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MacCampbell
Reviews
The Flash (2014)
Mind-numbingly stupid at times, but getting better.
I hate shows where I find myself yelling at the screen because one character or another (usually Barry) is doing something so monumentally stupid, or all of them are ignoring something so glaringly obvious that I want to pound my head against the screen. Instead of a show about the perpetually insecure Flash and his gang of super whiners, there are lots of DC comics characters that I would love to see in their own series with the sort of gritty sensibility of Arrow or Gotham. Characters like the Teen Titans and Wonder Girl, or the deliciously perverse and conflicted HARLEY QUINN! Put her in a reluctant partnership with Deadpool; that would make for a show with unlimited potential!!
Edited to add: I've been browsing my way through this series, and to my complete surprise (esp. given many other reviews) I found Season 4 suddenly largely devoid of the flaws of earlier episodes. Lots of new writers, evidently. The show leapt out of its rut and stopped taking itself too seriously. Crisp dialog and unexpected plot twists make the characters all look like they've had an overnight IQ boost of 20 points or more. For the first time I'm finding times when the show is actually LOL funny. Moments of outright zaniness. Upping my rating to 7 overall, largely because of the huge improvement in Season 4.
Star Trek: Discovery: Choose Your Pain (2017)
One complaint with another otherwise great episode:
Shame on CBS for the petty censorship of a clever and effective bonding moment between Michael and Tilly that should not have been cut. Other than that, this is another great episode in a consistently fantastic series, especially for featuring a woman, the excellent Sonequa Martin-Green as the central character. Jason Isaacs is wonderfully Bond-like as Captain Lorca. This is the first Star Trek series that's on a par with the superb Battlestar Galactica remake.
Imaginary Mary (2017)
Jenna's wonderful, but. . . .
I love Jenna Elfman, she's a very talented physical comedienne and often very affecting in dramatic roles. The 3 kids were funny and clever, too. BUT - I would pay to watch an episode in which she immolated that stupid fugly stuffed thing on a hibachi while basting it with Wild Turkey and stabbing it to death with a barbecue fork.
Iron Fist (2017)
Another solid winner from Netflix.
This show works for exactly the same reason that Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Daredevil all work so well: they each feature complex, conflicted, fascinating and, above all, thoroughly likable leads. Another big plus is the complete absence of the all too ubiquitous painfully annoying sidekick from any of these shows.
I have been consistently impressed with the way the Netflix series have presented these completely believable characters' struggles to deal with having supernatural abilities in the "real" world. I can't help feeling compassion for the almost crushing sense of obligation they all suffer. They all feel the same compulsion to use their power to do good in the world, yet each of them deals with it in a totally different way.
Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing is particularly impressive; she's an amazing actress who adds dimensions to the relationships between the characters that hasn't been seen in any of the others series. I would love to see her in her own series.
Dare we hope for a resurrection of Daredevil's ally Elektra in her own series? As often as the character has appeared, a movie or series that really does her justice has yet to be made.
There are other fascinating Defenders, Hellcat for example, who could offer even more opportunities to expand the series.
Love (2016)
Truly wretched
I'm amazed this show got picked up for another season. Personally, I find shows like this consistently unwatchable when they display the same universal fault: they feature characters that I can't stand. The very best shows on TV always feature characters who are at least likable and interesting, at best they are fascinating, sympathetic impossible not to root for. The character played by Paul Rust is especially contemptible; every time I see him on screen I feel like I just want to kick him. Too many shows fall into this trap in a misguided effort to be funny.
For example, compare this show with "You're the worst", where the characters played by Aya Cash and Chris Geere are intended to be despicable yet seem to me like they would be fun to hang out with. You just know they would never be boring and would keep a smile on your face.
Maximum Ride (2016)
Not bad, considering the budget. The actors were perfect for their roles.
As I watched this I found myself comparing it to the Twilight saga. Given that it was made for maybe 10% of Twilight's budget it was actually pretty good. I certainly found it more exciting than Twilight, though the books they were each made from were comparable. Both stories featured a fairly conventional, clichéd story line, though I'd give the edge to Max Ride for originality. Imagine what could have been done with Twilight's budget and resources. As it is, Maximum Ride has the feel of a made-for-TV video, produced and filmed in too much of a low- budget rush to give the talented young cast a chance to do much with their characters or to provide effective SFX.
Twilight's budget would have been better spent on Patterson's Max Ride series. (This film covers the first book of a trilogy plus a sequel.) Given that Twilight cast a couple of shambling corpses as the leads, Maximum Ride, for all its lacks, had in its impressive cast the potential to at least reach for X-men level movie making. I certainly hope to see more of them, especially Allie Marie Evans, in the future.
Jupiter Ascending (2015)
A whole lot better than its rep!
One reviewer claimed its story could have been written by "a ten year old girl on drugs". Well I've met some ten year old girls with astonishing imaginations, so I'm not sure that that's much of a criticism. True, if you're looking for deep this ain't it, but the same could be said for "The Matrix", not to mention just about every video game ever made. Then of course there's "Star Wars" which 10 year-old (and those who think like them) find deeply profound and meaningful.
Purely as escapist entertainment, "Jupiter Ascending" is awesome. Mila Kunis is superb. A week after watching it I still can't get it out of my mind. I plan to buy a copy of the DVD so I can watch it again.
Supergirl (2015)
Supergirl is super TV
Melissa Benoist was an excellent choice to play Supergirl. She has to be played as an innocent goody two-shoes, and it's all too easy to err on the side of slightly simpering and pathetic like Toby McGuire's Spiderman. (Sometimes he came across as so wimpy I just wanted to smack him.) Calista Flockhart's Cat Grant provides an excellent foil for Kara and Chyler Leigh is terrific as always I especially like Mehcad Brooks as an updated Jimmy Olsen. The purists, predictably, are wailing and rending their garments at everything about him from leaving Metropolis to not being a freckled ginger or a brainless goof ball. I think it was an excellent creative decision using him as sort of a stand-in for Superman, thereby avoiding the danger of her being upstaged by the more familiar character.
These sorts of creative liberties and deviation from "cannon" are essential in a franchise that's over 50 years old. I'm looking forward to lots more "Supergirl".