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Dark Winds: Wonders of the Unknown (2023)
Closed captions better in season 1, poor in season 2
I have some hearing issues, so I prefer to use closed captioning when I watch videos. I don't absolutely need it, but I find it helpful. I've also learned that captions can sometimes add information to the viewing experience. However, bad captions can also detract from viewing experience. That is somewhat the case with captions in season 2 of Dark Winds.
There are many occasions where words spoken in Diné are shown as "(in Diné)" in the captions. I've seen it several times in this season and I'm only up to episode 2 at this time. I think season 1 captions were somewhat better. Since the captions were provided by AMC, we would expect them to have access to the scripts, so they could write the captions correctly. This is unacceptable.
Sometimes captions provide information about the music heard in the scene. That can be very helpful. However, I've seen captions in this series give completely wrong information about the music.
Finally, some of the dialog is out of sync in the captions. In the scene where Lt. Leaphorn speaks with Margaret Cigaret, the captions tell us his last words to her are "you look like hell warmed over". That seems very strange, given their conversation and the respect the Lt. Shows her. Then, moments later, that caption is repeated again, when the dialog actually contains it, in conversation between Lt. And Chee.
As I continued watching, there came a scene about defusing a bomb. Unfortunately, the captions said they would "diffuse" the bomb. I guess they just wanted it to appear blurry. 😆
I really expect better from AMC and Netflix.
Expats (2023)
Hard to watch Kidman
I've started watching this series recently. I'm not terribly impressed, but it's not horrible. Amazon's new habit of springing commercials up in the middle of viewing actually makes this series a bit more interesting.
I think the best part of the series is the setting. It's interesting to see Hong Kong in so much detail.
Easily the worst part of the series is Nicole Kidman's face. She had a terrible plastic surgery that results in her looking like a surprised mannequin most of the time. Her face no longer moves as it should, which limits her ability to make even the simplest facial expressions. That's a very bad thing for an actor. Shouldn't actors want their faces to express feeling? Her lips now look inhuman, bordering on duck-face.
Update: Since the time I wrote this review, I've learned that many people have commented online that Kidman's appearance is now strange and off-putting. I've tried to narrow down the time when she made this horrible mistake. Thus far, I've found that in "The Undoing" (2020), Kidman still looked fairly normal. I think it's apparent she's had work done at that time, but she still looked like herself.
Miracles from Heaven (2016)
It deserves 0/10 stars
IMDb should allow users to give ratings of zero stars, which would lower the average rating in a fair way. Regardless, my rating of 1 for this movie is for the fact that this movie attempts to genuinely make viewers believe that this spiritual claptrap is based on a real-life story. It is not. It only serves to reduce the public's opinion of those actors who appear in it. Jennifer Garner is not one of the best actors around, but this role is just too inane for her. Queen Latifah also isn't a movie big-shot, but I respected her more than Garner, until I saw this movie. In fact, I couldn't bear to watch the whole movie. It was bad and insulting to the intelligences of all those who watch it.
A Miracle on Christmas Lake (2016)
Depressing, unrealistic
The story is weak and goes nowhere, acting is amateurish and poor, and the heavyhanded Christian wholesomeness is forced and tiring. Who chastises a child for saying "darn", anyway?
Breach (2020)
What did Bruce Willis do to deserve this?
This may be the worst move I've ever seen. The acting is poor, the effects awful, the story predictable.
Toon (2016)
Who (or what) is Ab?
Season 1 of the series includes a character named Ab. Without spoiling anything, I can say that he is often around at key moments, supporting our hero. The way he just happened to appear at the right time made me think the was a figment of Toon's imagination, but the other characters interact with him, so that theory was blown.
This Old House: Cambridge 2012: Scandinavian Modern? (2012)
Geography, American style
Episode title: "Cambridge 2012: Scandinavian Modern?"
As usual, this is a great episode. However, there is one embarrassing, cringe worthy element: The not-uncommon American ignorance of geography.
As the hosts and architect discuss the future interior style of the home, there's a lot of discussion about what is Scandinavian and what is Swedish. Spoiler alert (not): Sweden is in Scandinavia, which is a region of Europe!
(Note: Google told me this episode is the first in season 34, not 32.)
Kenan (2021)
Disappointing
Kenan Thompson is normally a good actor and very funny. Unfortunately, he's neither of those things in his namesake series. There's very little that's funny, in fact. The production quality is so bad that I was expecting to hear a laugh track.
Lost in Space: Ninety-Seven (2019)
headline
I'd like to point out that a ship like the Resolute, powered by the robot beings' engine can open a rift and go anywhere. If they didn't want pursuers to follow them to their destination, why not open rifts to one or more stops along the way. Let the pursuers follow them through those rifts until they don't get through one of them in time before it closes. When the occupants of the Resolute see they are no longer being pursued, then they can finally open a rift to the desired destination.
I have another scenario in mind, but it would involve a spoiler, so I'll keep it to myself. For now.
I suppose that ending would be too clean for this episode. It wouldn't leave much room for the story of season 3 coming out sometime in 2021.
Bridgerton (2020)
Silly and unrealistic
I like dramas set in a past time period. I like dramas set in the same period as Bridgerton. However, after watching the first episode of this series, I can't bear to watch more. It's not just that the characters are out of place or that it's so unlike reality it might as well be set in another world. It's also really poorly written. The characters are flat and unbelievable.
Away: Negative Return (2020)
The Ministry of Silly Spacewalks
The spacewalk scene in this episode is ridiculous. It's insulting to the viewers' intelligence. There's no need for anyone to untether. In reality, they'd have so many tethers available. Even their tools would be tethered.
Also, where are the cameras to document the technical problems? Doesn't NASA want to know more about the problem the astronauts went on EVA to correct?
The Butler (2013)
Historically inaccurate
This film, which tries to be a view of history from the perspective of one man, fails because it is very much historically inaccurate. By negating the film's primary purpose, it detracts from all other aspects of the film. It's difficult to evaluate the quality of the acting and the casting because the premise of the film is insultingly fictional.
A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
Christian fiction
Madeleine L'Engle's fantasy works are in part highly expressive of her Christian viewpoint in a manner somewhat similar to that of Christian fantasy writer C. S. Lewis. She was herself the official writer-in-residence at New York City's Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine, which is known for its prominent position in the liberal wing of the Episcopal Church. L'Engle's liberal Christianity has been the target of criticism from more conservative Christians, especially with respect to certain elements of A Wrinkle in Time.