kenalbertson Reviews

The Chosen (2019– )

Enjoyed it as fiction

[7/10 · 25 February 2024]

A TV show does not have to be factually accurate in order to be entertaining. We must realize that the first order of television producers is to be entertaining in order to be a success. There are no contemporary accounts of Jesus during the time he was said to be alive. The first we hear of him is hundreds of years later, when certain people began a written account of the times that Jesus was said to be alive. There are no day by day accounts of Jesus's life. It is all made up. It is all based on those accounts written hundreds of years later. We saw president Kennedy killed on television, before our very eyes and we still do not know for certain who killed him and why. As for events that supposedly occurred thousands of years ago, we can rely on eyewitness accounts for some of them, like the destruction of Pompeii. There are no such accounts for the life of Jesus.

Paper Girls (2022)

There are a lot of problems but I will keep it short

[1/10 · 14 August 2022]

I could not get past the episode that had the extended dialog over a girl getting her first period and the associated with the theft of tampons from the convenience store and then, when the girls could not figure out the tampons, the return to the convenience store and the theft of the sanitary pads. After this the three girls waiting outside the bathroom while the one outfitted her pad and then the tugging at the pants to remedy an uncomfortable fit. That all seeded like it should have been part of a sixth grade health class for girls. I agree with many here that the acting was OK and I have no complaints, but the writing was terrible, which brings me to my second complaint. When the went back in time and stopped in at one girl's house where there was a party going on, they all went in because they were hungry but they didn't eat much. Two of the girls went into a room where all the guests coats were laid and went through them stealing money and trying the coats on, but they did this with extended conversation and no regard for someone walking in, which didn't happen, but it was terribly done. If they are going to rob people let them be quick, as they would in real life. This show makes me worry for the low standards that many people seem to find acceptable or even good. SHows like this need to fail as a warning to others.

One Day at a Time (2017–2020)

What's with the lame laugh track?

[4/10 · 14 March 2017]

New TV shows with laugh tracks don't seem new at all. I am not sure why laugh tracks were ever popular with the show producers, but the better shows have long since cast them aside. Shows with laugh tracks seem crippled somehow, as if they can't get you to laugh at their jokes, they will laugh at their own.

Smash (2012–2013)

The whole PA thing did not work for me

[6/10 · 22 February 2013]

First of all, Tom didn't really show a need for a PA. All the PA ever did was to make tea. Right from the start, Tom and Julia caught him leaking their songs and he walked out with Julia's notebook and yet Tom not only kept him on, but started taking him to events. Soon the PA became the Svengali that was running things from behind the scenes. This character detracted from the show's premise and sapped it's strength. Smash is still pretty good, but it could have been better if it stuck to the things that made it popular to begin with. It has become Glee for grownups. That is not necessarily a good thing. Still, it is nice to see a network take such a risk.

Breaking Pointe (2012– )

Endless talk, mostly about personal relationships

[3/10 · 2 July 2012]

I had hoped to see some of the behind the scenes training, dancing, and issues that come up in a dance company, particularly a ballet company. Sadly this show falls far short. Of the eight or so people spotlighted, we hear them talk endlessly about their "significant other" as well as their progress in the ballet company. Snippits of dance are scattered here and there in the program, rarely more than ten or fifteen seconds at a time. There is a trend in reality shows to inject some drama into the reality, but this show is all drama to begin with and boring, repetitive drama at that. This show could just as easily be about circus performers, or an acting troupe with only a small amount of editing required.

The Promise (2011)

Great mini Series, much of it based on actual events.

[8/10 · 29 April 2012]

Some of the reviewers obviously based their rating on their personal political stance. There is a reason that this time period and the events covered in this series are very seldom the topic of film or television. Inevitably it makes the Jews look bad. After all, it was the Jews that were invading. The Arabs were defending their homes. This is not a popular subject these days. All credit to the producers and staff of this series for their courageous efforts. Having gotten that out of the way, the series held my interest, entertained me, and motivated me to further research on the time and place dealt with. In my view, this makes it worthy of praise no matter how many people try to discredit it and lower the viewer rating.

The Third Jihad (2008 Video)

Politically polarizing film caters to fear mongers

[5/10 · 30 April 2010]

I watched this "documentary" after reading the reviews here in IMDb. Whenever a large percentage of reviewers give a film the highest rating and a large percentage give it the lowest rating, you can bet that it is about real life politics. In this case, an effort has been put into giving Muslims a negative image while, at the same time, attempting to appear fair and even handed. Many "documentaries" (I won't mention the name of a certain chubby American documentary maker) are made to validate and support the preset opinions of the documentary maker. In other words, it is not a search for truth, it is a propaganda effort. Propaganda can be blunt or subtle depending on the target audience. This is subtle. We should remember that America and Israel and other nations started out by acting as "terrorists" to the existing authorities. While it is true that there are anti-American and anti-western Muslims that would commit mayhem if given the chance, there is no effort to examine their motivations. They are simply assumed to be evil. Additionally, this number of "terrorists" is microscopic as a percentage of Muslims world wide. My recommendation is to see this film. While watching it, remain aware if the film maker is trying to manipulate your feelings and opinion. Are both sides fairly presented? This is the true value of this film and the reason that I give it 5 stars.

The List (I) (2007)

Really Bad

[1/10 · 31 May 2008]

This movie has no redeeming features at all. I have the sense that the large number of good reviews are primarily from people who had something to do with making the movie or, more likely, people who subscribed to the heavy handed message contained within. I have seen this happen on IMDb with similar awful movies. The entertainment value is nil.

My reactions varied from boredom to confusion to annoyance at which time I stopped the movie unfinished. I did watch most of it though or else I would not have chosen to review it.

I would like to take this opportunity to protest IMDb's requirement to write at least 10 lines in each review. I think it is sad when more thought is required to write the review of the movie than was given to making the movie itself.

Manufacturing Dissent (2007)

They should take a lesson in editing from their subject, but interesting nonetheless

[7/10 · 17 September 2007]

The film makes an important distinction for those who are still unsure about how to view a "documentary" film. Recently we have seen "mainstream" film makers such as Ron Howard and Clint Eastwood make movies that are based upon actual historical events, but purposely deviate from the truth in order to make a more dramatic movie. Michael Moore has done this in every "documentary" he has ever made. He admits as much, claiming that the words spoken by his subjects are theirs alone, but he is in charge of editing them however he likes. Using this technique, Moore has managed to make films which were more successful than they might have been otherwise. The success he has enjoyed has allowed him to assume the same "fatcat" attitudes which he criticized and parodied in Roger and Me. This is nicely pointed out in this film. One fault with this film is that it starts slow and you wonder if you are in for a very dry and unfocused personal history of Michael Moore. After about 20 minutes, it picks up speed and focus and has a powerful conclusion.

The Terminal (2004)

Serious Tom Hanks Overload

[4/10 · 7 May 2006]

Maybe it's the nature of the films he selects. In any case, Tom Hanks is in virtually every scene in this movie, and in many of them he is alone. This was also true of Cast Away. In both movies Hanks strives to overcome a series of problems, some realistic, some contrived. A modern day rework of Charlie Chaplin's "little tramp" style of story telling. The movie is not bad, but when the story becomes subordinate to the movie star, it becomes a distraction and the whole production suffers. This movie is another valentine that Tom Hanks has sent to himself. If you go to movies to see the stars rather than the stories, then this may be for you.

Jewel in the Palace (2003–2004)

A Grand Epic told in loving detail

[27 April 2006]

This is the best thing I have ever seen for the big screen or small screen. It is a semi-historical costume drama depicting the life of Jang Geum, a Korean girl/woman/lady of the 15th century. If you are partial to long, involving stories, I think you will like it too. Although it is episodic in nature, it is important to see it sequentially from the beginning to appreciate the story to the fullest. This story is shamelessly sentimental at times, but pulls it off very well. There are no special effects worth mentioning, no sex, no graphic violence and no snappy dialog. In short, this would never be made for U.S.A. viewing. In spite of this, I am sure that it will find a loyal audience. With so many movies and television shows being made according to formula, it is refreshing to see something that is counter-formula and done so well.

King Kong (2005)

Disappointing and Over Rated .. Director and Movie

[3/10 · 1 April 2006]

I agree with almost all of the negative comments I have read here and cannot even comprehend the rave reviews I see from others. I would like to add a couple of my own pet peeves:

The scene where the crew runs down the narrow ravine with the stampeding Brontosauri: I mean this ravine is NARROW! Not more than two bronto width. They are also in a panic, as there are raptors among them snapping at brontos and also at the crew who are jogging in and out of the brontos path. This was sheer silliness. I had to turn away in embarrassment, but then had to look again to see if it got any sillier. It did, when the whole group had to make a 90 degree turn on the edge of a cliff. Brontos were spinning out, going over the cliff, and piling up every which way. This scene started out like running with the bulls and ended up like a scene from Le Mans. Wretched Excess!

The other thing which peeved me most was all the close ups of characters not in dialog. We are supposed to see the wheels turning I guess, or the heart strings being tugged, but again, Overused! I mean 5 closeups of Jack Blacks face while he thinks up mischief is TOO MUCH! This technique was used in the silent movies of another age, but there were captions that helped us along.

The CGI of the title character was quite good, most of the other CGI varied from indifferent to OK. As with most CGI, the laws of physics are thrown out the window at every opportunity.

This turkey will find a home second row back on the lowest shelf of my collection.