forgotten707-1 Reviews

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023)

4 Seasons do self destruct mode

[10/10 · 18 May 2022]

First I truly enjoy this show, hence the 10/10 rating. But I have to say 4 seasons of watching her put her foot in her mouth or self destruct gets taxing. Where's the character development? At the beginning of Season 4 where Midge decides no more opening gigs, she's going to say what she wants when she wants, I thought finally we're going to see her come into her own. NOPE. Instead we spend eight episodes focused on all the other characters' stories while Midge goes nowhere. And in all honesty it gets hard to watch. All the other characters have their stories too, I get that, but this show is called "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" not "Midge and Pals" and we don't get to see her becoming marvelous we just get to see her spinning her tires.

Maybe the 5th and final season will reveal her coming out of her cocoon and finally take the stage, as it were, to be the comic we all have been hoping she'd become.

One final note: the camera work and scene blocking is phenomenal in this show. I wish more series would take a page from their book because despite my grumbling at the character choices, and sometimes the writing, the camera work is so beautiful I could watch the show again on mute and be happy.

Eternals (2021)

Should have been a Disney+ series...

[4/10 · 18 January 2022]

Introducing one new, unheard of character can be a challenge. Guardians took a risk introducing 5 somewhat obscure characters (and it worked).

But introducing 10 main characters plus another major side character (Black Knight) and packing backstories and conflict and love interests and villains and heroes and betrayal and customary three major action sequences and good dialogue... this film lacks all of that. I mean technically it's there, but not in enough quality to really make me care about the characters or the story.

Eight episodes at 45-50 minutes each could have told this story with plenty of drama, action, and build-up that it really would have worked. But 2.5 hours of tell-don't-show just really didn't do it. If anything it wasted excellent acting talent on a sub-par story.

I wanted to like this, and I avoided a lot of other reviews, even though the box office numbers were really hard to not see. But this was just disappointing.

A Boy Called Christmas (2021)

Really wanted it to be better...

[3/10 · 24 December 2021]

Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, Sally Hawkins, Toby Jones, Kristen Wiig... for goodness sake with these kinds of names I thought for sure it would at least be enjoyable. Every one of these great actors are completely wasted in this time waster that was too dark for kids and too dumb for adults.

There really could have been some magical moments here (SPOILERS) like:

• Blitzen learns to fly (overshadowed by the death of the the father?!?!)
• Sally Hawkins character has a revelation that changes her outlook on humans (scene takes forever while extras stand around awkwardly...)
• Main character freezes to death, comes back. Gets half eaten by troll, gets spewed out... How many times can we kill this kid?

It felt like the writers didn't know when to end a moment on a high note. And the dialogue was really bad even for a children's movie, which I'm pretty sure was the intended audience.

There was so much more wrong with this film. My wife and I loved the trailer, thought it looked like a magical Christmas tale. The movie was a disappointment.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and the D (2020) Season 7, Episode 7

Two weak links don't make a chain

[4/10 · 12 August 2020]

Agents of Shield always worked, even with bad episodes, because of the ensemble. None of the actors can carry the show, but it's okay because they balance each other out as a team. But this episode takes the comic relief and the hard-line leader and tries to make a buddy episode? Fail.

The worst part is it REALLY shows how weak these two characters really are. Deke has never ever been my favorite, and I was hoping we'd be done with him. Here we see his lack of importance really shine. His most important line in the series is aptly spoken when he says "I'm a fraud". Mac is a great right hand man, and has had some excellent moments on the show, but without the others he's just not interesting enough. I found myself looking up trivia for this episode while it played because frankly it was boring.

Final season, take some risks, I get it. But c'mon, go out with a bang, don't throw everything against the wall and hope something sticks.

Westworld: Crisis Theory (2020) Season 3, Episode 8

What are we doing here?

[3/10 · 7 May 2020]

Dolores. The writers gave her character a great arc in season 1, and by season 2 she had fully embraced her alter ego "Wyatt". Season three saw more of that as she had no qualms about killing indiscriminately, she even says so at the bank. Her narcissism reaches its peak when she admits to Maeve that they're all copies of her. That she was the first host that actually worked right.

Then suddenly she chooses to see the beauty in the world? And that monologue inspires Maeve to switch sides? This isn't a twist, it feels more like the writers didn't know what to do so they made her into the Christ-like figure, the sacrificial lamb at the last moment. Dying to free both worlds of the god (Rehoboam) that shackles us all. Puh-leeze. A weaker sauce I have not tasted.

Caleb. A waste of the acting talents of Aaron Paul. How many times does he have to ask who he is? How many times do we have to drill into the audience "it's about choice"? How did he walk unscathed through a riot without getting hit by a wayward bullet or brick or punch? He seemed more like a passenger watching the ride than a revolution leader in this one.

"Why are they calling me sir?" Really? He served in the military and he didn't immediately pick up on the chain of command here? They dropped the ball here.

William/Bernard/Maeve/Everyone Else They were all side pieces especially in this episode. Like the writers didn't know what to do with them because they weren't Dolores. I'm honestly curious if the producers didn't tell them "we want 70 minutes of Dolores being badass, unkillable, poetic, stoic, and the savior."

Overall they took a great ensemble of characters and made them all, every one of them, co-stars to Wyatt. Then realized Wyatts story could only have one ending (these violent delights have violent ends) so they tried to tie it all together haphazardly. And it just doesn't work.

A poor season finale to a decent season. Maybe next time I guess.

The Blacklist: Lady Luck (No. 69) (2019) Season 6, Episode 16

Spader in rare form...

[10/10 · 15 April 2019]

I can tie a cherry stem in my mouth, but James Spader knows how to chew up dialogue and spit it out into a thousand origami cranes. The way his vocal tones change with the darkening of his eyes and demeanor in this episode is astounding, and the writers gave him some excellent lines.

The trial is over (thank the Heavens) and Red is back to being the feared, respected, and terrifying person we know him to be. Forget the "who is he really" storyline, he's RAYMOND REDDINGTON and episodes like this show it. I was literally sitting on the edge of my chair watching those scenes. Don't really know what else happened with lady luck, I was too busy processing everything else.

Phenomenal show back on track, and I'm so happy they're giving us a 7th season!

American Gods: Git Gone (2017) Season 1, Episode 4

I kept waiting for something to happen...

[5/10 · 8 April 2019]

...and then it did. The exact same thing we saw in the previous episode, where Shadow walks in and boom there's Laura. So great I'm watching an hour to see the same scene without any additional story.

So I guess we're supposed to care about the motivations behind Laura's decision to cheat? Which this episode didn't explain. She was bored? She was lonely? She was really just the most uninteresting person the world has ever seen?

I have to give it to Browning for not cracking up laughing during this monotonous drudgery. But then I've seen "Sleeping Beauty"...

It was just bad. Not every episode can be perfectly amazing perhaps, because this one has thrown the train off the rails. I'm hoping that episode 5 picks it up a little bit. The writers on this one should be ashamed, I don't remember this part in the book. Or maybe I fell asleep during this chapter.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow: Freakshow (2017) Season 3, Episode 2

I still hate Nate

[5/10 · 14 January 2019]

Here comes season 3, and instead of making Nate better, the writers have doubled down on the dumb. His lines are horrible, he's nothing but a detriment to the team, and the actor can't even act drunk.

Please, Someone melt him down to make Sara another staff or something.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow: Shogun (2016) Season 2, Episode 3

Nate is a buzzkill

[6/10 · 24 December 2018]

(Spoiler Alert just to be safe)

Three episodes in and I hate Nate Haywood. He's whiny, first of all, and for being such a historian he has no problem messing up history. I really do hope the character gets better, because it's seriously cringeworthy this episode.

Other than him, overall entertaining. The Japanese mannerisms are spot on, even random use of the language itself is well done.

Geostorm (2017)

Biggest waste of a budget

[2/10 · 26 July 2018]

I can't say much about this film, other than despite all the good actors in it, the good digital effects, it's still the biggest waste of a film budget I've seen in a long time.

The dialogue was painful. The plot was obvious. The ending was pure cheese and a complete rip off of other, better movies. I can't blame the actors, they did a good job. The writers, the director, and the producers who green lit this piece...shame on you. Garbage.

2 stars for excellent digital effects.

Inhumans (2017)

Just...awful

[1/10 · 25 October 2017]

I really wanted to give this a try. I love Marvel's Agents of Shield. I love the MCU. But this disastrous mess is just really awful. Who wrote this? Honestly I have to say it comes down to the writing. Never mind that most the acting is sub-par, with a few moments of standout performances. But the dialogue is especially bad. I mean straight up insulting to the ears. As of the writing of this review, I've watched 5 of 8 episodes. I'll continue to watch the remaining 3 as they are released in desperate hope that the ending will be worth the pain.

***UPDATE*** (SPOILERS)

Having watched the rest of the season, I'm so disgusted that something this poor somehow made it on TV. Why the network didn't pull it when there are no tie-ins with AoS or any other Marvel TV property I don't know. Serinda Swan's acting was cringe worthy, bad on a level I haven't seen on primitive TV in a long time. And they gave her the most dramatic (poorly written) lines!

I'm a huge Marvel fan, the Netflix shows are great, but this really cannot compare in anyway. Poor. I just cannot say it enough.

The Expanse (2015–2022)

One of the best shows on television

[9/10 · 6 April 2017]

Science fiction is hard to do. Hard to do right that is. And every now and then a series comes along that really nails it. The Expanse is one of those series.

Without giving away too much (NO SPOILERS) I can say that it's well cast, well written, and well produced. The special effects aren't cheap and cheesy, and there's just enough political drama to give a sense of realism without overdoing it and getting boring.

I highly recommend this series, and hope SyFy will renew for future seasons.

Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

Sound bytes set to CGI

[4/10 · 11 December 2016]

If you love hearing John Goodman dropping random one-liners this movie is for you. It's a real shame, I could actually visualize Goodman standing behind a microphone reading page after page of catch phrases the filmmakers could slot into fight scenes. instead of paying attention to the movie.

The visuals are as every modern blockbuster brings them: highly rendered and often in slow- motion with various explosions (I didn't realize glass explodes into fire when broken) set to some strings or the occasional synth.

The acting is terrible. I mean really really bad. Even understanding that this is a complete science fiction/fantasy film, about giant talking robots from space, doesn't explain how a beefcake "inventor" suddenly becomes a military grade sniper with an alien gun.

I had to give this film a low rating, and only gave it 4 stars for one scene where (SPOILERS) Optimus straight up murders Kelsey Grammar.

If you want action, go see Marvel's latest movie. At least those are fun as well.

Moana (I) (2016)

The real Disney returns...

[10/10 · 30 November 2016]

It's been several years but Disney seems to have found its groove again when it comes to animated films. "Moana" is by far the best they've made in years.

The soundtrack is catchy but NOT annoying like some of their other more recent films (Frozen...can't stand "Let it Go"). In fact I rushed home to purchase a few of the songs from this picture, and for the record I'm a 33-year old male.

The story doesn't take itself too seriously, but knows exactly when to stop being silly and deliver a dose of reality. Very minimal cast helped the decently paced 2 hour adventure focus on character development and report. Not that ensembles are bad, but this technique really gave Auli'i Cravalho (Moana) a chance to stand on her own and shine. And shine she did.

Great film children and parents a like will enjoy. I cannot recommended it highly enough.

Arrow: Schism (2016) Season 4, Episode 23

Well that was...sure something...

[3/10 · 25 May 2016]

There are only 37 original ideas in the world of entertainment, I've been told. Tonight's episode found a way to borrow from everything that's been done before with 0 originality.

"The Dark Knight Rises" final battle, the obligatory speech from the top of a car, the missile diversion at the last moment, and the oh so handy sending the other missiles off into space (which no one thought of before?). Curtis' hope speech, Oliver's "I've lost all hope" moment, everyone going their separate ways, Malcolm shooting an arrow passed Thea to hit a bad guy and her returning the favor... OK you get it. The title of this episode shouldn't have been "Schism" but instead "Cliche".

Season 4 started interestingly enough with the mystery grave visit, until the writer's admitted even THEY didn't know who was in the grave yet, but that they were letting the season unfold naturally. Big mistake. And if that really was the case we felt it in every episode as the characters and plot limped along between weak cliff hangers and cheesy one liners.

The season finale was no different, sadly. I found myself rolling my eyes with the Curtis/Felicity rooftop banter while trying to divert a nuclear missile. Way to shoot any suspense in the foot.

The only highlight of the season was Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk. He at least seemed interesting enough to hold the attention during his screen time. Though his final goodbye was a bit contrived- "you don't have it in you" -his acting was still above par for this course.

Here's hoping season 5 will bring something new, something better planned, and maybe even something hinting at original to this spiraling show.

Arrow: Lost in the Flood (2016) Season 4, Episode 22

Felicity's mom needs to be the next dramatic casualty

[5/10 · 19 May 2016]

Not going to pull any punches here, I've hated the inclusion of Felicity's mom ever since she first appeared on Arrow. Her character adds nothing but constant bickering and annoyances that do nothing to progress the story of any episode. She, in my opinion, is complete time filler when the writer's don't know what else to do. Is it s demographic move? Are they trying to get more middle aged female viewers? Whatever the case, she needs to go. And a tragic death could help Felicity and her story by adding more personal loss. That or an extended vacation in Fiji for the next 5 seasons.

Let's talk Curtis. Interesting character, I think the addition of a very homosexual tech nerd to go along with Felicity is a good idea, honestly. But there really is only room for one techno-babble character who talks at all the wrong times, and that IS Felicity. It's part of her charm. Having a second character do the EXACT SAME THING just takes the charm out of it and makes the whole thing unbearable.

Season four has seen one of the best villains on the show, in Damien Darhk, and Neal McDonough was a fantastic choice. But season 4 in general is lacking so far behind the first two seasons it really is becoming heart breaking.

Stay Alive (2006)

Not worth renting

[1/10 · 15 April 2006]

Aside from Frankie Muniz chattering too fast to understand (Malcolm in the Middle flashbacks?) this film still cannot conjure up a scare. The idea with the "Countess" and the history surrounding her placed into the story was fun but the plot, and many side plots, just don't tie together. Plot synopsis: murdering ghost lures victims through video game. Toss in some blood spatters and a special effects and you've got yourself another bombed out would be horror flick. The ghost cronies resemble the ghost in "The Ring Two" far too much. The acting and constant and dramatic change in everyone's emotions is unbelievable. Save your money.