Change Your Image
jbucher32
Reviews
Outlast (2023)
If you are expected an Alone type show you'll be disappointed
I slept on this for a while even though it was constantly in my feed and I love survival shows. I wish I'd have listened to my gut and removed this one from the feed. It's not survival at all. It's a show where there are "no rules"... Except there obviously are. They are in Alaska which is in the USA so of course you cannot lay hands on each other especially when it's all being filmed. They allow the "contestants" to steal and vandalize the camps of others with no repercussions which is probably the most annoying part of the show. In the real world, perhaps especially, in the wilderness, if you steal someone's sleeping bags and vandalize their camp, there will be painful repercussions. It's a joke and a bad show. Either put some rules in place or take it somewhere outside the U. S. A where you really can have a no rules, survival of the fittest game.
Pressure Cooker (2023)
A cooking competition where the best chef doesn't win
I love cooking competitions, but I was immediately skeptical of this one because it seemed more focused on the drama, backstabbing, and alliance aspects of a reality show than on the cooking. However, I wanted to give it a fair shot because there were some genuinely good challenges and good chefs. Unfortunately in the end, the winner was the more popular chef rather than the better chef and the judges essentially admitted that. Both chefs were likeable and unlike many of the other contestants actually had integrity. Going into the finale I did not have a clear favorite. Both chefs created quality dishes, but ultimately one chef strongly outperformed the other, but the judges did not base their decision on the food and they outright said it. They chose the person who "wears their heart on their sleeve" and "showed the most growth". I cannot recommend the show and I certainly won't watch another season.
Messiah (2020)
The best show I have seen in years
I rarely ever give a show 1 or 10 stars. Hardly anything is that good or bad, but this was incredible. I started it at about 9pm thinking I would check out an episode before bed, not really expecting to like it, and then it was 4 am. The acting, the casting, the writing, and the effects were all top notch. Some scenes are in Arabic and Hebrew so make sure your subtitles are on and give this a shot. You won't be disappointed.
Pet Sematary (2019)
Better than the original and a true horror film
I watched the 1989 version and I was skeptical about the reboot, but I am pleasantly surprised with the result. This is not the cliché jump scare type of horror that has perverted the genre over the last decade or more. This is a true horror flick that will make you uncomfortable, sad, scared, and probably a bit disturbed as it goes on. I hope in the future more filmmakers go the route these guys did and we move away from a collection of jump scares and back to something truly horrific.
Roswell, New Mexico (2019)
Complete Garbage
I am not one of those people that rate everything a 1 or a 10. GOT is close to a 10 and I'm not sure if anything is so bad as to be a 1, but this came really close. It's terribly written, terribly acted, and the special effects are as bad they get in 2019. The "star" of the show if that is even a thing in a show this bad is cute, but she can't act. The show is also overtly political which is something that has no place in scifi or fantasy. It's hard to believe this show is getting a second season when so many other great shows have been canceled. Such is life I suppose. Anyway, give it a shot, you might like it, some people do. I just don't see it.
The Walking Dead (2010)
Not a 1 and certainly not a 10
I honestly think anyone who'd give this show a 1 or a 10 should be ignored. I can't think of any show I'd give a 1 and only one show that I'd give a 10. The Walking Dead is a good show with some seasons being much better than others. Overall, it's a solid 6 and worth watching if you are into the genre. The biggest thing it had going for it are the characters. Great characters and a good cast to bring them to life can really carry a show. It also had it's share of terrible characters though and not in a good way. Think of Joffrey in G.O.T. He was awful. We all hated him and wanted him to die. But that is a good terrible. His character was hated for the right reason and well acted. That's not really the case in The Walking Dead. You have characters that are just bad and the acting is bad. Sometimes the story is even bad. The latest season is in my opinion the worst of them all. Most of the characters that carried them this far are gone. The villians are kind of boring. The whole show has just slipped down hill. It's still worth watching, but I doubt it's something you'll be anxiously awaiting.
American Gods (2017)
Decent show, but not great
Looking at other reviews, I noticed a lot of 1's and 10's. It's certainly neither of those and very few if any shows deserve such ratings. I give it a 6 because it is a show that I enjoy watching, the acting is quite good, as is the cast. Season 1 was a solid 7, possibly even a 7.5, whereas Season 2 is barely a 5. It's just somewhat boring at this point. The show is about gods, it is graphic in language, nudity, violence, and sexual content. It's really hard to mess something like that up. However, season 2 is well on it's way to doing just that. The writers had an amazing concept with a new twist on the old gods and even new gods of tech, social media, etc, but they just don't seem to know what to do with it.
Black Summer (2019)
Better than "The Walking Dead" but flawed
What I really liked about this zombie show was the realism. Unlike "The Walking Dead" where the zombies stumble along at a snails pace and one marine with a K bar could literally clear an entire state, these zombies moved fast. They were an actual threat and not easily killed. Hitting a head shot on a sprinting target is hard enough, but when that target is a crazed human sprinting toward you, well forget about it. I hope you brought a shotgun.
This show really captured the difficulty in killing such a creature before it kills you. It also really captured the desperation of the people. The lying, stealing, killing, and sexual favors felt realistic. It was not without its flaws though. What "The Walking Dead" lacked in threatening zombies and realistic human behavior, it made up in with great characters. Most are gone at this point and the show is basically trash, but those characters carried it for many seasons. "Black Summer" doesn't have any great characters.
Some reviewers claim it has no plot which isn't really true. As with any zombie flick, the general idea is survival, but this one also has the mother trying to reunite with her daughter and everyone else attempting to reach a government safe zone which is probably a realistic human response under the circumstances. Some reviewers claim that most of the characters are idiots. I don't disagree, but have you spent much time around people? I thought it was quite realistic. The episode with the school was quite terrible as others have pointed out and I won't defend it, but overall I found the show far more enjoyable than the last season of "The Walking Dead". It's certainly worth a watch if you are into zombies.
The 4400 (2004)
Surprisingly good show
I hadn't heard of the show before seeing it pop up on my Netflix feed, but it immediately drew my attention with the classification of Time Travel and Sci-Fi. Some of the writing annoyed me a bit. The idea that U.S. government would basically treat it's citizens like it was North Korea or Iran and no one would say a thing was a bit odd. Were none of the writers aware of the constitution? Anyway, aside from that it's a good show. I was a bit concerned that the final season would end at a cliffhanger with no reconciliation in sight like other shows have done when they were canceled, but I think they ended it well. They left the possibility of a restart while also leaving it with a satisfying ending. Sadly they didn't restart the show, but I hear CW is planning a reboot soon. Bottom line, if you like sci-fi with a heavy dose of drama, give it a watch. You won't be disappointed.