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Novaj9
Reviews
Painkiller (2023)
Too over the top
Like others have said, save your time and watch Dopesick instead. It's way more believable and doesn't turn every character into a ridiculous caricature. The sales reps in particular are horrible actors and the way the director uses flashbacks, repeated phrases and music is extremely annoying. It's somewhat entertaining in parts, but you know how it's going to end so the only reason to watch is to see what happens to the characters they feature throughout the series. I'm actually kind of surprised that Matthew Broderick signed off on this because he usually picks much higher quality projects to get involved with.
Quarterback (2023)
As usually with Netflix docs, too many episodes
Pretty good football doc, but they really could have condensed it into 4 teams r even 6 episodes. 8 was way too many and it felt like half of it was suffering through Mahomes and his wife screaming and saying "let's gooooo!!!" I know they won the Super Bowl, but they could have spent time on some other QBs and still had a compelling show. Also thought it was weird that Mariota was benched and he literally disappeared for the last two episodes. Overall an entertaining watch, but if you are already annoyed by Brittany Mahomes this doc won't do much to change your mind. Hopefully they'll make a second season and focus on a few different QBs.
D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?! (2022)
Wasted potential
First episode hooked me in, but the rest of the episodes are about this guy Colbert and his "team" and how they've basically wasted their whole lives chasing some guy who may or may not be DB Cooper. Beyond his theories about Rackstraw it seems like this documentary was made more to bolster his own profile so he could recoup some of the probably hundreds of thousands of dollars he's lost doing his "research". Really could have been told in a long 90 minute movie instead of 4 episodes. Way too long with no payoff. Just go to YouTube and do your own research - it'll be much more entertaining and you won't have to suffer through hearing about Colbert over and over.
Gunther's Millions (2023)
Pretty story that could have been told in much less time
I can sum up this "documentary" with a few comments:
- This is a 4 part series which could have really been done as one 90 minute movie - there's a ridiculous amount of filler
- Literally every new section of the documentary follows the same formula - some people talking incoherently, said people acting coy and saying they shouldn't talk about what they're asking them, then, as the music swells, they finally give the big reveal - music stops - some new character is revealed saying "my name is so and so and I am (insert super secret plot point that's supposed to be shocking here)
- Several "shocking reveals" that are neither shocking no revealing
- The whole story is basically one sad guy with a crapload of money inherited from his family and his quest to figure out what to do with his life - that's it - end of story.
I was wondering how they were going to make a 4 part series about a dog and his money and, well, they didn't.
The Anarchists (2022)
Self Indulgent Narcissism
The trailer was intriguing so I decided to watch, but the whole way through i was just annoyed. I stuck with it because I wanted to see what happened, but essentially nothing really happens. I still don't get what the whole "Anarchy" movement is about, but by watching this it seems like it's people, who don't want to follow the rules of any organized gvt mainly to avoid being taxed by the IRS, who get together once a year in Acapulco to get drunk/high and attend seminars on how to break rules while staying within the confines of another government in another country. Seems pretty pointless other than people with enough money to "operate outside the confines of societies rules" get together once a year and have a big party for 4 days in a hotel. None of the people in the documentary are likeable on any level and, after watching all 6 episodes, I can honestly say it amounts to nothing more than a reality show with spoiled, entitled, middle aged adults.
Inventing Anna (2022)
Made it through the whole thing
If you can get past the first episode it gets more interesting, but there is so much unnecessary crap in each episode that it just feels like a slog to get through. I seriously want to strangle Anna Chlumsky's character after watching this. Not sure if they told her to be as irritating as possible or if that was just her take, but holy crap there are literally no redeeming qualities to her at all. Julia Garner is great in her role and, while the accent is irritating, it's true to the person she was playing. Really wish someone other than Shonda Rhimes had produced this as it could have turned out much better. In its current form it plays out more like what the producers think women in their 20s want to watch rather than the rest of us. I don't regret watching the whole thing, but it really should have been more concise - and done away with Vivian Kent.
Succession (2018)
A great show about a bunch of awful people
There are literally no redeeming characters on this show, but I guess that's what makes it such a compelling watch. Usually there's at least one person you root for and, in some episodes that could be Kendall, but then he does something that confirms he's still a piece of trash when all is said and done. Really wish I had started watching this sooner.
Station Eleven (2021)
Good show, but not for everyone
First episode was really good, but it starts getting confusing starting with EP2. I like the concept and the direction and music is really well placed, but you almost feel like you've started watching a couple seasons in as they mention characters and places you've never heard of and you have to piece things together. The flashbacks don't help, but if you can hang with the confusion it starts to make sense by episode 7. Some of the characters are super annoying so it can make it a tough watch, but I'm curious to see how it turns out. I'm thinking the ending isn't going to be satisfying, but we'll see....
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
As bad as you've heard
I don't know where to start with this one. There was barely any action, the plot was ridiculous, and the acting was so cheesy and over the top I could see this turning into the next Rocky Horror in 10 years where people go to screenings just to yell out the awful dialogue at the screen. I thought Aquaman was pretty terrible, but this takes awfulness to a whole other level. I'd have to go back and watch it again, but I think it may be on par or slightly worse than Superman IV. Just an example of how ridiculous the plot was: the main villain at one point is having a meeting with "the president" which one would assume is Ronald Reagan (you know with the whole 1984 thing and all) and not only does the guy sound and look nothing like him, but they never even mention his name to give it authenticity. I'm wondering if the studio heads were somewhat relieved that the pandemic happened and that they could sell this pile of dreck for streaming rights rather than lose a ton of money in the theaters.