-readable copy).

The Deadly Mantis (1957)

A favorite from its genre

[8/10 · 4 October 2021]

A very watchable 1950's giant monster flick.

Good creature design, puppetry, effects and sound design, particularly for its time.

That's what you're watching for, isn't it?

It's got the obligatory authorative voice-over intro and stiff performances from B-list actors and directors, silly script, all the stuff you come to expect, some (unintentionally?) hilarious suspense scenes, and a Big-Frikkin-Ginormous Praying Mantis.

What more need be said? Woo-Hoo, get the popcorn!

And if you want to see what happens with the same sort of movie on a lower budget in less competent hands, I recommend The Giant Claw.

Man of the People (1991–1992)

Still remembered fondly after 30 years

[9/10 · 19 April 2020]

Yes, that's how long it's been since I saw this show in its original run on TV.

And jeez, I wish someone would release this in some form, even streaming or DVDs transferred from home VHS.

Long-Haired Hare (1949)

Brilliant ending

[10/10 · 11 December 2019]

Long Haired-Hare may be the only cartoon short with the distinction of incorporating a hilarious, epic lesson in harmonic physics as a climatic punch-line.

Machete Kills (2013)

A perfect movie...

[10/10 · 3 December 2019]

Machete Kills is Robert Rodriguez's finest film to date.

Gratuitously, hilariously violent, insane, intentionally-grungy, sillly as all hell, and FUN!.

Each and every meticulous flaw is perfectly executed as gorgeously Danny Trejo plays Danny Trejo like nobody else can in the role he was born to play.

Looking forward to Machete Kills Again In Space.

Strategic Air Command (1955)

Aviation .

[7/10 · 19 November 2019]

This is not a great movie, but that's okay, you are not watching it for that.

You're watching it for the glory footage of the massive B-36

And that's what you get in spades. And it takespor wide-screen technicolor to do justice to that huge 230-foot wing span, and high fidelity audio to capture the thundering drone of six 28-cylinder, 3800-horsepower Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major radial engines and four GE J47 turbojets blasting 5200 pounds of thrust each.

Sully (2016)

Eastwood's finest work

[10/10 · 17 November 2019]

This is a sophistically-constructed movie with some very complex storytelling. Lots of flashbacks and discontinuity. If the incident weren't se well-known, this would be a very difficult movie to follow.

But the notoriety of the incident is also what makes the complex screenplay so necessary. A straight, linear telling would be inappropriate.

It's easy to say this movie pushes all the right buttons with its feel-good ending - as it should. This is a celebration of a remarkable event.

The one odd thing is how there is virtually no mention of lives on the ground that would have been at risk had he attempted to land anywhere but the hudson.

Strategic Air Command (1955)

Aviation

[7/10 · 15 November 2019]

This is not a great movie, but that's okay, you are not watching it for that.

You're watching it for the glory footage of the massive B-36

And that's what you get in spaces. And it takes wide-screen technicolor to do justice to that huge 230-foot wing span, and high fidelity audio to capture the thundering drone of six 28-cylinder, 3800-horsepower Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major radial engines and four GE J47 turbojets blasting 5200 pounds of thrust each.

And you get plenty of glory shots. And, later, some loving footage of the sleek B-47.

There are actors and a plot, including always-likable Jimmy Stewart, filling up empty screen time and providing a story framework on which to hang the movie, but make no mistake, the B-36 is the star of this movie.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

TERRIBLE MOVIE, guilty pleasure

[8/10 · 2 September 2019]

No two ways about it, this movie is awful. And I absolutely LOVE it.

While a sci-fi horror comedy, it isn't even remotely scary and the comedy is hit-and-miss.

But that's all okay, because this movie so sincerely holds to its B-movie premise, right to the end.

Watch it for the wildly-inventive visuals and gags - and some top-notch makeup effects design.

The clowns are fantastic! They are the stars, they're what you're paying to see, and they're easily worth the admission (or cost of DVD, or streaming fees). Nasty-ugly scary clowns. Especially the uper-croc-clown in the last scenes.

This is MUST-SEE stuff, folks!

In Like Flint (1967)

Dated, silly, and absolutely hysterical.

[9/10 · 22 June 2019]

This is by no means a masterpiece, but the flaws somehow make it more 'light' and likable. It strikes a perfect comedic tone, and the dated satire of feminism and sexism and early James Bond is somehow funnier half a century later.

By some reports, much of this film was improvised by the crew as the producers and director lost interest. If true, it benefits from this and holds together surprisingly well.

I really don't want to give anything away here, too many unexpected and outlandish gags. James Coburn at his silliest, either you'll love it, or not care for it at all. I enjoyed it when I first stumbled across it in the late 70's, and I think I like it even more now.

The Farthest (2017)

Mankind's greatest voyage of discovery

[10/10 · 19 May 2019]

The title is not an exaggeration.

In the mid-1970's, the gas-giant planets aligned in a manner that posed a rare once-in-200-years opportunity for a truly epic grand tour of the outer solar system.

NASA launched two probes and returned the first detailed images of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune and their armada of major moons.

And these images were nothing short of astounding.

The Voyager mission exceeded the scientific community's wildest expectations, and fundamentally changed our understanding of the solar system.

'The Farthest' documents the often-touching story behind these probes, the scientists and curators, the science, and of course the amazing, glorious discoveries and jaw-dropping images Voyager sent us on its journey through our solar system on its way to interstellar space.

It even includes a classic SNL clip about the famous "Message in a Bottle" phonograph record. No spoilers, if you don't know what I'm talking about, google it yourself or, better yet, watch this wonderful documentary.

Polyester (1981)

John Waters' best movie.

[9/10 · 19 May 2019]

Polyester marks John Waters' transition from "The Sultan of Sleaze" to (sort of) mainstream production values.

A modest "Hollywood" budget and restraint on gross-out stuff focuses to perfectly-executed, excruciatingly funny storytelling.

Mortal Engines (2018)

Delivers exactly what it promises.

[10/10 · 28 April 2019]

This is not a great movie.

I give it a "10" because it doesn't pretend to be a great movie, just gorgeous insanely magnificent and formulaic steampunk fun.

And that's exactly what you get.

The dialog could have been better, the storytelling more solid, there's a number of ways this could be a better movie.

But that's not what you are coming to see.

You're here to see huge self-propelled cities making war with each other and ripping up the countryside, anything more is just a needless distraction.

this is no spoiler, this is exactly what the ads and trailers promise.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Best movie of 2018

[10/10 · 27 April 2019]

The TRAILERS were Oscar-worthy! This delightful roller-coaster romp is smart and dumb in all the right places, poking fun at tropes instead of hiding behind them. It looks and feels entirely fresh.

Watch for a hysterical easter egg after the end credits.

Mortal Engines (2018)

EXACTLY as advertised

[10/10 · 10 February 2019]

Big caveat emptor: As a movie, this is maybe a 2 to 4 star. I give it 10 because it delivers exactly ehat you expect after seeing the trailers.

A major pet peeve is when trailers mislead viewers on what to expect, or put all the best scenes in it and the rest is ho-hum in actual viewing, or when they simply make a movie look better than it is. I WISH all movies were as good as their trailers.

This movie's trailers show huge, mobile cities tearing up the landscape and making war with each other. No pretense of profound story or plot or social statements. And that's exactly what you get. Lots of gee-whizzy CGI mechanical eye-candy stuff and destructive mayhem without much plot to distract or get in the way. No spoilers here.

This is no Citizen Kane, just mindless fun.

But if you go to the theater or rent this to see what they show in the trailers, you will definitely get your money's worth.

Grand Tour: Disaster in Time (1991)

A favorite.

[10/10 · 25 November 2018]

Grand Tour AKA Disaster in Time AKA Timescape

This movie is more obscure than it deserves to be, as evidenced by the retitling.

Made for TV, on a made-for-TV budget, this VERY SMART, but easy-to-follow time travel story makes outstanding use of of its modest funding by focusing on the human story. If not for a single (and important) effects scene - and we must keep in mind this was made in the 1990's - you wouldn't even notice this, the production could have just as easily been for theatrical release.

Time travel stories tend to slog themselves in plot holes and bad logic or trying too hard to blow your mind. Disaster In Time manages to respect the audience's intelligence, suspending disbelief through good storytelling and direction.