rareandfirsts's Reviews

The Shepherd (I) (2023)

2/10

11 December 2023

It's as if they decided to take a Hallmark Christmas special and make it sillier. Five minutes in and the entire story was painfully obvious and being presented with nothing new or remotely endearing. The CGI was weak and flat and unfortunately, for me the only memorable thing was how silly I found the effort. I found myself wishing for some Jack Nicholson/bartender action to liven things up but alas...

It seems Travolta still has his Battlefield Earth magic working for him. I

I'm sure they racked their heads in the writing trying to figure out how to include a puppy and red flannel..

Do yourself a favour and avoid this stinker.

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Alert: Missing Persons Unit (2023– )

2/10

Reminds me of one of those straight to video movies

9 January 2023

Remarkably bad and I wanted to like this. Poorly written and directed.

Silliness on steroids with cliche driven dialogue and bizarre situational setups.

But this is only from viewing the first thirty minutes of the first episode. Hoping that it gets better as the season goes on and praying that it does not somehow get even worse.

An don't get me started on the acting... or the stunts... or just about any other facet of film making. I'm really surprised this got picked up. They must have pitched it on a martini Monday.

Do yourself a favor and pass on this one as I feel this show is one of those that can actually shave brain cells and IQ points with every viewing.

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She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)

4/10

After all that promotion...

19 August 2022

I was really expecting to have my socks knocked off. Instead I got a relatively immaturely written and produced Disney/Marvel hybrid. I was disappointed.

The first episode was only 30 minutes of show and seven minutes of credits. Oh, and several sophomoric "jokes."

Darned shame as there is a lot of talent here as well as potential that was not utilized in the first half hour of this series.

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The Book of Boba Fett (2021–2022)

1/10

This was bad.

31 December 2021

They stole special effects from 60's Star Trek, they were only missing the bouncing boulders. Didn't seem to be any story to speak of much the less any real motivation for anything. The fight scenes could have been choreographed by Betty White. The ratings on this are being held up by fanboys who would go "10" if someone put a SW logo on a bowl of porridge.

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La Brea (2021–2024)

1/10

A mess and a nod to cheese.

29 September 2021

Massively bad CGI. Tired storytelling. Cliched characters. A shining example of MBA driven entertainment.

I was hoping to love this... Or at least enjoy it. It reminds me of why so few SF or fantasy series exist for more than a season or two for the major networks. They're pitching to a predefined audience/age group and income level rather than imaginative storytelling.

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Cry Macho (2021)

5/10

I really did want to love this.

19 September 2021

It was an okay story but cookie cutter in depth. The best acting was by the young man while Clint's age precluded his giving a performance that was even close to what we have been accustomed to expect from him.

It saddened me to see this although it was nice to see him on a horse again.

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Black Widow (2021)

10/10

Marvel Does Bond!

10 July 2021

I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would after reading so many terrible reviews by IMDb reviewers. This was a nice change of pace from the typical superhero fare that Marvel does so well, but so many times that it often just the same story with the heroes and villains shuffled about.

To my eyes this came across as a Bond film on steroids (with a nice nod to him in an easter egg that gave me a grin when I saw it). The acting was stellar with Pugh stealing the show and solidly puts her in the most likely to be seen again in the MCU. Don't pay attention to all the negative reviews. Just strap in for a fun new ride in the MCU.

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Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)

10/10

Rollercoaster ride that pulls on all the right strings.

29 May 2021

I really didn't expect to like this as I'm not a big fan of Angelina but this film provided me with a solid two hours of good viewing experience.

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Bastard's Crossing (2021)

1/10

I lasted 15 minutes

15 March 2021

Before having to leave. In writing it is suggested "show, don't tell." In screenwriting, the "show don't tell" role is even more important. This was very poorly written almost to the point of dialog like "I am now walking across the room with a scowl on my face. The dialog was horrendous to the point that this should be used in screenwriting classes as an example of what not to do.

Save yourself some time and skip over this turkey.

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The Equalizer (2021– )

6/10

This would have probably gotten better reviews if they titled it something else.

9 February 2021

Sorry, but by naming this program The Equalizer they invite the viewer to compare it to the original with Edward Woodward who would solve most problems by simply being clever or outsourcing the rough stuff. It's simply too difficult to visualize QL as an action hero. The show was watchable but not believable and at times comedic when it didn't intend to be.

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Ratched (2020)

1/10

A cartoon??? Really?

23 September 2020

Trying to compare cartoons with filmaking is like comparing Hemingway with Scooby Doo. Ken Kesey's novel and Milos Foreman's directing coupled with Nicholson's award winning performance serve to remind one the difference between art and drivel.

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The Mandalorian (2019– )

9/10

A Cast of Muppets in a Generic Storyline.

24 November 2019

I seem to be in a minority here, but I was disappointed with this umpteenth foray into the Star Wars universe. They took bits from virtually every SW film, put them in a blender, removed the Ewoks and added a Mini-Yoda modeled after the gremlin Mawgli and gave it a big budget.

For my taste I wish they had developed a storyline that was less juvenile and less predictable.

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The Orville (2017–2022)

7/10

Painful

10 September 2017

High school humor with sophomoric writing. As a big comedy and SF fan and one who has enjoyed everything from Spaceballs to ST and STNG this was so obvious as to where it was going and coupled with juvenile humor/one liners, this thing really blew.

A waste of half an hour as I couldn't watch the whole thing.

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Hickok (2017)

2/10

What a shame.

8 July 2017

This had so much historical fodder for storytelling and they did this. The writing was terrible, the direction worse, and many of the actors seemed to be just phoning it in fora paycheck.

The most sad thing of this had to be Kris Kristofferson who seemed to be reading from a slow loading dialogue delivery system of some sort. The only actors that did well were those with few paychecks behind them.

Action and SFX were beyond poor and the entire film was a train wreck in that you can't stop watching to see if it can get any worse.

Kris and Bruce? It's time to retire. You had great runs but it has gotten down to the point that peeps might think you just don't give a shot anymore. Loved you both in your earlier stuff.

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Goliath (2016–2021)

10/10

Knocking on Emmy's Door

14 October 2016

After only watching the first episode, I am seeing the possibility of an Emmy for For at least Billy Bob, Kelly and Bellow. Possibly Hurt and the writers. This seems to be one of the better streaming services or premium cable dramas to come across my screen in many months. I wasn't as tweaked about Goliath as I was Westworld, but after two episodes of Westworld and one of Goliath, my tastes say Goliath serves up a better dramatic dish to be savored rather than gulped down in shock scenes as in Westworld. I guess I prefer the story and character development over action. Guess I'm getting old. LOL.

Another nice thing is this is so far away from the procedural format that seems to be the only other thing out there in legal dramas.

Now it's off to binge the rest of the series to see if it disappoints or exceeds my expectations.

I'm not a professional reviewer and I don't even play one on TV.

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Hawaii Five-0 (2010–2020)

8/10

Testosterone filled, over the top fun.

21 September 2010

Warning: Spoilers

The pilot begins with a feature film action extravaganza complete with helicopters, rockets and exploding vehicles and (I hope) sets the pace for the entire series.

Early on we learn that the Governor wants McGarrett to head up a no-holds-barred, "no red tape" crew to get the bad guys "off my Island." Almost immediately you see shades of buddy films like Lethal Weapon and hints of the producers' other influences like Die Hard and the same sort of cinematography used in Transformers sans the CGI.

The chemistry of the leads worked as well and to be honest, I tuned in for the non-lead characters as I knew Grace and Kim's work more than I did the two leads of Danno and McGarrett.

If you are looking for a more realistic cop show, this isn't the one for you. This is a 'throw the book out the window and get the bad guy any way you can' show that is meant to be more fun than thought provoking and it succeeds nicely in that effort.

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Bone Eater (2007 TV Movie)

1/10

Plan 9 from Outer Space has finally been put to rest as the worst SF movie ever.

10 February 2008

Sorry, after watching the credits, I thought this would at least be a decent homage to retiring SF actors.

Boy was I wrong.

The direction and story telling in this POS are terrible. I have never been so insulted by a production.

I have great respect and love for many of the actors in this "film" but have to say they were conned.

If you haven't seen this debacle yet, do yourself a favor and stay away. These are not only two hours you won't get back, but they will also ruin your respect for some actors you may once have enjoyed.

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The Man from Earth (2007)

10/10

One of the most thoughtful and well written scripts put to film in ages.

16 November 2007

I cannot speak about the depth and art put forth in this film without giving away details that will rob enjoyment from you if you have not seen this film. Suffice it to say that I highly recommend this film for anyone who enjoys a film that reaches to the stars and does not depend on CGI.

This is a film without pretense or smoke and mirrors.

It is so nice to see a film that depends solely on story and dialogue. I highly recommend this to SF readers before viewers.

A true masterpiece.

A true shame this film never got any publicity to speak of. All though it did not cost tens of millions to put to film, it is a winner in any category.

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