Reviews

It's disappointing when you take a character as beloved and respected as Jack Ryan and put him in a film and end up having to sensationalize the content instead of creating intriguing material.

Season 4 lasted about 17 minutes for me. The oft-seen, desperate-instead-of-shocking events belittle the intelligence of the consumer. I am a fan of John Krazinski, but he is no Jack Ryan. Ben Affleck and Harrison Ford embody the role, even Chris Pine does fairly well. Krasinski, sadly, is simply not believable.

The first three seasons were mediocre. I'm glad Season 4 is the end, and I'm glad I wasted only 17 minutes on it. I hope to see a new and more plausible Jack Ryan emerge from the ashes later this decade.

I actually enjoyed the first half of the first episode--even the much darker elements. But the horrible casting of mid twenty-somethings meant to be in high school or just out, completely detracts from the stories being told. The Will Smith character can't decide if he's going or coming, or stuck in the middle of the freeway. And to have Carlton be such an awful character portrayed by a much, much older actor is really disappointing. He looks like a long, lost, adopted five-generation removed cousin and doesn't fit the family AT ALL. Then when Uncle Phil is as corrupt as the day is long, one has to realize how far the potential has sunk. I'll give it one more episode, but if they can't try and stitch this together in some cohesive way, I don't see how it can stay on the air in my world. If you're going to use the names and characters who were decent people in a past show, you can't pour stank all over them and expect us to like them.

I did find the concept interesting, and I felt that the acting was reasonably good. Sadly, the things I hate on every Zoom, FaceTime, Teams, or other virtual meeting existed here. If I had been able to mute certain participants at certain times, I may have made it through the movie, but the quiet clacking drove me nuts. I had to tap out.

The rest of the elements brought on by the pandemic existed as well. The isolation, the loss of "safety in numbers," the inability to respond to emergencies because you're all in very different locations, and the constant intrusion into our lives of cameras were all highlighted in the film.

I don't typically review episodes, but this needs to be said. This episode was nothing out of the ordinary. It follows the standard 600 lb life formula. It's a standard story of a personal fight experienced by Latonya. It was standard except for the early interview production was atrocious. The angle they chose to shoot the initial interview from was really awful. Awful for Latonya, and awful for the audience. Shame on whoever made the choice to choose an "upskirt" angle. It's not acceptable for bottom dwellers to take upskirt shots in a mall, and it's not acceptable for this production team to take an upskirt video in a person's house, no matter the person's size.

Any stars are for the original cast members. The script is adequate, but the casting of the new kids is horrific. Gwen is really the only relatable character. Three of the kids are kind of hard on the eyes, and one of them simply cannot act.

Kitty and Red are awesome and I love seeing Eric and Donna. Of course Kelso and Jackie are good to see, but Kelso seems to be a little forced--which is surprising. He was always such a natural. The rest if the original cast members still have the good vibe. It will be interesting to see if it comes together. Maybe I just don't like 90's kids...it was a pretty dull era. ;)

I don't see a long run for this show unless something crazy happens.

At some point Harry says something like, "We don't see the world as it is, but as we are." It seems that so many reviews here support that theory. A lot of people living in their own disappointments and reflecting them to the Duke and Duchess. So many echoes of Diana's life in the Sussexes lives now. First with utter acceptance of by the "Firm," to utter rejection when they couldn't conform. This series is the first chapter in their fight to survive. I hope their story can move from tragedy to success. They're people, people. They, too, want to raise happy children in a happy space, and yes, make enough money to do it. What is so wrong with their desire? I see this as a step towards them finding their own peace. Perhaps that's how I see the world, and I hope myself. Hopes for their successful survival.

After such a great Season 1, I can't believe they chose to re-do the Betty Broderick story AGAIN under the Dirty John moniker. While I'm sure Slater and Peet turned in wonderful performances, I've seen and read the story before. I don't need to rehash it. Super disappointed.

Extraordinary show. The character development is better than any other TV show out there. Even better than West Wing, which is the best TV show ever made. ;) Supremely well made, well acted, well scripted. Honestly, the finale truly is the best I've ever seen. It is a violent show, but that's was fast forward is for. The full story was told...or so we thought. The movie tied it all up nice and neat. Would love to see something of this caliber again.

Oh dear! Lousy script. Terrible acting--Alba's is painful, Union's not much better. Absurd. Implausible. Ridiculous.

Dreadful and dreary. Why do people find this entertaining? Murder, threats, suicide. Nothing of redeeming value at all. They even really kill a pig without regard to its right to live. As though it were merely a prop. Yuck.

Dr. Rey has lost it. His looks have tanked. The good in his marriage has gone bad. His body (which is shown too often) is unpleasant to see. His charm is dead. Back in the day he did have a youthful bit of zeal that was enamoring, but now it's evident that living in excess has caught up to him. In order to pump up the show for high ratings, they have had to engineer fights and conflicts. All of the doctors are now so full of pride and are living in such excess that it is uncomfortable to watch them. There is so much focus on the fake drama that there isn't enough time to see the transformations of the surgery patients. Honestly, it's bragging and one ups-man-ship so poorly contrived that it is impossible to watch.

Drab, boring, pointless, and ever so long (and it's only 93 minutes). Did they not give Patricia Richardson a script before the shoot? This is a movie about a family and some friends gathering together over a holiday weekend at the family "cabin" in Lake Tahoe. There seems, however, to be no plot--or if there is one, it is disjointed, lumbering, and completely inane. Dialogue doesn't appear to be prepared in advance and is s...l...o...w. Character interactions have no focus. There are no cohesive conversations -- every word begets conflict. If they are trying to irritate us into oblivion, then this movie is a success. Otherwise, it is anything but.

After a fairly dull first few minutes, I became totally engrossed in this slow-moving thriller until about 58 minutes into the movie. Then it jumped the shark and took me out of the role of focused voyeur to that of a highly-irritated, intelligent (yes, we hate it when you doubt our brain power) viewer.

Ryan Reynolds gives a moving performance as a distressed father continually searching for his missing daughter. Mireille Enos provides a satisfactory performance as a confused mother dealing with anger and sorrow, mixed with hope. Kevin Durand is C.R.E.E.P.Y. in his role of head villain.

While the end may justify the means, and perhaps there was a twist I missed after I lost interest, but the film became mediocre right there at 57:48.