us_330 Reviews

The Peripheral (2022)

It's one of the best things ...

[10/10 · 4 December 2022]

In the fantasy/sci-fi areas 2022-ish. This and the 'House Of The Dragons' Game Of Thrones prequel probably are about the best things.

Terrific acting first of all.

Interesting setting.

Or settings.

First of all what will West VA be like a bit into the future?

Probably a lot like this.

Then the far future stuff, out of body stuff is very interesting as well. The alternative reality 'stub' thing I'm not sure about yet, unless and until a Season 2 happens.

I had not read the novel, but have some other William Gibson Novels like Mona Lisa Over Drive and The Necromancer, but I bet it's worth a read, and because of thematic stuff I'd wager a bet it's better than those two.

Wednesday (2022– )

Some decent writing here, everything else a mess

[2/10 · 3 December 2022]

The 'plot' of chasing a monster makes no sense, but even despite that , mostly the script is fairly OK.

Too bad no one in the whole thing can act a lick. Ot at least any of the principals. Ortega has some great lines, but oh man she can't act like at all. They would be great in the hands of someone else.

Ricci (who was obviously amazing as a child actress) apparently is (permanently?) stuck in 'Yellowjackets' mode now. Even the costuming is the same.

Wednesday's roomy is quite good as are some of the other sidekicks.

And Danny Elfman (who I am a huge fan of) ...this score is overall terrible as well, except here and there there's some good bits on Viola.

It feels like a cynical exercise to make a couple bucks honestly.

Re-Watch 'Addams Family Values' instead.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022– )

I had it fair to middle at first 5-6 ish

[1/10 · 3 October 2022]

But there's no story to speak of, I mean I guess the concept is they re-do the LOR -- fight Sauron? I guess? But we know how that turns out.

The characters are wooden, none of the actors are very good, some are really sub par (Galadrial) , some are average no more. The music is horrible paint by numbers junk, just trash.

There's 4-5 different 'mock' story lines sure, but none anyone would care about in the slightest. Do they all meet at some point?

Who cares.

The vistas and sets etc are fine, can't go wrong with New Zealand I guess, but still not amazing either but OK. The dwarf stuff is probably the best of it.

Vampire Academy (2022)

Google This Does Julie Plec Like Vampires Much?

[6/10 · 23 September 2022]

Anyway, uh, it's really quite bad, of course. Same formula as Legacies, a 'school' for vampires, full of young vapid models worrying about young vapid model / school stuff, and rescuing each other from time to time.

Legacies is far worse if that's the bar. The Originals at times was quite good, so she could do better, she just doesn't.

The Originals though left Legacies with the enteral question, 'what if my beloved daddy was dying a horrible death over and over drowning again and again in a chained box on the ocean floor'

And the answer of course was

'eh, well I'm very very tramatized I think maybe???' But how about my boyfreind's hair though?

The Blacklist (2013–2023)

It was actually terrific until

[2/10 · 30 December 2021]

Season 8 which is just a train-wreck.

Basically it had one premise, who was Eliz Kein's mom and what was her journey to be. That actress bailed.

Rather than ending the whole thing it brought that story (the only story really) to a ridiculous non-conclusion at the end of season 7, and somehow stumbles ahead like a boat with no rudder.

At least one episode has production values so poor there's better first time youtube vids.

Beforeigners (2019– )

It's so good.

[10/10 · 30 December 2021]

It's like what the 4400 would if both versions of that didn't stink horribly.

Love the old / new clashes, the clashes between different ancient factions, the scales of grey. Obviously the Oslo setting is amazing, the flashbacks to the past. There's not a bad actor in the thing either.

It's a fun ride.

Hawkeye (2021)

It's just totally forgetable

[2/10 · 24 December 2021]

I forgot I didn't watch the last episode so I went back and did that, but I had to pause it 10,000 times to get through it.

I think there's an assumption on the producers part that anyone cares about these 'characters' if they can be called that but no one does because they're poorly written, sometimes poorly acted and the whole thing is just going through the motions of paint by the numbers junk.

Station Eleven (2021–2022)

If we can't make any art about our reality ?

[9/10 · 24 December 2021]

How is it art?

Not to say it all needs to be about that, but when we have none of it mentioning masks, or all of that we have a problem.

I mean there is literally a total blank on what we are experiencing. If one was to watch our media 50 years from now people would be like 'did they not know that was going on?'

This takes what we have now to next level.

It's I mean this has a lot of problems. It's theatre not video a lot of the time, director really doesn't know when to cut a scene. Terrific acting though. It's really quite good.

Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2024)

What a wild ride

[8/10 · 6 December 2021]

Most of Season 2 is one of the worst things to ever have come out of ST, except for the last episode or so of the year....when they jettison the fake Spock guy it helps.

Season 3 though is possibly the best thing they ever did, it's just mostly terrific. It set up a cool arc for Michael and her BF and they paid it all off.

Season 4 having lost it's main ani-hero who I guess they were going to spin off into antoher series which they cancelled (I'm now on 04 #3) seems at this point to be another train wreck/ not as bad as season 2, nothing could be, but wow it's just wandering around clueless. It gets all weepy about totally undeveloped characters no one cares about like Tilly, who at 250 pounds should never be wandering around in like sort of Ninja S & M outfits in ep 3 for like no reason at all. Music stinks. It could get better again who knows.

La Brea (2021–2024)

When You Run Over a Sabertooth Tiger with A Jeep

[2/10 · 25 November 2021]

YOu're really doing some quality work, man.

It has it's moments I guess, I just can't remember any of them right now. The heroin subplot? Na. The Vaping weed guy? Na. Well, it must have something/ The tough mom with the heart of gold? Yea that MUST be it.

It's really funny watching the death throws of the old networks as they still churn out stuff like this while going off to oblivion.

The Suicide Squad (2021)

I was ready to hate it

[10/10 · 11 August 2021]

Because of the back and forth between Gunn and Scorsese... who is an icon.

But, it's funny in an era where really funny is rare, it's subversive about the state of the country (and other countries) where that is rare too wo silly games, it comments on our times, and I realized that it's actually far better than anything Scorsese has ever actually done.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)

If 80s Gems like The A Team is your thing this could be for you

[1/10 · 21 March 2021]

For those that saw the underlying interesting themes in earlier Marvel TV and films though , especially Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Man or Captain America, this and Wandvision should put the nail in coffin of any idea that Marvel will produce anything other than mediocre drek Michael Bay would probably pass on.

I have no idea how anyone could mess up Loki, but I know now that they will.

WandaVision (2021)

From the heights of the netflix marvel shows

[1/10 · 16 January 2021]

Which were, you know, actually about stuff. Had strong interesting themes. Characters. Especially I'd mention JJ and Luke Cage's first seasons, and the final DD season. Exceptional.

Down to this corporate nonsense.

Seems like it was entirely planned by some self absorbed executives that hired one focus group after another until they (probably after many tries) found enough people still pining for Father Knows Best or the Andy Griffith Show. I'd mention The Honeymooners, but that was far better than this.

The Mandalorian (2019– )

Disney Minus

[1/10 · 14 November 2019]

If a boring plot, horrible dialog, terrible acting, overblown and unoriginal music, a total lack of anything resembling a theme is your thing, this might be for you.

Yes, the special effects are very good. The world building could have been interesting, but man this is terrible.

Pandora (2019–2020)

There hasn't been a Space Opera This Bad in Several Decades

[4/10 · 21 July 2019]

It's got purple haired clone girl in a yellow mini skirt, telepaths, teen age puppy romances (though the actors all look much older) all sorts of loose ends ... I can't think of anything this bad since the 90's or maybe even 70s. The music was apparently cobbled together from completely unrelated production libraries, and the CGI is a joke.

But it's so bad it's campy good fun, mostly in a laugh at it kinda way, at least in episode 1.

Stranger Things (2016–2025)

Season 3 Is Trash

[1/10 · 8 July 2019]

I don't know happened here but holy crp they messed this up on the writing and plot side. The actors perfomances are still very good (the new character is too) but the 'evil Russian' trope is ludicrous , the plot development makes no sense, the music and sound design is sub par.

Captain Marvel (2019)

Generic But Certainly not terrible

[6/10 · 10 March 2019]

First off, the CGI graphics at times are just terrific really, especially near the start., I'd put some of that on loop if I had it at home.

Brie Larsen just sort of smirks her way through, but I mean wow they dont give her much to work with in terms of characterization or decent lines.

Other than the one twist (which is enjoyable) there's not much tension, it's like watching a 1950s Superman TV episode...you know he's going to pull the girl off the train tracks the whole time, 'cause he's faster than a speeding bullet.

As good as the CGI graphics are, the sound is poor for a movie with this budget, boring by the numbers score, boring sound design, and even some flubbed sound ques, like where they come out of the water without a splash/pop sound.

Deadly Class (2018–2019)

Oh wow this is good.

[10/10 · 3 February 2019]

I was so surprised because syfy network shows have been ranging from terrible to mediocre for years now, and I'd never heard of the comic books before.

It's it's own genre.

It's dark comedy, with a coming of age thing, and a 'Taxi Driver' vibe also.

The music is even good, not the forgettable 80s 'hits,' but the better stuff.

Jessica Jones (2015–2019)

One of the best shows of any type the last few years

[10/10 · 16 August 2018]

OK, I'm a sucker for hard boiled hard drinking Raymon Chandler-esq noir, but this succeeds where other attempts have failed (Agent Carter, for instance) because each and every character has a depth and nuance and motivation rarely seen on the small screen.

I will admit the first season is a bit better than the second, but I recently rewatched the second and found some things I missed- it's very good as well.

Salvation (2017–2018)

If I'd reviewed it in the first season, I would have given it a decent enough mark

[1/10 · 16 August 2018]

The second season though is a complete trainwreck. The mega plastic surgeried up actors were basically refugees from bad soap operas in the first place, and were able to do little with the stock characters-the billionaire genius, the young brilliant sidekick with always tossled hair, the supposedly talented female writer that somehow ends up content to be a secretary, and more.

But the plot in the second season, between over the top crazyness, holes you could drive an asteroid through, drags along like a one legged camel through the sand, is, well, almost comical enough to be unintentionally kitch, but not quite.

Infinity Chamber (2016)

Very Nice Movie

[8/10 · 4 November 2017]

It seemed as though Indy movies had kind of gone downhill for a while there, but they seem to be back, especially in the sci-fi genre, Otherlife is another example.

This one, as others have said, starts slowly, and there's some OK dialog and bits that the lead actor doesn't seem to be able to pull off at first, there's some stuff that is just too long also. But, as soon as he has a good actress to work off, he picks up as well and the acting (and plot) take off at around the same point.

I suppose if there's a criticism I would make, it's that our leads situation is actually pretty terrifying, and yet they make it seem no worse than frustrating most of the time.

Spoilers>

I love the ending. My take on it is that the (machine?) overlords have finally broken him. The second escape is revealed to be in his mind as well, as soon as he sees the 'real life' trees that are the same as the photo. When he shows them where the flash drive is, it's over and he'll live the rest of his days inside a fantasy.

Star Trek: Discovery: The Vulcan Hello (2017) Season 1, Episode 1

Great

[9/10 · 9 October 2017]

Long time Trek fan here, and contrary to many here I think this is the best Trek since the original. The characters have more depth, they aren't all syrupy, horribly nice-nice like a Nelix, or annoying know-it-alls like Whoopie Goldberg's character, whatever that was called.

There's actual dramatic tension between characters, which lets face it, has never been a star trek strong point.

The acting is quite good all around, yes the lead is a bit wooden, but she was supposed to have been raised by Vulcans.

There are interesting new creatures, new aliens, and new planets, and that is always part of the Trek fun.

The redesign of the Klingons, does look awful, they should have stayed with TNG version, which was perfect, and there is certainly a chance that this could go all in on wars (as the latest horrible movies have done) , but it hasn't done that yet by any means.

Bokeh (I) (2017)

Enjoyed it very much

[9/10 · 8 July 2017]

It's a lovely character driven film, nice acting, with a nice score in the beautiful setting of Iceland in the summer.

The couple in the film each has a very different take on what gives their lives meaning, and as to whether we are all a part of some deity's plan, or whether that is even important or not.

Iron Fist (2017–2018)

Paper Chip

[1/10 · 26 March 2017]

If you did a modern day 'Kung Fu' in which there were flash back scenes of robed monks (Tibetan? Shao Lin? Who even knows?) who, instead of dispensing far east wisdom, but far east stupidity instead, an actor who cannot do fight scenes because he looks like a paper chip (or much of anything else, such as act) , a tired theme about a rich man returning to claim his money (who cares), some white boy angst about whether main character should kill people or not (monks in visions yelling kill, pussycat, kill, kill!) , and who also feels guilty somehow for death of his parents (Writers must have been binge watching Arrow on a steady diet of Jolt) and added a cute love interest, marginally more interest than our hero of the neon fist.

You'd have this.

Jericho (2006–2008)

Laughably Bad

[1/10 · 16 July 2016]

Actually the acting in this is fairly decent, the plot moves forward, but the setup is so idiotic is still gets one star. Music is awful, at times so bad it's like there are 2 separate scores going on at the same time.

At times, it's so bad it's good, but mostly not.

This thing is like a wetdream for people that dream of using their big 'ol stockpile of guns to shoot people rather than deer. It must be really boring in Kansas, if that's all they can think about there.

Everyone good and noble in it is an ex-military type, even if they admit they shot kids i Iraq, it's all good because, well...ex military types are noble.

Soon after the nuclear bombs go off, they have a big 'ol country barbecue, with all the fixins.

And it goes downhill from there.