Change Your Image
rockingjerry
Reviews
Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)
More confusing than scary
I kept thinking of Officer Barbrady from South Park: "okay, people.. move along... nothing to see here".
While I didn't expect "Ben Hur", not a lot of it made sense. The younger actors were alright, but the plot had more holes than if it fell on a cactus.
It beats spending 90 minutes in hospital.
The Wrecking Crew! (2008)
Genuine talent on display
If you lived in, or loved the music of, the 50s, 60s, and 70s - this is a must see.
Long before it became preferable that popular acts (rap aside) had to actually play instruments and perform/record their own songs, this was the group that made hits. These are the people who made singers great and never got a curtain call.
No drum machines. No computer generated, repetitive nonsense. These are the fully-formed musicians that enabled countless acts to sound great. These professionals performed on thousands of recordings back in the day when talent, rather than studio tricks, mattered.
Take the trip down memory lane. RIP Tommy Tedesco, Hal Blaine, Glen Campbell, Leon Russell, and the rest who made the music matter.
No Time to Die (2021)
License to confuse
Not sure what I just watched..
To be fair, the first 30 minutes or so were alright.
The rest of the movie I spent thinking WTF?
Let's see... 007 is now a black woman, Bond is retired, then he's not. Somehow, enough time passed in the story that Madeline suddenly has a child that looks to be 6-8 years old. M is now the evil mastermind of the latest super weapon. Q is officially out of the closet. Most of the time, I had no idea (geographically) where the hell they were.
The villain is the lamest to disgrace a Bond film. Aside from being a complete bore, he has the distinction of being the first to hide behind a child.
If that weren't enough, Felix Leiter is dead.. Blofeld is dead.. all of SPECTRE is dead.. oh, and by the way, Bond is dead, too. 60 years of excellence wiped out in under 3 hours.
Yet we're promised James Bond will return. No thanks.
Bosch: Legacy (2022)
Worth the wait
There's always some trepidation when it comes to sequels, follow-ups, etc. Hollywood has a tendency to blow it by taking things that aren't broken and "fixing" them until they are.
The new series doesn't disappoint. The characters are still solid, the storylines still worthy of the name. The addition of Stephen Chang is a winner.
My biggest takeaway after the first two episodes is the change in Honey. She has an edge to her now that wasn't evident before. She'll let her feathers get ruffled and isn't afraid to show it.
Happy to hear it's already been picked up for another season.
Mayans M.C. (2018)
As time goes by
Started off well, so if you can find the first two seasons it's worth a look.
Third season was alright.. I've quit watching after the first few episodes of season four... didn't even finish ep. Four. The show is decreasing at an increasing rate.
Maybe what's missing is Kurt Sutter. Whatever it is, it's no longer holding my attention.
Mountain Monsters (2013)
Yee Haw!
Good, clean, silly fun. Get yourself in the right state of mind >ahem< and binge. It's a good show for a drinking game.. every time Wild Bill says either "get some", "hooyah", or calls someone 'brother', everyone has to take a drink. You'll be wasted by the second episode.
There are a couple pretty large, unsettled cliff hangers from a couple of seasons back-- maybe the death of Trapper had something to do with it. I'm still waiting for them to finish the Spearfinger storyline as well as the unresolved trade for the squatch body.
The newest season is okay, but we're half way through and Willie has yet to build any sort of a trap. I wish we could see the outtakes from when they celebrated Trapper's birthday posthumously.
It's a decent respite from all the gloom and doom in the world today.
Reacher (2022)
This Reacher is no runt
A fun romp with a decent story line and great acting. Reacher's endless search for justice never lets up and there's enough laughs to get you through. Alan Ritchson is believable in his role-- much more than his diminutive movie counterpart. Bruce McGill turns in another great performance of a previously unstoppable evil-doer. Supporting cast, while mostly not well-known, all turn in good performances that will surely lead to other roles.
Did all 8 in a binge on a snowbound day. Lots of great moments, especially if you like to see the bad guys get what they deserve. Not a hint of political correctness, social justice, or any other needless virtue signaling.
Try the first one.. I wasn't expecting a lot and was pleasantly surprised.
Marked Man (1996)
Much better than the ratings
All around decent film. The action is pretty much non-stop. Roddy Piper (RIP) is in fine form.. his character is flawed and he doesn't automatically take out the bad guys with one punch. Rest assured he does kick some ass.
Good story line, production is decent. Not a lot of glitz and special effects, but they're not necessary. Typical of Canadian production.
Roddy had a gift.. and is much more believable than the Rock or Steve Austin in the acting realm.
The Dead Files (2011)
One of the best
Have watched this show since its inception and continue to do so.
Early on, I found Steve to be quite credible (and still do).. and his belief in Amy's abilities made me more of a believer. I think it would be harder to believe if they matched up perfectly in their individual findings. A lot of it is close, and the sketches are amazing close some of the time. Sometimes it's not close. It only lends to the credibility.
The stories vary and are personal. They involve families and individuals rather than haunted sanitariums a vast majority of the time. For those who pan bad acting, I've never known bad actors to summon genuine emotion like that. With Amy's abilities, it's not a stretch to think she might be a bit eccentric.
I'm not a fan of Amy doing the reveals from a different room. That's new this season. I would blame it on covid, but notice the sketch artist does not wear a mask when meeting Amy face to face. Matt is the only one wearing a mask.. and it covers the lower half of his head... kinda like Bazooka Joe, for those of you over 50.
Give it a try. Bingeworthy, especially on Discovery + which has all episodes from all seasons on demand. It even makes for a decent drinking game-- everybody must take a shot every time Steve says "anything else?".
Unexplained: Caught on Camera (2019)
>yawn<
Only marginally better than "Paranormal Caught on Camera". These are the two shows that will cause me to turn off the Travel channel. The clips are mostly reruns and the experts excel in stating the obvious and ruin it. This show would fit comfortably in under 30 minutes without all the "experts".
If you like shows like this and need commentary, I suggest watching "The Osbournes Want to Believe". Same clips, but at least the Osbournes are funny.. and just as insightful as any of these so-called experts.
Longmire (2012)
Binge-worthy goodness
Believable, mostly intense drama with enough action to keep it real while not preaching or pushing an agenda.
Robert Taylor's portrayal of a flawed, but generally decent guy with a constantly challenging job is relatable. Mayberry this isn't. The Sheriff takes his lumps along with everyone else. Supporting cast is great, too-- some real villains and unexpected heroes. The recurring and guest cast is full of faces you know and they all shine.
Writing and production is also quite good. The episodic stories seem to mesh well with seasonal and on-going backgrounds. The scenery is America's best.
Easily a top 10 series.. and it's ratings reflect it.
Paranormal Caught on Camera (2019)
The only paranormal show on Travel I refuse to watch.
At any time, for any reason. While some of the clips might be of interest, the "experts" ruin it. It's all drivel and adds nothing the casual observer doesn't already know. It's takes 40 minutes of "insight" for 4 minutes of clips. Reminds me of cable news' incessant need to tell us what we just witnessed with our own eyes. Like we're all incapable of deductive logic without their help.
They should just get Captain Obvious... it would be just as insightful and probably more entertaining.
Bosch (2014)
Binge-worthy excellence
Everything you'd ever want in a series is here: terrific acting; great story lines; well produced; and never boring. While I've never read any of the books, I'm now looking for them as the show is over and I want more.
Titus Welliver is awesome as the lead. The Bosch character is a great combination of irreverence, integrity, and intensity -- and the acting definitely reflects that. On top of that, he's the normal father of a teenaged girl.
The supporting cast is equally as good -- there's not a bum in the lot. Bosch's fellow cops are all unique individuals as well, showing the human side of what has to be one of the toughest jobs on the planet. The characters of J Edgar, Lt. Billetts, Crate, Barrel, Jimmy, Mank, Chief Irvin and the rest are all well played and add a lot to the overall story.
There's no shortage of guest stars that make cameos and have occasional roles that only enhance what is already a masterpiece. Talent such as the late Scott Wilson, Jeri Ryan, Mimi Rogers, Matthew Lillard, Winter Ave Zoli, Arnold Vosloo, Ryan Hurst, C. Thomas Howell, and Bess Armstrong all bring excellence to the stories.
No spoilers... wouldn't want to ruin anything. Things aren't always what they seem or what you might expect. There's no preaching, political narratives or any of the other bollocks that poisons most of what is produced these days.
I was hooked after the first episode. You will be, too.
Haunted Hospitals (2018)
Interesting stories, but...
The witness accounts and recreations are fine. What blows it are the so-called "experts" and their ludicrous observations. It's like they're auditioning to be the next Captain Obvious. Totally pointless and devoid of any actual insight. If you need this, you're not paying the slightest attention to the story.
What are the minimum qualifications to be a paranormal expert anyway? For this lot, the title seems self-imposed.