Reviews

I don't know why I still watch. The first couple of seasons were great, but it jumped the shark when Amy and Jake got together.

A for innovation and execution on this one, but as usual it was ruined by Liz. Frustrating, stupid, immature, unlikable, and poorly-written character.

..and it went steadily downhill from there. I've watched it from the beginning. James Spader is of course fantastic, and his performance is really the only reason I continue to subject myself to the show.

Most of the other performances are good too. Denbe, Resseler, and Tom Keene, in the earlier episodes are standouts. Very good work from many of the minor roles as well, and great use of guest stars like Alan Alda and Paul Reubens cast against type, and of course, the late great Brian Denehey.

Problem with the show is the writing. It gets worse and worse, sillier and sillier, to the point where the show seems like a parody of itself.

Elizabeth Keene has devolved from a smart FBI agent, inexperienced but with good instincts, to an emo millennial, incapable of adulting. It's distracting, and sucks all the energy out of the show.

The movie itself is typical B movie action fare. The type of movie Bruce Willis and Jeremy Irons would have headlined a generation ago. Better acted than most, and filming on location in gritty downtown Detroit added a nice atmosphere. It's actually beautifully shot, with Hemsworth and Walz delivering solidly.

A word about the format, since a few commenters are complaining. This movie is not meant to be binged, and it's not an episodic TV show in the traditional sense. It's more like a return to the serial. 60 years ago, if you went to the movies, while waiting for the feature, you would see a one reel serial, about 10 minutes. It might be Buck Rogers, or the Lone Ranger, or something long forgotten. It would continue week after week. Each one would have a cliffhanger to bring you back.

I watched this movie in 1, sometimes 2, episode bursts, when I had a little free time during the workday. It was a great escape.

Plenty of good synopses here already, so I'll only say this: acting, direction, writing, characters, all off the charts. Every TV show that is counted among the "Golden Age of TV", has Oz to thank for blazing the trail.

Very sad decline. What was once groundbreaking television, un-PC, and thoroughly modern, has become a social justice pablum fest. The characters have all become ridiculous, with only Jay and Phil giving us occasional flashes of the brilliance that once made the show great.

Plus, it turns out none of the formerly child stars can actually act.

This was one of my favorite shows during Season 1. Cool adult characters, precocious kids, and outrageous plots any parent could identify with. All the personalities were exaggerated, sort of like The Office or Married With Children, but with such a large ensemble cast, and a quick tempo, it fast cut from punchline to punchline without anyone getting to cloying.

I don't know what's happened in Season 2. New writers? Other than the great Brad Garrett, the adults have morphed into millennial caricatures. Easily triggered, with childlike outlooks and painful to watch.

The plots are profoundly humorless, and the children have become these Yoda-like creatures, schooling their moronic parents. In Season 1, they had flashes of this, just enough to be funny, but they were still children.

I'm giving it 1 or 2 more weeks to see if it can jump back over the shark, other wise it's off the TiVo.

I've always been aware that this show was on TV, but never saw it until today, as daytime talk is not really my thing.

I was shocked. I'm old enough to remember when Maury Povich was a serious TV presenter, not so different from an Ellen or Geraldo. What the heck happened to him?

I have only been watching for about a month, and am just starting the second season. I decided to check it out, after hearing Ashton Kutcher talking about in on an old Howard Stern interview. He described it as showing traditional conservative Americans in a realistic way, similar to the original incarnation of Roseanne, and boy, do they get it right. Any of the characters would be two-dimensional punchlines on any other comedy, but on The Ranch, they are fully drawn, and seem like real people. All of them.

What makes this comedy so unique, is that it deals with such serious topics, in a very realistic and unblinking way. Aging, drifting apart, financial hardships, betrayal, and without giving spoilers, the list goes on. As a matter of fact, if you took out the punchlines, and the 5-10 minutes of every show that is laugh-out-loud funny, you could easily edit this show into an hour long drama series, a la This Is Us, or Parenthood. Most multi-camera comedies fall into the exaggerated slapstick style of The Office or Parks and Rec, or light comic fare like The Middle or How I Met Your Mother.

I really have to go all the way back to M*A*S*H to reference a comedy that deals with such serious topics seriously, without allowing the comedy to suffer. I don't write many reviews, but I really want people to check out this show on Netflix. It's been on for two years, and I was unaware. It deserves a look.

My wife and I don't watch too many network programs, but we thought the concept of this one sounded interesting, and we figured that with Zemekis behind it, the production values would be pretty high.

I have a three episode rule for new shows. Sometimes it's not fair to rush to judgement, as they're still finding their voice. We lasted two and a half episodes with Manifest.

First, the writing is just bad. Cliched characters, forced dialogue. The natural comparison is to Lost. Well, in Lost, they would leave you confused, giving you clues, sometimes making you think one thing was going on, when it was really something else. Introducing you to new characters and sub plots piecemeal, as the story moved forward. They didn't hand you anything. Brilliant.

Manifest, however spent the whole first episode introducing you to every character. Hitting hard all the points they wanted you to take away so there was no room left for any nuance or interpretation. I hate these shows that spoonfeed you. If shows they have no faith in their audience.

The acting is beyond wooden. Pick any girl from any High School play, and she'll do a better job than the female lead who plays the cop, mumbling her way expressionlessly through her dialogue. All the actors are about the same calibre as the crime witnesses in a typical Law and Order episode.

Finally, the special effects are about like Magruber on SNL. This was the guy who brought us Forest Gump and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 30 years ago Zemekis was known as a special effects maven. Not sure what happened.

There are few movies or television series that I would call flawless. Even vaunted shows like Breaking Bad have their dud episodes, casting misfires, or occasional plot holes.

I'm not going to rewrite the other reviews, talking about the great story, the fun (but not in your face) homages to classic horror and suspense movies, or how it gets the 80's just right.

What I want to talk about is the AMAZING performances turned in by every single actor and actress. Obviously well-written, and well-directed, but absolutely well-performed as well. Any one of the performances by the 4 middle-school-aged kids that lead the action would be among the best child performances I have ever seen. All 4 together, in the same series, is mind-blowing. The adult leads are all Emmy caliber. Winona Ryder is unbelievable. David Harbour gives such a subdued performance as a broken Police Chief, without descending into the melodramatic and clichéd. I know Modine's been working right along, but this is the first thing I've seen him in in years.. and I think it's his best work. Even the minor roles.. the teacher, the police officers, the parents, are right on point, creating a television universe where complete suspension of disbelief is nearly automatic.

I watched this show thinking that the hidden hand of Stephen King must somehow be involved.. more than just an inspiration. Writing from a kid's perspective (and getting it right), a la "The Body", or "It", is a rare skill indeed.

Don't miss "Stranger Things".

I was so looking forward to Hot Tub Time Machine 2. The original was fun, lighthearted, good-natured, well-written, and executed well by all participants.

By contrast, this movie is so poorly written, many of the scenes seem like they're completely improvised.. and not in a good way. Craig Robinson looks completely lost, like he doesn't even understand how he's even there. Meanwhile, the charm of the original is gone. It's so mean-spirited and crass, you feel like you're watching pornography. Nothing redeeming.

A good sequel rarely is BETTER than the original, as by definition the original is excellent (hense the sequel), especially in comedy. Arguable exception for Christmas Vacation, but certainly not European. While neither was a better movie than the original Vacation, neither was a BAD movie. Hangover II would be considered a reboot of the original if it came out a few years later, but again, not a BAD movie.

This movie is so bad, that if you watch it, it will sully the memory of the first one. Stay away!!! Watch a couple of Office reruns, or Beverley Cop II instead.

This was one of those shows that, while watching it, you know that it is just too intelligently written to find an audience. I am glad we at least got 17 episodes. You can read the plot summary for yourselves, but each episode was a web of coincidences and lucky incidents that culminated in the solving of a crime. It took the implausibility of most TV shows, and made a giant in joke about it.

From the reunion of the Who, to Billy Joel performing Miami 2017, to Adam Sandler's Opera Man, to getting to see Hillary Clinton booed off the stage -- this was an outstanding concert. It took place in Madison Square Garden, and the audience was comprised of NYPD, FDNY, POPD officers, and other rescue workers. It was absolutely inspiring to see such talented musicians expressing their appreciation for their hard work. To the best of my knowledge, the original 5 hour VH1 concert was never rebroadcast. CBS aired a truncated version the following week, but I certainly hope that if and when Viacomm releases it onto DVD, it is released in its full format.

This is a must see concert, if you can find it.